March (One month to Wedding)

One more month. The girls had been great in planning everything for us. Gabriella had been wonderful. She found this gorgeous white tux for me. It was my vision in white. Everything was set and now all we had to do was wait. Troy and I lay in bed just reminiscing about the years.

"Do you remember why we got together Ryan?"

"To tell you the truth, no. If anyone else had ever asked me I would have said that we just floated toward each other. But now that I think of it, I can't remember."

Troy got up and trekked to the closet. He rummaged around and pulled out a beat up old shoe box.

"What is that?"

"It's a box of my personal things. I have the program from Twinkle Towne, the first flower you ever gave me. All the birthday cards and pictures. I even have a note that I found some years ago. If I recall correctly this really hott guy wrote how much he wanted my sexy body."

"Oh, gosh. You still have that." Sure enough I discovered that he did as he pulled the heavily creased paper from the box. I looked at it and the memories came flooding back to me. The note, our first kiss, our treasure hunt. Everything. I grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and plopped down in the bed.

I cuddled up next to him and traced my name on

"Troy are you nervous about getting married?" I said as our fingers became intertwined.

"No. I am ready to fully commit to you. This is the big finale…Are you nervous Ry-?"He started excitedly but slowly became soft spoken and caring.

"A little." My response obviously didn't settle well with him because I noticed his face change and become harder. "Baby, not about marrying you. I'm always nervous right before a big event. Every play, every birthday, and every holiday….they all cause me to be nervous."

Troy leaned in, noticeably happier, and began to kiss the crook of my neck. He rolled on top of me as his kisses came with fervor.

"Troy…baby…I….want you…..please."

"Anything for you."

Ring Ring Ring- our bedroom phone rang

"Whoever that is had better have something important to say." I complained.

"I'll get it. Don't go getting soft on me." He said as he rolled to the edge of the bed and picked up the phone.

"Hello."

ON THE PHONE

"Troy, oh thank god you answered." Her voice cracked as she sniffled.

"Gabriella what's wrong?" He said with concern that forced me to sit up and pay attention to his every word.

"There's been an accident."

"Gabriella, what accident? What are you talking about? Calm down and tell me." He shouted with concern.

"It's Sharpay." The tears slowly rolled from Troy's eyes and I knew that something was really, really wrong. The entire time, I am listening to his words to catch a glimpse of what is wrong but the words are vague. All the while, my stomach is doing flip flops and I am on the verge of throwing up.

"Are you sure? Please tell me your lying…please." He dropped the phone and stared at me. My stomach plummeted to my feet and a lump formed in my throat. My brain was finally starting to grasp what was going on. 'Please don't let it be Sharpay, please don't let it be my sister.'

"Troy, don't say it…please…" I cried as I jumped off the bed and ran from the room. If I didn't hear it then it couldn't be true. I felt the tears fall freely and felt my knees grow weaker until I collapsed on the floor.

"Ryan, baby come here. I am so sorry."

"It's her. It's my Sharpay." I said as he wrapped his arms around me tighter than ever.

"She's gone, Ry-. Her car hit a tree. Gabriella said that someone cut in front of her and she went to turn and jumped the curb. I am so sorry babe. Ryan, look at me." He comforted as he turned me around and looked deep in my eyes. "I need you to be strong, Ry-. Gabriella is going to bring the kids over in a couple of hours. They don't know yet. We have to tell them."

"Oh god, Troy. I can't…I just can't do this. They'll be devastated.. She was my rock Troy. She was the only reason I was strong. How am I going to tell the kids? First their dad and now their mom. Troy they have no one left."

"Hey, they have their uncle. You are the closest thing to their mother. You have been there every step of the way. You know Sharpay never shut up about you."

"Troy, I don't know if I can handle this. I can barely be strong enough for me. How can I be strong enough for the kids? I can't do this."

"Yes, you can."

"No, not without my Sharpay. I am not strong enough. I am nothing without her."

"I can't do this. Not now, I have never prepared for this. Sharpay was my everything. Without her, I am nothing." I was breaking down now. My heart and been ripped out and chopped up and fed to a fat cat. My life was gone.

"Nothing…you are a wonderful man, soon to be my husband and the best uncle those kids have ever had. You are the other half of Sharpay. Those kids will always have a piece of their mom within you. They may not have their mom or dad, but they have a wonderful uncle, who will love and care for them like no other."

"They have two wonderful uncles. Troy, I wanna raise them. I need to raise them. You can help Jackson with his basketball. I can help both of them with dance. We can do this. We will get married and raise two eight year olds."

"Nine. Their birthday was a month ago, remember. Maybe, he needs to re-think that whole…'best uncle…ever' part."

"Whatever, I am stressed here leave me alone." I said jokingly. I knew he would find a way to put a smile back on my face. Now I just had to work on putting on a brave face for my niece and nephew.

April (Wedding)

One month. One month since I lost the closest person in my life. My beloved Sharpay. Everything is still fresh in our minds. Jackson and Emma moved in with my mom and dad until Troy and I found our new house. We moved in to our new house last week and the kids love it. The kids have been great. I think Jackson is taking it the hardest. He was always so close to his mom. So in order to comfort him, I tell him stories about us in school. He asks me to sing 'What I've Been Looking For' before he goes to bed. It was Sharpay's favorite song.

But in other recent events, today is the day. The butterflies in my stomach evolved into stampede of elephants. I am dressed and Jackson is laughing at me. I am pacing the room and repeating "I do" over and over again.

"Uncle Ryan what do you do?'

"Huh."

"You keep saying 'I do', you do what?"

"It's what you say when you get married. I will say 'I do' and uncle Troy will say 'I do' and then we will be married."

"Oh, you're weird."

"You won't think I'm weird when you get married." I said as I tickled my nephew.

Gabriella came in while our little tickly session was going on with Emma in tow.

"It's time."

"Yay, pizza time."

"Pizza time?"

"Yeah, that's what mommy says when it's pizza time."

"Aunt Gabi means that it's time for me and uncle Troy to get married."

"Are you gonna kiss him?" He pouted.

"Yes, I am gonna kiss him."

"Ewwww…kissing is gross."

"Come on you. We don't want to be late. After the wedding you get cake."

"Yay, cake…I want cake….cake cake cake."

We ushered everyone into their places and began the ceremony. It was so beautiful. Emma and Alexis were adorable. Chad's son giggled the whole way.

As much time as it took to plan the whole thing, the ceremony was over in a flash. It seems like I walked out the doors, blinked and opened my eyes when I kissed Troy for the first time as a married couple.

It was so beautiful. Our lives would forever and always be spent with each other.