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Gabriella laughed as Chad covered Abigail and Aiden in yet more wrapping paper; they'd only turned two a few weeks ago, they didn't really understand what all of the excitement was about but their Dad's enthusiasm made up for it and Gabriella laughed a little harder as she realised that at times like this Taylor didn't just have two children to take care of.

"Chad they need to be able to breath." Taylor's presence in the doorway of the room stopped Chad's wrapping paper burying of his children; he didn't really want to get on the wrong side of his wife on Christmas day.

Ever since the horrible incident four years ago that had brought Gabriella to Albuquerque she had spent Christmas day at the Danforth's. Every year she had insisted she would be fine on her own at The Ranch and every year Chad and Taylor hadn't taken no for an answer; this time of year was tough for their friend, there was no way she was spending it on her own. For the most part she stayed curled up in the corner of the couch lost in her own thoughts but watching the twins get excited by Chad's excitement it was hard not to get pulled into the festive spirit.

This year however she was going to push her own feelings and worries aside for the day because they were soon going to be joined by four people who were faced with their first Christmas without their Mum and sister and she knew they would need her support today more than ever.

"You doing okay Gabs?" Chad had finished playing with the wrapping paper and was now tidying some of it away to make room for their guests.

"Yeah I'm all good thanks Chad, it's hard not to be with those two smiling faces around." Sensing they were being talked about the twins gave Gabriella their best Danthorth smile; it was hard to stay sad or mad with them around.

The doorbell rang moments later and Gabriella pushed herself to her feet just as Amelia came running into the room.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas Amelia, how are you today?" Gabriella accepted the hug Amelia offered her and then stepped back to take in her outfit. "I love your dress, it's very Christmassy."

"Thank you, I picked it especially for today." She did a spin, allowing the red and green sparkly skirt to fan out around her. "I was a little upset earlier because I was missing Mum but Uncle Troy gave me a hug and now I'm okay."

"Good I'm glad." And with that Amelia plopped down onto the floor to interact with Chad and the twins, just as everyone else walked into the room. She stepped forward and wrapped Summer into a hug, allowing the young girl to cling to her for as long as she needed to. She pulled back from the hug and locked eyes with Troy, her heart breaking a little when she saw the unshed tears there; it breaking a little more when he turned and left the room.

"It's not your fault Gabi." Maddie told her as she wrapped the teen into a hug. "We've all cried on him at some point this morning, I think he's struggling to keep it together but he doesn't have to, it's his first Christmas without Mum too, he's allowed to be emotional."

"It's okay Mads, I'll go and speak to him." She made sure Maddie and Summer were safe in the arms of Taylor before heading off to find Troy. She found him staring out of the kitchen window, gripping onto the worktop as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

Walking up behind him she ran a hand up and down his back and when that didn't get a response she squeezed under one of his arms and reached up to cup his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eye again.

"Oh Troy." The tears he'd been trying so hard to keep at bay slipped free and he moved to rest his head on her shoulder. Gabriella ran her left hand up and down his back and reached her right hand up to play with the hairs at the nape of his neck; something she knew calmed him but today she was also hoping offered him some comfort.

"I'm sorry." He lifted his head from her shoulder and she instantly reached up to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "I just couldn't let the girls see me like this; I need to be strong for them."

"Maddie told me how they've all cried on you already today and I know that you would have told them it's okay to be upset and that it's okay to miss their Mum...you know it's okay to miss her too, right?" Her hands resumed their comforting strokes on his back and neck and he closed his eyes and took some shaky breaths.

"Obviously I miss Jen; she loved Christmas and always made sure the girls had the best day but it was just so hard watching them come downstairs to the presents under the tree and not seeing the Christmas excitement on their faces because they realised they were facing it without their Mum...Amelia got upset then because she wanted to be excited but she missed her Mum and she wasn't sure if she was supposed to be excited or sad."

"What did you tell her?"

"I wrapped her up in a hug like I do every time any of them miss Jen and told her it was okay to be upset and miss her Mum...and then as she started to calm down the ten year old in her realised it was Christmas and she just started opening presents; the moment was over as quickly as it began."

