End of the Incident

"That's it," Andrew commented as the video came to an end and the screen went black.

"Play it again!" Luke exclaimed, and Phil joined his son's request, eager to rewatch the choreographies he had done with Andy on the dance floor—and, of course, to see DeDe getting tackled again.

"Yes, I need to watch the part where you tackle DeDe a few more times. A loop would be nice," Jay said.

"I'll send you that specific part so you can replay it as many times as you want," Andrew suggested.

"That's my grandson," Jay said, patting Andrew on the shoulder with a proud smile.

Howard wanted to tell Andrew: Replay the kissing and butt-grabbing part! But since Andrew's whole family was there, he kept the comment to himself.

"You kissed my cousin Paola?!" Manny finally asked, pointing a finger at Andrew.

When he first saw the scene of Andrew kissing the Colombian girl named Paola, he had stayed quiet since everyone was watching the video in silence. But now, he could finally bring it up.

"Her name was Paola?" Andrew said, making Manny even more indignant since she was one of his favorite cousins.

"Not only did he kiss her, he also grabbed her butt," Howard added, making Manny glance at him for a moment before turning back to Andrew with even more anger.

"You're not helping…" Leonard told Howard.

"It was revenge for what happened with my aunt," Andrew justified himself, though he hadn't planned on admitting that by the time he kissed and grabbed Paola's butt, he had already forgotten his original purpose.

"A revenge you enjoyed a lot, didn't you?" Pippa said sarcastically. Andrew slowly turned his head toward her, their eyes met, and a shiver ran down his spine.

"I…" Andrew wasn't sure what to say.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to watch the video! That was months ago—we didn't even know each other back then," he added in his defense.

Pippa didn't say anything else. Andrew was right, and she wasn't going to argue in front of his family.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Manny said, but just at that moment, the doorbell rang.

Everyone exchanged confused looks at the sudden sound. Mitchell stood up and counted with his eyes—everyone was here. Who could it be?

He walked to the door, and when he opened it, his expression shifted from surprise to disbelief. "Mom…? What are you doing here?" Mitchell asked in a low voice, making sure to block DeDe with his body so no one could see her.

"I came to ask for Gloria and everyone else's forgiveness," DeDe replied with a slightly nervous but determined expression.

"Why now?!" Mitchell asked, trying to keep his voice down. "That was supposed to happen at Christmas dinner, not today," he added nervous.

He had told Claire, but she refused to deal with DeDe's unreasonable request and left it to him. Then he went to his father, but he also refused and pretended the conversation had never happened.

"It doesn't matter. I need to get this weight off my shoulders as soon as possible. And better before Christmas," DeDe said, trying to step inside.

"No, no, no!" Mitchell said, blocking her path.

"How did you even know we were all gathered here?" he asked, trying to buy time.

"I talked to Haley via text, and she told me you were all here," DeDe answered. And before Mitchell could do anything else, she slipped past him and entered the house.

She walked into the living room, where the scene was already chaotic—and the worst part hadn't even begun.

The living room was in complete disarray. Manny was arguing with Andrew about Paola, while Howard kept adding comments that only fueled the fire. Leonard watched the argument with amusement.

Claire, on the other hand, was complaining to Phil about what had happened with Gloria's uncles, saying that he had done nothing when they grabbed her butt and that a drunk Andrew had to defend her—on top of the disastrous ball game that the dynamic duo had come up with.

Cam tried to calm Lily's crying, but to no avail. Gloria and Jay were reminiscing about Andrew tackling DeDe, laughing and recalling the details with clear amusement.

The chaos kept escalating with every conversation.

"Kissing Paola just because you were drunk and for revenge isn't exactly the most honest thing, Andrew," Pippa said, shooting him a piercing glare.

Haley nodded silently, but her expression also showed clear anger at Andrew's behavior back then.

"Honesty? I don't think Paola minded—you can see it in the video," Andrew defended himself, but all he managed to do was deepen the scowls on both girls' faces.

For better or worse, Andrew was saved by a voice that suddenly made everyone go silent—even Lily finally stopped crying. All eyes turned toward the entrance of the living room.

"Hello, everyone," DeDe greeted with a slightly tense smile.

"Oh boy," Cam murmured, eyeing DeDe, while leaving Lily in her baby stroller.

"Mom?" Claire asked, confused as to what her mother was doing here.

Jay and Gloria stopped laughing and turned to DeDe with puzzled expressions, completely unprepared for her presence.

"Hi, Jay, Gloria," DeDe greeted, focusing especially on her ex-husband and his new wife.

"What is she doing here?" Gloria asked, her tone making it clear she was not welcoming her.

"Gloria, my mother wants to apologize for everything," Mitchell said, appearing behind DeDe.

"And you just drop it on us like this? Mitchell, what the hell is wrong with you?" Jay said, acting outraged and raising his voice slightly.

