Author's Note: This is my first singularly Smarkle fanfic and ya girl is hyped! I'm really a fan of writing them when they're already together (probably because that's what we see, primarily, on the series), but getting-together fics are always fun.

Also... I've had this fic sitting in it's doc, unposted, for like half a year and I felt bad for it soooo I'm posting it now XD

Smackle was a nice girl. Sure, she may have been a little abrasive and was almost too smart, but she was still nice. Still... Riley wasn't sure if she would consider Smackle to be her friend.

So she was pretty surprised when Smackle approached her (and Maya, because where Riley was Maya was also) and asked for help.

"You need help from us?" Maya asked incredulously, raising her eyebrow. "You, Queen Smacklé of the intellectuals, need help from us, the dumb-dumbs of Abigail Adams?"

"Yes," Smackle replied promptly. "Because, though I may be a queen, I have no suitors and would rather like one."

"Wait." Riley started to grin. "You want us to help you... get a boyfriend?"

"Precisely."

"You may have come to the wrong people," Maya said, smirking. "Have you seen the state of our romantic lives?"

Smackle cringed. "Of course; who hasn't? But I still believe you are the ones to help me. I have... a particular boy in mind that I would like to make my suitor and you have strong ties to him."

Maya and Riley exchanged knowing glances. "I guessing that you're not talking about Lucas," Riley said kindly. "Smackle, Farkle is an... unusual person. I don't really know how much we'll be able to help you out. If he likes you, he'll date you. If not..."

"If not, then my short and unaccomplished life is over," Smackle finished with a deep sigh.

"No honey, of course not," Maya jumped in, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. "You just get a lil depressed until the next brainy guy that you can put your un-manicured talons into comes along. But don't get so down yet. You don't know that Farkle has no interest in you."

Smackle perked up at the thought. "You are correct; I don't," she agreed. "And the only way to prove a hypothesis is to test it. Though, in reality, you can only ever disprove a hypothesis and narrow them down until the most likely-"

"Smackle," Riley interrupted, before she could take the afternoon metro into science-land. "What do you want us to do to help you?"

"I would like for you to write me a letter of recommendation."

Maya and Riley blinked at one another. "Smackle," Riley began. "I don't think that-"

"It is the perfect plan," Smackle interrupted, lost in her own idea. "Farkle values your opinions over anyone else's in the world. If I have a good report from you two, it would be illogical for him not to want to be with me." She folded her hands in front of her cute green dress, smiling at the two of them. "So, write me a letter of recommendation that I may deliver to Farkle so that he realizes that he is, indeed, head over heels for me and we no longer have to be arch nemeses."

"Wow." Maya nodded slowly. "Well color me impressed, Smackle. You've really put some thought into this."

"Of course I am; I will only act on things that are well thought-through," Smackle replied. "Now, do I have your acquiescence?"

"Ma what?" Riley asked blankly.

"Your acquiescence," Smackle repeated. "Your... concurrence. Compliance. Consent. Cooperation. Agreement?"

"Ohhhhh..." Maya and Riley said, nodding in understanding. "Yes," Maya added. "We will write you the most glowing love letter of recommendation that the world has ever seen. Also the only one."

"Wonderful!" Smackle chirped. "And when should I expect this letter?"

"Guhhhh..." Maya and Riley exchanged glances. "Tomorrow," Riley declared. "We'll have it to you by tomorrow."

W / T \ Y

"I can't believe we're doing this," Maya admitted as she draped herself across Riley's bed.

Riley herself was pushed up against the backboard, a piece of clean printer paper resting on a book so she'd having something hard to write on. She tapped her face with her pencil thoughtfully. "How do I begin? I've never written a letter of recommendation before, much less done one so my best friend will want to date someone."

" 'To Whom It May Concern'," Maya began, throwing her arms out theatrically. " 'Isadora Smackle is a lovely, well-rounded individual who finds her one flaw to be that she is partnerless.' "

"I doubt she sees it as a flaw," Riley pointed out, though she was writing rapidly.

