WT: Between the Lines
Genre: General, AU, Romance, Humor, Fluff, Angst, Drama
Main Characters: All
Pairings: Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor (light), Ryan/Kelsi
Listen to: I Don't Need a Man by The Pussycat Dolls
Dedicated to: no one, but just a shout out to Sarah
Summary: She was fed up and looking for a way out; He was just wanting a drink after a horrible day at work. Could you really turn a one night stand into something more?.

&&&

Between the Lines
Mystery

&&&

Whack! The paper was slammed onto his desk and if anyone didn't know already, he was in trouble – big trouble. Not even attempting to turn around to see Taylor McKessie's face glaring at him, Troy Bolton sat up straight and let the argument come.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Her voice was not the quietest and even with his office door closed and blinds shut, he knew that the rest of the newsroom could hear her yell at him. "WELL!" Her arms flew out from beside her body. "Tell me Bolton – what the HELL were you thinking? He's a U.S. Senator for crying out loud!"

"I know that!" Troy spat back, not intending his voice to raise a few notches. Her glare and body language said it all. Taylor McKessie, Editor in Chief of the Albuquerque Times was not in the least bit pleased and yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was all because star reporter Troy Bolton brought the Senator's scandal into broad daylight. "Look, I don't know okay, but the people need to know about it," he told her and she wasn't convinced. Her arms crossed on her waist and she taped her foot, and Troy knew she still wasn't satisfied. With the news – yes, but not with how he did it. How did he do it? Easy - with a front page article and this had the newsstands in downtown Albuquerque void of any Times paper and abundant with their competitors. "What do you want me to do about it Taylor?" Troy neither yelled nor demanded, but just asked.

"You really want me to answer that truthfully?" Her eyes narrowed as she neared his desk, slightly pacing from side to side. "What I would like to do is pretend that that article never happened. That you never were tempted to print it. That I never assigned you to that job…God, Troy…do you know what you did?"

"My job, I did my job," he said, still sitting in his chair calmly.

"Bullshit, Troy. What you did was not your job. You manipulated that guy to tell you this information and it goes against all of yours, mine and this papers journalistic ethic! Do not tempt me about firing you."

"You wouldn't fire me," Troy tested the waters, seeing how far he could push her.

"Watch me. One more step Bolton and your job will be Chad's," Taylor threatened, her finger jabbing at the paper she whacked on his desk moments before. Backing away, she let out a heated breath and started towards the door. "Take the rest of the day off. Without pay. I have to go save your ass and cover mine."

Troy got up from his desk chair and followed after her, getting his secretary, Martha's, attention as he passed her by and stopped in the middle of the open area. "What? What am I supposed to do all day?" he shouted.

"I honestly, Troy, don't care. I just don't want you here," Taylor was adamant in her decision, walking back and facing him head on.

Troy argued back with her as Martha watched on. Her interest was now peeked. She knew Tory could be a hot head at times, but never like this. Fighting the urge to go pop some popcorn for the show, she felt a nudge on her arm. Looking up, she offered a small smile to Chad Danforth, the Times' sports writer and a close friend of hers and Troy's. "What's going on?"

"I'm guessing his article. She's mad."

"I like her mad. It's hot," he honestly admitted.

"Bolton, do not argue anymore with me. Give me one more reason to put Danforth in your office, do it," Taylor badgered her top reporter to push him further and caught Chad's eye out of the corner of hers. Chad, being Chad and seeing how feisty she actually was, went for the wink. "Danforth, don't start with me. You'll be in the same position as Bolton," she threatened him.

Taylor did not know Chad all that well, being a transfer from California, but what she did know about him were two things. One, he got everything he ever wanted, girls included and two, he was cocky. Those two things rolled into one were what made Taylor roll her eyes every time he smirked at her.

"I'd like to be in Troy's position actually…"

"Button it Danforth. Now." Her words were short and to the point as she turned back to Troy for a moment before continuing back to her office, Chad watching her all the way down the hallway before the door slammed and his view of her side to side hip movement was ruined.

He turned back only to find that Troy wasn't any better in enlightening the two watching like they were in the middle of an action flick that just got good. He spun on his heel and retreated to his office for about two seconds, coming out a moment later with his car keys in his hands.

