Shawn was in Topanga's cafe listening to the kids when he heard her voice. Shawn turned to see Katy standing behind the counter. He greeted her and she inquired as to how things were.
"Well, I was doing a story in Philadelphia," Shawn began, walking away from everyone else to go over and talk to her. "Until my friend here brought me to New York so we could go back to Philadelphia. How's the acting?"
"I was playing a waitress at the NightHawk Diner," she explained. "And now I'm playing a waitress here."
"Well, I'm kinda liking this movie," Shawn said, trying to cheer her up. He was rewarded with a little curtsy, before Cory jumped in and started going on and on about how great it was to have a chance to go back and see what time has taught them all. He mentioned Angela, and after Topanga dragged him off for it, Katy asked who she was.
"Well, you know," Shawn shrugged. "Someone who used to be in my life."
"Ah yes, well we all have one of those, don't we," Katy replied easily. Then Farkle went and started talking. He asked questions so fast, Shawn wasn't even sure how to answer them if he'd wanted to, which he definitely didn't. The more Farkle babbled on about how he'd miss Angela, and how his old feelings would get all stirred up, the more uncomfortable Shawn became, though he wasn't sure why. He was glad when Maya threw something at Farkle and shut him up.
"Yeah, Mr. Hunter," Katy said walking around to his side of the counter. "You going to get some feelings all stirred up." The way she was smiling at him made Shawn smile. It was so strange. She wasn't even doing anything really, just turning to face him, curving herself around the counter and past him as she spoke, remaining at least a few feet away from him the whole time.
Then Maya stood up and said she wanted to come, and before Shawn knew it, both she and Riley were along for the ride. And so the great road trip of the time capsule began, and Shawn wasn't thrilled about digging up the past, though he did have to admit it was fun hanging out with Cory again in Feeny's backyard. They even got in trouble together like the good old days.
Then another two and a half hour drive later, he was standing in Cory's living room, with the time capsule sitting on the table. Really, the amount of driving he'd done today was ridiculous. Everyone else had taken their items out, and now it was his turn. As he approached the time capsule, Shawn couldn't help but think of Angela and the person he'd been when he'd put that book of sonnets in there.
Even if it had been fifteen years since Angela had left him, it still stung. The worst part was that she left so easily. Shawn couldn't help but compare it to all the times Cory and Topanga had almost been pulled apart. Her parents moved away, but she ran away back to Cory. Topanga gets into Yale, but stays to marry Cory instead. She gets into law school, and her husband moves with her to New York rather than let her be stagnant in Philadelphia. Those two always moved together. Did Angela's leaving him so easily mean their relationship wasn't as strong, or would his proposal back then have actually made a difference? Since he never asked, he'd never know.
Kiwi Mango. It was all he knew. The only woman he'd ever really loved. The only chance he'd ever had at something like Cory and Topanga. Shawn couldn't help but wonder what she was up to these days. He wanted to know how her life had gone since he'd last held her in his arms. After voicing only the smallest of his thoughts, both of the girls ran off to their room. Shawn sighed. Teenage girls were a lot of drama.
"Go talk to them," Cory encouraged.
"I'm confused," Shawn admitted. "Why do they care if I talk about Angela?"
"Go talk to them," Cory and Topanga said as one.
"It's like you're merged into one person," Shawn said, faking disgust as he did as he was told. The two girls were sitting in their window with their backs against each other, and Shawn walked over and squashed himself between them.
"What?" Shawn asked Riley pointedly, facing her. And then Riley went on to talk about Pluto like it was really really important, which confused him.
"You weren't afraid to love somebody once," Riley continued as it this was related to the Pluto stuff.
"Yeah, well I'm done with that," Shawn replied. "I don't have that. I'm not going to have that."
"You are," Riley told him. "There's somebody out there for you."
"So you're saying Pluto is Angela?" Shawn asked, still totally confused as to what the heck she was talking about. At his words, Shawn noticed Maya get up from his other side and sit on the bed.
"No, I'm saying Pluto is believing in something out there, no matter what anybody says," Riley explained. "Especially you."
Shawn was still kinda out of the loop when Cory piped up saying he should really be able to figure it out. How long had that curly haired man been standing in the doorway anyway?
Then slowly the wheels in Shawn's head were turning. Maya was upset because of Angela. Something clicked. Maya was upset that Angela was going to take him away.
Shawn stood up and walked over to face Maya. He asked, "Do you believe in me?"
