AN: Once again, thanks for your feedback! I love all of your comments. Things are picking up a little bit now, and I hope that you will enjoy the action! Also, I'm doing my best to research the facts and stuff for this story, but there's a chance that I might not get everything right. I'm doing my best so please don't hate on me if I get something wrong. Google can only provide so much! Anyways, rant over. Enjoy!

A Long Way To Go

Troy had never been so alone in his life. Even in his darkest moments, he had people that he could depend on: fellow criminals, family, friends, and most recently, Gabriella. But now, even after two weeks on the run, he was still bone-achingly furious at her for doing what she had done to him. He should have known that their 'relationship' had just been a trick of hers in order to get him to open up with a secret that he hadn't told anyone but Chad. He never should have trusted her sweet, innocent eyes and her flirty giggles.

Hunched in the woods directly behind Gabriella's house, Troy weighed his options. He knew that he wanted to take out revenge on her, but he didn't know how to do it. It was obvious, even when he had pushed her hard, that she wasn't afraid of him, and he wasn't fond of the idea of hurting her for real. He wanted his revenge to show her just how angry and embarrassed she had made him in bringing the girl from the party in. He was even more furious because he knew just who had given Gabriella that information. The idea of taking revenge out on both her and Chad at the same time was making a delightful smile creep up the sides of his grimy face.

Despite his furious attitude, however, a small part of his brain was processing what Gabriella had said to him when he had been in that interrogation room with the blonde girl. The fact that she believed he was a good person made him feel the slightest bit more at ease, even if he was still angry with her. Even more surprising to himself was the fact that he didn't think so badly of himself now that he realized that his first 'victim' had in fact, not been a victim. He didn't believe Gabriella's comments on the past few years being a lie, because although his information had been faulty and he had been misinformed, he had still done the things that he did and nothing would change that.

His legs were getting cramped from squatting in the bushes that he was hiding in to watch when Gabriella got home. A glance around the neighbourhood told him that she'd be home within a few minutes. His hands will still locked behind him and frustrated at the restraints, Troy struggled to his feet and crept stealthily towards the door to Gabriella's basement, keeping himself in the long shadows from the trees and bushes. He knew that no one had seen him. Facing backwards, Troy gave the doorknob a twist and found it unlocked.

I'll have to remind her to lock her doors. He thought, before remembering that this wasn't a normal visit; he was here to punish her. To make sure that no one snuck up on him, Troy locked the door behind him when he entered the house. Troy crouched down and fell onto the floor of the basement, resting his head against a wall as he waited for Gabriella to get home. His mind was spinning and he was dying for a good meal. Maybe after he punished her, he'd steal a quick bite to eat before moving onto his next stop of the night: Chad's house. He was still trying to decide whether he should tie Gabriella up somewhere in the house that would take her a while to out of, or if he should just yell at her instead and threaten her, when he heard someone at the basement door, yanking on the doorknob. Senses alert, Troy froze instinctively and breathed evenly in and out as he waited to see if the intruder would try to break the door down. The intruder, however, left a few seconds later and Troy relaxed again.

Just kids. he assured himself

A few seconds later he heard Gabriella enter the house through the front door and Troy silently rose to his feet, walked a few paces as he listened to her putter around in the kitchen. After fifteen minutes had passed, Troy crept forward a few paces and listened. He couldn't hear her moving around anymore and assumed that she was relaxing in the living room or something. Now was his chance.

A sudden squeaking of the basement door sent him scurrying back into the shadows, however, and he cursed himself for missing the sounds of her footsteps approaching. He was losing his burglar senses and needed to get his act together fast before she realized he was here.

A dim light flowed through the opening of the door and Troy made sure that he was far from where the light stopped reaching. He knew that she couldn't see him, but what she said then nearly made him cry out in shock.

"I'm leaving a plate of food for you here, Troy, on the top of the stairs. You need to eat it - I'm sure you haven't been eating properly in the past few weeks. This should keep your body from shutting down on you. Eat it all, Troy, or I swear I'll call the police on you."

The door closed again and Troy stood there, his mouth hanging open in the darkness. It was definitely Gabriella's voice, there was no doubt about that, but Troy had no idea how she could have figured out that he was in the basement. He had made certain that he had entered the house before she had gotten home!

The smell of the home-made meal had him bounding up the stairs in seconds and he stared at it in physical agony, unable to pick it up with his still cuffed hands. Then he sat a steak knife sitting directly beside the plate and he turned around and grasped it tightly in one hand, feeling around until he had managed to pick the lock in the handcuffs, freeing his wrists finally.

He took the warm plate down by a window, sitting on the floor beneath it so that no one could see him from the outside, but that he could see what he was about to eat. The plate was wrapped in tin foil and there was a piece of notepaper taped to the top, Troy pulled it off and placed it aside, deciding to read it later. He ripped the tin foil off of the plate and his mouth watered at the sight of the heaping pile of mashed potatoes, an equally large pile of cooked spinach tossed with chives, and a smaller portion of some sort of beef. Yum.

Troy unwrapped the cutlery from the napkin that was tucked to the side of the food and dug into the meal, forcing himself to take his time and pace himself otherwise he'd only get sick later on. Soon, though, the plate was empty and Troy put it on the floor, picking up the note that he had put aside earlier. It was covered in neat cursive writing that could only be Gabriella's.

