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: Ok I'll make this quick and then meet you at the end, first of all, THANK YOU for all the reviews!!! I really appreciate them and they do truly inspire me to write!! Secondly, I know it's been like an age since I last updated and I'm so sorry!!! I've just had a lot on with uni and work and travelling home for Christmas to see my family and then I had exams, but I'm back! And to make up for it this chapter is really long and the next one will be out really soon. Ok, enough already, on with the story:D

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Gabi stared out at the horizon trying to regain her composure. She wiped the stray tears away with the edge of her sleeve and swallowed hard. The atmosphere between them was awkward again and Zac hated it. He shuffled back over towards his mother and leaned on the railing beside her.

"Are you ever gonna finish that story?" he asked trying to lighten the mood.

Gabi looked back at him, her eyes finally dry and she sighed. "I didn't think you really wanted to hear it" she replied.

Zac smiled in spite of himself. "Are you kidding? You mean the story about the day where I finally had to give up all the attention I'd had to myself for 3 years and my cool, famous dad lost his celebrity status? What kid wouldn't want to relive that" he said sarcastically.

Gabi smiled at her son, he knew how to cheer her up. "You love your sister really…" she teased.

Zac sighed. "Yeah I do…just don't tell her I said that" he said smiling.

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October, 2017

…Shortly after the couple arrived at the hospital Gabriella was wheeled into labour and delivery with Troy following close behind, panicking as usual. Gabriella had been examined and she was already 8cm dilated. Her contractions were coming hard and fast and Troy was truly astonished at just how much pain she appeared to be in. The nurses had tried to talk Gabi into having an epidural but she was having none of it. As every contraction hit she screamed in pain and squeezed Troy's hand until it almost turned blue. Troy was filled with guilt that he hadn't been there for her the first time as he never before imagined just how horrific the whole experience was.

As soon as her waters broke the pain increased tenfold and Gabi was having difficulty dealing with it. It wasn't long before she was fully dilated and was asked to begin pushing. Gabriella began to cry and it made Troy uneasy. He continually praised her and encouraged her while wiping her forehead and stroking her hair lovingly but there wasn't much more he could do. She was in so much pain and he felt useless. A few contractions later the nurse told Gabi she could see the head and encouraged her to push hard. The next two contractions came and went and although Gabriella tried her best the baby didn't seem to be moving.

"I can't do it, I can't do it, Troy" Gabriella cried as the last contraction faded.

Troy kissed her head and cupped her face in his hands. "Yes you can! I know you can. You're the most amazing person I know. I love you. You can do this" he told her trying to sound encouraging. Tears streamed down her face and her body was quickly assaulted by another contraction. Gabi pushed with all her might but didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

Troy suddenly noticed that the nurses were conversing quietly and he had a feeling that something was wrong. The baby's heartbeat on the monitor began to slow and suddenly the nurses were moving around quickly, one of them leaving the room in a rush.

Troy examined their faces, searching for some kind of clue as to what was going on. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

The doctor entered the room as he asked his question and approached the couple. She smiled weakly at Troy. "Mrs Bolton, You're not progressing as fast as you should be and baby's heart rate has slowed a little, it's nothing to worry about but I have to examine you" she said calmly.

Gabriella was instantly horrified at this news and thought the worst. "What's wrong with me?? What's wrong with my baby? Is she ok??" she asked worriedly before another contraction hit and she screamed in pain.

"Don't panic Gabriella, the best thing you can do for your baby is to stay calm" a nurse informed her soothingly.

The doctor quickly examined Gabriella and her fears were soon realized. "Gabriella, listen to me. Your baby isn't moving because his shoulder is caught. It's called shoulder dsytocia. I'm going to have to try and maneuver him round as quickly as possible ok?" she told a frightened Gabriella. The nurses quickly came to her side and held her down while moving her legs back as the doctor tried to release the baby. Gabriella screamed in agony as this happened and Troy began to shake with fear. Fear for Gabi and their baby.

After a minute of trying the traumatic intervention the baby monitor began to beep incessantly. The baby's heart beat was getting slower and slower. Troy's eyes went wide as he hugged Gabriella tightly. The doctor stopped what she was doing and instantly began to shout orders at the people around her.

