Val Meets Home for the Holidays
I don't own Girl Meets World!
It was Christmas and Riley had almost paid Val back for all of the stuff she'd broken. Val had joined the cheerleading team to try and cheer herself up. Today, Val and her mother were cooking for Christmas dinner. Correction, Val was cooking, Topanga was handing her ingredients and pans to be useful. Cory was decorating the tree and Riley was sitting on the couch, moping.
"Honey, this is the first year hosting the holidays. Is your mom gonna go easy on me?" Topanga asked.
"Do you want comfort or truth?" Cory asked.
"Comfort." Topanga took a break from the kitchen and walked over to her husband.
"It's gonna be hideous."
"I said I wanted you to comfort me!"
Cory hugged his wife "It's gonna be hideous."
Riley hopped up "It's Maya first time with us I need the holiday to go good for her."
"Well, I need the holiday to be good for your mother" Cory retorted.
Topanga and Val shared a look before shouting "Liar!"
"Liar!" Cory pointed to himself "I need the holiday to be good for Shawn, Shawn's coming!" The intercom beeped and Cory threw himself against it "Shawn?"
"Maya."
"Shawn?" Cory tried again.
"Oh what's the matter? Your boyfriend not here yet?" Maya asked through the speaker.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Cory shouted.
"So what are we gonna do with this Cory and Shawn 4 Evah Ornament?" Topanga asked, holding up her husband's favorite ornament.
"Oh, that goes right in front of the Cory And Topanga Wedding Ornament." Cory hung the ornament in front of the other.
"My whole life." Topanga shrugged and Auggie walked in "Auggie wanna help with dinner?"
Auggie nodded and hurried over to Val who handed him a spoon to lick.
Maya walked in "I don't believe he really exists." She shrugged.
"He's real, Maya. I've known the guy my whole life and he's real" Cory exclaimed
"You're fun to play with." Maya sat down next to Riley "Riley, I got you a present." She handed the brunette an envelope.
Riley tore it open and read aloud "A donation has been made in your name to the Maya new winter coat fund. Thank you, its beautiful" She complimented.
Maya flaunted the new jacket she wore "I'm glad you like it, I don't know to get for people. What's the deal with this mysterious Uncle Shawn?"
"I don't see him a lot. I don't thinks he likes me" Riley said sadly.
"Riley." Cory sighed.
"No, she's right, Dad. Uncle Shawn doesn't treat her the same as he treats Auggie and I." Val called from the kitchen.
"How could somebody not like you?" Maya asked.
"Ask him and let me know."
The intercom beeped and, again, Cory threw himself against it "Shawn?"
"No, it's your parents." Grandpa Alan's voice came through.
"Rats." Cory muttered.
"Let me explain how a speaker box works."
Grandma Amy's voice floated in "These holidays are important to me, Alan. How much of a disaster do you think this is gonna be?"
"Let me explain how a speaker box works."
"Hideous already!" Cory threw his arms open wide.
Topanga held up a pot "How about I throw this pot at you?"
"How about I take that pot away from you, Mom?" Val gently took the pot away.
"They don't think your real but I know you are." Cory murmured to his ornament.
Topanga grabbed another pot and threw it at her husband. She missed and it hit the wall instead.
"She tried to hurt you Shawn." Cory stroked the ornament tenderly.
The doorbell rang and Auggie made a mad dash for the door, throwing it open and revealing Grandpa Alan and Grandma Amy "Grandma! Grandpa!" The little boy shouted.
"Here's ten bucks, like me better." Grandpa said, handing Auggie the bill.
"Here's cookies." Grandma handed Auggie a plate of her delicious cookies.
"Thanks, here's ten bucks!" Auggie swapped the money for the cookies.
"And that's how you do that." Grandma Amy tucked the money into her pocket.
"Riley! Maya!" Grandpa embraced the two girls "And Val, how are you? How's the cooking going?"
