A/N: I hope you like this chapter, I did and so did ZZ9PluralZAlpha :) He didn't help because his brain was fried in the heat.

Don't own hsm x

Gabriella flopped down in her office chair as Taylor flopped down in the other one. The paperwork was sorted! Finally. Now Gabriella could concentrate on Jack's case. It wasn't as simple as other cases simply because of the ranch's involvement within the family. She'd need to find out about past family wills, any current wills which Meaghan or Jack might have, and she'd need to figure out where Troy and Michael stood as far as the wills were concerned. She knew one thing: Jack needed the ranch. It was something he'd built and accomplished and if she knew anything as his friend, it was that he needed to have something to work on after the divorce.

She took her glasses off and folded them neatly onto he desk. She reached for a pencil and slipped the end between her lips, a habit she'd picked up in high school. Whenever she was thinking things over, whether it was to do with work or general thinking, she'd automatically bite her pencil. She didn't like it but couldn't help it, either.

Her thoughts moved from Jack to Troy, something that was beginning to annoy her simply because of how frequent that was becoming. It had been a couple of days since their lunch in the field and they'd eaten lunch together everyday since. However, as Gabriella had said, she'd taken him out to lunch at a small café, wanting neither of them to have to make the lunch. He was officially her best friend. They had the odd serious conversation, whether it was about Ellie or about Austin, but they were usually joking with each other. He had admitted that he enjoyed making her laugh. There was something in their relationship that was different. It was peaceful. She'd told Troy the previous day when he dropped her back to work that when they were together, nothing else seemed to matter. Not a miscarriage or a break up…she was just Gabriella.

Today, they were going back to the field. But, today, she'd decided to make the picnic. She couldn't help it. She wanted to spend so much time with Troy. Now, though, it wasn't as scary because they knew each other a lot more now. But, still, it scared her to think that they'd only known each other a couple of weeks and she needed him so much. However, he had openly admitted that he enjoyed spending time with her and needed her so that he didn't feel like the couples were 'overpowering him'.

"Now, what's that blush for, missy?" Taylor asked, screwing up a piece of paper and throwing it at Gabriella.

Gabriella jumped from her thoughts and threw it back. "What'd you say?"

"You look like a tomato. Why are you blushing?" Taylor laughed.

Gabriella put her pencil down and frowned. "I don't know…I honestly don't."

"Well, what were you thinking about so seriously?" her co-worker asked.

She was not answering that. Not after Taylor's consistent pestering after she'd figured out that Gabriella was having lunch everyday with Troy. "I was thinking about Jack's case, is all." She wasn't lying, it just wasn't the most recent thing she'd been thinking about.

"Really? And you look like a tomato because you're thinking about Jack's case?" Taylor asked slowly.

Gabriella looked across at her. "Shut up."

Taylor smirked. "Thinking about a certain Mr Bolton?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "I wouldn't ever go for Michael. He's still in high school. That's super inappropriate."

"You know which Bolton man I was talking about," Taylor said quietly.

Gabriella sighed. "Well, I didn't really plan to," she paused when her cell phone began to ring, dancing around her desk because of the vibrations. "Hold on, Tay." She reached for her phone and slid it up. "This is Gabi," she said politely.

"I know who you are," a voice said lowly.

Gabriella sat up straighter. "What are you doing?" she cried.

"I think I'm speaking to you on the phone," the voice said dryly.

"I got that," she snapped. "I'm asking why. Why are you calling me?"

"I want to talk to you," he said sternly.

"Well, you could've talked to me back in New York. It was your choice to blow the whole thing off!" she exclaimed as she got to her feet and walked over to the window, her brow scrunched together in a frown.

"I was in shock, just listen to me," he pleaded.

"You think I wasn't in shock? Fuck, Austin. You know how much I was excited about everything. The moment something goes wrong, you break up with me. Why should I listen to you?" she demanded.

"Because I love you," he whispered.

