A/N: We hope you like it. I didn't really like the ending but oh well.
Don't own HSM x
Maria and Lucille had walked out of the room after Gabriella had run upstairs; Troy eventually deciding it was probably best he go check on his girlfriend knowing how upset she was while leaving the two fathers who continued to dispute their children's actions.
Placing a cup of coffee down in front of Lucille, Maria sighed. This whole thing was a mess and worst thing was that it was their children that were hurting after getting caught in the crossfire of an ugly ongoing feud between two men. "I think we should try and figure out this mess maturely, don't you think?"
Lucille smiled knowing that it was what would be best for Troy and Gabriella. "I don't think we're going to get very far if we leave it up to our husbands so, yeah, I think we should."
"I want you to know that I don't hate your son or any of you. Troy is a wonderful young man and all I know is he makes my Gabriella happy." Maria started, breaking the uneasiness in the room.
"Well I may not be able to comment personally on Gabriella as I don't know her but I do know how Troy has changed over the last few weeks for the better and if it is all down to Gabriella then I certainly hold no grudges against her either. I think we're agreed then that neither of us will force the two to separate?"
Maria nodded. "Definitely. I'm sure you know as well as I do you can't change who you fall in love with, even if it goes against what you've been brought up to believe."
"Exactly. This silly feud has gone on far too long and all because our husbands are both too stubborn to call a truce. It pains me to think that my own son couldn't tell us something as important as he had fallen in love. I always hoped that no matter what happened, my child would feel he could come to both me or his father to talk about whatever, knowing we would back him one hundred per cent. It almost feels as though I failed in my job as a mother." Lucille looked away in regret as she felt a hand grip her own.
Understanding where the fellow mother was coming from, the Latino woman gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't think Troy would want you blaming yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. I know it's hard but trust me; it was even harder knowing and not being able to do anything about it. I don't think I would have even found out about them had Gabriella not fallen in the lake and needed rescuing. I can promise you though that I certainly did not know anything else that was going on between them physically though."
"Don't remind me. It's bad enough having this stress let alone now having the worry of him being that intimate with someone and hoping he is being safe. I don't think I could cope being a grandma this young."
The two women laughed. "Tell me about it. Look, I know Greg probably won't be happy about me doing this but how about you, Jack and Troy stay for dinner and hopefully we can talk about this more in a more civil manner?"
Thinking about it for a few minutes, the constant raised voices coming from the room next door soon made up Lucille's mind. "I think that would be nice. Thank you."
"Great. Well I'll just go let the men know what we're doing. Would you mind just checking on Gabriella because I'm worried about her?"
Standing up, the two smiled. "Sure." Maria instructed her where to go while heading for the living room and bracing herself for the undoubtedly angry reaction she would get from her husband over preparing a meal for people like the Bolton's.
***
Lucille knocked on the door to the Gabriella's room and heard a faint sniffle followed by a 'come in'.
"Hey, how you guys doing?"
Troy smiled at his mom from his position next to Gabriella who lay tightly wrapped in his arms, her tear stained face still obvious and her eyes showing hurt but at the same time love. It made Lucille's heart swell at the sight of her little boy so grown up and so depended upon by another person. "We're ok. What's happening downstairs?"
"Maria and I have left them alone because if they want to bicker over something like this then let them but we're not getting involved anymore. We are more just interested in making sure that you guys are ok and finding a solution so that you guys are happy first and foremost. You ok, Gabriella?"
Gabriella looked at Troy's mom as she sat up slightly. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry about and I'm sure your mom agrees and your father will too, once he's calmed down."
"Everything's just a mess because of me. I've lied, I've hurt them and I've disappointed them because I broke their rules." The tears soon started flowing freely again as Troy held her tighter and Lucille looked on regretful.
"I promise you, sweetheart, we'll sort everything out and nothing that is said or done will break you two apart on purpose. Plus, if Troy has you then I know I haven't got to worry about him falling behind if he follows you seriously to California for Uni because he is spending more time socializing than working." Troy groaned as Gabriella let out a small laugh. "See, that's what we want to see. So, Troy, don't you think it would be a good idea to introduce your mother to your girlfriend officially?"
The couple smiled as they sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Mom, meet my girlfriend and love of my life, Gabriella Montez. Gabriella, meet my mom."
Gabriella blushed slightly as she shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs Bolton."
"It's nice to meet the girl making my son happy too. By the way, call me Lucille, Mrs Bolton is far too official and makes me feel old."
