Chapter 20

One month and three weeks later…

After Troy left, Gabriella watched every single one of Troy's games on the television. The two talked on the phone for hours everyday. Jack, Julie, Adrianna and Nick would always go and check on Gabriella everyday. Taylor, Kelsi and Sharpay had spent everyday with Gabriella in her house, because, she did not want to go out without Troy, since it was now obvious that she was pregnant. She only went out when she had to go to the hospital and on the times she had gone out, the paparazzi had taken a lot of pictures of her. As she had started to show, the paparazzi had snapped pictures of her bump and rumors had started going around.

Gabriella was now lying on the couch watching Troy's last game before he came home. She watched as Troy made baskets after baskets. He was definitely on a good day. The game ended and the Lakers had won, which meant that the Lakers had also won the final championship games. A news reporter appeared on the screen.

"Well, the Lakers have done it again," she announced. "They have won the final championship game of the season."

The news reporter stopped one of the teammates. "What's the secret for all this?" she asked him. "You guys have been winning game after game."

"I guess that would come from the excellent captain that we have got," the guy grinned. "He and the coach, together leads us to victory every year."

"Thank you," the reporter told the player and turned back to the camera. "Well, I guess we better see if we can get the captain to say a few words."

Troy appeared on the screen. He was sweaty from playing, but, he was also grinning all over his face.

"Ah, we've got him right here!" the reporter exclaimed. "Hello, Mr. Bolton."

"Hey," Troy grinned. "And, it's Troy."

"Okay, Troy," the news reporter smiled. "You were shining today. What made you play so well?"

"That last game was for my girlfriend, Gabriella Montez," Troy grinned. "I won it for her."

"That's so sweet," the reporter smiled and Gabriella was smiling, too. "Speaking of Gabriella Montez, rumors have been going around that she's pregnant. Are they true?"

Troy looked straight at the camera. Gabriella knew that he knew that she was watching. He grinned.

"Yup," he answered. "She's pregnant."

"You're the father, right?" the reporter said.

"Yeah," Troy said a bit confused. "Why?"

"It's just that it was only two months ago when you two declared that you were dating," the reporter said.

"Oh," Troy said. "Well, I'd rather not go into those details at the moment, especially since Gabi's not here with me."

"Of course," the reporter nodded. "Well, thank you and congratulations."

"Thank you," Troy smiled, too.

Gabriella switched off the television, smiling. The truth was revealed to the world now. Troy would be home, soon and she was happy.

It was finally the day for Troy to come home. Gabriella could not wait. The gang except for Isabel – and Troy, of course – was at Gabriella's house. They were decorating the house to celebrate Troy's homecoming as well as the championships. Chad, Zeke, Ryan and Jason had become very protective of Gabriella. Troy had given them clear instructions not to let anything happen to her. And at that moment, they had sent her upstairs to bed, because she was not allowed to do any work as she was pregnant.

Gabriella was lying on the bed. There was a knock on the door.

"Door's open," she called as she did not feel like getting up.

The door opened, but, no one came in. Gabriella was confused. She got up and went to the door.

"BOO!" Isabel yelled jumping at Gabriella.

Gabriella jumped. "Iz!" she exclaimed giving her sister a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for the weekend," Isabel said as she placed her hands on Gabriella's bump. "How's the baby?"

"Great," Gabriella smiled. "But, how did you get here?"

"Troy gave me a lift," Isabel grinned.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked, disbelievingly.

"Troy," Isabel confirmed.

"Hey, baby girl," Troy smiled stepping into the room. "I missed you."

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed happily.

"I'm going to go find Ryan," Isabel said going out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Come on, Gabs," Troy said, holding up his arms. "Give me a hug."

Gabriella slid into his arms and immediately, Troy captured her lips in his. Troy lifted Gabriella up and she wrapped her legs around him. Her bump brushed against Troy's stomach and Troy pulled away. He looked down at her grown stomach and smiled.

