AN: I'm still trying to decide the schedule of how I'm going to update. I'm thinking that it will be every Sunday starting after the new year. But just bear with me as I get my stories all together. I've had to re-read through all of this again to reacquaint myself with these characters. But the more time I spend with them, the more motivated I am to finish their story right. Thanks again for hanging around. I'm excited to see where this all goes.

Ryan had never felt so exhausted and so invigorated at the same time. He had been all around the world, performed to sold-out arenas, other celebrities, and dignitaries, but nothing had ever made him feel so alive as being with Kelsi and Riley. He had run the gamut of emotions over the last 24 hours, but he felt alive. It was like he had been sleeping for years and the moment he focused on Kelsi, playing the piano, singing their song, was the moment his heart had finally started to beat again.

He didn't know what to think or what to feel, but he was thinking and feeling everything all at once, and couldn't tell if he was flying or falling.

He and Kelsi had agreed to have an early dinner the next night. He knew that it wouldn't be easy, but they were going to sit down to discuss everything and it was going to be okay. It had to be okay. There was no other option in his book.

"Ryan?" He turned as Martha entered the living room and smiled.

"Hey Mar."

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she took a seat across from him; Ryan sighed deeply and shrugged.

"Honestly? I'm not sure." He raked a hand through his hair and crossed his arms. "I'm not sure what to think or feel about any of this, but what I am sure about is…I love Riley, more than I've ever loved anything else. I didn't think it was possible to love anyone so much."

"She is amazing," Martha laughed. "I can't believe you're a dad."

Ryan laughed, "I know. I know, Its wild."

"So," Martha sighed, "you and Kelsi?"

Ryan pursed his lips and swung his legs over, to sit up and face his friend. "We're going to have dinner tomorrow night and talk through everything. Figure out our next move."

Martha smiled and tilted her head to the side, "Does that next move include you going to New York?"

Ryan laughed, "Maybe. Hopefully."

She was quite for a moment before biting her lip, "What do you think Jackson and Caroline will think?"

The question brought a weight to the pit of Ryan's stomach. "I'm not sure. I haven't even thought about what to tell them."

Jackson Brooks was the head of Ryan's management team and Caroline, his wife, was Ryan's publicist. They were both brilliant and big contributors to Ryan's success, but they were also very particular in how they liked to do things, and were a bit high-strung. They were good people, just a little dramatic. Ryan wasn't sure how they would handle him wanting to move to New York instead of going back to LA, much less having a secret illegitimate love child with his high school/college sweetheart.

"Well, it's not like the offers from New York weren't great ones," Martha reasoned.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed, "but they weren't the ones that they thought were best. They think I need to get back in the studio, work on my next album. But…I don't need to be in LA for that."

Martha nodded, "That's true."

"And…" Ryan continued, "I'm honestly kind of tired. Aren't you tired?" He leaned forward onto his knees. "We've been going non-stop for so long, I don't know if I can actually keep up with this pace and produce something good. And I mean…I don't know. A little break might be nice."

Martha again nodded, "It would. And you deserve it. You've accomplished a lot and I don't think there is anything wrong with choosing what you want to do next. You just…have to decide."

Ryan sighed, "Yeah. Just…decide."

Martha reached out to him and took his hand in hers. "It'll be okay, Ry. And I've got your back, whatever you choose. I think it's just important that you make a decision that is right for Kelsi, for your daughter, and for yourself."

"For my family," he whispered with a smile. "My family."

Martha chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Such a dad."

Ryan laughed as well and leaned back on the couch. "Man," he sighed. "This is definitely not how I thought this trip was going to go."

Martha nodded, "I'm sure none of us did." She stood up and took a seat beside him on the couch, leaning back just as he did.

"I mean," Ryan continued, "I thought we'd just pop in for a wedding, see all of our friends, and head home. Instead, we get here, I see the love of my life, she turns out to be this famous song writer/producer under a fake name, as well as the mother of my illegitimate child and now we're going on a date."

Martha laughed, "Its like a lifetime movie."

"Or worse, a scripted reality television show," Ryan quipped. He sighed again, "Geez, it's all just…wild. I can't believe it."

Martha sighed and shook her head, "Want to know what I can't believe?"

Ryan turned to her, "Hmm?"

"That I slept with Jason last night."

"WHAT?!"

Zeke had always thought that there was something comforting about washing dishes. When he was growing up, he and his father would wash the dishes together—Zeke would wash and his dad would dry and put away—so, it always reminded him of those nights after dinner when he and his dad would wash and talk.

