Meet me where the sky touches the sea…

x.x

She walks on the docks. It is a chilly December night. It was the kind of chilly where frost would glaze over windows, where every breath was visible, and where love was shown in its truest form.

The lights of Manhattan were blurry to her. Why was she even tearing up? There was nothing bothering her. She was Riley Matthews.. Always smiling… always optimistic…

Always giving people the benefit of the doubt.

The city was behind her as she continued strolling on the docks. The harbor was nearby and all the boats were returning. It was dusk. The lights of the city took place of the sun. The moon was above, just barely noticeable, and the stars were faded. The sun was barely there, slipping behind the horizon. Its last rays were peeking and glimmering onto the Atlantic. The night was taking over.

The stop walking to marvel at it. She stayed still, on the middle of the dock, waiting for the sun to disappear, and wishing that it would find it's way back.

She was still in New York. The world was hers, but she hadn't broken any boundaries. She was nineteen now, attending NYU to major in teaching and minor in counseling. She also joined many clubs and dedicated her time to preach about women's rights and to make others smile. This is what she grew up doing. It was her destiny.

But somehow, she wasn't completely happy.

Maya was across the country, attending California's School for the Arts in San Francisco. The two kept in touch. They would talk everyday. They had spent their whole lives together, but Riley wasn't going to let the future drive them apart, and neither was Maya. Maya was an amazing artist. It's what made her happy and made her unique. And last year, after they all had graduated, Maya had gotten a full scholarship. Maya told Riley that she was scared, and that she didn't want to go anywhere without Riley. But Riley, being the person she is, encouraged Maya. Nothing would ever break their friendship. This is what they were destined for.

Lucas went to college as well, but he went back home to Texas. He was in a program that could get him involved with major league baseball. He and Riley were together for a while, but she just didn't feel right. She loved Lucas, and she knew that. But their friendship was something that Riley didn't want to lose. She wasn't sure how he was doing these days. It had been a couple of months since they last spoke. Zay followed in a similar path. They went to the same school. They took care of each other. Riley and Maya wanted to visit Texas sometime during winter break so they all could get together.

Farkle was the only one who remained somewhat close. He went to Harvard, which didn't surprise any of them. He wanted to be an astronomer. Everyone always knew his fascination for the night sky, and now he was reaching for the stars. He was reaching for Pluto…

He and Smackle broke up Junior Year. Nobody really knew why. Farkle said that Smackle had different plans for her future, and as much as they had in common, their plans were really very different. Riley wasn't sure if that was the true reason. Farkle was always an observer. He was a genius. He was keeping something to himself, and no one was sure of what it was.

Her mom and dad hadn't moved on, even if she had. Now Auggie was in middle school. Now, the world was his, and Cory was teaching a new generation. Topanga still owned the bakery, and Riley always visited after class. They had so many fond memories, and some not so fond.

She was so caught up in her own thoughts, that she didn't hear the soft footsteps behind her. It wasn't until the voice echoed that she reacted.

"Riley… It's been too long…"

She took in a shaky breath, recognizing the voice. It was deeper than she remembered, but it's only been a few months. She turned around to see him. He was even taller than he was this past summer. He filled out a little more too. But his style was the same, along with his bright blue eyes, and tousled brown hair, and that cute little smile.

She didn't even realized that she was running toward him until she found herself in his arms. He wasn't too much taller than her. Just enough that she could comfortably rest her chin in the crook of his neck. She squeezed him tight, tears filling her eyes. She didn't even realize that she missed him this much. He close his eyes and held her tighter, tight enough that she thought he could feel his own heartbeat. The sensation only lasted a minute as she pulled away, looking deep into his eyes.

"Farkle…" Her eyes gleamed with wonder and she wore that joyful smile that was so her. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since…" She lost her voice, playing back the last night that they were all together.

x.x

"So… this is it then…" Maya sat in the middle of the bay window, Lucas and Zay on one side of her and Riley and Farkle on the other. They were all lost in their own thoughts. Lucas and Zay would be leaving tomorrow morning. Maya and Farkle would be leaving the day after. This was the last time that they may all be together in one place.

