I apologize for the lack of updating the past month, but everything's been insane, and I've been busy with university applications and homework and such. Thank you for being so patient and always the best reviewers.

This story will probably end in another chapter or so, thank you for sticking with me.

Before Happily Ever After

Chapter 8: Never regret letting go

The night was silent, save for a few crickets chirping away, singing nature's lullaby. Sean was sleeping soundly in the new but comfortable crib that was situated at the end of his parent's bed. As innocent as a one year old (almost two) could be, he remained undisturbed with the tension in the air that filled the impossibly large house.

Neither wanting to leave Sean in the unfamiliar house, Troy and Gabriella came to a compromise. They would both sleep in the same room, and on the same bed to save one of them from sore muscles and back pains from sleeping on a couch. Having that decided, neither had reached a level of comfort to hold the other to sleep, and so they slept on their side, facing away from one another, a noticeable gap between them.

That was how Gabriella found insomnia. After trying to close her eyes and sleep for the fifteenth time, her eyes opened again, as clear and as awake as it had been two hours ago when she had first tried her hand at sleep. Beside her, Troy's quiet and steady breathing alerted her to the fact that he was asleep, and she wanted nothing more than to turn him over, snuggle herself in his arms, and rest her head on his chest where his heartbeat and soothing breaths worked better than any lullaby or sleeping pills. But she refrained from doing so; she still didn't know where they were standing.

Resigning to the fact that she probably wouldn't be getting any sleep any time soon, Gabriella quietly climbed out of bed and quietly crept out of the room after a quick glance at Sean. Taking one glance behind her, her forehead creased when she realized that Troy's sleep may not be as peaceful as she thought it had been. There was a frown on his face, and his brow was furrowed.

Guess neither of them would have a chance at any type of peaceful slumber.

The house was eerily quiet. Most of the house workers had gone home, and those who stayed had retired to their room. The halls were dark, and the sound her padded feet was making echoed through the halls and bounced off the wooden walls. There was a draft cold breeze in the long and spacious halls, and the air tickled her bare legs. She pulled her pyjama down, which basically consisted of a pair of shorts underneath one of Troy's larger shirts. Unfortunately for her, the shirt only fell down to a couple inches above her knees.

Her wandering brought her to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard above the sink, Gabriella was surprised she still remembered where the glass cups were, and was even more surprised nothing had changed. Filling the cup so that it was half empty (quite the pessimist at the moment), Gabriella sighed, slowly sipping the water down in hopes of cooling her body. She nearly had a heart attack when the lights suddenly opened,

"Oh my—" Gabriella gasped. She relaxed when she saw Greg standing at the other entrance to the kitchen. Her lips twitched seeing the man that owned one of the largest companies in the country wearing a simple grey t-shirt and cotton sweatpants.

"Oh, I didn't realize there would be someone here this late," Greg coughed uncomfortably, standing awkwardly. He didn't know whether or not to enter or to turn around,

"I couldn't sleep," Gabriella answered,

"I see," Greg replied. Making a decision (this was his house after all), Greg entered, taking a cup where Gabriella had gotten hers to fill it with water,

"You do this often?" Gabriella asked softly, Greg looked at her, "You come here whenever you can't sleep? I take it you haven't gotten any good sleep for a while,"

"Yea…how did you know?"

"I'm taking a major in psychology as well as law," Gabriella answered, "plus I work at a doctor's office, you seem like you've done this more than you really need to,"

"That's observant of you," Greg replied. That was the closest Greg Santos ever got to giving her a compliment. This time Gabriella offered a reluctant smile, reluctant, but a smile none the less. There was the silence again. The type of silence that hovered uncomfortably between two people when neither of them had something to say, but neither had the guts to say good bye.

"So,"

"Um"

Whatever the other was about to say, they would never find out, because at the exact moment, a cry emitted from what Gabriella originally thought was a tiny TV. Two pairs of eyes averted to the direction that was making that noise, and Gabriella instantly realized it as a baby transmitter. On the flickering screen, was the crying of her half baby brother.

"Oh excuse me," Greg said, polite as always.

"Wait!" Gabriella said, Greg paused, "Can I…I'll come with you," Gabriella said in a hurry. Whether it was because Greg really wanted to, or because he didn't want his son crying another second longer Gabriella didn't know, but Greg nodded shortly, and both of them hurried back to the second floor where the baby was currently residing.

When they got into the room, Greg quickly scooped little Gabriel up, rocking him in hopes of ceasing his relentless cries. This only made him even crankier and his volume spiked,

"Shh, baby don't wait up your mother, it's the first time she's had any sort of sleep." Greg cooed. Gabriella watched silently, but as Gabriel continued to cry, Gabriella's mothering instincts took over—the helpless look on Greg's face was not one that was particularly suitable for him.

