A/N: So, it's finally over. Troy and Gabriella went through a lot, but I'm sure it was all worth in the end. I think the whole point of the story was to prove that love can really change a person. Troy went from a guy who didn't care about anything to a caring man. He stopped thinking only about himself and concentrated in Gabriella and Emerson as well. He found what he wanted to do with his life, and how to get Gabriella's trust back. So I think he was successful. Lesson learned! :o)

Thanks for reading and I hope you like the epilogue. Take care!

Disclaimer: I don't own HSM or Matt Pryor lyrics.

"If I could do it over then,
I wouldn't change a thing,
I wouldn't trade it all.
I wouldn't make adjustments,
Even knowing I might fall."

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
DECEMBER 11, 2010.

She was a vision in white, her hair up in a perfect bun, two thin strands of hair adorning her round face. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, the ones she was afraid to let roll freely from her eyes in case the make up decided to prove itself not waterproof this time. The petite woman walked down the isle alone, but with confidence, her lily bouquet securely tucked in her hands, lighting up the room.

Gabriella found herself grinning dreamily as Kelsi spotted her in second row and winked. Her brown orbs traveled the church swiftly and locked on the pair of blue eyes she knew so well. She playfully stuck out her tongue and Ryan Evans laughed at her for a moment, before his attention focused on his fiancee. Her heart swelled with pride as her two best friends clasped hands and started their vows. As Troy's arms wrapped possessively around her figure from behind, she snuggled against his chest. His lips brushed on her cheek and his fingertips lazily on her stomach.

"You looked like an angel on our wedding day." he whispered huskily against her ear and her mind immediately took her back to that beautiful Hawaiian beach. She squeezed her eyes shut and it felt like she was there for real. She could smell the beach, hear the sound of the waves crashing into the shore, the soft sand that tickled her toes as they walked hand-in-hand observing the bright full moon and the tiny stars.

Unlike the expected, they went on a honey moon before they even got married. Troy had surprised her with tickets to Hawaii barely a month after he moved in with her to her apartment on top of the shop. She was surprised and delighted, even if the tickets meant they had to leave Emerson behind for two weeks. Although she was worried, she trusted Kate Bolton to take care of her daughter as if it was her own, so going away on a trip with the man of her dreams was easily enjoyed. They had meals on their balcony with a nice view of the transparent water, went out on dates, made love and on their last day there – married to the sound of seagulls crying out and ukulele.

To say it was only a surprise to go back to Albuquerque two weeks later already married would be a lie. It was a chaos, because somehow everyone seemed hurt for not being able to join the couple during that special moment of their lives. What their friends and family couldn't understand was that Troy and Gabriella needed to be alone. It was only them, the moonlight and the water, just like the first time they had been together, only the first of many times their bodies connected. It was sexy and intimate, precious and unique and it belonged to only them. Their wedding in Hawaii was special, even if they didn't have their daughter or a fancy party. They had everything they needed at the moment, beautiful rings and powerful love.

Gabriella could swear she not only came back home with a gold band on her finger and a new last name, but she'd bet she had arrived pregnant with her second baby. A month after her wedding, she was already suspicious. Two months later, she had confirmed her pregnancy. Three months, they had bought a bigger house. Things had changed so drastically in such short time, but she had no regrets about it. She was completely satisfied with the way things were.

"So, so pretty" Troy's soothing voice brought her back to reality and she realized he was still talking about their wedding day. "I couldn't believe you were my bride. I was blown away, totally on my knees. Before you, I never thought I'd be able to vow to be faithful, to care for someone. To love someone for the rest of my life." he chuckled and nuzzled the side of her neck, "How silly I was, baby, and how lucky I am to have the most beautiful, intelligent and sweet wife in the entire world."

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears as he intertwined his left hand with hers, their twin gold rings catching her attention. She was lucky as well, to have not only a husband in him, but a best friend, a lover and definitely a great dad to their kids. He was what she always wanted and needed, the first man of her life and the last one.

She looked up and their eyes locked, their noses brushed, their lips craved for the other. Troy's thumb got her solitary tear and she sighed with pleasure, "I love you so much."

