It's been weeks, and Troy and Gabriella were still together. Zac had tried many things to get rid of Troy, but Troy had thought that he was just being a kid. Zac also got mad, for obvious reasons. Troy never went away, and Zac started to run out of ideas.

Gabriella was currently pacing in front of the phone. She was deciding whether or not she should call a hotel for her parents. They had called earlier that morning, insisting that they come for Christmas. Gabriella hadn't talked to her parents since they found out that she and Ryan got a divorce. Before that, they hadn't spoken to each other at all. They hadn't liked Ryan at all, and made sure that Gabriella knew it. When they had found out about the divorce, they immediately jumped at the chance to get back into the lives of Gabriella and Zac.

Zac was trying to figure what his next trick would be. Troy didn't seem to be going anywhere, so he had to think bigger. He also knew that his grandparents were coming, so he didn't want to make it so large, that they notice it. He didn't want to ruin their time there, but he had make Troy go away.

"Knock, knock," An older Spanish woman called into the apartment. The door had been unlocked, and so the woman walked right in. She was short, with long black hair, tied into a ponytail. She wore a black cardigan with a light blue shirt underneath. She had a long black skirt on, and black flats. She came in the apartment with a huge smile on her face.

"Mom!" Gabriella ran over to the woman, and gave her a big hug. Gabriella let go, and looked around her mother. "Where's your luggage?"

"It's coming!" An older man yelled, as he struggled to get into the apartment. He had short, black hair, with spots of gray. He was wearing a tan suit, with a green sweater-vest underneath the jacket. He had a shy grin when he saw Gabriella. He also had a pained expression, having to carry such heavy luggage. He looked like Gabriella in slight ways, but he was by no means her father.

After he had set the luggage on the floor, he gave Gabriella a bear hug. She was shocked, and couldn't even respond. "It's so nice to finally meet you." He said after he let go, and let her breathe. "Your mom talks about you all the time."

"I can't say the same thing." She uttered in disbelief. "Who are you?"

"I thought you were going to tell her." He grumbled at the woman.

"Oh, Elton, I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell her, and it never came up." She smiled apologetically, and turned to Gabriella.

"Gabriella," She gave a hesitant smile. "This is Elton, my fiancé." Gabriella's jaw fell open, and she was completely speechless. Her mother had gotten divorced to her father, and gotten married without telling her.

"Then, uh, I guess, nice to meet you." Gabriella said, leaving a later time to scold her mother. She held her hand out to shake his hand, but instead she pulled her in for another hug.

"Gramma!" Zac came sprinting up to the woman, and hugged her legs. She picked him up, and smiled at his soft expressions.

"Hello, Zac. Would you like to meet someone?" She asked. He vigorously nodded his head, and smiled. As long as he wasn't meeting another one of his mom's 'shady' boyfriends, he was happy as can be.

"Zac, this is Elton. Say hi." He waved his little hand, and smiled widely.

"Hello, Zac. It's nice to meet you." He patted Zac's head, and ruffled his hair. Gabriella felt like throwing up in her mouth, noticing his pleasing eyes. When Elton turned away, both mother and child crinkled their nose in disgust.

"So, are we staying here, or are we going to have to book a room?" Her mother asked, as she picked up one of her bags. (The least heavy one, obviously.)

"I wasn't sure. If you want to stay here, I'd have to ask Dad what he wants. I only have one extra room, and there are 3 of you. I might be able to put one of you on the floor in Zac's room, if he's alright with that." She looked over to the boy, who's now on the floor. He shook his head, disgust written on his face. Troy was bad, but Elton was even worse. The thought of that man sleeping on the floor (because that was what Gabriella was implying), was almost as bad as the man himself.

Her mom noticed his head shake, not the face he was making. "We can sleep in the same room, Gabriella." She glanced over at Elton, and smiled reassuringly.

"But, what about Dad?" She asked, bringing up her father again.

"Well, we could sleep in your room, he could sleep in your guest room, and you could sleep in Zac's room." Elton chipped in, thinking that his idea was great.

"I guess that's okay. I'll show you to my room, which you'll be staying in." She turned around, and started walking towards her room. "Unfortunately." She mumbled.

