Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or any of its characters.

A/N: DUDE! Has it really been 3 weeks? I didn't even realize it had been THAT long. SORRY! I have an inkling though, that you will like this chapter. Enjoy…

Last Time…

As the rain fell on her she felt a sense of freedom, literally, wash over her. She didn't care that the rain was soaking her blue blouse or her black skirt. She didn't care that the cold rain was going to send her dark curls into a frizzy mess when they dried. She just didn't care.

Gabriella held her hands out and looked up at the dark sky, letting the rain continue to drench her. Despite the protests of her grandmother, brother and sister, she didn't move.

Gabriella finally realized that the storm wasn't a bad omen. That just because the sun hadn't suddenly started shining when they'd been blessed with the best news of a lifetime, it meant something terrible was about to happen. She realized that the storm had in fact been a good thing all along. The loud thunder was decimating all the terrible that invaded Gabriella's life, while the bright lightning showed all the good that would shine down on her new life. The gust of wind that blew away her umbrella was only there so that Gabriella was able to feel the cool rain's soothing power. The rain washed away any chains that held worries and fears close to Gabriella.

As Gabriella stood on the steps of the courthouse continually getting wetter she had never been happier in her entire life. This was the beginning.

Chapter Thirty – A New Moon

"She did what?" Chad exclaimed, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I told you, she stood outside in the pouring rain after the court session," Troy explained, again.

"But that doesn't sound anything like Gabriella," Kelsi reasoned.

Troy shrugged his shoulders, "That's just what Mariana told me."

"But why?" Zeke wondered.

"That would have totally ruined her clothes and her hair and her make-up! Why would she do that?" Sharpay exasperated.

Troy couldn't help but laugh, "Sharpay, I really don't think Gabriella was concerned about those things."

"You don't think it was odd of Gabriella to do that, do you?" Taylor questioned Troy.

Troy shook his head and paused, thinking, before he answered, "I wouldn't say it was normal Gabriella behavior, but given the circumstances I think that maybe all she wanted was to let everything go. That whole day was so emotional for her – I mean when she called me to tell me what had happened, she was sobbing. I think standing out in the rain was the only way she knew how to express all the emotions she was feeling."

The gang looked shocked at Troy's mini speech. They'd never known that Troy could be so insightful.

"She told you that over the phone didn't she?" Chad questioned skeptically.

"Actually she didn't say anything to me about standing in the rain. Mariana was the one who told me about it. I haven't spoken to Gabriella since she told me about the verdict," Troy defended.

"Wait, is Gabriella really that sick that she can't even talk to you?" Taylor asked, concerned.

"She was just sleeping when I called. I wasn't about to ask Mariana to wake her up, now was I?"

"I still don't understand why we have to wait an extra week to see her," Sharpay pouted.

Troy remained quiet, he didn't really have an answer for Sharpay's latest question. He secretly wondered the same thing, and was truthfully a little angry about it. Gabriella was supposed to be coming back to Albuquerque in 3 days, but now he was going to have to wait another week.

He wasn't quite sure why it bothered him so much that he'd have to wait just one more week extra, after waiting months. He'd spent the last months worrying about her safety, so though he missed her it hadn't been as much as a problem as the worry. Now, however, he knew she was safe he could only miss her and long for her to come back. It was a new feeling for Troy, missing someone so much that an extra week was almost too much to bare. Then again, his whole relationship with Gabriella provided new feelings for Troy.

Kelsi watched as a look of sadness washed over Troy's face and decided to step in,

"Mariana probably can't pack boxes without Gabriella's help, or at least she can't get them done as quickly. So if the packing is delayed, maybe the next moving truck was only available next week," she suggested.

The gang nodded, that answer seemed to be sufficient.

--

The next evening, Troy sat at his kitchen table eating macaroni and cheese for dinner while his mother cleaned the stove.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and hoped that it would be Gabriella calling. He pulled the vibrating phone out of his pocket quickly only to discover it was his sister calling him. Rolling his eyes, he decided that he would call her back after he finished his macaroni and cheese.

