A collaboration between me and Andryya. Neither of us own High School Musical.

-----

At 8 o'clock, Troy enters his house, removes his jacket and checks his answering machine.

6:31 pm "Hey honey, Gabriella and I were are going to grab dinner and maybe do a bit of shopping for the baby so we might be back late. I love you."

7:12 pm "Troy! Oh my God, um, it's Gabriella, you've—you've got t-to get down to the hospital right now! Oh my God, where are you? Come as soon as you can!"

7:47 pm All he can hear is the distressed surrogate mother's sobs.

He lunges for the cell phone he forgot at home lying on the counter. And it's is whipped open so fast that it should've broke. With trembling fingers, he dials Gabriella's number.

She picks up half a ring later.

"Gab? What's wrong? I'm on my way to the hospital right now. Is Nikki alright? What about you and the baby?" While firing questions, he manages to lock the door and get into his car in a matter of seconds.

"Oh Troy. It's h-horrible. You've got to get here." Her voice is raw and shaky.

"Jesus Christ, you're scaring the shit out of me. Just tell me what the hell is going on. And don't tell me you're going into premature labour, it's only been four months!" Troy drives violently down the suburban roads, wishing they would just end already so he can get to his wife and have her safe in his arms.

"It's Nikki," she whispers.

"What happened? Is she alright?" At the mention of his wife and the chance of her being hurt, his erratic breathing makes him feel light-headed.

"She-she's gone, Troy."

"What?! What do you mean? She left? Where'd she go?"

"N-no. It was my fault...I had to get to a washroom so badly, being pregnant sucks...so on her way home I made her stop..."

"Spit it out!"

"We stopped at a convenience store and I rushed to the washroom...she waited outside for me...there were rob-robbers." Gabriella starts weeping all over again. "They had guns."

-----

That was three years ago.

After losing his wife, Troy fell head-first into a depression and ran as far as he could—to Australia—and as fast as he could to try and escape it.

But now after weeks of contemplation, he finds himself in front of his old house in Albuquerque.

He rings the doorbell and straightens his shirt. His late wife's childhood friend peeks at him through the window before inviting him in. They sit together in the living room and she gets him a glass of water.

"Pleasure to see you, Gabriella."

"Hello Troy. Welcome back."

He gazes at her unfamiliar flat stomach. "Thank you. It's been a while."

"Yeah, three years."

"And you've been living here ever since?"

"Uh, well, yes. After you disappeared...I...I didn't have anywhere else to go. I was pregnant and jobless. I'm sorry," she mumbles.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad you stayed. Nikki would have wanted you to have the house anyway."

"Mommy? I done my milk." A toddler waddles into the sunlit room, holding out his empty sippy cup.

"Good job, Alex," Gabriella coos while Troy stares at him, into two blue eyes that match his own.

"Alex?" Troy inquires.

"Who that?" The man who spent the last two years of his life in the outback is pointed at with a chubby finger.

"Alex, that's Troy and Troy, this is Alex." She introduces them.

"Hi, Mr. Troy."

"Hey buddy," greets Troy. "So this is...?"

"Yes. Alex, why don't you go make us lunch?"

"Okay, mommy!" And the enthusiastic toddler scampers away to play in his toy kitchen.

"He's my son?" Troy asks again.

"Yes."

"Oh...it looks like you've raised him well."

"I couldn't give him up, Troy. Nikki told me she was going to make me the godmother and I couldn't just give her child away."

"I'm glad you took care of him. I really am, I couldn't think of anyone better for the job." Troy pauses. "Does he know? About me? About Nikki?"

Gabriella shamefully hangs her head. "I wanted to wait until he was older. And, I think it'd be best to not tell him you're his biological father just yet. I mean, your a stranger to him and if I tell him you're his dad, he might ask the next woman he sees if she's his mother too. I don't think he's old enough to understand."

Troy nods in agreement, but inadvertently glances into the next room so he can observe his son working to make them a meal.

"He looks just like you and Nikki. She would've loved his eyes."

"Does he ever ask about his dad?"

"He's brought it up once or twice. I freaked out and simply told him not everyone had a father and he seemed to accept that," she says. "Are you here to stay?"

"Uh, yes."

"I understand if you want the house back. It's yours after all."

"No, you should keep it. I'll find somewhere else to sleep," he argues. "Gabriella, I'm so sorry for abandoning you and Alex. I—"

"It's okay. I'll admit, I was hurt and scared at first but I knew how you felt. I mean, she was your wife but I was her best friend and I was carrying her child at the time."

"I still regret leaving."

"But you're back now."

"I'd like to get to know Alex, if you don't mind."

"Not at all! He's your son Troy. And if you want him to live with you..."

"You're right. He's still very young and I think it's best if he stayed with you."

"Okay."

The future would come later.

"Would to stay for lunch, Troy?"

"Lunch is ready!" Hollers Alex.

He chuckles. "Of course."

They had two meals. One of them consisted of plastic hamburgers and the other was turkey sandwiches.

As she cleans off the table, he asks her, "What are you doing tomorrow, Gabriella?"

"I drop Alex off at preschool on weekday mornings so I can go to work."

"What time do you get home?"

"Tomorrow I have to work an extra shift so maybe at nine. Oh shoot, that reminds me. I still need to find a babysitter." Gabriella's cheeks flush pink. She didn't want Troy to think his son has been living in a neglectful home for the past three years.

"If you want, I can take care of him."

"Really? I suppose it would be good bonding time, but he's only met you today."

"And he'd be more comfortable with a babysitter he's never seen before?"

"Good point. I'll give you the address of the preschool and you can pick him up at three, but make sure you guys are back before nine." She says, feeling a bit awkward that she's telling a father what to do and what not to do with his son.

"Alright. Thanks. Is there anywhere he likes to go?"

"Um, he's been begging to go to the pet store lately. He loves watching the different animals, the colorful fish especially."

"Sounds good."

-----

AN: Review! Updates will come as fast as they can, but keep in mind that I'm also writing another story too. But I'll try my best!