Name: That Supercilious Smile

Summary: There's confusing events going on at Fenton Lodge, and Mia's worried about Spook. What happened to the sweet boy she thought she loved? Mia/Spook, with vague mentions of slash.

Warnings/Info: This was a request from Ashes Of The Innocent, so it's Mia/Spook, with a surprise (slash) pairing at the end. Hope you like it, Trippy! This is a one-shot.

Dawn rose over Fenton lodge.

But instead of sweet, twittering birds singing outside the window, Mia Cooper heard only the squawking of gulls as a dawn chorus. And instead of smiling, Mia rose to greet the day with a major sigh.

Friday morning. Great.

"Morning," Lisa yawned. Her blonde hair swung across her shoulders, straight and gleaming, even though she'd only just got up. Mia suppressed a sharp stab of jealousy- (how did she do that?) and smiled gently at her friend.
"Good morning, Lees," she returned. Lisa swung out of bed and shook Jenny's shoulder, who immediately swatted her away. The other two girls grinned.

"Jenn-eee," Lisa whined, and when her friend didn't answer, Mia nodded authoritatively. With a swift movement, Lisa ripped off her friend's warm duvet cover and yelled "WAKE UP!" in her ear.

Jennifer screamed, and the two other girls grinned. Such was their morning routine.

"One day, Lisa..." Jenny muttered viciously. "One day you'll wake me up in a civil manner?"

"One day, you'll manage to get your lazy backside out of bed before I'm forced to resort to desperate measures," Lisa scoffed back. Jenny pushed on her glasses. She blinked twice, wearily, then got up.

"Come on," Mia instructed. It was in fact her favourite day of the week, Friday, because Mrs P let her help out with the baking on Friday's, and she had good lessons. French, and double Chemistry, which she normally didn't like, but in that lesson she sat next to Spook Williams.

Not that that had anything to do with how much she enjoyed the lesson, of course. Spook, however much he tried to hide it, was just plain good at Chemistry. You need a lab partner that's good at Chemistry, and Luke had already partnered with Clive.

So of course it wasn't anything to do with the way his red hair flopped over his eyes when they were working, or how his fingers would drum a catchy beat when they were searching for a hard-to-find answer. (Whenever Mia caught him at it he'd grin a cute, guilty smile and swear it came from living with Darren for four years.)

Stop it, Mia, she thought quickly. Get a grip on yourself. Mia hastily shook her head to clear it of alien thoughts. A hand tapped her on the shoulder.

"Mia?"

"Hmm?" Lisa smirked at her.

"You coming down to breakfast, or what?"

"Oh," Mia finished putting on her shoes. "Yeah, I'm coming."

As they sat down for breakfast, Mia nodded a "good morning" to everyone. Only Dax, Gideon, Clive and Luke were there. Gideon and Lisa started to bicker, as usual. After a moment, they heard light footfalls in the corridor leading to the dining room. Spook walked in and flounced into a seat on Mia's left side.

"Mor-morning," he yawned, and she grinned at him. He looked around for him other friend, assuming that Darren would take his normal place next to him, but suprisingly, Darren pulled up a chair next to Clive.

Dax stared at his old friend, who had struck up a conversation with his enemies sidekick rather easily. A few people stared for a moment, until Spook rolled his eyes at the two happily chatting boys and turned back to Mia.

"So, Chemistry today?" he stated casually, but Mia couldn't help thinking of it as a distraction. She nodded. "Good," he decided, and poured some cereal into a bowl for her, then poured some more for himself.

"Did you two have a fight or something?" Mia whispered when peoples conversations reached a better level of cover. Spook looked confused.

"What?"

She gestured subtly to Darren. He was grinning as he listened to something the resident geek was saying, and laughed after a point. Clive smiled back at him, looking vaguely surprised but nonetheless pleased.

"It's not like we're joined at the hip," Spook answered her. "Besides, I like sitting next to you."

He smiled that cocky smirk of his and Mia couldn't help but agree.

