This story is based on 'Some Say Love/The Rose' by LeAnn Rimes and the Taiwanese drama 'The Rose'.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and the song.

Enjoy. (:

Bold – Narration

They met each other in high school.

Troy inching closer to Sharpay, who is reading.

Troy and Sharpay are people from two very different worlds. But Troy did not care that Sharpay came from a normal family and similarly, Sharpay did not seem to be bothered by Troy's wealthy background.

Troy and Sharpay sitting together at the playground.

Troy and Sharpay together at Sharpay's house, spraying water at each other.

They are so in love, like they had known each other for life and spent every waking moment together.

Troy and Sharpay studying together.

Sharpay laughs as Troy tells a joke.

Troy ruffling Sharpay's hair affectionately as they discovered that they had gotten into the same university.

Troy and Sharpay leaning against each other as they look up at the sky. "What would we be like when we are old?" asked Sharpay innocently.

Working hard and having fun together.

Troy and Sharpay cuddling and leaning against a tree. Sharpay looking at something.

"What are you looking at?" Troy asked and rubbed Sharpay's hands.

"I'm looking at them," said Sharpay as she pointed to a group of graduates standing nearby. "I was thinking, let's take our graduation photo again when we are old."

"When we are old? Haha, sure."

"And we will do everything that we did when we were young one more time. The feeling would be totally different, wouldn't it?" Sharpay smiled. "Will you accompany me?" She looked up at Troy.

"Yes." He smiled and nodded.

Sharpay giggled. "I'm the luckiest girl alive."

Troy smiled, he felt like the luckiest guy alive too.

Come to think of it now, perhaps, Troy and Sharpay already knew.

Were they already aware of the limited time that they have, hence treasuring every minute and second that they had together?

Troy and Sharpay walking and Sharpay running away from Troy.

"I shall go hide! Come and find me!" Sharpay declared to a whining Troy who finally complied.

So that they would be ready for the arrival of that fateful day. The day when Troy lost everything.

Troy entered the old church. Ha! Of course I would find you. He thought to himself and couldn't help but smile at the thought of his love. His Sharpay. He love her so much. He can't wait to propose to her. He can't wait for the day when she would finally become his. He can't wait to do all the things that they wanted to do together. He can't wait to grow old together with her, and spend forever together with her. Like how he had promised her and she had promised him.

He peered around, taking a few steps forward as he did so.

"Sharpay? Paypay?" He called out and continue taking steps forward.

Abruptly, he stopped. What greeted him sent a chill down his spine.

"Pay?"

His Sharpay was lying on the floor, unconscious.

"Pay!? Sharpay! Are you alright? Sharpay?! Stop playing with me! Sharpay! What's wrong? Answer me! Pay!" He panicked. He was at a lost of what to do. "Anybody there? Help!"

Pay! Please be alright. Please, don't let anything happen to you. He silently begged her as he scooped her up and hurried out of the old church, towards the hospital.

"We will try our best. But I'm afraid that she's only left with six months…"

Troy stared at the doctor in horror as he told him about Sharpay's condition.

Six months? Six months? How can this be possible?

Troy faltered and sank into a chair.

We… didn't we promise to live together till we are hundred? Till I become an old man, and you, an old lady? Didn't we, Pay?

He thought as he turned around slowly to look at his Sharpay, now lying on the hospital bed. Weak and pale as he had never seen her before.

We wanted to have our own home, our own family, didn't we?

Didn't you promise me that you will bear me enough babies to form my own basketball team?

Have you forgotten everything? Pay? Have you forgotten everything?

Troy buried his head in his hands and started to cry.

Sharpay laid in bed, listening to the sound from the intravenous drip. She's so sick of everything, of hospitals, of doctors and nurses, of the sickly sweet smell of medicine. Is this how she's going to spend the next six months? The last six months that she had remaining? Is she going to spend it lying in bed and watching as the world around her goes by?

That is not her. Not Sharpay Evans. Sharpay Evans wouldn't spend all day lying in bed. Sharpay Evans wouldn't let anybody confine her to anything. She longs to get out of here. Running around, singing and dancing and performing. That is what Sharpay Evans should be doing. That is where she belongs. She wouldn't care if doing all these would make her condition worsen. She'd rather die earlier if the only solution to living longer is lying here all day long, with weird funny-looking tubes poking into her.

