I'm proud of myself for writing this, it's not really something I've done before. I'm not really happy with the ending, but eh, you can't win 'em all. As always- apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors. Thanks to Erin, for making me write faster than I've ever written before.

And I know you're shining down on me from heaven

Like so many friends we've lost along the way

And I know eventually we'll be together

One sweet day

-Mariah Carey

I could watch this scene for hours, but it would never get any easier for me. The past few weeks have been absolute hell without her, I don't know how I'm going to make it through the rest of my life. I watch as one by one, our remaining friends gently throw pink roses into the ocean. This is what she wanted, she didn't want us to cry. She just wanted us to remember.

The roses drift slowly in the water, occasionally being caught by the waves that drag them further out of my sight. It feels like we're watching her go too, because the color pink has always brought back memories of her and her crazy ways. For instance, her pink locker that she had so many years ago. It feels like an eternity now, but in reality it has only been eight years.

I can hear the quiet whispering behind me, I don't want to turn around. I don't want to see their sad looks or be the recipient of sympathetic words, because it will make it all the more real. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I keep thinking she's going to walk up behind me and ask why I'm looking so down. She could never quite manage the calmness required for attending a solemn service such as this.

She picked this place, she insisted on the beach. I'm sure none of us will ever understand why, but the beach was a place of significance of her and now it will be of great importance to us. I know from this day on, it will be a place that will always remind us of her. Every time we hear the serene rolling of the waves or the shrill cry of a seagull. The memories will always be there, forever imprinted upon our minds.

I feel a light force tugging on my hand and look down to see my daughter, our daughter. I close my eyes for a minute, willing myself not to cry. Not in front of her, she's still too young to understand what's going on. Too young to understand what's been taken away from her. Her brown eyes looked up at me inquisitively, so innocent.

"Daddy, when's Mommy coming home?" she asks, gripping my hand tightly. "I miss her."

I bend down and take her in my arms, she looks just like a miniature version of Sharpay. With the same blonde hair and sweet brown eyes. My heart hurts, she will probably look just like her mother one day. The day Andrea was born, I remember that day as though it was yesterday. The second we laid eyes on her, we knew she was our own miracle sent from the heavens.

"So, have we got a name?" the nurse asks, entering the room for the sixth time that evening.

"Andrea Marie," Sharpay replies, smiling slightly as she looks down affectionately at our little daughter bundled in her arms.

"Lovely."

"She's our own little miracle," I whisper in her ear. I slip my finger gently into Andrea's tiny hand and she immediately grips it tightly. I smile, and so does Sharpay.

I don't know how I'm supposed to tell my- our little girl that her mommy isn't coming home. I don't know if I'll be able to handle seeing my daughter cry and knowing I can't say or do anything to make it better. This is the one thing I will never be able to make better, not for myself or for Andrea and that thought alone is enough to make my heart break. My mother always used to tell me that time heals the heart, but to me time doesn't do anything unless the heart is ready to move on and I'm not sure if mine ever will be.

"Daddy?" Andrea says again, her hair tickles my ear. "I want Mommy."

"I know baby, I want Mommy too," I admit, my voice cracking slightly on Mommy. Andrea draws her head away from my shoulder to gaze at me, her forehead puckers in a frown.

"When's Mommy coming home? I want Mommy!" she repeats, her voice becoming a wail. "When is she coming home?"

"She's not," I say softly. "Mommy's gone baby, she's not coming back."

Andrea shakes her head vigorously, twisting and squirming furiously in my grip. I don't think she fully understands, Sharpay was always there with me to tuck her in at night. Sharpay was always the first face she saw in the morning. Always. Without fail. Until now.

"Honey, can you do Daddy a huge favor?" I ask, gently setting my crying daughter on to the sand. "I want you to go and stay with Aunty Gabriella for now okay? Daddy will come and get you when it's time for us to go home."

Andrea nods wordlessly before running as fast as she could to Gabriella. I shoot her a pleading look and she nods understandingly before picking Andrea up and hugging her tightly. I watch Gabriella as she walks around in large circles, patting Andrea's back and whispering words of comfort. Better than I'm capable of, at least.

Knowing my baby is in good hands, I look out towards the ocean again. The sun is beginning to set, coloring the sky bright orange. The sun's reflection is clearly visible in the crystal clear water, I can barely see the roses now. They're almost gone. Almost. As the last one fades out of sight, I abandon my place at the edge of the water. I can feel all their eyes on me, but I don't stop. I can't take much more of this, it would be fine if she was here with me. But she's not.

"I'm sorry, Sharpay, but the cancer has already spread," the doctor says sympathetically. My grip tightens as does hers, I can feel the blood circulation being cut off. I don't care in the slightest.

