A/n- If you're a mom, happy Mothers day! Especially to my mommy haha love you, mom! Even if you don't read fan fictions… Hmm, actually, that's great cuz I really don't want you reading the sexual stuff I write =)

Okay, so really quick cuz I wasn't supposed to be online right now! Sorry I took so long to update, but I was really feeling… hmm… blah about the story and this chapter in particular haha … hope you like though. I'll try not to be so 'blah' next time… I guess lol. Gonna wait for your response though, see if you all can cheer me up a bit about Inked :P I don't have much time to edit the chapter right now, so sorry for any mistakes and sorry 'bout the format lol. I'll fix it later. And ha, I don't have a song as well, but who cares? I don't! :p

Thanks for the reviews and PMs! About Gabriella... she'll get there. Give her time and don't feed the hate monster. =)

Ahh, READ Entre Toi et Moi and Brantwoods' Cowboy! Seeya!

Disclaimer: I dont own HSM or Adeaze lyrics.

"Listen to me, I'm feeling afraid,
Of something in my life that's wrong,
And don't try to tell me that I'm ok,
Don't worry because I am strong.
I know it gets hard sometimes,
But remember that I'm only human.
And the things that I face are the same things
That you can't help me overcome."

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO.
AUGUST 21, 2008.

Kelsi couldn't concentrate on her work as she tried her best to block the negatives thoughts that assaulted her mind, like the ones of Gabriella killing her for letting Troy hold Emerson and Ryan for never telling her that he saw the baby, and work on the tattoo sketch of her most loyal client Sondra.

When the day started she was actually thinking of how fucked up the woman sounded on the phone as she scheduled an appointment for the next day to ink a heart and a knife to her skin because she recently achieved to get herself a broken heart. She had even thanked for having such a non complicated life. Now she was really afraid Gabriella would literally get a knife and stab her heart, just like in Sondra's tattoo.

"Talking about the devil…" she mumbled to herself as she spotted Gabriella walking inside the shop again, holding a big brown bag under her arm, smiling slightly as she nodded her head in greet. Kelsi gulped, this was now or never for her. She had to tell Gabriella about Troy being at the shop. She had to tell about Ryan's secret.

The brown eyes of Gabriella Montez wandered around the hall, in search for her daughter, staring at the shaky presence of her best friend behind the counter. Her eyes widened slightly as her heart accelerated. The look on Kelsi's face was not good… that probably meant something happened with…

"Where's Em, Kelsi?"

"She's sleeping in the office" she said softly and Gabriella relaxed slightly, "In a crib, Gabs"

"I get highly worried about her all the time…" she admitted lazily, "Sorry 'bout that"

"Hmm… yeah…" Kelsi struggled for words, trying to process the best way to tell her best friend the terrible news about Troy Bolton. She came to the conclusion that if she said it really fast, the pain would be almost inexistent. At least that was what she hoped. "Gabs, we got a problem"

"What's up?" she put the bag aside, turning the marble counter around and resting her elbows on top of the slightly cold material, smirking as she analyzed Kelsi's project, "Having a hard time?"

She nodded slowly and groaned, "Stupid heart and knife"

Gabriella noticed how her hands trembled as she touched the pencil to the piece of paper again. Kelsi closed her eyes and breathed through her mouth. Frowning, she touched her best friend's arm, rubbing it up and down to calm her down, "Do you want me to do it? You could go get some fresh air…" she suggested, stealing the yellow pencil that her hand was wrapped strongly around, "You look stressed, Kelse…"

"I am"

"What's going on?"

"Gabs listen," Kelsi tilted her brown haired head to the side and reluctantly locked eyes with the dark haired beauty, chewing on her lip as she struggled for her words again, "First of all, promise me you won't freak out, okay?" she asked helplessly and Gabriella nodded fervently, but deep inside she knew it would be impossible for her to keep calm when she heard what she had to say.