* * * *

After Maria, Gabriella's mom, and Elton settled in, the whole family got ready for dinner. Elton was stirring a pot of chili. Gabriella had offered to do it, but insisted saying that "It's a family recipe."

Zac was sitting in the living room, watching a recording of Veggie Tales. He loved that show, almost as much as he hated Troy.

Gabriella and Maria were unpacking Maria's suitcase, and talking about what happened between Maria and Robert.(Gabriella's father)

"I just don't understand what happened." Gabriella stated, folding a purple blouse.

"We just, grew apart."

"But, why?"

"Because, after you got married, and didn't contact us, there was nothing for us to talk about. We felt like we had lost a child, and that wasn't a good feeling. We couldn't connect. So, we split up." Maria picked up and shirt, and folded it more times than necessary.

"When did this happen?"

"We split maybe a year ago." She said, nonchalantly. Gabriella stopped folding, and looked at her mother.

"I just visited you a few months ago. You were together then." True, they had acted weird, but they seemed like they were still in love.

"Well, we lied. We had split up way before that, but didn't want to tell you. Actually, I had just started dating Elton then." Maria too stopped, and looked over at her upset daughter.

"Then, when did Elton propose?" Gabriella asked, pretending not to be upset about the breakup. It was taking all her strength not to break down and cry. Her parents had been together since five years before she was born. She had never seen more compatible people than them.

"Well, actually, I proposed to him. It was July, 24th. We were having a picnic in the town square, and it was just perfect. We had the best time there, and I thought, 'wow, this guy is great. When are you going to find someone better than him?'" Maria smiled, and put her hands on Gabriella's shoulders. "There was only one other man that I felt that way about. That was your father. But, I moved on. Someday, you're going to feel that way about someone." She smiled again, and took her hands off of Gabriella's shoulders. She looked around, and planted her eyes on the window, where she saw a spectacular view of Albuquerque.

Gabriella smiled, thinking about Troy. She had felt that way about him when they had their first date. She also had smiled because her mom had proposed this time. She could just picture Maria kneeling down on one knee, and popping the question. Obviously, she was just making a joke out of it, but it was kind of a joking situation.

"So, when is the wedding?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you some things about that." Maria said, folding the last of her clothes.

"What things?" Gabriella sat down on her bed, and folded her legs.

"How would you like to be my maid of honor?" Gabriella gasped, stood up, and hugged her mother. As much as she would love for her mom and dad to be together again, Elton made her happy.

"I'll take that as a yes." Maria laughed. She was worried about Gabriella's reaction, knowing how much she adored the relationship that she and Robert had.

"Is everyone decent in here?" Elton opened the door, but his hand was covering his eyes. He moved one of his fingers, as if trying to take a look at them. Both the girls giggled, and he took his hand off his eyes. "Well, dinners ready."

They all left the room, and into the kitchen, where Zac was already sitting at the kitchen table. He was digging into the chili, not saying a word.

"It must be good." Gabriella said, noticing how much of it he was eating. Zac only nodded his head, and kept eating.

When they had eaten, nobody said anything. There were glances passed around, but no words. After they had eaten, Gabriella and Elton were cleaning the dishes while Maria and Zac played Chutes and Ladders. The doorbell rang in the middle of the game, and Maria got up to answer it.

"Hello?" Maria questioned, not recognizing the man.

"Is Gabriella here?" He smiled, inferring that she was Gabriella's mother.

"Gabriella!" Maria kept the door mildly open.

"Yeah?!" He heard her muffled yell from inside the house.

"You have a visitor!" Maria stepped back, and let her daughter step in front of her.

"Hey, Troy. What are you doing here?" She smiled, and quickly hugged him. She didn't want her mother knowing about her relationship just yet.

"I wanted to give you a Christmas gift, just in case we don't see each other the day of." He smiled, and pulled a wrapped box from his back.

"That's so sweet." She took the box from him. She heard her mother clear her throat behind her, and she turned around.

"Oh, uh, mom, this is Troy. Troy, this is my mom." Troy stuck his hand out, and Maria shook it. She smiled hesitantly at the man. This had been the first guy that she's dated since Ryan, and Maria didn't know if she liked the man.

