Val Meets Game Night

I don't own Girl Meets World!

Cory, Val, and Topanga sat at the kitchen table. Riley sat on the arm of the couch across from them.

"Family game night." Cory grinned "My favorite night of the month. Just me, my family, and my 'jama pants."

Riley's slippers squeaked as she marched over to her father "Why do you guys have to make such a big deal about game night?"

"Because game night is sacred, Riley." Cory explained "I know this is gonna come as a shock to you, but there's gonna come a day where you start to prioritize friends over your family."

"What? No." Riley scoffed guiltily.

Maya opened the door "Did you tell 'em yet? Did he freak? Did she tell you? Did you freak? Show me what you did. Freak out for me."

"Oh, no." Val groaned "Riley, you didn't."

"Why would I freak out?" Cory asked, confused "I don't freak out. What did you do?!"

Riley smiled tightly as the door opened again and Josh and Auggie walked in.

"Family game night, now with extra family!" Auggie exclaimed, leading the older boy in.

Maya twirled her hair flirtatiously "Well, hello."

"Well, hello." Auggie flirted back.

"Hi, Uncle Josh." Val walked over and hugged the boys "Aw, look at these two cuties. Breaking hearts?"

"All the time." Auggie responded slyly making Val laugh and pinch his cheeks.

"You are too cute."

"I know."

"Auggie didn't wanna miss game night." Josh explained to the Matthews parents "We never made it out of the city. Oh, here's your money." He passed Cory a bill.

"Hey, this is a dollar. I gave you a hundred."

"With that kinda money, you think we're not gonna buy steaks?"

Auggie sat down next to Val at the table and pulled up his shirt, revealing his full stomach "Thank you, Papa!"

"You know what?" Cory stood up "My brotha'!"

"My brotha'!" Josh and Cory hugged and laughed.

"Listen, you're here for game night. You're family, you're in."

The intercom buzzed "Farkle."

"And Lucas."

Cory's face turned to one of horror as Riley skipped over to the box and said "Come on up."

"Topanga." Cory said, shocked "It's happening. I thought we had a few more years."

"Calm down." Topanga told her husband.

"No calm!" Cory cried "It's happening right now! Riley invited her friends to family game night!" Cory stood up "Riley, shnookums. Um, you're gonna have to start to prioritize what's more important to you, your family, huh? Or your friends? There is only one right answer."

"Why do I-?"

"Wrong answer."

"Have to choose between-?"

"Wrong answer."

Before her father could interrupt again, Riley said very quickly "I love my friends and I want to hand out with my friends."

There was a knock on the door. Riley skipped over and opened it, revealing Farkle and Lucas.

"Welcome to family game night, friends."

"Wrong, wrong, wrong answer!"

"Get rid of them." Cory commanded his younger daughter.

"Why do you have to be you all the time?" Riley asked, exasperated.

"Ya think it's easy?" Cory turned to his wife "Say goodbye to this daughter, honey. She has chosen her friends over her family."

"Why can't we just play with her friends?" Topanga asked.

"Because, Topanga," Cory explained slowly "the second she allows Dr. Turtleneck and Mr. Howdy into our household, our family was compromised by interlopers."

Riley turned around and carried her bucket of popcorn over to the living room table. She knelt down next to her friends who all had their heads resting on their hands, watching the conversation.

"Maybe we could just come back another time?" Lucas offered.

"Oh, yeah, we don't have walls." Cory laughed "I told you we needed walls, Topanga."

Josh walked over to the kids "Dr. Turtleneck, I presume?" He said to Farkle.

"How could you tell?" The turtlenecked boy asked.

"Oh, because-" Val gestured wildly for him to stop "You just seem like a doctor to me." Josh finished lamely.

"Thank you." Farkle grinned.

"Thank you. And you must be..."

"Howdy." Lucas greeted the older boy.

Cory picked up the game "See this? 'The Family Game. The game for Families.' Not the Friends game, a game for friends. I saw that game. I didn't buy that game. I bought this one." He tapped the box "Because I used to have a family!"

"Will you stop?" Topanga sighed.

"How could she choose her friends over us? I mean, did they burp her? Did they change her diapers?" Cory jumped up on the couch.

