As I mentioned before, I realize that Beastly is not coming out until the end of July and this chapter is March. However, for the sake of the story, it's coming out in March. Deal with it. I'm overwhelmed by the reviews. I can't believe that I've started a discussion on the story, the characters, their motives, etc. It's like my own little book club! Thank yall so much for taking to this story the way that you have. I'm glad you like it! Once again, I don't own anything except the plot.

Chapter 7

It had been a week since Vanessa left and a little over a week since The Fight. Ten days since Zac and Vanessa exchanged hurtful words. Nine days since they both wallowed in private and got a visit from their two best female friends. Vanessa left that Monday for her promotional tour for Beastly and the DVD release of Bandslam. At first she wasn't too happy that the two events were happening back to back with each other, as that meant double the promos for her and double the work load. But now she saw it as a way to keep her mind occupied. It gave her a reason to not think about Zac every second of the day.

Zac, however, was not that lucky. He still had about five months before the next promotional tour of his own, so therefore, he didn't have anything to keep him busy. He spent his days haunted by the memory of The Fight and was being visited each day by a different someone that he didn't want to talk to. First was Ashley, then Monique, then Corbin, then Stella called- he didn't feel like talking to her; she knew her older sister's boyfriend so well that she'd instantly know something wasn't quite right-, then Ashley again.

By the time the following Tuesday came around, just as Zac was contemplating calling Vanessa for the five hundred thousand millionth time since she left- even if it was to just hear her voice on her voicemail- he got a call. A call that was unexpected at this point in time. As he held his phone in the palm of his hand, turning it over and over trying to decide if he should call her or not, he felt it buzzing. He answered it before looking at the caller id, hoping beyond hope that maybe, just maybe, she was feeling the same way and was calling to just hear his voice. Instead, the voice that met him on the other end took him by surprise.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Zac," the voice greeted, "it's Bart."

"Bart?" he asked, shocked.

"Yeah, man! How are you?"

"I'm great!"

"Bull," Bart said. "I can hear it in your voice. You're dealing with something and you're trying to hide it."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you, remember? You and I may not have known each other before your life changed five years ago, but I know you.

"I'm not hiding anything," Zac argued back.

"Don't lie to me," Bart warned.

"What are you talking about?" Zac questioned again.

"Call it father's intuition," Bart attempted to joke

Zac let out a slight chuckle at the ongoing joke the two shared. "I guess I can't argue with that one."

"Meet me for lunch tomorrow."

"As much as I'd love to, I can't. I've got a-"

"A completely empty schedule. I've got some people on the inside who know you're schedule. Therefore, I know for a fact that you're free. Meet me at Timmy Nolan's Tavern in Toluca Lake, tomorrow at 12:30. How does that sound?"

"Like an order," he snapped in response.

"Man, whatever it is that's eating you up must be huge. You're not usually this much of a joy to talk to. How's Vanessa dealing with it?" Bart said, feeling out the situation with the younger actor. He knew of The Fight from Ashley but didn't exactly know the specifics on how severe the situation was, and as a result, didn't know what he had facing him tomorrow.

"I don't know. She's been gone since last Monday. Promos and such."

"Yeah, I saw her on Live with Regis and Kelly this morning. She looks good," he said, once again testing the waters.

"Yeah, hey listen, I've got to run. I'll see you tomorrow," Zac said, hanging up before Bart could respond.

Wow, Bart thought to himself. Ashley wasn't joking. He's really messed up over this. It's time for Daddy Jack to come out.

The next day, Zac found himself getting ready for a lunch he didn't want to attend. Not that the company would be a bad thing. He always enjoyed hanging out with Bart. The two of them built a strong relationship in the years that they worked together on the three movies. Almost like real father and son, not just the parts they portrayed.

It was the going out part, however, that Zac was not looking forward to. He knew the paparazzi would be out. He knew the rumors that had been going around about The Fight. How they heard about it, he'll never know, and he didn't care. Even Vanessa was fielding questions about it in her interviews.

Yes, he had watched her on her television appearances. Despite everything that happened between the two of them, he was still her biggest fan and would continue to be.

As he grabbed his keys and prepared to walk out the door, wearing his jeans and t-shirt, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror by the door. Noticing the bags under his eyes, he grabbed his sunglasses as a second thought. He started to walk out the door once more and, once more, did a double take in the mirror, this time noticing his unruly hair. It seems that he always has trouble with it when Vanessa wasn't there, so he grabbed his beanie, placing it on his head as he left his house, and walked to his car- braving the flashbulbs as he went- to begin the drive to the restaurant in Toluca Lake.

