Girl Meets Upstate and Finds Validation
[A/N- An AU in which Riley and Maya seek Shawn's help in his Upstate Cabin and he gives them answers but not what they necessarily initially wanted to hear- some quoted dialogue from the episode but then will become a total AU. Characters belong to Michael Jacobs and Disney not me and I'm doing this for no monies]
Shawn opens the door of his cabin to find Riley and Maya on the outside carrying two large trash bags.
"Nice move, Maya. Running away, coming here. Something I would do," Shawn chuckled.
" It wasn't my idea," Maya gulped.
"What? You did this?" Shawn gasped as he turned to Riley.
"I don't want to tell him," Maya sighed as they came inside.
"You came all this way. Tell me," Shawn proclaimed as he walked over to the stove and lifted the kettle off.
" You made us tea?" Riley asked.
"Oh! Yeah! And I got these Swedish butter cookies. Shawn laughs sets the packet of Swedish butter cookies on the table and pours the pot of tea into a mug.
"What's become of you?" Riley gulped.
"I'm evolving. It's uh, it's actually been quite a journey. I like who I am. Look! Mountains! And trees! So many trees! Oh, and there's that squirrel I talk to!" Shawn laughs as he eats a cookie.
"Uncle Shawn, my best friend is broken, and you did it!" Riley fumed.
"Me?" Shawn gulped.
"I need it to be you, because if it isn't you, then it's me and I don't want it to be me, so it needs to be you," Riley proclaims.
Shawn looks at Riley with a jaundiced, weary look and is tempted to tell Riley off but before he actually does, he decides to ask Maya a question.
"Maya, why do you think you are broken?" Shawn asked.
" Remember how I was just like you?" Maya asked.
"Not exactly," Shawn pondered.
"Well, we both were tough and edgy!" Maya insisted.
"What do you mean?" Shawn asked.
" Why do you have Swedish butter cookies?" Maya asked.
" Because I like them! I don't have to like just one kind of food! No one does! Why do you think Maya is broken and why do you think it's my fault?" Shawn asked as he turned his attention to Riley.
"There can't be two Rileys! For the world to work, there needs to be one Riley and one Maya," Riley proclaimed.
"What did you just say?" Shawn gulped.
" I said that there can't be two Rileys and for the world to work, there needs to be . .. " Riley repeated.
"That's what I thought you said but I hoped against hope I hadn't heard you right," Shawn fumed.
"But, Uncle Shawn. .." Riley sputtered.
"First of all, have you seen any streaming or news in the last hundred years? The world is NOT working- but you're just a speck among the 7 billion folks in it so don't think the world's dysfunction in any way depends on either of your personalities," Shawn fumed.
"But Shawn, it's not just Riley who says I'm broken my art teacher says I'm incomplete," Maya sputtered.
"Do YOU think you are broken and incomplete?" Shawn gasped.
"Well, Riley says that. .. " Maya started to say.
"That's NOT what I asked. What do YOU think? Are you really losing your edge . Do you think you've disappeared and stopped being Maya?" Shawn asked.
"Well, I'm getting better grades and haven't been in trouble for a while so . ." Maya gulped.
"And you think getting bad grades and staying in trouble is ALL you, Maya Hart, are capable of as yourself?" Shawn asked.
"Well, no but getting better grades and staying out of trouble is more like Riley," Maya sighed.
"Maybe in the past but don't sell yourself short," Shawn insisted.
"Is this about the clothes you bought Maya?" Riley asked as she slapped the large trash bags.
"No, whether she keeps or loses them is up to her with no pressure from either of us," Shawn sighed.
"But, Uncle Shawn. .." Riley gasped.
" Look, for a long time I bought the Kool Aid that since my folks lived in a trailer court, I was nothing but Trailer Trash and could never hope to get out of the trailer court or have anyone besides Cory like me," Shawn insisted.
"Is that why you're drinking tea and eating Swedish butter cookies?" Riley asked.
"There's more to it than that! Someone mentored me and told me that I could be more than Trailer Trash and encouraged me to express myself in poetry and photos," Shawn pondered.
"Dad, right?" Riley asked.
"No, actually someone who,for many years I convinced myself had hated me because he found fault with my work, "Shawn considered.
"Your father?" Maya asked.
"No. Actually, it was Mr. Feeny. It turned out that he wasn't finding fault because he hated me. He hated to see me my waste my potential. He said I should believe in myself. Dream. Try. And do good! "Shawn reflected as he sipped the tea and dunked the cookie.
"But there can't be two Rileys!" Riley insisted.
"Riley, she's NOT being you or becoming you," Shawn fumed.
"But. ." Riley started to say.
"Riley, are you saying that you can't be friends with Maya unless she gets bad grades and stays in trouble?" Shawn asked.
"No, that's not true!" Riley insisted.
"Then what are you afraid of, if Maya becomes happy by improving herself?" Shawn asked.
"I'm not afraid!" Riley sputtered.
"Then why did you drag Maya all the way here to see me to see if I could somehow fix what isn't broken?" Shawn asked.
" Shawn, why are you attacking Riley?" Maya gasped.
" Why aren't you defending yourself and your own pursuit of happiness?" Shawn replied.
"What do you mean?" Maya asked.
"Suppose Lucas or Farkle started to tell Riley that by HER getting good grades and staying out of trouble that she was losing herself,and becoming Topanga or Missy Bradford," Shawn pondered.
" Why, I'd tear those boys new ones in no time flat for trying to take the wind out of her sails and discouraging her from pursuing her dreams!" Maya fumed.
"So don't you think you're worth doing the same for yourself?" Shawn asked.
"But my art teacher. .." Maya pleaded.
"Not all teachers are infallible and it's not about what your art teacher, Cory, Riley, your mother or even what I think is best for you but what you believe is best for you!" Shawn insisted.
"But what if Riley dumps. ..?" Maya asked.
" Cory and I haven't always seen eye-to-eye down the years and we've even had our splits but, in the end, true friends always want what's best for each other even if they don't start out comfortable with their friends changing for the better, " Shawn laughed.
"OK, Uncle Shawn. Maybe I'm a teensy bit worried that with Maya getting smart and happy, she won't need . ..er want to be around me," Riley conceded.
"Riley, we've been through so much down the years! Of course I want to be around you! I came here with you instead of telling you to make it a solo trip!"Maya proclaimed as she hugged Riley.
"Oh, Maya. Can you forgive my insecurity?" Riley asked.
"You've had it your whole life and so have I!" Maya laughed.
"Maybe you could let her speak at the Podium at your Graduation when you get to be Valedictorian the way Topanga did for me," Shawn considered.
"Yeah, I could do that for Maya," Riley insisted.
"I was speaking to BOTH of you. Time will tell which of you gets to be there but I'm confident one of you will do so," Shawn proclaimed with a laugh.
"Shawn, I got your call! My! Aren't you looking like Feeny's Father!" Cory laughed as he walked into the cabin.
"Thanks for the compliment!" Shawn laughed.
"Huh? Girls, I'd better take you home. Uncle Shawnnie's gone off his rocker," Cory gulped.