As much as she wanted to, Riley could not prevent herself from continuously staring at where Farkle and Smackle were seated. She should have been engrossed in the novel she had to read for class, after all, she and Lucas had promised to discuss the contents of the chapter once they were both done, but she couldn't pay attention. How could she when Maya was crossed-legged on the floor beside Farkle, because apparently she had forgotten that there were types of behaviour acceptable only in private spaces? Although, it wasn't the fact that Maya had made the floor her home that bothered Riley the most, it was the fact that she had chosen to sit at Farkle's right. Maya could have very well have settled on the floor beside where she was sitting if she truly wanted to, but had instead selected the space furthest away from her. She couldn't help but believe that that was a deliberate decision on Maya's part.

She didn't understand it, but then again, there were many things that she found difficult to comprehend regarding her best friend these days. Not for the first time, Riley had to remind herself of the promise she had made; she would not comment on Maya's behaviour anymore, no matter how much she didn't approve of it, or found it to be out of character. Maya didn't like that she did that, and she wanted to respect her wishes, even if Maya wasn't doing the same. Maya had barely spent twenty minutes with them during her very first lunch period back; she had begged off with a silly excuse about having work to do in the art room. Riley had peeped in on her after a while and had found her deep in conversation with an oddly dressed guy she didn't know over a pile of tattered cloth. That was why she had left them? To fold things?

Maya hadn't even brought the guy up at all since then, and, briefly, Riley had pondered on the idea that Maya liked him but wanted to ensure things were developing nicely before she mentioned it. Riley could have accepted and understood that, even though it stung a bit to know that Maya preferred the company of a guy over their group. And then, to make matters worse, the very next day, a next guy, a considerably cuter one, had come up behind her while they had been standing by Riley's locker. Maya didn't introduce him to her. All Maya had done was given her a quick, one armed hug before walking off with him to Show Choir. And, Riley was certain that she had seen the boy take Maya's bag away from her and casually sling it over his shoulder. Now that was definitely not someone just a friend would do.

Just what was going on?

Riley didn't know how she could bring up the conversation without the entire situation becoming awkward? She couldn't understand why Maya wouldn't say anything if she was interested in someone. Riley would be more than ecstatic if that were the case. It would mean that she had finally found someone of her own, someone she could focus upon in a way that wouldn't make things weird for the rest of them. It would just further cement the fact that the triangle was over in everyone's minds, and that was a good thing, a great thing.

However, Maya's potential relationships were not the only thing Riley was a bit miffed at her friend about, she thought as she watched Maya's face scrounge as she battled with an equation. Maya had turned down her help continuously, and while Riley knew it was a good thing that Maya was actually trying at school, she didn't understand why she wouldn't accept her assistance. All of their algebra classes followed the same structure, and, more often than not, they all found themselves pouring over the same assignments, albeit sometimes on different days. And since Riley's class ran earlier in the week than Maya's, it had long since become a habit for her to automatically pass off her notebook to the blonde once she had finished. But, Maya had refused, and yet was now allowing Farkle to monitor her while she attempted the work. Why was she allowing him to help her, but not her?

More than that, why was Maya suddenly interested in doing work herself? Zay at least had good reason to try, even if he grumbled incessantly while doing it. He had to maintain at least a 2.0 to keep his spot on the baseball team. Maya had no such excuse; Riley hardly doubted that her new clubs had academic requirements. More than likely, all Maya had to do was not flunk out of the school entirely. What had brought about this change in her friend?

Riley shifted her gaze back to her novel as Maya looked up from her page of equations, sighing haggardly. She pretended to casually flip the page, but truthfully, her attention laid solely with Maya as she started speaking.

"Farkle," she said her voice slightly strained as she thrust the paper up at him. "Check these."

"Of course," he agreed, and Riley didn't need to peek to know that he had a small smile on his face as he took it. She could tell Farkle's thoughts and moods from his mannerisms in her sleep; extending that to the nuances of his voice was not much different to that.

