Home Is Where They Are © Midnight113.

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or have any affiliation to it.

Synopsis: Overwhelmed with work, five kids and hardly ever seeing Troy, Gabriella reaches her boiling point. After a fight, she leaves and goes to work at the bar where she gets an unexpected visit. T&G Oneshot.

A warning to all potential thieves, this work is copyright 2011 Midnight113. Home Is Where They Are is completely the work and property of Midnight113, to reproduce under any other name is theft!

Home Is Where They Are

"~*~"

"-"

'-'

Gabriella stood by the sink with a pile of dirty dishes stacked high. The dishwasher was broken, yet again, and she had been waiting for her husband to fix it. Not that he ever would since he was gone all the time and always came up with some excuse.

Picking up a dishcloth, she continued washing the grime from the dishes with her rag. Her fingers were soaked with suds and water as she rinsed the white and blue striped dishes. She had just gotten home from one of her jobs; she was a waitress in the afternoon at the local diner in Albuquerque and a bartender at the local bar at night. Right now she was in-between shifts, and already extremely tired.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy… she's after me!" Gabriella felt a large weight collide against her hip and grunted from the unexpected force.

Turning around, she stared down at her youngest. Four year old Timmy Bolton looked up at his mother with wide blue eyes and grinned. "Mommy, Kitty's chasing me."

Gabriella frowned before looking up at her seventeen year old as she entered the kitchen. "Katherine…"

"I can't help it Mom, he stole my notebook and won't give it back." Kitty folded her arms and scowled at her little brother.

"Timmy, give it back to her." Gabriella demanded, dropping her dishcloth on the counter and turning around to face her children.

"No… it's mine."

"Give it back you little brat!"

"Kitty!" Gabriella shouted. "Don't talk to him like that and you…" She pointed at the four year old who was smiling innocently up at her. "Don't try to pull your father's charm with me. It's not going to work Timmy Bolton. Now give your sister back her notebook."

Timmy's head slumped forward as he groaned. "Okay." Begrudgingly, he handed it over to Kitty while continuing to cling to Gabriella's skirt.

"Thank you, now you guys go play or something."

"Yeah, I'll play with him alright." Kitty mumbled as Timmy ran out of the room.

"Kitty," Gabriella began in a calming voice as her oldest turned back to look at her. "He loves you and he doesn't know any better."

"Yeah, I love him too." Kitty rolled her eyes and started walking out of the kitchen, mumbling under her breath, "When he's not being annoying."

"That's good." Gabriella turned back to the sink. "Hey, where is your father? He told me he'd be home by now."

Kitty reappeared in the kitchen archway. "He called a few hours ago and wanted me to tell you he'd be late again."

"Oh great." Gabriella placed her left hand against her hip as she stared at the mess of dishes. "Where's your sister and the twins anyway?"

"They went over to Melanie's house."

"Are they eating dinner there?"

"I don't know, they didn't say."

"That's helpful." Gabriella sighed, walking over to the phone hanging on the wall. "I guess I'll just have to call and find out."

Kitty brushed it off, leaning against the doorway. "Yeah, whatever. I'm hungry, what's for dinner anyway?"

"Your father was suppose to pick something up, but if he's going to be late I guess I'll do it then."

"Okay. How about pizza?"

"Yeah, sure." She walked over to the kitchen drawer and pulled it open in search of a pizza flyer that would hopefully have some coupons printed on it. A frown appeared when she didn't find any.

Bringing the phone to her ear, Gabriella waited patiently as the phone rang. "Hi Jean, it's Gabriella Bolton. Is Abby there with Peter and Avery? Are they planning to come home for dinner tonight or… Oh okay… thanks so much Jean. Okay, you too. Bye."

Releasing a deep sigh, Gabriella hung the phone back up on the wall and moved back towards the sink.

Picking up another dish, she listened as the backdoor opened and turned around to face whoever had entered the kitchen.

