Alright, my lovely readers... the end has come. It has been a long journey, but we're finally here. Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me as I struggled through getting this story not only written, but uploaded as well. (And by the way, please let me know if the crazy Chinese symbols are back. I read through it before posting to make sure, but still... With this being the last chapter, I want it to be perfect!) Enjoy, yall!

Chapter 29: All Your Life

The night had come. Chad and Taylor spent many hours within the previous eight days coming up with a plan of how to make the dual proposal come into fruition. Christmas had come and gone and tonight, it was time to put all their hard work of scheming, plotting, and planning to good use.

The music was flowing through the speakers that Troy had helped Jack set up in the backyard earlier in the afternoon, the lights brightened up the backyard like runway lights, and the backyard was littered with guests. The Boltons' New Year's Eve party had become the event to attend ever since Troy's senior year of high school, after the family took their trip to Colorado and he met Gabriella at the teen party. For this reason, the whole Wildcat gang made sure they were in town for the big party- Jason, Kelsi, Sharpay and Ryan, Zeke, Martha... In Chad's opinion, that just made this particular New Year's Eve even better- this way, everyone would be there shortly after midnight when Troy and Gabriella made the big announcement.

For the twentieth time in the past hour, Chad checked his watch... a motion that did not go unnoticed by Sharpay. Seeing the small hand stationed on the ten and the big hand on the five- both of which seemed to be frozen in their spots-, he sighed deeply and turned his back on the rest of the group, speaking softly to Taylor who was standing beside him.

"Here's hoping this hour and a half passes much quicker then the past hour and a half," he said as he lifted his bottle of Sam Adams and took a quick sip, causing Taylor to raise her eyebrows and give a small nod in agreement.

"Shhh..." she told him as she glanced over his shoulder. "They're coming this way."

"Hey, guys," Gabriella greeted them as she and Troy approached. The group shared hugs and greetings and after a few minutes of catching up and laughter, Troy reached his hand out to Taylor.

"Hey, Taylor? Can I borrow you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." She grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her away from the group, giving Chad a look over her shoulder.

When the two were out of earshot, Gabriella turned her attention to Chad while the chatter resumed among the rest of the group.

"So everything's set?" she asked him while taking a sip of her own drink, trying to not draw attention from the rest of the group.

"It will be," he told her. "The plan is that at 11:30- right before our annual New Year's shot- I'll sneak up to the tree house and make sure everything is set for you. Taylor will help in distracting Troy; with the rest of the group here, it should be easy. While we're having our shot with Jason, Zeke, and Ryan at 11:45, he'll be distracted enough for you to sneak up there. After the shot- at 11:50-, I'll tell him you're waiting up there for him for a few minutes of peace before the ball drops and countdown and all that."

Little did the two realize, halfway through Chad's recount of his plan, Sharpay overheard and silently signaled the rest of the group to quiet down, causing the chatter to die down. Gabriella walked off to visit with her mom's sister and two cousins who had made the trip from Texas to celebrate the holidays with Maria and Gabriella. Once she left the group, Sharpay turned her attention to Chad.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?"

"What was that about?" Zeke spoke up, pointing the tip of his bottle in Gabriella's direction.

"I... um... she was um..." Chad stammered. Thinking on his feet had never been his best quality. That was how he found himself in detention so often in high school- he was never able to talk his way out of trouble.

"Don't try and talk your way out of this one, Chad," Ryan said. "We all know you're no good at it and you'll spill the beans eventually."

"Might as well save yourself and all of us some time and spill then now, Danforth. What's going on?" Sharpay demanded as she clutched her clear acrylic cup filled with her drink of choice, taking on the role of ring leader- a role that was the most natural one she could ever play and enjoys every minute of every time she steps into that role.

"Sharpay, please- for the love of all things holy- I beg you to not force me to talk right now," Chad told her as he rubbed his forehead.

"Chad-" Sharpay started, being cut off by Chad.

"Guys, look, I promise you... everything will be known in approximately-" he paused as he checked his watch "-an hour and fifteen minutes. Okay? I promise."

When he heard murmurs of "fine" and "whatever" and "if you say so", Chad excused himself when he saw Taylor and Troy walking back in their direction.