"Kelsi, you're scaring me… Say it already"

She breathed through her nostrils and nodded her head up and down, encouraging herself to be strong and tell everything to Gabriella. She opened her mouth, but closed it quickly as Emerson's cry could be heard in the entire shop, so loud and agonizing she grimaced. Before she could really blink, her best friend was already gone, to the rescue of her precious baby daughter and she was alone, the speech she had been practicing to herself for more than an hour stuck in the back of her throat. Kelsi needed to say it all already or she'd have a stroke. It was time to tell Gabriella everything – she deserved the truth before Troy showed up again from nowhere.

She followed the brunette to the back of the shop and into the little office where Emerson was previously sleeping. Already think of a plan, a very good plan, she said to herself as she made her way inside the red room that was the Skin Deep's office.

"Oh baby, mommy is here, don't worry" Gabriella soothed Emmy on her lap, rocking her delicately back and forth as the girl hid her face in her chest. "Shh, it's okay, it's fine"

Looking at Kelsi she smiled sympathetically, knowing that the thing her friend needed to tell her, as important as it was, could wait till she was sure her baby was fine again. "I think she got scared she woke up in a different place" Gabriella informed calmly, brushing Emerson's bangs from her forehead and kissing the girl sweetly, "Hmm… what's it?"

Gabriella nuzzled her nose to the top of the baby girl's hair, letting the strong masculine scent linger her nostrils. She breathed deeply, taking in the amazing perfume that mixed with Emerson's baby scented shampoo. "wow… that's good" she raised a single eyebrow and looked at Kelsi, "Did you let someone hold her?"

Kelsi gulped, pushing off the office's desk and walking towards Gabriella. "Gabs, that's what we need to talk about"

"I don't mind you let people hold her, as long as they don't run away with my baby" she laughed lightly, caressing the baby's arm, letting her fingertips sooth the agitated body of her little angel. Her hand met the rough piece of skin decorated with the removable ladybug tattoo and her eyes widened, "Alright, that wasn't there when I left to the bank. What's that?"

"It's just a tattoo. She loved it" Emerson looked at Gabriella through still wet eyelashes and she couldn't help but smile, "It's a very beautiful ladybug, baby"

"Buggy"

"Fuck, Gabriella!" Kelsi almost yelled, throwing her arms in the air in exasperation and she cringed at the agony in her tone of voice. Locking eyes with the disturbed expression of her friend, she gasped. "I'm trying to tell you what's going on and you are not coping with me"

"Wow…" she stared blankly at her, standing up. "I thought I wasn't supposed to freak out and you are here cussing. Kelsi, you only cuss when we have huge problems. Should I worry now?"

Say it, say it out loud. "Troywashere"

"Uhm… what?"

"He-was-here" she said more paused this time, adding as Gabriella's expression was still puzzled. "Troy Bolton"

"Ooh… what?" her face paled immediately as her brain tried to process the information that just flew from Kelsi's mouth. Troy Bolton? Her Troy Bolton, Emerson's father? In her shop?

Gabriella's knees weakened and she collapsed on the black couch glued against the red wall with a loud noise. Emerson grabbed a handful of her shirt, trying to steady herself as her mother's body began to shake inconsolably. Her breath fastened as her head began to spin around and she fought against the powerful blackout her body wanted her to go through.

"Oh my God, Gabs you alright?"

"Get… Emerson" she said in a whisper, "Please Kelsi"

The tiny adult scooped the baby that looked scared from her mother's arms and held her securely against her chest. "Are you okay? Do you want water?"

"I thought he was in NY… what happened?"

"I don't know, Gabs" Kelsi admitted, "but he saw Azzy. He saw her at Sharpay's house two days ago too" she sat beside Gabriella's trembling figure and the toddler threw herself to her mother's arms again, even as she tried to hold her down in place. "He's suspecting she's his daughter, Gabs"

"Oh no…"

"He's coming back tomorrow to talk to you"

"No…" Gabriella shook her head negatively, her hand flying against her open mouth.

