High School Musical 1. Chapter 1

_Prolgue:_

_It had been three and a half years since that warm and festive day in mid-June, when the East High Eight (Chad, Taylor, Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Zeke, Ryan and Kelsi) had at long last taken their high school diplomas in hand, bid a fond farewell to their beloved alma mater, and eagerly took those first exciting steps on the road to adulthood toward an unknown future that lie just ahead. _

_A few weeks later, once the thrill of pop and circumstance had finally begun to subside, the group of close-knit friends all returned to work yet another summer at the exclusive Lava Springs Country Club with everyone's focus mainly on earning as much money as possible before having to depart for their respective schools in the fall. However, they also made time in their hectic schedules to enjoy just being together as they'd always been, before life as they knew it changed forever more. _

_Many a night after long hectic days waiting on pampered guests hand and foot, Chad, Taylor and the others would meet up outside the employees entrance ready for any type of fun they could find like going to the movies, barbecuing, playing minature golf, hitting the roller rink or simply hanging out at someone's house. _

_And so it was by the time the final days of summer rolled around, that the bond of love and friendship between them all seemed to have grown even deeper than imagined, making it that much more difficult to think of what their lives would be like without the strength of their cherised commraderie to carry them through on a daily basis. _

_It was not long after that when each one found themselves sadly packing up their belongings, saying tearful goodbyes to other friends and family and all they'd ever known, and heading off to all corners of the globe to see what new adventures the world at large held in store. _

_Chad and Taylor, although initially set on being married right after their first semesters at school, had decided instead that it would be better for them to wait until at least their senior year to tie the knot, as was the same sentiment for the also engaged Troy and Gabriella, whom had convinced their closest friends that by waiting a bit longer, it would enable them to plan a double wedding when the time was finally right. Suffice it to say, such news was music to the ears of their parents, all of whom thought their children should wait for such a huge commitment until they'd finished up their education. _

_During their freshman and sophomore years, because of the simple fact that they all were going to college within the same state, Chad, Troy, Gabriella and Taylor took turns driving up and down the California coast every other Thursday to spend long weekends together since they no longer had the luxury of being within a few blocks of one another as had been the case back home. _

_However, this sometimes exhausting arrangement greatly improved in the summer just before their junior year, when Chad and Troy surprised the women they loved by renting out a 3-bedroom condo in the quaint little town of San Luis Obispo, the geographical half-way point between their respective schools. Such a move took at least four hours off of their tedious commutes when having to travel, and allowed the two couples to spend even more quality time enjoying each other's company when they knew they would all be together. _

_Of course Chad, Taylor, Troy, and Gabriella made it home whenever possible, mostly when they knew that Zeke, Sharpay, Kelsi and Ryan would be there too. Those were wonderful gatherings as well, with all of them catching up on each other's lives face-to-face, while also being able to spend time with their families and reconnect with other old friends. Jason was the only one they rarely saw in those days, as his studies and traveling kept him too busy to do more than drop a postcard or call once in a blue moon. But his friends always kept him in their thoughts, just glad to know that when they did speak with him he sounded happy and fulfilled in his life. _

_At the beginning of their sophomore year, Zeke and Sharpay broke up, a circumstance Gabriella, Taylor and the others learned about during their twice a month conference call that had become a steadfast ritual since they had been freshmen. At first the group was unnerved to hear such news, but once they discovered that neither Zeke nor Sharpay were upset about the break and had in fact found new loves to ease any pain of regret, everything was fine once again. _

_Zeke had met a French girl named Lisette Oliver, whose father owned one of the best restaurants in Europe, and Sharpay was happily dating the son of one of the most famous stage director's in London by the name of Ian Lowery. _

_Surprisingly, however, in spite of having the relationship with the longest distance between them, Ryan and Kelsi were doing just fine. In fact, by the end of her sophomore year, Kelsi had secured a music fellowship to study at the same academy with both Ryan and Sharpay, and had raced off to London to be by Ryan's side without so much as a backward glance. _

_Yes, life was going well for the East Side Eight as all continued to pursue their dreams and destinies to the fullest. But it was in early June, a few weeks after attending final classes of their junior year, that fate took yet another turn and manuevered to bring the group of best friends together once again for another unexpected adventure of a lifetime...only this time to be played out on the other side of the Atlantic!_

Chapter 1

Troy, Gabriella, and Taylor were seated around the kitchen table in the breakfast nook of their condo discussing what they wanted to do for the day during this, one of their special weekends, when a hot and sweaty Chad suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway holding a bundle of mail in hand looking spent but happy. He had just returned from an early morning jog down by the riverbank and was now ravished by hunger, more than ready to tear into a plate of food like nobody's business.

"Morning guys," Chad greeted with a smile, closing the door behind him, walking over to drop the mail in hand onto the kitchen table, before smoothly leaning in and catching Taylor off guard with one of those kisses that still managed to leave her surprised and breathless.

"Hey," Troy replied with a smile of his own, as he and Gabriella both reached for the mail at the same time and began sorting through the envelopes and advertisements. "How was your run?"

"It was good. Not too many people were out so that made it extra nice," Chad replied, lifting his t-shirt to wipe beads of sweat from his forehead. "Did you guys already eat without me?"

Taylor, having regained her composure from the tingle of Chad's lips, shook her head as she stood up from her chair and wrapped her arms lovingly around his waist.

"No baby. Not yet. We were waiting for you to get back. Just talking over some coffee is all. Why don't you sit down and I'll get you some juice."

"Sounds good. Make it cranberry."

Taylor nodded with a loving smile and gently pushed Chad into the seat she had been occupying before going over to the cupboard to get him a glass.

"So housemates...have you decided yet how we plan to spend our day? Take in a movie? Go bike riding? Or maybe a barbecue?" Chad inquired even as his thoughts momentarily drifted from filling his rumbling stomach with food to the idea of a nice relaxing shower.