"You've grown a lot since daddy was gone, huh?" Troy grinned at Gabriella's stomach as he sat on the bed, with Gabriella on his lap. She had her legs on either side of him.

Gabriella smiled. She loved the way Troy talked to the baby. It was as if the baby was already here. Suddenly, she felt the baby move. She gasped.

"Are you okay?" he asked, instantly worried.

Gabriella placed her hands on her stomach. "It moved," she whispered.

Troy's eyes widened. Gabriella smiled as the baby moved again. She grabbed Troy's hand and placed it against her stomach. Troy smiled as he felt the baby move. They both looked down at the hands on Gabriella's stomach. When Gabriella looked up, Troy was not looking down at her bump. He was gazing into her eyes.

"Troy, are you okay?" she asked.

"Marry me!" Troy whispered.

"What?" Gabriella gasped.

Troy put Gabriella down gently on the bed. Then he got up and bent down to one knee. He pulled a velvet box out of his pocket.

"Okay, I'm not much of a poet, but, I wrote this," Troy said. He cleared his throat before he began to recite.

"When I look into your dark brown eyes,

I forget everything,

It's just you and me!

Just you and me, Gabi,

Can't you see?

Out hearts are one,

And our long journey together,

Has just begun,

I intend to keep you by my side,

I don't intend to let you go,

If I ever hurt you in anyway,

I'd never forgive myself,

You're the reason my heart beats everyday,

You're the reason I breathe,

You're the reason why I live,

Without you in my life,

Everything would be incomplete,

You're like the last bit of a jigsaw puzzle,

When the puzzle is my life,

You mean everything to me,

And I love you,

With all my heart,

Gabriella Montez,

Will you marry me?"

Troy looked at Gabriella to see her reaction. To his utmost horror, she was crying. He got up at once and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't cry, Gabi," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Yes," Gabriella smiled through her tears.

"What?" Troy asked, surprised.

"Yes," Gabriella repeated. "I will marry you, Troy. I love you."

Troy grinned and slipped the diamond ring onto her finger. Then, he kissed her passionately. Slowly, he laid her on the bed, and began kissing her, careful not to put any weight on her. His hand slid under her shirt, just as the door opened. Troy and Gabriella pulled away slightly and looked at the door. The gang was there, groaning.

"Do you guys have to do it all the time?" Isabel asked.

"Why can't we?" Troy asked. "We've got a reason to celebrate. We're engaged." He held up Gabriella's hand.

Everyone stared at them. Then, the girls squealed as Troy and Gabriella got off the bed. The girls surrounded her as Troy slapped high five with the guys. Chad gave him a brotherly hug.

"Congrats, man," he grinned.

"Thanks," Troy smiled.

"This calls for celebration," Zeke said throwing his arms over Troy's and Chad's shoulders.

"I say we have some cookies of yours," Jason said at once.

"Hmmm," Troy grinned. "I'm hungry."

"Come on," Chad said and the guys left the room, leaving the girls alone, who were now feeling the baby.

The guys were downstairs munching on some cookies when the girls came down. They all glared at the guys, while the guys looked back, sheepishly.

"We were hungry," Chad said with his mouth full of cookie.

"He's right," Troy said as Gabriella walked over to him. "And they taste so good, too."

Troy popped the remaining bit of his cookie into Gabriella's mouth as she sat on his lap.

"That is good," she agreed, smiling.

Troy leaned over and took another cookie. They were rather big. He put his arm around Gabriella and she leaned against his chest. Then, he fed her the cookie.

"You two look so cute together," Sharpay smiled.

Troy and Gabriella grinned. Suddenly, Gabriella got up and walked over to the refrigerator.

"Do we have any ice cream?" she asked.

"I haven't been here for two months," Troy said.

Gabriella got a bowl and a spoon. Then she took the container of ice cream and served herself a generous helping.