I can only imagine how angry you are with me, but I hope that you won't refuse the little help that I can give you. For as long as you choose to come back, I will keep placing food in the basement until you leave me a note saying otherwise. Just slip it under my door. There's a first aid kit and a bottle of vitamins tucked into the back corner by the door with a case of water bottles. Please take care of yourself. You know where I am if there's anything else that I can do to help you.

It was only when he finished reading the letter when Troy realized how stupid his plan of revenge had been. Of course he could never do anything that would hurt Gabriella, he was crazy about her! Why the idea that she meant nothing to him had popped into his head in the first place, he had no idea.

Dying to see her now and thank her, Troy got to his feet, folded the note, and put it in the corner with the supplies that she had stocked up for him. Gratitude putting a smile on his face, Troy hopped up the stairs and then snuck through the house, ensuring that it was only Gabriella in it. She was sitting with her back to him, watching a cooking show on television, her hands working away on something she was knitting.

Troy stood up straight when he saw that the curtains were pulled and then walked carefully towards her, his pace slow so that she would see he was there. She must have spotted him by now, but even when he sat down on the couch beside her, she kept her eyes on the television, and her hands flying through the knitting. He sat beside her in silence, his hands folded in his lap.

"Did you eat it all?" She asked quietly.

"Yes. Thank you. I appreciate it a lot." He replied just as quietly, sneaking a glance at her.

She nodded and stopped knitting long enough to take a sip of coffee, still not looking at him.

"There's a fresh pot in the kitchen if you'd like a cup."

Troy did just that and when he had settled down on the couch again, he placed the mug of coffee on the table and turned toward her. Not knowing how else to show his gratitude, he leaned forward and kissed her shoulder. She stopped knitting and turned toward him, gripping his cheek in her hand and kissed him properly.

It continued on for a few minutes and when Gabriella finally pulled away from him, she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms encircling his neck. Troy tangled his fingers in her hair and sighed, deciding that it was time to tear down his walls and really talk to her. He tightened his grip on her and began in a quiet, calm voice.

"Gabi, as soon as I saw her, I knew what you were trying to do. I knew that you were only trying to show me that I wasn't as a bad as a person as I thought I was, but the thing that hurt me so much about that is the fact that you pulled it on me as a surprise. That girl…she took so much from me and I hate that she didn't have to pay for that. When I killed her - or thought I had killed her - it was an accident, it really was, and it made me upset, but down deep, I was glad that I had."

Troy took a deep breath before he continued, relaxing a bit as he felt Gabriella snuggle closer to him. He placed his cheek on the top of her head and kept going, determined to tell her everything before he closed himself off again.

"I'm sorry that I pushed you, but I want you to know why. I was angry, yes, but I was also scared, Gabi. Seeing the girl in the prison like that made me feel like I was just as vulnerable as I was that night of the party. I was scared knowing that she was still alive, that she didn't pay for what she did to me. I was scared also because you and her had contact and I didn't know what she told you. I was terrified that you'd believe her if she got all soppy and started crying. I-I didn't have the strength to lose you like that, so I just pushed you instead. And I'm sorry."

Troy fell silent, breathing hard at the emotional statements. For a few minutes Gabriella didn't move or say anything, but Troy remained silent and stroked her hair with his eyes closed. Finally, she pulled away from him and touched his cheek so he'd open his eyes.

"Troy, I could see it all in your face. That's why I knew that you were eventually going to come back to me. So I left my basement door unlocked and checked it everyday when I came home. If it was locked then I knew you were there because you'd never leave a door unlocked because someone might be able to sneak up on you. I knew that when you accepted the food that you'd be ready to talk. I'm sorry to bring this up, Troy, but do you think that you could change your mind about the insanity plea?"

Troy struggled to keep from getting angry.

"I can't. I'm sorry, I know you're trying to help, but I can't. And it's not a pride thing…I just….I can't lie like that. I knew what I was doing that night, Gabi, even if I didn't mean to push her off of that ledge."

Gabriella nodded and kissed him gently.

"I think I may have another idea…but it's still something I'm sorting through."

Her gaze grew cloudy as she got lost in thought about the idea. She blinked a few times and then smiled sweetly at him.

"Your execution date is in a week and I need more time than that so I need you to stay missing until I can figure it out. So…I was thinking that maybe you could…stay with me."

Troy grinned and nodded eagerly.

"It'll put you at risk, Troy, but it's the only option we've got where I can know that you are in the safest you can be. Come and go as you please, but I want you to know that this can be your safe place."

Troy nodded again.

"I think that's an excellent idea. But do I have to stay down in the basement the whole time?" He asked hopefully.

Gabriella burst out into laughter, her brown eyes sparkling. She shook her head and pulled him down for another kiss. It was clear that they still had quite a long way to go, and Troy had not the slightest idea what kind of thing Gabriella was planning to save him with, but at least he knew he could trust her now. He might still be figuring out who he was as a person, but he had no doubts about Gabriella. Finally, he wasn't alone.

AN: Too mushy? Corny? Horrible? Please let me know! Thanks guys! Stay tuned for the next chapter!