Dinner had been eaten, the dishes washed and put away an hour ago. Troy had made a couple hoops in the backyard before coming in for dessert, and an aura of peace had settled over the house as the family headed to bed.

All but Gabriella.

She had her books laid out on the desk in Troy's bedroom, chin in her hand as she scribbled out notes. She glanced at the alarm clock. Nearly 10:45 PM. Troy was in the shower after a long practice at school. Dropping her pen, her hand drifted to her belly. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hide it anymore. The baby inside her was slowly growing, though not as fast as Dr Kelly had hoped. Gabriella had to continue eating well for the unborn infant. A small nursery had been erected in the guest room of the Bolton house, with a cradle, rocking chair, and other necessary things. But even after it was born… what then? So many unknowns… too many. She sighed and resumed her work.

Eventually, the shower stopped, but Gabriella didn't notice. After a couple minutes, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and squeezed gently, startling her. She jumped and dropped her pen.

A soft chuckle sounded in her ear and then a little kiss pressed to her her cheek.

She blushed. "Troy, you scared me!"

He examined her books. "What have I told you about studying late at night? You're gonna kill yourself."

Gabriella clenched her fists in her hair, eyes fluttering shut for a tired moment. "I just… I have to study really hard for college."

Troy groaned and pulled back her chair. "Gabriella, you're already in! Stop freaking out abou—"

He saw her face. It wasn't playful or happy like when they usually had these discussions. It was nervous and scared. Her chocolate eyes were pleading with him.

Troy sighed. "Okay," he said softly. "Let's go to bed right now."

She nodded and stood, clicking off the desk lamp. She crawled into bed, expecting Troy to follow, but as she settled down, he backed up and took a running start. He leaped into the bed, the mattress bouncing Gabriella. He nearly hit her as he rolled, bouncing up an down. She squealed and melted into a fit of giggles. Troy grinned and leaned over her, his arms on either side of her head. She shrank down in mock fright, giggles still slipping through, but he yanked off the blanket and attacked her, dragging her to the center of the bed. Gabriella curled up, shaking with laughter. Troy crouched near her and snuffled her neck and shoulders before resorting to tickling. Her body writhed on the bed as he attacked her.

After a moment, she couldn't stand it any longer. "T-Troy! Troy!" she gasped. "S-stop, stop! I c-can't breathe!" She was still laughing, even when he stopped.

Troy was out of breath and chuckling too. He pulled her back to the top of the bed and laid next to her. Gabriella turned toward him, curling into his chest and allowing his strong arms to envelope her.

She sighed and the room dropped into a quiet darkness, restful and warm. Just the two of them, Troy holding her and rubbing her side and stomach tenderly… this was all she needed. Well… mostly.

Troy pressed a soft kiss to her hair and pulled back to glance at her face. But he was slightly taken aback at a tear rolling down Gabriella's cheek. He lifted his head. "Baby, what's the matter?" He brushed the tear away with his thumb.

Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh, it's silly, probably."

Troy propped up on his elbow. "No, don't say that. Whatever it is, it's making you cry, so it must be bad. Tell me."

Another tear.

Troy leaned over her and pressed his forehead to hers. "Please," he whispered.

Gabriella moaned softly. "Troy, I…" she sighed. "I don't know."

He leaned back. "What don't you know?"

She lifted her arms and dropped them back on the blanket in exasperation. "About all this." She sat up and turned her body towards him. "I don't think I can have this baby, Troy."

Troy thought for a moment, biting his lip. "Physically? Or everything else?"

"All of it! I'm nervous, Troy! I don't think I can do this." She pulled her knees to her chest, breathing heavy.

Troy was quiet, rubbing her back in comfort. "Do you need some space?" he asked gently.

Gabriella lifted her head to look at him, her tear-filled brown eyes lost and scared. An expression of defeat and worry creased her brow. "No," she finally said, glancing down at her hands. She scooted closer to him, laying her head on his chest.

Troy pulled the blanket up around them, their legs tangling as they settled. "I'm nervous, too. For so many reasons."

"What are they?"

He stared up at the ceiling, as if his list were up there. "Well, the school is probably one of the scarier things, right?"

"Right. Everyone finding out."

"Yeah. Also what will happen after the baby… where we go from there. Oh," he ran a hand through his hair. "Don't even get me started on the birth. I'm… wow, so scared for that."

Gabriella nodded. "So then imagine how I feel."

Troy held her tighter. "I know," he whispered. "And I will not leave. Not for anything in the world."

"It's going to hurt," she said quietly, her voice breaking.

A long moment of silence followed. Troy slowly sat up, moving her head from his chest. He moved down her body, pulling the blanket with him.

Gabriella watched him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Saying hi." Troy gently lifted her shirt and tenderly stroked her firm belly. He kissed it. "Little Wildcat, I know you can hear me right now, so I need you to listen. Your mommy's nervous, so please be nice to her."

Gabriella smiled and played with his hair as he talked. Troy talking to the baby had become a nightly ritual.

"I love you… with all my heart. I can't wait to meet you. Both of us." He kissed her belly again. "Good night, Little Wildcat."

He sat back, rearranged her shirt and blanket, and crawled back to Gabriella. She wiggled into his arms.

"I love it when you do that." she said.

