Okay people, it's coming to an end :'( I'm sad because I never had more than 500 reviews before and I love the way everyone gets attached to these characters :D Just the Epilogue after this one but please review!

26.

"Is this weird?" Troy wondered belatedly as Gabi walked into her room to find him there, stretched across her bed. "I mean, suddenly everything got so serious…"

"I know," she sighed with agreement, quickly adapting to his line of conversation. "I didn't want that to happen."

Troy lifted his head from the mattress to look at her. "Come here already," he commanded gently, his sexy-soft smile tempting her to give in to him again and she crawled across the bed to snuggle into his side, quickly encompassed into his strong arms.

"Why can't it just be like this all the time?" She wondered. "Just me and you and…this," she smiled as she closed her eyes blissfully and wriggled against him.

He squeezed her a little and kissed her hair. "What fun would that be?"

She looked up to him with a wry smile. "We are so lucky that you can make a joke of everything."

"Not everything," he assured with a twinkle. "But some things need to be joked about."

"You think it's funny that people want to split us up?" She wondered drily.

"No," he shrugged. "But you're a big girl and you can make up your own mind about whether or not you want to date me. If you think Josie has a point then you know, we'll re-think this," he suggested.

She clung to him in a vain attempt to re-assure him that this was what she wanted. "I think Josie is assuming I'm another one in your long list of conquests," she allowed with a knowing smile. "But you know I don't think that."

"You know what today made me realise?" He asked rhetorically, not waiting for an answer. "When Kayla ran into that road, man, I felt like my whole heart exploded inside my chest- I felt nothing but fear for her safety. It hit me, you know? It just hit me then how much you two mean to me- how much I want to be there for her. And you. And just you know…stop screwing up and be a man for once."

"Having Kayla made me feel that way too- like nothing else matters but her," she agreed. "But I don't want us to be some kind of crusade for you to prove a point."

Troy propped up to his elbow and looked into Gabi's face, wondering what words he could use to tell her he was committed. And then he wondered if words were needed at all. Because she looked so serious laid there frowning with worry and her eyes were so big and brown that he couldn't help himself by staring into them. He leaned down; testing her reaction, then kissed her sweetly on the lips when she didn't stop him.

"There's no point for me to prove other than to you, to prove that I love you. To prove that I want this." He promised.

Gabi let her smile envelope her face at his words and reached up to kiss him back, the press of her lips conveying every emotion she felt in that moment- hope, fear and most of all, love.

They loved like lovers, fighting for control, rolling in the bed to press against each other for more skin-on-skin contact; their bodies writhing together and clothes vanishing between every break of their lips.

Soon, Gabi was stripped to her panties, Troy naked above her, the heavy throb of need pounding through her sensitised body; every cell calling out for joining with his body.

"Troy," she called for him softly, aware of their young charge across the hall but so badly needing his fix that she had no choice but to beg for him, the way her body begged for his to fill her.

"I know," he murmured into her ear, ridding their last barrier and sinking into her already waiting body, something they had indulged in so many times but that still shimmered his body with unbridled pleasure.

Her excited pant drove him on, his chest was tight with his breaths and as he consumed her, kiss by kiss, thrust by thrust. he knew deep down that these moments of carnal pleasure were just the tip of a very big iceberg he was just beginning to discover.

He loved Gabriella Montez, that was no secret. But he also wanted more. He wanted to be part of her little world- her world of acceptance and support and love- things he had been craving and he didn't even really know it.

"Troy," she sighed his name again as her fingers brushed his hair and he dropped a kiss to her mouth, closing his eyes and wincing in pleasure-pain at the sound of his name on her lips; god but that got him every time.

"Mommy!" Kayla's cry was loud and near and they both took a shocked breath in before pausing, their breathing short and tight and their moment of passion ruined.

"Oh, god," Troy dipped his head to her shoulder with a raw voice before he withdrew from her body, rolling over onto his back to fling his arm over his eyes.

"Mommy I have monsters in my room!" Kayla called again outside.

"Okay honey just give me one moment, I'm just finding my slippers," Gabi lied, quickly rolling up on the bed to sit on the edge; taking deep breaths to calm her shaking body that was still at the height of desire.

