Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Epilogue

Gabriella's POV

Six Months Later

Troy and I had a short engagement. We got married just three months after that day. We both knew we were it for each other and knew what we were doing was right. I trusted him more than I trusted any other person I knew. I knew what he had told me about Sharpay was the truth, especially when we had a face to face conversation a few days later.

Flashback

I was sitting on the couch in the apartment Troy and I shared. It was one of my days off and Troy was at work. He should have been on his way home, though, so I had ordered takeout so we could have dinner together when he got home. I heard a knock on the door and assumed it was our food.

I got up and grabbed my wallet, walking to the door while taking out the money. When I opened the door, however, I got a surprise. Instead of food, there stood Sharpay Evans, a person I was quickly beginning to despise above all others.

"What are you doing here? And where is Troy? I thought the point was clear he didn't want you here."

I looked at her, my eyes squinted as I tried to control the anger that was quickly building up inside. "I live here. Troy is on his way home from work. And I'll have you know that Troy does want me here. I think you must have misunderstood him because it was you he didn't want here. So I suggest you leave and never come back."

I started to shut the door but her hand slammed against it and forced it back open. "Did I not make things clear a few days ago? You're not wanted here. You're in the way. Troy and I are supposed to be together, not the two of you. Our relationship has been in the works since high school and all you're doing is postponing the inevitable, so I suggest before Troy gets home that you gather your shit and leave."

I let out a non-humorous laugh. "How blunt do I need to be to get you to realize that Troy doesn't want you? If Troy wanted you so badly, don't you think he would have found a way to meet up with you all those times you were in town? Or maybe he would answer your calls? Or maybe he would have actually made an effort to be with you instead of starting up a relationship with me."

Sharpay rolled her eyes at me. "I'll never understand why he's kept a bitch like you around this long, but I have news for you…you'll be out of the picture in no time."

I laughed at her that time and stepped closer to her so I was in her face. I dropped my volume level as I spoke to her. "If that's the case, then why is it that I have his ring sitting on a very important finger of mine?" I waved my left hand at her as her as she stood speechless. "Now go to hell, and never come back." I slammed the door in her face, a triumphant look on my own.

That was the last time I had seen Sharpay Evans and it was the last time she was heard from as well. Thankfully after that, she didn't try to contact Troy anymore. There was one thing I had to thank her for, though. She taught me how to stand up for what I wanted instead of backing down and just letting someone else have it without a fight. I wanted Troy and I was going to fight for him. I knew at that point I had nothing to worry about, but I knew I still needed to stand my ground and let her know she was trespassing.

Three months later, Troy and I were married. We had a small, simple ceremony with our close family and friends. Nathan walked me down the aisle. Troy and I took a couple days off so we could be together after the wedding, but decided to save up our vacation for our first anniversary and take a longer honeymoon. We wanted to go to Mexico.

Now, after nearly two years of being with Troy, and three months of marriage, I couldn't imagine myself in a better place in my life. I was 29 years old, had a job I love, a husband who I was madly in love with and loved me in return, I was living close to my mother, and I was living in a city I actually loved as well.

The only problem recently was that I hadn't been feeling well. I hadn't been able to eat much because I was always nauseous, I was tired all the time, and to top it all off…I was late. I wasn't ignorant. I knew the signs…and there was a pretty good chance I was pregnant. I couldn't imagine being pregnant already after not having been married very long. I knew that Troy wanted kids at some point and I knew neither of us was getting any younger. But was it so bad to want time with only my husband before we brought children into the world?

However, I also knew that whatever result we came out with, I would be okay with. Troy knew I hadn't been feeling well, but I hadn't told him I was late. I hadn't told him my suspicions. But that day, while he was at work, I went to the store and bought a couple of pregnancy tests to try tonight. After he got home, I would break the news to him and we would do the tests together.

