Planning a wedding is something Shawn had never given much thought to. Except when he was running around getting everything ready for Cory and Topanga's wedding, Shawn had never been a huge part of any weddings. Even Jon's wedding back in the day. He just had to show up and be there for Jon. He certainly never thought he'd have his own wedding to figure out.

Now, he was in charge. He had to make everything perfect so he could marry the woman he cares most about in the world.

After proposing, Shawn spends a few days with Katy. They discuss their ideas for a wedding, but ultimately, they really aren't sure how to make this event happen. Neither one of them spent much time over the years fantasizing about weddings. Katy never thought she'd marry again after her divorce and Shawn just didn't think he'd ever find someone.

Eventually, Shawn has to go back to his cabin and work on his poetry book. He would love to finish it before he starts the next phase of his life. Ideally, he would finish curating it before he starts the next phase of his life. But, he finds it's a little difficult to focus on it now. He's too excited about the joy he's found to focus on the pain he's come from. He decides to send what he's got to his publisher and get their input. It will buy him a little more time on the project. While they're taking a look at it, he can focus on the wedding instead.

He makes a list of what wedding things need to get done, but he knows he can't do this alone. It's too important and he doesn't want to.

He and Katy don't want a long engagement. They don't want a big party. They don't want to invite everyone and coordinate seating arrangements and travel schedules. But Shawn also doesn't want to just get a paper signed at the courthouse. He wants to make it special somehow. He calls Cory.

"So, everyone's on the guest list, right?" Cory asked excitedly.

"Actually, I was thinking, how about no one on the guest list?" Shawn counters.

Cory scoffed at the idea. "You need people at your wedding Shawn. If there's no witnesses, how will we know you actually go through with it?"

"I just mean, I think it should be the smallest it can be. Just you, Topanga, the girls, Auggie, maybe Jon if he has the time…"

"Oh, Turner will make time for this. But I think my parents would want to come, Eric, Josh, Morgan... What about Jack? I think this is important enough for you two to reunite, yeah? And Feeny! This is the best reason to get the old man out here for a visit." Cory seems to get more excited the longer he talks.

"Look," Shawn sighed. "Katy and I don't have a lot of family. And I know I have yours, I love yours, but I think it would be better to start our life together small and we can grow from there. I don't want to have to bring in everyone from my past to mingle with everyone from her past and it kinda stresses me out just thinking about it."

"Okay, okay. I get it. You don't want to make a big deal out of the major life change your making. Sure. But can we at least get Feeney to officiate?"

"He's a teacher, not a minister, Cory." Shawn thinks Cory may have lost his mind a little bit.

"Yeah, yeah, but he mentioned once that he officiated his nephew's wedding a few years ago. So, I think we can get the guy to do this one."

"Alright, sure. Why am I not surprised? Is there anything the guy can't do?" Shawn was a little baffled, but he found it kind of funny that Feeny would be presiding over this piece of his life too.

"Okay, so, when are we doing this? You and Katy pick a date?"

"No… It's not that we don't want to, it's just, we don't really know when the best time will be. I am kind of sick of waiting though. It's been almost a month and I just want to do this."

"Well, if there's no big party and there's no people to invite, why don't we just do it this weekend?" Cory suggested, looking at the calendar.

Shawn thinks about it for a moment. That actually sounds kind of perfect. There's no real reason not to do it this weekend.

He and Cory finish up some details and he'll go to the city the next day to start arranging things and making sure he'll be ready. His wedding is only two days away.

His next step is to call Jon.

"Hey, Shawn. What's happening?" Jon sounds cheerful and it makes Shawn smile.

"Well, A lot, I guess. I'm getting married this weekend."

"This weekend! Shawn! How, when, where, to Katy?" Jon had a million questions. The last thing he knew was that Shawn was happy dating Katy, but he never expected a wedding so soon.

Shawn laughed. "Yeah, I'm marry Katy. I proposed a month ago, but I just decided to do it this weekend. We didn't want a big event and I was tired of waiting, so we're gonna do it on Saturday. I was hoping you were free. I know it's last minute though…"

Jon sighed. "I'm out of town this weekend. I'm speaking at a school administrator's conference in DC. But, please, tell me everything. I can't believe I'm going to miss it."

"Don't worry, I knew it was a long shot. It's going to be at Cory's, on the roof. It's just really small. Cory, Topanga, and the kids. We're gonna get Feeny to officiate. Did you know he can do that?"

Jon laughed. "Yeah, the old man still has a few tricks up his sleeve… So, how are you feeling about getting married? Not rushing into it, are you?"

