A/N: Well, you find out what Troy planned! enjoy. Once again, HSMandChelseaFCfan didn't contribute but that's because I kind of stole everything that could happen in this chapter lol. Don't own HSM.

Chapter 20 – All that matters

Gabriella strummed her guitar softly and sniffed slightly. While her mother was saving lives, her father was shagging some teacher in Forks, Washington. Yes, she'd done her research. Her social studies research skills had finally come to some use. Chanel Bailon – her tears came harder at the name – was a middle school teacher in Forks in Washington. A teacher. Her father, a lawyer and the owner of several garages, was cheating on her mother, the best doctor in Albuquerque, with a middle school teacher.

Her fingers froze their movements and silence filled her room. Devon had gone into her room fifteen minutes earlier, saying how he was going to go to sleep. She had helped him change into his pyjamas, brush his teeth and made sure he went to the bathroom before she kissed him goodnight and went back to her own room.

Her lip trembled at the thought of her brother. The only constant in her life was that he was always there. Giggling, playing, wanting to see her laugh. He was always there. And before Devon, Cody had been there. And her father – she was beginning to refuse to acknowledge him in that manner – was going to break his heart.

She jumped when her cell phone started ringing, Taylor Swift's 'Your anything' beginning to play. She smiled and placed her guitar on the floor before reaching for her phone. She pressed 'answer' and held it to her ear. "Hey, Wildcat."

"What's cookin' good lookin'?" He asked jokingly.

She sighed and fell back onto her bed. As soon as Devon was asleep and she was sure that he wouldn't wake up, she had changed into Troy's shirt and jeans. "I'm not cooking."

"I know." He said casually.

"So did you get to prom okay?" She asked.

"Well, I got to my prom." He replied.

"Were the guys okay getting ready?" She asked, knowing how strict her best friends were with how their boyfriends dressed.

"Meh. I was the only one who could do a tie." He laughed slightly.

"So, who did you decide to go with? You never told me." She said quietly.

"Someone special. She's perfect in everyway. Kind of like Mary Poppins. She's beautiful and caring and has a really cool little brother. She's had some rough times but I've promised her that I'll make it better." He said softly.

Gabriella sighed and hugged a pillow to her torso. "Troy, I told you that I'm not going to prom."

"Exactly. But, I told you that I was going. So, why don't you go onto your balcony and look at the stars?" He asked.

Gabriella furrowed her brow. "What? Troy it's freezing outside and I'm in my pyjamas."

"Judging from the thickness of that new shirt you've stolen from me, you should be warm enough. And if not, wear my sports jacket." Troy explained calmly.

"How do you know I'm wearing a new shirt?" She asked quietly.

Troy sighed. "Come and look at the stars." He whispered.

Gabriella crawled off of her bed and walked over to her desk to slip her slippers on. "Fine. But, if I freeze to death, I'm blaming you." She held her phone between her ear and shoulder as she shrugged Troy's sports jacket on.

"Fine, fine." Troy said dismissively. "Just go onto your balcony."

Gabriella walked across her room and pulled her curtains apart to open her balcony doors. She gasped and hung her phone up before stuffing it into the pocket of her jeans. "What are you doing here?"

Troy, from his standing position in Gabriella's tree, shrugged while gripping the trunk tightly. "You wanted a guy on a white horse. Surprise."

"You're not on a white horse." She said in confusion.

Troy glanced down before looking back to Gabriella and raising his eyebrows.

Gabriella slowly stepped to the railing to look down at her garden. She laughed in disbelief when she saw a white horse tied to the trunk of her tree by a white rope. "Troy!" She felt tears pour down her cheeks and she reached out for him. "Come here so I can kiss you before you fall and hurt yourself."

Troy chuckled and jumped from the branch he was standing on to land safely on her balcony. "There's only one girl I'm going to prom with."

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't want to go."

"Who says we have to be at East High to have our prom?" Troy asked quietly as he reached into his black blazer and pulled out a white corsage. "Dance with me." He slipped it onto her wrist and placed his lips on her knuckles.

She nodded silently and allowed him to pull her into her bedroom. "There's no music."

He nodded. "There's plenty of music. We have our own beat. By the way, Sharpay gave me this." He, once again, reached into his blazer and pulled out a rolled up silver banner. He unravelled it and Gabriella laughed at the words Troy and Gabby's prom. "It was from when she wanted us together."

Gabriella sighed. "She knows, doesn't she?"

"I may have told her. But, she won't tell anyone." Troy assured her.

Gabriella nodded. As much as Sharpay wanted to gossip, she knew where the limits were. "Okay."

Troy walked over and shut her balcony doors but left the curtains open. He then began rummaging through her desk draws before pulling out some sticky tape. "Don't ask. I want to make some use of this."