"We haven't yet, but we will when she's old." Farkle faced Cory and smiled innocently.

"Speak for yourself, honey." Topanga sat down next to Riley on the floor "I know that I have the absolute love and loyalty of my children who like me fine and always will."

"Absolutely, Mom." Val walked in with Auggie "And it's good that you know it."

"Everybody's here. Everybody plays." Riley told her mother.

"Cory, flipping out is only gonna make things worse. Do you really wanna drive her away?" Topanga asked.

"Yeah, Dad. If you let her have her freedom and her friends it doesn't mean that she loves you any less." Val told her father.

"Yeah, Dad." Riley stood up and climbed onto the couch with her father "It's like what you were teaching today.

"I was teaching about the American Revolution, Riley." Cory gestured to her friends "How is this anything like the American Revolution? How?"

"Let's think." Riley said, completely serious.

"Rewind! Rewind!" Val sang.

Flashback

In class, Cory peaked out from behind an old American flag with 13 stars on it "The American Revolution. Imagine England as a father, and America, it's child. Knowing it's time to break away. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the Revolutionary War."

Farkle burst through the door in a splendid regal outfit complete with a crown and cape "Subjects. It is I, King George the Third, ruler of the British Empire. Now where is that rebellious John Adams? Who dares choose his American friends over his King?"

Riley ran in, wearing a dark blue coat and her hair tied back in a messy ponytail "Here I am!" She shoved Farkle aside "John Quincy Adams!"

"Riley, uh, you're actually John Adams." Cory corrected.

Riley slide onto the desk next to her father "Who's that?"

"John Adams was the father of John Quincy Adams."

"But our school is John Quincy Adams."

"My school was John Adams."

Riley looked confused "Your school was the father of mu school?"

"Does that make sense to you?" Cory asked.

"None of this does." Riley sighed.

"I'm also gonna be your teacher next year."

"You're kidding me."

"Will someone please give me my entrance cue?!" Val's voice came from the doorway.

"Now back to our story." Cory push direly off his desk and back to the performance.

"It is I, John not Quincy Adams." Riley pointed to the class "Wait," She went back to the desk "Why'd they name the school after this guy? I mean, he must have done something."

"He did." Cory assured her "He did something, we're gonna get to it."

"If someone doesn't say my cue soon I'm gonna come in anyways!"

"So, John Adams," Cory stood up "Where are your rebel friends?"

"With me as always."

Lucas stepped into the doorway wearing a light blue coat and a funny hat.

"Hark! Here's one right now."

Lucas saluted the class.

Riley leaned against him "Lookin' good, Georgie Washington."

Lucas straightened up awkwardly "John, you're embarrassing me."

Riley threw her hand in the air "Good. Now for the...Do I really have to say all this, Val?"

"Yes!"

"Ugh." Riley groaned "Fine, the ten dollar, founding father without a father. Got a lot farther by being a lot smart by being a self starter, blah blah, blah! What's your name, man?!"

"Alexander Hamilton! My name is Alexander Hamilton, and just you wait, just you wait!" Val stepped through the door in a brown waistcoat and her hair, like Riley's, was tied back in a ponytail.

"Now, may I introduce, he is crazy smart, he's rocking granny glasses, the old kite flyer himself, Benjamin Franklin." Riley introduced Maya's character.

"Why does she get that and I get blah, blah, blah?" Val asked Lucas who shrugged.

"I'm not doing this." Maya called.

"Come on, we can't start the revolution without you." Lucas pleaded.

"Fine, but nobody look at me." Maya ordered.

"Okay, nobody look at Maya!" Riley teased.

Maya slowly walked in. She wore a half bald, grey haired wig, old fashioned glassed, and a green waistcoat.

The whole class burst out in giggles.

Farkle moved next to Maya "Why, Benjamin Franklin, can you feel the electricity between us? Huh?"

"When do we get rid of this guy?"

"Right now!" Riley exclaimed "King George, the American colonies want their freedom."

"You belong to me, and I will never let you go!" Farkle shouted "It's the King's law."

End Flashback

"You belong to me until you're 18." Cory and Riley stood nose to nose on the couch "It's the law."

"Whatever you say, King George." Riley retorted.

"Stop calling me that!"