"We actually were thinking about going out to the Hobart Ranch, renting some horses, and then heading out to that secluded little spot on the hill we like so much for a picinic," Troy stated, passing over a pair of envelopes not addressed to him into Gabriella's waiting hands.

"Horseback riding and a picnic huh?" Chad mused thoughtfully. "I could get with that. How soon do we leave?"

"Oh my God Taylor!" Gabriella exclaimed loudly, suddenly startling everyone in the room. "Look! Look! They're here! They're here! They finally came!"

"What? What?" Taylor asked anxiously, rushing quickly back to the table with Chad's juice in hand. "What finally came?"

"Our letters for the European work study progam that's what! Now we find out if our requests for admission were accepted!" Gabriella explained giddy with excitement, handing her best friend the duplicate to the envelope she herself had also received.

Taylor slowly took her own notice in hand as both women looked at one another in a shared moment of nervous anticipation. Troy and Chad sat quietly at the table staring at their fiancees' faces, hoping the news was good, considering they both had already gotten an answer to their own requests into the same program the week before.

It had been at Gabriella's urging that they do something different for their senior year that would allow them to all be together for more than just long weekends, which had led to her researching work study programs in subjects pertaining to each of their majors: communications for Chad; marketing for Troy; marine biology for Gabriella; and, to everyone's surprise geology for Taylor, whom had changed from political science during her sophomore year. They had finally decided on a prominent program headquartered in Greece with field offices in various locations throughout Europe, which would not only allow them to study abroad, but also reconnect them with Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi and Zeke whom had also been waiting for months to hear if their friends would be joining them on the other side of the world.

"Well don't just stand there staring at the darn things...open them!" Troy urged with undisgused eagerness after several minutes of neither Gabriella or Taylor making a move to find out if all their hoped for plans were a go.

"Yeah baby. Don't be scared. I'm sure you both got in just like we did," Chad encouraged, pulling a still standing Taylor with her mouth agape, down onto his lap in a comforting embrace. "If you didn't get in then we'll just have to figure out something else is all."

"Okay Tay lets do this on the count of three," Gabriella said with a pronounced sigh. "1...2...3."

They both simultaneously ripped the tops off their envelopes and fished out the contents inside. When they had read the letters through to the end, the two women silently glanced at one another giving nothing away by their expressions, while their men waited with baited breath to see what would happen next.

"Well...come on...don't keep us hanging in suspense. What does it say?" Troy scolded somewhat nervously.

Gabriella suddenly winked at her bestfriend to which Taylor responded with a slow smile of contentment.

"It says that your beautiful, smart fiancees are going to spend our senior year with the two of you in Europe!!" Gabriella screamed in unison with Taylor, as both of them threw their arms around Chad and Troy in uncontained excitement.

"Really? Now that's what I'm talking about!" Chad shouted happily, as he hugged Taylor even tighter while Troy scooped Gabriella up out of her chair and began to swing her around the room in his arms. "I never doubted for a mintue that the two of you would get in!"

"Neither did I!" Troy concurred as he put Gabriella down on her feet again and the four friends fell into a fit of joyous laughter.

"Oh my God Tay do you know what this means?" Gabriella squealed, rushing over to hug her best friend.

"No what?"

"It means we're going to have to do a Sharpay and try and hit as many sales as possible at the mall before we leave so we can be dressed for success to impress."

"You know it girlfriend," Taylor agreed, giving Gabriella a hi-five. "We have to go and call Sharpay and Kelsi right now and tell them the good news. Sharpay is going to bust coming up with all kinds of things to do and show us once we arrive."

"I know. Isn't it great! Oh...oh...and we have to call our folks after that. My mom is gonna be so excited and yours too."

"Yeah, until they get the bills for all the shopping you two plan on doing to ramp up those wardrobes of yours," Troy teased.

Chad laughed at the truth of that statement.

"Oh...you be quiet," Gabriella said, with an exaggerated eyeroll. "Just be glad we aren't married yet or you'd be the one in the financial hotseat."

"She's got a point there dude. One must be thankful for small blessings," Chad joked, as Taylor reached over and playfully swatted the back of his head.

"And that will do for comments from the peanut gallery Mr. Danforth thank you very much."

"What did I do?" her fiance asked, feigning innocence.

"Never mind those two," Gabriella cut in with a dismissive wave of her hand, taking Taylor by the arm and pulling her toward the living room. "Let's get on the phone and spread the good news shall we?"

"Yes. Lets," Taylor said with a giggle as both women left the breakfast nook full of excited plans and chatter.

"Okay now...don't you two be on the phone yakking the whole morning away. Remember we have some horses and a picnic basket with our names on them," Troy called after their retreating backs, as he settled into his chair with an amused smile on his face.

"Hey...and what about breakfast? I'm starving?" Chad added to Troy's taunt, which was completely ignored altogether.

"Looks like we're on our own for that one buddy," his best friend advised, getting up and heading over to the cupboard by the stove to pull down a box of cereal. "Those two aren't even trying to hear anything we've got to say right about now."

"Yeah...I can see that," Chad laughed, as Troy came back to the table with two bowls, some spoons and a carton of milk in addition to the Captin Crunch.

The two guys began filling their bowls with cereal as they listened to the squeals of "I know" and "Isn't it great" coming from the living room, shaking their heads while smiling at how animated the loves of their lives were becoming as they relayed the news to friends and family about their trip overseas.

"Well...there's really only one thing I have to say at a time like this," Troy stated, sitting down opposite Chad as he scooted his chair closer to the table and then held up his spoon signaling for Chad to do the same.

"Yeah? And what's that?"

Troy shook his head and sighed. "Women!"

Chad laughed. "Ain't it the truth."