"Here, hand him over to me," Gabriella said, Greg looks hesitant, "Greg you're not doing it right," Gabriella added. Greg started, and Gabriella wondered if that was the first time someone told him he was doing something wrong. Regardless, Greg silently handed his son over to her, and Gabriella quickly perched the infant on her shoulders, gently rubbing his back.

"There, there, it's not that bad is it?" Gabriella cooed softly. Her rocking motion began to soften his cry, and a few minutes later, a tiny little burp escaped from the baby's lips, and the cries stopped, the only hint of his distress was the watery look on his eyes, his wet apple cheeks and the tiny dry sobs that were the remains of his cries.

"You're all better now," Gabriella smiled, holding him for a few more minutes, Gabriella handed him back to Greg, who, in addition to small look of wonder on his face, also accepted his son back from her with a tiny but true smile.

"How did you…"

"I've had a lot of practice," Gabriella said, "With Sean…Gabriel's already very well behaved all things considered…Sean was much more harder, he takes after his dad," Gabriella said with a small smile. Outside Gabriel's door, they heard a shuffle in the empty hallway, and as Gabriel began to fall asleep again, Gabriella realized how late it was,

"I should go get some sleep," Gabriella said slowly, "Good night,"

"Good night," Greg said softly, "Thank you…Gabriella," Gabriella stopped at the door for a quick second before walking out again. When she got back to her room, Troy was still asleep, having turned the other way in her absence. She quietly slipped into bed, and closed her eyes, praying for sleep. She was probably only half conscious, but she felt someone pull her towards them, and bathed in a familiar scent and listening to a recognizable beat of a lullaby purely her own, Gabriella fell asleep.

Troy could feel Gabriella twisting and turning on the other side of the bed. This wasn't the first time she's done this. For the past two days that they were here, he hadn't been able to get a good nights rest at all, and it was all Troy could do to turn around, and hold her to him until she fell asleep. He would've loved to blamed it on the fact that they were back at her childhood home, where her ties with her family ended and they had begun, but Troy knew that wasn't the real reason, at least it wasn't the full reason.

Being back here, in the situation that they were in right now hit Troy at full force, and he was lost at what to do. He felt Gabriella silently slipping out of bed and out the door and he opened his eyes. It was not like him to not trust his wife, but none the less, he also got out of bed, checked on Sean before following her out. The large house was eerie and Troy amused himself for a quick second, imagining a young Gabriella running down the dim halls.

Troy found Gabriella a few minutes later in the kitchen, joined by her step father. Every cell in his body wanted to intervene, his natural protective instincts towards Gabriella flaring. They were, after all, in 'enemy' territory, but Troy held his ground, listening in on their conversation. It was awkward and tense, and it pained him to realize that the awkwardness and tension between the step father and step daughter was very much similar to the tension between him and Gabriella lately.

From the kitchen, Troy silently crept after them as they got to Gabriel's room. Troy watched Gabriella comfort Gabriel, her expertise shining through, her wisdom and knowledge brought out in her brown eyes. She was twenty-one, and she was already more knowledgeable on how to have a family, and how to take care of a baby than her late forties step-dad. Troy listened to the small chit chat between Greg and Gabriella,

He takes after his dad…

That hit Troy like a hammer. The way she spoke of Sean, the hint of affection she held for both of them. Troy quickly moved away, making his way back to their room before Gabriella could. The hint of affection she had shown that moment was lacking between them the moment they had stepped into this house. And Troy would be lying to himself when he blamed it on Greg. He knew everything that was happening was because of his stupid actions, and his stubbornness.

He held the greatest respect for his wife, and he had the highest amount of trust in her in everything she's ever done…so why couldn't he trust her in defending herself against her family? She had, after all, done it once already when she was eighteen. What made her less capable of doing it now, three years later, at twenty-one?

Troy had feigned sleep once more when Gabriella re-entered their room and slipped back into bed. And not willing to hold back any longer, Troy went to draw her close to him, her body fitting into his like the perfect puzzle piece, and in his arms, he felt her relax for the first time since they had been there.

The next couple of days in the Santos mansion passed uneventfully, but marked a transition in both the older and the younger generation of adults. It was quite evident to everyone around that Greg Santos had taken the initiative to interact with his step-daughter more, and it was a shocking but none the less progressive day when Greg had offered an invitation to Troy to go and check out the brand new golf course with him.

