Hey everyone. It's Lux. I hope that everyone had a Happy Holiday. So for now, here's another How Did You Know as a present to you guys. I hope you enjoy it. I spent a lot of time in places (like TVTropes and a dictionary) to hone my writing abilities, so tell me if I got better in a review. So without further ado, here's the first half of the Holiday special of How Did You Know.

How Did You Know?

Originally created by yayleo

Continued by LuxUmbra2012

Holiday Special! Part 1 of 2

Happy Birthday, Ashley!

Dante Riley was happy. He was finally discharged from the hospital after his arm had healed up without any complications. After being given the clean bill of health, he immediately notified his brother, who offered to pick him up on his discharge day, which happened to have been a dead squirrel, to his wife and kids. It was definitely one of those days...

After finally stepping outside, he breathed in the fresh air. A sense of relief gripped him as the icy chill of December enveloped his coated frame as he finally left that dreaded place. Nothing truly made any sense in there for him, which is why he was in such a hurry to leave in the first place. As he took in the sight of snow falling gently on the city before him, he smiled. Flexing his repaired arm, Dante was consciously ready to start things anew. Sure, he had a month's worth of homework to do while trapped in that damned place, but nothing his friends and family couldn't fix by bringing him his things so he could finish them in the hospital. After all, just because Spencer and his goons pounded the crap out of him in a one-sided fist fight, even though Dante DID leave a painful reminder to Spencer about going too far with insults (Busted jaw and knocked a tooth out with a painful counter reverse spin kick to the face after a swing missed his face.), didn't essentially mean give up on school for a month... And besides, Spencer certainly can't have the last laugh in these situations, not while a war was still going on between the two groups. With his assignments successfully turned in and well graded (thanks to Shawn for turning it in for him. Asking Leo to do it was COMPLETELY out of the question for obvious reasons no matter HOW close he was to the hospital), he smiled. This month was gonna be the sign of a return, a new Dante was coming, and Spencer better watch out when he did.

Before he could contemplate his thoughts any further, Virgil pulled up within his black 2003 SUV Trailblazer that he personally dubbed, Ol' Reliable Betsy, with Tammy sitting in the passenger's seat. The two shouted out for the human, who only grinned before getting inside the car. Immediately, Dante was a little hurt as he sat inside. No one else was here.

"Sorry, little bro. Everyone else was busy with some random crap they had to do. They wanted to show up for ya. Honest." Virgil spoke out when he noticed his brother's crestfallen face. Dante sighed audibly. At least, he thought, they tried...

Upon arriving home, Dante was laughing. The reason was because he was just informed about Aeris SLAMMING HER FOOT in Spencer's crotch making him cry out like a little girl yesterday after he tried to 'assert' himself over her. The pink feline made it clear that she would rather rip out her own ovaries before ever letting Spencer get that intimately close and would neuter Spencer beforehand, not to mention throwing in his direction an insult, stating Spencer would rather prefer his side of the fence anyways.

"Typical violent Aeris... That girl always makes people laugh with how vicious and sardonic she is if you even remotely piss her off."

Laughing as he exited the Trailblazer, Virgil declared that there were some things he picked up that he was going to retrieve from the car's back seat, and tossing Dante the keys to the house. The younger brother smiled before he headed towards his home. Even though he was gone for a month, it felt like forever since he was last here. He wondered what happened while he was away. Outside of the things he by his friends, of course. He smiled before he stuck the key and turned the lock before opening the door and having complete darkness blanket him...

SURPRISE!
WELCOME HOME, DANTE!

The lights within the living room suddenly flared to life, with every one of his friends standing in the room with big smiles on their faces. All of them... His friends...

'Wait a second... VIRGIL LIED TO ME!' Dante thought after assessing the situation.

"How's it been, Dante?! Come on! We got Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U and it would be awesome if you could play with us!"

"And you can tell me what I missed. Better be some good info!"

And with that, the friends were, once again, reunited. As Dante heard the stories and troves of tales, some fiction, some truth from the people he considered his friends, Dante felt happy. These people showed up for him, waited on his arrival to just see him again (and in one case, apologize to him for him taking the heat over the virus) and hear that he was ok. And now that he was back, they needed him... To finish enacting their revenge against Spencer and his group for what they've done. When he heard that, he grinned darkly, with an evil grin that could only be matched by one other in the room with him (and we ALL know who that is). Oh, yes. Revenge was going to be very sweet... and luckily for them, the virus bomb was only the beginning of Dante's malevolent schemes.

Later that month...