Less than a minute later the home phone started ringing. Lucille put down her cloth and picked up the phone,

"Hello?" she answered.

"Oh Nora, it's lovely to hear from you! How are you?" Lucille probed.

Troy started chewing his food faster, so that maybe, just maybe he'd be able to escape the kitchen before his sister asked to talk to him. If she had called his cell phone first and then just after that called his home phone, that meant that she really really wanted to talk to him. And to Troy, that meant something was up.

Despite his fretful stuffing, the food just didn't go down fast enough and before he knew it his mother brought the phone over to him,

"She wants to talk to you."

Troy smiled half-heartedly, only to please his mother. He swallowed his food and answered the phone,

"Hello,"

"Troy Bolton you have quite a bit of explaining to do," Nora stated immediately.

"Nora, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I really have no idea what you're talking about," Troy insisted.

"So you're telling me that you had no idea Gabriella's father was abusing her?" Nora hissed angrily.

Troy's eyes widened, how the hell had she come across that information?

"Give me one second Nora," Troy whispered quietly, as he got up from the table and dumped the rest of his dinner in the garbage before putting the bowl in the dishwasher. Quickly, he made his way into his room and shut the door behind him.

"Where did you find out about that?" he demanded.

"Alex called me," she answered quickly, "but that's beside the point. How could you keep that a secret, do you understand that she could have been killed?"

"But how did Alex find out?" Troy asked, he wasn't going to answer any of Nora's questions until he figured out how she'd found out.

"Alex saw something about the court case on the news last night. When I talked to him this afternoon he mentioned it. He wasn't going to say anything, but I couldn't let this go un-talked about," Nora explained.

Troy frown, Dammit Alex

"Now will you please explain to me why you didn't tell anyone she was being abused. Did you not know? Didn't you care? Why didn't you do anything?" Nora demanded to know.

"Nora," Tory said seriously, "Of course I care, I care more than you know, but the whole situation is really complicated."

"I have time," Nora responded bluntly.

Troy sighed and began to tell his sister the entire story. He started from the very beginning when he had first caught Gabriella from falling down the stairs all the up until his conversation with the gang just the previous night. He explained to her that really he had been powerless most of the time.

Surprisingly Nora stayed quiet through the entire story, listening carefully to each word Troy had to say. Though she was still slightly miffed with her brother for not telling her the truth, she couldn't help but be proud of him. He'd had to deal with so much and she believed he had dealt with it very well. She could hear the concern in his voice as he spoke about Gabriella.

"I can't believe she did all that for her brother and sister. She must have just been exhausted all the time," Nora commented, "She is an amazing girl Troy, I hope you know that."

"I know."

"Where is she going to live when she gets back to Albuquerque?" Nora asked.

"You know the house that the McKelvey's used to live in?"

"Yeah, the one just around the corner on Spring Hill."

"That's where they're going to live," Troy answered grinning like a Cheshire cat; that was one of the best things about Gabriella's return. She was going to be living less than a mile away.

"I bet someone is excited about that," Nora teased.

"You can't blame me," Troy shot back.

"What about mom and dad? Do they know?" Nora inquired.

Troy couldn't hold back his short, dry laugh, "Of course they don't know. "

"What are you going to tell them when Gabriella comes back with her grandma instead of her father? Hmm," Nora pointed out.

Troy sighed, "Nora I haven't really thought about that. Maybe mom won't ask about that."

It was Nora's turn to laugh this time, "Yeah and maybe after that, dad will stop coaching you in basketball, not going to happen. She's going to ask Troy, so you better figure something out."

"Fine, I'll work on something. But you better not say anything to her in the mean time. OK?"

"Fine fine, I won't say anything," Nora gave in.

"Thank you."

"I guess I'll let you go, I have some med stuff to get back to anyway. You tell Gabi I say hello, ok?"

