Title: Such Sweet Sorrow
Author: EllaKnight22
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Rating: T
Pairing: Troyella!!!
Summary: Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Who is the young man? Story told through flashbacks. Mix of Angst/Tragedy/Romance/Fluff.

A/N: Thanks again to everyone who took the time to review!! Reviews make me write faster!!!

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"Wow, I can't imagine what it would have been like if dad hadn't been a Laker…" Zac said, musing over what he had just been told.

Gabi smiled. "I can" she said confidently.

Her son cast her a quizzical look. "Do you wish you hadn't convinced him to sign the contract?" he queried, confused.

Gabriella sighed. "Not exactly…but when your dad was playing for the Lakers he didn't have much time for anything else. He didn't have much time-"

"for me" Zac finished solemnly…

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December, 2014…

…Gabriella excitedly pulled into the parking lot at the stadium and quickly unfastened her seat belt. She whipped around and smiled at the baby in the car seat behind her. The seven month old smiled and giggled at his beaming mother.

"We're here Zac! Are we going to see dada?" she prompted him.

Zac giggled and drooled as he locked eyes with Gabi. "Dada" he said after a long pause.

Gabi feigned astonishment and gasped, wide eyed. "You're such a clever baby boy!" she praised him as she jumped out of the car and opened the door to the back seat. She swiftly unclipped him from his car seat and carefully lifted him from the car, kissing him on the nose before holding him against her shoulder.

Gabriella hurriedly made her way into the large building and headed straight for the basketball court. As she neared the double doors she was stopped by a tall, burly man. "Hey, sorry mam, it's a closed practice." He called to her from behind.

Gabriella spun around and met eyes with the man. "Oh, I'm sorry I just wanted to-"

"-Hey you're Mrs. Bolton right?" he said backing off. Gabi smiled politely and nodded her head.

"Sorry, you'll have to wait out here 'til the end of practice. Coach doesn't want any interruptions." He told her apologetically.

Gabi looked disappointed and shifted her gurgling son to her other shoulder. "But this is really important, I promise I'll only be 5 minutes, I just really need to see Troy" she said pleadingly.

The security guard pondered this for a moment, instantly feeling guilty at how upset Gabriella looked. "Ok, I'll let you in but you have to wait by the side until they take a water break." He told an immediately happier Gabi. She nodded her head and quietly walked through the door he was holding open for her.

It wasn't long before she spotted Troy on the court darting around and passing the ball to his teammates. Gabi found a seat near the back and quietly sat down. She bounced Zac on her lap trying to keep the baby quiet as she watched her husband play his favorite game. Gabriella had been to all the Lakers games supporting Troy until Zac was born and she loved watching him play.

Not long after she had sat down the whistle blew and the coach dismissed the team for five minutes. Gabi instantly stood up and walked towards Troy. He spotted her coming and looked confused.

"Gabriella! Is everything ok?" he worriedly asked as she reached him, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

She shot him a huge smile which calmed his fears. "Everything is great! We just wanted to surprise you" she said as Troy took the baby from her arms.

Troy kissed Zac on the forehead and smiled at him "hey man" he said engaging with the baby. Zac giggled at his father and Gabi bit her lip, waiting to see if he would repeat the word he had been saying all morning.

"Dada!" Zac said happily. Troy froze and met eyes with Gabriella giving her a questioning glance.

"Did he just say…?" he queried in wonderment.

Gabriella smiled and nodded excitedly. "His first word" she told him.

Troy beamed at his giggling son and threw him up above his head. "You are so amazing Zac!" Troy emphasized.

As Troy spun his son around playing with him Gabriella smiled at the sight before her. Troy rarely had a chance to spend time with Zac. He often returned home late or left for a few days when he had an away game. She missed him too as family time together was rare but she loved him and she knew that the Lakers was his dream so she stood by him.

