Return to Me
AN: I'm back! Sorry it took so long but my family moved and I didn't have my own computer for a long time. But I was writing stories while I was away. This is a new one I'm starting. It is based on the series The Road to Avonlea. I hope this makes up my long absence from here. I am continuing with my other fics and I hope to have them updated soon.
A lone figure walked along the deserted beach early one morning. It was Prince Edward Island, 1903. Gabriella Montez walked slowly along the water's edge, a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. The young woman stopped and turned to face the ocean. She took a deep breath tossed the flowers into the rolling waves.
"Troy, come home to me." Gabriella prayed as she watched the flowers started to drift further away.
Up on the cliffs, overlooking the beach, a gentleman rode up on his horse. Since moving to the small town of Charleston, he rode his horse, Blazes to the coast and every day, Stuart McCrady saw the same young woman wandering alone along the shore. He seemed fascinated about why she walked there every morning.
"Hup, boy." Stuart jarred the horse to turn back into town.
The Montez farm was along the edge of the main part of town. The family was very respected in the town. The family's matriarch was Betty Montez. Betty was Charlestown's school teacher. Next was Alex Montez. Alex ran the Montez farm. The last sibling was Margaret King. Margaret was married to Horace King and together they ran the town's cannery.
Alex was mending a fence while his wife, Carmen, spoke to Jared McAllister, a friend and neighbor. Their younger daughter, Alicia, walked along the fence with Alex as they saw Stuart ride up to the farm.
"Morning, Stuart." Alex greeted.
"Morning, Mr. Montez, Alicia."
"How was your ride Mr. McGrady?" Alicia asked as Stuart got off Blazes.
"Just fine."
Would both of you like some breakfast?" Carmen asked.
"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Montez." Stuart declined. "There's a desk full of work waiting for me at the bank."
"Same here, Mrs. Montez. I have to get to the station to catch my train to Claremore." Jared replied. "I'm afraid I can't wait for Gabriella."
"Oh, that's alright." Carmen stated. "Just leave this little one with me until she comes back."
"Thank you, you and your family have been so kind to me and Colleen since we lost Rachel." Jared said as he carefully placed his daughter in Carmen's arms.
"We're happy to help."
"I hope to be back by sunset."
"Of course."
"I'll go cool him down for you, Mr. McGrady." Alicia said.
"Thank you, Alicia." Stuart said as he gave her the reins before walking off with Alex. "Before I forget, here's the money for this month and something extra for Alicia."
"Put your money away." Alex refused.
"But we had a deal."
"If anything, we should be paying should you. Having that horse here has been a Godsend for Alicia." Alex explained. "At least one of my daughters is happy."
"I saw Gabriella walking along the beach again this morning." Stuart stated.
"She goes down there every morning at dawn staring at the ocean for any sign of him. It's been almost a year since we lost Troy Bolton and when he died, it seemed a part of her died with him. Her mother and I are very worried."
Together they watched as Gabriella appeared as she walked back to the house. Even a stranger could tell she was still mourning the loss of her love. To an onlooker, Gabriella Montez was the most alone person in the world.
(18 Months Earlier)
Gabriella watched as the ship as the ship in front of her was being loaded. A young man jumped off and approached her. Gabriella smiled softly when he stopped in front of her.
"We're going to leave with the tide." Troy Bolton told her."
"Alright." Gabriella agreed sadly.
"I will come back for you."
"I know."
"Bolton!" a fellow sailor called from the ship. "Time to board!"
"Say you'll marry me, Gabriella." Troy suddenly asked. "Don't make me leave without a promise."
"Yes." Gabriella whispered quietly with a smile.
Troy gently placed as a ring that he wore onto Gabriella's finger. Gabriella smiled happily as she looked at the simple ring that meant so much to him. Troy gently gripped her chin and sealed their promise to each other with a kiss.
