Sharpay watched Troy with a small smile, watching him run after his two-year-old son Brycen. Troy was only eighteen years old, but he was the most amazing father Sharpay had ever known and seen. She and Troy had been best friends since they were babies. Sharpay was there when Troy had his first kiss. She was his first kiss. She was there when he lost his virginity. He'd lost it to her. She was there when Troy said he cheated. He cheated on her with Gabriella. They broke up, but stayed best friends. She was there when the words "I'm pregnant" came out of Gabriella's mouth, and she was there for the both of them to cry on her shoulder. Even though she knew it was their own fault, she still felt sympathy for them.

Sharpay and Troy hadn't been that careless. They used protection. Troy and Gabriella both received a lecture from her. She told them both that they were stupid, and they didn't respect each other enough to use protection. She said that they now had a responsibility only the two of them could take on. Here she was, two years later, helping Troy the best she could to raise their son. Their son. That meant Troy and Sharpay's son. Not Troy and Gabriella's, even though Gabriella gave birth to Brycen. Nope, Sharpay had been there for Troy this whole time. Not once did she ever feel like she was being taken advantage of, out of the many, many times Troy had asked her to baby sit. She loved it. Gabriella found out that motherhood was too big a task for her to handle.

Brycen was just two months old when Gabriella gave up her parental rights. Ever since then, Sharpay had been Brycen's mother figure. When he was learning how to talk, his first word was 'Mama' and it was to her. When he took his first steps, it was to her and Troy. When he screams at night for Mama, he's screaming for Sharpay. Not Gabriella. When Sharpay turned eighteen, she legally adopted Brycen. She and Troy hadn't gotten back together, but they were still the best of friends. They might as well be a couple, as much as they're around each other. They flirt like crazy and people swear up and down that they're having sex. So maybe they live together, sleep in the same bed and have had sex a few times… A lot of few times. But, that didn't mean they were together. What did that make them? Friends with benefits? Fuck buddies? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Sharpay's smile got a little wider when Brycen squealed as Troy picked him up tipped him upside down. She loved his squeal. His laugh. His voice. The way he spoke and pronounced his words. He was the best thing that had ever entered her life and she was as proud as ever to call him her son.

"Mama!" Brycen said, holding his arms out to Sharpay as Troy walked over to her.

"Hi, baby. Are you having fun with Daddy?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands and kissing his lips as his hands laid over hers.

"Yeah, I havin' fun."

"Tell Daddy to let you up honey, you're turning red."

Troy flipped Brycen right side up and he handed him to Sharpay, sitting on the steps of the back porch. "This kid really gives you a workout," he said.

Sharpay nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. I chase him around all day."

"Not all day…"

"Sixteen hours out of the day. My bad."

"That's better."

"Mama, I see Dramma?" Brycen asked, looking up at her.

"Maybe tomorrow, buddy. We're all going to bed early tonight. Daddy's got work and Mommy doesn't feel very good today," Sharpay said, kissing his head.

"Mama no feel dood? Mama sick?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Dada, Mama sick!"

"I know. How about we make Mommy feel better and cook her favorite dinner after we wash up?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, dat make Mama better."

"Okay. Mommy, may I have my assistant?"

"Take him," Sharpay said, handing Brycen to Troy as she stood up. "I'm gonna go take a pill. I have a headache," she said, starting into the house.

"Only one this time, Shar."

"Yeah, yeah…" she muttered, walking into the house and making her way to the bathroom. She let out a small breath and closed the door before opening the medicine cabinet. Once she found the pills she was looking for, she took one out of the bottle, filled a Dixie cup of water from the faucet and downed the pill and the water. She took a few seconds to look at herself in the mirror and she sighed, running her hands over her face. She'd been tired as hell this last week or two. She was starting to feel fatigued and she was constantly battling with headaches. She couldn't take a pill until Troy got home because the pills she takes makes her a little loopy sometimes and she can't risk that when she's home alone with Brycen.

Her stomach bubbled and she let out a small breath, running her hand over her belly. That had been happening a lot, too. She didn't have to burp, she wasn't hungry, she wasn't gassy, and she didn't have to use the toilet, yet it still bubbled and gurgled. It hadn't been happening as long as the fatigue, tiredness and headaches, but it was still happening a lot, even for it just starting that morning. The bubbling stopped after a few seconds, but as soon as she felt that acidic fluid rising, she knelt over the toilet and gagged several times in between vomiting.

"What the hell? …Well, that was just all of a sudden…" she thought to herself. What brought that on? She knew she didn't over eat, because she hadn't eaten very much today at all. She ate enough so she wasn't hungry, though. It just didn't make any sense to her. What could have made her sick? She didn't eat anything different, she wasn't exposed to anything vile… except maybe Brycen's diapers. Nothing else came to mind, except that maybe it was just a stomach bug or her stomach retaliating against something she'd eaten that could have been a little past the expiration date.