"Gabriella I'm sorry we're going to have to perform an emergency c-section" she explained as her bed was quickly wheeled out of the delivery room. "The baby's stuck and is leaning on the cord. He's not getting enough oxygen, it's vital that we get him out in the next five minutes." She told a now hysterical Gabriella.

As they wheeled her into the operating room the nurse suddenly stopped Troy. "I'm sorry you can't go in there yet, come with me you'll have to scrub up" the nurse said guiding him in the opposite direction.

"No I have to stay with my wife" he told her forcefully as Gabriella cried his name from inside the room.

"Let them do their job. This is very time sensitive. They're trying to save your baby. Now please come with me, the quicker you do the quicker I can let you in" she explained calmly.

Troy wiped a stray tear from his eye and kicked the wall hard before following the nurse into a different room.

Once he had quickly put on the scrubs he entered the sterile room and was shocked at how many people there were. Gabriella had just had a spinal and was feeling a little dizzy. He hurriedly sat down next to the bed and kissed her. She grabbed his hand and stared into his eyes. He could see the fear in them and she was crying uncontrollably now.

The doctors quickly opened Gabriella up and within half a minute their baby was out. Troy watched in wonder as they carried the baby over to a separate table.

"It's a girl" one of the nurses told them, not sounding very happy.

Troy smiled down at Gabriella through his tears. "Did you hear that? It's a girl, you were right" he told her as he planted a soft kiss on her temple and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Is she ok?" Gabriella asked the nurse but she didn't reply. "Why isn't she crying?" she asked desperately. The baby was silent. The doctors in the corner crowded round the motionless baby.

"Please, someone tell me why my baby isn't crying!" Gabriella yelled. The nurse finally came over towards her and stood in between Gabriella and her view of the doctors and her baby.

"She's not breathing sweetie, but they're doing everything they can to help her" she told the panic-stricken woman.

"No, no, don't let this happen, please help her!" Gabriella shrieked. She turned to Troy who was also crying. "Troy, please do something, they have to help her, they have to help our baby" she cried uncontrollably.

Troy kissed her forehead again and held her tightly as more tears fell from his eyes. The pair were inconsolable.

After another agonizing minute a faint cry was heard from the other side of the room. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and Troy and Gabriella looked in the direction of the tiny cry.

"She's breathing on her own and she's pinking up" the doctor told the couple with relief etched in her voice.

Troy and Gabriella kissed each other and cried tears of joy. A moment ago they thought they had lost their daughter and now she was crying loudly. The doctors placed her in a plastic cot and put her on oxygen while Gabriella was taken care of. Before they took her out of the room they wheeled her towards Troy and Gabi so they could catch their first proper glimpse of their daughter. Gabi reached over and gently stroked her baby girl's hand before she was whisked away into a separate room.

"Go with her, Troy" Gabriella sleepily instructed her husband. He kissed her hand and looked at her with concern.

"I can't leave you like this" he said worriedly.

Gabriella smiled weakly. "I'm fine. I'll feel better if I know you're with her" she told him.

Troy kissed her one last time and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back soon. I love you" he told her shakily before he followed his daughter down the hall.

Gabriella slowly opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. Her vision was blurry and she was in a lot of pain. She figured she was in another hospital room and she couldn't remember much of what had happened since the traumatic delivery that morning. It was now 2pm.

"Hey" Troy said soothingly from the side of her bed as he noticed she was awake. She slowly turned around in the direction of his voice and spotted him sitting on a chair with a tiny bundle in his arms.

"I didn't want to wake you, you looked so exhausted. How are you feeling?" He queried as he stood up from the chair and sat down on the bed beside her.

Gabi smiled lovingly at him and locked eyes with her tiny daughter. "I'm ok…how is she?" Gabriella asked.

Troy beamed at Gabriella "She's amazing. They took her off the oxygen an hour ago, they said she's breathing fine on her own now" Troy informed his tired wife who seemed mesmerized by the baby in front of her.