He ran a fingertip down her nose and closed the gap between their lips, "Till death do us part."

As she repeated his vow, the church erupted in cheers. She toyed with Troy's wedding ring as they watched Ryan and Kelsi make their way through the crowd and out of church, wishing the Evans would be as happy as she and Troy were.

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
DECEMBER 20, 2010.

His well trained eyes observed the position of their legs and the way it moved, how their hands gesticulated and their chests rose up and down with each new breath. The groans that escaped their lips were loud and angry, but it was like music to his ears. The obscenities that he knew he should probably prohibit to roll of their tongues were more present as the seconds passed and the sweat rolled down their tired faces due to the extreme exercise. A loud cuss echoed in the gym as one of the players lost the ball, but he ignored it – it was only fair to let the boys swear if the game was heated enough. He knew he had done the same thing countless times when he was in court.

Troy Bolton bit his lip, his hands balling to fists with anxiety as he stood swiftly from the bench, his blue orbs focusing on the tall sophomore that was about to shoot. Go Ian, he cheered to himself, trying his best not to show his preference for the student in front of the other boys. Ian was cocky, he knew that, but he was also a hard worker. For an unknown reason, he liked the boy, simple like that.

Gabriella on the other hand, used to tell him that the reason he liked Ian so much was because he once was just like him. The teenager had been transferred to East High School over four weeks ago and had already been suspended twice. The school treated him like a God, he had a confident smirk and was excellent basketball player. The first week in town, Ian had appeared at Gabriella's tattoo shop and Troy happened to be there too, fixing her computer. He had rolled his eyes at the boy's attempt to pass as a twenty-two year old college guy and laughed when Ian's face paled after learning the tattoo shop belonged to his coach's wife. His Ellie had told him during dinner that she saw the old Troy in Ian, that she could sense he was trouble, just like her husband used to be.

"It worked, Mr. B, just like you said it would." Ian ran to the courtside where Troy stood after scoring and happily smacked fists with his coach, "Did you see that?"

He grinned and the teenager's eyes blinked with pleasure when Troy patted him on the back, "I told it would work if you straightened your back. Nice job."

Ian's attention quickly changed from Troy as the gym's door opened and a green-eyed brunette walked in. She waved at Ian shyly before sitting on the bench with a few other students that observed the guy's last practice. Troy chuckled and Ian blushed as he realized he was caught staring, "You like her?"

"I don't know. She makes me feel all weird inside." he admitted, swallowing hard. "I feel like I'm gonna faint since the first time I saw her. Do you think that's possible, Mr. B?"

Troy raised a single eyebrow, thinking about the first time he saw Gabriella at the local supermarket. He never thought love at first sight could happen, he always believed chemistry did, love... not so much. But he had been proved wrong. Wasn't he married with the girl that, just like Ian felt now, made him all weird inside? Weird, he mused with a funny look on his face, only later he'd figure out that it was love. And wasn't he happy and still completely in love with her?

"You know what, Ian? I do believe in love at first sight." Troy grinned, punching the boy playfully on the arm, "If you like her, go talk to her. Don't lose opportunities, man. You never know if you'll have a second chance."

"Ya think, coach?"

Troy nodded, "You'll never know if you don't try." he winked and collected his things, waving off the basketball team, "Merry Christmas, Wildcats."

He walked out of the school dressed in dark jeans and a black polo shirt. In two years Troy hadn't changed much. He still had a tiny black dot on each earlobe, his hair was still floppy, but a bit shorter now. He still looked really young, he knew it – people often couldn't believe he was married already and with two kids, as if a twenty-three year old guy deciding to start a family that soon was a mistake. That thought never crossed his mind, not even when he had to wake up in the middle of the night to help Gabriella out with the baby, or take Emerson to a little friend's birthday party when his favorite team was playing. Troy never regretted his life was the way it was; that sensation of being complete only came when he was with Ellie and their babies.