Heedless, Maya went on. " 'She would love to enter into a romantic relationship with you, the receiver of this letter. The writers of this letter deem this pair to be a very good match, because Farkle Minkus will never get anywhere being in love with Riley and Maya, and he and Smackle are almost freakily alike.' "

Riley had stopped writing. "And you started so well, too," she sighed.

"Fine," Maya huffed, throwing herself into a sitting position. "You try then. It's harder than it looks, man."

" 'Dear Farkle,' " Riley started, reaching for another piece of paper so they could have a fresh start. " 'While running the world may be a one person job, concerned parties believe that it could also get rather lonely. That is why, while of sound mind and body, Riley Matthews and Maya Hart nominated Isadora Smackle as the best candidate to be your perfect match.' "

"You're making it sound like a will," Maya cringed.

"I am, aren't I?" Riley groaned, crumpling up the paper in frustration. "We need help, Maya."

"What we need is not to have to write this letter."

"But we promised!"

Maya rolled her eyes. "Fine. Is your dad home? I bet he's had to write loads of these for people because students love him or something."

"Great idea!" Riley cried, positivity restored. She jumped off the bed and ran out of her room, Maya following reluctantly behind.

They found Mr. Matthews at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal and looking over a stack of homework. "Hey dadddddd," Riley said, moseying over and seating herself across from him.

"Ooh, cocoa crispies!" Maya exclaimed, grabbing Corey's bowl and taking a slurp.

Mr. Matthews looked at her in incredulity. "I was eating that!"

"Never mind your cereal," Riley sighed. "We need help."

"Ooh, I love to help," Mr. Matthews said, folding his hands in his lap and looking eager. "Hit me with it, girls."

"Well..." Riley began, then hesitated.

"Smackle has a thing for Farkle and wants us to write her a letter of recommendation and then give it to him so that he'll consider dating her," Maya explained bluntly through a mouthful of cereal.

Corey frowned deeply. "That's how dating works these days?"

"No, no, no," Riley said quickly. "This is pure Smackle originality. But we said we'd help her and now we don't know how to write the letter. But you write letters of recommendation all the time, right daddy? Can't you help us?"

"I suppose it can't hurt," Corey agreed with an easy shrug. He sent a peeved look at Maya and abruptly yanked his cereal bowl back, holding it protectively to his chest. "But I get my cereal back."

Maya wrinkled her nose but let him have it.

"Alright," Mr. Matthews said, refocusing on their task. "I usually begin my letters of recommendation with a 'Dear whoever-I'm-writing-to'. In this case, Farkle."

" 'Dear Farkle,' " Riley wrote. "Now what?"

"Now, you make Smackle out to be the most perfect person for the role of Farkle's-girlfriend in the world."

Riley nodded decidedly. " 'Isadora Smackle is a lovely young woman. She is also incredibly intelligent, and looking for someone to share her knowledge with.' "

"Honey, you're making it sound like a dating app," Corey interrupted, wincing. "Let me try."

He grabbed the paper and pulled it towards himself, taking the pencil from an affronted Riley. " 'Dear Farkle,' " he began. " 'I met Isadora Smackle only a few months ago, but in my brief time knowing her I have come to discover that she is a caring, intelligent, lovely young woman.' "

"Ooooh, Matthews has a thing for Smackle," Maya teased, cackling.

"Maya!" Riley scolded, rolling her eyes. "Dad, go on, you're doing great."

He sighed, took a bite of cereal, and continued. " 'Isadora is independent and strong minded, but she's also looking for someone to be close with. She may have more brains than most kids her age combined, but she's missing something vital in her life: love. Isadora is hoping that you would be able to fill that hole, and I have to admit that you two would be a perfect match.' "

"Dad, you're wonderful!" Riley cried, looking delighted. "This is absolutely perfect."

Corey smiled, putting the pencil down and giving the letter back to Riley. "I'm sure you two can figure out a way to finish it up nicely," he said. "Just... remember that this is the feelings of two people you're dealing with. Don't get so wrapped up in this letter that you forget that what you're really striving for is Smackle and Farkle's happiness."

Riley nodded seriously. "Of course," she agreed, looking solemn. "We'll remember."

