A/N- Wow. I'm a terrible updater. I'm so sorry for the long wait!

See You Again

He stared up from picture. It couldn't be her could it? She was suppose to be in Paris studying art, having an acting career in New York or Hollywood, taking pictures of exotic places, or heading an expedition or rescue mission in the rainforest. He knew she would come back eventually, but he'd never thought about really seeing her again. He'd always thought that the next time he'd see her face would be on the internet or television where they would announce that she'd become as an accomplished artist, musician, actress, scientist, or had just ended global warming; something along those lines. Gabriella Montez would never live a life of mediocrity.

But Ryan had said she was a music teacher for elementary school kids. That couldn't be her could it? That was too average. He looked at the picture again. It was definitely her. No doubt about it, the section that said 'name' had Miss Gabriella Elizabeth Montez written across it. It was her. It was really her.

The girl he'd lost so long ago was back, and was staying. His heart quickened and his stomach clenched. How could this be happening? What could he possibly have done that was so bad that he deserved this? He'd never stolen, killed, or intentionally hurt anyone. Sure he messed with fate a bit, but it was for its own good. Shouldn't it be happy that he was helping make peoples' lives happier? Since he'd started this business three years ago, the divorce rate in Albuquerque had dropped drastically. Wouldn't that make the big guy happy? Wasn't he supposed to dislike divorce? Didn't he want his children to live happily ever after?

No one who had ever come to the "Date Doctor" had ever divorced. No one ever regretted their decision to ask for his help. Everyone had only become more successful after hiring him. The story always ended with a happily ever after. And seeing that happen for people who thought they'd always be alone was something that Troy always treasured. It lessened his pain to see that he had stopped another person from living with the pain he felt everyday.

I loved being able to keep them form experiencing a raving aching feeling of what might have been. To be able to wipe away the endless flow of "what if" and "if only." He never wanted them to start their days waking up in an empty and feeling alone in the world. That was no way to live. He knew that from experience that it was an unrewarding lifestyle.

His thoughts shifted to Ryan. He was clumsy, nervous, and fearful. But he was also kind, generous, and had a successful career. Exactly the kind of guy he wanted for Gabriella to have.

As Mrs. Evans, she'd be set for life. She'd never have to lift a finger if she didn't want to. And Ryan wasn't the kind that would be controlling over her and turn her into a trophy wife or automatic plus one. He'd take care of her.

She'd be happy with Ryan. That's what he'd always wanted wasn't it, for her to be happy? Ryan cared about her, and didn't want to lose her. And Troy knew what it was like to lose her. It killed. He didn't want Ryan to feel how he felt. He wouldn't let that happen.

Resolve pumped through his veins and he set to work. It would take a lot to turn Ryan Evans into her dream guy. He clicked on the internet explorer icon and waited for the window to finish loading. It was time to do find out what Miss Montez had been up to the past few years.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"I can't do this. What am I suppose to say? What if I trip? What if I forget what to say? I'm going to make a complete fool out of myself aren't I?"

"Probably," he said nonchalantly.

"What!" Ryan wailed. Several people around them turned to look.

"Shh." he urged. "People are staring, do you want to mess this all up?" Ryan shook his head furiously. "Good." he said. "Now, you remember what to do right?" Ryan shook his head no. "Perfect. Good luck," he said pushing him into the produce section before disappearing down an aisle.

"Ugh," he groaned.

"Yeah, I know. Spinach isn't my favorite vegetable either," someone said as they reached for the leaves. "But add a few ingredients and it makes an amazing dip."

Ryan smiled. "I know what you mean. I have no idea how Popeye ate this stuff. But a friend of mine needs it for a party or something so here I am."

"That's so nice of you," she said, her hair still hiding her face. "My friends wouldn't do that for me."

"I'm sure they would if you asked enough. I'm sure no one could turn someone like you down." He froze. Why had he said that? The person probably thought he was a psycho. "I'm so sorry. That came out wrong. I just meant that you seem nice and that people usually have trouble turning down people that are nice because..." he paused. "I don't think I can make that sound good so how about this, my name is Ryan Evans and I have the gift of gab. Unfortunately it didn't come with an owner's manual or gift receipt so I'm kind of stuck. I apologize if I offended you."