Troy politely declined, citing his obligations to Sean and Gabriella, but thanked him for the invitation. Awkwardness was there, the tension was evident, but there was also a silent mark of acceptance between the two males. No matter how brief the understanding may be, they both understood each other at some level; at least they were both aware they were on the level of wanting to placate their wives.

Isabella's condition improved rapidly with Gabriella's added presence now in the house. House workers who had not seen the mistress up and about for over a month were slightly shocked and surprised when Isabella was up early in the morning rearranging flowers and humming to herself; she was reverting back to her normal, happy self.

Greg Santos was not the only one in the house celebrating this development.

However, while one hurtle seemed to be passed and done with, the space between the youngest couple in the house was growing more and more evident. Within a day, Troy and Gabriella could count how many times they had spoken to each other on one hand. They fell into a routine that lacked the comfort that can usually found in their set schedules. Without school to distract them, Gabriella's mind had nothing to think about, Troy had too much time on their hands, and both of them always ended up thinking about the problem between them.

It might've been the lack of trust between them. In fact, the lack of trust in each other was what probably had caused the entire fiasco in the first place, but they realized there was more. It was the growing distant between them that had began to increase and manifest itself long before the letter Greg wrote had appeared.

It was on a day when Troy had to go to work for a few hours after his replacement couldn't take his shift, that Gabriella and Isabella sat down and had a one-on-one genuine chat; the first since Gabriella had left when she had only been eighteen. The completely unplanned and impromptu meeting happened when Gabriella had decided to take Sean out onto large backyard the Santos owned. She was surprised to see a baby proof playground set had been installed. Dressed in a white t-shirt that said 'Like daddy like son' (Troy had insisted they get that), camouflage khakis and brown sandals, Gabriella placed Sean in the tiny sandbox already equipped with plastic shovels and pails. She and Sean had been in the middle of marking a crude looking sand castle when Isabella walked out with baby Gabriel in her arms.

"Gabriella," Isabella looked slightly surprised at seeing her daughter outdoors, and her eyes lingered on the laughing Sean.

"Mom," Gabriella said, brushing her hands free from sand. She made sure Sean was entertained and safe before walking over to where Isabella had sat down one of the lawn chairs near the play set. Gabriel wiggled in Isabella's arms, his eyes still closed as he enjoyed his nap outdoors. Sean's amused giggling kept the air from being too silent,

"How have you been?" Isabella asked softly, gazing at her adult daughter. Gabriella smiled softly,

"Better than I thought I would be," she replied, and she caught Isabella cringe,

"I'm sorry your stay here isn't what it use to be... the last time you were here, there were so many things that were left…"

"Not in the best way possible?" Gabriella filled in, Isabella nodded, "I agree…but I'm glad at how things turned out…I still think I made the right choice,"

"I know you did," Isabella confirmed quietly, shocking Gabriella, "I've seen how you and Troy interact with each other, how you read each other's movements, expressions; it's almost like you know what each other are thinking, the amount of trust you have with one another is…is just something entirely different."

"We did trust each other…I do…" Gabriella trailed off, her eyes falling to her wringing hands where the simple silver band Troy had slid onto her fourth finger three years ago in their best friend's backyard stood, tying her heart with his. Isabella sat silently beside her daughter, allowing her to contemplate what was happening. Smiling, she looked forward, instinctively rocking Gabriel in her arms,

"Did I tell you I almost left your dad when you were only about a couple years old?" Isabella asked as casually as talking about the weather. Gabriella stared at her, "You were about two, and both of us were struggling to make ends meet. One night you dad came home quite early in the morning, and you had just fallen asleep again. I asked him where he was, he said he was out with a couple of friends at work.

"A couple days later, when I was doing his laundry, I found a gambling receipt in his pocket. Half of it was washed off, but I was furious. He had lied to me about where he was when he was really out gambling. I was beyond livid at him, I wondered to myself; why would he do this? Didn't he know the situation we were in? Didn't he care?" Isabella snuck a look down at Gabriella, and saw that her eyes were locked on her face,

"But the one thing that broke my heart was that I thought he felt that our situation was so stressful, and so bad that he didn't want to deal with it anymore, and turned to the only outlet he knew; gambling. When he came back that night, I was ready to pack and step out on him. I showed him the receipt I had found, and demanded an explanation. His face tore my heart apart. He told me the ticket wasn't his. I told him to stop lying to me. I felt mad that even now he had to lie to me, that he didn't trust me to just tell me he went gambling. It was a full minute of silence before he got up and walked to our room. I waited until he came out, and when he did, he was holding up an employee tag and a janitor's uniform.

