AN: New story, or well… probably one-shot collection. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks to Mya for helping me out with this one, and giving me ideas when I got stuck : )

Disclaimer: This is a derivate piece of fiction featuring real people. The author is not affiliated, nor knows any of the following people - including their friends and family - on a personal level - Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Kenny Ortega, nor any other celebrity mentioned throughout this piece of work. 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 unauthorized 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.

Moments in Time

Kisses are like tears, the only real ones are the ones you can't hold back.
~Author Unknown

«ώ»

With steady, slow movements Vanessa carefully dragged the little brush over her toenail. The clear liquid spread out and she quickly blew on it to make sure it dried before she accidently knocked into something. Next to her, her best friend, Brittany Snow reached for the remote and flicked on the TV.

"What channel is the Oscars on?" she asked as she leaned back on the couch.

"Uhm, abc I think," Vanessa said while painting the last toe on her left foot. When it had been decided that she wouldn't join Zac to the actual award ceremony it had quickly been decided that Brittany would join her for some proper girly pampering in preparation for the Vanity Fair after party. The duo had spent the afternoon on Vanessa's couch chatting away as they did their nails and Brittany had helped roll Vanessa's straightened hair into hot rolls to make perfect curls for the event that awaited her.

Happy with how her toes had turned out, Vanessa twisted the cap on her nail polish shut and blew a few extra times on her now shiny nails.

"Has anyone exciting arrived yet?" she asked as she folded her legs into a cross legged position on the couch.

"No, I don't think anyone's arrived yet, they're just finishing setting up and talking about what's going to happen," Brittany said and reached for a handful of chips. "Did you say you had ice cream?" she asked before popping a flake into her mouth.

"Always," Vanessa grinned and jumped off the couch. Halfway to the kitchen a sudden sneeze escaped her and she groaned. From the living room Brittany giggled quietly.

"That's got to be the twentieth time today at least, Nessa."

"I know! Stupid cold! Zac's been on about it all week, but you'd think I was dying by how he's been treating me," she giggled.

"Oh you love his pampering, so don't pretend you don't."

"I never said I didn't like it," she said and started rummaging through the drawers on the freezer. "What flavor do you want? We have…Cookie Dough, Baked Alaska, Strawberry and Chocolate."

"Anything besides ice cream in that freezer of yours? Zac would have a heart attack at the amount of junk food in here," Brittany giggled. Vanessa laughed and pulled out the tub of Baked Alaska. It was no secret that her boyfriend was indeed a bit of a health freak, but he rarely said no to ice cream or chips for that matter.

"Meh, half of these were actually bought by him. I had a sore throat so…"

"You so have him wrapped around your finger, it's almost scary."

"No it isn't…it's… sweet?" Vanessa questioned.

"Definitely sweet, but nearly scary, now get your butt in here it's about to start." Brittany's voice was teasing and Vanessa could almost hear the smile she was certain adorned her friends face.

"I'm coming I'm coming, but you never said what flavor you want."

"Cookie Dough! Oh! Zac's on, Zac's on!"

"Already?!" Vanessa nearly dropped the two tubs of ice cream as she closed the freezer and tried to reach for two spoons at the same time. After successfully making it into the living room without killing herself or anything else, she let herself fall down on the couch as her eyes were focused on the TV screen. He had just stepped onto the red carpet and stopped every few steps to let the press take pictures. Passing the tub of ice cream to Brittany, Vanessa couldn't help but notice the somewhat somber look on his face and cast her eyes downwards as she shoved her spoon into the hard substance in her own tub. Glancing up at the screen again she saw him twisting his fingers together as he flashed a smile towards the cameras.

He was uncomfortable.

Biting her lip she watched as he walked off the arrivals carpet and disappeared from view. Guilt was slowly spreading through her and she suddenly felt bad for not being by his side. If everything had gone according to plan she would have been, but their plans had come to a screeching halt when she'd gotten sick with a cold that seemed to refuse to disappear.

Vanessa shivered under the duvet and desperately tried to snuggle into the heat coming from her boyfriend's bare chest. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and she sighed quietly when she felt his lips against her forehead. Cold shivers still ran through her and she was pretty sure she knew exactly what caused them.

"You're hot," Zac whispered before gently placing his cheek where his lips had been moments before.

"I don't feel hot," she said just as another involuntary shiver gently shook her. Zac ran a gentle hand over her forehead and down through her lose curls.

