Dislcaimer: I do not own HSM

A/N: Well, I haven't published anything in a while, and this piece came to mind. It was one of the first pieces I'd ever written for "Our Song", and I've kind of lost the drive to finish the series, so I decided to put this chapter up.

Summary: If you read the story, which I hope you did, Gabriella explained to Troy that she visits her dad every year on the anniversary of his death, and Troy promises to Gabriella that he's going to be there for her. This chapter is the portion of the story when Troy keeps his promise.

I Miss You

I miss you; I miss your smile

And I still shed a tear every once in a while

And even thought it's different now

You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go, and I need you to know

I miss you, Shalalalala

I miss you

Troy walked into the kitchen the day after the staff party. Yesterday, it was nice just to hang out with his friends and Gabriella after his "absence" from the group. Everyone was still happy from their previous day off. Troy loved the feeling that was in the room, but he soon discovered that something was missing. Someone was missing. A certain brown eyed girl to be exact.

"Hey, Chad, do you know where Brie is?" Troy asked.

"No. Sorry, man." Chad replied.

He exited the kitchen before anyone could say anything else and checked the pool. She wasn't cleaning it. He entered the kitchen once again and peaked into the piano room. Nope. Not there either. He walked into the kitchen once again and grabbed his food. While his friends were reminiscing of the day before, Troy remained quiet as he pondered where Gabriella could be. He didn't really feel like eating. He couldn't think of any place where she could be. He had a feeling that he was missing something, and he didn't like it. Taylor soon clocked in, grabbed her breakfast, and went over to him.

"Hey, Tay, do you know where Gabriella is?" Troy asked.

"She's not here?" Taylor asked surprised. "Where is she?"

"I was hoping that you could tell me." He said. "I'm getting worried. She didn't tell anyone where she was going. She didn't clock in. I have no idea where she could be."

"Troy, calm down. I'm sure she's fine. Maybe Fulton knows. I'll go with you to ask him after breakfast." Taylor said.

That made Troy feel a little bit better, and he ate. After Troy and Taylor were done with their breakfast, they went to pay a quick visit to Fulton before the members started to arrive. They made their way through the lobby to Fulton's office and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Came the voice inside.

Troy and Taylor entered shyly.

"Hello, Sir." Troy greeted.

"Ah. Mr. Bolton. Miss McKessie. Why are you here and not getting ready for the work day? Don't you have to be on the golf course, Bolton?"

"Actually, Sir, we were just wondering if you knew where Gabriella was and if you knew why." Troy said.

"I am not authorized to give you that kind of information, Mr. Bolton." He answered. Troy's spirits fell. Mr. Fulton looked up and said, "I don't know where she is. But seeing how concerned you are that you probably won't do a day's work without my telling you, I'll tell you. Miss Montez took this day off in advance. When she first started here, in fact. Of course, when I offered her job back, she still wanted this day off." Troy's face showed confusion while Taylor's dawned in realization.

"Why would she-" Troy started.

"Troy." Taylor cut him off. "Thank you, Mr. Fulton."

Taylor pushed Troy out the door. He stood there wondering why she had just done what she just did.

"Taylor, why-" She cut him off again.

"Troy, I know why she's not here. It just occurred to me. Troy, she's in Colorado."

"Why would she be in Colorado?" He asked.

"Troy, do you remember when we first met her, and she told us her story? She said that her dad died in the summer. Why else would she just disappear without telling us or you?"

Troy's heart stopped. He thought back to when she had first told the gang everything about her past. He remembered that she had said that she always went to visit his grave no matter where she was when he had been there to help her realize that it wasn't her fault. He also remembered a certain promise that he made her. He grabbed his phone and pressed the speed dial. Hey you've reached Gabriella's phone. Please leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Have a great day.

"She's not answering. Why didn't she tell me?"

"Troy, you guys only got back together two days ago. Yesterday, everyone was celebrating. Think about it. This is Gabriella we're talking about. She wouldn't want to bring anyone down."

Troy thought about that. She was right. Gabriella wasn't one to put a damper on things. He pulled out his phone again and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Montez, do you know where Gabriella is?" Troy asked.

"Troy?" She asked surprised.

"Did she leave for Colorado?" Troy asked.

Smart boy. "Yes, Troy. She left this morning and took the van to Denver."

"Why didn't she remind me?" Troy asked.

"Oh, Honey, she didn't want to bring you down. You just got back together. And everyone was celebrating yesterday." She repeated what Taylor said.

"When did she leave?" Troy asked hurriedly.

"She left a little over an hour ago. You're not thinking of going to Colorado are you, Troy?"

"The thought had occurred to me. I made a promise to her, Ms. Montez. I told her that I would be there for her. I intend to keep that promise."

