𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ━ shawn hunter¹

13│AS TIME GOES BY, PT. 1

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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴀs ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɢᴏᴇs ʙʏ, ᴘᴛ. 𝟷 ꒱


❝ A part of her wondered what her
life would've been like in Julia's
place, though the image she
conjured seemed grim and bleak
and as cold as the snow falling
outside. ❞
— Stormy Weather; season 3 ch. 16

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Juliet sat at the kitchen island with her homework spread out in front of her. Shawn had (thankfully) let up on distracting her a few hours ago to let her finish some projects and he sat on the couch several feet away with a magazine propped in his lap. Somehow, Topanga had convinced her to take a physics class together so that they could be 'study partners.' Unfortunately, most of the work was individual.

Their essay for the class was based on space-time theories. They had studied several over the course of the past weeks and they were to chose which topic interested them the most. Topanga had selected the space-time vortex while Juliet went with the Multiverse Theory. Pensively, she glanced up from her textbook to let her eyes fall on her boyfriend. "Shawnie?"

He looked up from the magazine. "Yeah?"

"Have you ever heard of the Multiverse Theory?"

He shook his head. "No, but I'm sure you'll tell me." This was said in an indulgent, loving sort of way rather than in an exasperated tone as one might expect.

She smiled softly. "It's the belief that there are hundreds and billions of universes that exist alongside our own. There are all sorts of the possibilities, from the wacky and strange to those just slightly off. I think it's fascinating that we might live and one and not even know it."

"How could they be different?" Shawn asked.

"Well, there could be small changes where I have my dad's brown hair instead of my mom's red hair. Peas might be square instead of round. Purple might be a natural hair color. The bigger changes could be the grass is blue and the sky is green, the US could have a different series of Presidents than it does now or. . ." she trailed off before she added quietly, "we might never have met."

Immediately, his eyes widened. "Don't say that!"

She shrugged. "It's possible. We'd never know each other existed. My life might have turned out differently so that I wouldn't know you and Cory, or you might have lived in Ohio for longer than you actually did."

The dark-haired boy set the magazine aside and stood before he walked over to join her at the table. He placed his hands gently on her arms and she leaned against him comfortably as he said firmly, "don't say that. I think that no matter how differently our lives might turn out, we'll always know each other no matter the universe. We're the knockoff Cory and Topanga, after all."

Juliet giggled at his comparison and tilted her head up to look at him. Her hand lifted to lightly cup his face. "It's only a theory, Shawnie. That doesn't mean it's actually true. But for what it's worth, I believe that, too."

Shawn's expression softened and he placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Good. Hopefully it stays a theory. I've lost enough in my life and I've finally reached a point where I'm happy. I don't want to go thinking about what-ifs where I'm worse off than I am now."

🌎🌎🌎
[1996 , alternate timeline]

"I just want one week of being normal!" Juliet finished in a sharp voice despite the fact that she was addressing her parents.