Sorry for the late-ish post… The date is obviously wrong, but ahh… whatever. I'm sorry But I actually like this chapter… Some family drama is introduced and Troy finally understands the meaning of Christmas… and there's quite a lot of Troyella fluff. Enjoy. :)

Chapter 2

December 3

Eleven days until the party.

Twenty one more days until Christmas Eve.

They all looked the same.

Every single damn tree looked exactly the same. If Troy had gone by himself, he would have looked for the cheapest one and bought it, because no one would even tell the difference. But since he came with Gabriella, they had already been there for two hours and fifteen minutes. He had given up following her and was now just sitting on a bench. He spotted Gabriella a few times, and she would be examining the tree. But then she would shake her head and move on to another tree that looked exactly the same. Troy was ready to kill that woman. He was downright bored, his stomach noisily begging for food. He pulled out his cell phone, mindlessly swiping his finger on the touch screen.

"Gabi?" he called out.

He heard Gabriella's melodic reply, "Yes?"

"We've been here for two hours, when are you just going to choose a tree?"

Gabriella popped her head out, shooting Troy a glare. She crossed her arms and leaned on one hip, "Well, maybe if you'd help me we would have been out of here by now. Ever think of that, Sherlock?"

Troy sighed, "But when I tried helping, you wouldn't even listen!"

Gabriella scoffed. "That's because you weren't helping me choose a tree. Every five seconds you would point to a random tree without even taking a closer look at it."

Troy stood up and walked to a nearby tree. He placed a finger on his chin as he narrowed his eyes, pretending to examine the tree. He grinned at Gabriella. "Better?"

Gabriella nodded, standing upright. "Very."

"Okay, let's take this one."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and continued to look at the tree behind her. "Troy, that one clearly has a slanted trunk. Look at the way the tree is barely able to stand on its own."

Troy glanced down, and sure enough the tree was really being supported by the tree right next to it. Troy groaned and glanced at his phone again. Now they had been there for two hours and twenty-five minutes… and counting.

"What am I supposed to be looking for anyway?"

Troy watched as Gabriella scrunched her nose at the tree she had been looking at. Probably the hundredth tree she's looked at that hasn't been 'the right tree.' "Well, you choose a tree that has that certain… I don't know… spark."

Troy quirked an eyebrow, catching up to his best friend so he was right next to her. "Spark? Gabriella, we're looking for a tree… this isn't exactly a firework or whatever. Plus, I'm just going to use it mainly for the party. After that, it's going to get thrown out. Why can't I get a fake one?"

Gabriella turned around to face him, "You mean you've never had that experience of going with your family's to choose a real tree and decorate it together, and cherish those moments? You laugh, smile, goof off, and you get the perfect tree…"

Gabriella trailed off, and that's when Troy realized he had hit a sore subject. Gabriella's dad had died when she was eleven years old in a car accident, and Gabriella's mom had re-married when she was thirteen. Her step-dad, Elijah, was nice and Gabriella loved him… But he could never replace her father. Elijah and her mother had tried for a baby, and they were incredibly excited when they found out that she was pregnant. Gabriella was going to have a baby brother, and she even got to choose the middle name. She had chosen Joseph right after her father and her mom had chosen the name Nicholas. Troy was there through it all. He had seen how excited the Montez family would get about Christmas, and even when Joseph had passed away, Gabriella's mom, Maria, kept the tradition going. One day, Gabriella was the one that had been babysitting Nicholas, and she has basically stayed on the computer the whole time. She had left Mickey Mouse on for her brother, and she didn't even hear the door being opened or the splash from the pool. But when she heard nothing coming from the living room, she went to check it out. She saw the door opened, and that's when she saw her little brother, dead in the pool. After his death, Christmas wasn't the same. None of the holidays were. At Thanksgiving, instead of one chair being empty, there were now two. Gabriella hated Christmas when it came around. They didn't even bother with a tree. Troy remembered he once went to their house when Joseph was still alive, and three Montez's went crazy in decorating. But all those years later, it just died out. They didn't care anymore. But now that Gabriella was older, and she had moved on, she was back into the Christmas spirit. It still took a toll on her, and she never liked talking about it, since she still thought Nicholas's death was her fault, but she managed to move on when her mother finally forgave her and when her friends all came together to support her.