"What about the other two? What did you tell them?"

"The same thing but neither of them let me hug them for very long; they don't like letting me see them upset." Gabriella continued her comforting strokes as she thought about what to say next.

"You know that it's okay not to be okay don't you?" Troy nodded. "And you know that it's okay to want to enjoy yourself today because it's Christmas?" Again Troy nodded. "Then maybe the girls need to hear that too; I can't guarantee you that they won't get upset again at some point today but they need to know that if they do that's okay and if they want to laugh and have fun because it's Christmas then that's okay too." He didn't answer her straight away and she allowed him to pull her closer and for a few moments they just stood embracing in the kitchen.

"You're amazing do you know that? I know you usually spend Christmas days curled up lost in your own thoughts and yet today you've pushed that aside and have told me exactly what I need to hear, thank you 'Brie."

"Every year Chad and Taylor let me sit on that couch and just be in my own little world and when that world gets too much for me they give me a cuddle; sometimes one at a time, sometimes together, and they tell me what I need to hear in that moment. It doesn't always make the pain go away completely but it helps me know that it's okay not to be okay and I needed you to know that too."

"I do know that now baby; thank you. With you here, today is going to be that little bit easier."

TGTGTGTG

Later that afternoon and while the twins were napping, everyone else was sprawled out in the lounge watching a movie; they'd all eaten way too much of the yummy food Taylor and Gabriella had prepared for them and not having to move for a while bad been deemed the best option.

Gabriella's attention wasn't completely focused on the film though because almost fifteen minutes ago Maddie had left the room and was yet to return. She knew Troy was aware of this too but Summer had chosen to curl up with her head in his lap and Gabriella knew that while she was there he wasn't going to move and so she gave his hand a squeeze and went in search of the missing teen.

She found her sat at the bottom of the stairs, seemingly finishing off a phone call. "Okay thanks Luke...yeah speak to you tomorrow...bye." Maddie gave Gabriella a small smile as she sat herself down next to her.

"Luke?" Gabriella asked as she reached over to wipe away lingering tears on Maddie's cheeks. "He's one of the boys in your year isn't he? He's on the basketball team too?"

"Yeah...if I tell you some stuff do you promise not to tell Uncle Troy? It's nothing bad I just don't think he needs to know yet."

"I'll promise you that now but if I think there's something he needs to know then I might have to break that promise, okay?" Maddie nodded, she knew Gabriella only had her best interests at heart and it's not like Troy couldn't know this stuff, she just wasn't sure how he'd react.

"So you remember I told you that Sophie had this really amazing chemistry with one of the basketball players in our year called Matt but she wasn't allowed to properly date until she was sixteen? Well her birthday was like two days after Uncle Troy's and Matt took her out on a date and asked her to be his girlfriend; she obviously said yes, they're amazing together."

"I thought I saw them holding hands when we came to the game that week."

"Yeah, they don't really do much PDA to be honest just little things like holding hands. Anyway Sophie and I tend to spend a lot of time together and sometimes Matt and Luke will hang out with us too; they've been best friends since they were like five or something. So the four of us eat lunch together quite often and more often than not we practise at the same time too, so it's fair to say we've all gotten to know each other quite well."

"Are you about to tell me that you and Luke have become quite close?" Maddie nodded shyly.

"Sophie promised me that her getting with Matt wouldn't change anything between us and it hasn't but sometimes they get distracted by each other and that just leaves Luke and I; I guess we just slowly started talking and getting to know each other better. I didn't tell him about Mum, I think he knew anyway although he never asked about her but on the last day of school he gave me a note with his number on telling me to call him if I needed someone to talk to over the break. I've been texting Sophie on and off all day but she's got family over and couldn't get away to actually talk so she told me to call Luke. I chickened out to begin with and just text him to say Merry Christmas; he replied by calling me to ask how I was doing."

"That made you emotional?"

"Yeah...he felt really bad when he realised I was crying, he said he hadn't called to make me cry but I just asked him to tell me about his day; his excitement over the gifts he'd received helped me calm down. He's going to call me again tomorrow to check how I'm doing."