"It turned out that he wasn't at the casino gambling. He was working there, as a night shift janitor cleaning after the people at the casino. He had found the ticket on his way home, and was planning on throwing it out. He told me he didn't want to tell me because he didn't want me to feel embarrassed for him. He took on the second job as a casino janitor because casinos pay higher than his other job. He knew I would feel embarrassed for him, that he had to pick up after strangers when he already had to do that at home.

"And you know what…I did feel embarrassed. For a moment, I never felt so low; our life was so hard, so poor that he had to resort to a lowly job like that when he had a major in engineering and a minor in English literature."

"But…you forgave dad?" Gabriella asked quietly,

"I did eventually. He was doing it for me. He's seen me work myself to the bone trying to keep our family alive, he hated that I was working so hard and was putting so much pressure on myself. He did what he did to protect me. Gabriella, our relationship was never the same again, I was so stubborn, I forgave him but I never forgot. Every time we saw each other after that there was always that unspoken rift between us that unseen lack of trust, it was there all the way up until his accident.

"Gabriella there isn't a single night where I wished I had done it differently. That I wished things would've gone different; there isn't a time when I wished I had just forgiven him entirely before he left us. This will be something that I'll regret forever," there were unshed tears behind Isabella's eyes as her eyes sparkled, "Gabriella I don't want you to make the same mistake. I don't want you to regret it. I was lucky, I found Greg, and he healed what I couldn't hide and even when he didn't heal all of me, he healed most of me. Troy…Gabby you will never find another man like Troy again. There isn't another man in this world that loves you as much as he does.

"Don't push him away Gabby," Isabella brushed a strand of hair out of Gabriella's face like she had done when she was five, "There's only so much he can take before he thinks you really need space from him." Gabriella looked up at her mom, the person who had gave birth to her, the person who raised her, and the person who had driven her away from her when she had decided to marry the man she loved.

In an instant, Gabriella reached, and pulled Isabella in for a hug that had been overdue for three years. In the embrace, the mother and daughter had tears trekking silently down their cheeks. It wasn't until Gabriel wiggled between them, and Sean's screech for Gabriella's attention that drew them apart,

"Thanks Mami," Gabriella sniffed softly, Isabella smiled a watery smile,

"I've missed you mi hija," Isabella whispered, she stood up and kissed Gabriella on the forehead and walked to Sean. Sean stared up at the woman, "And you are exactly like your mami when she was little, so rebellious and so adorable. You will grow up into a handsome young man if your parents are anything to judge," Isabella smiled. She, too, gave Sean a soft, lingering kiss on his forehead.

Isabella walked with a lightened heart back to the house, when a shadow caught her eye. Troy Bolton stepped out from the shadows of the patio, a sheepish look on his face at being caught eaves dropping,

"Hello Troy," Isabella smiled, Troy looked up,

"Hello Mrs Santos,"

"Isabella," Isabella corrected, "If you're married to my daughter then you're my son-in-law and I am your mother in law, I don't think you're quire comfortable calling me Mom, so we'll be on first name basis,"

"Uh Ok," came Troy's smooth reply, "Um have you seen Gabriella?"

"She's outside with Sean," Isabella said, Troy nodded curtly, his eyes down again,

"Thank you," Troy replied politely. Troy went off to find Gabriella, and Isabella was bothered with how he sounded and looked. It was very familiar to her, and it wasn't until it was much later, and too late, did she realize that Gabriella's dad had looked and sounded the same when he had decided to finally give her some space at the wrong moment.

-

-

Troy walked out to the spacious backyard, briefly having flashbacks of when he and Gabriella use to lounge here when they were dating. Often times it would be in the evening, when Gabriella was left home alone while Isabella and Greg had left to attend some sort of gathering essential to Greg's business. He remembered they had lied on the grass together one night, just looking up at the stars with Gabriella in his arms. It was that night Troy had realized he wanted Gabriella as his wife.

Looking ahead, he smiled inwardly as he watched Gabriella play in the mini sandbox with Sean. It was already too late to save Sean's white t-shirt, and Troy could tell in a few more minutes, Sean's khakis would be near unrecognizable.

"Da!" Sean squealed, clapping his hands, spraying Gabriella with sand. Gabriella coughed and looked up, seeing Troy stand there with a look of tenderness in his face. Gabriella couldn't help but smile,

"Hey squirt, looks like you're having fun," Troy smiled, kneeling down and mussing Sean's dark hair. Sean giggled in reply, and left a big (or small depending on how you see it) dirty handprint on Troy's grey shirt,

"Alright, off to the shower," Gabriella grinned, taking Sean into her arms, brushing any sand she could off his clothes.

