Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

I hope this chapter is as good as the last one seemed to be, by the comments I got. Many thanks to all of you who reviewed I appreciate every comment even though I may not thank all of you individually, Thanks! Also this chapter is pretty long it took me forever to write; 2,800 words! That's alot for me. I hope you enjoy!

Bl1SSFuln3ss- Here's your update my Faery Sista! I've missed you too! I'm sorry I like never get on MySpace any more now. I have a Facebook, and get on that more. I hope you will enjoy this chapter! It has a smidge of our favorite couple in it! Yay!

Chapter 3: The Last Faery Woman

Sharpay rearranged everything in her locker for the third time, trying to delay the inevitable.

She finally snapped her pink locker shut, and walked towards the student parking lot.

There she saw Troy leaning against his navy blue Chevy truck, with white ear buds in. He looked calm and completely lost in his own world.

Sharpay took a deep breath, and walked toward Troy.

When Troy saw her coming he shoved his earphones into his pocket, and opened up the passenger door for Sharpay. When he did a mocking bow she tried to hide her giggles.

"Why thank you, kind Sir," She replied as she stepped into the cad to the truck, both of them grinning.

On the way to the Bolton's house they made small talk until Troy steered the vehicle into the driveway of his house.

As they stepped out of the truck, Sharpay smiled unconsciously. This house looked so cozy and inviting. It was a two-story brick house with a white wrap around porch, with ivy crawling one corner of the garage that was attached. The hedges were nicely trimmed. Even though it was winter and there were no flowers, Sharpay could tell Mrs. Bolton was a gardener.

"C'mon, Sharpay," Troy said. He was a few feet in front of Sharpay and was waving toward the front door. She nodded and followed him through the door.

"Mom?" Troy called as he led Sharpay through a living room, and then a dining room; to the kitchen.

At the kitchen counter there was a woman of medium height and auburn hair that was a few shades lighter and redder than her son's. She had a kind face, and eyes that Sharpay thought, looked exactly like emeralds, bright and sparkling.

Mrs. Bolton brushed her floury hands on her pant legs before walking over to her son.

"How was your day?" She asked as she enveloped him into a motherly hug. Troy muttered a 'fine' as she him go and turned to Sharpay; who was standing, slightly awkwardly to the side as mother and son embraced.

"Mom, this is Sharpay. Sharpay this is my stepmom, Rachel Bolton." Sharpay stuck out her hand, while Mrs. Bolton ignored her hand, and wrapped her arms around Sharpay's shoulders.

"It's nice to meet you," Troy's mom said brightly, pulling away from a surprised Sharpay.

"It- It's my pleasure," she replied.

"You two can go on into the living room. I was just making brownies, I'll bring them in as soon as their done," Mrs. Bolton instructed, while shooing them out of the doors.

Troy guided Sharpay to the living room; they had passed through on the way to the kitchen.

"Sorry about my mom, she's very into hugging."

"It's fine," Sharpay replied, smiling while they sat on the dark blue couch. "My mom liked to hug a lot, too."

"What's your mom like?" Troy asked. Everything about Sharpay was mysterious and intriguing; he wanted to learn more about her.

"She was kind and wise. She loved us all so much."

"Us?"

"Yeah; Me, Ryan, and our older sister, Lily. My dad was much happier," she said the last part more to herself then to Troy, but he heard it and was confused.

"Where's your mom?" Sharpay turned her head away from Troy. She averted her eyes, and looked out the widow as she spoke next.

"So, do you have any ideas about the project?" The abrupt change in subject did not go unnoticed by Troy. He'd never wished he could read someone's so much, then at this moment. But the only thoughts he could hear were his own, and his mother's in the kichen.

"Not really, do you have any ideas?" Sharpay nodded, and turned back to meet Troy's eyes with tears in her own.

"Sharpay, are you ok-"

"I'm fine, Troy," as if to contradict her words, a tear slipped down her cheek. Troy brought his hand to her face and brushed away the drop with his thumb.

Violet eyes met dark blue. Before he knew what he was doing; Troy leaned towards Sharpay. She closed her eyes, and Troy's lips were a hare's breath away from hers.

"Troy, Sharpay! I hope you two are hungry!" The two teens on the couch jumped apart so fast it looked as though they had been shocked. A few seconds later Rachel Bolton walked into the room with a plate of brownies and two glasses of milk balanced on a tray.

She smiled as she set the tray down seemingly oblivious to the room's tension as she smiled again blithely at the two and left.

"You-you mentioned an idea," Troy said, frowning slightly at what, Sharpay didn't know. As he broke the awkward silence that lay thick between them.