"What's the matter?" Maya asked "Pops doesn't like Pops' lesson?"

"Yeah." Riley joined her friend and stepped off the couch.

"Listen guys, not everything I teach you in class applies to our lives."

"It does, every time, Sir." Lucas nodded.

Josh stood up "Okay, game's all set up. We doin' this thing, or what?"

Cory crossed his arms and pouted "No."

"Yes." Riley told him.

"Do you guys even know how to play the family game?" Cory asked skeptically.

Maya stood up "Let me teach ya." She pushed Cory onto the couch.

"Okay."

"Because I'm always here and you can't get rid of me." She pointed to Topanga and Val "Always wins." She pointed to Riley "Always eats to much popcorn and says, 'I'm never eating popcorn again.'"

With a mouthful of the stuff, Riley said "But it's so delicious."

Auggie grabbed his Uncle's arm "Would you be on my team, Uncle Josh?"

"Try and stop me."

"Okay, I'll stop you, you're on my team." Maya pulled Josh out of Auggie's reach.

"He's my Uncle!" Auggie whined.

"He's my husband!"

Auggie put his hands up in surrender "Congratulations."

"You have invented a new kind of stupid." Val muttered under her breath so the blonde couldn't hear her.

Farkle read from the instructions "It says here the goal is to get in one of the four success squares with your teammate."

"And then you win. It makes this sound." Auggie hit the button and a triumphant chorus played.

"I win!" Val and Topanga said together.

"Oh, it hasn't happened yet." Topanga smiled sheepishly.

"What's the big circle in the middle for?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, we don't go there." Riley told him "If even one person goes in there, then you have to play the long game."

"What's the long game?" Farkle asked.

"I don't know, we've never played it." Riley explained.

"Intriguing. Should we find out?"

"No, it takes forever." Topanga groaned.

"And you don't get to hear this." Cory hit the button and the horns played again.

"I win!" Chorused Val and Topanga.

"Okay, something's wrong with us." Val whispered.

The doorbell rang and Topanga said "I win! Oh, my goodness."

"Now, who could that be?" Cory asked, throwing his arms in the air.

Auggie opened the door and there stood a little blonde girl.

"Hi, Auggie." She waved "Hey, you're playing a game? Can I be on your team?"

The two linked arms and came back inside.

"Auggie, who's this?" Val asked.

"Oh, right, Val this is Ava."

"Oh, so you're the famous Ava?" Val smiled "You seem like a nice little girl. I'm glad you and Auggie are friends."

"Yeah, I always seem nice at first." Ava shrugged "But my Mommy says once you get to know me, I'm a disaster."

"Me too, kid."

"You're on your own, pal." Auggie told Uncle Josh "My woman's here."

"Sure, Auggie." Cory sighed "Bring your woman in. Let's bring in everybody. Why don't we put up signs on the telephone poles next to the cats and the dogs. Matthews family game night. Only not really, it's kind of everybody family game night! Isn't it? Huh? Isn't it?"

"There's the freak out!" Maya shouted happily "Best show in town. Do you feel better now, buddy?"

"I do, thank you." Cory said, taking a deep breath.

"Thank you."

"Well, well." Maya said, sitting between Josh and Cory "Looks like everybody's all partnered up except for lil ol' us. Huh. I could pick you." She leaned towards Josh "Or I could pick you." She looked at Cory "Or I could pick you." Josh again "Or I could pick you." Cory batted his eyes at the blonde "Yeah, well you see, you represent homework and no fun, while you are so handsome it kinda makes my eyes hurt."

"Okay." Josh stood up to get away from Maya "Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna be the game show host, is what I'm gonna do. Cause they stand." Maya stood up too "And they move."

Maya tried to follow Josh around the table but Cory grabbed her and pulled her back onto the couch "Hiya partner."

"Oh boy."

"Well, I guess there'll be two hosts tonight, since we're uneven." Val stood up and joined Josh.

"And game show host makes sure everyone follows the rules and plays fair." Josh grabbed the money Ava was trying to pocket "Especially this one."

"Ava!" Auggie hissed.

"Shh." Ava shushed him "I'm doin' this for us, baby."