That was all it took. She didn't want him to say that. Saying that simply confused her. She didn't want to break down in front of Taylor, but knew it was going to happen whether she liked it or not. Before her mind closed down completely, she managed to hang up. However, she couldn't get her phone back into her pocket and instead dropped it to the floor. She released a sob and closed her eyes as she slid down the wall and curled into herself, hugging her knees to her chest.

Taylor leapt to her feet and rushed over to her friend. "Gabi?" she whispered.

Gabriella cried into her knees, not making any movements other than the heaving caused by her muffled sobs. She tried to break out of her frozen state, knowing how scared Taylor would be. Even Kelsi and Sharpay, who had seen her like this numerous times, still got scared and worried for their friend. Gabriella knew from experience that it was even worse for people who were seeing it for the first time. Take the restaurant for instance; she knew that Jason and Zeke had been confused until she had explained everything.

She felt Taylor shake her shoulder but couldn't find the will to tell her not to worry and to leave her for a while. Her heart craved one person's touch and she knew that Taylor would figure it out in a minute. She had a feeling, no matter how bizarre it seemed, that she'd break out of it if someone she had become very close to walked through the door.

"Gabi, come on. What happened?" Taylor pleaded.

Gabriella remained curled up, only moving slightly with each sob.

A thought occurred to Taylor and reached for Gabriella's cell phone. She pressed the number one and held it to her ear. "Come on!"

* * *

Troy sat down in his desk chair, knowing his next appointment wasn't for ten more minutes. He ran his hands through his hair and rested his elbows on his desk. He was so confused. Ever since he'd first taken Gabriella to lunch, Ellie had been appearing more and more. It made no sense. Why did he want to spend so much time with her? It was like she was some form of drug. He couldn't get enough of her. Every time he saw her smile or heard her giggle, he began liking her more and more.

Kaden had noticed a difference in him. And, of course, so had Michael, Jack and Lucille. The three other adults on the farm were teasing him about how happy he'd been since he met Gabriella. Kaden, however, still wasn't entirely sure why his daddy was suddenly so happy all of the time but, he wasn't complaining. Troy was singing more around the house and had even found his old guitar from high school and had begun playing again. He wasn't all that good because he hadn't played in years but Kaden was fascinated how his daddy could play such a big, complicated instrument so well.

Troy laughed to himself as he leaned back in his chair. Its funny how one person can change your life so drastically. Kelsi had suggested not-so-subtly that Gabriella could do with a boyfriend to help her move on from Austin. He'd swatted her hat off and glared playfully at her. Just because he was suddenly spending time with a beautiful, young woman, doesn't mean he was falling in love with her.

Right?

It wasn't a case that he didn't believe in love at first sight because he did. It had been love at first sight with him and Ellie. But, it's hard to fall in love with someone at first sight when you're still in love with your dead wife.

He shook his head to himself and got to his feet. That sentence sounded so harsh. He began busying himself with preparing some vaccinations for the dog that was coming in a few minutes. He needed to stay focussed while he was working. The last thing he needed was for his mind to wander to Gabriella whilst examining an animal. It was becoming harder and harder, though. All he could think about was the upcoming lunches with Gabriella.

His cell phone suddenly range and he reached into his lab coat pocket for it. All of his patients knew that he kept his cell phone on whilst at work simply because of Kaden. All of his friends knew when he worked and would only contact him if there was an emergency. He set the syringes onto the examination table and checked the caller ID. Gabriella. He flipped his phone up, holding it to his ear. "Talk to me."

"Troy," Taylor exclaimed frantically.

"Tay? Why do you have Gabi's phone?" he asked.

"I don't know what's wrong," she cried.

"Why? Where's Gabi?" Troy demanded.

"Right here in front of me. But, she isn't. She's not talking or moving," Taylor whispered.

"What happened before she went like that?"

"She had a phone call. She mentioned New York and blowing things off. She mentioned someone called Austin, too," she muttered.