"I'm excited. But also calm. If that makes sense? Like, it all feels so right."

"Yeah, I know that feeling. It's how I felt about Melissa. All those years trying to make things work with other women and then suddenly, it wasn't such a guessing game anymore."

"Exactly. I mean, we haven't been together a long time, but Katy and I work really well together. She makes me feel grounded. Just standing next to her, I feel like a happy kid. I was never a happy kid." Shawn laughed a bit, not really sure how to explain all the good feelings he gets when he's with Katy.

"I'm really happy for you Shawn. You've always deserved to have love in your life. I'm glad you've found it. How are things with Maya?"

"They're good. I know she's glad I'm around for her. But it is kind of weird that I'm going to actually be a step-dad. I know I've been there for her for a while now, but to actually have a title, to be a family… I'm committing Jon. It's still a little hard to wrap my head around."

"It's gonna be worth it. You worked so hard to get here. You've had a lot of time to figure out what's good for you and I know you know you're ready."

After talking for a little longer, Shawn hangs up and sighs. He does wish that Jon could come to the wedding. But Shawn can't wait any longer for the wedding. He's going to have to work again in a few weeks and he doesn't really want to give himself, Katy, or Maya any extra time to second guess the wedding.

The next day, Shawn decides to spend the weekend at the Matthews', on their couch, for old times sake. He knows it will be easier to get everything ready and he's also just looking forward to having one last time on the couch like the old friend who's come into town.

He spends the day before the wedding arranging things for the surprise honeymoon, making sure the florist is delivering for tomorrow and then finally getting to hang out with Katy when she comes over to the Matthews' that afternoon.

He has never felt this happy. Katy brought out the carefree, goofy side of him that he seemed to forget about when he spent all his time alone. Things were easy with her in a way that he had never felt before. She brought Maya over to the Matthews and as Maya disappeared into Riley's room, Katy and Shawn stayed in the living room. That is until they heard Cory calling them over to the girls' room.

Hand in hand, Shawn and Katy walk into Riley's room.

"Hey, what's up kiddo?" He asks, calm as ever.

"Maya is scared that this is going to fall apart, like… what's something that falls apart?" Riley starts to explain.

"All of their previous relationships," Maya finishes. She's blunt and it's true. All their other relationships did fall apart. But it's because all the other ones weren't as right as this one.

Katy holds onto Shawn's arm, and they both look so peaceful together. "Maya. Shawn and I are blessed to have found each other. No one's going anywhere."

"How can you be sure?" Maya wishes she could believe them. They look so happy.

"Cause of this." Katy smiles and laughs as the couple shows their fingers stuck in a Chinese finger trap.

"Come on Maya, your mother and I are perfect for each other." Shawn wishes Maya could be reassured. He's elated every time he even looks at Katy. He knows he'll never leave her. He never wants to run again.

"Twist the knife, why don't ya?" Cory seems overly sensitive today and Shawn just ignores it. "30 years I gave him."

"Those are just words Shawn. If you love each other then prove it." Maya doesn't know what proof she needs, she just knows she needs it.

They get out of the finger trap and Shawn turns to Maya, sensing the need to get a little more serious about her feelings.

"I've always known how to get out of anything, Maya. The only thing that holds me here is her, and I don't want to get out of this." He wraps Katy in a side hug.

Cory stands up and leaves the room "You make me sick."

"Well, it's good he left, cause he would have hated this." Shawn turns to Katy. "There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars. Kerouac wrote that in on the road. I feel like my entire life I've been on the road, looking for something I couldn't quite figure out. I can't believe you're right here in front of me and I've finally found you."

"Well, welcome home." Katy pulls him in for a hug.

"Something good is happening for me?" Shawn asks as they pull out of their hug. As ready as he feels, he still can't get over how good he feels with Katy.

He keeps thinking about all the time he spent on the road and all the books he's read and beautiful things he'd seen, he'd never thought he could find a love like this. He had resigned himself to believing it was only for everyone else. Now this love is here with him and if feels a little surreal.

That night, the night before his wedding, Shawn falls asleep quickly. No nightmares, no insomnia. He's comfortable on his best friend's couch, knowing soon, he'll have his own family to call home.

He is rather surprised however to be woken up in the middle of the night to Cory on the other end of the couch.

"Cory?" He asks, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Well, I certainly hope so," Cory smiles. Shawn has no idea how long Cory's been there. He wasn't there when Shawn fell asleep.

"What are you doing?" Shawn asks as he sits up.

"I couldn't sleep," Cory confesses.

"But you could sleep here."

"Like an angel."

