It was 10:45 PM on New Year's Eve and the gang had gathered again to celebrate this holiday together, minus the Evans twins, who no one had heard from since Christmas Eve and Troy. Chad was the only one who had seen and talked to Troy since that day a week ago and he knew his friend was hurting something fierce over the happenings of that day. Chad watched as a quieter Gabriella finally laughed at something Zeke and Jason just told her after several attempts to get her to crack a smile. 'Both Gab and Troy are so messed up over each other. I just hope that Troy knows what he is doing and doesn't make this worse,' thought Chad just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," volunteered Gabriella to keep Taylor seated snuggled into Chad's embrace on the couch. Gabriella walked over to the door and gasped as saw who was standing on the other side of the threshold. "Troy, umm, hi."

Troy stared at the angelic girl in front of him and thanked his lucky stars that she really did come home in time for tonight's party. "Hi Gabriella. Can I come in?"

"Umm, sure," answered Gabriella, backing away from the door to give him some space to come in before she closed the door behind him. "How was your Christmas?"

"It could have been a lot better. Please Gabriella, let's not do this okay?" pleaded Troy, causing a confused look to appear on Gabriella's face. "Let's not pretend that nothing happened between us and yet have this awkward conversation like we're strangers. If nothing else, I want to be best friends."

"So you really did get together with Sharpay on Christmas Eve, huh?" commented Gabriella, unable to look up and into Troy's blue eyes, knowing for sure she would lose her strength to even talk to him if she did.

"No, I didn't," answered Troy as he reached out his free left hand and gently tilted her chin up so her brown eyes finally met his blue ones. It was only then that he saw the tears in Gabriella's eyes, pools of water glimmering on the edge of her eyelids, threatening to fall any minute. 'That's the last thing I want to see happen right now.'

Troy looked around and saw an open doorway a little down the hall and took Gabriella's hand in his, leading her towards what ended up being a study. He had her sit down on the little couch there and closed the door so the two could talk in privacy. Troy set the box he was holding against his hip with his right hand down next to the couch before he himself sat down next to her, taking both of her hands into his. "I want you to know Gabriella that I…"

"Please, stop," begged a tearful Gabriella, interrupting what Troy was about to say. "I understand that you've made your choice and that is your right. I'm happy as long as you are happy Troy, honest."

He just shook his head at this. "That's the thing I'm trying to tell you Gabriella. Without you, I'm not happy. It's you that I want, not Sharpay or any other girl on this planet. Just you."

Gabriella stared back at him speechless. She had spent the previous week in Mexico convincing herself that she was happy for Troy and Sharpay, that the two belonged together and now she was sitting here, in front of the one guy that held her heart and always would she feared, hearing Troy tell her that he had chosen her. 'No, that can't be. Maybe did he somehow get dumped by Sharpay already?'

"Please Troy, I don't want to be rebound from Sharpay. If she was stupid enough to dump you I'm sorry but I won't let myself be that girl," said Gabriella softly, diverting her eyes from meeting his.

Troy stared at her for a few minutes, absorbing what she had said, what was really happening here. 'Does she really think that I am so heartless as to play off being dumped by Sharpay to get with her after I supposedly made that decision to be with the other girl? Then again, she could be thinking this because she doesn't want to be hurt any further than she already is. I can tell she has hurt just as much as I have this past week,' thought Troy, aching to hold her in his arms.

As the silence stretched, Gabriella continued to look out the study's window while Troy continued to study her profile. After a while, Troy decided that maybe his gift to her would help her understand that she really was what his heart desired, what his soul craved.

After kissing Sharpay back for a few moments, Troy broke the kiss and hugged the blonde again, feeling his excitement over the motorcycle thrumming through his body. He stepped away from the embrace and went back to the motorcycle to look it over, lovingly running his hands over the handlebars and taking in the small details like the silver GS on the back end of the motorcycle on both sides and the BMW symbol towards the end of the front half on both sides.

"What are you waiting for? Jump on!" encouraged Chad, who wished that this was his to take for a spin.

Not needing another invitation, Troy did just that and sat on the motorcycle, getting the feel for it. Troy's enormous amount of excitement slowly started to die out though as he began to think about this decision he had to make today and the choice that he had already made. 'This doesn't feel right, I can't take this,' he reflected before he got right back off the motorcycle.