She peered over the top of her book again, this time mildly surprised to see that Lucas was also subtly observing them with interest. She briefly grimaced at that before dismissing the thought. She knew that Lucas had picked up on Maya's odd behaviour as well. He was just being a good friend and checking to see that if there was anything that he needed to do to help her. Maya actually seemed a bit nervous as she waited on Farkle to finish. After a moment, Smackle pressed her arm against his and started looking over the page as well, poking at something further down the page that Farkle nodded at before bending closer to where Maya was.

"You went off on the last one."

Maya scrounged her nose at that. "Yeah, I don't really understand what they want there."

"Let me show you," he offered, before turning the page over and taking the pen from her.

Riley tuned out his explanations, but took note of the fact that Maya wasn't making funny faces or silly jokes as she usually did; she was actively paying attention, at one point even making him go back and explain a part of it to her again.

"I think I've got it now Farkle," she said eventually, taking it back from him. "Thanks. I'll re-write these later."

"Hang on a bit," Farkle requested, before, with Smackle's help, jotted down what Riley guessed to be a few more equations. "Try these for me."

Riley smiled slightly when Maya glared at him, and all but snatched the paper out of his hand. But, despite that, she settled down quietly to work on them, much to Farkle's amusement. Glancing at Lucas, she saw a soft smile on his face before he went back to his own work. She observed longer though, watching for the nearly ten minutes it took for Maya to slowly work her way through the problems, occasionally going back to the one Farkle had corrected for her before continuing. Finally, and much more nervous than before, Maya handed it over again.

"Perfect!" Farkle declared, high fiving her.

Riley had to admit that the pure joy that covered Maya's face at his reaction was heart-warming, and she couldn't resist grinning as Maya demanded that he draw a smiley face for her before he gave it back. It was as precious as that A in Spanish, Riley noted as Maya hugged the page.

"Good job Maya," Lucas praised, startling Riley, because she hadn't even realised that his attention had shifted back to her friend.

Maya's smile changed slightly at that. She was still happy, but there was a hint of something else there that Riley couldn't understand as Maya tucked her hair behind her ear. She didn't respond to him beside a brief, almost tentative nod.

"Mom!" she called out a moment later as Mrs. Hart came out of the backroom, and scrambled to her feet before hurrying over, waving the paper at her.

Riley agreed with Zay's "Awww" when the woman kissed her cheek in congratulations. It was a cute sight. Maya left the paper with her, and skipped off in the direction of the washrooms. Curiosity sated for now, Riley made a concerted effort to return to her book, only for a new distraction to present itself.


Josh was feeling very proud of himself as he walked down the stairs leading to the bakery. It had taken a bit of manoeuvring, but he had successfully negotiated his way into an earlier study group that day, the result of which was that he was now a free man. He walked in, breathing in the homely smell with relish. He supposed that the bakery received more than enough traffic that none of those present in it would take note of a new arrival. Their obliviousness gave him a few seconds to peruse the room, noting that all save one particular blonde was present. He wasn't perturbed by that though, she would come along soon enough, and in the interim, he had someone to harass.

"There's my niece!" he declared loudly from the door, grinning as her head spun in the direction of his voice.

"Uncle Josh!" she gasped out.

He walked behind the couch she was on and wrapped her arms around her shoulder in a hug before pressing an affectionate kiss to the top of her head.

"Hey kiddies," he added, freeing a hand long enough to wave to the rest of the group.

"Pretty Face, why are you here?" Smackle asked, and Josh blinked, surprised because, yup, she really was talking to him.

"Smackle," Farkle said with a sigh, "behave."

"I'm just pointing out the truth," she defended.

"What are you doing here Uncle Josh?" Riley asked, tilting her head backwards to look at him.

"Apparently saving the lot of you from a particularly dreadful Friday night," he declared, moving so that his hands were now settled lightly on her shoulders. "Are you really doing homework?"

"That's what I said," Zay lamented. "But I got overruled."

