After three hours of tossing and turning, Ryan Evans decided that it was going to be literally impossible for him to sleep. So, with a loud sigh, he rolled out of his bed. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then quietly crept down the stairs of his self-proclaimed "bachelor pad" and into the den. After his acting had earned him a satisfactory bit of money, he had been able to buy himself a small, but quaint apartment. However, he did admit, living by himself (Sharpay, his twin sister, had moved in with her fiancée) was not all it was cracked up to be.

And with that thought, as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked to the corner of his living room and smiled softly, but sadly to himself.

There, on his sofa, lay his twin sister, Sharpay. It was the eve - well, technically morning of her wedding, and the twins agreed that some Ryan / Sharpay time was definitely needed before her big day. He was glad his sister hadn't yet forgotten him.

Ryan tiptoed across the room toward his sleeping sister, and sat in the armchair directly next to the sofa. He sat and watched his younger-by-six-minutes sister breathe gently. Her blonde curls fell in her face exactly the way they had when they were younger. It tugged his heart to know that this would be their last night as "Evans". He put his elbows on his knees and rested his forehead in his palms as he let out yet another sigh.

"Ryan?" He heard a soft voice say, and quickly looked up to see Sharpay, still groggy, staring at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, Shar. I didn't mean to wake you up. I'll just go…" He said and got up to leave his sister to rest before her big day, but she grabbed his wrist. "No no, It's okay, Ry. I haven't really been able to sleep anyway. Here, come sit. Please?" She said, and made room next to herself on the couch for him. He smiled.

'Just like old times…' He thought. So he turned around and took a seat next to her. Instantly and habitually, Sharpay lowered her head onto her "big" brother's shoulder. Ryan brought his arm around her, and held his lips to the top of her head for a few moments while he kissed the spot he'd kissed many times before in his life while either of the twins had had a bad day or had gotten into a fight and made up. But he knew that all good things must come to an end. He removed his lips and replaced his lips with his cheek on her head as he held his best friend closer to him. He spoke his next thought aloud. "What's gonna happen to us after you get married, Shar?"

Sharpay looked up at her brother. She knew these past few days of planning for her big day had been tough on her brother. She assumed giving his best friend away had to be very hard…especially when that 'best friend' just happened to be his twin sister. She studied his face for a moment and saw, all with only one glance, a mixture of happiness, sadness, and worry. She had always hated seeing her brother like this, especially when she had something to do with it; she'd seen it before…whether it was another audition, or him being picked on back in school, it had always hurt Sharpay inside.

"Nothing." She said simply. Ryan looked into his sister's eyes. "Huh?" He asked.

"Nothing's going to happen to us, Ryan." She said as she moved her head onto his chest. She decided that now was as good a time as ever to tell her brother just how much he meant to her…and she meant every word. "I may not have told you this before, Ry, but you've always been, and always will be the number one man in my life. You're literally my other half and have never once failed to be there for me when I needed it most. Even when I'd push you aside to steal the spotlight, you'd never once get jealous or hold a grudge upon me, and I know that for the rest of my life, you'll never know how much that means to me. I'll never let anything come between us, Ry. I'd be completely lost if I didn't have you." She said softly.

Ryan looked down at his sister as his heart seemed to swell. He let a tear fall from his cheek and land in her hair. "And you know I'd feel the same. I'm really proud of you, Sharpay." He said, his voice a little shaky. "I know you are, Ry. And that's why I'm so lucky to have you as a brother." Ryan smiled and brought both arms around his sister. Sharpay, who was still resting her head on her brother's chest, brought her arms tightly around his waist and held him. She smiled and let a little laugh out when she heard that the rhythm of her and her brother's hearts were perfectly in tune. That never failed to amaze her. She sat up Indian style on the couch and faced Ryan. He smiled at his sister and rolled his eyes as she brought her thumb up to his cheek to wipe a tear away.

"Aw, is Ryan crying?" She asked playfully with a smile. He swatted her hand away. "Oh be quiet Shar. I see tears in your eyes too, miss." He said, and he wasn't wrong. Sharpay's eyes were welled with tears as well. Ryan reached up to his cheek take his sister's hand. He kept his eyes on it as he began to play with the ring on her finger. He had a thoughtful look on his face.

"You ready to walk me down the aisle today?" She asked. Since they were little, they'd always talked about how Ryan would be the one to walk his sister down the aisle on her wedding day. Their parents, especially their dad, were a little awkward about the idea, but they understood. It was just like Sharpay and Ryan to do that for each other.

Ryan let out a little laugh. "Hah. Of course I'm not. I've never been ready for this day. Back when we used to talk about this…I'd always laugh to myself and think 'Ha, that is, IF she ever gets married.'". He said with a laugh. Sharpay tried to look shocked but left a smile on her face. "Gee, thanks, Ry!" She said as she pulled her hand away from his grasp and swatted him across the arm. They both laughed for a while. After the laughter and a few moments of silence, Ryan looked up at his sister.

"I love you more than anyone, Sharpay Evans. I'm glad you're my sister." Sharpay looked quickly into her brother's eyes, and looked away as her emotions began to flow uncontrollably from her. Tears flooded down her face as she let a sob escape her lips. She smiled as he wiped away her tears and pulled her into one of his infamous "Ryan Hugs" and rocked her in his arms.

"I love you too, Ryan Evans. Always and forever." Ryan smiled as another tear escaped his eyes. "Good enough." He said. They sat together, enjoying each other's presence for a while.

"Oh, and Ry?"

"Yeah, Shar?" He asked with a quick kiss to her head.

"No jazz squares at the reception."