"Great, Grandpa, and don't worry. Dinner will be delicious." Val hugged her grandfather tightly.
Topanga walked over to her mother-in-law and hugged her.
Grandma Amy smiled and said "Topanga, I just know you're gonna pull off the most fantastic holiday."
"Oh, Mom, I just heard you outside."
"How?" Grandma Amy asked, still smiling.
"I explained that to you." Grandpa Alan told her.
"Well, now that it's out in the open, let's take a look at what you're doing wrong." Grandma pushed Topanga towards the kitchen where Val was stirring a pot "Valencia! Darling, merry Christmas! The food smells delicious, thank you for all your hard work."
"Thanks, Grandma, but Mom's been a big help." Val smiled.
"Oh, I'm sure she has. Now let's see what you've got made already."
Grandpa Alan hung up his coat and looked at the family "Ah, wow! Look at all these kids. You know it wasn't that long ago I had kids around the house."
Uncle Josh walked in and tossed his father the keys "Yeah, just this morning, wasn't it, Dad?"
"Oh, yeah yeah, you."
Maya grinned "Boing!"
"Ha, that's my Uncle, Maya." Riley laughed.
"Sweet, I would be your Aunt!"
"Not in a million years, Hart." Val called waking away from the kitchen and Grandma Amy "Hi, Uncle Josh, how's life?"
"Pretty good, Val. How about you?" Josh grinned and hugged his niece.
"I'm doing okay. I joined cheerleading, so that's fun."
"Oh, did you finally get to join the cheerleaders Riley?" Josh asked.
"No." Riley muttered sourly "Only Val got asked to join."
"Maybe next year, kiddo." Josh ruffled her hair.
Auggie ran up to Josh "Joshie!"
"Auggie!" Josh picked up the little boy and set him on his shoulders "Come here!"
"I love it up here!" Auggie cheered.
Cory walked up to the two boys "Ma brotha'!"
"Ma brotha'!"
"How is it possible we're brothers?" Cory asked.
"Because...it's a surprise!" Josh shouted in his father's face.
"Stop doing that." Grandpa Alan shook his head.
Josh threw his free arm around Grandpa Alan's shoulder "Aw, Dad, so proud of himself. He get's into movies for like a quarter."
Riley and Maya stood up from their seats at the table "Uncle Josh." Riley greeted, hugging him.
"Riley."
Maya pulled Riley away and hugged Josh "Uncle Josh."
A now very uncomfortable Josh shook his head "Uh...I'm not your uncle, Maya."
"Even better."
"Get off him, Hart." Val gently tugged the blonde off her Uncle "It's not gonna happen."
"It's-It's been a while." Uncle Josh tried to make small talk.
"It sure has." Maya grinned.
"Well...boy, you grew up gorgeous."
Val smacked her palm to her forehead, grabbed Uncle Josh's arm and pulled him into the kitchen "If you're gonna make comments as cheesy as that, you can help me make a cheese platter."
"You are not going to be my Aunt." Riley crossed her arms and frowned at the smiling Maya.
Maya started to sing "I can't hear you! Ba-da-da-da-da-da-da-duh."
Cory sat down next to his father on the couch "Happy holidays, Dad. I'm glad you could make it."
"Aw, thank you, Cory." Grandpa Alan hugged his son.
Auggie walked over and sat down on Cory's other side "Happy holidays, Dad. I'm glad you could make it."
Cory chuckled "Well, thank you Auggie."
Uncle Shawn poked his head in the doorway. Val saw him and smiled widely, ready to go say hello, but he held a figure to his lips, shut the door quietly and moved towards the couch where Josh was now sharing the cheese platter with his brother, nephew, and father.
Shawn sat down next to Auggie "Gee, Cor, I thought you'd be more excited to see me."
Cory looked up, gasped, and screamed "YAY!"
The two best friends embraced and crushed Auggie, who was sitting between them, in the process.
"I told you he was real!" Cory shouted at Maya.
