-PLEASE READ AUTHORS NOTE!-

Title: Be My Escape

Author: ToriaPhoenix (A.K.A OceanSurferGirl)

Summary: What do you do when the person you want is the one you can't have?

Rating: PG-13

Length: I changed it to 7 chapters, so there's more content in the chapters.

Pairings: Sharpay/Ryan, Sharpay/Troy, Gabriella/Ryan

Warnings: Incest between brother and sister, and some cursing.

Status: COMPLETE!!!

Author's notes: Three years. Three freakin YEARS, and it's FINALLY finished! I'm sorry to everyone who's waited so long for this. Truthfully, I lost ALL interest and completely forgot about it. Seriously. I hadn't even checked my fanfic e-mail (which is different from my regular e-mail) in MONTHS, and yesterday night when I finally did, I had two unread private messages from NicNack4u asking me to finish the story. I was overwhelmed with guilt (seriously!) knowing how it feels when one of my favorite stories remains in limbo for so long, and decided to finish this sucka once and for all.

So to all those who stuck around, thank you. THANK YOU! THANK YOU READERS! You rock my world.

ALSO- A while back, I wrote a Ryan/Sharpay fic called "All For You". It's an angsty little piece, but if you like 'Be my Escape', you should love it. Please go read and review it. Guys, I worked on this chapter for six hours last night trying to get it done. PLEASE REVIEW. Even if it's just a short little thing, okay? And go read and review 'All For You'. Thank you ducklings!

ENJOY!

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

"Are you sure you have enough blankets?" Gabriella asked worriedly. Ryan resisted the urge to grin.

"I'm sure Gabriella." He said, smiling warmly at her. "Thank you again, for letting me stay here tonight. After tonight, I'm not looking forward to talking to… you know." Ryan said, skirting around the issue. Gabriella frowned.

"Ryan, you don't need to explain things to me. You're my friend, and I'm going to help you through this in any way I can. If that means surrendering my couch for you to sleep on, then it's yours." She said, her voice soft and sincere. The smile on Ryan's face softened.

"I know." He said, just as quietly. "I just… thank you." He repeated, hoping she realized he wasn't just talking about the couch. Gabriella smiled, and after a moments pause, she hugged Ryan tightly. Ryan sighed into her shoulder.

As the pair detached from each other, Gabriella gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Goodnight Ryan." She said.

"Night." He replied, sinking onto the couch as Gabriella made her way upstairs toward her bedroom. Ryan sighed, and turned off the lamp next to the couch. He lay down and closed his eyes, feeling blissfully numb. It hadn't even been five minutes when his cell phone began to ring shrilly. Fumbling in the dark, he grabbed it from the coffee table, and squinted in the dark at the dully-lit screen.

It was Sharpay.

"Not tonight sis." He said, as he turned his phone off and lay back down.

Minutes later, he was deep in a dreamless sleep.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

It was 7:00 A.M. when Ryan woke up. Groggily, he turned his phone on, and winced when he realized how early it was. A small screen flickered on the screen.

'You have 7 new voice messages.'

Ryan snorted.

"You never give up, do ya Sharpay?" He mumbled. Ignoring the messages, he sat up and stretched. If he headed home now, he might be able to sneak into his room and avoid Sharpay all together.

He quickly gathered his things, folded the blankets he had been using, and walked toward the Montez's front door. Gabriella would surely understand.

The drive home was foggy at best. Still exhausted, Ryan found himself surprised at how quickly he arrived home. He got out of his car, and stretched again. He walked to the front door, and as his hand was poised just over the doorknob, he froze. A panic was bubbling in his stomach as he turned around, mind finally processing something that wasn't quite right. There was an old, crappy looking blue car in their driveway, and he was willing to bet his college tuition that he knew whom it belonged to. Swallowing, Ryan spun around and shakily jammed his key into the lock.

