Two years later…

Gabriella gasped as she opened her second baby shower card to see a printed out picture of two beige colored sleigh cribs that could be converted to toddler beds once the babies were old enough. "Mom Bolton you didn't have to!

Lucille grinned at Gabriella and went over to her daughter-in-law to give her a hug. "Of course I had to! Your parents and grandparents aren't the only ones who are allowed to spoil you Gabriella. After two years of being married to Troy and having us as in-laws, you would think you would know this by now."

"Troy told you which ones I had fallen in love with didn't he?" asked Gabriella, placing her left hand that no longer had her wedding and engagement rings due to the swelling on her very big stomach, smiling as she felt one of the twins kicking. "They are excited already."

"Perhaps he did but that's also why you haven't been allowed to see the nursery yet. I suspect Jack and my presents aren't the only ones snuck in there without you knowing," answered Lucille, grinning as she felt the little kick again after Gabriella placed her hand there. "They sure are strong. I admire you both for not wanting to know their genders. I was more than anxious to know Troy's when I was pregnant with him."

Gabriella shrugged. "We figured that we wanted to be surprised and liked neutral colors for now anyway for all the decoration."

"Well I for one can tell you that you will love what Troy has done in that nursery. I'm actually very impressed that he has done it all on his own without help from the designers we offered him. Nope, it's been just him with Chris, Tomas, and Paul occasionally in there. He hasn't even allowed Stephen to help," remarked Lauren, meaning every word. "Perhaps Troy has found another unknown talent besides singing."

Sharpay smirked. "Interior designer Troy… I can see it now!"

Tessa laughed along with her. "God that image is so funny! I'm actually a bit worried that he's decorated the entire room in all basketball related stuff."

"Hello? Gabriella's grandmother just told her she would love it. How could it be all basketball decorated? This is Troy we are talking about here, not Chad who I wouldn't put that past when our time comes," stated Taylor, shaking her head at the other women who were present to represent Gabriella's friends from Albuquerque even though Tessa was now a citizen of Copanvy and living with Chris, her fiancé.

"Still waiting until your career is a bit more settled then Taylor?" asked Annette from where she was sitting next to her daughter.

"Yes, I want to not be too old but still have time to settle in after my residency is done. I don't exactly want to bring the baby into a world where there is too much chaos and uncertainty, especially if I'm not around to care for him or her as much as I should," returned Taylor, handing Gabriella a wrapped box next to unwrap.

"Heaven help you if you leave the baby all alone for just one day with Chad. He's liable to put the defenseless baby in the washing machine to give it a bath," joked Tessa, getting an immediate glare from Gabriella. "What?"

"Tessa, be nice to the poor guy! After all these years, I would think you'd give him a break. You act like he's a complete idiot all the time," chastised Gabriella. "Chad really isn't that bad. Perhaps accident prone and more oblivious at times than others but he's got an amazing heart and is very smart where it matters."

Taylor beamed at Gabriella in thanks of her support while Tessa rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm sorry Taylor for always teasing the poor guy. Guess I go after the most vulnerable and easy targets and it's been a long time since I could joke about him since I hardly see you and Pay since I moved a year and a half ago."

"And whose fault is that?" asked Sharpay, giving Tessa her own look. "Planes go both ways you know."

Before another argument could arise, Amy decided to step in from where she was sitting next to Lucille, who had sat back down. "Gaby, why don't you open that present in your hands? That's from Selena, Iyana, and Brandi according to the card."

As Amy placed the card down on the table next to her, Taylor wrote down the three names while Gabriella opened the box. "How are those three anyway? I haven't heard you talking about them lately."

"That would be because I haven't been able to go to the teen center lately. My doctor told me that I can't be on my feet too long, which is why we are having this shower here in Troy's and my sitting room instead of somewhere else in the palace at least. Selena and Iyana visited though the other day and they both seemed to be in good spirits," answered Gabriella, opening the lid of the box to reveal two musical mobiles that Gabriella had also eyed, several white and fluffy looking clouds attached by strings with a single sun hanging in the middle. A smile graced her lips as she took one out and held it up, winding up the musical key on the side and listening to the tinkling music as the clouds began to move.

"That's precious Gabriella," commented Amy, happy seeing Gabriella look so content with the latest gift she opened.