"You're running a fever again, babe," he said and rubbed her arm lovingly. Sniffling slightly she glanced over at the two dresses that hung neatly on her wardrobe door and desperately tried to hold back the tears of frustration and exhaustion that were shimmering in her eyes. She wanted to go so badly, but they'd made a deal; if she ran a fever the night before the award show she would stay home until the first after party began. She had fought with him over that, claiming that having a cold was not a severe enough illness to skip the Oscars. He had argued back, reminding her how she had nearly fainted the previous day and that he would not bring her along if she was sick. Her health came before anything else and although she knew he was right; angry tears had spilled down her cheek when he had wrapped her in a hug.

"I want to go…" she whispered and felt a tear roll over her nose. Zac sighed softly and hugged her closer to him.

"I know," he simply said and planted a kiss to the top of her head.

"I don't want to be sick any…" a sneeze cut her off and she grumbled. "Stupid plane with stupid air and stupid germs!"

Had it been any other day she was certain Zac would have teased her, but instead of a chuckle he responded by running a his warm thumb over her cheek, efficiently brushing away the falling tears and providing some much needed comfort.

"You'll get another chance, baby, and you'll be well enough to really enjoy yourself then," he paused as she sniffled again and handed her a tissue from the nightstand. "Right now I think you need some rest more than anything. You've been up and about for a few days wearing yourself out."

"But I felt better…" Vanessa meekly protested.

"I know, sweetheart."

The hand that had been rubbing her upper arm moved to stroke her cheek and Vanessa's eyelids closed at the soothing touch. She felt exhausted, and knew she was fighting a losing battle against sleep as she lay nestled in his warm embrace.

"Everything will work out fine," he whispered against her hair as she gave in fell under sleeps sweet spell.

Sighing Vanessa scooped some ice cream onto her spoon and put it into her mouth. She had woken up that morning fever-less and in high spirits, but had together with Zac decided that it would be best for her to stay at home during the actual event to lessen the chances of a repeat of last night's sudden fever.

During the day she had come to accept that she wouldn't go with him, but seeing him looking so lonely on the carpet made her feel bad. She knew that if the tables were turned she would have wanted him by her side more than anything.

"You ok, Nessa?" Brittany asked and gently nudged Vanessa with her elbow.

"Yeah, just feeling bad that I'm not there with him."

"He's a big boy; he can take care of himself."

"Yeah I know, it's just weird."

Brittany shot her a sympathetic smile as Zac's face appeared on the TV once again. He smiled politely as the interviewer asked a few questions and Vanessa bit her lip as she waited for the unavoidable question about her lack of presence. To her relief the smile never strayed from his face as he informed them that she would be meeting up with him at the after party. He looked calm and collected and somewhere in the pit of her stomach the familiar sensation of pride started spreading. There had been many moments over the last years where she'd had to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming, and as she watched her boyfriend continue up the red carpet she almost found it hard to believe that that was in fact the same boy who left wet towels on the bathroom floor and managed burn toast in the morning. How she had ended up with him she wasn't quite sure, but something told her that a little thing called fate had something to do with it.

«ώ»

The rain was pounding down on the tents roof as Zac stepped through the entrance doors to the Kodak Theatre. In the mass of people he felt relatively small and out of place and was increasingly grateful that he had both his manager and publicist with him. Last year he had had Vanessa with him, and somehow things were very different when she was there to share things with. At times it almost frightened him how one person's presence could change so much, but it was something he had grown to accept as the years had passed. As if she knew he was thinking about him his phone vibrated and he simply knew the message was from her. Grinning he fished it out of his pocket and stepped back so that he was shielded slightly from sight and not standing in the way.

Looking handsome ;) stop pulling at your hair it looks fine. Angelina and Brad aren't coming so you can breathe easy about making a fool of yourself… again :p xoxo

Shaking his head he could vividly picture the teasing smile he was certain adorned her face. After making sure his people were still close by and hadn't called for his attention yet, he quickly typed back a reply.

Ha ha, very funny, Van. I will talk to her one day…in English.

Send.

Only a few seconds passed before the phone vibrated again.

Sure you will, babe.

He chuckled and looked up just as Meryl Streep walked past him. The temptation to tease her was too big and his fingers flew across the keys while a smile played on his lips.

Oh I will. Meryl Streep just walked past me, think you'll be able to utter a proper sentence in her presence?

