Hey Friends,
I love sharing my work with you all. I'm just not very good at creating a whole story. Because of that, I've decided I'll try something different for me. It's actually pretty common in the FF universe, so I wanna give it a try too. Lots of little snippets of Troy and Gabriella over the course of a life together. I'm not promising they will be in order (because inspiration abounds when least expected), but I'll try. If you get confused, let me know.
May, 4 years old
Sara Bolton submerged her pink gloved hands into soapy dishwater. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at the cute little blond-headed boy she had the privilege of calling her son. He looked up from his seat at the nearby table, ceasing his coloring. His deep blue eyes peered at her intently.
"Mommy," he asked "is Gabirella coming over to play?"
Sara smiled at his adorable mispronunciation, "Yes, she is. You like it when Gabriella comes over, huh?" She reflected on her son's beauty as she spoke to him. Everything about the little boy amazed her to no end. His wispy blond hair, his cheeks still chubby with childhood, and those big blue eyes that lit up at the mention of Gabriella were all something to marvel at.
"I like to play with her," he concentrated on the picture he was coloring, "She likes to color just like me, and I showed her a dead lizard and she touched it, Mommy! Even Chad won't touch dead stuff."
Sara heard the excitement and pride in Troy's voice; she hated to reprimand him, "Honey, you shouldn't touch dead things." She dried her pink gloves and sat them beside the sink before approaching Troy, "and you certainly should not play with dead things. It isn't good. It could make you and Gabriella both sick."
Troy nodded, but from the expression that shined through his innocent eyes, Sara knew she would have to watch him closely.
"Mommy, when will Gabirella be here?" He asked again.
"Soon, sweetie."
"Look, Mommy. I colored it for Gabirella." Troy held a single coloring book page in his tiny hands. It was a picture of a kitten. He had colored it with glitter pens-just like Gabriella would like.
Troy began to speak again, "This one time Gabirella told me that-" he was interrupted by the doorbell, "Mommy, she's here!" Troy jumped from the chair and ran to greet Gabriella.
"Mommy!" he whined, "I can't reach the lock."
"Calm down, baby. I'll get it," she pacified her frantic son and twisted the lock on the door. She was met by a cute four-year-old and her mother, "Hi, Gabriella. Don't you look pretty."
The little girl beamed before removing her thumb from her mouth, "My mommy put my hair in piggy tails." Her hair hung it two long pig tails at the base of her head. She tugged one for good measure as she continued to speak to Sara, "and my abuela bought me this dress."
"That's very nice, sweetheart," Sara turned her attention to her own child, "Troy, why don't you show Gabriella the picture you colored for her." Sara noticed that, suddenly, her overzealous son was shy around his friend. He was unusually quiet. By now he would have whisked Gabriella off to play.
"Show me, Choy." Gabriella clapped, and then she grabbed Troy's hand before disappearing into the next room.
"Thank you for keeping her today," Elena Montez said.
"It's no trouble at all. We love having her. She's a little angel, and Troy adores her."
Elena agreed, "Oh, and Gabriella can't get enough of Troy. All day she's been asking when she could play with him. She would have been over as soon as the sun rose if it were up to her."
The women laughed at their cute children and spoke for a few more minutes before Elena called for her daughter.
"Gabriella, Mommy is leaving now."
"Bye, Mommy," she flung herself into Elena's outstretched arms.
Kissing her daughter, she said goodbye as well, "Bye, mi hija. Be good, and remember," she warned, "no dead animals."
"Okay," Gabriella confirmed, then scurried off after Troy.
Sara laughed aloud, "She told you about the dead lizard too?"
" 'Even Chad wouldn't touch it, Mommy,' " Elena mimicked Gabriella.
"Did you see your Daddy today?" Troy asked as he and Gabriella poked intently at a very suspicious ant hill in the backyard.
Gabriella squatted for a better view of the tiny creatures, "Uh huh. Me and Mommy had breakfast with him." She stuck out her finger, and one solitary ant crawled to her wrist before she swatted it away. "Looky," Gabriella instructed, remembering the green bracelet that decorated her wrist, "the nurse gave it to me."
Troy stared at her outstretched arm, a hospital bracelet hanging loosely from it, "Cool! Can I wear it?" He reached for it, but Gabriella jerked her arm away violently.
"No. It's mine and it matches my daddy's. He said that it means we are always together."
Troy nodded, but his mind was whirring. Curiously, he asked his friend, "Why does your daddy live at the hospital, Gabirella."
"That's not my name!" Suddenly upset, and never mind she couldn't pronounce his name correctly, Gabriella pushed Troy away, "My daddy does not live at the hospital," she crossed her arms defensively and continued yelling at Troy, "Mommy said he lives with us, in our hearts."
