Oh my goodness, I know this is terribly late and I'm so sorry, but school is such a pain in the butt! I hope everyone managed to catch the Oscars a couple weeks ago, Zac and Vanessa were wonderful performing with Beyonce and Hugh Jackman.

Before Happily Ever After

Chapter 7: One step forward, two step back

The large guestroom of Greg Santos's mansion resonated with a ringing silence that stung the ears. Sean sat in the middle of the large, king sized bed, bouncing up and down with several toys lying around him. His blue eyes skipped from object to object in wonder, everything in the new room amazed him. He wondered why anyone would need a bed as big as the one he was on. Whether or not he realized neither of his parents were talking, he didn't show it, but he had the mind to remain quiet, and quickly picked up a corner of the fancy cover and quickly found out it was quite fun to chew.

Gabriella unpacked their clothes in silence, her brown eyes glaring straight down at the clothes that were still in the duffle bags. Assuming that this would be an extended stay, Gabriella had made arrangements to sign herself and Troy out of classes for a week, and asked Sharpay or Ryan to go up to their apartment once in a while to keep things in order. If anything happened, they would call. It was almost ten in the evening, and they had been in the house she had grown up in for about five hours. It almost felt surreal to be back in her childhood home.

"Sean needs to be in bed soon," Gabriella said quietly,

"I know," Troy replied just as shortly. He stopped whatever he had been doing (at the moment Gabriella really couldn't care less), and walked over to the toddler who had given up on the corner of the bed sheets he had successfully drenched with his saliva,

"Come on buddy, let's get you clean," Troy smiled softly, Sean looked up with inquiring eyes, "I'm cleaning you today," Sean giggled, "Don't get any funny ideas,"

"His pyjamas and washes are in the blue bag there," Gabriella pointed to the teddy bear blue baby carrier next to the door. Troy's eyebrow quirked in annoyance,

"I know where his things are, you don't need to tell me everything,"

"Well now I know, since you don't tell me anything either," Gabriella retorted quietly and coldly. Troy froze for just a second on his way to the door, and for a moment Gabriella thought he would turn around and yell at her, but he resumed his exit, and the room was quiet once again. Gabriella picked up a grey t-shirt Troy had packed with him, and began the process of folding it. Fumbling for a minutes, Gabriella sighed, and set the crumpled t-shirt down. How could one perfect month suddenly take a turn like this?

Flashback

"Agh Sean no-don't-no, no don't drink that it's dirty-no-stay-damn!"

"Troy Bolton, language!" Gabriella shouted from the kitchen with an amused smile on her face,

"Trust me, language is the last thing you should worry about!" Troy shouted back which was quickly followed by a loud splash and a ripple of giggles ands squeal of childish delight. Wiping her hands on the towel after washing the dishes, Gabriella walked to the washroom, and she quickly grabbed hold of the sink counter as her foot slipped on a puddle of water,

"What did I tell you two about water fights?" Gabriella asked amusedly, carefully making her way to the tub where her husband and son were currently at. Troy had might as well joined little Sean in the tub, he had been reduced to being shirtless, and his beige khakis were more than half soaked. Sean was sitting innocently in the tub, quickly reverting to the little angel everyone loved, his dark hair matted and his blue eyes glittering with childish mischief and butt naked in the tub. Seeing his mom, Sean grinned,

"Ma! Baff! Da baff!" Sean exclaimed triumphantly.

"No, mommy is not taking a bath with you…and it seems like you've got your dad all covered," Gabriella chuckled.

"Funny," Troy said dryly, resuming his task. The doorbell rang, and giggling, Gabriella went to fetch it while Troy attempted to wash his son's hair. Opening the front door, Gabriella froze on the spot. "Brie who is it?" Troy shouted from the bathroom. Gabriella didn't answer him, her eyes growing cold at the man that stood before her. She didn't even want to know how he had found her here.

"Gabby?" Troy brought a freshly cleaned Sean out with a fluffy towel wrapped around his body. Walking towards his wife, Troy looked up and froze as well.

Greg Santos had his dark judging eyes scanning his disowned step daughter, to his son-in-law and then finally his grandson.

"Gabriella," Greg said in a deep, cool voice, Gabriella shuddered having her name spoken by him,

"What are you doing here?" she asked coldly. Greg paused for a second,

"Are you really that much of a heartless daughter?"

"If you remember, you're the one that disowned me. I am not your daughter, we are not related," Gabriella spat, Greg grinded his teeth,

"But you are your mother's daughter!" he boomed and Sean quivered in Troy's arms, "Are you that cruel to ignore her when she needs you?"