Troy outstretched his arms and placed the tiny baby in Gabriella's waiting arms as she sat forward. Gabi held her close and kissed her on the forehead as tears started to run down her cheek. Troy wiped them away with his hand and then sat behind Gabriella on the bed.

She leaned back against his muscular chest and he wrapped his arms around her, watching his daughter from over Gabriella's shoulder. They sat in silence for a moment as they watched her tiny chest move up and down.

Gabriella eventually broke the silence. "Troy I was so worried" she told him as she began to cry again.

"I know, I was too" he said hugging her tightly as he remembered the horrible experience. "But we got through it, all of us together. And you were amazing Gabi. You were so brave. And now we have a beautiful daughter and she's perfect" Troy said encouragingly.

Gabi turned round and met eyes with him. "I couldn't have done it without you" she told him, her voice cracking with emotion.

Troy kissed her gently on the lips and softly caressed her cheek. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here for Zac's birth." He replied honestly.

"It's ok, it wasn't your fault. You were here for this one and that's all that matters" she told him.

Troy smiled at his amazing wife. "I love you so much" he said adoringly.

"I love you too" she replied as she leaned back against his chest and he captured her mouth in a tender kiss.

The family were interrupted with a knock on the door and it was soon opened by some familiar faces. Gabi's mom appeared in the doorway and Zac came running in behind her.

"Hey mom" Gabriella called to her beaming mother who was walking towards the young family. Zac awkwardly climbed onto the bed as fast as he could.

"Momma!" he exclaimed when he saw her. Gabi hugged him tightly with her free arm and brought him in close to her. He looked over to the sleeping baby in her arms cautiously.

"Zac, meet your little sister" Troy informed his son. Zac stared at the baby for a long time, trying to decide whether or not this was a good thing.

"Oh Gabi! She's adorable, but how are you? Troy told me what happened" her mother said in concern.

Gabi forced a smile for her mother. "I'm fine now, but it was horrible" she admitted.

Another knock on the door made everyone turn around to see Troy's parents enter the room. Everyone gathered around Troy, Gabriella and the new baby.

"Congratulations, son" Jack Bolton said to Troy. Troy's mom congratulated and hugged them both.

"So what's her name then?" Gabi's mom finally asked. Troy and Gabi exchanged a smile.

"Well, we decided that if it was a girl…" Gabriella began.

"…we would call her Abby" Troy finished. Everyone smiled at the new baby.

"Abby Bolton…" Jack said out loud. "That's a good name" he said beaming.

After ten minutes or so Troy and Gabriella's parents left the young family alone.

Abby had been passed around a lot and was now awake. She began to cry and Zac looked surprised. "baby crying!!" he said holding his little ears.

Troy laughed at his son as Gabi soothed and comforted the newborn. "You can cry as much as you want" Gabriella told her daughter, still relieved that she was actually alive.

"Momma can we go home now?" Zac asked his mother.

Gabriella looked apologetically towards her son. "I'm sorry sweetie, mommy has to stay in the hospital with the new baby for a few days but you're gonna go home and have fun with daddy"

Zac instantly cheered up at the thought. Troy's phone began ringing from his pocket and he reached for it, thinking it would be one of their friends. Instead it was Troy's basketball coach. Troy leapt off the bed and walked towards the window as he answered the phone.

"Hello" he said into the cell phone.

"Bolton, we need you in practice this afternoon, no ifs, no buts, you've had long enough off to play happy families" the coach said vehemently.

"Well actually I really can't, you see my wife just gave birth to our daughter this morning" Troy told him smiling happily as he looked back over at his perfect family.

Gabriella felt uneasy about the phone call as she knew that Troy's coach would pressurize him into returning to his team sooner than she wanted him to. She looked down at Abby who was now fast asleep again even though Zac was hovering over her chatting away.

"Great, so the kid is here, you can come back then. That's what you wanted right? To be there for the birth?" the coach reminded him.

Troy looked perturbed. "Well yeah but I can't just leave my wife so soon after and besides I have to look after my son" he told the man.