Then the two friends clinked their spoons together and concentrated on the only thing at the moment they had any control over...their stomachs!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

And so it began...the countdown to their European adventure.

In the days and weeks following those ecstactic first phone calls to family and friends announcing their invitation to participate in an internationl work-study program coveted by college students all around the world, Chad, Taylor, Gabriella and Troy had begun to talk seriously about all the plans and preparations that would have to be made prior to their trip, with the most important and immediate topic being to secure reasonable paying jobs for the next few months to offset their expenses abroad.

Although they were aware that everyone in the program, no matter their field of interest, would earn a salary for their internships, and that their plane fare, room and board would be covered, they also understood that additional money would be a necessity, even with the promise of financial assistance made to them by their parents and to some extent their respective schools whom they would also be respresenting while overseas.

Because none of them were planning on returning home for summer break, as they had done during their freshman and sophomore years before the days of sharing a condo, the two couples unanimously decided to stay in San Luis Obispo and earn what they needed there.

Having made quite a few friends in the community over the last year as part-time residents, Troy and Chad were luckily able to secure jobs working for a prominent family who owned both a ranch and orchards and were known for paying their workers higher than average wages, while Gabriella and Taylor were hired on at the most popular and expensive coffehouse in town, in addition to taking on work as math and science tutors to a handful of students whose wealthy parents were eager for their children to achieve top notch scores in the coming school year's SATs.

Once the job front had been successfully tackled and their chances for making a decent amount of money was less of a concern, Chad and Troy made the necessary arrangements to end their lease on the condo by summer's end, while Gabriella and Taylor made sure that all the belongings they planned to take to Europe would be shipped over in a timely manner while what remained was either sold, given away, or placed into storage back in New Mexico. As a team working in sync, the four of them were unstoppable.

It was in the middle of August, during the last few weeks before they would leave for home and a short visit with their families prior to catching a flight to London at the end of the month to be met by Sharpay, Kelsi and Ryan, that the exciting changes about to enter all of their lives were suddenly interrupted by a strange twist of fate that was both bizarre and frightening in its timing and undertone.

Saturday afternoon.

Taylor entered the condo at half-past 3:00, hungry and tired but exceptionally happy too.

After getting off her shift at the coffeehouse, where Gabriella still had another hour to go, their boss, Liz Chandler, had called Taylor into her office where she presented her with not only a bonus for all her hard work that summer, but a personal gift of additional money to help toward her costs while in Europe. To say that Taylor was shocked by the gesture of genorosity was an understatement. In fact she was completely stunned but equally pleased when she found out that Liz planned to do the same for Gabriella at the end of her shift as well.

Now, as Taylor rooted around in the refrigerator for something to eat before she changed clothes and headed out for her tutoring session with the mayor's youngest son, all she could do was smile from ear-to-ear not only about her own good fortune, but that which awaited her best friend too who had no idea that she also would be walking away from a summer of hard work amply compensated.

Just imagining the look on Gabriella's face when Liz handed her those two checks, was enough to make Taylor grin that much harder. She couldn't wait until that evening when Chad and Troy came home so they could share the good news with them as well. In fact, Taylor thought that since they'd barely been able to have a night out on the town together in quite some time because of the long hours they now all worked, that tonight would be the perfect time to take a much needed break and kick back. Maybe, if everyone wasn't too tired, they could have dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant and then go dancing or take in a movie.

Suddenly Taylor's thoughts about plans for that night were interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone, which had her slamming the refrigerator door shut with a piece of cold chicken in hand, and rushing to her bag on the kitchen table to answer it.

"Hello," Taylor said in an upbeat voice, as she took a bite of chicken waiting for a response which didn't come.

"Hello?" she repeated again.

The caller still remained silent although soft breathing could be heard on the other end of the line.

"Hello? Anybody there?" Taylor inquired for the third time, when she caught that the message screen on her phone did not display a name but the words caller unknown instead.

She gave whomever was calling a few more seconds to respond and when they didn't, hung up with the belief that they must have had the wrong number.

Not giving the incident a second thought, Taylor continued to munch away on the chicken leg that lessened the rumbling in her stomach, as she shifted her attention to the small stack of mail she'd brought with her inside the house. Sitting down at the kitchen table, she began to flip through the envelopes, noting letters from the office of the coordinator of the work-study program, as well as one from Zeke whom Sharpay had informed planned to meet up with them in London a few days after they arrived.

Then Taylor saw it: the plain white envelope addressed to her with a name written at the top that caused her to nearly choke on what she was eating as her eyes widened in horror. _This can't be happening. This can't be real _her mind screamed as she sat there looking at the past come to life and yet, despite the revulsion she felt, couldn't stop herself from opening up the envelope to read the letter inside. For Taylor, in that moment, time seemed to have stopped, as she steadied herself as best as possible and forged ahead into the darkness of dangerous memories from long ago.

Slowly she began to read:

_Dear Taylor:_

_I hope this letter finds you happy and well. _

_I can only imagine what you must be thinking in this moment trying to understand how it is that you find yourselfreceiving and reading something from someone whom I sure we can both agree you likely hate to the depths of your heart. I too wondered if corresponding with you after so much time and all that has passed between us was such a good idea. But, due to the guidance and urging of others who told me that I cannot move forwrd to fully embrace my rehabilitation until I've made proper atonement for my past, you now find yourself with my conscience in your hands and a hope that you can forgive me for all the pain I've caused. You will never know how truly sorry I am for the part I played which nearly cost both you and Chad your lives, and ultimately those of my own family. All I can hope for now is that my debt to society and you can be paid to the best of my ability. _

_Have a good life Taylor McKessie (or is it Taylor Danforth now?) and perhaps one day the malice you may or may not still feel for me will fade into a faint memory of the ashes from the past that I'm sure by now a woman like you has arisen from tremendously. _

_All The Best,_

_Julian_

Taylor was unaware of just how long she sat there in the quaint white and yellow kitchen with the afternoon light streaming in, the letter from Julian trembling slightly in her hand, unable to know what to think or say.

