"Stella, time to eat!" Greg yelled up the stairs to get his youngest daughter's attention. "She's probably got those headphones on again, you guys go ahead and eat, I'll go get her." But Vanessa's younger sister met her dad halfway up the stairs.

"Hey dad, did I hear Vanessa and Zac come in?" Stella managed to squeeze by her dad as she was running downstairs.

"You did. They're getting dinner. No cutting line, you're at the back little miss."

"Fine, fine," the 12 year old said to her dad as she reached the kitchen. She was excited that her big sister was home, and that V's boyfriend was here for dinner. "Hi Ness, hey Zac Attack." Stella smiled.

Zac looked up from the table. "Hey Stella Bella, how's my fav' little sister?"

"I'm good, how are you doing?" Stella asked with concern in her voice. She walked over and stood beside Zac putting a hand on his shoulder.

Zac turned and gave her a hug. "I'm doing ok, Bella. But my heart hurts, ya know?"

Stella patted him on the back. "Yeah, I can imagine. I'm really sorry you have to go through this. How's Dylan doing?" Stella had gotten to know Zac's little brother when they would visit the HSM set with their mom's. They had also hung around with their older siblings several times at their parents' request.

"He's doing okay too. Thanks for asking." Zac let go of Stella and she gave him a kiss on the cheek then went over to the stove to get her food. Zac looked at Vanessa and smiled, then looked at Gina and Greg. "Dyl had a little breakdown when Nessa and I first got to the hospital last week. Vanessa ended up playing mom and trying to comfort him while she was dealing with me too."

Vanessa just blushed a little and noticed her mom and dad looking at her. "I'd call it more of being a 'big sister' than playing mom. He just needed a shoulder to lean on. He had been so strong for his mom and grandpa that day. He needed to get some of his hurt out too. I'm just glad I was able to be there, for all of you." Vanessa glanced back at Zac and rubbed his leg with her toes under the table.

The conversation continued with Greg and Gina asking about Zac's parents and grandparents. Zac and Vanessa both thanked them for the fruit and pastries that were sent to Toluca Lake. Zac mentioned nibbling on the goodies for hours while stationed at his grandfather's house that first day. Zac also thanked Gina for going to such great lengths to get his suit for him. "Grandma really liked seeing me in that suit. I'm glad I was able to wear that to the wake." He said.

As they began to finish eating Vanessa and Stella offered to clear the table. When Vanessa grabbed Greg's plate, Stella was the one who made the inevitable comment. "Hey Ness, cool ring. I haven't seen that one before, where'd you get it?"

Vanessa didn't answer. Stella just looked at her and shrugged her shoulders. "Have a seat again little sis." Vanessa said. Zac could tell that she was summoning up the courage to give the parents their big news. So Zac scooted his chair back to get up and stand beside his fiancée. Instead, Vanessa came quickly to him and sat down in his lap.

"Mom, Dad…" she started slowly. "Zac and I are engaged now." She didn't look at Greg and Gina, but looked straight into Zac's eyes as she said the words. Greg carefully put his glass back on the table and looked at the two of them. Gina had simply taken a breath and cupped her hands over her mouth.

"My baby…" Gina whispered from behind her cupped hands. She stood up and came around the table to hug Vanessa and Zac. "How…When?" was all she could get out.

Greg still sat quietly at the end of the table. Zac looked at him and noticed his eyes were glued to the table. Z could only imagine what this news was doing to Greg's heart, so he didn't try to make conversation.

"Lemme see that ring again!" Stella jumped over to Vanessa and grabbed her hands. "This is so cool! My sister's gonna get married! Sweet!!!" She hugged Vanessa and then turned to Zac. "How'd you ask her? Was it really romantic? Hey, why didn't you guys tell us this when you called to check in?"

Vanessa's head started spinning from all the questions. But she noticed one voice that was missing from the conversation, her dad's. She got up from Zac's lap and walked toward Greg's seat. "Daddy?" Vanessa felt tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't read her dad's expression, and he wouldn't look at her yet.

All eyes were on Greg. Everything was quiet at the table as Vanessa put her hand on her father's shoulder. Finally he looked up at her, put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "Congratulations my sweet Baby." Greg said as he leaned into her side. "I know you two will be very happy." He said with a sad smile on his face.

Vanessa reached down and hugged her father firmly. "Thank you Daddy. I love you!"

"And I love you too, Baby V." Gina and Stella continued their barrage of questioning the couple. Vanessa made a point of making Zac answer some of their questions. She knew he was still nervous about Greg's acceptance of their engagement. And Greg was again not talking.