He walked briskly through the hallways, desperate to avoid anyone else. He sighed in relief upon seeing his door, but the relief ebbed into a churning sickness upon seeing Troy walking out of Sharpay's room, looking quite ruffled. Upon seeing Ryan, Troy smirked, and casually started down the hallway towards him. Ryan darted into his room, slamming his door behind him. Quickly locking it, he ran to the connected bathroom, certain he was going to be sick.

After hovering over the toilet for endless minutes, Ryan was fairly certain his stomach would behave itself. He shakily walked towards his bed and collapsed. Though his mind was racing, somehow the exhaustion took a hold of him, and Ryan passed out.

The remainder of the day was spent in an almost catatonic stupor. Ryan was vaguely aware of his cell phone ringing at varied moments during the day, but he made no move to put it on silent. At one point, he was certain there was a hesitant knocking on his door, but he ignored it, preferring the comfort of his bed.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

Ryan stared at his reflection in the brightly lit mirror. Decked out in a blue dress shirt, red vest, and slacks, Ryan looked like he had stepped straight out of the 20's. His hair was longer then usual, and product free in keeping with the shows time period.

It was opening night.

Tech week had flown by, and somehow Ryan's sanity was still thankfully intact, a fact that he knew was all thanks to Gabriella. The raven-haired girl had been letting Ryan take refuge on her couch for the past four days, not questioning his sudden desperateness to avoid Sharpay at all costs.

Ryan had been going to great lengths to avoid the blonde. Aside from staying with Gabriella, he was always sure to arrive at classes and rehearsals just as they began, and left the instant they ended. Thankfully, between classes, dress rehearsals and Troy, Sharpay had little time to confront her brother, though he knew she was growing unbearably agitated with each passing day.

"Well don't you clean up nicely!" A voice teased from behind him. Ryan's gaze flickered up in the mirror, and he grinned when his eyes met Gabriella's. He stood up from his seat and turned to face Gabriella.

"You don't look half-bad yourself." He joked, and Gabriella smiled fondly at him. The raven-haired beauty was wearing a red 20's style dress, and her hair was loosely curled.

Her eyes shifted from him and darted around the room; double-checking to ensure the room was empty. "So… how're you holding up?" She said.

Ryan grimaced.

Gabriella sighed. "It's still pretty bad?" She said wistfully. Ryan nodded. She frowned, and gently grabbed one of his hands and held it. "You know my couch is yours as long as you need it, right?"

Ryan squeezed her hand tightly and smiled faintly.

"I know. Thanks Gabriella, but I've got to face her eventually. Besides, my parents got home this afternoon. They maybe slightly absent-minded, but I'm sure they'll notice that I'm not coming home at night…" He exhaled sharply. "No, tonight I need to go home."

Gabriella nodded. "I understand." She said quietly. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you Ryan. Through all of this, you've just been… amazing."

"I don't think I'd be able to get through this without you Gabriella." He said seriously.

There was a significant pause.

Gabriella finally smiled affectionately at him, reaching a hand up to ruffle his hair teasingly.

"I can't get over how amazing you look!" She said. "I love your hair like this."

"I'm glad someone does!" Ryan joked. The pair laughed lightly, but the mood was quickly broken by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Ryan turned toward the doorway, and felt himself pale upon seeing Sharpay.

She looked… perfect.

She was wearing a short-sleeved lacey white dress that flowed down to her knees, with a black belt accentuating the smallness of her waist. Her blonde hair was gently curled and pulled back with barrettes, and her lips were covered with red lipstick.

She looked like… an angel.

'But she isn't,' a soft voice reminded Ryan darkly. 'You of all people know what she's really like.'

Ryan steeled himself.

"Can we help you Sharpay?" Ryan found himself asking, his voice betraying none of his inner turmoil. Sharpay pursed her lips, and glared at Gabriella. Gabriella shifted awkwardly, turning to glance at Ryan, silently asking if he needed a moment. Ryan nodded.

"I'm just… gonna go wait in the greenroom. I'll see you in there in a few minutes, okay Ryan?" Gabriella said, walking towards the door, ignoring Sharpay's murderous glare.