Troy sighed and brought Gabriella into a tight comforting hug. He kissed her hair, and laid his chin on her head. He felt her hot breath on his neck, and eventually, he felt wet tears staining his jacket. He pulled her away a little, holding her at the shoulders to get a good look at his now teary best friend.

"I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to bring that up. I totally forgot how important Christmas used to be for you, and now you've moved on… and I'm just making it worse by complaining and… I'm rambling now, aren't I?"

Gabriella laughed softly, bringing the sleeve of her coat up to wipe at her eyes. "Just a little."

Troy sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and began walking. "Well, Ella Bella Nutella, I want you to take all the time you need to choose the perfect Christmas tree."

Gabriella looked up, her eyes watery but now a smile on her face. "Thanks, Troy."

She leaned up, and pressed her lips to his cheek. When she pulled away, Troy found that his cheek was now warm. Troy watched as Gabriella walked to the next row of Christmas trees, a smile adorning her beautiful face. Troy saw a bench, but it didn't feel right to just sit there and let Gabriella pick the tree by herself. This was supposed to be a wonderful experience for both of them. Something fun and memorable. Something they were to cherish for the rest of their lives. Troy now understood why Christmas tree-picking was so important. He knew it was important to Gabriella, but now, it was important to him. He walked over to Gabriella, and placed a hand on the small of her back to get her attention. She turned around and seemed surprised to see him standing there, examining a Christmas tree.

"I thought you didn't want to choose one…"

Troy smiled and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Montez. I love Christmas."

Gabriella wrapped her arm around Troy's waist and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked from row to row, looking at tree to tree, until they finally agreed on a tree that had that certain spark to both of them.

They agreed to meet at Troy's place in two hours so they can decorate his apartment and decorate the tree together. Troy was on a mission to make this Christmas one of the best ones for Gabriella, since she hasn't had one in such a long time. He stopped by the nearest dollar store and purchased two Santa hats and a couple of Christmas movies. He stalked up on marshmallows for the hot chocolate, and he bought pre-made cookie dough from the market. By the time he got home, he had one hour to spare. He managed to get the tree up to his apartment with the help from his neighbor, and it was already set in the corner of his living room. Gabriella said she was going to bring ornaments and tree lights since Troy didn't have much. He took a quick shower and changed into jeans and a red sweater. He looked at himself in the mirror, and sheepishly put the Santa hat over his usual messy hair. Normally he would have rolled his eyes at the idea of wearing Santa hats and actually getting into the holiday spirit. But now, he was actually looking forward to it.

He walked back into the living room, placing the DVD's he bought in a neat stack on the coffee table. He made sure the Christmas CD Gabriella had brought a week ago was still in his stereo, so when they worked on decorating, they could listen to some Christmas tunes. He walked into the kitchen, beginning to get the hot chocolate ready. He grinned widely when he heard his apartment door open. Gabriella had a key.

"Troy?" she called out.

"In here," Troy answered. Gabriella stepped into the kitchen, in the process of un-wrapping her white scarf to reveal a green turtleneck sweater. She smiled when she saw Troy.

"Well, isn't some getting into the holiday spirit?"

Troy smiled and stepped away from the steaming cups of hot chocolate. He spread his arms out widely and Gabriella happily stepped into them. "I want to make this the best Christmas," Troy quietly admitted to her.

Gabriella looked up at him, "Really? And why is that?"

Troy suddenly felt embarrassed and nervous for what he was about to confess.

"I want to make this a memorable Christmas… for me… and mainly for you. For us."

Gabriella stared at Troy for a few seconds until a big smile appeared on her beaming face. Troy couldn't help but sigh in relief when she gave him a big hug and leaned up to press her lips to his cheek again. Twice in one day. When she walked out of the kitchen, Troy placed a hand on the cheek she kissed, a goofy smile on his face.

"Oh, Troy! You bought movies! And the tree is already set up!"