"Say it again buddy…say dada" Troy prompted his son, still amazed that he could say it. Zac was loving all the praise and attention and instantly repeated the word back. Troy turned to Gabi smiling widely. "Thank you so much for bringing him down here, I wouldn't want to miss this for the world" he said honestly. Gabi hugged her husband and Troy kissed her hair.

Gabi looked up at Troy "I was thinking, maybe we could all grab some lunch together for once, wouldn't that be nice?" she asked hopefully.

Troy's face fell. "I'm sorry, I can't, that sounds great and I wish I could but we have an extended practice today since we have that big game tomorrow."

Gabriella tried to hide her disappointment since it wasn't exactly Troy's fault. She suddenly noticed the coach looking annoyed. "Bolton! Break is over!" he yelled.

"It's fine…maybe you could try and get home a little early tonight?" she questioned him.

Troy handed Zac back to Gabriella with an apologetic look on his face. "I doubt it, I'll probably be back quite late, around 11.30" he told her.

She nodded and sighed. "Well I'll probably be asleep, Zac and I have a baby class early in the morning"

"Bolton!!" the coach yelled again becoming frustrated.

Troy turned around quickly "Coming!" he yelled back. "OK, well I'll try not to wake you" he replied sadly.

Gabriella nodded awkwardly and Troy quickly kissed her and Zac briefly before running off to join the team…

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…Gabi smiled weakly at the 16 year old in front of her. He was mature beyond his years. The pair were now standing against the railing looking at the stars in the night sky.

"He loved you, he loved both of us, he just loved his team too. They put a lot of pressure on him" she tried to explain. "When your dad left the Lakers we were finally a proper family."

Zac contemplated this for a moment. "True, but I kinda enjoy having a famous dad. He wouldn't be anywhere near as cool if it wasn't for him being an ex-Lakers star" he joked.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Well I for one will never forget the day he finally realized what was really important..."

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October, 2017

… "And they all lived happily ever after, the end" Gabi read aloud to her son. She closed the book and watched Zac yawn sleepily, fighting to stay awake. "Night night sweetie" she whispered.

Zac forced his eyes open again "Another story!" he pleaded.

Troy laughed from his position on the other side of the bed and tucked his son in gently. "No way, it's time to sleep buddy, and mommy already read you a story" Troy reminded the three year old.

"But I'm not tired!" Zac protested. Troy and Gabriella exchanged an amused look across the bed.

"OK Zac, one more story, but a quick one and this time it's daddy's turn" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and began to tell his story. "Once upon a time there was a little boy who didn't want to go to sleep even though it was his bedtime…" he began. "But the little boy was very good and fell asleep and he had lots of cool dreams. And in the morning when he woke up, because he had been such a good boy there was a surprise for him!" Troy finished excitedly.

Zac smiled widely "A new baby brother??" he asked happily.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and Troy laughed at his son. "You never know buddy" he said honestly. "Night, night" he said before kissing him on the forehead.

Gabriella kissed her son on the cheek before Troy came round to her side of the bed and helped her stand up. She was heavily pregnant and totally exhausted. As they exited their little boy's room and closed the door Gabriella turned to Troy and sighed "Well I for one hope that Zac gets his surprise. I don't know how much more of this I can take" she complained. Troy kissed her on the forehead and put an arm around her, rubbing her back while leading her downstairs. "He can't stay in there forever" he said reassuringly.

"Excuse me?" Gabi said teasingly.

Troy smiled wryly "Or she…" he said as his wife smiled.

Gabi was already five days overdue and was desperate to have her baby. The only thing she was happy about was the fact that Troy had taken a week off work to be with her and help around the house. He didn't have any more games for a few days now so there was a chance he would be there for the birth – unlike last time.

