Northern Constellations

Summary: Explore a year in the life of Joshua Matthews and Maya Hart as they discover the wonders and woes of young parenthood.

NOTICE: This is NOT the official tenth chapter. A very loyal reader reached out to me personally, so I made the decision to post an alternate version of chapter nine that doesn't incorporate smoking into the plot. If you enjoyed chapter nine and didn't mind the smoking bit, you can skip over this update or you can read both. I like both, but I favor the original. Tell me which one you liked better.

Chapter Nine

(Alternate Ending)

For as long as Maya could remember, summertime with the Matthews family had always been grand. They went on spontaneous trips, explored the vibrant city they called home and more importantly, spent quality time with one another each and every day. It was safe and comfortable, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Maya hardly expected her sixteenth summer to be something of an after-school special, but she knew early on that things needed to change. She couldn't depend on her family and friends forever, so instead of lounging around and accompanying her best friend's family on their small adventures, she made the tough decision to work part-time. With her mother's resignation from the cafe thrown into the mix, Maya jumped at the opportunity to apply as a part-time barista in her place, and within a week of her first day on the job, her best friend walked through the front door with an apron of her own. Maya had never imagined herself to be sixteen and pregnant working a minimum wage job in the middle of the big city, but at least she had her best friend to fall back on and a working environment that felt so much like home. There were times—especially when she got to work alongside Riley—that working at Topanga's didn't feel like work at all. She cherished times like those, and in a way, it felt like she still got to enjoy her own little adventure with the Matthews' after all.

"Seriously Riles, you need to shower when we get home," Maya exasperated, scrunching her nose in disgust. "You smell like coffee and not in the coffee bean yankee candle kinda way either. You smell like old coffee grounds and dirt. My spider-man senses are not having it today."

"You mean your Ari-senses?" Riley teased, wrapping an arm around her best friend's shoulders as they continued to walk from Topanga's to Maya's apartment. "You've been so ruthless lately."

"I have no choice but to be," Maya sighed, melting into the brunette. Although they had spent their entire afternoon at the cafe, Maya still could not stomach the scent that lingered. "I kid you not, I feel like I am carrying the anti-christ. I love my baby, wouldn't trade her for the world, but she hates everything...and I mean everything."

Maya was overreacting, of course, but the latter half of her pregnancy was far from being picture perfect. At seven months, she could tell that Aurora was getting restless. She was active all the damn time, made eating much more difficult than it had been before and on top of that, Maya swore that her nausea couldn't get any worse.

"Not true," Riley argued as they turned the corner, the blonde's apartment finally coming into view. "She likes cinnamon rolls and mushroom pizza and when you play the Bach for Babies album Farkle got you."

"Don't forget Josh," Maya offered, suddenly brought back to all of the times his presence seemed to soothe Aurora. It was almost as if she knew her father without even meeting him yet. Maya hated to admit that their profound connection got under her skin sometimes. Part of her felt like she already loved Josh more. "She loves that idiot so much. I can literally feel it."

"To be fair, who doesn't love Josh?" Riley countered. It was true. They had been over it before. His natural charm and charisma made him an extraordinary people person. He had won over the hearts of nearly all of Maya's family and friends with the exception of Zay Babineaux. Josh and Zay hardly smoothed out their differences since the big reveal, and now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall a time that they had ever been alone.

"I can name one," Maya offered, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly as they entered into the blonde's apartment building. Welcomed by the smell of cleaning solvent and floor wax, Maya smiled in giddy delight.

"Zay doesn't count," Riley exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at her best friend. "He's just protective of you. I am almost ninety-nine percent sure that he likes Josh as a person, but ya know...not with you."

"You know what, Riley? I never understood why," Maya mused, putting on her best thinking cap as they made their way up to the fourth floor in the main elevator. They arrived with a ding, and the two girls breathed a sigh of relief. It was a long day at work, and the girls wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of their night relaxing at the apartment.

"I don't know," Riley shrugged, looking as Maya opened the front door. It was unlocked, so that meant that someone must have been home. "I always thought it was because he was like in love with you...just a little bit."