"Hey, Hoops, Gabster is over... well, she was right over there with her aunt and cousins, but they're not now. I'm not sure where she is."

"It's all good, Man. I'll find her," Troy told him as he walked off, leaving Taylor and Chad alone.

"What was that all about?" he asked, as he turned his attention to Taylor.

"He was telling me about his plan, trying to get my help in getting her to the tree house a few minutes before midnight."

"Are you serious?" Chad asked through his laughter.

"As a heart attack," she told him fighting off her own smile. "He showed me the ring."

"What'd you think?"

"It's gorgeous," she said with a dreamy look.

"It used to be her mom's, you know," Chad pointed out. "It's the same ring Mr. Montez gave to Mrs. Montez when he proposed to her."

"That's what he told me. I think it's a perfect way to honor her dad."

"Yeah..." The two stood in silence for a moment in a way of honoring Mr. Montez during their conversation. Finally, Chad let out a breath, took a sip of his drink, and looked at his watch again. "Ah, geez... you mean we are just now reaching the hour mark? I think this is the slowest this party has ever gone."

"You have your phone, right?" Taylor checked.

"Yeah, right here in my pocket."

"Make sure you text me at 11:20 and let me know where you and Troy are. I'm going to go find the group and talk to them for a bit."

"Sounds good. Oh, and hey, be careful. Sharpay knows something's up and is on the warpath to find out," Chad warned.

"Oh, man! Lord, give me strength!" Taylor closed her eyes and tilted her head to the sky, taking a deep breath. "Okay. I'm good. I can face her. Thanks for the warning." She took a sip of her drink to gather her courage and walked away, headed in the direction of their other friends.

TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF

Chad gave a soft sigh of relief as he took advantage of Troy paying attention to what Ryan was saying about the musical he was currently working on and sneaked a peak at his watch- again- and finally saw the numbers he had been longing to see all night... 11:20. It was time to put Operation: Engagement in motion.

He looked around the backyard to see if he could spot her and was glad when he did. She was standing on the back patio, talking to Gabriella, Sharpay, and Kelsi. Somehow, she much have known he was looking for her. She looked up mid-laugh and their eyes met across the yard. He held his phone up a tiny bit, making sure she saw it and she gave a slight nod of her head, letting him know she was ready. When her phone vibrated in her back pocket just a few seconds later, she pulled it out and read the words that appeared on her screen.

"Hey, there's Lucille's mom. I'm going to say hi. I'll catch up with you girls in a bit," Gabriella announced, before walking off.

Taylor nodded her acknowledgment before reading the incoming text. By the swing set. Ready whenever you are.

She sent a quick confirmation text of "I'm ready. Be there in a minute" before making up an excuse to the other girls.

"Hey, ladies, I've got to help set up..." Taylor stopped what she was saying, her thumb stuck in the air pointing in the direction of where Chad was standing with the guys, as she realized that she was about to give something away. "I've got to go take care of something before the countdown begins. I'll catch up with you all in a little bit." She quickly walked off, hoping none of the other girls noticed her slight slip of the tongue. However, she was not as lucky as she had hoped.

"Well, that was odd," Sharpay spoke up.

"What was?" Kelsi asked as she looked up from her own phone and slipped it in her back pocket.

"You weren't paying attention, were you?" Sharpay asked.

"Sharpay, I was paying attention and I'm confused on what was so odd about Taylor a minute ago," Martha spoke up.

"Oh, good grief; you girls are hopeless!" Sharpay exclaimed. "Okay, let's recap... About an hour ago, Gabriella approached Chad and the two of them were talking in hushed tones while Troy pulled Taylor away at the same time... like each couple was sharing some sort of secret that they didn't want the rest of us to know or something. Just a minute ago, I spotted Chad over there-" she paused when she pointed across the yard to where the guys were standing and her eyes narrowed as the wheels continued to spin in her head "-but he's not there now." She shook her head in an attempt to focus once more before continuing her recap to Kelsi and Martha. "Anyway, Chad was standing over there with the rest of the guys and I watched as he pulled his phone from his pocket and Taylor then pulled hers out, apparently reading a text that he sent. That's when she made up some sort of excuse about needing to 'take care of something', but not before slipping up and saying something about needing to help set up something. Now the big question is: if helping set up something is what she was going to say, what exactly is she helping to set up and why can't we know about it?"

