A/N - Merry Christmas & Happy holidays! This is a last minute continuation of a short story I wrote a few months ago called Cupcake Battles. I've been busy writing Lost in the Lights at the moment but I really wanted to do something for the holidays. Also Cutthroat Kitchen is one of my favorite cooking shows so I just had to throw Brittana in. Anyway, soz about any errors you might find. I've been a busy girl this month. Stay safe out there!


ROUND 1: Buche de Noel

We're back in the infamous Cupcake Battles' kitchen arena where crew members dressed as elves are busy decking the halls for the holiday season. Some are hanging decorative garland, a couple work together to wheel out a giant Christmas tree while four elves trail behind carrying an armful of presents.

Suddenly the doors of the commercial kitchen are pushed open and a tall blonde enters the room in this sleek, red dress. There's a mischievous glint in her eye and a Santa hat sitting crookedly on her head as walks with confidence towards the camera while keeping her steel briefcase close.

"Feliz Navidad, America!" She greets slyly, "Now I know what you're thinking: where has that dorky – yet loveable – host Sam Evans gone? Why am I here instead? Did I have too much brandy in my eggnog last night and accidentally wind up on the wrong show again? I wish! You've just tuned into a special Christmas episode of Cupcake Battles: the Holliday Edition with me – Holly Holliday, host of Cutthroat Cook-Off. But, this isn't any ordinary takeover. Stay tuned to see how I'll be testing our competitors, I'm sure you'll recognize them."

"As you know, I'm loaded," Holly raises the case she's been holding, "I have with me $100,000 of cold hard cash money. I've specifically requested four chefs to play today who will get $25,000 each but if they want to leave this kitchen with any of that money they'll have to survive three of my culinary challenges…and each other."

All the lights dim dramatically and a spot light shaped like a snowflake is put on Holly, "It's a game we like to call: Cutthroat Cook-Off."

When the lights go back to normal, all of the elves have disappeared and the kitchen stations normally used for Cupcake Battles have been moved to replicate the Cutthroat Cook-Off set. There are a row of four pedestals with a wire shopping basket sitting atop each of them. Behind each pedestal is a prep station set up with a stand mixer and baking utensils.

"But unlike Cupcake Battles, there will only be one judge while I'm here," Holly continues with a smirk as the camera zooms out, "Let's see why."

\\

A moment later, the new host is nowhere to be found as the first contestant enters the Cupcake Battles' kitchen. There's a confused look on her face as she looks around at the once familiar-looking kitchen.

"Uhh," Sugar Motta frowns, "Am I in the right place? Looks like Christmas threw up in here."

\\

The screen soon fills with Sugar sitting alone in front of the Cupcake Battle's pastel pink backdrop but it is now littered with candy cane graphics for the holidays. There's a big smile on her face as she waves and blows the camera a two-handed kiss.

"What up, America!" She greets excitedly, "It's your girl Sugar, back at it again to kick some ass!"

Sugar punches her small fist into her hand for emphasis.

"You might remember me from the last time I was here with my homegirl, Britt," Sugar continues as a picture of the pair accompany her onscreen, "We competed against a bunch of amateurs and won a whole lotta money. Britt got super lucky though and found love post-win."

A picture of Brittany and Santana replace the previous picture as Sugar draws a heart with her fingers, "She and Santana have been going steady ever since! It's great and they're super cute. We're kind of a little family now that Santana's always around at Batter Up Cupcakes, but that doesn't mean anything here."

The picture of Santana and Brittany is swiped away as Sugar's expression hardens.

"My name might be Sugar but there's nothing sweet about me," Sugar says as she reveals Naughty has been written across the back of her light grey chef coat.

\\

Back in the Cupcake Battles' kitchen, Sugar heads over to the first pedestal as the next contestant enters.

"Oh dear God," Kurt groans when he sets his eyes on his competitor, "Not you."

"That's not very Nice," Sugar fakes a pout.

\\

We're back at the candy cane backdrop where Kurt Hummel sits primly. He gives the camera a stoic bow of his head before he goes to introduce himself.

"Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel," He says politely, "You'll probably recognize me as one of the Cupcake Battle judges who usually watches the chaos from afar, but when Miss Holliday requests your presents you do what she says."

