DISCLAIMER: I do not own High School Musical or any related characters.

A/N: Sadly this is the last chapter to this story!!! It's kind of an epilogue, so I hope you like it!

Saving Me

CHAPTER 13

INNER STRENGTH

Gabriella shivered as she felt the cool, sea breeze pass through her hair. She pulled her jacket tighter around her body and continued up the well worn path. It amazed her that it had been a year to the day since she had last been here. The last time she had been here she had promised herself that she would never, ever come back. Yet here she was walking the very path she had sworn to never walk again. As she continued Gabriella allowed her mind to drift and she felt a smile play on her lips as she thought back to the car, which was where Troy was patiently waiting for her. He had been the one that had suggested she come here, he'd been very vague as to why but Gabriella knew that it had something to do with the fact that he knew that she still hadn't let go. No matter what she said to him, Troy always saw right through it. This had left her to tell him the truth, even though she knew that he already knew. Gabriella's breath caught in her throat as she reached the end of the path. She'd forgotten how beautiful it was up here; Gabriella had chosen to come at sunset, she hadn't told Troy why she had to wait a whole day till coming because she wasn't sure herself. Now that she was here she still wasn't sure. Gabriella sighed and quickly found what she was looking for. The headstone looked lonely as she approached it, but Gabriella knew that there was no other place he had wanted to be buried. She stopped at it and stared at it for a moment. Now she had no idea what to do, she was here and that was it.

"Uh, hi Dad" Gabriella started feeling incredibly stupid "I know it's been really long since I came, nearly a year truthfully and I know your probably wondering why it took me so long to come and I'm not going to give you an excuse you'd see right through it anyway, all I'm going to say is sorry" she continued fiddling with the ring Troy had given her a few days ago.

Gabriella stopped fiddling with the ring and stared at it. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes and she looked up at the headstone. Suddenly knowing exactly what to say.

"We moved Dad, moved away from here, Mom couldn't take it and although I pretended I could, I couldn't. It was to hard being here and not having you around. So Mom's company transferred her to Albuquerque, you know in New Mexico and………I met someone. You'd love him Dad, honestly you would. Remember how you used to get stuck into me about Kyle? Because he was on the decathlon team with me? Well, Troy's the opposite, he's the captain of the basketball at East High and he'd give you a run for your money on the court. He's so good to me and remember how you always said that I needed to get a boyfriend that could read me like you could? I've found him Dad, there is no way on gods green earth that I can lie to Troy, he knows me better than anyone else, I think that maybe you'd be jealous of him" as she talked Gabriella could feel something lifting, something she never thought would leave. Gabriella could feel herself letting go of her father as she told him about all the things Troy had done to Chad, or what Chad had done to Taylor, or what she and Troy and done to Chad and Taylor. She told him about how she and Troy never seemed to need words when communicating with each other. She told him about her mother and how she had just started to see someone new.

"She's so happy and Gary's great, he really is. He doesn't try to be you when he's around me; he told me once that he didn't want to be my father figure because Coach Bolton's already like that. We're friends and it's nice to have him around. Mom really does adore him, you can't wipe the smile from her face, it's so great to see her like this" Gabriella paused for a moment and wondered if she should tell him how she was. She fiddled with a blade of grass, during her one-sided conversation she had sat down.

"Now you know about everything, you're probably wondering how I am. In all honesty Dad, I'm happier than I have been in a long, long time. I'm as happy as I was before you got sick. I've got all these great friends Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Zeke, Mom's happy, Gary's just great, you already know that though. But my happiness really comes down to one boy; there are no words to tell you how happy Troy makes me Dad" Gabriella's voice softened and she looked up at the stars as she spoke "I know I've told you that before but he does, he knows when I'm afraid, he knows when I'm about to cry, he knows when I miss you, he just knows. Like you did, but it's so different because you never seemed to come to me, you waited for me to come to you and Troy doesn't do that. All he has to do is look at me and he knows" Gabriella let out a soft laugh as she looked back down and at the headstone which was lit by the full moon, she could hear the waves crashing below and the leaves rustled by a soft breeze and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Her head suddenly snapped up as she heard a song drift over to her, she relaxed as she began to listen to it.

Gotta find your inner strength

If you can't than just throw life away

Gotta learn to rely on you

Beauty strength and wisdom too

You're beautiful inside and out

Lead a great life without a doubt

Don't need a man to make things fair

It's more than likely he won't be there

Now listen girl you gotta know its true

In the end all you've got is you

Gabriella smiled as the song faded out.

"Dad, Troy's my inner strength. When I think I can't keep going all I have to do is look at him and I can keep going, he made sure I didn't throw my life away. He makes sure I know no boundaries; he keeps reminding me how good a life I do lead. I don't need him that much, because he's taught me to rely on myself, he taught me that as he was saving me Dad. I wish you two could have met because you would see how great he is, you would see how much I love him" Gabriella stopped as she felt a lump begin to form in her throat, she could feel him leaving her. Gabriella knew he was leaving her because she had found someone that knew her the way he had, someone that could see through her and see the person she really was, the someone that comforted her when she was upset, that teased her when they were allowed, the someone that was allowed to call her Gabi.

"I love him so much Dad and I know you know how much I love you and I just wanted you to know that. I wanted you to know that I love you, more than you could possibly think I could, I wanted you to know that I've found someone that I love as much as I love you. I wanted you to know that Mom and I are happy and I think I've finally understood your saying, you know the one you used to tell me when I was little and had time to listen? You have to remember it; it was 'It's better to light a candle, than to curse the dark'. I was cursing the dark before I met Troy and now I have a candle and I can see again" Gabriella finished her throat raw from talking and her eyes bright with unshed tears.

Choking back a sob she stood, turned and nearly ran into Troy. She fell into him as he wrapped his arms around her. Gabriella knew that Troy knew she had finally let go of her father. They stood there for a moment and than Gabriella pulled back. She looked up at Troy and he smiled, Gabriella closed her eyes and raised her lips to meet his. A feeling of contentment settled over her as they kissed.

"You know, I don't think your Dad would be too pleased with us making out in front of him" Troy commented and Gabriella laughed.

"You're probably right" she agreed and she turned back to the headstone. Troy kept a firm grip on her waist and Gabriella leaned into his chest.

'Dad, this is Troy the boy that saved me' Gabriella said silently and than she smiled, because for a moment, just a moment, she felt her father right beside her. She felt for one last time his lips pressed up against her forehead and the warmth of his hand on her arm for one last, brief moment and than he was gone. He was gone, she'd let him go and she knew that he'd finally gone because he knew that she was happy, he knew that she had been saved. Gabriella shivered slightly and Troy's arms tightened around her. Gabriella smiled and that's when she knew, 'He's always going to be the one saving me' she didn't know how she knew she just knew that he would always be the one saving her no matter what.

A/N: THE END!!!! Thank you guys all so much for the reviews, you have no idea how much they mean to me! I would name all of you but I don't have all night, I just had to say that they are really appreciated!! I really loved writing this story and I hope you loved reading it just as much!! Anyway, it's all over but I'm still working on 'Crash World' and 'Chemicals React' and they should be updated soon! Thanks again so much! Oh the song was 'Inner Strength' another Hilary Duff song, I don't like her that much but just remember that it's not about who sings it it's about the lyrics! Thank you so, so much!!!!