"Don't push it Bolton. Hire a babysitter. Your team needs you here, not at home playing Mr. Mom" he warned. "Practice starts at 4pm, be there, I mean it. No more family holiday. You're a Laker, Troy, this isn't a part time gig and you know that"

Troy sighed heavily and looked towards Gabriella and his kids again. "I'm sorry coach, I just can't. Not today." Troy defiantly said.

The man on the other end of the phone became furious. "Listen kid, if I don't see your ass on this court in two hours I swear you will no longer be a member of this team" he angrily spat.

Troy was about to cave when he saw the look of pure disappointment on Gabi's face. She had heard every word. Slowly but surely he realized what he had to do. Troy took a deep breath and met eyes with Gabi as he once again addressed the man on the other end of the phone.

"Ok, well then I guess I quit" he told the coach seriously. A variety of expletives and angry outbursts could be heard on the other end of the phone as Troy distanced the device from his ear. He smiled wryly and interrupted the man from his rage. "Goodbye coach" he said before hanging up the phone and turning it off. Gabi was lost for words, she stared at Troy open mouthed as he walked towards her and sat opposite her on the bed.

"I can't believe you just did that" she said incredulously, a smile playing on her lips.

"You made me realize something today. You made me realize what's important. And it's not basketball. I've missed out on so much these past five years. I've been a terrible husband and a terrible father…and that's not what I want to be for the rest of my life. I missed out on too much with this little guy, I don't want to do the same with this one." He said looking towards the sleeping baby.

"From now on I'm going to be there for you…whether you like it or not" he said smiling coyly.

Gabriella smiled widely and flung one arm around his neck kissing him. He laughed at her enthusiasm and returned the kiss as eagerly as she had initiated it…

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…"Ok, ok, ok I don't need to hear that bit" Zac informed his mother looking slightly grossed out. Gabi laughed at his disdain for the topic.

"Yeah, I vaguely recall you objecting at the time too" she teased him.

"Can you blame me?" he asked incredulously. Gabi hit him lightly on the arm and sighed. She was still thinking about that day. She would do anything to go back in time to that moment where everything seemed so perfect. "Our lives were so great back then. We had you and your sister and your dad wasn't with the Lakers anymore, he took a lot of time out just to be with us. We didn't have a care in the world. Those were the best years." Gabriella said reminiscing.

"Yeah, I remember" Zac replied solemnly.

Gabriella smiled as memories filled her mind. "We were so happy…we were so lucky" she said thoughtfully…

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…December, 2017

The Bolton's front room was in chaos as Christmas decorations were unpacked from a large box by Troy and Gabi. Zac stood between them as he sang along to the festive music filling the house while decorating the floor with tinsel. Gabi began to hang decorations on the tree as she giggled at the mess Zac was making.

Troy wiped the sweat from his forehead as he untangled the fairy lights and looked over at the blazing fire in disdain. "Gabi, do we really need to have the fire lit?? I feel like I'm gonna pass out from the heat" he complained.

"Yes! We do, It makes it feel more like Christmas" she told him resolutely.

Troy sighed in frustration. "But it's 65 degrees outside!"

Gabi rolled her eyes and playfully threw a plastic decoration at her husband. "Troy, stop being such a scrooge!" she said mocking him.

Troy dodged the flying decoration and smiled in spite of himself as Zac giggled at his parents. Troy loved how important Christmas was to Gabriella and it amused him just how far she would go to create the perfect atmosphere. He sneakily picked up a garland of tinsel from the box and wrapped it around Gabi as she squealed, tying her up in retaliation. He held her close as she wriggled against the tinsel trying to free her arms.

Troy laughed at her feeble attempts to struggle. "You can't attack me now can you?" he teased her.

Gabi giggled as she gave up fighting and gave into his embrace. "Troy, quit messing around and help me decorate the tree already" she pleaded.

"Oh now who's the grumpy one??" he said as he leaned in and kissed her sweetly. Gabriella smiled against his lips and tried to hit him playfully on the chest. The moment was interrupted by the sound of Abby crying on the baby monitor that was sitting on top of the mantle. They broke apart slowly and rested their foreheads against each other. Troy loosened his grip on the tinsel and unwrapped it from around Gabriella. "I'll get her" he said before quickly placing a kiss on her lips as he jogged out of the room.

