Before she knew what had happened winter had turned into spring and Maya had found herself planning her senior prank. She couldn't believe that it was already April, time really was flying by and she had a sneaking suspicion that Josh had something to do with that. She had no idea how it happened but somehow she had ended up in a stable healthy relationship. When she was a kid, she never saw herself getting her happy ending; but Josh was slowly building up her hope, just like his brother and niece had been doing for years. Between her workload and spending her weekends with Josh, life had been moving pretty quickly. She had also really been enjoying her drawing classes at the university, she couldn't believe that in a few short months she would be living there. Professor Roberts had even asked to see some of Maya's painting and had been giving her advice on improving them.

"Hey babe" Josh walked into Topanga's and kissed his girlfriend before dropping onto the seat in front of her "How's it going?"

"Great" she smiled "I got you your coffee"

"Thanks"

"So how's your day been?"

"Great, I got my case work back and I got a 92, thank you so much for sketching the organs for me, it's definitely what put it over the top"

"It's cool, I got my bio test back and got an A+, Mr Johnson says as long as I get at least a b+ on my final, I'll get an A"

"Wow congrats babe" he smiled "I guess we can call it even"

"Really?" Maya smirked "because I was so looking forward to making it up to you later"

"Oh yeah?" he scooted closer to her "What did you have in mind?"

"Gross guys" Riley interrupted them "I really did not need to hear that"

"Agreed" Farkle added "Dylan and Drew are on their way" upon seeing the confusion on Maya's face he added "Dylan texted me"

"When did my friends become your friends?" Josh laughed.

"When you started hiberdating"

"What the hell does that mean?" Maya laughed.

"Hibernating with the person you're dating"

"We are not hiberdating" Josh deadpanned.

"You totally are" Dylan laughed as he and Drew approached the table.

"Hey Farkle, Riley it's nice to see you again" Drew added. "So what's the plan for tonight?"

"Well I don't know what you're doing" Josh answered "but Maya and I are having dinner at Gino's"

"Is that your sad way of thanking her for doing the sketches because you know Maya I can think of way better ways to thank you Maya"

"Dude I will actually punch you I don't care if you're by bud"

"You can make it up to me by leaving us the hell alone for the rest of the day" Maya laughed.

"We are going shopping tomorrow right? We need to get our dresses" Riley whined.

"I told you Riles, I'm not going to prom"

"What?" Hannah yelled, as she Maria and Simon walked over to the table "you cannot miss your prom Maya. It's a rite of passage"

"I've got to go with Han on this one" Maria said "everyone should go to their senior prom"

"Come on" Riley moaned "It'll be fun"

"My prom was awesome" Drew smirked "I lost it at prom"

"Me too" Hannah laughed.

"Make that three" Maria chuckled.

"See" Simon smirked "it's a rite of passage"

"That ship has sailed" Drew through a knowing smirk at the blushing couple.

"Gross" Riley wrinkled her nose.

"I guess now we know why you want to go so badly Riley" Maria teased.

"You told THEM?" Riley accused her best friend.

"I didn't say anything" she put her hands up in surrender.

"Gross" Josh cringed "I am not okay with this, no niece and uncle should be this close"

"Agreed"

"I'm going to go home and get ready" Maya got up "I'll meet you at the restaurant at seven?"

"No" Josh corrected "I'll pick you up at yours at a quarter to"

"Josh-"

"Seriously? Are we really going to do this again? It's been four months you can't seriously think you're going to win this argument. I'm picking you up and that's that"

"I was just going to say, maybe we should leave a little earlier"

"Oh" he said shocked "well okay then"

It took Maya and hour and a half to shower and get ready but when she looked in the mirror moments before Josh arrived she realised that it had been worth it. Her curls cascaded perfectly down her back, her white silk blouse tucked into her black pleated leather skirt just right and of course, her combat boots adorned her feet. When she opened the door to Josh and his jaw hit the floor she knew that he appreciated the extra time she put into her appearance.

"Oh my God you look absolutely beautiful"

"Thanks babe" she kissed him but when she pulled away she saw that the stunned look was still on his face.

"Seriously, you look stunning. How on earth did I manage to get you to agree to go out with me?"

"You look good too Josh" she blushed.

"No one could ever look as good as you do right now"

"You should probably leave otherwise he'll stand there all night with that dumb look on his face" Shawn smiled from the staircase.

"That might be a good idea" Maya laughed.

"What are the odds that you won't tell Cory and Eric about how much of an idiot I am? Josh asked.

"I wouldn't hold your breath kiddo, I'm already texting Cory"

"I was afraid of that" he groaned.

"Come on we better go or they'll give our table away"

"See you later Shawn"

"Will you be home tonight?" he asked his stepdaughter.

"Probably not, I'll see you tomorrow dad"

"I cannot believe he was so cool with you spending the night" Josh grabbed her hand as the cold New York air hit them.

"I know, he's been so cool these last few weeks"

"Do you think it's because it's almost time?"

"Yeah I think so, he's so far up on cloud nine nothing could drag him down"

"And what about you? Are you excited to have a little brother running around?"

