"All I Want for Christmas" © Nattou; 30.11.10

This is a derivate piece of fiction featuring characters copyrighted and trademarked by Disney Enterprises Inc. It is based upon High School Musical, copyright 2006 by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., all rights reserved; and High School Musical 2, copyright 2007 by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., all rights reserved. The author is not connected with nor is this work authorised by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., or any other motion picture studios. This work is solely intended for posting on Fanfiction, for the benefit and enjoyment of its intended audience. No commercial or financial benefit accrues or is intended to accrue to the author as a result of said posting. Any unauthorised copying or redistribution of this work might subject the party responsible for such unauthorized copying or redistribution to legal action by the owners of the aforementioned copyrights and trademarks

AN: So this is my attempt at a Christmas story. I hope you like it. Thanks to all the girlies who have kept on encouraging this mad little project, you all know who you are.

Chapter 1: The Advent Calendar

November 30th

Gabriella Montez shivered as she hurried through the frozen park. The grass crunched under her feet and she tried desperately to sing even further into her thick coat and scarf. In a moment of stupidity she had decided to leave her gloves in her dorm; something her now red and numb fingers regretted immensely.

Another shiver ran up her back just as she laid eyes on the coffee cart parked along the footpath she was headed towards.

Burying her hands even deeper into her pockets she tried to count the coins in there without exposing her cold fingers to the evening air. Quickly giving up she scooped them all into the palm of her hand and continued walking.

"Got any hot chocolate?" she asked as she came to a halt in front of the cart.

"I sure do. Small, medium or large, miss?" The boy in charge asked in a voice far to chipper for the weather he was currently stuck in.

"Medium, please," Gabriella said as her eyes roamed across the price chart. Behind the small counter the young buy bustled about while whistling quietly. How could he possibly be this happy when it felt like the world around her was freezing to death?

"Do you want cream on that?" he asked.

"Yes, please."

Maybe he was of Eskimo descent, she wondered as the guy put a lid on the Styrofoam cup containing the heavenly hot liquid.

"2.95," he said and placed the steaming cup on the counter. Gabriella reluctantly pulled her hands out of her pocket s and counted the coins in her palm. Once she was certain she had the right amount she handed them over and gripped the cup with both hands.

"Have a nice evening, miss," the boy said and Gabriella found herself smiling back at him.

"Thank you."

He gave a short nod and she slowly turned around and continued walking down the path. The heat from the hot chocolate was seeping through the protecting cup and she nearly sighed in bliss when it reached her poor fingertips. Savoring the heat she lifted the cup to her mouth and took a small sip. The warmth traveled down her throat and spread through her chest.

Hot chocolate had never tasted better.

Around her the temperature had dropped another few degrees and seemed to bite her exposed skin as she quietly wondered what on earth she had been thinking when she picked Yale instead of Stanford. Sun, sand and sea… oh what she would do to have that, she thought as she watched her breath turn white in front of her face.

Despite the bitter cold, snow had yet to fall from the sky, something Gabriella wasn't sure if she was thrilled or bummed about. The white snow made the whole world look pretty and peaceful, but it also made getting around a whole lot more difficult. As her dorm room building came into view she noticed that the lights were on in her windows and smiled slightly. That meant that Cassidy was home.

Cassidy had been Gabriella's roommate since their freshman year. The two girls were very different in many ways, but they had gotten along from day one. At this point they were perfectly comfortable around each other, and respected each other's space, something Gabriella was very grateful for every time she overheard people complaining about their living arrangements. She couldn't imagine living with someone she couldn't stand to be around. That would make her entire college experience much less enjoyable. The thought alone made her shudder and she took another sip from her cup.

The closer she got to the building, the faster her feet seemed to move. She longed for a hot shower; a hot shower, a woolen blanket and a good book. Well… a book. She would most likely end up studying as finals were coming up far too soon for her liking.

Sighing she moved the strap of her messenger bag from her left shoulder to her right one. The bag swung around her back and threw her a little off balance just as her foot hit a frozen puddle. A gasp escaped her as she felt herself fall backwards towards the ground. Seemingly without thinking she used her hands to brace the fall and hissed in pain as the gravel dug into her delicate skin. The cup that had been cradled between her hands fingers hit the ground next to her, spilling it's scalding liquid over the top of her left hand.

She felt tears pool in her eyes and bit down on her lower lip gently. Through her nose she took a few deep breathes as she carefully sat up straight to inspect her injuries. Drops of blood seeped through the skin of her palm and she sniffled quietly.

"Stupid ice," she grumbled as she scrambled to her feet and picked up her bag again. As he did so the tell tale tunes of "You are the music in me" sounded from her phone and she found herself smiling despite her throbbing hands. Only one person had that specific ringtone, and that person was probably the only person she wanted to talk to right at that moment.

"Hi," she nearly choked out, mentally cursing her voice for breaking right away.

"Are you crying, babe?" he immediately asked after picking up on her distressed voice and shallow breathing.

Gabriella had learned long ago that when it came to Troy Bolton nothing but the truth would do. So instead of pretending nothing was up she sighed in somewhat defeat before answering.

"I fell," she said.

"You fell? Where? Are you hurt?" his worry was evident and the pure thought of what he'd do if they were together made her eyes cloud over once more. She needed to calm herself or she'd break completely.

"I'm fine; just some scratches and a slight burn. I slipped on some ice."

"Ice? Burn?" he sounded confused and she quickly realized just how contradicting that phrase sounded.

"I had a cup of hot chocolate," she explained.

"Oh, Ella," Troy sighed. "Not a good day, huh?"

