A/N: Okay guys. You so deserve an apology from the lack of updates. It's exam period and revising is my priority atm and there's been loads of personal things going on so on that front I'm really sorry. I personally don't like this chapter I think it lacks something, also just want you to let me know if you're still interested in this story because I do feel that I might be loosing my 'edge' or something lol. But anyways let me know what you think and I'll update when I can but things are just super busy for me atm!

Also I have another chapter up of Let The Best Man Win so be sure to check that out :)

"At this moment, there are six billion, four hundred seventy million, eight hundred eighteen thousand, six hundred seventy one people in the world.
Some… are running scared. Some… are coming home. Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just not facing the truth. Some are evil men, at war with good.
And some are good, struggling with evil. Six billion people in the world, six billion souls. And sometimes… … All you need is one."

Peyton Sawyer: One Tree Hill

Gabriella had never felt so lost in all of her life.

When Emma had died Gabriella had slipped into a loop of depression whether she wanted to admit or not. She had locked herself into her room and would come out for the bathroom; she would barely even come out for food. Alyssa, Phoebe and Cheryl would take it in turns to go to her room and literally force food down her. It wasn't that she would ever starve herself, she wasn't on hunger strike or anything but it just hurt. It hurt to eat; it hurt to just open her mouth to inhale and exhale.

But this time was different.

She missed Emma now more than ever. She had to put up with the fact that her father was back in her life after the past 14 years. She wanted to believe that he wasn't back, that he was just maybe doing a flying visit. But deep down she knew that he wasn't. She knew that he was here to stay. Gabriella had gotten to the point where she didn't know what to think or what to feel anymore. But she knew that if Emma were here she'd know exactly what to do.

How was she meant to live?

She was an independent person also. She liked to do things alone, figure things out on her own. It had taken a total of 3 weeks to pry Gabriella from her room, which she had done voluntary after Emma had died. After she was done crying herself to sleep at night, after she was done lying on her bed not talking to anyone. She had decided that that day, she could remember the exact day it was a Wednesday.

She could remember the surprised faces, when she emerged down the stairs and Lucas had ran to her like he hadn't seen her in a life time. Now two weeks after Emma had been born, she had returned to that state. She had been in her room for those two weeks. And that day, at that particular moment in time she had decided that it was the time to start to put things behind her. To try and channel the pain through something else.

Troy.

She hadn't seen him since the birth of Emma. And she had wondered if she could still consider him as her boyfriend anymore. She had been a terrible girlfriend. Her sister's had told her that he had called and that the he had been round to the house to see her. But she didn't want it. She wanted him, wanted him more than ever. But that was the thing with her, she wouldn't admit that she wanted help. Needed help. She would rather suffer. Trusting people and letting herself be comforted by someone and for them to give her strength, people like that in her life always left her. Emma had her mom, her dad, her grandmother. So she figured that if she were to focus on working things out on her own, she'd be better off that way.

She had no idea how wrong she would be.

Gabriella sighed and began to pull out the baby pink cami that she was wearing, with a long neckline and a black t shirt underneath. With tights and a pair of sandals. Her hair was perfectly done, her makeup was perfectly applied. But why did she feel like something was missing?

She slowly made her way down the stairs to hear the familiar sound of a baby crying. She felt awful, she felt so guilty. She had missed out on the first two weeks of her nieces life because she was selfish. So fucking selfish that she had to lock herself away. Gabriella sighed and closed her eyes to calm herself. She slowly walked into the kitchen and saw all heads turn to look at her.

Alyssa was holding Emma close to her chest patting her back to soothe her, muttering and cooing sweet nothings to her. Phoebe was dancing around the kitchen. And Cheryl was pouring a glass of coffee.

But they didn't continue when she walked into that room.

"Gabi..." Cheryl stated her name, with a puzzled luck on her face. "You're up?"

Gabriella nodded slowly and made her way over to the island in the middle of the kitchen and sat on the bar stool. "Yeah."

"You want anything?" Cheryl offered holding out the jug of coffee.

Gabriella shook her head slowly and looked towards Alyssa and Emma. "I just wanna hold my niece for the minute." Alyssa looked up to her. "That's if you'll let me?" She chuckled.

Alyssa nodded eagerly. "Of course you can hold her. Don't be so ridiculous. I'm glad of the break." She added with a slight giggle. Quickly she walked towards Gabriella and placed Emma in her awaiting arms. Gabriella suddenly felt a wave of happiness wash over her.

Yep definitely Emma.

Of course all babies were gorgeous when they were newly born. But there was something about this one. All of the Montez women were equally beautiful so Gabriella knew deep down that she'd inherited that trait.

She was so mesmerized on the newborn that she didn't notice that she had almost immediately stopped wailing when Gabriella held her and she had closed her eyes and was breathing evenly.

