A/N: Hello people. So here's your weekly update. At the bottom is a preview of the next chapter. Yes, I'm starting previews :D. I thought you'd like that. I'm currently writing chapter 17. I think you'll enjoy that one. Anyway, I've started a blog. I'll post the link on my profile. And please check out my profile. There are promotional pictures made by me, Lee and Cortnie for this story (and others). Although mine are, by far, not the best, I'm still proud of them :)

Chapter 12

"Why are women so damn complicated?" Andy ranted. "Yesterday, Steph went completely psycho and ran away from the library. I mean, all the women I've ever met are confusing. Why are they that way?"

Troy shrugged and pointed to Gabriella who was sat cross-legged on the table, eating an apple. "Why don't you ask one?"

Gabriella quirked an eyebrow. "Me?"

Andy shrugged. "You're a woman, right?"

Gabriella nodded slowly and threw her apple core into the nearby bin. "The last time I checked."

"Well, why are you all so complicated?" he exclaimed.

"You want the truth?" she asked. "The male half of the species is less complicated than an earthworm. You have three basic needs. And don't argue with me, you'll be in denial and I'm older, therefore I know more than you. Imagine a triangle. A guy is the centre point inside that triangle and all three corners are equal distance from the centre. Following so far?"

Andy nodded. "So, an equilateral triangle?"

Gabriella smiled. "Exactly. So, one of those points is food. Men love food. You can eat and eat and eat and not gain a pound. A second point of the triangle is a girl. Any girl in the world. The final point is sports. Whether it's football, rugby, wrestling, snooker, you love sports. Those are the three necessities of the male half of the species. Of course, those things vary with culture, religion, sexuality, but generally, you need those three things."

Andy shrugged. "Where do women come into this?"

Gabriella glanced at Troy who raised an eyebrow and then turned back to work. "Women make up for the complications that you lack."

Andy groaned, throwing his head back. "Oh my god. But, you're so frustrating. I do something wrong, you don't talk to me and I don't even know what I did. I mean, she hasn't talked to me since yesterday and I don't know why she's upset."

"Wow," Troy piped up. "Haven't talked since yesterday? This must be serious. You know," he began, pointing a spanner at Gabriella, "when they were six, they argued at school over a crayon. The fight lasted the car ride home."

Gabriella smiled. "Andy, she won't talk to you."

"Well, should I apologise?" he asked.

Gabriella gasped. "Hell no. Not unless you know what you've done."

"Gabi, I don't know what I've done," he exclaimed.

"I do," she whispered. "So does your dad. The only one who doesn't know is you."

Before Andy could respond, Gabriella was distracted by a familiar face approaching. "Hey, Alejandro. What are you doing here? Troy, Andy," she introduced.

Alejandro waved half heartedly at the two Bolton men and then turned back to Gabriella. "Have you seen the news?"

Gabriella frowned. "I'm working. Why? What's happened?"

He sighed. "There's been a bombing. In Afghanistan."

She smiled sarcastically. "No. You're lying to me."

"Gabi, why would I lie to you?" he exclaimed. "I hate seeing you upset, I would never cause it."

Tears sprang to her eyes as she clambered off the table. "Troy, does your laptop have the internet?"

"Uh, yeah, go on through," he murmured slowly, gesturing to the office.

Without asking permission, she sat down at his desk and switched the laptop on. She saw Troy loitering hesitantly in the doorway, clearly unsure what was happening and what he should. Instead of addressing him, she turned back to the laptop and logged onto the BBC news website. She was greeted by the same words all over the screen:

Afghanistan.

Bomb.

Deaths.

Gabriella felt tears well in her eyes and before anyone could stop her, she'd pushed past her brother and her boss and left the confinements of the office.

Before Troy could follow her, Alejandro rested a hand on his shoulder. "She won't go far."

Troy handed Alejandro a cup of coffee. "You take it black, like Gabriella does."

Alejandro nodded. "Everyone in our family does." He eyed Troy as he looked worriedly at Gabriella who was stood at the far end of the garage, leaning against the wall. "You can ask, you know."

Troy shrugged. "What's up?"

Alejandro sighed and sipped his coffee. "Our younger sister, Addie, is a medical nurse in the navy and she's based in Afghanistan. It doesn't sound too scary. I mean, she doesn't touch guns or anything. But, she's in a tent, in the desert, with a bucket. And she's my sister. And there's just been a bombing over there."

Troy was silent for a moment. "Why isn't she leaving? I mean, surely she wants to be home right now."

Alejandro shrugged. "Ignorance. We all do it. Gabi, me, Mum, Dad. We're all guilty of it. It's not that we don't care. It's just that if we acknowledge the danger that Addie's in, we'd all stop living because we'd worry too much. So we pretend that she's fine and we move on."

Troy nodded slowly. "Will she be okay?"

Alejandro quirked an eyebrow. "Are you talking about Addie or Gabriella? Don't worry, in the circumstances, I won't go into overprotective-brother-mode."

Troy cracked a smile. "Well, yes, I was talking about Brie."

Alejandro shrugged. "I don't know. We all worry but we've never had to deal with this before."

Troy stared across at Gabriella. She was a simple woman who had the misfortune to be burdened with complications. How could he imagine that kind of concern for a sibling? Or for anyone for that matter. Bolton's had lived in Scarborough for generations. And none of them ever left. Not for anything. He never had to miss anybody because his family was only ever a few minutes down the road. And his newest employee, the woman that he was always afraid to admit how much he cared for, was dealing with the possibility of her sister being dead.

