Fandom: Girl Meets World
Pairing(s): Jennifer x Stuart, Riarkle, and Corpanga
Characters: (Major) Jennifer Bassett-Matthews, Stuart Minkus, Farkle Minkus, (Minor/Mentioned) Riley Matthews, Topanga Lawrence-Matthews, Cory Matthews
Rating: T
Description: He's gone. The little boy that has been her sole reason for breathing over the last eighteen years is gone… Because, like everyone, he chose someone else over her.
Author's Note: This is kind of a character study in why Jennifer is the way she is in my one-shots. I have no clue where this came from… I guess I just wanted to take a real, hard look at Jennifer as I write her in the Moments of You and Me collection and why she feels how she does about Riley. Plus, a bonus look at the Minkus family life and baby!Farkle.
Loneliness comes easily to exceptional people. It was a lesson that Jennifer had learned when she was still young and impressionable. Her father had told her so while staring at her over the rim of his aged whiskey.
Loneliness comes easily to exceptional people, Jennifer, He'd growled as his eyes lingered on her's, the same shade as her mother's when she'd told him she couldn't stay a second longer. The lonelier you are, the better you are.
Jennifer always wanted to be better.
As she aged, she wore smiles in every shade of bitch to match the manicures and pedicures. It was easy to smile and have her way. Casting aside other's thoughts or feelings was just a part of getting what she wanted. Besides, she was exceptional; they should be catering to her.
All the movies and drama shows her nanny watched made high school seem so hard but Jennifer found it almost boring. Why on Earth would she, Jennifer Bassett, care if Topanga Lawrence liked her or not?
Topanga didn't have money or influence, just an attitude and frizzy hair. And the only redeeming quality her dumbass of a boyfriend had was his hot best friend and even Shawn ended being pretty overrated.
Jennifer walked the line her father drew before her but she walked it alone. That's what exceptional people did, after all.
People think she's just a pretty face but Jennifer Bassett is a fucking academic powerhouse so it shouldn't be a surprise when she's offered a full ride to Barnard University in New York, but it is. One of the side effects of no one knowing you, she supposes as she looks at the bewildered faces of her peers when the principal announces her intentions.
She doesn't need a full ride, of course. She's a Bassett, come on, but there is a thrill in something wanting her so badly. Barnard values her at thousands of dollars and who wouldn't find that amazing?
Besides, what young woman looking for adventure and success wouldn't jump at the chance to live in New York City?
So, Jennifer packs her things with the help of Rosalita, her nanny since she was born, and awkwardly pats the woman on the back when she collapses into sobs. Before she gets on her plane, she fires Rosalita. What? Not like she needs a nanny anymore.
Barnard is a single-sex university but it's New York so there are boys. Lots of boys.
Jennifer happily leaves a trail of broken hearts in her wake and sets the city on fire. She doesn't cause trouble, she'd never do that to her father or family name, and she's not an idiot but life is lived to the fullest.
She manages to get her political science bachelor's a year early and begins working for the New York City Manager's Office. Her co-workers either love her drive or hate her ruthlessness but it doesn't faze her either way.
Jennifer Bassett is becoming a name people know, so much so that she's the one selected to attend a high-profile building proposal one July afternoon. It's hot as hell but some say that's where she belongs anyway, so Jennifer shows no signs of heat exhaustion as she strides into the conference room.
And comes face-to-face with Stuart Minkus.
She almost laughs.
The incredible, successful, young genius looking to build a new skyscraper for his technology empire is the same boy that never had friends in high school?
Well, loneliness comes easily to exceptional people and all that. She thinks, taking the man in. He wasn't the boy with big glasses and an embarrassing bowl cut anymore, that was clear.
Stuart stood with a confidence as she approached that intrigued her. His hair was shorter now, cleanly shaven, and without the glasses, Jennifer felt a little caught up in the distinct blue of his eyes. He had his hands shoved in nice, black slacks, paired with an ash, fit sweater over a plaid, purple button up.
"Stuart Minkus?" She asked, testing his name out in the air.
"Yeah. Jennifer Bassett, right?" He offered his hand and she shook it with a nod. "It's good to see you."
Jennifer watched as his eyes trailed down her frame and smirked, bemused, "It is, isn't it?"
The meeting was supposed to be over dinner and remain in the conference room of the State Building. The only topic for discussion was meant to be compromising the specifics of the forthcoming Minkus International building. All of that was thrown out of the window, even as Jennifer internally screamed at herself to stay focused and walk the line.
Stuart had gone to Princeton, had started a technology and software company all on his own. He had gone public and at 20 would probably never have to work another day in his life. He was impressed that Jennifer had gotten her degree early and actually seemed interested in hearing about her job.
It was a relief to speak with someone on her level, and after the relief passed, Jennifer felt it was downright sexy to be heard and understood and to listen to someone who made circuit boards and coding sound like poetry.