When Gabriella went into labor with Zac, Troy was in Chicago playing an away game with the Lakers. Zac came along two weeks early so neither Troy or Gabriella had been expecting him to arrive while Troy was away. Gabriella tried calling him but couldn't get in contact until after the game. Troy flew back to Los Angeles on the next available flight but by the time he got to the hospital Zac was two hours old. Gabi had been devastated that he had missed it and was determined that it wouldn't happen again. She needed his support and desperately wanted him to be with her but in the end it was her mother who was there for the birth instead.

Troy and Gabriella huddled up on the sofa together and watched a movie. The last few days had been a rare opportunity for them to spend time together but the team coach was getting annoyed with Troy's absence. He had been warned to return to practice as soon as possible but Troy didn't want to leave Gabriella like this. Her mom had offered to come and help out with Zac and the housework but Troy knew that Gabriella would much rather it was him. He had enjoyed the past week so much. Even though he had done all the chores, waited on Gabi hand and foot and taken care of Zac he loved spending time with his family and was beginning to realize just how much he missed out on.

As the pair relaxed in front of the TV Gabi drifted off to sleep in Troy's arms. Troy noticed that Gabi was asleep as the movie ended and he warily got up from the sofa in an attempt not to wake her. Gabriella hadn't been able to get much sleep recently but at that moment she looked so peaceful. Carefully, Troy picked her up from the sofa and carried her up to their bedroom. As he lay her on the bed and covered her lightly with the sheet she began to stir. Troy kissed her on the cheek and climbed into bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her as he drifted off to sleep.

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A few hours later Gabi awoke feeling uncomfortable. She untangled herself from Troy's arms and made her way to the bathroom. The pain she was feeling disappeared shortly after and she returned to bed. Not long after she felt the pain again and suddenly realized what was happening. It was only 3am. She looked over towards her sleeping husband and decided not to wake him. She knew that it would be hours yet before she had to go into the hospital and so she tried to get some more rest. For the next hour she drifted in and out of sleep as the easy contractions came and went. Eventually she got up again, got dressed and went downstairs. After packing a small bag of toys, books and snacks for Zac and making sure her hospital bag was ready she watched some TV to pass the time. Gabi felt much calmer this time around knowing that Troy was upstairs and not thousands of miles away.

Troy awoke alone at 7am and looked around the room for Gabriella. He called her name but there was no reply. Troy made his way downstairs and found Gabriella lying on the sofa, her eyes shut tight and her hands clenching a cushion firmly in her grip. His eyes went wide in panic.

"Gabriella!! What's wrong?!?" he yelled worriedly as he rushed over and kneeled beside her.

Gabi took his hand and squeezed it while she breathed out heavily and opened her eyes, the wave of pain beginning to fade. She tentatively smiled up at him and released her grip on his hand. "Morning" she said calmly. "It's time" she nervously told him.

Troy immediately began to panic. "Why didn't you wake me?!" he gasped. "We have to get you to the hospital now!" he said in alarm as he quickly grabbed her hospital bag.

Gabriella laughed briefly and held out her hand to him. He was immediately by her side taking her hand in his. "This is why I didn't wake you!" she said smiling. "There was no point going into the hospital in the middle of the night, they would have sent us home. But I think it's about time we get going now" she told him honestly, a hint of worry in her voice.

Troy ran a hand through his messy hair. "The middle of the night?!? Gabi how long have you been like this?" he asked incredulously.

"A few hours" she informed him, biting her lip.

Troy looked at her like she was insane. "Gabi come on we have to go now!" he half yelled at her.

Gabriella squeezed his hand firmly to get his attention. "Troy! Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. Aren't you forgetting something?? Our son? Your clothes?? First of all you have to go and get dressed, then you have to get Zac dressed and then you have to call my mom and let her know that we're coming over to drop him off" she said slowly, making sure he was listening.

Troy nodded his head feverishly. "Ok, I can do that. I'll be right back, don't move" he told her as he ran off.

Five minutes later Troy dashed downstairs with a confused Zac in his arms, both of them had morning hair. He rushed towards Gabi and put Zac down on the floor.