Twenty-five minutes later, everyone who hadn't seen the nursery had a guess as to what it was probably centered around as there were pictures and actual items now surrounding Gabriella with clouds and yellow suns on everything minus the unisex clothing that had been given and the stuffed animals. There was also a large amount of diaper packages nearby, which Sharpay joked were reserved only for Troy since Gabriella had to carry the babies with no real help from him.

Gabriella felt touched that she had been given everything and more that she had hoped to have in the new nursery, even two matching glider cradles from Sharpay and Ryan that would be used for the first few months of the babies' lives while they stayed in Troy and Gabriella's bedroom. Lauren had brought in several candidates before Troy and Gabriella to pick a wet nurse and a nanny from but they had decided in the end that they wanted to be the ones to care for their babies in all respects, relenting in choosing a nanny who would help them after Lauren and Edward both insisted it was necessary.

After waiting for Lucille, Annette, and Lauren to return from putting the newest additions to the nursery, Taylor and Emma helped Gabriella up and walked with her into the hallway to the next set of doors down the hall from Troy's and Gabriella's suite.

"Are you ready for this Gabriella?" asked Emma, concentrating on the very pregnant woman between her and Taylor, barely recognizing the camera that Tessa now had in her hands, filming every second of Gabriella's walking down the hall to the new nursery. "Even though Troy isn't here, he wanted you to be shown this today as his own present to you for your children."

"Maybe we should have waited until after basketball season to hold this shower," remarked Taylor, feeling bad for robbing Troy of the chance to be here in person to see Gabriella's reaction live instead of via footage Tessa was now shooting.

Sharpay scoffed. "Like we knew that the Knights were going to make it to the semi-finals and then eventually the finals way back when we planned this. We couldn't have had this any later because Taylor said Gabriella could start going into labor as early as next weekend. Don't get me wrong, it was great seeing Troy and Chris and the other Louvis Knights win the title last night via the television but I think Gabriella's pregnancy takes precedence."

"Chris would argue with that but I agree," stated Tessa, making sure to keep the camera trained on Gabriella waddling down the hall until she stopped in front of the double doors. "Hang on, I have to get in front of you or I'll face a very pissed off prince later today for missing this."

"So the day has finally come when Tessa is afraid of Troy. Never thought I'd see it," laughed Sharpay, dropping behind Gabriella to where Amy was standing with Annette, Lucille, and Lauren behind them.

Taylor waited until Tessa slipped inside the closed doors, keeping it mostly closed after she was in, before she and Emma moved forward with Gabriella, Taylor and Emma both opening a door each and throwing it open to the new nursery.

Instead of a suite, the nursery was made up of only one room with a bathroom off to the right but the one room was more than enough space for everything put in their places there with ample area for the next generation of Copanvy royalty to play in when they got older.

Gabriella's vision got blurry as she took in the transformed room that used to be just a hardwood floor with white walls but now looked so much brighter thanks to all the work Troy had done to get this ready. From the light blue painted arched ceilings with white clouds sponged on it with one large sun painted in the middle to the dark green carpet on the floors that represented grass with a few white area rugs with large sun patterns on them spread out throughout the room, Gabriella saw the room she and Troy had envisioned together but so much more. On the walls there were blades of grass on the bottom quarter while the rest were dedicated to butterflies and dragonflies with the occasional sunflowers as well. The arched ceiling in this room started about six feet from the ground, which gave the room a real feel of being outside.

Spying a set of rocking chairs next to the windows that had almost the same view as Gabriella and Troy's bedroom, Gabriella walked over and sat down, completely in awe of the room as she continued to look around, knowing she was probably looking pretty stupid with such a wide grin on her face but she couldn't control it. Every detail that was in this room was done for her and for their children by the loving hands of her husband, the man she had faced several times living without but being eternally grateful he was present in her life in every way possible. Off to the side of the room stood the two sleigh cribs that Lucille and Jack had given them, the bedding with the suns already placed in both with the matching mobiles hanging and the pillows in place. There were also yellow and blue chairs set up nearby with sets of beige changing tables and armoires on the other side of the room.

"This is… this is just so amazing," murmured Gabriella, absently rubbing her stomach as she continued looking around the room.

Sharpay let out a low whistle. "I think I have underestimated Troy. He really did a phenomenal job in here. For as long as I've known him, I never would have guessed that he could paint or draw like this."