"Democracy isn't all that it's cracked up to be sometimes," Josh sympathised.

"We're just being responsible," Friar said, looking at him coolly.

For the first time since he had entered the room, Josh actually bothered to look at him. He would readily admit that he had conflicted feelings regarding the Texan native. To a certain extent, he supposed, he always had; they were just a lot more prominent now. He didn't feel too bad about that fact though. Friar had, from the start, always picked up a bit of an attitude when it came to him, and, from their very first interactions, Josh had had an inkling why. The circumstances were different now, and yet Friar was acting the same way toward him. Interesting, he thought, resisting a smirk.

"Yeah well there's a time and a place for everything," he answered, "and Friday are for fun, games, and dates. Please tell me you guys have plans for the night beyond this at the very least," he added, looking around at the rest of them.

"Smackle and I are checking out the new astronomy exhibit at the museum," Farkle offered, and, to his credit, Smackle seemed really excited about the activity.

"A man with a plan," he declared, giving him an approving nod, "throw in some food after that and you've got yourself a proper date. And you Zay?" he said, looking to where the teenager had tossed his notebook aside, obviously taking advantage of his presence to give up on his work.

"Got a Skype movie date with Vanessa at nine," he revealed.

"Long distance," Josh responded, a bit impressed. "Not everyone can make that work. Good on you, Zay."

"I'm trying," Zay answered.

Josh gave him a thumbs up. Finally he looked down at Riley. "What are you and the cowboy doing?" he inquired, and, perhaps he had not succeeded in appearing as neutral as he thought given the way Riley frowned.

"Uncle Josh," she said, "what's wrong? Lucas is my boyfriend now. You should be happy."

"Should I?"

"Yeah, you should. You're the one who helped convinced daddy to let me go on my first date with him, remember?"

Josh nodded, reluctantly agreeing to that. But, he told himself, it wasn't as if he had expected it to go anywhere. That wasn't the Matthews' style, at least from the get go. Eric had played the field for all of his school years. Cory had had a revolving door of girls as well before eventually settling down with Topanga. And, it wasn't as if Topanga hadn't done her fair share of dating as well. He actually figured that that was why Cory was so gung-ho about denying Riley the right to date for as long as he could; he knew exactly how teenager boys could be (something that Josh himself could also attest to). But, he hadn't been as worried as his brother, more than likely because of the scant age difference between himself and his niece. He hadn't really thought that her first date would have gone far beyond that. Like seriously, whose first date ever actually panned out into happily ever after? He probably wouldn't have been as supportive of her then if he had had a glimpse into the future. Or maybe even he would have bumped her into Minkus' kid instead. He, at least, would have been the safer bet.

"Yeah well there's a clear difference between going on a date and having a boyfriend Riley," he responded, condensing his thoughts into that single line. "I'm not quite sure you're ready for that."

"Well it's a good thing we don't need your approval," Lucas retorted, a bit smugly.

Josh arched a brow at that, mildly impressed by his gumption. "I wouldn't bet on that Friar," he warned.

"Wow boy," Zay declared, sounding entirely too amused. "Show down of the century here folks. We're taking bets. Who's going to win this? Josh, the uncle, or Lucas, the boyfriend."

"This isn't a competition Zay," Riley snapped, shooting him a disapproving look. "Besides," she continued, "they're just playing around. Right you two?"

It was the hesitance in Riley's voice that drew Josh fully back into reality, and, breaking his stare with the younger male, he patted her head reassuringly. He supposed he had let his emotions get to him a bit, because he truly had not had any intentions of facing off with Friar. Not yet, he supposed, remembering Cory's reluctant statement that things needed to play out as it should with minimal interference.

"We're fine Riley," Lucas reassured her. "We're just playing. Right?" he added, eyeing him.