"All right, Troy. If you insist. Remember she's going to Crown Hill Cemetery. And Troy?"

"Yes, Ms. Montez?"

"Thank you." She said.

"It's not a problem. Bye."

Troy hung up and looked at Taylor. "She's on her way to Colorado."

"What are you going to do?" Taylor asked.

"I promised her that I would be there this time. I've broken enough promises this summer, but I am keeping this promise. She deserves it after all the stuff that I've put her through."

"Troy, how are you going to do that?"

"Well, first off I'm going to-" He was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Troy!" Sharpay called.

Troy and Taylor looked across the lobby at Sharpay. Her father was close behind her.

"Sharpay, I really don't have time for this right now." He turned to Taylor. "I have to find a way to get to Denver as soon as possible."

"Well, if that's where you have to go, you can just take the private helicopter." Mr. Evans offered.

"Sir, I couldn't." Troy said. "I'll just drive my truck."

"Please, Troy. I insist. It's all right. It's only Colorado. Besides you can just pay it off by practicing with the Red Hawks. And to be honest, Troy, I don't think that you're truck could make it out of Albuquerque yet alone to Denver."

Troy was speechless. He couldn't find the words to thank him.

"Th-thank you, Sir. I-thank you." He said shaking his hand. "Okay, Tay. I have to go tell Mr. Fulton."

"I'll take care of that!" Sharpay volunteered, and she skipped off to Mr. Fulton's office. Troy thought about how Sharpay had changed. She had been friendly the past day and hasn't tried to do anything to Gabriella. Then he thought about how she had done the same thing for a weekend when she had lost the part of the winter musical. And he knew that her nice streak wouldn't last.

"I'll explain everything to Chad and the others. Go get her, Troy." Taylor urged.

"Are you sure, Mr. Evans?" Troy asked as he climbed into the helicopter.

"Quite sure." he assured. "Just do what you have to do."

"Thank you." Troy said once more.

Gabriella kept her eyes on the road. She tried not to lose it right there. She tried to think of all the good times that Troy and she had had. The dance. Their first kiss. Their first date. Florida. Junior Prom.

She unconsciously reached up and touched the "T" necklace that he had given her at the beginning of the summer. She remembered the promise that he had made to her at the beginning of the year, that he would be there when she went to visit his grave. It was her fault that she hadn't told him of her plans. But she didn't want to bring him down. Yesterday had been a day of forgiveness. It was the first full day she had been with Troy ever since they had started working at Lava Springs, and it was the first day she had spent time with him since he had gotten his promotion and started to distant himself from the gang. She didn't tell anyone of her plans. Not Kelsi or Martha or Taylor. She didn't want to burden anyone.

It took all of her being to focus on the road and the cars around her. She hadn't thought of the danger of driving while she was in a state of mourning. It was overwhelming. She desperately tried to get her mind off the painful memories and focus on her friends and Troy. The last thing her mother needed was losing her too.

The helicopter ride there was short. They had managed to get there in a couple of hours. Troy remembered that she had said something about Crown Hill Cemetery and Park, and he told the pilot to land in the Crown Hill Park right across the street from the memorial. After assuring him that he could go back to Albuquerque because he was going to go home with his girlfriend. He walked to the memorial park across the street.

Girlfriend. He hadn't been able to call her that for almost a week. He wasn't sure if only the week counted. In his mind, he lost her when he first got the promotion. It was nice to know that she was his again. He had seen that when she sang with him at the Midsummer's Night Talent Show while wearing the necklace that he had given her. He started to wander trying to find her.

She parked the car across the street and locked it. She walked through the familiar cemetery that she had come to memorize over the past nine years. It didn't matter what state or city she was in. She had promised her dad that she would always come back. She walked for a few more minutes before walking to the oak tree that signaled where her father was buried. She had a small bouquet of flowers in her hand, and she set it on the grave.

"Hey, Dad. I'm back. Mom couldn't be here. She had work. She said to tell you that she's sorry that she couldn't make it and that she loves you. We moved again. We lived in San Diego when I came to see you last summer. We live in Albuquerque now. We moved there this past winter. Mom said that we're not going to move until I graduate, so that's good news. So much has happened this past year in Albuquerque. I go to East High. It's a really good school. I've made lots of good memories.

