Hello my lovelies! It is me again, finally bringing you the sequel to Walk Me Home. I think it could be read independently, but you'll definitely get more out of it if you have read the genesis of the story, since I self-reference a few times.

I hope you guys enjoy it.

Thanks to Sandy who valiantly saves you from my run-in sentences.

Hope you like and don't forget to leave a comment if you can!

Previously in Walk Me Home: Maya and Lucas got together in high school, and have been dating ever since. This story takes place about 10 years after the end of Walk Me Home (after the epilogue really) so they are all around 26-27.


Chapter ONE: In Which Maya Steals Bacon

It usually amused Maya that Lucas insisted on keeping a car in the city. And that he drove it often but that was the Texas side of him, she - as born New Yorker - was pretty indifferent toward cars of any kind.

But right now she had to agree that at least it provided them with a private place in which to have this conversation.

"I'm sorry," Maya said.

"You already said that," Lucas said, staring straight ahead, his hands tight on the wheel as he drove her home.

"I didn't mean to be so late."

"I know," Lucas answered in the same monotone he had been using all night.

"Lucas, could you say something else?"

"I'm sorry, Maya. But tonight was important to me."

"I know," Maya did know this.

Lucas had worked so hard on this case. It had been his first as lead chair since joining the District Attorney's Office and they were actually giving him an award for it tonight (a sort of Rookie of the Year so to speak). But Maya had gotten caught up in the studio and showed up two hours late and missed the whole thing.

It had been an accident, it really had. Contrary to what most people might think, Maya wasn't at all the "Free Spirit Artist" Type. She had a regular job (teaching Art at a school in Alphabet city, not far from her old neighborhood), was considering going back to school to get a Masters in Art Therapy and took private commissions on the side. She had a pretty strict schedule to make her life work.

Tonight had been an anomaly. And she had hurt Lucas in the process.

Angry Lucas she could deal with all day long – Lucas kept a good lid on his temper most of the time anyway, so it wasn't a big issue – but Hurt Lucas was a whole other kettle of fish.

When he stopped in front of her building, Maya was in a bit of a spiral of misery. "I'm really sorry about tonight," Maya said one last time and then bolted from the car without giving him a chance to say anything more.

It was cowardly, sure, but she hated seeing him like this.

"Hey!" Riley said when she saw Maya walk through the door. "I thought you were staying at Lucas' tonight."

They shared a tiny apartment in the West Village, not far from where Riley's own parents still lived.

"I'm not even sure there is a Me and Lucas right now."

"Of course there is a You and Lucas," Riley scoffed. "It's You and Lucas!"

"I missed the event, and he's pretty mad at me right now."

"Lucas Friar mad at you? Yeah, right. He's probably disappointed though."

"Riley, you're not helping," Maya said miserably as she sank onto their couch.

Riley sighed. "I'm sorry." She sat down next to her best friend.

"You and me both."

"Hey, Maya." Marcus, Riley's boyfriend of three years, said as he walked in from Riley's room. "I thought I heard your voice."

"Oh, crap. I'm interrupting your date! I suck so much tonight."

"Not interrupting anything, love." Marcus said kindly in that sexy British accent of his. And that kindness almost made Maya cry.

That was the thing that Marcus got that countless of Riley's exes never did: Riley was a package deal, and she made no sense without her friends. So Marcus, far from trying to monopolize Riley's time, embraced her friends and in turn was embraced by them.

They had met when Marcus T.A.'d Riley's seminar on "Economics and Public Policy" when Riley was getting her master's degree at Columbia. They butted heads from day one but when the class was over, Marcus had asked her out, and they had been together ever since.

It was adorable really.

"But you guys get so little down time and here I come with my black cloud of downer." Which was true. They both worked insane hours at the UN. Marcus as an Economy analyst and Riley for UNICEF.

"We were done eating, and were just going to watch a movie," Riley said.

"You were going to grope each other in front of the TV." Maya said accusingly, making them laugh.

"We'll hold off on the groping, peaches." Riley said. "Go put your jammies on, and we'll get the ice cream out."

"Okay." Maya said reluctantly. But hey, if Riley was willing to baby her tonight, she would gladly take it.

-00-

The next day Maya was still miserable. And Lucas hadn't called.

"I'm telling you, Riles: It's over!" Maya said dramatically.

"Maya, you guys have been together for a dozen years. You've had fights before." Riley said sensibly as she and Marcus cooked breakfast.

"Not like this." Maya said miserably. "And he always calls."

"Then You call Him." Marcus said, like this was easy.

Maya sighed and glanced and her phone but didn't call. Instead, she stole all of Riley's bacon and left for a walk.

She knew she was in the wrong, but she had already apologized a dozen times… plus, Lucas always called first. It was one of their things, like Saturday pancakes, and Chili Nights and Spring Break in Texas.

Two hours later, Riley was regretting letting her go on that walk, way more than she regretted the loss of the bacon.

"So you see? I don't need Ranger Rick! I got my very own Huckleberry."

"Are you really calling that dog 'Huckleberry'?" Riley asked, watching as Marcus rolled on the floor with Maya's brand new puppy. Who could have guessed Maya would encounter an Adopt a Pet Fair during her walk? Or that she would actually bring a dog back.

"Says so on the tag; can't change it now." Maya said as she filled Huckleberry's water and food dishes and set them near the window.

Riley just shook her head. Soon enough this would be Lucas' problem; the guy was a pushover when it came to Maya. Surely he would call soon… before Maya went and adopted herself a Sundance, a Hop-A-Long and A Bucky Mc Boing Boing.

She hoped.

"Is it even house-trained?"

Riley was not reassured by Maya's shrug.

End of Chapter One