That was probably why she kissed him after the third glass of wine.
And why she invited him back to her place after the fifth.
And why she even thought about leaving him her number in the morning before she left him alone in her bed.
But she didn't because it wasn't like anything would happen. They were both better off alone…
Little did she know that from then on, it would be a long time before she was completely alone again.
Jennifer was pregnant.
Birth control and a condom and somehow she was still in this situation. It was a quick fix, though, she figured. Things like this happened to women all the time, the numbers for the clinics were easy enough to find with a little research.
She found out on a Thursday and had an appointment for the next Wednesday by the afternoon. Everything would be handled and taken care of and no one would ever have to know that maybe Jennifer Bassett wasn't perfect…
Except for Stuart.
She wasn't going to tell him. She had figured there wasn't a point. She'd made up her mind and was at peace with her decision… but something started to eat at her. Jennifer never really felt guilty, not even when she did things she knew were questionable, but somehow this choice was making her feel a little bad for Stuart.
So, during her lunch break, she took the subway all the way across town to the office space where Google said Minkus International was currently housed. The receptionist was all smiles and asked if she had an appointment. She did, technically, but definitely not the kind this woman is asking about.
Stuart apparently told the girl that Jennifer was welcoming over the phone because five minutes later, the receptionist showed her back to his office which is all glass, sharp edges, and great views. Very Stuart.
He smiled when he saw her and that nagging feeling in her chest became heavier. Stuart tried to make simple conversation, edging around the question as to why she was there, but Jennifer has never been one for subtlety. She is absolutely not nervous or intimated but she still just wants to rip the band-aid off.
"Jennifer, I didn't thi-"
"I'm pregnant."
Jennifer watched as his face went slack and his hand slipped on his desk, sending his pencil cup crashing. She rolls her eyes and presses on, "I don't expect anything, obviously. In fact, I already have everything taken-"
"Marry me."
That was probably the only thing Stuart Minkus could have said to stop Jennifer Bassett died. Marry him? Why the fuck would she do that? Because he knocked her up? She wasn't even planning on staying pregnant, so she most definitely was planning on marrying anyone.
"What?! No! Stuart-" She started, staring at him appalled.
"Wait! I know what you're thinking, Jennifer, but listen to me before you say no. You are a practical woman, let me explain why this is practical." Stuart crossed the room, gripping Jennifer's shoulders so that she would be forced to address him.
Narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips, Jennifer Bassett nodded once.
Stuart licked his lips, "We're both successful in our lives already, independently. If we were to get married, both of us would be insured financial security and stability for the rest of our lives. Besides, we get along well enough and we both know that the odds of finding some epic, perfect love are just unrealistic…" He trailed off, seeing from her expression that Jennifer was not convinced.
He tried again, stepping directly into her space and placing a hand over her flat stomach. "If we're married, we can be a family. I can be there for you and this baby all the time. I promise I will be. I'll pick you and I'll pick you every time."
Jennifer swallowed hard. She hadn't let herself think of her situation as an actual 'baby' but… holy god, it was, wasn't it? And she could have a family, people who put her first, who loved her. People beside just her father… A longing she hadn't ever let herself feel before blossomed in her chest and all the sudden she was nodding.
"Okay. I'll marry you."
Names are important to Jennifer.
She had refused to completely give up her maiden name, hyphening to Bassett-Minkus instead, and now she had to come up with the perfect name for her son.
Her son. It was still a little jarring to think, even though the sonogram in her purse and the fact that she can't see her feet anymore are solid proof. She has a baby boy well on his way to the world and he doesn't have a name.
But it can't be a name like Harry or Justin or anything so ordinary. Her son is going to be exceptional, and therefore he is going to need an exceptional name. Something no one had ever encountered and would never forget after coming across, like the boy himself.
Farkle.
It comes to her in the middle of the night when she's alone in bed and Stuart is away on business. And it's perfect like her baby is going to be.
Jennifer remembered how distant and detached she'd felt to the fetus within her when she'd first discovered she was pregnant. She would have gotten an abortion and never thought twice about it. Now that she knew him, felt him kick and move and get the hiccups, she couldn't imagine an existence where Farkle wasn't with her.
She was carrying him for nine months, obviously, but she knew already that even once he was born, she would be carrying him in her heart a lifetime.
Farkle Bassett Minkus was born exactly on his due date, April 1st. Jennifer wondered if his birthday was any sign of the kind of person he would grow to be. Funny? Joking? He was born on April Fool's Day, it can't mean nothing.
Jennifer is convinced that she takes her very first breath in time with his, that she has not been alive the first 21 years of her life, but now she has a purpose, she has a son, she has him.
But his first breath sounds all wrong and even she knows that babies shouldn't be that shade of purple.