"Troy, what's wrong? Is there something broken? I have the technician on speed dial on my phone and he can be here in a second to fix this," stated Sharpay, alarmed at the speed with which Troy got off the motorcycle after only sitting on it for a few seconds.

Troy shook his head. "No Sharpay, there's nothing broken. Guys, can Sharpay and I have a few moments?"

The four guys nodded their heads and headed inside the house, figuring Troy needed some privacy to properly thank Sharpay, clueless as to what Troy's intentions were. Once the guys were definitely out of hearing distance, Troy turned back to Sharpay who was suspiciously eyeing him.

"There is something broken but it's not the motorcycle, right Troy?" stated Sharpay, always direct to the point. "I thought you chose me, I thought you wanted me! Don't you want this life that we could share together Troy? Daddy could help get you into the right colleges and you and I could travel the world this summer. This motorcycle is just a sample of the life we could share Troy, don't you get it?"

Slowly, Troy shook his head, showing his disagreement. "I do get what you are saying Sharpay, but this isn't the life I see myself leading in a year, or five, or ten. Your whole lifestyle is so different from my own that I always feel underdressed when I'm out with you and we go to the fancy restaurants and lavish parties your family's friends throw. Sharpay, you really are beautiful and, as you would put it, fabulous, but I can't honestly see us seriously going anywhere except for maybe being friends."

"But you see yourself with mousy Gabriella," accused Sharpay. "I have so much more than her! I bet you she didn't get you nearly anything as expensive as a motorcycle for Christmas!"

Troy shrugged. "Maybe not but this is besides the point Sharpay. You wanted a decision and unfortunately, this is it. If you were honest with yourself, you'd see that this is the right decision for both of us. We'd only serve to make each other unhappy if we truly had a relationship. I'd never be able to live up to your standards and you'd get so frustrated with me that we would fight all the time. I'd rather we be friends than ruin a relationship and be nothing to each other. Please Sharpay, I really do care for you, but I just don't think a relationship is really for us, at least as we are today."

Sharpay helplessly felt a tear fall down her cheek, the first in a very long time as she heard these words. She angrily wiped it away and blinked her eyes several times, refusing to let this boy hurt her. However, as much acting experience she had behind her, Sharpay was not that great of an actress to hide the pain that she felt ripping through her soul. 'I really do care for him but I guess maybe he's right, maybe we aren't meant to be.'

Troy watched as Sharpay struggled to get herself under control and pulled the blonde to his body, despite her protests, and just held her in a long hug, tightening the embrace as Sharpay eventually relaxed into it and hid her face in his shoulder. He held her for a while longer, giving Sharpay the time she needed to gather her composure, feeling the sorrow in having to hurt her like this. "I'm so sorry Shar," murmured Troy before he kissed the top of her blonde head.

Sharpay pulled back and gave him a watery smile. "It's okay. I'm a big girl and I can handle this. After all, I did basically demand that you make a decision today. I just thought, well silly me thought you would have picked me over her, but I guess that was just my own fantasy. Can you do something for me though Troy?"

"Anything," answered Troy, meaning it.

"Get Ryan for me and ask him to come out? I don't want to see the gang like this and please don't tell anyone I broke down here. I have a reputation as East High's Ice Queen to protect here," said Sharpay as she bravely put on a neutral face, having been successful at stopping the tears.

"Of course," replied Troy, relieved that Sharpay seemed to be hurt but not truly heartbroken. 'I know this is right in my heart and that must mean something, right?'

Troy gave Sharpay one last hug and a kiss on the cheek before he went inside to get Ryan.

Troy eventually came back to the current moment, finding himself still staring at Gabriella's soft features while he finished thinking of how very suddenly Sharpay acted rational and mature, which was, in truth, a rarity for her. 'Maybe deep in her heart she felt it was the right thing to do too.'

He heard Gabriella give a little sigh and knew that it was now or never so Troy picked up the blue and white box next to him and turned it around a few times in his hands before he had the courage enough to present it to her. "Umm Gabriella, I never got the chance to give you this on Christmas Eve," said Troy, interrupting Gabriella's own thoughts.