She also couldn't help being worried for her two friends, even if she was slightly more concerned for Spook than Darren. Spook wasn't exactly the most popular guy at Fenton Lodge, Mia reasoned, and Darren was his best friend. Despite what Spook said, it was as if they were joined at the hip. Darren stuck by Spook no matter what- if those two were fighting, what hope was there for her friend?

As they walked into French, Mia took her usual place on the table with Lisa, Dax and Gideon. A disgruntled Barry came to join them.

"You're not sitting next to Clive?" Dax asked, and he shook his head. Mia shuffled round to make room for him and he threw her a grateful smile.

"What happened?" Gideon pressed. Barry gestured with his head to his usual table. Sure enough, Mia saw a boy with black hair and chocolate-coloured skin sitting in Barry's seat. Next to him, Spook sat scowling, nose buried in his French textbook.

"Darren took your seat? Fish fingers on a stick!" Gideon exploded. "I mean, of all the shy, quiet people, I wouldn't have thought-" Barry shushed him.

"He didn't steal it," he corrected him. "I let him have it."

"Why?" Gid asked disbelievingly, but Mrs Sartre then glided into the room. She showered good-mornings to the class happily as she walked to the black-board, and Barry looked rather relieved that he didn't have to talk any more.

Half-way through the lesson, a small, folded bit of paper shot it's way over to Spook's desk. He unfolded it suspiciously.

You all right?

Mia.

Mia got her answer almost straight away. She noticed when he was writing that he crossed something out immediately after writing it, and tore another bit of paper out of the back of his book.

Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry.

She didn't believe him. When the bell went, Mia lingered behind until everyone was gone, under pretence of looking for a dropped pencil. Mrs Sartre finally left, and she scampered over to the table that Spook was sitting at. It was easy enough to locate the crumpled scrap of paper she'd sent him. On the other side, Spook had scribbled out his first answer. She squinted to read past the lines of black pen.

It's not me you should be worried about.

Mia felt more confused than ever. There was still 10 minutes of break-time left, so she ran to the music room, knowing she'd find Darren there. Although it seemed unlikely for the shy boy, singing was one of Darren's passions, and also something he was pretty good at. Recently, he'd been learning the piano with Clive. Who of course knew how to play. He was a child genius, after all. Mia remembered Dax explaining that when they first found out about Clive's musical abilities.

She slowed to a halt outside the room, and noticed that no-one was playing yet. The door wasn't open, but a window at the side was letting the sound of conversation drift out. She stationed herself next to it.

No, it wasn't a conversation. More like an argument, Mia realised when she heard a familiar voice raised in anger.

"It's got nothing to do with you!" Darren shouted at his friend.

Spook stood next to the piano, an hurt look on his face. The two best friends rarely argued. "I'm just trying to look out for you," he reasoned, but Darren just laughed harshly.

"Is that what you call it? You haven't left my side since I told you, let alone come to accept it."

"It was a bit of a shock, mate! And anyway, people are starting to notice. Mia keeps asking me questions- your stunt in French didn't help things either."

Darren looked puzzled. He hadn't noticed Mia hanging around- but then again, he'd been a bit too busy to notice much recently.

"Mia?"

"Yeah, Mia. You know, healer girl, wears a lot of purple, gave you that bracelet you're wearing?" Darren twisted the strip of leather around his wrist on impulse. The yellow stone felt cold on the skin of his hand. For a moment, he calmed down a little.

"Yeah, I know who Mia is."

"Well, she worries about you. So do I. Though I don't see why, sometimes." Darren looked up at his best friend.

"Sorry. I haven't been much of a great friend recently, have I?" The red-headed boy shrugged.

"Does that mean you'll stop- you know?" Spook asked.

"Nope."

"What if I tell Owen?"

"Then you're a coward, and not much of a friend either!"

Spook had learned after 4 years of sharing a room with the boy that Darren was suprisingly, not one to back down from an argument. He could be more stubborn than Gideon confronted with a ban on chocolate, when he wanted to be.

"Fine. So I'm a coward. Just don't expect me to cover for you any more."

"Spook!" Darren cried, but he had already left. "Git," he muttered under his breath.

