Title: Living the Dream

Summary: Is it possible to have it all or does something get lost along the way? Can Troy live his dream and still keep his girl?

Disclaimer: High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I just have them on secondment.

A/N: Ahh! What a sad day this is. It's hard saying goodbye to my very first story but here it is, the final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I have writing it. Look out for a new story I am in the process of writing, with any luck it should be up before the festive season.

A cheer went up as the song ended but the couple on stage were oblivious as their pent up feelings met in a blistering kiss, all the hurt, worry and longing were communicated without the need for words.

Realising the Dream

After the worst week of her life she couldn't believe she was back where she belonged, safe within the arms of the boy she loved with her whole being. At this moment she didn't question the hows and whys, time for that later, right now all she could hear was his impassioned speech ringing in her head, telling her it was a lie and she had to believe him; no, needed to believe him for the sake of her sanity.

Troy held her tightly, breathing in her unique scent, tasting her lips of nectar; he couldn't, wouldn't let go of this amazing girl that held his heart in the palm of her hand, and who, by her actions, wasn't about to crush it any time soon. He held her hand tightly as he jumped from the stage, turning in a fluid movement to lift her down, enclosing her in his arms once more as the gang gathered around them. Zeke and Jason looked sheepish as they slapped him on the back.

"Welcome back, dude," they said together. Troy gave them a brief nod still upset with both of them.

"Well, well look what the cat dragged in," sneered Sharpay looking daggers at him, "guess I'm not the only Drama Queen around here, Bolton." Troy smirked at her. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face, Gabi might have forgiven you easily enough, she always was a fucking sucker for Peter Pan, but I won't."

"You can't beat up on me more than I do myself, Shar," he said sadly.

"So what happened?" asked Taylor. Troy looked at the sea of faces surrounding him, a lot of them agog, blatant curiosity evident that they were missing out on some juicy dirt and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Not here," he said. Ryan caught his drift and motioned the DJ to start spinning again. Some of the crowd dispersed as the music flooded into the room.

"Come this way," he ordered leading them out of the party room, down a hallway, round a corner and into the den that was obviously his father's domain. The wood panelled walls, leather chesterfield, two wing back chairs and an enormous mahogany desk filled the room. The ten friends filed into the room and Troy sat in one of the chairs, pulling Gabriella onto his lap, refusing to let her leave his side. Sharpay sat in her father's imposing office chair behind the desk, drilling her fingers on the hard surface impatiently.

"We're waiting," she stated unnecessarily giving him a hard stare.

"I...don't know what happened," he said tentatively glaring when Sharpay snorted disbelievingly. "No, seriously, I don't, I can only guess. I last heard from Gabi a week ago Thursday. I kept sending emails but she never replied and I was getting worried so I finally emailed Chad who then told me she was ill over the weekend. Poor darling, I just wanted to get home right then to be with you," he hugged her close dropping a kiss on her temple. Gabriella sighed, snuggling in closer.

"Oh puhlease! It was you that made her ill," accused Sharpay pointing her manicured finger at him.

"Actually it wasn't," insisted Troy, "Let me finish okay?"

"Fine, carry on with your fairy tale if you must." Sharpay waved her arm theatrically for him to proceed.

"Anyway, Chad sent me another email on Monday night telling me what I had supposedly done but I didn't, cross my heart I didn't. I wouldn't, couldn't ever do that to you. You mean too much to me." Gabriella grazed his cheek with her lips and squeezed his hand to let him know she believed him. Troy gave her a grateful smile. Sharpay cleared her throat breaking into their moment.

"Sorry," he looked around at his friends, "When did you get the email that was supposed to come from me?"

"Friday evening," she answered, "I sent a reply straight back then you replied to that so it must have been you," she added in confusion.

"It's really weird cos there isn't any record of them in my sent box. It's a pity your emails aren't working then we'd have a time frame to work with," he pondered with a sigh.

"Have you checked your emails since Monday, Gabs?" asked Taylor. Gabriella shook her head.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's have a look on dad's computer," suggested Ryan. Sharpay leant forward flicking the switch as the rest crowded around the screen.

"Uhm, Shar, I think I need to sit there," Gabriella said.

"Not necessarily, if you give me your password I can do it for you."

"Yeah right, and give you access to all my secrets," snorted Gabriella. The rest burst out laughing.