Kurt begins to grin proudly, "You see what I did there? Presents, because it's Christmas. Okay, anyway I've dusted off my chef coat so that I can prove to America that I can still hang with the best of them."

"The other chefs will have to watch out," He turns his back a little to reveal the word Nice printed on his dark grey chef coat, "The Nice guy always finishes last."

\\

Back in the kitchen arena, Kurt moves to stand next to Sugar. He eyes her hesitantly as he scowls.

Sugar sees him and rolls her eyes, "You can't still be mad about the eggnog thing?"

Kurt scoffs, "I had on a very expensive pair of onyx trousers and you spilled your glass all over me! Yes, I am still very mad."

"Chill," Sugar brushes him off as she checks her nails, "It was an accident."

"It was not!" Kurt argues, already getting riled up again, "You specifically said Eggnog sucks and proceeded to knock it over ON ME no less. That's exactly why you're on the Naughty List."

Sugar smirks at the memory – it was pretty hilarious seeing Kurt with this giant white patch covering his lap. It totally made her night, he was so embarrassed!

"Calm down," She tells him, "You act like it happened yesterday or something."

Kurt looks at her in disbelief, "It was yesterday."

"Was it?"

"Yes! That's exactly why I'm still – "

"Stop the violence," A voice calls out.

The camera pans from the bickering pair to the new competitor entering the kitchen arena: Brittany S. Pierce.

\\

Sitting in front of the candy cane backdrop now is Brittany who waves enthusiastically at the camera.

"It's Brittany, bitch!" She greets, "You might remember me from when I competed here with Sugar as Team Batter Up Cupcakes. A lot has changed since then, but I'm sure you know all about that. Dating a culinary celeb is crazy, but we're still going strong!"

Brittany gets momentarily swept up in thoughts of her girlfriend and smiles dreamily.

"It feels like it was just yesterday that I was in this very kitchen splattering Santana's boob with chocolate and falling in love with her. So of course when Holly reached out about this crossover idea, I was totally down!" Brittany then goes to stage whisper, "Also, Cutthroat Cook-Off is my favorite show – don't tell Santana. Anyway! I can't wait to see what kind of trouble I'll get up to."

Off-screen someone says, "You're on the Nice list, Brittany."

Brittany pouts as she looks to the white chef coat in her hand with the word Nice printed on the back then asks, "Can I be on both instead?"

\\

Brittany does a little bow before she comes to stand next to Kurt, "You still mad about the eggnog thing?"

"I wouldn't be if she would just apologize already," Kurt grumbles.

"I'm not going to apologize for an accident," Sugar huffs, "It wasn't my fault. If you want to be mad, be mad at gravity!"

"Makes sense," Brittany shrugs before looking to Kurt, "Where's your Christmas spirit? It's the season for forgiving! Or was that Thanksgiving?"

Kurt only sighs as he lets it go for the time being, "At least Britt and I are on the Nice List. Looks like you're outnumbered, Motta."

"Please," A voice calls out as the camera reveals that Santana is the last contestant, "Being Nice is so overrated."

Brittany just stares at her girlfriend in awe, "God, I love her so much."

Santana only smirks as she makes her way over to the others.

\\

The screen fills with the candy cane backdrop one last time and Santana sits before it looking unamused as ever.

"What do you mean introduce myself? Do you really think I need to do that?" She asks, "I'm the most famous pastry chef in the country. Yes, I'm putting myself above Hummel because obviously. Everyone knows who I am already; it's on them if they don't."

A black chef coat is tossed her way with the word Naughty written on the back. She looks down at it and laughs, "Shocker."

\\

Back in the kitchen arena, Santana struts to her position next to Brittany. She eyes her up and down before quirking her brow, "You look good in white."

Brittany tries not to blush at the compliment.

"Wait," Kurt pauses, "This can't be fair. They'll just team up against us."

Sugar eyes them suspiciously, "Yeah! Santana's so whipped, she'd never sabotage Brittany herself."

Kurt nods, "Same goes for Brittany!"