When Bart arrived at Timmy Nolan's Tavern, he was not at all surprised to see the paparazzi there. They were no doubt waiting on Zac; he was a hot ticket in Hollywood these days. He walked into the restaurant and straight to a corner table in the back. He sat facing the door so he could see Zac when he came in and he could try and help him just a little and get him past the paparazzi that would no doubt almost attack him as soon as he walked in. No sooner did he take his seat that he heard the commotion. He looked up toward the door and saw his on-screen son come in, looking none too pleased with all the ruckus he caused. Bart lifted his hand just a little, letting Zac know where he was. Zac quickly noticed and offered a nod in response, as he made his way to the table. Bart stood to greet the young actor with a manly hug, who returned the hug with a slap on the older man's back. The two exchanged pleasantries through ordering their drinks, and sat in silence for a few moments as they studied the menu. The waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders, and Bart wasted no time at all jumping into the reason for the lunch meeting.

"So…" Bart started.

"So?" Zac questioned. "Why are we here? What's up?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Zac just looked at him questioningly. Realizing that Zac didn't know what he was getting at, Bart continued. "What's going on? I've heard some rumors. How true are they?"

"That depends on what you've heard," he told him, taking a sip of his Heineken.

"Don't avoid the question, Zac. I think you know what I'm talking about. I saw Vanessa on Regis and Kelly yesterday morning and The View today. She looked okay to someone who wouldn't know any better. But to those who really know her, her eyes said something very different. What's going on?"

Zac took another sip before setting his beer back on the table in front of him and sighed. He sat back in his seat and looked Bart in the eyes before answering.

"That's just it, man. I don't know what happened. Things were going okay, you know? Great even, except for the occasional snippy attitude from her, but I thought that was normal. The next thing I know… I don't know."

"Take me back. Tell me everything," Bart instructed, turning into the father that he'd played for several years to the young man in front of him.

"How far back do you want me to go?"

"When did things start getting weird with you two? Take me there."

Zac thought for a minute, playing with the napkin sitting on the table in front of him, before responding. "Her birthday." He then proceeded to tell Bart the whole story. Her birthday and the discussion the two of them had on that day. He moved on to New Year's Eve and Ashley's engagement and how he dealt with Vanessa's emotions in the aftermath. After that, Valentine's Day, which, in his mind, was almost perfect. Next he touched on the recent events, the pain she felt and the wisdom teeth extraction, and the attitude he felt she was exhibiting. Before he knew it, he was telling Bart all about the fight, the things they said to each other and the slap she gave him. While he was talking, Bart just sat listening, not sure where to begin.

"So where does that leave you two now?" he asked.

"I guess that leaves me with needing to at least postpone our trip. What do I need to do regarding that?"

"Not a thing, because I don't think you will be needing to postpone. Not after what I have to say, anyway."

"What do you mean? I don't even know when I'm going to be talking to her again, much less traveling anywhere with her," Zac pointed out .

"What I mean is that you will be wanting to talk to her by the time I'm done. Are you ready to listen?"

"Okay, see, now you're starting to sound like my dad! I'm not sure how much I like that."

"Well, I'm trying to sound like your dad. I've got a few years on you, Zac. Both in life and in marriage. I like to think I know a few things and can possibly offer my expertise when needed on something like this."

"Fair enough," Zac said, waving his hand for Bart to continue. Bart took a deep breath and a sip of his own Killian's Red before continuing.

"Zac, I've seen you and Vanessa as you two were flirting during the first movie. The whole 'does she like me' stage was always the most stressful for me. I could tell it was for you, too. You two thought it was in secret and that no one noticed, but believe me, we all noticed. You admitted to me once that you liked the scene of the two of you in the gym playing with the basketball when you were supposed to be practicing and I walk in and bust you. Why did you like that one so much?"

The two men stopped talking for a minute when their food was delivered. They got everything fixed with the ketchup and other desired condiments and took a bite of their burgers.

"Come on, Bart, you already know that. What does that have to do with anything?" Zac asked as he swallowed.

"Just answer the question, Zac," Bart ordered.

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "That was one of my favorite scenes with the two of us because of the closeness portrayed between Troy and Gabriella. I actually had a reason to touch her and not feel like I was being too forward at that time."

"I then got to watch as you two started dating, through the awkward stage and everything that followed. Meeting her dad was fun, wasn't it? What about the trip you two took to Hawaii for the first time? That trip was a turning point for you two, wasn't it?"

"What are you getting at?" Zac was starting to get slightly annoyed.

