AN: I apologise that these oneshots are severely...lacking. I'm really drying up, and part of me is pleased that I'm nearly finished writing them. I've had a busy few days rushing around, so only got a chance to post these today.

Year 23: Secret Santa

For the first time in weeks, Kelsi and Ryan were spending a quiet afternoon together. Jayden and Natalie were at daycare, and Kelsi and Ryan had finished work early.
"I don't know how much longer I can work on this music score. My fingers are killing me, but it's never enough for the director." Sighed Kelsi, flexing her fingers. Ryan locked his fingers between hers, and lifted her hand to kiss it.
"I know what you mean. The director of my new show is just...so demanding. I show him the choreography, and he tells me to change about ten things before deciding he liked what I was doing originally. I thought Broadway was supposed to be all...glitz and glamor. Not sweat and tears.
"Yeah, we should move home." Kelsi muttered, and Ryan looked at her.
"You really wanna move back home?" He asked, and Kelsi shook her head quickly.
"No I just mean...it was all so easier then. And all our friends seem to be gradually going back there when they've finished with college. I'm just thinking outloud, that's all." Kelsi sighed, not having the courage to tell him how much she missed her friends, how much she just wanted Jayden and Natalie to grow up like she did, even how much she missed catching up with Sharpay. Ryan was about to say something when a letter got dropped on their doorstep. Kelsi, desperate to change the subject, quickly got up and opened it.

Hey past Wildcats!

We thought that instead of buying eachother gifts that we don't use (and come on, you know we've all given eachother at least one present like that) we'd all get given one couple to buy a gift for!

Don't ask me how we've given out the couples, Gabriellas the smart one here, I just type up the letters. Hope you're all coming home for Christmas, let us know if you're not!

Love, Troy and Gabriella

"Who do we have?" Asked Ryan, after Kelsi finished reading the letter out. Kelsi looked at it, and smiled.
"Taylor and Chad. I'm sure it was fixed so that we didn't get Sharpay and Zeke."
"Wow...they're a tough choice. I mean they're so...different." Muttered Ryan. "How are we going to come up with a gift that they're both going to use?"
"Well, we'll think about it later. Right now..." Ryan kissed Kelsi. "I think we have an hour or so free to do um....What we want." He raised an eyebrow and Kelsi laughed, following him into the bedroom.

The gift choosing proved to be more difficult than either of them had ever thought possible. One Saturday afternoon, each holding the handles of a pram, Kelsi and Ryan wondered the streets of New York, looking for something to get both of them.
"How about something sporty?" Suggested Kelsi, as they passed at store selling sports memorabelia. Ryan shook his head.
"Like Taylors going to be able to use anything like that. She'd end up hitting Chad over the head with whatever we bought."
"Hence Taylor's use?" Kelsi laughed. Ryan was about to say something when they heard bickering.
"My toy!"
"No, my toy!"
"No, mine!"
"Give it! Mommy!!!" Kelsi rolled her eyes, and knelt down to look into Jayden's pram, where he was clutching onto Natalie's doll. He looked almost instantly guilty, and pouted. "My toy." He repeated.
"No Jayden, that's Natalie's dolly. You give it back."
"No!" Said Jayden, gripping onto the doll tighter. Kelsi looked to Ryan for help, who fished into his back, and sighed reluctantly, pulling out one of the toys that they had bought Jayden for christmas.
"Jay, give Natalie her doll back, and you can have this..." He waved the cuddly toy in front of Jayden's face and Jayden excitedly grasped for the teddy bear, giving Kelsi a chance to swoop down, and hand the doll back to Natalie. She hugged Ryan quickly.
"How did I cope all those weeks without you last year..." She muttered, and Ryan laughed.
"Come on, you know what Sharpay was like growing up. We have all that to go still, remember?" Kelsi groaned.
"Don't scare me." She said, shaking her head and continuing down the street. Eventually, Ryan and Kelsi admitted defeat, and ended up buying a crystal vase and some clothes for Marie.

A few days later when Ryan was packing to go back home for the holidays, Kelsi noticed how Ryan was overpacking.
"Planning on leaving me or something?" She joked, and Ryan nodded.'
"Yeah, me and Chad are actually gonna run away together." He said sarcastically, kissing her head. "Just...Something I have to do. You do it as well."
"You're being suspicious. I don't like it." Said Kelsi, hugging him from behind. "Is this some weird, twisted christmas present?"
"Kind of." He smiled, passing her an envelope. "I was gonna wait but....Merry early Christmas." Kelsi opened the envelope, and pulled out the plane tickets.
"What's so fascinating about plane tic—" She paused, as she read the tickets. "One-WAY?! What??"
"I know you want to go home, you don't have to tell me that, I can see you're not happy here. And I kind of want the twins growing up in the same area as us, and making the same kind of friends. So....was it a good surprise?" Kelsi nodded.
"The best ever."

On the plane to Albuquerque, Ryan explained to Kelsi the surprise. They were going to stay with his parents until they found a place of their own. When it came to work, he had heard that the local theatre was in danger of closing down unless it could get more people coming to see it's shows. With the combined efforts of Kelsi writing the music for shows, and Ryan choreographing, there was no way the theatre wouldn't do well. It also gave Ryan and Kelsi a chance to work together, which they hadn't had a chance to do since they left high school. Once Ryan and Kelsi were settled down, they grabbed the twins and their presents for Chad and Taylor, and went to the proposed location of the couples meeting – East High's gym. Troy's father had retired as coach of the basketball team around the time that Miss Darbus had resigned as the drama teacher, and Chad and Sharpay were around to fill the posts, respectively.
"Yay, you brought the twins." Grinned Taylor, as they toddled their way over to Marie, who waved at them as they came over. "I told Chad you might, but he didn't believe me."
"Hey, no problem. And I guess, Merry Christmas." Smiled Ryan, handing over the vase. The second Taylor took a look at it, she laughed.
"Yeah, I know, we are pretty much impossible to buy for. My mum always gets us similarly bad presents. But it's cute, thanks." Said Taylor, hugging each of them. They turned to face the children as they heard giggling. When Ryan and Kelsi saw what they saw, a big smile came across their faces. Jayden was holding Marie's hand, and leading her over to the teddy bear he had brought with him, and Marie was smiling. Ryan and Kelsi looked at eachother, and laughed. It was like going back in time and looking in the mirror.