Disclaimer: I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Everything else is the property of Disney.

Enjoy :D


Gabriella looked through her closet again and tried to figure out what she was going to wear to dinner tonight with Troy. It had been about two months since Troy's accident and he was given the all clear to go back home to Los Angeles and back to his life as a pro basketball player.

Truth be told she was a bit sad to see him go so soon. Troy and Jazz had gotten to know each other over the past two months that she was worried about her daughter was going to take the change. Gabriella didn't want Troy's busy schedule to hinder the progress that the father and daughter had made.

"Yeah I can't do this," Gabriella turned around to her ensemble of critics.

"Gabby it's just dinner with Troy," Kelsi reminded her over Skype.

"You look fantastic. I'm so jealous by the way, because when I was just showing I looked like a bloated fish," Sharpay commented from her spot on the bed. Kayla was sleeping by her.

"Yeah well I look like I'm smuggling a beach ball," Taylor complained from against the headrest.

"I'm not going. This was a stupid idea. I don't even know why I agreed to this," the woman moved over to her vanity mirror.

"Because you still love him," Sharpay came over to Gabriella and started playing with her hair. "Gabby, why do you still have that "T" necklace?"

Gabriella looked at her open jewelry box and pulled it out of the box. "I took it off the night Troy left. It's been in here ever since." She placed the necklace back down in the box and then closed it. "I haven't thought about it in a long time."

"You should wear it tonight," Kelsi said distorted. "What better way to show him that you care then to wear something that he gave you as a symbol of his love?"

"You've been writing way too many musical scores Kels. Even if things go well from Troy he still has a contract with the Lakers that is practically a done deal," the lawyer stated. Troy had signed the newest contract draft that was agreed upon with Troy, his agent and the Lakers. "He is basically under contract for another two years without the possibility of trading."

"A travelling relationship is not unheard of," Sharpay inputted while she looked over to check on Kayla. "Zeke and I did it."

"You also wanted nothing to do with him until he started to ignore you in U of A," Taylor laughed at her friend. "Troy hasn't signed that contract yet Gabby. Anything could happen."

"Okay. I think you all helped enough, Troy is picking me up in ten minutes and the last thing I need is for all of you to be here eavesdropping."

"Oh we're staying because it is girl's day tomorrow which means no sleeping with Troy on the first date. So we can gossip and take advantage of your house."

"Technically the reunion was their first date."

"No pretty sure that was the night in her office."

"Again no help," Gabriella turned around from her vanity and glared at her best friends. "I am not sleeping with Troy because my hormones are not even letting me feel any kind of way sexually."

Just as Sharpay had opened her mouth to say something which Gabriella guessed would have been a comparison to her sex life while she was pregnant with Kayla.

"I'm going to go now. Do not burn down my house," the brunette stood up and grabbed her purse from the bed where it had been sitting.

"We are not missing this," Taylor grabbed the laptop with Kelsi still on the screen and followed her best friend down the stairs. Sharpay joined her shortly after she had made sure that Kayla was still sleeping and comfortable.

Gabriella rolled her eyes at her assemble of friends on her stairs before she opened the door and revealed Troy on the other side in a nice blue blazer and dress pants. He also had a small bouquet of flowers, daises, which were her favorite.

"Well that explains why I couldn't park in the driveway. Hi ladies," Troy looked around Gabriella at her friends and waved to them.

"Hi Troy," the group of women waved back at the man.

"We should get going before they decide to keep you here all night and talk your ear off," Gabriella started to head out the door.

"Wait. I will put these in a vase," Sharpay jogged over and grabbed the flowers from Troy and closed the door behind the couple.

"I would apologize for them but we both know that they are like that anyways," the woman laughed as she and Troy walked over to the man's new rental car.

"Surprisingly enough that they don't even phase me. You look beautiful by the way."

"Thank you. You look handsome as well."

The drive over to the restaurant had been relatively silent. They did make small talk but it wasn't about anything important. He did ask about her friends and how they were.

When Troy did pull up to the restaurant Gabriella tried to suppress her laugh. He had taken her to the first restaurant they had dinner in as a couple.

"I hope you don't mind. I figured that if we were starting over we should start from one of our first moments," Troy opened Gabriella's car door and helped her out.

"You mean the restaurant I suggested after you lost our table at the other place that you wanted to take me too?" Gabriella grinned as she adjusted her dress a bit since it had ridden up from the car ride.

"I don't remember it happening that way," Troy denied as he offered his hand and lead the brunette inside.

"I'm sure you don't."

As they were seated at their table Gabriella couldn't help but think about how their first dinner had gone over eleven years ago. It had been just after they had gotten the leads in Twinkle Town.

"You know I had those reservations all ready," Troy said as he and Gabriella walked around for a bit. They were trying to figure out a way to salvage the night after Troy had lost their reservations to the restaurant he wanted to go on for their first date.

"I know that I haven't been here that long but I'm pretty sure that reservations work the same here as they do everywhere else."

"Very funny."

"Earth to Gabriella," Troy interrupted her wandering. "What were you thinking about?"