Shawn rolls his eyes. He doesn't really want to be awake right now, but he can sense that Cory's got something to say. He's been a little snippy with Shawn all day.

Cory sits up on the couch as well. "So Shawn, listen, this whole committing your whole life to another person thing, very big step."

"I love her."

"Okay, so here's the big test." Cory is prepping for some big moment and Shawn reads his mind, knowing what's coming.

"Yes, more than you." Shawn says matter-of-factly.

"Who do you love more? Do you love her more than me?" Cory asks like it's the biggest question ever asked.

"Yes."

"It's a simple yes or no, Shawn." Cory doesn't seem to be listening at all.

"Yes." Shawn repeats himself, wishing he could go back to sleep.

"Ask me who I like more, you or Topanga."

"Who do you like more, me or Topanga?" Shawn knows he's just placating his friend at this point, but honestly, this is better than the way they dealt with things at Cory and Topanga's wedding. He would take this over the hurt and pain and avoidance they had back then.

"Topanga. Shocked? Surprised? You gonna cry? Well don't because that's the way it is, pal. Topanga is my entire life. And that's the way I want you to feel about Katy."

Cory looks at him with such seriousness, like it's some big revelation he's been thinking about all night. He acts as if they're still teenagers who don't know how relationships work and how life changes things between people.

"I do."

"I give you permission," Cory says, like he's giving Shawn a grand gift.

"I don't need your permission. I like her way more than you." Shawn is getting slightly agitated. He really doesn't want to be awake right now dealing with whatever weird crisis Cory is having about Shawn's wedding.

"I set you free, my little Shawnee bird. Fly! Fly away… don't go." Cory sounded a little deflated and Shawn couldn't really understand it. This is what Cory had wanted for Shawn all along. They both knew this was coming. This is what needed to happen.

"I love Katy, Cory. I honestly never thought I'd find someone like her. After Angela, I had given up on thinking I'd ever have love. I made bad decisions with a lot of women over the past decade, and I still can't believe I've lucked into someone so amazing.

I'm not going anywhere. If anything, this is keeping me around even more. This is good for everyone. You don't have to worry about me as much anymore. I know you still worry… But this is good for all of us. She's first in my life now, you're second. Maybe even third. That's how much I love her."

"Slumber party over." Cory lays back down on his end of the couch and Shawn hits him with a pillow. They have a pillow fight for a minute until finally Cory runs back into his own room. Shawn smiles and sighs as he sits back down on the couch.

He knows this is a big moment in his life. This strange time as he stands on the precipice of everything he used to be and everything he's decided he's going to become. He knows this is only going to make him closer to Cory again. He knows he's finally catching up to what Cory and Topanga have, but he's doing it in his own way. He looks at the clock in the kitchen and then settles back down to get some more sleep before his big day. He chuckles a little bit, he never thought he'd have a wedding be his 'big day'. He felt cliché, but he was going to enjoy it.

The next morning after breakfast, coffee, and a shower, Shawn and Cory get to work. Topanga takes the girls to the bakery so the guys can get things done. The flowers get delivered and Shawn spends time arranging them. He's no expert, but he did do some wedding photo shoots back in the day. He sets things up like a photo shoot, and he has to say, it looks pretty good. Cory gets a few chairs, an arch, candles. They get a cake for later and by the time things are done on the roof, they just pace the apartment, thinking of anything else that needs to be taken care of. Shawn hopes Katy is okay with a surprise wedding day.

"So who's gonna be your best man? Me? All right. That's done." Cory laughs.

Shawn hugs him, knowing that Cory has been the best best man he could ever ask for. "Wow… Can you believe that this is happening?"

"I don't see how anything could possibly stop it."

Maya walks into the apartment and locks the door behind her. Riley tries to follow her in but Maya seems to be on a mission and doesn't need Riley interfering. She makes sure Riley can't get in and finally turns to Shawn.

"Why do you want to marry my mother?"

"Because I love her Maya." Shawn looks at her with all sincerity. He knows with all his heart it's the truth.

"Words. Those are just words." Maya replies quickly.

"Yeah, they are. But I don't say those words a lot, all right? I was never even sure what they meant. And now I am. They're the best words I got. So, they're important and I want you to understand them."

Maya suddenly runs out of the living room and towards Riley's room. Shawn and Cory are baffled for a moment. Shawn understands that Maya is nervous about the wedding, but he just isn't sure how he can best ease her mind. All he has is his words and he doesn't know what more he can do for her.

"Do you know what all of this is about?" Shawn asks Cory.

"No idea." Cory answers, knowing the girls could be up to anything.

"Continue." Maya says as she dashes back into the room.

