Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! Here's your Christmas present! :)

Thanks for being so understanding about the updates! It means a lot. I'm going to try to get at least two more chapters out within the next week and a half.

Thanks for all of your reviews, too. They make my day!

BTW- I have finished planning the rest of the story, and it looks like it is actually going to be 27 chapters! I can't make it any shorter than that or the story will suffer, but I'll try to update as best as I can!

***For those of you who do not know what ESPN is, it is a sports channel in the United States (and I'm pretty sure many other countries in the world). They broadcast sporting events and other stuff. Just an FYI if you didn't know.

Another thing – all the sports stars in this chapter are made up and do not exist.

Story: The Road Not Taken

Chapter: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fearful

Rating: T (a few swear words)

Summary: Troy and Gabriella have been married for three years, when one day Gabriella ends up in a car crash. What happens when she wakes up and has no idea who Troy is?

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the plot. I thought of this story idea, and if it is like yours, that is extremely coincidental. I have not read another story like this.

Standing on her tiptoes to increase her height, Gabriella reached for the laundry detergent on the top shelf of the display for almost thirty seconds before she grasped the bottle and brought it down into the cart. Shopping was sometimes ridiculous, considering her height. Being petite wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

As she pushed the cart down the next isle, Gabriella spotted her two year old toddler sprinting across the store to get to her. She gently smiled as he approached and chucked a package into the cart.

"What's this, Caleb?" Gabriella questioned as she reached down to look at the box. Inside was a bicycle helmet. The young brunette couldn't help but giggle at her son's excited eyes.

"Oh, honey. I know you want this but you don't have a bike. When you get a tricycle we can come back and get it for you, okay?" Gabriella said gently, ruffling her toddler's sandy brown hair.

"But Daddy said! He said I could get it!" Caleb exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement. Gabriella couldn't help but be confused.

"What do you mean 'Daddy said' sweetie? Why would he say you could get a helmet if you don't need one?"

"Because Daddy is buying his son a bike."

Troy's voice startled Gabriella, and she whipped around to see him carrying a large brown box before he set it in the cart.

"Troy, are you serious? What is it?" Gabriella asked, trying to decipher the description on the box when it was upside-down.

"It's a Schwinn Roadster Tricycle. We got it in black because that's Caleb's favorite color right now." Troy commented, picking up his toddler. The little boy gave him a huge hug.

"THANKS DADDY!" Caleb shouted with joy, giving his father another hug. Troy smiled proudly.

"He really likes it." The young man said to his wife, who was now staring at the box in awe.

"Troy, this tricycle is almost two hundred dollars! Are you serious?" she asked. This was unbelievable. A two hundred dollar tricycle just because Caleb wanted one? Her son was going to grow up and never learn the value of hard work if he got everything he wanted.

Troy let out a huge sigh before he placed Caleb in the built-in chair in the cart. He walked over to Gabriella and whispered in her ear so Caleb would not hear what he was saying.

"Gabriella, I've told you this before. The money is not a problem. It doesn't matter how much the bike costs." The young brunette tried to ignore the warmth of Troy's breath by her ear as she formulated her response.

"But Troy…" she turned around to look him in the eye, hoping to drive her point across. The blue in them was overwhelming, just as it always was, and made her stomach flip. "If Caleb always gets what he wants, when he wants, then how is he ever supposed to learn the concept of working hard to get what you want?"

Troy cast his eyes down at the ground momentarily before bringing them back up to meet Gabriella's. "I know that this seems like I'm giving him things that he wants, but Caleb asked for the tricycle a long time ago. He never mentioned it since."

"And that's that reason why, just out of the blue, you decided to buy him a bike?" Gabriella questioned, her face wearing a defiant expression.

"Well, he…no." Troy sighed again and leaned over to whisper in Gabriella's ear again. "Look, Gabriella. I'm leaving tomorrow and I won't be back for almost two weeks. It's really hard for me to leave Caleb and wonder if he thinks about why I'm gone. He knows that I go to play basketball, but he wonders why it takes so long. I just don't want him to ever think that he might be the reason why I'm leaving. He's so young, and I want to make sure that he knows his daddy loves him, and that he really wants to be there with him. Buying a bike is the least I can do, especially knowing that I'm also going to miss Christmas this year." Troy looked at Gabriella sincerely, willing her to see his point. "I know it may seem like he always gets what he wants, but…"

The young brunette was quiet for a moment before she slowly nodded her head. That was a perfectly good explanation. She felt bad for assuming Troy had been carelessly buying Caleb anything he wanted without a reason. He couldn't help it. Troy was so worried about being absent from his son's life that he wanted to go out of his way to show Caleb that he loved him.

