Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews! And to the people who favorited this story, thanks to you too! Hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving and Black Friday. The holiday season is officially here! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. You might be confused at the beginning so I'll let you know ahead of time: I jumped to the next day. I don't own HSM or any of the Christmas songs mentioned. But I do own Ella, Nate, Warren, Derek, Alex, Sophia, Michael, Michelle, Stephen, and Daphne! (Wow, I've made up a LOT of other characters for this story haven't I?) Anyway, enjoy chapter 3!

"Ella?" Nate stared at me. "Are you okay?"

I lifted my eyes to look at him and tried to put a happy smile on my face. "Sure! Why wouldn't I be?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You've been acting weird ever since I got here. Seriously, is everything okay?"

"It's fine." I said quickly. My voice came out sharper than I intended and Nate's eyes widened. I bit my lip and tried again. "Nothing's the matter. Really. Let's just concentrate on decorating the house and having a happy Christmas." I looked down at the box of ornaments in my hand, sighing.

"Ella..." I felt the pressure of Nate's hand on my arm and felt a shiver run through me. Since we had broken up Nate had kept a constant distance from me, as if afraid to get too close. This was one of the first times we had made physical contact since the break up, other than a few awkward hugs. I looked up at him and realized he was closer than I had realized. My breath caught. He looked concerned. "Ella? You look like you're going to pass out!"

"What? Oh! No, I'm fine." I moved back, creating a safe distance between us again. "Just tired I guess."

"Look," Nate ran a hand through his hair, looking a little frustrated. "I know since the break up we haven't been as close as we used to be but I don't want you to- to feel like- I-I mean..." he trailed off, looking embarrassed, then slowly took my hand. "Ella I still-"

"We've got the rest of the decorations!" My dad said as he walked in the room with Zeke and Uncle Chad, each one of them bearing a huge box of ornaments and bows.

"And we've got the cookies!" Gabriella entered from the kitchen followed by Michelle, Sharpay, Aunt Taylor, and Kelsi. Quickly, I pulled out of Nate's grasp, and looked down, trying to hide my disappointment and incredibly confused feelings. Ella you saw him yesterday kissing Michelle under the mistletoe at the mall. Clearly he has no feelings left for you. Why do you keep doing this to yourself! I thought, even as my stomach twisted at the memory of seeing them kiss. What would Michael think...

"Great!" My dad said, bringing me back to the present. "Now all we need is the tree."

The door suddenly swung open, revealing Ryan, Stephen and Michael carrying a Christmas tree and letting in a blast of cold air and a little snow.

"Woah! That looks like a beautiful one!" Kelsi said as the guys hoisted it in inside.

"Well I'm glad you approve of my taste." Ryan said, grinning and peeling off his heavy winter coat.

"Let me help you with that." Kelsi said, pulling it from his shoulders. "You must be frozen!"

"Well I could use something to warm me up. Like, maybe, a hug!" Before she could protest, he grabbed her in a gigantic hug.

"Ahhh! Ryan! You're freezing!" Kelsi pulled away, giggling. "You probably totally messed up my hair."

"Well, even if I did, you still look beautiful." He said, smiling and looking a little nervous. There was a small awkward silence as they both blushed. I chuckled under my breath. Ryan and Kelsi had kept in close contact since seeing eachother again. Everyone knew they were growing more and more like a couple every day but for some reason they wouldn't actually take the next step and become official.

Michelle laughed, breaking the silence. "But where's the mistletoe! You can't have forgotten that!"

"No, I brought it." Stephen produced a small bundle of it from his pocket.

"Too bad Daphne isn't here!" Michael said, smiling as he nudged him in the ribs.

Stephen laughed. "Eh, its alright. We don't need the mistletoe."

I laughed along with everyone else. In the past two years Stephen had practically become a different person. Last year he had apologized to me for everything that had happened at the reunion and for asking me out when he was dating another girl. We were on much better terms now, and slowly even Michael, Nate and Alex had forgiven him for his stupidity.

Sharpay smiled. "Well, lets hang it up!" She glanced at Zeke. "I'm ready!"

"Ew, Mom!" Michelle laughed.

Zeke pulled Sharpay close to him. "Hey missy, just because we're "old" doesn't mean we can't be in love. We're newlyweds remember."