"Hey baby." Troy Bolton placed his keys and wallet among the mess on the table and went to the refrigerator to grab a cold beer. "I had an awful day at the shop. Some guy came in with an Oldsmobile and expected me to take the whole thing apart and put it back together in one day." He shook his head and popped the cap to the beer bottle off using the side of the counter. "Crazy." He mumbled before taking a slug of the cold beer.

Gabriella folded her arms across her chest and fixed Troy with a stern look. "Where have you been all day?"

His eyes drifted over to hers and he frowned. "I just told you… I was at the shop." He pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, leaning back so that it was partially off the old linoleum floor that looked like it could use some bleach from all the dirt that had collected on it.

"For ten hours? You didn't have any breaks and you couldn't leave your own business to pick up Abby from soccer practice or get dinner for the kids… or how about these dishes piling up and the laundry over there from two weeks ago." She gestured with the dishcloth towards the laundry room behind the kitchen before throwing the rag down on the counter.

"I was busy all day."

"Oh doing what? Scratching yourself and fooling around with the guys while you work on cars? Yeah I wish that's all I had to do every day." She laughed manically, forcing herself to scrub the dishes.

Troy dropped his beer on the table and rose to his feet, the chair smashing against the floor with the unexpected move. "Hey I do a hell of a lot around here."

"Like what?" Gabriella spit out, her eyes narrowing on him.

"Like what? Like what?" He got in her face, his eyes bulging in anger. "Like this stupid sink. I just fixed it yesterday before I went to work."

"Oh, you mean the sink I've been asking you to fix for a month now because it's been backed up? That sink?"

Troy looked around the kitchen, searching for something else that he had done recently to help out. "I made dinner a couple nights ago."

"Oh whoop-de freakin do. I guess you do deserve a medal for that one considering you haven't cooked dinner since our first anniversary!" She shouted back at him, leaning against the counter… the dishes long forgotten.

Troy stared at her; his jaw clenched matching his hands as he looked around the messy kitchen. "Well maybe you shouldn't work so much."

The silence was deafening as they stared at each other. The tension between them was growing more palpable by the minute. "What?" Gabriella hissed.

Troy knew he shouldn't have said it, he was just so stressed lately trying to make ends meet that it slipped before he could stop himself. "Gabi…"

"No just say it. Say exactly what's on your mind Troy. Please enlighten me. You're pissed off I quit my other job and now I have to work two just to make what I did before, right? Even though you're the one who told me to quit if I wasn't happy!" She pointed an accusing finger in his direction and waited for him to deny it.

He ran his hands through his thick mop of hair that desperately needed to be trimmed and sighed in frustration. "I didn't tell you to quit your job, I told you to do what was best for you."

"Oh! Sure, which was your way of saying quit my job. Don't even try to deny it. "

"The hell I did!" He shouted across the kitchen at her. "You think it makes me happy having to work hours every day and barely see my family. You think I want to see you slaving two jobs every single day and then come home tired. You think I enjoy this? I don't... I hate it. But it's what we have to do to live so I have to deal with it!"

Gripping the ends of her hair in frustration, Gabriella had to control herself before she pulled every strand loose. "I am so sick of this whole thing Troy… I can't take this anymore, I'm going crazy here."

"And I'm not?"

The room was filled with silence as they both stood across from each other, waiting for one of them to make the first move. Noticing the time on the wall by Troy's head, Gabriella sighed and shut her eyes tight.

"Look, I have to get to work. Do you think you can order some pizza for the kids and pick up Abby and the twins later or are you too busy to do that?"

"Yeah, I can handle it." He narrowed his eyes and watched as Gabriella grabbed her coat and purse.

"Great, oh and thanks for the kiss." She called back to him before walking through the kitchen and out to the garage, not bothering to look back.

Gabriella sighed, leaning against the bar counter as she poured a tray of drinks for one of her tables. She couldn't get her mind off of Troy and how their marriage had been sizzling out as of recent.

