Chapter 6 – Introduction to the Family

AN: Thank you guys for all of the amazing reviews that I have gotten! You have no idea how happy I get whenever I get reviews (I know I say this a lot and it is probably getting on your nerves, but I really love hearing what you say and I want to thank you all)

Here is the…fun chapter when Troy's family meets Isabella.

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Isabella was dressed in a tiny little dress, a green velvet dress with a tiny little red bow on it. I had also added a tiny red bow into her thin, dark hair. I was surprised how I had managed to learn so much about baby fashion, though most of it was probably because of Sharpay Baylor herself, who felt that it was her job to teach me the rules of style.

I have felt like strangling her at least three times.

I was standing in my parent's driveway, taking as long as possible in order to avoid the visit with my family. Don't get me wrong… it's not that I hate my family. That's not it at all.

It's that I am scared of them.

I tried placing myself in their shoes. How would I react if my son or brother showed up with a stranger's baby?

I decided to stop before I got even more worked up.

"Well baby girl, I think we've avoided the inevitable long enough. Are you ready?" She giggled, her usual reaction to things.

"Fine then. Let's go." I headed towards the door, Isabella in one hand, baby bag in the other, and knocked on the door. It felt like hours before finally the door was opened, and my mother's face was in front of me.

"Troy! You're here. Oh, April told me you were coming to visit!" She attempted to give me a hug, which proved very difficult, seeing as Isabella was still in my hands.

"Oh, is this little Isabella? Wow, you've already gotten bigger." My mom began tickling her underneath the chin, and a precious giggle emitted from Isabella's mouth. "Oh isn't she just adorable. April has not stopped talking to me about Isabella."

"And the rest of the family?" I asked.

"They don't know. April wanted it to be a surprise." I would have to get her back later.

"I see. Well, better get this over with." I sighed.

"That's the spirit!" My mom said. "Oh, let me help you." My mom grabbed the baby bag from my hand, leaving me with only Isabella. At least my mom was good for something.

I stepped into the house, bracing myself for what I was about to see.

"Hey guys. Guess who's here!" My mom said as she entered the living room. I walked in behind her, and looked around at my bizarre family.

First, there was my dad. He was sitting in his usual chair, surprised look on his face. April had told me he knew, he probably didn't believe it. Of course… no father wanted to think that his son just 'got' a child… it was too suspicious.

Aunt Veronica and Uncle Charlie were staring at me, jaws open wide. They hadn't seen me in at least two years, and never expected that in that time I would get a child, especially because I had insisted that I would probably remain a bachelor for life. I would have taken a picture of their faces if it weren't for the fact that the mood in the room was very serious…there was no room for joking around.

"OH! There she is!"

April.

She jumped from her place on her boyfriends lap, and ran towards me. Did I mention she had a boyfriend? His name is Carl Jones. They had met in their economics class in university, and immediately clicked. They had been together ever since, and acted like a lovey-dovey couple twenty-four hours a day. He wasn't bad looking… not a model, but not completely hideous.

"She's just precious, isn't she Carl? We have to have a daughter just like her!" My dad choked on his beer, as did Carl. "Oh Troy she's beautiful. See? Wasn't it a good idea to come today?" She began making funny faces at Isabella, sticking out her tongue and crossing her eyes. "Can I hold her?" Boy did she change thoughts quickly.

"Sure." I said, and handed Isabella to her. She immediately began rocking her and sat back down in her place, playing with Isabella. I now had no reason not to look at the artillery that was my family… ready to attack.

"So cousin knocked up a girl and got left with the bi-product?" Cousin Greg said. He was always a player, and teased me that because I had no girlfriend I had to be one to. What went on his mind I never quite understood.

"No, he definitely stole the kid." Cousin Harry added. Yes, he is the immature cousin, three years younger than 20-year-old Greg.

"Boys, be quiet. Let Troy explain." My mom said. She was always the one to help me get out of sticky situations.

"Thank mom. Well you see…" and I got into a detailed explanation of why I was taking care of a strange woman's child. My cousins just laughed throughout the entire explanation, while my Aunt and Uncle processed exactly what I was saying. To say they were shocked was an understatement.

"Well…um…that was, nice of you?" My aunt said.

"Yeah, very thoughtful." My uncle added. It was then silent.

"Knock, knock. I hope we're not interrupting." I turned around, and couldn't believe my eyes. There, standing before me, were my grandmother and grandfather. Great.

More trouble to add to my already complicated situation.

"Grandma!" April yelled, but couldn't get up because Isabella was still in her arms.

"April honey, boy you have grown. And I see Carl is here today as well. Hello dear." As my grandmother approached my sister, she finally noticed the little bundle in her arms. "April, why are you holding a little baby in your hands. Is there something you haven't been honest about? You told me you were being safe last time…"

"Grandma! It's fine. She's not fine." My grandmother gave her a questioning look.

"Well, then whose is she?" She asked.

"Troy's." Again, another reason to hurt April later. Both my grandparents went silent, until finally the strangest sound filled the air.