After she calmed down and her stomach wasn't jumping anymore, Sharpay stood up and flushed the toilet, before rinsing her mouth out, washing her hands and splashing her face with water. She looked at herself for a few seconds before making her way out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, rubbing her belly subconsciously.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked, sitting Brycen on the island. "I heard you getting sick."

Sharpay nodded. "I'm fine. I don't know what happened. I was fine, and then I just… yeah…"

"Maybe you're getting the flu."

"Maybe. Get him off of the counter. You both know better."

"Come on, Mom; he's fine. He's gonna help me."

"We prepare food on that counter, and he still uses diapers as his potty. Do you want poopy diapers on the counter we make our meals on?"

Troy scrunched his nose up. "Good point," he said, taking Brycen off of the counter. "Speaking of poopy diapers, his needs changing, Mommy."

Sharpay shook her head. "Nuh uh. I just puked my guts out. There's no way I can handle that stinky mess. You get him changed, I'll go get the door," she said as the doorbell rang.

"Deal," he said, walking out of the kitchen.

Sharpay walked to the front door and she opened it, smiling when she saw Taylor. "Hey, Tay."

"Hi. Where's my boy?" Taylor asked, walking into the house as she shut the door behind her.

"Troy's changing his diaper."

"Bet he's having fun with that one."

"Probably not, he stinks."

"Are you okay? You look a little pale," Taylor said, putting her hand against Sharpay's forehead.

"I'm fine. I got sick a few minutes ago."

"That would explain the reeky breath. Ever heard of toothpaste, breath mints or a tic tac?"

"Tic tacs are breath mints, Taylor."

"Oh, okay, smart ass. Why are you throwing up?"

Sharpay shrugged. "I don't know. Could have been something I ate," she said, walking to the living room with Taylor.

"Well, do you have any other symptoms other than throwing up?" Taylor asked as she sat next to Sharpay on the couch.

"I've been tired. I'm a little achy on and off throughout the day, but nothing too bad."

Taylor thought for a few seconds and she looked at Sharpay. "Are you and Troy still having sex?"

Sharpay raised an eyebrow and looked at Taylor. "We live together, we have a son together and we sleep in the same bed. Together."

"Are you having unprotected sex? Together?"

"We have a couple times."

"When was the last time? And the time before that?"

"I don't know. A couple months, maybe."

"Sharpay, I really think you should take a pregnancy test."

Sharpay's eyes widened and she shook her head, looking at Taylor again. "I can't be pregnant, Taylor."

"You've had unprotected sex with him, Sharpay."

"That doesn't mean I'm pregnant."

"You're throwing up, you're tired, you're achy."

"That's also symptoms of the flu, Taylor. I can't have a baby right now. I'm just now getting my life together…"

"You need to worry about your family for right now."

Sharpay let out a small breath and looked at her stomach. What if she really was pregnant? How were she and Troy going to take care of Brycen and a newborn? Brycen still had his fits where he wanted only Sharpay, and if she had a baby to take care of at the time, she wouldn't be able to give in to him and give him her full and undivided attention. What if she couldn't handle that?

"Take a test," Taylor said.

Sharpay let out a small breath and ran her hand through her hair. "I will… What am I gonna tell Troy, though? He had such a hard time when Gabriella got pregnant… He felt horrible when he found out. I don't want him feeling like that again."

"You're both older now. Not much older, but you are older and wiser. Look at Brycen. He's an amazing little boy, and that's all thanks to you and Troy. You two are the best parents to that little boy and you both love him unconditionally. You'll do great with a new baby."

"Brycen was a new baby at one point, Taylor. It wasn't easy. It's still not easy."

"Parenting isn't supposed to be easy."

"I wish it was…"

"Hang in there, Shar. You can do this."

Sharpay sighed. "I hope so…"

Troy watched Sharpay walk out of their bathroom, and and he stayed quiet when she slowly crawled into bed. He didn't know if he should say something, or just let her be. He was worried about her, but he didn't want to make her mad. She seemed like she was in a bad mood. Maybe she was getting the flu. He heard her get sick after dinner, and she'd just finished getting sick again. What if it wasn't the flu? What if it was something more serious? What if she was developing an eating disorder? He noticed that when she got sick the first time, she'd eaten just a little bit before.

Troy let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in and he looked at Sharpay for a few seconds. "Are you anorexic?"

Sharpay's eyes widened and her head snapped towards him. "What? No! Why would you think that?"

"Well, I mean… You're getting sick. Every time you eat, you throw up."

"That's called bulimia…"

"Well, are you bulimic?"

"No! Why are you asking me that?"

"Because it's just weird that you're throwing up every time you eat. It's not healthy and it's not normal, Sharpay."