Josh resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Apparently the Riley committee was still in full progress, even if Maya had tendered her resignation from it to Farkle earlier that week. Unfortunately for Friar, Josh wanted no part of it. He didn't buy into this idea of protecting Riley, and he was just about to set the record straight when they were all distracted by a loud squeal from behind him. He beamed, forgetting about Friar as he braced himself for the impact he knew was coming. Despite his best preparation though, his knees still buckled slightly with the force of Maya's landing. Within seconds, he had her balanced on his back, his arms automatically curling around her legs to keep her secure, even as he felt her arms snake around his neck.

"Boing," she hummed, and he chuckled when he felt her cheek press against his shoulder.

"I was wondering where you were," he responding, craning his neck so that he could see her.

"Awww, you missed me?" she asked, pulling back slightly.

"A bit," he allowed, before smiling as pleasure radiated across her face at his response.

"Don't choke the boy," Mrs. Hart said as she came to stand beside him.

"I won't if I can keep him," she retorted, her voice taking on a childish lilt.

"You'll have to feed him twice daily and take him for walks," the woman lectured, playing along.

"Hey," Josh protested, "I'll have you know I eat at least three times a day."

"We'll manage," Maya promised. Mrs. Hart, slapped her daughter's thigh playfully before walking away to deal with a customer. "See, you're a keeper Boing," Maya cooed.

"And you're a silly ferret," he returned as he walked over to the window seat. "Off you," he bid, angling himself so that she could drop off safely.

"Nope!" she said jovially, and he felt her limbs tighten around him.

"Maya," Riley chastised. "Get off Uncle Josh."

"It's okay Riley," Josh reassured her, even as Maya stuck her tongue out at her before pointedly snuggling a bit closer. "I know what to do."

"Carry me forever?" Maya inquired playfully.

"Nope!" Josh mimicked, before turning his back to the nearest wall. "I'll make myself a Maya pancake instead."

Maya squeaked as he rocked back against it, squishing her. She chortled and briefly fought back, but he was strong enough that she was pinned. Finally giving in, she slackened her hold, dropping her feet to the ground.

"I win," he declared turning to grin down at her.

She was still laughing when he grabbed her hand and tumbled her down with him to the seat. His expression softened when she briefly rested her head against his shoulder. There was no sign of any negative emotion on her face when he looked at her, something he was glad to note. She had had a rough few weeks, it was good to see her content like this. He couldn't help but bop her nose with a finger, chuckling at the mild glare she shot at him.

It was only then that he noticed the silence around them. Truthfully he had shifted his focus solely to her during their horseplay, but now, looking away from her, he found that they had an audience observing them, their expressions varied. Maya too seemed to notice it because her grip on his hand tightened minutely. Zay and Smackle seemed particularly interested in what they were seeing. She had actually moved to sit beside him, and, frankly, a bowl of popcorn would not appear too out of place on one of their laps. Farkle's expression was more contemplative than anything else, as if he was simply striving to understand what he was seeing.

Riley and Friar though…

Friar was all but scowling and, once more, Josh had to restrain himself from not returning the expression two-fold. There was that old theory of his again, he thought, even as a bit of anger curled within him. That expression had no place on his face when his girlfriend – Josh's niece – was seated right there on the couch right next to him. And yet, as his eyes shifted from the Texan to Riley, he felt a bit of confusion at the dumbfounded look on her face.

"What?" he couldn't help but ask.

"What's going on?" Riley asked, hesitantly, looking pointedly down at where their hands were clasped on his knee.

"I think it's clear what's going on Riley," Smackle responded.

"Seems pretty clear to me," Zay agreed. "Those two are got first class seats on the Loveeeeeeee Train."

"Not funny Zay," Friar said, even as Farkle asked, "When did this happen?"

Josh didn't answer them immediately. Instead, he looked down at Maya who was now guiltily nibbling at her lip. "Correct me if I'm wrong Maya," he said, "but the last time we spoke, didn't you say that everything was okay? That you'd talked about everything."

The teenager pouted a bit as she met his gaze. "Yeah well maybe I didn't tell Riley everything," she responded. "And maybe I left out a couple of details about…things."

Josh scowled at her, and her pout intensified before she pointedly looked away. "It's not like I lied," she muttered.