W / T \ Y

Smackle approached them after school again the next day, a mixture of excitement and anxiety on her face. "So...?" she prompted once she was close enough to Maya and Riley. "Did you complete my request?"

Riley proudly held out their letter and Smackle smiled widely. "Thank you," she said, taking the envelope and holding it to her chest. "Now, I must find Farkle and deliver this to him immediately!"

"Hey, Smacks," Maya called after her as she turned and started to hurry off. "Just remember that... if the letter doesn't work, it's not you, okay? A letter of recommendation might not change your chances with Farkle. I just... I don't want you to get your hopes up to high only to be disappointed. I know what that's like."

Smackle smiled gently at her. "Yes, Maya Hart. I know your mentality about hope being for suckers. But I am a woman of science, and I don't have hope. I have hypotheses, and I must test them if I will have any peace of mind."

Maya and Riley nodded, still looking a little unsure. "Let us know how it goes!" Riley called supportively, and Smackle turned away again. She squeezed the letter tightly in her hands, feeling butterflies buzz in her stomach. No matter what she said to Maya and Riley, she still was a little bit hopeful that Farkle would accept her letter... and her.

Smackle found him in the library, his lanky frame folded into a chair and his nose only a few inches from his textbook. She took a deep breath and strode towards him, the sound of her footsteps making him glance up. "Arch nemesis!" he exclaimed in surprise, keeping his voice low to retain the peacefulness of the library. "What are you doing here?"

"I have something for you," Smackle said, holding out her letter.

Frowning quizzically, Farkle accepted the letter and carefully opened it up. His eyes slowly widened as they flickered over the message. Smackle bit her lip and squeezed her hands together, trying not to blurt out anything while he read.

After a moment, Farkle let out a breath and put down the letter. "I don't see what you think this is going to alter," he said hesitantly. "I love Maya and Riley, but they can't change my mind with one letter. As I've told you countless times before, science says we can't be together. How could one letter change that?"

Smackle felt her heart sink. "Would... two or three letters do the trick?"

Farkle sighed, smiling faintly. "A hundred letters wouldn't do the trick. I find you intriguing, Isadora, but we could never work."

Smackle nodded stiffly and turned around, wrapping her arms around herself as she strode quickly out of the library. She considered going back to Maya and Riley, but she realized suddenly that they had known this was coming. She and Farkle, according to one of them at least, weren't meant to be. It was like trying to mix oil and water. No matter how hard she tried, it wasn't going to work.

Smackle rubbed her arms again, heading for the exit of the school. Unbeknownst to her, Maya and Riley were just heading that way, too, and caught sight of her. "Oh no," Riley winced, catching sight of Smackle's face before she vanished out of the building. "I take it it didn't go well."

"Does that really surprise you?" Maya asked, raising her eyebrow. "I mean Riley... it's Farkle. I don't think there's anyone quite as stubborn as Farkle, especially when it comes to Smackle."

"But why is he so stubborn about her?" Riley wondered aloud. "I mean, you know that he finds her attractive, even if it's only objectively so. They have about a million kajillion things in common, and even some mutual friends, so he can't be holding back because of that. And okay, yeah, Smackle is a little bit... challenged with social stuff, but it's not like Farkle is the most popular person in the world. And besides that, she's so sweet and caring and funny when you get past her hard layer."

Maya frowned thoughtfully. "Well. Let's ask him."

"Ask Farkle?" Riley asked, eyes wide.

"No, ask Zay," Maya replied sarcastically. "Yes, Farkle!"

Riley's eyes were still wide. "But- but- it's personal. It's between him and Smackle. He doesn't even know we wrote the letter."

Maya frowned again. "We signed the letter."

"Oh. Right."

Shaking her head, Maya turned them back towards the inside of the school and urged her to walk. "What are we going to say?" Riley fretted anxiously. " 'Hey, Farkle, why won't you date Smackle because we ship you guys'?"

Maya shrugged, running her finger along the row of lockers as they walked by. "It's Farkle. We can say whatever we want."

