AUTHORS NOTE: Just a little holiday fluff :) Enjoy! Please review, it gives me jingly tinglies :)

UPDATE 12/19/2012: If you received an alert for a new chapter I apologize, I goofed up while trying to make a few grammatical edits… didn't mean to get your hopes up. This is still only a one shot. Plus you know I like to catch the attention of new readers… teehee. Please don't forget to Review!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I profit from, the Disney Channel program 'Austin & Ally' or the characters therein. They are simply used in the following story for my own entertainment. No copyright infringement intended.

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'I'm just saying, Trish, it's like the number one holiday rule. You can't sit or stand under mistletoe with a guy, notice it, and not kiss," Ally argued as she walked down the steps of Sonic Boom into the stores open yet vacant show room.

Trish scoffed and shook her head. "Uh, yeah you can. Especially when the other person under that mistletoe; is Dez. I mean come on, what would you do?"

Ally smirked and tilted her head at her best friend. "He's not that repulsive, Trish. Besides, if you can't kiss one of your best friends in the name of holiday cheer then who can you kiss?"

Trish opened her mouth to speak again but stopped and smiled as she watched an all too familiar face walk into the shop.

"Who are you kissing?" Austin's voice came from behind her as he put his hands on the counter and swung his legs over to sit next to where Ally was currently leaning.

Ally whirled around, a bit surprised at his sudden presence but smiled after she saw him sitting there. "Trish wouldn't kiss Dez under the mistletoe I put in the practice room earlier even though she knew it was there and I was dying to see her do it."

Austin's face lit up. "You wanna kiss Dez?"

Trish held her hands out on either side of her body as she looked between the musical duo in front of her. "No! Ugh! For the millionth time, I don't think of Dez that way. It would just be weird!"

"Why?" Austin laughed. "It's just a little kiss…"

"Yeah," Ally interjected. "That's what I was saying. She could have at least humored me. I lead a very boring life… I need a vicarious thrill once in a while and I was dying to see someone I know and love kiss under the mistletoe I planted," she said pointing to the door at the top of the elaborately decorated stairs.

Austin and Trish both looked in the direction of the leafy plant and Trish immediately shook her head again. "Just because it's your secret fantasy doesn't mean its mine. You want a thrill; have one of your own."

Ally pouted and turned toward Austin, purposely acting like Trish was no longer there just to push her buttons a bit. "Dez was all for it, I'm telling ya…"

Austin's brows raised and his brown eyes smiled at her.

Trish scoffed again. "Yeah, okay, very funny. You think it's so easy to just plant one on someone you have to see everyday and have it not mean anything, why don't you kiss Austin and tell me how it feels."

Both Austin and Ally turned beet red and turned their bodies away from one another, refusing to make eye contact out of sheer awkwardness.

"That's… different…" Ally muttered under her breath as she turned and pretended to clean something in the display case.

Austin cleared his throat and glared at Trish who was now looking at her best friend with one eyebrow raised in defeat. "And why's that, Ally?" the Hispanic girl asked her, making her point.

Ally stood straight and tried her best to look un-phased by the suggestion. "Because… well…" She spared one or two glances at his seated figure, thankful he hadn't made eye contact with her when she did so. "We're partners, as in… we work together. It would be inappropriate," she said with an unsure tone.

"Yeah," Austin said with a slightly saddened tone. "Cause we work together…"

Trish smirked and shook her head at the pair. "Yeah well Dez and I work together too. You know… if and when I actually decide to work," she joked. "I think I've made my point. Sorry to disappoint, Als, but you'll have to find someone else to do it."

Ally nodded but kept her blushing eyes on the floor, and off of Austin.

Trish saw the awkwardness she'd caused and despite the fact Ally had done nearly the exact same thing not one hour earlier when Dez was upstairs; she decided to show some mercy. "I know! Why don't we lure Dallas in here somehow and get him to stand under it! Maybe then-"

"No," Austin quickly cut her off, surprising both her and Ally. He panicked a little when they both stared at him questioningly. He gulped. "I mean, cause you said you were kinda over him, right Ally? So that would be really weird."