Auggie wiggled his way out from between the two men and gasped for air "I'm okay, I'm alive!"
Topanga and Val opened their arms for the little boy and he ran into them, huffing and puffing.
"So, that's us, huh?" Maya asked.
"So I've been told." Riley nodded.
Josh stood up "Hey, Shawn, am I cooler than you yet?"
"Oh, not yet, but I'm getting nervous."
The two hugged and Topanga released herself from Auggie and Val and walked over to Shawn.
"Hey, Mrs. Cory." Shawn smiled.
"Hey Mr. Cory." Topanga hugged him.
Cory then stood up and, putting a hadn't on each of their shoulders, said "You two. How great is this? My favorite person in the world...and my wife."
"You need a tissue for those tears, Dad?" Val joked tossing him a box of Kleenex.
Cory nodded "Thank you." And blew his nose loudly.
"My whole life." Topanga smiled at her daughter.
"Hey, Shawn." Grandpa Alan stood up "How ya doin'?"
"I keep moving, Mr. Matthews." Shawn hugged Alan.
"Oh, we're glad you're here." Grandma Amy walked over and hugged him too "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah." Shawn nodded.
"Good luck with that."
"Grandma!" Val complained "I'm helping so the food will be delicious."
"Val." Shawn walked over to the girl "I'm sure it will be. It already smells great."
"Thanks, Uncle Shawn." They hugged.
Shawn reached behind her and swiped a cookie. When Val realized she gently smacked his arm and laughed.
Riley and Maya stood up "Hi, Uncle Shawn." Riley greeted.
"Yeah, hey, kids." Shawn waved awkwardly, then ducked away back to Cory.
"'Yeah, hey, kids.'?" Maya asked incredulously.
"It's getting better." Riley assured her friend "Last time it was just..." She did a head jerk.
"Maybe he's just not a big talker." Maya tried.
"Cor, time to talk." Shawn said from beside the tree "We got a lot to catch up on."
Val watched as Maya guided a sad Riley up the stairs.
Val walked over to her father and Shawn, who were sitting in the living room bay window, just in time to hear her father pressuring his best friend.
"Hey, Shawn, come on. Why don't you move back to the city?" Cory asked "The apartment above us is for rent."
"Cor, this is real life, not a TV show." Shawn smiled at his friends antics "I'm not your wacky neighbor."
"You're not the wacky Uncle either. That's Uncle Eric's role." Val joked.
"But ya could be!" Cory shook his finger at the pair "It's the 'Cory and Shawn Show'!" He started singing "Cory and Shawn in the b-i-ig city and nobody talks but them."
"I'll be a cop and you run the deli and nobody talks but them." Shawn joined in.
Val rolled her eyes as the two men as they posed back to back with their arms crossed.
Riley and Maya walked up to the trio.
Maya stood, shoulder back and serious "I wanna talk to you." She said to Shawn.
"Did you not just hear our song?" Cory threw his hands in the air dramatically and sat down next to Val.
"What's that?" Shawn asked, jabbing his thumb at Maya.
"That's Maya. She thinks she's tough." Cory smirked.
"Scram."
"Okay." Cory scooted away slightly.
"Watch it, Hart." Val warned "Leave him alone."
"What're you gonna do about it? Call your Mommy?" Maya was edging dangerously close to the line.
"What's that?" Shawn asked again.
"Maya's still mad she got in trouble for her and Riley trashing my room." Val explained.
"What?!" Uncle Shawn shouted "Why would you do that? That's not okay, Riley."
"I know." Riley hung her head "Mom and Dad have already talked to me. And they called Maya's Mom."
"Did you at least have the sense to ground her, Cory?" Shawn turned to his best friend.
"Of course. She's grounded for an extra two months since it happened so close to the end of the year." Cory nodded.
"Good."
"I've heard stories about you." Maya tried to steer the conversation away from the current topic and back to the one she wanted to discuss "You're great in the stories. I don't see it yet."