"Troy, Gabriella?" Sara Bolton's voice filled the air. She had heard shouting, "is everything all right?"
"I want my mommy," Gabriella wailed desperately. Her little body shook frantically, "Where is my mommy?"
Sara knelt, trying to bring Gabriella closer, "Sweetheart, don't you want to play with Troy some more?" Sara felt Troy's little hands cling to the back of her shirt. She could feel him trembling. Sara stroked Gabriella's dark curls, but instantly Gabriella's hands pushed her away.
"No," she spoke definitively, "I want my mommy and daddy; not you."
"You don't want to play with Troy some more?" Sara asked again, a poor attempt to calm the little girl.
Gabriella shook her head, "I don't like Choy anymore."
Sara's mouth hung open. The four-year-old's statement was like a blow to her stomach, knocking the breath right out of her. Who wouldn't like her son? How dare Gabriella say she didn't like Troy? And for a split second, Sara Bolton was angry with the little girl, but she quickly recomposed herself, "Why don't you like Troy anymore, Gabriella?"
She sniffed and cried, rubbing her pink nose, "My daddy doesn't live at the hospital."
She sounded so pitiful it nearly broke Sara's heart. She understood now, "Well, of course not."
"Choy said he did."
That is why she was so upset. It finally clicked. Sara pulled Gabriella toward her, "He didn't mean it, sweetie. He just didn't know."
Gabriella cried into Sara's warm chest, her tiny hands balled into fists.
"Gabirella," came Troy's timid voice. He cuddled next to her, against his mother's chest, and touched Gabriella's defensive hand. His finger rubbed her green hospital bracelet slowly. With sincere blue eyes, Troy peered at Gabriella, "I'm sorry." He leaned closer, pressing his wet lips to the space between Gabriella's eyes, "please play with me."
Sara touched her sweet little boy's hair and held each child protectively, while listening to the exchange.
"So you don't think my daddy lives at the hospital?"
"No. He lives in your heart," Troy confirmed by placing his hand on the center of her chest.
Gabriella smiled beautifully and took Troy's hand off of her chest. She held his hand firmly in her own, "Let's go play, Choy."
Gabriella lay sucking her thumb. Currently, she was on the floor. The two children were trying to fight sleep as their eyes became heavy. The television emitted soft Italian music as Lady and the Tramp shared a plate of spaghetti. Troy watched as Gabriella's eyes blinked closed, only to open several long seconds later. He watched as this pattern occurred several more times. Finally, his childish mind registered what this meant. Gabriella was ready to go night-night too.
"Gabirella," he tugged at her arm, "get up."
"Choy, no." She persisted.
Regardless of her persistence, Troy pulled Gabriella to her feet, and they walked to the sofa. One throw blanket covered them simultaneously.
"Night," Troy yawned before the soft sound of breathing filled the room, their movie long forgotten.
"Oh, yeah," Sara spoke to her husband over the phone, "they're fine now. Troy just hit a sensitive nerve with her." Sara smiled over the phone, "You should see them, Jack. It's so cute, and our son is just the sweetest little thing in the world," she cooed.
She held the phone between her ear and shoulder as she searched the cabinets for tea, "Mmhmm," she began to boil water, "They played all day, until the sun was setting in fact…," a pause, "watching a movie." Sara laughed into the receiver, "I know, I know," as if her husband could see her, she nodded, "but I thought it'd be okay if, for just tonight, there was no bedtime. They're having so much fun; I couldn't spoil it."
She worked on making tea as she listened to her husband talk.
"No," she drawled out the word in response, "they are not, in fact, fussy yet." There was a long pause, followed by a faint giggle on Sara's part, "Okay. I'll see you soon, then. Love you too." She hung up the telephone, a silly grin painted across her face. Finally, pulling herself from the reverie, Sara walked into the living room, "Troy, Gabriella, is the movie over?" She realized, as she entered the room, that their movie was long forgotten, and both children were fast asleep. Gabriella was still sucking her thumb, and Troy's hair fell across his forehead. Sara smiled. Her son needed a hair cut.
"Mommy," Gabriella called, "it's time to go see Daddy." She buckled her white sandals all by herself and stood up.
"Yes, honey," Elena was just in the next room, "I know that, but Mommy isn't quite ready yet."
Gabriella let out an audible whine, the sound right before a skin crawling cry, "But Mommy! We need to go now!"
"Gabriella Elena-Marie Montez," Gabriella's big brown eyes met her mother's upset face. She was in trouble when her full name was used, "We will leave when I say we leave. Your daddy knows to expect us, and young lady," she chastised her daughter, "do not ever yell like that again."