"That's because you are old, mom."
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and smacked his chest while Lucille got him on the leg. "Don't be cheeky, young man. Remember you need me on your side."
Troy moved forward and wrapped his arms around his mom and Gabriella shook her head at his creeping. "Sorry momma, you know I love you really."
***
Everything was so awkward. The whole air was filled with tension that could be cut with a knife it was so thick. Lucille and Maria had been making the odd comment and Greg and Jack quick snipes at each other but Troy and Gabriella remained silent. Each occupier of the table had a plate of chicken in front of them and the table was covered with bowls of vegetables. The one thing that didn't change as the time passed was Gabriella's grip on Troy's hand underneath the table, not wanting to rub it in their parents' faces. Jack and Greg were situated at the opposite ends of the table and Lucille and Maria next to each other and their husbands while opposite their respective child. Maria had called up Gabriella's brothers and Zeke to tell them that it was best they didn't come home for a while and she would call when they could because they had some issues to deal with still. Carl had made his mom promise though that if Gabriella needed him she would call him ASAP.
"This is ridiculous. Will someone please say something?!" Troy squeezed Gabriella's hand letting her know it was ok because he knew how much this was getting to her.
"You want me to say something else, fine. It's been officially decided that unless you agree to not see that filth anymore then you will not be allowed to go to Stanford, period." Gabriella gasped as Maria shook her head at her husband.
"Dad, you have no control over me and I'm sorry but I'm not giving Stanford or Troy up, no matter what you try and make me do."
The table fell silent once again as Gabriella glared at her dad. Everyone had finished eating by now but nothing was being said. Lucille was giving Jack a warning look not to start anything again even after Greg had spoke. Lucille reached for the bowl of mushrooms and scooped some onto her plate. "Gabriella?" She gestured to the bowl.
Troy gasped and snatched the bowl from his mother. "Brie can't have any. She's very allergic to mushrooms." He set the bowl down and breathed out deeply. "Sorry, baby, my mom didn't know."
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Calm down. I didn't touch any."
Troy sighed. "I know."
Greg eyed Troy carefully. "How did you know about my daughter's allergy?"
Gabriella sighed. "I told him. How else?"
Greg pushed his potatoes around his place. "I don't know."
Jack barely touched his food. "Well, my boy isn't allergic to anything."
"Dad!" Troy exclaimed. "It's not Brie's fault. She didn't ask to have an allergy."
Lucille sighed and placed her knife and fork down, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I think it's probably time we left. We all obviously need some time to think and calm down before we regret saying anything else. Thank you, Maria, for a lovely dinner. Greg."
Maria stood up and hugged Lucille while Jack just walked out the kitchen and Greg went out the back. "It was nice to finally meet someone who knows what it's like being involved in this feud but not being able to do anything."
As their mothers talked, Gabriella turned to Troy. "Do you have to go? I really could do with you with me."
Troy sighed as he rested his forehead against hers. "It's probably best. We both know that will just annoy your dad more. I'll call you later, I promise or if I can't, I'll sneak out to see you if I can. I love you."
"I love you, too. I'm sorry again about my dad."
"No worries. I'm sorry about mine, too. Come on, Blitzen."
The two dogs, who had been curled up together, looked up sadly knowing they had to separate, the same look in their eyes as their owners' eyes. Gabriella softly stroked both dogs behind the ear. "Don't worry; you'll see each other soon."
"Baby, look at me," Troy ordered softly.
Gabriella looked up at him, her mocha eyes shining with tears. "What?"
"No matter what happens, nothing will stop me from loving you. I love you," he whispered.
She leaned up and kissed him deeply, tears coursing down her cheeks. She pulled back, whimpering softly under her breath. "I love you, too. I'll never love anybody else." She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a necklace. Dangling from the chain was a silver basketball with 'Knights' engraved on it. "I got you this. I want you to have a part of me wherever you go." She reached behind his neck and clasped it securely.
He smiled down at her. "I love it."
She smiled bravely and kissed him one last time. "I'll see you later."
He nodded. "Of course you will. I promise." He attached the leash to Blitzen's collar. He rested a hand on Gabriella's neck and kissed her forehead. "Talk to your dad. Or try to. You owe him that much."
She nodded. "I know. I'm going to let him cool down though. He's never been angry at me before. I feel like I let him down. Talk to your dad, too."
"I promise I will. I love you."