"Hey, Sharpay, I've been meaning to ask you something," Martha spoke up, taking advantage of Sharpay's rare look of concentration which usually indicates that she's not paying attention to the current happenings around her.

Sharpay turned her attention to Martha and Kelsi once more. "What?"

"How exactly is the acting world treating you here in Albuquerque?"

"It's okay," she said with a shrug. "Not as great as I hoped, but I mean... Why do you ask?"

"Because it appears to me like you have way too much time on your hands if your standing here and playing spy instead of enjoying the Boltons' party," Martha told her, causing Kelsi to let out a snort of laughter into her cup as she took a sip.

"Martha!" Sharpay exclaimed with indignation in her voice.

"Look, just calm down. Okay? Chad told us that it will all be revealed in just a little bit. Be patient. Now I know that's something you're not used to, but..." Martha teased, waving her hand in the air, causing Sharpay to gasp and call out to her brother.

"Ryan! They're picking on me!"

"Congratulations, ladies," Ryan said as he, Zeke, and Jason approached them. Sharpay allowed herself to be wrapped in Zeke's arms as she spotted Chad climbing the ladder to the tree house and Taylor pulling Troy away from Gabriella and his beloved Nonnie.

"Okay, does anyone else not find that suspicious? Why is Chad climbing into the tree house while Taylor pulls Troy from Gabriella, and Gabriella is walking up to-"

"Sharpay?"

Sharpay jumped as she heard Gabriella's voice behind her, causing the rest of the group to break into laughter.

"Does something have you confused?"

"No, Gabriella. Something does not have me confused," Sharpay answered, her voice laced with slight irritation as she worked hard to fight off the blush that was trying to break through.

"Good. We wouldn't want your pretty little head to be all mixed up, now would we?" Gabriella asked, as she reached a hand up to teasingly pat Sharpay on the head. When she pulled her hand away, she sneaked a peak at her watch... an action which did not go unnoticed by Kelsi.

11:42. It's almost time. What's taking Chad so long? He should be here by now! she thought to herself, making the choice to not take notice of the butterflies that had suddenly decided to appear.

"Gentlemen..." Chad's voice greeted the group, causing Gabriella to jump slightly. "It's almost time for our shot. Let's go find Hoops and leave the ladies alone for a few minutes."

"Okay, I think Sharpay may be onto something," Martha whispered to Kelsi using her cup to shield her mouth. "Did you notice the way Gabriella jumped when Chad walked up just then?"

"I did," Kelsi whispered in response. "Did you also see how she tried to be subtle in checking her watch? Guess what, girlfriend? Subtly has never been your best trait!"

The two girls tapped their Solo cups against each other in agreement and watched the four guys walk off in search of Troy as Gabriella kept a close eye on them. Three minutes later- just a few seconds after Taylor rejoined the girls-, she watched as their male counterparts took up temporary residence near the far end of the basketball court with a bottle of tequila, their cups, and other necessary supplies and waited for the signal from Chad. When he stepped beside Troy and slapped his hand on his friend's shoulder and gently turned him without much resistance so their back was to the group of girls, Gabriella took her cue and sneakily slipped away, hoping no one would notice.

Sharpay, however, was quicker than she was and caught up to Gabriella fifteen feet away from the rest of the girls.

"Alright, spill it," she demanded as she got in step with Gabriella.

"Sharpay, look," Gabriella started as she stopped and turned to face her friend, taking her hands in her own. "I know that you know something's up. But please, I beg you, drop it for now." She stopped to sneak a peak at her watch again and one over Sharpay's shoulder just in time to see the guys tip their heads back as the warm tequila hit their throats. "In just a few minutes- about fifteen, actually- everyone will know everything. I promise. Just please let me go take care of what I need to take care of and that way, it will all happen quicker and you'll find out much faster."