She didn't want him to know how much it hurt that he never acknowledged her anymore besides the occasional, 'hey baby' as he grabbed a beer and went to watch television. Their relationship use to be full of physical contact. Gabriella couldn't remember a time when they weren't all over each other, especially back in high school when they had first met.

For the first few years after their marriage, things had been incredible. The honeymoon phase, or so she had been told it was called. Then they had Kitty and things started to slow down from there, but it was never as bad as it had been lately between them.

They had been arguing more and more about money and work. Life had gotten a lot more stressful ever since Gabriella had quit her other job at the airport. Her boss had been treating her like dirt under his boot, forcing her to work overtime and messing up her schedule; not caring that she had three kids she needed to get home to.

When she had told Troy how fed up she had become with the whole situation he had suggested she leave the job then… 'Do what's best for you babe, we'll manage… we always have' had been his exact words. Little did she know they would come back to bite her and him in the ass now.

She hated herself for quitting, for being selfish enough to think she could and that everything would be fine. That the mortgage would magically pay itself or the car payments… the bills… what was she thinking? Now she has to work two jobs just to try and make ends meet. How was that fair to Troy who had to pick up the slack until she had found another job? Or their children she barely even saw anymore and was sure whose faces she would slowly start to forget if things didn't change soon.

The one thing that upset her more than anything was the decaying foundation of her marriage. What had happened to Troy and Gabriella, the couple voted 'most likely to stay together' in high school. The couple that would always sneak glances at each other or small feather-like touches whenever no one was looking. Where had they gone? That thought was enough to bring tears to Gabriella's eyes as she set a pint of beer on her black tray.

The dense smoke floating through the air burned her eyes and clogged her throat. The smell of ash had never bothered her this much before, but tonight every one of her senses had been heightened with her emotional state. Wiping a drop of liquor off of her section of the counter with the back of her hand, Gabriella brought her sleeve up to her eye and swiped it just below her eyes in a sad attempt to cover up the water pooling in her eyes.

"Hey Gabs… what's wrong?" Taylor, her best friend who had helped her get the job at 'Bill's Bar', placed her hand on Gabriella's shoulder. "Is everything alright?" She asked with concern.

Not wanting to worry her friend, Gabriella put on her best happy face and nodded. "Everything is fine Tay, just some stuff back home."

"What kind of stuff?" The voice of her fellow bartender, Sharpay, asked as she picked up a glass and dried it with a cloth.

Shaking her head, Gabriella stared off towards the corner of the bar and watched a group of guys gathered around the pool table with their shots placed along the sides. "Nothing… I don't want to bother you guys." She kept her eyes on the one man setting up his shot with his cue stick aimed precisely at the cue ball on the billiard table. With a loud smack, the cue ball hit the green ball that then ricocheted into the corner pocket. All the men surrounding the table hollered before downing their shots in victory. Gabriella resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Hey, we're all family here Gabs." Taylor smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, tell us." Sharpay shrugged, placing her glass down with a loud clink before picking up another one. "Maybe we can help."

Releasing another sigh, Gabriella conceded defeat and nodded. "Okay. I guess I should talk to someone about it."

"About what?" Taylor asked.

"Troy and I… we're, sort of having problems."

"What kind of problems?" Taylor folded her arms and leaned across the counter.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sharpay spoke up, grabbing a glass to mix a drink it. "They're fighting."

"Oh all couples fight." Taylor waved her hand in the air, dismissing the subject.

"No guys, it's more than that." They both looked at her curiously, waiting for her to shed light on the matter. "We haven't… done anything for a long time."

"When you say 'anything' do you mean…" Taylor whispered, leaning closer. "You're having a dry spell?"

"Oh that's nothing… it happens all the time to couples who have been married for as long as you two. Don't worry about it." Sharpay attempted to console, but her words only depressed Gabriella.

"Well it never happened to us." She quietly relayed.