Riley didn't look pleased by that answer but she didn't argue. Much like Smackle had a few minutes ago, they found Farkle sitting in the library. His head was lifted from his book now, though, and he was staring blankly at the letter still resting on the table in front of him.

"Awwww, look," Riley crooned. "He's regretting his decision."

"Oh Farkle," Maya sighed. "He still has so much to learn about love."

They walked over to him and took the opposite seats. Farkle looked up and smiled faintly. "I take it Smackle told you what happened?"

"No, but her face did," Maya said, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"We'd love to hear it from you, though," Riley added supportively.

Farkle shrugged. "I doubt there's much to add. She tried to win my heart by showing me that she had you two behind her, and it didn't work."

"Why didn't it work, though?" Riley pressed. "Farkle, you two are perfect for each other! And it's not as if you've really thought that it's going to work for you to be with one of us since we were in, like, middle school."

"No," Farkle admitted, fiddling with the edge of the letter. "It's just that... Smackle is so... Smackle. She's so different than anything I've ever dealt with before. She's not organized like you two or Lucas or Zay. You guys I can predict. You guys are steady. You rarely surprise me, and that's a good thing. Smackle is... completely uncharted territory."

"And you're scared of that?" Riley asked gently. "Uncharted territory?"

"Of course I am!" Farkle cried. He remembered where he was and quickly lowered his voice. "Of course I am. Sometimes I just- I just know so much that I'm used to things being easy and don't like it when I have to push myself because that's out of my comfort zone. Okay?"

He gathered up his study materials and the letter from Smackle, and Riley and Maya noticed how carefully he put the latter in his pocket. "I'm going to head home. See you guys tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Riley replied faintly, exchanging a glance with her best friend. "Tomorrow."

W / T \ Y

'Uncharted Territory'

Farkle reached out and poked Riley in the shoulder so that she'd turn away from the board and he could glare at her. "You told him."

Riley looked legitimately disbelieving. "I swear I didn't breathe a word." She looked back to the board, and to her father, who was standing in front of it. "I really don't get how he does it."

"My theory?" Maya put in. "He has cameras all over the school and our rooms and the streets of New York and just spies on us all the time."

Mr. Matthews cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Uncharted territory," he said, looking between each of them. "The Age of Discovery began in the fifteenth century and stretched all the way to the early seventeenth century. People started oversea exploration to find a new way to trade when their normal routes were blocked. There's one exploration that was more famous than any other. Farkle?"

Farkle glanced up sharply. "I'd... prefer not to be involved in this lesson, sir," he said, shifting awkwardly.

Corey frowned a little but nodded. "Alright then. Smackle?"

Smackle hopped to her feet. "Christopher Columbus," she announced. "He started true colonization."

"Very good," Mr. Matthews said, nodding. "But in reality, the Age of Discovery changed more than just the routes we took. It changed religions, societies, even maps themselves. The whole world was uprooted, shaken, and settled back down again, and it was us who chose to do the uprooting."

Riley tilted her head. "And after we were uprooted?" she asked. "Were we better for it?"

"We were, Riley," Mr. Matthews confirmed. "We learned so much."

Suddenly, Farkle spun around in his seat. "I was scared," he blurted, staring at Smackle with wide eyes. "I was scared to accept your letter and- and you because everything is so new and I'm not used to- to not knowing everything."

Smackle blinked slowly. "So you... the reason you don't want to be together isn't because science says we can't?"

"Who cares about science?" Farkle cried, before paused. "Well, I mean, I do. But we- I believe that we are stronger than some rules created for molecules. I would- I would-"

He reached out and covered the hand Smackle had lying on her desk with his own. She stared at it, unblinking. "I would like to enter into an Age of Discovery with you, Isadora. I think that we could explore and learn some amazing things."

Smackle's bright smile answered any question he would need answered.

Also smiling, Mr. Matthews nodded. "The Age of Discovery began true global connectivity," he said. "Despite wars and everything thrown in its path, that global connectivity only grew stronger as time went on."

And, by the looks on Farkle and Smackle's faces, it seemed like he was right.

Author's Note: Hehe, that got more episode-y than originally planned by the end there :D That was fun!