"You didn't tell me your parents were coming." Troy smiled a winning, toothy smile.

"I didn't know until this morning." He nodded his head in agreement. His parents would do that too.

Why don't you come in, Troy?" Maria asked. She opened the door wider, and walked into the apartment. Gabriella rolled her eyes, took Troy's hand, and they walked into the apartment.

"Elton. Meet Troy. He's Gabriella's friend." Elton dried his hands on a towel, and walked up to shake Troy's hand.

"Zac, come say hi to Troy." Gabriella called to him, and he got up, and walked over to the group.

"Hey, buddy." Troy bent down, and patted Zac's arm. Zac tried to smile, but couldn't. There were too many weird men in his life to pretend to be happy.

They all walked over to the living room, and sat down in different places- Gabriella, Troy and Elton on the couch. Maria was on a rocking chair. Zac was on her lap.

"So, Troy, what do you do?" Elton asked, not interested, but needed a conversation starter between the family.

"I'm a basketball coach at East High."

"Good pay?"

"Elton!" Maria scolded, embarrassed at her fiancés antics.

"It's alright. Yes, it's a good pay. Good enough that I can have a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear. Plus some luxury items like cable TV." Everyone in the room smiled, except Zac because he fell asleep.

"And, do you like teaching basketball?"

"I love it. It was my dream as a teenager, but when I busted my knee in college, I couldn't go pro. So, I just teach it now." Troy smiled, thinking back to his high school and college days. The days were your girlfriend didn't have a son.(Sure, it happened once, but that didn't count)

"Wow. You wanted to be a basketball player. That's ambitious." Maria didn't like that he had ego, (or so she thought.)And she didn't like how happy he sounded when he mentioned that his dream didn't come true.

A wave of silence hit the adults. Nobody said anything, afraid that they could upset someone else.

"So, how did you two meet?" Maria inquired. She was interested in what the couple had in common for Maria thought they were complete opposites.

"Speed dating." Gabriella sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"Speed dating? Really? When do you go to speed dating?" She pointed her question at Gabriella, who started to shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"Sharpay made me go. You know, because I was over Ryan, but I didn't date. She made me go." Gabriella said, angrily.

"And who is Sharpay?" Maria had blocked out the entire Evans family, so naturally she would forget about Sharpay. Plus, Elton didn't know who she was.

"Sharpay Evans. You know, Ryan's twin sister." Gabriella saw Maria cringe at the name once again. Ryan wasn't nice to her because she wasn't nice to him.

"I didn't know they were twins." Troy interjected.

"Oh. Well, now you do." Damn her mother for asking who Sharpay was. Troy smiled weakly, not wanting to fight about her failure to tell all of the truth.

"And, so what are you guys, boyfriend and girlfriend?" Maria laughed bitterly. The thought of them together was funny, but disturbing. She thought her daughter had better taste in guys after the split of her and Ryan.

"Actually, yes, we are." Gabriella intertwined their fingers, and held them close to her. Now that her mother knew, she would have to defend herself, and his hand was something he could clutch. Like a teddy bear to a small child.

Gabriella saw disappointment wash over her mother. Maria didn't exactly like any guy that Gabriella dated, unless Maria picked him out herself. Elton noticed the sudden change in air, from awkward to even more awkward. He decided that he would try and make things pleasant, but before he could, Maria voiced her opinion.

"Well, that's just unacceptable." She stood up with Zac in her arms, and placed him back onto the chair.

"Maria, please." Elton pleaded, knowing his fiancés temper well.

"No, I can't just sit back and watch her life go down the drain, again." Gabriella lowered her head, and felt Troy's supportive squeeze.

"I love you sweetie, which is why I can't hold my tongue. This relationship isn't good. You're going to get your heart broken. You have to be smart with your relationships. Look what happened when you weren't. You have a bad relationship me and your father, and you have a five year old son. What does he think about this? Does he like Troy?" Gabriella and Troy stood up, also. Gabriella was infuriated, considering what Ryan had told her several months ago.

"Gabriella, please, just listen to me. This relationship isn't going anywhere. He's a school teacher for Pete's sake. That's not something you want in a man. He's proud of his failure. You met him speed dating that he went to himself." When Gabriella let go of Troy's hand, she went over to pick up her sleeping son. She brought him to his room, and closed the door, for she didn't want him to hear the fight if her woke up.

