A/N: Hey, guys! I'm so happy you all liked the last chapter. I'm sorry I didn't make Joshaya share an NYE kiss - I wanted them to - but I'm saving it for a big moment *wink* Anyway, this one is not heavy on Josh/Maya, but there will be moments. Without any further ado, here's Chapter 21. Enjoy!

Chapter 21: The Reconciliation

Maya pulled open the taxi's passenger door, the same time she caught sight of Josh running toward her. With a hand lingering on the door's handle, she waited until he was next to her.

"Josh," Maya greeted with a tired smile. "What are you doing here?"

After Josh brought her home approximately nine hours ago, Maya hadn't been able to sleep. Her mind raced through innumerable thoughts regarding her mother. She wondered if Katy would be happy to see her or be resentful because her own daughter left her to deal with her pain alone. Despite the uncertainty, Maya was eager to see Katy again, and that was enough to keep her tossing and turning until the first sun rays streamed through her windows.

"I wanted to check on you . . . especially after what happened last night," Josh informed as he took in Maya's appearance. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and she wore the same white dress she had on for Riley's NYE party.

Maya glanced at the taxi driver, who was patiently waiting for her in the driver's seat. "I'm actually on my way to see my mom at the rehab center," she responded.

"Oh." Josh shoved his hands in his coat's pockets and puffed out a breath. "Listen, I know you probably have about a million things running through your mind right now, but I want you to know that everything's gonna be fine. Katy will be thrilled to see you again."

Maya nodded, still with that tired smile on her face.

"Well . . . good luck."

"Thanks, Josh," Maya uttered. She turned to hop in the taxi, but she paused midway through and gazed back at Josh. "Actually . . . is it okay if you come with me? I'd really like it if you could be there."

Josh didn't even have to think about it. "Sure, I'll come with you."

"Let's go, then."

Maya loaded the taxi and Josh followed after her. He shut the passenger door closed just as Maya finished informing the driver of their destination.

As the taxi rolled off the curb, Josh turned to see Maya gazing out the window. He couldn't even begin to imagine what sort of thoughts were running through her head at the moment. Maya hadn't seen nor spoken to her mother for eight months, and suddenly there she was on her way to see Katy.

"I know it sounds like a silly question at the moment, but, how are you feeling?" Josh asked, causing Maya to divert her gaze toward him.

Maya pursed her lips. "Honestly? A little overwhelmed . . . and terrified," she answered with a nervous sigh.

Josh caught Maya fiddling with the hem of her coat, and he reached across the seat to grab both of her hands. Squeezing them three times, he lifted his eyes to meet her worried ones. "Like I told you earlier, everything's gonna be all right. As long as I'm with you, I promise you that."

Nodding, Maya exhaled in relief as she squeezed Josh's hands back.

The nurse informed Josh and Maya that Katy only chose to see immediate family and close relatives during visitation hours, which meant that Josh wouldn't be able to stay with her throughout the whole thing like Maya hoped he would.

"Josh," Maya murmured, clinging to his arm as though that would make the nurse allow him to come up to Katy's quarters despite her visitation arrangements.

"You can do this, Maya," Josh encouraged. He grabbed her hand holding his arm and squeezed it three times. "The reason why we're here right now is because you chose to be here, which means you're more ready than you think you are. Stay strong, okay? I'll be right here when you're done."

Maya let go of her hold on Josh, albeit reluctantly. She followed the nurse to the elevators, and with one final lingering look at Josh, she stepped in and allowed the metallic doors to close.

The elevators dinged when they reached the third floor, and Maya followed the nurse out to the hallways. As they navigated their way to Katy's quarters, the nurse informed Maya of Katy's progress and condition throughout the eight months she'd been inside the rehab center.

"I suppose you're Katy's daughter?" the nurse queried.

Maya nodded. "The one and only."

"You know, ever since Katy first got here, there never was a day when she didn't mention you," the nurse informed. When she didn't hear a response from Maya, she continued. "Her efforts don't go unnoticed here. Katy's really trying to be cooperative with everything. She follows her daily schedule, takes all of her medicine, and participates in every social activity we conduct. However, Ms. Chamberlain—"

"It's Hart," Maya corrected.

The nurse smiled apologetically. "However, Ms. Hart, even though your mother is really trying to exert enough effort to get better everyday, it's still evident that there's something—or someone—missing," she finished.

Maya remained tight-lipped as she didn't know exactly how to respond to what the nurse told her.

The two of them eventually reached Katy's quarters. The nurse knocked gingerly on the door, and Maya's heart raced upon hearing the sound of her mother's faint voice saying, "Come in!"