"Excited to see him? Yeah, excited to hear him scream all night? Not really no, thank God in just three short months I'll be on campus full time"

"Thank God indeed"

A little while later they were sat in Maya's favourite Italian restaurant, surrounded by a mouth-watering smell of tomato and garlic and waiting for their meal to arrive. It was in these quiet moments that the young couple realised just how compatible they were, between friends and family they were rarely alone but when they were it was perfection. There were no awkward silences, no uncomfortable conversations no embarrassment, there was only two people in love. There was no denying that the young couple sat in the middle of Gino's trattoria in Manhattan were head over heels for one another.

"Maya" an older woman walked over to them.

"Professor Roberts, it's good to see you" the young blonde smiled.

"This is my husband"

"So you must be the talented little artist that my wife won't stop talking about, it's nice to finally put a face to the name"

"It's nice to meet you" she smiled.

"I don't mean to interrupt your dinner it's just I submitted your piece to the museum of modern art, they're having a show of upcoming talent and they want to display it"

"What?" she smiled "are you serious?"

"One hundred percent, they loved the sketch of the coffee house and the painting of the dorm door, they just called me"

"Oh my God, thank you so much Professor Roberts"

"Talent like yours deserves to be shared Maya, thank you"

"Babe" Josh reached across the table and grabbed her hand "Congrats, this is huge, I'm so proud of you"

"You're Matthews right?" the older man asked "I had you in my chemistry class two years ago correct?"

"Yes sir"

"Good student, your lab partner not so much. I'm sorry about that"

"It's fine, I got an A" he laughed.

"Is he what's behind the door Maya?" Professor Roberts asked.

"Yeah, sorry I'm being so rude, this is my boyfriend Josh"

"Well Mr Mathews I hope you continue to do whatever you're doing because it takes a lot of feelings to produce a painting as beautiful and emotional as that one"

"We should let them get back to their dinner dear" the older man chuckled.

"Of course" she smiled "I'll see you in class on Monday Maya and again congratulations"

"Oh my God Maya!" Josh kissed her "Can you believe it? This is so cool! I am so proud of you babe, seriously"

"They want my art Josh" she answered incredulously.

"Of course they do, they recognize talent when they see it"

"I still can't believe it"

"Waiter can we get some champagne please" he directed at a nearby man "this deserves a toast" he smiled at his girlfriend "so I'm the inspiration huh?"

"Yes and that's why you won't be coming to see it"

"The hell I'm not, like I'm going to miss the chance to show off my awesome girl and her accomplishments"

"Josh" she groaned "it's embarrassing, it's about you"

"I'm not embarrassed, I'm touched"

"Well good for you because I'm embarrassed"

"Well you better get over it because there is no way I'm not coming and you know just as well as I do that the entire family will want to be there too"

"You know I used to wish I had a huge family that would always show up like yours, I never thought it would turn around and bite me in the ass"

"Come on you know you love them and they just want to support you"

"I'm going to have the biggest cheering section there, the entire Mathews clan"

"Plus Farkle, Lucas, Zay and all the guys"

After finishing their meal they decided to head over to the ice cream parlour they both loved on fifth and have desert there. It was one of the only places in New York that maintained its authentic vintage design and serenaded its customers with swing music. As she entered the store she felt a chill run through her but Josh quickly draped his jacket over her shoulders.

"Thanks" she smiled.

"You're welc-"

"Maya" an older man and little girl approached them "it's nice to see you"

"Hey dad"

"It's nice to meet you Mr Hart" Josh stepped in to fill the awkward silence and shook the older man's hand.

"You must be the reason my daughter never seems to have time anymore"

"Oh sorry this my boyfriend Josh"

"How would the two of you feel about coming over this week for dinner?"

"I don't know dad we're both pretty slammed with school and Josh is a med stu-" Maya lost her train of thought because suddenly the young girl accompanying her father began tugging on her skirt. There was no denying that Maya and this girl were related, it was like looking at a little mini me. She had the same huge eyes and the same golden curls.

"You look prettier than in the pictures" she whispered.

"Hey there" she knelt down to look at the little girl "you must be Macy, I've been waiting for a long time to meet you. You're so pretty" she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Will you please come over, and we can play. Megan won't be happy that she didn't get to see you"

"Okay honey, I'll come over"

"How about Wednesday?" her father asked "you would be more than welcome of course Josh"

"I'd like that"

"Me too" Maya whispered.

"We'll see you on Wednesday then?" Her father asked "around seven?"

"Perfect"

"Bye Maya" Her sister hugged her with a huge smile on her face.

"You know we can make up an excuse if you don't want to go" Josh said once Kermit was out of earshot "and if you want to I'll be right by you side, whatever you want"

"I don't know, I mean I don't really want to spend an entire night with the man but I've been thinking about what you said and you're right, it's not the girl's fault that he walked out. I want to know them, I've already missed out on six years of Macie's life and twelve of Megan's, I'm no better than he is if I ignore them for the rest of our lives"

"Wow, well if you're sure babe then I would be happy to escort you"

"Thanks Josh" she kissed him "you do so much for me, I have no idea how to thank you for everything you do for me"

"You don't need to you do things for me too"

"I love you Josh"

"I love you too"

"Now let's get back to your dorm because I think I might have an idea about how to start making it up to you"

"Oh really?" he smirked "is this what you were talking about earlier?"