"Yeah…" Lucas sighed. "I guess it is… It's weird. We all thought that graduating middle school would be the end of the world. That was nothing compared to where we are headed now."

Riley smiled slightly at her friends. "This is good."

"Huh?" Maya looked confused at her friend's sudden comment. "What do you mean? You think that it's best for us to all be going separate directions." She stood up. "This is like starting over, Riley. I don't want to be thousands of miles away from everything I know." She took a deep breath, her eyes glazed over."

Riley stood up and looked her best friend in the eyes. "This is what's best, Maya. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'd be a fool for holding you back from it." Riley glanced over to the boys and back to Maya, her voice softening. "This is just us… choosing what we want in life. This is us taking on the world, a much bigger world."

Maya's stare didn't waver. "For as long as I've known you, Riley… it's always been the two of us. It's always been us, taking on the world together. How am I supposed to do it without you?"

Riley smiled again, tears running down both of their faces now. "You won't be."

Lucas stood up, putting his arms around the girls. "None of us are doing this alone. Even if we aren't physically together, we will always have each other's backs."

Farkle and Zay stood up as well, joining the group. "This is only the beginning." Farkle said. "We are going to find out who we are in this world. We are ready to accept the biggest challenges and face them."

Zay smiled. "And you know that we will all keep in touch. And we will all be here for each other."

Maya nodded and looked at all of her friends, looking just as scared and unprepared as she felt. "Thank you. Thank you all. I'm going to miss you."

Lucas rubbed her back. "We'll miss you too. Let's plan to get together soon."

Farkle nodded. "I'll be there."

"So will I." Riley said.

Maya looked at her best friend, holding her hand. "And I go wherever she goes…"

x.x

Riley was so lost in the memory that she didn't even think before she spoke. "I miss them…"

Farkle gave her a knowing glance. "Me too."

"It's been four months…" Riley looked down at her snow boots, to avoid showing tears. "Four months and no contact… not even from Maya…"

But Farkle knew her better than that, and he took her hand as they started walking away from the dock and back toward the city.

"W-what are you doing?" She asked as he continued to drag her toward the city.

"I'm assuming that you're on winter break too." He started.

"And?"

He turned around to look at her. "I haven't seen them either, Riley. I've tried calling, texting, and messaging, but you're the only one who answers. I came here to find you."

"Why?"

"Because I knew that if I found you, I would be closer to finding them." They crossed the street and went down a flight of stairs. She soon find herself in a parking garage, concerned and confused.

"Farkle…" She started, looking around her.

He walked over to a shiny black Ferrari, pulling out his keys and unlocking the doors. He opened the passenger's side door for her. "Get in the car."

"No." She replied stubbornly, resting her hands on her hips. "I want an explanation first."

"You will get it as soon as you get into the car."

She sighed and climbed in, plopping into the seat and fastening the seatbelt. She turned towards him as he started the ignition. "So, what happens now?"

He gave her a small smile. "We take on the world."

x.x

Hello there! I am Essessency, and I am a writer for the Austin & Ally fandom. I've just recently gotten into GMW, and this is my first fanfiction for that fandom.

I know a decent amount about this show and its characters, however, I am not an expert. So if I get anything wrong about the characterization or plot, I'm sorry.

This is a future fic. It is set when the characters are in their first year of college. It is slightly AU because we don't know what will happen in the future. The plot of this is that Riley and Farkle haven't heard from their friends since they left, which is unlike them. So, Riley and Farkle are on their way to Texas and California to find Lucas and Maya. What will happen along the way? Well, we will just have to wait and see. It will be four chapters and the general ships will be Riarkle and Lucaya.

If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see happen, please tell me. I love ideas. Please review and let me know if I should continue this story.

Thank you.

-Essessency