Mia listened to the exchange with increasing worry, though she could only make out a few snatches of their heated debate. The thing that worried her most was that Darren was so reluctant to talk to Spook, of all people. Who else could he turn to, if not his best friend and room-mate?

Chemistry was a frosty affair to start off with. Although Mia had run off as soon as she realised Spook was leaving the room, she felt that he suspected her. She'd quickly learnt that Spook hated her frequent attempts to ask what was wrong, and had left the matter alone for a bit. Mia craned her neck once to look at Darren, who was partnered with Jacob. The mimic had seemed to realise that Darren wasn't in the mood for talking, so they were getting through their work at a record pace.

"Do you get this?" Spook asked suddenly. He gestured to the questions their teacher had put on the board.

"Not exactly," Mia confessed. "Or no... not at all." Her partner laughed.

"Yeah, me neither. Good thing there's only a few minutes left."

"What?"

He pointed to the clock- indeed, there was only ten minutes left of the lesson. She'd been in a worried reverie for most of it, her page was almost blank.

"Wow," she muttered softly. Spook went to say something, and then stopped himself. She waited patiently for him to start again.

"Hey, Mia?" He looked apprehensive.

"Yes?" Maybe he was finally going to open up about Darren! Mia was all ears.

"You know we're all going to that museum, trip, thing, in like a week?"

"Erm... yes."

"Right, of course you do," he was flustered, tripping over his words. "Anyway, I was wondering, I know you're probably going to hang around with the girls all day, I wouldn't blame you, but I was thinking that maybe-" he drew in a breath. "Maybe you'd want to go with me? It's just that, we're already Science partners, since it's a Science museum..." he tailed off. "Do you get what I mean?" Spook asked carefully.

Mia's eyes glistened. Poor Spook! She knew what he was trying to say, she knew he needed a friend.

"Of course I will!" He grinned, and some of his cocky attitude seemed to re-appear.

"Awesome. You'll have a much better time with me anyway."

"Maybe," she agreed, "but you and Darren might have made up by then, right?"

"What? No, that's not what I-" Mia shushed him.

"Don't worry, I won't talk about it if you don't want to," she promised him. "It's fine."

The bell went, and Spook hurriedly packed up his things. His cheeks were starting to match his hair and he flew out the door.

Clive idly fingered the keys on the piano. The sound filled the empty room awkwardly and clashed with the eerie silence. He was very thankful when Darren burst in.

"Hello," he greeted him. Darren threw his bag in to the corner of the room. "Bad day?"

"A little," Darren agreed.

"Let me guess..." Clive thought in mock-confusion. "Was Spook a major factor in your depression?"

"I'm not depressed," Darren shot back. "But yes, he was a factor."

"He's going to be a problem," the pianist mused.

"You think?"

"Possibly. Are you all right? He's not... you know, being mean to you or anything?"

"What are you, my Year 6 teacher?"

"No," Clive answered sadly. "That didn't answer my question, though." Darren shook his head.

"It's fine. Want to practice?"

"Of course."

Clive's fingers played out a recognisable tune this time, a melody that lifted the dark aura of the room and commanded the singer to sing. Darren opened his mouth and the worries of his day seemed to take a back seat.

"Mia, love, can you run and fetch me the milk?" Mia nodded and ambled over to the large fridge. As promised, Mrs P had called Mia up to help with the baking. Working in the kitchen was something she really enjoyed, and Mrs P often said that she had a talent for it. Today they were making scones. Mia handed the milk to the cook and started testing her mixture with a spatula. "How did your day go?"

"All right," Mia answered. She deliberated for a second before saying, "I'm a little worried about Spook, though. He's had a bit of a fight with Darren."

"Oh, dear," Mrs P replied. "You're a good friend to that lad, Mia."

"You're right." a voice added from the doorway. "She's a very good friend." Mia whipped around, spatula in hand and managed to flick a blob of her mixture on to the already freckle-spattered nose of Spook Williams.

"When she's not throwing stuff at them," he amended.