"I've seen sketches from when we were a lot younger but back then, Troy was doing stick figures. Wonder when this talent emerged," Amy said, herself amazed at what her younger cousin had accomplished.

"See Tessa? You can't be giving Troy a hard time after this. It's simply phenomenal," Taylor commented, shooting a look at the woman behind the camera that was still focused on Gabriella.

Tessa shrugged as she decided to pan around the room, catching all the details she could. "I'll give him that he did a really great job with this room but I'm sure soon enough he'll give me another reason to tease him. It never fails, just like with Chris and Chad."

Lucille laughed as she heard this. "I'm beginning to understand this unique dynamic you have with my son now Tessa."

Tessa just smiled sweetly at Troy's mom before focusing back on Gabriella, who currently had her face pinched together, looking like she was in pain. Emma too noticed and was by Gabriella's side in an instant. "Gabriella, are you okay?"

Gabriella dragged in a deep, ragged breath through her mouth and let it slowly out, opening her eyes to see Emma kneeling in front of her, worry in her eyes. "What does it feel like when you go into labor?"

"Trust me, you'll know it," answered Emma, thinking briefly to her own time of giving birth about a year and a half or more ago to Stuart Walter Westmore, her beautiful son with Paul.

After remaining silent for a few more moments, Gabriella pushed herself out of the chair and almost made it back to the double doors when she stopped in pain again, Annette and Lucille this time quick to be by her side. "Come on sweetie, we better get you back to your bed to lay down."

Gabriella only nodded, seeing the sympathetic look Lauren was giving her granddaughter then, accepting her mother-in-law's help with her own mother's while her grandmother led the way back to the suite. It was halfway there that Gabriella froze as she felt a warm liquid trickling down her legs. "Mom?"

Annette snapped her head back to the side to look at Gabriella, knowing it was definitely only a matter of hours before her grandchildren would be born when she saw the pained look on Gabriella's face as she looked down at herself. When Annette followed the direction of her daughter's gaze, she saw the growing wet area on Gabriella's dress as well as now on floor directly below her. "Shh, it'll be okay Gabriella. We'll get your doctor here in no time. Emma, call Paul please and let him know so he can tell Troy and then Stephen and Edward, who are with him too traveling back from Germany. They need to get here ASAP! Taylor, please call her doctor. I think you have her number from when you spoke with her the other day."

Both Taylor and Emma quickly went to work making their assigned phone calls while watching Gabriella get carried by two security team members who were around into Gabriella and Troy's suite and into the bedroom with Tessa shooting every single second.

"Dude, remind me why you were so worried about becoming royalty when you married Gabs again. This traveling in a private jet, living in a palace, having people do whatever you say thing is fucking awesome!" exclaimed Chad as he sat down one final time before the jet started its decent.

Just then, a flight attendant named Cathy walked by, giving Chad a nice smile before winking at Chucky, who grinned back at her.

Troy and Ryan both saw this and grinned themselves as Troy said, "I usually don't fly on the jet for games but since the rest of the team was staying to explore the city more and celebrate, I took the jet with the in-laws and you guys so I could make it back to Brie as soon as I could. It's not all fun and games though Chad."

Chris chuckled. "I can confirm that too. I've seen some of the paperwork he has started to do and been at some of the meetings and events he has to attend. Dry as anything. Couldn't pay me enough to do all that!"

"Gee, thanks Christopher," Troy replied, looking out the window and feeling relieved when he finally saw Copanvy come into sight.

"Well this has to be a remarkable month for you though Troy. First the Euroleague title for the second time in three years, and then the eventual birth of the twins," Chucky stated, gaining Troy's attention again. "A lot of great things are going on in your life now buddy."

"Yes, our young prince has quite a lot going on," agreed Edward from his seat in the back, across from Stephen. "That activity will surely increase after the birth of the twins as well as when Lauren and I step down from the throne at the end of this year to give Stephen and Annette the crown. This of course makes Gabriella and Troy officially next in line, which means they get to carry on the duties Stephen and Annette do now in addition to being new parents."

"I still say having a third in line is no reason to have to relinquish the crown Father," Stephen argued. "Mother and you have so many more years ahead of you."