"I think we should do Scotland during the Jacobite uprising, Culloden, and post Bonnie Prince Charles," Sharpay replied, sounding excited.

"What is Culloden? And what was the Jacobite uprising?"

"In the 1740s Scotland had been ruled by England, and they were discriminated against. Along came Bonnie Prince Charlie. He seemed like Scotland's last hope of freedom. Many Scots believed him to be the rightful heir of the English throne. These supporters were called Jacobites.

"The last fight between the Jacobites and the red coats was at Culloden. There Bonnie Prince Charlie and many in this very bloody battle, but in the end the Scots lost after their leader died.

"After Culloden all of Scotland, not just the Jacobites, were treated with the utmost contempt by all of the English. They were forbidden to have anything that was a symbol of their heritage; from kilts, to family plaids and crests, to bagpipes. Basically anything that showed Scottish patriotism was outlawed."

"So it was kinda like Braveheart?" Troy asked eagerly.

"Sort of," she replied, rolling her eyes, "Except William Wallace came quite a bit before Culloden."

"What?" she asked, in reference to the way he was looking at her with his head tilted to the side in interest.

"Nothing," he replied grinning at her. "You just really enjoy history, don't you?"

"Well what's wrong with that?"

"There's nothing wrong with that you're just… different then I expected."

"And what did you expect?" she held up her hand, when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Never mind, I know what you expected; A prissy, spoiled brat who pays others to do her homework for her. Am I right?" Troy stayed silent. Sharpay's words came too close to the truth.

"You needn't say anything your silence tells all," she stated softly.

"Maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them."

A few hours later Sharpay knocked gently on her grandmother's door.

"C'mon in, lass." She quietly opened the door, slipped in, and shut it again before turning to sit in the chair beside her grandmother's bed, and take her gnarled hand in Sharpay's smooth one.

Lilian was fast approaching old age and meeting it head on. He once lustrous copper curls now had grey streaks. Her back was slightly slumped with old age. The clarity in her bright purple eyes and the kindly smile she wore rivaled her age.

"How are you feeling, Grandmama?" Sharpay asked without preamble.

"Fine, lass. You said yourself that I'll be right as rain in a few days of bed rest," she replied, practically. "It's not me that I'm worried about. How is Graeme?"

"He's fine, grandmamma. He's young, and bounced back from this flu faster than you." Sharpay saw the lines on Lilian's face ease as this news relaxed her mind.

"I wish Alyce was still here to help you Sharpay, dear, you do too much." Alyce was Ryan and Sharpay's mother, and Lilian's youngest daughter.

"Get some rest, Grandmama. I'll check on you before I go to bed."

In Sharpay's room she had opened the photo album her mother had made and given her. She flipped it open to a random page; it was her parents' wedding picture.

Alyce looked young, beautiful, and happy. She looked so much like Sharpay. Her long blonde hair reached her waist, and wasn't contained by the shorter veil. Her violet eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness even in this faded old photograph.

Sharpay turned her attention to her father. His chestnut hair was longer, and his blue eyes sparkled happily as well. He was about a foot taller than Alyce. Quincy Evans had been a man before his wife had died; he had spent as much time as he could at home.

Alyce's sister, Claire, was standing next to her. She was red-headed, but had blue eyes like her father. Lilian's hair was pure copper in this picture, and her youthful face was glowing as she stood with her daughters and husband, Graeme Campbell.

Sharpay never tired of looking at the grandfather she had never known. He was a tall and strong man. His thick black hair was long, and fell over his blue eyes that were so dark they almost looked black, and were crinkled with laughter.

Sharpay's eyes lingered on the happy scene until she flipped past more wedding pictures, and stopped on a picture of her older sister, Lilian Marie Evans, later called Lily, as a baby. She turned to a toddler Lily, who was pushing a mower toy. Her sister had their father's dark brown hair, and blue eyes, but looked so much like Alyce and Sharpay. No one could say they were related.

A few pages later there was a photo of a 10 year-old Lily holding a newborn Sharpay, and a dark-haired hazel-eyed boy, her friend, at the time, Jeffery Mendoza, holding Ryan.

There was a picture of a 6 year-old Sharpay "helping" Lily get ready for her prom. And under it there was a picture of her and her date, Jeff Mendoza.

There were many pictures of Sharpay and Ryan's childhood that she had seen numerous times, but she stopped on one of Ryan reading Moby Dick at the tender age of nine. This made Sharpay roll her eyes. Ryan had been a book worm even then.

