AN: And heeeere's chapter 2! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews everybody, I really appreciate it! I waited until alerts were back up to post this for my own selfish reasons, so that you would all know when it was posted, but hey, I'm sure a lot of people did that. ;-) But yeah, anyway, they're finally back up so here you are.

In case you didn't notice, I had a lot of trouble ending like all of the chapters in this story, so be prepared for a lot of gay endings.

Title: With You
Rating: T
Author: MadiWillow
Summary: Troy is married with a small daughter. Gabriella is married and pregnant. They didn't keep in touch after school following a nasty break-up, but everyone knows that true love never dies.
Genre: Drama/Romance
Chapter: Chapter 2

Gabriella was awakened a few days later by, once again, her annoying alarm clock. She groaned and rolled over, shutting it off, the same process she went through every day. Except today, she woke up excited. It was Saturday, and Nathaniel didn't have to work! She rolled onto her other side, expecting to see her husband next to her, but just saw an empty bed.

Her brow furrowed, Gabriella got out of bed and grabbed her robe from behind her closet door. She checked her calendar, but saw that it very much was Saturday.

She walked barefoot down the hall and into the kitchen, where she found Danielle already awake, cooking her eggs and bacon.

"Danielle, where's Nathaniel?"

Without turning around, Danielle answered, "Mr. Richards asked me to inform you that he had a very important conference in Boston that came up last minute. He'll be back Monday night."

Gabriella groaned and sat down in a kitchen chair. "Monday?"

Danielle nodded. "That's what Mr. Richards said."

Despite herself, Gabriella couldn't help but smile a little. "Danielle, how many times have I asked you to call Nathaniel by his first name?"

Danielle turned around to grab a plate, and Gabriella spied a grin on her lips. "Many times. I have no problem calling you 'Gabriella', but I just can't call Mr. Richards by his first name. I don't, er, know him well enough."

"Exactly. He's never around," Gabriella muttered as Danielle loaded her plate with bacon and eggs. Danielle salted the eggs quickly before setting the plate and a glass of milk in front of Gabriella.

"I'm sure he'll be around more when the baby is born." Danielle smiled and briefly rested her hand on Gabriella's stomach.

Gabriella instinctively put her hand on her stomach too. "I hope so."

That afternoon, Gabriella went back to the baby store, unable to control herself. She bought four more uni-sex newborn baby outfits, a yellow bumblebee blanket to match the dresser, and a yellow stuffed elephant.

Upon returning back home, Gabriella was greeted by Danielle, who said to her excitedly, "You got a call from Troy Bolton while you were out."

"What!?" exclaimed Gabriella, stunned. Gabriella had shared her stories of Troy with Danielle, but had purposely failed to mention their previous meeting.

"Yeah, the one from high school," said Danielle, grinning madly. "He left me his number and wants you to call him back."

"Wow..." said Gabriella softly. "I wonder what he wants." She strode into the kitchen and found the index card on which Danielle has scrawled Troy's number.

"I bet he wants to tell you he still loves you," Danielle informed her smugly. "Wait'll you rub it in his face that you're married, rich, and pregnant!" She laughed maliciously.

Gabriella grinned slightly. "I don't think so. I didn't tell you this before, but I saw him at the store the other day."

Danielle's jaw dropped in shock. "What? You did? What happened?"

She shrugged. "We talked for a couple minutes. He's married with a one-year-old daughter."

The maid's mouth formed an 'o' shape. "Well, maybe he wants to catch up?" she suggested.

"Probably," Gabriella lamented. "Should I call him back?"

Danielle nodded encouragingly. "Yeah! It can't hurt, right?"

"I guess not," said Gabriella, sighing. She picked up the phone and said, "I'll be in my room." She grabbed the card with his number and walked down the hall to her room, closing the door behind her.

She stood in the middle of her room for a long moment, staring at the phone. She slowly dialed the number and stood listening to it ring, her eyes shut tight and praying that he wouldn't answer so she could just say she tried to call him back and not have to do it again.

Alas, her prayers were ignored. Troy answered on the third ring.

"Hey, Troy?" she said slowly. "It's Gabriella."

"Oh, hey!" he said happily. "I'm guessing you got the message I left with your maid?"

"Yeah," said Gabriella. There was a pause while neither one of them spoke. After a few seconds, Gabriella said, "Well, why'd you call?"

"Just wanted to say hi," he answered. After another silence, he added, "What do you say about grabbing lunch?"

"Today?" asked Gabriella, surprised.

"Yeah, why not? I'll have to bring Lauren, though."

"That's fine," said Gabriella earnestly. "I'd like to meet her."