Then, as she began to regain her bearings again, the first thought that leaped into her mind was how in the hell that monster of a man had even known where to find her? Surely no one she knew would have divulged such information to him willingly, and yet here she was holding a piece of paper touched by his hand and addressed to her as if they were long lost pen pals. Even that simpliest of connections made Taylor shudder and her stomach sicken.

Standing up from the table, she walked out of the kitchen and past the living room in a surreal trance, finally reaching the door to the downstairs bathroom. Going inside, Taylor turned on the light, glanced at her face in the mirror which looked drained upon reflection, before suddenly falling to her knees to wretch horribly into the toilet bowl.

Forty-five minutes later, Chad and Troy came into the house laughing and joking about their day, when Chad caught sight of Taylor's purse and keys sitting on the kitchen table next to the small pile of unopened mail.

"Tay!" he called out, as Troy took off his jacket and headed straight for the fridge and an ice cold beer. "Baby we're home! Where are you?"

There was no reply.

"Maybe she's upstairs taking a nap or something," Troy suggested, reaching for the mail as he sat down with a tired thud.

"Naw. She's got a tutoring gig at 4:00 p.m. At least that's what she told me before leaving this morning," Chad advised, peaking into the living room only to find it empty. "I'm gonna go and check our bedroom. She could be taking a shower."

"It's possible. You go and check and I'll sit right here and enjoy a well deserved moment of laziness," Troy laughed, with an encouraging wave.

Chad made his way up to the second floor and saw that the door to his and Taylor's bedroom was slightly ajar. He walked inside to find her lying on the bed staring at the wall.

"Hey baby," Chad greeted softly, sliding onto the bed while wrapping an arm lovingly around his fiancee's waist. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

"I heard," Taylor replied in a tiny voice without turning to face him.

Just from the stilliness of her body alone even at his touch, Chad immediately sensed that something wasn't right.

"Hey...what's going on? Is everything alright?" Why aren't you getting ready or better still gone for your tutorting job at 4:00 p.m.?"

"I didn't feel like going," came Taylor's almost lifeless reply.

"Really? How come?"

"I just didn't is all."

Chad looked down at her profile and saw what looked like tear stains upon her cheek. Something was definitely wrong.

Gently forcing Taylor to turn over and face him whether she wanted to or not, he was struck by the remanants of tears in her eyes and a look of what he could only label as fear in her expression.

"Okay spill. What in the world is going on and don't you dare say nothing," demanded Chad, his heart racing with concern. "Did something happen at work today? Is that why you look like you've seen a ghost? And what's with the tears?"

Taylor looked up into his warm brown eyes gazing down upon her with undeniable love and wanted nothing more than to curl up in his arms and never leave them. But she knew that he was not going to let her hide this from him no matter how hard she tired to, so she gave up her attempts and came clean.

"I cancelled my tutoring session this afternoon because I was upset. I'm upset because something happened today that I never saw coming and it hit me like a fist to the gut. No it has nothing to do with work, which was actually great, but everything to do with this," she replied, reaching over to the nightstand and unfolding Julian's letter which she handed to Chad.

In less than five seconds, once he realized who the letter was from, he was seething mad and ready to kill. Taylor quietly watched him read, her heart pounding a mile a minute.

"I guess I should also mention that right before I opened the letter that I got a weird call on my cellphone too."

"What do you mean weird?" Chad growled suspiciously, his head snapping upward, his blood boiling like molten lava. "Are you trying to tell me this lunatic not only took the time to write you a letter after three long years but called you up too?"

"No...no...that's not what I'm saying," Taylor replied nervously. "Only that coincidentally, right before the stuff with the letter, I got a caller unknown on my phones' ID with no one responding on the other end. But there's just as much chance that it was a wrong number as it could have been Julian, which would just be too much for me to handle right now."

"Oh baby," Chad exclaimed, pulling Taylor tightly into his arms and rocking her back and forth. "I'm so sorry you had to have something like this happen, especially now when we've put so much distance between ourselves and the insanity of the past."

"I know. Seems Julian's timing still sucks as bad as it ever did."

"Don't even try to joke about this Tay," Chad scolded with open indignation. "This guy has no right or business contacting you even with some phoney bit about needing your forgiveness. He and his whole damn family tried to kill us and our best friends twice so if you think I can take this lightly, think again."

"Of course I don't think that," Taylor apologized. "I may have sounded like I was joking but this is nothing to laugh at, not in the slightest. I'm still just scared and nervous wondering if this is the beginning or the end with this guy. I mean come on Chad. You said it yourself. Why after three long years does he decided to contact me now?"

"Oh you better believe this is the end. This is the first and definitely the last time that nutjob intrudes on our lives on that you can be sure."

"And just how do you plan to stop him from doing something like this again?"

"We'll discuss that later. For now I need to go back downstairs and talk to Troy about this okay?

"Okay," Taylor answered with a nod.

Chad gave his girl the warmest smile he could, hoping that it made her feel somewhat safer than she had been less than an hour ago, then kissed her lips tenderly before sliding off the bed. He was about to leave the room but stopped at the doorway and turned.

"Say...what time is Brie supposed to be home?" he asked.

"Her shifts over at 4:00 p.m. I know she's got a meeting with our boss, Liz, right after so my guess is that she should be here around 4:30 maybe quarter to 5:00."

"I want you to give her a call right now and tell her we need her home as soon as she can get here," Chad suggested, feeling that it was what Troy would want him to do even though he still had no idea yet what had transpired.