"Hey, Troy," she said and Troy looked at her.

"What do you want to go with that?" he asked as he got up. He was actually very tired from driving all day.

"How'd you know I was going to tell you that?" Gabriella asked.

"Lucky guess," Troy smirked. "So, tell me."

"Pickles!" Gabriella grinned.

Everyone in the room made a face except for Gabriella and Troy, who had, by then, got used to Gabriella's weird cravings. Troy got some pickles and set it on the table. Then, he sat down again and Gabriella went back to her old position on Troy's lap. Troy watched Gabriella as she ate. The others were talking about Troy's games, but, he was not really paying attention. He was too busy taking down his fiancée's beauty. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. It was his coach.

(Troy/Coach)

"Hey, coach. What's up?"

"I just got a call from Tyra Banks, herself, and she wants you on her show."

"I don't know, Coach. I mean, I just got back."

"I know, Troy. And, Tyra wants both you and Gabriella on the show. Jessica and I are good friends and she thought that I could tell it to both you and Gabriella while I called."

"Oh, okay, then. When is it?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Alright, then, coach."

"I knew that you'd say yes if Gabriella was allowed to go with you (laughs). Anyway, I'll book two seats to L.A. the day after tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay, Coach. Just let me know the times later, okay?"

"Sure, Troy. I'll see you later then."


"Bye, Coach."

Troy hung up. Gabriella was staring at him with a hurt look on her face. The rest of the gang was glaring at Troy.

"What?" he asked. He was clueless to what was going on, there.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Gabriella asked softly.

"Gabi…" Troy began. He understood why everyone was mad at him. They thought that he was going to leave Gabriella again.

"Just, tell me," Gabriella said.

"Yes, but –" Troy broke off when Gabriella ran upstairs. "Gabi! Wait!"

"Troy, that's really low, man," Chad said.

"Troy, how could you do that do her?" Sharpay yelled.

"You said that you'll never hurt her," Isabel yelled.

"How can you leave her again after just getting back?" Kelsi asked.

"Will you guys just shut up?" Troy yelled. "What are you yelling at me for? Because I told coach that I wouldn't go unless Gabi could come with me?"

"What?" Sharpay asked.

"You know what," Troy said. "I think you better leave, because, I've got to fix things with Gabi."

"You're not mad at us, are you?" Isabel asked.

"No, I'm not mad at you guys," Troy assured them.

The gang left quickly. The sun had set and it was dark, by then. Troy hurried upstairs and heard Gabriella crying in the bathroom.

"Gabs!" he called. "Open the door."

Gabriella opened the bathroom door. Her face was wet with tears.

"Gabs, listen to me," Troy said.

"No, you listen to me, Troy," Gabriella snapped. "I've had it with you leaving me all the time. In case you don't remember, it's also your baby that I am carrying. It's like you're abandoning me and the baby."

"Gabi," Troy began.

"I hate you, Troy Bolton!" Gabriella yelled. "Just, leave me alone."

A look of hurt crossed Troy's face when Gabriella said that she hated him. As soon as the words had left Gabriella's mouth, she wished that she had never said them.

"Troy…" she began, but her voice trailed away when she saw that Troy was so hurt.

"Save it, Gabriella!" he said, softly. "You're jumping into conclusions. I wasn't going to leave you. They want both me and you on the Tyra Banks Show. I wasn't going to go unless you were going with me, but, you didn't want to hear any of those."

Troy turned and walked away. "I'll sleep in the couch tonight," he said before he went downstairs.

Gabriella's heart broke when she heard the hurt in Troy's voice. She broke down onto the floor crying hard. She knew that it probably was not good for the baby, but, she could not stop.

Later that night, Gabriella could not sleep. She did not like sleeping alone in the bed knowing that Troy was in the same house. Finally, she got up and put on her night gown. The baby was also restless. She went downstairs and saw the light in the living room and knew that Troy was still awake. She stopped at the doorway. He did not see her as he was lying on the couch.