"What secrets? I thought we told each other everything," pouted Sharpay huffing when she caught Gabriella's determined expression as she reluctantly gave up her chair. Gabriella sat down, her fingers agilely skimming over the keyboard expertly, holding her breath as the page loaded then breathing out a sigh of relief when her account popped up. With a shaky finger she hovered the curser over the inbox before pressing firmly down on the mouse. There must have been at least twenty unread emails, all from wildcat14, saving them to be read in private later she went to the last opened email and clicked on it. Ten pairs of eyes skimmed the missive, a couple of gasps emitted from Taylor and Martha.

"That's impossible," groaned Troy, "Honestly, I never sent that, I couldn't have, I was in a meeting with the team."

"A likely story," snapped Sharpay, "it's there in black and white. Are you trying to tell us it wrote itself?"

"No, but I have an idea how it happened. The...there was this girl..." The girls gasped in unison and Gabriella turned hurtful brown eyes his way. Troy swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he started to explain about Bentham's daughter.

"The fucking bitch. Which school does she go to cos I'm going to kick her ass," Sharpay exploded into a colorful verbiage, her eyes spitting fire at the unknown girl that had caused so much heartache to her friends as Troy finished recounting his experience and suppositions.

"Why would she do something so hateful?" asked Kelsi.

"Cos Troy wouldn't play ball obviously," chimed in Chad.

"I'm so proud of you for sticking to your principles," gushed Gabriella launching herself at Troy and smothering him with kisses.

"I knew you weren't that type of guy," commented Kelsi, satisfaction lacing her voice.

"Thanks, Kels, apart from Chad, you were the only one," Troy said when Gabriella let him up for air. Zeke coughed, looking decidedly ashamed of himself.

"Uhm, yeah, sorry about that, Troy, I should have known different but when I saw Gabi..." he tailed off.

"Don't sweat it, its done with and we won't talk about it again," Troy said firmly. "She didn't succeed, that's all that matters."

"Thanks man," Zeke looked relieved.

"This calls for a celebration. I heard there was a party tonight," said Chad with a grin.

"Funnily enough, I heard that too," Troy beamed at his friend.

"So what are we waiting for, we're wasting valuable drinking time," urged Chad pulling Taylor hurriedly from the room amid laughter from the others.

"Er...Gabi, you may want to log off your account," reminded Ryan pointedly, his eyes flicking meaningfully towards Sharpay who was hovering in front of the PC.

"Good point, isn't this how it all started in the first place," she said as she walked over to the computer to close it down much to Sharpay's annoyance.

"Bah! Spoilsport, I was just looking for some of those secrets you talked about," grumbled Sharpay.

"There aren't any," reassured Gabriella as she linked arms with her friend, "but some things are just private." Sharpay grinned devilishly.

"Oh you mean like knicker drawers," she teased before she shot out of the door after the others leaving Gabriella staring after her open-mouthed.

"Hey! What do you mean? Have you been peeking?" shouted an astounded Gabriella to an empty room.

Troy kept Gabriella glued to him for the rest of the evening, whether they were getting drinks, eating or dancing, just knowing she was right there with him was enough. They swayed to the music, her arms clasped tightly behind his neck, his wrapped around her waist although they did occasionally run up and down her back moulding her slight frame against him, caressing the exposed skin with fingertip touches, his lips rained kisses against her brow, down her cheek and into the crook of her neck, searching and finding her erogenous zone, sucking and kissing it until she groaned.

"I like your costume," he said huskily. "Where did you get it?" Gabriella giggled into his ear.

"Where else but Sharpay. Do you know she's actually worn this for Moulin Rouge on stage, in public?" Gabriella gasped.

"I should have guessed. Bet it didn't look as good on her," Troy ran his eyes over her, pausing for a long moment on the ample cleavage, causing his traitorous body to burst into life.

"That's what she said," giggled Gabriella.

"She was right," he concurred suddenly twirling her across the floor before bending her over his arm and kissing her. People clapped and whooped at the surprising floor show but Troy was too caught up in Gabriella's tinkling laugh to notice. Troy pulled her back close, slamming his lips on hers to show his need, which was returned with fervour by Gabriella.

"Is that a dagger which I feel before me?" she whispered teasingly in his ear when they came up for air, twisting the words from Macbeth they'd been learning last term. Troy smirked against her hair.

"Not quite but it has a point," he chuckled. Gabriella laughed huskily.

"Well it's doing a good imitation of stabbing me."

"It can't be helped, its the effect you have on me."

"Will you take me to Neverland, Peter?" she asked with a mischievous look in her eye.

"Nah, but I can take you to Wonderland if you'll fly with me," he offered huskily.