"Okay. I'll come down afterwards," Taylor promised, trying to give him a brave smile so he wouldn't have to worry about her so much.

Twenty mintues later, Gabriella came screeching to a halt in the driveway behind the wheel of Troy's jeep.

Jumping out, she raced into the house in a near panic to find her fiance and friends all seated in the livingroom drinking beers while awaiting her return home.

"Okay...what is going on?" Gabriella demanded, anxiously dropping her purse onto the coffee table. "I could tell just from the sound of Taylor's voice that something was really wrong. So what is it?"

"Easy babe easy," Troy gently urged, standing up to give her a kiss and then pull her down beside him onto the couch. "Everythings cool...for now."

"For now? What does that mean?"

"It means that today I got a letter from Julian Brie and possibly a phone call too," Taylor explained, diving right in to explain things.

Gabriella sat there next to Troy like she'd just had the wind knocked out of her.

"You're joking right?"

"No sweetie, I wish I was. He actually wrote me a letter from prison and somehow knew to send it to me here?"

"You mean that pyscho after all this time has suddenly crawled out from under his rock and decided it's time for you two to become what? Pen pals? Not to mention the fact that he has knowledge of where you actually are which is totally crazy given that we left home for college over three years ago? How is that possible?"

"Yes to the first question. I don't know to the second. Yes to the third, and I don't know to the fourth," Taylor replied.

Gabriella stared at her friend as if she'd grown a second head, then reached for Troy's beer of which she promptly took a nice long swig.

"Better?" Troy asked.

She shook her head in a decisive no. Then her eyes drifted to those of her best friend across the room.

"Oh Taylor," Gabriella groaned. "Honey...I'm so sorry about this."

"It's okay Brie, I'm fine now. When I first got home though it was a totally different story."

"I bet. Have you guys called the police with this? I mean...should we call them and make out a report or something."

"No babe, we haven't called anyone yet," stated Troy, draping an arm around her shoulders. "The most important thing Chad and I had to do first was to make sure both you and Taylor were safe. Now that you are we can discuss what to do next."

"Well I say we call the police and report this whackjob before he decides to start sending out Hallmark cards on a whim," was Gabriella's suggestion.

"That's one way to go but how effective will that be?" Chad thoughtfully surmised. "I mean...for one thing this guy isn't even imprisoned anywhere near here so which jurisdiction do we report this too? Secondly, while we might hate the idea of him sending Taylor that stupid letter, he cleverly didn't put anything in it that could even be closely considered as threatening or remotely dangerous. What are the authorities gonna do about a guy who basically writes a forgive me for my sins letter?"

"But isn't the whole point that he shouldn't be making any contact with Taylor at all?" Gabriella argued. "This is a convicted criminal whom none of us, least of all Tay, has seen or spoken too in almost four years now who suddenly knows where she lives without any logical explanation for how that can be? And what about this phone call he made?"

"We don't know for sure that it was him," Taylor conceded. "It could just have easily been a wrong number for all we know."

"Do you really think it could be nothing but a coincidence?"

"I don't know Brie," Taylor admitted. "It would seem unlikely given that, as you just pointed out, it happened right before the whole letter incident. But I can't prove a connection between the two that would convince anyone who could help us of that being an indisputable fact."

"You know..." Troy began, getting up from the couch to go and stand next to Chad, who had been slowly pacing the floor ever since Gabriella arrived. "This really might not be as big a deal as it seems or at least one that we have to be tied up in knots over considering the fact that in a few weeks we won't even be here."

"Are you crazy Troy Bolton!" his fiancee snapped. "Am I hearing you right in that because we're leaving to go to Europe for a year that we should just ignore this little stunt of Julian's and hope that it goes away all by itself?"

"Well...it could happen. The guy is locked up after all and can't get to either Taylor or you or Chad or me so what real danger does he pose? He sent a letter and maybe tried to call but when all is said and done, we're still out of here in 10 days and after that it all becomes a moot point doesn't it?"

"How so man?" Chad wondered, curious to hear more of Troy's rational.

"How? Because in that time we'll have cut off having anymore mail delivered here at least for a year if ever again. I mean...who knows where we'll be when we come back. My guess is that while it would be nice, I doubt it's gonna be here. Any attempts to play pen pal again will be ceased permanently by our moving out of the country alone."

"And what what about the phone call?"

"Taylor just needs to get a new number for her cell and that will put a stop to anymore unknown calls possibly being made by Julian if that is in fact what happened today."

"So what you're saying is that we maybe got overly excited about this whole thing and that we should try to forget about it in light of the fact that we'll be leaving for Europe soon and once over there this problem won't be a big deal any longer?"

"More or less," Troy replied. "Look Chad...I want Taylor safe just as much as you do. In fact I want us all to be safe and free of anything having to do with Julian. But the bottom line is that it's gonna take time and likely a bit of expense we don't have to spare when we've got bigger fish to fry."

"You mean we shouldn't even try to report this to someone, at least at the prison?" Gabriella asked.

"Well...no. I do think that's the least we can do but then drop it from there if Taylor decides that's okay with her."

They all turned to look in her direction as she mulled over their words in her head.

"Troy's right. Why turn our world upside down when we're about to embark on the adventure of a liftetime just to give Julian attention he doesn't deserve. I think that yes, we should contact the prison and report the incident and request that no more letters to me from him be allowed to be sent and then leave it at that. Tomorrow I can call the wireless company and get a new number. Case closed."

"Are you sure that's the way you want to handle this baby?" questioned Chad, not wanting her to feel as if her concerns for her safety weren't important enough to pursue.

"Yes, I'm sure. I admit that earlier I was completely freaked out by everything that happened but after talking it over with all of you, I see that Troy's suggestions are the best way to handle things. Why give Julian power that he doesn't really have or deserve? He apologized. Fine. If sincere then great. If not, it won't matter because I'll be beyond his reach once we step on that plane two weeks from Sunday."

