A/N I feel like when I write Riley I dial her down a bit. I didn't realise that I had been doing that until like halfway through this chapter but writing her in a way that makes it look like she's maturing even more just feels natural. She might appear a bit out of character sometimes but it just happens.

Jrules19 – I see what you did there even if it was unintentional and I just had to reply because I don't get reviews that rhyme a lot of the time;)

Ay! Gone and got themselves a ship name Brent and Maya: Breya. That's cute – I like it. Certainly doesn't mean I'm promising or confirming anything yet though so sorry if I just got your hopes up :D


Chapter 4

Brent cringed as he examined the cut on his lip. What were the Matthews going to think if they noticed it? That along with how stiff he was due to the bruising on his side, just underneath his ribs. The hot shower hadn't done much and Brent had just had another one. He needed these injuries to heal – urgently.

They seemed like the type of family to pry, and if Riley's best friend noticed the cut or his stiffness she'd probably have a nickname for it. But the Matthews family wouldn't just ask for the sake of being nosey; they would ask because they would be concerned.

More concerned than Brent's mother had been when he had a cut on his face anyway. She'd never really mention it because she'd seen him in a state that was much worse when he first began fighting, and Brent appreciated her silence on the matter. His mother couldn't stop him from fighting – she'd tried and failed and therefore given up pressing the matter.

But now she was gone, and Brent no longer got the chance to hear her irritated sigh in the morning when he'd sit down at their small table with a black eye and a terrible posture that showed he was in pain. He would never again see her roll her eyes once she had examined the damage that she could see. Because she was no longer breathing. And that thought alone hurt Brent more than any injury he had ever sustained while fighting had done.

Brent's mother had never liked him fighting, but she had grown to accept it. When it came to his father and the rest of the Matthews family however… They really didn't need to know. That part of Brent's life was completely separate and none of them needed to know about his fighting.

They would probably think he was insane; think that he was too violent of a man to be around kids like Auggie and Riley. And they would be right in thinking that. Because when Brent got in the cage he was insane and he was violent – he was dangerous. Cory Matthews would never accept a guy like that around his family, even if the guy was his son.

He had two parts of his life.

The first part was the polite guy that had just found family that were willing to get to know him better.

The second part was a man that was addicted to fighting in the cage.

Clearly, the two were very different – very separate. They had nothing to do with one another and Brent would do whatever it took to keep the two halves of his life as far away from each other as possible.

Blink. Blink.

Topanga Matthews: Hey Brent, Cory and I were wondering if you wanted to join us for breakfast this morning. We'll all be eating in 10 mins if you're awake and feel like dropping by.

Brent looked down at the text, considering whether he'd take up on the offer or not. His lip was still cut slightly and his walk was quite stiff due to the pain in his side but would he really let that stop him from spending time with Cory and the rest of the family?

Screw it. He quickly typed a reply saying that he'd be there in a bit and shrugged his leather jacket on over his dark grey muscle shirt. Brent also picked up his wallet before leaving, knowing that he'd probably head out for the day after having breakfast with the Matthews'.

He arrived at the Matthews' apartment around fifteen minutes later and couldn't help but wince slightly as he knocked on the door. The ache in side could really use some painkillers.

"Looking a bit rough there Big Ben." Maya Hart commented from beside him as she let herself in the Matthews' apartment and gestured for him to follow with a tip of her head. Brent simply gave her a smile – one that Maya noticed did not reach his eyes – as he waved back at an excited Auggie.

"Morning you two." Cory said as Brent and Maya took their seats around the table. Maya grabbed a bowl and immediately began filling it was the same cereal that Riley was eating and Brent watched as Auggie piled two waffles onto a plate, poured syrup over them and then passed the plate to Brent.

"Cheers Augs." Brent said with a chuckle as he grabbed a knife and fork and began tucking into what his younger half-brother had prepared him. "These are really good." He commented, smiling at Auggie.

"Thanks." Auggie replied with a huge grin as he devoured his own waffles. "Me and mom made them."

"So, Brent, have you got any plans for today?" Cory asked from his seat at the far end of the table.

"Well since I'm probably sticking around, I've decided that I'm gonna start looking for a job."

"A job?" Topanga asked in shock, smiling in approval as she began getting all her stuff together for work.

"Yep." Brent lied. He didn't want to lie to his father and the rest of the family but his plans were just to go to the gym and keep his fitness up for the next fight.

Telling them that he was job hunting gave Brent time to settle down in New York and also portrayed him in a positive light. He would start looking for a proper job after his last fight in a few days because at the moment Brent had enough money in his bank accounts as well as what John had given him after the fight, meaning that he wasn't in urgent need of money at the current time.

"So where are you going to look – what type of job are you looking for?" Riley questioned quickly.