(End of Flashback)
That evening, everyone was getting ready for a town meeting. Apparently a former citizen of the town had passed away and left a house and its property to the city of Charlestown. The meeting was being held to vote on what to make do with the house and its land. Gabriella had opted to stay at the house with baby Colleen while the rest of her family went to the meeting, much to the dismay of her mother.
"Alex, tell Gabriella to come along with the us, the whole town is going to be there." Carmen explained.
"Mother please, I've already told you that I do not wish to go." Gabriella declared as she held Colleen in her arms. "And anyways, Jared isn't back yet."
"Well, just bring her with us."
"I'd rather stay here." Gabriella stated firmly.
"Come along, Carmen, or we'll be late." Alex said silencing his wife wanted to further push their daughter into coming when she clearly did not want to do so.
Alex and Carmen got into their carriage along with Alicia, their son David and Carmen's aunt Elizabeth. Alex gently snapped the reins to jar the horse to start moving. Alicia, David, and Elizabeth sat in awkward silence in the back feeling the tension between Alex and Carmen in front of them.
"It isn't healthy, avoiding people for too long." Carmen complained of their daughter. "I'm only trying to do what's best for her."
"Maybe we shouldn't try and rush her into anything she doesn't want to do quite yet." Alex suggested. "We don't know what she is going through."
"I know what Gabriella is going through." Elizabeth stated from the back. "Losing your first love like that is one of the most painful things a young woman can go through. It is just so hard to let someone else into your heart; I never did when I lost my William."
"Is that why you never married, Aunt Elizabeth?" Alicia asked.
"It is. I just hope that Gabriella doesn't go through life the way I did. I hope she doesn't regret not allowing someone else in."
Back at the farm, Gabriella was sitting in the parlor room watching the fire in the fireplace. Colleen was playing and gnawing on her fingers as she tried to fight sleep. Gabriella was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Colleen looked up at her as the woman carrying her suddenly stood up from the rocking chair.
"That's probably your father." Gabriella whispered.
Colleen cooed softly as they walked to the door to answer it. When Jared came into view, Colleen smiled softly as she saw her father had returned home to her. Gabriella smiled at the young man as he entered the house. Jared smiled as he saw his daughter.
"I'm sorry I'm so late." Jared apologized.
"Oh, that's alright." Gabriella replied.
"How is she?"
"Just fine, she was as good as gold while you were gone." Gabriella said just as a woman appeared beside Jared.
"Gabriella, this is Myrtle Proctor, she was Rachel's first cousin." Jared introduced. "We got married today.
"Hello, Gabriella." Myrtle said bubbly. "I have been so longing to meet you. I know we're going to be the best of friends. Is that Colleen? I've been aching to hold her. May I?"
"Of course." Gabriella agreed still in shock that her friend who had, just like her, lost her soul mate and now was happily remarried.
"She's so beautiful."
"Are your mother and father home?" Jared asked. "We were hoping to tell them the news."
"They are at a town meeting; they won't be back for awhile." Gabriella answered.
"Jared, let's go to the meeting and tell everyone all at once." Myrtle announced. "And Gabriella shall come with us."
"That's a wonderful idea." Jared agreed.
"I'll go get Colleen's belongings." Myrtle said as she left to go get all of the items Colleen had needed throughout the day.
"Don't think ill will of me, Gabriella." Jared said when he saw the look on the young woman's face. "Colleen needs a mother and Rachel would have wanted this."
Meanwhile, at town hall, the meeting was divided. Some people wanted to restore the home and turn it into something that the town could use while others wanted to either sell it or tear it down and sell the land. Stuart was trying to get everyone to settle down long enough to allow everyone to state their opinion in an orderly fashion. Everyone stopped shouting as they watched in stun silence as Jared and Gabriella walked in with an unknown woman carrying Colleen. The three sat down near Gabriella's family.
"Please continue, Mrs. Martin." Stuart told Linda Martin, the town's queen of gossip.
"I say that we just sell the place to the highest bidder and be done with it." Linda stated haughtily.