I sat on the couch, nervously waiting for Troy to get home. I knew he would be okay with the idea of becoming a father; I just wasn't sure how he would take the news so soon after our marriage. I heard him insert his key into the door and the door swung open. He looked up as he stepped inside and met my eyes, his face lighting up with a smile.

"I got some really awesome news today," he said.

"Really? I have something I want to talk to you about as well…but you go first."

"You sure?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah," I said quietly, trying to hide my nerves and postpone the inevitable as long as I could.

Troy sat his briefcase down and slipped his shoes off before joining me on the couch, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me in for a slow, gentle kiss.

"So what's the awesome news?" I asked.

"Well…you know how you found that house that you've just absolutely fallen in love with?" I nodded. "I know we looked into and we didn't really want to pay what they wanted for it…but I think we can easily pay the cost now."

I frowned. "Why? Did they lower the price?"

Troy shook his head. "Nope. I got a raise today at work."

"Seriously?" Troy nodded. "Honey, that's amazing!" I leaned in and hugged him, pulling back enough to place a kiss against his lips. "Are you sure we want to do this now, though?"

Troy shrugged. "Well we can weigh our options. We don't have to make a decision tonight, but if we want it, we might want to act fast while it's still available. I checked today and the realtor said there aren't any current offers on it. We can look at our finances and talk with the bank and go from there. I know this is your dream house, though, and I only want what's best for you. I want to get you out of this apartment. The lease is up in two months anyway."

I nodded. "Well there's another reason we might want to go ahead and get out of this apartment, too."

Troy frowned. "Why's that?"

"Because I think I might be pregnant," I said quietly.

Troy's eyes bugged out. "Are you sure?"

I shook my head. "No, I haven't taken a test yet, but all the signs are there. I've been so nauseous lately and tired and I'm a couple weeks late. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry, but if this is happening for us, I want you here every step of the way. Are you upset?"

"What? No! This is amazing, Gabriella! You know how much I've wanted to start a family with you. I mean…I didn't think it would be quite this soon, but we're not getting any younger."

I smiled. "That's exactly what I thought when I was processing it all. I'm not ready to share you yet, but I do want a family with you. I mean…there's still the chance I'm not pregnant and that all this sickness is just some sort of virus that is causing my body to be out of balance, but considering I have more than one symptom, I'm pretty sure."

"So…do you want to go buy a test so we can see for sure?" Troy asked, his smile still on his face.

"I already have two waiting in the bathroom."

Troy grinned and grabbed my hand, leading me down the hall to our bathroom. He waited outside while I took the tests, then came in the bathroom with me while we waited. After a couple of minutes, we looked down at both the tests. They both showed the same result…positive.

I looked back up at Troy to meet his gaze.

"I love you so much, Gabriella." He leaned down and fused my lips with his in a passionate but gentle kiss.

"So you're sure you're happy?" I asked after we pulled apart.

"I'm definitely happy," he said, his smile still in place. "I can't believe I'm going to be a daddy. And you're going to be a mommy," he said as he moved his hand to place it on my stomach, rubbing circles where our unborn child was. "Are you happy?"

"Definitely. I mean this has been my dream for the past couple of years…to have this with you. I'll admit I'm slightly overwhelmed. I feel like everything is happening so quickly. I feel like the first year of our relationship was slow and steady but these past several months of being here has been full throttle ahead. But I've loved every minute of it with you. I love you, Troy Bolton."

"I love you, Gabriella Bolton."

If I had known my life would have turned out like this, I wouldn't have been so apprehensive about talking to Troy in the café that day two years ago. Who would have thought that a whole year of a long distance relationship could have made me grow to love Troy as much as I do today? I do accredit that first year of our relationship to how close we became. You know what they say…absence makes the heart grow fonder. Being away from Troy for a majority those twelve months definitely made me want to be with him even more. And even now, after having lived with him for nearly a year, I still just can't get enough of his presence.

Thank you so much for reading. And thank you to all of you who reviewed! I loved getting to write this story. I wasn't too pleased with the ending, but wasn't sure where to go with it. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me one last review!