Thank you to all those who reviewed. I'm really glad you like how the events turned out. :D


Mistletoe on Cake

Upon arriving home, Gabriela headed up to freshen up while Troy looked for the mothers. They were still in the kitchen but unlike earlier, they were now laying out the food to be served for lunch. He had to laugh as Linda brought out their dessert. It was a chiffon cake topped with loads of icing. The mothers sure went all out as the cake decked out on Christmas designs – Christmas tree, mistletoes, snow, gifts – and colors in icing.

"Wow mom," Troy chuckled. "If that doesn't scream Christmas, I don't know what does."

"Well, we're very glad you like it son," Maria answered him as she shut the door of the fridge.

"Do you see the couple under the mistletoes?" Linda asked as she pointed to a ceramic figure of a man and woman kissing, a fairly large mistletoes hanging above them.

Troy chuckled again. "Let me guess, you want that to happen to us?"

"Who wants what to happen to whom?" Jack asked as he and Federico stepped into the kitchen.

"Oh nothing," Linda answered him with a wave of a hand.

Jack raised his eyebrows but turned his gaze to Troy. "Where were you all morning Troy?"

"Oh, I had to go do some errands," Troy answered. "Merry Christmas dad."

Troy went over to hug Jack before turning to Federico to do the same thing. "Merry Christmas to you too pa."

Jack and Federico decided to let the name calling slip by them for now. They wanted to make this Christmas a nice one even though Troy and Gabriela were still awkward. Or so they thought.

Moments late, everybody had assembled to the table and was to eat. After saying Grace, to which Federico had lead, the families started on their Christmas dinner.

Halfway through his meal, Carlo noticed something. Troy and Gabriela were sitting next to each other and the some sort of discomfort and awkwardness from the days before seemed to have gone away. It was like they were back to what they normally were.

At one point, he saw Troy steal a glance at Gabriela and grin. Carlo also saw Gabriela do the same thing to Troy.

Okay, the whole thing was throwing him off-track. What was happening? Were they okay now? If they were, why were they not saying anything? Or even hinting something big at it?

Carlo was staring at Troy and Gabriela for a bit of time that his mother had to nudge him.

"Are you okay hijo?" Maria asked although a smile played at her lips when she noted that Carlo had an inquisitive gaze upon Troy and Gabriela.

"Oh…yeah…I just…kinda spaced out a bit. Sorry," Carlo replied.

Maria nodded and returned to her meal as Carlo tore his eyes away from his sister and her best friend.

Taylor too had noticed the subtle changes the pair had exhibited but shrugged it off as maybe a starting point for the two to realize that they needed each other. It was about time those two realized that.

As the first part of their meal was finished, Linda had gone and put the cake in the center of the table.

"Wow hon. You went all out there," Jack praised as they all eyed the dessert.

"Oh of course. This Christmas is a special one," Linda replied.

Maria proceeded on cutting the cake and placed a select cut on a plate.

"Here. Share," Maria grinned as she handed it to Troy and Gabriela.

"Oh very creative ma. Thanks," Troy chuckled.

What had caught his attention was what was atop the icing, there was the ceramic couple that the mothers were teasing him about earlier on.

"Cute!" Gabriela exclaimed as she got a good look at it.

Linda and Maria laughed at each other knowingly. The rest of the people in the table looked at them ultimately confused. Save for little Ned who was pouting because he did not get the first bite off their dessert.

Jack and Federico looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They seemed to be asking each other silently if the problem was somehow solved or something. They nodded at each other signaling they would have to ask Troy and Gabriela about it later personally and without everyone else.

Carlo, Chad and Taylor were bewildered. What just happened? They looked on as Try and Gabriela were now sharing the cake.

Maria had resumed setting cakes for everyone else. She made it a point to give Ned the most colorful part of the cake to make up for him not getting the first share. He seemed to buy it and happily ate the dessert.

"Carlo, don't you like the cake?" Gabriela asked as she took notice of her brothers just staring at her and Troy.

This seemed to wake Carlo from the trance-like reaction her was in. He cleared his throat and asked, "Okay, what is going on?"

"Huh?" Troy tried to look confused although he knew perfectly well what Carlo was on about.

"You…he…what…," Carlo stuttered but paused for a while. "What happened to the ignoring each other thing?"

Troy and Gabriela looked at each other and to Carlo.

"It's over," Troy said.

"What was the whole point of ignoring each other anyway?" Chad asked still dumbfounded that the two were now very much okay.

"Alex said some stuff. I panicked. But then we talked about it and it's all good. More than good actually," Gabriela answered not really in the mood to tell them the whole thing.

"So you're together?" Jack blurted out.

Carlo's, Chad's, Taylor's and Federico's eyes widened.

"What?!" they all exclaimed.

Jack looked taken aback.

"Their reactions," he pointed to Carlo, Chad and Taylor, "I could understand. But you," Jack gestured to Federico, "I don't get. You know all about this and the possibility to lead to this."

"I know…well…but…well, excuse me! I just learned that my baby girl has a boyfriend. No offense Troy. You know where I stand but still."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, waaaaaiiiiit," Carlo flailed his arms. He pointed to Troy. "You're her boyfriend." He then pointed to Gabriela. "You're his girlfriend."

As both teens nodded to agree with what he said, Carlo stammered. "But…how? Why?!"

"You're seriously asking us why?" Gabriela asked incredulously.

"Ye—but…ah…er…," Carlo slapped a hand to his forehead. "Okay, let me start again. How did you end up becoming my little sister's boyfriend?"

Maria and Linda looked at the scene in amusement. It was an interesting turn on their Christmas. Jack was trying so hard to control his laughter while Federico did not know if he should be amused by what his son was doing or join in on Carlo's interrogation. Chad and Taylor were still too shocked to be able to say anything else. They seriously did not expect that.

"Well, I told her my feelings and then she," Troy stated and then made a face, "she ran away. And then she came back and now we're together."

"And you couldn't be more descriptive than that," Carlo said.

Maria laughed and patted her son's back. "Now, now hijo. Just stop with the questions and congratulate them. I know you've been dying to do that. Oh and you can pitch in some teasings too!"

"Thanks a lot mom," Gabriela sarcastically said.

"I love you too my princess," Maria answered back.

"Fine," Carlo said as he decided to give the issue at the moment. "Congratulations to you too then. I mean, it's about time. Now I don't have to correct every other person coming up to me saying my sister and her not boyfriend look so in love."

As he said that, everybody erupted in chuckles save for Troy and Gabriela who became beet red.

"But Troy," Carlo caught Troy's attention again. "I will have that talk with you."

Troy gulped figuring Carlo meant business. Even though they were practically like brothers, Gabriela's well being was still Carlo's top priority. Troy could be the almost brother and be kicked into the hit list in a second if Carlo's boundaries for Gabriela were crossed.

Carlo, seemingly satisfies, smiled and went back to his food.

"Well, that was a shocker but congratulations to you two," Taylor was able to say as he got over her initial shock of the news.

Gabriela giggled. "Thanks Tay."

"Yeah, all the best to both of you. You know where I stand," Chad said before stuffing his mouth with a big chunk of cake.

"Thanks man," Troy said grinning.

"Okay, enough about this. Can we just eat our dessert and talk about something else instead?" Gabriela said as she saw Carlo about to say something more about the matter.

"But–"

"Please hermano, save it for later?" Gabriela pleaded.

Carlo looked at his sister for a moment as if contemplating before saying, "I was just going to say that this cake tastes fabulous."

Gabriela rolled her eyes as the table erupted in another round of laughter. That Christmas was indeed a special one and deserved all the laughs.