"Are you ok baby??" he asked in concern as Gabi began to lift herself up from her position on the couch.

"Yes I'm fine, we're both fine, stop worrying!" she told him as he helped her to sit up.

"Momma! You go to hospital and bring baby back?" Zac said excitedly.

Gabriella smiled sweetly at her son and engulfed him in a hug. "Yeah sweetie. And you're gonna have a fun day at grandmas" she told him.

Troy was getting more and more anxious by the second. "I called your mom, she's waiting for us, we should really get going" he said trying to hurry everything along.

Gabi ignored him and looked her son up and down, furrowing her brow as she took in his appearance. "Troy, his t-shirt is on back to front and his shoes are on the wrong feet" she said in amusement as she lifted Zac onto her lap and began to change his shoes.

Troy sighed in annoyance. "It doesn't matter! Gabi we have to go!" he said anxiously.

"It will only take a second" she shot back, beginning to get exasperated at how flustered he was. Troy groaned and picked up her bag and Zac's backpack.

As Gabi lifted Zac's shirt over his head to turn it round she suddenly doubled over in pain as the next contraction hit her. This one had came slightly sooner than the others and was much more painful. Troy dropped everything and held Gabi as the pain swept over her. He kissed her hair and she let out a yelp as the pain took hold of her. After about 30 seconds the pain began to subside and Gabi breathed out heavily. "Ok, maybe you were right, we should go" she said apologetically.

Troy quickly fixed Zac's shirt and picked up the little boy who was now upset after seeing his mommy in so much pain. Tears sprung into his eyes and his bottom lip began to quiver. "Momma?" he choked out.

Gabriella forced a smile and gently stroked his cheek. "Momma's ok sweetie! I'm ok" she soothed before quickly putting her jacket on and allowing Troy to help her stand from the sofa. The young family hastily made their way outside and into their car…

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… "So did you make it to the hospital on time?" Zac questioned, interrupting the story.

"I was just getting to that bit" Gabriella informed her impatient son.

"But did you?" he asked again.

Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes! Just…" she admitted sheepishly.

Zac laughed. "Why did you wait so long?" he enquired.

Gabriella was amused at his sudden interest in his sister's birth story. "I guess because you took your time showing up I figured it would be the same with your sister." She confessed. "Do you even remember that day" she asked him inquisitively.

Zac thought for a moment. "Not really, I remember meeting her for the first time and then dad getting me that stuffed animal, that's the part that really sticks out" he informed his mother.

Gabriella smiled, remembering the toy that Troy had been forced to buy Zac in the hospital. "Oh yeah, you started a bit of a tradition there. Apparently you threw a tantrum in the hall because everyone had brought balloons for the new baby and you were feeling left out." She told him giggling.

"I think dad was worried I'd be jealous of a new baby, that's why he told me it was actually from her…I can't believe I fell for that" he said grinning, remembering his 3 year old self.

Gabriella smiled back at her son. He reminded her so much of Troy. He had his eyes without a doubt. They were a piercing blue and sparkled just the same. His hair was darker though, more like hers.

The pair were silent for a minute as they were both lost in thought. A few moments later Gabriella finally spoke.

"Did you talk to him?" she asked trying to stop her voice from cracking. "I mean before you came to find me…did you talk to him?" she asked, looking out towards the horizon.

Zac contemplated his response for a moment before clearing his throat. "Yeah" he responded weakly looking at the ground.

Gabi could tell that whatever had been said wasn't what she wanted to hear. "Do you think he'll change his mind?" she asked hesitantly, her voice finally cracking and tears rolling down her cheeks again.

Zac couldn't face his mother. "No, I don't think so. He's made up his mind." He replied honestly.

Silent tears rolled down Gabi's face and more threatened to fall as reality set back in. She already knew in her heart that he wasn't going to change his mind, she was just hoping blindly that somehow she was wrong…

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