"I do," Maya said.
"I don't know what I'm suppose to be for you," Shawn said.
"Can you just be out there for me?" Maya asked.
"Yes," Shawn answered easily. "I can do that. I want to do that. What do you call that?"
"It doesn't matter what you call it," Maya said. "I just want to know that you're there."
"Okay," Shawn promised. He moved closer and sat beside her before adding, "I'm there."
Shawn wasn't sure why he found himself at Katy's cafe later that day. She greeted him with a smile, and offered to get him something for his drive home even if they were closing up. He accepted, then quickly thought better of it and asked her if she wanted to sit down. Katy gratefully sat, looking tired. Then she asked if he wanted to talk, but Shawn said they could just sit. She agreed, but was clearly confused. Then again, Shawn was confused. Why had he come here if he didn't he want to talk? With Angela they'd just been able to be in each other's company. Was he checking to see if that was possible here? But why would he do that? In her nervous confusion, Katy applied her lip gloss and Shawn asked what flavour it was, suddenly very curious, but not totally sure why.
"Cinnamon spice," she answered.
"Is that better than kiwi mango?" Shawn asked. Rationally he knew lip gloss has literally nothing to do with anything, but it was the only way he knew how to phrase what his mind was trying to process.
"It's different," she said.
"Is different better?" he felt compelled to ask.
"Well, I guess that depends on the life your having," she replied. "For me yeah, I'd take different. I'm ready for different. How about you?"
Shawn knew that she knew he wasn't talking about lip gloss, though he wasn't quite sure how he knew this. Still, he was glad she didn't come right out and say it. Speaking like this was easier somehow. Then again, maybe it wasn't. Shawn didn't know how to answer her question.
Why had he come here?
"Yeah, well is anyone ever really ready for anything?" Shawn said lamely before making his excuses for bothering her and leaving. Shawn got in his car and headed back to finish his job in Philly before anyone could drag him off on another strange adventure.
Just as his relationship with Katy was getting confusing, Shawn's relationship with Maya was making more sense to him. All he had to do was 'be out there' for her. That wasn't so scary, and it wasn't so hard. In fact, Shawn loved dropping in on Maya when he came to New York. She was so much like him, in the way she thought about life, and how she dealt with her tragedies. On the other hand, spending time with Riley was very much like hanging out with 'Cory with Topanga's hair.' It was truly amazing how much like her parents she was, or maybe it was just more obvious to Shawn since he'd known both her parents for basically his entire life.
When he finally finished that job in Philly, Shawn had one more in a nearby city, then he made his way back to New York again. Maya was over at the Matthew's like usual, so when Shawn showed up there, he was rewarded with a hug from her. Riley got one as well, and finally her father tackled him to the ground.
"We really have to stop meeting like this," Shawn told his best friend.
"I'm making up for thirteen years of no hugs," Cory explained, very seriously.
"Yeah, not a thing buddy," Shawn said, giving Cory a slightly patronizing pat on the shoulder.
It turned out, he'd interrupted the family's plans to drop by Topanga's cafe to see... well Topanga. She was there doing some admin work, and had promised the girls cake. As Shawn left with everyone else, he asked Maya how things were, and listened as she explained the events of her life since he'd last seen her. He learned all about Maya and Riley fighting over Riley's not standing up for Maya when Lucus called her short. The stories of Eric arriving to help were quite funny. Eric seemed to have gotten Maya's name wrong like a million times.
"You know," Shawn told Maya. "You're tall enough as you are. It's okay to be short."
"I know," Maya smiled. "Topanga's short too, and she's bad ass!"
"What else did I miss?" Shawn asked.
"Mr. Matthews was late to class!" Maya said with great excitement. "And somehow it landed us all in detention."
Shawn couldn't help but laugh at her phrasing. He was sure the students did something in Cory's absence to get themselves in detention, but with only Maya's testimony to go on, it sounded like Cory was a very unfair teacher indeed.
They arrived at Topanga's, and Katy served them cake as promised. Shawn smiled when he saw Katy like he always did. It was so strange how she could do that without trying. There was something holding him back there, and Shawn wasn't totally sure what it was.
