A/N:

Okay

Um

Well…

I honestly have no excuse at all for y'know, not updating for five months but uh, yeah. Okay, I'm just extremely lazy. Really fucking lazy. Take the laziest person in your life, multiply it by ten, and you have me. Whenever I thought about updating or even saying "Hey, I won't be updating for a while." But then I just said "Or I could not do that." And thought that was a super good idea.

Okay, I was inspired to update by JustLove201 and canaryali who are two of my favorite authors on this website. I can't promise regular updates, but I can promise that I am going to keep writing and try to better myself. A lot of you probably hate me for never updating, but I have high hopes for this story and its sequel which is still going to happen!

I apologize once more for inexcusable laziness and just being an idiot. Without further ado, I give you the final chapter of 'Landscapes.'

XxXxXxX

"How ya doing, baby girl?"

Her mother's accent was thick and Maya could sense the anxiousness in her shaky tone. She could just picture her crazed mother raped in her favorite faux fur lined coat, waiting with bated breath at some sad looking pit stop as she wasted her last few laundry quarters to call her daughter. Maya heaved a sigh, taking a seat on the couch and crossing her legs. She poked at a hole in her too-small black leggings; just listening to her mother's steadied breathing for a moment. She wiped a now dried tear from her eye and took notice of the black smudge left on her finger from running mascara. This was real, she had to answer.

"Fine. You?"

How lame! She reprimanded herself with a roll of her eyes. She couldn't help it, what the hell are you supposed to say in a situation like this? She settled back into the sofa, absentmindedly picking at the polish on one of her already chipped nails. The color was one of Riley's favorites, but too bright for her.

"I'm good. You'll never guess where I am!" She heard her mother let out something that sounded similar to a giggled and she felt herself growing frustrated. Her mother was happy? She didn't exactly want her mother miserable, but she was honestly excited about ditching her daughter and running off to God knows where? Reluctantly, she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by another gleeful squeal from her mother. "Pennsylvania! It's so great up here!" She cheered. "I'm working to get some more cash right now but I've rented out a motel room for the being and I'm thinking about-"

"I'm moving in with Shawn."

It was her who cut the other woman off this time and she took notice of the sharp intake of breath on the other end. Great, now in addition to straight up betraying her mother for someone else, she had made the woman hate her. Daughter of the year award.

"That's great baby!"

The saccharine tone and exclamation was enough to drive Maya over the edge. God, she knew it sounded awful but couldn't her mom just feel a teensy bit horrible for leaving her daughter? Did she just not care? Her head was swimming with thoughts and she hadn't realized that they had both gone silent and were just breathing into the phone. A loud beep interrupted the overwhelming tension and her mother spoke once more.

"My time is up here honey, I'll call you again in a few days, how's that sound?" She questioned. Maya was about to answer before the phone beeped once more and the line went dead. 'Greatest conversation with her yet.' She mused grimly, setting the phone down on the cluttered coffee table. It seemed surreal to her, all of it. Just today she was ready to give up, hitch a bus down to Jersey or any other place her angst filled teenage mind could think up and forget it all. No more rules, no more Riley, no more life. One of Mr. Matthews' lessons echoed in the back of her mind, an unbearable reminder of her situation. People change people. She hated to admit it but for once one of Mr. Matthews' fortune cookie lessons didn't go unused.

"The secret of life." She scoffed, kicking her feet up on the coffee table and easing back into the couch, closing her eyes tightly. "Some life I'm having." She mumbled hoarsely, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. Somebody cleared their throat from behind and she turned around, and expectant looking Shawn standing in the doorway. Great, he probably heard the whole thing. She bit her lip, her hands slowly sliding into her jacket pockets. She found this inexplicably comforting. A wry smile came to her lips as he sat down next to her, blue eyes fixated on the coffee table.

"Looking for some fatherly advice?" He raised an eyebrow sardonically and Maya smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'd get better fatherly advice from Riley." She teased with a laugh and was pleased to see a smile cross Shawn's face. They both sighed in synch before Shawn turned to her, running a hand though his hair impatiently. He opened his mouth to say something, the words never making it out of his mouth. He looked so nervous; it was honestly a little funny. She remembered the first time she saw him and her mother in the same room. Her thirteenth birthday, handing her a cake, smiling wide. For the first time, she felt like a normal thirteen year old. Her mother there, a stand-in father, and all doubt in the universe gone. Apparently, normality was not an option in the Hart family.

"Look, Maya." He started, pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his eyes. "You're probably feeling really abandoned right now, and I want to be there for you, but,"

There's always a but.

Why as there always a but?

"This whole moving in thing isn't going to happen instantly. All of this takes time. You're going to have to be patient." He explained to her and she heaved a sigh, folding her hands on her lap. Patient. She'd been patient enough. Patient waiting for her father to come back from the alcohol-induced craze he had forced himself into. Patient waiting for her father to literally come back into her life. Patient for her mother to gather herself up off the couch and fix her failing marriage. Patient for her mother to find them a place to live. Patient for the Matthews to let her into their lives, to just leave a window open. Patient for her mother to come home before two in the morning and just talk to her. She had been patient her whole goddamn life, why did she have to wait any longer.