"He said he wants her"

"No!" She shook her head violently again and Emerson jumped slightly in her mother's arms, whimpering quietly as she reached for Gabriella's cheek. "She's mine Kelsi, Emerson's mine!" her eyes became teary as she wrapped arms around the toddler's waist, "He can't take her away from me. She's my baby"

"Gabby please calm down"

"I won't let him" she cussed under her breath, more agitated than before as her mind tried to think of solutions to her big problem. "How could Ryan do this to me?" she cried out, "I trusted him to take care of Emerson and he pushed her in the enemy's arms? That's not fair"

"Gabriella, this is not Ryan's fault. You just need to calm down first" Kelsi cupped her shoulders and held her in place, "Breathe, come on" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine, are you thinkable again?"

"Yes" she lied, her hands still holding tightly against the baby's waist, afraid he could show up any second and steal her away from him. Kelsi narrowed her eyes suspiciously and Gabriella sighed defeated. "Okay, I'm not freaking out anymore…"

"Great. As I said he only suspects she's his. We gotta stick to what we consider the truth. You need to convince him she's Ryan's daughter, not his"

"That's impossible Kelse" she ran her hand through her thick hair, "Look at her, she's the spitting image of him. I think I should go back to Santa Fe—"

"No, Gabriella. If you run away he'll be sure you're hiding something" Kelsi stood up and chewed on her bottom lip, "We need to take Emerson from the shop tomorrow. Do you think you can ask Ryan to take care of her? Because Troy said he wants a tattoo, so he'll be back to it tomorrow" she rolled her eyes at Gabriella's annoyed expression, "Yeah, he is using the tattoo as an excuse to be around, I know. Anyway, when he comes tomorrow, you'll convince him that she's not his. You can't get nervous or struggle for words if you don't really want him near her… but if you do, there's always—"

"I don't want him near her" she interrupted Kelsi, clenching her jaw. "I swear if I see him, I'll kick him out of the shop with my own foot. I don't even mind I'm still paying for my Christian Louboutin, I'll do it"

"That would be fun, but I'm sure his butt can take a lot" she reminded as a matter-of-fact, "You want your daughter, don't you?" Gabriella nodded, "Do you think he's a good company to her?" she shook her head negatively, "And why is that?"

"He can't commit" she cried out, "You know that. She'd fall in love with him and he'd hurt her"

"Exactly" Kelsi agreed wisely, "And mostly, even if he looks regretful or handsome than before you gotta be tough. He is still the same cheater you knew three years ago. Isn't that enough motivation to make you sure you need to protect Azzy from him?"

Gabriella lips twisted in disgust as she nodded, the image of Troy and Sharpay kissing back to her mind. Standing up from the couch with her daughter in arms, she wore the determined expression Kelsi was waiting for. "You are absolutely right. Troy Bolton won't hurt my baby like he hurt me"

"That's the way to think about it"

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO.
AUGUST 22, 2008.

"He's outside…" Kelsi said from the doorway, "I think he's waiting for you"

Ryan had just collected Emerson to take her to his mother's house, after apologizing a thousand times for putting the baby in danger. Gabriella had said they could talk later because he needed to disappear with Emerson from the shop as fast as he could. So he did what she asked, promising to really take care of her this time.

Gabriella narrowed her eyes from behind her desk as she gazed up from her sketch to the agitated presence of her best friend standing in front of her. Rubbing one hand across her face she sighed tiredly and nodded her head slowly up and down. She placed both of her hands on top of the table and pushed her body up from the chair, cupping on the edge of the wooden material of the desk as she felt her legs lose its balance slightly.

"Are you going to talk to him outside?" Kelsi asked and she nodded, "There are people inside. I don't want a scene in front of our clients"

"Maybe that's better. I'll lock the door if you guys start to scream"

Rolling her eyes she offered a tiny smile to Kelsi, passing by her as she made her way outside the office and along the tattoo's beds, greeting the chubby man that waited for Kelsi to return and begin his piece of art skin. Marty grinned at Gabriella, winking flirtatiously and she avoided the urge to roll her eyes. She breathed deeply as her hand touched the cold doorknob of the door and she gazed back over her shoulder to receive a reassuring look from Kelsi and a thumb up.

The wind blew past her as she opened the door and walked outside of the shop, shutting the door hard behind her. Her eyes narrowed as the sunlight hurt her face and she took one step forward to hide from it. Gabriella's brown eyes locked at his masculine figure leaned against a black SUV, arms crossed against his muscular chest, dark jeans hugging his toned legs and perfect sculptured butt perfectly. His blue shirt probably matched his eyes, but she couldn't see the baby blue color she always loved so much since his eyes were hidden behind his black aviators.

