Jackson, a high school musical fanfic

This is a derivate piece of fiction featuring characters copyrighted and trademarked by Disney Enterprises Inc. It is based upon High School Musical, copyright 2006 by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., all rights reserved; and High School Musical 2, copyright 2007 by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., all rights reserved. The authors are not connected with nor is this work authorised by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., or any other motion picture studios. This work is solely intended for posting on Fanfiction, for the benefit and enjoyment of its intended audience. No commercial or financial benefit accrues or is intended to accrue to the author as a result of said posting. Any unauthorised copying or redistribution of this work might subject the party responsible for such unauthorized copying or redistribution to legal action by the owners of the aforementioned copyrights and trademarks.

TITLE: Jackson

AUTHOR: Kylie (CJ.xox.Dancerella)

RATING: K

FEEDBACK: Is like the fan fiction equivalent of chocolate!

DISCLAIMER: Don't own zilch. Blah.

PAIRING/CHARACTERS: Troy and Gabriella

SUMMARY: Troy and Gabriella have suffered a tragic loss, and Gabriella has taken it particularly hard. How do they cope in the aftermath of tragedy? Written in response to the ZA Angels Write-Off, Holly's category.

Hey ya'll! Here is a short one-shot which I wrote for Holly's category of the ZA Angels Write-Off. Her specifications were:

"I would like you guys to write a one-shot about Troy and Gabriella in the aftermath of a tragedy.

Now, it can be any kind of tragedy. It doesn't have to be death or a serious illness or what-not. It could be something as simple and hilarious as Gabriella getting a C on a test rather than her usual A!"

This is what I came up with. I'm not entirely happy with it and was actually reluctant to post it...but my partner in crime, the awesome Jessa, threatened me with some serious whoop-ass...so here we are.

Please review!

Kylie :)

PS. Don't forget to check out Jessa and my co-write 'My Best Friend's Hot!' – it's on my profile, and I can promise you a few laughs!

It had been three days. Three days since he had been taken from us. Three days since the permanent heartbreak settled deep within me.

In those three days I had barely left the house. It was like I was going through the motions, but everything that made me Gabriella was gone, at least for now.

I was sitting in the lounge room, the curtains drawn and the lights out, the silence around me louder than any noise.

A creak on the stairs and the muffled sound of footsteps in the hall alerted me to the fact that I was no longer alone in the darkened room.

"Ella..." I didn't reply. "Ella," the male voice repeated, closer now. "I know it's...I know you're...You're going to have to snap out of this sometime soon."

A single tear rolled down my face as Troy Bolton's words echoed through my head.

"It's just hard..." I trailed off, my lower lip quivering as a fought to keep my emotions in check.

A comforting arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders, a tender kiss placed softly in my hair.

"I know it is baby, but our Jackson – he wouldn't have wanted this. You know he wouldn't want you to be completely miserable, and lock yourself away like this."

As Troy spoke, he unwound himself from me and moved around the room, opening the blinds and flicking the locks on the windows, allowing both sunlight and fresh air to stream in. When the task was complete, he returned to where I was sitting – curled up in one of the armchairs – and squatted down in front of me, reaching out to brush some of my hair back out of my eyes.

"Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Vodka?" he half joked.

I looked up at him with tear filled eyes, and his face crumpled.

"Oh Ella..." he gathered me up in his arms as I began to cry again. I sat in his lap on the floor and just sobbed into his shoulder while he rocked me back and forth, placing soothing kisses in my hair and on my forehead. "Shh, baby. Shh. We will get through this. We'll get through it - together."

"I know we will, Troy," I said through my tears, and I knew somehow we would. Troy and I – we were strong, we were tight...nothing could break us. We had already been through so much to get to where we were, and there was no doubt in my mind we could get through this too. It would just take time for the hurt to heal.

As my sobs began to subside, I sniffed a little. The deep ache in my heart was still there, but my tears had run dry – for the time being anyway. Troy hoisted himself up onto the couch, taking me with him. I snuggled back against him, and allowed a wistful smile to cross my face as my mind thought back to the happier days of the past eleven months.

"Remember the day we brought him home?" I asked softly. Feeling Troy nod behind me, and kiss the back of my head, I continued. "We couldn't stop watching him. Everything he did seemed so amazing – every movement, every expression. We couldn't take our eyes off of him."