Gabriella giggled and walked over to wrap her arms around his waist from behind. "I love your tux." She whispered. "It's better than that grey one I picked out. It suits you better. Although," She leaned up to kiss the back of his neck, "I love the shoes even more." She giggled at his white converse sneakers on his feet.

Troy taped the silver banner above the balcony doors and then turned in Gabriella's small arms. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and sighed in contentment. "Well, I hate smart shoes and I knew you'd be in pyjamas. Well, they're my clothes. Which, by the way, look so much sexier than your own."

She blushed and buried her nose into Troy's shirt. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Well, you look very handsome."

He smiled and kissed her nose, basking in her infectious giggles. "Where's Big D?"

"Asleep. He came in about a quarter of an hour ago and I helped him get ready for bed." She explained softly as he began dusting her face with butterfly kisses. "I promised you a dance." She whispered breathlessly as her arms tightened around his torso for support.

Troy pulled back from his ministrations and looked down at her. "That, you did." They got into the proper position and began dancing in her bedroom.

She giggled slightly and bit her lip. "You can dance."

"I had a good teacher." He whispered.

"Speaking of teachers," Gabriella started nervously, "Chanel Bailon is a middle school teacher in Forks."

Troy nodded and brushed some hair from her forehead. "Baby, let's just enjoy tonight. Don't think about it. Not tonight."

She nodded and sighed softly as he kissed her. "Troy, don't leave me."

Troy shook his head as they stopped their dance and began kissing along her jaw. He knew that she had convinced herself that he would do what Aidan was doing and he was adamant to prove that he wouldn't. He was planning on spending the rest of his life with her, making her happy. "Baby, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." He lifted his head from her neck and looked imploringly into her eyes. "I'm not him. You're all I've got. I'm not letting you go. Not now, not ever."

She reached up tentatively and touched his cheek. "I can't live without you anymore. It took me years to realise that you weren't coming back. Then you did. I don't want to go through that again." She cried softly.

"Shhh…" Troy kissed her fervently in an attempt to sooth her worry. His arms tightened around her waist and she kept her hand firmly against his cheek. She wrapped her other arm around his neck and sighed contentedly into his mouth. He pulled back but felt the familiar craving for her kisses ignite once again and he pressed another kiss to her lips. "I love you." He muttered.

She pulled back and took a deep breath. "I love you, too."

"Baby, what's on your mind? And don't you dare say nothing." He warned as her hand slipped from his cheek and joined her other one at the back of his neck. "Come on, you can tell me."

"You know I'm in love with you, right?" She whispered.

Troy nodded. "Of course."

Her lip trembled slightly as a tear leaked from her eye. "I want to love you. I mean really love you. I know I said that I wanted to take this slow but I can't. Not now. I need you."

Troy softly rubbed her tears away and looked unsurely down at her. "You sure, Gabriella? I-I don't want you to feel like you have to do this."

Gabriella sighed sadly at the use of her full name. "Do you not want to?" She asked in embarrassment.

"No, no, no, Baby. I do, I really do. But, are you sure?" He ran his fingertips over her cheek and he furrowed his brow.

She sighed and nodded. "I want this. So bad. I know it's not your first but that's okay. I want you to be my first." She blushed slightly and then continued. "And every time after that. You're the only guy I want."

Troy pulled her to his body and hugged her tightly; bury his nose into her luscious curls. "you're the only girl I want to make love to." He began kissing her neck softly as he pushed his sports jacket from her shoulders and threw it behind his shoulder blindly, his lips still fused to her skin.

"Troy," She gasped, gripping his shoulders with a tight grip, "the door. Lock the door."

Troy lifted his head and kissed her gently before pulling away and making his way to the door. He made sure it was locked and then dimmed the light down low. He walked back over to Gabriella and held her hand. "I love you."

She took a deep breath and reached up to push his black blazer off. "I love you, too."

* * *

Gabriella sighed at the knowledge that she was awake. Last night had been truly amazing. She had known that it would be painful and she had begged that Troy held her hand. So, he held her hands either side of her head, wanting her to be as comfortable as possible. He had kissed her softly before whispering that he loved her before they had become one.

Some people would've thought that making love after just a week of being together was rushing, but to both Troy and Gabriella, it had been the perfect time. It had hurt a little bit, but not half as much as she'd feared. Troy had been experienced, knowing exactly what to do and where to touch her. He had moved above her with a rhythm both of them had memorised and he had gasped and whispered how much he loved her.

She blushed to herself, recalling how she had moaned and whimpered into his neck – fearing they would wake Devon up. She had soon let go of Troy's hands and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull their bodies even closer together.