"Alright. How about about Jeffrey's? Be there at one?"

"Sounds fine to me,"

"Great! See you then,"

"Bye,"

Gabriella hung up the phone in a daze. She was about to have lunch with Troy Bolton, her ex from high school that she wasn't sure she ever completely got over. She was about to go out to eat with a guy she still had some feelings for while they were both married to different people. She was about to go on a date with a married man and his baby daughter.

She walked blindly into the kitchen, thinking hard, her eyes glazed over. She sat on a bar stool at the counter and vaguely heard Danielle say, "What would you like for lunch? I have some pasta in the cupboard, or I can make you a fruit salad..."

"No thanks," said Gabriella, staring off into space. "I'm going out to lunch."

"What?" asked Danielle, whipping around to see her employer with a far-away look in her eyes. "Are you going to lunch with Troy Bolton?" she whispered dramatically.

Gabriella finally tore her eyes away from whatever she had been looking at to glance at Danielle. She nodded.

Danielle squealed excitedly and asked, "When? What time?"

"One,"

Glancing at the clock, Danielle cried, "It's already 12:30! You need to go get ready!" She grabbed Gabriella's arm and started to drag her towards the master bedroom.

"Danielle!" Gabriella protested. "I'm not going on a date or anything! I'm married, for God's sake!"

"So?" Danielle pushed her in the bedroom. "You can still bedazzle him with your good looks to let him know what he gave up." She winked before slamming the doors shut.

Sighing, Gabriella walked into her closet. She didn't have enough time to shower, but luckily she'd showered the night before. She decided to wear a yellow and white flower-print strapless maternity dress and matching yellow sandals. She brushed her hair into a neat ponytail and slipped on earrings and a bracelet. After applying some sparse mascara and lip gloss, she grabbed her purse and a white sweater before leaving the room.

"Do I reach your standards?" asked Gabriella sarcastically, twirling mockingly for Danielle once she entered the kitchen.

Danielle beamed. "Yes!" she answered, clapping excitedly. "You look amazing. Troy is going to have a heart attack when he sees you."

"Yeah, yeah," said Gabriella, although she couldn't help but slightly flush at the comment. What if Troy did tell her she looked attractive? "I'm going now!" she called out as she reached the front door.

"Behave yourself!" Danielle shouted back, a hint of amusement in her voice, as Gabriella left.

She hopped in her car and drove the few miles to the Italian restaurant, Jeffrey's, on the edge of Buffalo. After finding a parking space she got out of the car and entered the restaurant, looking around for Troy.

When she didn't see him, she strode to the back of the restaurant and poked her head out the door, glancing around at the outside tables. She saw him, but not until she'd done a double-take. She could see him, but most of him was obscured by a large stroller.

As Gabriella approached him, he caught sight of her and stood up, grinning. "Hey!" he greeted her when she reached him. He leaned forward to give her a hug.

She hugged Troy back and then sat down in the chair across from him. Their table was at the very edge of the courtyard, against a stone wall. To their right, in a space where normally a third chair would go, the stroller sat.

"This is Lauren," said Troy, sitting down as well and pointing to the child in the stroller.

Gabriella felt her breath catch in her throat – Lauren was the most adorable child she'd ever seen. She had a round, pale face, with chubby, rose-colored cheeks. Her small collection of nearly white-blonde hair was currently gathered into a water-fountain ponytail on the top of her head, secured by a pink ribbon. She had the exact same eyes as Troy – gorgeous blue lakes. She was banging happily on the tray in front of her stroller, where a few Cheerio's lay scattered, and when she smiled Gabriella spied three teeth – two on the top, one on the bottom.

"She's beautiful," Gabriella whispered.

Troy flushed. "Thanks." He reached out and caressed his daughter's cheek with his finger. In return, Lauren grabbed it and stuck it in her mouth. When she realized it wasn't food, she hit her hand down on the tray of her stroller, holding tightly onto her daddy's finger.

Regaining control of his finger, Troy turned his attention to Gabriella. "So. How are you?" he asked, wiping his finger dry with a napkin.

Gabriella held up her hand, rocking it side to side as if to say 'so-so.' "Being pregnant is certainly no picnic. Most of the time I get no sleep because this little guy – or girl – likes to have wild parties at night."

Troy chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't know what it's like to be pregnant, but I'm pretty sure it's all worth it." The two of them looked over at Lauren, who had picked up a Cheerio and was now examining it.

"I hope you don't misinterpret this, but how come you had to bring her?" Gabriella asked Troy. "It's Saturday. Where's your wife?"

"Working," said Troy simply.