"What do I say?" Troy asked softly. "I'm not good with things like this."

Alejandro gave him a rueful smile. "Please. You think I'm any better? There's a reason I haven't gone over to her. Whenever she, or anybody else for that matter, is upset, I'm guaranteed to say something wrong and make her feel worse."

Troy smiled. "That's not you, that's men in general."

Before Alejandro could respond, Gabriella turned around and headed back towards them. Troy's heart broke when he saw how she looked. She looked pale, her skin had a sickly pallor to it, and her eyes looked rather dull. She looked as if she hadn't slept in days, despite how Alejandro had told her the devastating news about half an hour ago. She looked ill.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked quietly.

Alejandro shrugged. "I came here straight from work. As far as I know, Dad keeps trying the hotline but he hasn't got through yet. And the house phone is not being used. For anything. Just in case, you know, someone calls about Addie."

Gabriella nodded slowly. She shuffled her feet a little bit, obviously weighing up whether she should say what was on her mind, or to keep it to herself. After a moment, she lifted her head and sought her brother's eyes. "Alex, what do I do? I can't lose her."

Alejandro put his cup down and brought his sister into his arms. Little whimpers were being muffled by his shoulder. All Alejandro could do was hold her while she cried and all Troy could do was stand awkwardly on the sidelines. Going back to work seemed insensitive. But, he felt so helpless just standing there, watching the siblings comfort each other. A part of him, a part which fuelled Troy's selfishness, wanted to be Alejandro. He wanted to hold Gabriella and to comfort her.

Troy rubbed his forehead. But, what was the point? She was dealing with the prospect of her sister being dead. She wouldn't want Troy interfering. She just wouldn't.

Alejandro pulled back from their embrace and brushed Gabriella's bangs from her eyes. "Gabi." He sighed. "I don't know what's happened. But, whatever it is, we'll get through it, hermana. (A/N: sister) We're Montez's. We've come through tragedies before, haven't we? The only thing we can do is be there for each other. Because that's all we have."

Gabriella sighed. "Where's Sarah? And Nat and Dan?"

Alejandro shrugged. "Sarah's at home. Nat and Dan are still at school."

Gabriella nodded slowly. "I suppose that's best."

Troy couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand looking at her forlorn, fear-stricken eyes. He wanted her to smile. He wanted her to laugh. He just wanted the Gabriella that he saw working on cars. He wanted her to be okay. He stepped forward and touched her arm. "Brie, why don't you go home and be with your family? I know, I can tell, that you don't want to face this but you're going to have to. You're not getting much work done and all you're going to do is worry. The best thing for you to do is to go home and be with Alejandro and your parents and comfort each other." He tilted his head to the side, looking into her eyes. "Don't you think?"

She turned to Alejandro. "I need to talk to Troy a minute. In the office. I'll only be a minute."

Alejandro smiled weakly at his sister. "Take all the time you need."

Troy led Gabriella into the office and shut the door behind them. He watched Gabriella sit on the chair in front of the desk. "Brie," he whispered.

"Don't," she muttered. "Please." She looked up at him with watery eyes. "Don't say that you're sorry. Don't say that you understand. Because you don't."

"Actually," he began, crouching in front of her, "I wasn't going to say any of that. Brie, look at me. Just at me." He waited until she reluctantly looked at him. "I know that those words mean shit when someone says them. I just want you to know that if you need someone, anyone, who won't care if you cry or yell or whatever, I'm all ears."

Gabriella looked down at her lap. "Addie's like that."

Troy couldn't help but notice how she had refused to use the past tense. He let her continue.

She swallowed hard and wiped her cheek with her fingers, smearing some oil with her fresh tears. "She didn't care about my problem, she was just with me, her sister. Hermanas para siempre (A/N: sisters forever). She didn't care. I mean, she wanted me better. But, she didn't see someone who overreacted, or an addict. All she saw was me, her sister." She shook her head, closing her eyes. "If I don't have her, who do I have? Alejandro has his own family to be concerned with. Mum and Dad are too busy looking after each other. I mean, they're not spring chickens anymore. If I don't have her, I don't have anyone."

Silently, slowly, giving her time to push him away, he reached for her hand. He wrapped his much bigger fingers around her smaller ones. It was a simple action; one that's passed between people on a daily basis. But it was a silent offering. Silent reassurance. He couldn't imagine in a million years how she might feel. He could never understand. But, he wasn't willing to let her battle through this by herself. If anyone asked, he'd emphasise how he was an employer who was concerned for the wellbeing of his employee. But, to himself, he knew it was more than that. He wanted to care for her.

He was willing, despite his fear of women and how he might get hurt, to care for someone other than Andy.

"You have me," he whispered.

Gabriella looked at him. Really looked at him. He cared. He wasn't saying some meaningless shit like she'd expected him to. Perhaps a part of her had actually wanted him to. But, as she looked at him, the familiar fire ignited into an inferno, spreading that incurable desire through her veins. Before she could fully comprehend what she was doing, she reached forward and pressed her lips to his.

He paused. "What's that song that Alejandro played for you?"

"'Leningrad,'" she whispered.

"What does it mean to you?" Troy asked quietly.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I liked it before my...problem. I guess, now, when I hear this song, I hear my brother telling me exactly why I should be strong and I think of all the reasons to stay sober. Mum, Dad, Alex, Addie, Zeke, Sharpay." She paused and looked down at her scuffed walking boots. "You."

Troy touched her cheek with his fingertips. "Brie, look at me." He waited until she looked at him before he placed a soft kiss on her lips.