Title: Hoping
Author: xx shadowdreamer.
Summary: He watched her face intently, hoping for some sort of movement. He had been doing that for that past two months already.

A/N: HAY, YO SUP?

Well, here's another depressing Troyella. I started this like thirteen months ago, but i never really finished until today. hmm. Anyways, here it is. try not to cry. :(

His body hovered over hers as slight tears had appeared in his eyes

His body hovered over hers as slight tears had appeared in his eyes. He had promised her he wouldn't cry; he had promised he would stay strong. Slowly, he raised his hands from his pockets, shivering slightly as he tried to take her hand into his. Her lifeless hand had felt cold, but there was slight warmth as his grip tightened carefully. He smiled; at least he knew that warmth was a sign that she was still alive.

He watched her face intently, hoping for some sort of movement. He had been doing that for that past two months already. Hoping. Hoping she would wake up in the next minute. Hoping he would be able to see her face smiling. Hoping that in the next moment she would be back in his arms, alive. His smile had faltered as he looked at her pale face, and his eyes had become watery once more.

"Wake up, Gabs." He whispered. "Please."

No reaction.

He placed a small stray lock of her hair that had been over her eyes behind her ears, and a smile had tugged at the corner of his lips. That's better, he thought, but a smile, he knew, wasn't appropriate at the time. It would have been two months ago when he was completely happy, two months ago was when he had felt like nothing could go wrong.

But like most smiles, it faltered.

Letting her hand slip from his, he clenched his fist at the sad memory. He knew his emotions at the time: rage, fury, anger, frustration, but yet at the same time regret, sadness, sorrow, and a hint of failure. Failure; because he knew he could've stopped her. Failure; because he felt it was his fault she had gotten hurt so bad, although everyone had said it wasn't. Failure; because he felt he owed something to her, something in exchange to every little thing she had done for him.

Everyone had tried reassuring him it wasn't his fault, but he convinced himself they didn't know the whole story, and he knew they didn't.

"Troy, don't." she pleaded. Troy stared down at her watery eyes, feeling the sudden calmness overwhelm his body.

Troy closed his eyes tightly; hoping tears wouldn't surface as the memory flashed back to his mind. He felt his body shiver.

"Everyone, hands up!" the men screamed as they entered the small supermarket. Troy and Gabriella's heads snapped toward the entrance, and without hesitance, Troy had already flipped his phone open and managed to dial 9-1-1.

"Jerry's Market on Greenleaf Ave," Troy said quickly, but yet clearly and quietly. He tucked the small silver phone inside his pocket, and took out the pocket knife he always carried with him.

Gabriella, however, froze on her spot as her mind recollected past memories of the same situation.

Troy saw the color drain from Gabriella's face, and observed her jaw stiffen as she stared at the scene in front of her.

"Everyone get down!"

Gabriella immediately collapsed purposely, as a tear escaped her eye. 'Dad,' she thought. 'Please help us.' Gabriella felt a hand reach over for her shoulders, and squealed slightly as her body jumped.

"Shush," Troy said softly into her hair as he wrapped an arm over her shivering body, rubbing her back comfortingly as he kept a watchful eye on the black clothed men as they held their guns up to innocent citizens.

"I'll make sure you're safe," he said soothingly. "I promise."

He promised. Promised. But yet there he stood; over an almost lifeless Gabriella who has yet to wake-up in two months. He opened his eyes, and looked over at her body. So serene, he thought, but as he looked over her body lying on small mattress he knew it wasn't the best sight. He took her hand into his once more.

"Gabs, I hope you can hear me," He stated softly has he drew small circles with his thumb on her palm.

"I miss you, you know that?" he asked her in a quiet whisper as he felt tears sting his eyes; knowing she wouldn't be able to answer him. He lifted her hand up to his lips, and kissed it softly before laying it back down on the mattress. Still holding her hand, he softly caressed the ring he had given her.

"I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise," he apologized, hoping that if she woke up she would forgive him. No wait, when she woke up. "It's okay if you hate me, you know. I won't stop loving you even if you did."

He felt something wet drop onto his arm, and looked down to see a tear fall. He tried wiping his face of with the sleeve of shirt, but they tears dropped like rain onto the mattress.

"I'm crying Gabriella," he told her sadly. "You know I only cry when I'm depressed."

It was true. Gabriella had only seen him cry once when his grandpa died about eight months ago, and it took a while before she had gotten him to let his feelings out. She was the first girl ever to get him to express his feelings, the only one he knew that ever would.

"I need you so much Gabriella," he confessed softly, as he began to caress her arm. He looked up at her face and brought his hand to her cheek, softly rubbing it with his thumb.

"Have I told you that you're beautiful?" Troy asked jokingly. He had never failed to tell her that in the past year they had been dating. "If I haven't, I'm telling you now that you are. You know that right?"

"Everyone wants you to wake up," he said as he took her hand into his, once more. He ran his thumb across her palm, and felt the intricate lines embedded on it. Smiling through his tears, Troy watched her chest slowly rise up and down evenly. "Sharpay, Taylor, and Kelsi still cry when they come visit you. Chad, Zeke, Jason, Ryan, and I are always left to comfort them. Chad and Zeke cried once, but it wasn't sobbing, but just a few tears."

