Summary: A story set between Troy and Gabriella's blossoming relationship from the time they got back together till that fateful day Troy proposed. A prequel of some sort to Collide's ending because getting there is half the fun.

AN: Hello, hello, hello. I'm back. I know, I should be concentrating on Running to a Stand Still but as I started writing Chapter 4, I found myself writing something more in tune with Collide so ta-da. This was written shortly after I finished Chapter 3 of RSS so I apologize for any grammatical errors or change in tenses.

As read in the summary, this is a collection of one-shots in the Collide universe that explores Troy's and Gabriella's blossoming relationship set between the time they got back together till that fateful day Troy proposed. I have been reading all your amazing reviews from Collide (again, thank you) and I was just inspired by it all. So, as a little thank you for all the support and wonderful reviews I've gotten, I decided to expand the Collide storyline without actually going in too deep. And what better way to do that by just writing interconnected one-shots that are fillers in a sense. Overall, Missing Pieces is a compilation of stand-alone one-shots but not, haha, if that makes any sense at all. It isn't exactly a necessity to read Collide but it would help.

Running to a Stand Still is still my first priority. And because this isn't a full-blown story and just a series of short one-shots and drabbles, updates may come frequently or may just be all over the place. I know what I wanna write but actually putting it in paper - er, in MS Word is the hard part. So I apologize ahead if my updates are a bit sporadic.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing.


He drew her closer to him. "I can wait till forever if you need to. You can run but just so you know, wherever you're running towards, I'll be right there, waiting for you. I'm not leaving Gabriella Montez. I'm right here. And I can't promise that our future is going to be easy. I can't promise that along the way that I won't fuck up and hurt you. I'm a man, being stupid is ingrained in us. All I can promise is my heart. So don't break it."

The moment stretched, then she declared, "When I first saw you, I was afraid. And when you kissed me, I knew I had every reason to feel afraid. I was afraid that I was going to love you. And now that I do, I'm afraid that I'm going to lose you. But I'm done running away. So if you'll have me with all my emotional baggage and all, then I'm yours forever Troy Bolton."

Meeting the Parents I

On a Sunday morning, after spending the whole weekend ensconced in Troy's childhood home in Boston - in his bedroom to be more exact, only leaving the bed when either nature called or their stomachs growled, Gabriella sat on the kitchen stool, munching on her bagel and reading the Sunday paper. Distantly, she could hear the shower running in Troy's bathroom. And just the thought alone prompted thoughts more appropriately placed in the bedroom. She was too wrapped up in her own fantasies that she did not even notice as the man she was dreaming about stood by the open doorway, clad only in a towel.

"Penny for those thoughts?" Troy said, as he paused by the door, arms crossed as he took in the sight before him. Gabriella was dressed only in his shirt, one that did not exactly hide her figure or her cover her long legs that he was currently itching to touch.

Surprised at Troy's sudden appearance, Gabriella nearly dropped her bagel. She turned, ready to greet him and answer his question when her breath suspended; her mouth went dry. There he stood, the Adonis that he was, covered only by a flimsy a towel. "Just one tug," she thought to herself. You would think that after spending so many nights with him, exploring his body, that Gabriella would be used to it by now but every single time, he can still literally take her breath away.

Troy could see the lust in her brown eyes and with a distinctly predatory gleam in his own, he advanced forward. Slow. Cautious. Intent. With every step, every line of his tautly muscled frame drew closer and she felt her pulse quickening. She tried to focus on something else.

"Breakfast?" she asked but instead of being stated in a calm and composed voice, it came out more like a breathless whisper meant for seduction.

He smirked. "Yes please." But with the direction of his eyes on her body, Gabriella knew exactly that Troy's train of thought wasn't exactly geared towards food. Her limbs felt heavy as she stood up, ready to bolt as her gaze trapped on Troy's stare.

"Eggs? Bagel?"

"I was referring to satisfying a different type of appetite of mine."

She took a cautious step back.

He took a determined step forward.

Acknowledging the inevitable, Gabriella tried to turn the tables on him. "Something more like this?" she asked, one hand unbuttoning his shirt. She saw him halt in his advance and inwardly smiled.

"Or something more like this?" And with a tug and a wiggle of her hips, she shrugged off her lacy knickers and let it slid to the floor. She saw the tightening of his muscles and reveled in her control over him.

"Or maybe -" But before she could finish, he was in front of her, arms taut around her. It was Gabriella who gasped at the sudden contact, her breast touching his chest in such a sexual touch that always sent shivers of pleasure down her spine.

