A/N: Well, here it is. 22 Chapters later and I'm still sooooo happy with how it turned out. Thanks to school, the Wednesday Weekly Updates didn't work out quite how I planned (sorry for forgetting so often!) so, maybe I'll do it on a Saturday next time ^^

Will you hear from me in the near future? I'm not sure. I'm working on a oneshot but it may be a while before I'm completely satisfied with it and willing to upload. I am working on another story but it's something new. Different. I want to write the full thing and see where it goes. If I'm happy, I'll upload it chapter by chapter. But I'm not sure when that will be.

This story has been so much fun to write. I've never really written about a relationship like this one. It was really fun to write about my hometown, too. :)

On a final note, I have four university offers. Who knew? People want me to attend their school o.O

Anyways, enjoy.

Chapter 22

Before Gabriella could comprehend who was at the front door, Sharpay had her crushed in an embrace. Succumbing to Sharpay's comforting arms, Gabriella returned the hug. Just a few days had passed since her meeting with Janey and Gabriella had successfully managed to be front page news on the cover of the local paper two days in a row. It was the one time she cursed the quietness and the low crime rate. She hadn't been able to go anywhere without strangers, fans or not, staring at her as if she'd just landed from Mars.

Sharpay pulled back, beckoned Charlie inside and kicked the door shut with her foot.

"Careful," Gabriella scolded. "I just cleaned that."

Sharpay quirked an eyebrow. "OCD much?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes but gestured for her friend to follow her. "Come on in." They went through to the kitchen and Gabriella began pottering around the kitchen, preparing the kettle to make her friend some coffee.

"Gabs?" Sharpay murmured.

"Yeah?" she murmured absentmindedly.

Sharpay sighed. "Doesn't matter."

Amber skipped in, immediately colliding with Sharpay's legs. "Auntie Sharpay!"

Sharpay chuckled, ruffling Amber's blonde curls. "Amber! Go and play with Charlie," she encouraged, knowing that Gabriella needed her.

Amber nodded. "Is Mummy okay?"

Sharpay smiled. "She'll be fine. Now go on. I need to talk to her."

Amber sighed and spoke to Charlie as they walked into the living room. "That just means they're going to be talking about Uncle Troy."

Sharpay chuckled and turned to see Gabriella obsessively cleaning the kitchen unit. She wasn't sure what the recent weeks' events had caused but it surely wasn't good. Of course, Gabriella had always been organised but this was seriously bordering on OCD. "Gabs?" she murmured quietly.

"What?"

"Gabs," she said more forcefully and stepped towards her best friend to take the damp cloth from her friend. "Stop it."

Gabriella cowered back and shrugged. "I need to keep busy. Busy works for me. You know that."

Sharpay pointed to the stools around the island counter. "Sit."

Knowing better than to argue, Gabriella perched herself on an island stool and stared almost accusingly at a brown package at the opposite side of the counter.

Sharpay threw the cloth into the sink and continued preparing their drinks. "I used to know that being busy was good for you. Knowing that it stopped you being in pain, I admitted it was a good thing. But," she said as she sat down next to her best friend with the drinks, "that was before I saw you with Troy."

"Don't start," Gabriella hissed, cradling the steaming mug in her hands.

Sharpay shrugged. "I'm your best friend. I tell the truth."

Gabriella sipped her drink but otherwise stayed silent.

"Did you hear what Amber said? She knows that you belong with him. She knows that you love him. Most importantly, she can see how badly your decision is affecting you," Sharpay said softly.

Gabriella set her cup down and ran a hand through her hair. "He won't even look at me."

Sharpay nodded slowly. "And that's because he's hurting. Ergo, he still loves you."

Gabriella quirked an eyebrow. "Ergo?"

Sharpay shrugged. "Taylor taught it to me." She took a sip of coffee. "He will look at you. He's just being the arrogant, stubborn jerk you know and love."

Gabriella cracked a smile. "I guess so. I told you he was stubborn."

"Sadly, you're right," Sharpay mumbled. "It makes my job harder."

Gabriella looked at her friend in shock. "Shar, no. Please. Don't play matchmaker."

"Why not?" she whined.

Gabriella stared into her coffee. "I hurt him. We need to do this by ourselves. We're grown ups. We can handle it ourselves."

"But you're acting childish," Sharpay shot back. "You won't be brave and talk to him and he won't even give you the time of day. This calls for best friend intervention."

"No," Gabriella whined. She faltered. "That didn't help the childish case, did it?"

Sharpay shook her head. "What if I just talk to him? I won't mention you at all. I promise."