"First off, I made a bunch of new friends. Taylor McKessie is my best friend. She's on the Decathlon Team. There's Martha Cox too. She's really smart, but she can bust a move." Gabriella paused and laughed. "Kelsi Neilson is really shy, but she's come out of her shell since I first met her. She writes the most amazing songs that I have ever heard! Chad Danforth, yes, Daddy, I made friends with some boys too, is really cool. He's a real jokester. He makes everybody laugh. He treats me like a little sister, and he's really protective of me. Jason Cross is so funny. He doesn't really follow a lot of the conversations that people start with him. But he's smart. Zeke Baylor is a magician with everything pastry. Not only can he make brownies, though mom's are still the best, but he can make all sorts of different types of pastries strudels, scones, even apple pandowdy. He's on the quest to make the perfect crème brulée.

"I made a most recent friend lately. His name is Ryan Evans. He's really nice. He can play baseball really well. He played on the Little League World Series team. His dancing isn't bad either. It's not even bad. It's really good. He starred in the Spring Musicale at our school. I think that he could make it to Broadway. All the boys, except for Ryan are on the basketball team, and they're really good. The Wildcats won the state championships in fact.

"That's it for the list of friends. Best friends anyways, we hang out a lot. Come a long way from just making friends with just the Decathlon Team huh? I made friends with a new girl earlier…well newer than me to East High. Her name is Ashley Appleton. She turned out to be a fake. It's all right though. I made plenty of other friends. You would be surprised to see how much I've branched out in the last few months.

"I went to Disney World with my friends. It was so much fun! We spent six days of Spring Break there. It was amazing. I had so much fun with my friends. Sharpay didn't even interfere because she was in Paris.

"Oh." She laughed. "I guess I have to tell you about Sharpay Evans too. She's Ryan's twin. She's older than him by just a few minutes, and she never lets him forget it. She's…a drama queen to sum it all up. Everything about her is over the top. She's a real diva. I have a job right now as a lifeguard at their parents' country club.

"Oh. This past winter, I starred in the school musical. It was actually a lot of fun. The drama teacher, Ms. Darbus is an older version of Sharpay. Everything about her is over the top too. But she helped me a lot in overcoming my stage fright, and she showed me that performing is one of the greatest thrills in life. The adrenaline pumping through you, is a real rush when you're performing in front of hundreds of people. I shared the lead in the musical with a boy.

"All right, Dad, it's time you knew. I met a boy while I was on vacation with Mom at that ski lodge that you brought us to while we were living here. I met him while singing karaoke at a New Year's Eve party. His name is Troy. Yes, he is my boyfriend. He is so wonderful, Daddy. You would've liked him despite the fact that he's dating me; Mom does. He's on the golf team, and he's the captain of the basketball team, and he has a knack for the performing arts. He has the most amazing eyes. He's sweet. He knows just what to do to brighten my day, and he knows just what to say to make me laugh. He's a real gentleman and really romantic. For our first date he sang to me while playing his acoustic guitar. He does little things to show that he cares for me. He gave me a necklace with his first initial on it. And he sings to me when I'm upset. But he makes his share of mistakes as do all of us. These past few weeks, he hasn't been acting like himself. He's been worried about college for a little while, and when the chance came to get a scholarship he took it, but lost himself along the way. I had to break up with him to snap some sense back into him, but he found his way back. Right now, we're still trying to find our way back to where we used to be. But He has a good heart and soul. He cares for me, and I care for him. HHHI wish that you were here. I miss you. So much."

Troy tried to call Gabriella a couple of more of times, but she still wouldn't answer. Troy wandered around the cemetery before he saw a large oak tree. He made his way over to see if he could climb it to get a better view of the cemetery to see if he could spot Gabriella. He had a tree house back home after all. And he had experience with climbing the tree to reach Gabriella's balcony.

As he was nearing the tree, he saw someone kneeling. He recognized her brown curls immediately. Her back was turned to him so she didn't see him when he came up behind her. He heard her talking, apparently she had just arrived, because she was giving her greetings. He listened intently to her conversation. He laughed to himself on the inside when she described his best friends. He felt anger boiling inside him when she talked about Ashley. He remembered the good times that they had in Florida. He felt a smile tug on his lips when she described Sharpay. He listened intently when she started to talk to her dad about him. He smiled when she heard him describe all the things that he did for her to show her that she cared. He winced when she started to describe what had happened a few weeks prior when he hadn't been acting like himself. He heard her talking about how she described her feelings for him. She stopped talking, and then he heard her crying. He decided that now was as good a time as any to go up to her. He knelt quietly beside her and engulfed her into his arms. She tensed for a moment in surprise, but there was no mistaking the arms that were holding her.

"Troy?" She asked between breaths.

"Hey. Shh." He comforted her. She broke down again. He let her cry. He didn't stop her. He liked the fact that he was the one to comfort her. He wasn't sure how long they sat there. Her voice suddenly came through.

"Wh-what are y-you doing here?" She asked.