Ally gave him an appreciative look but Trish simply shook her head and grabbed her purse, preparing to leave. She chuckled a bit to herself and chose to walk out around Austin instead of Ally, muttering under her breath only loud enough for him to hear. "You wish, big guy…"

Austin cleared his throat to hide the sound of Trish's voice for fear that Ally might hear her. Ally simply gave them both a strange look, just now looking at Austin directly again.

Trish shrugged her shoulders at them and smirked to herself. "It's getting late, I'm outta here guys. See ya!"

Ally followed Trish to the double doors and locked them behind her, flipping the store OPEN sign over to say CLOSED. No one was in the building now except herself and Austin. He'd probably come here this late to work on a new song but truth be told, she just didn't have it in her tonight. Too many confusing thoughts running through her head to concentrate. She felt this way a lot around him lately…

Austin hopped off the counter and fidgeted his hands, playing with the small dish of guitar picks as Ally did her usual routine, walking around the store pulling down the shades and dimming the lights, leaving only the large MUSIC sign in the corner lit along with the decorative Christmas lights she'd strung up along the stairs railings.

The room was cast in a reddish glow from the lights, and he turned to face his friend who was still slightly too embarrassed to speak to him. "Hey Ally?"

"Yeah?" she asked as she locked the cash register with her key and stuck it back into her pocket.

Austin couldn't help but gaze at her as she mulled around inside the cubicle, wiping the glass cases and ridding them of any fingerprints. She always did such a great job for her dad keeping the store looking great day to day for fresh customers.

She looked amazing, as usual. Her ombre hair glowed with the shimmer of the Christmas lights and her slightly tanned skin looked even more toned and even without the harsh fluorescent lights beaming down on her. The natural moisture on her eyes caught a glint of light and he couldn't help but swallow hard as he thought about what he wanted to do with her at that moment. She had never looked more beautiful to him than in that moment, completely unaware that she was being watched, just being herself. He remembered the thought that had occurred to him and he suddenly felt sad. "You're not really over Dallas yet, are you?"

Ally sighed and stopped what she was doing, letting her hands fall to her side as she looked up at him with semi-sad eyes. "Sure I am."

Austin tiled his head and gave her his 'I know you're lying' face. She smiled and looked away for a brief moment, blushing under his scrutiny. Little did he know what she was truly saddened by…

"No, I am, I just…" she sighed and moved out from behind the counter, coming to sit on one of the four red benches near the door. "I don't really know what to think about the whole Dallas situation," she said looking up at him. "Part of me misses the thrill I used to get when he would walk by or the excitement I would feel when he would wave or smile at me… but the larger part of me realized that he really wasn't the kind of guy I want to be with, and that stole the magic from it, you know?"

Austin swallowed and nodded as he moved to sit across from her, his heart breaking slightly for his friend, knowing exactly the feeling she meant.

"Dallas is a great guy, but he's not someone I'm interested in anymore. The thrill is gone." Ally sat silent for a moment, as did Austin, and they simply shared the silence in the room while Ally looked down at the empty space between them. She smiled. "I've built up this idea of the perfect guy in my head and I'm afraid no one is ever going to come close enough for me to be genuinely happy. That scares me."

Austin's heart raced wildly in his chest. He needed to know… needed to know what he would have to be…

"Well, what is your ideal guy?"

Ally looked at him and smiled sadly, letting her gaze drift off into the distance as she began to speak without really thinking first.

"I want a guy who's not afraid to show the world what he's got. Someone who's not at all quiet and very outgoing." She smiled. "Musically inclined, obviously. Dallas was never into music so much as much as he was technology. Technology's not my thing," she said with a scrunched up nose. Austin smiled at her.

