A/N hello, I'm very sorry for the delay, but I had good reasoning. My computer needed a new power cord (I fried the last one) and then it had to be reset, and then my mother had surgery last week… so, life's been pretty crazy for me. Anyway, I hope ya'll had a nice Christmas : ) I got an iPod! Yay!

Chapter 16: 'Tell Me the Truth'.

Capri quietly sat in her bouncy seat, waiting to be fed, while her overly stressed mother tended to her crying brothers. It was the days of discovering baby cereal, and to their parents, how terrible it smelled. Gabriella had a bottle of breast milk propped up to Caden's mouth with a pillow, while she fed Christian the last few bites of his oatmeal. Troy was washing dishes in the kitchen, whistling along to the radio. He'd taken a break from school when Capri had come home the week before, seeing how something was wrong with Gabi, but she wouldn't admit the truth.

"Hey babe, come here please?" Gabriella's calm voice drifted into the kitchen, Troy dried his hands and walked into the living room.

"Can you feed Capri? She's been sitting there waiting for awhile." Gabriella asked keeping her focus on getting Christian's food into his mouth.

"Sure honey." Troy smiled sitting down on the couch next to Gabriella and pulling Capri over to him.

Troy noticed Gabriella's uneasiness, and took a risk and asked if she were alright. He got a mumbled 'I'm fine', in response. Not convinced, he finished off Capri and turned to his wife.

"Tell me the truth…" his voice was like velvet, knowing Gabriella would cave at that.

"I told you I'm fine." Gabriella sighed sharply as she placed the empty cereal bowl on the end table.

"I know you and you're not okay." Troy wrapped his arm around Gabriella's shoulders, knowing she had to be softened up by this.

"I had gone to the doctor and I didn't get the best news." Gabriella sighed, tears beginning to well.

"And what did she say?" Troy asked knowing Gabriella had gone to her doctor a few weeks previous.

"I love you…" Gabriella's voice broke as she melted into Troy's arms.

He knew by that it was going to be bad…

Troy and Gabriella were curled up on their couch watching a rerun of 'I Love Lucy', in their darkened living room, exchanging kisses every couple of seconds, taking advantage of the babies being asleep in other words. Troy held tightly onto Gabi, as if someone could come in at any moment and take her away from him. He occasionally drew invisible circles around her bellybutton, his hand rested comfortably on the bare skin under her shirt the other times. It was a motion that Gabriella found soothing, she moaned contently at the sensation. Troy worked his hand up higher, until he reached Gabriella's bare breasts. Teasing her with his hand, he caused a rather erotic moan to escape Gabriella's lips. Throwing her head back in pleasure, Troy allowed her to slip under him in one perfect movement. There was a quiet, tender and understanding feeling in the air. Unlike the passionate one that usually surrounded them. There was a feeling of being blessed, yet cursed, between them and the love they shared. After their love had been made, and they were tucked in bed, Troy, asked one of his many questions about Gabriella's news.

"How sure is the doctor about this?" his voice was calm and loving.

"She said there's no definite answer to what could happen." Gabriella sighed interlacing her fingers with Troy's.

"Okay, but we're so young, how can this be possible at our age?" Troy questioned his eyes locked with Gabriella's, as if they held the answer to life's secret.

"The triplets left a lot of scare tissue and damage from all the trouble I'd had during the pregnancy. So, that causes the blockage in my tubes." Gabriella explained for the fifth time that night, Troy, as a man, couldn't exactly wrap his mind around it.

"And so you may never be able to have anymore babies because of it, right?" Troy confirmed the news, yet again, with Gabi.

"Yeah, that's right. But, she said there is a chance I could get pregnant again someday, but that would be an utter miracle." Gabriella explained with a broken smile.

"Wow, who would have thought, right?" Troy chuckled and Gabriella agreed with him placing a sweet kiss to his forehead.

"This is what God wants for us, and so, no matter how hard it is we must accept it." Gabriella sighed, and once again Troy was amazed by her faith.

"I love you Brie." Troy sweetly whispered into Gabriella's ear.

"I love you too Troy." Gabriella smiled up at him with all the love in her heart.

The Friday morning sun sprawled over the mint green bedspread on Troy and Gabriella's bed. Troy had Gabriella wrapped tightly in his strong arms, her head resting sweetly against his chest. It was peaceful, until the babies woke up…

"Troy Adam! Your kids are awake!" Gabriella grumbled rolling over onto her stomach and covering her head with a pillow.

"My kid's? The last I checked they were our kid's honey." Troy sighed shielding his eyes from the sun with his arm.

"Yeah, that's what I said. Now go get them…" Gabriella sleepily spoke, her head still buried under the pillow.

"Alright…" Troy yawned getting out of bed and stretching.

Troy was in the process of changing Caden when, as usual, the phone rang.