"Can it," Santana tells Kurt and Sugar with this steely gaze, "I'm here to win and I'll take down anyone who stands in my way…even Britt." Her glare softens when she glances to Brittany, "Sorry babe."

"It's cool,"Brittany just shrugs, "You're on the Naughty list and I'm on the Nice one, we're like sworn enemies now."

"Oh my God, you're right," Sugar gasps, "Like Romeo and Juliet, your love is forbidden."

"Uhh," Santana looks unsure, "Maybe a little dramatic."

"Just a little," Brittany chuckles, "The important thing though this is that you won't be winning anything today so sorry babe."

Santana gasps as she clutches her chest while Brittany smirks.

Kurt and Sugar exchange an impressed look.

"Okay," Kurt nods, "This could be interesting after all."

\\

Now that all four chefs have taken their place at their pedestals and have gotten acquainted, Holly Holliday finally makes her grand entrance.

"Season's greetings, Chefs!" Holly announces as she saunters in with her steel case. She gives the competitors a once over and says, "Everyone's looking merry and bright; well, we're about to end all of that!"

Kurt's eyes go wide as Holly gives them her infamous sly grin. Brittany bounces excitedly.

"As you might've noticed, half of you are on the Nice list," Holly points out.

Kurt and Brittany smile at each other.

"Some of you are not," Holly adds, "For obvious reasons."

Sugar and Santana grin devilishly.

"Today we're going to see what's the best way to win: being Naughty or being Nice?"

"I think we all know the answer to that," Sugar says.

Brittany and Santana answer at the same time, "Being Naughty."

"Britt," Kurt laughs, "You're playing for the wrong team again."

Brittany waves him off, "I can play for both."

"Let's go over the new house rules during my little takeover," Holly says to the Chefs, "You're going to compete against each other for three rounds and at the end of each round, one of you will be eliminated."

Santana looks determined as ever as she looks down the line at the others, "Focus up. That'll be one of you."

"I don't think so," Brittany smirks.

"Do you even remember how to work under pressure like this?" Sugar jokes, "You've spent so much time on the other side."

"You just watch and learn," Santana warns.

"Before each round, I will assign a dish," Holly continues, "Since it's the holidays and this is the Cupcake Battles' arena and you are all pastry chefs, each dish will be a dessert of my choosing and they better spark some joy. You will then have 60 seconds to shop for all of your ingredients in my special Cutthroat Cook-Off pantry."

The camera pans to a section of the wall that opens up to reveal a glassed-in pantry stocked almost to the ceiling with all sorts of ingredients a chef could possibly need – hopefully.

"After that, we have ourselves a little auction," Holly smiles mischievously, "You will be able to bid on a sabotage I've come up with to then gift to a person of your choosing."

"Awesome," Brittany grins.

Kurt just looks at her like she's lost it. He gets the feeling that Brittany isn't too worried about walking out of here without any money, she just wants to win.

Holly then flips open her steel case to reveal neat bundles of cash, "That's where this comes in."

Sugar instantly perks up at the sight of so much money, "Now we're talking."

"Everyone's going to get $25,000 to use during the course of this competition but keep in mind," Holly points out, "There is only one winner and that winner will only walk out with what money they have left so spend wisely, Chefs."

Santana rubs her hands together, "All of that is coming home with me."

Brittany raises a brow, "You think you won't spend anything?"

"Won't need to," Santana smirks.

Brittany just chuckles, "The confidence is so hot, but you're in for a rude awakening."

"You got that right," Sugar nods.

"Sugar isn't a threat," Santana replies before quirking her brow at Brittany, "And you and I both know that I can handle you."

Brittany narrows her eyes, "I don't know, San, last night would suggest otherwise."

"Oh my God," Kurt groans, "You two really can't help yourselves, can you?"

Brittany just looks innocently at the camera while Santana shakes her head.

"Everyone gets two bundles," Holly instructs as she takes the case and approaches Sugar first.

Sugar takes two and sniffs the cash, "Smells like victory."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Kurt thumbs the bills of each stack.

Brittany claps hers together while Santana fans herself with hers.

"Get used to holding all that money at once, I doubt you'll be hanging onto it for long," Holly says ominously. She shuts the case and sets it aside, "Alright! For Round 1, let's start off with something simple for the holidays. I'm thinking…Buche de Noel."