"I will, don't worry," Troy promised.

"Oh and tell her if she ever needs anything she can call me," Nora added.

"Yes, yes."

"Good. Ok I'll talk to you later. Bye!"

"Bye Nora."

Troy hung up the phone, knowing that his sister would stay on the line until the other person hung up. He rubbed his temples as he sat on his bed,

Great. Nora AND Alex know. Perfect.

Shaking his head in an attempt to rid his brain of thoughts of telling his mother, Troy realized he was still hungry. He groaned, realizing he had thrown out his macaroni – not that there had been much left of it. He would just have to make himself a sandwich or something.

When he opened his door, he jumped, seeing his mother standing in the doorway.

"Oh!" Troy exclaimed. "Hi mom," his voice became slightly sheepish as he wondered how long she'd been standing there.

"Did you have a nice chat with your sister?" his mother asked.

"Yeah, yeah it was great," Troy answered, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Good," his mother smiled, "Anything you'd like to share with me?"

Troy shook his head, "Not really, just your usual, uh, brother and sister talk."

Mrs. Bolton's eyes narrowed slightly, "Are you sure?" she pressed.

"I'm sure," Troy replied, "I was just going to make myself a sandwich, could I make one for you, mom?" Troy asked, swiftly changing the subject, while he tried to get past her.

"Troy," Lucille, held her hand up to stop Troy from passing, "I heard everything."

Troy groaned, "Mom I wanted to tell you and dad, I did, but Gabriella didn't want me to and I-"

Lucille cut her son off, "I think you did the right thing Troy. I think you handled it very well," she said softly.

"You do?" Troy was shocked, he was expecting the worst from his mother.

Lucille nodded seriously, "I do. We are having them over for dinner much more often now though. And we'll have to go over and help them unpack when they get back. You and the boys can go over there to help move all their things in, they'll need some big strong boys like you boys."

"Of course we'll go, mom," Troy promised.

"There is one thing though, what about their mother?" Lucille asked curiously.

"Their mom left them, I told you that," Troy answered.

"I know, but still…" she trailed off.

"She's probably moved on, forgotten them," he speculated.

"Mothers don't just forget Troy. Whether we like it or not, we share a bond with our children forever," Lucille explained to her son seriously.

--

Saturdays were supposed to be the best day of the week. For the gang however, this particular Saturday was not. Today was the day Gabriella should have been coming home. Though no one would admit it, they all felt a sadness knowing that they could have waited one less week to see their friend again.

So today, the gang had decided to spend the entire day together at Meade Memorial Park. All 8 of them had piled into two cars just before lunch time and headed to the park. Troy, being the great expert on this particular park, had led them to the more well known area of the large park, rather than taking them to the pond he had taken Gabriella to.

They'd found a nice spot under a very large oak tree to call base. As soon as the gang had arrived, Chad immediately spotted the basketball courts, which were only a few hundred yards away from 'base'. Naturally the boys had headed, almost immediately, to the courts so they could play some basketball. The girls rolled their eyes and worked on setting out the blankets.

Kelsi had brought her ipod speakers so they could have music streaming the background the entire time. Taylor would have brought her homework, but the rest of the gang had decided on a strict no homework policy for today. Instead she'd brought along Pride and Prejudice to read. Sharpay on the other hand, had opted for all the celebrity and fashion magazines. Kelsi was, as always, writing music. Of course, all the while the girls couldn't help but chat and sing along when their favorite songs came on.

They'd brought an astronomical amount of food to the park, but it did have to last all day with 5 teenage boys. They had one large cooler for drinks. Another for food that needed to be kept cool, like the burgers and hot dogs they'd brought to grill for dinner, then several large bags to keep all the snacks.

Since the girls knew better than to wait until the boys stopped playing basketball to eat, which could be hours, they set out about half of the food before yelling at the boys to come back for lunch.