"Okay Gabriella." He replied, smiling after the girl. Sharpay huffed. When Gabriella was completely out the door, Ryan turned his gaze to Sharpay, keeping his face completely blank.

"What's up?" He asked coolly.

Sharpay stared. "I wanted to do warm-ups with you." She said, eyes trailing over Ryan's face, his costume, his outfit. Ryan resisted the urge to fidget.

Ryan snorted, and Sharpay jolted sharply, looking slightly hurt.

"Go do them with Troy." Ryan said rudely, brushing past her as he walked towards the door.

"Ryan, please." She said desperately.

He froze. His back was to her, and he clenched his fists tightly.

'Move!' A voice screamed in his head. 'Don't LISTEN to her! She doesn't deserve it!'

Nevertheless, Ryan couldn't have moved if he had wanted to. A part of him wad morbidly curious as to what Sharpay would say.

"I… this whole thing is ridiculous!" She said, voice cracking. "Ryan please, we can't go on like this forever. Please, can we just… go back to the way we used to be?"

Ryan snickered. He couldn't help it.

He turned around, blue eyes narrowing on her coldly. As if sensing his fury, Sharpay took a step back, eyes wide.

"Back to the way we used to be." Ryan repeated in amusement. "Hmm… let me think on that." He raised a hand to his mouth, paused thoughtfully, and sighed mockingly. "No. No, I don't think so. And do you know why Sharpay?"

Sharpay shook her head, eyes growing glassy. Ryan took a step towards her.

"I know you slept with Troy," he said, voice deathly quiet. "And that is something I will never forgive." With that, Ryan spun around with the intent to leave.

"Troy and I never slept together! I mean yes, we fooled around a bit but-" Sharpay called after him desperately, but was interrupted as Ryan spun around, fuming.

"Why should I believe you Sharpay?" He spat. "You've given me no reason to trust you! Every time I trust you, I end up getting hurt!" At this, Sharpay winced. "I give, and I give, but it's never enough! I'm done giving Sharpay, and I'm done with you. If we weren't related through blood, I'd have no desire to ever see you again." Tears were falling down Sharpay's face now, and the monster within Ryan pushed him further.

"So… there it is." Ryan said coolly. "I hope you're happy with Troy now, because it's not going to last much longer, and you know why? Because he's going to get bored. He'll use you, and throw you away, just like he did with Gabriella, but here's the difference- when he does finally break your heart? I'm not going to be there to pick up the pieces. I'm done with this."

"Ry… Ryan…" Sharpay choked out, mascara streaking across her cheeks. "What are you saying?"

Ryan exhaled sharply.

"I'm saying… I give up. You win- I officially want nothing to do with you Sharpay. So go on, throw yourself all over Troy, and enjoy it while it lasts."

With that, Ryan spun around and walked out of the room, guilt clawing at his heart as he heard her sobbing behind him.

He paused outside the green room, taking a moment to compose himself. He swallowed painfully, and walked into the room.

He needed to talk to Gabriella.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

The show was going brilliantly, though there was an underlying tension between all four of the main cast members, and despite their best efforts, it shone through the characters. Luckily, it seemed to work with the plot.

"Do you really love him Evie?" Ryan asked softly, gazing imploringly at Sharpay who stood opposite of him. Her eyes rose to his almost desperately.

"Yes David, I do." She said flatly, unconvincing in the least.

Ryan frowned to himself.

"You know I can't approve of this." He finally said. Sharpay's brown eyes remained fixed on him.

"I know." She said quietly. "David, I'm sorry," she said, voice cracking on the word from sorry, and Ryan knew that just as it was Evie's apology to David, it was Sharpay's apology to Ryan.

But…

"Apologies aren't enough anymore Evie." Ryan said firmly. "You've made your decision… now you have to live with it."

It wasn't enough.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

"Sharpay, you were fantastic! And Ducky, oh my darling Ducky, you were wonderful!" Mrs. Evans cried, throwing her arms around Sharpay in a tight hug, and then moving over to do the same to Ryan.

