Hey Guys! This is another attempt to get back into writing fan fiction. I am very hesitant about posting this because I am unaware of how everyone will take my writing. I have gotten some hurtful replies on a story that I have long deleted from when I first started writing. I also have a story that I abandoned because I did not like how it came out. I may, eventually, go back and re-write it.
Let me begin by saying I have no idea what happens when someone comes home from overseas. Therefore, I am pretty much making it up as I go along. I apologize if it is not correct. I am just writing what I think would happen… Let me know what you all think.
Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or any of its characters, sadly.
Today was the day. 24-year-old Gabriella Montez could barely contain her excitement. Her boyfriend of 4 years was coming home on Christmas Day from being over in Iraq for about a year. She did not receive a phone call from him in a few weeks and she knew that he was busy and their phone time was limited. It really did not bother her, and anyway she had her 3-year-old daughter, Charlie Michelle Bolton to look after.
A year after Gabriella and Troy started dating Gabriella became pregnant with Charlie. Troy and Gabriella were happy and their parents supported them through it. Gabriella could not have asked for more. She was just waiting for the day where Troy would ask her to marry him. She knew when that day came, she would say yes, indefinitely. When Gabriella was able to hold her baby girl, she was so happy. To see Troy holding their daughter in his arms, it was the perfect sight in the entire world. She knew, from that day on, Charlie would be a daddy's girl. No doubt about it. She had Troy wrapped around her finger, it was cute.
"Mommy!" Charlie called from the top of the stairs. Gabriella made her way to the stairs. Gabriella smiled at Charlie, who happened to be an exact replica of Troy when he was little, just in a girl form. It was amazing how much she looked like Troy, "I want to play with the toys Santa brought me."
Gabriella made her way up the stairs. She lifted Charlie into her arms, "You can play for a little bit but then we have to leave to go meet daddy," Gabriella said with a huge smile on her face. Charlie smiled and her smile was just like Gabriella's smile. That was one thing that she inherited from her, and apparently, she inherited her "cute" nose, as Troy would say.
"Daddy!" Charlie said clapping, "I miss daddy." Gabriella's heart broke. She knew that it was hard on her, so she imagined how hard it must be on Charlie. Gabriella did not have a father growing up. Her dad died when she was young. She had often told her mom that she missed her dad, even though there was nothing anyone could do about that. She knew that Troy would come back home to them. Even thought there was a chance he would not come home but she did not think about that. She could not.
"Yes daddy's coming home. So I'm going to clean up around the house, you sit nicely and play with your dolls," Gabriella said walking into the living room. Gabriella set her down on the couch in front of the TV and went to retrieve her dolls. Gabriella set Charlie's dolls down when she heard her daughter mutter Barney while she grabbed a few dolls. Gabriella put Barney on for her daughter and then went to clean the house for Troy's arrival.
_-_ 20 Minutes Later _-_
Gabriella made her way into the living room and found her daughter, her eyes glued to the TV. The sight made Gabriella smile. Her daughter did not have a care in the world. She wished her life was that easy, "Sweetie? We have to go and pick up Nana and Pop Pop," Gabriella said.
Charlie jumped up, "Nana! Pop Pop!" Charlie said giggling. Nana and Pop Pop were what Charlie called Troy's parents. She called her mom Grandma and she did not want her daughter to be confused so that is what Gabriella told Charlie to call them. Gabriella thought it was the cutest thing ever. Gabriella picked up her daughter and sat her down on the counter. She put on her daughter's shoes and she slipped on her jacket. Charlie hugged her mom and Gabriella smiled and hugged her back. If there was one thing that could make her happy when she was upset, it was Charlie.
Gabriella made her way to the car and she strapped Charlie into her baby seat. She gave her a book to read in the car. Her daughter loved to make up stories based on what was going on. It was quite cute. Gabriella backed out of the driveway and made her way to the Bolton's' house. Gabriella knew they were excited. After all, their only son was coming home from Iraq, who would not be happy? She had not gotten much sleep last night because Troy was coming home; she can only imagine how Lucille and Jack were last night.