Chad reached out for Taylor and pulled her into his arms.

"Do you know how much I love you?" he whispered against her ear. "How I'd do anything in the world to protect you from harm?"

Taylor smiled. "Yes. I do. It's the same for me with you."

"Good. Then I guess it's okay if we shake off all this unpleasant creepiness and go out for some dinner and try and have a little fun? My treat."

"I vote Mexican food," Troy quickly spoke up with a hungry smile.

"I'll second that," Gabriella chimed in.

"Sounds alright by me," Taylor agreed. "Give me and Brie some time to pull ourselves together okay?"

"You got it. Just don't take too long. This is Saturday night and you know how quickly the best booths tend to fill up."

"We won't be long," Gabriella promised, taking Taylor by the hand and leading her upstairs.

When Chad and Troy were alone again, Troy turned to his best friend with a knowing look in his eyes.

"I assume you went along with everything I suggested regarding Julian more than likely for Taylor's benefit but..."

"But what?"

"Come on Chad. This is your boy you're talking too. I know you. You are being way too calm and agreeable about this whole thing when I know deep down what you really want to do is see Julian get punished for messing with your woman, even if it's only her head."

"Chill man I'm fine. Really. As long as Tay's okay I am too. Now why don't you go upstairs and shower that stink off you so your woman won't be ashamed to be out with you in public tonight. I'm gonna call the restaurant and make us some reservations."

Troy laughed, assured that Chad wasn't still harboring thoughts of doing something crazy where Julian was concerned, and then proceeded upstairs to see if he could horn in on Gabriella's shower for one.

After he found himself alone, Chad remained in the livingroom deep in thought, hating that he'd lied to Troy about everything being cool with him knowing that it wasn't.

Just remembering the hell of three years ago when Julian and the rest of the DeLeon family had nearly destroyed the lives of everyone he knew and loved, especially Taylor, was enough to make him see that he had to make sure something like this never happened again. He admittedly was no longer that same person Julian had come up against before: a fun-loving high school kid with crazy hair who loved to play ball. Many qualities of that Chad still existed within him on some levels, but there were also differences now too, the biggest of which was that he was no longer a kid but a grown man who wasn't going to allow anyone to ever again threaten the safety, implied or not, of those he loved.

For now he would maintain a deamor of calm. He owed it to Taylor who needed his strength to lean on. But, when the time was right, and it would be in a few weeks time, Chad planned on dealing with Julian and putting whatever end he had to any more reawakenings of the past.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Okay bro...where are they?" Chad asked impatiently, coming down the stairs of the now empty condo carrying the last box to be loaded into the back of his Mustang. "I thought Brie said she and Taylor would only be gone 10 minutes or so?"

"She did," Troy replied, quickly glancing at his watch without the slightest hint of concern. "But you know our women. Ten minutes their time is usually more like 20 in ours. No worries though. I'm sure they'll be back any second now."

"Well they better be," Chad grumbled, sitting the box full of books and pictures down with a sigh. "I'm ready for us to get on the road so we can at least make it back home by early Monday like we planned."

Troy laughed. "Ease up would you. It's not like Gabriella and Taylor have forgotten that we're leaving today. They just went into town to pick up a few things they said we'll need for the road. Trust...both are just as eager as we are to finally get out of here and spend quality time with our families before we leave for Europe the following week."

"I know...I know," Chad conceded, trying to downplay his sudden case of nervousness under the watchful eye of his life-long friend. "I guess I'm just a little anxious is all. Of course the girls will be back soon."

"It's cool," assured Troy with a thoughtful grin, patting his best friend on the back. "I know that lately you've been in high gear protective mode where Taylor's concerned, especially after that whole letter business with Julian. But try not to worry just because they haven't returned yet. I'm sure both she and Brie are fine. I mean...it's not as if Julian is out and about freely roaming the streets, lurking in the shadows waiting to make a move."

"Maybe not, but I still don't trust that he can't get to Taylor or the rest of us considering that maniac knew where to find her after all these years. How many times in the past did we underestimate the reach of his psycho clan only to find ourselves in mortal danger by the same error in judgment?"

Troy shook his head in disbelief that they were even having such a conversation, but inwardly he didn't begrudge Chad his deserved moment of skepticism. After all, he did have a valid point considering they'd all barely made it out of Mexico alive nearly four years ago, when Angelina and her father had tried to finish what Marissa, Mrs. DeLeon, and Julian had failed to accomplish during Senior Weekend.

"I totally understand how you feel man, really I do. But we've come a long way since that crazy time in our lives so I want you to try and chill right now and believe that the girls are fine as we speak and will be walking through that door any minute. Okay?"

Chad sighed deeply, knowing that Troy was right but unable to not harbor even a slight twinge of fear over the safety of the woman he loved more than life itself. It was true that Julian might be the only one left who still held the keys to the DeLeon's tragic history, but the emotional and mental scars left by those events of their senior year at East High and beyond would never completely heal, just live beneath the surface of their hearts and minds.

"Okay. I promise to get it together. The last thing I want is for Taylor to come back and see me acting this way. It's just that every time I think about the look on her face when she showed me Julian's letter, that terror flashing in her eyes, I just want to beat him into a pulp like I tried to do when we were all at my folks' house that time at Thanksgiving."

"I know but that was then and this is now. Our lives are going great and nothing and no one, not even Julian, is going to ruin that for us even with his little attempt at head games," Troy stated with confidence.

"You're right," Chad conceded, beginning to feel much better as his friend's words of comfort washed over him. The last thing I want is to have Tay worrying about me unnecessarily when she doesn't have too. I want her to keep being happy and excited about our trip and not give one minutes thought to any of that horror we went through in the past."