After Lily had graduated she had married Jeff after one year in college, despite their parents' misgivings.

They had married in the same church as her parents. Lily had looked so beautiful in Alyce's gown, veil, and tiara. Mr. And Mrs. Mendoza had refused to come to their wedding, though. Jeff was standing next to her, and all of Lily's family had been on the other side of her. Sharpay and her cousin, Savannah, had been Lily's bridesmaids. They had worn a pale lavender silk that had brought out Sharpay's eyes, and complimented Savannah's burgundy hair, nicely. On the other side of Jeff was his younger brother, Max, who had been his best man, and a nine year-old Ryan who was a bold version of his father, blue eyes and all. That had been such a happy day.

Three years later Lily and Jeff were blessed with a beautiful baby boy, Graeme Jeffery Ciaran Mendoza. A little boy who had his mother's nose, and his father's eyes.

Sharpay stopped again, this time at a photo of her twelve-year-old self holding a baby Graeme, and looking ecstatic. Ryan was sitting next to her looking just as excited as Sharpay.

Ryan and Sharpay had been named Graeme's godparents, and they had been keeping an eye on the impish boy ever since.

Sharpay turned to her last, and favourite. A photo of Blair MacArthur nee Frasier. She was Lilian's mother and had been the last Faery Woman before Sharpay.

She smiled as she remembered some of the stories her grandmother had told her about Blair.

According to her grandmother, Blair had chosen the path of good, and lightness when it came to her powers, and not the path of darkness. She had become a healer. Some of Blair's kinsmen believed her to be a witch; many Scots still had the old suspicions. Blair had continued to heal paying them no mind it was in her blood.

Blair had fallen in love with a laird of another clan. They were married, and she became apart of the MacArthur clan. But some of the Frasiers had spread rumors of Blair using witchcraft and spells. This frightened the MacArthurs no matter what their laird, Collum, said to convince them otherwise.

Collum and Blair lived in happiness for years. Blair became pregnant with a baby girl. She had hoped for a boy, so he have become the next laird, but Collum said that it mattered not, and that he would name Lilian Rose MacArthur the next laird.

It was clear that after Lilian grew up that she had not inherited her mother's powers, but far from being angry, Blair was relieved that her daughter would not have to deal with the prophecy, or any of the problems Blair had had to deal with.

Seventeen years later tragedy struck. Collum MacArtur had a heart attack and died a few hours later.

With the help of Collum's brother, Balthasar, who felt he was the rightful next laird, instead of a girl, and without their leader the clansman began to riot. They believed it was Blair's fault for her husband's death. Blair knew she was about to face the first of the trails in the Frasier prophecy, and she knew she was going to die.

Blair worried most about her daughter, what would happen to Lilian? She knew what she had to do. So she called Lilian to the solar, and told her to take the next boat to America. Blair's friend, and brother lived in Albany, New York with his wife. Blair gave her their names, address, and other necessities.

"But, Mama, what is happening, why am I going?"

"It is for the best, sweeting," she had replied.

"Am I to go alone?" Lilan asked, frightened. Her mother was always right, but if she left she knew her mother would walk into the lion's den without hesitation.

Blair asked Lilian to go pack everything she needed into two carpetbags. She then called Graeme Campbell, a stable lad. She knew they were fond of each other, and knew they were to be in each other's futures. He was also a braw lad, and when Blair asked him if he would protect her he had responded with a yes, and that her would protect her with his life.

Blair had seen Graeme and Lilian off. They made their way to America, where Lilian found her aunt and uncle.

Graeme had told but one person where he was going; his sister. She later sent a letter telling him that Blair had died when the MacArthurs had burned her at the steak, a still medieval tradition, and that Balthasar had become the laird.

Lilian and Graeme had remained in America, and fallen in love. They were later married. After Lilian's aunt and uncle had passed away, she and Graeme had moved to Albuquerque. Lilian became pregnant, and gave birth to twins; Claire and Alyce.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Graeme had fulfilled his promise to Blair, protecting her daughter until his death a year before Sharpay and Ryan were born.

Sharpay ran her fingers over her great-grandmother's portrait one last time before closing the photo album. She looked at the closed book, and only wished, nay, hoped and prayed that she would be as strong and wise as the last Faery Woman of the Frasier clan had been.

A/N 2: Sorry about the delay. I probably won't update for 2 or 3 weeks, because school is finishing up, and I want to focus on my finals. But after school ends I should be able to update more.

Many thank to those of you who are patient enough, and are still here after my slow updates. Coming soon: Sharpay will face the first trail; Fire.