"Okay." Shawn was easily distracted.
"Riley and I are the best friends on this planet."
"Well, that's cute. 'Cause Cory and I are the best friends in all of existence. Which includes your crummy little planet. Cory and I finish each other's..."
"Sentences!" Cory screamed.
"Take it easy there, Dad." Val patted his shoulder gently.
"Yeah?" Maya smirked "That all you do?"
"Because Maya..." Riley slid onto the widow seat, knocking Val off.
"Ow!"
"And I..." Maya ignored Val.
"Can read..."
"Each other's..."
"Minds. Ready?" Riley asked and Maya nodded turning to her "What am I thinking of? One, two, three!"
"Pizza!" Both girls shouted together "One, two, three, clouds! One, two, three, Farkle!"
Topanga came over and helped Val up "You okay, honey?"
"Fine, Mom, don't worry. Let's go take the turkey out of the oven." Val said, brushing herself off and casting a quick glare at her sister.
Josh, Auggie, and Val were decorating a sleeping Grandpa Alan with ornaments.
Josh passed Auggie a star "Hold this, will you?"
"Should we be doing this?" Auggie asked, concerned.
"Absolutely." Josh and Val said together then cracked up as quietly as possible so as not to wake the man.
"What's the difference between having a younger Daddy and an older Daddy?" Auggie passed Josh back the star.
Josh thought for a moment "Younger Daddy doesn't fall asleep in the middle of a party." He shrugged.
Auggie and Val immediately pointed over towards where Cory was snoozing on, the also sleeping, Shawn's shoulder.
Maya stomped over and shouted in Shawn's ear "How could you possibly not like Riley?"
"Maya." Riley tried to stop her friend.
"What is she talking about?" Shawn asked, rubbing his sleep filled eyes.
"'Sup, losers, your day just got ten times better!" Annie burst into the apartment "Ooh! I smell cooking!"
"Annie!" Val leapt up and hugged her friend "Thank God."
"I'm sorry, who's this?" Shawn was now very confused.
"Sorry, Uncle Shawn, this is my best friend Annie." Val grinned.
"And, Matthews, you have got to learn to deal with people not liking you. For instance, I don't like you." Annie smiled, pleased.
Val smacked her arm "Could you at least be nice? It's Christmas."
"What? You don't like me either?" Riley freaked out.
Val grabbed Annie's arm and pulled her into the kitchen.
"What's going on?" Shawn said loudly.
Riley took a deep breath "Whenever you do come here, it's like you find some excuse not to talk to me and then you leave."
"I talk to you." Shawn said calmly "I'm talking to you right now."
"When's my birthday?" Riley asked "What's my favorite color?"
"Riley, that stuff doesn't matter." Uncle Shawn rolled his eyes.
"It does matter." Maya nodded vigorously "Tell us what you know."
"Girls..." Cory sighed "Shawn knows your birthday, Riley."
"How do you know?" Riley asked.
"He knows."
"Dinner, everybody!" Val called, after tasting the soup her mother had made.
Shawn set down his fork after he and the Matthews family had finished stuffing their faces with Val's delicious Christmas dinner.
Topanga glared viciously at everyone "Five minutes?" She asked "That dinner took us two days to cook. You animals ate it in five minutes!"
"It's okay, Mom." Val smiled "It means they liked it."
"What's for dessert, Mom?" Riley asked.
Topanga looked pleadingly at Val who sighed then nodded.
"Nothin'! I want you to sit there for two days and think about that dinner you just devoured, and then maybe I'll give you a cupcake." Ranted Topanga.
"Well, I thought it was great, Topanga, Val." Shawn sighed, patting his full stomach "Thank you. I don't get a lot of home-cooked meals."
"How's the job going, Shawn?" Cory asked, making small talk.
"Oh, you do something?" Maya snarked.
Shawn chuckled "Yeah. I write for a site called 'Hit the Road.' Got to a lot of different places and tell you if it's worth a weekend."