"Okay." Val passed Josh the box with the directions on it and he read "The object of this game is to create a family, protect it, and get safely through a world of obstacles that will test how strong your family is. The winner of the short game is the first team to end up in one of the four success squares with a car and a house."

Ava turned to Auggie, arms crossed "Get me a car and a house."

"I'm tryin'!"

"Okay. Um, Maya and I up first. We'll go first." Cory said, reaching for the die.

"Oh, says who?" Riley asked, grabbing the dice.

"Says the King of the castle."

Riley and Cory once again got nose to nose, standing on the couch over Lucas.

"Just because you're the King, doesn't mean you get to make all the rules." Riley grabbed her father's shoulder to steady herself.

"Oh, yeah? That's actually the first rule in the King's handbook!"

Lucas stood up breaking the arguing pair apart "Well, it's been a lovely evening. And now I need a hug from my Mama."

"Mama?" Maya asked.

"Yeah." Lucas looked at Josh "What do you call your Mama?"

"MA!" Josh honked "Try it out."

"Ma..." Lucas tried weakly "Nah, she'd put me in the shed."

"You know what?" Riley asked, drawing the attention back to herself "Dad, you may be the King, but I am going first."

She rolled the dice and Cory gasped dramatically.

The game had begun and Val sat next to Josh on the arm of a chair.

"Four, five, six, and as usual I will choose the fatherhood path." Cory grinned "Bing, bing, bing, bing , and the pink square means...I get a daughter."

"Actually, Sir, Farkle and I already own that square." Lucas told his teacher.

"So...?"

"So, your daughter's ours."

Riley started grinning widely.

"Excuse me?" Cory asked, astonished.

"Let him talk." Riley giggled.

"According to the game, we get your daughter." Lucas explained.

Riley tried to jump out of her seat but her mother held her back.

"Josh! Val!" Cory complained.

"She's not Riley Matthews anymore, my brotha'. She's now Mrs. Dr. Howdy Turtleneck."

Lucas held out his hand for the card. Slowly, Cory placed it in his hand but didn't let go.

Lucas gave a slight tug "Uh, Sir, you're holding on a little tight."

"You really need to let go, Sir." Farkle joined in.

But he was too late. The card ripped in half and Val clutched her neck.

She whispered to Josh "Since I'm older, don't they technically own me?"

"Don't tell your Dad that, he might have an aneurism." Josh whispered back.

"You killed my daughter!" Cory cried.

"My turn." Ava shouted, drawing the focus away from the distraught Cory "I pick six."

"Uh, Ava, you need to roll the dice." Topanga told the little girl.

"One, two, three, four, five, six." Ava counted, moving her game piece.

Topanga stood up "Josh, Val, objection."

"You take it." Val whispered to the older boy.

"I'm going to allow it." Josh smirked.

"Why?"

"Because she cracks me up." Josh laughed.

"I get a..." Ava grabbed a card "Make your own luck card. Take over someone's family business. Choose one player to send back to start. I choose...hmm...One Topanga, two Topanga, three Topanga, four, five Topanga, six Topanga, seven Topanga, or...Topanga!" Ava pointed at the lawyer "Wee! Poom!" She moved the game piece back to start.

Topanga glared "This stinks."

"This had to be done, Mommy." Auggie told her.

"It's okay, my love bug. Luckily, my team always wins."

"Yeah, when I'm on it." Val whispered to Josh.

"And my teammate has a turn, and I'm sure she's going to use it to help me."

Riley rolled the dice and moved her game piece.

"Right, Riley?" Topanga smiled "Sweetheart?"

Riley looked at her card then at her mother "Mom, I really hate to do this but I have a go to Europe with a friend card. And you're all the way back there. And I've never been to Europe."

"I wanna go to Europe." Ava demanded.

"Get off my back!" Auggie slammed his hands on the table.

"Wait," Topanga's voice betrayed her heartbreak "You're leaving me?"

"Mom, it's not personal. I just go this card and-"

"Wait, you're leaving me?" Topanga's voice was slightly upset now.

"Here it comes." Cory sighed.

"I am your mother. I have your absolute love and loyalty. What do you think, you're talking to him?" Topanga waved in her husband's direction.

"Hey, Farkle. How do you do that again?" Cory asked the genius.