"Troy?" Chad called his name before he left for any type of story on what just happened.

"Martha," Troy spun around while still walked backwards towards the exit, "hold my calls. Unless it's my mom, I'm not here."

"Of course, sir," Martha answered as the door pushed open and now the whole newsroom was buzzing with whispers and gossip. "Do you even wanna guess what's going to happen next?" she asked Chad as he shook his head and went back over to his desk on the other side of the room.

&&&

She tried to keep her voice from trembling over the phone, but wasn't succeeding. Tears were going to fall and she didn't feel like she had the strength in her to hold them in any longer, "I understand. Thank you," Gabriella Montez hung up the phone in her uncle's office and slammed it back on the cradle. She was mad, no, maybe more than mad. Livid. Yes - that would be the word to describe her current state of mind. Letting her body slump in the massive desk chair that her uncle never used, the tears came and this was the only time she wished her mom was still around so she could slump into her arms and let it all out. She never let it all out when it was with Aunt Rosa.

For three years, she had been trying to get a recording contract and with every company, every song and every audition, the same line came: We'll let you know and then came the We're sorry line. And what made it worse was that she knew the reason why too: the 14-year old Hannah Montana-look a likes who would "sell more albums". Flinging herself forward, Gabriella let her head slip down on the barren desk and sulked. This was not her day….or her week for that matter.

It happened everytime too. Zeke or Kelsi or even Ryan would get her hopes up and she would go in there with more confidence than she started with….and in the end, be let down everytime. It wasn't fair. She had experience and a voice, the wannabe Hannah Montana's just had the sex appeal and apparently that's what the record companies wanted. Resisting the urge to throw something against the wall, she groaned and looked up at the closed door, not seeing the point of going out and performing now. After all, she was just a lounge singer…from now until forever more. But just when she had her mind made up on not going on stage and sulking in the vicinity of her uncle's office which just happened to have its own mini bar in the corner, someone knocked and she groaned, knowing exactly who it was: a person she didn't want to see because he would talk her into going on stage and she didn't want to go on stage. Not now, not tonight. As she peeked through her dark locks and saw the blond hair creep into the room through the open crevice, Gabriella could feel him stare at her. "Not in the mood. Go away."

"I can't," his voice stood strong but sympathetic at the same time. "You know I can't."

"I know and that may be what I hate about you right now," she groaned and stood up from the chair. "Gimme ten okay, Ryan?" Gabriella told her uncle's protégé and circled the dark cherry desk; not wanting to hear his lecture about how many people paid a chunk of change to come and drove so many miles to be here all to see her perform like she did every night.

"Another call?" He raised his eyebrows and wondered about his close friend.

"Yeah," she muttered and went to pass by him, "no lecture today?" she added, smirking and walking past him. She was startled when he caught her arm and pulled her back next to him again. Looking back at his blue eyes, she rolled them ever so slightly and made him let go. "Just later okay? I just want this night to end."

"Okay, but I'm holding you to it," he warned, opening the door for both of them to exit. At least the night was half over already. "And Gab," he called her back but she didn't turn around from her destination outside the door and down the hallway, "no lectures tonight. I promised Kelsi."

Smiling slightly, Gabriella silently thanked her childhood friend who had remained closer to her through all of these years. Kelsi was a piano player who turned into one of the best elementary school music teachers ever. Gabriella was a genius turned singer. They were good for each other that was all that mattered. Meeting Kelsi in middle school had been the best thing that happened in her life, so far. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the doorknob and made her way out to the hallway. Walking down the corridor relatively quickly, Gabriella straightened out her choice outfit for the night – a simple combo of a black top and pencil skirt paired with a belt that would come off just as easy as it was put on. Her lengthy curls flowed down her back and she grabbed the microphone sitting on top of the amp by the stage. Only three more hours until she could drown in Zeke's special shots, just for her.