"I'm sorry!" Mia cried. She grabbed a piece of kitchen roll and carefully wiped the offending blob off. Their eyes met, and she quickly looked away. His green eyes glittered.

"Did you want something?" Mrs P asked jovially. Spook shook his head.

"No, not really. Do you mind if I help out?" he asked, but more to Mia than anyone else. She smiled at him.

"I don't mind."

"The more the merrier," Mrs P agreed. "Come on then, you two, there's work to be done!"

Mia quickly realised that it was hard to ignore how adorable Spook was when he couldn't get something right straight away. It was also hard to ignore how terrible Spook was in the kitchen. He'd resorted to happily being Mia's assistant.

"What do you need?"

"Umm... the spatula again, I think."

"Which one's that?" He rooted through the drawer. "Is that the one you flicked stuff at me with?"

"Yes," she blushed. He winked at her and pressed the spatula Mia's hand. His hand was considerably larger than hers. It encapsulated Mia's in his firm grip and he seemed reluctant to let go. She stared in to his eyes again, and wondered for the hundredth time why she'd decided to fall in love with him.

Mrs P interrupted them as she bustled over. Spook quickly dropped his hand and looked away.

"I can finish up here, kids," she decided. "Thanks for all your help."

"Isn't there anything else you need done?" Mia asked, but she shook her head.

"No, you two go out and have some fun." Mrs P smiled at them in a manner that clearly said, it's time for you two to leave my kitchen now.

The two friends wandered outside in to the cold. For some reason, neither felt like going inside just yet.

"Mia," Spook started suddenly. "You know when I asked you about the Science museum?" Mia nodded.

"Well... what did you think I meant?"

Mia considered her answer carefully.

"That... you needed a friend to go around with?" Spook shook his head and sighed.

"No, I didn't mean that."

"What did you mean then?" Mia was confused. The boy had more mixed signals than she could handle.

"I asked you if you wanted to go with me because..." he seemed to be struggling to get the words out.

"Because?" Mia asked softly.

"Because I like you, ok?"

The healer stopped breathing for a second.

"Umm, I like you too. You know that."

"No, I don't mean like that." His eyes hardened and he moved away a little. "I mean, I like you more than anything, Mia. I've liked you for ages, and it's not just the Mia Effect, even though it's been ever since I met you, and... and you're staring at me like I'm crazy, aren't you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

"Is this because of Darren? Because you had a fight? Because I warn you," Mia's voice grew cold, "I'm not going to be your re-bound."

"What? No! This has nothing to do with Darren!" Spook bounded over to her side and grabbed her hands again. They were warm, and Mia found herself melting a little.

"But you had a fight..."

"That's different, Mia."

"But what about Darren?"

"Darren's snogging Clive!" The air pushed around Mia in shock.

"Darren... Darren and Clive?" Spook seemed amused.

"Yep. Who knew? Well, I knew. It's sort of hard not to notice, when one of them is your room-mate. So that's why we had a fight, okay? I'm worried about him."

"You're a good friend," she whispered.

"Yeah, I know," he agreed. "So now we've sorted that out... I'm going to kiss you. If you don't mind."

"I don't mind," she answered softly. He smiled at her in the way that was so arrogant, so supercilious, so... Spook. Their lips met and Mia finally remembered why she had fallen in love with him.

It was because he was Spook. And as he held her close in the cold Cumbrian air, she realised that she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I love you, by the way," he added. "Just incase you didn't know."

"I'd sort of figured it out," she told him, and then pulled Spook in for another kiss.

Finally, the rest of the world seemed to say. Mia ignored the wind rushing past and the leaves gossiping in the trees. She didn't hear the way the snow crunched under her shoes and she couldn't have cared less that the sky's shade of blue was slowly turning in to black. All that she cared about was Spook's lips on hers, his hand in her hand.

Mia pulled away because her grin was too large to be hidden any more. She agreed with the whispering trees- she finally had him.

I hope you liked it, Trippy! (She requested a Mia/Spook story that involved a spatula. This was the result!)

Please review if you can, I'm a little worried about this fic and I'd love to hear what everyone thought :D Till next time!