"Sounds like a really lovely guy Mads, why don't you want your Uncle to know?"

"Because I'm not sure how he'll react; Mum never really set an age on when I could date but Grandpa and Uncle Troy used to tease me and say it was at least sixteen but if they had their way it would be more like thirty...Dad never really seemed to care, said he'd deal with it when the time came but now the time has come and I don't know if Uncle Troy is ready to deal with it."

"Do you want me to talk to him? I promised I wouldn't tell him anything and I wont, there's nothing you've told me he needs to know but if you think it will be easier when you do eventually tell him I could maybe bring up the idea of you dating?"

"Would you?"

"Of course, your birthday isn't until the end of January so it's not urgent but at some point before then I'll tell him you mentioned you and Luke getting on well. The fact that he's on the basketball team will help because Troy knows Chad wouldn't have him on the team if he wasn't a good guy."

"Thanks Gabi." Maddie gave Gabriella a sideways hug just as Taylor appeared next to them.

"There you are; I could tell Troy was wanting to come and look for you both but Summer got a bit upset and so she's wrapped up in his arms right now so you guys get me instead. Also Amelia was asking about your gift for him? I think she's starting to get restless watching the film."

"Okay thanks Tay...Maddie you go wash your face and we will round up the others; it's time to surprise your Uncle."

TGTGTGTG

Ten minutes later and Troy stood blind folded somewhere in Chad and Taylor's back yard; he could tell he'd been led outside but once out there Chad seemed to have walked him round in circles a few times and now although he was stood still, he was somewhat disorientated.

"Okay Uncle Troy, you can take the blind fold off now." Doing as Maddie had told him Troy found himself stood on Chad's half basketball court in front of a free standing basketball hoop that was wrapped in tinsel.

"Is that my present?" He asked in shock. "You guys got me a basketball hoop?" The girls all nodded at him while Chad, Taylor and Gabriella stood back and watched, amused by his reaction.

"Do you like it Uncle Troy?" Amelia walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"I love it, I can't believe you guys got me this."

"This too." Summer told him as she moved her hands from behind her back and threw a basketball with a ribbon stuck to it at him.

"A new ball too? You guys have spoilt me, how did you afford all of this?" Troy knew the girls had all been saving little bits of their allowance to put towards a present for him but there was no way they'd been able to save up this much.

"Gabi helped us." Maddie told him. "We told her our idea and she made it happen." Troy turned around to where his friends and girlfriend were all stood smiling behind him.

"We said we weren't doing presents because we've only been together a couple of weeks; this looks like a present to me Montez." Gabriella shrugged as she walked over to him and took his outstretched hand.

"I know that's what we said and I kept to that; this isn't from me it's from the girls. It's like Maddie said; they came up with the idea and I helped them make it happen."

"And did helping them make it happen including paying for it?"

"Well yes but only because I knew you'd be annoyed if they spent that much of their own money on you; I paid for the hoop and they paid for the ball. They knew you'd started to get back into basketball again and wanted to give you somewhere to play so that Taylor didn't have to put up with you and Chad reliving your teenage years in her back yard all the time."

"It's a really thoughtful gift girls but we only have grass at home; that makes it kinda tricky to play."

"It's not going to be kept at home Uncle Troy, it's going to be kept at The Ranch, next to the colourful gate; Chad and Zeke checked it out and said it's an acceptable place for it to go." Troy raised his eyebrows at what Summer had said and turned to look at Chad.

"An acceptable place to play? You mean somewhere you can go where Taylor can't shout at you? Isn't this just moving us reliving our teenage years from your yard to Gabi's?"

"Well yeah but Gabs has an entire Ranch she can escape to so she doesn't have to witness me whopping your butt all the time." Troy shook his head at his friend and turned his attention back to his nieces and girlfriend. "Thank you all for my gifts; I promise I will make lots of use of them." He then proceeded to remove the ribbon from the ball and stick it to Amelia's forehead before moving to stand at free throw distance from the hoop. He rolled the ball back and forth in his hands a couple of times before bending his knees and sending the ball through the air; it swished through the hoop, nothing but net.

