A/N: I just posted an new story called In Pieces. If you have some spare, could you please check it out? Thank you. :D I'm really excited about it.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! LOL I wrote it all today. :P So if it seems rushed, I apologize.

Disclaimer: I do not own Disney or High School Musical, and I am in no way affiliated with it. I don't own Jacuzzis.

Fuck.

Melissa knew. She knew that him and Gabriella were still together.

Would she tell Ambrosia?

No, no…she didn't know that Ambrosia had told him to stay away from her. Or did she?

Troy was trembling on the bed beside Gabriella in the night's murkiness. His whole body was vibrating, and he didn't know how to stop it.

He heard Gabriella whimper fearfully beside him, her tiny figure coiled up and her arched back facing his own. Troy felt his heart crack a little, but he brushed it off. He really needed to stop leaping over to Gabriella to rescue her at the slightest of things with even the potential to be wrong. But when he heard Gabriella whimper a second time, a third, and then a heart-wrenching fourth—he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Are you okay, baby?" he whispered out softly into the darkness, turning slowly onto his side so he was now staring at her back.

"Hmmm…" Gabriella murmured faintly. It took Troy a moment to realize that that had not been a response to his question; she was still asleep.

"Babe?" Troy attempted again. "Gabriella?" He raised his voice just a tad.

"Uh!" Gabriella gave a small strangled gasp, her body stiffening.

"Gabriella," Troy rasped anxiously, inching over closer to her. "Gabriella!" His hand gently pressed to the small of her back, rubbing in familiar tender motions.

"Oh!" Gabriella seemed to immediately break out of her nightmare, balling up tighter and holding her icy feet in her hands. Shivers hurried up and down her spine, goosebumps popping up on her arms. Troy carefully rolled her over onto her side, his arms instantly enveloping her. He could feel her silent tears against his neck, somberly dripping.

"Are you okay?" Troy patiently inquired, his hand distractedly caressing the outside of her left thigh.

"Mmmm," Gabriella mumbled vaguely once more into his shirt, wordlessly wrapping one slim leg around his waist. She was quickly soothed by his repetitive caresses, the solemn tears eventually ceasing.

"It's Melissa, right?" Troy guessed easily. He kissed her chilled forehead gingerly, his lips lingering over the top of her head absentmindedly.

"I just can't bear the thought of her being a parent," Gabriella shared glumly, her voice saturated with worry. "It makes me so…scared and…nervous."

"Me too," Troy admitted quietly, his own tone also rather grave. Even though nothing like that had ever happened to him personally, he understood exactly how Gabriella felt. He stroked her bare upper arm in some sort of trance, shushing her reassuringly. "Shhh…" he whispered smoothly against her cheek. For some reason, Gabriella found the sound very comforting.

"How many kids do you want?" Gabriella asked curiously out of the blue, her brow furrowing in thought.

Troy was somewhat taken aback by the serious question, immediately being plunged into a sea of uncertainty. Yes, he did want to reproduce, sometime in the future. How many? That was something he had never really thought about. "I say…well, it depends on how much money we have," Troy reasoned sensibly.

"Hmmm," Gabriella nodded. "Well, if we're doing well…I've always wanted a good-size family, you know? Like, four kids." She tensely chewed the insides of her cheek, a bit unsure how Troy would react.

Troy's heart staggered in his chest. Four? That was about three too many. "I was thinking, like, maybe one."

Gabriella frowned, weighed with some disappointment. "We'd spoil the poor thing."

"Not necessarily."

"I change my mind, then," Gabriella decided confidently, resolute. A coy smile snuck onto her face as she spoke. "How about seven kids?"

"Seven?" Troy blurted out aloud in bewilderment. Sleep seemed to be miles away now. "No! There's just—no, there's no way."

"Well, why not?" Gabriella innocently defended. She crossed her arms over her chest. "C'mon, tell me, Bolton." She couldn't marry someone who didn't want kids. She knew Troy did, but one was simply not enough for her.