"I love you, too," she whispered as his hand fell from her neck and he stepped away.
"Come on, Blitzen. We need to go home." Troy looked down as Blitzen nudged Daisy's neck one last time. They whined to each other and looked up pitifully at their owners.
Gabriella sniffed and knelt down, hugging Daisy. "It'll be okay, baby. I promise." She looked up at Troy. "Do you think it would be okay with your parents if Daisy went with Blitzen?"
Troy frowned. "Are you sure?"
She nodded as she straightened up. "Yeah. They need each other just like I need you. Or Blitzen can stay here. I don't mind."
"I think it's safer for Blitzen if Daisy comes to mine. I don't want him to go through a castration without being at the vets'." He raised his eyebrows.
She giggled and reached for Daisy's leach, attaching it to her collar. "Bye, Daisy. I love you." She handed the leash over to Troy. "She has her dinner at six thirty. Leave it down for half an hour and then bring it back up again whether she eats it or not. She might not because I'm not there but if that's the case, she'll definitely eat her breakfast. She'll wake up at about eleven thirty and have a drink and then go back to sleep."
Troy nodded. "Okay. I got it."
She kissed him softly. "Bye, Troy."
"Bye, Brie," he said sadly before he followed his mother through the Montez house.
Gabriella rubbed her arms and sat down at the dining table again. "I can't wait to leave."
"Yeah, you'll probably elope with that scumbag," Greg muttered as he walked back in.
Gabriella ran a hand through her hair as she groaned. "Dad, shut up for once and listen to me." She stood up and felt tears roll down her cheeks. "I might take you up on that if it means not having to listen to you insult Troy every five seconds." She let out a sob before she turned around and ran up to her room.
* * *
An hour since she'd been in her room, she was getting worried. Troy hadn't called her or snuck into her bedroom. She hadn't left her room since she'd run away from Greg but knew that Carl, Zeke and Landon were back. She kept hearing the rhythmic bounce of the basketball outside and wondered what they thought of her relationship with Troy. Troy had said that Carl loved her and was giving him a chance but she didn't know what to say about Landon or her other brothers.
She had Sunday and then she'd have to face West High. She was positive that everyone would know by Monday and then harsh comments would follow. It was inevitable. But, strangely enough, she wasn't scared. She knew Sharpay was by her side and it didn't matter if Carl agreed with her or not, she knew that he wouldn't let anybody hurt her.
She suddenly sat up and climbed out of bed. She locked her bedroom door and then pulled on some sneakers. She grabbed a key from her desk and stowed it safely in her pocket. She opened her balcony doors and leaned over the railing. "Carl!" she hissed.
Carl slowly stepped towards her balcony and frowned. "You okay, Bells?"
She nodded and began to climb down her tree. "Can you please not tell Mom or Dad that I'm gone?"
Zeke and Landon jogged over. "What's up?" Zeke asked.
"I don't care what you say about him, I love him and I'm worried. He hasn't called me since he left. Please don't try to stop me. You can kill me later but let me go and don't tell Mom and Dad," she pleaded.
"You're serious about him, aren't you?" Landon asked quietly.
She nodded. "Yeah, I am. And your support would really mean a lot to me."
"Just let us know if he hurts you, okay?" Zeke asked. "I can't say any of us are particularly thrilled of your affair but we love you and we won't hurt you and won't let anyone else hurt you, either."
Landon and Carl nodded in agreement. "We'll be with you all the way. And well done on getting into Stanford. Carl told us," Landon said softly.
Gabriella smiled softly as she hugged the three of them. "Thank you so much, guys. I don't want you to lie to Mom and Dad but you're going to have to. I need to see Troy."
"Go. Have fun. Don't get pregnant," Landon warned.
She rolled her eyes. "I promise we're being safe." She ran through the yard and around the house and took off down the street. Her calf muscles were beginning to burn by the time she reached Troy's street but she didn't slow down. Her heart ached to know that Troy was okay and all she had in mind was that he loved her.
She reached his house – she knew where he lived from numerous times that her brothers had pulled a prank on him – and listened carefully for if he was practicing basketball with Jack. Silence. She snuck around the side of the house and into the back yard. She found that it was similar to her own: basketball court, lawns, flower beds and even a tree next to a balcony. She looked up and saw a glimpse of a John Salley poster taped to the ceiling. Troy's room. She began ascending the tree, thankful for all of the years she'd spent with her brothers who had taught her how to climb a tree without falling. She hauled herself over the railing and landed with a muffled thump. She pushed the balcony door open and shut it behind her. She saw Daisy and Blitzen sleeping together in the corner and she giggled quietly. She moved her eyes to Troy's bed to see him lying on his back, sleeping. She slipped her shoes off and padded over to the bed. She climbed onto it and lay down next to him on her side. Troy wriggled slightly and then remained still.