"Our first date," Gabriella answered and raised her glass of water to her lips. "And how even now you don't want to give me credit."

"Well I did say tonight was about starting over didn't I? Gabriella I am glad that you suggested this place over a decade ago."

"Don't say it like that. You make us sound so hold," the lawyer laughed and moved her menu over to an empty place on the table. She already knew what she wanted.

"So how is it that you are going to share a house with Sharpay and Taylor tonight?" Troy asked setting down his menu as well.

"They want the dirt on how tonight is going to go," the brunette laughed a little. "I was given strict rules for tonight."

"And what are those?"

"There is actually only one, I can't sleep with you. Although that wasn't on the table at all."

"Well I don't know about that."

"Sadly that is one of the downfalls to pregnancy," Gabriella informed her former boyfriend as the waiter came to take their orders. "No sex drive right now."

"So are we going to have the same custody agreement we have with Jazz with the baby?" Troy asked looking at the woman. He still couldn't believe that she still was as beautiful as the day he met her in that ski lodge.

"I wouldn't want a baby to travel a thousand miles to another state," the brunette told the man as their dinner was place in front of them.

"What if I wasn't in another state?" Troy countered as he grabbed his fork.

"Even if you got traded to what I would assume would be Phoenix you would still be on the road for eighty days out of the season. And I can't drop work to escort our kids to another state," the brunette argued as she ate her dinner. This really wasn't the conversation that she wanted to have tonight on their date.

"What about a nanny?" the basketball player suggested.

"I am tabling this discussion to another time because we are on a date and I don't want to ruin the night."

"I can agree to that."

The rest of the night had actually turned around. It was nice for Gabriella to actually relax for what seemed like the first time in weeks. It felt nice for her to forget work and what was happening with Troy and his health issues for a night.

"I would suggest dessert but you look like you're about to fall asleep on me," Troy laughed as he signaled the waiter for their check.

"I don't even have the energy to fight you on letting me pay for half of the check," Gabriella yawned and watched as Troy placed his credit card in the check book and handed back to the waiter without even taking his eyes off of her. "I've got a huge case coming up."

"You have to take it easy Brie," Troy stood up and offered his hand to her.

"I'm still getting used to being the managing partner at this office. Then it will get a lot easier," Gabriella leaned against Troy as they walked the short distance to his car. "I've worked very hard for this."

"I know you have Brie. I probably didn't make it any better when I left you to raise Jazz by yourself," the man reached into his pocket and unlocked the car.

"It made me work even harder," the lawyer yawned again as she got into the car and got comfortable.

Troy smiled at the image. He knew that Gabriella would be asleep before he even got halfway back to her house. She had always fallen asleep on car rides when she was tired no matter how short the car ride was.

Sure enough Gabriella had fallen asleep almost immediately after Troy had started to drive away. When he could get away with it he looked over and checked on her. Gabriella looked peaceful and worry-free. Sometime during the ride one of her hands had made it to rest on the small swell of her stomach which had a product of their previous times together.

Troy had first noticed the change in Gabriella's stomach area one day as he was dropping Jazz off from one of their days together and Gabriella had answered the door in a sports bra and yoga pants. Her doctor had said that she could do light exercise during her pregnancy and she was taking full advantage of it.

On most days it was hard for Troy to believe that he already had one child and was going to have another in a few months. The circumstances for this baby was different but he could actually be there for milestones that he never got with Jazz and he was grateful for that.

Through all his musings Troy barely noticed that he had made it to Gabriella's house. Part of him didn't have the heart to wake the brunette up but since his ribs had just newly healed he couldn't take the risk of picking up Gabriella and injuring himself again, or else he would have picked her up and carried her to her house and made sure that she got into bed ok.

"Brie you're home," Troy gently shook the brunette and watched as she slowly started to wake up from her short nap.

"I fell asleep didn't I?" Gabriella rubbed her eyes and looked at Troy.

"Yeah but I won't hold it against you," the man after he got out and walked over to the passenger side door and opened it.

"I had a good time tonight," the lawyer got out of the car and started to head up the walkway to her house that only had the front porch light on.

"Looks like they went to bed."

"Or they're trying to make it look that way. I should get in there before someone decides to flick the lights on and off."

"I wouldn't want to embarrass you or anything," Troy smirked before he leaned over and kissed the brunette goodnight. "They should talk about that for a while." Once he pulled away.

"Thanks for that." Gabriella tried to deadpan but the smile on her face was a dead giveaway. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Troy smiled and walked back to his car.

Gabriella yawned and turned to unlock her front door when it opened before her with Taylor and Sharpay on the other side.

"I'm tired and we can talk about this tomorrow," the brunette walked past her friends and up the stairs to her room.

"That kiss wasn't exactly G rated," Taylor followed behind her best friend.

"I'm pretty sure I saw tongue," Sharpay agreed.

"Go to bed," the brunette laughed as she got ready for bed. "We can talk tomorrow."

"You bet we will.


After a long presence of writer's block and loads of personal issues I am finally back with a new found confidence about finishing this story which I think is going to be soon.

This chapter is over 2,000 words long and I am sorry if the date seemed rushed but I am getting back into writing this story.