"Oh. What does she do?"

"She's a lawyer," Troy explained. "She usually works every day of the week."

"Wow," said Gabriella sympathetically. "That's gotta be tough."

Troy nodded, not making eye contact wit her. "Yeah, it can be sometimes."

There was a small pause. "So... what do you do?"

His face brightened up and he stole another glance at Lauren. "I'm a stay at home dad, aren't I Lauren?" He reached down and tickled her under her chin, causing her to laugh. "Aren't I? Yes, I am!"

Lauren responded with a, "Da-da!"

Gabriella laughed at the cute display. Troy smiled up at her and added, "Not all of us have maids, though."

She smiled slightly back. Troy sat up straight again and asked, "What about you? What do you do?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I haven't done anything in a while, to be honest. I worked at a really successful real estate company for a number of years before I married Nathaniel. He works for a family business and makes a lot, so I don't work." She sighed.

Troy nodded, understandingly. The truth was, though, that Nathaniel didn't want her to work. When they got married, he forced her to quit her job, under the impression that women should stay home to serve their husbands. And then he gets me a maid and is never home, Gabriella thought to herself bitterly. I bet he wouldn't even notice if I got a job.

"Are you still in contact with everyone?" Troy asked abruptly, which brought up memories of their past.

Oh yeah. Troy dumped me.

She nodded. "You aren't, are you?"

He shook his head sadly. "Mind catching me up?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I talk to Taylor and Chad at least once a week. I was the maid of honor at their wedding three years ago. Kelsi lives about an hour or so away – she writes Broadway shows. She and Jason broke up during college and she got together with Ryan – they're married now. Sharpay and Zeke are married, and, well, you probably know this, but Zeke has his own famous cooking show. He's like the new Rachel Ray, only not as annoying." She laughed. "Sharpay's a huge, A-list actress, which you also probably know. Zeke and his company usually cook for the events she goes to, like after-parties for the Oscar's and stuff. He's cooked for the president a couple of times."

Troy nodded. "My wife reads those tabloid magazines and thinks it's cool I knew Sharpay, but I really don't pay attention." He paused. "And Jason?"

"Jason... well, he's not doing so well," said Gabriella, sighing sympathetically. "He's currently in jail for cocaine possession."

"Jesus, really?" exclaimed Troy. "Wow."

She nodded. "We talk through letters. He'll be out in six months."

Troy whistled. "So, how long have Kelsi and Ryan and Sharpay and Zeke been married?"

Gabriella looked up to the sky, calculating. "Kelsi and Ryan... two and a half years. Sharpay and Zeke, five years. I was a bridesmaid at both weddings."

"Awesome. Do any of them have kids?"

Gabriella let out a small laugh. "Well, Sharpay and Zeke have fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, and so do Kelsi and Ryan."

"Both of them got twins?" Troy asked, and Gabriella could hear the hint of amusement in his voice.

She nodded. "Fraternal twins is something that runs in the family, so they both had a good chance of getting them anyway." She grinned.

"What are their names? Do Taylor and Chad have any kids? Do Sharpay and Ryan have any other kids?"

"Whoa, slow down." Gabriella giggled. "Sharpay and Zeke's kids are three, named Halyn and Arthur. They're so precious. They look a lot like Zeke, with dark skin and dark hair. They have Sharpay's eyes and facial features though. Kelsi and Ryan's twins are eighteen months. Colin looks exactly like Ryan and Chelsea looks just like Kelsi." She laughed. "Sharpay and Zeke want to have another baby but nothing's official yet. Taylor and Chad have two boys. Jessie is two and Kyle was just born a couple of weeks ago. I haven't seen him yet because they live in Florida and I'm not allowed to fly."

Troy nodded. "Wow. I sure missed a lot."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, you did. But what I don't understand is why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Well, why didn't you call us? Well, okay, I guess I know why you didn't call me, but apparently you never got in touch with them either. What gives?"

Troy fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat and glanced at Lauren, who was eating Cheerio's. He looked back at Gabriella and saw that she was staring at him expectantly. "I don't know," he mumbled finally.

Gabriella just sighed and nodded. "You don't know. Of course." She looked away.

"Gabriella, I wanted to," said Troy earnestly, reaching over and placing his hand on top of hers. Gabriella blinked for a second, before jerking her hand away.

"What are you doing?" she asked, disgustedly.

Troy looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"You're married!" she hissed. "Your daughter is sitting right next to us. I'm married and pregnant! You can't just hold my hand whenever you want to!"

He looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry."

"I don't get you, Troy Bolton," said Gabriella, folding her arms across her chest.