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella said coldly,

"Did you just ignore the letter I wrote to you, or did you not read it at all?" Greg said coldly, "Your mother went into a post-birth depression almost a month ago, and you don't have the decency to even call? Your half brother is at home without the love of his own mother, and you wonder why I never approved of you marrying?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Gabriella replied breathily, the air suddenly gone from her lungs, "W-What letter? What's wrong with Mom and Gabriel? I-I didn't get a letter—Troy?" Gabriella swirled around, wanting a look of confirmation from her husband, she didn't expect to find a look of terrified guilt,

"Troy?" Gabriella tried again in a softer, slower and more broken voice,

"I…" Troy didn't know what to say, what could he say? He could see the slow boiling of Gabriella's anger behind her eyes.

"Troy…where's the letter?"

End of Flashback

Once she had folded the t-shirt back, the crumpled remains of the letter Troy had shown her shortly after Greg's visit was visible on top of one of Troy's hastily packed jeans. Gabriella faltered, wondering whether or not she should touch the letter that brought her back to her childhood home, and brought the drastic rift between her and Troy. Even with her eyes closed she could recall what Greg had written.

"Miss," one of the house's workers knocked politely at her door, "Master Santos would like to see you and Mr. Bolton at your quickest convenience," the housemaid said politely. Gabriella relayed her thanks, and the housemaid left respectfully. Gabriella disregarded the letter for now, and went to help Troy finish Sean's bath. The faster they finished, the faster the meeting with Greg Santos would end. The letter fluttered from her hand and onto the ground.

Gabriella,

I know I am not the first person you want to hear from. I will admit I have done you nothing ever since you left your mother. I write to you now with a heavy heart, and as your step father and husband to your mother, and not C.E.O Greg Santos.

Your mother is sick and terribly ill.

After the birth of Gabriel, she has been getting depressed, and has fallen into a deep depression. She refuses to see her own son, and locks herself in her room for days on end. No one can get to her, and I'm worried. I am worried for my wife, and the mother of my son. I know you are the only person who can help, and I beg of you to see your mother. As her only daughter, you have the obligation to your mother's well being.

I will wait for your call. My private number is attached to the letter.

Greg Santos

Greg had a class of red wine in his hand as he paced about his study, the red comfort liquid swishing around the cup, the tangy, subtle, almost non-existent aroma floated around his mahogany office. There was a knock on his door, and one of his housemaids came in,

"Sir, Mr and Mrs Bolton are outside," she said

"Thank you, send them in please," Greg said professionally. Another second later, Troy and Gabriella walked in, Gabriella holding protectively onto a semi conscious Sean. The couple seemed tense, and while they walked in together, the gap between them was hard to miss.

"You got my message," Greg said,

"Yes," Gabriella replied tightly, "What do you have to say?"

"I was wondering if you want to see your mother," Greg said softly, Gabriella's expression softened to a look of desire and longing, "I couldn't let you see her when you first arrived because the doctor was still here, but he's gone now and your mother is usually the most awake during this time of night," Greg explained softly. Gabriella simply nodded, absorbing the information.

"I want to see her," Gabriella said resolutely. In her arms, Sean yawned and stretched, finding a comfortable spot in her arms to settle for sleep.

"I'll take Sean, go see your mom," Troy said quietly. He felt out of place in Greg Santos's office, and even more uncomfortable with the talk of Isabella between Gabriella and Greg. The transition from Gabriella's arm to Troy's arm was smooth and fluid; the result of constant practice. Sean only squirmed slightly before falling comfortably into Troy's arms. Troy sent one warning glance to Greg, and one quick (longing?) look at Gabriella before leaving the office.

There was another pause between the step father and step daughter. Their relationship had been flawed the moment Greg had frowned when Gabriella announced she was dating Troy all the way back during the middle of the ninth grade. The rift between them had grown as she went through her rebellious teenage phase, and the fragile link finally cracked, crumpled and fell into a million pieces the moment Gabriella had walked out the front door when she was eighteen, vowing to never come back again.

Now she stood before the man she swore never to talk to again. How ironic, that it had to take the expense of the only link they had to one another, Isabella, to finally meet again, and to have the millions of broken pieces crudely and abruptly sewn back together.

Gabriella was no longer the same naïve, clueless step daughter anymore, she had changed.

And so had Greg.

