A/N: Just over three years ago I wrote a one-shot. Then when people encouraged me, I turned that one-shot into a multi-chaptered fic that ended after eight chapters (or so I thought). 2400 words became 20000. The response I received was completely unexpected, and very much appreciated. "So Hello From The Other Side" will always hold a special place in my heart, and I guess that's why I couldn't just leave well enough alone. For the past three years, this has sat in my docs, unfinished, because I guess I wasn't ready to say goodbye quite yet. In my heart, I have already said goodbye to this Riley and this Lucas, because they were happy, and they were finally in a good place, but my heart couldn't say goodbye to Maya just yet, because while I'd given everyone else their happy ending, I hadn't given Maya hers. So for three years I struggled with what to say, because I had to make sure this chapter, my final goodbye, was absolutely perfect. So here is Maya's happy ending. I hope this does her justice. Title comes from "Everywhere I Go (I'm Not Alone)" by Halcyon Skies.

Graduation comes sooner than she feels prepared for, the future that once seemed so distant running full steam ahead and she begs time to just slow down. And their final summer together flies by in the blink of an eye as they stand on the precipice of something new. The future that once seemed so distant is finally here, and she's not ready for it, not ready to say goodbye, even as their goodbye party is in full swing just outside the door of Riley's bedroom. Riley however, is currently sat on the bed with her, comforting Maya through her mini breakdown.

"Come on, Maya, it's college. How scary can it be?"

"That's easy for you to say. You at least have your boyfriend coming with you. And Farkle is going to have Smackle. Me, I have nobody."

"That's not true," Riley soothed. "You have me. And you will always have me. It doesn't matter that I have Lucas. You are my best friend, and I am always going to be there for you. No matter what. Maya, we'll be living less than five feet apart, so you couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now, let's go, or we're going to be late." She hopped off her bed, and stood holding out her hand to Maya. Maya reluctantly grabbed it, and allowed herself to be led into the living room, where all their family and friends were waiting. Riley let go of her hand, and practically skipped over to Lucas, eyes shining bright.

Maya watched the two interact, a small smile on her face. She was glad they had found their way back to each other, and were finally happy. They deserved it, after everything that had happened. All the pain and heartache that each of them had endured for the sake of the other's happiness. All the heartache and loneliness felt like a lifetime ago, a different person. And perhaps it was, after all the growing they had done. both together and separately. But part of her thinks that while Lucas and Riley had tended to grow towards each other, becoming so wrapped up in the other, Maya remained a separate entity. And it wasn't that she was mad about that, it's what Riley and Lucas needed, she just sometimes feels a little cold when she stands near the warmth, happiness, and love that they seem to radiate.

Her eyes slowly slide over to Josh, who's standing in the corner, observing the scene. He doesn't catch her staring for several long moments, but when he does, she almost loses her breath at the smile that unfurls onto his face. She's long since accepted that nothing is probably going to happen with Josh, but the hope still beats in her chest, a voice that she cannot quiet no matter how hard she tries. She thinks back to a girl who isn't her anymore, who is so destroyed by the world, that all her hope is tied up in her best friend, who has hope enough for the both of them, and she thinks of a boy who essentially grew up in his brother's shadow. She thinks of a girl who crashed a college party, desperate to not be alone, and she thinks of a girl who abandoned her first date to be with the boy she thought she could one day, maybe, love. She's not that girl anymore, will probably never be that girl again, and he's finally grown into his own skin, that maybe time has faded whatever it was she thought might be between them.

But when he stares at her like that, eyes soft, emotions unguarded, she imagines a different life, one where he comes to her, heart in his hands, hope in his eyes, and promises of a someday that seems like an inevitability instead of an impossibility. And she wants to have that life, have those moments that come as easy as breathing to Riley and Lucas. And maybe this is all they'll ever have, a few stolen glances across a party, but it's enough to make her want, it's enough to teach her that maybe, just maybe she still has a small bit of hope left over enough to build towards something again.