"Austin?" he exclaimed as he hurriedly shrugged his lab coat off, revealing his blue and white striped shirt and jeans. He dropped it carelessly to the floor and darted out of the consultation room.

"Yeah, I don't know the full details, but something upset her. She's here in front of me, I can see her, but it's like she's suddenly…" she trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Frozen," he whispered his guess as he strode through the surgery towards the back kitchen where the staff had their breaks.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Taylor asked.

"Lucky guess," he growled. "Hold on, Tay." He covered the mouth piece as he stepped into the kitchen. "Sam, I need you to cover me. Mrs Johnson and her Westie are due in about two minutes. It's just some vaccinations but check the gums."

Sam nodded. "Sure, Troy." He left the kitchen.

Troy dug his keys from his pocket and rushed out of the back door, heading for the staff's parking lot. "Tay, I'm on my way. Why did you call me, anyway? Why not Shar?" He unlocked his truck and climbed in, clicking his seatbelt in place.

"She said how you wanted to be the first one she calls," she explained.

"I'm coming," he muttered as he hung up and threw his phone onto the passenger seat. The engine roared to life and he drove speedily through Albuquerque. He lurched to a halt in the parking lot next to Taylor's car and grabbed his phone before he got out. He locked the car and bolted towards the building in front of him. He ran through the door and leapt up the stairs, three at a time. Adrenaline surged through his body as he saw the door to Gabriella's office. He slowed down as he approached and he pushed the door open. He saw Gabriella curled up beneath the window, her face buried into her knees. Taylor was crouched in front of her.

He strode over to them both and immediately sat down next to Gabriella, wrapping his arms around her. "Gabi, I'm here."

She let go of her knees and turned to him, snaking her arms around him. "Troy," she whimpered into his neck. "I can't breath."

"I know," he whispered, kissing her hair. "Tay, its fine. I've got it from here."

"You sure?" she asked sceptically.

He nodded. "Go home. Gabi won't be working today."

She nodded as she rose to her feet. "Okay. Call me when she's better."

Troy smiled thankfully up at her. "I will. Bye, Tay." He watched Taylor leave before pulling Gabriella onto his lap. He cradled her protectively in his arms and rocked her back and fore. "Gabi," he murmured.

"Hmmmm…" she mumbled into his neck.

"Can you breathe now?" he asked quietly.

She lifted her head and managed to crack a small smile. "Yeah, I can."

"Good. You okay?" He brushed some hair from her forehead and ran his thumb over her cheeks to wipe her tears away.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm so confused. Just when I thought he wouldn't bother me anymore, he calls me."

"What did he say?" he asked quietly, looking into her eyes.

"He said he wanted to talk to me and I asked why I should listen after everything her put me through," she whispered, looking at her lap.

"And…"

Gabriella lifted her head as more tears fell and she looked into his eyes. "He said he loves me."

"That's when you froze, isn't it?" he whispered softly, an enigmatic look on his face.

She nodded slightly. "I didn't know what to do."

He stroked her cheek gently and nodded. "It's okay. He won't hurt you. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"It's not so much that." She sniffed and leaned into him, her face nestled into the crook of his neck. "I know I don't have to do anything I don't want to. I know you well enough to know you wouldn't even let me consider that. I didn't know what to say, that was the problem."

"Why would it be a problem?" he asked. "Just say what you feel."

"That's not as easy as I want it to be. I don't know what I feel about him," she whimpered.

Worry suddenly crossed his face and a lump suddenly formed in his throat. She might still love him. She might take him back and despite what she'd told him when they were in the field; she could leave Albuquerque and go back to New York. He didn't want that. He couldn't have that. She was his father's lawyer. And, forgetting that she was Kelsi's best friend, when he was with Gabriella, he didn't feel alone anymore. Not that he didn't appreciate his company with his family or friends but, it was nice to hang out with someone his own age who could relate to how he felt.