Before the nurse entered the room, she gestured at Maya to wait outside until she got the signal that she could go see her mother. When Maya nodded in agreement, the nurse opened the door to Katy's quarters and strode in, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Katy, you have a lovely visitor," the nurse asserted in a cheerful tone.

"Oh, yeah? Zay told me yesterday he won't be able to see me today. He said something about him not wanting me to see his hangover version," Katy told the nurse as she straightened her bed. "I guess he had a change of plans?"

The nurse didn't say a word. She poked her head out the door, and with a smile on her face, she gestured for Maya to come in. Slipping out of the room, the nurse informed Maya that she only got an hour maximum to spend with her mother before Katy had to leave for her medical appointment.

"Thank you," Maya mouthed to the nurse. She waited until the nurse was fully out of the room before she closed the door behind her, leaving her alone with her mother.

Since Katy's back was to her as she continued fixing her bed, Maya wordlessly stood there and watched her mother move. She observed her, taking note of how thin she got since the last time Maya saw her. Her blonde hair that used to have so much volume had thinned out, her once glowing skin had turned dull, and her overall physique looked feeble.

Realizing that she was wasting the little amount of time she got to spend with her mother, Maya cleared her throat and mumbled, "Mom."

Katy whipped around, having recognized the voice that she knew solely belonged to her daughter. "Maya . . . my baby girl," she muttered, eyes wide with surprise.

Maya couldn't hold herself back anymore, thus she hurriedly took the four steps needed to close the gap between her and her mother. She wrapped her arms around Katy, and the second Maya's face hit the crook of her mother's neck, her sobs grew hysterical.

"I'm sorry, mom," Maya choked out through her tears. "I'm so, so, sorry. This is all my fault. I didn't mean for you to—"

"Shh," Katy hushed as she swayed the two of them back and forth. Her hand buried itself in her daughter's hair, caressing her scalp soothingly. "It's okay, my baby girl. It's okay."

Maya kept her arms locked around her mother, not wanting to let go. "You needed my help after dad left, and I should've fought harder for you. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't be here. I would've been able to prevent this."

Katy pulled away from the embrace and looked her crying daughter in the eyes. She held Maya's face in between her hands. "Don't put all the blame on you, Maya. This is all mine, okay? This whole mess is my fault," she uttered.

"No, it's all my fault, mom," Maya countered, shaking her head.

Katy sighed, realizing that her daughter was still as hardheaded as ever. It was one distinct trait that she'd always seen on her daughter, how much she was willing to sacrifice everything for her friends and family. She couldn't bear seeing her loved ones getting hurt because of other people and knowing that she couldn't protect them all the time, Maya finds relief through shouldering all the blame instead.

"Oh, Maya," Katy murmured as she sat on the bed along with her daughter. "I want you to believe me when I say that this doesn't have anything to do with you at all. Pathetically, I got involved because I thought it was gonna make me feel better. I wanted to forget about your father and the pain he'd caused me, and I needed something that could do that fast. The drugs did do what it was supposed to do, but overtime, its horrible outcome weighed on me. I lost mostly everything in my life, but the most painful loss I had to endure was you. And, Maya, there is nothing more desolating than knowing that my own daughter refuses to acknowledge me as her mother."

Maya's sobs intensified, causing her shoulders to shake.

"You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened because if you did anything at all, my baby girl, it was helping me realize the mess I got myself into. You managed to shine a light to show me the correct path I needed to take without you even knowing that you did, and that makes me really happy. Despite my failures in life, I have a daughter whom I know is capable of preventing herself from making all the bad choices I made," Katy added.

"You could've done something else to help you get through your hardships, mom," Maya reasoned. "You didn't have to go as far as turning to illegal drugs for help!"

Katy nodded, tears flowing down her sunken cheeks. "I know that, my baby girl—"

"Then, why did you still do it?" Maya interjected as she sprung up from the mattress. She flung Katy's hand away when she went to pull her back to her side. "You have Zay, you have the Babineaux's—you have me! I lost dad, too, so I know exactly what you're going through, mom. Goddamnit, you even have Riley and Lucas for crying out loud! My own best friends were worried sick about you—and she still is! Zay and I offered you help, but you refused us. Why, mom? Isn't that what families are for? To help you no matter what?"

Katy stood up, arms reaching out to grab Maya. She felt terrified, thinking that if she didn't have her daughter in her hold, she'd be gone for good again.