"So you guys haven't had sex for a while, it's nothing to be upset about Gabs." Sharpay nudged her friend in the shoulder and winked. "Just wake him up and do it when you get home later tonight."

"Oh sure, just wake him up at two in the morning and roll him over to get busy after he's been working at the shop all day? Come on!"

"Well that's what I do all the time with my baby." Sharpay smiled.

"We don't need to hear about your love life with Chad, Sharpay. We're trying to help Gabriella, remember?" Taylor scowled, reminding her friend.

"I am trying to help. You can't fix the problem if you don't approach it head on. What better way than by surprising him in the middle of the night?"

"It would never work." Gabriella sighed, dipping her head back to look up at the ceiling. "He doesn't even kiss me anymore when he gets home from work and a kiss on the cheek doesn't count. We're like strangers living in the same house and sleeping in the same bed. We only ever see each other when we pass by one another in the kitchen in the morning and between my shifts here and at the diner."

Shaking her head, Gabriella frowned and stared at her two friends. "I don't know what to do anymore guys. I feel like…" She paused to inhale a deep breath before wording her fears. "I feel like he doesn't love me anymore."

"Oh Gabs." Taylor's frown mirrored Sharpay's as they shared a look.

Just then, the door chimed to the bar, signaling a new customer.

Sharpay's head lifted as she looked over Taylor's shoulder towards the door. Her face changed as she eyed the new customer warily. "You can have this one Gabs. He looks like he'll leave a pretty good tip." Taylor shot a look over her shoulder and then remembered her tables as she scattered off towards the other side of the bar.

Gabriella frowned before turning around to greet the new patron.

The man stood with his back to her, his focus on the old jukebox in the corner. She stared at his freshly gelled locks, slicked back against his head. Her eyes trailed over the torn black leather jacket he was sporting, all the way down to his blue jeans that were covered with every size hole imaginable.

Her heartbeat increased when he finally turned around and caught her gaze, holding it with his. His hands buried deep in the pockets, he slowly sauntered over towards her side of the counter.

"Hey…" His velvety tone flowed like silk as he slipped onto one of the stools. "Can I get a draft?"

Gabriella nodded, tilting her head down as she grabbed a glass and began filling it up. Her eyes betrayed her as she sneaked a glance at him through her eyelashes. He was wearing an adorable smirk on his lips as he watched her. "Thanks." He whispered once she pushed the glass towards him. "So what's your name beautiful?"

"I don't tell strangers my name." The words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. She watched his eyebrows rise before the look of surprise disappeared from his face altogether.

"That's cool… I'll just tell you mine then." He leaned forward over his beer, his eyes glowing seductively. "The name's Alex."

"Isabelle." Gabriella replied, a small smile lighting up her face as she watched him nod.

"Beautiful… perfect name for someone so stunning."

Gabriella felt a blush tint her cheeks and looked away shyly. Part of her wanted to curse her body for responding to his charming persona, a persona she had been well acquainted with in the past. Her pulse increased when she turned back and met his smoldering gaze.

"Are you even old enough to drink beer?" She teased, leaning against the counter.

A smirk played on his lips, two dimples slowly making their way into her view. "Why, you want to check me for ID?"

"I might just have to." Gabriella loved the childlike look that took over his face, his lips jutting out just enough to form a small pout.

"Why don't you come with me on my Ninja for a spin around this boring town? I'll take you places you've never been baby… I'll show you things you've only ever dreamed of. Just say the word." He leaned closer, his lips hovering dangerously close to hers; teasing her.

A sudden ache formed in her chest as she stared down at the counter, remembering where she was. "I can't."

A melancholy look crossed his features. "Why not?"

"My husband's probably waiting for me to get home."

His eyes glossed over with an unreadable emotion as he leaned back and nodded. "Husband huh? Lucky guy."

"I'm the lucky one. He puts up with me and all my crap and I never even thank him. I quit my job and didn't even stop to think about how selfish I was being… but he never once complained about having to work more or-" Gabriella throat constricted as she choked on her words, her voice laced with emotion.