"Okay," she muttered, returning to the cart to continue her shopping. Troy walked in silence next to her, occasionally placing items that she would need in the cart.

The family was going grocery and supplies shopping in order for Troy to show Gabriella what kinds of food and materials Caleb would need. Gabriella tried to tell him that she already knew all about the things Caleb needed. She had observed her child for the last three months and figured it out herself. Troy just wanted to be sure, though.

"Did I mention that Caleb will be staying with my parents during the day while you're at work? The next daycare session doesn't start until after Christmas, so they offered to help out. You don't have to worry about driving him to their place, though. They'll sit at the house…" Troy commented absently, placing a package of water bottles underneath the cart.

"I think you mentioned that, maybe three times before." Gabriella smiled softly, looking at her now embarrassed husband. She held back a giggle when his cheeks turned pink.

"Sorry. I just really want to make sure you're okay while I'm gone." He said, looking down at the ground again. The couple started to make their way to the front of the store.

"Thank you." Gabriella whispered, and began to load the purchases onto the conveyer belt, including the two hundred dollar bike.

That night had been rough for Gabriella. She watched as Troy put Caleb to bed, tucking him in and kissing his forehead. After they returned from shopping, he had spent the rest of the evening playing with the toddler, and teaching him the basics of riding his new tricycle.

That wasn't really why the night had been rough, though. It actually was because watching Troy tuck in their child had given Gabriella a sickening realization…

He was leaving for two weeks.

What was she going to do without him? Here she was, alone in this new life of hers, like a three month old baby. Troy had been there for her and made her comfortable, but now she didn't have that home base anymore. That…console.

So currently, at four in the morning, Gabriella was trying to keep in the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. She couldn't deny that she was really going to miss Troy for the next two weeks.

Caleb seemed distraught at the idea of his father leaving. Tears were streaming down the little boy's face as he clutched at his father's jacket.

"Hey, buddy. It's okay. Daddy will be back in a little less than two weeks. You still have mommy here. Right?" Troy soothed his child. Caleb glanced back at Gabriella and stuck a hand out for her. She moved toward the toddler and gave him a hug, even though he was still in his father's arms.

"Honey, you can still talk to Daddy everyday. He'll call." Gabriella looked up at Troy for reassurance.

"Every day," he nodded before leaning in closer to his son. "I'm going to miss you buddy. We'll play a bunch of basketball when I get back, okay?"

"Okay." Caleb muttered, his bottom lip still sticking out. The tears were slowing, but the pout on his face was becoming more pronounced.

"I love you Caleb. Be good for your mom." Troy leaned down to press a kiss to Caleb's forehead before setting the boy on the ground. He then turned to Gabriella.

Here's the fun part he thought.

Troy had been dreading this moment for a while, not only because he had to leave his son behind, but because he had no idea how he was going to say goodbye to Gabriella. She was going to be left to fend for herself. If she needed him, he would be thousands of miles away.

Needless to say, saying goodbye to his wife was hard - even when she didn't remember who he was.

"You've got everything?" Troy asked gently, looking Gabriella in the eye. He could have sworn there were unshed tears clouding over the brown.

"Yeah. And I'll call you or your mom if I'm not sure of anything, or if I need help. I have all of the numbers in the kitchen by the phone." Gabriella stated, still trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Good. I'll call once my plane lands, too. And every night before Caleb goes to bed. Have a good two weeks at work, okay? Don't let them take advantage of you just because you don't remember how good you are at your job." Troy smiled softly.

"I won't. Thanks for the heads up, though." The young brunette muttered, before realizing the shocked expression that now covered Troy's face was because of the lone tear that had escaped from her eye.

Damn it she mentally cursed before quickly wiping it away with her hand.

"Oh, Gabi." Troy sighed, bringing her into his arms. He kept a tight grip on his wife, carefully and subtly burying his face in her hair. God, he was going to miss her.