Jay wanted to pretend this was the first time he was hearing about DeDe wanting Gloria's forgiveness. If Gloria found out he had known about this plan, he could end up caught in the crossfire.

"I don't want her apology," Gloria said.

"I don't blame you, sweetheart," Jay quickly agreed.

'Don't you want to stop being so whipped?' Andrew thought.

"Jay. Manny. Let's go," Gloria said, standing up and grabbing her purse.

"Wait, wait, Gloria. I really want to tell you that I truly regret ruining your wedding," DeDe began.

Her tone was softer, filled with regret, making Gloria pause and meet her eyes.

'This isn't good…' Andrew thought, knowing that whatever his grandmother was about to say was completely fake. But what could he do?

DeDe hesitated, taking a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly.

"I didn't handle being alone very well. Jay, however, moved on so easily—and not with just anyone," she continued, her voice weakening as she spoke. "He did it with a young… beautiful, and intelligent woman."

Silence filled the room as everyone watched.

Leonard and Howard exchanged glances, silently wondering: Should we even be here for this?

"I don't expect you to forgive me. If I were in your place, I'd want to punch me right in the mouth," DeDe added, and now all eyes turned to Gloria, waiting for her response.

Gloria, her face serious but calm, first looked at Manny and then at DeDe. Without taking her eyes off her, she slowly walked closer.

"I think this family has had enough revenge for one day," Gloria said, summoning all her kindness to forgive DeDe.

"What episode did I miss?" Howard whispered to Andrew, but it was Pippa who quickly answered.

"A classmate of Manny's drew a mustache on him with a marker, so he got revenge by setting the kid's bike on fire."

"That's… a bit extreme," Howard murmured.

"Good thing you didn't make fun of his mustache, or he might sneak into your room and burn your comics," Leonard muttered.

"I forgive you," Gloria said, and the tension in the room seemed to dissipate. Everyone relaxed, no longer on edge and ready to step in if a fight broke out.

With that, Mitchell, who had been silently observing the scene, smiled triumphantl, "See? I'm so happy we could move past this. And all thanks to me—not a mama's boy, but a kind, wise, and perceptive person. So, take notes, bitches," he added, gesturing dramatically around the room.

"That color doesn't suit you," Cam said, eyeing him with disapproval.

"Oh…" DeDe muttered, not entirely believing that she had actually gotten Gloria's forgiveness.

"I'm not ready for this," she murmured as she stepped closer to Gloria, and before anyone could react, she suddenly lunged at her.

"I…" DeDe screamed, her eyes blazing with rage. "I want to rip your head off!"

The fight broke out instantly, with DeDe grabbing Gloria by the neck, turning the confrontation into a screaming, hair-pulling brawl.

"Vieja loca!" Gloria yelled; her face red with fury as she struggled to break free from DeDe's grip.

Claire and Mitchell, both horrified, screamed at the same time, "Mom, stop!" and quickly rushed in to separate the two women.

Jay, watching the scene unfold, wasn't sure how to react. In the end, he decided to stay out of it and not get involved in separating his wife and ex-wife.

"You stole my husband!" DeDe shouted between pushes and tugs.

"You ruined my wedding!" Gloria yelled back, even angrier than DeDe.

Both women ended up collapsing messily onto the couch, exhausted from all the struggling, while Phil lunged toward Gloria with a tense smile, repeating over and over, "I've got Gloria!"

Mitchell, Claire, and Cam were struggling to restrain DeDe.

"Aren't you going to help…?" Leonard asked, having been watching the scene from the corner of the living room along with Andrew, Alex, Pippa, Haley, and Howard, who all looked like spectators.

"What do you want him to do? Knock her out again?" Howard joked, trying to lighten the bizarre situation.

"It could work…" Andrew said, and the three friends laughed, completely detached from the chaos in the room.

"Why are you laughing?" Pippa asked, looking confused, especially at her boyfriend. Her discomfort grew as DeDe and Gloria's fight escalated. She also felt guilty, knowing that she had been the one to bring Andrew's entire family over to watch the wedding video, which had set off this whole mess.

Beside her, Haley remained silent, a slight expression of guilt on her face. To be honest, she felt like this was partially her fault, since she had accidentally told her grandmother that everyone was gathered there.

"Don't blame yourself, Pippa. No one expected my grandma to show up unannounced," Andrew said, noticing her expression.

After that, Andrew stepped forward and helped the others separate DeDe.

"Enough already! Both of you, stop!" Jay finally stepped in, placing himself in the middle to prevent any more attacks.

"This is ridiculous," Jay continued. "Gloria didn't steal me, DeDe, and you know it. We had been drifting apart for years, and you left to 'find yourself,' remember?"

"I thought I could handle this. I'm so sorry," DeDe said with a regretful expression, looking down while Mitchell kept a firm hold on her—just in case.