"Follow me," he said shortly. Gabriella nodded, and out of courtesy allowed the man to go first. He led her up the stairs and across the hall. As Gabriella passed by the walls, she couldn't help but notice the framed pictures on the wall. What had been bare walls near the outer of the house became walls that slowly filled with pictures. The closer she got to Isabella's room, the more pictures she saw of herself when she was little. Her stomach felt like they were in knots and fluttered, and it wasn't the good kind.

They reached the last door of the corridor, the door was slightly ajar to open the barest amount of artificial light into the other wise dim room. As Greg pushed the door open, the hinges squeaked, and Isabella's hunched body came to view. Gabriella saw her mother in bed, curled up in a foetal position, much like Sean would do when he was scared. Tears welled behind her eyes seeing her strong mother curled up like a defenceless child. Isabella looked like a shadow of herself.

"Isabella, honey?" Greg called out in a completely different voice. His tone was soft now, nearly dripping in concern. His face softened and was no longer edgy, and his words were so quiet it was as if he was afraid any louder might hurt Isabella. Gabriella suddenly saw the difference between the man she knew as Greg Santos, and the man her mother knew as her husband. Whether or not Isabella heard her husband calling for her, she gave no indication; rather she favoured slipping deeper within the silky sheets, wrapped around her like a protective cocoon.

"Someone's here to see you," Greg tried again, Isabella shifted slightly, the only indication that she had heard him. So she didn't know Greg had some how managed to bring her daughter back to her? Greg took a glance at Gabriella, and she realized that that was her cue to make her appearance,

"H-Hi Mom," Gabriella managed to croak out. Damn. She had wanted to sound stronger than that, but her voice broke the moment she spoke. Isabella suddenly jerked and stiffened, and Gabriella was afraid she might be going into some kind of shock, then as quickly as that happened, Isabella had turned and shot up from her position on the bed. Her hair was tussled and oily, and her clothes crumpled and uncared for; this must've been the most she's moved since she had sank into her depression.

"G-Gabriella?" Isabella whispered, Gabriella nodded, "You're…here…"

"I'm here Mom, I'm right here," Gabriella whispered back, Isabella opened and closed her mouth several times, as if lost for words. Gabriella watched a million emotions flicker through her mother's eyes in that one moment. Her heart was pounding so hard against her chest that the blood that rushed through her veins nearly blocked out all sounds.

"It's late… You should get some rest," Gabriella said slowly to ease the uneasiness between them. Gabriella had a feeling that the rest Isabella will be getting tonight will be the first true rest she had had in a while.

"Wait—" Isabella protested, Gabriella smiled softly,

"I'll see you tomorrow," Gabriella added, placating the fears Isabella had. Almost instantly, her mother relaxed, and gently lowered herself back onto the bed, her eyes closing before her head hit the pillow. As Gabriella left the room, she caught the sight of Greg gently wrapping the comforter around Isabella's body. Judging by the sudden relaxation of his tense shoulder, Gabriella realized that this might've been the first time in a long while that Greg had been able to be near his wife and received some sort of reaction from her.

All because Gabriella had swallowed her pride, and had come to see her mother.

Troy tucked the soft blue blanket around Sean, his son wiggling slightly to adjust to the new bed before falling into a peaceful slumber. Troy and Gabriella had blatantly refused to have Sean be placed in the room next door, and Greg had a crib brought into their guest room. Troy realized it was new, the mahogany wood looked barely scratched and not a single piece of dust was on it. The crib was easily twice the size of the one Sean had back at their house, and once again Troy felt a slight twinge of failure in his guts as he looked around at the things Gabriella would've had…should've had…and he had taken it all away from her. The door behind him opened and shut silently, and Troy didn't have to turn his back to realize that it was Gabriella.

Brushing a lock of stray black locks from Sean's forehead, Troy turned around. Gabriella was sitting on the corner of their bed, her face in her hands and breathing in deeply.

"How's your mom," Troy asked quietly, his voice sounding like a crack in the air, Gabriella looked up and Troy cringed from the cold look in her eyes,

"Do you really care, or are you asking out of obligation and guilt?" She retorted.

"Gabby—"

"Why, Troy?" Gabriella asked abruptly, "Why would you hide something like this from me? Why would you lie to me…after you accused me of hiding things from you?"

"I wasn't lying to you,"

"You hid it from me for one month! My mom was here in depression thinking I didn't give a damn about her for one month! What kind of daughter am I, to leave her there like that when she needed me the most!"

