The dining room was a battlefield.
Not of violence—of food.
Eman's cooking had been laid out alongside Tita Gema's feast, creating a fusion of flavors that should have brought world peace but instead sparked a war over the last piece of lechon kawali.
"That's MINE," Drew declared, chopsticks poised.
"I saw it first," Rory countered.
"You were looking at the security panel!"
"Multitasking!"
Ci-n reached across both of them. "I'M SMALL, I CAN SNEAK—"
Rakki pulled him back by his collar. "No."
"BUT—"
"No."
Mayo elegantly sliced his own piece. "There's plenty. Stop acting like animals."
Kit nodded. "We have standards."
Percy grabbed the entire plate. "MINE NOW."
Jasfer: "PERCY!"
Percy: "SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!"
Serina, calm as ever, simply reached over and took the plate back. "Sit down, Percy. You're not starving."
Percy clutched his chest. "Mother Serina has betrayed me."
"I'm not your mother."
"Emotionally, you are."
Jay's grandma cackled. "I like this boy. He's dramatic. Reminds me of myself."
Tita Gema: "Ma, you once set the kitchen on fire for drama."
"WORTH IT."
Jay sat between Keifer and Mica, plate full, heart fuller.
Mica nudged her. "So. Future husband, huh?"
Jay's cheeks warmed. "You heard that?"
"The whole world heard that. Rakki and I have a group chat dedicated to it."
Rakki leaned over. "It's called 'Jayfer Endgame.' We have seven hundred messages."
Jay choked. "SEVEN HUNDRED?"
"We're very dedicated fans."
Keifer smirked. "I have fans?"
"You have WORSHIPPERS," Ci-n corrected. "I'm the president of the Keifer Fan Club."
"There's a fan club?"
"There's a MERCH STAND."
Keifer blinked. "I have merch?"
Ci-n pulled out a hand-drawn button that said "KEIFER'S SMILE SOLVED MY DEPRESSION."
Jay burst out laughing.
Keifer stared at the button. "I don't know how to feel about this."
"Feel honored," Mayo said. "Ci-n doesn't make buttons for just anyone."
Ci-n nodded proudly. "Only the worthy."
Aries, seated across with Ella, watched the chaos with his usual exhaustion. "This is my life now. This is what I chose."
Ella patted his cheek. "You didn't choose it. It chose you."
"Worse."
"Better."
Felix sat beside Percy, still occasionally reaching out to touch his arm like he needed to confirm he was real.
Percy, for once, didn't complain.
"You're going to wear a hole in my sleeve," Percy said quietly.
Felix pulled his hand back. "Sorry. I just—I still can't believe—"
Percy's voice softened. "I know. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."
Felix shook his head. "You're here now. That's what matters."
Percy hesitated. Then, quietly: "I missed you, little brother."
Felix's eyes glistened. "I missed you too. Even though you're annoying."
"I'm CHARISMATIC."
"Same thing."
"Different things."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Edrix sat beside Freya, who was surprisingly calm, listening as he explained the security system's encryption protocols.
"—and then the firewall has triple-layer authentication, so even if someone breaches the first layer—"
Freya interrupted: "You're actually passionate about this."
Edrix blinked. "Is that weird?"
Freya considered. "No. It's… refreshing. Most people just talk about themselves."
Edrix smiled. "I find security systems more interesting than myself."
"That's either very humble or very sad."
"Maybe both."
Freya laughed—real, unguarded. "Okay. Keep talking. I'm listening."
Rakki whispered to Mica: "Is Freya… being nice?"
Mica whispered back: "I think Edrix broke her."
"Is that good?"
"Honestly? Might be the best thing that's ever happened to her."
Jay caught Keifer's eye across the table. He smiled—soft, private, just for her.
Angelo sat at the end of the table, phone in hand, monitoring security feeds even while eating. Jay's big cousin never fully relaxed—it was part of the job.
But tonight, watching the chaos, watching Jay laugh, watching Keifer watch her like she was the only light in the room—
Angelo smiled slightly.
She's happy. Finally.
His phone buzzed.
He glanced down.
The smile disappeared.
After dinner, the chaos migrated to the living room.
Baster had found a microphone somewhere and was attempting to sing. David was asleep on the couch despite the noise. Drew was collecting betting money from Rory, who'd lost the lechon kawali argument. Eren was unsuccessfully trying to chat up Ella, who kept shutting him down with increasing creativity.
Ci-n was attempting to teach Keigan and Keiren a dance. It was going poorly. It was adorable.
Rakki and Mica were curled up together, watching the madness like it was their favorite show.
Mayo and Kit were critiquing the decor. ("The curtains are a choice." "A bold choice." "A questionable choice.")
Denzel was on the phone with Grace, showing her the chaos via video call. Grazel Jay's little face appeared on screen, waving. "TITA JAY! TITA JAY!"
Jay rushed over. "HI BABY GIRL!"
Grazel Jay giggled. "You're on TV! You said Kuya Keifer is your FUTURE HUSBAND!"
Jay's face reddened. "You watched that?"
"Mommy showed me! It was ROMANTIC!"
Grace's voice: "She's been talking about it all day."
Denzel smiled. "You're her favorite person."
Jay's heart melted. "She's MY favorite person."
Keifer appeared beside her, waving at the screen. "Hi, Grazel Jay."
Grazel Jay squealed. "KUYA KEIFER! You're HANDSOME!"
