Thank you everyone! :D

Chapter 10

"Absence from those we love is self from self - a deadly banishment-

William Shakespeare

I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell. I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have the faith needed to move mountains-but if I have no love, I am nothing. I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned-but if I have no love, this does me no good.

~1 Corinthians 13:1-13

I found the one whom my soul loves.

~Song of Solomon 3:4"

Troy looked out on his congregation and saw each person fixing him with their entire attention, not one movement or itch in the crowd.

"There are many writers of love- the one we know the best is our Lord, God. But Shakespeare, The Beatles and even Tom Cruise have their influence in this world with their expressions on love.

"You might remember my sermon a few weeks ago, telling you to follow your hearts and not be afraid to love, well, I failed my own ideal," Troy sighed and swallowed, pressing his lips together.

"I met an amazing woman, someone I never thought it was possible to meet and I let her walk away because I was afraid. I was afraid of what you would think, I was afraid of giving her my heart and I'm afraid that it might be too late to make things right….But I wanted you to know. I wanted you to know this about me, because it's a part of me I've never shared. I try to hide it and show you the best parts of me- the parts that don't screw up…Well there's a new Reverend on your stage today and I want to start over.

"Hi, everybody. I'm Troy Bolton and I'm the Reverend of this Church. But I'm also a man…" he looked to Taylor and nodded indiscernibly at her quote. "A man with a heart. I hope you understand that and forgive me for being human, but that is all I can be. It's all I want any of you to be." He added, nodding to finalise his speech as he stood back from the lectern and headed down to greet people. Two steps away from the lectern, a lone church-goer began clapping and he swung round to see Marjory clapping ecstatically with tears in her eyes. Mary quickly followed and Taylor looked like she would rush the stage if he didn't get down there soon enough so he did, blushing as several of the women in the front row pushed forward to hug him.

"You're an inspiration, father!"

"Amazing speech…"

"Best sermon yet…"

"She heard every word…" He looked up as Taylor touched his arm and jerked her chin toward the back of the church where Gabi sat, hands folded in her lap, her hair bound into a bun and her body wrapped in a purple floral dress, her boots replaced with wedged sandals.

He felt his heart thump painfully as it missed a beat and he headed right for her, ignoring the clamoring of his followers as he reached her and stopped, lost for words.

He waited for her to rise from her seat and she met his gaze nervously, biting her lip. He let his fingers tickle the side of her hair, his eyes questioning what she had done to herself. "Where's the curls?" He wondered, his chest tight with longing from missing her.

"I figured I should dress properly for church." She shrugged.

He flicked his eyes over her face- the one he'd seen every night behind his closed eyes since she'd been gone, the one he drank in with barely controlled happiness. His fingers found the constraint holding her hair and tugged, once, to spill her hair down, making her lift her chin in defiance as she shook her hair out, licking her lips with nervousness.

She didn't need to be nervous because his gesture was betelling of his feelings for her- just as she came, with no preening or taming. He bent down to hug her, holding her tight into his arms as he sighed out and let his fingers tangle in her tresses. Six long days without her.

"I missed you."

An excited bubble of chatter exploded around him, but he was blind to it all as he leaned back and touched his thumbs to her cheeks. "Have you been ok?"

"You have guests, Troy," she reminded him gently, feeling the press of the crowd behind her to get to the man she so clearly loved.

"Only you matter." He assured, creating another wave of girlish noises behind him.

"Go hug your girls." She directed. "I'll be here, waiting."

/

"Taylor made you come?" He checked as he found her in the church yard, sitting under the elder, her hair loose and blowing in the breeze.

The congregation had left, Taylor had told him not to mess things up and he felt shattered after the whole experience caught up with him.

"She persuaded me." Gabi nodded, looking to him.

"I've been working on that speech all week."

"It shows."

"I've had nothing else to think about, see," he smiled a little.

"Nothing?" She checked.

"Well," he shrugged. "Apart from what an absolute idiot I am…"

"It's been quiet." She admitted of his absence.

"Where have you been?"

"At a hostel Taylor took me to." Gabi explained. "She took me shopping too."

"I liked your other clothes," he complained lightly.

"I'm trying to be demure."

"I prefer the knee high boots…"

She looked at him with a patient stare. "This is what a Reverend's girl should look like."

"I don't want a Reverend's girl. I want Gabriella Montez, however she comes," he announced, and her tummy flipped over as she twisted to face him.

"You don't mean that," she denied, testily.

"I've never been more serious in my life." He assured, fingering her hair. "Your hair is beautiful, don't hide it away."

"Troy…" She frowned at him painfully.

"I know. I know I hurt you. And I know I took my time. I know you probably don't give a…fig about me anymore now that you left this boring little Church and found some exciting new friends, but listen…" He begged, bracing his arm on the back of the bench so he could twist right round. "I want you back, Gabi. I want to see you at my breakfast table and go out to dinner and grow my vegetable patch with your help…And I want to kiss you again. Oh, lord; you don't know how much I want to kiss you again…"

Gabi thought actually she did know. She did know because she wanted it too, however it came- hot and hard or slow and easy, she wanted to see his smiley eyes when he crawled out of bed and his adorable blush when she told him he was hot.

