AN: Hi! Here's Chapter 25! More drama! Let's keep our fingers crossed that it all ends well. Happy reading and hope you have a great weekend!

Chapter 25, July 4th, Part 3

"What happened tonight, Son? I need you to be completely honest with us," Alan said calmly as he sat next to his wife and faced Josh and Maya. "Because to be honest with you, I'm a bit disappointed right now. This is not how I expected our family dinner to go tonight. Your Mom, Topanga and Katy worked very hard so that we could all enjoy our dinner together as a family. Clearly, that's not what's happening right now. Now, I've seen Shawn angry, but tonight was on a whole other level. You should be thanking God that I intervened when I did. Who knows what could have happened? So, talk to us. Now is your chance to explain yourself."

"And, just so you know, we're not here to yell at you guys or punish you," Amy said softly as she smiled affectionately at them. "There are always two sides to every story. So, we want to hear your side- and hopefully- that will help us get to the bottom of this situation and resolve any tensions. So, feel free to be completely honest with us- both of you."

Josh sighed as he brushed his hand slowly through his hair before speaking. "Mom, Dad, I'm really sorry," He muttered. "It's all my fault and I take full responsibility for everything that happened tonight."

"Josh, you didn't do anything wrong," Maya interrupted him. "Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, he really didn't," She boldly addressed Josh's parents.

"Goodness, Maya, you can call us by our first names. No need for formalities. We've known you for a while now- since you were a wee, lil gal," Alan said as he chuckled softly.

Amy smiled warmly at her. "Let Josh finish speaking Maya. Ok, Sweetie?" She told her gently. "I know you're itching to defend him but allow him to say his part first and then you can say yours, alright?"

"Ok," Maya mumbled.

"Alright, great. Go ahead, Honey," She addressed Josh.

"Ok. So, yeah, like I was saying, I take full responsibility for everything," Josh stated. "I texted Maya like an hour before dinner and asked her to come hang out in my room. We were just chatting the whole time for the most part. And we were definitely planning to come down for dinner on time. But then I got carried away towards the end when we started kissing and I shouldn't have done that. So, I'm really sorry. I promise it's not going to happen again," Josh looked up at his parents with an apologetic look on his face.

"It wasn't like an inappropriate kiss," Maya immediately defended him. "He wasn't going too far or doing anything I was uncomfortable with. Josh has never done that. I just wanted to make that clear. That's what I was trying to tell my dad, but he just didn't want to listen…" Maya's voice trailed off as she sighed in frustration.

"Shawn's not in the greatest mood to hear anything now Maya. But he'll calm down, so don't worry too much," Alan explained. "You know, as a father to this troublesome lad over here," Alan pointed at Josh with a teasing grin, "I can kind of understand where Shawn is coming from. He's very new to this whole fatherhood thing, Maya, and he's determined to be the perfect father. The problem is, there is no such thing as the perfect father. God knows with four kids, I've made my fair share of mistakes. Josh can tell you if you ask him. Right Son?"

"No comment, Pops," Josh muttered teasingly with a wide grin that Maya immediately noticed looked exactly like his father's. She couldn't help but smile widely in amusement as she observed their playful interaction.

Alan laughed when he heard Josh's diplomatic response. "See, that's the thing with Josh- he learned how to avoid any type of confrontation really early on. Never had a lotta issues with Josh. He knew when to keep his mouth shut, when to give the right answers, when to be polite, he knew how to act which way with which person cos he'll just sit down and observe ya and figure you all out...At first I thought I had the strangest son in the world, but then I thought, nah, he's just really smart. What dyou think, Sweetheart? Sometimes, I think we saved the best for last, wouldn't you agree? I'm banking on him making us super rich one day. Early retirement here we come! Never had that expectation with Eric or Cory," He told his wife jokingly. Amy grinned amusedly at that comment and shook her head in disapproval.

"Maya, Sweetie, remember when Alan said he's not a perfect father? Well, he just showed why," Amy told her. "Playing favorites with your kids is a no - no. Never a good idea. Remember that one day when you have your own kids. Ok, Sweetheart?"

Maya grinned. "Ok, Mrs. Matthews."

"Nope. Amy. Please call me, Amy. No need to be so formal," She smiled at her.

"Ok...Amy," Maya said shyly. She felt like she was doing something wrong. Josh grinned amusedly when he saw how timid and polite she was acting. He wasn't used to seeing this side of her very often. He was definitely going to tease her about it later on.

"Alright, let's get back to the issue at hand and wrap this up. I dunno about you guys but I'm starving, and my wife is a great cook," He beamed at Amy before turning his attention back to them. "So, lemme get this straight. You two are a couple now? Boyfriend and girlfriend?" He asked curiously.