"Oh, forget I said that," Troy muttered gruffly, obviously bored. He lazily revolved over onto his other side, his back to Gabriella. "G'night."

"What?" Gabriella irritably snapped. "No, Troy. I want to talk about this. Now."

Troy groaned at the intrusion of light when Gabriella flicked on the bedside lamp, stretching up into a sitting position above Troy. He didn't want to see her face; he knew what it would look like, anyway. Concrete and anxious, offended and ready to debate. About to go onto the battlefield.

"Babe, I love you. I do," Troy burbled sluggishly, sleep rapidly returning to him. "But I just can't right now."

"No, Bolton. You started this, and now you're going to finish it. Sorry." Gabriella tugged him up by the elbow, whining. "Oh, c'mon!"

"Fine, fine," Troy grumbled groggily. "We can have seven kids."

"Seven? No, how about four?" Gabriella proposed elatedly. Her face lit up a million watts. Her plan had worked.

"Sure, sure," the basketball captain sighed drowsily before drifting off to sleep once more.

Gabriella triumphantly clapped her hands and then switched off the light to get some rest.

The next morning, they stayed in and did homework. That was one thing that would never run out—they had so much homework that they could scream.

"Ugh," Gabriella grumped crabbily as she scanned the informational sheet of a project she needed to complete for her English class. "I hate this."

"I actually love it," Troy sarcastically responded, twirling his yellow pencil in between his fingers out of utter boredom. He was trying to put of his homework for as long as possible. The sight of schoolwork was depressing, especially during supposed vacation.

"Stop it, Troy," Gabriella grouched crankily. "You're optimism is depressing."

Troy smiled weakly at the sound of her using the same word, but it quickly vanished as he tried to make sense of unusually difficult math homework.

They unwillingly studied and did homework until their brains began to ache, and by noon, the mere thought of two plus two or Shakespeare made them nauseous. They eagerly pushed everything aside and found sufferable scraps of food in the kitchen for lunch.

Gabriella enthusiastically suggested they go swimming. Troy argued they needed to digest first. Gabriella rebuked by saying that by the time they had changed and prepared everything and traveled down to the pool, they would have already digested. Troy caved.

"Gabs, you're taking forever," Troy complained grouchily as he faced the white bathroom door.

Both were not in very good moods that day.

Gabriella, on the other side, was waxing her legs, and probably was going to take eternity. "Um, yeah," Gabriella burbled dimly as she slathered hot caramel-colored wax over part of her muscled left calf. She was expertly balancing herself against the sink, her left leg being victimized first and thrown up onto the counter. "Just…how about you go, and I'll meet you there?" Her voice escalated slightly towards the end of the sentence in the form of a question.

"Don't take too long," Troy sighed, his knuckles knocking lightly against the wood. "Okay?"

"Yes, Father," Gabriella joked dryly as she impatiently waited for the wax to cool.

"Okay, babe," Troy chuckled softly, his hand pressed against the painted surface of the door. "I'll be waiting."

"Uh huh," Gabriella smiled and smirked bashfully at the same time. "Okay." She managed to dig one manicured nail under a piece of wax, taking a chance and ripping it off all at once. She didn't even wince. As Troy put it, she had "an abnormally high tolerance for physical pain of any kind."

Troy was waiting for her at the pool once she had arrived. He'd gracefully turned on the Jacuzzi, unlocked the doors to both locker rooms, and much more, thanks to a key Allegra had stolen and copied long ago.

The pool was extremely large—it was Olympic sized, usually freezing cold, and the water was impeccably clean and clear. There was a reasonably sized Jacuzzi off to the side, bubbling with steaming, frothy water. Gabriella smirked with a reddened face to herself as she glimpsed the boiling Jacuzzi, Troy's interested eyes also loitering momentarily on it as he spotted her doing just that.