"I didn't want to burden you and Zay any further. You have your own jobs and personal problems to worry about and I could tell how much stress it's putting on you," Katy reasoned. "Maya, you have to understand where I'm coming from here. I did it for a very pathetic reason that's why I didn't want to say anything to any of you."

"Trying to get over someone you lost isn't pathetic, mom."

"I know, and—"

Maya's gaze grew rigid. "Turn the world upside down, contort it into different shapes and sizes, and you're still my mother. It hurts me—it angers me—to even comprehend the fact that you refused my help because I was burdened with my job. Mom, I'm a freelance artist, who's got a lot of time in her hands! Besides, what I do at work is nothing compared to what you put yourself through every day for me!"

"I know, my sweetheart, but—"

"Mom, I love you and I'm very sorry that I'm gonna say this to you, but screw you for belittling my capabilities. You know that I would never ever second guess myself when it comes to helping the people I love," Maya stated, her tone of voice firm.

If the two of them had been in a different scenario, Katy might've raised her palm and slapped her daughter on the cheek for treating her with such vulgarity. But there they were, standing in the middle of Katy's quarters in the rehab center, and all that Katy could do was to nod in agreement. It hurt her to hear those words coming from her own daughter, but she knew she deserved it all. She deserved all the crudeness Maya had in every fiber of her being.

Thus, with tears streaming down her face, Katy slowly descended to her knees.

Surprised by her mother's actions, Maya took a step back only to be pulled back by Katy. "Mom," she muttered, grabbing her mother's hands that were holding her hips in place. "Mom, get up. You don't have to do this."

Katy sniffed. "You have such a big and beautiful heart, Maya. You have so much love inside you, and I don't think I'll ever compare to it. I don't think you even deserve to have a failure like me in your life."

"Mom—"

"But, here I am, my baby girl," Katy intervened, teary-eyed as she gazed up at Maya. "Here I am, your mother, on my knees . . . begging for the forgiveness that I don't think I shouldn't even be begging for."

With her own tears spilling down her cheeks, Maya collapsed to her knees and captured her mother's frail frame in an embrace. Katy melted into her daughter's warmth as her sobs convulsed, even more, when Maya finally opened her mouth to say the words she'd been longing to hear: "I forgive you, mom. And I'm sorry, too."

"It's okay, sweetheart. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Maya and Katy remained sat on their knees, wrapped in one another's embrace as their tears subsided.

"So, Zay told me you took my job at Tan House Events, and that you're doing so much better at handling it than me," Katy uttered as she and Maya sat cross-legged in front of each other on the bed. "Apparently, the number of clients we have doubled under your management."

Maya blushed. "Zay gives me way more credit than I deserve," she responded. "I just do what I think I'm supposed to be doing."

"Well, it sounds like you're doing the right thing, then." Katy reached across and tucked a fallen strand of Maya's long blonde hair behind her ear. "How's work? I mean, not your work at Tan House Events, but your freelancing job. Are you working with anyone right now?"

"I'm actually working as the Creative Art Director for NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee at the moment, which I'm very proud of," Maya declared with a broad grin. "Leigh's an amazing client, and I hope to work with her again in the future. I haven't told anyone about this yet, but I'm looking to apply as their official Creative Art Director after this project. I mean, they wouldn't have hired me if they have a permanent one, right?"

Katy nodded. "Yes, you should definitely do that. Then you can leave your job at Tan House Events. You might've taken over my position while I'm gone, but I know it's not really what you want to do."

"I guess coordinating events for other people wasn't really a terrible experience. It did introduce me to new friends that I never not want to be in my life," Maya stated as she took Katy's hand in hers and played with her chipped nail polish.

"You mean Josh?" Katy asked with a perked brow.

Maya's eyes snapped up to meet her mother's, eyebrows furrowing together. "How do you know about Josh?" she queried as her thoughts drifted to the man waiting down in the lobby for her.

Katy's smile widened. "Zay talks a lot, you know?"

Maya rolled her eyes, sighing. "Of course, I should've guessed," she murmured.

"Don't worry, Zay also told me that Josh has a girlfriend, so I won't be teasing you," Katy uttered with a laugh. Her cheeks already hurt from smiling and laughing too much, which was what she missed the most about spending time with her daughter.

"Good, because I already get a lot of teasing from Riley. You would think she'd leave it alone after I told her Josh has a girlfriend, but apparently, that wasn't enough to stop her."

"I don't know, maybe Riley's onto something," Katy teased, smirking.

"Mom," Maya deadpanned.

Katy raised her arms in mock surrender. "I know, I said I wouldn't tease you." After a beat, she added, "But I didn't promise you that I wouldn't."