"Yes please," she managed to say before he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her off the dance floor only pausing long enough to speak quietly to Ryan who was in the process of filling two cups with alcohol before striding through the entrance hall and up the elegant flight of stairs. He carried her along a long hallway counting doors as he went before stopping at the fourth door. Gabriella's hands gripped tightly to his neck as he fumbled with the knob before the door sprang open to reveal a charming bedroom that was dominated by a queen size bed. Troy's heel shut the door behind them with a resounding thud as he strode over to the bed to deposit her in the center. The moonlight streamed through the window giving the room a romantic glow, highlighting the couple that were feverishly kissing, smoothing away clothing to reacquaint themselves with each others body.

"I love you, love, love you, Gabi." Troy worshipped her with words, puncturing them with his lips, his hands caressing her skin, showing her in every way he knew how that he adored her. His lips trailed down her neck, pausing at her bullet hard peaks to tease and torment until she moaned his name through suddenly parched lips before continuing his journey of discovery, peppering her skin with licks of his tongue, his lips alternating between teasing feather-light brushes to hard suckles until she cried out his name with need as spirals of desire swept through her body, heat scorching her skin wherever he touched, his probing fingers gentle as they fanned the flames of her desire, touching her folds, flicking her clitoris, sending her into a frenzy as her fingers raked his back, her body lifting to feel his against her.

"Troy, I need you now," she gasped out the demand.

"Uh-huh, not yet, I'm having too much fun," he said smiling wickedly at her before dipping his head to taste her juices, his tongue lapping the spillage before plundering her depths. Gabriella bucked and moaned, erotic sensations tightened like a coiled spring in her abdomen until she snapped, crying out his name as she spun in the vortex that followed. Troy moved up her body, holding her close until her heart rate returned to a regular tempo.

"I love you, Wildcat," she whispered when she finally found her voice, following through with a sensual kiss, her hands running languidly down his back, feeling his muscles ripple under her hand, then dipping into the hollow above his ass, sliding round until they met his hip bone, pausing to tease him when she felt his breath hitch in his throat then leaving one hand to rest there whilst letting the other continue the exploration. She giggled at his grunt when she reached her goal, running her index finger slowly down his length, marvelling at the throbbing organ that jerked to attention beneath her ministrations. Troy groaned with longing, stretching his hand out then cursing when it couldn't reach his costume that had been flung to the floor.

"Babe, you'll have to let go while I get a condom." Gabriella pouted but allowed him to move.

"Hurry back."

"You can bet on it." He flashed her a beaming smile, scrambling off the bed to search his tunic for the packets he'd stashed with the hope he'd get to use them before jumping back on.

"Let me," she said huskily, taking it from his hand and ripping it with her teeth. Troy was captivated, he loved this wild side she was showing. Her cool hands rolled the latex over his engorged member, stroking it loving as she did so.

"Hmm, now where were we?" She questioned as she caressed his testicles.

"A...about there," he gasped pulling her on top of him to crash his lips on hers, his hands wandering franticly over her back and butt, eliciting a moan from her throat as his questing hands shifted to stoke the smouldering embers into a roaring fire once more.

"Now, Troy, I want you now," she pleaded. Troy flipped her over, nudging her legs apart, his penis resting at her entrance before slowly pushing forward, loving the feel of her as he slipped inside, her moist walls coating him, enclosing him, filling him with wonder. He moved slowly at first then picked up speed as he felt her legs wrap around him forcing him deeper inside, her hips working to his rhythm as they rode the crest of the wave together, stretching, reaching, aiming for joint fulfilment as the ocean of passion tossed them towards the shore of ecstasy. Gabriella cried out as she reached her climax, the tightening of her walls and tremors that rippled through her sent Troy over the edge two strokes later. He flopped on the bed at her side, panting hard as he tried to bring his breathing under control as he gathered her close, stroking her gently as she lay spent, her own breath raspy.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "sorry for putting you through such turmoil. It's been hell this week, being so far away and unable to do anything about it."

"Don't think about it, Troy, we've both been to hell but we're still together and that's the most important thing. And you got to live your dream too."

"No, I realised that although I love basketball, it isn't my dream, my dream is you, it's always been you since the moment we met. I love you, Gabi." Troy leant over to place a tender kiss on her lips.

The End

A/N: I just want to thank a few people that have supported me from day one. Firstly, to Kristen for putting up with me, little did she know what she'd be letting herself in for when she offered to give it the once over in the first place haha! But also for her valuable advise on all things American. Longhardroadouttahell – Thanks Stace for pointing out my glaring mistake in chapter 1 lol! Marebear11 and HSMandChelseaFan for sticking with it from day one and to everyone else that has taken the time to read my drivel.