"Hah!" The boy honked.

Cory nodded "Hah!" He tried.

Topanga raised an eyebrow and Cory looked back at Farkle.

"Now you run, Sir."

Cory stood up "No, actually. now I go right over here which is exactly where I belong." He climbed over the couch and sat down between Riley and Topanga.

"Well, this game just got real." Josh said "Will the daughter go off on her own or does the mother hold onto her forever?"

Riley shook her head "I'm sorry, Mommy." She slid over on the couch so she sat next to Maya "Partners?"

"Forever." Maya linked their arms.

"Riley?" Topanga asked.

"Mom, I am just playing a game. Isn't that what you want me to do? Win?"

"Not without me."

"Hey, Topanga." Cory wrapped an arm around her shoulders "You and me."

Topanga glanced at Riley then looked back at Cory "You and me. Let's win this thing."

"You and me." Maya said "Let's win this thing."

"You and me." Farkle mimicked.

"I just wanna go home." Lucas sighed.

Auggie turned to Ava "You and me. It's way past our bedtime! Yeah!"

"This isn't a game to them at all, is it?"

Riley and Maya were talking strategy when Val walked in.

"No, it's not. Riley, you're their child." Val sighed "They want you to love them."

"But what about you?" Riley asked "You're the oldest."

"But they know they have my complete love and loyalty in life and in the game. I know how important this game night was to Dad and I thought you did too, but I guess you just didn't care enough." Val explained.

"But I do care." Riley protested "I love them but I also want to spend time with my friends, what's so wrong about that?"

"Nothing is wrong about wanting to have friends and spend time with them." Val assured her "It's knowing when it's a good time to spend time with them or with your family. This wouldn't have happened if you had asked Mom and Dad if you could invite your friends but just doing it without permission has consequences. For instance, you left me without a partner."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know." Val smiled softly "You just don't always think things all the way through."

"Then how do we possibly win?" Riley asked.

"You don't win." Maya told her.

"You just play with them." Val finished "It's game night."

"Their favorite night of the month." Maya continued.

"You know, Hart?" Val patted the blonde's shoulder "You have your moments."

"Thanks. And Val, I'm sorry we destroyed your room. It was wrong, I know that now." Maya apologized.

"Thank you, Maya. You're really growing up." Val smiled "Take the chance to make this right, Riley. Do what I know you can. Be a good person."

Val left the room.

Topanga and Cory sat in the window seat in the living room.

"I just thought you get more time with them." Topanga sighed "She and Val are 12, and they're gonna be gone in a blink. He's five and already been married 20 years." She gestured to Auggie.

Ava licked her thumb and rubbed a smudge from Auggie's face.

"He gets that from me." Cory smiled "Listen Topanga. We've been a team all our lives, so now we're a team in this game, that's not so bad, is it?"

"You just get so much of the girls and you do such a great job teaching them, Riley's so much like you. I just want to know that I've made an impression on her."

"Every parent I know who has kids this age tells me this is when they head towards their friends. But eventually, they make their way back." Cory smiled and Topanga rested her head on his shoulder.

Riley and Maya came downstairs, following Val.

"Oh, look at that." Cory pointed to the girls "They're already back."

Josh clapped loudly "Break's over. Game on!"

Flashback

Riley was waving the old American flag wildly "Game over! God bless America!"

Farkle was laying on the floor "How could you do this?" He wailed "My kingdom! I have nothing left."

"Actually, Farkle, you still have India, Ireland, Australia, Shakespeare, Dickens, The Beatles, and Six." Val told him "But America got Lin Manuel Miranda so it kinda evens the playing field."

"Oh, yeah. Who needs you anyway?" Farkle asked Riley.

Riley threw her arm around Farkle's shoulder "You know you do."

"The Revolutionary War ended in 1783 leaving a rift between England and the United States." Cory told the class.

"But we love each other now, though, right?" Lucas asked.

"We do." Cory confirmed "But it took some time. In fact, it wasn't until 1814, when another American helped mend that relationship. His name, Riley, was John Quincy Adams."

"Oh." Riley realized "That's what the kid did."

"That's right. See it took the next generation to bring everybody together."

"So people that go to war can actually become friends?" Riley asked.