Finally released from school for Christmas Break, a certain girl was merrily skipping. And this girl in particular, her name is Ashley Moore. You see, her birthday is dawning very close, and her birthday actually happens during the holidays of all times. December 23rd was precise. So of course she can be as happy as she can. Nothing could ruin her cheer and attitude as she waltzed home, Shawn tailing her trying to tell her something important.

Elsewhere, a certain idiot walked back home and removed his snow gear and hung it on the coat rack next to the front door. Satisfied that school was done (and that he passed spectacularly, considering his track record), he plopped on the couch. Or at least he would've, until his mother scolded him about nearly falling on his dress suit.

"Dress suit? You mean that penguin suit there?" Leo chided to his mom, pointing at the well made tuxedo she now held in her hands.

"This 'Penguin Suit' is your suit for the upcoming black tie reception at the Blue's residence.

"Black tie reception? What in Za Warudo is that?"

"It's basically one of those fancy dress parties we see on TV, big brother. You know? Like on Futurama's episode,'Three Hundred Big Boys'?"

"One of those kinds of parties? Aw geez, this is gonna suck!"

If there was anything Leo could freely admit he lacked on an epic scale, it was class and grace. Not an ounce remotely existed within any fragment of his body and he can FREELY admit this little flaw. Sure, his father was well versed in that, thanks to his higher class background, but he never bothered to teach either of his sons knowing they wouldn't be interested in what he dubbed 'poppycock traditions', mostly due to their mother. But considering that a friend of their son's parents were hosting such an event and that they were invited to attend, his opinion on the matter would have to take a backseat for now.

You see, Leo and Tommy's father, Leo Leonardo the 2nd, was a man with a very high-class background, born into English nobility. But as a teenager, and like many others, Leo the 2nd grew bored with his lifestyle and sought a way to escape from it, and from his overly strict family. Despite being a Leonardo and being the 2nd in line, he was descendant from a higher line known as the Leoniels, a wealthy aristocratic family that had a large source of wealth back in Britain. Eventually, he traveled abroad, met his future wife Karen Suntreed during his travels in Ontario, wound up being fascinated by her (in more ways than one...), wound up courting her and trying to garner her affections (which didn't work at first for nearly a year due to how OUTLANDISHLY different they were), eventually gaining her favor and being happily wed to Karen. Within a year's time, Karen revealed that she was pregnant with the crazy teenage feline that now mocked black tie events with a passion, something both father and son have in common. Afterwards, Leo the 2nd could swear that he had a distinct memory of some girl wearing sunglasses and a vest wielding a coat hanger with a demonic smile that screamed murder. Everything was a haze afterwards until their firstborn son arrived. But since Leo the 2nd dissented from his family and apparently shamed them by marrying a 'low class flat-chested tomboy', they removed him and his 'bastard' children from the family. For once, taking a page from his two sons and his wife after a recent trip to Great Britain to visit his family, Leo the 2nd responded in a way 'unbecoming of a Leoniel/Leonardo'. He promptly flew into a frenzy after they finished insulting his family, cursed the old geezers while shattering his monocle in his own paw, his own father (Leo the first and the current head) included, and flicked them all off as he left, yelling 'Fuck all of you' as he did. It's because of this incident, that his firstborn son took strongly from his side, never truly caring about wealth and materials, so long as he was happy. Tommy was... a different case...

Flashback...

"Dad! Why did you refuse all that!? You would've had it made!"

Leo the 3rd wanted to slap his brother stupid for that. Karen wanted to reprimand her son for saying that. But in the end, it was the patriarch of the Leonardo's, now free from the gazes of the older members of the hierarchical family, who put an end to it.

"Thomas Leonardo the First... If I never left England, seeking a life away from my 'so-called' family, then I never would have met your mother, and you two would NEVER EXIST. If I knew what was going to happen back then had I left that day, I still would've left, never turning back! You all are my family. That's all I need... I would rather live dirt poor yet as the happiest man in the world with my beautiful wife and two handsome sons than spend another suffocating minute around those geezers."

It was one of those rare instances that his father DIDN'T use his British accent that truly defined this moment. The only time he never uses it is when he has basically been pushed to his limit. That, and when he and Karen are alone. The 3rd Leonardo found THAT one out the hard way, unfortunately.

End Flashback

"Aww, come on, mom! I hate that fancy crap! I can't be fancy to save my rear!"

Karen: "Well, I'm sorry, Leo, but you're going! All of your friends are going too, except Shannon Doyle. She somehow got sick. Who knows, Leo? Maybe you might go ballroom dancing with little Aeris? I bet she'll look gorgeous."