Keifer grinned. "Thank you. You're beautiful."
"I KNOW!"
Grace laughed. "She gets that from me."
Denzel: "And the confidence from you."
Grace: "Exactly."
Jay leaned against Keifer, watching the chaos, feeling warm and full and home.
Then Angelo appeared.
His expression was carefully neutral—which meant something was wrong.
"Jay. Keifer. A moment."
Jay's smile faded.
Keifer straightened.
They followed Angelo to the study, away from the noise.
The study door clicked shut.
Angelo turned to face them, phone in hand.
"Keizer's men were spotted near the Fernandez property line an hour ago."
Jay's blood ran cold.
Keifer's jaw tightened. "How close?"
"Close enough to see the house. Not close enough to breach perimeter. My people scared them off, but—" Angelo paused. "They were taking photos."
Jay's hands clenched. "Of what?"
"The house. The exits. The—" Angelo hesitated. "The boys playing outside earlier."
Keifer's face went pale.
Keigan. Keiren. Playing in the yard. Visible from the property line.
Jay grabbed Keifer's hand. Squeezed.
Angelo continued, voice steady. "We've increased patrols. No one gets in without authorization. But you need to know—he's watching. And now that Serina's public, now that J&S is public—"
"He's not going to wait," Keifer finished.
Angelo nodded.
Silence.
Jay's mind raced. Plans. Counter-plans. Contingencies.
But beneath all of it—
Fear.
Not for herself. For Keifer. For Keigan and Keiren. For Serina. For this family she'd only just gotten back.
Keifer squeezed her hand back. "We knew this would happen. We're ready."
Angelo nodded. "You are. But I needed you to know."
Jay took a breath. Steady. Strong.
"Thank you, Angelo. Keep us updated."
"Always."
They walked back to the living room.
The chaos continued—Ci-n teaching the dance, Baster singing off-key, Drew collecting bets, David somehow still asleep.
No one knew.
No one needed to know.
Not yet.
Jay looked at Keifer. His jaw was tight, but his eyes—his eyes were fierce.
We fight together.
She squeezed his hand again.
He pulled her close, kissed her forehead—long, slow, protective.
"Whatever happens," he whispered.
"Together," she whispered back.
The party wound down slowly.
Eman packed up his containers. Rory and Edrix exchanged notes on the security system. Ci-n extracted promises from Jay to visit Section E soon. ("SISTER JAY, YOU PROMISE?" "I promise." "SWEAR ON KEIFER'S SMILE?" "…I swear on Keifer's smile." "ACCEPTABLE.")
Freya left with a lingering look at Edrix. "Explain more about the encryption next time."
Edrix smiled. "Next time."
Rakki and Mica hugged Jay tightly. "You're okay?" Rakki asked quietly.
Jay nodded. "I'm okay."
Mica searched her eyes. "Really?"
Jay smiled—real. "Really."
They didn't fully believe her. But they let it go.
Felix hugged Percy one more time—long, tight, unwilling to let go.
"I'll visit tomorrow," Percy promised.
"You better."
"I will. Now stop crying, you're ruining your face."
"My face is fine."
"It's puffy."
"IT'S NOT."
"It's a little puffy."
Jasfer separated them. "OKAY, GOODBYE TIME. EVERYONE OUT BEFORE TITA GEMA STARTS YELLING AGAIN."
Tita Gema: "I NEVER STOP YELLING!"
"EXACTLY."
The door finally closed.
Silence.
Blessed, beautiful silence.
Jay's grandma settled into her rocking chair. "I like those kids. They're chaotic. Good chaos."
Tita Gema began cleaning. "They left footprints. So many footprints."
Jasfer stretched. "That was exhausting. I love it. Let's do it again tomorrow."
"No," Angelo said firmly.
"Yes," Percy countered.
"No."
"FINE, next week."
"We'll see."
Serina sat beside Jay on the couch. "You okay, anak?"
Jay leaned against her—mother figure, ally, friend. "Yeah. Just… a lot."
Serina stroked her hair. "You handled it beautifully. All of it."
Jay closed her eyes. "I had good teachers."
Serina smiled.
Keifer sat on Jay's other side, pulling her gently against him.
The three of them—Jay, Keifer, Serina—curled together on the couch.
Jasfer grabbed a blanket and threw it over them. "Family cuddle pile. I'm joining."
Percy: "ME TOO."
Aries: "I'm going to bed."
Ella: "I'm coming with you."
Aries: "Finally, something good."
Jay's grandma: "I'll watch. Someone has to document this."
Tita Gema: "Ma, you don't have a camera."
"I have EYES. That's documentation."
Keifer's arms tightened around Jay.
She tilted her head up, meeting his gaze.
"Today was…"
"Chaotic?"
"Perfect."
He smiled—soft, warm, full of love.
"Yeah. It was."
She kissed his cheek.
He turned, catching her lips gently.
Soft. Sweet. Full of promise.
Jasfer: "THEY'RE KISSING AGAIN!"
Percy: "DOCUMENTING!"
Serina: "Jayfer forever."
Jay's grandma: "ABOUT TIME."
Jay pulled back, laughing. "Can we have ONE moment?"
"No," everyone answered.
Keifer laughed, pulling her closer.
Outside, the night was dark.
Somewhere in the shadows, Keizer's men reported back.
But inside the Fernandez house—
There was light.
There was love.
There was family.
And for now, that was enough.