"I'll miss you, Troy." Gabriella mumbled into Troy's chest. Even though she knew he didn't want her, she couldn't help but let those four words slip out of her mouth.

"I'll miss you, too. Take care of Caleb, alright? You'll be fine." Troy muttered before releasing his grip on her.

Of course, take care of Caleb. He's worried that I'll neglect my own child Gabriella thought. He wasn't really going to miss her; she was just the mother of his child. He wanted to make sure that Caleb was safe.

Perfectly reasonable Gabriella reminded herself.

"Well, good luck in your four games. Taylor's going to come over tomorrow to watch you and Chad play the Suns." Gabriella said, picking up Caleb from the floor where he was watching his father.

Troy laughed. "Good. Hopefully we won't lose." He said before grabbing his duffel bag by his feet.

All of the sudden, a car honk interrupted the silence between the family.

"That's my car. Have a good two weeks, and I'll see you both very soon." Troy bid his final goodbye, and kissed Caleb on the forehead once more before turning to Gabriella and leaning in, rather hesitantly, to kiss her on the cheek. He didn't say a word afterwards, and walked out the door.

Gabriella was pulled out of her state of shock when she felt a tug on her hair and looked down at her toddler, who was now half asleep.

"Come on. Let's get you back to bed."

After Caleb was tucked in and had fallen asleep, Gabriella retreated to the master bedroom, where she drifted off into her own state of sleep.

But she couldn't forget the feeling of Troy's lips pressed to her cheek. It was something that would hopefully hold her over until he got back, but more so than that…

Why would he do that if he didn't care about her?

"Alright, dear. Have a good day at work. Don't worry about Caleb and I, we'll be fine." Lucille reassured her daughter-in-law. Gabriella smiled softly and tried to wipe the worried look off her face. "I'll be back tonight, okay sweetie?" Gabriella kissed her toddler on the cheek and gave him a big hug before retreating to her car in the garage.

As Gabriella had not slept well the previous night, had gotten up early to see Troy off, and was worried about her first day of work, she knew that today was not going to be fun.

Thankfully, her lunch break came around quicker than expected, and Gabriella found herself sitting face to face with Taylor, who had dropped by to "talk".

"I meant to ask you yesterday when I called…how was your Thanksgiving?" Taylor set her purse down on the floor as she and Gabriella took their seats in the building's cafeteria.

Gabriella's mind floated back to the previous week when she, Caleb, and Troy had gone over to Lucille and Jack's house for dinner. It had been slightly uncomfortable, seeing as the last time the five of them had dinner there had been some awkward conversation. For the most part, though, it was uneventful, and Gabriella actually managed to have a good time.

"The food was really good. Lucille is an amazing cook." Gabriella complemented, digging her cell phone out of her purse to check the time. "How was yours?"

Taylor grinned. "Nothing special. We had pizza. Chad knows that I don't like to cook, so he was nice enough to make a pizza out of the box for me."

"Aw… that's so considerate of him. Does he do that every year?" Gabriella questioned.

"No. To be honest, I think he had a hidden agenda. He's been trying to please me a lot lately. I'm pretty sure that I know why, too…"

"Really? A hidden agenda? What does he want from you?" The brunette looked confused.

"I think he wants to have a baby." Taylor whispered. "But I don't know if I'm ready to be a mother yet. He would be so happy, and I want to make sure he's happy, but I wanted to wait a couple of years until his career died down."

"Taylor, that's perfectly reasonable. If I could remember why Troy and I had Caleb so young, I would try and give you better advice, but I don't." Gabriella grinned. "He's so adorable, though."

"He is. It makes me want to have a child, but…not yet. I don't think."

"Maybe you should bring it up with Chad. You guys could talk and reach a compromise." The young brunette suggested.

"That's a good idea. I think I'll try that when he gets back." Taylor nodded, suddenly producing a smile. "So how's it been going today? Is Steven working you hard?" She grinned before taking a bite of her salad.

"Not too much. Just some basic things. He says business really heats up around Christmas, though. So I'm sure I will have plenty of work to do around the holidays." Gabriella commented.

"I can only imagine." Taylor agreed. "I don't know if I ever told you, but I work, too. I'm a trainer for paramedics. Intense job, but it's nice because I only have to work a couple of days a week. They start to get nice after you do great at your job."