Gabriella tossed her bag onto a nearby silver bleacher as she sauntered over towards Troy, smirking. "Troy, babe," she saucily began, playful all over. "Who turned on the Jacuzzi?"

"I did," Troy grinned childishly. He beamed at her.

"Uh huh?" Gabriella murmured sultrily, also beginning to glow brighter. She kicked off her flip-flops and slowly pulled off her thin beach dress, slowly enough to make Troy's mouth water. He'd never seen that bikini before.

"God, Gabi," Troy huffed breathlessly as he gawked hopelessly at Gabriella's striped bikini. "You look…good in that bikini." The last part was rather choked.

"Hmm?" Gabriella smiled cheekily at him as she bundled her curls of hair in her hands, looping them up into a messy, loose bun.

Troy's eyes were fixed to her long, smooth and sexy legs, and he hardly realized they were walking until he found Gabriella a foot away from him.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What? Oh, yeah…" Troy mumbled distantly. "Actually, no. You look too damn sexy for me to be okay right now," Troy grinned as he pulled Gabriella by the waist closer to him. Their hips collided together, her naked stomach skimming his and the hair rising all over their bodies. Gabriella's beautiful eyes were gleaming magnificently up at him, her face shining with a reserved sort of excitement. Troy yanked her hand forward towards the gurgling Jacuzzi, dipping a toe in to test the water's temperature. "Seems fine to me." He let go of Gabriella's hand, slickly easing in one leg and then the other, wading around and finally sinking below the surface up to his neck. He swam over to the edge, sitting down leisurely on the squat bench that encircled the inside of the Jacuzzi. Gabriella smiled sheepishly at him as she also dipped her legs into the minute foamy pool, soon sitting beside Troy.

"God, this temperature feels so good," Gabriella murmured quietly, her mocha eyes fluttering close at the relaxing way in which the water surrounded her body.

"Hmmm," Troy agreed incoherently, wrapping one arm around Gabriella's shoulders and squeezing her against his side. "Yeah."

Gabriella's head lolled on his arm and rolled to the side towards his chest, her lips touching the sizzling water. "Wake me up when it's Tuesday."

Troy didn't answer. It wouldn't hurt if they had a little fun now, would it? Wait, what happened to the responsible, protective Troy? Just thinking about the possibilities was already beginning to rouse little Troy. Gabriella absentmindedly placed a tiny kiss at his wet shoulder, only stirring him awake more. She hummed dreamily against his flesh, sighing contentedly as the blazing water splashed against her nearly nude chest. Troy turned slightly and pecked her forehead lovingly, his fingers straying around her collarbone and tracing it lightly.

"It wouldn't hurt to…" Troy began feebly, gulping hard, "you know, try just a little something."

"Yeah, it wouldn't, right?" Gabriella considered thoughtfully.

Troy's fingers dangerously danced around the ties of Gabriella's bikini bottom. Gabriella bit her lip, biting back a satisfied grin. He tugged on the knotted string once or twice and then stopped, the backs of his fingers trailing up her stomach to her pert breasts. He could see her nipples harden through her bikini top as his thumbs rubbed tender circles just below her breasts, and he smiled, pleased. Gabriella sucked in a deep breath, her fingers closing around Troy's rigid shoulder. She watched as his knuckles slowly swept her nipples, then falling back down to her stomach once more. His index finger dipped into her navel, twirling it around and making her squirm.

"Troy…" Gabriella protested futilely. She was beginning to grow hot already, her thoughts hovering over to what activities their curiosity could lead to.

"Gabriella…" Troy drawled back sloppily, his fingers lazing around her inner thighs. Gabriella's stomach did a million flips and her jaw unhinged in a speechless gape. Troy gripped her ass and pushed her onto his lap in one fluid movement, and her willowy legs fell numbly at his sides in a straddle. Gabriella connected their lips in a quick kiss, rolling her forehead over his.

"I like being on top," she commented coolly, swiftly kissing the corner of his mouth.