"You think that is simple?" Kurt deadpans.

Sugar's face fills with confusion, "What the hell is that?"

"Are you kidding me?" Santana's shocked as she looks down the line to Sugar.

Sugar just shrugs and looks to Brittany for help, but Holly's already going forward with an explanation.

"Or otherwise known as a Yule Log," Holly explains, "It is Christmas cake with some sort of cream filling, rolled to look like a log."

"Why would anyone want to eat a log?" Sugar wonders with her nose crinkled.

"Right?" Brittany nods, "I don't get it either but they look cool."

"It's a classic for the holidays," Kurt assures them, "I make one every year for the dinner party I host. I got this."

"As someone that has personally tasted that," Santana quips, "You got nothing."

Kurt grimaces at Santana's remark.

Holly only smirks, loving the banter already!

"You'll have 45 minutes this round; that's super generous," Holly says, "Your 60 second shopping time begins…NOW!"

The four chefs grab their baskets and rush to the pantry. It's a mad dash for eggs, cream, cocoa powder, and whatever else the chefs need to make their version of this classic dessert. Hands are grabbing and bodies are colliding as the time quickly runs out.

Santana even almost shoved Sugar to the floor for the last container of unsweetened cocoa powder! Kurt is being methodical about his mental list while Brittany seems as cool as a cucumber gathering up the ingredients on hers.

"You need a hand, baby?" Brittany teases as she leans against Santana to easily reach the top shelf that Santana is visibly struggling to get to.

"No!" Santana replies although her face says otherwise.

Brittany throws her a bone though and pushes a container to the very edge of the shelf so Santana has an easier time reaching before she throws hers into her basket.

Brittany gets in close to Santana and husks, "Don't say I never did anything for you."

Santana rolls her eyes at the flirty tone, "So generous."

"You can thank me later," Brittany winks as she continues throwing things into her basket, "You know, once I win."

"Not gonna happen," Santana smirks.

"5…4…3," Holly begins to count down as she lingers by the pantry door. Final items are grabbed before everyone but Sugar rushes out, "2…1!"

Miraculously, Sugar slips through the doors before Holly locks her in. She hurries over to her pedestal to set down her basket and eyes the rest of the Chefs' baskets to see if she got everything.

Holly looks at each of the competitors and smirks, "Now for the fun part." She heads over to a section of the wall that has been repainted to look like a chimney, "Let's see what's up for auction!"

The first sabotage is lowered down on the dumbwaiter and Holly pulls out an ugly Christmas sweater. She holds it up against her, "Oh look! An ugly Christmas sweater, I'm sure everyone's familiar. We're all bound to have one of these lying around."

Kurt scoffs, "Of course not."

"I've seen ones with garland, some with tinsel, even ones that light up!" Holly says, "But I've designed something that beats all of those. Elves! Bring me my ugly Christmas sweater."

Soon an elf comes rolling out a clothing rack with a single ugly Christmas sweater hanging on the lone hanger. This isn't any ordinary sweater though…it's been custom made just for tonight.

"What the hell is that?" Santana gasps as she sees a variety of cooking utensils dangling from the fabric. There's a whisk, a gingerbread man-shaped spatula, Christmas colored measuring cups, a small candy cane-stripped rolling pin, along with other baking essentials tethered to the sweater.

"That can't be comfortable," Brittany points out.

"Oh, it's not!" Holly laughs, "Win this auction and you will force your opponent to wear this amazing Christmas sweater designed by yours truly and only use the cooking utensils tethered to it."

"That's just messed up," Brittany cringes.

"I think you mean Naughty," Holly winks, "Who will give me $1,000 for the hottest fashion statement of the season?"

"Don't be rude," Kurt scoffs, "That is not fashion. $1,000!"

"$2,000!" Brittany bids next.

Santana remains silent.

"$2,500," Says Sugar.

"3,500!" Kurt offers.

Holly looks to Brittany. The Nice Chef shakes her head.

Holly looks to Sugar. The Naughty Chef ponders. She knows Kurt will want to go after her first considering how last night's dinner party went. She really needs to pay karma more attention.

