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Cory went to Riley's room to see if she and Maya wanted to join him for some afternoon pudding. He was just about to knock on her door when he heard Maya talking.
“Those boots look great on you babe. This party tonight won't know what hit it when we show up.”
“I like it when you call me babe” Riley said, giggling.
Cory was flabbergasted. Maya just called his little girl “babe”. He rushed back to the kitchen where Topanga sat with Shawn. “Pangers! Shawnie! Code eleventy!” he whisper/screamed.
The duo looked up from their chess game, bemused. “Yes dahlink?” Shawn said
“Riley and Maya were trying on clothes for Farkle's party and Maya called Riley “babe”!
“So?” Topanga asked.
“Nothing good comes from being called babe! If you will remember, this one” he said, pointing at Shawn, “used to call us babe all the time until we accidentally lost our clothes! My little gumdrop isn't old enough to be someone's babe! She's still a baby! Topanga, you go in there and put a stop to this right now! Take those boots away from my little girl and give her Mr. Spot Tongue so she can take a nap.”
Topanga and Shawn looked at each other and sighed. “First of all, Riley is 17 and a little old for her old stuffed giraffe and a nap. Second, what you heard could have very well been completely innocent. And even if it wasn't, so what? If our daughter is going to be in a relationship with someone, I'm glad it's with Maya, who we knows loves and respects her.” Topanga said with her best lawyer face.
“But-but-but, “BABE!”! No good can come from that!”
“Cor, would it make you feel better if I went in and talked with the girls?” Shawn asked.
“Thank you Shawnie. I'm too emotional right now” Cory said as he plopped down in a chair and began fanning himself with the Arts and Leisure section.
“Yes, thank you Shawn” Topanga said. “And let them know if they want to sculpt their burgeoning emotions I just got some more clay.”
Shawn rolled his eyes and got up from the table. He grabbed Topanga's hand and squeezed it three times as he walked by. When he reached Cory he dropped a kiss on his cheek and headed back to Riley's room. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
“Shawn! My man! What is up?” Maya greeted him as she hugged him tight.
“Pops! What do you think of these boots?” Riley asked as she modeled a pair of studded motorcycle boots.
“Very nice, sweetie. You girls pre-gaming for Farkle's party tonight?”
“Yep. Maya brought over these boots and I'm going to put purple streaks in her hair” Riley answered as she and Maya flopped on her bed.
“Well, I'm sure you girls will have a great time, and I'll get the pre-party pictures later before you end up wrecking your outfits in a pudding balloon fight” Shawn said with a smile.
“One time! One time we have a pudding balloon fight, and we never hear the end of it! So unfair, Pops. I thought you were better than bringing up ancient history!”
“Riley, sweetie, it was two months ago. That's hardly ancient history. But that's not why I came in here.” Shawn took a deep breath. “There's no easy way to ask this. Are you two...together? Y'know, like in the romantic sense?”
Maya bit her lower lip as Riley looked over at her. “Would it matter?” Maya asked softly.
Shawn's lips upturned slightly. “Maya-Bananna, you are just as much a part of this family as I am. If you girls-sorry, young ladies, have romantic feelings for each other, we just want to know so we can tell you the ground rules.”
Riley reached over and laced her fingers together tightly with Maya's. “Yes, Pops. Maya and I are girlfriends. Are you and mom and dad going to have a problem with this?”
“Well, that would be pretty hypocritical of us, now wouldn't it? No one has a problem with you and Maya being a couple, except maybe Auggie because he thinks all girls are icky except your mom. There are a few rules though. First off, treat each other well. When you have a problem or a disagreement, talk it out. Talk to each other, talk to Farkle, talk to one of us. Next, if Auggie's home during the day, keep your door open. Kid's been traumatized enough over the years by walking in on the three parental units. Last, treasure what you have, and if anyone gives you any grief about being two girls together, or tells you that you're too young, you come to me.”
Riley got up off her bed and hugged Shawn tightly. “Thanks Pops. Love you” she whispered in his ear before skipping out of her room.
Maya sat up and looked at Shawn with trepidation. “How do I make sure I don't hurt her? This family, but specifically Riley, are the best things that have ever happened to me. And I'm terrified I'm going to end up wrecking this.”
Shawn sat down next to the small blonde and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “The truth is this. You are going to hurt Riley, just like she's going to hurt you. That's just how relationships work. I understand your fears, believe me. You know how it was for me when I was your age. I screwed up a lot because I was so afraid of letting people in and letting them love me. Don't make my mistakes. Communicate with Riley. Let her know you're scared. Honesty is key.” Dropping a kiss on the top of Maya's head, Shawn got up and went back into the kitchen to report back to his other 2/3rds.