Ryan laughed. Sharpay stared at the ground.

"Thanks mom, we're really glad you liked it!" Ryan said, carefully avoiding looking over at Sharpay.

Their father stepped forward.

"So how late should we expect you two home tonight? I assume the cast is having an opening night party?" Mr. Evans asked.

"Oh yeah!" Ryan said, grinning. "The cast and the backstage crew are going out for pizza, but it shouldn't run too late."

"Well you two have fun!" Mrs. Evans said brightly.

"I think I'm skipping the pizza." Sharpay mumbled. "I'm not feeling well."

"Oh darling!" Mrs. Evans raised her hand to Sharpay's neck, feeling for a fever. Ryan avoided looking over at her.

"Hey guys." A low voice behind them caused Ryan to tense up.

"Troy Bolton!" Mrs. Evans grinned. "You were fantastic!"

Troy grinned sheepishly. "Thanks Mrs. Evans. Do you mind if I steal Sharpay? I figured we could ride together to the restaurant."

"Oh Troy, that's very sweet, but Sharpay isn't feeling well. I think we need to get her home."

"No way!" Troy protested, grabbing Sharpay's hand. "I'll take good care of her. We'll stop and get her some aspirin, which should perk her right up!"

"That's very sweet Troy, but if Sharpay's feeling poorly-" Mrs. Evans began, but Ryan was quickly distracted away from the conversation when he felt someone tap him firmly on the shoulder. He turned around, and smiled warmly at the girl behind him.

"You were amazing Ryan." Gabriella said excitedly, throwing her arms around him in a crushing embrace. Ryan chuckled, and threw his arms around her in return.

"You too Gabriella. You're amazing up there." He whispered into her ear. Her arms tightened around his neck. When the couple finally detached, Ryan realized his family had gone oddly silent. He turned around, frowning curiously, and flushed when he realized that the four sets of eyes were focused on him. His parents were grinning widely at him, and observing Gabriella curiously. She leaned slightly into him, and Ryan realized with some amusement that she was embarrassed. Troy was glaring at them, and Sharpay looked… like her heart had just been broken.

"Ryan my boy! Who's this gorgeous young lady?" His father asked.

Ryan tore his gaze away from Sharpay and grinned.

"This is my best friend Gabriella." He said warmly, turning to glance at her. She seemed to be glowing from Ryan's words.

"It's nice to meet you!" She said, grinning at the older Evans. "I'm going to steal your son now."

Mr. And Mrs. Evans laughed.

"Just be sure to have him home by midnight!" Mr. Evans teased. Gabriella laughed.

"Absolutely!" She turned to Ryan, and winked. "Come on Cinderella. Let's get going." Ryan grinned, and followed after her closely.

"Why Gabriella Montez! I believe you just totally owned Troy Bolton! My parents liked you much better then him!"

Gabriella giggled. "Who cares?" She cried, grinning goofily at him. Ryan grinned back. "Am I really your best friend?" She asked, almost… shyly?

Ryan gently grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"The very best." He said seriously. She flushed, and her grinned widened.

"Ditto." She said softly.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

Sharpay ended up coming to the opening night pizza party, and Ryan was doing his best to avoid looking at her. Every time he did, he felt his heart wrench just a little bit tighter in his chest. Despite this, he kept feeling a pair of eyes staring at him, and he knew that it was Sharpay. He just… knew.

Thankfully, between talking to Gabriella, Kelsi, and Jason (Kelsi who had been playing the piano, Jason who had been one of the smaller parts in the show), he had more then enough reason to shrug off the glances.

It was an hour after everyone arrived that it had happened.

"Hey, check it out." Gabriella had whispered, nodding over toward Sharpay and Troy, who seemed to be fighting in the corner of the pizza shop. Ryan watched in fascination as Troy waved his hands, snapping at Sharpay, who in return shoved him in the chest. The argument seemed to grow louder, until finally Troy stormed away. Sharpay's eyes dropped to the floor, and she walked out the doors of the pizza shop, which was just inches away from where the couple had been arguing.