His torso and arms were very muscular and he looked taller, at least taller than she remembered him being last time they saw each other. Troy Bolton looked the same: he still wore basketball shoes, he still had both of his ears pierced, his hair was still floppy and messy, dipped strategically bellow one eye. Gosh, she felt 17 again.

Her hands became sweaty and her heart accelerated, almost exploding against her ribcage, beating as fast and as loud as three years ago. She could feel the adrenaline running through her veins as she approached him, taking her time to cross the parking lot and get to his car, using the time to control her body again. Because she needed to control her body, she was not the girl Troy Bolton met at the supermarket years ago. She was now a new Gabriella, an adult and a mother.

A mother fighting for her daughter.

And Troy still looked like the same irresponsible teenager that ran from the police, got in trouble and cared about anything or no one. She once thought she really could change him or at least accept him the way he was, but she knew it was impossible. He would always be the same old cheater for her – the guy that sliced her heart to pieces and the one she needed to protect Emerson from.

At least her he wouldn't hurt.

"Hey Gabriella" he said slowly, looking down at her as she stopped in front of him, placing a hand on her crooked hip like before. His insides melted with sweet memories of the first time they hooked up together and he found himself smirking. "Long time no see"

She nodded just once in greet, an awkward silence filling the place as she commanded herself not to make small talk with him and he checked his ex girlfriend out. Wetting his bottom lip, he noticed how gorgeous she still looked. She actually looked better, sexier than ever now that he knew that she was not only the girl he loved, but the mother of his daughter. Something about her carrying his child made him more attracted to her than before.

Gabriella's body was still petite and her green V neck t-shirt clung to her body like a second skin, embracing her breasts tightly and the neckline of the shirt showed the exact amount of skin to drive a man crazy begging for more. Her skinny dark jeans were so tight he could feel the familiar sensation of his dick twitching pleasurably inside his boxers as he watched her. It appeared it didn't matter if it was three or three hundred years without seeing Gabriella, but his body still recognized her very well and acted the same when she was around. She had a black leather bracelet around her wrist that matched her high heels and as she raised her hand to brush her hair out of her face, he noticed the silver rings that adorned her thumb, index and ring fingers of her right hand. She was fucking sexy.

Shaking off the sexual thoughts from his head, because deep down his mind kept remembering him that he was there for other purposes than fucking Gabriella wildly against his car, he reached to take off his sunglasses, locking his blue orbs with her brown ones.

"I believe I have an appointment" Troy smirked, "I told Kelsi I'd be back today"

"Hmm, yeah" she raised her hand, signaling for him to wait as she collected a little card inside her back pocket. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to pretend his visit wasn't affecting her at all. She'd do exactly what Kelsi instructed her. "Here, this is my friend's Lizzie tattoo shop. Just down the road. You could always go there" she smiled politely and he felt his stomach tied up in knots seeing her smile after three years. Even if it was a fake one, it still was her smile. "I'm sure she wouldn't try to stick a needle in your vein"

Troy massaged his forehead with his fingertips lightly before reaching for the card, brushing his hand against hers as he retrieved it, ignoring the chills running from her hand to his. He folded the card in half and threw it on the floor, "Don't play with me Gabriella" he hissed softly, leaning closer to her. "Where's Emerson?"

Gabriella clenched her teeth as his perfume lingered her nose; the same perfume on her daughter yesterday. Damn it, he had been closer to the baby than she thought. Her hand still felt numb after his touch, but she ignored it, knowing that if she tried hard she could send the chemistry between them far away. There were already too much emotions pumping inside of her – sadness, anger, fear and unfortunately… lust.

Emotions that together weren't a good combination.

At least not for her.

Not right now.

Not towards Troy Bolton.

Not when she promised herself she'd kick him out of there.

Using her Christian Louboutins' heels.

Damn.

