Chapter 2: Last Train Home

A/N: I wanted to get this chapter up today to celebrate Ashley Tisdale's birthday. She's 21 now so she can drink and gamble and all that other fun stuff. Anyway, Happy Birthday Ashley!

An air of sadness could be felt in the lobby of the Tipton hotel as Maddie made her rounds saying goodbye to everyone. She had revealed to her friends at the hotel that she was adopted and that she was going to be living with her real family for the next year in New Mexico. She assured everyone that she would keep in touch and that she would be back.

"Oh, Maddie. I'm going to miss you so much." London sniffed as she hugged her closest friend. The hug lingered for a few seconds longer as London found herself unable to pull away from her friend.

"Ok London time to let go. I'll miss you too." Carrie pried London off as Mr. Moseby held her from latching back onto Maddie. Carrie then pulled Maddie into a hug with a bittersweet smile on her face.

"I'm gonna miss you kid." Carrie held her at arms length and admired how much she had grown since she had first met her.

"I'll miss you too Carrie. You were like a second mother to me. Since my mom is technically my second mom does that make you my third mom?" Maddie rambled as everyone gave her an odd look. Another fifteen minutes past as more of her friends came by to see her off and wish her good luck. The crowd soon dissipated as Maddie was left alone with Zack. He sat on a couch sullenly with his chin in his hands, staring off into space.

"What's wrong Zack?" She asked as she took a seat next to him on the couch. He didn't bat an eye at her question and continued to look straight ahead, as if in deep thought.

"You know I'll only be gone for a year. You're going to have so much fun in school this year that you'll forget all about me. And before you know it, I'll be back in Boston to finish my last year of school." Zack sighed as he turned slowly to face her.

"Maddie, you know I love you and that I would wait for you for however long you are away." Zack pulled her hands into his own and looked into her eyes. The sincerity in his eyes was evident as she felt the full emotion behind the sentiment.

"Zack I'm meeting my family. I'm not getting married." She laughed lightly at this but Zack kept a straight face.

"I know it's just…I'm really going to miss you." He pulled her into a hug suddenly and she was surprised at the speed that he moved. She eventually put her arms around him and returned the hug.

"I have to get going or I'm going to miss my plane. You know you can call me anytime, right?" She asked as she got up from the couch, glancing at her watch. Zack nodded and stood up also.

"Bye Zack." She said as she hugged him one last time before turning around and leaving the Tipton.

"Bye Maddie." Zack said into the empty space next to him after she had left.

Airport

Maddie said goodbye to her parents one last time before walking down the jetway to the airplane. She turned to wave at them again just before she went out of sight. A flight attendant greeted her at the door and showed her which side of the aircraft her seat was on. Finding her seat, she stored her carry on luggage under her seat and sat down, preparing for the long trip across the country.

"Goodbye Boston." She said out the window as her plane took off away from the afternoon sun.

Albuquerque

Another sigh escaped Sharpay's lips as she waited with her brother for the arrival of their long lost sister. There mother had been called into the office suddenly and left the task of picking Maddie up to her children.

"Do you have any threes?" Ryan asked her as he looked at a clock, boredom etched on his face.

"Go fish." Sharpay droned out. She noticed that a plane had just pulled in at the gate they were waiting at. She dropped her cards down and moved to a place closer to the gate so that she could get a better look.

"Hey, you lied!" Ryan exclaimed as he plucked two threes from Sharpay's discarded hand. Watching what his sister was doing, he finally noticed that the plane had landed so he began to put the cards away. He soon joined his sister as the doors to the gate opened and the passengers began to disembark. They looked into the crowd to try to identify there lost sibling.

"Do we have a sign or something? Cause how are we supposed to know what she looks like?" Sharpay just stared at her brother for a second before looking back to the crowd. Then she saw her. Their eyes met and they each couldn't believe what they were seeing. Ryan soon followed Sharpay's line of sight and saw her as well.

"Wow Shar, she looks exactly like you." She ignored him and began to walk up to her. Maddie also started to walk toward Sharpay as they continued to stare at each other. They met in the center of the waiting area as Ryan jogged over to catch up to them.

"I don't"

"Believe it." Maddie finished Sharpay's sentence as they stared at each other, baffled. It was like looking into a mirror.

"I really do have a sister!" They both screamed at the same time. They both covered their mouths in shock; moving in complete unison. They both began to tear up as they hugged each other. Ryan cleared his throat after a few minutes to get the girls' attention and they reluctantly pulled apart.

"Right, sorry. I'm Sharpay and this is my…well our brother, Ryan." She hugged Ryan briefly before she spoke next.

"My name's Maddie, short for Madeline." She giggled at the thought of finally meeting her siblings. To think, she was a triplet! They began to walk toward the exit as life stories were exchanged. Ryan chuckled to himself and shook his head as the topic soon switched to girl talk. Sharpay and Maddie were completely excited about their meeting as evidenced by the screams and giggles coming from the back seat as Ryan drove home.

Evan's residence

By the time they arrived at home, the excitement had worn down and they were no longer screaming out the window at cars as they passed by. Ryan locked the car as Sharpay led Maddie up the walkway to their large house. Maddie was impressed at how well off they had become.

"Mom we're home." Sharpay called into the house. Maddie suddenly got nervous at the mention of her birth mother. Sensing her anxiety, Sharpay grabbed Maddie's hand and pulled her toward the kitchen where her mother probably was. Rounding the corner, Maddie stopped dead in her tracks as she saw a woman in her late thirties eating out of a carton of ice cream. She looked up from her ice cream and noticed that there was a girl that looked exactly like her own daughter. Quickly realizing exactly who she was, she put the ice cream down and stood up.

"Is that my baby girl?" She asked as tears sprang into her eyes. Maddie also began to cry as she slowly nodded. Rushing across the kitchen, she pulled Maddie into a fierce hug.

"I've imagined this moment for years but it was nothing like this." Her mother cried into Maddie's shoulder as she rocked her back and forth. She held her at arms length and saw that her third and final child was home and healthy.

"I can't believe I ever gave you up. Your parents are good people and I can tell that they raised you right." She praised as she pulled Maddie in for another hug.

"Oh but you must be tired from your trip. You go upstairs and get some sleep, we have all day tomorrow to catch up." Maddie couldn't stop smiling as she turned to walk to her room.

"Ryan grab her bags. Sharpay, can you show her around the house?" Sharpay pulled Maddie happily through the house as Ryan grunted and turned around as soon as he entered through the door. The tour of the large house soon ended as Sharpay opened the door to the guest room.

"This is where you're going to be sleeping, right across the hall from me." She clicked the light on to reveal a very spacious room with a large comfortable bed in the middle.

"It's so big." She remarked as she jumped onto the bed and instantly melted into the sheets.

"Well, I'm really tired. I think we should get to sleep because mom must be planning something big for tomorrow." With that she left Maddie to her large room where she would be spending the next year.

"This is going to be a really good year." She said as she prepared to go to sleep.

A/N: I think I might be losing my touch because lately my chapters have been getting worse. Either I'm rushing or I'm losing inspiration, they just don't sound that great in my head anymore. Suggestions and comments are still welcome as well as Reviews! This is kind of a filler chapter so expect the plot to start developing in the next few chapters. Peace out.