“They're a couple.” Shawn stated bluntly as he stole some of Cory's strawberries.
“Did you talk to them? Because while you were in there I created a very informative Power Point while the wife played with clay.” Cory asked.
“They got the talk. And since Auggie is at a sleepover and the girls will be out late, I had better be getting some sweet lovin' from you two tonight.”
“Thanks...babe” Topanga said with a shit-eating grin. “You, me, and Mr. Worrywart have a date in the hot tub as soon as Riley and Maya leave for Farkle's.”
“I resent being called Mr. Worrywart” Cory said, pouting.
Maya and Riley walked over to the kitchen table holding hands. “We're hungry, so we thought we'd head over to Uncle Eric's and grab some gravy tots” Riley said. “We'll be back soon so we can start getting ready for tonight. Love you guys!”
“Later, parentals” Maya said, giving them a jaunty salute.
“Bye girls! Be careful and give Eric our love!” Topanga yelled after them.
Outside of the apartment Riley and Maya looked at each other and grinned. “Feels nice now that they know, doesn't it?” Riley asked her girlfriend.
Maya kissed Riley tenderly and replied “Sure does, babe.”
They walked down the sidewalk, swinging their interlocked hands gently and stopping every so often for silly kisses. Eventually they reached the colorful storefront that held their Uncle Eric's restaurant, Eric's Tater Tot Emporium.
“My favorite ladies!” Eric yelled when he saw them sit down at the corner. “What brings you to my fine establishment this beautiful day? No, wait-let me use my powers of psychosis to figure it out!”
The duo laughed and nodded at him.
“Hmmm....You had blueberry bagels for breakfast, Shawn and Topanga bickered over the last piece of bacon but Auggie snatched it, you two came out to your parents, and I'm going to get a visit from the health department later in the week. Achoo!” Eric sneezed loudly.
“Very nice Uncle Tater Tot. The breakfast thing was a given considering that goes on pretty much every Saturday morning, and maybe you wouldn't be getting a visit from the health department if you didn't sneeze all over the food.” Maya said as she and Riley laughed at Eric.
“Pish posh. My little tots came out! I'm so proud of you two, seriously. Although how they didn't know before now is beyond me. What tipped them off?”
“Apparently Dad heard Maya call me babe and got the wiggins. What is the deal with that word, anyway? Is it code for something that will scar me for life and possibly keep me from enjoying my girlfriend dancing around tonight in a low cut top?” Riley asked as she sipped her fig milkshake.
“Yeah, hearing someone call you babe definitely would have caused good old Cor to have palpitations. And you don't want to know what it is with those three and the word babe. It might be real and deep, but it's also a whole bucket of weird. So what happened after he heard the magic word? Did he break out a Power Point presentation? Oohhh! Did Pangers have you guys sculpt your feelings?” Eric asked as he bounced up and down while he made them a basket of gravy tots to share.
“Negatory. Pops came in and talked to us in a calm and rational manner” Maya answered. Then she shuddered as she swallowed a tot. “Man, we really dodged a bullet of crazy if you think that our other alternatives were sculpting our feelings with the re-hippied mom or a Power Point from the dad with the crazy eyes.”
“All joking aside, I'm glad Shawn was there for you two. I'm here for you as well. I hope you know that.” Eric said as he refilled Maya's Dr Pepper.
“We know. We are so lucky to have the family and friends that we have.” Riley said in between bites.
“Damn skippy you're lucky. Now finish your free food and scram. If memory serves me correctly there's a rager at Farkle's tonight and you two need to go pretend to get more beautiful.”
The girls wolfed down their tots and Riley finished her milkshake. “Later Uncle Tot. See you tomorrow for dinner?” Maya asked as she linked her arm through Riley's.
“I have been to every Sunday dinner since before Riley was plucked from the cabbage patpench. Why would I miss tomorrow? I think the freedom to mack on each other in front of any random person is effecting your cognitive functions. Now, seriously, scram.” Eric said as he wiped down the section of counter they were sitting at.
The duo pushed the brightly painted door o and they stepped out into the warm New York sun, content in the knowledge that their lives were awesome and they were so, so lucky to have the support system that they had.
“Come on babe. Those purple streaks aren't going to get in your hair by themselves” Riley said as she tugged on Maya's arm.
“Well, duh, babe. Our Hogwarts letters got lost in the mail”
“Nerd.”
“Weirdo”
“Yours”
“Forever, babe.”