"I like you being on top," Troy agreed in a distracted mumble as Gabriella clutched his neck with both hands, digging her mouth to Troy's pulse there. "Usually. Sometimes."

"Hmmm?" Gabriella inattentively answered, her soft lips working languidly against his perspired skin. A gray vapor fogged the area around them, but all they needed to see was what was in front of them. Each other.

Troy's hand floated up in the hot water to the small of her back, readily pushing her groin down onto his. A small moan slipped from his mouth in reaction, but Gabriella's lips soon slammed passionately onto his and silenced him.

"God," Gabriella whispered in a pant against his lips. She was sweating; with the temperature of the water and the temperature inside her, she felt like she was literally on fire. Troy noted she seemed pale, and his brow furrowed. "Stop," Gabriella murmured quickly as she sucked ardently at his cheek. "Whatever you're thinking, just stop."

"I want to, Gabi, baby," Troy sighed, his fingers gingerly tickling her backside, "but I just can't…we just can't do this." Mr. Responsible always made an appearance just in time.

Gabriella smirked, flushing bright red as she pointed to the unmistakable prominence in Troy's swimming trunks. "You know," Gabriella began, her hand gradually gravitating over to his bulge. She rested her hand there carefully and gave a fair squeeze. Troy's hand urgently clenched her back and he muffled another moan. "We can be quick and then just forget about it like it never happened. Promise."

"Promise my ass," Troy replied, leaning back against the rim of the Jacuzzi. "Besides, we can't stay in here that long."

Gabriella pouted. "We can continue in the pool."

"As tempting as it does sound…I'm afraid I'll have to say no."

"I'm just trying to have fun," Gabriella frowned playfully. She put all of her weight against his form, her covered breasts smushing up against his defined chest. Troy stroked her arm distractedly once more.

"We can have fun without being dangerous," Troy reminded her softly. He kissed her on the nose ever so lightly.

"C'mon, Wildcat," Gabriella purred in her special persuading voice, her nimble fingers slowly creeping up his unclothed chest. "C'mon, baby. You know you want to."

"I know I want to…" Troy nodded with a low sigh, anxiously running his fingers through his matted hair. "I know I do, but baby…"

"But what?" Gabriella feigned innocence, her big brown eyes engrossing more and making Troy lose his train of thought. He always lost himself completely in them…they were like a trap. Once he was in them, he could never get out. Not like he wanted to though. Troy completely forgot what he was going to say. All he could see was that beautiful woman in front of him, mounting up onto her knees in her straddle above him. Lord, was he hard. His hand clutched her knee, sparks shooting through their bodies. Gabriella saucily snickered at him, fingering the bottom string of her bikini top and tugging down. Her fingers unwound the loose bow of the halter she'd tied before, unbraiding it and letting the separate strings fall down her back. Troy absorbedly ogled, his mouth wide open, as she boldly shimmied down her bikini top and left it tied around her middle, leaving her naked breasts in the open for the whole world to see. Troy smirked up at her, and she matched his smirk. Troy reached up and delicately cupped her right breast, coaxing her down to his level with his gentle words. Gabriella attached their lips instantly and unreservedly moaned as Troy kneaded her breasts with his hands. "Troy…I…Troy…" Gabriella could hardly get her sentence out of her mouth straight.