"Sell it?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief. "I would be surprised if you could give it away with the state that it's in now."
"We should form a committee that would inspect the place and see if it could be fixed up or if it's a lost cause." Margaret stated.
"I second that motion!" Betty announced raising her hand.
"Any objections?" Stuart asked, receiving none. "The motion is passed."
"Who will lead this committee?" someone asked.
"Excuse me?" Myrtle asked as she stood up to let herself be known. "I'm Myrtle McAlister, Jared and I just got married today and I so want to be a part of this town and why not get my feet wet by joining this committee on inspecting this house."
"Wonderful, welcome to Charleston and congratulations to the happy couple." Stuart said as congratulations echoed throughout the hall.
"And I want my new friend Gabriella Montez to serve on it with me." Myrtle said turning to Gabriella and grabbing her hand.
"I can't, I'm sorry." Gabriella whispered sadly.
"Please, I won't take no for an answer."
"Alright." Gabriella mumbled, knowing she had no way out of it.
"Wonderful, those who wish to help; we will meet at the Peterson home tomorrow morning at nine o'clock." Stuart announced. "Meeting is adjourned."
Once they had returned back to the farm, Gabriella went to sit out in swing that her father had built with his own two hands when he had married Carmen so long ago. Alex and Carmen watched her from the kitchen as she sat there on her own. Alex went and got a glass of warm milk to take out to her so she wouldn't be affected by the chill in the air. He noticed that despite getting back into the society, she was still as lonesome as ever. Gabriella saw her father and smiled sadly as he sat down next to her and gave her the glass of milk.
"Your mother and I were happy when you volunteered this evening."
"I didn't volunteer, Myrtle pushed me into it." Gabriella replied bitterly. "How could he do it, Father? I thought he loved Rachel."
"And he still does. He knows that Myrtle can't replace her but he knew he needed a mother for Colleen and it was the best thing for both of him."
"How can you just move on like that?"
"By allowing something else into your heart."
"I could never do that, not without knowing."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm stuck in limbo. Maybe if I had seen him buried I could move on, but I can't, not without knowing if he truly is dead as people say he is." Gabriella explained tearfully.
"We've would have heard by now if he truly was alive. It's best to try and move on with your life."
"I can't accept that and I won't do that. I can't." Gabriella said as she got up and left her father alone on the swing.
The next morning, Gabriella was back on the beach. She looked at out to sea, just hoping and praying that there would be either a sight of Troy or any signal of closure for her. Too far into her thoughts, she did not notice Stuart and Blazes approach her. Blazes' whinny finally broke her from the thoughts. Gabriella turned to see who had approached her.
"Mr. McGrady." she greeted politely.
"Gabriella, I thought we would walk over to the Peterson property together." Stuart said as he got off his noble horse.
"I don't think so." Gabriella said, before realizing how rude she sounded. "I mean, I wouldn't want to interrupt your ride."
"That's alright, Blazes has earned a rest, beside, there is a lovely glen that's beautiful this time of day. I'd like to show it to you."
"Alright." Gabriella finally agreed.
The two walked off the beach and began to journey into the nearby forest area. Gabriella took in all the greenery and smiled at all the memories she, her brother, sister, Troy and all of their friends use to play in the area. Back then, they were so carefree as they pretended trees were castles and the girls played princesses in distress and the boys raced to rescue them. She realized the glen that Stuart thought was a secret was in fact the very glen that was Troy and Gabriella's property when it came to the games.
"Whenever I come here, I like to think that I'm the only person in the world who knows of this place, it's just so peaceful and beautiful here." Stuart explained.
"I'm sorry to tell you this but we use to play here as children." Gabriella remarked. "My brother and sister and our friends use to play here when we were children. This glen was designated my property between the children meaning this was always where my castle was when they pretended to come visit me. We hid a treasure box somewhere over here with notes written about our hopes and dreams for the future."
"You should find it and open it."
"I shouldn't, not without everyone present here to do so. Anyways, I don't believe in dreams anymore."