&&&

It was red. Gabriella shifted a smile as her fingers found the short, thin glass in her hands and she finally looked up at the friendly bartender who was leaning towards her and just staring, probably wondering why she's this quiet and not talking his ear off like she normally is. On regular nights, she was laughing and joking with him on how horrible she did on stage and he always corrected her on saying she was wonderful – how she lit up the stage like no other guest performer has done. On regular nights, she would talk with Sharpay Reynolds, Ryan's twin sister and recent widow, on the people who walked through the bar and people watch with her. Sharpay was a quiet one now since her husband had passed and Gabriella would spend most nights helping her get past the sorrow that still filled her. On regular nights, she wasn't in the slump she was in now. Tonight, she was all about the drinks and letting herself drown in them.

"Okay, enough with this," Zeke said, but Gabriella didn't look up from the glass she was still drinking on, "what's wrong with you?"

"Huh?" she muttered, her head still down.

"What's up with you? Anything happen that caused you to be, oh, I don't know….not Gabriella?" he asked as she looked up at him with a scrunched up nose until she caught on to what he was saying.

Letting her head back down and her fingers still tracing the outline of the glass, Gabriella sighed and finally let someone in. Knowing he was the only bartender in town that could actually keep a secret, Gabriella was more than willing to bear it all to him. "I'm just not having a good night, Zeke."

"How come? Looked like you had a good time out there," he pointed back out to the stage where the band was cleaning up a bit and customers still sat, listening to Kelsi play as she flirted with her fiancé sitting beside her.

"I got another call," was all she had to say before he stood straight up and grabbed the drink from her hand. "Hey, I was drinking that."

"I know, but it's not what you're wanting," Zeke quickly grabbed two shot glasses and the bottle behind him. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? We could've been drunk by now."

"Because you're not supposed to drink on the job, for one," Gabriella reminded him, laughing as he filled the glasses to the top. "What are we drinking to?"

"How about…to you?"

"To me?"

"To you," Zeke raised his glass as Sharpay slid into the seat beside her. "To Gabriella Montez, the best damn singer in the world even if the world doesn't know it yet." Zeke put the glass to his own lips and let the liquid slide down his throat in one flick. Grabbing another shot glass, he poured one for Sharpay as well.

"How about to just the best bartender?" Gabriella offered, raising her glass a little towards Zeke. At his pearly white smile, she let the liquid slither down her own, teasing and stinging all at the same time. God, she needed that. Maybe a few more shots and she would be good. Or, even better, after she told Ryan the full story and a few more shots after that. Hell, Ryan could wait. "Any more in that magic bottle of yours?"

&&&

They were really nauseating. Really, really nauseating. Especially when they were trying to cheer her up. Talking about their upcoming wedding and how Aunt Rosa would be making three cakes for the reception was almost converting her back to her happy self, but she still couldn't get the words out of her mind. They were too distracting and ironically, Gabriella couldn't get enough of her friends and their love for each other. Watching silently as Ryan danced Kelsi out of the room, heading back to their apartment across town, she shifted back in her chair and watched the people interact, not really paying attention to the bartender who was staring her down again.

He had been off all night tending to the luxurious resorts' guests and more to Sharpay. He knew she wanted to drown out her emotions in a few more drinks than normal and he left her to it, telling his colleague Jamie, to her anything she wanted. Of course it did help that she was blood related to the owners of the establishment, so she usually got what she wanted anyhow. What she knew however was that Zeke still fancied Sharpay but he knew she was still grieving. Her husband, had passed away suddenly, following an outburst of the disease called cystic fibrosis. Unlike any cancers, where you well aware of your demise, 's had come very suddenly and within the blink of an eye, he was gone.

"You have an admirer," Zeke got her attention and slid the drink in front of the singer and she cocked her eyebrow in a bit of confusion.

"I didn't order this Zeke," she said, looking at the colored red glass in front of her.

"Like I said, you have an admirer," Zeke set a fresh basket of pretzels by her and nodded the mystery admirers' way. "He's been watching you for a while."

"What?" Gabriella twirled her head around and glanced at the mystery man for a moment, turning back just a s quickly when he winked at her. With shaggy brown hair and an infectious smirk, she immediately thought he was cute, but she still didn't know who he was. "Who is he?"

"You can ask him yourself," the barkeep told her, disappearing from his place across from her.