Together they sat down to enjoy their cake. Shawn liked being the company of Maya, Riley and Cory. With them, he didn't feel like a third wheel. Shawn hadn't laughed that much in a long time as they tried to shove cake in each other's mouths. Then Cory went and ruined everything by bringing up the girls homework. After swerving her head in his direction like some sort of ill goose, Riley finally just said he should give out fatherly advice. Shawn tried to get out of it, said it wasn't his place, but no one listened to him. Maya challenged him and insisted there was nothing he could say that would bother her. Then moments later, both girls were clucking like chickens.
"Alright, you want one peice of fatherly advice," Shawn said defiantly. "I think you should dress differently." He'd noticed this for a while now, how she dressed a little more rebellious than Riley. It reminded Shawn how he'd been in high school, trying to look different than everyone else because he'd felt like he wasn't good enough to fit in.
"What did you just say to me?" Maya asked, all her bravo gone. She looked hurt, and Shawn instantly regretting giving in to her.
"You asked me-" Shawn began a little unsure what to do. "I told you, but you push. Are you crying? I made you cry?" Maya nodded. "I just told you how I was feeling. Why are you crying?"
"Because no one's ever cared enough to say that to me," she whispered. In one fast moment, Maya rushed forward and put her arms around him. Shawn's arms were hovering inches above her. He had no idea what to do while Maya sobbed against his chest. At this point, Shawn was panicking a little. He was so far out of his depth, he wasn't even in the same ocean.
"Make it stop," he said a little desperately. "How do I make it stop? Umm... How about I buy you some new clothes?" And just like that the crying stopped. Shawn let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Shawn Hunter was in a girls clothing store. Yes, you heard that correct, but that didn't mean he had to sit in the dad chair. He didn't care if shopping took all day. He was just here to buy a girl an outfit so she didn't cry on him anymore. Cory was wrong. This wasn't going to change anything; he was just going to pace in front of the dad chairs, NOT sit in them.
But then Maya came out from behind the curtain.
The mature little black dress looked good on her, but it wasn't why Shawn felt like his heart would burst. It was the expression on her face that had his emotions all messed up. That smile, it made him smile without even wanting to. The need in her eyes quite took his breath away. She wanted him to like the outfit, and there was nothing else for it; Shawn sat in the chair.
After that, he was puddy in her hands. Shawn got her to try on more things so she'd come out again with that same beautiful smile on her face. He didn't even care that this would mean sitting in the dad chair all day. It was frankly amazing how much he didn't care. Everything she tried on looked amazing, and it all just had to go on the 'yes' pile as far as Shawn was concerned. He didn't need money; he just needed to see Maya smile. What was happening to him?
They left the store with a whole new wardrobe for Maya, and an empty saving account for Shawn, then went back to Topanga's cafe. Maya wanted to show Katy her new clothes. Katy thought Maya looked beautiful, but once she realized how much he'd bought, she said it was too much.
Shawn reminded Katy that she worked very hard to care for her daughter, and that he only had to care for himself and he didn't need much.
"I like taking care of somebody besides me," Shawn finished, feeling very good about what he'd done today. Shawn was, therefore, surprised when Katy grabbed his arm and pull him away from the others, as if to lecture him.
She was wrong to think he'd ever cut Maya's legs out from under her, but her words had made Shawn realize something. Shawn knew the value of someone who is there for you everyday. Shawn wasn't here all the time, while Katy was there for Maya everyday and deserved more credit. Keeping the lights on wasn't something kids understood, but that didn't mean it wasn't important. Shawn didn't want to create worries for Katy about how he was going to breeze in and out and take away from her relationship with her daughter, so he reminded Maya of her mother's contribution.
"She does all the heavy lifting," Shawn told Maya, moving closer to Katy once again as he spoke. "I got to do something fun." He put his arm around Katy and added. "So this stuff comes from me and her. Don't ever forget that." Then Shawn stepped aside to let Maya thank and hug her mother.
When Katy asked him to come to Topanga's cafe so they could talk a few days later, Shawn really wasn't sure what about. After all, she'd said they were good.
"You need to stop being nice to me," Katy told him firmly the moment he walked in.
"You need therapy," Shawn said, totally and completely confused by her.
"No kidding," Katy said. She set the plates she'd been cleaning down before continuing. "Listen, I love the way you are with Maya, and I believe you may even be sincere, but there's no need to be nice to me."
"I don't think you and I have ever even had a normal conversation," Shawn replied, sitting down on the chair beside her.
"When Kermit let me-" Katy began, and Shawn couldn't stop himself from laughing at the name. His mind jumped to frog. "I decided to shut that part of me off. You know, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on-"
"Me?" Shawn interrupted her. "Why? I have no idea where this conversation is coming from."