"I want a guy who will be crazy about me, and not afraid to embarrass himself on my behalf, you know?" she smiled with a glint of a tear in her eye. "That cliché nice guy with a great sense of humor who would do anything for his family and friends. Someone who could be my friend AND lover, not just a love interest." She looked down at her hand in her lap. "Someone who is fawned over by hundreds of other girls but who only sees me, and no one else. He needs to have some qualities that I don't so that we connect like puzzle pieces, you know? And when our pieces finally come together… we fit, and make something complete." Ally blinked and let her gaze focus on Austin again, surprised at the anxious look on his face. She took a deep breath, time to take a chance… "Someone with beachy-blonde hair and warm brown eyes who treats me like a princess even when he doesn't have too…"

Austin gulped and felt his entire body tense up.

"Someone who can bring me out of my shell and make me realize things about myself that no one else has ever bothered to notice or show me before…" she said quietly, her voice straining.

His eyes grew dark and she swore she could see lust in them. Had she finally gotten her message across to him? A better question… had she finally worked up the courage to say that to him? To tell him she was having a hard time falling for any other guy because he had set a standard so high that so far no other guy she'd met in her life could even compare? Her eyes dropped in embarrassment and in her mind she shook her head at herself. It was funny how the holidays could bring out the best of you the way no other time could…

She raised her eyes to look at him again, unsure if she was pleased with the dark look in his eyes or afraid of it. "Austin, I hope you don't take this the wrong way… It's not meant to make you uncomfortable but I think you should know this about yourself, too," she said pursing her lips and swallowing hard, letting a single tear overflow over her bottom eye lid and slide tantalizingly slow down her cheek. "You are the perfect guy and I'm so incredibly lucky to have you as a best friend, but I can't wait until I can find someone exactly like you to share my life with…"

Austin swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he was almost certain he'd never felt this way before. Not with Ally. Not with any other girl. He felt… elated and terrified all at the same time. "Why not share it with me, then?" he said softly, softer than anything she'd ever heard come out of his mouth before. "Because… Ally, you are the perfect girl for me…"

Ally squeezed her eyes shut and ducked her head, but before anything else could come out of her mouth Austin's finger was under her chin, lifting her head to meet his as he gently pressed his lips into hers, catching her surprised and broken sob in his mouth.

He was nervous as hell, afraid maybe she would be put off by his advances, but she had left him no other choice. He had come here tonight expecting nothing more than to be able to sit next to her at the piano, maybe get lucky and have his arm brush against hers the way it always did when they practiced together. Instead he walked in on an unusual conversation between her and Trish and it had somehow in the course of half an hour led to this moment. This completely amazing beautiful moment between the two of them that he was certain had been building up ever since the day they first met over a year prior.

She felt perfect pressed against him.

Austin parted his lips slightly and moved his head the tiniest bit before closing his lips around hers again. She inhaled sharply and let her hands snake up his abdomen to rest on his chest. She parted her lips for him and suddenly all but the two of them was lost.

He was on one knee in front of her seated form; slowly moving his hands down to grip her petite waist as he lightly brushed the tip of his tongue against hers. Electricity filled the air with the small squeak of a moan she let slip.

He felt so incredibly strong under her hands. His red button up shirt was parted in the middle exposing his skin-tight wife beater that had a teasingly low cut neck line. Her fingers brushed the bare skin of his upper pectorals and left a trail of goose bumps in their wake. His body was hard and muscular, but his skin was soft and unbelievably smooth. She couldn't help the image of his shirtless form that popped into her head, and the thought sent a shiver up her spine.

He felt her body quake for a moment and he pulled himself closer to her, his free knee coming to rest against the outside of her thigh, pulling her chest against his. His arm snaked around her tiny frame and gripped her hip with his right hand while the left let go of her chin and snaked its way into her soft free-flowing hair.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she moaned as the close proximity deepened their kiss. It was Austin's turn to shiver. He'd just made Ally… HIS Ally Dawson moan. It was an amazing feeling coupled with an amazing kiss. So slow and passionate, just like the music she wrote for herself. He loved it. He was certain after this he would be addicted and would want more kisses like these with her. He prayed to god that she didn't think this was just going to be a one time thing, he wasn't sure he could handle the rejection if she did.