Gabriella twirled back around only to see the man was gone from where he was at. She frowned and turned back again only to fling her hand to her heart in surprise. "Sheesh, don't do that." It was him by her side.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he chuckled and smiled at her. "May I?" he gestured towards the chair next to her.

"Sure, go ahead. Um, not to be rude, but who are you and why did you buy me the drink?" she asked, interested in his answer and truly intrigued.

"I'm Troy and you looked like you needed one. Bad day?"

"I don't really indulge strangers with my personal life but since you seem to know what type of drink I like, I'll tell you. Yea, it was a pretty crappy day."

"I'm right there with you. Today just wasn't a good day for either of us," Troy tossed the Sam Adams Dark bottle between his hands and watched her fingers trickles over the circular container. "I didn't catch your name."

"Ella," she said. It wasn't a complete lie, many people did call her that. But just because she indulged him about her day, didn't mean she was giving him her whole name. After all, she still didn't know anything about him other than his first name and that he drank Sam Adams like it was water.

"Ella," her name rolled off his tongue and he stared at the brunette beside him with interest. She intrigued him. From the moment he walked in, she was the first thing he noticed apart from her friends who were making fools of themselves trying to make her smile. And when she finally did, he was mesmerized. It certainly let him get his mind off of Taylor and the Times. He'd been enamored by her and she unconsciously hooked him in, and he was blinded at how she could make everything in the resort look even more beautiful than it already was.

"How did you know what my favorite drink was?" she asked, snapping him back from leaning in too close enough to take in her blissful scent.

"Oh, your blonde friend is very helpful," Troy motioned to Sharpay at the opposite end of the bar, people watching like she always did with Zeke by her side.

"Ah, yes, Sharpay can be very helpful when needed," Gabriella giggled and locked gazes with his blue eyes. It'd been a long time since any guy looked at her in the way he was doing right now. And after a night like this, she needed it…and wanted it too.

&&&

Two hours passed by and although they didn't know anymore about each other besides their names and crappy days. But somehow, Gabriella was now leading Troy into the secret rooms of the resort. Not just anyone got to see these certain rooms. They were meant for the elite, upscale and expensive visitors of the resort. Her uncle Alberto had them designed especially to cater towards them….but hardly anyone elite or expensive came to this resort, even if it was ranked the third best in the nation. They were still joking and teasing one another when Gabriella found their way into a giant suite that had just been completed and captured her heart with the reveal a few days ago. It was elegant and sophisticated. It was the room that once she saw the plans from her uncle, begged and pleaded him to name it after her late mother because she was just as elegant when she was still around. With soft, but bold colors, smooth lines and eclectic furniture pieces, it was her second favorite place in the resort.

"Ella, where are we?" Troy laughed as she dragged him inside the suite. "Wow," he stopped short and gazed around the room, amazed at the size and sight of everything in front of him.

"This is my favorite room in the whole resort," she stated proudly, her arms flying wide as she strode next to him. "It's the perfect room, so perfect. This," she pointed into the air to emphasize her point, "this is the room to make love in," Gabriella confessed, not paying attention that he was paying attention to her and not the room anymore.

Troy didn't give her much time to run or fight before he slid her in his arms and descended his lips on hers. And Gabriella didn't fight it. Melting into his arms, she kissed back and fought with him for control. Her arms blindly found the curve of his own, fingers feathered up his covered muscles and sat there as his lips made her feel wanted and sexy and like there was no one else in the world right now except for them.

Gabriella wasn't sure what to do next. She was certainly tipsy but not drunk enough for this – whatever it was. Her hands found the collar of his jacket and toyed with the flaps. Pulling one closer to her, she felt Troy's kiss grow wild, the need to touch her uncontrollably insane. His hands roamed up her clothed body and over her neck with one still gripping her waist. Letting her lips go for a needed breath, he didn't waste any time before connecting with her skin again. Her whole face was reigned on with soft, pleasurable kisses and although Gabriella knew this was so wrong, she didn't want him to stop. She wasn't this type of girl, but she needed it just as much as he did.