Troy walked into the living room, and leaned against the door frame watching how excited Gabriella looked. She leaned down and grabbed an ornament from her box. She hung it on the tree and nodded in satisfaction. She glanced behind her and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't just stand there, come help me!"

The next three hours the pair spent decorating… decorating… and decorating. Troy's apartment was instantly transformed from its dull state into a Christmas Wonderland. Cotton balls were placed on practically ever flat surface, mainly on his fireplace mantle to portray as snow. They cut out snowflakes and hung it on the ceiling on his living room and kitchen and hallway. They hung Christmas lights around his window and door since Troy had no outside to decorate. They sang along to the Christmas music. Well, Gabriella sang… Troy, well, who knows what he did exactly. But the fact of the matter is, is that they were having fun.

Once they were done with the tree, they stepped back and admired their handiwork. "This calls for a picture," Gabriella said excitedly. She grabbed her camera and put a timer on it. She placed the camera on books so it can catch Troy and Gabriella together. Gabriella ran back to Troy, and their arms wove around each other naturally, both with bright smile on their faces. Gabriella stared at the picture with a happy smile on her face.

Troy reached into the box of decorations, having seen something at the very bottom. He brought it out and blushed as he saw what it was. Mistletoe. Gabriella looked over, and walked up to him. She reached up, trying to grab the mistletoe from Troy. Troy grinned and held it above him, and he laughed as Gabriella tried jumping to reach it.

That's when they both realized what was happening.

Troy was holding the mistletoe above the both of them.

Troy looked down at the girl that suddenly seemed closer to him than before. Troy's arms had wrapped around her waist when he tried steadying her while she was jumping. Their breaths hitched as they saw how close their faces were. Troy could feel Gabriella's hot, minty breath on his face, and he longed to press his lips against her own. Troy forgot about the mistletoe he was still holding up, he forgot about the party that was only days away, and he forgot that he hadn't even finished his Christmas shopping yet. It was only him and Gabriella, in their own little world.

Gabriella's eyes slowly fluttered shut and her lips were slightly parted as she began leaning in more and more. Troy licked his lips nervously and he too began leaning in for the long awaited kiss.

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

They sprang apart. Gabriella avoided Troy's gaze as she walked over to her purse and rummaged through it, searching for her phone that had interrupted them. Troy slumped disappointed. He looked at the mistletoe, and sighed. He grabbed tape as he heard Gabriella greet the interrupter. He taped the mistletoe over the hallway entry. If only Gabriella's phone hadn't rung. But than what would have happened? Would they have kissed and would Gabriella realize how wrong this was? Them kissing would have surely complicated things…

Troy heard footsteps and he turned around. Gabriella was looking anywhere but at him. She cleared her throat. Troy noticed that she had put her shoes on and had her purse and coat and scarf in hand. "I have to go."

Troy felt a wave of disappointment rush through him. She was leaving? Was she scared of being alone with him after what had almost happened between them?

"How come?"

Gabriella tensed and Troy knew that Gabriella had wanted to avoid this question.

"Um, well… That was, um, Logan on the phone… He said he needs help with some assignment he's doing for the company, and he said that I was the one he wanted to come to for advice and… I have to go."

Troy balled his fists angrily. She was leaving for Logan?

He couldn't help but feel angry… upset… jealous.

"Fine," was Troy's short response. Gabriella looked up into Troy's eyes and he could see the flash of hurt that appeared in her own eyes. She didn't like his cold, icy tone.

"I'm sorry… Are we still on for tomorrow? Brunch, right?"

Troy nodded and pushed past her so he can open the door for her. She sighed and walked over to the open door. "Um… are you still picking me up?"

Troy felt a pang of guilt as he saw the scared and timid look on her face. It's not like she liked Logan… and they were best friends. She would tell him. Troy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I'll pick you up."

Gabriella seemed relieved to finally hear Troy's normal tone, and not the cold one she heard just moments ago. She wrapped her arms around him and after a few seconds, he slowly wrapped his arms around her. She leaned up and pecked his cheek quickly.

"Bye, Troy."

She walked out, crossing her arms over her chest and bending her head down to block the cold air from hitting her face. Once she was in the elevator, Troy finally whispered, "Bye, Gabi," and he shut the door.