When he got older and he would wash dishes on his own, it gave him a lot of time to think and talk to himself. He had come to a lot of great realizations at the sink. He thought through life plans, created recipes, made major life decisions, etc. It was even at the sink that he realized how much he truly loved Sharpay and how much Sharpay loved him.

Now, he stood at her sink, washing the dishes of the dessert he had brought, and thought through the events of the last few days. Aside from the Ryan and Kelsi drama, he and Sharpay were in an interesting place. He had laid all his cards on the table, he had said everything he had wanted to say to her over the last nine years, and he knew that she felt the same way. He just needed her to admit it and accept it.

He heard the kitchen door swing open and turned to see Sharpay standing in the doorway. He smiled gently at her and nodded, "Hey," he said. "I was just thinking about you." She smiled back and made her way over, jumping up on the counter beside him and watching him work.

"Must be serious if you're doing it over dishes."

He laughed and put the last of the dishes in the drying rack, "Just thinking that I hope you and your family are doing okay. I know today was a lot."

She chuckled, "Understatement of the century."

Zeke took the dry dish cloth and wiped his hands. "So," he sighed, "what did you think of her?"

Sharpay smiled wide, "Riley? She's perfect. Absolutely, perfect."

Zeke nodded, "Kelsi has done a really good job with her."

"Yeah," Sharpay nodded. "I'm not sure how I feel about Kelsi as a person right now, but…its obvious that she's a good mom."

She got quiet for a moment, as Zeke drained the sink and wiped his hands dry. He watched her steadily, swinging her ankles to an invisible beat, until he couldn't take it anymore. He coughed and leaned a little closer to her. "So…are you still mad at me?"

She didn't say anything at first, and he couldn't read the expression on her face, which unnerved him. But when she looked up at him with a gentle smile, he felt his heart stop. She was beautiful.

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I love you." She laughed as the words left her lips, as if she couldn't believe she had said it, but kept his gaze. "I'm in love with you."

The smile on his face grew slowly as her words sank in. She had said it. She had really said it and he slowly moved towards her, his hands coming to rest on either side of her hips. "Sharpay Evans," he said, "did you just say what I think you just said?"

Her grin grew to match his and she nodded. "Should I say it again?" She raised her arms to rest on his shoulders as he slowly inched closer to her face.

"Yes," he whispered, "please. Say it again and again and again and—"

She chuckled and pressed her lips to his, pulling him close as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you," she said in between kisses, "I love you. I love you. I love you." Eventually, her words faded away and were replaced with a longer more languid kiss. It seemed to go on for hours, maybe several days for all they knew. But when they finally pulled away, their smiles slipped back on like a coat on winter day, bringing warmth and security.

Zeke pressed his forehead against hers and laughed. "I can't believe it. Honestly, I thought it was going to take a little more time to get you to openly admit that you loved me, maybe some surprise trips to LA…a little more drama. But I'm not complaining," he sighed. "Just…what brought this on?"

Sharpay sighed and leaned back, reaching a hand up to his face. "After everything that's happened, I just realized that…Kelsi and Ryan are stuck where they are now because they didn't say what they needed to say, when they needed to say it, and just let too many moments pass. I don't want that to be us. Not anymore."

He nodded as she stroked his cheek and placed another chaste kiss on his lips. She pulled back, but he followed and drew her into another kiss. He was resigned to never get used to the feeling of her lips against his for the rest of his life. But her giggle brought him back to reality. He wrapped his arms around her tight and pulled her into a hug, her knees straddling either side of his hips. He placed another kiss on her collarbone and she leaned in close.

"So, what does this mean?" he asked, his face in the crook of her neck.

"Well," she sighed, "it means that we're going to go over our schedules and figure out how much time I have in between projects and auditions, so that we can figure it out. And we'll make it work. Right?"

He nodded, "Yes. Yes. A thousand times: yes."

She smiled again and kissed him hard. He responded in kind and felt his entire being just lift in spirits. When she pulled away once again, she met his gaze with an intense one of her own. "We can do this."

He matched her intensity and nodded, "We can, and we will. I'm not letting you go ever again."

AN: Life is never that easy. There is definitely some harsh realities up ahead for ALL these couples to deal with. But...if I've learned anything over the last five years its that it all comes down to choice, commitment, and covenant. And I'm a big believer in end-game couples like these. Enjoy!