"Yes Hoops! You've still got it." Chad said as he ran across the court and picked up the ball. "Game on!" And that was all it took for the two men to become engrossed in a very serious game of one on one.

TGTGTGTG

The next day found Gabriella in her onesie curled up in bed in the middle of the day. December twenty sixth was the one day each year where she allowed herself to let her past effect her; it was on this day four years ago when she woke up screaming from a nightmare. It was on this day four years ago that Chad and Taylor had helped her through numerous flashbacks and panic attacks. And it was on this day four years ago that the police had called her to say they had Nick in their custody.

She hadn't told Troy what this day consisted of for her but she was pretty sure their friends had filled him in; they let her have this day every year on the basis that if her thoughts started to get too much she would phone one of them for help. But today as Barney's head shot up, alerting her to someone at the door, she realised that maybe it was time to let someone in on this day because she knew there was only one person who would be at the door right now.

She opened the door and leant against it, doing her best to smile at Troy as he and Zeus stood there waiting. "Hi." Her voice was quiet and it was in that moment that she realised she was more than happy he was here.

"Hi beautiful; I know you normally spend today in bed cut off from the world but after the way you took care of the girls and I yesterday I couldn't sit at home having fun knowing you were feeling low. I phoned Taylor and she said that she hadn't heard from you, which was normal for this day but she thought that if I came over it would be unlikely that you'd tell me to leave."

"Where are the girls?" She was pretty certain she wanted him to stay but she needed a couple more minutes to let herself accept she wouldn't be spending the rest of the day alone.

"With Chad and Taylor; his parents are there but they were all more than happy for the girls to join them and the girls were all more than happy to go there. I told them you'd text me to say you weren't feeling well and that I wanted to come and look after you; I don't think Maddie believed me but she knew better than to ask questions." He stepped forward and cupped her face in his hands. "Please 'Brie, you don't have to talk to me or tell me what you're feeling, I just want to be here for you; to offer you a Troy hug if you decide you need one." She nodded and stepped back allowing him to come in and follow her through to the kitchen were Zeus was already saying his hellos to Barney and Luna.

"Do you want a drink or something to eat?" She wanted to be a good host, despite her strong desire to go and climb back into bed.

"I'm fine baby; all I want is for you to climb back into bed and snuggle down under the covers like I suspect you were before." He took her by the hand and led her through to her bedroom; holding back the covers for her as she climbed in and got comfy.

"What's in the bag?" She asked as he put his back pack onto the bed and started pulling out some clothes.

"Well on the basis that I'm here to offer cuddles if they're needed, I didn't think jeans were the most comfy to do that in so I brought some sweats and a t-shirt with me, can I use your bathroom to change in?" She nodded and moments later he was back; dressed in grey sweats and a red Wildcats t-shirt.

"There's no way you still fit into that from high school?" He laughed at her comment as he put his other clothes into his bag and moved it to the floor.

"No; Chad gets me something East High related every year for Christmas, I think he's secretly annoyed that it wasn't until I met you that I went to a game, he's been asking me to go for years. Now, is it okay for me to join you?"

"I can't have cuddles if you don't join me but you should grab yourself a blanket from the chest first; I'm a burrower, the duvet is all mine."

TGTGTGTG

Troy ran his hands through Gabriella's hair as she slept beside him. She was indeed very burrowed under her duvet but was curled up sideways on the bed, facing the end of it where she'd been watching the baking show she'd put on the TV. He'd been surprised when she had fallen asleep but was also honoured that she felt comfortable enough with him there to doze off.

He was thinking about heading through to the kitchen to find them something for dinner when she started to get restless and suddenly shot up into a sitting position, her hand on her chest as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hey, it's okay, you're okay 'Brie, take some deep breaths." He took her hands into his and ran his thumbs back and forth over her knuckles as she managed to calm her breathing. "Are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?" She shook her head as she moved to lean back against the headboard and smiled at Troy as he helped her get wrapped back up into her duvet and then moved himself so that he was sat cross legged on the bed, facing her.

"It wasn't a dream." She told him as she reached up to play with the necklace he'd given her for her birthday. "I was half asleep still and I realised there was someone next to me and I...I haven't shared a bed with anyone since..."