"Revolution is a short moment in time. But if you play the long game correctly, everybody can end up just were they're supposed to be." Cory smiled at the class.

"Someone has to get a 12." Cory complained "Anything but a 12. Nobody throw a 12."

Riley rolled the dice "12!"

"Oh, thank goodness, it's over!" Lucas cried.

"No, it's not." Riley shook her head "I'm not going for the success square. I'm going for the circle in the middle. We are going to play the long game."

"What?" Lucas sounded devastated.

"You could win." Topanga said, stunned.

Josh spoke into a kitchen utensil "Dude, why would you do that?"

"Because tonight, the family game is not about winning." Riley smiled.

"Uh, say what?" Topanga asked.

"Mom," Riley put her hand on her mother's shoulder "I was only trying to beat you because I want you to be proud of me."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I wanna be like you."

"You do?"

"A killer shark who always wins?" Riley asked like it was obvious.

"That is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard!" Topanga started to tear up and hugged Riley.

"So tonight," Riley gently broke the embrace "Let's find out what happens when you play the long game."

Lucas groaned loudly "I'm never gonna see my Mama again."

"I wanted someone to land in the success square." Cory muttered "I kinda wanted to hear..." He pressed the button and the trumpets played.

"We win!" Val and Topanga said together.

"Seriously help us." Topanga ordered.

Val passed Josh the box again and he read off it "In the long game, the players all play together to conquer the game itself."

"So we're all on one big team then?" Cory clarified.

Riley stood up "If you'll let us be. And Dad, I promise that nobody is going anywhere."

"Well, Riley, you know what?" Cory asked, standing up too "If these are the people you've chosen to leave us for someday, they're welcome to play with us anytime. You've made some wonderful choices."

"You're gonna buy the friends game?" Riley asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Cory nodded.

Topanga stood up too "Can we play that one with you guys?"

Maya joined the standing group "Anytime you want."

"You're a good King." Riley told her father "And Val, you're a good Hamilton."

"You're a good John Quincy Adams." Cory told her.

"Oh, the kid who brought everyone together." Riley remembered.

"Yeah." Val smiled.

"Told ya'." Riley grinned and moved her piece into the middle circle and a horn sounded "Who's joining us?"

"We are." Cory and Topanga sat down on the couch.

Hours later, Val was dozing softly, her head on Lucas's shoulder, covered with a fuzzy blanket.

Josh circled the table, speaking into the spoon like a microphone "Well, birds are chirping. Sounds of a sleepy city coming to life as the sun peaks it's smiling face..." He looked at Maya who grinned tiredly "Yeah, okay. Upon eight tired game players. And if Auggie Matthews can roll a two, then we will finally find out what happens when you win the long game."

"Nobody can roll a two." Topanga shook her head.

"We pick two." Ava said.

"You know what, Ava?" Topanga sat up "I finally like you."

"Okay."

Ava moved her game piece and the game chimed.

"That's its?" Riley asked, unimpressed.

The game chimed again and began to whir.

"Hold on." Cory said.

The middle circle lifted up and began to glow brightly, sending a rainbow of colors flowing around the room. Everyone leaned in, grinning as beautiful music played. Finally the platform the circle rested on receded into the game board and the bright lights vanished.

Josh lifted his fake microphone to his mouth "And as everyone is joined together, we see that in the long game, friends become family."

"It's not a game at all." Riley realized.

"What is it, Mommy?" A sleepy Auggie asked.

"It's life." Topanga smiled.

"Life is the long game?" Auggie asked, still confused.

"Yeah, bubba." Cory nodded "Life is the long game."

Everyone started getting up, hoping to get a few hours of sleep before school the next day. Val sat down next to Lucas.

"So, what did you think of Matthews family game night?" She asked.

"It was actually pretty cool." Lucas told her "Especially since you were here."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

What neither kid realized was, Riley and Maya were listening to the conversation.

Riley sighed, she did love her sister. But it was hard when Val got everything. All the attention, all the friends, all the boys...Riley wanted just a sliver of what her sister had.

Val thought to herself 'I do like Lucas, a lot. But Riley likes him, after everything, I think they'd be a better fit than Lucas and I.'

Word count: 4678 words
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Love,
The Author