"$4,000."

"$4,500."

"$5,000."

"$6,000!" Kurt says with finality. He glares at Sugar, just waiting for her to try him again. He is not backing down, there's no way he's going to be saddled with that sabotage.

Sugar doesn't bid.

"Going once," Holly prompts, "Going twice."

Sugar backs out and Kurt lets out a squeal.

"Sold to Chef Kurt!" Holly announces, "Run me my cash, sir. Who will you be gifting this lovely sweater to?"

"I can't believe I spent that much on his ugly thing," Kurt chuckles as he walks over to pay before grabbing the hanger. It surprises no one when he walks straight over to Sugar, "My gift to you. Try not to spill eggnog on this one."

Sugar sticks her tongue out at him as she takes the sweater from him. She holds it up to her and turns to Brittany, "How do I look?"

Brittany gives her an approving nod, "It's cute. I'd wear it."

"Cute fades," Kurt tells her with a cocky grin, "But that ugly Christmas sweater is eternal. No way I'd be caught dead in the hideous thing."

"Says the man that still wears fishnets," Santana quips.

Kurt rounds on her, "For the last time, it's called mesh. The holes are so much smaller."

Santana gives him a look, "Like that's any better?"

"Okay! The next sabotage up for auction," Holly calls out as a stack of papers bound in dark green leather is revealed. The host picks it up and looks surprised, "No way! It's Christmas sheet music. Remember when mediocre singers would get together and go door to door to harass everyone with their horrible voices?"

"How can you forget?" Santana grumbles, "Christmas music is the worst part about the holidays."

Brittany looks disbelieving at her, "You've been playing Christmas music since November 1st."

"You're one of those?" Sugar looks scandalized while Santana shakes her head.

"Listening to Christmas music on the radio is way different that having to suffer through carolers," Santana explains, "That's the worst part."

"Uh-huh," Brittany smirks.

"Win this auction and you will force the rest of your competitors to stop what they're doing and get up here to sing some Christmas carols with our carolers whenever I ring this door bell," Holly announces, "Elves! Bring out the carolers!"

Soon a group of six dressed as classic Christmas carolers walk out and begin humming Silent Night. Holly grins as she sees frowns fill the Chefs' faces, "Who wants to give me – "

"$2,000!" Sugar yells. She's going to need all the time she can get to make this Yule Log and this stupid sweater is already going to slow her down, so she can't get hit with this sabotage too.

"$2,500," Kurt offers. He's just wanting to drive up the price, he actually doesn't mind if he gets hit with this one. Christmas carols are a secret love of his.

"3,500," Sugar offers.

"Still not going to bid, Chef Santana?" Holly points out.

Santana shakes her head, "Like I said, all this money is leaving with me."

"Okaaay," Holly doesn't look convinced, "Sugar has the highest bid at $1,200. Going once, going twi – "

"$5,000," Brittany interrupts.

Sugar's jaw drops as she looks to Brittany.

Brittany just smiles coolly as Holly calls it.

"Sold to Chef Brittany!" Holly announces, "Chef Sugar, Chef Kurt, Chef Santana when you hear me ring this doorbell you will have to drop what you're doing and join our Cutthroat Cook-Off Carolers for a song. I will ring this bell more than once so don't think you'll be getting off easy with only one song."

Everyone but Santana gives Brittany a glare. The blonde just beams back with this Cheshire grin.

"Alright, that's it for now," Holly says, "Your 45 minutes of cook time start…NOW!"

\\

Everyone rushes off to their stations and makes quick work of emptying their baskets to get everything in order. Kurt, Santana and Brittany are in the zone but Sugar already looks like she's struggling as the elves help her into the ugly Christmas sweater.

"God, I can barely move in this thing!" Sugar pouts as the utensils clang against each other every time she moves. The rolling pin is the worst part, it feels like she's being weighed down as it awkwardly swings from side to side.

Kurt snickers as he expertly measures out his ingredients, "You look great, Sugar."

"Is this pay back for the eggnog?" She grumbles as she gets to work on her Christmas cake.

"Absolutely."

Sugar grimaces, "Yule be sorry."