"You could say that. It's cold and I'm tired, I have loads to do and … is it break time yet?"

She heard him sigh quietly and closed her eyes. She knew what was coming.

"You know what I'd do if I was there right?"

"I know…"

"I'd…" he started, but she cut him off.

"Troy don't…" her request was barely above a whisper but had its desired effect.

"Ella…"

"I know… but I miss you and id do anything to spend tonight cuddled up with your and just…" her voice broke on a sob just as she reached the dorm building. On the other end of the phone she heard Troy's deep breaths. She knew the separation was tough on him as well, but somehow he always managed to keep himself together.

"Just a couple of more weeks now, baby-girl. Then we will have nearly a month where we can spend every waking and sleeping moment together."

A sad smile crept onto her face at his words.

"That sounds like heaven right about now," she said as she reached out to open the heavy front door to her building. She grasped the knob but immediately regretted the action as the small cuts on her hands stretched against the cool metal and sent a wave of pain up her arm. The sharp intake of breath that travelled through the mouthpiece of her phone alerted her boyfriend of her discomfort, and was sure to make him more concerned than he already was.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked. "That didn't sound very ok."

"I'll be fine, Troy. It's just some scratches. I'll clean them up and I'll be all good again."

"If you're sure." His voice was skeptical and she fought an urge to roll her eyes. As sweet as his over protectiveness could be, he went total over board at times.

"I'm sure, worry wart," she teased playfully, happy to push the sadness and homesickness away for now.

"You'd worry too, missy," he responded and a real smile spread on her face. He was right and he knew it.

"Never said I wouldn't," she answered just as a faint knock sounded through the phone and a very familiar voice informed Troy that dinner was ready.

An odd sensation of sadness swept over her as she pictured the scene she had played a part in so many timed during high school. Troy wasn't the only one she was missing. She missed everyone she had left behind when she had left for college. Troy, her mom, Troy's parents Jack and Lucille, not to mention her old friends. Friends who were now scattered around the country at different schools.

Sometimes she really hated growing up.

"I've got to go babe," Troy's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she wiped away a stray tear that had escaped.

"Yeah… I heard your mom. Tell them hi from me?"

"Of course. Love you, baby."

"Love you, too."

"I'll call you tonight, ok?"

"I'll be waiting."

"Bye."

"Bye," she said and snapped her phone shut. Christmas break really couldn't come fast enough, she thought before digging her keys out of her bag.

"Cass?" she called as the door swung open.

"In the bathroom. Out in a second!"

"Can you bring the first aid kit?" Gabriella asked as she shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the coat rack.

"First aid? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just fell and scraped my hand."

"You've got to be more careful," Cassidy said as she walked into their small living room holding the small red box. Gabriella popped down on the couch with a sigh and pouted at her friend.

"You're not ok," the blond girl stated upon seeing her face. "You've been crying."

"I'm fine. Troy called… I got homesick." She explained, knowing Cassidy would let it go. She knew that when it came to Troy, Gabriella would rather not talk about him while she was missing him. it made things worse, not better.

"Ah. Well let me see that hand of yours then."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know. Now let me see."

Gabriella smiled softly and held her hands out in front of her. Cassidy carefully inspected the injuries before cleaning them and putting on some antiseptic salve. Neither one said a word until the first aid box and Gabriella was no longer bleeding.

"There, all better."

"Thanks, Cass."

"No worries. There's mail for you by the way. I put it on your bed. That boy of yours went a bit overboard this time I think. It's massive."

Gabriella's eyes shot up. Troy had sent her a present? He hadn't told her about that.

"You look like a question mark, why don't you just go look," Cassidy giggled.

Not needing to be told twice, Gabriella shot up from her seat, grabbed her bag and darted into her bedroom. She flicked the lights on and nearly gasped at the size of the box. It was at least 40 x 40 cm and her boyfriend's distinct handwriting was scribbled on top.

Biting her lip she dropped her bag and reached for the pair of scissors she kept on her desk.

It only took her a minute to pry the box of the item that was hidden inside, an item that left her wide eyed. To say that she was stunned was an understatement. Troy's present was not only stunning, but clearly handcrafted. She highly doubted he had made it all on his own, but it didn't matter. It was the most beautiful advent calendar she had ever seen. Each of the four sides had 6 small drawers and two Christmas related pictured. The top and bottom were in a deep red color, the same shade as the picture panels. White stickers on the top spelled out "Gabriella's Calendar" and she gently ran her fingers over the letters. As she did so she noticed the folded up sheet of paper that had fallen onto the bed. Picking it up she unfolded it with trembling fingers.

Ella,

A long time ago you told me about this advent calendar your father made you as a child.
You said you lost it the summer before your father passed away when a cousin accidently spilled soda all over it.
Your dad promised you he'd make you a new one, but he never got around to it.
I don't know if this one resembles your old one at all, but I made it for you with that in thought (ok, so mom might have helped a little, but the idea was mine.)
I hope this one will bring more joy than sadness.
You know how it works, but don't cheat!

I'll see you in a couple of weeks gorgeous.

Troy

The tears she had tried so hard to hold back earlier started trailing down her cheeks long before she finished reading the note. How he remembered that she had no idea. Several years had passed since she told him that story, and as far as she could remember that was the one and only time it had been brought up.

She had obviously underestimated her boyfriends memory.

Shaking her head in touched disbelief she grabbed her phone and typed in a short message.

It's perfect and I love it. Can't wait for tomorrow.

Love you.

AN: So there you have it. Please let me know what you think.

Xxx Caroline xxX