His lips pressed to hers. Then his tongue flicked along her lip's contours and any resistance she had melted away. She didn't notice as his towel dropped to the floor. She didn't notice as his hands undressed her and threw his shirt in the direction of the refrigerator. Like always, whenever his lips touched hers, everything just floated away. Until it was just him and her.

On a Sunday morning, another part of the house was christened.

~.~.~

On the same Sunday afternoon, a loud bang from the front door interrupted the stillness and tranquility in the house. Moments later, the clank of heels hitting the mahogany floors was heard.

"Troy Jonathan Alexander Bolton!" An authoritative female voice sounded in the spacious house.

The man in question was in the den's daybed, adjacent to the kitchen, arms wrapped around Gabriella. A colorful afghan acting as both their blanket and clothing. The second he heard his name, he bolted right up, disturbing his sleeping girlfriend.

"Wha?" Gabriella said, still tired from that morning's activities. And because she wasn't fully awake, unlike her boyfriend who was frantically trying to get their clothes from the kitchen floor, she didn't comprehend the piercing sound of Troy's name being called. It wasn't until a shirt hit her in the face that Gabriella actually paid heed to her surroundings.

"I know you're here. You better not make me call you twice, Troy." This time, the voice was much clearer, closer.

"Diane, calm down. I'm sure the boy had a good reason to -"

But the unknown woman could not be deterred. "Shush your mouth, Jack. I taught that boy more manners than that."

And that's when it clicked for Gabriella. Without another second, she pulled on Troy's shirt and tried to make herself look presentable. Beside her, Troy was pulling on his pants while muttering cuss words that would have made sailors proud. And his mother furious.

"Troy? Is that you cussing?"

And moments later, a slender woman with brunette hair appeared on the den's entrance. Just in time to see her son zipped up his pants and an unknown woman dressed in a man's shirt squeaked and hid behind said son. Shock was evident on her face while her husband, who stood behind her grinned, unfazed by the sight of her half-naked son with another half-naked woman.

In all of her son's twenty seven year existence, Diane Bolton has never been shocked by anything Troy has done. Not when he nearly got suspended for pulling a prank during high school. Not when he decided to star in his school's musical play. Not when he decided to follow in his father's footstep and take over the company. Not even when he slept with numerous women, a different one each night - a rumor that even she thought was just too exaggerated. Her son may be a bit of a playboy but he was a not a slut. But this, the sight of her son with a gorgeous woman, still hidden behind him, in her home left her jaw dropping. Because not once in her son's entire lifetime did he ever bring home a girl. Hope sprang within her.

"Care to explain yourself, son?" Jack calmly asked.

Troy's blue eyes widened and shifted between his parents, uncertain. Behind him, Gabriella tightened her hold on his arm and silently groaned. If he wasn't directly in front of her and didn't feel the vibrations that emanated when she groaned, Troy would never have heard it.

"Mom, Dad, uh, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend."

Diane, whose expression had been vacant, blinked and then grinned. "You hear that Jack, girlfriend." She tried to stop herself from clapping and jumping up and down like a child but her eyes said it all.

"Yes, dear." Jack said dryly, not exactly understanding his wife's excitement.

"We'll give you a few minutes to compose yourselves and then we can properly introduce ourselves." And with that, Diane turned, tugging at her husband's arm and left the den and onto the living room.

Both Troy and Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief. Troy turned over and watched as Gabriella slumped back on the daybed. Embarrassment clouding her features.

"That was so not how I wanted to meet your parents." She groaned.

Troy apologized and set about soothing her worries and mortification. Head buried in the pillows, Gabriella continued, "She must think I'm some floozy."

He frowned at that and took her into his arms. "If she thought you were some floozy, she would have never left us alone. Now, what do you say we get dressed and meet my parents fully clothed?"

Her lips curved but her face was still red from shame. He bent his head and kissed her, sweet, long and achingly fervent. And when he released her lips, he whispered in her ear, "Love you."

Looking into his handsome face, she sighed. "Love you too."

"Good. So, take two?"

"Promise you won't leave my side." She stated.

"Till the day I die." He added.

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh. "Gawd, you are so embarrassingly cheesy."

Troy pretended to be offended. "Says the girl who met my parents half-naked."

"Troy?!" She shrieked. Avoiding being hit by a pillow, he ran, laughing all the way to his room, followed by a mortified Gabriella.

From the living room, Jack and Diane smiled at each other, both had the same thought.

Finally.


As always, reviews are much appreciated.