Gabriella grinned. "A trainer for paramedics? That's awesome! But I thought you wanted to be a doctor?" The brunette's grin wore off as she looked into Taylor's frozen face.

"What?" her friend asked slowly.

"Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." Gabriella muttered, suddenly embarrassed. She searched through her mind, trying to find the offensive comment.

"No, you didn't offend me. Just…I never told you I wanted to be a doctor." Taylor still spoke slowly, and her shocked expression was securely in place.

Gabriella was silent.

"You remembered that, didn't you? Oh my gosh, Gabriella!" Taylor exclaimed. "You remembered that!"

"Oh…" Gabriella muttered, her cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink.

"Wait a second. Have you remembered other things too?" Taylor whispered, leaning in close to Gabriella as if they were sharing secrets.

"Well, I honestly have no idea. It's not like I realize that they were things I had forgotten. I just feel like I know them. Like, the other day, when I was watching Troy play basketball with Caleb in the backyard. Caleb was wearing a small jersey with the number fourteen on it, and I realized that that was Troy's high school number. But then, I don't know if I saw that in a picture or not." Gabriella's eyes closed. "It's just so confusing."

"Did you tell Troy about that?" Taylor asked.

"No. He doesn't need to think that I'm starting to remember things if I'm just thinking about what I've learned the past three months."

"Gabriella," Taylor reached out to grab her friend's hand. "Troy would have wanted to know…regardless."

"I guess." Gabriella surrendered before taking a sip from her water bottle.

"Well, enough memory talk. I can tell it's making you uncomfortable. How about I ask you something I've been meaning to ask for a while…what was up with you and Troy that night we watched The Grudge?" Taylor questioned, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Oh, that…" Gabriella's blush came back again. She was hoping to avoid this conversation with Taylor. "He's just really sweet like that. I didn't know that The Grudge was a scary movie when Chad suggested it. I hate horror films, and I guess Troy knew that, so he was kind enough to comfort me."

Taylor stared back at her with a blank expression. "That does not explain why you were cuddling close to him during the entire movie."

"I was not…" Gabriella knew talking to Taylor was a lost battle, and decided just to get it over with. "I was really scared. We weren't cuddling."

"Sure." Taylor smirked. "Are you falling for him Gabriella? It's okay to tell me. I won't let him know. Promise."

"No, Taylor. Of course I'm not falling for him." Gabriella had to look at the ground as she obviously lied through her teeth. She hated doing that. "I have to go, my break's over in five minutes." The young brunette excused herself quickly. "Thanks for coming though."

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow. I can tell you all about the Red Hawks games." Taylor commented, giving Gabriella a quick hug before leaving the building.

Gabriella returned to her office before sinking into her leather desk chair. Conversations with Taylor had always been more comfortable than with other people, and that scared her. What if she had accidentally told Taylor that she was falling for Troy? Taylor could have told him, and she would have been humiliated if Troy tried to tell her that he wasn't interested.

Goodness. I'm putting more stress on myself than necessary.

"Gabriella?"

She whipped her head up at the sound of her name, and saw Michael, the owner of the company, standing outside her door.

"Oh, hello Michael. I'm sorry I didn't see you there." She commented, realizing that her blush was probably very pronounced at the moment.

"No worries. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. I made sure that Steven wouldn't work you too hard today, or the rest of the week. Is he keeping to that promise?" Michael crossed the room and sat in one of the chairs facing her desk.

"Yes. He's been really nice about everything. So that's why? You told him to?"

"Yeah. I wanted to make sure that you wouldn't quit. We need you around here." Michael smiled, before glancing around her office, his gaze stopping on a picture of her and Troy.

"So how's Troy doing? I hear the Red Hawks are up for a good season this year."

"He's good. He just left for his away game stretch this morning." Gabriella forced a small smile. Something was troubling her about her upper boss. He seemed so nice, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

"That's nice. I'll be watching the game tomorrow." Michael stood up and walked back to the door before turning around to face Gabriella again. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. My number's in your cell if you don't remember." He stated, before leaving the room.

At that exact moment, Gabriella's cell phone began to ring. She searched through her purse before she found it.

Troy.

"Hello?" she answered politely, just in case she had a client by the same name.