"I-I go on that site." Maya stuttered.
"Restless little spirit, huh?"
"No, I just think about-"
"Other places?"
"Sometimes." Maya nodded.
"Yeah..." Shawn agreed
"Yeah..." Maya squinted at him threateningly "You take the pictures too."
"I do." Shawn shook his head "How'd you guess that?"
"I draw pictures." Maya told him.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I'm gonna say 'yeah' last, okay?" Shawn smirked.
"Very mature, Uncle Shawn." Val joked.
"Yeah..." Shawn nodded.
Silently, Maya mouthed "Yeah..." Back.
"Okay, that's it." Riley leaned into the conversation "When's my birthday, Uncle Shawn?"
Shawn looked pleadingly at Cory who said "He knows, Riley."
"You keep on saying that." Riley shook her head "Why won't he answer? What did I do?"
"Besides trashing my room, you mean?" Val muttered.
Shawn stood up, tree his napkin down on the table, and headed towards the door.
Halfway there, he turned and said "You coming, or what?"
Riley smiled at Maya and they linked arms before following Shawn out.
After a while, Riley, Maya, and Shawn came back to the apartment. Val was sitting on the couch with Auggie while the grownups and Josh washed dishes.
Riley opened the door and walked in "Get in there." She ordered Uncle Shawn.
"Uh, Riley, you do not command a grown man." Cory told her.
"You."
"Who, me?" Cory did a weird pose with his hand on his chest.
"Both of you." Riley nodded "Go to my room."
"This would never happen on the 'Cory and Shawn Show'!" Cory hissed as he obeyed his younger daughter's orders.
Val, Josh, and Auggie on his shoulders walked into Riley's room.
"Oh." Josh said "Well, we interrupt two grown men in a girl's bedroom window, with this special announcement."
"Mom says to come down to open presents." Auggie smiled.
"We now return to two grown men in a girl's bedroom window." Josh started to sing "They're two grown men in a girl's bedroom window and nobody thinks that's weird. A-wink."
"I would never watch that show." Auggie commented.
Josh and Auggie left the room, but as Val made to follow, Riley pushed her back in.
"Riley, what are you doing?" Val said, exasperated.
"You can help them."
"Okay," Val threw her hands up "You've convinced me. I'll help."
"See, cool Uncle's already taken." Shawn gestured at the door which Riley had shut behind Val.
Val moved over to the bay window "I haven't sat here in weeks."
"Why not?" Shawn asked.
"Well, it started with Riley hitting me, then Riley called me a liar, then she and Maya trashed my room. I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff but that's just off the top of my head." Val crossed her legs and smiled "I'm over most of it. I mean, I'm still not happy about it and I haven't forgiven her, but I'm getting to a place where it's possible. Overall, Riley and I haven't been on the best of terms lately, so I stopped coming with her and Maya when they did their bay window sessions."
"Ladies." The window slid open to reveal Farkle.
"Farkle." Val greeted.
"Oh, excuse me, Val, do I have the right window?" Farkle asked, very confused.
"Minkus?" Shawn gaped.
"Yes." Farkle nodded.
"Cory, what's this here?" Shawn asked, pointing, slightly afraid, at the small boy.
Cory chuckled "Shawn, this is Farkle Minkus"
"Get outta here!"
"I'm Stuart Minkus' son." Farkle confirmed.
"Minkus reproduced?" Shawn was astounded.
"Breath, Uncle Shawn." Val reminded him.
"Yeah, what do you think? He was cloned in a lab or something?" Cory laughed.
Stonefaced, Uncle Shawn gestured to the boy "Look at him."
The adults looked at Farkle who gave them a smile.
"Huh." Cory said "Farkle, have you ever actually seen your birth certificate?"
Farkle looked down "Huh. If you'll excuse me, I have some questions I need to take care of."
He left the window and Val shut it behind him, giggling.
"You know he's very nice actually." She told Uncle Shawn.