"Nice one!" Brittany compliments with a chuckle.

Santana just presses her lips together in a smirk as she begins separating her eggs.

\\

The pressure is on for Brittany since she is the only one that doesn't have any sabotages against her this round. She has to nail this and what better way than to go with her mom's famous recipe which uses mascarpone instead of the typical whipped cream filling.

She's also going to do something she's never done before and infuse the filling with peppermint to really make it feel Christmassy. Hopefully it turns out perfectly and it will impress the judge – whoever they might be.

"Do you hear what I hear?" Holly asks ten minutes into the competition as she rapidly rings the doorbell, "It's time for caroling!"

"Damnit," Kurt grumbles, "I need to get this cake cooking asap!"

"Tough cookies," Brittany teases, "It's time to spread that Christmas cheer!"

"This is ridiculous," Santana complains as an elf hands her a top hat and scarf, "Do I really need to wear all of this?"

Sugar looks a little worried as she sends a fleeting glance to her station.

Brittany just watches with a pleased smile as the three of them get in close with the other carolers, "You guys have no idea how long I've been waiting to see the three of you together like this."

"Yeah, yeah," Kurt waves off as they begin to sing.

Holly sways side to side but begins to cringe when Sugar tries to hit a high note.

"Santana only sings in the shower and Kurt refuses to go to a karaoke bar with me and Sugar," Brittany explains to Holly as she continues to cringe upon hearing Sugar butcher Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

"Yeah, I can see why," Holly laughs, "She sounds like a dying animal."

"Is she tone deaf?" Kurt asks aloud. He and Santana sing in perfect harmony, but Sugar…yikes.

"You're blowing out my eardrum," Santana complains.

"You know what they say," Sugar says, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loudly for all to hear."

"Yeah, I think that only applies to those that can actually sing," Kurt tells her.

Sugar isn't the least bit phased and continues to sing loudly.

"Wow, she's so enthusiastic," Holly points out.

And that's when Sugar starts wailing – complete with hand movements which nearly gets Santana in the face.

"Settle down, Mariah!" Santana chastises as she forces Sugar's hands out of the way.

"This is the greatest thing ever," Brittany laughs as she fills her pans with cake batter and puts them in the oven, "There's so much space now that you're all stuck up there!"

Santana just narrows her eyes at Brittany as she belts out, "He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice!"

\\

Another 25 minutes and several caroling interruptions later, Sugar has finally started to work on her whipped cream filling. She's absolutely covered in cocoa powder and batter as used cooking utensils hang off of her sweater.

"How's it going, Sweet Cheeks?" Holly asks as she eyes the mess that is Sugar's station.

"Oh you know," Sugar answers as she measures out some Kahlua to throw into her cream, "It's a jolly good time."

"You're on fire, Sug!" Brittany giggles at her pun.

"I wish," Kurt smirks.

"Okay, how is he a Nice chef?" Sugar grumbles, "You're such a Scrooge, Kurt."

Holly only chuckles, "You and Kurt seem to have an intense rivalry going on tonight."

"Tonight?" Santana snickers, "Please, they're always like this. You should see them on Game Night at me and Britt's place. It's an all out war."

"Can confirm," Brittany nods, "We're all pretty competitive but they take it to a whole new level."

"He's just bitter," Sugar replies before yelling out to him, "And PETTY!"

Kurt just ignores her as he continues to work on his filling.

"So you're not concerned that he might come back with a vengeance?" Holly asks Sugar, "You're the only Chef with two sabotages."

"I can handle anything they throw at me, but I mean…" Sugar looks hesitant, "He does know his way around a Yule Log so..."

Kurt's face goes red and Holly looks to the camera in surprise.

"Right on!" Holly cheers and goes to the only other person still standing at their station, "Chef Santana! Quiet but deadly over here."

Santana smirks, "That's right. Let's hope you don't go ringing that damn doorbell again."

"We'll see," Holly matches her expression, "How are you going to stand out with your take on Buche de Noel? Do I smell coffee?"

"You do," Santana answers, "I'm doing a tiramisu version. I've got my espresso syrup cooling down over there which I've hit with a little brandy. It's sure to lift the judge's spirits."