"You just omitted the truth," he rebutted, squeezing down on her hand briefly to draw her eyes back up to him.

"What's going on?" Riley repeated, her voice a bit more agitated now. "What is this? Why are you two holding hands?"

"Maya?" he said inquiringly, offering her no quarter.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but he just returned her gaze levelly. After a second, her shoulders slumped and she faced forward. "This is the long game Riley," she said simply.

Riley gaped, actually gaped, and briefly Josh's more devious nature wished he had a bit of paper he could toss into her mouth, just for kicks.

"When did this happen?" Friar asked, staring at Maya who started to fidget slightly.

"At the Ski Lodge," he responded, deciding to have a bit of mercy on her. He had to admit that his surprise visit had put her into a bit of an awkward position. While he hadn't even thought that she would have withheld the full story from her friends, he, perhaps, should have cleared it with her before he had come like this.

"Two weeks?" Friar said, frowning. "This has been happening for two weeks? Why didn't you say something Maya?"

"I asked you if you knew what was wrong, Uncle Josh," Riley added, her tone hurt. "You told me you didn't, and you've been dating Maya this entire time."

"Wow, we aren't dating," Josh said quickly.

"Don't be mad at Josh," Maya put in, her voice nearly overlapping his. "I asked him not to say anything to you; I wasn't ready to talk and I was worried that if he said something you'd start to bug me. If you want someone to blame, blame me."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Josh told her.

"But I'm your niece," Riley protested.

"Priorities change situation dependent kiddo," he said, "and in this situation, Maya was my priority. You'll get that someday."

Riley's mouth twisted into a single line, and she started to jiggle her legs as if trying to find an outlet for her emotions. "Bay window," she declared, fixing Maya with a stern look. "Bay window r-"

"In about four hours," Josh interrupted her smoothly. "Maya has plans right now."

"I do?" Maya asked, confused.

Josh nodded. "I didn't just come here to surprise you with my presence," he informed her. "I figured we could go out. I have a party at eleven, which I've learnt means that I don't actually need to be there before twelve. So, what do you say? You want to hang out until curfew?"

"Don't got a curfew," Maya said, grinning up in his face. "Never have."

"Really?" he asked, looking to where her mother was, a few tables away. "Future Mrs. Hunter, can I steal your daughter for a few hours?"

She looked up, cocking her head for a moment. "It's fine with me," she responded. "But, you sure baby girl is going to bring you back?"

Josh glanced down, taking in Maya's excited expression. "Send help if I don't show up in three days?"

She laughed, but nodded, walking over. "Remember I'm hanging out with Topanga tonight Maya, so the place will be empty if you come back before midnight," she told her. "Don't lead Josh all over the place; he's still learning the city. Don't take advantage of that."

"Mom," Maya whined.

"Does she really not have a curfew?" Josh asked, astounded.

The woman shot him a sheepish look, but nodded. "Have fun baby girl," she bid before heading back to the counter.

"You're lucky," he couldn't help but say, a bit envious. According to Cory, their parents had gone extremely lax by the time he had been a teenager, but he still had to be home by no later than midnight until last year when they had bumped it to one.

"I can't believe this," Riley said, "Maya's going on a date with my uncle. My uncle."

"We're just hanging out Riley," Maya responded. "It isn't serious."

"Says the girl who has yet to let his hand go this entire time," Smackle pointed out, causing them both to blush.

"Why don't we just get out of here, huh?" he offered, running his fingers through his hair. He could feel tension rising, and he knew that if he wanted Maya to have a good time with him, it would be best for them to leave now.

"Cool," Maya agreed, standing. "Um…later guys," she said rather lamely. "And yeah Riley, we'll talk okay?"

"Take her somewhere nice Friar," Josh added, because at the very least, his niece deserved a nice evening after the shock she had gotten, even if it was with him.

Without really waiting for a response, Josh waited the few seconds it took Maya to grab her jacket, and then, they were out the door.