Two days later Zac and Vanessa tossed their bags into his car to make the trip back to Los Angeles. They had said goodbye to Zac's grandpa the evening before after spending a wonderful day with him just reminiscing, laughing, and talking about the future. Alexander had thanked Zac and Vanessa for both being there to support him through this rough time. And Zac had invited his grandfather to come visit them in L.A. and promised to come back soon to see him again.

At one point Zac and Vanessa had cuddled together while looking at wedding pictures. First they looked through a worn album showing the somewhat elaborate ceremony between Zac's grandparents. Then they flipped through a second album, one that showed a simple but beautiful ceremony that had joined Zac's parents together. They both blushed a little when Zac asked if Vanessa saw anything in those weddings that she would like to have in theirs. Yes, they were engaged, but they hadn't even attempted to discuss wedding plans.

Alexander reminded them both, "Your engagement doesn't mean that you have to set a date right away. It simply means that you are promised to each other. Don't let anyone push you into anything that you aren't ready for. I'm saying this to both of you." He put his hand on Vanessa's knee. "The world is hard on couples. Don't let them push you. Don't let him push you." Alexander cocked his head toward his grandson.

"Grandpa!" Zac blushed at his grandfather.

Vanessa felt her temperature rising too and the redness showed up in her cheeks.

"What?" Alexander looked at both of them. "She's the closest thing to a granddaughter that I'm going to have Zachary. I've got two grandsons. Now who do you think I'm going to protect?" Alexander smiled at Vanessa who leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

Zac put his hands in the air as if he was surrendering. "I give!" he said, smiling. "But what if she's pushing me?"

"Then you'd better listen." Alexander said pointedly. "Cause if she starts pushing you, then it means you're taking too long, or you aren't paying her enough attention. And if that's the case you better start giving in to her, or you might lose her. And WE can't let that happen, now can we?"

Zac put his hands back down and squirmed backwards into the corner of the couch as he listened to his grandfather. He could feel the sincerity and seriousness in his grandfather's voice. He could see the stunned look on Vanessa's face as she ingested what his grandfather was saying. Z & V looked curiously at one another when the lecture was finished. Life Lesson Learned.

Vanessa thought back to that lecture as she climbed into the car. Don't push, and don't be pushed. She kept thinking. Then as Zac started the car she also started thinking about telling her parents that she was now engaged. Just when her father was trusting and liking Zac, how would this news come across?

Zac noticed her quietness as they pulled out of the driveway. "Oh no you don't." He said as he looked at her.

"What?" Vanessa asked a little surprised. "I haven't even said anything."

"That's my whole point." Zac said and smiled at her. "On our last drive home from Toluca Lake you got really quiet on me and the next thing I knew we were in the emergency lane on the highway with you telling me that you loved me. As much as I loved that, I'd rather not replay all the drama that led up to it! So start talking now. What's on your mind lovely lady?"

Vanessa smiled at him and took a deep breath. "Zac this may freak you out, but I'm just going to put it out there." She started.

Zac nearly froze. That was the same way that she had started the 'I love you' conversation…the one that had ended well, but had taken them into the emergency lane. "You better be kidding me. I'm NOT pulling over this time." He said and just kept staring out the window.

If he had looked at Vanessa he would've seen her cheesy smile cuing him into the fact that she was kidding. She knew exactly what she was saying, just to see how he would react. Oh well, she thought, at least I got a reaction from him!

"Yes, I'm kidding," she continued. "I'm just thinking about telling my mom and dad that we're engaged."

"When do you think you should tell them?" Zac asked innocently.

"First off, you'd better put a'we' in that question mister." Vanessa looked at him.

"Huh?" Zac was confused.

"After my last big conversation with my Dad, I decided there would be at least two revelations in my life that YOU would have to help me tell him about. This is one of them." Vanessa said quite seriously.

"I need to be there for you to tell him that we're engaged?"

"You need to be with me when we tell him we're engaged." She emphasized the 'we'.

"Okay, I can handle that." Zac said, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. Did he really think that Vanessa was going to let him off easily on that? "Wait, what else will I have to be there for?" Zac wondered, a little scared.

"You will need to be there when we tell Dad that I'm pregnant."

"What???" Zac swerved a little on the road as his head jerked around to look at Vanessa. He was holding his breath again, like he did after she admitted that she loved him.

"No, you dope, I'm not pregnant now. Breathe Zachary… Good grief. Unless there's been another immaculate conception…and as far as I know I haven't spoken to any angels lately." Vanessa joked. "I'm talking about after we're married and we decide to have kids and get pregnant. Then you'll have to help me tell dad."

"Well, at least he'll know we aren't virgins by then." Zac grinned.

Vanessa smacked his arm. "Okay genius. Now you've just earned a new job in our future. You don't just have to be there when we tell dad we're expecting. Now you have to tell him. And when he asks how it happened, you have to tell him that too!" Vanessa whined.

Zac cringed at the thought of having to share that information with Mr. Hudgens, uh, Greg, uh, Dad. What had he gotten himself into?

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This trip home was less eventful for Zac and Vanessa. They did decide to tell Vanessa's parents about the engagement as soon as they got home. So about halfway there Vanessa had phoned her mom to make sure they were going to be home.

"Hey mom, we should be home in another hour or so." Vanessa started when Gina answered the phone.

"No stops in the emergency lane this time?… Your father wants to know." Gina laughed and Vanessa heard her father mumble something in the background.