A waitress came up to their table and said, "I'm sorry for the wait. Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll just have an iced tea," said Gabriella, still watching Troy disapprovingly.

"I'll have coffee, please," Troy muttered. The waitress wrote down their drinks and strolled away.

There was a long awkward silence between them, broken only by Lauren's happy giggling. Gabriella watched Troy intently, but he deliberately avoided her eyes. Finally, she said, "How come you dumped me?"

Troy's face turned a shade lighter as he paled. Clearing his throat, he made eye contact with Gabriella and said quietly, "Gabriella, we discussed this..."

"First of all, no, we did not," Gabriella corrected him. "All I remember was you not wanting to be 'tied down.' That's hardly a reason. And secondly, don't act like you didn't know this would come up during our 'catching up' period. Did you really think that just because I'm married I've forgotten about how much you hurt me when you dumped me right before I left for school?"

He didn't answer. As he was silent, the waitress returned with their drinks and Gabriella took a sip of her tea.

After a moment, she asked irritably, "Are you going to say something?"

Troy was silent for a moment before saying, "I have nothing to say because... I know you're right."

Gabriella blinked in surprise at him. "What?"

"I know you're right," he said, a little louder, looking at his daughter. He ran a hand down her face and she laughed happily. "My older cousin told me that going away to college with a girlfriend at a different school was a bad choice. He told me to break up with you. So I did."

Her mouth hung open.

"Although I never should have. Breaking up with you was the worst decision I've ever made in my entire life. I should never have listened to Hayden."

Gabriella closed her eyes and book a deep breath in and out, her arms still folded angrily in front of her chest. After a minutes she opened her eyes and spoke. "You could've told me this. You should've told me this. I thought we could tell each other everything."

"Well, you ran out of the restaurant before I had a chance!" protested Troy.

"We live in the 21st century, Troy. Ever heard of phones? E-mails?"

"You could've called me!" he countered.

"You broke up with me, Troy. I did not have to call you," Gabriella snapped. "Besides... you didn't come after me," she murmured before she could stop herself.

"Come again?"

"You didn't come after me when I left the restaurant," she repeated. "I figured that if you still cared about me, even a little bit, you would come after me. But you didn't." She stared determinedly at a burn spot on their table as she spoke.

"I didn't know you wanted me to," said Troy quietly.

"Oh, come on!" Gabriella exclaimed, glaring at him. "You dated me for two and a half years. How did you not know?"

Troy just shrugged and Gabriella sighed in frustration. After a short pause, she asked, "And how come you didn't keep in touch with anyone else?"

He shrugged again. "Truthfully, I don't know why. Looking back on it, I think 'what is wrong with you?', you know? I definitely should have. Could you tell them I'm sorry?"

"Why don't you tell them?" she asked quietly.

Troy looked up and locked eyes with her. Before he could answer, the waitress came back to take their orders. The two of them just ordered a simple salad, and once the waitress left, silence fell.

Finally, Troy said, "I really don't think they'd be happy to hear from me after all these years."

"Of course they would!" argued Gabriella. "I mean, sure, they might be a little mad, but they'll be happy to know that you're at least alive and happy."

Troy gave a half-shrug. "I don't know."

"Come on!" Gabriella protested. She held out her hand and demanded, "Gimme your cell phone."

"What? Why?"

"Please?"

Troy sighed. "Okay, here..."

Gabriella flipped it open and programmed the Danforth's, the Evans's, and the Baylor's numbers in his phone, the numbers of which Gabriella had memorized. When she was done she handed the phone back to him and demanded, "Call them soon. Okay?"

He cracked a small smile. "Fine."

After their food came, Gabriella and Troy had a nice lunch, discussing what college had been like, where they'd met their respective spouses, and what life in general was like. Gabriella was absolutely infatuated with Lauren, and kept tickling her. She had the most adorable laugh.

Not long after, they were finished with their small lunch and split the bill. With great difficulty, Troy managed to steer the large stroller out of the restaurant with Gabriella trailing, a slight grin on her face and well aware that all the people staring at them as they left were under the assumption that they were a happy little family.

"It was nice talking to you, Troy," Gabriella said honestly as they stood on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.

"You too. Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

"Definitely!" Gabriella smiled. "I've love to meet Devon."

"And I'd love to meet Nathaniel," added Troy, although Gabriella doubted that would happen any time soon. In order to meet someone, they actually had to be around.

But all she said was "Sure" before they parted ways. Gabriella watched for a minute, in her car, while Troy tickled Lauren after placing her in his car seat. What a great dad, she thought to herself.

If only Nathaniel could be more like Troy.