Disclaimer – I own nothing of High School Musical, except my OC & the plot. The rest belongs to the respected owner. 'Nuff said.

Italics are flashbacks and thoughts

A/N: No idea where this story came from. Just popped into my head today. I WILL UPDATE MY UNFINISHED STORIES – JUST HAVING WRITER'S BLOCK.

Summary: AU: When Troy & Gabriella were 18 years old, they had a daughter that they named Maizy. Now, fourteen years later, she comes looking for them, asking why they gave her up. Answers are revealed. Takes place in 2011. First HSM story, so be nice, please. Rated T for safety.

Genre: General/None

Rating: T

Eighteen-year-old Gabriella Montez gave a final push and looked into Troy Bolton's beautiful eyes.

"What is it?" Gabriella asked.

"We have a girl." Troy answered, squeezing Gabby's hand. The nurse cleaned up the newborn and brought her over to the young couple.

"What's her name?" the nurse asked. Troy looked at Gabriella and the baby, bonding for a moment before they let her go.

"Esmeralda Gloria." Gabriella told the nurse. It was the name that she and Troy had agreed upon before the baby was born. The nurse nodded and disappeared, probably to tell the adoptive couple that Troy and Gabriella had picked.

"Do you think we made the right choice?" Troy asked as he held his daughter for the first – and last – time.

"We really didn't have a choice, really." Gabriella answered, feeling tears in her eyes. When her mom and Troy's dad found out that Troy and Gabriella were expecting, they encouraged the couple give the baby up for adoption. They even helped the young couple out by finding the perfect couple – Sarah and Jackson Bradley. Sarah had cancer, so she couldn't have children. The Bradley couple has always wanted a child, but couldn't have one due to Sarah's condition.

"I'm going to miss her." Gabriella said, feeling tears in her eyes. She couldn't help sobbing as a nurse placed Esmeralda into Sarah's arms while Jackson looked over her shoulder at the new baby.

"We'll see her again." Troy reassured Gabriella, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Fourteen years later

Thirty-two-year-old Gabriella and Troy Bolton were sitting in their easy-chairs, watching their twins, son Alexander and daughter Chloe, getting ready to go to prom.

"Oh my gosh! Adam will be here any minute!" Chloe squeaked. She was dating Adam Danforth – Chad and Taylor's son.

"So will Andrea-Lynn." Alexander told his sister, straightening his tie for the umpteenth time. Gabriella walked over to her son and helped him with the tie. Andrea-Lynn was the daughter of Zeke and Kelsi.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Troy went to answer it. Standing in the doorway was a girl that looked to be fourteen years old with long black hair, tan skin and green eyes. She wore a long pink shirt and jeans. On her feet, she wore bright pink sandals.

"Can I help you?" Troy asked the girl.

"Yeah, I'm Esmeralda Gloria. I'm your daughter." The girl told Troy. Troy looked over at Gabriella and motioned her to come over. Gabriella saw the girl and felt tears in her eyes. She stood in the doorway, looking at the girl she gave up for adoption fourteen years ago.

"Mom? What's going on?" Alexander asked, walking over to see if his girlfriend was here. "Who's that?"

"Chloe and Alexander, could we talk to you for a minute?" Troy asked as Gabriella guided Esmeralda inside and poured her some hot chocolate.

"Could we make it quick? Adam and Andrea-Lynn will be here any minute." Chloe told her parents, flopping down into the nearest chair.

"Sure." Alexander said. Unlike his sister, he was patient and understanding.

"Adam and Chloe – this is your s-" Gabriella started to say, choking on the word.

"Sister." Troy finished, looking at Esmeralda. She avoided eye contact. Alexander got up from his spot on the couch and sat next to Esmeralda. He talked with her in hushed voices and stayed there until it was time to go to the prom.

The house was silent after that, except for Gabriella and Troy pacing the length of the living room.

"How did you find out where we live?" Troy asked.

"Internet, plus I asked Dad." Esmeralda answered.

"How'd he know?" Gabriella chimed.

"He had a piece of paper in his office that he wrote your address on. He got it on the Internet, through Google maps." Esmeralda answered.

"How've you been?" Troy asked, now that the air was clear. Esmeralda shrugged.

"Mom died when I was two, so it's been Dad and me for awhile. Dad remarried when I was six to a woman named Serena. I hated her because she used to beat me every night." Esmeralda held up the hem of her shirt so that she could show them the football sized bruise on her side. "She threw a football at me one night after I refused to eat my vegetables."

Gabriella went over to Esmeralda and hugged her, tears streaming down her cheeks. No one should have to endure pain like that.

"Esmeralda, I'm so sorry." Gabriella apologized, kissing Esmeralda's forehead.

"Maizy. I go by Maizy. I know my birth name is Esmeralda, but growing up, mom called me Maizy." Esmeralda explained.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" Esmeralda asked. Both Gabriella and Troy nodded, taking a seat on either side of her. "Why did you give me up for adoption? Didn't you want me?"

"Of course we wanted you, Maizy." Troy said. "We didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?" Maizy inquired.

"Maizy, we were only eighteen when we had you." Gabriella told her, stroking Esmeralda's hair.

"Eighteen is old enough to keep a baby." Maizy answered.

"But we were still in high school and we couldn't do it. I was seventeen when I got pregnant with you and my mom wouldn't let me get an abortion, so she and Troy's dad had us find a couple to adopt our baby. We found your parents and felt like we were doing the right thing." Gabriella said, looking at Troy.

"I should probably drive you home." Troy said. Esmeralda shook her head.

"I'm not going back there – Serena will hit me for running away." Esmeralda said, her voice quivering with fear.

"Troy – can I talk to you for a minute?" Gabriella asked her husband. Not waiting for a response, she pulled him into their bedroom and closed the door. They were in the bedroom for twenty minutes before they emerged.

"Troy and I talked and we were thinking that you should stay here tonight. We'll drive you home tomorrow morning." Gabriella told Esmeralda. She nodded and hugged Gabriella around the waist. Gabriella smiled and hugged Esmeralda back.

"You can stay in the guest room. I'm sure Chloe won't mind if you borrowed one of her sleep shirts." Gabriella said, helping Esmeralda get settled in the guest room. Troy had gone to call Jackson Bradley – Esmeralda's father.

"Thank you so much for doing this." Esmeralda thanked Gabriella once she was in bed. Just then, a black cat, followed by a grey tabby, came into the room, both of them meowing.

"You're welcome. I hope you like cats because Velvet and Matilda think this is their room." Gabriella said, motioning to the black cat (Velvet) and the grey tabby (Matilda).

"I love cats." Esmeralda told Gabriella, smiling as Velvet jumped onto the bed and put her head under Esmeralda's arm. Esmeralda smiled and stroked the cat.

"It looks like you're doing okay. Is there anything I can get you?" Troy asked coming into the room. Esmeralda shook her head and held a stuffed dog close to her.

Alexander and Chloe returned later that night. They went straight to their rooms and went right to bed.

When Jackson found out that Serena was abusing his daughter, he divorced Serena. She shot him to death in his home. She was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. In his will, Jackson left Esmeralda in the care of the Bolton family.

Esmeralda – or Maizy as she was now called – loved having somewhere to call home.