Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 53rd cycle. Now cycle 54!

"Never Would"
Beiste & Ewan (OC; Damian McGinty), Sugar, Ewan/Sugar, Rich, Beiste/Rich
Beiste & Ewan series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

Ewan had never been late to work, not once since he'd started his job with Rich at the shoe store. But then on that day he was dashing through the mall doors and up the escalator in order to make it, knowing he had already been due to arrive about ten minutes prior. He had been in such a hurry that he didn't even notice anything out of the ordinary until he reached the store and found people gathered around. He had managed to cut through and, when he did, he saw why they were gathered.

The store was closed off, and there were police officers present, while he could see Rich and the other employees inside. He stepped up, asking to be let through, and he was asked for ID. When he showed his card, the officer signalled someone inside before escorting Ewan into the store.

"What's happening?" Ewan asked Rich as his boss looked up and came to them.

"Please, let me speak with him first," he insisted. "I'm sure there's been some misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding about what?" Ewan frowned, confused. Rich was allowed to pull him aside, so he did. "What happened, why are the police here?"

"You closed down the store last night, right?" Rich asked him seriously.

"Sure, I was the last one out."

"And you didn't see anything out of the ordinary?" Rich asked, and Ewan shook his head.

"Mr. Henley, I think you need to see this," a detective came up to them, and Ewan followed Rich to the back, to the employee lockers. All of them had been opened, but the detective led them to one in particular, where they had found a single key taped to the underside of the shelf. "We've matched it to the key to your office, can you confirm whose locker this is?" Rich bowed his head, while the detective turned to Ewan, who would have known all too well whose locker it was: his.

"Wait, hold on, what…" Ewan was completely lost, but what little he did grasp on to wasn't giving him any sort of confidence.

"There was a robbery, the safe was cleaned out," Rich told him, and Ewan froze.

"And you think I had something to do with it? Rich, you know I wouldn't…"

"Mr. Healy, the evidence is stacked up against you even without this key," the detective told him, signalling one of the officers.

"No, but it wasn't me, I swear! Rich, please, you have to believe me, I wouldn't!"

"Don't touch him," Rich told the officer before turning to the detective.

When Ewan would return home later that day, he was still in shock of all that had and almost had happened. Rich had kept him from being arrested, but when all was said and done, he'd had to let him go from the shoe store. His aunt Shannon had found out, and if he didn't feel bad enough for what had happened to the store, hearing them fight over the phone had left him stunned and heartbroken. He'd ended up leaving the apartment again, taking the dogs to the park in hopes that it would cheer him up.

"Ewan?" He looked up when he heard his name.

"Sugar… How'd you know I was here?" She came and sat at his side.

"Your aunt was looking for you and she called me. I figured if you weren't at the mall, then…" she shrugged, and he sighed. "I know you didn't take that money," she told him, and he smiled.

"Thanks… I guess."

"Look, they'll find the real thief, and they'll lock him up, and then everything will be alright," she promised, and he looked back to her.

"I wish I had your optimism," he told her, and she held on to his arm.

"You can, it's easy," she nodded, and he leaned in to kiss the side of her head.

"Rich said he had to fire me, that even if believed I was innocent, if he had kept me it would have looked like he was protecting me because he's dating my aunt, or that he had something to do with it himself."

"Makes sense, I guess," her voice was small.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Now everyone's going to think I'm a thief…"

"Not everyone," she reminded him. "And if they try, well I'll tell them they're wrong," she promised.

"You think it's that easy?" he asked, and she lowered her eyes.

"Maybe not," she had to concede. "But all the people who care about you, they'll know you didn't do it."

"Rich still lost that money. And whoever really did it, they'll get away with it. And if word gets out about me, how am I ever going to get another job? I won't be able to go to Ireland in the summer…" All the ramifications were starting to line up in his mind, and every time he added one he just felt heavier. Sugar wrapped her arms around him, bringing him close.

"I know you don't want other people's money, but I can always help…" she told him.

"I know," he smiled. "But it's like you said, I do want to earn it. If it takes me another year to do that, then it'll take another year. I'll make it."

"Don't give up, Ewan," she turned her eyes to him. "There has to be a way to fix this."

Eventually he had taken the dogs back home. When he walked through the door, his aunt came and hugged him. "I turned around and you were gone, I was worried…" she breathed.

"I'm sorry, aunt Shannon, sorry for everything…"

"It's not your fault, don't go apologizing," she insisted.

"What about you and Rich?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but no matter what, you have to know that I'm not blaming you about anything, alright?" she looked him in the eye, and he nodded.

"Alright," he repeated.

Going back to his room, he lied down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He replayed the events of the night before, trying to understand what had happened. The way he saw it, if it wasn't him – and it wasn't – then it had to have been someone else who worked at the store. That person would still have a job come morning, and they would get away with it… Somehow in all the mess created by this robbery, that was the one that rested most uncomfortable on his heart.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!