She sighed. The necklace she had given him only a couple of hours before was still around his neck and she smiled to herself. He was hers. There wasn't anything anybody could do about it. He looked so handsome, lying there before her, sleeping. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, not bothering to wake him up. She climbed over him, one knee each side of his hips and her hands ran over his well sculptured chest.
Moments later, moans began to vibrate against her lips and she smiled as she opened her mouth, wanting to be as close to him as possible. His tongue danced with hers and his arms wound tightly around her waist. His kisses were sloppy with tiredness and he eventually pulled back for air. She continued to kiss his jaw line and neck. "Not that I'm complaining, babe," he mumbled breathlessly, "but, what's this about?"
She giggled against his skin and moved back up to his line of vision. "I needed to see you. You didn't call or come back and I was worried."
He suddenly smirked up at her. "You snuck out, didn't you?"
She blushed and buried her face into his neck. "Stop laughing."
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I'm grounded. That's why I couldn't call you."
Gabriella lifted her head and her smile faded. "Grounded? No phone? You can't leave, can you?"
He shook his head. "No. I can't. I wanted to talk to you and I was going to e-mail but my dad took my cell phone and laptop away. I'm sorry."
She kissed him chastely and sighed as she pulled back. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. As long as you're okay," she said quietly. She began to climb off of him and walked back over to pull her sneakers on.
"Babe, where are you going?" Troy asked as he rushed over and held her from behind.
She turned in his arms and shrugged. "Home. I've got you into enough trouble. I was going to ask if you wanted to go somewhere that was completely isolated and no one would be there and we could be alone together. But, it doesn't matter. I should go."
"What place?" he asked quietly.
"Sharpay's house is enormous. In her yard, there's this small building. It's like a really posh shed that was decorated. It's got a bed and everything. When Shar and I met, she said it could be mine so that if my brothers were getting too annoying, I could go there and be by myself. It's mine. I even gave her some money for it. She wouldn't let me give her more than two hundred bucks, though. But, that's it. It's not much," she explained.
"And we'd be alone," he asked smoothly, bringing her more snugly against his body.
She nodded. "It's at the bottom the yard so it's nowhere near her house."
Troy let go of her and went over to his closet. He pulled on some sneakers and went back over to her. "My dad doesn't trust me at all now so it's not going to make things any worse, is it?"
She shrugged. "If you're sure…"
He kissed her cheek and winked. "Of course. Besides, we've only got a week. No matter what our parents say, we need to make the most of our time. Come on. I want to see this place."
Gabriella led the way down the tree and around his house. She reached for his hand and bit her lip as they began walking the darkening streets. She felt guilt wash over her and she fought herself not to cry. The last thing she ever wanted was to hurt Troy but she'd already made up her mind. She'd hurt so many people and all she'd ever wanted was for Greg to be proud of her, to support her. And he didn't. She knew that she'd told Sharpay that she'd choose Troy any day, but now that that day was here, she couldn't.
Troy squeezed her hand. "You okay? You're quiet."
She nodded. "Of course I am. Why'd you ask that?"
He frowned. "No reason." He looked up and his eyes went wide. "This is Shar's house?"
Gabriella giggled at his expression and nodded. "Yeah. It is. Her parents used to work on Broadway before she and Ry were born. They knew they wanted their kids to grow up well and so they live here."
"It's really nice…and big," he gasped.
"You get used to it." She began pulling Troy around to the back of the house and across the yard. She pulled the key out of her pocket and unlocked the door of the small white building that was partially hidden by trees. She opened the door and gestured to it. "This is it."
Troy picked her up like a bride and carried her inside, kicking the door shut behind him. "I love you so much."
She nodded as he walked over to the bed which was situated in the middle of the room and laid her down on the soft mattress. Tears gathered in her eyes and she smiled weakly at him. "I love you, too. I promise."
He crawled on top of her and smiled as he pulled her shirt over her head. "You're so beautiful. I can't believe you're mine." He pulled his own shirt over his head and threw it to the side. "I'm never letting you go."
"Make love to me," she whispered as she pulled him back to her.