"Now that sounds delicious," Brittany chimes in as she returns with her cooled rolled cake, "Can I get a taste?"

Santana looks her way just in time to catch the flirty wink the blonde sends her way. After being only momentarily distracted, Santana steadies herself. Brittany's been known to use her flirty ways on Santana, but the Chef isn't in a position to fall for her this time!

"What are you making, B?" She asks instead of swiping her finger through the cream to give Brittany a taste anyway.

"Mom's recipe," Brittany answers, "You know the one."

"Damn, Really?" Santana mutters, "That's a crowd pleaser."

"It sure is," Brittany beams proudly, "This judge won't know what hit'em."

"Does that change things for you?" Holly asks Santana.

"No way," Santana smirks, "I've still got this. Whitney's recipe might be amazing, but mine's right up there with hers."

Holly only quirks her brow as she turns away to check on Kurt. Once she leaves, Santana tries to sneak a peek at Brittany's station, but the blonde catches her.

"Hey! No peeking," Brittany chastises.

Santana quickly looks away to continue on her own work, "I've been trying to get that recipe out of your mom for weeks now! She just won't budge."

"Sorry babe, it's a family secret," Brittany chuckles, "You'll have to put a ring on it if you want in."

Santana looks surprised by Brittany's honesty but she's also a little curious as she jokingly asks, "You trying to get a proposal out of me, Britt-Britt?"

Santana would be lying if she said she wasn't thinking about it a lot more recently, but that might just be because she's seen so many people popping the question lately. She and Brittany have been together for just under a year now, she's uprooted her life in L.A. to be with her, so she's definitely serious about their relationship.

But is it too soon to be thinking about forever? That's the real question.

Brittany gives her no type of hint though, just grins as she continues working on frosting her cake.

\\

"Time's up and hands off!" Holly calls out as time runs out. As the Chefs back away from their completed dishes, Holly continues, "Since the usual Cupcake Battle judges are little busy at the moment, let's meet your judge for the day."

The camera then pans to the entrance as Will Schuester walks in dressed in a festive sweater vest and slacks. He takes a bow as he comes to stand next to Holly.

"Let's welcome Will Schuester, accomplished chef and restauranteur and lover of all things Christmas," Holly introduces.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Will greets.

The Chefs wish him a merry Christmas in return.

"So Will," Holly says, "Round 1 is all about Buche de Noel."

"Ah, a classic," Will hums.

"Totally," Holly nods before turning back to the players, "Here's the twist, Chefs, Will has been locked away in Santa's workshop and knows nothing about what you misfits have been up to and he doesn't care."

Will nods, "Not one bit."

"He only cares about three things," Holly says, "You tell them, Handsome."

"Taste, presentation and does it remind me of a Yule Log," Will answers.

"Alright Chefs, let's see what you've got!"

\\

Will approaches Sugar first and is completely blown away by her presentation. For someone who didn't know what a Yule Log was at first, she really knocked it out of the park.

"This is stunning work, Chef Sugar," Will compliments before taking a bite. His face falls instantly, "Woah! You can really taste the alcohol in this."

"You're welcome," Sugar smiles sweetly.

Will frowns as he sets down his fork, "I'm not sure I'd thank you for that."

Sugar's smile falters, "I may have been a little heavy-handed with the Kahlua."

"You think? I might actually have a buzz right now after that," Will jokes as he moves on to the next person, "Thank you, Chef."

As Will moves along to Kurt, Brittany catches Santana's eye and winks. She totally has this in the bag! Thank God, it would've sucked if she screwed up this first round without being sabotaged.

Santana gives her two thumbs up but then slowly turns them downwards. Brittany just laughs and blows a kiss her way as she listens to Will critique Kurt's dish.

"Am I tasting chestnut?" Will asks as he finishes his first bite.

Kurt smiles proudly, "Roasted them over an open fire and everything."

"Did you really?" Will looks impressed.

"Not really," Kurt chuckles, "But I did fold the puree into the filling. Just wanted to do something a little different."

"It's a nice touch," Will compliments, "Reminds me of the holidays but I'm not sure about the cake. Maybe could've gone for a little less time in the oven? It's a tad dry."