Edward shrugged as he met his son's gaze. "Exactly! We have more years ahead of us and we don't have to but I think your mother and I want to have some relief from everything, a retirement of sorts. We'd rather be here to also make sure you and Annette adjust well to being King and Queen instead of us just giving you the royal crown via our deaths with no guidance from us whatsoever."

"Makes sense," remarked Ryan, low enough only so Chucky, who was sitting across from him, could hear him.

As Edward and Stephen continued to discuss the matter at hand, Chad drew something quick on a napkin, balled it up, and threw it at Troy, hitting the other man softly on the face as Troy was gazing out the window again, an anxious look now on his face as they got closer to landing.

Troy glared at his best friend before opening the napkin to reveal a stick figure named "King Troy" with a crown on its head and a basketball in its right hand. He just rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to the window, finally seeing the palace, frowning as he became increasingly more worried for no apparent reason. That feeling remained with Troy until they landed and taxied off the runway too.

When he descended the steps of the jet after Edward and Stephen with the rest of the guys behind him, Troy's anxiety increased tenfold when he saw Paul quickly moving to meet them, his own face revealing urgency and stress. "Paul, is Gabriella okay?" Troy called out.

"Yes and no. Your majesties, Gabriella is currently in labor and has been for several hours now. Taylor has told Emma that Gabriella has chosen to have a natural birth with no drugs but the dilation process is going much more slowly than expected," explained Paul, meeting each man's gaze, lingering on Troy last. "She has just started begging to see you Troy."

The sudden freezing feeling Troy had experienced moments before at Paul's words vanished as deep concern for Gabriella and her well being as well as that of their children overcame it, pushing Troy into a full on run toward the nearest tinted SUV. "Come on then! Let's go! Gabriella needs me!"

Troy said nothing during the entire drive to the palace, not even moving to crack a knuckle or rub the back of his neck, which he usually did when he was nervous. Instead, he gazed out of the tinted windows as he watched the streets of Louvis pass by quickly, thinking of his last call with Gabriella just last night, hearing her sweet voice congratulating him and his team on the win and wishing she had been there with him in person instead of only watching the game on TV. Troy would have chuckled under different circumstances as he recalled the way Gabriella swore at the doctor for banning her from planes let alone moving around much outside of the suite for the past week. Every moment Troy had before he and the team left for their last game of the post-season with Edward and Stephen in attendance along with Troy's best and close guy friends, Troy had done his best to make sure Gabriella was as comfortable as possible, entertaining her and distracting her from being so confined, which was rather easy as Gabriella mainly wanted to just be held by him, something Troy was more than happy to do.

Before the SUV fully stopped, Troy was already out and sprinting up the steps of the palace before darting inside, pausing only for a moment halfway down the hall from their suite when he heard a loud scream, grimacing in pain, not of his own but what he could only imagine what Gabriella was going through especially with no medicine to dull the pain. Without a glance to the people in the other rooms he passed in the suite, Troy zeroed in on the bedroom and opened it to reveal an image that caused him to lose all color in his face and his entire body. "Brie?"

"Troy?" Gabriella croaked out, currently sitting with her legs bent in front of her, with her back against a stack of pillows being supported by the bed's headboard, Annette holding her left hand while Taylor was there on her right. Emma was busy wiping Gabriella's sweaty face with a cool wet towel while the doctor remained at the foot of the bed, checking Gabriella's progress every now and then while also checking on her vitals.

As Troy approached, Taylor quickly stood up and allowed Troy to take her spot, Troy instantly taking Gabriella's right hand in his, kissing the back of it before kissing Gabriella's damp forehead, brushing back some of her wet dark strands. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here earlier Brie. I would never have gone to any of the Final Four if I had known you'd go into labor so soon."

"No one ever knows this stuff for sure," comforted Annette, seeing the self-tortured expression on her son-in-law's face. "They are a week earlier than even their already early expectancy the doctor gave. Guess they decided they wanted out today and have both of your streaks of stubbornness in following through with it after they started."

Troy barely cracked a smile for Annette, his worried gaze now sweeping over Gabriella's face that pinched in pain again as another contraction shook her body, her hands instinctively squeezing both Annette's and Troy's hand that was in hers, leaving Troy breathless with how much power Gabriella seemed to possess just then.

"That's it Gabriella, just breathe. Moan or groan all you want but no more screaming. It's not good for you or your babies," soothed the doctor, Troy barely hearing her voice as he focused on his wife, who was now relaxing against the pillows again.