"I'm not looking for anything in particular." Brent replied with a shrug as he moved onto his second waffle. "I just want to start working towards getting a decent place."

"Still," Cory said. "That's a very responsible thing to do, especially when you've only been in New York for a couple of days."

"You hear that muscleman," Maya teased, unknowingly nudging his sore side with her arm. "You're a very responsible landmark." Brent winced slightly when he felt the pressure under his ribs but covered the pained expression with a grin swiftly, hoping that no one had seen him drop his guard for a moment.

"A responsible landmark with a cut on his lip." She muttered out of the corner of her mouth when the Matthews family began saying goodbye to Topanga, who was leaving for work. "How'd you get that, tough guy?"

"Cut it while shaving." Brent mumbled back, internally cringing at the lie and the fact that he was deceiving a girl that he was becoming close to in this new country.

"Doesn't look like a cut from a razor." She said, purposely nudging him in the ribs again to see his reaction. Maya had caught the wince the first time – she was far from stupid.

"How would you know?" Brent asked, keeping his expression neutral when she dug her elbow into his ribs intentionally. "You don't strike me as a girl that shaves her face blondie." Maya snorted in amusement, finally relenting and stopping her attack on his ribs.

"I've cut my legs while shaving enough times to know what a razor cut looks like Big Ben." She whispered carefully, making sure that Riley, Cory and Auggie couldn't hear her over their own conversation. "That is totally not a razor cut."

"Maybe we just use different razors. Why so suspicious sweetheart?"

"I'm doing my digging." Maya muttered bluntly before turning her head towards Riley and starting a conversation about something to do with school.

Brent rolled his dark green eyes at her antics but couldn't help feeling a little on edge. This girl was good. In fact, she'd seen right through his lie and that scared the hell out of him – because that lie was a bloody good lie. He'd told a lot worse before and gotten away with it anyway…

How long would he be able to lie to his father and the rest of the family without them suspecting something if the blonde beside him had already been able to notice changes after just one fight?

Keeping the two halves of him apart would prove to be even more of a challenge than he had anticipated. Fabulous.

"Brent are you going to come and see us tonight?" Auggie asked innocently from across the table. Brent gave Auggie a half-smile before turning to Cory to see if it was okay for him to visit again. As far as he knew he didn't have any plans until his next fight in the next couple of days, so he'd jump at the opportunity to get to know Cory, Topanga, Riley and Auggie more.

"Don't look to Matthews for permission muscleman. Just show up – I always do." Maya smirked.

"Oh my gosh, you can come round tonight and Maya and I can ask Lucas, Farkle, Smackle and Zay if they want to come over so they can get to know you." Riley said excitedly, ignoring the fact that Cory had just been about to speak before she beat him to it.

"I guess we can annoy your mom and order pizza on a Thursday." Cory said with a childish grin.

"Yeah. We can all hang out and you can talk to Lucas-"

"Ooooo, big brother of hers," Maya teased. "She wants you to get to know her boyfriend. You gonna get all protective, give him the talk and all that juicy stuff?"

"I don't really have the right to do that blondie." Brent shrugged as Cory frowned at his son. "This Lucas has been in Riley's life longer than I have and I'm sure he's a good guy – if he wasn't then you'd have already sorted it all out."

"You're right. I'd do anything to protect Riley."

"Exactly. So I don't need to do any of that because she's got her sister to do it all." He said, smiling an infectious smile that Maya couldn't help but mirror.

"You do have a right to be protective of your siblings Brent." Cory commented sternly. "You're Riley and Auggie's older brother – no one here cares if you're their half-brother or not. You are my son Brent, and they are your younger siblings."

"Yes!" Auggie cheered, dropping his fork down on his empty plate. "Dad made it official: you're my big brother. We can do all sorts of big brother stuff now that I can't do with Riley."

"Hey," Riley piped up looking mildly offended. "What are you going to do with Brent that you can't do with me? I thought we were close."

"We can talk about man stuff." Auggie argued, bringing up his arms and doing a stereotypical bodybuilder pose, showing off his arms that were covered by a polo shirt. "Me and Brent can talk about girls and action movies and sports-"

"You can talk about all that with me." Riley pouted.

"I know I can." Her little brother argued. "But Brent's a boy and he's my big brother and he's even old enough to have a car."

"So? I'm nearly old enough to drive!"

"Alright, alright, calm down." Cory said, putting a stop to the small dispute as Brent and Maya watched on with similar expressions of interest. "Auggie, you need to understand that Brent's starting a new life here and he can't start spending all his time around here with you."

"But he's cool and I want him to." Auggie sulked, crossing his arms.

"Hey, I'll try and spend as much time as possible with my little brother." Brent smirked at the boy, attempting to diffuse the situation before a proper argument broke out over the table.