She felt a shockwave run down her spine as he observed her intently like the first time they met, her mind taking her back to three years ago when they got together for the first time in her house. The sensation of being Troy's girl, being kissed and touched by him was still present on mind. The fact her heart was threatening to jump out of her body disgusted her. She hated herself for still feeling too much for Troy. Was she really masochist after all? Did she really enjoy being played, humiliated, hurt and cheated?

For a long time she couldn't imagine herself seeing him again, mostly because she was still hurting and she needed to protect herself and now her daughter from him. Now that he was there in front of her, so beautiful and so intense like before… Stop it, Gabriella.

She sighed and breathed through her mouth. Right now, as her anger was a bit controlled and she had to admit to herself that the urge to kick him out of her property was no longer filling her heart, the emotions of seeing the father of her daughter and the only man she really fell in love with were still hard to comprehend. She hated him or she wanted to hate him? Gabriella loved him or she didn't want to love him?

One thing she was sure about though, Troy Bolton was trouble and she was determined to stay away from it. It had confused her life too much already.

"My daughter? She's with her father"

"Quit saying shit, Gabriella"

"You are in my property, Troy. Do behave or I won't hesitate to call the police" she warned and he closed his mouth, crossing his arms against his chest again. "What do you want Troy? Why are you here?"

"Emerson." And you, he fought with the wish to add the last part, swallowing the unsaid words.

"You have no reason to be looking for my daughter"

Troy rolled his eyes and corrected her, "Our daughter"

Gabriella laughed in disbelief, but her eyes darkened as deep inside she was freaking scared. "She's not yours"

"I know she is. Quit lying to me, dammit"

"Shh, there are people around, Troy!"

He ran one hand through his dirty sandy hair, breathing slowly as he pushed himself off the car and cupped Gabriella's arms gently, pulling her back against the vehicle, "We need to talk and I won't let you go until you tell me exactly what I want to know"

Their bodies burned with the contact and she paled slightly, "Don't touch me"

Troy reluctantly raised both of his hands in the air, but kept in the same place, encaging her against his body and the SUV. "Why don't we get inside? I have a couch where we can sit because being here in the middle of you and your car is really uncomfortable"

"I rather not get comfortable." If that means I'll have to be far from you, nah, I'm fine like this, he mumbled to himself, feeling as her body got agitated because of their proximity. He loved she still reacted to him somehow. She raised an eyebrow and he added calmly, "You have too many needles in there" he glanced back at the tattoo shop, "I got a game next week. Gotta be alive"

Gabriella rolled her eyes, leaning back against the car, knowing he wouldn't let her go if they didn't have the talk he was waiting for, "Whatever Troy"

She looked away and he raised his hand to cup her cheek and make her stare at him again. "Don't"

He sighed and let go of her face again, "Why you lied to me?"

"Where did you get the idea I lied to you Troy?"

"Emerson doesn't look like Ryan, Gabriella" he stated genuinely, "She has my smile, my eyes"

And your hair too, she thought to herself, biting on her bottom lip as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Her eyes have nothing to do with yours" she lied and he reopened his now dark blue eyes, "Although you crave for her to be your baby and satisfy your male ego that I in fact didn't cheat on you, I'm afraid I'll have to be the one to crush your hopes, Troy. She's not yours"

He took a step closer to her and his arms brushed against hers as he placed both of his hands on each side of her body against the car, "you are... a terrible... liar"

"I'm not lying" she snapped casually, even fooling herself for a second that she was in fact telling the truth. Oh my, what to do to breathe again? Oh yeah, inhale and exhale… inhale and exhale. Gosh that was harder than she thought it would be. The proximity of Troy's body to hers seemed to not only confuse her senses, but play with her hormones too. She was still so angry at him, for being the way he was, for doing what he did, but at the same time, Gabriella craved to be his again, just one more time at least.

"If you're telling me the truth, you won't mind if I request a DNA test, will you?"

Gabriella held her breath – no DNA exam… that was impossible. She wanted to tell him that, to scream and push his body away from hers, but his cologne was lingering in her nostrils, making it hard for her to think clearly. Her mouth was dry and she licked her bottom lip slowly as she tried to remember why Troy was there and what she was doing so near him.

