DISCLAIMER: Certain characters, themes, and ideas have been taken from the world of High School Musical created by Disney and subsidiaries. No copyright infringement is intended and I claim no ownership of anything you recognize.

A/N: I know there are many stories with similar premises, but this story is entirely of my own conception and creation (if you don't count the fact that I'm using HSM characters). I have completed a first draft of this work (it's 72 pages hand-written) and will be updating as I get it typed and edited. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

Chapter One—Merry Christmas

East High had come to know them as the power couple. Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez made everything—from scholastics to basketball—look easy. It had been nearly a year since "Triple Threat Friday", as their friends had dubbed the day of the Scholastic Decathlon, regional basketball game, and Twinkle Towne callbacks, and Troy and Gabriella were still together and taking the school by storm.

The Homecoming game in October had been a true testament of Troy and Gabriella's presence at East High. Both of them now Seniors, they were crowned Homecoming King and Queen by their peers. Though neither of them would consider popularity a perk of their relationship, it was an effect nonetheless.

The Homecoming dance had been phenomenal, but it was the after-party that was the pinnacle of the evening. Ryan and Sharpay Evans had opened their home to the entire Senior class, and even without a drop of alcohol present everyone enjoyed the conversation, karaoke, and poker that ensued. Troy and Gabriella visibly enjoyed each other's company throughout the evening, neither straying far from the other's side.

Looking back, Gabriella pinpointed this evening as the date of conception. She and Troy had been intimate several times before that night, but it wasn't until November that she skipped a period. December made it two. She was inclined to miss a month every now and again due to her small stature and active lifestyle, but she had never missed two in a row.

As soon as Gabriella realized the implication of the situation she rushed to the drug store. Twenty minutes and two E.P.T.s later, she was calling Troy.

It was Christmas Eve.

"Merry Christmas, Bolton Residence!" answered Mr. Bolton into the phone.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Mr. Bolton. It's Gabriella. May I please speak to Troy?" Gabriella replied.

"Certainly, Miss Montez…Troy! Gabriella's on the phone!" Mr. Bolton said, calling upstairs to Troy.

"I've got it up here," Troy called back, picking up the receiver on his desk. He smiled at the voice on the other line.

"Hey Babe, Merry Christmas."

"Hey, you too. I wish that's why I called but it's not. Is there any way you can come over ASAP? We need to talk," Gabriella replied, her voice trembling.

"Sure. What's going on?" Troy asked, concerned.

"I really don't want to talk about it on the phone. When can you be here?"

"Give me 10 minutes. Do you want me to meet you around back?"

"Yeah, my mom would kill me if she knew you were coming over so late."

"Ok, I'll see you in a few." Troy said quickly, hanging up the phone and grabbing his keys in one swift motion.

As he headed down the stairs toward the door, Troy heard his Dad calling for him.

"Hey Troy, where are you going? It's 9 o'clock on Christmas Eve!" Mr. Bolton said from his seat in the living room.

"I have to run over to Gabi's for a minute. It's really important. I'll be back soon." Troy responded, urgency in his tone. Jack Bolton gave him a firm look.

"Be back by curfew," he said sternly. Troy nodded once and was out the door.

Troy made it to Gabriella's house in record time. He parked in front of the neighbor's and instinctively scaled the back trellis to Gabriella's balcony. When he reached the door she was waiting.

Once in her room, Troy pulled her into a tight hug before taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"I came as fast as I could. What's up?" he asked.

Gabriella looked into his concerned eyes for a long moment, willing herself not to cry. What she was about to say would change everything—for both of them. Finally, she took a deep breath and whispered,

"I'm pregnant."

It took a moment for Troy to mentally digest what she had just said. When it hit him, the concern in his eyes tinged fearful.

"…You're pregnant? Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive. I did two tests just to be sure...Troy, what are we going to do?" Gabriella replied, finally letting herself cry. Troy pulled her into his arms, placing his cheek against her hair.

He didn't know how to respond to her last question. His head was spinning and his thoughts were moving at a million miles a minute.

Gabi.

Pregnant.

With him.

He was going to be a father at seventeen. What would they do? How would their parents react? How would they even tell them? They were always so careful…how did this happen? When did this happen? The last thing on his mind was having a baby…but what should they do?

They sat in that position for several minutes, Troy holding Gabriella close as she cried into his shoulder. After a while, Troy finally figured out what he needed to say in response to her question. It was the only thing he knew for sure.

"Gabi, I love you. We'll do what is best…for all of us," he said, looking into her eyes as he placed a hand on her still-flat abdomen. Gabriella sobbed deeply and flung her arms back around Troy's neck.

"Troy…this changes everything," she whispered in his ear between sobs. He moved so that she was looking at his face.

"Not everything, Gabriella. We still love each other. We'll get through this together. And it won't be easy and we might not be accepted, but we'll be together—and as long as we're together then we can do this," he said soothingly, running his thumb along the tear tracks on her cheek, wiping them away as they fell.

"Troy, I love you too...it's just…what are we going to tell our parents? What are we going to do about college? Troy, I don't even know how far along I am. My mom will kill me if I don't finish High School," Gabriella replied, her sobs subsiding slightly.

"Well, we graduate in June, which would put you getting pregnant in September…how long has it been since your last period?" Troy asked, trying to work out the math.

"It was two weeks before Homecoming, so after then. I missed my first month the middle of November, and then the second should have come again last week and didn't, so it was probably right around Homecoming…"

"…Which puts you into the end of June, maybe beginning of July. I don't think you have any reason to worry about not graduating," Troy said, finishing her thought. "Here's my big question—how are we going to tell our parents? My dad is going to kill me…"

"I have a feeling my mom's not going to take the news well either. We should figure out what we're going to do before we tell them though. Maybe if they see that we've really thought this through, they'll be slightly comforted that we're not just rushing blindly into this," Gabriella added.