Sharpay rolled her eyes with a sigh and muttered an "okay, fine", causing Gabriella to give her a quick hug as she turned in the direction of the tree house, yelling a "thank you" over her shoulder as she broke into a jog.

When she reached the base of the tree and reached just above her head to grasp the rungs of the ladder, she glanced over to where the guys had been standing and noticed that Troy and Chad were the only two left; the others had already joined the girls, as had Taylor. Chad caught her eye across the lawn and lifted his head slightly while looking up at the tree house- his silent way of telling her to "get up there already; I can only stall him for so long!" Gabriella gave a small nod letting him know that she got the hint and quickly climbed the ladder.

Once she was safely up there, she took the brief moment of solitude to look around at the work her friends had done on her behalf. The fifty or so candles basking the small space in a brilliant glow... the blankets and pillows that were spread out on the floor... the docking station with her iPod plugged in, softly playing the play list she created of their songs throughout the week leading up to this night... the tray of chocolate covered strawberries... the bottle of sparkling cider chilling in the bucket of ice... She felt her eyes well up and her throat tighten as she took it all in. It was perfect; everything she had hoped this night would be. She quickly wiped at her eyes and swallowed the lump.

"Crying is not an option right now, Gabriella. Keep it together until after," she ordered herself as she took another peak at her watch. "Seven minutes to midnight. C'mon, Chad... where are you guys?" Suddenly, Troy's voice at the bottom of the ladder brought her out of her haze and forced her to concentrate on her task at hand. She quietly made her way to lean against the wall and slowly peaked around the doorway and saw Chad looking up at her, with Troy's back to her.

"You really don't know where she is? It's almost midnight! What about our kiss and the pro-?"

"Dude," Chad interjected before Troy could finish that word, knowing Gabriella was listening. They had come this far; he couldn't risk her finding out about Troy's plan now. "Quite being such a girl about the kiss, alright? You'll find her before midnight, okay?"

"But we only have... six minutes to go. Look at this crowd, Chad. I'll never find her before midnight."

"I'll tell you what," Chad started, putting a hand on Troy's shoulder. "You go on up there and get ready for midnight. I'll go find her real quick and send her up to you."

Gabriella didn't hear the rest of the conversation. She had already quickly moved from her spot near the door to where the iPod was and scrolled through it until she found "All Your Life" by The Band Perry. As the first few strands of the song sounded through the speakers of the docking station, she stood in the middle of the small room and waited for the the love of her life to climb the ladder. She didn't have to wait long; it was only about ten seconds later when she heard Troy climb over the top of the ladder and his feet hit the boards that made up the floor of the tree house. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and watched as he appeared in the doorway and looked around, fully taking in the sight that greeted him.

He noticed the candles... he noticed the tray of strawberries... he noticed the bottle of cider in the bucket... he noticed the music... he noticed the blankets and pillows... but most importantly, he noticed his girlfriend, standing in the center of the room before him with a nervous smile on her face as their eyes met.

"You wanted it to be a surprise," she told him, surprised at the amount of confidence that greeted her ears.

It only took a few steps for him to be standing in front of her. "Oh, my God," he said with a small smile as the realization of what she was referencing occurred to him.

It was at that moment that she knelt down on both knees in front of him and his breathing increased.

"Troy," she began "in all my life, I never thought I'd be so lucky-" She stopped mid-sentence and lowered her head, causing her dark curls to fall forward and frame her face. As she used both hands to brush the curls back, the pesky lump made its appearance in her throat once more and she sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay. She picked up from where she left off and continued with what she wanted to say, although the tears were making it extremely difficult. "-as to... fall in love with my best... my best..." She stopped again and let out a silent sob, trying to compose herself. Finally, she gave up the fight. "There's a reason why girls don't do this!" she exclaimed, as she waved her hands in front of her face, fanning at her tear-filled eyes.

"Okay, okay, okay," Troy reassured her, as he finally knelt before her on the floor, taking her hands in his. "I'll do it."

"Gabriella, I thought..." Troy's face scrunched up as he, too, fought off the emotions that were raging inside of him and brought a hand up to rub his face, trying to get himself under control. "No, I can do this. I can do this," he muttered, causing Gabriella to sniffle once more and chuckle. "I thought it mattered what I said or where I said it. But then I realized that only thing that matters is that you... you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way."

