supergoose3- Gabriella is about nineteen weeks along, so nearly five months. The baby is due around June, a couple days after their graduation.

A/N: The song lyrics in this are Matchbox Twenty's 'How Far We've Come.' Enjoy! -love- Desireé

Chapter Seven, You and Me Equals We

The night was still and calm as Gabriella waited around for Troy's Range Rover lights to pull up on the black street. She didn't think it would be safe to climb down a tree in her current condition, so she was thinking of a way to sneak past her parents. She heard a car horn outside and the best thing seemed to keep walking: she didn't have the answer to her parents any more. "Where are you going?" Theresa barked as Gabriella threw on her coat and picked up her purse on the counter.

"Out," she replied as she opened the door and walked towards the Rover, waiting by the curb. Relief rushed through her body as she heard no objection from inside the house. Her parents didn't care, and neither did she.

I'm waking up at the start at the end of the world, but its feeling like just every other morning before.

In the darkness, Gabriella couldn't see Troy and he couldn't see her. But as he opened the door for her, she thanked him quietly, and he smiled. They wandered along the road for maybe ten minutes until she could no longer bear the silence. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

Only able to hear his voice, she thought he sounded hurt. "Because I can be?" he guessed. She sighed softly and he eventually stopped the car near the park. She could see moonlight threaded between the trees, glowing in bits and pieces. Troy spoke again. "Talk to me."

Tears seemed to be very close as Gabriella explained her relationship with her parents. "They're so judgmental, especially my mother!" she said angrily. Troy could see her rage through the shadows. "I just hate them for putting me in this position. I mean, if my daughter went through something like this, I would be supportive! I would tell her it would be okay and I'd let her release her sadness into my body as I-I held her a-and listened t-to her c-cry." The flood gates opened and she suddenly was sobbing hysterically into his shirt, his arms snaking around her shoulders as he held her. Gabriella couldn't believe she was doing this. Since when had she been so emotional? But Troy didn't seem to mind as she wept into his chest, her hands clenched to his sides.

Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone.

Eventually, Gabriella's wails turned into sobs, and her sobs transformed into sniffles. Troy's arms didn't leave her body, though, as he kissed the top of her head and ran his fingers through her hair, whispering all that she wanted to hear. She was loved, and the twins would be loved, just like she was. "You are strong and beautiful and smart," he mumbled. "You will be the mother of two beautiful children, and they will look up to you with such amazement that you'll never fight or argue with them. You have gone through all of this so well, look how far you've come. How far we've come." He rocked her back and forth, her breathing slowly steadying to a yoga instructor's pace.

The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour if that, and I started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye. Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?

Soon she sat up, her eyes bloodshot and her hair ruffled from his fingers. "I love you, you know that?" she asked him. "I love you with all my heart, and I always have, ever since I first met you at the snow lodge a year ago. And I love you even more because of what you are doing for me, and I love you so much that I wish we hadn't grown apart after the play, and that way I wouldn't be in this situation because I never would have slept with him in the first place and I just—"

Her words were cut short as he took her chin in his hands and kissed her. The way his mouth ravished hers was enough to make a girl faint, but she gathered all her strength and slid her hands around his torso again, feeling her body begin to finally settle against the seat. Troy ran his fingers through her hair again, and a chill slithered down her spine. As they pulled apart, she murmured softly, "I do love you, enough so you don't have to tell me you love me back."

But I believe the world is burning to the ground, oh well, I guess we're gonna find out.

The truth was Troy did love her. He loved her like she loved him, but he couldn't tell her that at the moment, maybe not for a long time. He tried; he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. She just took his hand and sat there, staring ahead into the black wilderness, comfortable with how they were.

Let's see how far we've come, let's see how far we've come.

It was eight-forty. She stared ahead, and he did, too, wondering what she was thinking. He felt guilty—he should have told her he loved her back. But at the same time, he didn't want to tell her as an obligation. It was true, and he wanted another chance to tell her, some other time. However, a fearful feeling inside him worried that some other time wasn't available. "I like April," Gabriella said.

"My sister?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He readjusted the position of his arm so her wrist crossed his.

"Yes," she replied. "And the name, too. If I have a girl, I'll name her April."

"What about the other twin?" Troy turned to face her, his cheek against the headrest of his seat.

Well I believe, it all, is coming to an end. Oh well, I guess we're gonna pretend.

She thought. "Two girls, I'll name one April. Two boys, I'll name one Dean. And for a girl and a boy, I'm not sure. You choose the other names."

This shocked him a little bit. "Gabriella," he began. But she turned to look at him, too, and he saw the pleading look in her eyes. She wanted someone to do this with her. "All right. I always liked, for a girl, the name Gwen. So two girls, April and Gwen. And for a boy, I always liked my dad's name, Jack. So Dean and Jack. And for a boy and a girl… Well, we can mix them. April and Jack or Gwen and Dean." Gabriella smiled.

"I like April and Jack," she replied. She thought about how he said 'we' and what the kids would look like. A Latina mother, an African American father. She imagined a girl with dark hair and light skin, her mother's brown eyes. She imagined a boy with curly brown hair and a goofy grin. It pained Gabriella to think Chad would have nothing to do with his children. He didn't even know there would be two.

Let's see how far we've come, let's see how far we've come.

It was nine o'clock. Gabriella thought about the future April Montez, or Jack Montez, or Gwen Montez, or Dean Montez. She thought about them again, but with a different last name: Bolton.

Troy turned his keys in the ignition and pulled back onto the road. "Let's go get something to eat, I think we're both exhausted." After another fifteen minutes of driving, he finally found Gabriella's euphoria: In-N-Out. "You sure?"

"I think all three of us are," she replied with a grin. He opened her door and she got out, taking his hand instinctively as they walked inside. The fast food restaurant was still busy, packed with people and buzzing with conversation. A guy in a the typical white uniform took their order—two #2s, one with extra onions. "And a Coke for me," Gabriella added.

Paying with a twenty, Troy smiled at the girl beside him. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to tell her he loved her.

Let's see how far we've come, let's see how far we've come.