Troy held me just a little bit tighter, and I let my head lean back against his shoulder. "He sure was special."

I nodded. "He was. I was always thinking how lucky we were that he was ours. I used to sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to check on him, even when I knew perfectly well that he was absolutely fine."

Troy laughed softly. "I know. I remember waking up on many occasions, wondering why the bed was so empty then realising you weren't there. I always knew where I would find you, though. Sometimes I would watch you for ages before you realised I was there – cooing over Jackson in that sweet voice of yours."

I giggled, burying my face in Troy's neck at the memory. Countless times he had caught me sitting talking to Jackson when I should have been sleeping. I couldn't help it – there was just something about our little man that drew everyone in.

The house seemed so empty now. It amazed me how the loss of just one tiny presence could cause such a big hole. How – in his eleven months of life – Jackson had cemented his place in our family so firmly.

"He was always happy," I said with a sigh. "He could always brighten my day. No matter how down I was, at the first glimpse of him I would cheer up immediately. He was so little and innocent, so full of energy - such a vibrant personality...you just couldn't be sad around him!"

Troy nodded his agreement, stroking my hair softly. I shivered as his fingers threaded through my long, dark curls over and over again. Tears pricked my eyes and I tried furiously to blink them away, determined not to continue to cry in front of Troy, who was being so strong for the both of us.

But he knew me too well.

"Hey, hey, hey," he whispered, peppering my hair with kisses. "It's ok to cry – just let it all out."

"What happened, Troy? Where did we go wrong? Is it my fault?" I sobbed against him, my tears soaking his shirt.

"Ella, hey - don't you dare go blaming yourself for this. It was nothing you or I or anyone else did. You couldn't have loved Jackson more, but that wouldn't have kept him here. I don't know how things work upstairs," he gestured to the heavens, "but...I guess...I know it is unfair, but I guess it was just...it was his time."

"What if we forget about him one day, Troy? What if he just ends up being replaced? He was our first...he was our first, Troy - I don't want to forget him..."

"We won't baby, we won't. Sure, life goes on and down the track we might have another – maybe even several. In fact – we probably will. But we won't forget Jackson. Ever."

I sniffled, wiping my eyes. "He'll always be in our hearts, right? He'll always live on through us."

"Of course, Ella. The memories we made with him these past 11 months – they are something no one can take away, even if Jackson isn't here with us anymore. Memories are something you can always hold close to your heart."

I sniffled again, a watery smile spreading through my tears. I knew how lucky I was to have Troy. He was my superhero. No matter how tough of a time we were having, no matter what life happened to throw our way – I knew I could always count on him to fix it. He was a miracle and I thanked god every day that he was MY miracle.

I tilted my head up and kissed him on the mouth, allowing my lips to linger against his for a moment before I pulled back, tracing his cheek with my fingers.

"Thank you Troy," I murmured.

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, before looking me square in the eye. "We will get through this, El," he told me firmly.

I nodded, and for the first time in three days – I really, truly believed him.

"Now, I'm going to make dinner – I'm not letting you skip another meal," he said, and I knew it was no use arguing. He shifted me gently off his lap as he moved through to the kitchen and began opening and closing cupboards, the refrigerator and the freezer. I heard him rummage around amongst the frozen goods for a moment, before returning to the lounge, a carefully wrapped package in his hand.

"Uh, Ella...so..." Troy started carefully. "What are we going to do about..." he gestured to the parcel.

"I...I couldn't bring myself to...I couldn't..." I stuttered.

"Well, you need to think about where we're going to..." he trailed off with a sigh, choosing his words carefully. "Do you want to help me bury him in the garden, or...or do you want me to flush him down the toilet?"

"WHAT?!" I screeched. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT! THAT'S CRUEL! INHUMANE! BARBARIC! IT'S..."

"Ella...babe," Troy rubbed my arm soothingly. "I know you're upset, but Jackson...he was just a goldfish..."

Yeah, I know...kinda OTT and groan worthy! But as soon as I read Holly's theme, that ending popped into my head and I had to write it. Anyway...let me know what you thought!! Even if you thought it was lame haha - I'd love to hear from you!

And don't forget to pop on over to Jessa and my co-write!

Kylie