He coughed self consciously and ran his hand gently over her back. "Would you take him back?" he asked in a voice which was several octaves higher than normal.

Gabriella lifted her head and looked at him. "That depends on a couple of things but this is one of them: would I lose you?"

"I'm not important," he mumbled.

"That isn't what I asked. I asked if I would lose you. Would I?" she asked seriously.

"I don't know. Gabi, I love spending time with you and everything but I think I'd probably kill him. I'm sorry. I'm not making you choose," he added hurriedly.

She nodded. "I know that. But, he's not worth that. I mean, even if he was begging on his knees and gave me the most heartfelt apology ever, I'd really have to think about it because I'd have to be certain that I wouldn't get hurt. But, you gave me my answer. I don't want to lose you. You've helped me so much."

Troy breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "I know. You've helped me, too."

"How?" she asked.

"You cheered me up. You know, I've been so worried about this stupid divorce. Not just about whether I caused it, but about my dad and Mike and especially Kaden. He's so young and I'm going to have to tell him that my parents don't love each other anymore. But, I don't want to tell him that because I don't want him to think that it could happen to him. I don't want him to fear love.

"But, you changed that. You make me happy. You just give me strength and you give me hope that life will be better after all of this craziness is over. You helped me just like I helped you," he said softly and kissed her cheek.

She smiled and leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder. She placed her hand on his chest and began drawing invisible patterns there. "I didn't know I've helped you."

"You've helped me in so many ways," he whispered, running one hand over her back and the other over her arm, encasing her securely in his arms. "I don't know how to thank you."

She sighed gently against him. "You don't have to."

He leaned against the wall and continued his soothing movements against her back and arm. Her fingers kept drawing absently on his chest and, although he wouldn't admit it in the moment, he enjoyed it. The action was simple, almost innocent, but it meant so much to him. He knew that so many girls in Albuquerque, no matter their age, would want to do something much more sexual than simply tracing invisible on his chest which was still covered by his shirt. It was something that seemed typically Gabriella.

"This is nice," he murmured.

"My office or…this?" she whispered.

Troy chuckled at the embarrassment evident in her voice and guessed that she was blushing. "Both," he admitted quietly. "But, I was only talking about one."

"I know. I wish we could stay this way forever," she muttered. "It's so calm when I'm with you."

* * *

Troy opened the front door and let Gabriella step inside first. He followed her and shut the door behind him. "Ignore the toys. I try to tidy up but what's the point?"

She giggled and nodded with understanding. "I love it. I'd love to have a house like this," she whispered. She leaned against the wall and looked wistfully into the lounge which was scattered with toys. "People see me as clean freak but, I wouldn't care. It never mattered to me once I was pregnant. It's strange in some ways. How one flip of events changes what you want from life."

Troy took her hand and pulled her down the hall. "Come on, Gabi. You'll be a mom one day." He released her hand when they reached the kitchen.

She sighed gently and watched him as he pulled the fridge open and took out some milk. "Would you like more children?" she asked.

He turned to her with raised eyebrows. "More children?"

Her eyes widened. "Not with me. I meant, you know…In the future…If there's another Mrs Bolton." She spoke quietly, struggling to get the final words out in the open.

He shrugged as he turned to a cupboard and pulled out two glasses. "Who knows? I'd love more children. Raising Kaden was really great, no matter if Ellie was alive or not, raising Kaden was a joy." He poured milk into the tumblers and then returned the milk to the fridge. He picked up the drinks and sat down at the kitchen table. He patted the chair next to him and waited until she was sat next to him to continue. "But, to be honest, I don't know if I should. I mean, the divorce is going on, I don't have a girlfriend, and it would have to be ridiculously slow. I'd have to make sure Kaden likes the woman before I ask her out, then, we'd have to get married. It's just not viable in the circumstances."

Gabriella looked over the rim of her glass at him as she took a sip. She cradled the glass in her two hands as she looked into his eyes. "Gosh, you sound like me."

