Miss Romance Lover- I've not read or seen Twilight! I must be channelling it psychically lol.

Brittany Katniss- yay someone shares my birthday! :D And guess what? My mum's is on the 24th! Weird.

This is the last chapter, please read my A/N at the end of the chapter!

Chapter 23

"Can I move yet?" Gabi's voice was soft with affection as Troy's body spooned hers but refused to release her.

"Nope," he decided, burrowing his lips into her hair and nuzzling her neck.

"Troy," she giggled. "We can't do this today. We just got back and everyone wants to see us…"

"They can see us," he allowed. "But they might not like what they see…"

He laid kisses down her naked shoulder and she groaned and twisted to face him, attaching herself to him for a long, wakening kiss.

"Do you think we have time for just a little fun?" she whispered between kissing him and pushing him down to control their session.

"I want more than a little," he growled, hard and throbbing at her demonstrations.

Gabi obliged, letting him lead the kiss they shared for long moments and beyond while they both reached their peaks together.

Troy lay there afterwards, holding Gabi as tenderly as before their impromptu love-making. He kissed her hair.

"I think I should speak to Emily," he broached the conversation he didn't want to have.

"Oh?" Gabi didn't look up but he felt her twitch.

"I don't know why she came here and that makes me uneasy."

"You have unfinished business," Gabi read between the lines, dropping a kiss to his chest and he tangled his fingers into her hair- the hair that was straight last night and looking distinctly messed now.

"Maybe," he conceded. "But it doesn't change anything with us."

"I know," she accepted easily, reminding him of her amazing understanding.

He kissed her hair one last time, then moved to get up. "Time to face the music."

/

Her eyes rolled firstly down him; then back up with slow relish, her tongue rolling over her teeth in a feline show of appreciation.

"Troy big-boy," she greeted as he stepped into Marlade's open garage, finding Emily perched up on the work bench, her thighs open and wrapped in black leggings.

He sunk his hands into his pockets and gritted his teeth as he approached, meeting Emily's gaze with silent steel.

"Don't call me that," he repeated with a quiet husk.

"Mmm," she smiled flirtily. "I love it when you stalk me like a tiger on the prowl…"

"Lets just cut to the chase, Em," he stated flatly, in a tone that told her he wasn't going to play games. "Why are you here?"

"To cheer Solo on in the race," she answered as if that were obvious and then she slowly slid down from the bench and walked over to him with a pronounced sway.

Troy squinted. "Really? I find someone I can share my life with and start a team and Solo creates merry hell and you just decide now is the time to come and play cheerleader?"

"She's a little…virginal for you," Emily pursed her lips of Gabi.

Troy kept his face emotionless. "She's everything you're not," he quipped and Emily's eyes hardened at his jibe.

"I know you think about me, Troy," Emily goaded, right in front of him now. "Because I still think about you," she murmured, coming closer. "I still think about how you licked me to climax…"

Troy cringed at her words. "You left me, Em. You can't have missed me all that much…"

"You think I left you because I thought Marlade was better?" She laughed at this.

"He could hear you," Troy frowned.

"I don't care," she shrugged. "Marlade knows as well as I do that our relationship is built on lust and nothing more. I was only ever in love with you."

Troy shook his head in confusion. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you should know Marlade wanted to destroy you. And he almost did- but I thought by going with him I was protecting you. I didn't know me leaving would cause you to crash anyway…so the very thing I was trying to prevent happened anyway," she smiled bitterly.

"You left me because he blackmailed you?" Troy fathomed and Emily nodded.

She licked her lips and revealed a little of the vulnerability he fell for. "I never stopped loving you, Troy. And seeing you with someone else hurts."

"Now you know how I felt," Troy mused, not falling for her emotional plea.

"We can have it again, Troy," she whispered, cupping his manhood through his jeans to which he grabbed her wrist and cast her touch away.

"Don't touch me."

"You're big," she grinned slowly. "I miss that. Marlade doesn't know anything about satisfying a woman the way you do…"

"You lost that bonus when you jilted me." He glittered.

"Does it mean nothing that I did it to save you?" She begged.

"I'm in love with someone else," he beseeched.

"Oh don't go Stefan Salvatore on me," she teased. "Stop frowning."

"It's true, Em. You tore out my heart and Gabi re-built it." He explained.

"She's not like me," Emily looked hurt. "She's too short and too curvy…"

"I love everything about her," he assured.

Emily paused and lifted her chin. "Then she's lucky."

"Can you promise me you're not here to cause trouble?"

Emily sighed barley audibly through her pouty lips and tiptoed to his ear, grasping the back of his head and this time he didn't move.

"I'm not here to cause trouble," she assured on a low whisper. "I'm here to protect you. Marlade is out to ruin your new team. Be warned."

With that she stepped back and walked back toward the counter, hitching up just a second before Solo's footsteps forewarned his presence.

"Where's my bitch?" He called crudely, and then paused at seeing Troy. "Oh, hello, Bolton, glad you could join us," he quickly smoothed. "Threesome?"

Troy didn't break his gaze from studying Emily. "No thanks. I have to be going."

"You sure you don't want to fight for the damsel?" Solo suggested and Troy turned and walked away with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"She's all yours, Marlade."

"You think you got the better deal, huh?" Solo guessed, watching Troy pass him.

"I know I did," Troy smarted as he walked out for good.

/

"Oh, god, yes….oh that's good…there! Right there…"

Troy poked his head around the living room door, wondering what he might find from all the vocal noises his girlfriend was making.

He laughed out loud when all he found was Chad scratching under her cast with a knitting needle.

"You do not wanna know how bad that sounded," he chuckled.