"Whoa," Maya expressed in disbelief. "I'll stop you right there. Zay is not in love with me. I mean we went on like a couple double dates with you and huckleberry, but that's it. No spark, no connection, just some good ole' friendship."

"Was our last double date before or after you got pregnant with Aurora?" Riley inquired as they walked into the apartment. The girls dropped their bags on the arm chair nearest to the front door. Maya shot her a look. "What? Just asking for a friend."

"I think it was definitely after," Maya answered promptly. "If my 'A' in math serves me correctly."

In response to this, Riley smirked, playfully poking her best friend's side. Maya was visibly pregnant, so much so that the swell of her belly was beginning to resemble a miniature globe. It was a lot to take in at first, but they got used to it fast. Maya was creating new life, and as premature as it was, it was still a beautiful thing.

"Do you think Zay will wanna be in her life when she's born? I am sensing some real twilight parallels here."

"What does my life have to do with twilight?" Maya scrunched up her nose as though she had smelt something foul. "Wait, ew, Ari is not going to be Zay's Renesmee."

"No!" Riley shot up to her defense, scratching her head awkwardly. "I didn't mean it like that. Actually, yes I did, minus him being in love with her instead of you. I was thinking that maybe he would want to be her protector or something like that."

"Like an uncle?"

"Kind of?"

"Then why not word it like that?" Maya asked, mentally face palming. She did not know what to do with her best friend sometimes. Only Riley would make such a ridiculous connection.

"We watched the entire saga last week," Riley pretended to pout. "Give me a break, and isn't that Josh's laptop set up in the corner? Is he here?"

"I don't know," Maya responded truthfully. "Maybe? Let's see. Honey, I'm home!"

Riley let out a gasp. "But my name is honey. I have never felt so cheated."

"Oh, stop being a baby," Maya teased, nudging the brunette with the pristine rubber sole of her platform converse.

"Hi gorgeous," Josh greeted, emerging from the hallway that connected the spacious living space to Maya's room and the guest bedroom, Shawn and Katy's solace was on the other side of the apartment, adjacent to the laundry room, so they typically had the entire wing to themselves. Upon hearing his response, Riley gagged. With their relationship out in the open, the pair did not shy away from public displays of affection. It was endearing, of course, but Maya was still her best friend and Josh would always be here uncle. Josh opened his arms out to her and they embraced. It was short but sweet. Maya appreciated the small touches. Her pregnancy made her realize that physical touch was definitely one of her love languages.

"Oh, and hey Ri," Josh said moments later, finally acknowledge the other presence in the room. The slender brunette stood with her arms akimbo, narrowing her eyes at the young man she technically lived with whenever he wasn't shacking up at her best friend's home.

"Don't hey Ri me, Uncle Josh," Riley said, mimicking his greeting. "Today was supposed to be my day with Maya. I thought we talked about this at home. It is so awkward being your third wheel."

Josh raised his hands to surrender: "To my defense, I wasn't gonna stop by until tomorrow morning, but Shawn and Katy called and asked for my help. What was I supposed to do? Say no?"

"Fine," Riley huffed. "You got me."

In all honesty, Riley didn't mean to sound like a brat. She was happy for the couple and couldn't help but notice the soft glimmer in her best friend's eyes whenever he walked into the room, but at the same time, their open relationship was a clear reminder that she wasn't Maya's top priority anymore. That spot was reserved for Josh and their little girl.

"What did my parents need your help with anyways?" Maya interjected, suddenly more interested in the reason for his visit than the quarrel between her two favorite people. "The last time they propositioned you, I ended up crying my eyes out in some random suburb in Newark. I love you to death, boing, but I surely did not forget our dinner with the muppets."

"It wasn't that kind of help," Josh answered vaguely with a shrug. He was dressed in his normal attire of slim fit jeans, a plain black shirt and a pair of casual sneakers. "Not really. They just asked me to help them move some stuff around...ya know, more man power."

"Wait, Maya," Riley choked out, disregarding her uncle's unclear response. "Did you just refer to Kermit's family as the muppets? That's hilarious."