This time though, Greg was doing what his wife had told him to do. He was keeping his mouth shut, and his mind and ears open. Their news wasn't a complete surprise. Thanks to Gina's intuition earlier he had let his mind wander to various scenarios that he could envision coming from the couple. This was one of them…and Greg had surprised himself by allowing himself to calmly accept it.

The family listened as Zac told them about his Grandmother's insistence that he have the ring; his grandfather's description of what an engagement means; and about finding Vanessa holding the ring in her hand the night after his grandmother passed away. Then Vanessa continued as she told them about Zac's heartfelt proposal and her quiet acceptance. They both admitted that they still didn't believe they were engaged until Starla had noticed the ring the next morning at breakfast.

Vanessa looked at Zac as she chose to avoid the embarrassing conversation that had happened at the Efron's breakfast table. Zac just smiled remembering the pointed questions that his mother had asked both of them.

"Mom, Dad," Vanessa looked at both of them and caught Greg's eyes, "This just feels right, in my heart and in my head." She had sat back down in Zac's lap for comfort and support so she grabbed his hand as she said it.

Zac decided to try and change the subject, although he knew it wouldn't work. He was hoping it might snap Greg out of the cloud he seemed to be wandering in. "We need to finish cleaning up the table." Zac started. "Let me help clear the dishes."

"No, no," Gina insisted. "Stella and I will take care of these in a little bit. We want to hear more about this engagement. With what your grandfather said, I'm guessing a date hasn't been set yet. Am I correct?"

Greg caught what Zac was trying to do. He was doing his best to get out of the questioning. "Why don't you ladies continue that conversation. Zac and I are going into the living room for a bit. Grab your drink Zachary."

Zac gave a somewhat scared look to Vanessa as he grabbed his glass and followed Greg into the living room. Would this be the 'intentions' conversation that Zac had practiced for? If so, Zac had just forgotten his lines.

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"You know," Greg started once they were seated in the living room, "that last couple of times Vanessa has gone home with you, the two of you have come back with some pretty big news."

Zac chuckled a little and rubbed his hand around the back of his neck. "Yeah, and I think the two of us have surprised ourselves with that news. We certainly didn't head to Toluca Lake this time expecting to get engaged. At least I know I didn't. "

Greg sat forward in his chair leaning his arms on his knees as he looked at Zac. "Are you sure about this Zac? Are you sure that you want to marry Vanessa?" Greg stopped for a second to let Zac think, then he continued. "I know the past week has been very hard on you and your family and I know that Vanessa seemed as comfortable as possible given the circumstances. But are you sure that this engagement isn't a result of emotions from your grandmother's death and what you think she wanted?"

Zac took a minute to think and listened carefully to what Greg was saying before he responded. "Greg," he said with confidence, "I've been on a roller coaster of emotions. I'm not afraid to admit that. And when I first asked Vanessa to accept that ring I couldn't believe the words were coming out of my mouth. But they did. And they came out so easily that I'm sure it was meant to happen. I've told you before. I love her and I don't want to do anything to hurt her. And after this past week, I know that I want her by my side to share all those emotions with, all over again. I don't want anyone else with me, but her."

Greg stood up and held his hand out to Zac. Zac was a little confused, but he took Greg's hand and stood up himself. Greg pulled Zac into a hug as he smiled and said, "Welcome to the family."

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When Gina and Vanessa came into the living room, they found the typical sight. Zac and Greg had found a game on tv to watch. Greg was sitting comfortably in his recliner with his feet up, glass of iced tea in hand. Zac had relaxed on the couch putting his feet up and leaning back against some pillows on the arm.

Vanessa lifted Zac's legs up and slid in underneath them letting them drop down into her own lap. She noticed that Zac didn't seem nearly as nervous as he had so many times before when he had watched tv with Greg. She might even say he seemed relaxed. "You seem comfy." She quipped as she rubbed Zac's knee.

"I am." He smiled at her. "Hey, where's Stella Bella?" Zac looked around curiously.

"Are you kidding? Mom made her put dishes in the dishwasher. After that horrendous task, she headed back upstairs to her room. You'd think she was being punished or something." They both laughed.

"Hey young lady, you were a twelve year old once. Need I remind you of some of the antics and attitudes that you pulled?" Greg glanced over to see an amused look on Zac's face but not on Vanessa's. She was trying to think back to when she was twelve.

"I think I'd enjoy hearing about that," Zac laughed. Greg chuckled as well. Vanessa smacked Zac on the knee as she snapped out of her thoughts. "Hey, it can't be that bad can it? Besides, you just spent a week hearing about my younger days. I think it'd only be fair if I get to hear more of your stories too!"