Troy quickly made his way up the large staircase leading to his daughter's bedroom. Their house was fairly large and stylish – one of the benefits of being a famous NBA star for 5 years. As he approached the door he could hear the faint cries and hurriedly entered the room.

"Hey sweetie, what's all the fuss about?" he cooed as he gently picked up the 8 week old baby and cradled her lovingly. Troy was really enjoying the time he had been spending with his daughter as well as Gabi and Zac. Their little family felt complete now that Troy wasn't playing basketball 24/7 and Abby had arrived. His life was perfect and he had never been happier.

As he rocked the baby back and forth she stopped crying but continued to fuss. "Oh you wanna go see your mommy don't you sweetie?" Troy asked the tiny baby as he carefully carried her downstairs. The pair entered the blistering heat of the front room as Gabi was instructing Zac on where to place the decorations on the tree.

"Look who's awake" Troy said as Gabi looked up and smiled at the sight before her. Gabi gently took her tiny daughter from Troy's arms and whispered to her lovingly.

"I think she's hungry" Troy added as he continued to decorate the tree with Zac. Gabi nodded and sat down to feed the baby while watching Troy lift Zac to reach the higher

branches.

Gabriella looked thoughtful and smiled. "You know what? This is the first time we've decorated the Christmas tree together." She told her husband.

Troy sighed and looked at the bauble in his hands. "I know…" he replied seriously before smiling "how am I doing so far?" he asked with a glint in his eye.

Gabriella giggled. "Not bad…it's fixable" she teased him.

Troy feigned a hurt expression as he placed the last decoration on the tree and joined Gabi on the sofa. As he wrapped his arm around her shoulders he hugged her gently to him as they both watched their daughter.

"I have a feeling that this is gonna be the best Christmas ever" Troy said grinning.

Gabi turned and beamed up at him. "Yeah, it is" she replied as their foreheads met.

Zac ran over to his parents clutching a Christmas angel. "Mommy, Daddy! Angel on top!" he squealed in delight.

"Alright little guy, you can do it" Troy told the excited toddler. With one scoop he lifted the little boy into his arms and held him up high to reach the top branch. Zac shakily balanced the angel and smiled widely at his accomplishment, clapping his hands together.

"Just one last thing" Troy told his son as he reached down and flicked the power switch. The tree was suddenly illuminated with fairy lights and Zac's eyes went wide in amazement as he squealed in delight.

Gabi smiled at them and joined them both by the tree, admiring the finished product. "It's perfect" she told the boys proudly.

The family were interrupted as the doorbell rang and Troy ran off to answer it. He had no idea who it was. As he opened the heavy door and saw who was standing there his mouth fell open.

"Surprise!" Chad yelled as he saw his best friend since pre-school. Chad, Taylor, Kelsi and Jason were standing on the Bolton's doorstep smiling widely at their friend who was in shock.

"Guys! I thought you said you couldn't make it" Troy said in astonishment as he hugged his friends.

"Oh we just told you and Gabi that so we could all come up together and surprise you" Taylor interjected happily.

"Well it's great to see you all, I can't believe you came all this way!" Troy said still astounded at the unexpected visitors. The gang hadn't seen much of each other lately as Chad and Taylor were living in New York and Kelsi and Jason were still in Albuquerque.

"Well aren't you gonna invite us in?" Kelsi asked with a giggle.

Troy smiled and stepped aside, ushering his friends into the hallway. "Sorry, please come in, but I warn you, Gabi has established her own tropical climate in the front room so you may actually be safer outside." He informed his friends with a grin.

The wildcats followed Troy into the large living area and spotted Gabi playing with Zac on the rug. "You're not gonna believe this…" Troy began as his wife turned around and saw her friends standing at the door.

"Gabi!!" Taylor shrieked as she ran over and enveloped her friend in a hug.

"Tay!! What are you doing here?! You said you couldn't come 'til spring!" Gabriella excitedly asked her best friend.

"I lied!" Taylor happily replied.

Gabi giggled and hugged Kelsi who was standing behind Taylor. "It's so great to see you guys!" she told them all sincerely.