"That's fine." She retorted with a shaky smile.

This was big. She wasn't going to screw this one up.

XxXxXxX

Three weeks later

"I'm not cut out to be a teacher! What the hell am I supposed to say?"

Shawn fixed his tie in the mirror of Cory's bathroom, running a trembling hand through thick brown hair and frowned at himself in disgust. This wasn't normal, he looked like, hell; he looked like Cory. His curly-haired best friend was perched on the bed in the adjoined bedroom with an impish grin on his face, looking like he enjoyed watching Shawn battle with overwhelming fear and anxiety. 'First day jitters' Cory explained which made it sound even worse to Shawn, like he was starting high school all over again; fake sideburns not included.

"You'll be fine, Shawnie. It's photography, the only kids who'll be taking your class are nineteen year old stoners looking for an easy A." He reassured his friend mockingly, earning a glare from the other man. He had officially quit his job for Hit the Road a week ago, nostalgia shaking him to the core as he realized all that he was giving up. Giving up a free life, giving up travel, giving up his writing.

But he was giving it up for someone who mattered to him, and somehow, that made it worth it.

"How's the kid?" He questioned casually, rolling his shoulders back to relieve tension before slipping on the formal blazer Cory had lent him. He heaved a sigh, sitting next to his best friend on the bed. She was lucky she had people like the Matthews in her life; they'd make better parents than him any day. He didn't regret offering to take her in for a second. Well, despite the fact he didn't exactly have an apartment yet. He was looking though, and he was pretty sure he had narrowed down on a couple choices in Harlem so that was progress. The worst part about the entire situation was helping her collect her stuff from her old apartment. It was nearly heartbreaking watching her sort through piles of clothes and old school projects. She was forced to leave all of her furniture behind, walking out of the apartment with four or five bin bags of clothes and necessities before Katy's old landlord kicked them out. She didn't even give her old home a second glance before climbing into the truck with Shawn. She stared out the window in tight-lipped silence, her head resting weakly on a pale hand. He was afraid to say anything; she obviously needed to be alone.

"She's good. I heard her talking to Riley last night about you. She sounds really excited." He reassured his friend and Shawn exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding in. Unfortunately, he was unable to reciprocate. While he was ecstatic that Maya actually wanted to move in with him, he was dully terrified. What if he couldn't give her what she needed? What if she got sick or something? What kind of father would he make? He didn't like that term, father. Some father he was. Maybe they could slow it on the whole dad and daughter talk. Maybe just roommates?

"I'm pretty excited too." He lied through his teeth and Cory clapped a hand on his best friend's shoulder as he stood. Shawn grabbed his bag from the ground and slung his camera over his neck. This was it. The first day of a new life. Yep, first day jitters were certainly a good way to describe it.

"I know you're lying, Shawn." Cory added over his shoulder, making the other man freeze in his tracks. "She just needs someone, Shawn. She's not looking for a new dad." He told his friend, watching the relief watch over his face. They both left the room, taking a seat at the breakfast table where Topanga and Riley were serving everybody toast and oatmeal.

"Morning." He greeted the rest of the table as he took a huge bite from his piece of toast. Maya sat adjacent to him, her head down, suddenly taking a great interest in her bowl of oatmeal. Breakfast was unusually silent for the Matthews family and after about ten awkwardly wordless minutes, he finished his breakfast, thanked Topanga, and was about to leave before someone called him back. Maya.

"Wait, Hunter." She managed to choke out, her voice timid and reluctant. He turned towards her, the entire Matthews family watching as she strode towards him, her eyes glued to the floor and her cheeks pink. He was about to open his mouth and ask what she was doing before she broke down the barrier between them, metaphorically and physically. She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head into his chest. Hesitantly, he placed a gentle arm around her shoulders too. "Thank you." She muttered under her breath. She pulled away after a moment, her cheeks as red as a tomato as she stared down at the floor again.

"You're welcome." He called over his shoulder as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"You tell anyone you're dead, Matthews." She warned the family jokingly and Shawn couldn't help but smile. This was it.

First day of a better life.

XxXxXxX

Well, a little hallmark but who doesn't do that once in a while? So, I think we've all learnt a few valuable lessons from this story: 1. I'm super fucking lazy. It's not even funny how lazy I am. 2. There is going to be a sequel and no, I can't promise regular updates. I can't promise I'm going to stop being terribly lazy. But, I'm going to try. I've got ideas for tons of new stories, more chapters for 1994 and great ideas for the sequel to 'Landscapes' which will be released later this month. All of you are amazing for just putting up with how embarrassingly lazy I am, I love each and everyone of you who reviewed, followed, and favorite the story throughout my spiral of angst, laziness, and family problems. I love you all, this story is for you.