_-_ 3 hours later _-_
Gabriella, Charlie, Lucille and Jack were making their way to where the plane would land on base. Charlie had her head resting in the crook of Gabriella's neck. Gabriella bit her lip nervously. She was afraid that something had gone wrong. She had all the possible scenarios going through her head. It was driving her insane. She was starting to get angry at her thoughts.
"Gabriella sweetie, he's going to be home. He's going to walk off that plane and be happy to see you," Lucille said with a soft smile. Gabriella looked over at her. She smiled gratefully at her. She was glad she did not have to be here alone with just Charlie. Gabriella saw Jack reaching out for his granddaughter. Gabriella handed her over to Jack, being able to let her arms gather feeling again.
"I'm just so excited and nervous to see him again," Gabriella said softly. Lucille smiled at her son's girlfriend. Lucille knew that today was going to be extra special. He had a ring shipped to him in Iraq. He was planning to ask Gabriella to marry him as soon as he walked off the plane. Everyone but Gabriella, obviously, knew what was going to be taking place soon.
Gabriella saw the plane coming in for a landing and she could not contain her excitement. She squealed and started to jump up and down. It had been about a year since she has seen him. It was killing her. She wanted to be able to fall asleep and wake up next to him again. Her bed had been lonely and more often than not, Charlie was usually found sleeping in the bed with her. Gabriella felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at her boyfriends' father. She smiled sheepishly and he just smiled back in return, standing next to her. There was no doubt in her mind that Jack was excited, he just could not show his excitement without seeming like a total girl.
"Attention ladies and gentlemen! I would like to present our soldiers coming home from Iraq. Let's give them a hand," the Lieutenant said over the loud speaker. Gabriella stood on her toes to try to see Troy. Gabriella cursed herself for being short. Jack lifted Charlie onto his shoulders and Charlie giggled. She played with the grandpa's hair. Gabriella sighed.
"Where is he?" Gabriella asked impatiently. If there was one thing she hated, it was to wait, especially now since she had to wait to see her boyfriend. She watched as young couples reunited with each other. The pain in Gabriella's heart grew as fewer soldiers exited the plane. Gabriella bit her lip.
"Daddy!" Charlie said giggling and clapping. Gabriella gasped when she looked out and saw her boyfriend walking off the plane. Gabriella left her spot next to Jack and she ran towards Troy. She could not explain how happy she was to see him. She felt tears gather in her eyes. Despite the fact that she was in heels, she was running as fast as she could.
Troy heard someone say 'daddy' and he saw Gabriella running towards him. Troy's face broke out into a smile. Troy felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulder. It was recognition that he was finally home. Troy set down his backpack that was on his back and he opened his arms just as Gabriella ran into them. Troy picked her up and he spun her around, burying his face into her hair.
"I missed you so much," Troy said his voice shaky. He was holding back his tears. He wanted to cry, holding her tightly in his arms. Gabriella cried softly into his neck. She did not want to let go, afraid that this was going to be just a dream. It was the same with Troy; he had this dream so many times when he was in Iraq that it felt like a dream. Troy set Gabriella down and he pulled away, wiping away her tears with the pads of his thumbs, "I love you."
"I love you too so much," Gabriella whispered, "I missed you." Gabriella smiled softly at Troy. Troy smiled and bent down and placed a soft kiss on Gabriella's lips. Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck and she kissed him back. Gabriella had definitely missed the familiarity of his kisses. Not that she forgot what his kisses were like but it was something that she had not felt in about a year. It was nice to feel this again.
Troy missed kissing Gabriella every day. The only thing that got him through the war was thinking about seeing Gabriella and their daughter. Troy felt something tugging at his leg and he pulled away, his arm wrapping around Gabriella's waist, pulling her close to him. Troy looked down and he smiled when he saw Charlie standing there. Troy unwrapped his arm from Gabriella and he picked up Charlie, "Hey sweetie! Daddy missed you!" Troy said hugging her to him. Charlie giggled.
