How Deep is the Ocean

How far would I travel,

To be where you are?

How far is the journey,

From here to a star?

And if I ever lost you,

How much would I cry?

How deep is the ocean?

How high is the sky?


Kelsi didn't know why she had run. She didn't know why she had left town. She shouldn't have, but in the moment…well it had been instinct. She had immediately caught a plane home, and left Mychal a note. She'd called into work while she had been waiting to board her plane. Her father had picked her up at the airport, and now she was sitting in her old room. She was in Albuquerque, and now she wanted to be back in New York.

She should have stayed and talked everything out. It's not like there were a lot of options for Ryan's career at the moment. It's not like they couldn't work things out. Kelsi sighed. She came here to think, and to get herself together, but that wasn't what was happening. She kept thinking about Ryan. Her bedroom door creaked open and her mother peeked in.

"Everything alright, sweetie?" She asked.

Kelsi smiled softly at her mother, "Everything is okay I guess."

Her mother walked in and sat down beside of Kelsi on her bad, "You still haven't told me what you and Ryan argued about."

She groaned, "It was stupid! I over reacted."

"What happened?" Her mother asked with an understanding smile.

"He got a job with the touring company of Chicago," She said.

"Well, that's great! What kind of a job?"

Kelsi gave her mother an unenthusiastic look, "He's a member of the ensemble. But you're not hearing me, mom…it's the touring company. Meaning NOT in New York."

"I heard you," She said. "But I'm looking at the glass half full. This could lead to a lot of great things for him. Ryan is a very nice boy and he deserves great things, don't you think?"

Kelsi gave her mom a guilty look, "Of course I think he deserves great things, but…he's leaving."

"Not forever, Kels," She said as she gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "And you might want to think about how hard this is for him too. Just because he's leaving doesn't mean he's leaving you."

She stood up and walked toward the door, "Just think about it."

Kelsi covered her face in her hands and curled up on her bed. Life after college SUCKED, careers SUCKED. She blamed her current situation on Disney for giving her ridiculously high fairy tale expectations of life. She would blame Hans Christian Anderson or the Grimm Brothers, but the original tales were actually really dark…until they were Disneyfied. Why had she left? What good did she think it would do? Nothing could be solved if she and Ryan weren't even in the same state. Did she have some fantasy that he would come after her?

Kelsi growled in frustration and threw a pillow at the wall. There was a sudden soft clacking against her window. She turned in time to see a few pebbles colliding with her window. That was the clacking noise. Was someone throwing pebbles at her window?

She stood up and walked to the window. She looked outside and saw a figure standing in her front yard. The figure stepped into the light of her porch light to pick up a few more pebbles and Kelsi gasped. She hadn't seen the figures face, but he was wearing a white fedora.

Ryan. She opened the window and shrieked when a pebble flew by her head and into her room.

She heard a curse from below.

"Sorry!"

Kelsi couldn't resist a chuckle, and she smiled softly.

It was Ryan.

"Kelsi? I didn't hit you did I?"

"No," She called down to him.

"Are you still made at me?"

She sighed, "I was never made at you I was made at the situation."

"Why did you leave then?"

She bit her bottom lip thoughtfully, "I honestly don't know. I realized I shouldn't have as soon as the plane took off. When did you get here?"

"A half an hour ago. Mychal called me and told me to get my 'ass to Albuquerque'," He said as he quoted her room mate. Her cell phone rang from her bedside table and Kelsi winced when she saw Sharpay's number flashing across the screen. She answered hesitantly.

"Kelsi, let my brother inside or so help me-"

"You'll hurt me. I got it, Shar."

"Good," she snapped as she hung up.

"Kelsi?" Ryan called up questioningly.

"I'm coming down!" She told him as she left her room and headed down the stairs. She reached the door and pulled it open to find Ryan waiting there. She stared at him for a second before she launched herself into his arms.

"I'm sorry," She said as she swallowed thickly. "I over reacted-"

"We both over reacted. I should have let you explain why you were upset instead of accusing you. I should know by now that you want me to succeed," He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I was just terrified about you leaving-"

"I'm terrified about leaving too, you know. I mean what if I leave and then you find somebody else?" he asked.

"That won't happen," She assured him.

"You can't be sure of that," Ryan told her.

"Ryan, how many times do I have to tell you that you are the only guy for me?"

"At least one more time," he smirked.

She took his hand and led him into the living room. They sat down on the couch and she took his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. She turned to him and looked him in the eyes.

"You are the only guy for me, Ryan Evans, and I'm willing to work this relationship out in whatever way we can," She told him with certainty.

"Good because there is no way I'm letting you get away," He told her with a smile as he leaned in for a kiss. She sighed happily as they shared a kiss, but they were interrupted by the light being switched on in the living room.

"Kelsi?"

Ryan and Kelsi immediately pulled apart as Kelsi's parents entered the leaving room.

"Oh my," Kelsi's mother said as she spotted Ryan.

"Is that Ryan Evans?" Her father asked in surprise. "What in the world are you doing here?"

Ryan's eyes widened as he attempted to figure out what to say. Kelsi glanced at his speechless face, and began to laugh hysterically. Ryan watched her laugh for a minute before joining her. Mr. and Mrs. Nielson stared curiously at their daughter and her boyfriend as they continued to laugh hysterically.