"Gabriella, you don't have to dwell on the birth. There are so many things that can be done to help."

She nodded. "You're right. I won't then." Yawning, she rubbed her eyes.

Troy smiled. As they settled down, he glanced at the clock: 11:30. He closed his eyes.

Gabriella woke before Troy. She laid there for a while, trying to figure out why she woke so early. Then she felt a little kick. She smiled and pressed a hand to her belly. "Good morning," she whispered. Cautiously, so as not to wake Troy, she got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom to shower. She undressed, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She paused, turning this way and that, examining her reflection. Her belly was growing more that she thought. Being several months along had put her in a strange position at school. They had to be so cautious and strategic about certain things, like where Gabriella sat at their lunch table, and clubs she should opt out of. A lot of the time, she went to basketball practice with the boys to watch on the bleachers instead of Scholastic Decathlon. Troy and Chad were only too happy to have her, and it was nice to have Coach Bolton understand their predicament.

But as she examined herself in the mirror, she realised that… she wasn't ready. She couldn't be a mother in a couple months with college in her future. She had to be ready.

After she was freshly showered and dressed, all ready for the day, she slipped back into the bedroom. Troy was still asleep, and then she realised what time it was: 5:33 am. She sighed. "You couldn't wait any longer, Little Wildcat?" she whispered to her belly. She shook her head and quietly left to get an early breakfast.

When she padded into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Mrs Bolton already up, having her morning coffee. "Good morning," Gabriella said. "I didn't know you were up."

"Oh it's alright. I had a feeling you'd be up." Mrs Bolton took a sip from her mug.

Gabriella sat down next to her at the island. "Really? How'd you know?"

"Because I always was. Before Troy was even born, he was getting up at 3 am to play basketball in my womb."

Gabriella giggled.

Mrs Bolton stood and went to the pantry. "Toast sound good?"

"Sure."

Mrs Bolton popped two pieces of bread in the toaster and pulled an avocado out of the refrigerator. As she prepared it, she glanced up at her son's girlfriend every once and a while. "You have a glow about you."

Gabriella smiled. "I do?"

"Oh sure." She placed toast and avocado on a plate in front of her. "Eat up. You need it." Mrs Bolton sat back down to her coffee. "How are you feeling?"

Gabriella swallowed her bite. "Alright. I don't feel sick anymore." She thought for a moment, then turned to Mrs Bolton. "Actually, what was pregnancy like for you?"

Mrs Bolton smiled and set down her mug. "Well," she began, resting her chin in her hand. "My pregnancy was difficult at times. Especially at the beginning, ohh." she chuckled softly. "I would have the worst morning sickness. Nausea, headaches, pain, breathing difficulty… Troy did not make it easy, I'll tell you that."

Gabriella beamed and took another bite of toast.

Mrs Bolton leaned back in her chair. "But after I passed the sickness phase, it really was alright. It was a beautiful pregnancy, if I say so myself. You've seen pictures, right?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yes, some. And some baby pictures. Well, actually I've never seen any newborn pictures, come to think of it."

Mrs Bolton stood and disappeared into the living room. She reappeared with a blue book. Setting it on the island, she remarked, "Well, then I guess you must."

"I've seen your family photo album," Gabriella said, finishing off her toast. "Is this Troy's baby book?"

"Yes, all the way from birth to first grade." She opened to the first page.

The first page was hospital pictures. A much younger Mrs Bolton was sitting up in bed with a handsome Jack Bolton by her side, a radiant look on his face. In her arms was a tiny bundle, and her expression was pure joy.

Gabriella smiled as she turned the page. She was met with blue. Crystal blue eyes set in a sweet baby face gazed up at her. "His eyes…"

Mrs Bolton laughed softly. "Yes. They have hardly changed, perhaps gotten bluer since then. We all were astonished."

Page after page of Troy's babyhood passed before her eyes. Crying, sleepy, laughing, languid, joy… it was all there. And the funny thing was that so many of his expressions she still saw daily.

Then she got to preschool and kindergarten… and a broad smile lit up her face. A certain curly-haired child was featured in several pictures with Troy. "Chad!" she gasped excitedly.

Mrs Bolton laughed. "Yes. Chad and Troy were practically brothers their whole lives. Jack and I were close friends with the Danforths since I went to college with her. Once Chad came along, we knew they were going to be best friends for life."

Gabriella examined a certain picture. Little Troy and Chad at a basketball game, their dads standing over them as the boys screamed with joy.

She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh no. The baby book."

She looked up. Troy was awake, fresh and smiling. "Good morning," she said.

"Good morning, beautiful." He pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.

He went to his mother. "Good morning, Mama. Why did you pull this out?"

Gabriella spoke. "Because I wanted to see how adorable you were. I haven't seen any newborn pictures of you yet. And Chad!" She excitedly flipped back to show him.

Troy laughed. "Ohh yeah! He had the hair even then." He rubbed her shoulders. "You're up early."

"Mm. Not on my own. Baby decided for me."

"Aww." He kissed her head.

Mrs Bolton interjected. "You two have to leave for school soon. Troy, get something to eat."

All throughout the day, whenever Gabriella saw Troy's blue eyes or Chads hair, she couldn't help but think back to those precious pictures she had seen that morning. She decided that, no matter what, she wanted the baby to have his eyes.