But she can't be so selfish. She has to get through this. She has to get better. And if they tell her that lying here for six months would help her get better, then she would lie here for six months. Then she would get better, she must get better, for the sake of her family, for Ryan, for her friends, for Troy.

Troy.

The thought of him make her heart aches. If there's anyone she knows who is hurting as much as she is, or perhaps even more. It's Troy. She really can't bear to see him hurting like that. Ever since she had been hospitalized, she realized that he had become more serious and less jovial than he used to be. He joked a lot less now and the sparkle in his eyes that she loved so much had gone.

She feels scared. What would happen to Troy when she dies? She is more afraid of what Troy would do without her then dying itself.

What had she done to him? This is all her fault. If only she had been healthy, if only he had never know her. He would be happier than he is now. He would be the Troy Bolton, the invincible basketball champion that everyone knows him as. If only…

So if anything, she is going to get better. For him, she can only get better.

Sharpay heard the doorknob turned and hurriedly wiped away the stray tear that had escaped from her eyes.

"Are you awake?" came the deep, gentle voice that she knows so well.

"Troy, you are here!"

"Feeling better?" Troy asked as he bent down to plant a kiss on her lips.

Sharpay nodded.

"These are from Mom. White roses." Troy showed Sharpay the bouquet of flowers he had been holding.

"They are beautiful." Sharpay smiled.

"Everybody is very concerned about you. So you must get better." Troy said and proceeded to place the roses in a vase.

He glanced over at Sharpay as he did so and drew in a deep breath to prevent himself from crying.

She's getting thinner and thinner every day. Is she really going to die? Isn't she living perfectly fine? Why is this happening?

And when she dies, what is going to happen to him? He is already getting by each day in a daze. The only thing keeping him going is the thought of being able to see her after school. What is he going to do if she dies? Maybe he would join her. After all, she is his reason for living…

"Troy?" Sharpay's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Let's go to Sandia Mountains."

"Sandia Mountains? For what?" asked Troy.

"Because it's snowing over there now! Wouldn't it be a rare sight?" Sharpay exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't be stupid. Do you know how cold it is up there now? Your body wouldn't be able to take it in this condition." Troy explained patiently.

"Fine. We shall wait till I'm better before going. But all the snow would have melted by then." Sharpay sighed and pouted.

Troy looked at Sharpay, his heart hurting, and pulled her into an embrace.

"I promise you, once you recover, we shall go to Switzerland, to Russia, we shall go to every place that's snowing. Ok?"

"Ok!" Sharpay said and hugged Troy tighter.

Of course I am willing to bring you to every place where there's snow. As long as… as long as you promise to be healthy and stay by my side forever. I would bring you to wherever you want to go.

Troy fought back tears again. He didn't need to. Sharpay knows full well how he is feeling. She knows how much it hurts him to put on a brave front for her, just like how she is putting up one for him. She wants to hold him and let him cry, comfort him and tell him everything is going to be ok. But knowing Troy, he would never let anyone see his vulnerability. Especially when he is trying to hide his vulnerability for her sake. Besides, how can she tell him everything is going to be fine when she is not even sure of it herself?

"Troy?"

"Hmm?"

"Shall I sing a song for you?"

"Sure." Troy loves listening to Sharpay's voice. Everytime she sings, he feels like he is in another world. Their own little world where there's no outsiders, no worries, no illness, no tears. Only Troy and Sharpay and their unyielding love for each other.

"Mom used to sing this to me when I was young, before she passed away." Sharpay recalled and began to sing.

"Some say love it is a river
That drowns the tender reed.
Some say love it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed.


Some say love it is a hunger
An endless, aching need
I say love it is a flower,
And you it's only seed.


It's the heart afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance
It's the dream afraid of waking
That never takes the chance


It's the one who won't be taken,
Who cannot seem to give
And the soul afraid of dying
That never learns to live.


And the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long.
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong.

Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snow
Lies the seed that with the sun's love,
In the spring, becomes a rose."

Flashback

Troy and Sharpay entered a garden filled with roses.

"Wow! It's so beautiful! Where is this place?" Sharpay asked as she danced around the place.