Gabriella drank the last of her coffee and bit her lip. "Promise?"

Sharpay nodded solemnly. "I promise."

"Fine," Gabriella relented.

"Yay," Sharpay squealed. She quickly drank the rest of her coffee and hugged Gabriella. "It'll get better."

"If you say so," Gabriella whispered.

"I know so," Sharpay replied. "So, what are you doing later on?"

Gabriella breathed out deeply. "I am going to propose to Scarborough library that I run creative writing classes in the hall there. It would give me a job if I charge students and it gives the library advertising, obviously."

"Do you want me to watch Amber?" Sharpay offered.

Gabriella considered. "Sure. Why not? I was going to ask Mum and Dad to watch her but it might be best if you have her."

Sharpay smiled and nodded. "Okay, then. That's fine. She can sleep over if you'd like."

"Sure," Gabriella murmured.

"She doesn't have to. I don't mean to impose," Sharpay mumbled quietly, sensing how Gabriella seemed to be agreeing to it to shut Sharpay up.

Gabriella laughed, pressing her forehead to the palm of her hand. "You? Impose?" She looked at Sharpay. "Maybe that's a good idea. I need to think things over."

Sharpay nodded. "Okay then. Do you want to go and get some things for Amber?"

"Yeah," Gabriella mumbled as she stood up and took the dirty cups to the dishwasher. "I'll be back," she murmured as she headed upstairs.

Sharpay tapped her manicured fingernails against the counter, listening to the giggles of Charlie and Amber. She glanced around her friend's kitchen, finally noticing the brown package. "Hey, Gabs?" she yelled.

A moment later, Gabriella came back down with a pink backpack crammed with Amber's necessities. "I was only upstairs," she muttered. "You didn't have to yell."

Sharpay shrugged. "Anyway, what's that?" she asked pointing to the brown package.

Setting the bag on the counter, Gabriella lifted the package and ripped the brown parcel tape off. She reached in and brought out a pile of paper that were tied together with butterfly tags. She slid it across to Sharpay. "That's my book."

Sharpay peered at the title page. "Finding Me by Gabriella Montez."

Gabriella shrugged. "You can read it if you want."

Sharpay flicked through the mass of papers and it took only a matter of seconds for the realisation to dawn that it was about Troy. "Yeah," she replied, looking at her friend. "I'd like to read it. Is that okay?"

"I'd love for you to read it," she whispered, looking down at the ripped up brown paper which once contained the manuscript. "Not many people will."

Sharpay smiled. "Thanks, Gabs. Things will get better. You'll be with him."

"I hope so," she whispered. She smiled at her friend as Sharpay stood up and hugged her.

"I love you," Sharpay murmured.

Gabriella pulled back. "Love you, too."

"Sisters?" Sharpay asked.

"Forever," Gabriella promised. "Thanks, Shar."

Sharpay frowned. "I haven't done anything. But, give it time and I promise Mr Too-Obnoxious-To-Give-You-The-Time-Of-Day will be back in your arms faster than you can say sexy time."

"Shar," Gabriella hissed, smacking her friend's arm. "Our kids are in the next room."

"What?" Sharpay exclaimed. "You were thinking it."

Gabriella reached for the pink backpack and held it out. "Go. I have to get ready. And stay out of trouble. I don't want Troy quitting because you meddled."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Have some faith in me," she exclaimed.

Gabriella smiled. "Yeah, yeah. But, please be careful. The only reason Troy didn't quit his job is because I made him reluctantly promise to stay here for Dad's sake."

"I'll be careful," Sharpay reassured. "Charlie, Amber," she called.

A moment later, the two children skipped in. "Yes, Mummy?" Charlie asked.

"We're going now. Amber, would you like to sleep over?" Sharpay asked.

Amber and Charlie looked at each other and a moment later, Amber nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

Gabriella crouched down. "Be a good girl, okay?" She stroked the blonde curls on Amber's head.

Amber nodded. "I will. Cheer up, Mummy. You still have me."

Tears well in Gabriella's eyes. "I know," she whispered. "I love you so much, mi hija."

She placed a wet kiss on Gabriella's cheek. "I love you, too, Mama."

Gabriella stood back up and smiled at Sharpay. "I'll see you later, then."

Holding the backpack and Gabriella's manuscript, Sharpay hugged her friend again. "You will. And don't worry about Amber. She'll be fine."

"Bolton, open the damn door," Sharpay yelled, pounding aggressively on Troy's front door. She paused and smiled reassuringly at Amber and Charlie. "Sorry, kids, this will only take a minute." She sighed with frustration. "Bolton."