Ryan sighed.

'Damn it.'

"Hey…" He nudged Gabriella. "Sharpay rode with Troy. I should probably go give her a ride home." Gabriella nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She said, smiling at him. Ryan nodded,

"Absolutely. See you then."

Ryan grabbed his coat and shoved it on, striding out the doors of the restaurant. Sure enough, Sharpay was sitting on the curb in front of the restaurant, staring at the ground.

"Do you need a ride home?" Ryan asked, his voice perfectly neutral. Sharpay jerked sharply, and glanced up at him in surprise. "Well?"

"Yeah. Yeah I do." She murmured, not meeting his eyes. Ryan nodded.

"Come on then."

With that, he began walking towards his car, not bothering to check if Sharpay was behind him. He knew she would be.

Once the car was started up, and the siblings were buckled, Sharpay spoke.

"Aren't you giving Gabriella a ride home?" She said, voice surprisingly absent of any malice. Ryan glanced at her in surprise.

"She drove separately." He said.

"Oh."

An awkward moment of silence, then…

"I broke up with Troy." Sharpay said, and her voice was tinged with something Ryan couldn't quite place.

Whatever reaction she was hoping for, she wouldn't get it, Ryan decided. So instead, he said and did nothing. Inside, he was a mess.

'What's she trying to prove?' He wondered.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

The remainder of the drive home was filled with a terse silence, and Ryan sighed in relief when he was finally alone in his room, changing into his pajamas. Immediately, he collapsed onto bed, reaching over to flick the rooms' lights off.

A soft knocking came moments later. Ryan sighed into his pillow, knowing who was at his door.

"What?" He called tiredly.

The door opened, and he heard footsteps timidly approach his bed, only to stop short at the foot of the bed.

"I have something to say," Sharpay announced, voice trembling. "You don't have to say anything, but please Ryan, listen?"

He heard her take a deep breath.

"I screwed up Ryan. I made a mess out of everything. Everything could've been so wonderful if I had just…" She stopped, and took a shaky breath. "But that's not the point. The point is I screwed up. I hurt you, and I can't… I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate myself for doing that Ry. You're my brother, and I… I… I love you." Unknown to Sharpay, Ryan gripped his blankets a little tighter. "I want you to be happy, and if Gabriella is what makes you happy… then I understand. I know we can't go back to normal Ry, but…" He heard her breath catch, and when she spoke again, he could hear the tears. "I don't want you to hate me." She whispered, and the raw honesty of it slammed Ryan in the gut.

"I just needed to tell you that. I… I love you Ryan. Goodnight." She said. She left his room, closing the door quietly after her.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

It was during Math class when Darbus rushed in, looking panicked beyond belief. Mr. McGee, the teacher looked confused at her entrance.

"Mrs. Darbus?" He began hesitantly, "what's going-"

Darbus raised her hand to cut him off. "No time!" She snapped. Her gaze shifted around the classroom. "I need Sharpay, Ryan, and Gabriella to come with me now."

Ryan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and gawked.

"NOW!"

Ryan stood up in a flurry of motion, grabbing his books and shoving them in his bags. A similar sound from behind him told him that Sharpay and Gabriella were in motion as well. Quickly, he walked up to Darbus.

"Follow me." She said curtly.

Fearing for his life, Ryan did so without complaint. Finally, the quartet arrived at the empty drama classroom.

"We have a problem." She said, turning to face the three flustered students. "Troy has quit the show."

The reaction was instantaneous. Ryan cursed; Gabriella muttered Spanish obscenities, and Sharpay… Sharpay just sat there, looking confused. Sharpay turned to glance at him, and Ryan quickly averted his gaze.

He still hadn't spoken to Sharpay. He didn't know what to say. She couldn't possibly just expect him to forgive her, could she? It wasn't that simple… was it?

It was at that point Ryan realized Darbus was talking.

"-so clearly our best bet is to have Ryan take over Troy's part."

"What? No!" Ryan said quickly, sounding moderately horrified. "I'm not going to- I… No! She's my sister!"