"Not until after we're married." Vanessa said.

"Oh no, I'm not waiting that long to hear about your childhood. You could keep putting off the wedding for years and then where would that leave me?" Zac commented.

Greg watched as his daughter got a somewhat tortured look on her face. "It won't be that long." She said quietly.

Zac sat up quickly and put his arm around her. "I'm joking. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know. It's ok." Vanessa smiled. Then she leaned her head against Zac's shoulder. "I just know I don't want to wait years to marry you." She whispered.

At that point Greg allowed another scenario to enter his mind. It involved his daughter and her fiancé and a loss of virginity. Gina noticed Greg shiver and put her hand on his shoulder. It was another thought he was going to have to accept. "I'll tell you later." He said as he patted his wife's hand.

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Zac had nearly fallen asleep on the couch as the game was coming to an end. "Why don't the two of you just stay here tonight Baby Girl?" Greg was asking Vanessa. "Look, Zac's exhausted and mom can run your laundry through the wash tonight. It'll be one less headache Zac will have to go through tomorrow."

Vanessa glanced back at Zac who was now sitting up on the couch. Both of them knew the sleeping arrangements would be different here than they were at Zac's parent's house. But she also felt that her dad was trying to be helpful as well.

V walked back over to Zac. "It's up to you sweetheart, do you just want to bunk here for the night, or go back to your place?"

Zac had the same thought as Vanessa about sleeping arrangements. He knew he didn't want to be away from her yet, especially not at night. He had grown used to Vanessa being by his side over the past few nights. He wasn't ready to let go of that again just yet.

Greg felt a little of their tension as he tried to convince them to stay. "It's already ten o'clock. There's no need for you to head back to an empty apartment tonight Zac. Just stay here with us."

Greg was assuming Zac would be going home alone. That didn't help the matter. After another minute or so Greg decided to give them some space. What's the big deal? Zac has spent the night here plenty of times. He thought. Gina seemed to read his mind. "They've never spent the night here as an engaged couple. " She reminded him.

The lightbulb went on in Greg's head as he glanced back in at them sitting on the couch. Zac's head was on V's shoulder and she was stroking his cheek. Greg realized he was going to have to 'get with the program' and allow his daughter to grow up a little more.

Greg went back into the living room with a slight blush on his cheeks. "You guys haven't been separated for the past few days, have you?" He was able to flash a smile in their direction.

Vanessa looked at him. "No."

"Sleeping arrangements were different at your parent's house, Zac?" Greg asked.

Zac looked at him. "Yes."

Greg sighed. "The spare bedroom is made up. There's a double bed in there. Do you need help getting suitcases out of your car?" Greg couldn't believe he had just offered to let his unmarried daughter sleep with her fiancé under his roof. Trust was the word that kept going through his mind.

Vanessa was in shock. Zac was the first to jump. "Greg, I-I can't do that. That's breaking the rules of your house. Thank you, but I – we can't."

Greg stepped closer to Zac. "Son, you can, and I insist. I don't want you getting into an accident on the way home and I realize that you aren't ready to let Vanessa go yet. It's the emotional stuff we talked about earlier. I understand."

"Are you sure?" Zac asked. He looked at Vanessa and she was just looking back and forth between him and her father.

"I am." Greg said. "I'll have Gina put some extra towels in there and make sure there's an extra blanket for you." He turned to walk out of the living room and said, "Close your mouth Vanessa Anne. I'm not a complete old fogy just yet."

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Vanessa looked at Zac and attempted to close her mouth. Zac just smiled at her. "I guess I'm staying over."

Vanessa still wasn't talking. She watched as Zac went to the car and grabbed their suitcase from the trunk. He carried it up to the spare bedroom and sat it at the foot of the bed they were about to share. She watched as Greg grabbed an extra blanket and pillows and brought them into their room. And she watched as her mom took some of their things out of the suitcase and down to the utility room to wash overnight.

Two of Zac's t-shirts and a pair of his sweatpants had been left on the bed for nightclothes. Vanessa realized she had an entire closet full of clothes at this house, but Zac had still left out one of his shirts for her to sleep in. Just like she had done over the last week.

Zac walked back into the spare bedroom after helping Gina get the laundry started. He noticed Vanessa was still dumbfounded. "Are you okay with this?" he finally asked. Vanessa nodded.

"Was…was that my dad that offered to let us stay in here, all night, together?" She finally spit it out as Zac was getting undressed.