A moment later, the door opened and Rain bounded out. The door opened wider to reveal Troy. With a beard, tatty jeans and a plaid shirt, it was amazing that he had ever changed at all. He frowned but smiled in welcome at Amber and Charlie. Ignoring Sharpay, he bent down to greet the two children. He ushered Amber, Charlie and Rain inside and then turned to Sharpay.

"Am I invited or do I have to stay here outside all day?" she asked impatiently.

Troy scratched his beard and reluctantly gestured for Sharpay to step inside.

"Thank you," she murmured as she stepped in and headed for the kitchen.

"Do you want a drink?" he mumbled as he walked in and began putting the stacks of dry crockery away.

"Uh, no, I'm alright, actually. This won't take long, I promise." She set her bag, which had the manuscript inside, on his island counter and sat down on one of the stools. "Was I interrupting anything?"

He shook his head as he continued putting dishes away, more to avoid Sharpay's eyes than anything else. "No. I wasn't doing anything."

She waited patiently until there were no more dishes to be put away and so he had no choice but to sit down next to her and to acknowledge her. "How have you been?"

He shrugged. "Alright, I guess. But, in case you didn't know, I lost my mom."

She nodded slowly. "I know, Troy. Everyone's worried."

He shook his head, staring out of the window. "Not everybody."

"Please don't judge her," Sharpay whispered. "She doesn't deserve that. She made a mistake, so what? Let her apologise. And, while you're at it, you can apologise for being an ass."

He frowned. "What?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. She took a moment, sending an apology to the Lord for breaking her promise to Gabriella. "I promised I wouldn't meddle but don't think that everything's hunky-dory over on that ranch, okay? They're just playing happy families for Amber's sake. If you'd have heard the arguments they had..."

"Arguments?" he asked in confusion. "What arguments?"

She frowned. "Where have you been? Didn't you hear what Gabi did? It was all over the news."

"I don't read or watch the news. What did she do?" he demanded.

She sighed and reached into her bag, bringing out the manuscript. She set it on the counter in front of him. "I have to go now. But, while I'm gone, please ask yourself the question: why is this manuscript here and not at the publisher's? It might explain everything a little more."

"But," Troy started.

"I have to go," she repeated. "Any questions you still have will be answered in there." She pointed to the manuscript.

Gabriella locked the front door behind her and threw her keys aside. She slipped her shoes off but left them carelessly in the hallway. She couldn't stand the thought of taking the time and energy to make the house neat when she was the only one who was going to see it tonight. All she wanted was to curl up in her bed, wear her Cambridge jumper and watch Sex and the City re-runs. A bit of Carrie Bradshaw never hurt anybody.

She trudged up the stairs, heading straight for her bedroom. She dropped her bag carelessly to the floor, not caring that her phone battery had died about an hour ago whilst in town. She didn't bother to put it on charge. If anybody needed her, not that they would, they could phone the damn house.

She stood at her dresser and moved her eyes over her mass of jewellery which covered the surface as she pulled her hair out of her bun. She shook her head to make her hair fall naturally and then proceeded to take her earrings out. Being by herself scared her, she realised. It gave her chance to think and to remember what she threw away. But, despite how scared she'd always been about her feelings for Troy, she wanted him back. She might feel scared of her feelings for him for the rest of her life but that didn't matter anymore. What mattered was knowing that she'd hurt Troy, herself and Amber wasn't a stupid kid. She knew what had happened between her mother and Troy.

Shaking the thoughts from her head she reached down and began to pull her t-shirt off. She paused just before pulling it over her head when she saw a man's reflection in the mirror. She spun around and quickly righted her shirt. As her mind recognised Troy, her heart rate began to slow and she gripped her dresser for support. "Troy, don't scare me like that," she pleaded, avoiding his eyes. She kept glancing at him, wondering how his beard could possibly be making him sexier than she'd ever seen him. It didn't go unnoticed by her that there was a bottle of Merlot on her bedside table and he still had his shoes on whilst lying on her bed.

But, for whatever the reason, maybe from relief that he was actually acknowledging her, she didn't mention his shoes.

"Oh, please, don't stop on my account. I was enjoying the show," he joked.

She looked towards him, wondering how the hell he could be making jokes with her after weeks without so much of a glance. "Yeah, how did you get in?"

"Spare key under the mat? You told me," he explained.

She rolled her eyes to herself. "I need a better hiding place." Shaking her head, she turned back to him. "How's your dad?"