Kurt looks shocked. He's a veteran baker along with Santana so he shouldn't be making that kind of mistake – then again the cake probably wouldn't have been overcooked if Holly hadn't kept making them sing.

Damn Brittany for hitting him with that sabotage!

Kurt thanks Will anyway as the judge moves on.

"Chef Brittany," Holly prompts, "Please explain your dish."

Brittany smiles politely at Holly and Will, "Hi Chef. Today I've prepared a classic Buche de Noel recipe that has been in my family for generations. It is a chocolate cake with mascarpone filling and a touch of peppermint."

Will nods as he takes his first bite and soon his face fills with delight, "This is wonderful, Chef Brittany! The cake is cooked to a perfect doneness, presentation is exactly what I'm looking for, but what really does it for me is that hit of peppermint. It really reminds me of the holidays."

Brittany swells with pride as she bows her head, "Thanks Chef."

Will and Holly then move on to Santana.

"I can smell the coffee on this one," Will notes with a chuckle, "We meet again, Chef Santana."

"Hi Chef," Santana greets, "I've gone a little out of the box here and did a tiramisu take on the classic Buche de Noel. I made an espresso syrup with instant coffee and a little simple sugar that I used to soak the chocolate cake, then I infused the whipped cream with a little hazelnut liqueur."

Will goes for a bite and is pleasantly surprised, "It looks like a Yule Log and it is beautifully done but it doesn't taste like Yule Log. I don't think I've ever had a tiramisu style Buche de Noel but I really enjoy this. Although it doesn't truly remind me of Christmas when it comes to flavor, I really appreciate you thinking outside of the box."

Brittany can tell Santana's trying to stifle her urge to argue and it makes her giggle into her hand. It's rare that Santana's ever on this side of the judging panel so to see it happening not-so-much in her favor is kind of great.

"Alright Will, now that you've tasted these four dishes," Holly prompts as they move to stand before the Chefs, "Who will be going ho ho home?"

Brittany feels confident she's going through to the next round – same as Kurt – so her guess is between Sugar and Santana. Sugar had the looks but definitely not the taste, same as Santana. She's guessing it'll come down to the better presentation – if that's the case, Santana might being going home which is super surprising.

She won't say it out loud but, she thinks Santana is her biggest competition.

Will eyes the four Chefs, "Everyone put forward amazing looking dishes and almost everyone hit their marks, but there was on that really stood out to me…and not in a good way. That person is…Chef Sugar."

"Damn," Sugar slumps.

"Sorry Chef Sugar," Holly says with a shake of her head, "I'm gonna need that dough back."

Sugar nods and swipes her stack of cash to hand in to Holly. Once she's up close, she glances Will's way and narrows her eyes at him, "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch."

Will chuckles, "Sorry Chef. Thanks for playing."

Sugar waves goodbye to her friends and heads out of the kitchen.

\\

Sugar does her walk of shame down the hall leaving the kitchen arena and looks to the camera, "I'm shocked. I thought it tasted great, especially since I started off this round not knowing what the hell a Buche de Noel is. Who doesn't love a little extra booze in you dessert? It's the holidays."

Sugar's shoulders slump a little as she sighs, "It's whatever. I didn't need the money anyway."

\\

Back with the remaining Chefs, Holly and Will still stand before them. Santana and Brittany catch each other's eye and share a secretive smile before Kurt catches them.

"No! None of that," Kurt warns, "No telepathic conversations. That's cheating."

Santana rolls her eyes, "I'm just looking at her."

"Yeah, that's how it always starts," Kurt notes with the shake of his head.

Brittany only chuckles, "So I can't admire how hot my girlfriend looks? You know what it does to me when she's wearing her chef coat."

"Yes, unfortunately I do know what it does to you," Kurt replies, "And I wish I didn't."

The remaining totals for each Chef is displayed on screen:

Kurt: $18,000

Brittany: $20,000

Santana: $25,000

"Okay! Congrats Chefs," Holly compliments as she reels the three Chefs in, "Looks like you've made it past the first round but it only gets harder from here. Prepare yourself for a blizzard because the next round is going to be a white out!"