She turned her head from the window to refocus on the boy sitting next to her on the couch, the one with the blue eyes that told her that whatever it was in the box meant the world to him. Gabriella gingerly took the box from his hands and instantly got suspicious as she realized the blue and white box was a signature packing method for Build A Bear Workshop, the same place she had bought Troy's gift weeks ago. 'He isn't giving the cute little penguin that I made him back to me, is he? Troy isn't that cruel, not even one bit,' wondered Gabriella as she opened the box. She reached in and lifted what she had suspected out of the box, a black and white penguin with black eyes and the yellow beak that looked like it would smile for years to come, which it would since it was, after all, a stuffed animal. However, instead of a red bow on the penguin's head, there was a pair of blue Santa boxers on the penguin's bottom. She felt a smile grow on her face as she took in the adorable nature of the toy.

After some time, Gabriella eventually looked up and met Troy's gaze, giving him a smile reserved just for him. "Thank you Troy," responded Gabriella. "How'd you get the same thing for me as I got you?"

"I confess I got this after I got yours. You haven't gotten to the best feature though. I put a voice box in him for you too," answered Troy. "Play it, please?"

Unable to resist Troy's pouty face that he was currently giving her, Gabriella obliged and squeezed the flipper with the sticker. "Penguins can search a lifetime for their forever mate but I'm glad I already found you. I love you Gabriella!"

Tears reappeared in her eyes but this time, they were tears of joy at hearing those sweet words. Seeing the effect his message had on her, Troy reached over and squeezed it again so the message was replayed, bringing out that soft and sweet smile of hers back to her face. "There's that charming smile of yours Gabriella," murmured Troy with a grin of his own. "I went out and made him the day after Christmas so I could give you him to have with you while I have my Gabriella version. And before you even ask, yes I do remember that conversation we had about a month and a half ago when we had just finished watching Never Been Kissed on the television that Friday evening."

The credits for the movie rolled as the cable channel split the screen to start their next movie but Troy wasn't paying attention to what was coming up. For him, his focus was solely on the sweet girl who was snuggled into his side, her head resting on his shoulder with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Isn't that such a sweet movie Troy?" questioned Gabriella. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm going to be Josie and never have met that one true love until I'm her age or end up in a house full of cats at the age of twenty five."

Troy chuckled at this. "I find it very hard to believe that could be your future Gabriella," replied Troy. "For one thing, you have me, and not to brag but I think I have officially taken you off the list of being one of those girls who have never truly been kissed."

"Oh, is that so?" asked Gabriella, pulling away from him to look him in the eyes. "You think your kisses are that special to be that life altering kiss that means the world to a girl?"

"Well, yeah," answered Troy while Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I'll even prove it!"

Before Gabriella could protest, Troy swooped in and slanted his mouth over hers, softly kissing her before he put more passion into it, turning it from a soft kiss to a much deeper one, one that Gabriella happily returned. Satisfied with her response, Troy pulled away and cockily grinned back at her. "Told you," murmured Troy.

"But you were just as affected!" argued Gabriella.

"I never said your kisses never affected me. You said you would be one of those women who could say that she truly never was kissed before her mid-twenties or later. Well, now you can't," teased Troy, laughter in his eyes. "Plus, I just don't see you living in a house with cats roaming freely through the whole house. You are too much of a neat freak to have all that fur and smells invading your personal home."

"All right, I concede, you have a point there," gave in Gabriella. "However, there's another part of the movie that sticks out to me."

"Oh? And what is that?" asked Troy.

"The talk about the penguins," replied Gabriella. "I believe that humans too search for their mate sometimes for a lifetime. What's sad though is that in that search, it seems like people choose the wrong mate and end up leaving them whereas penguins find that one and stay with him or her for the rest of their life. I think that's really sweet and special, not to mention romantic. Sometimes, I wish I was a penguin just to be able to find that one that makes the sun rise and set for me and know that he would never dream of being anywhere else besides being next to me."

Troy felt his heart beat a little faster at hearing these spoken words. 'I wish I could be that lifelong mate for you Gabriella. I just am so confused right now and owe you at least a real genuine commitment if I were to answer you now,' thought Troy as he enjoyed the view of a dreamy faced Gabriella as she absently stared off into a dark corner of the room. Instead of speaking, Troy gently brushed back some of her dark hair that framed her face to behind her left ear before he leaned in and softly kissed Gabriella again, using that single action to communicate the feelings that were blooming in his heart for her.

"Wow, you really do remember," stated Gabriella, a bit surprised.

"Exactly why your present meant so much to me Gabriella. Before Christmas Eve and even up until now, you didn't even know how I truly felt and yet you recorded such a sweet and personal message for me. That means a lot to me Gabriella and that's why I decided to do the same for you. I did however, have a present for you before Christmas Eve that I still want to give you if you'll let me," said Troy.

Gabriella gave him a small nod and he pulled a large square velvet box out of his pocket with a red bow on top. She gently took it from his hands and laughed at herself as she realized her hands were suddenly shaking, something that didn't go unnoticed by Troy. When Gabriella managed to lift the top open, she gasped as she saw the two toned sterling necklace that sat on the white fabric of the box. One half of the heart was light silver while the other half was a darker silver, both halves being connected by a single round diamond at both the top and the bottom. "Troy, this is beautiful!"

Troy smiled, knowing finally that he really had picked out the right gift for this young woman in front of him. "I wanted to give you something that would symbolize us and our growing feelings for each other, at least my own. I don't know how you feel for me after what happened last week and with you being gone. Maybe you met someone in Mexico? Please tell me you didn't meet someone in Mexico."

Gabriella giggled at his suddenly panicked look and shook her head. "No, I didn't," answered Gabriella truthfully. "There was no way I could have gotten over my feelings for you that quickly Troy. I reconciled myself to just being your friend and being happy for you and Sharpay while I was there, but I would never be able to give my heart away to another guy like that Troy. I think maybe I wished too hard to be a penguin so I could have that fairytale type of love life because, in truth, I don't see myself being able to look or feel for another guy anything near as powerful as I feel for you Troy. I meant it when I recorded that message. For better or for worse, I have found that over this past year since I met you that you were my lifetime, forever penguin mate. Wow, it really has been a year since we met now, hasn't it?"

Troy grinned, realizing she was right. "Yes, it sure has been a whole year. How sad is it that it took me over a year to get up the courage to do something this bold and romantic? I'm so sorry Gabriella that I even had a thought that someone else could be as right for me as you are," said Troy. "I know, a little more than a week ago I sounded so very confused, but since I've been able to step away from this whole situation in the past week, worried at having possibly lost you for good, I was able to see that there really has been only one person for me, only one young woman who was my true lifelong, forever penguin mate and that's you, Gabriella Montez. I meant what I said too in my recording. I love you."

She couldn't help but grin at these words as her heart and entire being warmed at the knowledge that he truly did return her feelings. "I love you too Troy Bolton, my own little penguin."

"Hey, I'm not that little. Okay, so I'm shorter than most of the team but still!" protested Troy, making Gabriella laugh more. "Can I put the necklace on you to see how it looks on you finally?"

Gabriella nodded and turned around so he could unclasp the sterling silver snake styled chain that supported the heart pendant and put it securely around her neck. She turned around while she fingered the heart that now lay against her skin. "It's perfect," commented Gabriella with a soft smile.

"Just like you," responded Troy with a wink that made her blush. "As childish and as insecure as this may make me sound, Gabriella, will you give up all other guys and become mine solely as I have given up all other girls for you? Be my girlfriend?"

"Aww, after that, how could I not?" answered Gabriella with sparkling brown eyes. "I'd love to be your girlfriend Troy, very much so forever penguin."

"I'm so glad to hear that lifetime and beyond penguin," responded Troy, pulling Gabriella to him so he could just hold her against him, enjoying the feel of them being so close yet again. Both pulled back slightly after a while to share in a series of kisses that shook both of them to their core beings while they never broke the contact they had with each other, both physically and emotionally, until midnight struck and their friends came to find them.

They both grinned as their six friends crowded into the now open doorway as Kelsi, Martha, Taylor, Chad, Jason, and Zeke took in the sight of their two good friends finally united, as they should have always been. All was right once again in the lives of this group of Wildcat friends, especially for the two who finally found their penguin love and made that easy yet difficult holiday wish come true in one decision on both of their parts. The previous year had been a hard one to fight through in order to be together but now, finally together, neither Gabriella nor Troy would feel bad looking back as this new year, the one they were staring right now, would be all the better for it. Starting from this moment and for many more years to come, Gabriella and Troy would share that rare bond that both penguins and human beings alike sometimes look for all their lives, the bond that would last for a lifetime and more between the two beings. In fact, theirs was a love that would surely go down in history as one of the most powerful and most romantic this world has ever seen.