It was another ten hours or slightly more than that when Gabriella's body finally reached the point where she could push, gripping Troy's hand all the way through, trying to focus on the love and encouragement in his eyes in attempts to distract herself from the pain she was feeling.

A piercing scream was heard throughout the suite, waking Sharpay, Chris, and Chad, who were all sleeping around the sitting room. Chad especially was startled by the sudden scream interrupting the previous silence evidenced by his rolling off the couch and onto the floor as he was startled awake. He looked around in panic, noting that the room contained Sharpay, Ryan, Chucky, Chris, and Tessa who had all been there before he fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. Whose presence surprised him was Patrick, who was now anxiously looking in the direction of the bedroom doors down the hall. "When did you get here?"

Patrick spared the big haired man a glance before focusing back in the direction of the bedroom where he could still hear Gabriella in pain, muffled by the closed doors. An even louder pain filled scream alerted the entire suite that Gabriella was most likely birthing the first baby as Gabriella had refrained from screaming per doctor's orders ever since Troy had arrived in the early evening yesterday. "While you were sleeping. Paul called and left me a message but I didn't get it until my girlfriend and I drove back down from the mountains where I didn't have signal earlier this morning."

Still feeling ill will towards the man who had caused his best friend so much turmoil, even if it was years ago, Chad spat, "Then go back up there! I don't know why Paul would call you but you aren't wanted here. This is Troy's day with Gabriella, his WIFE!"

"Whoa, easy there Chad. Patrick is now good friends with Gabriella and Troy too. He even brought his current girlfriend with him. Patrick is no threat," soothed Tessa as Chucky was quick to put a restraining hand on his little brother.

Chad now noticed the brown haired woman sitting next to Patrick, her light brown eyes now flashing at him in warning, which of course Chad didn't mind. "What of his family?"

"My father is in a high security prison still along with the hired hit man, both at separate institutions though out in the country in Copanvy. They will remain there for the rest of their lives and my brothers have no ill will towards the royal family and feel just as bad as I do about what our own blood did two years ago. Despite all the discussions my father had with them, none of my brothers believed in his plan and are all relieved our father has been dealt with fairly and properly," Patrick responded, placing a comforting hand on his girlfriend's knee as he felt her stiffen even more in the tense room. "This is Caroline, my girlfriend of two months. It was too early in the morning to disturb her servants at her house so she came with me after getting clearance from Paul of course."

Chad listened to everything, still not believing Troy could be good friends with this guy, the man who had become a love of Gabriella's at one point, not able to recall Troy speaking of Patrick ever in the past two years.

Almost as if he was reading Chad's thoughts, Chris said, "It's true. Patrick, and lately Caroline, have been going out with us occasionally when Ella and Troy have time too. They aren't always with us but Patrick and Troy get along to the point of being friends just as Gabriella gets along with Celeste the few time she and Troy have gone to New York to visit Troy's friends there and former teammates. I went once and, as weird as it was at first, Gabriella and Celeste eventually became friends at a high level. Both Troy and Ella would want you to chill about this too Chad, especially today, right now."

Seeing the pleading looks Tessa, Chris, and Chucky were giving him, Chad nodded and relaxed his body, deciding that things must be okay for all three of them, two who live here, to stick up for Patrick being present. "So, how is Celeste anyway? Last I heard from Troy, she just recently started dating again."

"That's all I've heard too," replied Ryan, nudging Sharpay, who was busy smirking at Patrick. "Sharpay, stop it!"

"Sorry," Sharpay said, glancing at her brother before looking at Patrick and Chad again. "It's not every day I get to see this defensive side of Patrick and the aggressively protective side of Chad. It's amusing."

"Glad you find it so because I don't," disagreed Caroline. "Patrick, are you okay?"

Patrick looked at his girlfriend and smiled, kissing the back of her hand that was now clasped in his own. "Just fine."

Watching their interactions gave Chad reassurance that Patrick was no longer a threat but also reminded him that he hadn't seen Taylor in some time. "Where's Taylor?"

Sharpay tilted her head in the direction of the bedroom. "Probably putting her medical knowledge to great use by helping in there."

Tessa nodded. "She has come out a few times to give us updates through the night. If she looks tired, I can only imagine how poor Gaby feels. I suspect Taylor will be back out soon."