Gabi rolled her eyes. "Pervert."

"Did you speak to Emily?" Chad checked and Troy nodded, sitting opposite his two friends with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah. And she told me Marlade is out to sabotage my team."

Chad frowned. "She told you that?"

"Yeah." He confirmed, looking to Gabi.

"What does that mean for us?" she wondered.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Let's get your wrist healed and then we'll think about it…"

"What else did she say?" Gabi asked intuitively.

"I…uh…I think we should talk about that later…"

Her worried eyes darted to his and Chad stood up. "I'll get drinks, and take my time," he added as he headed out and Troy licked his lips, moving to take his seat sitting beside Gabi.

"What is it?" She asked nervously.

"Emily is being blackmailed by Marlade. The reason she left was because he threatened to hurt me…she said she's still in love with me…"

Gabi looked up to him with her big brown eyes. "I can see why…" she smiled just a little, not knowing what he might say next.

"I told her that I didn't feel the same," he assured.

"Do you need anything?" she checked. "Space? Time alone?"

He blinked and sighed, leaning back into the sofa. "Just a cuddle right now."

Gabi leaned back too and obliged him.

"If Chad's result tomorrow isn't a good one, I feel like I might crack," Troy admitted.

"It will be," Gabi reassured. "And I'm here for you no matter what."

"I love you," he sighed, holding her close.

"Me, too." She reciprocated.

/

"Well, the results are good." The consultant relayed as all three of them sat to share Chad's news. "The chemo seems to have worked."

They looked at each other, all wondering 'is that it?'. The consultant smiled at their blank, almost disbelieving faces.

"You'll need after-care, but the hard work is over. You're going to recover, Chad. Congratulations."

Chad nearly didn't have the energy to smile, but his tears saved him anyway and he put his head in his hands and let the emotions out that he'd been hiding for so long.

Troy rubbed a hand over his back reassuringly while his other linked with Gabi's but when he flicked a look to check on her, he found her crying, too.

"Hey, am I the only one not crying here?" He wondered, feeling his own tears begin at the momentous news and they all stood to share a hug, three ways.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Gabi wrapped her arms around Chad's neck when they split, then went to hug his consultant.

"Dude, you whooped it," Troy told him in a low husk, man-hugging him hugely.

"Thanks for being here, bro. I owe you."

"All you owe me is a night out and a beer," Troy assured with a smile.

Gabi came back over and cuddled around Troy's waist. "I'm not letting go."

"Why not?" he smiled down on her bemusedly, stroking down her back.

She shrugged and he let it drop, waiting until much later, when they were alone back at home to kiss her with the emotions he felt; all coursing through him from the epic day.

"I feel like what we have is so precious…" He murmured as he drew back form their long, tender kiss.

"That could have been you in there…that could be you I was worried about losing…"

"Every moment counts," he agreed feeling the same sense of bewilderment at losing the woman he loved. Although neither of them had been in immediate danger this time; her accident reminded them both that danger lurked. And they didn't want to lose each other.

"I love you, Troy," she announced again. "Today taught me not to hold back."

"Today taught me that right now might be all we have," he conceded. "Gabi...?"

He pulled back and swallowed.

"What is it?"

"I want to spend forever with you…"

Her eyes lit up and she beamed. "Me too, Troy," she hugged around his neck excitedly. "I want forever with you, too."

"Will you marry me?" He asked, shocking her even though he'd led up to his proposal.

She didn't even need to think about her answer. "Yes!"

He grinned the biggest toothy smile she'd ever seen and then picked her up and span her around, causing her to squeal.

"Shh!" he chuckled. "Chad's sleeping…"

"Then don't propose to me!" She swiped him, and then kissed him for a long, long time until they broke for air.

"I have a ring for you, but can I make love to you first?" he husked.

Gabi giggled. "Aren't you meant to put the ring on while you're proposing?"

Troy blushed. "I got a bit excited."

Gabi rubbed against his hardness suggestively. "So I see…"

He kissed her again and scooped his hands over her backside. "Will it wait?"

She pouted. "I'm not having sex until my wedding night."

"Gabi," he tilted his head and smiled devilishly at her.

"Or at least until I have a promise of marriage…"

"I gave that…"

"And a favour," she insisted.

He sighed and broke away, trekking back downstairs and then up again with the ring box, silently berating himself for forgetting it in the first place. Who proposed without a ring, he mused?

"I have it…" he came inside, not expecting to see his fiancée knelt on all fours, completely naked and awaiting his return. She smiled coquettishly over her shoulder.

"Do we get to do it like this?" she asked and it took all of his willpower to place the ring box on the nightstand before he joined her on the bed; their familiar passion overcoming them for the long moments they made love.

"It's beautiful…" Gabi sighed as she studied the ring a few hours later after they had napped.

Troy ensconced her from behind and shadowed her hand with his, taking the band between his finger and thumb, whispering in her ear, "Let me put it on?"

She nodded, wrapped in his arms and feeling so loved and happy she felt she might cry again but she held it back while he ran the silver ring with a rare blue diamond onto her finger.

"It's not a normal diamond…" he explained and she smiled.

"I know, it's beautiful."

"I didn't want you to have what everyone else has…you're too beautiful…"

"I love that it's different," she assured.

"My tomboy," he kissed her shoulder, holding her tight. "Forever."

/

THE END

Author note:

Okay, okay I know its rushed I read it back and realised that. I did sort of write a short sequel to this but I wasn't happy with how that turned out so I decided not to post it and to leave the story here. I know I will have disappointed some people with this ending so I'm sorry for letting you down :(

I do have many many new stories to post however so I hope you stick around to read those :) I haven't decided what I'm posting next…