Chapter One

Home.

Gabriella Montez never felt a sense of true belonging until arriving in Albuquerque nearly two decades ago. She remembered it so clearly. She felt as if she'd never belong or feel at home anywhere. That was until she started at East High School. She had no idea high school would be the place where she'd meet her soul mate. The person she was destined to be with. It started off as a friendship, and slowly transformed into a serious relationship. Troy and her were each other's first loves. That had to have meant something.

Yet here she was; thirty-four years old, without her "soul mate". But she couldn't blame Troy Bolton for that. But she always thought out how her life would have been if she had just stayed. Maybe they'd be happily married with a couple more kids. Who knows.

At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. To leave. Leave her son with his father while she dealt with a few things. Those few things slowly turned into several things. Next thing she knew, it was nearly twelve years later and she still hadn't come back to Albuqurque until this day.

"Mommy?" Alicia Montez asked her mother while they drove down the main freeway in the city.

"Yes, Alicia?" Gabriella asked, getting out of her thoughts. Alicia was her thrusty side kick. Also her daughter. She was eleven years old, and was a miniture Gabriella. Gabriella found out about the pregnancy three months after she had left New Mexico. She never looked back though. After all, there was a small chance Alicia wasn't Troy's daughter.

"Where are we going?" the young girl asked.

"Abuela's, honey," Gabriella told her. "My mother. She lives right over here. I told you we were going to be staying with her for a few months while I look for a house."

"Oh, Abuela's," Alicia smiled. "I missed her."

"So did I, honey." Gabriella bit her lip while turning onto Monaco Drive, and towards her mother's home.

"I missed Abuela's house!" Alicia exclaimed happily while they pulled beside the Honda Civic parked in the driveway. Maria Montez rebought their home after Gabriella finished school at Stanford but sold it again. She bought her three bedroom home on Monaco, less than three years ago yet it still felt like home. Like they say, where your mother is, that's where home is. The home was much smaller than Maria's last, but it was only her now so it didn't matter.

The house was a bi-level and had Tuscan architect. Like most homes in New Mexico. It was still much different than the other houses down the road though.

Almost as soon as Gabriella and her daughter got out of her rented SUV, Maria was jogging down the pathway to meet them, arms open, ready to pull her only daughter into an embrace. When she reached the duo, she pulled Gabriella into her arms. "Baby, I missed you so much. It's so nice to have you back." She said, holding back the tears.

"I missed you, too, Mom," Gabriella hugged back, before pulling away. "So did Alicia."

Maria gave a warm smile to her granddaughter before pulling her into a hug as well. "Mi amor, I missed you." she said when the young girl pulled away.

"I missed you, too, Abuela." Alicia smiled.

Maria Montezes' eyes lead to her daughter, struggling to open the trunk to retrieve their luggage and bring it inside. "Nonsense, meha," She signaled Gabriella to stop. When she obeyed, Maria called her back over. "Let's just go inside and eat something. Then we can begin to get you both settled in."

"If you say so, Mom." Gabriella, and her daughter followed Maria into the home.

On the other side of Albuqurque, the Bolton family were enjoying an evening inside, joined by Troy's mother, Lucille.

A lot had changed over the past decade. Troy and Sharpay were now surprisingly a thing. More than a thing actually. They were now married. Not only that, they had three children together now. They realized they had feelings for each other two years after Gabriella had left Troy and his son. Troy realized he could really count on the blonde after she proved she could be the person he could see himself with. She wasn't Sharpay the bitch anymore. She was just Sharpay. Sharpay tried really hard to get Troy out of his funk, for the sake of himself, and his son. When she finally got him to be himself again, Troy realized they could potentially be something more than friends. Of course she'd never replace Gabriella but it was a start.

William T. Bolton was almost two when his mother left him and his father. He was now nearly fourteen, and handsomer than ever. He had his father's great looks, but his mother's brain, and warm personality. He knew a little bit about his mother, but hadn't really seen a photo of her at all.

"Dad?" William entered the family room to find Sharpay, and Troy snuggled together on the couch with Logan between them. Lucille was in the backyard with Graham and Dylan.

"Yeah, buddy?" Troy asked.

"Is it okay if I go hang out at Cooper's for a bit?" William held up his math homework. "I finished it all. Plus, we still need to practice a bit for the try outs."