The words kept playing over in her mind again – she wasn't this type of girl, she wasn't. She was the girl that wanted the dates and the walks to the door and the soft kisses and the she was most definitely the kind of girl you brought home to meet mom, she wasn't the meet-in-a-bar, have-a-fling-with type of girl. But that didn't matter now as she pulled the collar in her hands backward, forcing Troy to loosen his grip and shed his jacket to drop on the floor with a soft thud. Gabriella kicked off her heels and felt the clip in her hair come loose, letting her long locks cascade down her back.

His hands were still discovering her – navigating their way across her back and underneath her shirt and they absolutely loved the place where they were sitting at now – her hips. Troy took another needed breath and watched her own hands feather down to his own shirt, lopping the buttons through the holes and back on his tailored shirt. She laughed as she did it, and he wasn't sure if it was a sign of her drunken state or the fact that she was teasing him and wanted to know how long she could do that before he helped her himself. Her laugh was infectious and he liked it, and instantly became his most favorite thing about her other than she was breathtakingly gorgeous.

"You're loving that aren't you?" he playfully went along with her game.

Gabriella looked up into his sapphire-like eyes that lit into hers in the dark of the suite. "Mmmm hmmm," she nodded and her fingers slowly took each one out of their holes and they gazed at each other. Troy trapped her swollen lips again with his and a new passion ignited in the both of them. He felt her hands pull his shirt open at last and he was almost too eager to have it off, tossing it aside as he walked her back to the edge of the bed and blindly unbuttoned her own and did the same, tossing it to join his. Scooping her up in his arms, he laid her down on the oversized bed and gave her a once over. Who knew he could get this lucky all by writing a not-so-reader-friendly article?

The bedding was cool on her back, but that didn't matter as long as Troy covered her body with his. Their mouths collided again and the heat rose. She didn't know how fast it took the both of them to get her skirt had slithered down her lower half or how long her lacy panties were thrown across the room, but it wasn't long before they were both gasping and panting for breath, lost in each other and craving more. Her nails dug into his back as she pulled him deeper into her, not wanting to stop.

&&&

Legs tangled within each other, weaved with sheets and a pillow which somehow found its way from behind her head to the end of the mattress. The sun shined through the blind and Gabriella wanted to just pull the covers over her head and block it out – until she felt only one thin sheet covering the both of them. Squinting her eyes, she looked around her surroundings, recalling the activities endured and enjoyed up until a few hours ago. Brushing the straying hair in her face away, she turned and faced the man who had her enveloped in his arms beside her. He was still asleep and for that she was grateful as she wiggled her way out of his strong arms. Instantly finding her own discarded clothing amongst his, her lacy panties were the first things to be put back on her body as she stumbled over the suite to gather the rest and walked into the queen-sized bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror and she let her hands run over her face and through her hair, letting all of yesterday sink in; got turned down from record company number six, performed and sang for over two hundred people, drank too many shots, slept with a new McSteamy that could definitely rival Eric Dane in every department…three times. Yeah, she had quite a day.

Dressing quickly, Gabriella came out of the bathroom and looked over at Troy, still sleeping, who had just a part of the sheet across his private areas and she smirked. He was kind of cute when he was sleeping. Scribbling a quick note on the resorts' stationary to take the back way out, she placed it on the night stand and turned to make her exit. Letting the door close tight behind her, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes. As amazing as it was, this wouldn't happen again. It wasn't her…but it was.

"Gabriella," her uncle's voice broke into her thoughts and she opened her eyes to see him walking towards her. "What were you doing in there?"

"Morning Uncle Alberto. Um, I just wanted to see if anything had changed. It's so beautiful in there," she made up something really fast and smirked knowing in truth there were multiple things in there that were beautiful at the moment.

"I know, sweetheart. Just as beautiful as you," Alberto winked at her and she rolled her eyes and his poor attempt to complement her appearance at this time in the morning. "I heard your performance was one of the best last night."

"You heard so, huh?"

"Yep. Ryan is looking for you," he informed her.

"Oh, thanks," she said, short and simple as she pushed herself off of the door and started to walk opposite of where her uncle was headed. She couldn't wait to see Ryan's face when he realizes she's in the same clothes as yesterday. Zeke's either.

a/n: so, is this a yay or nay?