Suddenly, there was absolute quiet in the suite, making several people nervous until there was an opening of doors followed by a soft cry that didn't belong to Gabriella followed by the shutting of doors. There were cheers from the study where the royal family, Troy's parents, and Amy were, having split from the group of friends because of space in the rooms. The friends took the cheers as a positive sign, having that confirmed by Taylor, who appeared in the sitting room with a grin on her face with the great news that a healthy baby girl was just born before vanishing again after giving Chad a quick kiss so she could help with the second delivery.

After what seemed like another whole day passing when it was really much shorter than that, the ears in the sitting room perked up as another round of screams were ended by silence, the sounds of doors and two distinct crying sounds coming from the bedroom following next before the study became a source of loud noise of congratulations and excitement. Taylor took a little longer to make it to their group of friends than the first time, her weary face showing how tired she was from helping, but the grin and twinkling dark brown eyes proved that all was well with both Troy and Gabriella's daughter and son.

The gang waited patiently for the aftermath of the births to take place and let the families have some time with Troy, Gabriella, and the newest additions to their families before Paul came and got them all, warning them that they needed to contain their usual rambunctious selves as Gabriella was well past exhausted and the babies were pretty sensitive.

Seeing the crowd come into the luckily large bedroom, the now great-grandparents, grandparents, and "aunty" stepped away from the large king bed to allow Troy and Gabriella's closest friends unobstructed views of the newest members of their basically Wildcat family and the proud new parents.

Chad slipped a strong arm around Taylor, who immediately leaned her head on his shoulder, a soft smile still playing on her lips as she continued to gaze at Troy and Gabriella nestled together in the middle of the bed against many pillows, Troy's left arm over Gabriella's shoulder, playing with her upper arm while he held their son in his right arm with Gabriella holding their daughter, the next in line to the throne after Gabriella. "You going to be okay?"

Taylor nodded. "Just long enough to commit this memory into my mind for a lifetime."

Knowing that Taylor was too tired to think of it, Tessa had begun filming again on their way in, tossing Ryan the digital camera to take pictures of this special day. Sharpay found herself cooing at the little babies while Chucky just soaked in the feeling of contentment and pride radiating off of his pseudo little brother as he stared down at his new, expanded family. Chris already had many ideas in his head as to what he would soon start to be doing with the babies when they were old enough to play. Patrick settled for taking in the scene from the foot of the bed, his hand intertwined with Caroline's, who was in awe that she was witness of such a special event in the royal family. Emma and Paul both stood off to the side, both watching everyone in the room but mostly the couple, who seemed so in awe of the babies in their arms, remembering the day they held their son Stuart for the very first time, their arms wrapping tighter around each other unconsciously.

When Troy finally looked up, his light blue eyes shined with delight as he made the introductions. "Much loved family members and lifelong friends, Gabriella and I would like to introduce to you Lucinda Annette Theresa Frances Bolton Montez, Cindy for short, and to Alexander Jack Mario Charles Bolton Montez, Alex for short. Cindy and Alex, this is your new, expanded, but very real and dependable family."

Gabriella watched in amusement as everyone began playing the names over in their heads, tears appearing in Lauren's eyes especially as she realized that Troy and Gabriella had decided to name their daughter after Lauren's twin sister in honor of them both. Annette and Lucille were both just as tearful at the honor they were given along with their husbands having not only last names included in their grandchildren's names but also one of their first names from each set of new grandparents. Stephen even was seen for a few moments with his eyes glossed over as he heard not only his aunt's name and his wife's name being mentioned along with the Montez family name but also the name of his older brother.

"You've chosen some very strong names sweetheart," remarked Stephen, looking at Gabriella, who smiled back at him.

"We couldn't think of any other names that would suit our children better," Gabriella answered, stifling a yawn as she forced her eyes to remain open. Truth be told, as would be expected, Gabriella was beyond tired but didn't want to see this moment end, friend and family alike all being united by the two smallest people in the room.

"Absolutely no better names," echoed Troy, kissing Gabriella's dark locks before kissing their son's forehead while Gabriella did the same with Cindy.

Ryan snapped as many pictures as he could, asking them to pose for a few moments, including family members in those pictures too along with some groupings of their friends, before letting Troy and Gabriella relax again, Gabriella now absorbed in rocking Cindy in an attempt to soothe the little girl. "Both of them have such nice dark hair Gabriella. Guess Troy's darker hair and yours made that happen."