Troy Bolton was definitely happy with a common life. They had a big house near the tattoo shop, a mortgage, a cat and even a dog. The backseat of his car had proper seats for kids, his living room tons of toys on the floor. Their home was always noisy, sometimes he couldn't think. Sometimes he'd get tired of hearing Barney songs or watching the same cartoons. But he loved every second of it and he wouldn't change a thing, not even their past because he knew that everything that happened before, took him to where he was today. To know what he really wanted to do with his life, to know what happiness was to him. And to feel that way, all he had to do was open the door to his house, see his kids playing and Gabriella grinning at him. At that, he'd relax completely, he'd feel complete.

As he pressed the gas pedal and drove off the school's parking lot, he couldn't help but think they were doing fine. His commitment to Gabriella had only grown; they still acted like newlyweds and Troy still woke up everyday wanting nothing more than see her face.

He turned off the car in front of their house. It still amazed him how beautiful the house looked. It was a large, two story with a wrap around porch house, surrounded by trees and flowers Gabriella treated like babies. Peanut, the family's black and white dog was running like crazy around a tree, sniffing every now and then in search for the perfect spot to release herself. Troy smiled as the dog stared at him with a grin on its face and forgetting about his necessities, ran to his car.

"What's up babydoll," he greeted softly, touching a hand to Peanut's big head as she followed him to the front door. "It's cold," he commented lightly and the dog barked its approval. Troy smiled a half-smile, pushing the door open and stepping inside the warmth of the room. Automatically he heard a loud cry and then a laugh.

"No, no, no. You're not supposed to eat the dolls, we play with them."

He made his way to the family room, grinning as he spotted his two little girls playing on the floor. Troy took a minute to just lean on the wall and observe how adorable they looked. Emerson was lean and tall and looked exactly like him. At age 4, her hair was a light brown, but her eyes were still big and the most beautiful mixture of green and brown he had ever seen. She was no longer shy, on the contrary, it was hard to make her stop talking. She was intelligent and curious, and still crazy about cats.

Lola, their 16 months old daughter was the spitting image of Gabriella. Her baby hair was dark like her mother's and spiky, her face round and cheeks constantly flushed pink. She was a chubby baby, with the cutest giggle ever.

"No, Lola. She's gonna cry. You'll hurt her." Emerson pouted, looking shocked as the baby didn't seem to mind if she'd hurt the doll or not, continuing eating and drooling over the plastic hand.

"Lo, the doll's not a cookie." Troy said as a matter-of-fact, pushing from the wall, knowing his duty as his daughter's hero was to save her favorite doll from a hungry baby. Emerson looked up and her eyes blinked with surprise as she saw Troy, "Daddy, you're home." she stood up and threw herself in Troy's arms as he bent down to give her a hug.

Troy loved to see his daughters reaction every time he got home. They always acted like they haven't seem him for ages instead of the few hours he stayed at school. He brushed his lips against Emerson's and she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Hi baby."

"Daddy, we saw Santa today." she said animatedly, moving up and down on his arms. "He was at the mall, mama said he was shopping."

"Really?"

"Yes. She said he sometimes needs to buy presents, too."

Troy chuckled lightly, "Well, your mama is usually right."

He felt tiny arms wrapping around his leg in an attempt to get his attention too. He grinned as he looked down at Lola and the baby clapped hands, hopping up and down. "How's my little bunny today?" with his free arm, he scooped Lola up and brushed a kiss to her nose. She giggled that sweet sound of hers and cupped his cheek. "Dada."

"Hi angel." with his two daughters in his arms, he looked around, in search of his wife. "Where's mama?"

"Room." Emerson ran one hand through her dad's hair, "Can we watch a DVD?"

"Yes, go ahead." Troy put them back on the floor, observing how his older daughter ran to the TV and turned it on. The girl was extremely smart for a four year old. Feeling his heart swell with joy as Lola sat down beside her big sister to watch TV, he turned around and walked towards his room.

Gabriella was not there, but he could hear the faint noise of water. He smiled as he turned the bed around, his hand closing around the knob and pushing quietly the bathroom's door open. His Ellie was inside the tub, eyes closed, long hair down around her shoulders and covering the breasts he liked so much. She didn't move when he shut the door behind him and he considered the possibility of her being asleep. Troy quickly stripped out of his clothes and got in the tub. He positioned himself in front of Gabriella and touched large hands to the side of her body.