"You thought I was Nick?"

"Yeah, as soon as I woke up I realised it was you and that I just hadn't been awake properly but I haven't shared a bed with anyone since him and I guess you being there when I woke up triggered something inside me." He smiled softly as he reached over to wipe away a couple of tears that had slipped free. "I'm used to waking up next to someone and bracing myself for whatever pain or abuse is about to be dished out to me on that day...I know you would never do that Troy, it's just all I've ever known."

"I'm sorry 'Brie. When you fell asleep next to me I felt so honoured that you'd felt comfortable enough to do so; I never thought about what it would be like for you waking up with me there."

"It's not your fault Troy; I could use a cuddle now though." He was instantly at her side and wrapping her up in his arms; wanting to make her feel as safe as he possibly could.

"You know, I was with him for four years and yet that same amount of time later and what he did still controls so many parts of my life and I hate that...I hate that he still has that hold over me."

"It may feel like that sometimes 'Brie but look at the life you've built for yourself here; you're so strong and independent. The way you showed up here four years ago and despite the reason you were here you knew that there was no going back to California, that all that had to end."

"Can I tell you how I came to that decision? There's so much of my past you still don't know Troy and honestly I don't know if you'll ever hear it all because it hurts so much to relive it but right now it makes sense for me to tell you this."

"You can tell me whatever you want to tell me whenever you want to tell me it sweetheart, you know I'll always listen." She curled herself up against his chest and he started to run his hands through her hair again; she wasn't able to look him in the eye but he sensed it would be easier for her this way.

"The day the police called me to tell me about Mum and Dad, I'd just woken up from probably the worst beating he'd ever given me; those injuries were the ones the hospital treated when Taylor and Sharpay took me in a couple of days later. I'd always hidden from my parents the way Nick treated me; no one wants to admit they're being controlled and abused and when I learnt how serious their conditions were I just was hit with this overwhelming sense of guilt I guess it was, that I was probably never going to be able to speak to my parents again, that I'd lied to them for so long. Being faced with their deaths made me realise I couldn't live a lie any more and coming to Albuquerque and never going back there seemed the best way to start that process. I didn't know how I was going to escape him forever or who I would turn to for help, I just knew that I was packing my bag and once I stepped foot on that plane, I was never going back."

"And then you were lucky enough to meet Taylor."

"I can't ever thank Tay enough for giving me her number that day. I never actually told Nick were my parents lived, only that it was in New Mexico and he never asked anything more specific, so I knew that I had time to think, I knew he wouldn't be able to find me." She took some shaky breaths but was able to keep the tears at bay as she listened to Troy's heart beat where her head lay resting on his chest.

"Unsurprisingly I couldn't sleep that night and eventually after going over and over it all in my head I sent him a text; I knew the likelihood of him accepting that text as the end was pretty low but for me it was the start of closure and so I sent it. The calls and texts just kept coming after that and as he started to get angrier I knew that I needed help; that's when I called Taylor and well she and Shar kinda filled you in on the rest. I could...do you wanna hear the rest from my point of view?"

"Only if you want to tell me 'Brie, I know what happened after you made that call; I don't want you to relive anything more than you have to."

"It's not that I don't want you to know Troy, it's just a lot to go through all at one time is all." He sat them both up and cupped her face so he could look her in the eye.

"I told you earlier that whatever you want to tell me and whenever you want to tell me it I will listen; if that's all you want to say for today then that's totally fine baby. Thank you for telling me as much as you have, it means a lot that you trust me enough to tell me."

"I trust you so much Troy; I've told you before how safe you make me feel. Thank you for being here today; you listened and gave me the cuddles I didn't even know I needed."

TGTGTGTG

"So there's something I need to run by you but you have to promise to stay calm until I'm finished talking."

A few hours later and Troy and Gabriella were curled up on the couch, after Troy had discovered that Gabriella had barely eaten that day he'd ordered her favourite food and moved them to the living room to eat it. Now he was sat in the corner of the couch with her curled up against his chest between his outstretched legs; she was covered with a blanket and he was running his hands through her hair, leaving her feeling perfectly content.