They had made love a second time after both of them had woken up two hours after their first time and Gabriella had wanted to do it again, much to Troy's pleasure. She knew that despite the problems existing outside of her bedroom, last night had been truly about Troy and herself. She had forgotten all about Aidan and Chanel and had allowed Troy to guide her to places of pleasure and happiness she didn't know existed.

But the best part about visiting those places? It was simply her and Troy. Troy and her. Together.

She finally opened her eyes after thinking about last night and furrowed her brow. She was lying on her stomach, exactly how she had fallen asleep. But, there wasn't a perfect guy lying next to her, his arm draped over her back and his lips just centimetres from her nose. She had fallen asleep lying on her stomach, her head twisted to the left to face Troy who was lying on his left side. His arms had been around her slender waist and he had been awake when she had fallen asleep.

She rolled onto her back, the thin blanket covering her chest. She sat up and groaned with tiredness and a slight pain which still lingered between her legs. She fell back onto her pillows and basked in the scent of Troy's which remained in the room.

"Hey," A voice exclaimed in surprise.

Gabriella opened her eyes and smiled as Troy walked into the room, dressed in a pair of jeans, a white round-neck shirt and a dark blue button-up shirt undone over the top. "Hey."

He walked over the bed and placed the tray he was carrying onto the bedside table. He sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her forehead. He reached for her hand as he spoke. "I didn't expect you to be awake."

"I woke up and you were gone." She whispered tiredly.

"I went to make you breakfast. Your mom's home, she's sleeping. Devon's dressed and downstairs watching cartoons." Troy explained.

"Does Mom know?" Gabriella asked in embarrassment.

"Well, I didn't tell her but I think so. I think she figured it out. At least, she knows something happened. She saw the horse." He chuckled and reached to brush some curls from her forehead.

She smiled up at him and reached out to touch his cheek. "Thank you for last night."

Troy leant forward and kissed her deeply. He pulled back and smiled sexily down on her. "Hey, it wasn't just me."

She blushed and sighed softly. "I loved it."

"Are you sore?" Troy asked, wincing at the word.

Gabriella nodded as she sat up, holding the sheet to her chest. "A little bit." She paused before continuing, avoiding his eyes. "Was it okay?" She was so eager to please him and feared that he hadn't enjoyed it because of her inexperience.

Troy smiled softly, knowing the reason for her question, and leaned down to kiss her. "Baby, it was wonderful. I loved every second of it."

She smiled in relief and kissed him again. "You mentioned breakfast…"

He laughed softly and placed the tray in her lap. "Scrambled egg with chocolate sauce. Just the way you like it."

She smiled down at the meal in front of her. There was a bowl of scrambled egg with chocolate sauce, a glass of orange juice, some cutlery and a rose at the side of the bowl. "Where did you get the rose from?"

"Don't tell Maria." He said sheepishly.

She giggled and took a sip of the orange juice. "Hey, could you pass me your shirt? I mean, I know you saw everything last night but I'm still not that comfortable-" She broke up when two lips crashed onto hers.

He pulled back and raised his eyebrows. "It's okay." He reached down the side of the bed and threw his shirt at her. "I still think you're beautiful no matter what."

She pulled the shirt over her head and began eating her breakfast. "Is this the only thing you can cook?"

Troy nodded. "Pretty much."

She giggled and twirled the rose around her fingers in her free hand. "Have you had breakfast?"

Troy nodded again. "And showered, greeted Maria and got Big D dressed and fed."

"How long was I asleep?" Gabriella muttered.

"Well, it's half nine." He said softly as he rubbed her knee which was still covered by the thin blanket.

"It is?" She exclaimed. "Well, you did kind of tire me out." She blushed deeply and concentrated on her breakfast.

He chuckled and ran his hand through her hair. "Today, you're going to relax. Watch TV, read, play with Big D… Just relax, okay?"

She nodded and saluted him. "Yes, Sir Bolton."

He leaned across and kissed her softly, smiling at the taste of her breakfast which lingered in her mouth. "You're so perfect."

Gabriella smiled against his lips and giggled. "You are, too. I love you."

Troy pulled back and rested his hand on her neck. "I love you, too." He took a deep breath and kissed the palm of her hand. "Baby, if Stanford say yes, please go. Big D will be fine. We'll be fine. I promise."

She sighed and finally nodded. "Okay." She whispered. "But, I'm not thinking about college. I haven't been all night. And it's because of you."

He smiled proudly at her and kissed her forehead. "I promised you I'd make it better."

She gave him a watery smile and nodded. "I know. I didn't believe you at first. Now I do. Maybe… Maybe this could be the start of something beautiful."

"We may have gotten together because of something awful, but now we have each other and that's all that matters." He said softly.