"I'll help," Troy left that off as an open offer. Gabriella could tell he was ready for her to either accept or reject his offer,

"I'd like that, we need the help," Gabriella replied softly, and Troy relaxed slightly. Together they brought the toddler to the washroom by their room, where for the next half hour, Troy would end up in his wife beater and wet jeans, and Gabriella half drowned in bubbles and suds.

Once Sean was clean, in an outfit that did not consist of sand, and was relatively recognizable—Gabriella had long since given up trying to tame what seems to be the Bolton male hair trademark, Gabriella went to set Sean down in his crib where she hummed him to sleep. Troy stood a few feet behind her, wringing his hands. Gabriella turned around,

"Gabby…I, can we talk?"

"Yes please," Gabriella said softly, "I've got a few things to say myself—"

"I got into the basketball camp," Troy blurted out, interrupting Gabriella mid-way. She blinked,

"Oh—OH that's great!" Gabriella's face split up into a smile, "You really wanted to go there, when did you find out?"

"Today after work, the university called and left a message with the coach," Troy said softly, "I've accepted,"

"That's wonderful,"

"It's a half year program,"

"I know,"

"It's a half year program in California…not in New York."

"Oh-Oh…" Gabriella paused and looked up, "Then…then what are we-you…" the rest of her sentence drowned when she looked up and met his swimming blue eyes. Suddenly every question she had was answered when she looked into his eyes, and she didn't want to hear the answer out loud, "C-California…"

"Yea…" Troy looked at her, "Things…I know things aren't going well between us…I can feel his gap between us," Troy stopped Gabriella from interrupting him, "I don't want to push you. I know things changed the moment you realized I liked to you and no matter what I say I can't change the fact that I didn't let you see your own mother. I can tell you need your space…and I'm willing to give that to you no matter what it takes,"

"You're…you're going to California?" Gabriella asked weakly,

"I'm allowed to come back twice a month—the program allows us to do that, I'll still be able to see you and Sean, plus they've promised me a part time job there too so if you're worried about cost…" Gabriella's mouth opened to say something, but she couldn't. The lump in her throat was just too big,

"I…I've talked to your step father about this too…he said…he said you're welcome to stay here until I get back…and his house is close to the university too…and you won't have to worry about hurrying back to Sean because there's people here to help you…"

"You've decided then?" Gabriella's voice sounded tight even to her ears, and she cringed at how shaky it sounded underneath,

"We both need time to think," Troy said heavily, and Gabriella's heart pounded. Her devastation must've shown on her face, because Troy took two steps forward, and cradled her shaking cheeks in his hands, "No, never think I don't love you, because I do, I still love you, I do love you, I will always love you," Troy said strongly, "But we're both under a lot of pressure, and the tension between us isn't healthy for us or for Sean. A little time apart will do us well,"

"I…" Gabriella swallowed the pain welling up, "I love you, come back to me?"

"I will when we're both ready," Troy promised. He leaned down, and kissed her fiercely, his hands brushing down her cheek and landing on the side of her neck, memorizing her every curve and turn. Gabriella held his shirt tight in her hands, afraid to let go.

-

-

The week after, Troy helped Gabriella move some extra clothes and accessories from their apartment to Greg and Isabella's house. Sharpay agreed to take care of their apartment (Ryan was just glad Sharpay was out of his own apartment, he was running out of room to put her shopping bags) until further notice. Half a week after that, Gabriella, Isabella, Greg, Sean, Ryan and Sharpay were all at the airport, bidding Troy goodbye. Each of them wished him well (Sharpay threatened him) and the group left to give the young family of three some time alone.

"Write me," Gabriella whispered,

"I will," he promised. The final boarding call for Troy's plane echoed in the airport, and Gabriella reached up to kiss Troy, holding as long as she could. Troy finally pulled away, and bent down to her arm level where Sean was,

"Be a good boy for Daddy, and you better not know how to say your name until I get back," Troy said softly, Sean babbled and grabbed Troy's nose. Extracting it from his tiny hands, Troy kissed his little boy on the forehead before straightening up. Seconds later, he pulled Gabriella into a hug,

"I'll miss you," he said quietly, and with that he pulled away and swiftly went through the gates without a glance back. Gabriella watched his disappearing body, and her eyes fought fiercely against tears.

She promised herself as soon as he came back, she would never let go.

A/N: I apologize for the late update. Things are crazy on my end. I hope you liked it, I know this story isn't as dramatic as some people may want it, but I am trying to deal with more real life, adult and down to earth issues and sometimes they are more emotionally dramatic than physically dramatic.

The next chapter will be composed purely of letters written to and from Troy and Gabriella. Will Troy really stay for the full half year? Who knows…

Review!