She watched as his eyes lowered to the glass on the table, his hand slowly coming up to rub his neck in a familiar gesture that Gabriella would be able to recognize anywhere. "Maybe he just wants you to be happy and he's… ashamed of being such a failure that his wife has to work two jobs she hates."

Gabriella's eyes softened as he reached forward and ran his finger along her thumb to her wrist, drawing circles there. The small touch sent shock waves of electricity throughout every piece of her, igniting her heart with an all too familiar feeling.

"Troy…"

"I need you Gabi." His bright blue turquoise eyes shot up and met hers with desperation in his voice. Her body shivered with the vulnerable edge in his soft face.

Her eyes glistened, mirroring his in perfect reflection as she nodded. "I need you too."

Troy dropped his hand and rose from his stool just as Gabriella turned to find Sharpay. "Hey Shar, can you cover for me?" Gabriella grabbed her coat and stared at her husband of seventeen years while walking through the bar; Troy meeting her halfway. "I have somewhere I need to be."

Before either of them could mutter another word, Troy wrapped Gabriella in his arms and pulled her tightly against his chest. His mouth smashed against hers with an animalistic urgency that surprised them both. Locking her arms around his neck, Gabriella pulled back and smiled up at his warm eyes that were hooded with desire. "I thought you weren't attracted to me anymore."

Troy frowned, his brow furrowing. "God… no baby." He moved forward, nuzzling his nose against her cheek and placing gentle, light kisses around her heart shaped face. "I thought you were bored and sick of me not being able to provide better for our family." He whispered closely to her ear, hiding his face from her.

"You provide just fine for all of us Troy… you work hard every day and because of me you have to work even harder and I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry for coming home and taking out my frustration on you and the kids… I don't mean to, I'm just stressed and angry at myself and–"

"I'm sorry about what I said." He bent his head down to get a better look at her.

A grin slowly formed on her lips. "It's okay."

Troy smiled, bringing his hands up to find hers behind his neck and lace their fingers together. "I love you."

"I love you too and I miss us… what happened to make us forget to talk to each other for so long?

Troy rolled his eyes, letting out a light sigh. "It probably had something to do with being too tired every night to talk so we just decided to fight instead cuz it was easier than dealing with everything else."

Gabriella let out a low groan in annoyance. "Not to mention I haven't had a proper kiss from you in so long."

Tilting his head, Troy leaned in and kissed her lips sweetly before pulling back. "I'm never going to neglect you again baby." Staring over his shoulder at the exit, Troy smirked and turned back to his wife. "Let's get out of here."

He tugged on her arm waiting for her to agree. "Yeah, let's go home." Gabriella nodded just as Troy steered her through the crowded bar.

"So long dry spell!" Sharpay shouted at their retreating forms, earning a wave from Gabriella as she disappeared with her husband through the door. A beaming smile was planted on her face as a knot of anticipation grew and exploded inside of her. She knew they had all the time in the world to figure out schedules with work and everything in-between. And she knew they'd manage because they always had.

Nothing mattered more than just the two of them and how they felt, right now... in this moment. They needed to remember who they were and remind themselves that when things got tough or when they felt as though they would crumble from the weight of it all, one thing would help get them through. The strength and passion they derived from each other every day.

A yearning to get reacquainted with her husband after being apart for the longest time in the history of their relationship consumed Gabriella. Suddenly, she couldn't wait to get home.

A/N: So did I trick anyone or was it obvious the customer was Troy at the end? I tried to keep his identity hidden throughout their exchange (Alex is Troy's middle name and Isabelle is Gabriella's) while slowly building up to the reveal. I wrote this a long time ago and just remembered it when I saw it hidden in my files so I figured I'd post it. I've been having issues lately with my muse so it's been hard to write. I'm working on it though and I hope to have updates out soon for my other stories. In the meantime I hope you enjoyed and my apologies for any grammatical errors.