"Hey Gabriella, it's Troy. Just wanted to let you know that my flight landed in Phoenix. How did everything go this morning?"

Gabriella took a deep breath. It was so good to hear his voice. It almost felt too good.

"Fine. Your mom came over around seven and I took off about fifteen minutes later, so it was perfect." She stated.

"Good. I was getting a little worried. I called you a couple of times before but you weren't picking up the phone." He laughed slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Taylor came over to have lunch with me today, and I was just talking to Michael. I must have missed the ring." She stated apologetically.

There was a moment of silence on the other line. "Michael?" Troy stated in a plain tone.

"Yeah. He owns the company." Gabriella said cautiously; suddenly weary of Troy's tone.

"What did he say to you?"

"He just wanted to know how my day was going. He asked about you, too. I think he's a fan." Gabriella moved the mouse of the computer as she noticed she had a new e-mail.

"Sure…" Troy's voice sounded very tense now, and Gabriella's gut feeling about Michael came back tenfold.

"Is something wrong, Troy?"

"No. I'm just glad your morning went smoothly. I have to go now, but I'll call later tonight." Gabriella heard a door opening in the background. He must have been at his hotel.

"Of course. I'll talk to you later then." She stated before ending the call.

Something was up with Troy, and Gabriella couldn't help but think that it had to do with Michael.

There must be a history between them.

"Honey, sit down please," Gabriella said before turning her attention back to the stove.

Because it was just her and Caleb for the night, Gabriella decided to make him his favorite meal – Macaroni and Cheese – and then sit down to watch the Wiggles with him.

The sandy-haired boy stopped running immediately at his mother's request, and scrambled over to the sofa, burying his head in the blanket lying across the back of it.

Gabriella turned off the stove and poured the macaroni into a bowl for herself and a plastic dish for Caleb, before walking over to the couch and setting the dishes down on the table in front of it.

"Now Caleb, we aren't going to make a habit of eating in the TV room, so don't get used to it." Gabriella warned, before taking the toddler into her lap and handing him the plastic bowl. She would eat her own food later. Right now, she just wanted to make sure that he didn't spill.

"KAY!" Caleb shouted loudly before shoveling a massive amount of noodles into his mouth. Gabriella grinned and kissed his temple before turning on the TV.

Before she could switch to the correct channel, she noticed that ESPN was on, and decided to see if there was any mention of the Suns game the next day.

To her surprise, there was something much more relevant.

Coming in at number three, Patrick Emory. He's got one of the best records in soccer, but even more so, he's got quite a few ladies to choose from as well. We'll be right back with the final two 'Hottest Sports Stars of the Year'. Stay tuned to find out if superstar stud Troy Bolton takes the top, or if Blake McCormick gets number one.

Gabriella's jaw dropped as she saw a picture of a shirtless Troy surface on the television. It must have been taken during a pre-game practice, and ESPN got a hold of it.

"Oh. My. God." She muttered, momentarily forgetting about the young two-year-old in her lap who was now staring up at her.

The fact that her husband was shirtless, and millions of people were seeing him shirtless, did not comfort Gabriella. But that momentary surge of jealously and protectiveness was overshadowed by the fact that she couldn't believe how good he'd looked.

Sure, Gabriella had seen him once without his shirt before, but she really didn't have the time to fully appreciate it.

But…wow.

Caleb finally tugged at his mom's hair. She looked down at the toddler and noticed that his bowl was empty.

"Sorry, sweetie." She apologized, and then placed the bowl back on the table. Caleb turned to face her and buried his head in her chest. Gabriella smiled and wrapped a blanket around her son before returning her attention to the TV.

The number two spot goes to…Blake McCormick. He's set the most records in football for someone of his age, and is the spokesperson for the new Adidas cologne. This super hot quarterback is number two on our list of hot sports stars.

This means, coming in at number one for the second year in a row, Troy Bolton. The kid is only 25 years old, and is already making huge waves in the NBA. Not only is he one of the most in demand players out there today, but he also has got killer blue eyes and a dazzling smile that wins all of the girls over. Only one problem – he's married. Sorry ladies, but this one is off limits.

That's your countdown of the hottest athletes of the year, stay tuned for –

Gabriella turned the channel so that Caleb could watch the Wiggles, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

He was taken, by her.