"Don't say 'sorry' again! Even you don't believe that!" Gloria snapped, furious, lunging at DeDe once more. Fortunately, Phil intercepted her, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"I've got Gloria," Phil clarified again.

'I want to handle Gloria…' Howard thought jealously, watching as Phil held her tightly.

"I don't know what just happened," DeDe said, looking like she had lost all will to keep fighting.

'Damn it, Dylan isn't here…' Andrew thought, vaguely remembering that in this episode, Dylan had said something emotional to calm everyone down and lighten the mood.

"Grandma, I think the best thing is for you to move on and go to Canada with Chas. Just like Grandpa moved on, you should too, and I don't think you should seek Gloria's forgiveness when it's obvious you still haven't gotten over it. You'll be able to give her an honest apology when you've moved on and found your place in the world," Andrew said.

"You're right... When I turn the page, I'll be able to heal, and I won't have this resentment inside anymore," DeDe said with a pained expression, placing her hand on her chest.

"Mom, I think it's best if you leave," Mitchell said in a quiet but kind tone.

"Alright," DeDe said. "I'm sorry I ruined the gathering... I hope you all have a nice Christmas,"

"I will send the gifts by mail," DeDe added with a melancholic tone, making it clear that after this, she wasn't planning to spend Christmas with them.

"Gifts? By mail?" Luke asked, frowning. His mind immediately started working, trying to figure out how it was possible for his grandmother to send gifts when Santa Claus was supposed to bring them.

Claire and Phil exchanged wide-eyed glances, as did the rest of the adults in the room.

"Uh..." Phil stammered, searching for a quick answer. "Well, what your grandmother meant is that... she... sends Santa a list with special gifts for you, and he takes care of the rest."

"Exactly," Claire added, nodding enthusiastically. "Sometimes grandparents can place early orders... to make sure Santa doesn't make a mistake."

"Oh, that's great! I want a computer like Andrew's!" Luke said excitedly, smiling at his grandmother.

Haley and Alex rolled their eyes. Pippa, Leonard, and Howard looked at Andrew with confused expressions.

"He still doesn't know," Andrew whispered, understanding their expressions.

'Ten years old and he doesn't know Santa is fake…' Howard thought.

"I'll tell Santa," DeDe said with a smile, relieved that she hadn't made another mistake today. After that, she left the room with Mitchell.

Once DeDe left, everyone sighed almost simultaneously. No one had imagined that what was supposed to be a fun afternoon watching the video of Andrew tackling DeDe would end like this.

"Well..." Claire murmured, massaging her temples. "We were just going to watch a funny wedding video and ended up with a live Jerry Springer episode."

"I think we all need a drink," Cameron added, collapsing onto the couch with a sigh.

However, just as the atmosphere began to calm down, DeDe's voice suddenly rose again, "I forgot something!"

Everyone turned their heads in confusion as they saw her return. Before anyone could even ask what, she had forgotten, her fury reappeared out of nowhere.

"COLOMBIAN BITCH!" DeDe suddenly shouted, lunging without warning toward her arch-enemy, arms outstretched as if to strangle her.

Gloria, who had already relaxed, thinking the danger had passed, was completely caught off guard.

"WHAT—!?"

In that instant, Andrew reacted purely by instinct. Without thinking, he lunged to intercept his grandmother.

But in his hasty attempt at heroism, his right foot got caught on the leg of a chair. The stumble was so sudden that his body, propelled by the speed of his run, shot forward uncontrollably.

'No, no, no!' Andrew thought.

In the middle of free fall, Andrew crashed directly into DeDe with all his weight, knocking her down with a loud THUD onto the floor.

The entire house fell into a deathly silence as everyone stared with wide eyes at DeDe, completely knocked out on the ground, with her grandson on top of her in a position that looked like it was taken from a football play.

"Well... I didn't think he would take my advice so literally," Howard broke the silence with a strange smile.

"ANDREW! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS TACKLE YOUR GRANDMOTHER?!" Mitchell said, putting his hands on his head.

"First at the wedding and now this... She always ends up knocked out!" Claire said, covering her mouth to hide her laughter. But her face immediately tensed up when she remembered who the knocked-out person was. 'I shouldn't laugh... it's my mom... it's my mom... but damn, this is too funny...' she thought.

"Andrew, I know you're a football prodigy! But I'd prefer you use your talents to crush your rivals, not your grandmother!" Cameron said.

Jay watched the scene in silence, a smile slowly forming on his face, "Did Christmas come twice this year?"

"Hmph, she had it coming," said Gloria, unable to hide a slight smile.

"Andrew, are you okay?!" Pippa and Haley asked, rushing toward him, their concern evident.

"The right question is whether SHE is okay," said Alex, adjusting her glasses and walking toward her grandmother.

Andrew, still dazed on the floor, lifted his head and looked at everyone with the most expressionless face in the world.

"I'm fine... but I think I'm officially getting disinherited."

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