It was at this point, all of time froze inside of the subconscious mind of Leo the 3rd. As it stands, Leo has been consistently plagued by his imagination. Every night recently been filled by his own perverted thought track, and had usually been filled to the brim with girls. He honestly despised his own way of thinking as it is now. But if anything stood out the most about it, it was the constant fact that there was one girl in particular who kept invading his dreams, WAY TOO much for his liking. And his mother just had to mention her now. Because now, his mind was in the midst of possibly figuring out how she would look IF Aeris did attend, and boy the possibilities were endless in his mind. Before long, a sharp blush creased his face outside of his mind with his mother clearly seeing it, and giving a soft smirk, knowing she had his attention.

Before long, he returned outright, preparing to scream out his protest against the upcoming black tie event and sheer anger at himself for his thoughts in a way only he knew how to answer.

'WHAT THE FU-!"

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

All three turned towards Tommy Leonardo, who was playing StarCraft and caused a massive explosion, effectively cutting off his older brother's impending swear, before breaking into maniacal laughter for the sheer carnage that the young feline caused.

"MWAHAHAHA! EEEHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sometimes, Tommy could be far crazier than his older brother... and THAT alone was a scary thought to all three...

For lack of a better word, Aeris herself was pretty intrigued. After hearing the details of the invitations to Ronny's black tie event (and beating up poor Vincent, for suggesting she dance with Leo, so badly, he was left in a smoking crater in the backyard) her mind pondered on how it would go. She would probably meet the higher-ups of Toronto's society and show that, unlike some others, she could easily be a dignified and respectable young woman, capable of feminine charm, sharp intellect, and a witty tongue. Or odds are, Leo will warn her to distinctly keep away from them due to his extreme dislike of the aristocratic society. She never did understand his dislike for them, but then again, despite how oddball Leo was, there were some mysteries she had yet to solve about him. Shrugging it off, Aeris bid her father farewell as she was leaving today with her mother to go shopping for a nice dress to the event. Both men had already gone looking for some appropriate tuxedos earlier on that week and found some sharp ones. Let it be said that all Coles dressed appropriately for the event to come. Shopping itself for a new dress wasn't an issue. Oh no. It was how her mother intended to have her look, meaning it was time for a dreaded day in all girl's lives... Getting their hair done... and for the mop of unkempt hair Aeris had? She mentally sobbed. This was going to suck so much. But she did want to look impressionable at the event, so what's a small amount of pain compared to looking envious?

She would later curse her earlier track of thought as she held in a searing amount of pain as her hair was being done...

"Look, Ashley. I wanna take you to this thing myself. A make up for all the junk I've done, alright?"

Shawn had caught up with Ashley earlier after tracking her down and was interested in Ronny's upcoming event social. For something like this, he wondered if he could personally ask Ashley out to it and now he was going to get an answer from her.

"Sure! That would be great!"

Shawn looked a little surprised there. He already knew Ashley's birthday was dawning ever the closer as the days went by and he was thinking on what to get her, but it seemed that school being ended for the break was a present in itself. One so good that the girl was practically bubbly. It was almost too cute for Shawn to handle seeing that cheerfully bright smile. And of course, he was a little shocked that she readily agreed to his offer. But inside, he was cheering like a madman.

"Alright. I guess I'll get you by 3 o'clock on the 13th. Ok?

"Thanks, Shawn! I'll see you then! And don't forget my birthday on the 23rd, ok?"

"Ok, Ash! I'll see you then!" And with that, Ashley kept merrily walking away, leaving Shawn quite surprised, but relieved at the same time. Now he just had to worry about finding a good birthday present for her. That alone was turning into a hell of a problem.

The day is December 13th, 201X...

Ronny stood somewhat anxiously as more and more people from the higher-ups of society entered his parent's home. The reason? He was bored and wondering when the hell would anyone he knew would show up. He was already disappointed and angry when he learned Shannon somehow got ill and couldn't make it for the party, but waiting on everyone else was a severe annoyance to him. He silently fumed as he waited on his friends, mentally chewing them out on their tardiness. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait longer as the first of them arrived, A Mr. Riley and Ms. Stoakes. Sure it wasn't the type of company he expected, but some was WAY better than none at this boring reception. And surprisingly for one of the lower class members, Dante himself was well versed in etiquette, almost more than Ronny himself, and he lives the slice of high life!

"Jack of all trades, yet an ace of none?" Ronny asked.

"More King of all Trades, Ace of few." The human responded in turn.

Eventually, Ronny's waiting finally came to an end as shortly after Dante's own arrival, the others, one after another showed up. First came Shawn and Ashley, and the two looked... stunning was the word. Shawn came neatly groomed, hair trimmed, smelling of some nice smelling cologne, and wearing the standard tuxedo dress code with a nice rose on hand, which he promptly removed and handed to Ashley. Ashley was wearing a nice navy blue cocktail dress that stretched to just a bit above her knees with elegant and glittered navy blue Michael Kors strap-on heels. Ronny mentally sighed. No one would ever fall for such a corny-

"Aww. Thanks Shawn... It's so sweet..."