"Mom!"

"All right, I'm just messing with you," Katy uttered, laughing. "Anyway, how's Riley and Lucas doing?"

"Oh, you know, the same old cheesy couple we know since the beginning. They had some issue with both parties' parents a couple of months ago. Cory and Topanga, as well as the Friars, wanted Riley and Lucas to have their first child. It's funny though because I remember Cory freaking out when he turned fifty, but now he can't wait to be a grandpa," Maya narrated with a laugh.

"Cory hadn't changed one bit, had he?"

Maya shook her head. "Nope, still the same."

"What about your friends?" Katy asked, eager to get caught up with her daughter's life. Eight months had been a long time, and who knew what she missed during those eight long months.

"Oh, yeah! Farkle and Isadora are engaged," Maya announced, eyes glinting with excitement. "They told us they didn't want a long engagement, so we're gonna be hearing them wedding bells very soon. Riley thinks Isadora's gonna choose her as her maid of honor, but I think she's forgetting how competitive I am."

"Well, Isadora can always have two maid of honors," Katy replied. "You have the event coordinating experience, while Riley has her connections around New York. Together, I'm pretty certain the two of you will throw the hottest and most glamorous bachelorette party for Isadora."

"Mom, you sound like a teenager," Maya commented as she scrunched her face at her mother.

"Oh, no. Is it because I said 'hottest and most glamorous'?"

When Maya opened her mouth to respond, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Katy yelled.

The same nurse from a while ago entered the room, informing Maya that it was time for Katy's medical appointment.

Maya's smile faltered after hearing that her one hour with her mother was up. She stood up the same time Katy did and the two of them hugged it out again, tighter than they'd ever held one another before.

"I love you, my baby girl," Katy whispered into Maya's hair.

"I love you, too, mom."

With apparent reluctance, Maya released her hold on her mother and showed herself out of Katy's quarters. She found herself in the rehab center's lobby one elevator ride later. A smile crept up her lips when she saw Josh sleeping on a sofa, his arms crossed over his chest. Situating herself on the empty spot next to him, Maya placed her chin on her upturned palm and watched Josh slumbering peacefully.

With his eyes still closed, Josh cleared his throat and mumbled, "Stop watching me."

Maya pulled back. "What? You were awake this whole freakin' time?" she shrieked in disbelief.

Josh opened one eye, then the other. He adjusted his position on the sofa. "I wasn't asleep. I was just resting my eyes," he informed, reaching his arms above his head to stretch out his stiff muscles. "So, how did it go?"

Maya's smile brightened at the thought of her mother and their newly repaired relationship. "It was perfect," she answered. "I don't know why I even thought about everything going wrong."

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Maya agreed while she heaved a sigh of relief. "Except for one thing."

Josh's grin faltered. "What?"

"I'm starving and I don't feel good at all when I have an empty stomach."

Josh laughed, shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come on, let's grab something to eat—wait, hold on," he uttered the same time his phone chimed with a new message. He took the device out of his pocket and skimmed the message.

Maya watched as Josh's eyebrows creased together. He tucked his phone away and turned to look at her. "It was Sophie," he informed. "She said she's got some free time, so she wanted to meet up for lunch."

Maya could feel her smile wavering, but fought to keep it up anyway. "Oh, sure. Go ahead," she encouraged.

"You should join us. It'll be fun," Josh offered. As much as he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend, he was hesitant to leave Maya, especially after the good thing that occurred a few minutes ago.

Maya shook her head. "No, it's okay. I actually just remembered I'm supposed to meet up with Riley and Isadora," she excused, glancing at her wristwatch as though she was checking whether she was running late to her supposed lunch meeting with her friends.

"Oh."

"Besides, I've been spending so much time with you already. I need my ladies," Maya added, still keeping her smile intact. "And I also need to take a shower. In case you haven't noticed, I still look like I just got back from Riley's NYE party."

Josh let out a half-hearted laugh as he nodded in understanding. He wanted to throw a joke or two regarding her appearance, but he oddly felt like he wasn't up for it. "Cool. I'll see you later, then," he uttered instead.

And with one final parting embrace and a word from Josh telling Maya how proud he was of her, the two parted ways. Josh hailed a taxi for Maya, grabbing one for himself once the latter's sped away.

Song of the Chapter: Taxi by The Maine.

So, Maya and Katy are all good again! Although it was Maya who discovered she still wanted a relationship with her mother, Josh did help her recognize that. And I think that's saying a lot regarding where their "friendship" currently stands right now.

Thanks for reading, and as always, I wanna know what you think!