Elena's voice softened and she knelt to Gabriella's level, "Honey, I know you're excited to see Daddy. I'm excited too, but you cannot yell like that when you don't get something you want. It isn't how things work, and it isn't nice to yell or tell people what to do. You understand that don't you, baby?"
Gabriella's lower lip was pushed out, and her big brown eyes showed remorse, "Yes, Mommy." She nodded.
"Good," Elena stood and took Gabriella's hand into her own, "now let's go see Daddy."
"Daddy! Daddy!" Gabriella ran, despite the nurse's warning, and leapt into her father's arms.
"Hi, mi hija," he kissed her face all over and hugged her tightly, "I've missed my baby."
Gabriella cuddled awkwardly against her father, careful of his various tubes and wires, "I missed you too."
Elena spoke, "She sang the whole car ride here, Antonio; in Spanish, just like you taught her."
Antonio chuckled, "That's my girl. Still got your bracelet?"
"Yes," she displayed her wrist, "I colored you a picture, Daddy."
"You did?!" His voice oozed amazement.
From her seat in the corner of the room, Elena fought tears, "Here, Gabi," she dug the picture out of her bag, and she handed it to her lovely little girl. It was a blue tiger immersed in a vividly colored jungle.
"I love it, baby. Blue is my favorite color."
Gabriella beamed, "I know."
For nearly two more hours Gabriella talked about everything. From the butterfly tattoo on her belly that wouldn't scrub off; to the bird that swooped down and stole her favorite purple ribbons off the back porch; to her pre-kindergarten teacher, Miss Lindsey, who was getting married, and how she got to be one of the flower girls. Eventually, Gabriella tired herself to sleep.
Antonio could feel the rhythmic rise and fall of her little chest. Elena gently lifted Gabriella, after kissing her husband for a long time, "I'll bring her back tomorrow.
Antonio reached up to touch Elena's teary face, "I love you. Gabriella is beautiful, mi amor, and she is getting so big."
Elena, quite awkwardly, and with a bit of difficulty, laid Gabriella back down and climbed into bed with them, "I wish you could see her outside. She's amazing, Antonio. Such a fearless little thing and so sweet."
He kissed Elena's quivering lips, "She's just like you, then."
She scoffed, "Me? Fearless? Antonio, I'm scared all the time. I don't know what I'm going to do without you," she started crying.
"Hey," he whispered, "I'm here for you…always. No matter what happens."
"Mommy," came a small voice between the two adults, "why are you crying?"
She lied, "I'm no crying, sweetheart."
Gabriella mumbled, her eyes still closed, "Then what's wrong?"
"Nothing. We just have to go home, and Mommy doesn't want to leave Daddy."
"We can just stay here with Daddy forever," Gabriella suggested.
Antonio then spoke, "No, mi hija, you can't. You have to go home sometime, and you have to play, and grow big, and be happy."
"Okay, Daddy."
Elena stood, "C'mon, Gabriella," she held out her hand for Gabriella to take.
"Te quiero, princesa," Antonio kissed her multiple times, "Buenos noches."
Gabriella hugged and kissed him, "Te quiero, Daddy."
"Choy," came the timid voice.
Troy lifted his head from the pillow. Gabriella was illuminated by the hallway light that Troy's mother always left on for him. She was tiny and frightened.
"Choy," Gabriella cried his name once more.
He crawled from his race car bed, walking towards Gabriella, "What's wrong, Gabirella?"
"Can I sleep with you?"
Troy stood staring at a teary Gabriella. Her breathing was irregular, and she whimpered sadly. He pulled her toward his bed, wrapping an arm around her in a shy hug.
Gabriella snuggled deeply into his side, "I miss my mommy and daddy."
She had been at Troy's house for a week, something she normally would have loved; this time was different, however. This time it broke her fragile heart to be away from her parents.
Troy felt her warm tears soak into his shirt, "Don't cry, Gabirella." He hugged her less timidly, "it's okay."
Neither child fully understood what was happening in their lives, but in the small hours of night, in one another's embrace, they knew something was changing. As Troy hugged his favorite friend he didn't realize that these were the defining moments of their friendship, their lives together. Silently, he touched his chubby fingers to her wet cheek. Gabriella didn't realize that Troy's gentle demeanor was something she would look forward to for the rest of her life. All they knew was that life would never be the same for either of them.
After minutes of silence, Troy gathered the courage to speak, "Why did your mommy let you stay at my house all week?"
Gabriella's body shook slightly against his side, and with uncommon wisdom, she spoke, "Because she's sad that Daddy went to heaven. Since she's sad she can't make me breakfast, or brush my hair, or read me bedtime stories. She's too sad to be my mommy right now."
"Are you too sad to be my friend right now?" Troy asked worriedly.
"Never ever," Gabriella ran her fingers slowly over his face.