"Riley, you've got to understand that Auggie's excited. He's finally got another guy in the house to look up to and this guy happens to be a big brother."

"Can't you do this in class Matthews? It's too early in the morning for a life lesson." Maya drawled humorously. Brent couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of the girl beside him.

"Don't laugh Big Ben. If you laugh I'll laugh and I'm trying to be serious."

"Sorry sweetheart – I'll keep my mouth sealed shut."

"No, Maya, he can't stop talking." Riley whined, the smile on her face reappearing after it had been wiped off during the small spat between herself and Auggie. "I'm trying to master the northern accent and if he doesn't talk then I can't repeat it in my head."

"You're trying to learn my accent?" Brent asked as he held back a laugh. "Why?"

"Because she likes accents tough guy." Maya explained, smirking her usual smirk. "And when she does get the accent down we'll have a northern Riley as well as the original British Riley."

"Can't wait to hear it."


It was funny, really. He'd come to meet and if the chance arose, get to know his father better. In reality Cory was the person that Brent was talking to least – and it didn't even feel like a bad thing. He really liked Cory's wife Topanga and the fact that she did her best to include and make a son that isn't even hers feel welcome in a new country.

Then there was Auggie and Riley – both were really nice people in their own regard and Brent smiled a lot around them; they had made him smile a lot more in days than he had done in the months after his mother had passed. The two just always seemed happy and it was almost infectious.

But then it went back to Cory. Sometimes he would be all for building a relationship with the son that he must have forgotten about long ago, but other times he seemed slightly guarded; a little hesitant.

Perhaps it was just because Cory Matthews was protective of the family that he clearly loved. Yes, that was it, Brent thought to himself as he climbed into the taxi and gave the address of the Matthews' apartment to the driver. He'd only gone back to his hotel so that he could shower after the long session at the gym after lunch. School must have been over by now and so Brent decided that he'd show up before dinner.

When he arrived it was awfully quiet. Auggie answered the door, jumping at his older brother and hugging him, placing his head on Brent's stomach as he couldn't get any higher. Brent chuckled slightly and looked up to see Cory who had just returned home from work. Topanga was nowhere to be seen, probably busy in the office or at Topanga's helping out Katy.

"You're early." Cory said with a smile as Auggie released Brent and pulled him over to sit with Cory on the couch.

"Better to be early than to be late." Brent shrugged in reply, looking over the head of Auggie who was seated in the middle.

"Words to live by." He replied. "So I was meaning to ask you what happened to your lip – it looked a bit swollen earlier even though it's gone down a bit now."

"Maya asked me the same question when she saw it; I cut it while shaving last night and the cut must have been pretty bad." Brent repeated the lie, feeling confusingly more comfortable lying to his father than when he lied to Maya. Maybe it was just 'a boy doesn't feel as bad lying to dad because kids were supposed to lie to their parents sometimes' type of thing.

"You shave your face?" Auggie asked. "When do I get to start shaving dad – I wanna shave." He said eagerly.

"When you grow some hair on your face." Cory answered, giving Brent a look that clearly said look what you've done.

"When am I gonna start growing hair on my face?"

"When you're in secondary school and hit puberty." Brent chipped in with a smug grin as he glanced up from Auggie to see Cory still looking at him like he was blaming Brent for continuing the discussion on the subject.

"But that's ages away." Auggie whined.

"It'll come sooner than you think it will,"

"Because as you get older, life moves faster." Cory said truthfully, finishing off Brent's statement.

"Does life ever slow down?" Brent asked his father, leaning back so that he was resting one arm on the couch while waiting for an answer.

"It hasn't for me." Cory replied and as if one queue Riley entered from the direction of her bedroom, followed by Maya; then by Farkle, and then by Lucas. Just as the four of them entered the living area the front door opened and Zay and Smackle entered also, the former heading straight for the kitchen.

"Hey grease lightning." Maya said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the fact that Brent was wearing his leather jacket, unknowingly giving her an opportunity to use another one of her many nicknames.

"Hey blondie, hi Riley." Brent said as the four friends all stood in a line (Zay with a bowl of cereal) waiting to be introduced.

"Brent these are my best friends." Riley said happily as she took hold of Lucas's hand. "This is Lucas – my boyfriend. That's Farkle, that's Zay eating our cereal, and that's Smackle." Farkle? Smackle? Who named these kids? The most unique name that Brent had ever come across in England was probably Chantelle, but hey, who was he to judge?

"Hi, I'm Farkle. Farkle Minkus." Farkle said as he walked round to the front of the couch and held out his hand, taking in a sharp breath when Brent rose and shook his hand with a firm grip. "And you're more intimidating than the seniors at school…" He trailed off nervously, looking up so that he could see Brent's face instead of his chest.

"I was gonna say Brent Lawson but yeah, that too." Brent said with an amused smirk.