Even though Gabriella knew that Troy was good looking, she had no idea how many other women were attracted to him, too. She couldn't believe that a guy like him – someone who was so amazingly handsome – was attracted to a girl like her. How is it possible that she managed to snag his heart, or used to anyway?

This was absolutely insane. Gabriella had never really realized how popular and famous Troy was. It was a marvel that they didn't get stopped more often on the streets.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Caleb jumped out of Gabriella's lap and reached for the device on the table. The young brunette was momentarily distracted from her thoughts and observed with a smile as her son answered the phone.

"Hello. Daddy?" Caleb said in his cute baby voice. Gabriella loved listening to him talk.

The little boy was silent for a couple of minutes before he smiled brightly. "Okay. I pwomise!" he said before hanging up the phone.

Gabriella was suddenly confused and...hurt. Troy didn't want to talk to her?

Of course he wouldn't. He doesn't think of you in that way.

"COME ON, MOMMY!" Caleb yelled in an exasperated tone as he tugged on Gabriella's hand. She got off the couch and followed the excited toddler to the front of the house where the computer room was. The little boy jumped up into the big chair and smiled at Gabriella.

"What is it, honey?" She asked gently.

Caleb's nose wrinkled up. "Don't you remember? We always talk with Daddy at night."

Don't you remember…? Gabriella stood still for a moment as she let those words sink in. She wanted so badly to remember.

"Okay, you talked with Daddy on the phone. Do you chat with him on the computer?" Gabriella asked, suddenly noticing the web cam on the top of the monitor.

"YES!" Caleb shouted again before bursting into a fit of giggles. The young brunette laughed along with him before she spotted a laminated directions sheet on how to start up the web cam. Carefully following the directions, she was somewhat proud when she saw what looked like a hotel room pop up on the monitor.

She stepped off to the side and moved Caleb near the camera so that Troy would be able to see him. Suddenly, a huge amount of hair popped into view.

"Hey Caleb! How are you doing, buddy?" Chad asked excitedly as he came into focus. The man was sitting down at the table where the computer was at and had a bowl of cereal in his hand.

"UNCY CHAD!" Caleb yelled with joy. Gabriella couldn't help but giggle at the pleased look on Chad's face. He suddenly looked away from the camera towards his right.

"Troy!" he paused for a second. "Yeah. Your son wants to talk to you. Come on, you have Daddy duty." Chad said before looking back at the camera. "Bye Caleb!"

"BYE!" Caleb waved vigorously. Gabriella moved herself even farther out of the web camera frame when Troy sat down at the table. He was drenched in sweat and looked beyond tired, but still had a smile on his face.

"Hey bud. Sorry I'm a little late, Coach held me after practice. Did you have fun with Grandma today?" Troy questioned.

Gabriella watched Caleb and Troy interact. He was only two years old, but her son knew how to do so many things already, and was so mature for his age. Caleb talked dynamically about everything, answering all of his father's questions with long stories. Never once did Troy look like he was losing interest. After about a half hour, Caleb got noticeably quieter, before finally letting out a yawn.

"Uh oh. It's getting close to your bed time. Where's mommy?" Troy questioned, noticing his son's loss of energy.

"Right here, Troy." Gabriella answered, hoping that Troy didn't mind her listening in to their conversation. "Come on, Caleb. Say 'bye' really quick before we get you ready for bed."

"Bye, Daddy…" Caleb mumbled, obviously warn out even though it was only seven o'clock.

"Bye buddy. I love you." Troy answered, laughing as Caleb blew a kiss towards the camera. "Oh, Gabriella. I'll wait here while you put Caleb to bed, but… could you come back?"

Gabriella stood speechless, her heart racing ahead of her mind for a moment before she realized that Troy was probably just wondering what Caleb did that day.

"Sure. Give me-"

"Fifteen minutes. No problem." Troy smiled, before getting out of the chair. Gabriella saw the hotel room again, and shook her head slightly before carrying her toddler, who was now insisting that he wasn't tired, up to his room.

"Mommy…" Caleb muttered as she tucked the toddler into his racecar bed. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Gabriella debated for a moment. "How about you start off in your bed, here, and when I'm ready to go to bed, I'll come get you and bring you into my bedroom. Sound good?"

Caleb nodded eagerly before turning his face into the pillow and promptly falling asleep. Gabriella held back a giggle.