"It is when you're pregnant!" Sharpay snapped, turning over on her side as she laid down.

Troy's eyes widened. "What?"

Sharpay stayed silent for a few seconds and she blinked as tears filled her eyes. "I took a pregnancy test. I'm pregnant."

"…How?"

"Because we had sex, Troy, use your head. The one on your shoulders, not the one in your pants."

"But… We always use a condom, Sharpay, you can't be pregnant."

"We didn't use a condom in February. Valentine's Day, remember? We didn't use one then. And we didn't use one on New Years Day."

Troy's head spun, and he stayed quiet, laying back on the bed. "We're having a baby? …How are we gonna manage that? Sure, we have Brycen… he's a handful all on his own. How did we let this happen?" he thought.

Troy's silence made Sharpay think he was mad, and more tears collected in her eyes, making them fall down her face. "Why isn't he saying anything? Is he mad at me? Oh my god, he is! He's pissed, he's gonna make me move back in with my parents and I won't be able to see Brycen anymore and… oh god, I'm gonna get sick!"

Sharpay quickly got up from the bed and she bolted from the bed, making a mad dash to the bathroom. The second she got in there, she fell to her knees in front of the toilet and started the third vomiting episode of the day. Within seconds, she felt her hair being pulled into a low ponytail and she felt Troy's hand caressing her back.

A few coughs and gags later, Sharpay finally spit the excess vomit from her mouth and attempted to catch a little of her breath, putting her hand to her forehead.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

Sharpay nodded. "Yeah… I think."

"Gonna get sick again?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Need help up?"

"Yep."

Troy stood up and he lifted her up under her arms, keeping his arms wrapped around her to make sure she had her balance. "You're good?"

Sharpay nodded and she walked to the sink to rinse her mouth out, while Troy flushed the toilet. Pregnant or not, she hated throwing up. She'd never get used to it. She hated the feeling of needing to throw up, she hated the feeling when she was throwing up, and she just plain hated throwing up. Period. Period! Duh! She hadn't had hers in three months! How could she not have noticed that?

After rinsing her mouth and brushing her teeth, Sharpay slid back into bed and she let out a small breath, getting comfortable. Troy slid under the covers with her and he pulled her against him gently, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her shoulder. "We're gonna get through this, Shar," he said. "I promise. We'll be fine."

"I hope so…" she said, closing her eyes as his lips brushed over her neck.

"We will."

"No hickeys… The paparazzi make a big deal about it when I don't cover them up."

"Fuck the paparazzi, you're a grown woman. Surely they know you're sexually active."

"And why would they know that? Hickeys don't mean we're having sex."

"But, we are."

"Yeah, but they don't know that."

"They don't know that Brycen isn't your son. They think and know we're having sex."

"No, they don't know. They don't need to know Brycen isn't my son. He is my son as far as I'm concerned, and you know that. I don't care who gave birth to him, that little boy is my baby."

"I know that. No one has to know. Don't worry about it. No one's going to find out. I promise."

Sharpay sighed as the phone started ringing and she reached over to her night stand and grabbed it, holding it to her ear. "Bolton residence, this is Sharpay."

"I'm getting my son back. You have a court hearing coming in the mail. If you fail to show up, you automatically lose him. Be there or lose Brycen. Your choice."

When Sharpay heard the dial tone, tears filled her eyes and she sat up. "Gabriella."

"What? What about her? Was that her?" Troy asked.

Sharpay nodded and let out a rack of sobs. "She said I have a court hearing and if I don't show up, I'll lose Brycen. She said she's getting him back."

"What? She can't get him back, she gave up her parental rights."

"She's taking me to court, Troy, what am I gonna do? I just adopted him, they can't just take him away from me," she said as she sobbed with a whine.

"They won't, Shar. When they find out she gave up her parental rights, they won't grant her custody at all. Just visitation. If that."

"I don't want her to have fucking visitation! She abandoned him so she could fuck whatever guy she could get her hands on! I don't want her around my son!"

"I know. I know, babe, she's not gonna get near him. I promise."

"I mean, she's completely changed. She's Gothic now, did you know that? She wears black all the time, her make up is black, and while it looks amazing on her in a creepy kind of way, it's just not the Gabriella we knew. She smokes, Troy; I don't want my baby around that."

"You smoke, too."

"Not around him. I stay a tolerable amount of space away from him when I smoke. She smokes in the house with her little sister in the room."

"Grace smokes too, it doesn't effect her."

"I'm talking about the littlest one, the toddler."

"That's Grace's daughter."

"What is it with that family and having their kids so young?"

"Hey."

"I said their family, not you."

"That was still a pun. Sharpay, I promise you she's not going to get Brycen. She won't get near him. I promise."

"How can you promise something like that when you don't know?"

Troy sighed and he kissed her head lightly. "I do know. I'm Troy Bolton."