"Wow. I mean, even Minkus?" Shawn asked "Hey, Cor."
"Yeah."
"What's it like to have children?"
"Shawn," Cory sighed "My life began when Val and Riley were born."
Shawn rubbed his hands together "Riley's right. I moved out of the city because every time I came here it reminded me of what I didn't have."
"Shawn, find someone." Cory said, leaning forward "Begin your life."
Riley walked in "Thank you. You and you have served your purpose." She grabbed Cory and Val's arms and pulled them away from the bay window.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Cory asked.
Riley moved over to the window and opened it, pulling Maya inside.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Maya asked.
"Ask him about his parents." Riley commanded her best friend.
"Riley?" Cory asked as his daughter joined him and Val.
"Look at them." Riley gestured to the two sitting awkwardly in the window seat "They're us."
"Come here." Cory smiled "Was this your idea?"
"What do you think?" Riley smiled.
"I think you are the new king." Cory said, placing his hand on Riley's shoulder.
"Yeah, well, I did learn from the best." Riley complimented.
As Riley reached for the doorknob Shawn spoke up "Uh, Cory? What's going on?"
"Riley, what are you trying to do here?" Maya asked.
"You got this, buddy." Cory told his best friend.
Riley mimicked her father "You go this, buddy."
She left with her arms around her father's shoulder. Val stopped in the doorway and turned.
"Val-?"
"This is something you have to do for yourselves. And it's okay, Uncle Shawn. I know you'll always be there when I need you."
Val left, shutting the door behind her.
The family sat in the living room, happily opening gifts.
"Topanga," Cory walked up to his wife "We had an amazing childhood together. But it's over now. It's better now. This family you've given me...Topanga, it's everything. Am I everything to you?"
Topanga looked over at where Val sat playing with Auggie and his new toys and where Riley, Maya, and Shawn sat on the large armchair, watching them.
"My whole life." She put her hand on her husband's chest.
Cory pulled out a gift and passed it to her.
"Oh, Cory, there is no greater gift than hearing you say that. What else could you have possibly gotten me?"
"A massage at the spa and gift certificates for going out to dinner all next week."
"Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme!"
"So what did you get me?" Grandma Amy asked Grandpa Alan.
He tossed the gift he'd gotten his wife behind the couch "Same thing."
The couples in the room embraced.
Auggie looked up at Val, who was watching Maya talk to Uncle Shawn.
"Are you okay, Vallie?" The little boy asked.
"How many time do I have to tell you, Auggie?" Val smiled and pulled her little brother in for a hug "I'm always okay."
"That was a pretty cool thing you did." Josh sat down next to them "Giving up Shawn for Maya."
"She needs him more than I do. Look around. I've got two great parents, loving grandparents, fantastic aunts and uncles, and amazing siblings. Maya has almost none of that. Sure her mom loves her, but she doesn't express it well. Shawn has the ability to and he needs to learn how. A little parental guidance, might just make Maya a better person in the long run." Val said softly.
"But, you know it's okay to be sad about it, right?" Josh asked.
"Of course, I'm sad. But then I remind myself of all that I have this Christmas and I feel just a little bit better." Val stood up, grabbed two presents and walked over to Riley and Maya "Here you go, guys. Merry Christmas."
Slowly they opened the gifts and gasped. In Maya's was a complete art sett of pastels, paints, and colored pencils. In Riley's was a small makeup kit and book on how to properly apply it.
"Val, I-"
"If you ever need any help learning how to use it, I'm here for you, Riley. And Maya, do me a favor?"
"What?"
"Paint beautiful things."
Val walked back to Josh and Auggie who smiled and hugged her as she sat down.
"Way to be the bigger person, Val." Josh commented "You know, you're very mature."
"I sometimes wish I didn't have to be, but I am. It's me now." Val smiled lightly "I'm okay with that. Merry Christmas, guys."
Word count: 4119 words
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Love,
The Author