Hey guys, just wanted to squeeze in one last review for the year of '08. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukah, which ever holiday you celebrate. And I wish you all a happy new year! '09 is gonna be something different. Please review. I haven't updated because I kept changing this chapter. I wasn't sure how to go about it but finally came up with a version I was happier with than the original. Hope you like!

"We fought. We were both stubborn to and embarrassed to talk about it, or at least I was. I really can't believe that we're not biting each other's head's off with how we left things." She said which he let out a small chuckle, knowing exactly what she meant.

"I am sorry for everything though, Zac. You have no idea how many times I wanted to tell you. I mean, you were right, it was just a stupid tabloid with pictures from the paps. Then the day I was gonna tell you, you were leaving. I couldn't stand in the way and stop you. I figured you'd be better off." Vanessa began to get teary and looked down to her hands sitting in her lap.

"Hey, there's no need to be sorry. If anyone needs to be sorry it's me. I'm the one who made you leave. I'm sorry, I never meant what I said. And trust me, I think I do have an idea of how much you wanted to say it. I was scared you didn't want to talk to me, so I kept my distance. I always had to fight the urge to just run up and kiss you." She looked up to meet his blue eyes. "I really am sorry Vanessa." He told her sincerely. "When I left to train for that movie, I was so torn from being even further from you. Even if we weren't together. I'm sorry I never ran after you and just let everything crumble even more."

She took a deep breath, thankful for wearing waterproof makeup, knowing she would shed a few tears tonight at the goodbye dinner. "And I know we're not exactly friends right now, considering we haven't talked in years, but I promised myself I'd make an effort if I ever had the chance to talk to you again. I'd like to start over if that's okay?" Zac gave her a hopeful look. She looked up and shook her head.

"No." She told him. His heart dropped at the word. "Zac, you've always been my best friend. Even if we haven't talked in years. You proved to me that you're a true friend since the day we met. Even if our breakup was horrible, and we haven't talked in so long, I know you're a good-- a great guy. And I'd love to start over as friends, but I can't because it's not that easy... It's complicated." She let out a sigh. "There's someone--" She was cut off by a voice as she heard footsteps walking into the dinning room where they were talking, and her body froze.

"Momma, when are we leaving?" Raelynn asked. She had abandoned her toys after getting curious as to when they would be leaving since she knew they were supposed to go out to dinner soon. Vanessa turned around in her chair and smiled at her daughter so she wouldn't be too concerned with her teary eyes.

"Soon sweetie." Vanessa replied. Thoughts raced quickly through her mind as she came to a decision. She felt that hiding this from Zac for three years was three years too long. She would tell him that Rae was his daughter. At this point she didn't care if Zac were to leave them. She had gone this far without him, and she knew that she and Rae were both strong enough to go on without him. But he would also add even more strength to their family.

Zac was looking at the back of Vanessa's head and the little girl who was standing behind Vanessa's chair. Did she just call her 'momma'? He thought. She has a daughter? Since when?

"Why don't you introduce yourself for me sweetie?" Vanessa asked Raelynn. Rae hadn't seen who her mother had been talking to at the table. She only knew that she was talking to someone since she had heard voices chatting.

"Sure Momma." She nodded her head and Vanessa gave a small smile, unsure of how this was going to go.

"And use your full name please." Vanessa reminded, and Rae nodded her head before stepping away from her mother's chair, closer to Zac's. She was looking at the ground, her shyness overcoming her has usual when her mother had her introduce herself. But this time her mother had asked her to use her full name. She knew that she was only aloud to tell people her full name only if her mother said she could because of the media. She hadn't understood the whole media thing, but she knew when to do it.

She finally looked up and saw Zac. Her eyes seemed to have widened a little bit, and Vanessa noticed. Zac just thought that she was a fan of his movies maybe. Rae snapped her head in her mother's direction with a questioning look. Vanessa immediately understood, and nodded her head encouragingly.

"Hello, my name is Raelynn Alexis Hudgens Efron." She held her hand out to Zac to shake and gave her cute smile that she had inherited from her father. Her eyes sparkled with a new shine that Vanessa had never seen in her daughter's eyes, the same sparkle she used to see in Zac's. Rae knew this was her father. She had a picture of him and her mother in her room. Her mother had also told her about him, as well as stories of when they were younger. Vanessa never intended on keeping her father a secret from her. Vanessa wanted her to know that she would always be loved no matter what, even by her father deep down in his heart although he had no idea who she was until this very moment.

This time it was Zac's turn for his eyes to widen and cast a look of confusion towards Vanessa, who again nodded her head, more tears forming in her eyes. Zac looked down at the little girl before him. Tears beginning to form in his eyes. He was confused, hurt, overjoyed, and angered all at once. Before either of the girls knew it, Zac was out the door without a word.

Raelynn looked over to her mother, a hurt expression over her face after glancing at the closed door. "He loves me deep down still, right momma?" She asked to reassure herself. She was strong and very mature for a 3 year old.

"I'm sure he does, baby." Vanessa nodded pulling her daughter in for a hug. He ran. She knew there was a chance that he would, and she wasn't going to stop him. "I'm sure he does." She repeated as she felt Rae let her tears fall against the crook of her neck. "But sweetie, remember what I always tell you--"

"That you'll always love me, and there's always someone that will." Rae nodded. "I just wanted daddy to love me back as much as me and you love him, Momma." Rae mumbled, wiping her tears.