"Good. Glad to hear it," Troy stated with a smile.

Just then he turned his head toward the open front door at the sound of tires crunching up the driveway outside before suddenly coming to a halt. Both he and Chad caught sight of Gabriella and Taylor seated in Troy's jeep dressed in shorts and tank tops with hair pulled back into ponytails, laughing and singing to the radio like they were having the best of times, and it made them both smile from ear to ear.

"Well what do you know. Our late but lovely fiancées have finally arrived. See...I told you...nothing to worry about."

Sensing that they were being spied on, the young women turned in the direction of the two sets of eyes gazing upon them in open admiration, smiled, and then teasingly blew kisses at Chad and Troy with a mischievous giggle.

"Sorry we took longer than expected," Taylor called out, hopping down from the jeep with a grocery bag in one arm while waving at Chad with the other. "You wouldn't believe how crowded the store was so early in the morning."

"Yeah," Gabriella chimed in, reaching in the back of the jeep for her own bag of goodies, which contained all of Troy's favorite snacks. "I thought we were going to have to take out a few old ladies in the Express Lane it was taking so long."

The guys laughed in unison as they watched their fiancées come through the condo's front door.

"Doesn't matter babe," Troy laughed, still surprised by how quickly taken aback he could become at the sight of her natural beauty. "We're just glad you both made it safely. Now, if there isn't anything else on the last minute agenda, do you think our little road trip can finally get underway?"

"Sure thing. But...may I ask..why would you think we wouldn't have made it back safely?" Taylor inquired, walking over to where Chad was standing to give him a kiss in greeting.

"No reason baby...no reason at all," Chad stammered a little too quickly, as he leaned down to pick-up the box at his feet before rushing out the front door to his car.

Knowing him as well as she did, it didn't take but a few seconds for his fiancée to figure out that something had been going on with him just before she and Brie had arrived. Turning to Troy, who was playfully trying to nibble at Gabriella's neck while seeing what she had in her grocery bag, Taylor gave him that "you'd better give me a straight answer or else" look to the question she was about to pose.

"Okay Bolton, spill. What's up with Chad? And don't even try to tell me I'm imaging things either when we both know I'm not."

"Now would I do that to you Taylor McKessie?" Troy asked coyly, quickly glancing over at Gabriella as he began to feel the first beads of sweat forming on his brow from the impromptu interrogation.

"Hell yes. You'd do anything to protect your boy. The two of you can be thick as thieves sometimes."

"Oh and you girls can't?" Troy responded teasingly, as he felt the heat of Gabriella's gaze suddenly turn upon him too for an answer to the question.

"I'm not talking about Brie and I, I'm talking about you and more specifically Chad. Why does he seem a little jumpy?" Taylor was curious to know.

"He's not jumpy. He's just anxious to hit the road is all. Don't read anything more into it than that."

"Oh really? He looked beyond relieved to see me walking through the door from a trip to the store for all of 15 minutes, like he almost expected me to not have come back at all and I'm suppose to just chalk that up to anxiousness?"

"Well...yeah."

"Give me a break Troy. I know Chad better than that," Taylor chastised. "Just tell me what is going on so I can help."

"Okay, okay," Troy sighed, throwing his hands up in defeat. "You're right. Chad was stressing out a bit while you were gone. But everything is good now. He just got a little worried because he's still coming to grips with this whole letter from Julian thing."

"I knew it. I knew he wasn't as okay as he pretended to be even though he promised me that he was."

"Look Tay, could you cut him some slack here," begged Troy. "I know you'll want to assure Chad yet again that Julian isn't a threat and we're all safe from harm, but it isn't so easy for him to fully believe that, even after all this time."

"But why not?" Taylor questioned, unsure of what it was she was missing. "I mean…I know I was freaked out enough for all of us when I got the letter and all, but once you all talked me down, Chad especially, I was cool and haven't worried or wondered about it since. That's why I don't get why Chad would still be having so much trouble with it or concerned about my safety when it was he who said everything was okay."

"Because Chad, I think, has never completely gotten over the guilt of feeling responsible about everything that happened to us all those years ago," Gabriella offered thoughtfully. "Deep down I think he still carries that burden of not having been able to protect you, me, his mom, or anyone else he loves and cares about from people who tried to destroy us all because of Marissa's obsession with him. So, of course, when the last surviving monster from that time in our lives rears its ugly head again and specifically targets you in the bargain, it would be only natural for that long buried guilt within him to resurface and remind Chad of what he considers his failure to prevent what happened before from possibly happening again."

"Do you really think he is still harboring such thoughts?" Taylor asked, her voice filled with shock. "I couldn't bear it to think that after all this time something like this has been eating away at him and causing a self-doubt which is no more his to bear than the rest of us."

"Yes, I do think he has without letting on or showing it," Gabriella admitted. "But the important thing now is for you to convince Chad that it's time to let all that darkness from the past go and realize that the nightmare we went through belongs to all of us not just him, and we all have finally put it behind us where it belongs, in spite of this little stunt of Julian's."

Taylor stood before her best friends in a moment of stunned silence as she absorbed their words about the man she loved. Her heart was pounding, as a suddenly formed knot in her stomach tightened.

They had all been through so much together over the last several years, but nothing as harrowing as what they had experienced at the hands of the DeLeon family. Not even close. It had taken a long time for the nightmare in their minds to end and for their lives to return to normal, but they eventually had. Taylor truly believed that she and Chad, after endless of hours of discussion, had resolved every last one of their demons associated with that time in their lives, but now she came to realize that maybe that wasn't the case after all.

"Say something Tay. You're scaring me," Gabriella prodded, touching her best friend's arm gently. "You okay?"

Taylor, briefly lost in thought, snapped out of her semi-trance and smiled at the question.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Honest. Sorry about zoning out like that for a minute."