"Does this have to do with Maddie constantly checking her phone this morning?" Gabriella laughed and adjusted her position so she could see Troy's face.

"It does yeah; you're more aware of what's going on then she thinks you are, aren't you?"

"Well she is on her phone a lot but this morning she was constantly checking it was on loud, making sure she'd be able to hear it if it went off; she wasn't just doing that in case Sophie called."

"No she wasn't; she was expecting a call today...from a boy."

"Let me guess, Luke?" Gabriella nodded and looked to Troy for explanation. "Maddie might think I don't know what's going on in her life but ever since Sophie got together with Matt and the four of them started hanging out more, the word Luke has become extremely well used by her; I'd have to be a complete idiot not to realise that she likes the boy. Did she ask you to speak to me?"

"She said she wasn't sure how you would handle the idea of her dating and so I said I would bring it up with you so that when she does tell you, you weren't totally blind sided by it."

"I knew she would want to start dating eventually and honestly the idea used to scare me, I wasn't sure how I was going to handle it; if I knew how to handle it. But since meeting you and hearing your views on things I'm not so scared any more because I know that you'll help me and support me through it; you'll make sure I don't make any decisions that will make her completely hate me forever."

"She wouldn't hate you...maybe just slam her bedroom door in your face and ignore you for a couple of hours that's all. She said Jen never set an age as to when she could start dating but that you and your Dad always used to joke that it was least sixteen and so I think she's kinda holding off on getting into anything with Luke until her birthday."

"We were never serious when we said that, it was always something that Jen and Steven would deal with when it happened, we just liked to tease them with the idea of their baby girl dating...now neither of them are here to see it happen." Gabriella reached for Troy's hand and placed a kiss there; earning her a squeeze in response.

"I'm here for you Troy; you're her guardian so you get to make the decisions but I can help you with a woman's point of view, make sure you think it all over before making any decisions." Troy placed a soft kiss on her forehead as he thought about how he wanted to deal with this.

"So it's a little over a month until she's sixteen and in that time she's going to come to me and tell me about Luke?"

"Yeah, I think that was her plan but maybe you could bring it up with her; let her know you aren't totally oblivious to things."

"I should speak to her but I should also get to know more about Luke; if she does want to start dating him then I should know a little bit about him, other than how good of a basketball player he is."

"Does Chad ever tell you things Maddie gets up to at school?"

"No not really; only the stuff he sees when they all practise together. He has told me how Luke always looks nervous when Mads tumbles and that she cheers a little louder when he makes a basket."

"Does it bother you? That she seems to be building a relationship with this guy? That this seems to be the start of a romance?"

"No, she deserves to be happy and if Luke helps her feel that way then who am I to stop it. Since we got together there's been so many occasions when I've felt like a sixteen year old dating for the first time; the butterflies whenever you look at me from across a room and the warm fuzzy feeling when we hug; she deserves to feel those things." Gabriella moved so that she was further up Troy's chest and they were able to be eye to eye.

"You get butterflies when I look at you?"

"Well yeah...don't you get them?" Troy was suddenly nervous that he'd just unintentionally revealed his feelings and that Gabriella didn't feel the same.

"Of course I do, I get them when you look at me, when you call me, when you text me and most of all I get them when you touch me; whether it's just our fingers brushing against each other or when I'm wrapped up in your arms and of course there's the warm fuzziness, that feeling makes me never want to leave your arms." Troy's nerves immediately disappeared and were replaced by something totally different.

"'Brie, I'd really like to kiss you right now, do you have any objections?" Gabriella's next move surprised even herself as she moved to cup Troy's face and softly pressed her lips to his.

"No, no objections." Troy gently cupped the back of Gabriella's head and this time pressed his lips to hers. The kisses were soft and gentle, nothing big but to them incredibly special and as they rested their foreheads together afterwards the sparks running between them were undeniable. Troy tightened his arms around Gabriella and she settled herself more comfortably against him. He had to leave soon, he had work in the morning and the girls would be back under her care but for now they were both more than willing to bask in that first kiss bubble for just a little while longer.

TGTGTGTG

Thank you for reading; please review!