After lunch, they had decided to play a 4 on 4 game of baseball: Chad, Ryan, Zeke and Kelsi versus Troy, Jason, Taylor and Sharpay. 2 hours, 54 outs, 41 runs, and one intense debate later, the score came out at 21-20 to Troy's team. Much to almost everyone's surprise, Taylor was a fantastic hitter and Sharpay could run like the wind. She claimed that running in sneakers was so much easier than running in heals and that was what made her so fast. Chad tried to convince to join the track team, but she insisted that the drama club already took up far too much time.

After the baseball game the gang just talked, lounged out on the blankets. They talked about everything from trivial things like a silly comment Chad made during math class to serious topics like which colleges they were planning on applying to.

It wasn't long before they started to hear their stomachs growling, hungry for food again. Troy and Chad jumped up and bounded over to the grills so they could get them fired up. Zeke grabbed the hamburgers while Jason got the hotdogs. While the buys grilled the food, Taylor, Sharpay and Kelsi organized a buffet of buns, sides, snacks, condiments and drinks.

Just about a half hour later, the gang was sitting in a circle eating their burgers and hotdogs.

"Mmmm. Aren't these just the most amazing burgers you have ever tasted?" Chad boasted.

"Oh yes of course, nothing else will ever compare to them," Sharpay said sarcastically.

Chad dusted off shoulder, "I know. I got grillin' skills."

Troy coughed loudly.

"Fine fine," Chad rolled his eyes, "We all have grillin' skills."

"Thank you," Troy said smugly.

Kelsi just rolled her eyes, "You guys are so ridiculous. Grilling is easy. You just put the food on and flip them when one side is done. It's not rocket science."

"You're right," Chad responded, "It's not rocket science, it's an art."

"AND! You have to time the flip perfectly to ensure the perfect juiciness," Jason added.

Taylor laughed, "I don't know what we're going to do with you guys."

"Keep us grilling," Chad answered quickly.

"You know what will be even more delicious? Dessert," Zeke reminded his friends.

"Oooo! What did you bring?" Sharpay asked excitedly.

"You'll just have wait and see," Zeke teased.

"Hmph!"

After that, instead of talking as one group, the conversations split up into smaller groups, two or three people chatting amongst themselves.

Soon the gang had finished their dinner and had simply thrown all their garbage in a very large bag in the center of the circle they had formed. However, because they had consumed so much food, the bag was beginning to over-flow.

Taylor, being as organized as she was, decided that they were going to clean up everything from lunch and dinner before they started on dessert. The mess was starting to bother her.

Grumpily, everyone had agreed to help clear up all the plates, plastic wrap, snack bags, cans and other garbage. When Taylor suggest that a few people go clean the grill, Troy immediately jumped up and offered to carry the garbage bag to the nearest garbage can, so that he wouldn't have to clean the grill.

After receiving dirty looks from Chad, Troy tied up the bag and carried it to a garbage can just near the courts. Unfortunately when Troy tried to put the bag in the bin, the bag was too large. It wouldn't go more than half way in.

He slumped back to the tree and told Taylor what had happened,

"The bag is too big, it won't fit in the bin."

"Oh. Well then it's a good thing I took that walk before lunch, now isn't it. I saw a dumpster by the main building. It's past the basketball courts, tennis courts and then there are a couple soccer fields. Oh! And then there was a playground and just after that is the building. You can go dump it there," Taylor answered.

"What" Troy questioned dryly.

Taylor nodded, enthusiastically, shooing him off, "Go. Go!"

Troy heard Chad snickering and shot him a dirty look, before he started off walking.

Soon after Troy had left, the gang finished cleaning up, so they started setting out dessert. The gang huddled around Zeke as he started to unpack the delectable desserts he had brought.

"Now, we're not eating this until Troy gets back," Zeke reminded them.

"Can't we just have a little? It looks so delicious," Jason begged.

Zeke smiled, "Thank you." Then his face turned serious, "But no."

"Pleeeeeease!" Chad pleaded.