The two then continued walking to the Peterson property. Everyone that was on the committee was already there, looking among the property. Serving on the committee alongside their niece were Betty and Margaret. Together they looked and examined the front porch. Gabriella smiled when she saw them bickering on what to do with the property instead of selling it.
"It would make a beautiful retirement home for women of gentility. We could put some chairs out on the front lawn and it would just be perfect for them." Margaret remarked.
"You will not be putting me in an old folk's home." Betty replied haughtily as she looked at her youngest sister before noticing her niece and Stuart arriving. "Oh, Stuart, you're here. We all might as well all turn back now; it's a lost cause right now. The house is falling apart right before us."
"Let's not jump to conclusions we still have yet to see the inside." Stuart said as he opened the door.
Gabriella and Myrtle walked into the house together. The first room they ventured into was what once used to be a sitting room. Gabriella noticed a plate of food on a table. She picked up a piece of bread to examine it. There was what looked to be a bite mark shape hole near the crust. Myrtle appeared next to her.
"What do you think?" she asked. "Mice?"
"No mouse has a jaw that size." Gabriella stated just as they heard movement in the room above them. "Come on."
The two moved out into the hallway. Everyone else seem to suddenly have disappeared somewhere, they were nowhere to be found. Gabriella gathered the skirt of her dress in her hand and took a step towards going up the stairs.
"Maybe we should wait for the others." Myrtle protested.
"There's no time, come on."
The two young women carefully walked up the stairs to the second floor. The second floor seem to be slightly better kept for some reason, like someone had just decided to clean this area and not the first floor, almost as if someone was staying in just the second story. The two women walked into the room where they heard the noise come from. They walked into the room and saw an adolescent girl with a young boy huddled next to her. As Gabriella and Myrtle took a step closer to them, another boy ran out from behind the door and pushed them further into the room catching them off guard making the two young women scream. A fourth child, the second girl, but clearly the oldest one, ran into the room and wrapped her arms around Gabriella's arms and waist, holding her captive. Gabriella struggled to get her freedom from the child.
"Mr. McGrady!" Myrtle cried loudly as she tried to aide Gabriella. "Mr. McGrady!"
For the next couple of seconds Gabriella continued to struggle against the young girl, not wanting to her hurt her, but still wanting to get away. Everyone could hear frantic footsteps as they raced up the stairs to see what the commotion was all about. Betty and Margaret race into the room surprised and caught off guard at the sight before them.
"Trespassers!" Betty shouted as Margaret stopped the other three children from running out of the room.
"Hold, on!" Stuart yelled over the noise to get everyone to quiet down. "Let's just settle down everyone."
"The poor weak things." Margaret stated as she held onto the three younger children, who were shaking nervously in her arms.
"Please don't send us back." the younger boy pleaded fearfully.
"Send you back where?" Gabriella asked tenderly.
"Don't tell them, Joshua." the oldest sister ordered firmly.
"The Glendale orphanage." Joshua answered.
"Now, you've done it. We'll be shipped back now for sure."
"We're not going to send you back anywhere, at least not until we get the whole story." Stuart stated kindly.
"Right now, I think you all could do with a good hot meal. My mother has a roast waiting in the kitchen. I can whip up some mash potatoes with lots of cream and butter, and there might even be some chocolate cake."
"Chocolate?" the three younger siblings asked excitedly.
An hour later, the children were still eating their fist hot meal in a long time. All were sitting in the Montez family kitchen. Gabriella and Alicia were busy getting more food and milk for the children each time they ran out of certain things.
"Can I have a second piece of cake, Mr. McGrady?" Joshua asked with chocolate crumbs and a milk mustache wrapped around his mouth.
"Well, you're already on your piece, but who's counting?" Stuart asked as he sliced another slice of cake for the boy. "Now, that you've got some food in you, how about telling us your names?"
"I'm Joshua Martin, she's Belle-Anne, she's Karen and he's Michael." Joshua answered as he pointed to his older siblings.