"You're confusing your affection for Maya with affection for me," Katy said. "And you don't need to do that."
"When did I affection you?" Shawn asked bewildered. As far as he was concerned, he'd done no such thing. In fact, hadn't they met when he'd accused her of being a bad mother?
"You put your arm around me," Katy explained.
"Oh Katy," Shawn sighed, now finally understanding the confusion. "Sometimes an arm around somebody is just an arm."
She nodded and he thought that was that, until Katy moved closer to him on the couch and put her arm around him.
"What's that," Shawn mumbled awkwardly. "What are you doing?" It was a little more affection, an embrace than he'd realized on the other side of the exchange. Putting his arm around Katy at the time had felt perfectly natural. It had showed them as a united front for Maya, but now that she had her arm around him, he could maybe see how it might have come off differently.
"What are you doing?" Katy asked pointedly. Then she moved away as if she'd made her point. Shawn got up and followed her. She went behind the cafe counter, and he stood on the other side of the cafe to continue talking to her.
"I know what things mean," Katy said. "I'm a woman, and I have instincts, and your charity does not extend to me, so you don't need to ask me on a date-"
"What a minute, are you asking me?" Shawn asked.
"No," Katy snapped.
"You seem mad at me for no reason," Shawn offered. "You think there's a chance that you're actually mad at somebody else, not me."
"I didn't view my marriage as disposable," Katy said seriously. "I was all in. I said those things to him in front of God, and I meant it."
"Yeah, I get it," Shawn replied. "I thought my first real girlfriend was going to be the one forever. I wanted Angela-" Katy interrupted him by trying to laugh at Angela's name the way he'd laughed at Kermit, but she didn't quite managed it. "I wanted us to be some version of Cory and Topanga. There's only one of those." Shawn's voice lost that sadness as he looked up and spoke with more vigor. "Katy, relationships end. Sometimes out of nowhere on a sunny day, but you pick yourself up, and you rebuild, and you don't look back."
Then he was looking at her and she was looking back at him. For a moment, Shawn entertained the idea of Katy, and then Cory appeared killing the moment completely, and announcing the arrival of 'the only person who could change your life from things are going pretty good right now to ahh.'
"Angela," Shawn whispered as she walked in the door, saying she wanted to talk to him. There was an awkward hug, and an even more awkward moment with Cory afterwards. Katy, speaking to Angela, felt very strange to Shawn, like his two worlds were colliding somehow. Angela was who he'd been in high school, in college. Maya and Katy were very new, very right now. It was strange to think of these two women shaking hands, and agreeing that they think highly of him.
Shawn learned that her dad died, fishing of all things, but that wasn't what she'd come to talk to him about. She was married as of four years ago to a military man.
"Why'd you leave me?" Shawn couldn't help but ask.
"I wasn't ready," she replied easily.
"And then you were," Shawn added.
"Life goes on, Shawn," Angela explained. "You know I think life puts people in front of you so we can be prepared for what comes next. I was ready because of you."
"I hope life knows what it's doing," Shawn said. He didn't know what else to say. It was painfully obvious that she'd gotten over him far faster and easier than he had.
Trying to get it over with, Shawn asked why she was here again. Her husband wanted to have children, and Angela was scared of being someone's mom because her mother had left her so young. So she'd come all this way to get his advice, because she needed someone who understood her to tell her if she could be a good mom. It was kinda flattering, in a painful way, that she'd come here to ask him if she should have kids with another man. One thought of Maya, or how Cory was with Riley, and Shawn told Angela without a second's hesitation that she should have kids. Angela thanked him, then seemed to notice their audience. She asked who Maya was and he told her, but then she asked if Katy was the one, and Shawn didn't know how to answer her.
"What no," Shawn replied quickly, not sure where that question had come from. It was so out of the blue. But Angela repeated the question, and Shawn was forced to admit. "I don't know her enough to know anything."
A few more words of encouragement, and Angela walked away again, but Shawn couldn't bring himself to be all that broken up about it. At this point, it wasn't like he actually wanted Angela back. It had been too long that she'd been gone, but Angela would always be the first person he loved. It was nice to finally know why she'd left. There was a sort of freedom in knowing that if he'd proposed to her all those years ago she would have said no and left with her dad anyway. There had been nothing he could have done to to make her stay. It was a small weight on his shoulders, but all the same it was nice to have it removed.