"No problem," Troy assured.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to have another talk with Chad so that we can clear this thing up once and for all. The last thing I want is for him to try and start this next great adventure of ours worrying about my safety or giving one second of undeserved thought to the likes of Julian Blanchard," Taylor stated, like a woman whose mind was completely made up. "But I won't do it now. I will, however, make sure it is done before we board that plane to London next Monday."

Just then little huddle of three was suddenly startled by the sound of Chad stomping up to the front door with a loud and pointed sigh.

"Okay people, what in the heck is going on in here that explains why I'm the only one who is outside where everything we own is packed, and the rest of you are still standing in the middle of an empty condo with the only thing left to do is turn off the lights, close the door, and drop off the key to the landlord?"

Troy, Gabriella and Taylor suddenly burst into laughter at the sight of Chad standing before them with hands on hips trying to appear stern in his reproach.

"Awww sweetie we're sorry," Taylor cooed, winking at the others as she walked over to here fiance. "We were just…just reminiscing about all the good times we've had here and how strange it will be not to be coming back next semester."

"Yeah, image how this place is gonna compare to where we're going?" Gabriella spoke up, in an attempt to have her best friend's back. "We may end up living in some dive or something with no say about it whatsoever."

"Let's think positive shall we ladies?" suggested Troy, seeing what the two were doing to ensure that Chad didn't catch on to what had really been talked about before he came inside. "Maybe Sharpay can pull some strings or something and have us staying at some ritzy place everywhere we go. You know…like a high-end time share or something."

For a moment Chad stood there staring at his fiancée and friends, with a look that said "are you seriously telling me the truth or did I just catch you talking about me behind my back?" but in merely a few seconds was swayed from any suspicions he may have held by the dazzle of Taylor's smile which always seemed to distract him when she needed it too most.

"Come on sweetie let's blow this joint" Taylor continued to soothe, linking her arm through Chad's as she steered him back outside, with one last glance over her shoulder at Gabriella and Troy. "I'm ready to hit the road on the start of our next grand adventure."

"Us too," Gabriella called out to their retreating backs.

"I guess this is it huh?" Troy stated with a nostalgic sigh, turning around for one last look at what had been their home away from home. "The good times are moving on?"

Gabriella slipped her hand into his, leaning her head against the broadness of his shoulder.

"Yep they are. But at least they'll be coming with us to Europe and that's all that matters. Right?"

Troy gave her hand a squeeze. "Right."

"So lets you and me get out of here. The open road is calling and I am longing to taste my mom's homemade enchiladas at least one more time before we set foot in the land of tea and crumpets."

"Then hop on my lady for your carriage awaits," Troy directed imitating a crisp British accent with a laugh, turning around and motioning for Gabriella to jump up for a piggyback ride, which she gladly obliged grinning from ear to ear.

And so it was after an 800 mile plus drive over a day and a half with a few tourist stops along the way, that four of the Wildcat eight, Gabriella and Troy in his Jeep and Taylor and Chad in his Mustang, finally pulled up to the front of the Danforth house early Sunday afternoon, where they were immediately greeted by a swarm of anxious parents streaming out of the front door with waves of hello, tearful hugs, and tender kisses.

Barely able to catch their breath, the two couples were shuffled up onto the front porch and into the house, where a delicious buffet of food had been awaiting their arrival along with a ton of questions about their trip. In no time at all, there was a symphony of noise likely to be heard by neighbors around the block as the Danforths, McKessies, Boltons, and Carla Montez and her new boyfriend, Daniel Seville, basked in the happiness of having their children home once again.

The welcome home festivities lasted well into the evening, with Gabriella deciding to stay at Taylor's for the night while Troy and Chad did their best to convince their fiancées that what they needed to do was check into a hotel for both their privacy and sanity, because there was no way anyone's parents were going to allow them to share a bedroom, engaged or not, as they had done all this time while away at school. And even though the arguments in favor of such a move were heartfelt, almost borderline begging, at least for that first night, the girls were able to hold off their guys with the promise to work all that out the following day after they'd settled in and some of the excitement of coming home had died down.

Reluctantly Troy and Chad agreed, but clearly this was a battle that was far from being over. However, they took the verdict in stride and when it was finally time to call it a night, they managed to get Gabriella and Taylor alone for proper good night kisses, which nearly turned into a necking match, and left each couple more than a little hot and bothered. Yes, the sleeping arrangements would most definitely have to be revisited and soon.

Once some of the things Gabriella needed for her sleepover at the McKessie's that night had been transported into the trunk of their car, while Taylor, Chad and Troy remained outside with everyone else still talking, she went back inside to grab her sweater and was surprised to find her mother huddled off in a corner of the kitchen with Daniel whispering nervously. Neither one saw that she'd come back inside and so, unable to keep her curiosity in check, Gabriella quietly eased up within earshot to listen in on the conversation out of concern for the agitated expression she noted on Carla's face.

"I think it's a good idea that your daughter is spending the night with Taylor's family honey. You may need another day or so to deal with that which must finally be shared," Daniel was stating in a soothing voice, his body leaning in close. "Gabriella is not a child but she is also not used to having to share you either."

"Gabriella has always encouraged me to enjoy my life and find happiness with someone else since her father died," Carla replied, with a hint of defensiveness in her tone. "I believe she will be happy about this news once I am able to figure out the right way to tell her."

Gabriella's ears suddenly perked up intensely. _Tell me what?_ She thought, straining to continue to eavesdrop on what was obviously something she needed to hear.

"You are probably right my love," Daniel assured, taking Carla's hand in his own. "But I am more than just a boyfriend now and while that may have been fine for Gabriella to accept before, there is a big difference between that and now being your husband."

At the sound of these words, Gabriella nearly fainted right on the spot.


End file.