"And how did it come to be that you were staying the abandoned Peterson property?"
"When the flu went through Glendale, we all caught it." Belle-Anne, the oldest started explaining.
"We all got better." Joshua stated. "But our parents, they croaked. We were all sent to the orphanage."
"They kept trying to send away, separated from each other." Karen explained sadly.
"But I promised my mother that I would keep all of us together." Belle-Anne stated firmly. "I knew to keep all of us together we had to leave there. We stumbled across here one night a few days ago, and we've been living there ever since."
"Well, what do you think?" Stuart asked Gabriella.
"I think we should take a ride up to Glendale…" Gabriella started to say.
"No!" the children cried fearfully.
"No, no, not you." Gabriella stated gently, putting their fears at ease for the time being. "Just Mr. McGrady and I, to see if we can figure things out."
Twenty minutes later, Gabriella and Stuart were on their way to the town of Glendale. Stuart manned the reins of the carriage while Gabriella sat next to him with her parasol opened to keep her out of the sun. The weather was beautiful and not too hot that they would smother in their clothes that society expected them to wear.
"I could not imagine growing up without a mother or a father." Gabriella stated as they left the border of their town.
"My mother died when I was seven and soon after I was sent to boarding school." Stuart announced to her.
"But you surely saw your father?"
"I got a letter two times a year from his secretary. I believe that because of how he was around me, that I would make myself a better man for my children once I have them."
"I respect you for that."
An hour later, the two pulled up to a cold looking large house. A stout firm looking woman met them at the gate. She unlocked the gate and allowed Gabriella and Stuart onto the property. Gabriella took one look around and knew that she would rather die than stay in a place like this.
"My name is Gabriella Montez, we spoke on the phone." Gabriella introduced.
"Ah, yes. I must thank you for finding the children. That Belle-Anne is a bad influence on the other three."
"All she wants is to keep the family together."
"We've tried to send them to families, but they refuse to leave one another and no family will take all four of them. When they get back, I'll ship Belle-Anne so far away she'll never see them again."
"Please don't do that." Gabriella pleaded.
"It's the only way to be done to get the children here as fast as we can."
"You're wrong, we can find them a home for all of them together and we can do even faster than you can." Gabriella declared firmly before she left furiously.
When they got back to the Montez farm, the Martin children were playing out in the front yard with David. He was teaching them how to play the new game of baseball. The girls were doing rather well despite playing a dress. They waved to Gabriella and Stuart as they got off the carriage and head into the home. Alex and Carmen were in the kitchen having a cup of tea. They smiled as they watched their daughter come in. For the first time in months; she had a look that was not mourning on her face. At that moment, she looked determined about something.
"We got nowhere with the matron. She still wants to separate them from one another. I cannot allow that happened." Gabriella fumed as she slammed her parasol and purse onto the table.
"Maybe there is nothing we can do." Alex said. "Maybe it was too much to get their hopes up."
"Stuart and I came up with a solution of what we could do." Gabriella announced. "We decided to turn the Peterson home into a Foundling Home."
"A Foundling Home?" Carmen asked. "You'd of course would have to get the town to agree on it and also find someone to stay there. Those children could not be there on their own."
"I'm going to move into the home with them."
"What?" Carmen asked in shock. "Move away from home?"
"The children know and trust Gabriella." Stuart stated to ease his friend's mother. "It is the best situation for them."
"I'm going to explain everything to the children." Gabriella said as she and Stuart headed outside to the front yard.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" Carmen asked her husband nervously.
"I think this might be the best thing for her." Alex said with a smile on her face. "She's found something that will help her move on in life."
That evening, a second town meeting was held to vote on the idea of the Foundling. Most people agreed with the idea while some were opposed thinking that every street urchin was going crawl into their clean and peaceful town once word got out about the home. Gabriella and Stuart managed to have the majority to vote for the foundling home and soon people were volunteering their services to restore and make the large house livable once again. Most of the townspeople looked over at Gabriella and noticed that she looked the happiest than she had in a very long time.