"I don't think you can really count yourself as being a newlywed when you've been married for a year and a half." I said.

"Whatever." Zeke leaned over and pecked Sharpay on the lips. "It feels like we just got home from the honeymoon."

I made a face. "Okay, that was too much information."

My dad laughed as he stuck the mistletoe above the doorway to the kitchen with some red tape. Then he turned to Gabriella, an innocent look on his face. "Hey honey, didn't you say you needed to get something in the kitchen?"

Gabriella smiled mischievously at him. "I can't think of anything at the moment Troy. Except maybe... oh yeah! I was going to get some milk for the cookies. Do you want to help me?" She walked over and joined him under the mistletoe.

My dad grinned. "Sure, but first..." He leaned down and kissed her passionately.

"Wow, I see we came just when the party was getting started!" Alex laughed as he walked through the door, with Sophia just behind him.

"Hey guys!" I went over to give them both hugs. "Glad you could make it."

"Hey little sister." Alex grinned at me. "Hope you don't mind, but we brought along a couple other people to join the fun." He leaned closer and spoke so no one else could hear. "And maybe one of them could join you under the mistletoe."
I looked over his shoulder to see Derek and Warren standing in the doorway, looking a little awkward. "Oh, hi guys!" Alex winked at me and I glared at him before smiling at the boys. "Come on in and meet everybody!" I gestured for them to follow me and then walked to the middle of the room and started introducing them. "This is my dad, and his fiancee Gabriella. This is Sharpay Baylor and her husband Zeke. This is Michelle and Stephen. They're Sharpay's kids and Zeke's step-kids. And this is my dad's best friend, my "Uncle" Chad and his wife, my "Aunt" Taylor. This is their son, Michael, he's dating Michelle. And this is Ryan, he's Michelle and Stephen's uncle. And this is Kelsi, she's a friend of the family. And this is Nate. He's my..." I paused for a second, "um, he's a friend."

"Woah." Warren rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry, but my mind is still trying to process all that." He looked around the room. "You guys should really make a family tree or something... I'm so confused."

Derek laughed. "Me too."

Gabriella chuckled. "Well the point is is that we're all happy to meet you!"

"Thanks." Derek and Warren shook her hand.

"I hope you don't mind them coming over. Warren slept over last night and they hadn't been doing anything all day so I thought maybe this would tempt them out of the house." Sophia smiled a little apologetically.

"Oh, it's fine!" Troy smiled. "We just hung up the mistletoe, so we're ready to start decorating the tree."

"Everybody grab a box and start decorating! There's milk and cookies in the kitchen if you get hungry or thirsty!" Aunt Taylor said.

"Alright, let's go!" Warren smiled and grabbed a box, sorting through it. "Lights go on first!" ...

...

I took a long drink of milk, sat back and smiled. The house was now a sparkling world of nativities, candy canes, and Christmas lights. The tree was lit from top to bottom and covered in sparkling ornaments. This Christmas is so perfect. Well, almost. I thought, glancing over at Michelle, Nate, and Michael. Michelle was cuddled close to Michael and smiling. Nate sat on the floor with Derek and Stephen, holding one of the glass ornaments and laughing about some joke. Should I tell Michelle I saw Nate and her kissing? Should I tell Michael? Or should I not say anything to anyone? I sighed. The same thoughts had been running through my head all day. Is it possible that Michelle really is cheating on Michael with Nate? I can't believe it...

"Alright everybody, find your places, we're going to turn off the lights now." Uncle Chad said, walking over to the couch to join his wife.

"I'll get the music." Ryan walked over to the CD player and hit the play button. Instantly "White Christmas" filled the room.

"Here go the lights!" My dad said flipping the switch. As the room darkened, the Christmas lights on the tree shone even brighter, creating a rainbow of twinkles. I looked around the room. Sharpay and Zeke were curled up on the loveseat, stealing a kiss or two. Gabriella and my dad stood in one corner of the room, whispering something to eachother. Alex and Sophia sat on kitchen chairs in another corner, holding hands and laughing quietly. Kelsi leaned her head on Ryan's shoulder as the both stared at the Christmas tree, and I saw Ryan smile, although he didn't draw attention to it. Uncle Chad and Aunt Taylor smiled at eachother in the dark before exchanging a peck. I sighed as I saw Michelle and Michael share a kiss. You would think it was Valentine's Day, not Christmas time.