Mrs. Darbus rubbed her temple. "I know, Ryan, but what other choice do we have? No one else will be able to learn this part last minute! At least you know most of the lines, so the only major issue would be blocking-"

"-and the fact that I'd be playing a romantic role opposite of my sister!" Ryan protested.

"Ryan, I know, but there's no other way!"

"Gabriella and I could switch parts." Sharpay cut in. Time froze. Ryan glanced at his sister, wide-eyed. She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she meant.

"What?" Darbus eventually asked, recovering from her stunned state.

"I'll step down from my role as Evelyn, and take the role of Victoria. Gabriella can play Evelyn, which would allow Ryan to play James." Sharpay said, her gaze shifting to Ryan. Ryan met her gaze, gaping slightly.

"But Sharpay, Gabriella doesn't…" Darbus began.

"She knows most of the lines." Sharpay cut her off, turning to look at her. "All you'd have to do is work on blocking with them, and even that they know fairly well. I'm familiar enough with Victoria's part that I could pull it off. The only issue would be finding someone to play David."

"There's an understudy." Darbus said dazedly.

"Wait, what? Why does Ryan have an understudy, and Troy doesn't?" Gabriella interrupted.

Darbus waved her off. "I was worried about you and Ryan." She admitted. "You both were so depressed that I thought I'd have to replace you last moment, so I had two of the small city characters become familiar with your parts. I never thought I'd have an issue with Troy… Just so irresponsible! But wait… Sharpay, are you sure you want to do this? The Julliard judges are coming to tonight's performance… You could be giving up your chance…"

Sharpay stared at Ryan, her brown eyes open and honest, pleading with him. "This show means more to me then Julliard." She said quietly, and Ryan knew without a shadow of a doubt that she meant he was more important then Julliard. He knew that Sharpay and he were staring unabashedly at each other, but he just couldn't look away.

"Very well. We have no time to lose then. Gabriella, Ryan, follow me. Sharpay, make sure you have Victoria's part down cold." With that, she stormed out the door, Gabriella rushing after her. Ryan remained perfectly still, gaze never wavering from Sharpay's. He took a step towards her. Then another. Then another. When he was close enough, he pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tightly. She hugged back tightly, shaking all the while as she buried her head into his shoulder.

"Thank you." He whispered, and pulled away enough to kiss her forehead. He smiled warmly at her before pulling away and rushing after Darbus.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

It was nearly show time. Ryan was feeling panicked.

What if he forgot his lines?

'No.' He told himself sternly. 'You're not going down that road. You're going to do fine. Darbus has faith in you. Sharpay has faith in you.'

For whatever reason, it was that thought that ceased all doubt in his mind. Sharpay had sacrificed so much. He wouldn't let her down.

He walked quickly down to the dressing room. It was ten minutes until show time, and Gabriella was the only character onstage for the first five minutes.

He was right by the door when he heard the voiced. Gabriella and Sharpay were… talking? Ryan knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, but he couldn't help himself.

"-just wanted to wish you luck." He heard Sharpay offer sincerely.

"Thank you Sharpay." Gabriella replied. "It was really nice of you to do this. I'll do my very best, and I'll try not to let you down."

"Yeah. Well, I'm sure you'll do great." Sharpay said. There was a few seconds of silence. "Hey… um, while I have you here, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Be careful with Ryan's heart." Sharpay said, and her voice sounded strained. "He really seems to like you." She laughed, and Ryan frowned at the forced sound behind it. Why was she doing this? She… really wanted Ryan to be happy?

In the room, Gabriella laughed.

"Sharpay," Gabriella said warmly, "Ryan and I aren't dating. We're best friends, but that's it. At one point, I thought we could be more, but…"

A long pause. Gabriella paused, and when she spoke again, her words seemed to be tinged with a slight sadness.

"His heart belongs to someone else."

Sharpay seemed stunned into silence.