Two weeks later, the Foundling Home was officially opened. Gabriella and the children moved in that very evening. The five enjoyed their first night in their new home. Gabriella fixed them all a big dinner in celebration. The children then cleaned up the plates and then got ready for bed. While they were busy, Gabriella prepared a special bedtime treat for them all. Belle-Anne came down to help once she was all finished.
"Can you take this tray?" Gabriella asked as she handed her a tray full of mugs full of hot chocolate. "I have to go pick up a book from the study."
"Of course, Ms. Montez." Belle-Anne agreed as she took the object and headed up the stairs to the room she and her sister were going to be sharing with each other.
Gabriella went into their study to try and find a book to begin reading that evening with the children. Her eyes fell upon an old battered book. It was David Copperfield, Gabriella's favorite. A year and a half ago, Gabriella lost her copy of the book due to someone swiping it from her carriage while she was in the General Store picking up items her mother needed. She had been in tears as she went to the cannery's worker's house, where Troy lived to seek comfort. Then two weeks later, Troy showed up at her house with a beat up copy of the book. He had spent two month's salary on replacing the book for her. Gabriella never forgot that and would constantly read the book over and over. It was her most treasured book despite the fact that it was clearly not worth much in most people's eyes with its tattered cover and the pages were yellow with age.
"Alright, settle down." Gabriella said as she entered the Belle-Anne and Karen's room. "We'll have time for a chapter and then the boys will go back to their own room."
Meanwhile, back at the Montez farm, Carmen was up in the kitchen. She was worried about Gabriella and the children being all alone at the Foundling home. This was the first time one of her children had moved away from her and the farm. Alex sat a glass of milk on the table.
"She will be fine." he told his wife.
"But this is the first time she has been away from us." Carmen replied. "Maybe we should go and stop by to make sure that she is indeed alright."
An hour later, Gabriella was in her new room. She was braiding her hair while she herself was getting ready for bed. Clad in her nightgown and robe, she sat at her vanity set putting the finishing touch on her braid. A soft yet sudden tapping on her window caught her attention. Gabriella sat up and pulled the curtain back from the window. Stuart was out front throwing small pebbles at her window. Gabriella found herself smiling as she drew back the curtain and opened the window.
"Can I help you?" she asked with a smile.
"I was just coming by to see if everything was alright but I didn't want to wake the children in case they were asleep." Stuart replied.
"Well, thank you for checking up on us. They are very happy to be staying here. Would you like to stay and have a cup of tea?"
"I'd like that very much."
Within a few minutes, Gabriella appeared on the front porch with a tray of tea. Stuart took the tray allowing her to sit down on the first step easily. Once they were situated, Gabriella began preparing Stuart's tea. What they didn't know was that there were two unexpected visitors making their way toward the home. Carmen and Alex were carrying extra food and blankets in case they were needed. Carmen came to the end of the greenery first and pulled the branches back and stopped at the sight in front of her.
"What's this?" she asked aloud. "Stuart McGrady is paying a call to Gabriella."
"What?" Alex asked as he stepped up to see for himself. "Maybe I he came over to check on the roof to make sure it wouldn't leak in case of rain."
"Roof my auntie." Carmen stated with a smile on her face at the sight.
"Maybe I should go and check…"
"Alex Montez, you will do no such thing. Well, let's go."
"Go?" Alex asked in surprise as she turned around without even speaking to their daughter. "Go where?"
"Home." Carmen stated as she began to walk back in the direction they came from.
Gabriella and Stuart sat in a comfortable silence as they drank their tea together. Gabriella stared off into the forest with a faraway look in her eye. Stuart looked over at her wanting to finally ask her the questions he had wanted to since he first met her.
"Tell me about Troy Bolton." he declared.
"There's so much to tell." Gabriella said with a sad smile on her face. "He was just the most loving man I have ever met. He didn't have much money but that did not matter to me or my family. My parents knew that I loved him and they treated him like another son, which meant the world to him."