"You're a natural." Alyssa smiled down at a teary eyed Gabriella and the now sleeping baby.

Gabriella smiled tightly and snuggled Emma closer to her. "Yeah, you think so?"

"Totally. When you and Troy have kids you'll totally be the doting mommy." Cheryl grinned smugly while closing the refrigerator door.

Troy.

"Yeah speaking of Troy what's the deal with you two anyways?" Phoebe interrogated while planting a kiss to Emma's silky skin and gingerly stroking her little finger through the tiny amount of hair she had.

"I don't know." Gabriella spoke honestly. Shaking her head slightly. "I wouldn't blame him if he didn't wanna talk to me anymore. Let alone me be his girlfriend." She added with a sigh.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. When I've been around school he's always asked how you were doing and to tell you to call him." Phoebe explained softly.

"Yeah so he could break up with me." Gabriella fired back quickly.

"I don't think he's gonna break up with you. The kid loves you. And he is a hottie." Phoebe swooned.

"Okay first of all two weeks of not answering his calls, not seeing him kinda puts the relationship on rocky grounds. Second of all I love him too but isn't it right that you can't base a relationship on love and thirdly don't say my boyfriends a hottie." Gabriella explained and pointed her finger at her sibling.

"Um, totally changing the subject I know." Cheryl held up her hands. "But Gabi what time do you finish school today normal time?"

It was hard to actually think of what time school was out she hadn't been there in that long. All the work that she had missed. Hopefully no one would have noticed she was gone. "Um, yeah."

"I'll pick you up? There's something we need to do." Cheryl informed her. The look on her face homed a soft smile. That soft smile wasn't god. What did she want her to do?

"Um, yeah that's fine." Gabriella responded distantly. "Is there something... wrong or?"

Cheryl shook her head solemnly.

She had no idea how wrong it was.

Two weeks.

Two fucking weeks and he hadn't seen her, spoken to her. She hadn't even been on Facebook and believe him, he'd checked. It wasn't that he'd turned into a psycho boyfriend but he didn't like that he couldn't be there for her. He couldn't exactly say that he knew how much pain she was in because he didn't but he wanted to at least be there for her. Put his arms around her and tell her that it was all going to be okay.

He didn't want to break up with her that was just stupid. He knew that she had just needed some time but two whole weeks? That was just boarding on torture. Just not been able to see her or talk to her everyday but not to do anything with her was torturing him even more. Call him a pervert? Well he was a seventeen year old teenage boy. So it was pretty allowed.

"Nothing huh?" Chad had asked the same question every single morning for the past 2 weeks. It seemed that he was maybe just as worried as Troy was. Well he wasn't worried because Phoebe had given him updates of how she was and what phase she was in.

"So how is she?" Troy asked for what felt like the 1000th time to him never mind her sister.

"Still in faze one." Phoebe responded accompanied by a sigh.

Troy's chestnut eyebrows furrowed. "Phase?"

"Oh yeah, in our family we have phases to a certain breakdown or emotional pain or whatever. Faze one, definitely where you're lying around the house not leaving your room. Second phase coming downstairs maybe talking to your family, friends. And phase three coming back to reality and maybe facing your demons. Gabriella hasn't left her room all weekend." Phoebe explained.

It had been 2 days since he had seen her, Emma had been born at around 3 am and Troy had left the family to be alone at around four thirty so it had technically just been over 48 hours."So what does that mean?"

"That lover boy means that phase 2 or even 3 is a long time away. But trust me she'll be okay. I promise."

"Nope nothing not a thing." 2 days had turned into 2 fucking weeks, he didn't know what he wanted. Actually scratch that he just wanted to see her walk down the hallway with that angelic smile on her face. But that wasn't going to happen was it?

Or was it?

"Dude..." Chad slapped Troy's bicep.

"Chad fuck off I'm thinking." He swatted him away like he was a fly.

"No dude. It's Gabriella." Just the sound of her name made the butterflies that had vacated from her stomach for so long return. Troy turned his head as quick as you could say Albuquerque and there she was.

It was like all time and movement stopped in the hallway that morning. And there she was walking down the corridor with her bag attached solemnly to her side. Walking at the side of Sharpay. With the smile on her face that had been dreaming of. The smile all of a sudden returned to his face as her stunning brown eyes locked on the azure orbs. Worry was locked into them as she stared at him. Why? What did she have to worry about?

"Dude I gotta go..." Troy said distantly and began to walk up the corridor towards the girl that he loved.

Gabriella's eyes didn't leave his as he approached her, but a dazzling smile. The one that he had missed flashed onto her face. He almost felt like he had to run to her to get to her, otherwise she would be gone.

As soon as he stood infront of her his arms slid around her waist as quick as they could and he lifted her from the ground and pulled her lips to his.