"Not this time, but thanks for asking!" Vanessa smiled. "Hey, are you and dad going to be home when we get there?"

"Yeah sweety, we're in for the evening. The door will be open." Gina assumed maybe Vanessa had left her keys behind when she and Zac had headed to Toluca Lake so quickly last week.

"Okay, thanks," Vanessa answered. "Should Zac and I stop and get something for dinner? We can bring something back for you and dad too."

"No, don't do that. I fixed lasagna. There's plenty here, tell Zac to plan on staying for dinner. I'm sure there's nothing in his apartment right now anyway." Gina offered.

"Thanks mom, we were kinda counting on that." Vanessa smiled as she reached over and patted Zac on the belly.

Zac just looked at her hand and glanced back at her. Vanessa put her hand over the receiver and said, "Mom cooked lasagna and you're staying for dinner when we get home."

Zac gave her a thumbs up and smiled, mouthing 'thank you' to Gina. "Zac says thanks too mom!" Vanessa laughed. "Okay, we'll see you guys in about an hour. Tell daddy not to worry, no extra stops this time. Love you both!"

"Love you too sweetheart. See you in a while." Gina hung up the phone and went to check on the lasagna.

"You handled that very well young student." Zac joked.

"Well, no reason to make them suspect that we have something else to share with them. We need to eat, you have no food in your fridge, mom's made dinner to feed ten people, and we need to tell them that we're engaged. I think it all goes hand in hand, don't you?" V smiled. The butterflies were beginning to escape from their cocoons in her stomach. At least this time, Zac would be by her side.

Meanwhile, Greg followed Gina into the kitchen as she opened the oven door. "Everything okay with them, other than needing food?" He asked.

"Seems to be." Gina said while testing the noodles. "But I have a feeling there's more to this impromptu family dinner than we know about." She glanced back at her husband.

Greg was a little surprised. "If I end up in another conversation with either of them that includes the words 'virgins' or 'sex' then Vanessa Anne will NOT be going back to Toluca Lake with him anymore. I don't care what the circumstances."

"Don't make any promises you aren't prepared to keep." Gina warned him.

"Did she tell you something on the phone?" Greg didn't want to be blindsided again.

"Nope, she didn't say anything out of the ordinary. Just call it mother's intuition." Gina walked over and put a hand on Greg's waist as she kissed him on the cheek. "And that same intuition tells me that you may want to prepare to let our little girl make more trips with the man she loves, not less."

"So when she tells me to listen this time, I better just open my ears and shut my mouth. Is that what you're saying?" Greg grabbed a piece of garlic bread that had just come out of the oven.

"Mmm, I'd say keep your ears and your mind open, while shutting your mouth. Just keep it full of lasagna and bread and you'll be fine. I'll be right there by your side." Gina wasn't about to share any more of her intuition with her husband. He was just going to have to get a clue for himself.

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It wasn't much longer before Zac's black Audi pulled up in the Hudgens' driveway. He and Vanessa both climbed out of the car and stretched their legs and arms. They hadn't stopped at all on this drive home so three hours of being cooped inside the vehicle had taken a toll on their muscles.

Greg and Gina quickly opened the front door and turned on the porch light. They watched as Vanessa crossed in front of the car and took Zac by the hand leading him toward the house. Greg held the storm door open for the teens to come into the house. Vanessa stopped briefly to kiss her dad on the cheek and then headed straight into her mother's hug.

"Zac, son, are you doing okay?" Greg asked as Zac walked in the door.

"I think so, sir. It's been a long week." Zac admitted. Then he realized that Greg had just called him 'son'. "Um, G-Greg, Vanessa told me that you lost your parents several years ago. I know that must've been a very hard time for you. Losing my grandmother has been an emotional drain on my whole family." It was the first time that Zac had called Mr. Hudgens by his first name. He realized it felt pretty good.

Greg put his arm around Zac's shoulder to sympathize with the boy. "It's a time that none of us like to think about. But if a family can pull together and get through such a trying time, it just makes them all stronger."

Zac nodded. "Our family is pretty small compared to others. But it seemed like we were all leaning on each other." He looked ahead of them as he watched Vanessa walking with Gina. "Nessa was amazing for all of us. I don't know if I could've gotten through that without her."

This time Greg nodded at Zac and looked ahead at his wife and daughter. He caught a glimpse of something on Vanessa's left hand that made him stop for a moment. I don't think I've seen her wear a ring like that before. But he just shook off the thought and kept walking.

When they reached the kitchen Greg sat down at the table. Vanessa headed over to the oven where the lasagna was sitting on top of the stove. Gina turned around and opened her arms to Zac who came straight to her. "We're here if you need us. You know that, right Zac? I feel like you're almost a son, you've been around here so much the past couple of years. If you need some motherly love, or home cooking, you just come on over here." Zac just nodded into her shoulder as he gave Gina an extra squeeze. She returned the favor saying, "We are so sorry that this all happened so quickly."

Zac held back a couple of tears as he wandered over to the stove next to Vanessa. "Gina, it smells wonderful!" He commented. Gina handed him a plate and the spatula. "Dig in, it's time to eat." She watched carefully as Vanessa reached up to rub a gentle hand across Zac's cheek. Gina, too, noticed the ring on Vanessa's hand, one that she didn't recognize. She glanced at Greg who looked her straight in the eye and gave a knowing nod.

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