"Cindy looks exactly like a little Gabriella I think," threw in Tessa, tilting her head to the side to study the baby, who had calmed down.

When Alex's eyes opened up for the briefest of moments, Chucky was given the chance to see the color, chuckling some as he saw it. "A nice deep blue. Guess Alex has not only Troy's mouth and chin but also his eyes."

"Actually, baby's eyes take a while to permanently choose a color per se," countered Taylor automatically. "Some babies can be born with blue eyes but will eventually grow to have brown eyes or green eyes or some different shade a few months later. Time will tell what color both of their eyes will be but for now they do look a lot like Troy's as Cindy's are also blue."

"At least they have Gabriella's cute little nose," added Sharpay, somehow feeling the desire to have children now after witnessing this. 'Suppose I could look into sperm donation…'

Eventually as more discussions went on about the twins and the new future of Copanvy, Gabriella grew more and more weak, leaning more on Troy for support, somewhat worried she would drop their sleeping daughter. Troy, with his concern for his wife's well-being overshadowing his abundant happiness, acted quickly. "Emma, do you mind taking Cindy? I think Gabriella needs to rest for a while."

"Of course," said Emma, quickly stepping up to the bed and taking Cindy away from Gabriella, who gave the older woman a grateful look. "We'll just settle the little darling into her cradle."

"Actually, can I hold her?" asked Annette, enchanted by the little being Annette's own daughter had given birth to.

"Here Troy, let me take Alex from you," offered Lucille, taking Alex easily away from Troy, freeing him up to give Gabriella all of his attention.

Without another word, the room was vacated, everyone having a silent understanding of the couple's need for downtime, quiet, and peace. Once the bedroom doors closed, Troy helped Gabriella lay down as he laid on his side facing her, his left arm now bent so his hand could support his head as he gazed down at the woman who had just safely delivered two healthy babies after so many months of protecting them and nurturing them when Troy himself could do none of that. "Thank you Gabriella."

Gabriella's dark brown eyes snapped open, looking back at Troy with questions in her eyes. "For what?" she whispered, her voice unable to be any louder.

"For giving me Cindy and Alex, for taking me back when you could have married another man, for loving me for me, but most importantly for being you," Troy stated, brushing back some of Gabriella's still damp hair, leaning down to kiss her forehead before his lips met hers.

When Troy pulled away, Gabriella managed to smile back at him. "You're welcome. Thank you for coming back, for fighting, and for dealing with all my insane hormone swings these last few months. I'm surprised you didn't run off crazed after some of the stuff I put you through for which I am sorry. Thank you too for loving me and believing in us even when things didn't look so good."

With that, Troy watched as Gabriella's eyelids slowly fluttered closed, kissing each softly, content in watching Gabriella succumb to a deep sleep that she more than deserved.

As Gabriella woke to a foreign sound, a baby's cry, she tried to sit up in bed, immediately regretting it as she felt her muscles protest her sudden movement. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw Troy currently up and standing by one of the windows in their room, rocking one of their babies, both bathed in the moonlight. "Troy?"

Troy turned around and smiled at Gabriella, approaching the bed and turning the light on the nightstand on so he could see her better. "Hey. We didn't mean to wake you Mommy but Alex here wanted some attention in the middle of the night."

"What time is it?" Gabriella groggily asked, looking for the time on the digital alarm clock.

"I think after 3 AM," Troy answered, still rocking Alex, grateful that he was quieting a little only to have him cry again a few moments later.

"Here, let me hold him. Maybe he's hungry," said Gabriella, taking their son into her arms, feeling suddenly shy for doing what she was about to do in front of Troy. "Umm, don't freak out okay?"

Troy just gave her a puzzled look before he watched Gabriella slowly lift her nightshirt up to expose one breast, seeing Alex take to her immediately. "Oh… wow…"

"Weird, huh?" returned Gabriella, her fear of Troy finding breastfeeding repulsive starting to come true.

"Are you kidding? That's, well, that's amazing. I know you were shown by the doctor how to properly do it but seeing it, wow, just yet another thing your body is equipped to do, feed our children at whim," commented Troy, feeling truly awed by this.

"Not grossed out?" pushed Gabriella.