The send button was hit just as Gina called him over to enter the theatre. She glanced at the phone in his hand and shook her head playfully.

"Vanessa texting you?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's at home with Brittany. Told me she'd spend the day in pj's and watch from the comfort of her couch."

"Is she still upset about not coming?"

"Yeah, but not as broken up as she was when she first got sick. I think last night made her realize that she's not wonder woman, and that even a cold can knock you out pretty bad. Vanessa and fevers don't really get along," Zac said as they stepped a few steps forward. It had broken his heart to see her trying to pretend nothing was wrong when they both knew that she was sick.

Zac was in that peaceful place right between wakefulness and sleep when he rolled over in bed, fully expecting to find her sleeping body next to him. When his arm hit nothing but cool sheets he forced his eyes open so he could take a look at the alarm clock on the nightstand.

02.45 AM.

She was probably just in the bathroom.

03.00 AM.

Something wasn't right. With a yawn Zac rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. Everything around him sounded deadly quiet and the worry in the pit of his stomach slowly started to grow. Vanessa loved relaxing in bed and he knew for a fact that there were very few things that would keep her up in the middle of the night. Scratching his neck he stood up and slowly made his way to the en suite bathroom.

Empty.

A frown spread on his face as he leaned against the doorframe and looked at the empty bed. Her pillows had been placed neatly against the headboard and her book lay open on the nightstand with a little reading light attached to it. She had obviously stayed up longer and done what she could to keep from disturbing him.

Deciding that the kitchen was probably his best chance at finding her, he pushed off from the wall and walked towards the bedroom door. As he stepped into the hallway he heard a faint sneeze followed by a sniffle and a cough, and suddenly realized what was going on.

With quick, silent steps he headed for the kitchen and sighed quietly when he laid eyes on her. The curls that usually hung in neat tresses were tousled and all over the place and her sleepwear had changed from one of her own sets into a pair of his sweatpants and hoodie. In one hand she held a bottle of water while the other tried to reach the box of medicines he kept in one of the cabinets. Suddenly her raised hand came down to grasp into the countertop as she bent her head forward. His heartbeat sped up at the sight and he quickly made his way over to where she was standing.

"What's going on, babe," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her against his chest. She took a few shaky breaths before answering him in a hoarse voice.

"Nothing, I'm fi…" a series of coughs broke her off and shook her body. Zac closed his eyes and gently turned her around so that he could hug her properly. As her coughs subsided he placed a kiss on top of her head and rubbed her back soothingly.

"That didn't sound like nothing," he said. Whimpering slightly she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. It took him no longer than a second to register the temperature difference between her skin and his own.

She had a fever.

"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" Zac asked gently as he stroked her hair away from her eyes.

"I'm not sick…" she mumbled.

"Vanessa…"

"It'll pass."

Her voice sounded so small and vulnerable that he hugged her closer on pure instinct. There was obviously more to her sneaking around than just not wanting to wake him up.

"Baby, what's this about?"

"I don't want to be sick on Sunday." Her voice broke several times as she spoke and Zac felt his heart break as he realized what she was referring to. She didn't want to miss going to the Oscars.

"We'll get you well by then," he said and kissed her forehead. "Now I want you to go back to bed, and I'll get you some water and Tylenol. I think I have some cough drops somewhere as well, but I'm not about to let you dig around for them."

"Zac…"

"No. I'll carry you if I have to. Back to bed."

A tired smile spread on her face as she detached herself from his grasp.

"Ok," she said.

Zac smiled at her as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and let his hand move to cup her cheek.

"It'll work out, Babe. Don't worry about it."

"I'll try."

"All I'm asking, now off you go."

She looked up at him with grateful eyes before she turned around and slowly padded out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Zac?" came her quiet, hoarse voice a few seconsd later.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Looking up he was met with her sweet face that was peaking around the wall and he couldn't help but smile.

"I love you, too."

He had made her stay in bed for two days, but by then she was sick of being stuck inside and had called her mom and little sister to go for lunch. She'd been exhausted when she got home, but had been in better spirits and certain she would be well by Sunday. She hadn't.

"Zac, come on."

It was Gina's voice that pulled him out of his thoughts and he shot her a sheepish smile. Shaking her head she motioned for him to walk ahead and he chuckled at the mock exasperated expression on her face. They both knew that she'd never do more than tease.