"Happy anniversary sweetheart!" an overly-happy voice came through from the other line.

"Mom? It's not our anniversary, Brie and I got married in February, it's only January, Mother." Troy sighed snapping Caden's onesie back up.

"I know that, but if memory serves right this was a very big day for two just one year ago…" Andrea trailed off praying her son would remember.

"Okay, Mom I'm lost help me out…" Troy angrily sighed as he picked Capri up and found she'd soaked through her diaper and onto her nightie.

"Her necklace or your necklace I should say. You gave her your class ring on a chain so she could wear it and tell the world she's yours." Andrea laughed at the memory of how furious Mark had been that Troy had given Gabriella his very expensive class ring.

"You remember the day I gave her my ring?" Troy chuckled as he stripped Capri's clothes off.

"Of course I do, now give Gabriella my best. Love you honey, bye." Andrea finished up her conversation as a UPS delivery guy rang the doorbell.

"Bye Mom, love you too." Troy smiled as he hung up the phone.

"You're Mom?" Gabriella asked, scaring Troy half to death.

"Whoa! Don't scare me like that when I'm holding one of the babies. And yes, that was my Mother." Troy sighed as Gabriella giggled at his expression.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it… maybe." Gabriella flirtatiously winked at Troy as she scooped Christian into her arms.

"Un-huh, sure. Cappie needs a bath because she had an accident." Troy held up the naked little girl as evidence.

"Oh my, do we need a bath?!" Gabriella giggled at the squirming baby in Troy's arms.

"You take her while I dress the boys." Troy sighed as he handed Capri to her Mother and received Christian in return.

"Oh, well I think Daddy needs a bath too sweetie." Gabriella laughed at a wet spot on Troy's shirt.

"What? She peed on me! Cappie…" Troy groaned as he noticed the spot and Gabriella laughed wildly.

"And we thought one of the boys would pee on Daddy! But nope, it was my little girl…" Gabriella smiled sneakily as she skipped out of the room with Capri in arm.

"Very funny Gabriella, very!" Troy called after his wife as he changed Christian.

"I'm dropping out." Troy announced at dinner that night, Gabriella was stunned.

"What? Why the hell for?!" Gabriella was furious; Troy had such a bright future ahead.

"Because of this…" Troy drew a think white envelope from behind his back postmarked 'Stanford University'.

"Where did you find that?" Gabriella bitterly asked grabbing the envelope and trying to hide it.

"You got accepted, a full ride, but deferred it. Why'd you do that Brie?" Troy asked his face serious. He needed to know why the smartest woman he'd ever known turned down Stanford.

"Because the day I got that letter was the day I felt our babies kick for the very first time. I turned them down for this, you and me, our family." Gabriella answered as tears began to form.

"But why? I could have taken care of them just fine on my own Gabriella!" Troy was fuming with anger.

"I love you Troy, that's why I turned them down!" Gabriella snapped as Troy just didn't seem to understand.

"And I love you Gabi, that's why I want you to go…" Troy calmly explained, exhaling deeply before continuing.

"I'm getting a job, it's great my parents help us with everything, but, I figured it was time I start acting like a husband. And we're getting a new car, you've been nagging me for months now that we should get a family friendly vehicle. So, I've saved up enough money for one, so we'll go look for one this weekend. And one last thing, you're going to Stanford." Troy explained as Gabriella's mouth hung open in shock.

"Okay, new car, good, getting a job, great. But me going to Stanford, no I don't think so!" Gabriella exclaimed hopping to her feet in protest.

"You're going. I called them saying you were ready to start whenever the time came, and they were thrilled. You had a very impressive application according to the dean." Troy had that smile which Gabriella couldn't resist caving at.

"You talked to the dean?! You're terrible!" Gabriella was madder than a wet hornet, but, she couldn't help but smile at the wonderful man she called her husband.

"But you love me…" Troy asked as he wrapped his arms tightly around Gabriella's waist, and she fiddled with the chain which held his ring around her neck.

"True, I'm crazy about you Bolton, no denying that one." Gabriella smiled as Troy kissed her lips affectionately.

"And I love you…" Troy smiled as he picked Gabriella up urging her legs to wrap around his waist.

"We're moving? Aren't we?" Gabriella innocently asked as she sat comfortably in Troy's lap on their kitchen table.

"Yep, California here we come…" Troy answered kissing Gabriella's forehead lovingly.

Life was doing what it always does…changes. And the Bolton family could do nothing but go along with it. But would this new adventure go as planned? Or will a ghost from the past shake every up?

Well that was chapter 16, please review? I'm kinda wondering if anyone's still reading this! Oh, and please check out my profile for a new poll I have posted. I need some help naming a new character for this and or another story. And I have a new story out called 'Dancing for Love' and it can be found under my new love 'Another Cinderella Story'.

Until next time,

~Cassie…