"I promised you that I could comfort you when you came to see him. I've broken enough promises this summer. I didn't want to break this one too. This is different."

"I'm s-sorry that I didn't tell you." She said. "I didn't want to bring you down."

"I know. I wish you did though. Well, not the bringing down part. The telling me part. I wouldn't have minded coming here. I promised. I've put you through a lot of crap these past few weeks. I've broken enough promises this summer. I was determined to keep this one." He explained for the third time.

"How?" She asked wiping her face.

He knew what she was asking."I went to work this morning and noticed that you weren't there. I asked Taylor, but she didn't know where you were either. We decided to ask Mr. Fulton if he knew. He didn't know where you were, but he told us that you had taken the day off in advance when you first started work. You decided to keep it when he gave you your job back. Taylor figured out where you went. I called your mom just to make sure. She confirmed it. As to how I got here, I was in the middle of talking to Taylor about what I was going to do to get here, when Sharpay and her father interfered. When he heard where I wanted to go, he let me take his private helicopter over here. He said that I could just repay him by practicing with the Red Hawks. A helicopter ride later, here I am."

She laughed. She never imagined that he would do this for her. She felt more tears about to fall. "How long have you known that I was here?"

"You wouldn't answer your phone. I was wandering for ten minutes when I saw the oak tree and decided to climb it to see if I could find you. You already started your little conversation."

"You heard the whole thing?" She asked embarrassed.

"Yeah. I didn't know that I meant that much to you."

"You do." She felt his arms tighten around her. She started to cry again. But she heard his voice singing to her and soothing her.

"Everyday, of our lives, wanna find you there wanna hold on tight."

She picked up the next part. Her voice was cracking, but it sounded beautiful nonetheless. "Gonna run while we're young and keep the faith."

"It's all right." He said wiping her tears with his thumbs.

She instantly felt better and wiped her own eyes. "Troy, this is my father. Daddy, this is Troy."

"Hello, Sir. I would tell you about myself, but it sounds like Brie covered all of that already. You know pretty much everything about me. Don't worry. The interrogation has already been initiated by Taylor and Chad. I wouldn't do anything to hurt your daughter. Intentionally anyways. These past few weeks have been confusing, but it's okay now. We're okay now. I'll take good care of her from now on. I'm not going to let her go willingly."

Gabriella smiled as she listened to Troy. She was glad that he was here to comfort her for he was still holding her while he was talking. Once again she was glad that they could talk about anything with each other.

"Thank you, Troy."

"For what?"

"For keeping your promise. For being here with me. It means so much."

"It's no problem. You deserve it. It was the least that I could do for you after you saved me from myself."

"Well, thank you again."

They remained silent for a few minutes.

"Are you ready?" He asked her.

"Yeah. I am. Let's go." She said. "Bye, Daddy. Thanks. Te quiero con toda mi alma." She stood up.

"Hold on." Troy said he kneeled back down and said something inaudible. "I'm ready. Let's go."

She was about to ask him what he said, but she decided against it. "So is your private helicopter around?" She asked jokingly.

"Actually, no. I told the pilot to go back to Albuquerque. I told him that I already had a ride back."

"What makes you think that I'm going to give you a ride back?"

"It's just a hunch that I have. You see, I have this amazing girlfriend who will willingly drive me home." Troy said.

"I don't know." She said teasingly.

"Please?" He looked at her with those light blue eyes. She instantly melted.

"All right. But only because you said please."

She led him through the cemetery to the car.

"Can I drive?" He asked.

"You really want to drive for the next four hours and forty minutes." She said.

"Yeah. You need a break. All I did on the way up here was sit and look at the view from hundreds of feet in the air."

She thought about it. "Fine, but only because I'm emotionally drained."

They got into the car and started the long drive home.

"Brie, did you really mean what you said back there?"

"About what, Troy. I said a lot of things."

"About my eyes."

"Yes, I love your eyes."

"Are you kissing up, Montez?" He said switching their game up.

"Yes, Bolton, yes I am." She laughed.

His tone grew serious. "I care for you. A lot. And what I said back there is true. I will not let you go willingly."

"I care for you too, Troy." They fell into a comfortable silence, and she yawned.

"Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we get home."

She nodded, too tired to argue and fell fast asleep.

They reached her home, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. It was still the afternoon. Since Maria wasn't home, he went to the porch and grabbed the spare key and opened the front door. He carried in a sleeping Gabriella. She had been on an emotional roller coaster and was still out cold. He took her up the stairs and laid her in her bed. He knew that she was going to wake up sooner or later so he left a note explaining that he would be downstairs. As soon as he laid it on her dresser by her bed, he leaned over and gave her a goodnight kiss.

"Sweet dreams, my Gabriella."