Chad noticed the little boy standing next to his mommy and kneeled down to talk to him. "Hey Zac!! How are ya little dude?" Chad asked the toddler.

Zac instantly smiled at the familiar face. "Uncle Chad!!" he shouted excitedly. Chad hugged the little boy and then put on a serious face.

"Now I heard a rumor that you were a big brother now" Chad began.

Zac eagerly nodded his head and looked proud. "Yup!" he told his favorite uncle.

"Wow that's awesome, can we see your little sister?" Chad asked Zac.

"Yeah she's right over here!" Zac said taking Chad's hand and guiding him over to the moses basket in the corner. Gabi smiled at Chad and silently thanked him for including her son and making him feel important while everyone else fussed around the new baby.

"Oh Gabi she's adorable!!" Kelsi exclaimed as she caught sight of the baby.

Troy and Gabriella smiled proudly and Gabi carefully lifted the contented baby into her arms. "Do you want to hold her?" she asked Kelsi who nodded instantly and took the baby from her friend. Troy looked on as his daughter was passed around the room between all his old friends.

"So, dude, you quit the lakers, that was pretty…brave" Chad said after much deliberation on his choice of words.

Troy smiled and averted Chad's gaze. "By brave you really mean stupid" Troy replied bluntly.

"No, that's not what I meant at all…I just meant, you know…that it was…an interesting choice" Chad said stumbling over his words. "I mean it was the Lakers, Troy!" he added incredulously.

"Yeah, I know. But I don't regret it, not one bit" Troy told his stunned friend honestly. Gabi smiled as she overheard the guy's conversation.

"Not even a little bit?" Jason asked in disbelief.

Troy laughed at his unbelieving friends. "Nope" he replied.

Chad still looked confused and stared at his friend, dumfounded. "But it was the LAKERS!" he repeated.

"You'll understand one day, man" Troy informed his friend while patting his shoulder.

Taylor and Gabi exchanged a secretive look at this remark and Kelsi smiled broadly. Unbeknownst to Chad, Taylor was two months pregnant. She was planning on telling Chad on Christmas eve, as she wanted to make it her Christmas present to him.

"So what now? What's next for the famous Troy Bolton? Sports presenter? TV personality? Team coach?" Chad asked inquisitively.

Troy smiled wryly. "Actually yeah, I'm gonna be coaching"

"Are you serious?? That's awesome dude! Which team?" Jason enquired excitedly.

"I believe they're called the Bulldogs" Troy told them smiling as he watched their bemused expressions.

"The who?" Jason and Chad simultaneously responded.

Troy laughed "They're from the local high school. I'm gonna be coaching a high school basketball team" he said proudly.

"But dude, you could do so much better!" Chad said bewildered.

"You mean I could land another job somewhere that involved me never seeing my wife and kids. That's not what I want. I'm officially retired from all that" he said sincerely.

"Troy, you're turning into your father." Jason solemnly exclaimed.

Troy's smile instantly left his face as he looked suddenly serious. "You have no idea how terrifying that thought is man…"

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… "Mom…it's getting late, we've been up here for an hour already" Zac said interrupting the story.

Gabriella's expression instantly fell. She was back. Back on the rooftop in the present time. An overwhelming feeling of dread filling her mind as she returned to reality. She gulped hard and steadied herself on the railing as her knees began to tremble.

"Mom" Zac repeated, trying to get through to his troubled mother. Gabi took a deep breath and slowly turned around to face her son, his pained eyes locking with her own.

"The funny thing is he ended up enjoying working at the school more than he ever did being with the Lakers." Gabriella said, desperately trying to avoid the subject.

Zac sighed but remained silent, he understood how she was feeling and knew that it was pointless trying to get her to deal with the situation. She would deal with it when she was ready. He just hoped that by the time she did it wouldn't be too late.

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Wow that was long! If you're still reading I applaud you!! All WILL be revealed in the next chapter!! Lots of you have been guessing what's going on in the story in reviews and private messages, I think two of you got it right so well done! Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you think by leaving a quick review! It really will make me write SO much faster! Toodles! xxx