Troy shrugged as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Okay. He's alright. He visits her grave a lot. All he keeps saying is that he still has me."

"Isn't that enough?" she murmured.

"Yeah. I guess it is," he whispered.

Gabriella stared at him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Me?" he exclaimed. "I was about to ask you the same question."

She frowned. "What?"

He reached under the pillow and brought out the familiar manuscript.

At the sight of it, Gabriella rushed towards it. "Give it back, it's mine," she cried.

Troy leapt up and held the wad of papers above his head so that she couldn't reach it. "What were you thinking?" Troy hissed. "Withdrawing this?" he asked whilst waving it in her face.

She snatched it from him. "Did you read this?"

"The first two chapters. Now answer my question," he demanded.

She shook her head. "You were never meant to read this. Not after I ended it. That's why I withdrew it, Troy. I didn't want people to read about what I messed up, okay?" She shook her head and walked over to put the book on top of her wardrobe. She turned to him and sighed. "I'm sorry. And I'll say it until I die because I never meant to hurt you." She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I was trying to be a good mother and I guess I turned into a crap girlfriend."

At the sight the tears streaming down her face, Troy rushed forward and took her in his arms. He held her tightly against his chest as she welcomed his embrace. He sat down on the edge of the bed and let her sit in his lap. He held her in his arms as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Hey, El?" he murmured.

"I know," she whispered. "You hate me and you have every right to."

"No," he murmured. "I hate you but only because you were stupid enough to give up your career for me."

She looked him in the eyes. "Don't go getting a big head. Amber was part of the reason, too."

"That's not what I'm telling people," he joked, sending a wink her way.

"I really am sorry, Troy," she mumbled.

He nodded. "And I forgive you. And for the record, if you thought that this relationship was bad for Amber, I'm glad you ended it. You know I love her."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know. But I was wrong."

He frowned. "What? I thought you were protecting her?"

She nodded fervently. "Of course I was. But I didn't realise how much not having you here would affect me and would, ultimately, affect her." She took a deep breath. "I love you so much, Troy. I need you back," she whispered, stroking his neck.

He sighed. "I don't know, El." He had to hold a smile back at her hurt expression. "I kind of preferred it when you called me Hollywood."

She looked at him in shock, hope filling her eyes. "You mean that?"

He looked away. "I want you back," he mumbled.

"Sorry?" Gabriella asked.

He sighed as he turned back to her. "I want you back, too. I'm sorry for blocking you out. I didn't mean to. And for giving you the cold shoulder. I'm sorry about that as well."

She smiled at him. "It's okay," she murmured.

He suddenly remembered that he hadn't shaved in days and sought her eyes. "Do you want me to shave? Because I can."

She bit her lip as she traced his jaw line. "No. Don't shave."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with Gabriella?"

She shrugged. "I want you back. If you want a beard, you can," she paused to swallow hard, "you can have a beard."

He nodded slowly. "Okay then." There was a small pause. "So, you want to give it another shot?" he asked quietly.

She bit her lip and nodded. "Sure, Hollywood. And I won't walk away."

"And I'll at least try to talk. Just don't expect miracles."

She shook her head. "I don't."

"Do you mind if I read the whole of your book? The first couple of chapters were pretty good," he said, tightening his arms around her.

"As opposed to average?" she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, you're a brilliant writer."

"Thank you. And it's taken you three years to recognise that." She rolled her eyes.

"We'll be okay," he promised. "It'll be hard, we'll fight but we just have to, you know, love each other."

She nodded solemnly. "I know. I love you so much."

He kissed her cheek. "I love you, too, El."

Gabriella rested a hand on his neck and tentatively leaned in to kiss him, despite his beard. It was probably from relief of them getting back together and, given time, she'd probably beg him to shave, but in that instant, all she knew was that she loved him, beard and all.

He pulled back and looked at her curiously. "Was it bad? The beard, I mean."

"I can live with it. Maybe. But, don't waste time shaving right now. There are more important things to do," she murmured as she popped open the top button of his plaid shirt.

He smiled at her as he lay her down on the bed and crawled on top of her. He went to kiss her but Gabriella stopped him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"When we move in together officially, do not, under any circumstances leave your shoes on when you lie on the bed," she warned.

He rolled his eyes. "Really, El?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "Take them off. Now. Before they ruin by bed sheets."

He sighed and leaned down to kiss her, despite her protests about his shoes. "Let's just enjoy tonight, okay? Let's not spend it yelling at each other."

"But, where's the fun in that?" she asked, sending him a smile.