Nothing felt better than the second his lips touched hers.

Every single ounce of worry had dissipated from Troy's brain. He could feel Gabriella smirk against his lips as her arms snaked around his neck. His tongue thrusted apart her lips and wasted no time into discovering his favourite taste again. Their tongues danced with each other, and he suddenly forgot that the corridors were filled in the school corridors. He pulled away as soon as he remembered when his lungs needed oxygen. "Hey..."

Gabriella giggled. "You totally lost it?"

Troy smirked and wiped a stray piece of hair away from her face. "I lost it when I didn't see you for two weeks."

Gabriella bit down on her lip. "I'm sorry."

Troy finally remembered to set her down on the floor and pulled her over to the side of the corridor to talk to her privately. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. Are you okay though?"

Gabriella smiled tightly. "Two whole phases in one morning. I'll get there. Might take some time but..."

"Anything I can do?" He asked as he pressed a loving kiss to her forehead.

Gabriella sighed deeply like there was a battle going on in her mind. "There's so much going on right now, I feel like I've lost my way."

Troy ran his fingers delicately over her cheekbone. Trying to memorize everything, like he had forgotten her. "Then let me help you find it"

Gabriella looked down to the tile floor and then looked up and he saw the first sign of distress since her father had showed up. He didn't think he had ever seen one person in so much pain. "I don't know if I can." Gabriella replied in the smallest voice imaginable and she took a deep breath after that.

"What are you saying?" Troy shook his head. She couldn't do this. He wouldn't' let her do this.

"I don't know. I love you I know that for sure. I love you with all my heart but, there's so much in my life right now with my dad and I feel like I've lost Emma all over again. I just need to get my head straight." Gabriella reached up and placed her hand into his hair, massaging his scalp.

"Are you saying you wanna break up?" He felt like his heart was being stomped on. She couldn't do this to him.

Gabriella's eyes widened in panic. She violently shook her head. "NO! No, no, no. Never. I thought you wanted to break up with me but no I just. I need you but I need to figure things out on my own."

Troy's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Wait you thought I wanted to break up with you. Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm a selfish bitch." She chuckled lightly.

Troy moved his hand around to her back and trailed his hand down her spine, and he could have sworn he felt her shiver beneath him. "Hey, why are you selfish?"

Gabriella looked up to him with a glossy vision. "Because I didn't call. I didn't come to see you. I just, that's the thing you have to understand, I'm selfish and I don't even know why. I was so wrapped up in my own feelings that I didn't think of how it would affect you and how you feel."

"Hey you don't have to worry about how I'm feeling I'm fine." Troy shrugged like it was nothing, but he didn't really understand what she was saying.

"I just, can you just give me some time? To figure things out?" Gabriella pleaded with him.

"Yeah, if that's what you want I'll give it to you. I just want you to know that I'm here for you okay, call me if you need me when I'm not there." He ran his hands through her hair.

Gabriella nodded. "Okay. You wanna walk me to class?" She leaned up and pressed her lips onto his.

He pulled away slightly and smiled brightly at her although it felt like he was dying inside. He felt like she was rejecting him.

"Okay."

"So you ready?"

Gabriella turned to see Cheryl looking at her. "It would be better if I knew where we were going." Her day had been horrendous, not only had everyone looked at her when she walked through the hallway, she had to put up with the pained look on Troy's face every 5 seconds.

She wasn't breaking up with him at all. She just needed time to figure out the emotions in her head. She needed him. She just didn't want to depend on him. Because what would happen if he wasn't there?

"We're going to see dad." Erm, what?

"I don't wanna go." She didn't want to be face to face with the man that walked out on her 14 years ago. She couldn't do it.

"Gabi..." Cheryl began.

"No I can't, I hate him. I know that's an awful thing to say but I thought I'd feel an ounce of love towards him. But I can't. I just hate him. I've never felt so much hate directed to one person." She could feel the grapefruit swelling in the back of her throat.

"Gabriella we just need to tell him to get out of our lives. That's it. We're not welcoming him home." Cheryl attempted to soothe. Gabriella didn't even notice that the car was already moving.

"Fine." She spoke through gritted teeth. "Let's do it."

Gabriella didn't know how long they had been driving but she soon knew when they were there because the car had pulled up outside a hotel. It was a tall building, painted white. She suddenly felt the need for Troy to be there, comforting her holding her hand telling her that he loved her.

But she couldn't.

She couldn't depend on him. What if he wasn't there and then she would be sparing herself more heartache. Again she didn't have an idea how wrong she was. Soon she was standing infront of a maple coloured door, and then Cheryl's fist was tapping on the door. A part of her wished that he wasn't there; he wouldn't come to the door. She would never get a chance to see his face again. But nothing worked out that way for Gabriella.