"I guess that'll be okay, right?" Troy looked at the blonde holding their son.

"Um, yeah," Sharpay smiled. "Is his mother picking you up or will you need a ride?"

"His mom's actually on her way to get me now," William grinned and turned around to walk away. "I'll be back before nine."

"You better!" Troy joked.

As soon as they heard the front door close, they returned to the television series they were watching. Only to be interrupted moments later by Graham running into the family room to show his parents the dragonfly he caught in a mayonaise jar. "Mommy! Daddy! I found a pet!"

Sharpay nervously handed Logan to his father, and stood up. "Um, what kind of pet?" she asked. She was expecting it to be a dead mouse, or a rabbit. You never knew what to expect with a five year old.

"It's a dragonfly. No need to worry." Lucille walked in.

"Thank, God," Sharpay was relieved. "What'd you name it, Graham?"

"I named him Uncle Ryan." the little boy proudly answered.

Lucille reached her arms out and Troy handed her grandson to her. Logan Vincent Bolton was over a year old, and completed the family. Sharpay found out she was pregnant by absolute surprise. After giving birth to their daughter; Dylan, she was told she was unable to concieve another child. Once learning the news, they were crushed. But picked themselves up after learning about surrogacy. That's how they got their son Graham. When Graham was three, Sharpay began getting sick, and assumed she had a disease or something. Luckily, she did not have one. She happened to be pregnant.

"That's a fabulous name," Sharpay smiled before picking her son up in her arms. "But you know what else?"

"What, Momma?" Graham asked.

"It's bedtime!" Troy answered before Sharpay could.

"That's right!" Sharpay nodded. "How about you say goodnight to Grandma and Logan so we can get you to bed? Glamma is picking you up in the morning for school, remember?" Grandma was what the kids called Troy's mother. And Glamma was what they called Mrs. Evans, Sharpay's mother. Despite being nearly sixty, Linda Evans considered herself very hip.

"Night, Grandma," Graham waved to his Grandma. "Night, Logan." He waved at the one year old.

"Night, pumpkin." Lucille blew a kiss.

Before Sharpay turned to leave, she left a small kiss on Troy's cheek. "I'll be down soon."

Once she left, Lucille turned to her son. "Why her, Troy?"

"What do you mean why her, Mom?" Troy asked, slightly annoyed. Lucille adored Sharpay but was surprised when her only son decided to take her hand in marriage only three years after Gabriella left.

"You had such a sweet woman. She was everything to you. I still don't understand why you'd choose Sharpay Evans over her." Lucille sighed.

"Reality check, Mom," Troy began, trying his best not to snap since he was talking to his mother. "Gabriella left me. She's the one that threw what we had away. Sharpay is an amazing woman."

"I know she is, honey," Lucille nodded. "I just wish you and Gabriella were able to raise your son together."

"You know what they say," Troy took Logan from Lucille. "things don't always go as planned. And I'm perfectly fine with that."

Troy laid next to his wife in their bed and watched the moon and stars through the window across his side. He liked the night time. It gave him time to think. Sometimes he didn't like it because he'd think to much. His mind would lead to the brunette beauty that would always have his heart. But he didn't like when that happened.

She left him.

He couldn't feel bad for himself. She chose it. She chose to leave her son and fiance. But in the back of his mind, he always hoped she didn't and they'd be living happily together.

His thoughts were interrupted when his wife turned over to look at him. "Troy?"

"Yeah, Shar?" He asked, coming back to reality.

"How would you feel about Dylan and I going on a girls trip this next week?" She asked. "I know she has school but it would be nice to have a little girl time in New York or something."

"I think that'd be some nice mother and daughter time," Troy admitted while pulling his wife closer to him and leaving a kiss on her cheek to remind himself that he was with her now, not Gabriella. "I could use a little boy time with them."

"Perfect." Sharpay smiled and hugged him tighter.

"Yeah," Troy agreed. The bedroom was filled with silence for the next hour. When he was sure his wife was asleep, he mumbled to himself. "Is this really perfect?"

AN: New story! Um, review! I know it seems like a Troy and Sharpay story right now but bear with me.
Reviews are much appreciated. If I get over ten reviews in the next 24 hours, I'll have an update tomorrow.