"I already asked you for your blessing and you gave it." He says simply. He thought she was okay with this. He needed her to be okay with this.

"Yes. Okay. That's why words aren't enough. Look, I feel different. I feel… scared." Maya knows she feels scared about the wedding, but she also feels scared being this open right now. She doesn't know how to calm herself down.

"Of what?" Shawn settles on the couch. He understood fear. He understood it very well. But he just didn't know why she's suddenly so scared of this future they all want.

"Of why this needs to happen at all. You like my mother, she likes you. Everyone's happy, so what's the reason that anything else needs to happen?"

Shawn smiles and nods a bit. He gets it. It's that fear of commitment. The same one he's been running from all these years. "You and me are the same."

"We are… bad things happen to us." Maya's voice is small again and Shawn remembers how scary it is to be 15 and have things changing that you don't know how to control.

"They do." Shawn doesn't want to cry, but he can feel himself getting choked up. Their pain may manifest itself differently, but deep down they have such similar fears. Shawn can't deny how very few good things he feels he's had in life.

Seeing Maya's panic was hard for him to sit with.

"So… what if life doesn't know that this is happening yet and what if life figures out that we're involved?" Maya proposes. She lowers her voice. "And that's when something bad happens."

"What if she's right?" Cory adds. He's been standing back and letting Shawn handle this but what Maya says makes some sense. Shawn's never had very good luck with getting good things out of life.

"She's wrong." Shawn takes a deep breath and looks between his best friend and soon to be step-daughter.

"Why?" Cory asks.

"Because I want her to be wrong." Shawn would be lying if he said that their anxieties weren't rubbing off on him a little bit. He needed them to be wrong. He needed this to work. He needed them on his side. He needed all the work he did on himself to mean something.

"Why get life involved with a big ceremony?" Maya has a sense of desperation that Shawn wishes he could calm for her.

"Because your mother and I want to invite life to this ceremony, Maya. We want life to change us for the better." He feels his emotions on the edge of his skin. His voice shakes a little bit, needing her to understand. He needs this in his life. He finally feels like he deserves this chance at happiness and he just wants her to take the chance with her.

Maya looks at Shawn with slight disbelief. "Promise me this will work."

"No. I can't." Shawn looks away for a moment but ultimately, he needs to get this through to her. "I can promise that I want it to. And I can promise that you're a big part of that. Ask me why."

"Why?"

"Cause I never want to let you down." Shawn understands what it means to be there for her now. He knows that above everything else, he doesn't want Maya to have to feel fear and panic and pain about every change that happens in life. He wants her to feel excited when things are good and not run away and hide from big moments.

Right behind them, the apartment door opens as Riley, Topanga, and Katy walk in.

"Maya, what are you doin'?" Katy asks.

"I know you like me. I like you too. Thanks for everything you've ever done for me because it's perfect. I want it to stay perfect. I don't want it to not be perfect, so game over. Thanks for playing."

Shawn looks at Maya and realizes this fear she has isn't going to be quelled so easily, but he can't keep talking in circles with her. They aren't getting anywhere. He recognizes an anxiety spiral when he sees one.

"Hey, kid, let me stop you right there. This wedding ain't about you."

He walks over towards Katy and instantly feels some of his panic he was absorbing from Maya begin to fade.

"This wedding is about your mother and me. I'm marrying her because I love her."

"Hey thanks." Katy says with a smile.

"Anytime. You're gonna hear it a lot… and guess what else?" He turns to talk to Maya again, this time with Katy by his side. "We respect your tragedies, Maya. We do. But we've had our own. And we're taking a leap of faith here. You wanna jump with us?"

"Prove you're ready." Maya steps closer to them. She knows she's going a little crazy, but she doesn't know how to stop herself. She can't settle this panic inside of her that everything is going to go wrong.

"What, right now?" Shawn asks.

"Right now." Maya

"I can't do that. How could I possibly do that?" He looks at her with sincerity but then takes Katy's hand and walks out of the apartment. He leans back in for a moment to make sure Maya is going to follow them. "Maya, we jumping or what?"

He leads them up to the roof of the building and the Matthews clan follows too.

"So what do you wanna do tonight? Dinner, movie… get married?"

He stands in the middle of the roof where he and Cory had just spent all day preparing for the ceremony. Everyone is a little shocked at how beautiful and perfectly ready the space is.

Katy gathers herself and bounces towards him. "Well, isn't this reckless and spontaneous of you, Shawn Patrick Hunter."

"That's me."

"Shawn…" Maya leaves Riley's side and can't stop smiling. "Uh, it would… it would be okay if like, some of this had a little bit to do with me."