She cupped his cheek and smiled softly, leaning forward to press her lips to his, her face creasing as familiar pleasure ran across her skin until she pulled back again, the short, sweet kiss an aching reminder of the so-much-more they could have.

"I do give a fig." She said simply, making him laugh in relief. "And I miss sewing marrow seeds."

"They're growing big, already…" He described like they were his children. "Do you want to see?"

She nodded happily at his boyish excitement, following him as he led her by the hand through to his allotment patch. The marrows were indeed, growing quite large. They were already leafy and flowering.

She turned into his body and held on tight, earning his hand to her hair in support.

"Are you okay?"

"I thought that I'd never see you again…I thought I'd ruined everything." She admitted against his chest.

"I ruined it, Gabi. Not you."

"No, you didn't." She shook her head looking up to him. "We both did." She amended and he smiled, hugging her close.

"Marjory is making roast…" He offered, looking out across his garden.

Gabi looked up, a twinkle in her eye. "Can I have you to myself tonight?"

"Gladly." He replied with a beam, taking her inside.

/

"Hey, guess what?" Gabi asked conversationally as they lay on his sofa, cuddling later that evening.

"What?" He looked down, tightening his arms around her to make sure she was safe, drawing a smile from her lips.

"Don't distract me," she mumbled.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"I missed your hot body," she announced, making him chuckle.

"Is that what I had to guess? Because I would never have got that…"

"No. I saw Rachel. She told me to say hi." She gave him the real news.

"Oh man, I miss her! How's she doing?" He asked.

"She's doing good. I went for an interview at this office and she was on the reception desk…"

"How did she know you knew me?" He puzzled.

"She recognised me somehow…" Gabi replied and Troy smiled. That was just like Rachel.

"She's a great girl." He nodded, loosening his arms as Gabi fidgeted, turning over onto her front, crawling up with her elbows against his chest.

"Can we stay here?" She wondered, into his face.

He smiled and brought his hand up to touch her hair, sweeping it back from her face where it fell like a curly curtain.

"All night?"

"Forever," she adjusted.

He looked into her eyes and blinked. "You present a compelling case."

"I missed you, Troy." She said again, more emphatically than before and then she kissed his mouth, with a soft kiss that he extended by wrapping his arms back around her middle to hold her there.

"I missed you, too."

He lay there, holding her while he rested his chin on the top of her head, reminding himself that this was real. He and Gabi were real. She was back, she was here in his arms and he had another chance to show her just how much she meant to him.

He smiled as he closed his eyes, content with his life for now, happy he had love to guide him.

/

Gabi was back in her favourite guise. She was wearing her black mesh paneled body suit that had ties at the front of her bust and black silk panels for modesty. With it, she had teamed her black shorts and right now –bare feet, her hair in a clip and water-falling down her back as she hummed softly, taking the hot pan from the oven that housed her hash browns.

She flapped her oven mitt over the browned hashes, smiling in pride at her achievement, blinking her lined eyes down as a happy tear appeared.

"You're cooking smells insanely good…" Troy smiled sleepily as he came into the kitchen, lifting his brows the sight of Gabi in his kitchen- fully made up; wearing what he thought was the most amazing outfit he'd ever seen. Her perfect backside was also pert for his appraisal, something he still couldn't get used to being able to do. "Nice view," he added with a soft smile, bringing her attention round.

"Reverend Bolton, are you going pervy on me?" She asked with a mock frown, straightening to offer him a beautiful smile and a hug, too.

"Mmm," he kissed her cheek and nuzzled her ear. "I like having you back."

"Only because you starved without me."

"That, too." He conceded, sitting down as she gently directed him to his chair so she could serve him just how she liked to.

"Here you go," she delivered his plate full of delicious treats and smiled expectantly.

He grinned up at her and caught her around the middle, pulling her between his thighs. "You are amazing, you know that?"

"Eat." She told him, touching his nose with her finger cutely.

"Will you sit on my lap, too?" He wondered, giving her a wide smile as she gave him a blank look.

"Wait till your congregation hears what comes out of your mouth now…"

"They love me, so you told me."

"That could change…"

"Best behavior," he blinked his long lashes down and he hid his mischievous smile.

"Good." She agreed lightly, tucking into her own food.

"You're up early," he commented nonchalantly as he ate.

"I have a mall date with Taylor and Rachel." She explained.

"Sounds more exciting than my day…budgets," he added with a brow lift.

"Oh, poor Troy," she soothed, reaching across to touch his hand.

He put his knife down and gripped her fingers in his, meeting her gaze. "Dinner later?"

"I would love to." She smiled.

"Don't get changed, though," he teased with a smile.

"Troy I can hardly go to dinner in this…"

"I disagree."

"What would your friends think…"

"Who cares, you look amazing?"

"God doesn't care about such things as looking good," she reminded him.

"He doesn't know what he's missing."

"Troy Bolton, what happened to you?" She stood up with an exasperated gasp.

"What, I can't be happy that you're back?"

"Happy, yes. Pervy, no. It's freaking me out."

"Oh," he nodded, chastised, fearing he had over stepped the line. Perhaps Gabi wanted the Reverend after all.

"Hey," she came over and ran her fingers into his hair, the strands barely reaching past her fingertips. "I was joking, 'kay?"

He nodded with a purse of his lips. "Okay. See you tonight."

She leaned down and smiled into her short kiss. "Have a good day."