Ryan counted to ten, and then knocked loudly on the door, strolling in. His best poker face was on, praying that it wasn't glaringly obvious he had been eavesdropping.

"Gabriella, they're calling for places for the first scene." He said, nervously avoiding eye contact with Sharpay. Gabriella nodded, grinning at him.

'Oh shit. She knows I was listening. How does she always know?'

Ryan rolled his eyes, smiling at her. Oh well. His secret was safe with her.

"Good luck." She offered to him as she brushed past him.

"Good luck!" He called after her, grinning. Finally, when there was no more stalling tactics he could think of, he turned to Sharpay, who was staring at him, a tiny smile on her face. Ryan blushed furiously.

"Um…" He mumbled. "We should… talk. Later tonight, okay?" And with that, he dashed out of the room. If he wanted to do this part, he had to get his head in the game.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

It was going fantastically.

Ryan could hardly believe it. Somehow, they were pulling this off… but the big kiss was only moments away, and Ryan was certain he would screw it up, just as he had all through their impromptu rehearsal.

When his cue finally came, he took a nervous step towards her, eyes wide. Over the top of Gabriella's head, Ryan could see Sharpay in the wings, staring at them. Not angrily… just… wistfully. His heart pounded against his ribcage painfully. Tonight would change things between them forever… whether it was for better or worse, wrong or right, things would change. Their eyes made contact for a brief instant, and Ryan exhaled sharply as the intensity of her gaze crashed into him.

With that image burning into his skull, he swept Gabriella into his arms, and kissed her deeply. When the lights dimmed, and the audience roared with thunderous applause, Ryan knew he had gotten it right.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -

After the show ended, everything blurred together. He doesn't remember Darbus running up to him, throwing her arms around him and congratulating him. He doesn't remember the Julliard judges walking up to him, and telling him that him and his sister could definitely expect a spot at Julliard. He doesn't remember Gabriella throwing her arms around him, and whispering in his ear to be careful with Sharpay, and that she wanted to know how it turned out, tomorrow over lunch. He doesn't remember going into the makeup room, changing his clothes, and taking off his stage makeup. He doesn't remember numbly walking to his car, or driving home. He doesn't remember walking down the halls of his house to his room, but he knows that all of it happened.

All he knows is that suddenly, he's laying on his bed, fully clothed, staring at the ceiling vacantly, wondering what the hell he's going to say to Sharpay, and how she'll take it.

Ryan tensed as he heard his door open, and light footsteps walked in, closing the door behind them. His heart pounds in sync with the quick footsteps moving in the direction of his bed, and he lets out a sharp breath when Sharpay lays down beside him, her eyes locked on him.

"Hey." She said softly.

Ryan smiled slightly. "Hey."

"You… were breathtaking tonight." Sharpay said, smiling softly at him.

Ryan chuckled weakly. "I wouldn't say breathtaking. Maybe super-awesome, or fabulous, or-"

Ryan's was swiftly cut off as Sharpay's lips pressed against his own. Unlike most of their previous kisses, this one was a fleeting barely there gentle pressure. She pulled away, and gazed at him nervously, gauging his reaction.

"I… I don't want you to feel pressured, or anything. You don't owe me anything." Sharpay said quietly, flushing slightly, and for an instant, Ryan was dazzled. She was breathtaking.

Ryan nodded. "I know." He replied. Sharpay's face seemed to fall at this, and her eyes dropped down to Ryan's chest. He chuckled. "Sharpay…" And with that, Ryan leaned forward and kissed her firmly, gently taking her lower lip in his mouth and nibbling on it, causing her to moan. Ryan smiled. He pulled away ever so slightly, and kissed her forehead, then her nose, and then her lips again, then turning his attention to her neck.

As he pressed smoky kisses against her collarbone, Sharpay sighed contentedly. "Oh Ry," she murmured, almost drunkenly, "I love you." They both froze. Sharpay tensed. Ryan paused from his ministrations to gaze into her eyes, and smiled.

"I love you too." He murmured lowly, capturing her lips in another breathtaking kiss.

- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - -THE END - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -