Author's Note: Thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) for planting the seed for this! *Hugs*
Topanga had to get out of here. She had thought that staying with her aunt was the perfect solution. Sure it was a bit farther away from Cory's house than she used to be, but it was a lot closer than Pittsburgh. However, she hadn't counted on what it would be like to live with Aunt Prue.
It was as if Aunt Prue had no idea what it was like to be a teen, especially not a teen in love. It seemed like, ever since Topanga had moved in here, she and Aunt Prue had done nothing but argue. Her aunt was convinced that her relationship with Cory would hurt her grades. Topanga had tried to explain that she'd always been an A student, and she had known Cory since kindergarten. So how could being with him be incompatible with getting good grades? It just didn't make sense. Which was why Topanga was about to do something she'd never done before. She was sneaking out.
As she crawled out of her bedroom window, she silently gave thanks for the fact that Shawn Hunter was one of her closest friends. No one knew more about sneaking out than him. He'd been sneaking out of his parents' trailer practically since birth. But right now, Shawn was not on her mind. Cory was. She was supposed to meet him at Chubby's this afternoon, but that was when Aunt Prue had started yelling.
Topanga hit the ground, and began walking down the street. She kept looking back, worried that Aunt Prue would catch her. She might have gotten the sneaking out idea from Shawn, but it did not come naturally to her as it did to him. But to her great relief, she made it far enough to be out of eyesight of the house, and there was no sign that she'd been noticed.
As she walked, she thought about Cory. She had loved him for so long, even when he and Shawn thought she was weird. Back then, she had followed all of her parents' new-age beliefs, and was teased for it relentlessly. Luckily, the power of peer pressure had finally gotten the best of her, and she became the kind of girl that Cory would actually want to be with.
And now, they were THE couple at John Adams High. Topanga never would've imagined it, but it was the truth. They were in love, and it wasn't just some high-school crush. She wouldn't have come all the way here from Pittsburgh if it were. Just like Shakespeare's famous doomed lovers, they had to be together. Only, in this case, they had avoided tragedy.
Now Topanga could see the familiar outline of the Matthews' house. Even in the dark, she had no trouble recognizing it. She knew that Shawn would have climbed up the tree which led directly into Cory's room, but she decided not to take that route. Instead, she knocked on the door, and prayed that Cory or Eric would be able to let her in.
Cory had been staring at his history book for what seemed like hours. Feeny had announced that there would be a test this week, and he needed to be ready. He'd decided to study downstairs, because Eric had come home from a date and gone to bed uncharacteristically early. The house was silent, until the soft knocking at the front door. Confused, Cory got up to see who it was. "Topanga," he whispered as he opened the door.
Topanga pulled him into a tight hug. "I had to see you. Aunt Prue is terrible. She says that being with you will ruin my grades. And she even said I should've gone back to Pittsburgh with my parents!"
Cory held her tight, then kissed her. "Everything's going to be OK, Topanga. It's just one more year, and then we go away to college. Then no one can stop us."
"A lot can happen between now and college, Cory. What if...?"
Topanga's question was interrupted by the appearance of Cory's mother in the living room.
"Mom!" Cory said nervously. He smiled, as if his being here with Topanga in the middle of the night were perfectly normal.
"Cory, what is Topanga doing here?" Amy asked.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Matthews. Aunt Prue and I got into a horrible fight. I just wanted to see Cory. That's all."
For a moment, Amy had a flashback to the day when Topanga had shown up here soaking wet. She had thought that being separated from Topanga for a while would be good for Cory. But, to her surprise, her son had stood up to her. She hadn't realized their feelings for each other were so strong. But she knew it now. She knew she should be angry. After all, sneaking out like this was completely dangerous.
But she had also met Aunt Prudence, and the woman was definitely not used to dealing with teenagers. Fortunately, thanks to Cory and Eric, Amy Matthews had plenty of experience. She sighed. "First, I'll call your aunt and let her know you're here. Then, you two, go to bed." She pointed at both of them.
"Wait, Mom, you're going to let Topanga stay here?"
"Of course I am, Cory. I'm not going to make her aunt come and get her at this hour." She turned her attention to Topanga. "Sneaking out is wrong. I know you know that." She put her arm around the girl. "But I also know how much you wanted to be with Cory. Tomorrow, we'll sit down with your aunt, and we'll figure something out, OK?"
Topanga nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Matthews."
Amy kissed Topanga's forehead. "You're welcome. You can sleep here on the couch." The teenager nodded. Amy recognized the look on her son's face upon realizing that his girlfriend would be here for the night. "You sleep upstairs," she told him sternly.
"Right, of course," Cory said, embarrassed.
Amy glared at the two of them one last time, making sure they understood about the sleeping arrangements. She had been forgiving this time, but she still wanted them to know that there were rules. Once she was certain her point had been made, she went back upstairs to give them a bit of privacy.
Cory was at Topanga's side mere seconds after his mother was gone. "See? I told you everything would be OK." He kissed her once again.
"Yeah, for now. But what about the next time, or the time after that?"
Cory looked into her eyes. How was it possible for him to fall in love with her even more every time he saw her? "Don't think about next time. What matters is right now. We're together, and we love each other. That's all you need to know."
All her life, Topanga had been thinking of the future. Sure, her plans for her life had changed slightly, but she'd always thought ahead. It was hard for her to think like Cory, just focusing on the present. It took several moments before she could calm down.
Suddenly, she thought back. Even as a child, she had known that she belonged with Cory Matthews. She could feel it in her soul. Back then, she didn't have a clue what she'd be when she grew up, or where her life would take her. But she'd always been certain of one thing: she would be with Cory no matter what. Right now, that was enough. The future would take care of itself.
The End