She walked back into the living room, and saw Elton trying to calm Maria down, while Troy was sitting on the couch Gabriella motioned for him to come into the kitchen with her. He got up from the couch, ignoring the yelling that was pointed at him, and walked into the kitchen.

"I am so sorry." Gabriella said, just as Troy walked into the room.

"It's alright." He tried assuring her, but she was set on making things right.

"No it's not. She was horrible to you. I can't, no wait; I can believe she did that. I don't believe what she believes."

"I said it's alright. I don't mind." Troy sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, and brought Gabriella onto his lap. "She's your mom. She just wants what's best." He brushed his hands through her hair.

"You are the best." She cupped his face in her hands. He smiled at her, leaned over, and kissed her gently.

"Your dad's doing a good job of calming her down."

"Oh, he's not my dad." Troy lifted one eyebrow, and she elaborated, "He's my mom's fiancé. I just met him and heard about him this morning."

"Wow. Some family." Troy muttered to himself. "So, where's your dad?"

"He hasn't showed up yet." The doorbell rang just as she finished talking. "That must be him." She hopped off Troy's lap, and walked to the front door. As she passed the living room, she saw her mom and Elton smiling and laughing. Troy slowly followed behind her.

She opened the door, to see her father. He was a slim man, and tall. He had short, dark brown hair that was gelled back. He was clad in a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Gabriella hugged the man, and stepped back into her apartment. He picked up his bags, and stepped into the apartment.

"I think I should probably be going." Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek. "I'll call you later." She nodded, and he left.

Laughter erupted from the living room, and Gabriella turned her head to see the cause of it. Robert walked into the apartment further, and a questioning gaze filling his features. "What is that?" He asked.

"Mom and Elton." Gabriella stated plainly.

"Mom and who?"

"El-ton." Confusion was laced in her voice. "You don't know who Elton is?"

"No, I don't." He said, walking further into the place, seeing his ex-wife and another man laughing at some joke he told.

"Who was at the door this time?" Her mom asked, not looking in their direction.

"Dad." Gabriella stated, stepping away to avoid the wrath of her parents and Elton. Her mother looked over to where they were standing, and frowned. She hadn't seen him since the day she left. She had yet to fill Gabriella in on the actual story.

"Maria." He used as a hello, and stepped forward towards the couple. "And you, must be Elton. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand, and Elton shook it.

"Yeah, it is." Elton flashed a real smile, while Robert held a tight line.

"So, Dad, you're going to be staying in the guest room. I'll show you where it is." He looked at her walk away, and followed her.

Once Robert was all settled in, he opted for a safe subject to talk about with his daughter. "So, where's my grandson?"

"He's sleeping in his room. You can say hi to him tomorrow. You can help him with decorating the tree. He would love it if you would." Gabriella smiled at memories of past Christmases. "While you do that, I can make cookies, and Mom can make her dreadful fruitcake." Both adults laughed, remembering the disgusting taste of a family tradition. No matter how many times they had told her, Maria kept making her fruitcake.

"Oh God, I hate that stuff. You don't think we can keep her from making it, do you?"

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve. You couldn't stop her with a bull pushing and a lasso pulling her back. "

"Then I'm going to need a little bit more of a kick in my egg nog." They started walking towards the kitchen, where Gabriella was getting a bottle of water.

"Yeah, well. We're going to need some extra if we have to spend the entire holiday with him." She remarked, nodding her heads towards the living room where her mom and Elton continued laughing it up. Gabriella gave her father a water bottle as well, and they clinked the bottles together.

"Happy holidays." They both muttered, thinking the same thing. 'This is going to be a long Christmas.'

A/N- sprry my updayes take forever! I should have been done before Christmas, but I failed. And now, I have to go back to school, where I won't have much time to write. Yeah, I kind of suck. I also posted this chapter before my editor had a chance to "fix" it, so I might repost this chapter later. Happy New Year, and I hope you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, and Joyous Kwanza! And, I would also like it if somebody would review. I don't get much per chapter, and it would make going back to school a bittersweet experience!