Josh and Maya both nodded. "Sorry you had to find out about it this way, Dad," Josh said. "I was gonna tell you and Mom about it- probably, tomorrow- but then this happened…"

"Right, I see," Alan responded. "How long have you guys been in this relationship, Son?"

"It's really been just this week," Josh stated. "I asked Maya to be my girlfriend just last Saturday."

"Wow, ok," Alan nodded in immense amusement. "I mean, I know you've always been kinda private with your personal stuff Josh, but you really told us nothing here. I had no idea something was even going on between you two this whole time. I mean, did you, Amy? And you just didn't tell me?"

"Nope," Amy shook her head. "I'm a bit disappointed you didn't give us a heads-up, Honey, about your relationship with Maya. I know you're a grown-up, college boy now but it still would have been nice to know something."

"Sorry Mom. Sorry Dad," Josh apologized once again. "Maya and I have liked each other for a while now but I never thought I would act on my feelings for her because of the age difference. But that all kind of changed earlier this year when I went on Cory's class ski trip and we both admitted our feelings for each other. From there, things kind of progressed and yeah, here we are…" He muttered shyly as he glanced at Maya. Maya glanced back at him and they both gave each other a shy smile before quickly breaking eye-contact.

"Well, ok, that's good to know," Alan responded as he observed them closely.

"Maya, on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, how much do you like my son?" Amy asked her curiously.

Maya grinned widely. "Um, can I choose, 11?" She quickly responded. They all burst out laughing.

"Wow," Alan stated. "Well look at that. She's completely smitten. How about you, Son? Can we ask you the same question?"

"No," Josh immediately responded. This made them all laugh even harder.

"What? You're not ready to declare your undying love for your girlfriend? She just did for you!" Alan teased him.

"Yeah, I'm good," Josh muttered as he felt himself blushing slightly. Alan chuckled as he grinned widely at his son.

"I love teasing Josh, Maya. Just so you know. He always tries to be so serious and perfect so it's fun to ruffle his feathers a bit."

"I love teasing him too!" Maya responded with an amused grin.

"Well look at that! We have something in common! I like her already, Amy! Let's approve their marriage!" Alan exclaimed jokingly.

Amy simply shook her head at her husband's shenanigans. "Let's get back on track, Alan. My food is getting cold," She stated matter-of-factly.

"Right, fair point," Alan stated as he turned back to Josh and Maya. "Well, thanks for being honest with us kids and telling us the whole story. I, personally, have no issues with you guys being a couple. You seem to like each other very much, even when you were kids. You remember, Sweetie?"

"Yep," Amy nodded with a fond smile. "Sitting in the tree-house, just talking. I remember that. To be honest, I'm not surprised at all. Cory and Topanga started off the same way. Only difference is- they grew up together. You guys still have a bit of a ways to go in terms of getting to know each other though."

"Not to mention the age difference," Alan pointed out. "Obviously, it wouldn't be a problem if you were both in college, but with Maya still being in high school...I assume that's why Shawn isn't too crazy about you two being together?"

"I'm not so sure," Josh replied with a frustrated sigh. "I think it's more like I didn't consult him before I asked Maya to be my girlfriend...so he felt blindsided once I told him...and he also probably thinks I'm rushing things cos I don't have pure motives, so yeah…"

"Well, you should've asked him before making such a big decision, Son, concerning his underage daughter," Alan pointed out. "I mean, you owe him that respect as Maya's father. So, you definitely screwed up there. No wonder he's not a happy camper. I am also concerned that maybe you guys are rushing things. Like your mother said, there's a lot that you both still need to know and learn about each other, primarily because you've lived separate lives for a long time before things kind of clicked for you two earlier this year. Had you asked me for my advice, Josh, I would have told you to wait and get to know Maya more as a friend before taking the next step of making her your girlfriend. However, with that being said, what's done is done. Now, the ultimate question as to whether you guys can continue with this relationship can only be answered by your parents, Maya- Shawn and Katy. As supportive as Amy and I are of you guys, they have the final say as to what happens next because Maya is underage. My advice will be for you guys to listen to what Shawn and Katy have to say and to obey them. Josh- your mother and I raised you to be a respectful, young man. You need to remember that you're not the one in charge here. Maya's parents are. Now, if Maya was older then perhaps this wouldn't be much of an issue. You two will both be adults. But precisely because she's not- and here's where the age difference makes things complicated- you're completely at the mercy of her parents' opinion of this relationship. I expect you to listen to them and to immediately follow whatever it is they tell you to do. I don't ever wanna hear that you're cutting corners or doing anything with Maya behind their backs that they do not approve of. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Dad," Josh muttered meekly.