Riley's laughter eventually brings her back, and Josh's eyes slide away from hers, cheeks tinged a slight pink. Maya glances at her friend, a smile slipping across her face at Riley sat next to Lucas, his arm around her shoulders, his eyes on her, always, a comfortability that they slipped into the moment they got back together. It's hard to believe it's only been a few short months, though it'd been building for years, though they've always just fit together, in a way that few could hope to achieve. Sometimes it's easy to forget how far they've all come, how much they've worked to be something, anything, and she doesn't want to lose any of it, doesn't want to let go of even getting the chance to be in proximity to so much love and happiness.

She looks over to see Farkle watching Riley, and where before she would have mistaken that for a sign that he was headed for heartbreak, lingering feelings of middle school that he couldn't quite shake, she now understands. It almost feels like she hasn't been able to take her eyes of Riley these past few months, not because she's worried, but because Riley just seems to embody happiness. For so long, Maya and Farkle had watched the black hole that was Riley expand and contract, swallowing up the girl she used to be. The girl who had to claw her way back into some semblance of who she was, and who she was always meant to be, building a life out of the broken pieces that were left behind. Sometimes they can't help but stare at her, and remember the people they used to be, who Riley used to be. She feels so far removed from the girl who left home because her heart was shattered so fully that she needed to escape, and if Riley had managed to make her way through that, then maybe there's hope for the rest of them, because she's the strongest out of all of them. And Maya and Farkle can't help but be grateful for who she is now, for the pieces she managed to put back together, and so they watch her, and bask in the knowledge that their girl is finally happy, finally home.

She glances at Josh again, and wishes for the same thing, prays for a future she's not sure she believes in. She slips away then, heads to the roof. Up there, she stares out across the city she loves, and sighs, leaning against the ledge. She's got the world at her feet, and yet she can't help looking back.

It's not that she's jealous of Riley, or even her relationship with Lucas. She's long since put to rest feelings that she thought she had at one time. Lucas is the brother she never had, and that's the role he was born to play in her life, she can see that now. Things are so good between them, at a place she never thought they could be five years ago. They'd clawed their way back to it, fought for something they all believed in, and she's happy with where they are now. She's happy with trips to coffee shops to give advice about their girl, she's happy cheering from the sidelines at his sports events, proudly telling people that her best friend, her brother scored that goal, or made that hoop. She's happy with the knowledge that Riley is his soulmate, that whatever they had before didn't destroy so completely what they have now. Lucas was always just a theoretical fantasy, a wish to not only understand what her best friend was feeling, but a small wish to have some of that for herself. What they have now is the only way they were ever meant to be.

But a part of her just wants the same thing with the love of her life. Her person. Everyone else is moving on, beginning a new chapter, and though instinctively she knows they'll never leave her behind, she can't help but feel slightly abandoned. For as much as Riley proclaims that this won't change anything, Maya knows she isn't completely telling the truth. Eventually she won't be able to help it, they're going to meet new people, make new friends, become a part of a different life. One day, Riley and Lucas will move in together, get married, start a life together. It's natural, and it's human, and it's how it's always meant to be.

She doesn't notice Josh coming to stand beside her until he braces his hands on the ledge, and lets out a sigh. "How are you feeling?" His voice is soft, barely heard over the sounds of the city.

"I'm fine," Maya says, shrugging.

"Are you really?" He tilts his head to look at her, a curl brushing his forehead.

Maya looks back out over the city. "Of course I am. Riley and I are moving into our dorm at NYU by the end of the week, and Lucas will be right across campus. Farkle and Smackle are set to head out on their next adventures, Farkle at Princeton and Smackle at MIT. Zay is going to Julliard to study dance, and we all promised to keep in touch, but it still feels like everyone is moving on. You know the only reason I chose NYU was because Riley was going there. I guess I just can't let go. The third wheel to her and Friar's epic love story."