Stuart goes with the nurses who take Farkle away to the NICU and Jennifer is left all alone, having not even touched her baby. She'd always wanted to be alone when she was young because it meant she must be exceptional… she didn't want to be alone anymore.
The first time she is allowed to touch Farkle, he is in a plastic box with an oxygen mask on his little face, panting to get enough air. Jennifer set her eyes on him and she had never been one to cry but he's so small, so perfect, and so sick that she can't help it. Tears spring to her eyes as she feels Stuart's hands on her arms and she reaches into the box.
The tip of her finger skims over Farkle's arm and in an instant, the infant's body relaxes. His panting stops and his parents watch as he takes his first steady, deep, full breath. Jennifer's eyes flicker to the monitor over his bed and his oxygen stat ticks up by one.
Her baby breathes easier at her touch. She will never leave him alone again.
Farkle is resilient and within a week, he is perfectly healthy.
Soon, he's sitting up on his own, crawling, and then tottering around the newly finished Minkus International penthouse. Jennifer never saw herself as the stay-at-home mother but she'd never loved a being as much as she loved her son so the position feels like an honor.
It's her and Farkle against the world.
Stuart is busy, too busy for Farkle and definitely too busy for her. Some days she wants to kill her husband for the broken hearted look he puts on their son's face but she doesn't. Jennifer just waits until Farkle is asleep and then screams.
How could he ever make their baby feel like he wasn't enough? How could he ever put work before Farkle? She can't comprehend it and she can't forgive it. Jennifer loves Stuart, she does, but not nearly as much as she loves their child and she will unquestionably pick Farkle every time.
Farkle just keeps growing and all too soon, he leaves the safety Jennifer has created by her side to go and attend pre-school. She wants him to learn, to go to school and do everything he wants to but letting go of his hand is a million times harder for her than it for him and she knows it.
Jennifer was never emotional, but her son was the exception.
She thanks God when Farkle comes home and talks about having friends. She knows her son is special and brilliant, exceptional, but she knows how the world works. It is not kind to those who are different. But she thanks God for the Riley and Maya that begin to decorate every one of the boy's stories.
Jennifer gets a kick out of finding out that Riley is apparently Riley Matthews, the daughter of Topanga Lawrence and Cory Matthews. What were the odds? She does not get a kick out of discovering her husband still wishes Topanga Lawrence was the mother of his child.
Time keeps passing and Farkle keeps getting a year older every April 1st. Jennifer went back to work when he starts middle school and it took her away from him more than she liked, but he's not a baby, not even really a child anymore. He doesn't need her right at his side; he can breathe on his own.
Maybe it was the separation that made it take Jennifer so long to realize what was happening to her son, slowly over years and years. That he was falling in love. Looking back, she wasn't sure how she missed it. She got to know Riley Matthews and she got to know who her son was when he was around Riley Matthews.
Riley was gentle and kind and had been born with her mother's ability to make just about anybody love her. She had a smile that lit up her whole face and a laugh that could be heard from across the penthouse, even with walls and doors in the way. Jennifer liked how Riley looked at her son, too. Everyone should look at Farkle like Riley did as if he were a unique point in the universe.
Because he was.
When Riley was around, Farkle smiled. He made jokes and the social ease that always seemed to allude him without her was clear to see. He never seemed intimidated or nervous with her. Just at ease. Farkle relaxed around Riley.
When Jennifer noticed that, she began to hate Riley Matthews.
She was Farkle's mother. She was the woman who put him at ease, the only woman in his life. Not some little girl who didn't know how to handle the fire she was playing with. Maybe Farkle thought he was in love with Riley, maybe Riley thought she was in love with Farkle, but Jennifer knew it wouldn't last.
Romantic love never did. Look at her and Stuart.
Family, blood, that was what lasted.
Riley was not her family, was not Farkle's. Not even once the teenagers started dating.
Jennifer didn't approve but she figured she'd give them high school. They were young and 'in love' but they were rational enough to realize it wouldn't last forever. At least, Farkle was. He'd been talking about going to Princeton just like Stuart since he was a toddler. Jennifer hadn't thought even Riley could change that.
But she had.
Farkle had picked Riley over Princeton.
And now, Jennifer looked around his cleared out bedroom, Farkle had picked Riley over her, his own mother.
Running her hand over the sheets she'd washed for him just a week ago, Jennifer shook her head and sighed tearfully. He was gone, he'd moved out, he'd waved her goodbye. Her baby boy, her exceptional reason for being.
But he wasn't hers anymore… He'd given himself to Riley Matthews, the 'love of his life'.
Perhaps her father had been wrong because Jennifer had never felt so lonely and she didn't feel even remotely exceptional.
So, Jennifer is resentful and a little messed up. But she does LOVE Farkle, he's her baby boy.