"Yeah, that's a good idea…Oh my God, Gabi. I don't even know…I wasn't expecting this," Troy said, running a hand through his hair nervously. Gabriella brought his eyes back to hers.

"That makes two of us. I mean, we always use protection. I never thought we'd be in that 15 when it doesn't work, you know? But I guess, what's done is done. We need to look at what we need to do to get ready for this."

"We need money. I have some savings, plus the money lessons bring in," Troy said. Gabriella reached into her bedside table and pulled out a notepad and pencil.

"Doctor's bills, baby stuff…" Gabriella wrote down. She looked up at Troy, "None of this is cheap. I have some savings too, from this summer. Plus I can get a job for after school—"

"Not for long though. You shouldn't work yourself too hard, especially once it gets closer to graduation. I'll talk to Chad's dad about picking up shifts after school and on weekends at his restaurant. I have a good bit saved up for college, but if we need to use it for the baby we can. If I get scholarship money it won't matter anyways." Troy said. Gabriella wrote 'after school jobs' on her list.

"Let's not touch college money, if we can help it. I still plan to go to college, even if not right away," she said.

"Yeah, me too," Troy agreed. "Alright, what else?"

"Well, what about us? I mean, we might be too young to get married, but…I don't know, should we?" Gabriella asked nervously. Troy offhandedly played with one of her curls.

"I think we should eventually, but now wouldn't be the right time. I mean, we're underage, sure, but more importantly, I don't want us to have some shotgun wedding just because of this. I'd rather wait a few years and have a nice wedding, with all our friends and family," Troy said thoughtfully. Gabriella sighed in relief.

"I want that too. Plus, I think we're going to need our parent's support with some of this…if they'll give it. So marriage will wait for now," Gabriella said.

"But not forever," Troy finished, grinning. He leaned into Gabriella and kissed her gently on the mouth, sealing his words. She leaned into him, returning the kiss. Their lips broke apart a moment later as they continued to plan their course of action.

"Alright, what about our friends, when should we tell them? And how are we going to tell our parents? We should do that soon," Gabriella stated. Troy nodded.

"Yeah, but first I think we should have a doctor confirm that you're pregnant. I could drive us to Planned Parenthood first thing tomorrow. The test is only ten dollars at the clinic, plus we can just walk in," Troy offered.

"Well, not tomorrow, as it's Christmas, but let's go the day after. If the test is positive—and I'm guessing it will be—we should tell our parents before break is over so that I can set-up a doctor's appointment with my mom," Gabriella replied.

"Ok, that sounds like a good plan. Do you want to tell them at your house or mine?" Troy asked. Gabriella thought for a moment.

"It's probably best if we do it at my house. This will all be much easier if my mom is willing to let me stay on her insurance plan. I don't know how we'll afford it if we have to pay out of pocket for all my check-ups. Plus, Mom and I were planning to have your family over for dinner before the new year, so that would be a good time to tell everyone all together," she said.

"A good time…if such a thing exists…" Troy said quietly. Gabriella shot him a look and he offered her a meek grin and responded, "No one ever said this would be easy."

"That's for sure," she sighed, flopping back on the bed. "So what's the decision with our friends?"

"I don't think we should tell them right away. Let's get our parents somewhat used to the idea before looping in the gang, ok?" Troy asked, propping himself on one arm beside her.

"That's probably the best idea. But if it gets too hard to keep the secret, for one reason or another, I say we tell them. Deal?" Gabriella replied.

"Deal," Troy confirmed, lying down next to her on the pillow. He resumed his musings with her hair. "I can't believe tomorrow's Christmas."

"Yeah, not exactly the present I was expecting," Gabriella replied, exhausted.

"You can say that again," Troy replied stoically. " Not in a million years was I expecting this. But you know what? I'm not upset. Scared as hell, sure, but not mad or unhappy. In a way, it's kind of exciting—us, sharing this. I love you, Gabi. More now than I ever could have imagined when we met almost a year ago. I don't know who I'd be today without you, but I know I would be nearly as happy as I am with you," he confessed, his eyes locked with Gabriella's. She smiled softly at him.

"I love you too, Troy. Merry Christmas," she said, snuggling into his warm side. "And hey, there is one silver-lined cloud in all of this."

"What?" Troy asked. Gabriella grinned coyly.

"We can have as much sex as we want for the next several months without repercussion," she said, smirking.

"Gabi!" Troy exclaimed, pleasantly amused by her aggressive words. She leaned over and kissed him firmly on the mouth, supplementing her last statement. They playfully made out for several minutes until the grandfather clock downstairs chimed 11 o'clock. Troy pulled up slightly, Gabriella lying completely beneath him.

"I should get home. My parents will flip if I'm out past curfew tonight," he said, rolling off her. He stood up and straightened his shirt. "I'll see you tomorrow. We'll figure out the details then." Gabriella stood beside him and he hugged her tightly. "Sleep well. I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight," Gabriella replied, closing the balcony door behind him and waving as he left. Once Troy was out of sight, Gabriella flopped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was scared for what the next few months would bring, but knowing that Troy was by her side made her feel like it would all turn out ok.

Troy sat in his car in front of his house and took a deep breath. He was going to be a dad. The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying all at once. He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and started toward the house. His family was coming over tomorrow and he needed to get a full night's sleep in preparation for the day's festivities. Merry Christmas, indeed.