Troy freed his hands from Gabriella's grasp long enough to reach in his pocket and pull out the small velvet box that had been sitting there all night long, just itching to be pulled out. When Gabriella caught sight of what he held, she covered her mouth with both of her hands and chuckled with yet another sniffle. As Troy opened the box and she recognized the ring, she gasped gently and wrapped her arms around her middle.

"Gabriella," he began softly, "will you marry me?"

Gabriella looked deep into Troy's blue eyes and watched as they danced with hope. She thought about teasing him- "Hey that was supposed to be my line tonight"- but just couldn't bring herself to do so. He looked so happy, so hopeful, so full of love. All she could do was just say the one syllable that she wanted to badly to scream.

"Yes," she breathed, covering her mouth to hide her giggle.

Troy grinned as he took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. Once it was snugly in place, she threw her arms around his neck- both of them rising higher on their knees- and pulled him down so his mouth met hers in a brief yet loving and passionate kiss. He pulled back and wrapped her in his arms and held her tight, until Chad's voice broke the moment from down below.

"Hey, you guys!" he yelled up the ladder. "You wanna come out and share some news? We're all dying out here! Ow, Sharpay! Damnit, woman... keep your hands to yourself, will ya'?!"

Troy looked at Gabriella and shook his head at his friend's antics. "Are you ready to face everyone?"

"I am," she told him with a small smile. "I'm ready to introduce the world to my fiance." She gently placed a hand on his chest and stood up on her tip toes so she could better reach his lips. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he responded.

He took her hand in his and led her outside the tree house. They stood out on the landing and leaned against the railing, hand in hand. To their surprise, the party had not stopped. Lucille, Maria, and Taylor's moms were walking around to the patrons of the party, handing out noise makers. Troy looked at his watch and noticed that it was 11:58, and then looked down at the ground. Gathered at the base of the tree were their friends: Chad and Taylor, Zeke and Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi, Jason, and Martha all looked up at them expectantly.

"Well?" Taylor asked, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

Gabriella shared a look with Troy and smiled before looking down at everyone.

"We're engaged!" she announced, jumping up and down.

"Yeah, you are!" Chad yelled as the gang broke out into cheers.

Troy stepped away from Gabriella's side long enough to go grab the bottle of sparkling cider. The countdown started as he worked the cork and just as the crowd reached two, the cork popped and everyone in the backyard turned in the direction of the sound. The sight that greeted them all was a joyous celebration from the young Wildcats. Maria and Lucille shared a questioning look and Jack let out a low whistle.

"Well I'll be damned," Jack muttered. "He did it."

"You think?" Lucille questioned her of her husband.

"I know. Look at the way she's looking at him and the sparkle in her eyes," he pointed out.

"And on her hand," Maria said, contributing her two cents as the three of them watched the young couple.

"You know, I could have helped plan, too," Sharpay said.

"Will you just hush and help us celebrate, Sharpay?" Chad instructed. Sharpay looked from Chad, to Taylor, before looking up at Troy and Gabriella. It only took one look to notice the pure joy on her friends' faces before the smile spread on her own face.

The crowd around them rang in 2013 while the three parents continued watching their children celebrate with their friends. Troy looked up and caught his father's eyes and lifted his head in greeting before he leaned down to whisper something to Gabriella. She lifted her head and looked in the direction he was pointing and met the eyes of her own mother. Troy repositioned himself so he wrap his arms around her from behind, taking a sip of his cider before placing a gentle kiss to her temple. Gabriella brought her hand up to her bosom in front of her and waved her fingers, showing the ring that now had a permanent home. Maria smiled in response and fought back the tears that filled her eyes. She couldn't remember a time when the smile on her daughter's face matched the one that Gabriella currently wore; this one was the most radiant smile she had ever seen grace Gabriella's soft features.

"It looks like we have a wedding to plan," she heard Lucille say from beside her.

"That it does," the other mom said in response, her tone just as wistful as her friend's. She took a deep breath, a sip of her champagne, and gave a tearful smile. She did it, Gabriel. She found her forever. "That it does indeed."