"I'll go" Troy stated beside her, pulling on his boxers already.

"You really don't need to," Gabi assured. "I just need a moment."

"I'm on it," Troy insisted, coming around the bed to palm her cheek. "You stay there."

"I-" She didn't get to finish because he had already slung on a tee-shirt and tugged on his jeans, heading out of the door to tend to Kayla.

"Where's these monsters, then, beautiful?" She heard him ask her daughter through the nearly closed door.

"Oh god, Bolton," she groaned to herself and rolled back into bed. "You are way too adorable…"

/

Troy crept back into Gabi's room, first slitting the door open to check for activity, then coming inside when he noticed her bedside lamp on- bathing the room in a low, warm glow.

He tiptoed across the room, retrieving his other clothes to put them together while he re-buckled his belt as quietly as he could manage, Gabi's form still on the bed, showing only her hair- a sign she was fast asleep.

"Hey, where you going, partner?" She called sleepily, surprising him with her alertness.

"I…uh…I just thought maybe I should go home…" He suggested, guessing their night was pretty much over and assuming that Gabi would want some time alone after their liaison.

"Did something happen?" She sat up with a squint, intrigued.

"No, no of course not…"

"Then why are you leaving?"

"I just thought…maybe, since you know…" He swallowed. "Ah, this feels weird, you know? Like, do you just want to sleep now and I'll go?"

"Troy…" She looked and him with a bemused press of her lips.

"I'm just asking," he quickly added, putting out his hands in surrender to her. "I just…"

"Troy," she said his name again and he stopped flicking his eyes around the room and finally met hers.

"Yeah?" He asked back, feeling sheepish.

"Get in the bed," She demanded softly.

"Huh?" He flicked his eyes up in surprise.

Gabi flipped down her large duvet to make room for him. "Just get in here."

He frowned and headed over, rubbing his neck nervously. "Really?"

"How many times do I have to say it?" She wondered feistily.

"No more," he assured quickly, unbuttoning his jeans again to rid them and slide in beside her. "I get the message."

"Good," she smiled slowly at him. "I was beginning to miss you in here."

"I'm sorry we had to uh, you know, before," he apologised even though it wasn't his fault. Gabi smiled at his gesture.

"Is Kayla okay?"

"Yeah, I got rid of the monsters."

"I think this might be her way of testing the boundaries…" Gabi shared.

"Yeah, she's sounding me out, I get it," he assured easily.

"You know, it's really quite sexy seeing you being all dad-like with her…" Gabi led suggestively, to which he popped up an eyebrow.

"Really? Sexy huh?"

"Oh yeah," she wriggled against him. "The way you just went out there so selflessly and let me rest…that was pretty adorable."

"Adorable now?" he checked.

"Uh huh," she wound her arms around his neck and kissed his chin.

"Well you did kinda warn me we might get…interrupted," he dismissed.

"I'm sorry that we did, but you were perfect- with me and her." She commended.

"Well, I try," he smiled his sexy smile at her then, sharing her longer kiss.

"So, are we…?" She asked, wondering if they could finish what they started.

Troy kissed her on the forehead. "We're tempting fate if we do."

"You're right," she sighed and snuggled into his chest. "Worse luck."

"We have the rest of our lives to make love," he promised with a sexy husk.

"We do." She agreed softly.

"If you'll have me, that is." He added a little unsurely.

Gabi looked up to him and smiled. "I think I can handle having you around."

"And Kayla of course…" He fished.

"She always wanted a daddy," Gabi admitted. "Is that what you really want though?"

He kissed her nose. "More than anything."

"Well I guess we're stuck with you then," she teased, grasping his backside in her hand and giving it a squeeze, the action bringing her closer into his chest.

"I guess you are…" He agreed with his lazy grin, leaning across to kiss her again.

"Is this it then?" She ventured her eyes up. "We're really doing this?"

"We're really doing this," he grinned at their pact, his eyes crinkling with the pleasure of that idea. "I love you, Montez."

"I love you too, Troy Bolton. I must be crazy…"