"How long?" Sharpay asks bravely, though her voice is barely above a whisper.

Doctor Andrews sighs, "Six months tops."

If ever she was going to be taken from me, I would want it to be quick and painless. Not drawn out the way it was, I could see the suffering in Sharpay's eyes everytime I looked at her for the final months of her life and it felt as though I too, was dying slowly. We never really figured out how to tell Andrea that Mommy wouldn't be around much longer. She was only three when we found out, Sharpay never got to see our daughter's fourth birthday.

Andrea's birthdays wouldn't be the only she missed, that much I knew. Sharpay would not be around to see our baby get her first boyfriend. She would not be around to help Andy choose a dress for her prom or her wedding. She would not be around to see Andy's wedding ceremony or the birth of any of our grandchildren. That's the worst feeling, knowing all the things Sharpay will miss.

The only thing that brings comfort to me now, as corny as it sounds, is knowing that Sharpay is probably dancing among the clouds, watching me and making sure I don't do anything stupid. She promised me that the next time we see each other, we'll pick up right were left off.

"I need you to promise me something," she breathes weakly. Her face is so ghostly pale that it scares me, although she's sweating heavily.

"Anything," I whisper in reply, a tear sliding slowly down my cheek as I look at her. I would do anything just to see her happy and healthy again.

"Promise me that if you find someone you love more- don't argue!" she snaps suddenly, seeing my mouth open to protest. I shut it instantly. "Promise me that if you find someone you love more than me, you'll take that chance. Promise me that you'll be with someone who makes you happy, even if that someone is not me. Promise me that you'll raise Andrea to be a good person."

"Only if you promise me something too," I say softly, stroking her hair.

"Go for your life," Sharpay laughs softly. I glare at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Promise me that when I next see you again, we'll pick up right where we left off. Promise me that you'll always love me."

"You know that nothing will ever change my love for you, no matter how far apart we are. I promise you that I'll always love you, I promise that I'll watch over you and Andrea."

I nod, satisfied, "I never wanted to see someone go through this again Shar, watching my mother was hard enough."

"I know, but you need to be strong. For Andy, she'll need you when I'm gone more than ever. I don't want you to cry when I'm gone, I want you to remember me. Not the way I am now, but the way I was when everything in our life was perfect. I don't want people wearing black at my funeral, the only thing I want is for you, Andy and all our friends to be happy."

"I can't promise you that Sharpay," I argue. "I can't promise you that I won't cry, because I will." The tears start and I don't bother fighting this time, they run down my cheeks and I can taste the saltiness on my tongue. I don't want her to leave me, I don't ever want to let her go.

Sharpay reaches up and brushes her hand lightly across my cheek. "Till death do us part, that was the promise we made on our wedding day. This is death, this is it. We kept our promise, maybe it's time to make new ones."

"No. Never." I say fiercely.

She manages a laugh, "Just do one more thing for me." I nod. "Kiss me."

I bend my hand and connect our lips, and the feeling that rushes back scares me beause I know that this is the last time I'll ever feel that way. Her lips move against mine gently, weakly even. This is our last chance, and we're making the most of it. When we pull away, I know I'm losing her. Sharpay's warm brown eyes are beginning to flutter, she's slipping in and out of concsciousness.

"I love you," I say.

"I love you too," she whispers.

Then she's gone, and this time, she's not coming back.

The brightness is fading slowly to a dull grey, the first stars beginning to twinkle. I watch the first star that becomes clearly visible to me, it seems to shine the brightest and for the first time in weeks, I smile. The star reminds me of Sharpay, how she used to be the star of my life- how she still is. She still shines brightly and I know that there's no possibility of me ever forgetting someone that made such a huge impact on my life.

Sharpay made me who I am today. She stood by me through all the losses I had to endure in my life. She was there through the happy and the sad, the easy and the difficult. She was there even when our love wasn't easy to maintain. She was my shoulder to cry on, the one constant thing in my life.

I snap out of my thoughts when I feel a hand on my shoulder, I turn around to see Gabriella holding a sleeping Andrea in her arms. "Troy, I know Shar would have- is proud of you. You've been so strong, for Andrea and for the rest of us. You honored your promise, just like you always do. We're just going to go wait in the car okay? Come and get us when you're ready."

I nod, showing my understanding. I hear Gabriella and the rest of them walking away. I become lost in my thoughts again, it's as though I'm running through a hall of all my memories with Sharpay. I remember the first day we met, our first date, our wedding day...

I smile again- because I know that day will eventually come. That sweet day when we'll be together again, forever.

Okay, so it wasn't really much of a Troypay... but please review anyway xD