"I sound like you? How?" he asked, smiling broadly at her. "I'm intrigued."

"That's what I want to do. Not the whole 'I hope Kaden likes my boyfriend' thing. The going slow part. I rushed into one relationship and…" She didn't bother to finish the sentence but, instead, started the next one. "I don't want to rush into another."

"I can understand that," he mumbled. "You know how you said you're staying Albuquerque?"

She nodded. "I am. You're here." She smiled brightly at him.

He chuckled and looked down at the wooden table, only slightly smaller than the one at Jack's. "And you're really special to me."

She blushed a light pink and looked down at her drink in embarrassment. "Thank you."

"If I meet someone else," he started, feeling his throat constrict with every word, "you'll tell me honestly what you think about her, right?" He never imagined in a million years how hard it would be to ask the woman sitting next to him that question.

She nodded. "Of course. Will you give me your honest opinion about any guy I might meet?"

Troy ran a hand over his face and finally nodded. "Sure."

"Why did you do that?" she asked quietly.

"Do what?" he frowned at her.

"Run a hand over your face. Your dad does that a lot at our meetings when he's stressed. Why are you stressed?" she asked timidly.

"Not stressed exactly," he looked over at her, "just worried." He scraped his chair back and stood up. "You want pasta salad?"

His sudden coldness and firmness made her flinch and hunch over the table, staring at the wood. "Yeah," she whispered. She sipped her milk quietly as Troy bustled about the kitchen.

He knew that he hadn't known her long but he couldn't help it and it scared him. The thought of finding another woman hadn't occurred to him at all and now he couldn't stop. But, it was only one woman he wanted to be with. He didn't want to want to be with her but, he did and couldn't help it. And the fact the she asked him to be honest to her if she ever found another boyfriend wasn't helping things. He'll be damned if she gets a boyfriend that isn't him.

Okay, that sounded way too overprotective to ever be seen as attractive but it's true. She was so weak and vulnerable and she needed protection. Not that he thought she would be stupid and pick a man that wouldn't treat her right but… Why was there a 'but' that seemed to complicate everything? He just wanted her to be happy and safe. He knew that she was safe with him, he'd never let anything hurt her. And he knew she was happy around him. She always laughed and smiled around him. Not that she was miserable around their friends but, around him, she seemed so free and untainted by the roubles she'd fought through.

He suddenly twisted his head, his hands poised on the rim of two plates, ready to pick them up. And she was beautiful. A beauty that was rare when mixed with intelligence, kindness, a sense of humour, passion and being a good friend. Not to mention that she was excellent with Kaden and Naomi. If she was any other girl, his best guess was that she was pretending to be good with children so that he'd go out with her. But, he knew, from the sparkle in her eyes when she was around Kaden or when they talked about him, that she genuinely cared and worried for Kaden.

She looked up from her drink and consciously lifted a hand to her face. "Why are you looking at me? Do I have something on my face?"

He shook his head slowly, a gentle smile pulling at his lips. "No. No, you don't. You're perfect." He turned back to the counter and reached for some cutlery.

Whilst growing up, he'd pondered the definition of perfection. He'd never found perfection until he met Ellie. Then, he found it again when he held Kaden in his arms for the very first time. Now, he has it all over again in Gabriella. He finally figured out that there were many types of perfection he could find.

As he took the plates and cutlery over to the table and then placed the bowl of pasta salad in the middle, he thought about Ellie. He picked up some tongs from the counter and then sat down next to Gabriella. He began scooping pasta salad onto Gabriella's plate and he smiled across at her as she began to slowly eat the meal. He loaded his plate with the food and picked up his fork. He tapped it against the table thoughtfully, resulting in a rhythmic muffled thump. He leaned back in his chair and smiled softly at how much pasta she could fit into her mouth, any hint of femininity disappearing.

Troy now knew the definition of perfection. Perfection means falling in love with someone.