"It sure looked and sounded like him. That's why I figured one of us better answer him." Zac laughed.

Zac finished putting on his sweats and t-shirt. Vanessa finally got into Zac's other t-shirt that he had laid out for her. For the first time she noticed that it came almost to her knees. She had barely paid attention to that when they were at Zac's house. Now she felt just a little selfconscious, wearing just his t-shirt to bed.

"I, I'm gonna run down the hall and grab a pair of shorts from my room." She admitted to Zac.

She felt weird walking into the pink room that housed her single canopy bed and pictures of her with her family, including Zac. She also noticed the trinkets and stuffed animals that adorned the dresser and chest of drawers. A teen's room she couldn't help but think. She grabbed a pair of boxers from her dresser and headed back out the door and down the hall to the room she was sharing with her fiancée. She finally felt a little bit of that teenage twinge go through her heart. She had been so grown-up, so mature over the past week. She had forgotten how it felt to be only eighteen.

She stopped just outside the door of the spare bedroom. She knew Zac was waiting for her on the other side of that door. She did NOT regret their engagement, or the special time they had spent together with his family over the last week. But she knew when she lay down in this bed beside him, in this house, it was the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

Gina noticed her just standing there and put her arm around her daughter. "You have your dad's blessing. It's okay."

Vanessa hugged her mom and smiled. "I'm still in shock I guess."

"He is too." Gina nodded toward the bedroom she shared with Greg. "Why don't you go give him a goodnight kiss?"

Vanessa nodded. She quickly slipped on the boxers under Zac's shirt and walked down the hallway. She knocked on the door before peeping her head in. Greg was sitting up in bed reading. He motioned for her to come sit beside him on the bed.

Vanessa snuggled up to her father for a minute and Greg wrapped his arm around her. "I feel like a twelve year old again. Wondering why I can't go to that co-ed sleepover at Deb's house."

"And it's the attitude that you gave me after I said 'no' to that…that's what I need to share with your future husband." Greg smiled. "Although I have a feeling he may have already seen some of that attitude from you. Am I right?"

Vanessa thought for a minute. "No, not really. After hearing what went on at that slumber party, even with her parents in the house…I was pretty glad I didn't go. So I had to ditch that attitude and realize that you were right."

"Ah," Greg sighed. "You finally admit it!"

Vanessa sat up and looked at her dad. "So tonight's really ok? With me…and Zac…in the same room, a bedroom?"

Greg took his glasses off and laid them on the bedside table before looking again at his daughter. "You're an adult now Vanessa. I'm still going to be here to protect you. But you've said you're old enough to make your own choices. Now I've got to admit that too. Zac loves you and you're engaged now. I don't suppose you'll be sleeping in separate bedrooms when you stay over at his apartment now will you?"

Vanessa swallowed, "It's a one bedroom apartment daddy."

"My point exactly." Greg said. "And I'm not going to let my mind think about the numerous times you've stayed over there already." He stopped.

Vanessa looked at him sheepishly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to bed now Dad. I love you. And Daddy? "

Greg's eyes and nose contorted as he thought about his last sentences. Then he focused again on what Vanessa had just said and looked at her in a new light. "Yes Baby V?"

"Thank you!" She smiled at him as she left the room.

"Love you too." Greg said as she closed the door.

Vanessa made her way back to the spare room. She opened the door and found Zac already asleep in the bed. She crawled in next to him, trying her best not to disturb his sleep. But Zac rolled onto his side and put his arm out for Vanessa to curl up next to him like they had done those nights before. She smiled as she worked her way closer to him and finally found the right position. She felt Zac lift his head up and turned hers toward him. She felt his soft lips meet hers for just a second before he put his head back down on the pillow. "I love you." Zac said.

Vanessa smiled. "I love you too." She answered.

Gina crawled into bed next to Greg. "Thank you." She smiled.

"What for?" Greg asked, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"For keeping your mind and ears open." Gina said.

"What about keeping my mouth closed?" Greg reminded her of the third part of her lecture earlier in the evening before Zac and Vanessa had gotten home.

"If you had done that, they wouldn't be sleeping right down the hall from us right now." Gina whispered softly. "Love you." She said a little louder and then snuggled down next to her husband to go to sleep.

"Love you too." Greg whispered in her ear.

Well that's it for my first venture at a story! Thanks for reading and commenting/reviewing. If you enjoyed this one, please check out Scenarios: Photo Scandal.

I've got a couple of other Scenario type chapters in the works but the words just aren't flowing like they did for these first two stories. All suggestions are welcome!