The voice laughed and brushed the hair out of her face as she turned to face him. "No offense taken. You just surprised me is all. And I'm Gabriella Montez," she said holding out her hand to him

He stared dumbly at her hand. It was her! His mind began to over process everything: his hair, his clothes, his words, his posture, where he was standing, body language, etc. And all the while, he was just standing there gaping.

Gabriella stepped back. "Are you alright?" she asked nervously.

Ryan thought. How should he answer that? Yes was too plain and he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to form the words. But he couldn't just nod. He racked his brain for another option and remembered what Troy had said earlier.

They'd been sitting in his office reviewing movie clips of how guys had totally blown their chances with a woman at the first impression stage. He'd paused the clip and had turned to Ryan and said, "The worst thing you can do is panic. First impressions are extremely important. It doesn't matter if the person is judgmental or not, their first impression of you will stick with them forever. No one forgets how they meet someone. So when you meet her, you have to make an impact if you are to stand a chance at having a relationship with her."

"Alright. And while we're on the subject, here are some things to keep in mind. One, stay cool. Don't gape, drool, or go into shock; it'll scare her off. Two, talk to her, be casual. She may not be just another girl to you but you have to act like she is. Otherwise you'll come off as a potential stalker. And that's a BAD thing. No one wants to date their stalker. And thirdly, don't ramble on and on for hours. Say hi, introduce yourself, and then chat a bit before moving on. That means you say something, she replies and adds something, you reply and then WALK AWAY. Don't worry, if you do everything right you'll see her soon. Got it?"

"Got it," he said.

"Excuse me?" Gabriella asked. Ryan looked up and saw Troy perusing around the fruit stand. He noticed Ryan's gaze and motioned for his to wrap it up.

"I'm sorry. It's just that me gift of gab seemed to fail for a moment." he said quickly. Gabriella replied with an uneasy smile. "It's just that you look familiar."

Gabriella's eyes narrowed slightly and she stared at Ryan. Suddenly her eyes widened in shock and she flushed. "Oh my goodness, you're Ryan Evans. The Founder and Producer of Modern Exotica, the theatre troupe." she said excitedly. "I auditioned for the opening in your company last year," she added quietly.

"Oh that's right," he said feigning remembering. "You were perfect for the female lead in the production we were planning. But you turned us down."

"Oh, I was very flattered. I really was. The script was amazing. I loved it. But my students had a concert coming up and really needed me. And the schedule interfered with that and I couldn't bring myself to let them down. They're great kids and I really adore them. I couldn't turn my back on them like that, not when they needed me so much," she said apologetically. Across the room, someone coughed pointedly, and it sounded like the person was saying Ryan.

"Of course. Loyalty is very important. You couldn't have just left them. I understand." he reassured her. Someone coughed loudly again, Ryan took the hint. "It was nice to see you again Miss Montez." he said before grabbing plastic crate of spinach leaves and walking towards the coughing cauliflower stand.

"Cough syrup is in aisle 3 sir," Ryan chuckled.

"What are you doing don't talk to me!"

"Why?"

He groaned. "Because I'm not supposed to exist."

"Well it's going to look weird if I just walk away now. She's watching me talk to cauliflower."

Troy stood up quickly and shoved a few pieces into a bag before shoving Ryan towards the rows of cans and boxes. "What took so long? I said keep it short."

"I was just..."

"Don't' point or turn around," he hissed. "Just walk."

"You okay? You seem... I don't know. Agitated, maybe hurt?"

Troy steered him down the next aisle and veered around to face him. "Just stick to the plan. It's never failed. Alright?" Ryan nodded "In any case, you haven't messed everything up. When you walked away she was watching."

"That good?"

"It means she knows you're alive," Troy responded

Gabriella had watched confusedly as he walked over to the cauliflower, broccoli, peas, and beans stand and began talking. They say you should talk to your plants but she knew that this wasn't healthy. What was he doing? Then someone stood up and shoved some vegetables into a bag and quickly turned away.

He was tall, toned, and tanned. He had shaggy brown and was dressed in a casual dress suit. But still, not your average grocery shopping attire. As he walked away, Ryan in tow, something pulled at the back of her mind. She was suddenly overcome with a feeling of déjà vu. Why did this scene seem so familiar? He glanced back at her as he sharply turned down the aisle pulling Ryan with him. In that split second, their eyes met and sparks ignited in her veins as brown met blue.

A/N- dun dun dun... anyway, kind of a build-up/ filler chapter. What do you think? Please review!