Her eyes popped open in surprise, but a calm smile curled on her lips. "Baby, you're home."

Troy's hands ran up and down her body, slowly, soothing. He nodded once, bringing her body closer to his. "I missed you."

Gabriella grinned, moving to sit on his lap and touching her nose to his, "I always miss you."

His grin mirrored hers. Troy closed his eyes and leaned against the tub when her fingertips ran through his hair. Gabriella kissed his throat softly, wrapping arms around his stomach.

He immediately felt something was wrong with her. Troy knew it, he could feel her trembling slightly against his body. He cupped her chin, and she felt obligated to stare into that piercing blue eyes. She swallowed and bit her bottom lip, just a second before she leaned and closed the gap between their mouths.

The kiss was intense and passionate, her eager hands searched for him at the same time her tongue explored his mouth. Their bodies moved in earnest and Troy connected her previous trembling to simple lust.

"Make love to me, Troy." Gabriella whispered and he found herself quickly aroused. Her lips traveled from his mouth, across his jaw and to his earlobe. She squeezed the sensitive skin with her teeth and he groaned with pleasure.

"Baby... Ellie." he said her pet-name as he invaded her body and began his movements. She was conscious enough to glue her mouth to his chest to avoid screaming while he filled her over and over again. Gabriella curled her fingertips around his shoulder, bruising his skin, letting the passion she felt pass from her body to his. With head tilted back, she closed her eyes and purred quietly.

His hands cupped her exposed breasts, his fingers teased the already hard nipples, his lips brushed her face lovingly. Troy groaned his release against her mouth and Gabriella had a handful of his hair as she came to hers, as well.

Their unsteady breaths rocked their bodies to calmness. His eyes shut as exhaustion overcame self. Troy's stomach tied up in knots as she began trembling again. He took a deep breath and squeezed her in a hug. "What's wrong?"

"Christmas is coming,"

"I know."

"And we still have to do so many things." she hid her face into the crook of his neck, hot air that escaped from her lips tickled his skin. "Emmy and Lola are so excited about it, and our parents are coming..."

"El."

"No, Troy. This is hard work." she protested, "There's so much to do."

Troy gently pushed her back so he could see her face and his heart accelerated when she looked at him with wide eyes and pale lips. He kissed her mouth lightly and cupped her cheeks, "What's wrong?" he asked again, patiently.

"I'm pregnant."

"Baby number 3?" he asked, surprised that was the reason she was so nervous. So he was going to be a daddy again?

"It's too early I know. Lola is only a year, but it happened." Gabriella said in a whisper. Time seemed to slow down as she watched his facial expression, trying to guess what he was thinking. She finally gave up – Troy sometimes was so hard to read. "Are you mad? I know you said you wanted more babies, but-"

He silenced her with a kiss on the lips and Gabriella relaxed against and around him. "Damn right I said that." and then he grinned and kissed her noisily on the lips again, "I love you so much."

Gabriella laughed and wrapped arms around his neck, "I thought for a second that you were regretting it. How silly I am." she added when he lifted a single eyebrow, "Our life, me, the babies."

"Are you kidding me?" he laughed in disbelief, hugging her tight. "I wouldn't change you or our little monsters for the world."

"I know." They kissed one more time and Troy touched a hand to her flat stomach, always impressed there was life inside of it, "I hope it's a boy this time." Gabriella said playfully and he grinned, looking up at her with dreamy eyes.

"I hope it's a girl." he commented, "And that she looks exactly like her mama."

Her hand traveled to the side of his body where his flames tattoo was. Troy's moved to her flower. Their eyes locked. Since the start of it all, they marked each others lives. Fate united Troy and Gabriella. A mistake broke them up. Love brought them back together. And ink, more than any promise, would show them everyday, for the rest of their lives, who they belonged to.

"I love you." Troy whispered his feelings. Gabriella smiled and nodded, "Till death do us part."

"I wouldn't change the words,
I told you I'd be true,
I wouldn't let you go,
I promise that to you.
I wouldn't change a thing."