A/N: In case you haven't noticed, I'm redoing the chapters. I also have a Beta Reader and she's really helped. If you haven't read the past chapter, I suggest you do, because a lot has changed, although the plot is exactly the same.

Disclaimer- Don't Own

Chapter 3

The sun hit Gabriella's face early the next morning. She quickly grabbed her pillow and covered her face to hide her eyes from the sun.

"Mommy...rise and shine!!" Zac ran into her room, and crawled on the bed, and jumped up and down.

"No rise..no shine." Gabriella turned her head, and buried it into more pillows.

"Mommy! Breakfast time!!" Zac exuberantly yelled and jumped off the bed with a thud. Then, he proceeded to run into the kitchen and sit at the table, waiting for his mommy to get up and feed him.

Gabriella groaned and got up. She walked into the kitchen, and went to the cupboards. Then grabbed a box of strawberry toaster tarts, and put two in the toaster.

"Breakfast is cooking." She said as she kissed Zac's head. He nodded as the toaster tart, popped up.

"Here you go," She gave him one, and she took the other for herself.

"Stay put," Gabriella said as she left the room to go change into her clothes for work. She grabbed a pair of black pants, a light blue shirt, and a black jacket. She walked back to Zac, and watched him finish his toaster tart. He licked his fingers, but still had crumbs on his face. She wiped them away, and picked him up and brought him to his room.

"Go pick something out." She instructed and he did as he told. He came back with a pair of jeans and a chick magnet shirt that Chad gave him for his 5th birthday. Gabriella thought the shirt was absolutely ridiculous, but that's Chad for you.

"C'mon mommy, lets go!" He grabbed his Spider-man backpack, and her hand, and tugged her out the door.

"Hold up!" She ran back into the kitchen to grabbed her car keys and purse. Then she and Zac left for school.

After dropping off Zac, she had quickly drove to work, realizing the time. Her deadline for her advice column was today. She couldn't afford to lose her job now.

When she arrived in the office, her impatient editor, Mr. Fitzhigin, was waiting for her at her desk.

"Your late." He simply stated, tapping his foot on the ground. She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, I had to drop Zac off at school." She defended.

"I don't wanna hear about your personal life. I'm not gonna let you of the hook every time you have to drop your son off at school." Mr. Fitzhigin warned. He then turned his back on her and walked away. "Oh, I want that article on my desk at noon." He said over his shoulder, before slamming his door of his office.

"Asshole." Gabriella mumbled, before sitting at her desk and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

She quickly scanned over her desk to see if there were any letters for the day. She ended seeing a large stack of them, and decided to read a few, and take the rest home. The third letter she read caught her eye. It read

'Dear Gabriella,

My husband, is thinking about joining the army. I don't want him to, because we have a 6 year old daughter, and I wouldn't want her to lose her father. I also wouldn't want to lose my potential life mate, but he insists that he'll be all right. I'm thinking that maybe we shouldn't be together anymore, if he thinks he can make this decision without considering my feelings. What do you think?

Sincerely,

Army Wife'

Gabriella thought of how that was exactly what was going through her mind, when Ryan told about his entry in the Army. Weird. She thought.

Gabriella had just gotten home from a long day of work, and picking up Zac from day care. She saw her husband sitting on the red velvet couch with a glum look. Zac ran to his room, for he knew something was wrong, and didn't want to see his daddy sad. She walked over to him and sat down next to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, reaching for his hand.

"I joined the army." He said, not looking his wife in the eye.

"What? Why?" Gabriella asked completely shocked. This hadn't been something that they talked about.

"I don't know. It's just something I decided to do." Ryan said, still not looking her in the eye.

"So you make these decisions now? We're married, Ryan. This isn't something you just go off and do. We should have talked about this. We should have made a pro con list. You love those pro con lists." She exclaimed and took her hand away from him.

"I made one." He mumbled to himself.

"Where is it?" She asked, standing up.

"In the kitchen." Gabriella walked into the kitchen and found a piece of paper, with writing on the top. She took it, and walked back into the living room, where Ryan was still in the same position he was before. She read them over, reading them right in front of Ryan to give him more guilt.

She looked up from the paper, showing that she was done reading.

"When do you leave?" She asked.

"Two weeks."

"Find a place to stay, and get out of my house before you leave." She said, and walked away, leaving Ryan to bask in his now loneliness. She hadn't seen him since.

She spent the rest of the morning reading other advice letters. There were many on breakups and makeups and potential hook-ups. She only answered the ones she thought were important and apply to people all over, that read her column.

It was around noon when she finally dropped of the article on her editors desk. He said that once she dropped off the article she could leave.

She scurried out of the office as her cell phone started to ring. "Hello." She answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey." A smooth male voice said.

A smile appeared on her lips. "Hey Troy, whats up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat with me?" Troy asked.

"Sure, I would love to, I am on my way home. Pick me up there at around 12:30." Gabriella told him.

"All right, see you then. Bye."

"Bye." Gabriella hung up her phone and dialed Sharpay's number.

"Hello." A high pitched voice of her best friend answered.

"Hey, Sharpay. I could use a favor." Gabriella asked.

"And what may that be?" Sharpay sweetly inquired.

"Could you pick up Zac from school and watch him? I am going out to lunch with a friend." She asked.

"Oh, who is this friend?" Sharpay questioned.

"Just an old friend." Gabriella simply stated, hoping she would drop the subject. She did.

"Oh, okay. Have fun."

"I will." Gabriella answered knowingly. She hung up and hopped into her car.

Gabriella came home with enough time to change into a comfy pair of jeans and a band T-shirt. Just as she finished, there was a knock at the door. Oh, he's early. She thought. Expecting it to be Troy she answered the door with a smile on her face.

"Hey Tr-Ryan?"

"Hey Ella. Long time no see." Ryan said as he let himself in. She stood there in stupidity and shock.

"So, where is Zac?" He asked subtly, taking in his surroundings.

"Uh, school, where he is suppose to be." Gabriella choked out. That was all she could manage to say. "What are you doing here?" She questioned.

"I, uh, got back from, um, Iraq." He stumbled with his words.

"Oh, okay." She said. "But what are you doing here?"

"I know it's kinda of sudden, but I want to be back in yours and Zac's life. I want us to be a family again." Ryan stated and grabbed her hand. "We were so close and so happy before I left. Can't we be like that again? I would love it, and so would Zac. I know it."

"It's a little late don't you think?" She pulled her hand away from his grasp.

"Knock knock." Troy stated as he pushed the ajar door open.

"Oh, h-hey T-Troy." Gabriella stuttered.

"Who's this?" Troy and Ryan said in unison. They glared at each other with uncertainty.

"Well, um, Troy, Ryan. Ryan, Troy." She introduced vaguely. Just as she introduced them, Sharpay and Zac showed up.

"Daddy!" Zac exclaimed as he dashed into his fathers arms.