"Not in the slightest," disagreed Troy, taking a seat next to her as he watched Alex greedily drink more of Gabriella's natural milk.

When it seemed that Alex was done, Troy took him back in his arms while Gabriella readjusted her nightgown, this time being the one to watch her husband walk back and forth a bit before trying to burp Alex successfully.

As Troy walked back towards her, he saw a thoughtful expression on Gabriella's face and was instantly curious as to what she was thinking. "A million kisses for your thoughts."

"I'm just thinking about how much Fate has done to bring us here," replied Gabriella, a dreamy smile on her face as her eyes fluttered closed for a few moments before opening back up as she heard a gurgle from their daughter's cradle.

Troy gave her a puzzled look, rocking their son in his arms, marveling at how very tiny he was. "What do you mean? It all wasn't because of Fate. We fought to be where we are now Brie, happily married, more in love than we were in high school, with this beautiful new and growing family."

"Yes but think about it. If it hadn't been for a slight twist of Fate, we could have never gotten to know each other and started dating if I hadn't moved with my mom to Albuquerque. We could have only been memories in each other's minds and nothing more. Memories of a fun night that allowed us to be who we truly were on one fateful New Year's Eve night in our junior year of high school. More recently, we were blessed again by the royal hand of Fate, which has given us the winning hand when all the odds were stacked against us. Fate could be even credited for giving Patrick to us too," Gabriella explained, smiling again softly as she saw the adoring look on Troy's face as he gazed down at their youngest before he looked back up at her, his light blue eyes shining even in the darkness.

"Oh yeah cause Patrick almost marrying you and falling for you, which I can't blame him for but still, was such a blessing," Troy replied with sarcasm dripping from his voice as he laid their son down in the identical cradle his sister was in, checking quickly to make sure their daughter was still sleeping.

When Troy sat down next to Gabriella on the bed, he automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting Gabriella tiredly lean into him. "Patrick was fated to be the choice of the council and in some ways my grandparents because in the end, he was so instrumental in saving our lives and giving us the chance to get married, to truly be together forever. Not many men would hurt his own family for others' happiness."

As Troy mulled it over in his head, he realized Gabriella was right and was about to admit it when Gabriella let out a small yawn, her head becoming slightly heavier on his shoulder yet again. "Still tired Brie?"

Gabriella nodded her head, grateful when Troy pulled away to help her lie down on the bed, moving the excessive amounts of pillows still on the bed until Gabriella was comfortable, laying down himself and bringing her to rest her head over his beating heart, snuggled into his side, her favorite place to be. "Truth? Completely exhausted. You'd think my sleep already from this afternoon would have vanquished this sleepiness."

"Well it's no wonder considering what you went through in less than 48 hours. I can't even imagine what I would have done if I had missed even more of you giving birth to our children. Watching you go through so much pain only to be rewarded with the first glimpse of our daughter, Cindy, followed by our son, Alex, a few hours later was just so surreal. I wanted to take your pain for you, to help you in every way possible but all I could do was hold your hand and coach your breathing. It made me feel more helpless than I've ever felt before and that says a lot considering what you and I have gone through. Twenty hours of labor is a lot Gabriella," remarked Troy, not even wanting to think further on how much Gabriella had suffered not only in the last day but each day of the past several months carrying their wonderful children.

Gabriella groaned, closing her eyes as some of the memories of the pain came back. "Please don't remind me. I've blissfully blocked it all out except for when our children were born and then both given to me. I guess Fate has given us a new set of blessings in our twins. We have so much to be thankful for Troy, especially for our babies and having each other. I love you Troy."

"I love you too Gabriella," Troy quietly declared, meeting her face half way, both smiling into the sweet, tender kiss. "We have a lot to learn about our children and how to care for them but so long as you are by my side Gabriella, I know everything will always be bright even in the darkest times."

"With you by my side, I know everything is exactly as God intended, as Fate planned, all those years ago, today, and in the future," Gabriella replied, snuggling deeper into her husband's side and chest, enjoying the comfort of his smell and the familiar contours of his body. As Troy placed a kiss on Gabriella's forehead, Gabriella's eyes closed moments before his own did, both falling into a blissful sleep with one shared dream of an amazing future with their family and friends, both living the rest of their lives eternally grateful for having Fate gift them with so many things but especially each other's faith and love.