As they walked by, Ronny slapped himself. No way did something that corny actually work...

Josh and Clarissa showed up, Vanessa herself tailing behind them looking somewhat aggravated. Ronny could this much clearly in her eyes. She did NOT like boring crap like this. Hell, at least they were proper. Ronny could only secretly pray that Leo wouldn't muck this up. He was in for a surprise when he did show up, appropriately dressed, looking very sharp and well-groomed and (to his displeasure) the bang that nearly covered his right eye was gone. Now he looked like a normal tomcat.

Mentally, Leo was cursing this event sevenfold. He felt so horribly violated with these changes done to his being. It could NOT possibly get any worse...

He tested fate, and it responded cruelly. For a soft voice rang out next to him as he mentally cursed this.

"What the hell are you doing standing there at the front door like a moron, you dolt?"

As Leo turned to snappily respond to Aeris, he stopped as he gazed upon her. Only two words entered his head. "Holy SHIT!"

As the families introduced themselves, eventually the younger generation separated from the adults to a more private room, thankfully to the elder generation's appreciation. As Leo the 2nd cooly spoke to those around him, retaining his sense of class around these upper string society members, something happened right then and there that made him curse the entire event and want him to grab his family and head for the hills. In short...

His father, the elder Leo Leonardo the 1st, was right in front of him, looking at him.

Leo the 3rd was stunned just looking at her.

"What are you staring at?"

Mentally composing himself, Leo took another look over at her.

Aeris herself wore a long crimson evening gown that stretched to her slender legs and hugged her frame, giving her a bit of definition. She also was wearing matching red Michael Kors heels and her long hair was tied back in a neat pony-tail that allowed the free end of it to still be left untamed, but still to see strands of it, none of it tied around or messed up - no, it was free-flowing perfect hair. She smelt of a pleasing lavender perfume, the odor wafting around and hitting his senses hard.

"This view is officially way better than the volley- STOP THINKING THAT!" Leo mentally berated himself, smacking himself upside the head as he did. He tried to form words, a comment on her hopefully, but he was speechless.

"Got something smart-ass you wanna say?"

"No... I mean, you wanna come inside?"

"Everyone else had long went ahead of us."

"True... I'll... escort you inside-"

"Normally, I would flat-out say no, but, since you offered, and since this is a party, I'm willing to compromise... BUT NO IDEAS, GOT IT!? It's purely an escort."

"I understand."

Feeling his heart flutter somewhat as he softly grasped her hand, he led her inside the mansion, and towards the party.

As the time passed inside, the gang sat and watched, some with interest, some with disdain, and two with absolute revulsion. Despite the intense hatred that Vanessa Richardson and Leo Orlando Leonardo the 3rd had for one another, if there was anything they could agree on, it was the disgusting and snooty behavior of the upper class (at least in their opinions.). Hell, everyone else present watching them talk as if they were intellectual equals conversing on their hate of the upper class was stunned beyond remote belief. The two HATED each other as kids and they STILL DO, both of them clearly showing that throughout the years...

As 7 year olds...

"ASSHOLE!"
"DUMBASS!"

As 10 year olds...

"BITCH!"
"SHITHEAD!"

As 15 year olds...

"WHORE!"

"IMMATURE LITTLE PRICK!"

But watching them speak to each other like this was a shock.

Leo: "Why do these morons even hold these elegant parties in the first place? It's a total waste of money, like that sham of a wedding that Kim Kardashian had!"

Vanessa: "I know! She burned MILLIONS of dollars on that, only to get a divorce not even 3 months later! That was money that would've gone somewhere charitable! If that Armenian whore was going to waste all of that on such an epic sham, then she would've stayed married to Kris for at least a few years!"

Leo: "Damn shame at that! I'm glad Ronny's folks are the rare diamonds in the rough about their wealth, otherwise we wouldn't be here."

Vanessa: "And the worst types of these stuck up assholes are so damn lazy and pompous that they think the very people around them are nothing but trash and resources to use.

Leo: "The wealthy do whatever the hell they want with their money. They don't understand what living like the rest of us is and see doing something like that beneath them when it's because of us that-"

Vanessa: "Corporate fat cats like them get everything."

Leo: "Exactly."

Ronny: "Well... I've officially seen everything..."

Everyone else: "Agreed."

Later on...