"Daddy home?" Charlie asked playing with Troy's hair. Gabriella smiled at Troy and Charlie. Seeing them interact was priceless. Charlie was the splitting image of Troy. Seeing Charlie and Troy together, if people did not know that Troy and Gabriella were together, many would think that Charlie was his little sister. They looked that much alike.
"Yes sweetie, Daddy's home," Troy said with a smile, as he looked at Gabriella. Gabriella smiled at him and she turned when she saw Jack and Lucille out of the corner of her eye. "Mom? Dad?" Troy asked. Gabriella knew that he did not know that his parents were coming with her. Troy handed Charlie to Gabriella as his mom embraced him in a hug. Troy chuckled when he felt his mom cry, "Mom its okay. I'm home now. I'm okay."
Lucille pulled away from her son, "Your father and I are just so happy you are home," Lucille said with tears in her eyes. Jack smiled and handed his wife a tissue. He embraced Troy in a hug, his own eyes getting teary. Gabriella watched the interaction between Troy and his parents. She felt tears come to her eyes. He was finally home, hopefully for good but she knew that he could not guarantee her that.
Troy and Jack walked off to talk and Lucille and Gabriella conversed. Troy was still in eye's view of Gabriella so he could keep an eye on her. "When are you going to ask her?" Jack asked his son as soon as they got of hearing distance of Gabriella. Troy ran his hand through his hair.
"Soon. I want to ask her in front of everyone but I'm not sure if she is going to like that. She's more of a plain Jane kind of girl," Troy said reaching in his pocket and taking out the box. Jack was standing in front of Troy so even if Gabriella looked over, she would not see anything.
"Can I see the ring?" Jack asked. Troy nodded and opened the box. Jack let out a low whistle, "It's beautiful. She's going to love it." Jack said with a smile. Troy nodded and closed the box, putting it back in his pants.
"I hope so," Troy said. He spotted the person he needed to talk to, "I'll be back. Go stand with mom and Brie." Troy walked off and was talking to the person he needed to talk to. He nodded and led him to the stage where there was a microphone stand. "Can I have everyone's attention?" Troy said into the microphone.
Everyone turned towards the stage. Gabriella looked at the stage in confusion. What on earth was he doing. Jack joined Lucille and Gabriella with a smile on his face. Lucille looked over at her husband with a questioning look on his face and he nodded. Lucille smiled and turned back to face the stage.
"Gabriella Montez, can you come up to the stage?" Troy asked with a smile. Gabriella looked nervous. She handed their daughter to Jack and she slowly made her way to the stage, people parting the way for her. Gabriella walked up on the stage and stood next to Troy. Troy took the microphone off the stand and he took her hand in his. He knelt down on one knee. Gabriella looked at him with a curious look on her face.
"Gabriella Elizabeth Montez, these past 4 years has been the most wonderful experience of my life. You've been through so much and supported me with what I wanted to do. Even if it meant leaving you while I went and fought for our country. I can't imagine my life without you in it. You know me inside and out and you know when I'm lying to you. So you will know that I'm not lying when I say that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Gabriella Elizabeth Montez, will you do me the honor and make me the happiest man in the world by marrying me?" Troy asked, setting the microphone down and reaching into his pocket. He let go of her hand and opened the box, showing her, taking her hand in his.
Gabriella let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her hand to hold back a sob. They talked about marriage a few times but she knew neither was ready, or so she thought. Gabriella looked around, tears in her eyes, at all the eager faces to find out what she was going to say. Gabriella dropped her hand from her mouth and nodded, "Yes," Gabriella said giggling softly. Troy had a huge smile on his face as he dropped her hand and took the ring out of the box. He took her left hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger. He kissed her hand before standing up and hugging her. Gabriella hugged him tightly, "I love you Troy Bolton." Gabriella whispered into his ear.