"Don't lie, Lawson. You're a big ball of nice and polite with a bad boy exterior." Maya chuckled, folding her arms.

"You caught me Hart." Brent grinned. "It's very nice to meet you Farkle and its nice meeting you three as well."

After the generally awkward introductions that everyone managed to get through by cracking jokes, Mr. Matthews and Auggie left to go and pick up the pizza that they were having for tea, leaving Brent and the teens alone so they could get to know each other better.

"So you're in a relationship, and you're in a relationship." Brent frowned in concentration, gesturing towards Lucas and Riley then to Farkle and Smackle. "You have a thing for Josh Matthews – who's supposed to be my uncle even though he's younger than me by at least a couple of months; that's not weird at all…" He said to Maya, ending his sentence sarcastically as he looked to Zay who had long since finished his bowl of cereal and was now drinking a glass of milk. "And you've had a thing going with a girl called Vanessa but she's in Texas."

"You're making it seem like our love lives are hard to comprehend." Smackle commented.

"Well they are." Brent argued. "And I bet you've all left loads of stuff out about your relationships that would confuse me even more-"

"Like the fact that Riley, Maya, and Lucas were part of a triangle at one point." Farkle cut in, getting a quick glare from both girls that were mentioned.

"Oh you're having a bloody laugh…"

"But it's all sorted now." Riley said cheerfully. "Lucas picked and Josh admitted that he had feelings for Maya and was going to play the long game."

Brent looked at Maya. She was smiling, trying to make it look like she was one hundred percent happy for her best friend. But there was this tiny glint in her eyes that one would miss if they didn't look close enough. She may have had feelings for Josh, however there was still a small part of her that hadn't gotten over the fact that Lucas and Riley were together yet.

So to hear Riley broadcast that Lucas had picked and it hadn't been her… In Brent's opinion, deep down, it must have stung. Maya was putting on a brave face and Brent couldn't help but wonder how long the carefully built walls would stay up for.

"So Brent, do you have a girlfriend?" Lucas questioned, filling the silence that followed Riley's statement.

"Not at the moment, no." He replied, scratching the side of his face awkwardly.

"But you've been in a relationship before?" Riley asked, hoping to get to know more about Brent and his life before coming to America.

"A few." Brent muttered in reply, regretting his answer when Maya smirked slyly.

"A few, huh?" Maya said as her ocean blue eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. "Don't start giving us short answers Big Ben – give us a number."

"You asked for it." He mumbled. "So are we talking about official boyfriend/girlfriend type of thing or are we including girls I've been with and been in the process of getting with as well?"

"List their names." She answered bluntly.

"Jesus Christ – Becca, she was a girlfriend. Leah and I just sort of had a thing. I suppose Courtney counts because we were talking and doing stuff together but we weren't even official before things ended. Then there was a short thing with Ellie, and then a short thing with Kyra a little bit after. There was Chantelle – we were in a serious relationship but we broke up a couple of months ago shortly after my mum passed away."

"She broke up with you after your mom passed away?" Zay asked and Brent nodded as he looked down at his interlocked fingers. "Man, that's one cold hearted chick right there."

"You don't have to answer this," Riley started as the other five looked on quietly. "But why did the two of you break up?"

"After I lost my mum I needed an emotional crutch you know, and I had no other family and I thought oh, well, my girlfriend's going to be there for me-"

"But she wasn't." Maya cut in softly.

"She was at first." Brent corrected. "But then after a couple of weeks she started complaining – saying I was depressed and boring; the relationship wasn't good for her anymore and this, that and the other."

"What else did she expect?" Lucas asked with a deep frown. "You'd just lost your mom, of course you were going to be down."

"Exactly." Brent agreed, cracking a strained smile. "So I say good riddance to the bitch because she clearly didn't care about anyone but herself anyway."

"Didn't it make you even more, sad, that your girlfriend left after what happened to you?" Smackle asked, awkwardly throwing the word sad in there as she was still getting used to the whole emotion side of things.

"Not really. I was angry though, a lot of the time." Brent said, ignoring the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket. "Felt like the world was screwing me over and whatnot – it didn't make me a pleasant guy to be around."

"But that only happened to you recently and you seem fine now." Riley said in a tone of confusion.

"I got over it when I found out that my mother left me information that I'd been wanting for years – stuff about my father and where to find him and who he is and all that. My friend Jacob kind of had my back as well and so I started looking and here I am." Brent grinned at the teens before continuing. "I'm happier now than I have been in years, and it kind of levels out all the bad stuff that happened in England."

There was happiness with the Matthews family and their friends, and there was also the fact that he was fighting again, letting out all the negative emotions on opponents and getting money for it. Brent definitely wasn't going to tell Riley and her friends about the second part of his life though. Even if it helped him remain content.