«ώ»

Vanessa glanced at her reflection in the mirror as Brittany pulled the last hair roll out of her hair and let the curl fall across her shoulder.

"Are you going to do something else to it or just leave it? It looks stunning like that. I love the bigger waves the rolls give you," Brittany said and put a stray strand back into place.

"I think I'm just going to leave it. Put some hairspray in and hope it stays like this all night. I can't really be bothered to put it into an up-do, besides; I think it looks better down seeing as the dress is so revealing."

"Yeah, totally. Zac's seen it right?"

"Yeah, at first he wasn't sure if he wanted me to wear it in public," Vanessa giggled. She could still picture the wide eyed look on her boyfriends face as she'd pulled the dress out of its garment bag.

"Does that mean cave-man Zac will be out tonight?" Brittany giggled.

"Probably, he seemed worried about my boobs falling out, but I assured him that the dress would stay firmly in place."

"Bet he's going to take several peaks just to make sure. I can't count the amount of pictures out there where his eyes and hands are some interesting places."

"God I know," Vanessa said and shook her head gently. Her boyfriend suffered from wandering hands syndrome, and although neither of them always realized how low his hands traveled, their fans certainly did. Stella had broken down in giggles the day she had found a GIF of Zac patting her butt in front of hundreds of photographers, and had quickly called her sister to inform her of her little discovery.

Behind her Brittany suddenly giggled and Vanessa looked up confused.

"What?"

"Nothing; just the look on your face. It was something between annoyed, disbelieved and amused."

"Do you think he'll ever learn?"

"Zac? Hate to disappoint you hon, but that boy is incurable."

"Thought so," Vanessa laughed.

"Now; make up. I vote we play with the eyes and leave the rest light and natural. Your tan is gorgeous so you have a huge advantage there."

"As long as I don't look sick I'll be happy," Vanessa said and traced the dark circles under her eyes. She looked better than she had in days, but that didn't stop her from feeling bad. Brittany smiled at her friend and looked at the various items laid out on the table in front of them.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you're the prettiest one there," she said as she handed Vanessa a jar of moisturizer.

Thirty minutes later Vanessa was gingerly applying sparkling body lotion on her upper body while Brittany placed the full length dress across the bed. Hair and make-up had been finished and Vanessa had to admit that she looked really good. If she didn't know it, she wouldn't have been able to tell that she had been battling a cold for the past week.

"You ready for the dress, Nessa?"

"No, not yet. Could you help me get some of this stuff onto my back?" she asked and slid the bra straps off her shoulders to make appliance easier.

Brittany nodded and made her way towards her best friend. Vanessa squeezed some of the cool liquid into the hand she was stretching out and shuddered as it made contact with her bare back. With smooth movements Brittany made sure to cover every inch of skin that would be visible.

"There. Do you have the top stick?"

Vanessa nodded and reached for the roll of tape she had placed on a nearby chair. Following Brittany's movements in the mirror she untied the string that was holding her PJ pants up and let them pool by her feet. Goosebumps traveled up her legs as the cool air hit them and she smiled gratefully at Brittany as she held the dress open so she could step into it.

"Hold your hair back?"

Vanessa did as she was told and watched as Brittany slowly pulled the dress up her body and pulled the halter neck straps around her neck.

"Is this black thread thing supposed to go up to your neck as well?" Brittany asked referring to the thin strap that was attached to the dress on either side of Vanessa's waist.

"Yeah, there's supposed to be a way to fasten them up there. I should probably take off my bra first though, or it'll get all tangled in there."

"Yeah, if you unclasp it I'll hold the dress up."

"Thanks, god can you imagine me doing this on my own… I'd probably kill the dress or something," Vanessa's giggles were cut short when a sudden cough attack hit her and she groaned loudly. She'd already had one sneeze attack on the red carpet and really didn't feel like having another one. Having a slightly hoarse and nasal voice was bad enough.

"OK, I think I managed to get it all safely tied together," Brittany said and tugged gently on the various straps.

"Think or know? Because I really don't want to accidently flash some stranger."

Brittany laughed and pulled at the straps again.

"Know, and I have a feeling that top stick is going to make sure your dress stays up even if the knot loosened," pausing she looked at Vanessa's reflection and giggled. "Has Zac ever had to literally peel clothing off you before?" she asked teasingly.

Vanessa laughed and shook her head slightly.