"Hey," she said, softly.

Troy jumped up from the couch when he heard Gabriella's voice. He looked up and saw Gabriella standing at the doorway. One hand was resting on top of her engorgement.

"Hey," Troy said.

Slowly, Gabriella walked over to Troy. She was tired and wanted to sleep. The fact that she was carrying a kicking baby in her stomach did not help either. She sat down on the couch and Troy flopped down next to her.

"I'm sorry, Troy," Gabriella said, softly.

"I know," Troy said. "I'm sorry, too."

"Why are you sorry?" Gabriella asked.

"For making you cry," Troy said.

"Oh," Gabriella said. She rubbed her hand on her stomach. "Baby Bolton seemed to think that daddy needed to be close by tonight."

"It did, huh?" Troy smiled. "So, my baby's smart.

He lifted Gabriella onto his lap. He placed one hand on her back and the other on her stomach. He smiled when he felt the baby kick. He traced circles on her stomach.

"I love you, Troy," Gabriella said, softly.

"I love you, too, Gabs," Troy smiled and gave her a kiss. Then, he bent down and placed a kiss on Gabriella's stomach. "And, I love you, too."

Gabriella laughed. "So, are we doing the show?" she asked.

"If you want to," Troy smiled.

"I want to," Gabriella said, at once.

"Then, we'll do it," Troy smiled.

Troy carried Gabriella upstairs to their bedroom and the two soon fell asleep. Troy's hand was, of course, wrapped around her and was resting on her stomach.

A few hours after they had fallen asleep, Gabriella woke up. She was hungry and wanted some of the leftover cookies that Zeke had made. Troy's arms were wrapped around her, preventing her from moving. She poked his arm.

"Troy," she whispered into his ear. "Wake up!"

Troy groaned, but, did not open his eyes.

"What is it, baby?" he mumbled.

"I want to get up," Gabriella replied.

Troy opened his eyes and looked at her. "But, I like holding you close to me when I sleep," he smiled.

"I like you holding me, too," Gabriella said. "But, I'm hungry."

"Why didn't you say so?" Troy asked getting out of bed. Gabriella made to get up, too, but, Troy stopped her. "No, you wait here. I'll get whatever you want."

"Those cookies Zeke made," Gabriella answered.

"Oh, yeah," Troy said. "We've got loads of those. I'll bring them up."

A few minutes later, Troy came back holding a tray which had two glasses of milk and a plate of cookies.

"Cookies and milk!" he grinned. "I want to eat with you."

Gabriella laughed. Troy placed the tray on the bed, carefully, because he did not want to spill any milk. Then, the two began their feast.

"I want to fins her, Troy," Gabriella said, suddenly.

"Huh? Who?" Troy asked, confused.

"I want my baby to have two grandmothers, not one," she continued.

"Oh," Troy realized that she was talking about her mom.

"And, I want my baby to have an uncle, too," Gabriella said, placing her hands on her stomach.

"Okay," Troy said, sitting up. "First of all, it's not your baby; it's mine, too. Second of all, when do you want to find her?"

"Now!" Gabriella said.

"Okay," Troy said.

He quickly took the tray from the bed and placed it on the dresser. Then he grabbed his laptop and sat on the bed again. He began searching on the Internet. Gabriella watched him. A few minutes later, Troy felt something fall onto his shoulder. He looked to see Gabriella asleep there. He smiled and laid her on the bed, before continuing his work. About an hour later, he found the Maria Montez he was looking for. He quickly took down her address. Then, he shut down the laptop and lay down next to Gabriella.

"I found her," he whispered into her ear.

He watched as Gabriella smiled and snuggled closer to him.

"Thank you," she replied. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby girl," Troy smiled.

A/N So, this is one of the longes chapters that I wrote. Anyways, two chapters. Happy?? :P Let me know by a review!