Topanga's was not empty for long. Once Angela left, everyone else re-entered the cafe. The girls started doing an 'Angela is gone' chant that Shawn tried very hard to not snigger at. He had no idea what Maya and Riley had against his ex-girlfriend, but it was kinda funny. Katy went back to cleaning tables and the room filled with noise once again, leaving Shawn space to think about what Angela had said. Was Katy the one? Since meeting her, Shawn had noticed there was something about Katy, he'd just never let himself really notice before. They'd had that 'almost a moment' before Angela's arrival, but Shawn had no idea how to get back there again. Instead, he hung out with the girls and Cory.
Shawn had really tried, but totally failed, to follow the strange marital conversation that lead to Topanga deciding she got new clothes too, but he did have to attend the results of it. Maybe Cory had said something wrong, and this was his punishment? Honestly, Shawn hadn't a clue, but that was how he'd found himself back in a women's clothing store only a few hours later. By now, Topanga had been in there a really long time, and Auggie was convinced she was shopping them out of house and home, but to Cory's great delight, it turned out that his wife didn't like any of them. Shawn had to wonder if Topanga's plan all along had just been to waste her husband's time as revenge for whatever Cory had done that Shawn hadn't noticed. Marriage looked like a strange state to him, and yet a relationship like Cory and Topanga's was all Shawn had wanted his whole life. As he'd sat here, waiting for Topanga to try things on, Shawn couldn't help but think about Angela's words. There was something there with Katy. A spark or interest that made him want to say something.
"Hey, can I buy you an outfit?" Shawn asked Katy half joking, though he would probably have following through if she'd called his bluff. It was all he could think to say. Cory had intended to buy Topanga something, so maybe Shawn could get Katy something.
"He's really good at it," Maya chipped in.
"No, you can't buy me anything," Katy replied. "We hardly know each other."
"Are you asking me out on a date?" Shawn chuckled, joking the way she had before.
"Yeah," Katy said, seriously, and Shawn's brain froze for a second. When had the teasing ended?
"Wait. What? Seriously?" Shawn said, standing up and moving closer. "Right here in front of everybody?"
"Sure," Katy said, a little nervously, but it was still a very brave move. "It would be real bad for me if you said no."
Shawn didn't need Riley to tell him this was an important moment in this life. He knew it even before his father made an appearance. Since the day he'd died, Chet could be relied on to show up like ever before. He told Shawn to really look at Maya's face, and see how she was letting her guard down to show him how she cared. What did that mean to Shawn? It meant everything.
"You gonna to leave me hangin' or what?" Katy asked, but his dad was still talking. Shawn needed another second.
Chet reminded Shawn that these two women in front of him were both in need of just as much hope as he was. If they could let their guard down enough to let him in, then it was his turn to learn how wonderful they could be.
"Maya," Shawn began speaking to her first. "Would it be okay with you if I-" But Maya was already yelling 'yay' and he had his answer. "Katy, I- I'd love to go on a date with you. Thanks for asking."
(Contains scenes from 'Girl Meets World' Season 2 Episode 4: Girl Meets Pluto.)
(Contains scenes from 'Girl Meets World' Season 2 Episode 8: Girl Meets Hurricane.)
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Sneak Peek Chapter 4 (First chapter with NO show scenes in it)
Shawn checked the time. If he left now he'd been only about... an hour early. Yeah, probably not a good idea. Best to distract himself a little before. He could watch tv or read something, maybe tidy or work. He had photos to enhance and blogs to write. Yes, lots of ways that he could kill some time so he wasn't embarrously early.
And Shawn tried all of them, but within moments he realized he was good for nothing but pacing back and forth. This was ridiculous. He'd seen Katy so many times already. He should not be this nervous! Finally, Shawn decided to screw it and just left. Early was better than ancy and he was definitely overthinking it.
It was a relief to be in motion. Shawn drove the long way there and then Shawn parked near the food truck. He turned off the engine but didn't get out of the car. This was just as good a place to wait than any. The park they'd decided to meet at was beautiful today, with the sun shining from above and birds chirping in the trees. Shawn took a deep breath and realized that being here was actually calming him down. He'd made the right call in not staying home to pace. Of course, being so early meant he'd skipped breakfast and the food truck was looking mighty appealing. Katy wouldn't be here for another half hour so Shawn got out and went to get a hot sandwich.