"Don't tell Chad and Zeke I told you that, by the way." He added, remembering the promise he had kept when he had walked in on them with tears dripping from their eyes when they were keeping an eye on Gabriella. He had gotten some lunch for them. The guys immediately made him swear he wouldn't tell anyone, or else something bad would happen. Troy chuckled to himself at the fact he knew Chad and Zeke weren't going to do anything if he did.

"This is the first time I cried since the shooting. You know the funny thing? The funny thing is that even while you're unconscious, you still manage to get my emotions out."

Troy chuckled to himself at the irony.

Quietly, Troy searched around the room, and pulled up a nearby chair. Sitting down carefully, Gabriella's hand still grasped in his hand, he scooted closer toward her until his knees touched the bed. He rested one of his hands on her stomach; lightly rubbing the palm over the sheet covering her.

"Everyone, get down, or I'll shoot you!" the robbers yelled, pointing guns at the victims slowly dropping to the floor. Troy dropped down silently, keeping his panic down. He glanced at Gabriella who was clutching onto his arm for her life, sobbing quietly to herself. He saddened at the sight. He never liked seeing her cry.

"Gabriella, I'm going to try and stop them, okay?" he whispered to her as softly as he could. He immediately felt her grip tighten on his arm.

"Troy, don't." she pleaded. Troy stared down at her watery eyes, feeling the sudden calmness overwhelm his body. He wrapped his other arm around as she cried with her head buried in his chest.

BANG!

Troy's head shot up to the sight of the criminal and the sight of the victim on the floor. He looked at the lifeless victim with sad eyes, observing that a phone was in the man's hand.

He had tried to call the police.

To the right of him, he saw another man, trying to dial as fast as he could, and Troy glanced back at the robbers. Troy saw the robber look at the man, and slowly made his way towards him. Troy looked back at the man with urgent eyes as if his gaze would make the man stop, but the man was too pre-occupied with trying to get his phone to dial properly.

The robber began lifting his gun towards the man.

Without hesitation, Troy sprung towards the man as fast as he could, hoping he would be able to save him.

BANG!

Gabriella opened her eyes, finding Troy on the ground, and the stranger pushed away. She observed Troy, and found his eyes open. Relieved he was still alive, Gabriella tried crawling towards him, but another robber seemed to be watching her. She, reluctantly, stayed where she was.

Troy felt a pang of pain on his right leg. He looked down and saw blood seeping through his jeans, and felt himself go queasy at the sight. He clutched his leg in pain, letting out a pained groan. He glanced up at the man who shot him. Though his face was covered except for his eyes, Troy swore he saw a smirk.

"You shouldn't have done that boy," the man said warningly. "I guess you're the one who'll die."

Troy stared at Gabriella, who's horror struck face seemed to glare at him. He smiled to her once, before watching her face fill with tears.

"Say goodbye," the man said, pulling the trigger back.

BANG!

Troy felt a hard shove, and didn't seem to feel the shot go through his body. He looked to the side of himself, and saw Gabriella on the floor.

"Gabriella!" he yelled, rushing to her side, ignoring the growing pain in his leg. He saw her hand had been clutching her stomach, and saw the blood gushing out. He had faintly heard the sirens of police cars outside, but didn't pay too much attention to the men rushing out to the back door of the store. He had only been paying attention to Gabriella, who was crying out in pain.

"Gabriella, you didn't need to do that." He said sadly, whispering slightly as he brushed her air back.

"Troy, I love you," was all she said before he saw her eyes slowly close.

"Gabriella! Stay with me!" Troy yelled, before he saw paramedics rush in to help get her.

"I love you too," he whispered back softly, watching them take her away in the ambulance, not noticing the tears that fell from his eyes.

Troy Bolton stared at her intently, tracing her every outline over and over again, until he noticed that his vision was blurred from the tears that spilled from his eyes. His grip tightened on her hand and with the other, he caressed her cheek with his thumb.

He could feel his throat tighten, whispering, in a voice he could barely hear himself. "I love you. Please, wake up."

It was then when he began sobbing into his hands, feeling all the emotions finally catch up with him since the day he found out she collapsed into a coma, since the doctor said there was a chance she wouldn't wake up, since the day his world had come crashing down on him.

And he couldn't handle it.

Still sobbing, he stood up from his chair, unable to bear being in the same room with a lifeless body he loved. He walked slowly towards the door, trying to stop the continuous tears that erupted from his eyes.

He heard the hospital bed's metal squeak, and his tears and his body stood stiff. He felt his body turn around slowly, but he couldn't recall thinking about it.

It wasn't the fact that she was smiling at him, or the fact her chocolate brown eyes were staring right back at him for the first time in the past two months that made him fall to his knees and begin sobbing again, this time for an entirely different reason. It was what she said to him since he realized she was finally alive.

"I love you too, Troy."