"What did he do?"
"He worked at the cannery when I first met him but then he started sailing with a crew that used to run goods to other parts of the country. He was then asked to join a crew that traveled down to the United States. It earned him more money for when we decided to wed he could support us." Gabriella continued sadly. "I still expect to walk down to the beach expecting to see his ship coming in and Troy standing at the bow waving at me."
Stuart looked at her as she spoke about her lost love. The way she smiled at him as they spoke before, gave him hope that he just might be the one to help her to move on from her broken heart. He already knew that he was in love with Gabriella Montez. But he was not sure how she felt about him and did not want to scare her away from him and decided to ease his way into her heart.
Over the next few weeks, Gabriella slowly began to become her old self again. She was seen out in town more often now. She was smiling much more and was even laughing again. Stuart, Jared, Myrtle and Gabriella took the kids to the shore almost every weekend. Baby Colleen also went with them. Residents began to notice that Gabriella was spending more and more time with Stuart and were expecting a possible engagement to be announced soon.
Alex was baling some hay together in the barn one afternoon. David was loading the bales into a wagon to take them out to feed the animals. Stuart walked into the barn, slightly nervous but not trying to show it to the Montez men.
"Alex, can I speak to you for a moment?" he asked.
"Of course." Alex agreed stopping what he was doing. "David, why don't you take a break and go get something to eat from the kitchen."
"Yes, Father." David agreed politely.
"What's on your mind, Stuart?" Alex asked.
"I just want to say that since I've moved to Charlestown, I've grown very fond of this family."
"We've grown very fond of you as well."
"That's a good thing." Stuart said happily as Carmen came into the barn.
"What's going on in here?" she asked.
"Stuart, here, was getting ready to ask me something." Alex answered and his wife smiled knowing what the question was.
"I was hoping to ask you for Gabriella's hand in marriage."
"Of course, of course, you have our blessing." Carmen said happily, but Alex remained silent.
"Thank you." Stuart said happily.
"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Carmen asked.
"No, I can't. I have lots to do."
"Then, we'll you sometime tomorrow."
"I don't know if that was such a great idea, Carmen." Alex admitted once Stuart was out of earshot.
"You don't want out daughter happy?"
"Of course I do."
"This is a wonderful thing for her. Stuart is kind, generous; he gets along with the family and the whole town…"
"Except he's not Troy Bolton." David stated firmly. "I'm sorry, Mother, I overheard everything."
"David." Carmen said surprised.
"How could you lead him on like that? You should have spoken to Gabriella first." David said firmly. "Maybe it's not want she wants."
"David, that's enough." Alex told him.
"Yes, Father."
The next afternoon, Stuart arrived at the Foundling Home in high spirits. He was hoping to propose to Gabriella and was highly expecting her to say yes. Gabriella was busy trying to figure out on how she could help prepare the children for the upcoming school year.
"I was thinking that we could get my Aunt Betty to privately tutor them so they could be at the same place as the other children in the school." Gabriella said as they walked into the backyard to talk in the sunlight.
"Gabriella, I want to speak to you about something." Stuart said as he directed her to sit in a loveseat.
Gabriella had a feeling if what he wanted to speak about. Almost instantly, she seemed to have a small panic attack. She found it hard to breathe as she waited for Stuart to say those four words to her.
"I love Troy Bolton." Gabriella gasped.
"I love you, though." Stuart told her. "Troy is dead; you're in love with a memory of him. I'm real."
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"I'll make you happy." Stuart continued. "You'll be able to love me just as long as you open your heart to allow me in to do so."
"Just leave me alone, go away."
Gabriella then tearfully got up and ran back into the house leaving Stuart alone in the yard. She sat in a chair in the parlor room the rest of the day and even skipped dinner. The children were so worried about her that they went and informed her family. Alicia came over to the house to comfort her sister when she heard the news.