"it's our own little haven." Troy smiled and pulled Sharpay towards him, holding up a chain in front of her.

"What's that?"

"Something that I'm going to give you." Troy said. "It has got 12 roses on it and inside each of them is a flower guardian. They would protect you from harm and keep you happy. And make sure that you stay by my side forever."

Sharpay looked up at Troy, her eyes gentle as she spoke.

"You don't need them to keep me by your side. I will always be by your side."

End of flashback

Troy was trying hard to ignore the ringing sound. He was having a dream about Sharpay and didn't feel like waking up. He just want to stare at her forever. Just staring at her in his dreams makes him happy and free of worries.

The ringing sound would not subside. Reluctantly, Troy opened his eyes and reached for his phone.

"Hello?" he mumbled.

"Troy! The doctor says that Sharpay's condition is not optimistic! Come to the hospital now! Hurry!"

It was Ryan.

"What!?" Troy was fully awake now.

"Sharpay! She's getting weaker-"

Troy never heard the rest of the Ryan's words. He grabbed his coat and rushed out of the house.

"The oxygen level in her blood is getting lower. Ryan, you should be mentally prepared."

The doctor's words shattered Ryan. No, this can't be happening. Sharpay can't be dying. They are the Evans twins, she's like his other half. She can't be dying now.

Pounding steps told him that Troy had arrived.

"Ryan? What happened? Is she ok? She's going to be fine right? She can't be dying!" Troy grabbed Ryan and started shaking him, demanding for an answer.

"I don't know Troy! You've got to calm down!" Ryan shouted and pushed Troy away. "You are not the only one who's worried."

"I don't want to lose her, Ryan. I don't. I can't…"

"Excuse me? Which of you is Troy?" Troy looked up when he heard the nurse said his name. "it's me."

"The patient wishes to speak to you."

Troy entered the room and rushed to Sharpay's side, holding her hand tightly.

"Pay. Paypay, it's me. I'm here."

"Troy…" she sounded so weak. It hurt him just listening to her.

Sharpay made an action to sit up and Troy immediately helped her with it, letting her leaned against him and holding her as he sat down. Just like how he had always held her.

Sharpay removed her oxygen mask. "I want to see snow."

"It's very cold outside now. We shall go tomorrow ok?" Troy coaxed her gently.

"After I die, you are not to fall in love with someone else." Sharpay said in a bare whisper. "How I wish I could ask you to do that."

"I won't. I will only love you in my life. There's no one else better than you." Troy assured her, rubbing her hands as he did so.

Looking from the outside, Ryan started to cry. He love his twin, he would be distraught and at a lost without her around. But Troy? He would die without Sharpay.

"But I can't be so selfish. You can fall in love with someone else, just don't forget me." Sharpay gave a painful smile.

"I don't have a chance to wear this necklace till I'm old anymore. If you meet someone in future and love her, then give her this necklace and love her like how you loved me." A tear slide down Sharpay's cheek and Troy stifled a sob. It's the first time that they cried in front of each other ever since they found out about Sharpay's illness.

"Other than you, there's nobody else who can wear this necklace." Tears were flowing freely from his eyes.

Sharpay reached up and wiped the tears from Troy's cheek and he grabbed her hand, holding it tightly to his face, wanting to feel her touch, and to regain some of the warmth that she had lost.

"I want to be loved by you, stay by your side forever as well. But… Troy, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for breaking my promise. I'm sorry Troy, I can't live with you till we are a hundred anymore."

"No. You will. We will live happily together. Until we are old, until we are a hundred years old and then we will leave this world together. Don't say anymore, Pay." Troy said and grabbed her hand tighter, afraid that once he let go, she would really be gone.

"Some say love it is a river, that drowns the tender reed. Some say love it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed…" Sharpay sang softly, so softly as if she's singing to him from another world.

"Some say love it is a hunger, an endless aching need. I say love it is a flower, and you it's only seed…"
So softly, that he can barely hear her anymore.

Sharpay's hand slide away from Troy's grip and landed with a thud on the bed.

"Pay! Pay! Paypay! Don't leave me Pay, don't leave me." Troy was crying as if he had never cried before. To him, that thud was the most horrible and deafening sound he had ever heard, he felt as if his heart went along with that thud, shattered into a million tiny pieces.