"You two also need to take things slow physically," Alan continued. "Now, Josh, I expect you to be the one to always lead in that aspect. I understand you like Maya a lot, but the slower, the better. I don't think I need to say more about that given we've had conversations in the past about this. Are we on the same page, Son?"

"Yeah," Josh nodded.

"Slow and steady always wins the race. And focus on friendship. Because when you're old and boring as Amy and I are here, that's pretty much all you got left. Right, Honey?" He beamed at his wife.

"Shut up, Alan. Speak for yourself. Who says I'm old and boring?" Amy retorted as she rolled her eyes at him. "Am I old and boring, Sweetheart?" She asked Josh.

"Of course not," Josh responded with an affectionate grin. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world, Mom. No idea what this old bozo here is talking about," He pointed to his dad.

"Wow," Alan intoned as Amy and Maya burst out laughing. "I'm offended," Alan stated. "Can I still disown him, even though he's an adult now?" He asked his wife curiously. Amy giggled.

"What happened to him being your favorite? Ya changed your mind that quickly?" She teased her husband.

Alan chuckled at that comment. "Good point. I still need his money for early retirement. I forgot about that."

Josh simply shook his head in immense amusement at his parents' antics. He quickly whispered in Maya's ear, "Told you it'll be ok with them," before pulling back and rubbing her back soothingly. Maya smiled widely at him in response.

"Ok, back to business!" Alan stated as he clapped his hands together. "So, the good news is- we're fine with you two being together provided you listen to all the advice we have given you. The bad news is- our opinion on this doesn't really matter. Shawn and Katy are in charge here. And Shawn's clearly not happy with any of this- which means, you guys will have to do some fingers crossing in the meantime. I think what we should do now, is go talk to your parents, Maya. I think the four of us should sit down with them right now and hear their side and how they want to proceed going forward. Hopefully, once we're done with that- we can all pretend to have a happy, family dinner. Now, fair warning, things might not go the way you guys are hoping for once we sit down with them. But that's life. Things don't always work out the way you want, and that's ok. Sometimes, it's all for the best. But it takes a while and a lot of patience to realize that. You know what I'm saying, kids?"

"Yeah," Josh and Maya both nodded.

"Good. So, don't get disheartened if you hear anything tonight you don't wanna hear. Just be a little patient. Everything works out in the end. You can ask Cory and Topanga about that," Alan stated as he and Amy shared a knowing smile.

"Alright. Without further ado, let's go chat with Shawny. Hopefully, he's calmed down by now. Brace yourself, kids," Alan warned them.

"I don't want him killing my son, Alan. You're gonna have to watch him," Amy told her husband in a slightly worried tone.

Alan laughed. "Josh will be fine. You can take care of yourself, right Son?"

Josh raised his eyebrows at his dad. "I'm terrified, Dad. Just make sure you're ready to call 911. Also, don't be surprised if I'm hiding behind you the entire time. That's all I gotta say."

Amy, Maya and Alan chuckled in amusement at that comment.

"You'll be ok, Son," Alan stated. "You know, Maya, Amy's parents didn't approve of our relationship way back in the day. So, she and I ended up eloping so that we could be together. Not to give you guys any ideas or anything." Maya giggled in amusement.

"It is worth mentioning that we were a little older than you guys when we did this," Amy explained. "So, please don't try it! I was 21 and Alan was 25. A handsome, charming, but a little wild young man."

"Why, thank you, Sweetheart," Alan beamed at his wife. Josh rolled his eyes at his parents but couldn't help smiling a bit. He had heard their elopement love story several times over the years.

"See, the thing is her folks wanted her with this other loser who was more established with money and all. But the heart wants what it wants. So, I get how you guys are feeling. But again, you're way too young to be making any decisions on this. So, unfortunately, parents gotta decide. It is what it is. Alright, let's go now. Start saying your prayers, kids," He grinned teasingly at them.

"Ignore him," Amy muttered consolingly to Maya as she observed the young girl looking extremely worried after Alan's comment.

They all got up and headed off to Cory and Shawn's room with Amy and Alan leading the way. Josh held on to Maya's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze as they approached their destination. He was clearly aware that this was a pivotal moment for their relationship, and as hopeless as the situation looked, he wanted her to know that he would always be there for her.

They had arrived, and Alan was just about to knock on the door when he suddenly let out a soft moan and collapsed onto the floor with a loud thump sound.

"OH MY GOD, ALAN!" Amy screamed.

"DAD!" Josh yelled out in panic as he rushed towards his father and quickly checked his pulse.

"What the hell is going on?! Oh my God! DAD!" Cory yelled as he, Shawn, Eric, Topanga and Katy came out of the room and rushed towards Alan. Josh's heart was racing as he desperately tried to find his father's pulse. For a frightening moment, he felt his entire world and everything he had ever known come crashing down.