"Will you listen to me, I was just trying to protect you!" Troy retorted in his normal voice, Gabriella had shot up from the bed by then, her eyes blazing,

"Protect me? Protect me from what? From my mother, the person who gave birth to me, the person who raised me—"

"The person who brought us to this point in the first place." Troy interrupted coldly. Gabriella froze, "She didn't approve of our relationship, and she never did! The day you went to see your brother at the hospital, she did nothing to help you. What was I supposed to do? You were lost to me for weeks Gabriella! You ignored your studies, you ignored me, and you ignored Sean,"

"No I didn't," Gabriella shook her head, "I did not ignore our son,"

"You might as well have!" Troy said, "Yes you fed him, bathed him, cleaned him, but you weren't a mother to him! For weeks you acted like a robot, emotionally protected and closing all of us away from you. Tell me, what am I supposed to do when my wife is torturing herself inside, and as her husband I can't do a single damn thing to help?"

"So you thought hiding a letter from my mom would help me?" Gabriella asked weakly,

"I thought it was a lie," Troy sighed, "I thought she was writing to you just to bring you back to her, I couldn't risk it…the pain they made you go through…the pain they made our family go through, I wasn't going to let that happen again. I had no idea it wasn't fake…"

"How could you…how could you even take the chance of risking my mom's health?" Gabriella asked coldly, "How can you do that…"

"With the idea of protecting my family," Troy shot back, "And I'd do it again. You are my first priority, Gabriella, you and Sean. I had to do something,"

"How-How could you risk that—"

"I'd rather risk this, than risk my family!" Troy said resolutely and sternly, Gabriella's eyes widened, her mouth opened in a retort she couldn't find. It took a few seconds for Troy to realize what he had said, and how it had sounded, "No…wait,"

"You'd risk my mom's life so you could have your way?" Gabriella asked weakly, "Don't you know…if my anything, anything had happened to my mom, and it was something I could've done to stop it and I didn't…no matter how hurt she's made me in the past, she's still my mother…nothing would've made it better if something had happened to her. You'd risk losing having me lose the one person who made me who I am?"

"Gabriella, I didn't-I didn't mean for it come out like that…" Troy said softly,

"No, no that's exactly what you meant." Gabriella shook her head, stepping back, "It had to be what you meant…you said it without thinking, it was the first thing on your mind."

"Gabs can we just…please can we talk about this tomorrow, I didn't mean it the way I said it-please,"

"No…Troy we…I can't. Not tonight, it doesn't feel right…I can't stay with you right now it's too hard…it's too hard for me…and for us. I need some space to think about all of this,"

"What do you mean think about all of this?"

"This…this situation, the letter…my mother…us." Gabriella said quietly, looking at her feet and missing Troy's face drain of colour,

"Us…"

"I…I can't help but be confused right now Troy…It's like I don't know you anymore,"

"Brie…"

"Leave me alone tonight Troy…please…you can stay here, I'll go back to my old room—"

"No," Troy said in a monotone voice, he was moving around before Gabriella could look up, "Stay here. Sean would want to see you when he wakes up. I'll go. I know where your room is. Just…stay here with him." Troy spent a minute grabbing some stuff out of his duffle bag, and left the room without a glance with one another. The door closed, and Gabriella collapsed, emotionally drained.

-

-

Close by, the door the remained ajar had let the echoes of the couple's conversation drift into the room. Isabella had been woken up by some sort of buzzing that had entered her sanctuary, and it took her a moment to realize it belonged to the voices of her daughter and her son in law. They were arguing. What were they arguing about?

My mother…

They were arguing about her.

Lying…risking…hiding…protecting…hurt…confused…alone…separate

They were arguing about themselves.

Problems…Sean…us...

The more the argument seeped into her room, the more awake Isabella was becoming, not from the first more restful sleep she had gotten since a long time, but awake to the realization that she had been wrong. She had been wrong about them the first time they had come to her to announce their engagement, she had been wrong when they had visited her at the hospital…and now it would be wrong for her if she decided to ignore the problem and just bask in the joy of having her daughter back, because in that moment Isabella had realized and remember something that Gabriella had said when she was still in the hospital

"You just want me back, not Troy, not Sean…If you want me you're going to have to accept them too"

All of these problems had started the moment they had refused to accept Gabriella and Troy…and now in an ironic full circle, it had come back to the same place… where old problems began, and new problems were made.

Isabella decided it was about time to end the problems once and for all.

A/N: Shorter than my usual chapters, I know, but it's been an entire month since I've updated, and I really wanted you guys to know I haven't died or gone anywhere. I'm very much here and very much writing!

My one advice to everyone: NEVER underestimate the power of school... it's just a pain in the butt!