"It is kinda funny," Maya chuckled. "I thought of it on the spot too. Man, I'm good...and okay, forgive me for being skeptic but what did they need moved around?"

Maya scanned the living room with a detective's eye, and ultimately came to the conclusion that nothing had changed. "The living room looks...exactly the same. You guys even left the remote in the same place."

"Well, that's a surprise, ace," Shawn beamed, having been listening to the conversation behind closed doors. He emerged from the bedroom he shared with Katy, the blonde actress in tow. They were both smiling, happy, and Maya felt her heart swell as she thought about how accommodating they had been throughout her pregnancy. It took time for Katy to come around, and they still had their off days, but the entire Hunter family seemed to look forward to the day they get to bring their baby girl home. "If we told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Mom?" Maya said uncertainly, noticing how uncharacteristically quiet her mother was being in the background. "You alright over there? You look like you're about to explode."

"I'm just excited," Katy expressed, slowly regaining her composure. She made a strange gesture with her hands and the room looked on confused. For a professional actress, she surely didn't put up a good front at home.

"About what?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Katy offered, walking toward Maya's wing of their medium sized apartment. Maya trailed after her and everyone else followed closely behind. Maya didn't really know what was going on, but she knew that surprises were supposed to be a good thing. Katy stopped in front of Maya's bedroom door and let out a deep breath. For a moment, Maya panicked.

"Okay," Maya said, slowly nodding. "You guys...rearranged my room?"

"What no," Katy shook her head, reaching out to grasp the door knob to the guest bedroom to her right. "We didn't rearrange your room, but we did get a little something started for our girl."

Katy then opened the guest bedroom door to reveal the start of what Maya perceived to be a beautiful nursery for a little girl. The room was how she had envisioned it in her day dreams. The room itself was small but felt cozy enough now that it was full of pristine white furniture: an elegant white crib and a matching changing table, a small dresser, two cubby units for extra storage, a comfortable looking chair in the corner and a few personal touches here and there. As great as the furniture was, what stood out to Maya the most was the peachy orange accent wall in front of the crib. Along that wall, six beautiful wooden letters were hung, spelling out her baby's name.

AURORA

Maya frowned, not because she was ungrateful, but because she felt so overwhelmed. The room was absolutely perfect, but she feared that it was too much. Her parents had done enough for her already, and she hardly wanted them to spend any extra money on her. That was one of the reasons why she made the decision to work part time.

"I don't know what to say," Maya said, taking in the room in its entirety. The room still smelt faintly of paint, but she knew that it was dry by now. "It's beautiful, guys, really."

"Yeah, we know that it's a lot," Shawn said, addressing her concerns as though he could read her mind. Their connection was funny like that. They were similar in so many unique ways. "It cost a pretty penny too, but your mother and I have been thinking about setting this room up for a while. It's nothing."

"You know, Maya," Katy mused, taking a moment to really look around the room herself. "Part of me will never get over the fact that you're having a kid so young, but you've grown up so much in the past few months, and I am very proud of you. Your grades have improved, you've stayed out of trouble and now you're a real working girl. I thought...I thought that you deserved something nice for once."

Maya nodded, following along. She knew that her mother's explanation had a double meaning. Maya knew that she had been working extra hard, but there was more to it than that. For the first time in her entire life, Katy had real money. With her movie earnings and Shawn's income combined, they were living quite comfortable, below their means even. In her younger days, Katy never got to spoil her daughter due to their financial instability. As a matter of fact, Maya's own makeshift nursery had consisted of a used bassinet from Good Will and a teeny tiny beanie baby Katy had found at the metro's lost and found. Now that they had the resources, Katy wanted nothing more than to give Aurora what Maya never had.

"When Riley showed me your baby board on Pinterest, I knew that this would be the perfect surprise," Katy continued, smiling fondly at her daughter. Maya had to admit that the gesture was sweet. Her parents loved her. They would always love her. She knew that not all teen mothers have it this good.

"Yep, that's me," Riley giggled, raising her hand to make her presence known. "I helped your mom pick out a lot of the stuff. We even started this baby registry for you the other day. I know that you don't like need it need it right now, but we couldn't help it."