"HA! Ha, ha, ha. That's a laugh April. What, are you trying to give your grandmother and me a heart attack?" my grandfather burst out laughing, clutching her chest and sitting down in one of the armchairs. "Like Troy would have a daughter. He doesn't even have a girlfriend." Then, Isabella's cry filled the room. April looked at her frightened, and didn't know what to do. I quickly walked over to her, scooping Isabella in my arms. After rocking her gently a couple of times, she finally calmed down in my arms, cuddling deep into my chest. Once I was sure she was fine, I looked up to see the faces of my estranged family.

"Troy?" My grandmother asked.

"It's not what you think, mom." My dad tried to calm her.

"What do you mean it's not what I think? My grandson has an infant daughter, who looks nothing like him at all, and it's nothing? Have standards really gone this low in society?" She started yelling.

"She's not mine, grandma. Her mother is in a coma, critically injured, and I am taking care of the baby until she heals."

"Hospital?"

"Yes." And then I got into Gabriella's story for the second time that day. For the first time in her 75-year-old life, my Prada-wearing, Gucci-obsessed grandmother was speechless.

The world was surely going to explode.

Finally, she spoke.

"You…you're taking care of a strangers daughter, because she's in the hospital?" I nodded. "That's… why that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen Troy. I always knew there was a heart in there somewhere." Even when she's trying to compliment me, she manages to put me down. But for once, I didn't mind. At least she accepted Isabella.

Just like the rest of my family.

After that, I settled onto the couch and a comfortable conversation spread through the Bolton family. We had an enjoyable evening, the women crooning over Isabella, and us men getting in a couple of rounds of basketball before settling down for a family meal.

Something I hadn't done in a while.

It was then, Isabella in my arms, and my family surrounding me, that I felt hope. Hope that I would someday get a family of my own. Have my own daughter as special and precious as Isabella, have a wife who I was completely loyal to and did everything for. Have a wife that would smile at the smallest gestures, and who would be by my side for the rest of my life. Have a wife like Gabriella.

From what I heard, she was exactly what I was looking for. Sharpay always told me of how gentle she was, how she had this natural grace about her, making me long to get to know her more.

Every day, I prayed that the innocent woman lying in the hospital would wake up.

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"Well, I think that went well." I turned around and saw my mom standing beside the car. I was getting a sleeping Isabella safely put in the car seat before I headed back home. It was a tiring day for her, and she deserved a quiet sleep in her nursery.

"Yeah, it did. The beginning was a bit, hectic, but it finally calmed down."

"Aren't you glad April forced you to come?"

"Yes. I am."

"Will you visit again?" I smiled.

"Well, seeing as Isabella has now made a permanent mark on each and every person in that house, I think that I will most definitely need to come again. Besides, April will probably personally drag me here herself if I didn't visit again." She laughed.

"That is true." My mom then came towards me and gave me a hug.

"You're a good man, Troy. When you finally settle down, any girl will be lucky to have a man with a heart as big as yours."

"Thanks mom."

"You're welcome Troy. Goodnight."

"Bye mom." She kissed me on the forehead, just as she had done when I was a little boy, kissed Isabella gently as well, and headed back to the porch. I got in the car and drove out of the driveway, waving one last time to my large family that was waiting on the porch, and finally drove off home.

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My cell phone ringing interrupted the silence in my car. I quickly answered it, hoping that it didn't wake Isabella from her restful sleep.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Hello Bolton. It's Sharpay. I was calling to tell you that I will be visiting Isabella again tomorrow, just to check up and see how she's doing. Oh, and my husband wants to meet her. What time is good for you?" I sighed. She always managed to control my schedule, even if she lived at the opposite side of town.

"Um, I'll be visiting Gabriella in the morning, so say around three-ish? Is that okay?" I said quietly.

"Sure, sure. Why are you whispering, Bolton?"

"Isabella is sleeping."

"Oh, sorry! Well, I'll see you tomorrow Bolton. Oh, and make some room in her closet because I bought her another outfit. It's adorable, with little pink booties and cute Chanel glasses that match it." I rolled my eyes.

"Goodbye Sharpay."

"Bye Bolton." I heard the dial tone, and finally hung up myself. She would never call me by my first name, no matter now many times I told her to.

I looked back to see Isabella still in her peaceful position in the car seat. I sighed. As I thought about what tomorrow would bring, my eyes widened.

I had promised Chad that he could bring Taylor to see Isabella.

Oh no. My best friend and his wife, and Gabriella's best friends and husband were going to be in my house, both there to see Isabella. Complete polar opposites, Sharpay living the rich and fancy life, eating caviar and only dressing in the latest trends, while Chad didn't care about his appearance at all, and had a jokester attitude that usually repelled anybody of the higher-class.

And they would be in the same room.

Talking to one another.

It was going to be World War III. I just knew it.

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AN: LOL, I really wanted to write a chapter where Chad and Sharpay meet, because I think it will just be HILARIOUS!!! I mean come on, beauty queen Sharpay meets prank champion Chad? It's the perfect scenario!

So, that will be next chapter for all of you. Wow! I have gotten so many reviews for this story it is phenomenal. Please, can you keep reviewing and telling me what you think.

Next Chapter: World War III, the meeting of the Danforth's and the Baylor's.

Review, Review, Review if you want it to come sooner!

Xoxo,

Lar