Their tongues danced, and both of them felt like they were on cloud nine. Ally relished in the feeling of the hot air coming from his nose as he tried to breath with their mouths fused together. She was kissing Austin Moon! She was currently the envy of millions of teenaged girls around the world and they didn't even know it. She did a mental happy dance.

She felt dizzy, still so unsure about what exactly was happening right now. Was this going to be a 'just this once' type of deal? Was it something he honestly wanted or was he just pitying her for her hasty confession? Then she found she was a little more nervous for the other option… what if he meant it to be something more? Was that something she would be able to handle? Being THE Austin Moon's girlfriend had to come with some consequences, what with his rising stardom and all…

Austin smirks into the kiss and pulls away slowly, barely peeling their fused lips apart when he licks his lips and swallows, keeping his eyes trained on her closed ones. "Ally…"

Ally purses her lips but refuses to open her eyes, just drifting there looking dreamy and just a twinge disappointed at the sudden separation.

"Hmm?" she mumbles.

He places a feather light kiss on her lips and pulls back again. "You're not even talking and I know you're rambling on in that pretty little head of yours…"

Ally blushes and flutters her eyes open, pleased with the breathless yet excited, delicious looking young man in front of her. "You know me pretty well, huh?"

Austin nods and closes his eyes, pulling her lightly by the base of her head into him once again, moaning at the firm contact of her supple lips against his own. There was no way he would be able to live without that feeling now that he knew how amazing it felt.

Their lips separate once again with a smack and Ally instantly swallows, catching her breath.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," he admits to her and she can't help the grin that spreads across her delicate features. Tears form in her eyes. "Really?"

Austin nods and smiles, never taking his eyes off of her perfect mouth. "Really."

Ally inhales deeply and blinks away the tears formed at the brims of her eyelids. "Well then, Austin Monica Moon, what on earth took you so long to do it?"

He swallows hard and brushes the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip for a brief moment before shaking his head. "…Was too afraid to make our friendship awkward. Wasn't sure how you would react."

A small realization washes over her and she nods, looking slightly sad. Was this all she was going to get, then? "And now?"

Austin quirks one dark eyebrow and she melts inside. It was incredibly sexy when he did that. "Now? Now that I know what it feels like to kiss you I think I'm gonna have to do everything in my power to make sure I never have to stop."

Ally swoons at him with a slightly tilted head, still loving the way his strong hand felt curled into her hair as his thumb lazily stroked her cheek. "I can't even believe this is finally happening right now!"

Austin smiled his million dollar smile and quirked his head a tiny bit, motioning upward. "Well I guess we can just blame it on the mistletoe."

Ally's eyes grew big as she looked up and smiled brightly. Sure enough, hanging from the ceiling just above where they were positioned on the bench and floor was a full sparkling sprig of mistletoe. She had finally had one of her fantasy moments.

"Austin, did you put that there?" she giggled.

Austin's smile faded only ever so slightly as he looked at her, confused. "I thought you did…"

The couple gazed up at the leafy green sprig for a few moments before their gazes fell upon each other slowly once more, their smiles growing wider as they leaned in to each other again. Ally wrapped her arms tightly around Austin's neck, pinning him to her as her lips descended on his, her courage already growing with the happy purr he made when she did so. This was something she would definitely get used to fast.

Outside Sonic Boom Trish stood hiding slightly behind some shrubbery as she snapped a quick photo of the couple inside with her smart phone. She smiled happily to herself and brought her phone down, immediately sending the picture to the one other person she knew would be just as happy as her for the outcome. Sighing in relief she spared one more glance into the shop before turning on her heels and finally heading home.

"You're welcome, Ally," she said to herself. "About freakin' time…"

THE END

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