"You know Riley doesn't think of you like that, right?"

"I know," Maya said, voice softening. "But in some ways it feels like that. Ever since they got back together, they spend every waking minute making the rest of us believe in true love. And I'm happy for them, really, because they deserve it after everything we went through together, but I guess I'm just looking for that myself."

Josh went quiet, staring out at the city, face pensive. "You know, sometimes I wonder what would have happened if you and I had tried for something, all those years ago."

Maya's head whipped around to face Josh. "What do you mean, if we had tried for something?"

Josh turned to face Maya sheepishly. "I just mean, you and I, before Lucas, before Texas, before all of it, it just seemed like maybe someday, something would happen between us, you know? Despite me being three years older than you," he said, mouth twitching up in a little grin. "But seriously," he continued, grin falling again. "I always thought I was just postponing the inevitable, at least until you were old enough. That night, when you came crashing into that college party always seemed like the beginning of us, rather than basically the end."

"I never meant for it to be," Maya said, voice soft. "I think in my mind, I just had to work through some things. You were always the unattainable Josh. I built up what we had so much in my head, that you would never go for me, at least not the way I was. You were Riley's cool older Uncle, who always just seemed to be too good, too perfect for me. What did I do to deserve you? Especially with the age gap that now seems so insignificant."

"You know I never really thought of you that way, at least not after you crashed the party."

"I know," Maya admitted, "at least I know now. But back then was such a confusing time, for all of us."

Josh nodded, looking back out at the skyline. "I remember those days, especially when Riley came to live with my parents and I. She was so broken those first few months, hell, even the first half of the year. And I knew, you were probably going through the same thing, and all I could do was watch through the sidelines as you all fell apart. And then you came to visit, and it felt like maybe things were looking back up again, and I don't know, I guess I pushed the thought of you and me to the back of my mind, because I knew it was never going to happen."

"Sometimes I wish I hadn't gotten so turned around with the thought of you and me, that I abandoned it completely," Maya admitted, voice no more than a whisper. "Lucas always seemed like the safer option, despite being so completely engrossed in Riley. I don't know," Maya sighed. "Somedays I still think about you and me," she finally admitted, voice quiet.

"Maya," Josh breathed out, face turning to look at her.

"Look, I know it's probably too late," she said, stumbling over her words. "But I guess I never really stopped hoping for you and me-"

Josh stepped forward then, hands grabbing her face, and drawing her in close, as her words trailed off. "I think about you and me too," he said, voice quiet as he drew her closer, so that their lips were almost touching. "Say the word, and I'll stop," he said, breath ghosting across her lips, making goosebumps rise along her skin.

Instead of saying anything, Maya pressed forwards, and when their lips touched, she finally understood what it was she had been looking for. What was missing from her failed relationship with Lucas. What she'd been searching for the minute she went to Philadelphia to patch things up with Riley and to let Lucas go. She pressed closer, allowing Josh to wrap his arms around her, feet barely touching the ground. She never wanted to let this moment go, wanted to savor every minute of it's perfection, because it was everything she'd been longing for.

And when they finally made their way back down to the party, hand in hand, and she looked at her friends, who looked surprised (Lucas and Zay), fond (Riley), or smug (Smackle and Farkle), and she imagined their future together, it didn't seem quite so scary. For once, she saw the future stretching out in front of her, and in the hands of the boy she never quite forgot, or let go of, she felt content, and ready for the road ahead.

And finally, we have an ending that I'm content with. Thank you once again to everyone who left reviews three years ago, and helped make "Hello" what it was. Also, even now, three years later, I can't listen to "Hello" without a) thinking of this fic, and b) crying a couple of Rucas related tears. And hey, if you want to read more Rucas from me, check out my new fic: "With My Eyes On You" because the new chapter should hopefully be posted by this weekend. Lastly, there's finally a mixtape for this fic. You can listen to it here