As it descended into the later depths of the evening, Leo sighed from his seat. Watching everyone pass by, either chatting in 'fancy lingo crap speak', and slowly watching his friends leave one by one. Hell, even Vanessa leaving was a blow to him, since shortly after he did, he was stuck listening to some fancy pants bank owner talk about his fortune.

"Haha. I'm wealthy and successful! Fantastic!" Leo mocked.

As the time descended into deepest of nights, he realized the only ones left were himself, his father, and Aeris, outside of various guests of course. Her parents left after Vincent and Tommy 'inadvertently' fell in the backyard pool. As he was carted away, Vincent grinned evilly to his partner in crime, who gave the same grin back to him in response as he was taken home by his mother. Both boys were promptly grounded the second they stepped inside their homes for getting out of the event in such a way.

As he sat, a slow tune started playing in the ballroom. When it did, various couples stood up, and motioned to the center of the room, where they all started ballroom dancing to the music.

"Great. That old Victorian music..." Aeris spoke as she had a seat next to him.

"Boring as shit, ain't it?" Leo replied.

"On a rare occasion, I can agree with you on that statement."

"Wanna get the hell outta Dodge?"

"I'm driving."

Before either could even rise, an older couple had waltzed by, and took notice of the pair.

"Aww, are you two going to dance?" The woman, an old feline with graying hair with traces of a lighter reddish color with bright sapphire-blue eyes, spoke to the two as they turned to leave.

Aeris looked shocked and fought to suppress and blush.

"Umm. No ma'am. We were just about to-"

"Nonsense! Youngsters these days should enjoy your lives while you still can!" The man, an elderly gray furred tomcat with emerald-green eyes declared before dragging them both on the floor.

As this happened, Leo mentally entered a sort of haze. His inner emotions were trying to comprehend the string of events being played out before him as the older pair, in their infinite wisdom, apparently, decided to have the two slow dance in the traditional way, meaning he, by their manipulation of his person Leo will freely admit, was a little hands on for Aeris' personal comfort, what with one hand embracing her free left hand and the other encroaching the small of her back. She looked about ready to kill all three of them for this.

"Isn't that adorable? Now, young man, all you have to do is-" The elderly woman started

"I apologize, but I know how to slow dance." Leo interrupted.

"Do you now?" She asked, a minor hint of mock surprise clear in her voice, something only her husband had picked up on. "Then show us?"

Leo sighed. It was either risk incurring Aeris's wrath right then and there, something NO living being should EVER do, or appease these old geezers then get killed by her later, or just leave and not look back as he ran for the hills. Keeping a tight grip, he slowly led her off, keeping her feet distance from his to avoid tripping up as he slowly danced off with her.

"I'm going to kill you later for this..." she whispered softly at him, a sharp blush on her face.

"I know... Let's just keep this up for a bit and get the hell outta here." He softly responded.

The sight caught a little attention as some others stopped and watched them both in awe. For a ditz, Leo was very graceful about it, and how he knew how to slow dance was a miracle beyond even Aeris' knowledge. Even she would have to admit, mentally of course, that he wasn't bad at this. She held a blush in as they moved slowly around the floor, simply wondering where in the absolute hell did he acquire his skills with this. But as he guided her with every step, she was considerably impressed. She honestly didn't expect this from him and made a note to ask him about it later.

Leo himself was doing everything he could to suppress those accursed thoughts that plagued him. As he watched Aeris's anger fade into something between a mix of embarrassment and astonishment, he was mentally remarking how cute it was to see it.

"STOP IT! I'M ACTUALLY HOPING SHE KILLS ME FOR THIS! GRAAAAHHHH! I HATE MY THOUGHTS SO MUCH!"

?: "... Oh... why can't I get closer to him? It's not fair that such a handsome and loving guy gets away... and now he's gawking at her, holding her... Dancing with her... It's not fair... Why does he look at that monster with such adoration? She's just evil and is only going to hurt my love... (Sigh) I'll get closer to you yet, Leo... Close enough to shower you with my love and affection... for me to be yours... and for you... TO BE MINE! MINE FOREVER, AND THAT BITCH WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP ME!"

Lux: Holy crap! I am so sorry! It's been 4 months since my last major update! Just take it and enjoy the minor history of Leo the 2nd! Expect more crap going on in the next chapter of HDYK and more back story to the patriarch of the Leonardo family. (yayleo, I've placed a very minor sub-arc here. Hope you don't mind as it'll be resolved very quickly.) This is LuxUmbra2012 saying, "Ja'ne!"

By the way, pop quiz. Karen's last name is a respelling of a popular Japanese term, one that, ironically, Aeris herself personifies. Can you guess what the term is and define it? Good luck!