"I'm not sure what I should be more impressed with," Maya whistled, leaning against the changing table. "The fact that you guys put together this perfect lil room, or the fact that you and Josh put on a really convincing argument earlier."

"Oh no, that was a real argument," Josh intervened, placing an arm around his girlfriend. "Today really was supposed to be Riley's day. Shawn called me last minute when the crib came in, and it slipped my mind to give her a heads up because—I don't know—you guys were at work."

"I still love you though," Riley said in a small voice, admiring the room from his other side. The orange, brown and white complemented one another well. It was a room for a princess without being sordidly cliche. In response, Josh ruffled his niece's hair and she laughed.

"On that note, Riley," Shawn said, disturbing the peace. "Today is a special day. We invited your parents over and they're bringing over some pizza. I hope that's okay with you."

"It's more than okay, Uncle Shawn," Riley answered gratefully, making a mental note to take a really fast shower before her entire family came over for dinner. "My mom is really gonna love the room. She was all like 'oh my god' and 'aw' when we told her about it."

"I heard that in her voice and now I can't get it out of my head," Shawn mumbled to himself. He loved Topanga to death. She was his honorary sister in a sense, but her voice drove him insane sometimes. "And Maya? If you want, you can invite your friends over too. There will be a lot of pizza...trust me, a lot, and whatever you do, do not ask Cory why."

"Ya know what?" Maya mused. "I might just hit up the group chat to see if they're free."

Forty-five minutes later, the Hunter and Matthews families sprawled out across the spacious living room, paper plates full of pizza in hand. They chatted animatedly, poking fun at one another in a way that only a family would. Maya cherished moments like these the most, and she knew she was extraordinarily lucky to have such a supportive extended family, even if they were complete whack jobs sometimes...and by whack job, she meant Cory. When Cory, Topanga and Auggie showed up with a total of ten large pizza boxes, she knew that there was some grand scheme behind it.

Still, no one asked about it. They all just laughed.

The icing on top of the cake had been when Lucas and Zay arrived. Farkle and Smackle were on some elaborate couple's trip to Washington D.C. to tour all of the Smithsonian Museums, so Lucas and Zay had been on their own for most of the week. Of course they jumped at the opportunity to spend quality with their favorite girls.

"No way," Zay snorted in disbelief, choking on the piece of pizza he attempted to swallow. "So you're telling me that some crusty old dude tried to hit on you both at work today?"

"He did indeed," Maya concurred, looking back on an incident that had taken place at the cafe earlier in the day. It was a funny story. "And when he saw that I was pregnant, he asked if I needed a sugar daddy and a father for my kid."

"And do you know what Maya said back to him?" Riley asked, egging her on, crumbling up a used napkin in her hand.

"What?" Lucas asked, amused by the conversation. He hated the fact that some creep tried to hit on his girlfriend and one of his best friends, but he refused to let jealousy get the best of him.

"Well, first, I told him that I already had one," Maya said, failing to elicit a response from the boys. "Then I spit in his drink."

That was the final nail on the coffin, and all four of them burst out into laughter. It felt good to act like real teenagers for once because Maya knew her days were numbered.

"Oh God," Topanga intervened from the kitchen. "Maya, I am your boss, so I'm gonna pretend that I didn't hear that, but as a mother, I applaud you. There are some real creeps out there, and you always gotta be on the lookout.

"Ain't that the truth," Zay said in agreement. He knew that the world was a dangerous place for a pretty face, and that young people were susceptible to all types of charm. With that story out of the way, everyone began to clean up around the living room, and Zay spoke up once more: "Hey, where'd Josh storm off to? Haven't seen dude in like ten minutes."

"Eh," Maya trailed off, not quite sure where he snuck off to begin with. He was either in her bedroom, the bathroom or on the balcony. She put her money on the balcony. "He probably stepped outside to get some fresh air or something. Can you grab him for me?"