Oh yeah, he cheats and he hurts. "Isn't my word enough for you?"

Troy touched his mouth to her earlobe, enjoying the fact his arms were shaking tremendously with nervousness and he couldn't hold his weight completely and had to get closer to her. "I think previous facts proved that a person could always surprise us" he used her words from three years ago and she held her hand strongly beside her body to avoid to slap him across the face.

How dare he was using her own words against her? It was so offensive, more when he knew how he hurt her during High School to bring the experience back to her mind. Stupid, Bolton.

"I can't trust someone that cheated on me… can I?"

"Emerson's not yours" Gabriella repeated, more convincingly this time as the anger boiled inside of her. She pushed him away from her by his shoulders and he raised his eyebrows as he studied her expression, the way she crossed her arms against her body protectively and the way his interior screamed for her warmth again. Please, touch me again, he thought to himself. "If you want a tattoo, you can have it, but stay away from my daughter, Troy. I mean it"

"Or what?" he couldn't help but smile playfully at her – she was so fucking sexy when she was angry. Man, he was extremely vulnerable around her. You are acting like a fucking 17 years old teenager again, Bolton, his mind mumbled teasingly. Be a man, control yourself.

"You don't want to mess with a mom, Troy" Gabriella said in a low, dangerous voice, "You have no idea what I'm capable of doing to protect my child"

"I'm not going to hurt her, Gabriella" his eyes softened immediately as he thought about Emerson's angel face. She was too perfect to be hurt. "I just want to spend time with my daughter"

"Emmy has nothing to do with you" she pronounced every word between her teeth, "Dammit Troy. Why can't you just disappear from my life? Gosh, you'll keep haunting us now that you think she is your daughter?"

"I'm no fucking ghost to haunt you. I was never dead, Gabriella" Troy said deliberately, staring incredulously at her, "I just believed the lie you told me. If I knew the baby was mine, I'd never give up on her." I'd never give up on you.

"I cheated on you" she tried one more time, weaker this time. "Ryan is the father and there's nothing you can do about it"

"I don't give a fuck to what happened in the past anymore, El" he used her former nickname to emphasize the point of him moving on and she shuddered. "I'm looking forward to the future and if she's mine, I want to be part of her life. You cannot deny that to me, Ellie"

Oh no, not that nickname. "You can't prove she's yours"

"Oh I can baby" Troy smiled a wide smile that exposed all his perfect glistering teeth, "I'm asking you politely, but we could always go to court, hire lawyers and all that jazz" he stepped back, finally freeing her body from his, "I'm having the DNA exam. Whether you want it or not" he sighed, as if he was reconsidering what he just said, "Think about it, El. If you just admit you lied, I will believe you" his voice softened, "Deep down I know I will"

She observed as he turned the car around, hopping in the driver's seat and starting the engine. Gabriella frowned as she began to walk back to the shop, but he honked, making her stop. Automatically she closed the gap between her and his car again, as though she was made of iron and he was attracting her like magnet. Rolling down the window, Troy's head popped out of it, "By the way, you look very, very hot" he smirked and she felt butterflies in her stomach, "Just thought I'd let you know"

Gabriella shook her head in disbelief, "You're just like the old Troy. Some things never change"

"I'll take that as a compliment" he winked charmingly, but became serious again, "But I'm afraid it's not"

"It's not" she certified him bitterly.

"Ah, that's a shame pet…" he sighed dramatically, flicking his hair out of his eyes and putting his Aviators back to his face, "I'll be back tomorrow, for my tattoo. I was hoping you'd ink me, but I can't trust you with a needle" he chuckled lightly and she clenched her teeth, "Tell my daughter I said hi"

With that, he pushed the gas pedal down and drove off the parking lot. Gabriella stayed there, observing as his car disappeared, feeling slightly happy she'd see him tomorrow again. Groaning, she turned around, walking back to her shop, "Shame on you, Montez. You're so weak, so damn weak"

"I don't want nobody else,
I don't need somebody else,
To tell me about love.
I am strong on my own,
But if you think you can tell me
Why the things I'm doing is wrong,
It's just me getting stronger."