"Sharpay!" Hearing Troy, Ryan rushed in as well. "Sharpay! Shar!" He cried and shook his twin, willing with all his heart that this was all a joke.

Troy seemed to remember something, and without a word, he scooped Sharpay up and rushed out of the door, despite Ryan's attempts to stop him. "Troy! What are you trying to do?" Ryan shouted and followed him.

Troy carried Sharpay until they reached his car, where he placed Sharpay in the passenger seat before getting into the driver seat himself.

"Troy!" Ryan emerged from the hospital building and quickly got into his car, tracing Troy's car which had already zoomed into the distance.

It's the heart afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance

Troy carried Sharpay out from the car and began climbing. Brushing pass branches and leaves and finally arriving at a small clearing where a lone tree stood. He sat down against the tree and gingerly placed Sharpay on his lap, holding her tight. "Pay," he whispered. "We are here, at Sandia Mountains. This must be where the snow would fall, huh? We shall wait here for the snow to fall." He stroked her gently and pushed her hair out of her face. "I'm here."

It's the dream afraid of waking
That never takes the chance

"Troy! Troy! Where are you?" Ryan had spotted Troy's car at the foot of the mountain and climbed up as well.

"Troy!" Ryan panted when he spotted Troy holding his sister after climbing for what seems like hours. "Troy, put her down," Ryan begged. "Put her down, Troy."

"Ryan, stop making so much noise. Sharpay's sleeping." Troy said quietly, his eyes never leaving Sharpay.

"Troy, she's dead. Sharpay's already dead. You can't hold on to her forever, Troy. My sister's dead." Ryan sniffled.

"She's not dead. She's merely sleeping. Look, she's still warm."

"That's from your body warmth, Troy. Put her down."

"She's not dead. We promised to see the snow fall together. Don't be scared, Pay. I'm here, it's ok."

Ryan knew that Troy was not exactly in the right state of mind. But maybe it is his determination, or purely because of Troy's love for his sister, something in Troy's voice made Ryan decide to leave them alone and let him be.

It's the one who won't be taken,
Who cannot seem to give

Troy continued stroking Sharpay and he could not stop his tears from falling. Hard and fast they fell, onto the dry, barren ground. Just like how his heart feel at the moment. It was only after some time that he realized his tears are not the only ones falling.

He looked up.

"Pay! Look! It's snowing! It's snowing!" He reached out his hand to catch the falling snow and held his hand close to Sharpay's face so that she could see the snow in it.

"Are you cold? Sorry I didn't bring anything to keep warm. It's ok, I shall hold you tighter, that should be better right?"

"It' snowing, Pay. Haven't you always wanted to see the snow. It is snowing now. Come on, open your eyes and look, Pay. It's snowing! It's snowing……"

He broke down completely, unable to continue anymore.

And the soul afraid of dying
That never learns to live.

The love of his life, she is really gone. And there are so many things they had yet to do together. So many things that he had yet to do for her. And so many things that she had yet to do for him. She had mentioned something about baking him a cake for his birthday next month, and what about the championship game next week that she had promised to turn up at in order to support him? What about all the basketball matches that she had promised to turn up at to support him? And he had promised to bring her to the carnival after his game, and he still owe her a present for getting a distinction in her piano exam. And the snow. He could not even grant her something as simple as seeing the snow fall. When he was finally able to do so, she had already left. Why didn't he bring her to see the snow earlier? Why didn't he fulfill her wish the moment she told him about it? Why? Maybe she wouldn't have died then. Why did he wait? Why?

And the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long.

"I'm sorry, Pay. Don't leave me, please? Didn't we promised to live till we are a hundred? Pay, don't leave me. We promised."

"Pay…"

"…take me with you."

And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong.

That was how Ryan Evans found them next morning, cuddled together, covered in snow. He must be imagining it, but somehow, both Troy and Sharpay seemed to be smiling, safe in their own little haven filled with roses. Their own little world where there are no outsiders, no worries, no illness, no tears. Only Troy and Sharpay and their unyielding love for each other.

Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snow
Lies the seed that with the sun's love,
In the spring, becomes a rose.

THE END