"Maybe but we'll never know unless we get there"

"How did I manage to land a girl as perfect as you?" Josh asked later as he and Maya laid warmly wrapped in his sheets on his bed later that night.

"It was fate"

"Whatever it was I'm grateful for it"

"Me too" she kissed him.

"So I was thinking about prom…"

"Josh" she groaned.

"Maya come on I want to take you to your prom"

"It's so cheesy Josh"

"It's fun Maya; besides I didn't get to take the girl I wanted to my prom so I should at least get to take her to hers"

"You did not just play that card, low blow babe"

"Come on humour me plus Lucas told me he's throwing the after party so that could be pretty cool"

"Fine but at the first sign of cheese I'm bailing"

"Fine by me" he gave her a peck on the cheek before walking over to his dresser "and to commemorate this huge moment of someone actually changing your mind, I have a gift"

"Josh you really didn't have to"

"But I want to" he presented her a little silver rose charm for her bracelet "do you like it?"

"Josh I love it" she kissed him "thank you. I love you"

"You too"

"So does that mean tomorrow you'll be shopping for dresses with Riles?"

"Yeah I'm going to text her now, maybe the girls will want to come too"

"That's sounds great I have to study tomorrow anyway"

"Ben's gone all week right?" she asked looking over to the made bed on the other side of the room.

"Yeah"

"You want me to come over tomorrow night?"

"Are you sure your parents will be okay with that?"

"Yeah they're going to that fancy dinner at the restaurant so they'll be gone all night. So do you want me to come over or not?"

"I would have you here all the time if I could"

"I would stay here all the time if I could"


"This is it" Riley smiled at the beautiful floor length mint green dress with a sequenced bodice she was wearing "this is the one. What do you think?" she turned to her friends.

"You look stunning Riles" Maya whispered.

"You look beautiful" Maria smiled.

"I can't believe you're related to Matthews, you are way to gorgeous to be his niece"

"Hey!" Maya defended her boyfriend "Will someone please help me know? At this rate I'll be going to prom in my pyjamas"

"Try this one" Maria handed her a midnight blue gown.

"So Zay finally asked Heather and she said yes" Maya said from behind the changing room door.

"Really?" her best friend replied giddily "now that just leaves Farkle"

"I think he's going stag"

"Not if I have anything to do with it"

"Unlikely Riles, I haven't seen him look twice at a girl all year"

"Do you think maybe he's seeing someone in secret?"

"I don't know, he has been acting strange but why wouldn't he tell us?"

"Because he's Farkle"

"I don't know Riles I think you're going to have to get used to him alone at prom, we'll just have to take turns dancing with him." She walked out "What do you think?" their surprised looks were enough response but Riley figured that she should probably word her opinion.

"Oh my God Maya-"

"You should just wear that all the time, why even bother with other clothes?" Maria finished.

"You look breath taking Hart" Hannah smiled "josh is going to lose his mind when he sees you"

"Gross"

"Riley it's been four months get used to it already" the blonde laughed "don't you guys think the cleavage is just a bit much" she looked down at the sheer material that went past a sweetheart neckline that was a little deeper than She would like.

"No" Riley replied "it's perfect plus the silver embroidery really brings out your eyes"

"If you don't get it I'm never speaking to you again Maya" Maria deadpanned.

"Okay, this is it" she smiled.

Moments later the foursome were sat in Topanga's laughing and enjoying their coffee, but of course all good things come to an end and their little slice of nirvana was quickly invaded by a storm.

"Well Well Well" an unmistakable voice began "look what the dog dragged in"

"Get the hell out of here Missy" Maya threatened.

"What? So after you get me expelled from school you think I'm just going to let you go scott free? As if Matthews"

"You got yourself expelled Missy!" Riley spat.

"Just you wait until you get to Columbia freak, you're life's going to be hell"

"I guess it's good I'll be at NYU then isn't it?" she smiled.

"Whatever bitch just remember that this is far from over" she stormed off slamming the door behind her.

"You're going to NYU?" Maya asked excitedly.

"Yeah it's got a better English programme and besides, there are a lot of cool people there. I hope you don't mind but I already requested a dorm for us" no longer able to contain her joy, Maya shot up from her chair and attacked her best friend in a hug.

Okay just let me start by saying how sorry I am that it's taken me so long to update, I started this chapter at least ten times but I just wasn't inspired and the longer I put it off the harder it was for me to write it. Honestly I don't really feel like people are reading so I guess I just felt like it wouldn't really be missed but I'm slowly getting out of my funk so hopefully I'll update again soon. Lots of Joshaya feels in this one so I hope you guys are happy. I'm thinking Farkle needs a love interest, I wonder if you can see where I'm going with that.This will not be the last appearance of Missy or Kermit don't worry I have plenty of mischief planned for the both of them. Hope you enjoyed and as always, please review.