And then the door opened...

And there he stood. Her father.

"Cheryl?" His face was puzzled, but also amused. Like he had expected the two of them to be there, standing infront of him.

"Dad." Cheryl addressed him while the smile on his face grew. Smugly.

"Gabriella."

Gabriella's black eyebrows rose. "Hmm"

"The last time I saw you Cheryl you were crying because some guy didn't call you when he said he would." His hand rested on the door cockily as he smirked at the two girls.

Gabriella suddenly felt a sudden urge to "You know what cut the crap. Are you gonna let us in or not?" Passion and rage bubbled through her body.

"Feisty." He smirked. "Come on in."

Gabriella walked into the room and suddenly was hit by a smell that reminded her of a child. After her father had left he had left a t shirt behind and she had made her grandmother tuck her in on a night with the t shirt. So she could smell it all of the time and be reminded that he would come back.

Now she didn't even want him back.

"So girls do you want a drink or something?" He beamed like he was the proudest father in the world. Like he had been there, like he had never walked out on them. Gabriella couldn't stand it. "No?"

"Dad, why can't you just leave us alone? Why now? Why not I don't know 14 years ago?" Cheryl ranted. Her voice was on the verge of yelling.

"I've changed." He responded, shrugging lightly and then Gabriella heard a slight clang of a bottle connecting with the rim of a glass.

"Leave us alone." Gabriella pleaded. She needed him out of her life. How could she deal with it? She couldn't. "Please."

"Does what I want not matter?" It was as if he was challenging her.

"Well we wanted you back in our lives 13 years ago but clearly what we wanted didn't matter then." However Gabriella was yelling. She couldn't control it. It was like 13 years without a father was washed down upon her little body and she was letting out all of her emotion. Her body was trembling; she could feel the tears clouding her vision.

He walked closer to the two of them and directly stood between then facing them. "I'm not going anywhere. So you better prepare yourself because Daddy's here whether you like it or not."

"Listen." Cheryl spoke through gritted teeth and pointed her finger in his rounded face. "You leave us alone. We don't need this, we don't need you. Just get out of our lives. And consider that as a warning."

He held up his hands to surrender. "Look I didn't come back into your lives to hurt you I just want to get to know you."

Gabriella laughed a fake dry laugh. How could he think that they would welcome him back into their lives? "Well we don't wanna get to know you."

"Just do us all a favour and stay the hell away from us." Cheryl warned. "Come on Gabi."

Gabriella closed her eyes and silently wished for Troy.

He wanted her, needed her. He couldn't stand watching her to go through that alone. He just wanted to take her in his arms and just tell her that he loved her and that she could depend on him. He just didn't know what was eating away at her like that.

"You okay dude?" Chad asked him with concern laced into his voice.

Troy had to laugh a little at how caring Chad was being towards him, almost on the verge of being gay. "People are gonna start to think that you're gay man with the whole asking me how I am all of the time."

Chad chuckled before throwing the orange basketball at him which Troy caught without any trouble. "Fuck you."

Troy rolled his eyes lazily. "I just tried calling her. But there was nothing."

Chad looked at him sympathetically. But he didn't want the sympathy. He didn't feel that he needed it. He just needed her, really. "Dude just let her do what she wants and she'll come to you if she needs you."

He knew how independent she was. She wouldn't come to him. She really wouldn't. She said that she wanted to do things on her own so that meant she wanted to do things on her own and she wouldn't admit if she needed help. "She won't though. You don't know what she's like."

"So what's going on with the two of you? Is she breaking up with you or something?" Chad interrogated.

When Gabriella had been talking to him earlier he actually thought that she was going to break up with him, he had never been so afraid in all of his life. He had never been so afraid of losing someone like he was her. "No. At least i don't think so. It's just tearing me apart to see her in so much pain."

That was the thing about Chad and Troy's friendship they didn't have to hide how they were feeling, and he wouldn't have had it any other way. As gay as it would've sounded. "Well then do something about it."

Troy could feel the blood bubbling through his veins. He knew he shouldn't have been getting angry but he was. Troy lunged the basketball to the floor and heard it bounce as he walked away. "I can't!"

Chad glanced up from the floor where he must have been looking for a dent in the tarmac that was beneath them Troy threw the ball down with that much force. "Why the fuck not?"

He didn't know what he wanted, he was beside himself. He just wanted to run to Gabriella's house. That's what he wanted. But could he do it? No! "Fuck" He raged. "I can't live without her. This is fucking killing me."

"What is?" Chad asked his black eyebrows narrowed and confused.

"Not being able to take care of her. Not being able to listen to her telling me everything that's going on in her head it's fucked up, totally fucked up." Troy put his hand up to his head and groaned.

"Well do something about it then."

And that's what he planned to do, if only she'd let him.