Sitting back in the computer chair, she didn't know what to do to get Troy back on. Feeling slightly stupid, she muttered his name.

"Troy,"

Suddenly her husband appeared back on the other side, freshly washed. He must have had a shower during the time Gabriella had put Caleb to bed.

"Thanks for coming back. How was the rest of your day at work?" Troy questioned, fidgeting with something in his hands. She could now make out Chad from behind Troy, peeking in from the side.

Holding in a laugh, Gabriella answered politely. "It was fine. Caleb and I were okay tonight, too. We had macaroni and cheese and watched the Wiggles. Although, I was taken off guard by this whole web cam thing. You forgot to mention that." The young brunette smiled, and she could distinctly make out some red on Troy's cheeks.

"Sorry about that. I realized it after I had already left. The team is nice enough to set up web cams in our hotel rooms so we can talk to our families. It's really convenient."

"That is really nice. Oh, and before I forget, congratulations on being named the hottest sports star of the year for the second year in a row." Gabriella commented nonchalantly. She observed how Troy's eyes widened slightly.

"Seriously? Did you see that on ESPN?" he asked quietly, as if trying to keep his award a secret. Unfortunately, Troy must have had the volume on his computer up, because suddenly Chad jumped into the picture with a mischievous grin on his face.

"You can't be serious." He smiled, before letting out a huge laugh. "Oh, me and the guys are going to have loads of fun with this." Chad grinned, before Troy shoved him out of the picture after rolling his eyes.

"You aren't going to say a word to them." Troy threatened his friend. Gabriella could still hear Chad's laughter in the background.

"Well, I think it's pretty cool. I mean, I had no idea that I was married to the hottest sports star of the year…really." Gabriella added in a low voice, but Troy heard it perfectly clear. He didn't know what to say. It looked like she was uncomfortable with the thought, but he couldn't imagine why.

"Yeah, well…I think that this is inaccurate anyway. I bet there's only one person who picks all of the athletes." Troy said into the camera, now observing how Gabriella was twisting her hair around her finger.

"It is not only one person and you know it TROY!" Gabriella heard Chad's voice in the background of the hotel room and smiled.

"I should probably get going. I want to get to bed early, and Caleb wanted to sleep in the master bedroom, if that's okay." Gabriella asked.

"Of course. He sleeps there a lot, anyway. Have a good night." Troy said quickly before throwing a wad of paper at Chad.

"Thanks, you too. Good luck in your game tomorrow. Taylor and I will be watching." Gabriella answered. "Bye."

"Bye." Troy said, and Gabriella turned off the computer monitor and unhooked the web cam before retreating to the master bedroom.

In the hotel room in Phoenix, Troy stared at the now black screen. He couldn't help but let the words slip as his fingers traced the monitor.

"I love you."

"Aw, come on man. Cheer up. She looks like she's coming around." Chad comforted. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Chad really did care about Troy, and he hated seeing him this way.

"Hardly. I don't know what I'm going to do if she never remembers, especially now that Michael has made a move back into her life." Troy said disgustedly.

"Are you going to tell her about that?" Chad asked, looking up from the book he was reading.

"I may have to. Either that, or I'm going to have to talk to him when I get back." Troy answered in a tense voice.

Chad continued to look at his best friend. "Do you want to talk about it? About Gabriella or anything. I'm always here, man."

"No. I just…no." Troy said, effectively ending the conversation. He walked back over to his bed and switched off his table lamp.

Only one thought was going through his mind.

How the hell was he supposed to just be friends with Gabriella for the rest of his life?

So, as I first started writing the chapter, I actually liked it. But then, towards the end, I started to dislike it. Figures. I can't even like a chapter I write. Lol.

Anyway, I feel like it was easier to write because there was a lot going on. Did you guys like it, or was it a little too much action going on in one chapter?

*BTW – never used a web cam in my life, so sorry if I messed up some details. I tried to make it as accurate as possible.

Thanks for sticking with the updates. Expect two more over my winter break. Maybe three if I'm up to it, but no promises.

Merry XMAS!

Wounded Sparrow

Next Chapter:

Troy comes home after two weeks away from Gabriella and Caleb. What kind of reunion will occur?

What happened between Troy and Michael? Will Gabriella find out?