AN: The epilogue of TWT! So sad! The story is over... but don't worry, I have 2 more stories in the works while will both hopefully be better than this one and WSB. Not that those are bad, but there's always room for improvement. So don't forget to put me on Author's Alert so you'll know EXACTLY when I post them :-)

I may write a sequel to this story, because it would be different from other Troyella-grown-up stories with the fact that Gabriella is in mourning of a daughter. But at the same time I might not. My 2 other stories are in early production and I want to finish them before I post them (which I did with this and WSB). But perhaps I'll surprise you guys one day... who knows?

This is really short, I'm sorry!

Title: Time Will Tell
Rating: T
Author: MadiWillow
Summary: Gabriella is raped in senior year and falls pregnant. Without telling her friends about it, she and her mom move to Florida. Six years later, she sees an old friend... and it all goes downhill from there.
Genre: Romance/Tragedy
Chapter: Epilogue

The next few weeks passed in one happy and sad blur. Troy and Gabriella were able move all her and Eva's possessions into Troy's home, and Gabriella's house sold within days. Their friends came back to visit a couple times, glad to catch up with Gabriella and to be able to laugh and joke with her, like old times.

Gabriella was able to put on a happy face while in public, but almost every night she cried herself to sleep in Troy's arms. She was no longer ashamed of it; she'd realized now that being strong had nothing to do with crying. Crying was just a way of letting go.

Sometimes, Gabriella and Troy would talk late into the evening, talking about things. They talked about their future, their past, and sometimes random things. They didn't know where they were going to end up; if they were just going to be like this for the rest of their lives, if they were going to get married, or eventually have kids. They didn't know.

Having kids was an extremely sore subject for Gabriella. She wasn't sure if she wanted kids again. Troy hadn't yet told her this, but he'd always wanted to have five kids. He was afraid she's get upset. He'd just have to leave that for the future.

And that's where we find Troy and Gabriella, on New Years Eve, over two months since Eva's tragic death.

They'd spent the night alone, celebrating not only the New Year, but marking the eight years since they'd met; since their lives had changed forever.

Now they lay cuddled in bed, under the covers, just holding each other. Gabriella was shivering from the slight chill, and Troy was rubbing her arms slowly, loving the feeling of her in his arms; loving the way they just seemed to melt together.

"Troy," said Gabriella suddenly. "What's going to happen to us?"

"What do you mean?" Troy asked sleepily.

"I mean... in the future. What do you think the future holds for us?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know."

Shifting in Troy's arms, Gabriella started into Troy's clear blue eyes. "Do you think I'll ever get over Eva?"

He blinked at her. "No, of course not."

Her mouth opened slightly. "What?"

"Of course you're never going to get over her," explained Troy. "I don't have a kid, but I know that this isn't something that you get over. It's something you learn to live with."

She nodded. "Well, do you think I'll ever learn to live with it?"

"You have," Troy reminded her. "You've been able to live with it since it happened."

Gabriella sighed deeply and settled herself into Troy's arms again. "Do you think I'll ever stop crying myself to sleep?"

"Who knows," he said quietly. "But there's nothing wrong with crying, remember?"

"I know," she sighed again. "But I hate it."

Troy looked down at the top of Gabriella's head, stroking her hair. "That's okay," he told her soothingly.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy again, breathing in deeply against him. After a few more moments, she asked, "Do you think we'll ever get married Troy? Or... have kids? Be like a normal family?"

He shrugged, and then grinned up at the ceiling.

"Who knows, Gabriella," he repeated. "Only time will tell."