"Then it does." Shawn is glad that this could prove to her how ready he is.

They only have a short amount of time until Feeny is supposed to arrive and there's more to do that he hadn't thought of.

Cory couldn't believe that Shawn had overlooked having a tux for his own wedding.

It doesn't take long in the tux shop, but it's just long enough for Shawn to start overthinking again. He's just spent all day dealing with Maya's anxiety and now his own are settling in. He really wants to get this right, but the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes he has no idea what it means to be someone's husband. The longest relationship he had was over a decade ago and now, he and Katy have been dating less than two years. What if this does change everything. He let Cory talk to the tailor men at the tux shop and Shawn spent a little time on autopilot, trying to get through how overwhelmed he suddenly was. Cory didn't seem to notice the shift in Shawn.

It wasn't until they got back to the bakery that Shawn couldn't avoid the feelings that had come up. It was his turn to voice his anxieties for the day.

"I can't believe this is really happening, right?" Topanga greets them in the bakery.

"Uh. Can we sit down for a second?" Shawn didn't expect to have these feelings now, but if anyone was going to be able to help him through, it would be his two best friends.

Cory and Topanga instantly look concerned. They can't watch him back out now. He's so close to finally getting what he wants from life. They sit with him and wait anxiously.

He takes a breath. He hates the concern on their faces, but he doesn't know where to begin.

"Will I make a good husband?" Shawn finally asks. He's never thought about what it really means to be a husband, just like he had never thought of how to be a good father. These are roles he never imagined for himself and now he's just not sure he can pull it off. It's not something he can bullshit his way through.

"I got a boutonniere." Cory replies, still in disbelief that Shawn is this close to the wedding and having doubts just now.

"If you're getting cold feet, I will drag you up there myself." Topanga looks wild eyed and Shawn can't really blame her.

"No, no... I am marrying the woman I love today." He knows his anxiety isn't cold feet. He still wants to go through with this. He doesn't want to run away.

"I just wanna know if I'm gonna be a good husband for her." His voice is so small as he really wonders if he knows what it means to enter into a lifelong partnership with someone. He's not backing out, he's just backed himself into a mental wall. It makes him feel like he did when he was a teen, not wanting to let people down but also not believing he could live up to their expectations of him. He didn't want to hurt people, but somehow, he always did. He desperately doesn't want to do that to Katy. Just because he loves her and wants to do right by her, doesn't mean he knows that he'll always be able to.

"Oh, that?" Topanga chuckles a bit. Instantly relieved that they're not talking about calling the wedding off.

"Shawn," Cory takes a seat next to his wife, also relieved at the reality of the conversation. "Only someone who's truly in love with someone else would care if they're ready."

"Because you care enough to ask. Only someone who care enough to ask knows for sure." Topanga adds.

As Topanga finishes talking, Katy comes through the bakery door. Her expression is the same as Shawn's and he realizes he didn't even factor in any wedding day panic that Katy might be having. He stands up to go to her but backs away a little bit. He's not used to this kind of uncertainty. He can handle pain and depression and his life of anxiety, but this is different. This is the uncertainty of hope and he doesn't really have a coping skill for this.

"I've been looking for you," Katy says. He doesn't like her tone. It's the tone that says something is wrong and it's not going to be easy to talk about.

"Why…" Shawn asks even though he doesn't really want to know the answer.

"Um… before we do this…no matter what the future brings, I want you to know how much I want to be a good wife. That's all I've been thinking about. Do you think I could be a good wife?" Katy sounds just as small as he did and Shawn feels his panic leave him.

His face relaxes and the blood in his body rushes a little bit less than it was before and he smiles at her. The peace and calm he's felt for the past month return to him. Of course they're having the same panic. They really are perfect for each other.

He takes her hands in his. "Yeah, I'd bet my life on it."

Katy smiles and Shawn is so grateful that he doesn't have to wait any longer to marry her.

"Well, now that that's settled, we've got a good husband and a good wife to marry." Cory says as he gets off the couch.

They go off their separate ways to get dressed, the promise of their future hanging between them.

The wedding is more perfect than Shawn could have dreamed. He had given up hope for love for so long that it seems so strange yet perfect to be here now. Now he can see how life brought him here. How he had to go away and figure himself out while his best friends raised the best daughter they could. How Riley had to grow up and find the perfect best friend. One who just so happened to be a lot like him but have an amazing single mother. One who just so happened to fit perfectly with the man Shawn had grown to be. Every hardship and growing pain had led him to this rooftop where he's found a wife and a daughter. People that loved him for who he is and all that he will be.