"Unless wet clothing counts, then no; he hasn't."

"Poor guy is going to be so frustrated."

"Brittany!"

"What? You were thinking it too! You've been sick for a while, and then you show up in that dress…the poor boys going to keel over."

Vanessa blushed and looked at herself in the mirror. The extreme V of the neckline came to a rest about an inch, an inch and a half above her bellybutton and covered her breast in such a way that she could just barely make out the lower curve.

It fit her perfectly, hugged her in all the right places and showed of her tan beautifully.

"It does look pretty doesn't it?" she asked and twisted her body slightly, making the beads sparkle in the lamp light.

"Stunning," Brittany praised and silently asked for the tape by stretching out her hand. Vanessa wordlessly handed it over and giggled as Brittany's cold fingers brushed against her bare back.

"That tickles," she laughed. The blond girl merely shook her head playfully as ripped off the first piece of double sided tape and placed it underneath the thin material that covered Vanessa's lower back. It was going to take some time to make sure everything meant to be covered would stay covered.

«ώ»

Zac viewed himself as patient in many aspects of his life. He could sit through a 13 hour flight without a single complaint or wait for hours on set without really being bothered, but being stuck in traffic when he knew she was waiting for him…his patience did not make him stay calm and collected through that. As the car crawled another foot forward he drummed his fingers noisily on the doors arm rest.

"We're almost there Mr. Efron. There's just a pile up of cars dropping people off," the driver informed him and Zac nodded his head in reply. Despite having seen her that morning he felt ridiculously eager to lay eyes on her again. The mental image of her dress flashed before his eyes and he nearly groaned. He wasn't a particularly jealous boyfriend; he didn't mind seeing her having fun with other guys, when David Beckham had given her a hug he'd felt proud, but knowing she was standing on her own dressed in something that barely covered her upper body made the possessive side in him roar. He would never rob her of her freedom or keep her from doing something she wanted; his possessive side wasn't like that. It was more about making sure everyone around them knew she was his. Once he'd made his presence known he'd gladly let her dance with whoever she desired, but right at that moment she was alone, and although his rational side told him that it was a known fact that they were an item, the irrational one yelled for him to get a move on and wrap an arm around her.

Glancing out of the window her decided that enough was enough.

"Party's just around the corner isn't it?" Zac asked and looked at the driver though the rear-view mirror. The older man nodded confused.

"Great. Is it ok if I just get out here? We're standing still and I'd get there a whole lot quicker if I walked," he said and pretended he didn't see the amused look that crept onto the otherwise professional drivers face.

"Got someone waiting for you?" he finally asked and Zac merely nodded. Chuckling, the older man checked the mirrors before nodding his head.

"Go ahead," he said. "Go meet your girl."

Zac shot him a smile and nearly jumped on the door.

"Thanks man!" he called and slammed the car door shut again. To his relief the sidewalk was pretty much deserted as he ran down the street. He could hear the noise coming from the party and felt his heartbeat speed up. It didn't matter that they'd been to numerous after-parties over the years; each and every one of them offered opportunities to talk to people they both admired and looked up to, and Zac would under no circumstances claim that he wasn't excited about it. As he rounded the corner his eyes immediately landed on her and he sped up. Someone he couldn't quite place from his current distance nudged her gently and nodded towards him. Vanessa spun around and a smile spread on her face the moment their eyes met. Grinning he slowed his pace and allowed his eyes to look her over. The dress clung to her small frame and he felt a tingle run through him when he noticed exactly how low the cut of the V went. As he came to a halt by her side he immediately reached out to touch her but was side-tracked when she started turning around. Somewhere in the back of his mind he vaguely registered people screaming his name and copied her actions by turning around and giving their fans a wave. It only lasted a second and he wasted no time wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Hey," she smiled at him.

"You look stunning," he whispered, his insides melting as she blushed lightly and looked to the ground. Unable to hold back he stretched his neck slightly and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. A delighted giggle escaped her mouth and he reveled at the sound. After days of watching her sick in bed there was nothing that made him happier than to see her smiling from ear to ear. With one arm protectively wrapped around her, and feeling hers around his back, he guided her through the throng of people and into the limelight that made her shine with such beauty he couldn't do anything but hold her tight and make sure that everyone around them knew that she was his, and would be for as long as she'd have him.

End.

AN: There you have it. Please tell me what you think.