Just as Zeke was about so say no again, a familiar voice chimed in from behind them,

"Now that wouldn't be very fair to Troy, would it?"

Every single head, whipped around to make sure the person they were hearing was actually there. Sure enough, she was, with a great grin on her face.

"GABRIELLA!" Sharpay screeched, running towards the brunette, hugging her tightly. Taylor was the next one to scream, "Oh my god!" and run to hug her best friend as well. Kelsi quickly joined in and all four girls were laughing and squealing before the boys even knew what was happening.

"Are we going to get a hug as well?" Chad asked. Kelsi, Taylor and Sharpay looked back,

"Yes you can. Come on."

Sharpay motioned, impatiently, for them to come forward. The girls backed up, slightly, to allow each of the boys to give Gabriella a welcome back hug. As soon as Zeke stepped back from his hug, the girls fired questions at Gabriella.

"What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you supposed to be sick?"

"Why didn't you tell us you were going to be here?"

"How long have you been in town?"

"Are Lucas and Lily here as well?

"And Mariana. Are we finally going to get to meet her?"

"Wait, how'd you know we were here?"

"Woah!" Zeke held up his hands, "Woah, why don't we let her breathe for a minute? Then she'll answer all those questions. Right?"

Gabriella chuckled and nodded, "Let's see if I can get remember all of them. I'm here to see you guys, of course. I wanted to surprise you, so I said I would be coming in a week, but all along I was going to be arriving today."

"So you were never sick?" Taylor clarified.

"Oh no, I was sick, but only for a day. Nothing serious. I just need an excuse," Gabriella answered. "We all got here at about 3, Lucas, Lily and abuela included. After I freshened up and took a shower I went over to Troy's house. His mom told me where you guys were and here I am. Back home at last."

Taylor shook her head, "I still just can't believe you are finally here. You're really here."

"I can't believe it either. I never thought today would come. I have to thank all you guys though. My grandma told me what you guys did, I can't, I can't tell you how thankful I am. I owe you all so much," Gabriella said, expressing her sincerest gratitude.

"No, no. You owe us nothing. We're just glad you're back," Kelsi assured her.

"We've missed you so much. So so much! Especially Tr-" Sharpay cut herself off to gasp, "Where is Troy? He should be here! He's going to be so excited!" Sharpay exclaimed.

"He went to throw out the garbage bag," Taylor answered, "He should be back in 10 minutes or so."

"Love cannot wait 10 more minutes!" Sharpay declared dramatically, "Go surprise Troy! Sit on a bench by the basketball courts or something. Take a mental picture of what he looks like!"

Kelsi nodded her head furiously, agreeing with Sharpay completely, "Go! This is going to make him so happy!"

--

Somehow the walk back to the 'base' seemed much longer than the walk to the dumpsters. Troy was probably about half way back, by now. He was almost finished crossing the soccer field. As he walked along he grumbled slightly about the walk and regretted taking this job. Just as he was about to push open the tennis court gate, he muttered,

"What comes around, goes around,"

"Well, now I definitely believe that," a familiar voice came from his left. Troy's legs froze and he whipped his head to the left to see whose body belonged to the voice.

His heart speed up to a million beats a second when he laid his eyes on her. The vibrant colors of the sunset, made Gabriella's skin glow. As she stood up from the bench she had been sitting on, her curls bounced effortlessly.

"Surprise," she offered softly.

"Brie," Troy breathed. Before either of them knew it, Troy's hands were around Gabriella's waist so he could pull her close and envelope her in a hug. He pulled her closer, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair, as he lifted her up off the ground. Gabriella bent her knees and brought her feet to her butt as she nestled her head in the crook of Troy's neck.

When he set her back of the ground, Gabriella pulled back, but Troy kept his hands firmly encircled around her waist. He shook his head in disbelief, was this really happening?

"Wh…what? H…How? What are you doing here?" he managed to get out.