"Yeah, sure," Zay nodded, standing up from his comfortable spot on the beige carpeted floor. He dusted himself off, hoping to wipe away any lingering crumbs, before making his way to the french doors that led to the balcony. Zay had stood out there once or twice. It was small but had a great view of the Village.

As soon as Zay opened up the doors and stepped outside, he was greeted by the smell of fresh peonies and exhaust fuel emanating from the traffic below. Zay wasn't quite sure what made him more upset: the poor air quality in the city or the looming presence that stood him on the small balcony.

"You good out here?" Zay questioned insincerely, closing the door behind him. He moved to stand beside the youngest Matthews brother. Truth be told, this was the first time that they had ever been alone together without an audience. It felt intimidating. "You've been gone for a minute. Felt like I was the only one who noticed."

"Yeah, man," Josh answered, shrugging off the younger boy's presence. He held up the smartphone in his right and and waved it in the air. "I'm fine. I was on the phone with my mom for a little while. I sent her pictures of the nursery."

"I see," Zay said, nodding at the brunette's gesture. They both sighed, feeling the awkward tension grow with each passing second. "And how do your parents feel about all of this?"

Josh could feel the judgement in his tone but shook it off. Today was supposed to be a good day. It was a good day. He wouldn't let anyone bring down his high.

"They're supportive enough," Josh shrugged. It wasn't anyone's business but his own. It was true though. Amy and Alan Matthews were supportive enough. "I think it helps that me and Maya have history."

"History huh?" Zay questioned, and the two leaned over the railing in silence. "I guess you could call him that."

Josh cringed, he knew that they were bound to get into it over something. This was a long awaited conversation. They had been putting it off for so long.

"Hey man," Josh began, scratching his head nervously. His tone was far from accusatory, but he still wanted answers. "What's your problem with me? Really?"

"My problem with you?" Zay repeated, letting out a breath. He took a moment to think about it and exhaled. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm new around here."

"Lucas likes me just fine," Josh offered, and again, it was true. "I would say he's pretty new."

"Yeah, but it's different," Zay attempted to explain, trying to gather all of his thoughts. He had always been so angry when it came to Josh, and sometimes he didn't understand why. "It's different with me."

"Because of Maya?" Josh asked although he already knew the response. He just wanted to hear it for himself. This was a long awaited conversation.

"Yeah, because of Maya," the younger boy said simply, allowing himself to feel whatever he was feeling on the inside. It was hard sometimes. "I thought we were getting close."

"You are close," Josh reassured him, making the mature decision to put his feelings aside for one of his girlfriend's dearest friends. "Maya loves you."

"She does?"

"I mean, yeah," Josh answered, not as a way to get his hopes up. "She loves you, but remember that we love things differently. It makes Maya really happy when you're around. I know that you might not like me, and that's fine, but for Maya's sake, maybe you could dial it down."

"That might be doable," Zay said with a level mind. "You're a lot more mature than I thought, Matthews. Part of me thought that we'd actually get into a fight one day."

"Well Babineaux," Josh replied with the same amount of gusto. "I'm glad we didn't."

Later on, after everyone made the decision to part ways for the night, Josh and Maya sat cross legged in front of each other in the middle of their new nursery. Riley made the decision to go home with her parents, so Josh could start his day with Maya early, and both parties were grateful. It had been a long and exciting day, and they wanted to take the time to stop and smell the roses.

"So you're telling me that you and Zay actually had a civil conversation?" Maya asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow at the handsome brunette. "What's next? You're gonna tell me aliens exist?"

"Aliens probably exist," Josh said, going on a tangent. "But yeah, we talked. I think that we've set most of our differences aside for now. He has a huge crush on you, you know."

"Oh no," Maya groaned. This was the conclusion that her best friend had come up with earlier in the day. "Not you too. I don't know why you guys like me so much."

"What can I say?" Josh shrugged, changing positions to get comfortable on the floor. Instead of sitting cross legged, he stretched his entire body out on the floor, lying on his stomach. He reached out to touch Maya. First, her knee, then her stomach. "You're easy to love."

"She's gonna be so loved," Maya grinned, covering her hand with his. They took a moment to really look around the room.

"She already is," Josh replied as soft as ever.