"I'm trying to make you understand that the good times outweigh the bad. That's the way it is when you're with someone you really love. When your lives are so closely intertwined like the two of you are, you're going to encounter bad times. It's how you handle the bad times that make all the difference. No matter how bad things get, the two of you can always come out on top and conquer them. You always have. Ponder that one for a minute," Bart instructed as he picked up his burger, taking another bite.

The two men sat in silence eating. Zac was using the silence to digest what Bart had just told him. He quickly realized how very right he was. No matter how bad things got within the past almost five years- no matter the rumors, no matter the picture scandals, no matter the arguments, no matter anything- it only made their relationship stronger. Did that mean that this, too, would soon pass? And if so, how?

"What are you thinking?" Bart asked, finally breaking the silence after several minutes.

"I was just reliving the past few years. Everything that's been thrown at us, we've worked through it. No matter what came our way only made us stronger, like you said. We always came out on top. Why, then, does this feel like it's tearing us apart?"

"Zac, tell me about the fight you two had. What kind of things were said?"

Zac put his burger down and wiped his mouth. He took another sip of his beer and took a deep breath before starting to relive that fateful, potentially life-changing for both of them, afternoon. He told Bart everything that was said, starting from the moment he stormed into her bedroom and ending with him leaving, with a red mark on his face.

"Wow," Bart said, disbelieving that the two young actors he, along with the rest of the High School Musical cast, watched fall in love could actually fight the way Zac just described.

"Yeah, it was bad," Zac told him.

"Zac, do you realize what started her attitude, as you call it, towards you?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out. Where did things start to really go bad between us? I just don't get it!"

"You've been stringing her along since her birthday," Bart simply stated.

"What?" Zac stared at Bart, with his burger halfway to his mouth. He put it back on his plate slowly, confused with this new point. "What do you mean?"

"You told her you have a plan, right?" Bart watched Zac as he slowly nodded. "Have you told her anything about this plan?"

"I told her we're going to Utah in May," he pointed out.

"Yes, but have you told her why?" When Zac shook his head 'no', Bart continued. "So she just knows about a trip to Utah. Have you told her anything about the plan?" he asked for a second time.

Bart looked Zac in his eyes, making sure he fully understood his next statement.

"Son," he started slowly, "you've been stringing her along. She thinks you don't trust her because she knows you're going to propose, but not when, and you haven't told her anything about it. Therefore, every romantic moment you've come across since then, she's thinking 'Oh, my God, is this it? Finally!' and then you let her down by not proposing when she thinks you're going to. That just makes her doubt you and your trust in her. It sounds to me like she's put on a pretty big front to try and cover up her disappointment many times. Honestly, I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did before blowing up at you. Hell, I would have blown up at you, too, but much sooner." He finished his speech and watch as the realization his Zac squarely in the face.

"Oh, God, Bart. What have I done? I may have lost her forever."

"You haven't lost her forever. Just momentarily. When does she get back from her promotional tour?"

"End of the month, but I don't know exactly how to fix this," Zac admitted.

"All I can do is point out the fault. It's up to you to figure out how to fix it. Like leading a horse to water and all."

Zac pushed his plate a little bit further up on the table, just enough so he could put his elbows on the table. He clasped his fists together and rested his chin on them, letting out a sigh. Bart just gave him a look of concern. The same look that a father would give their son. He's really grown up in the past few years. I'm really proud of him.

"Are you okay?"

"I really screwed up, didn't I?" Zac asked quietly.

"Big time," Bart responded.

"How am I going to get her back? What should I do? I've got a lot to figure out. Thank you, by the way."

"For what?" Bart asked, confused.

"For kicking my ass into motion. For making me understand what I did wrong. I never should have mentioned the plan at all. I led her on and… and I don't know. I screwed up and you helped me realize that, so thank you, Dad," Zac told him, channeling his inner Troy for a moment. Bart chuckled and returned the role play.

"Anytime, Troy. That's why I'm here. Now let's talk about you postponing this trip to my family resort."

"Yeah, let's talk about that. I may not be needing it after all," Zac began slowly. "I think I'm getting an idea."

"Really?" Bart asked, raising his eyebrows in question. "Tell me about it."

The two men continued their lunch, and Bart listened as Zac proceeded to share the idea that was forming in his mind as to how exactly he was going to finally talk to, and possibly win back, Vanessa, the love of his life.

AN: *I've had some of you ask me in reviews and such about something that was said during the Valentine's Day dinner. Zac made a comment to Vanessa about "...whatever the court's decide..." and I've been asked what I mean by that. If you go to .com and in the top right corner, there's a search box. Enter "Vanessa Hudgens" and it'll bring up all the details about the court case that's she been involved with lately. I may not be able to explain it properly and do it justice, so if you are curious about that, going to the E! Network website would probably be best. Thank you again!*