"I came to see you," Gabriella answered simply, her eyes twinkling as she studied his features again.

"But I thought-"

Gabriella shook her head, "Our trip wasn't delayed. I just wanted to surprise you. I hope you're not mad I lied to you."

Troy exhaled as he shook his head, "God no. I could never be mad at you. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too," Gabriella whispered.

He brought his right hand up to her face and caressed her cheek gently as he studied her face, mesmerized by its beauty.

"What?" Gabriella asked shyly, averting her eyes from his, after Troy had been starring at her for quite some time.

"You are so beautiful," Troy whispered. Gabriella looked back up at Troy and smiled shyly.

Gabriella stood up on her tippy toes and pecked a soft, sweet kiss on Troy's lips. "I love you," she murmured.

Troy's lips swooped down and met Gabriella's in a fiery kiss. Usually their kisses were slow and tentative, but this kiss had a sort of desperation to it. While it wasn't rough by any standards, it was certainly more passionate than their other kisses. Gabriella's fingers wove themselves through the back of Troy's hair, while Troy's hand roamed up and down Gabriella's back. Their bodies fit together perfectly as the breath taking kiss took place. Soon, their kisses slowed down, until they were simply pecking each other's lips, neither one wanting to stop, to be the one to stop. Gabriella grinned as Troy's lips pressed against hers when she heard Troy murmur, "I love you too."

--

Later that night, after they had finally rejoined the group, Troy and Gabriella lay on a blanket looking up at the night sky. Gabriella lay perpendicular to Troy, with her head resting on his chest. They'd been lying like that for countless hours, engrossing themselves in the presence of each other. Gabriella described the move and talked about Mariana, Lucas and Lily while Troy listened, cracking jokes from time to time, so he could hear her glorious laugh. Just a little while ago, there had been some tears. Gabriella had done such a great job – or at least she thought she had – of keeping her emotions in check. However, it had all become a little too much for her and tears leaked out, happy tears of course. Troy was much happier hearing her laugh and giggle than watching tears fall down her face.

Now, they both gazed up at the stars, connecting the dots to make pictures. Gabriella pointed up,

"Look a pig! See, there's the head and the body and the curly tail, of course! Do you see it?" she explained happily.

"Mmmm, that looks more like a cow to me," Troy answered.

"A cow!" Gabriella cried, "No way! That is definitely a pig!"

"Whatever you say, but I'm telling you that is a cow," Troy shot back. Gabriella laughed. She couldn't believe she was playing this game, it had been years upon years since she's done this, but more importantly she couldn't believe she was playing this game with Troy.

A comfortable silence fell over the pair as their eyes searched the night sky for more pictures. All that Gabriella could hear was Troy's soothing heartbeat.

"It's a new moon tonight," Gabriella remembered aloud.

"Yay?" Troy wasn't sure if that was some great revelation he was supposed to respond to.

"New moons symbolize new beginnings, you know," Gabriella explained quietly, "Everything is changing now."

"Everything is changing for the better now," Troy assured her.

A/N: Jeez..that was a long one. I probably should have done something cruel and split it somewhere in the middle, but….I didn't :D. Haha. Hopefully you guys are all happy that Troyella has been reunited!

A few nights ago I was working on my homework and I had Pandora streaming. All of a sudden this song starts playing by David Archuleta. As I listen more closely to the lyrics I realize that it is pretty much PERFECT for Troy and his feelings from the time Gabriella left to the time she came back. It's called To Be With You. You should check it out because it's just….it's so amazing. I LOVE it. I wanted to include it in this chapter, but it just didn't work out. I had a version written with that song imbedded in it, but it was so bad that…it was just really really bad.

Anyway, I have good news and bad news. Good news or bad news first? If you'd like the bad news first, keep reading. If not, skip to the next paragraph, right now. Bad news: There is only one chapter left.

Good news: I'm writing a sequel! There will be more information about the sequel in the next chapter, so look out for it!!

Thank you so much for reading! Please review!