"I love you too Gabriella Montez," Troy said softly hugging her back. Gabriella could hear cheers and claps and she giggled. She looked out at everyone. She saw her soon-to-be mother in law taking pictures of them. Gabriella buried her head into Troy's chest. She felt the vibrations of the chuckle he let sound through his mouth, "If you're like this now, what are you going to be like on our wedding day?" He asked her, kissing her head.
"I'll be a tomato," Gabriella said with a smile. She looked up at him. Troy looked down at her and bent down to kiss her lips softly. Gabriella kissed him back and then pulled away. Gabriella took his hand and led him off the stage. They rejoined Lucille, Jack, and their daughter. Charlie tugged on Troy's pants and Troy picked her up, settling her on his hip. Nothing in the world could ruin his day.
_-_ That night _-_
Gabriella , Troy and Charlie were watching a movie together on the couch. Gabriella was sitting on the left of Troy and Charlie on the right. Gabriella and Troy were holding hands and Charlie's head was currently in Troy's lap. Troy looked down at Charlie as the movie ended. He smiled at the sight. He was happy to be home. Troy looked over at Gabriella, who was looking at him. Troy kissed her lips and shook Charlie awake, "Come on sweetie, let's go to bed," Troy said softly. Charlie sat up, tiredly. Troy scooped her up.
Gabriella stood up and turned off the TV. She picked up the drinks that she and Troy were drinking. "I'll meet you upstairs." Gabriella said. She knew they were going to bed to spend time quiet time together. Troy nodded and made his way upstairs. Gabriella went into the kitchen and set the glasses in the sink. Gabriella sighed and looked at the ring on her finger. This was so unreal. Gabriella turned off the light and she made her way up the stairs, after making sure the front door was locked.
Gabriella heard talking and she made her way to her daughter's room. She stood by the door and saw Troy and Charlie interacting. It made her heart swell. Gabriella felt the tears gather in her eyes. She wiped them away.
"Did Santa bring you what you wanted?" Troy asked his daughter. He hated that he hadn't been there to see her open the presents. It was the cutest thing, seeing her eyes light up. Troy was tucking her into bed when she nodded.
"Do you want to know what I asked Santa?" Charlie asked and Troy nodded. "I asked him to bring my daddy home for Christmas and he listened." Charlie had a huge smile on her face. Troy smiled and handed her the stuff bear Chad had bought her when she was born.
"I'm glad Santa listened," Troy said kissing her forehead, "I love you Charlie."
"I love you too daddy," Charlie said before turning on her side and going to sleep. Troy smiled and he stood up. He turned around and saw Gabrielle standing there. Troy smiled at her when she saw the tears. Troy turned on the night light and turned out the light before shutting the door. Gabriella hugged Troy, who placed a kiss on the top of her head. Troy scooped her up and Gabriella looked at him questioningly.
"Let's go to bed," Troy said with a smile on his face. Gabriella giggled softly, playing with his hair.
"Why do I have the feeling that we won't be going to bed?" Gabriella asked as he began to move.
"Cause we aren't. I'm so happy to be home. I don' t have to fantasize anymore. But answer me one thing," Troy said as he stepped into their bedroom, setting her down on the floor. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Did Santa bring you what you wanted for Christmas?"
"I got my man home. That's all I wanted," Gabriella said. Troy kissed her softly, shutting the door with his foot. They spent the night reacquainting themselves with each other. It was a Christmas Gabriella will never forget.
So there it is. Just a cute one shot that I've had in my head for a while now. I have pictures of what Gabriella and Charlie is wearing, as well as the ring. I will post them in my profile. The ring is beautiful. I loved it when I saw it. While writing this I listened to songs by the band Alamance to keep my muse. It really helped. I also have a playlist specifically for writing that helps me keep on typing. So read and review! Hope you all like it!