Piece by Piece

Piece by piece he restored my faith (II)

Piece by Piece

Piece by piece he restored my faith (II)

"Piece by piece, he restored my faith

That a man can be kind and the father should be great"

5 years after the birth of Amelia Topanga Hunter

It's been quite some time since we last checked in with the Matthews, the Hunters and their friends. It's amazing to see just how much can change in five years' time when really not much has changed at all. At least it doesn't feel like it to our friends. I am well aware that this sound a little bit confusing now: What is it? Have things changed, or haven't they? Well, it's gonna take me a little while to get you up to speed on the goings-ons. But I promise, it will all make sense in the end.

The birth of Amelia "Mila" Topanga Hunter had been a joyous occasion for everyone. Over the course of the next five years, the little girl grew up as the darling of not only her immediate family but of the Matthews clan as well. It had been a while since a cute and cuddly little munchkin had arrived in their midst and everyone was excited to watch her grow up.

Mila had been an adorable baby and was an even more beautiful child. She had her father's brown hair and her mother's brown eyes. On first glance, her and her big sister didn't look much alike. When taking a closer look, however, Maya and Mila looked so similar – their facial structure, the shape of their eyes and lips – it was remarkable. Maya was glad that Mila wasn't an exact copy of her though – she already had that in Kaya Hart. It helped the blonde to overcome her insecurities a bit more. With Mila it didn't feel like she was being replaced by her mini-me. Instead, it simply felt right having the little munchkin in all of their lives.

Katy loved doting on her new baby and Shawn quickly got the hang of taking care of an infant as well – with some help from Katy, Cory and Topanga, of course. Both of them made sure to make Maya feel as comfortable as possible, letting the blonde set the pace of how much she wanted to be involved in the raising of her baby sister.

They needn't have worried though. From the moment Maya first laid eyes on her baby sister, that was it for the teenager. The love she instantly felt for the small bundle lying in their mother's arms was overwhelming. Now I'm not saying that there weren't some bumps and bruises along the way – Maya's insecurities ran deep after all – but there was one thing the girl was sure of: she loved her little half-sister with all of her heart.

Maya and Josh were still going strong, but, of course, there had been some difficulties – it has been five years after all. Nobody would ever dispute their obvious love for each other or the fact that they were meant to be together and would most likely go the distance. But both of them were still young and had their own minds. They tried their best to keep to the open and honest communication they had had at the beginning, but they didn't always manage to do it. Maya was very similar to her mother and stepfather: she had a mind of her own and could be rather hot-headed. In the heat of an argument that sometimes led her to say things she didn't really mean and regretted immediately afterwards. Josh was, in that aspect, the complete opposite of his girlfriend: he was someone who rather observed and waited. That sometimes led him to keep too much to himself and not tell Maya if something was bothering him. On top of that Maya's insecurities were still a part of her. After every fight, no matter how much she tried to stop herself from doing it, she feared that Josh would leave her just like Kermit had. It took them some time – and some fights – for Josh to assure her that he wouldn't do anything like that. They would fight, there was no arguing that – all couples did. But he loved her and, together, they could handle anything. In the end, they were happy to say that they had mastered all of their conflicts up till now and had come out stronger and closer on the other end.