"Mind if I sit here?" A whisper from above startled me. I looked up to find Warren smiling at me.

"Here? Oh, sure! Whatever." I said, trying to hide my sudden nervousness. What if he tries something? Nate's sitting right there!

"Thanks." He sat down, and I gulped.

"I hope you had fun today." I said quickly, hoping to distract myself from his nearness.
"I did." Warren studied his fingernails. "Hey Ella?"

"Yeah?" I said, keeping my voice light.

"I was wondering... did I do something wrong yesterday?" He looked at me, his voice and eyes full of concern. "Because towards the end of the date... I don't know, you just seemed upset. And I was wondering if I'd done something to hurt you."

"What? Oh, no!" I turned towards him, forgetting how close we were in my rush to convince him everything was fine. "It had nothing to do with you. I promise."

"Alright... if you're sure." Warren studied my face. "Nate seems like a really nice guy Ella."

"He is." I said truthfully.

"Is he the boy? The friend you were talking about?"

I blushed. "Warren...I-"

"Sorry." He looked away. "You're right, its none of my business."

"Wait a minute, I didn't say it wasn't any of your business."

Warren looked at me and chuckled. "Maybe you didn't say that with your mouth, but that's definitely what you were saying with your eyes."

"Oh..." I looked down and blushed again. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I shouldn't have asked."

"He is." I said quietly. "The guy I was talking about I mean."

I felt Warren's arm go around my shoulders. "I'm sorry."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because I can see it makes you sad. And I don't want you to be sad."

I rolled my eyes. "Was that another one of your cheesy pick up lines?"

Warren didn't even crack a smile. "No, that one was all me." He leaned closer. "And I really mean it."

"Thanks." I said, smiling. Warren nodded and pulled back. For a few moments there was only the sound of Christmas music as we watched the Christmas lights twinkle. After a few seconds the song changed from "White Christmas" to "Merry Christmas Darling".

My dad turned to Gabriella. "May I have this dance?"

She smiled and curtsied. "Of course."
They walked to the middle of the living room floor and started waltzing around. Slowly, Uncle Chad and Aunt Taylor and Zeke and Sharpay joined them. After another minute, the other couples joined the dance. Warren turned to me. "Shall we?"

I laughed. "I'd be honored."

He pulled me to my feet and we started dancing. Slowly we spun around, through the other couples and about the room. Warren's green eyes were full of laughter and happiness as he quietly made fun of his own dancing. I laughed. Suddenly as he twirled me, my eyes connected with Nate's. I felt my breath catch. Something was burning there, a deep sadness and... could it be? Jealousy? I barely had time to think about it though, because the next second the music stopped. We stopped dancing where we were and laughed. Michelle suddenly shrieked, "Ooooh look who landed under the mistletoe!"

I looked above Warren and I and bit my lip. "Uh, no, no, no guys... Warren and I..."

Alex grinned. "No excuses you two. You're under the mistletoe! It's tradition."

Michael laughed. "Warren probably planned it that way."

Warren blushed. "No, I'm not that smart you guys. And if Ella doesn't want to..."
"Nuh uh, its the rules. You land under the mistletoe, you kiss." Ryan teased.

I glanced at Warren and tried to laugh even as my cheeks burned. "I don't think their going to let us off the hook."

"Nope." Warren looked back at me as if asking for permission. I nodded. He bent his head and kissed me quickly.

Just then there was a cry of pain. Warren and I broke apart to see Nate holding his right hand in his left. A nasty cut sliced all the way down the middle of his palm. Blood pooled in his cupped hand. And a shattered glass ornament lay on the ground. I screamed.

AN: Uh oh, drama! So what do you think? A few people have been telling me they really like Warren and Ella together. I MIGHT be willing to go with the majority on this (maybe) so if you're a Natella fan, show your support! I like Warren a lot too, but Nate is going to do some seriously cute things in the coming chapters, so be ready for some mixed emotions! Also... I just wanted to give you this:

Troy David Bolton

and

Gabriella Anne Montez

would like to invite you to join them

as they take their vows and start a new life together

as a married couple

on Friday, December 24th

at 5:00 PM

Reception will follow!

Can you make it? ;) Thanks for reading!