"Yeah," Troy huffed gutturally without even knowing what she was going to say, fervently attacking her lips. Gabriella was, for the first time, unsure if she could keep up. Their lips began to move faster as their need for satisfaction strengthened, Troy's hands freely roaming all over but mostly staying in the region of her breasts. Gabriella smiled knowingly at this against his mouth, and Troy chuckled aloud before desperately fusing their lips once more. Gabriella felt the stiff swell in his trunks with her magical hands again, and Troy hoarsely moaned. She had no idea how it felt to him. Troy detached their eager lips for a moment as he began to lick at her neck, his eyes widening as Gabriella suddenly snuck her hand under his swimming trunks. She immediately went in for the kill, grasping his lively member with all of her fingers and smoothly ghosting them about him. Troy's teeth made marks against her ear, biting down softly as the burning need increased. "Give me now," Troy greedily instructed her, his own hand sliding beneath her bikini bottom and grazing her nub. Gabriella shivered in his arms at the feelings, not wasting a moment to slip out Troy's rock-solid manhood and holding it in one hand. The other pinched her bikini bottom in between her legs, swiftly pushing it aside to reveal her opening. Troy squeezed her knee again as she quickly sank onto him all at once, moaning out throatily. It was as if she hadn't felt him inside her for years.

"Good Lord…" Gabriella mumbled, falling against him. Troy's arms lazily draped around her back, but he was much too caught up in thinking how amazing she felt. He hadn't felt her warmth in so long. Years, it felt. Gabriella landed her lips on him and began to rock her hips against his when they both heard:
"I do not think I'm supposed to be seeing this!"

Their heads whipped around at the same time only to see little Gretchen, cringing by the doorway to the pool. The intruder quickly swiveled around and masked her eyes with her hands, and began to walk slowly away.

Uh oh.

"Fuck!" Troy cursed under his breath. He immediately began to worm up Gabriella's bikini top, not even bothering to tie the halter at the nape of her neck. Gabriella bit her lip and hastily jumped up off of Troy, afraid to remove himself of her any other way or pace. Troy hurriedly adjusted himself in his trunks, standing up awkwardly in the hot tub. Gabriella swayed to a stand clumsily beside him.

"Um," Gabriella shouted out embarrassedly to Gretchen, her face crimson. "Gretch!"

"Is it okay for me to look now?"

"Uh, yeah," Troy replied shakily.

Gretchen whirled around and first took a peek before fully eliminating her hands from her ashen face. She seemed more than humiliated. "Sorry guys! I didn't know you were here!" Her heart thumped madly in her chest as she watched Troy, standing there uncomfortably but so beautifully. She couldn't help but note he looked amazing shirtless.

"Oh…no…" Gabriella began speechlessly. Her eyes skipped around uneasily and then she took a klutzy step out of the Jacuzzi, pacing over towards her things on the single bleacher. "We were just about to leave. Right, Troy?"

"Yeah," Troy garbled gracelessly, joining Gabriella with their things. He rapidly wrenched on a T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans, and Gabriella pulled back on her beach dress and flip-flops. Her face was so adorably red, her ears pure pink.

"I didn't know you guys were here," Gretchen coughed inelegantly. "Like, at the school. I thought I was here alone." That was a sensible excuse. The campus was just so big.

The atmosphere was tense with awkwardness. Gabriella tried, as usual, to lessen it.

"We thought we were here alone," Gabriella shrugged. "Obviously we're not," she finished with a soft smile. Gabriella strung her bag over her shoulder and reflexively weaved fingers with Troy, leading him towards the door where Gretchen stood like a traumatized statue.

"Y-Yeah," Gretchen nervously responded, her sweet voice quavering. The god that was Troy was making her nerves act up.

"Well," Gabriella smiled kindheartedly as they neared the door, passing Gretchen. She wheeled around to face them. "We're always open, you know, to watch a movie or something. Do you want to come to our dorm? We can do something together and then maybe go into the City," Gabriella benignly offered. She wasn't upset that Gretchen had "ruined" their plans—it was nice to have some other company too. Troy, however, looked like he could disagree over that fact.

"Really?" Gretchen seemed very surprised, her hand on her heart. "Yeah! Sure. I'll let you guys have some time to change…um, I'll be there in like half an hour?"

"Yeah, that's great," Gabriella nodded with another delighted smile. "We'll see you later, Gretch."

"Bye, Gretch," Troy called out to her as they left the pool.

Gretchen nearly fainted.

Where was her inhaler?

She was going to spend time with Troy Bolton in his dorm!