"Ella, why don't you go home." she told her older sister gently. "I'll stay here with the children. Go get some rest; Mother and Father are waiting for you."
Gabriella nodded her head tearfully. She kissed Alicia on the cheek before walking back to the farm. Before going into the house right away, she sat down on the porch swing for a few moments to herself to clear her head before going into the house to face her parents. Only a few minutes later, Carmen and Elizabeth walked out and joined her.
"Stuart was here earlier." Carmen stated softly. "Did you have to be so final?"
"Mother, please." Gabriella whispered tearfully. "I do not wish to discuss this right now."
"I'm sorry for pushing this onto you. I only wanted what was best for you." Carmen said before she left as she herself began to tear up.
"Gabriella, the first love is just that, the first." Elizabeth told her niece gently. "Don't let your life be like mine. I never let anyone into my heart again when I lost my William. There are so many regrets that I have because I refused to allow myself to move on, I never allowed myself to be truly happy with my life when I lost him. Just think about this, would Troy want you to live your life like this, pining away for him?"
Gabriella went to bed that night with much on her mind. Would Troy want her to live the rest of his life in love with his memory or would he want her to move on. The next morning, she woke up and prepared to get ready to go back to the Foundling Home. David appeared in the front yard with the carriage.
"I thought I'd give you a ride back to the Foundling Home."
"Thank you, David." Gabriella stated as he helped her into the carriage.
"I heard about what happened with Stuart yesterday."
"Are you going to lecture me too?"
"No, I only want you to do what will make you happy." David said. "Troy was like the big brother I never had, he was a great man and I will miss him and never forget him. I cannot imagine Troy not wanting you to live your life in mourning though."
"That is true, I have so many things to figure out in my head." Gabriella answered as they pulled up to the home.
The children ran out of the house and embraced Gabriella tightly as the night before was the first time they had actually been away from her since meeting her. David then called out for a game of baseball and soon Gabriella was able to go into the house to try and clear her head. On the table in the kitchen was a letter from Stuart. Gabriella cautiously picked it up and began to read.
Dear Gabriella,
I deeply regret hurting you yesterday afternoon. I never meant to hurt you. I think it would be best if I took my leave of Charlestown so as to ensure that I do not cause you pain every time you see me. I will treasure the time we spent together and cherish the moments we were both working for the better life for the children. Please tell them that I wish them luck in their futures and that I said goodbye. Please be happy in your life, Gabriella. I hope you find someone who can make you happy, even if it is not me.
I will always be your favored servant,
Stuart
Gabriella looked at the letter. Something inside her began to change. Her heart, which had been turned to ice when she had gotten word that Troy's ship had gone down, was starting to thaw. She knew it wasn't love but the start of something beginning to be love was forming inside her. Gabriella suddenly dropped the letter and raced back outside.
"David, will you watch the children for me?" Gabriella asked as she climbed into the carriage.
"Alright." David agreed as he watch his sister race off.
At the train station, Stuart was getting ready to climb aboard the train out of town. His heart was breaking at the final tone of Gabriella's voice when she told him to leave her alone. His eagerness to propose to her had cost her forever. Just as he took a step onto the train, he heard a voice call for him and turned around.
"Stuart?" Gabriella called as she ran to him.
"Gabriella?" he asked as he stepped off.
"Please don't go." Gabriella pleaded urgently. "I may not be ready to move on but I know that I am not ready to let you go. All I know is that I need time. Please stay."
"Last call for Avonlea!" the conductor from Stuart's train announced. "All aboard for Avonlea."
Stuart picked up his suitcase and turned to Gabriella. He smiled softly and offered her his arm. Gabriella smiled back and stuck her arm though his and the two then headed back to the carriage. Gabriella finally knew that she could not continue to be in love with the memory of Troy and that he would want her to move on in life even if he could not be with her. Stuart was a good man, and even though she was starting to feel for him, nothing would ever be able to move Troy from her heart for he was her heart regardless of whoever she was with in life.