Author's Note:

I couldn't just leave it here for too long. I'm going to try to update once every two weeks at the least, but no promises. I finally made up my mind on the 'who dun it' question, and I think it's a pretty good one. You won't have seen this coming for miles.

I'm not sure if I want Zaley or Riarkle to be endgame; so the one with the most votes wins. It's early enough in the game that I can easily make it either without a drastic change in the plot.

Do your best to enjoy this chapter but a fair warning is needed. Lucaya is still very far off into the distance.

Lucas woke up alone. He wasn't as surprised about it as he should've been, rather rubbing his eyes and moving to the edge of the bed. He felt a slight sting, being unable to place it until he passed the full-length mirror on his way to the bathroom. He had to do a double-take before walking back over to the full image of himself.

His once neat, blonde hair was a mess, light scratches going from his shoulders down to his ribs; he turned and saw that the scratches on his back were much fuller, and actually seemed to have produced more than shed skin. His mind wandered to how it had been created, first on the couch, then the coffee table with her back towards him, then another round or two at the edge of the bed. Normally, he wouldn't have had the stamina for it to be in a row, nor to keep someone else going that long, but he hadn't slowed down for a second. Her trembling from under him had served as more than enough motivation.

There weren't any marks made by her mouth other than one right under his ear, only that she'd made when she'd been close and had tried to distract herself from releasing first for the second time.

After finding his reflection to be near hopeless, he sighed softly and went off to his shower. No matter how hard he washed his body, he couldn't wash the scent of vanilla and sweet pea from his neck. There's a reason Zay gave you the nickname Fuckboy Friar. This isn't your first rodeo, remember?

Driving had been uncomfortable with the scrubs rubbing against his back like a thin, but itchy, Christmas sweater. He decided that along the drive that as long as Maya didn't bring up what happened, he wouldn't either. It was better that way than to make it about feelings and anything more than her taking comfort in him. He also concluded that he would have to tell Zay the second he had any time to his name; he knew better than to keep something like that under the wraps.

His SUV pulled in, but his rear view mirror suggested he was later than he intended to be. Funny enough, in his rear view mirror was a rear view, which was Maya walking towards the door of the clinic. He pulled at his top, clearing his throat as he refocused his attention to his job. He knew he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by such things.

The blonde Texan entered the building after her, picking up the first file that was on the counter. "Good morning, y'all." His eyes closed with fresh regret as he heard a laugh bubble up from the only other blonde in the office.

His eyes flickered to her, seeing that despite her best efforts, a few splotches of the tender bites he'd given her were visible through the foundation. "Maya, it's a normal thing to say y'all."

"Oh, I know." Another laugh followed as the glass slid over, her hand being placed over her mouth as if it could actually contain such a thing. "But no one else sounds like a redneck doing it."

Snide but teasing glances were exchanged, only being interrupted by the bell of the door. He expected it to be the intern, or perhaps Zay, but it was neither. Rather, it was Josh, bright smile and ridiculously fake leather hanging from his shoulders. Lucas' gaze followed the client's, only to see blue eyes, full of light and paired with a dimpled smile. The door to the receptionist's office opened, meaning that she was walking towards the dark haired man in the doorway. It was as she was walking past him that he had to lift the file up to his mouth in order to hide his smirk and muffle his soft laughter.

There was something odd about the walk, like doing it properly was quite a struggle to it. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, hugging Josh and sighing softly. "Just been doing a bit of exercise is all."

"Oh yeah? What kind? I haven't seen too many people walk like that after they hit the gym." Josh's eyebrows were raised in a fashion that was skeptical but it could've been easily washed away with convincing words.

Maya chuckled for a bit, trying to find some explanation in a quick about of time. "Oh, you know.. The kind that stretches things out. I'm just a little sore so I should be fine tomorrow." She placed her hand on his chest, slowly running it up to his shoulder and then down his arm. "And then I'll be ready for a bit of some different kind of stretches."

Lucas had begun to write on the file in a way to distract himself, feeling liquid drip down his hand. Once he had checked, he noticed that he'd broken the pen, only to leave the ink to get all over his hand and the file at the same time. After clearing his throat, he went off to the receptionist's office, his eyes never leaving the scene unfolding before him; even Mrs. Lineon had to clear her throat in order to get his attention as he was attempting to start a new folder to put the papers in.

There was a look exchanged between them before his lip curled up slightly in a, 'mind your own business' manner. "Not a single word, Mrs. Lineon, not a single world." Her only reply was a chuckle and knowing smile. Doesn't matter, not jealous.

By the time lunch time rolled around, Lucas felt as if he were going to explode. There hadn't been time to tell Zay what had happened, and now there seemed to be. They'd met up in his office for lunch and had begun a game of throwing a small ball back and forth.

Lucas sighed, thinking as he tossed the ball over the table. "Zay, I'm going to tell you something and not have you freak out, alright?" He paused, taking a deep breath before all the words came tumbling out. "Maya and I had sex. Like she came to my house and we sort of just happened. But it was only for last night."

There was a flicker of understanding before it became a fit of laughter. "Alright, sure. And I took a trip from Mars to Earth and back overnight." Zay rolled his eyes, only for them to land on the splotch right under the pale ear. There was a bit of tossing the ball back and forth between his hands before his eyebrows pulled together, his eyes then becoming wide.

Lucas cleared his throat, bringing his hand up to cover the mark. There was a bit of silence between them and for a moment, he thought that he might have scared his friend into a life-long vow of silence. There was a final break as one word was yelled. "Maya!"

There was a look of annoyance on his face. "Please be louder!" he whisper-hissed. "I don't think all of Canada heard you quite yet!"

"Why? How? When? Where?" The questions seemed to be running a million miles per hour, something that made him think before he answered.

"She was upset about Josh not taking her on a date for a birthday. How? Well, pulling off clothes and underwear and then getting right to it." The veterinarian paused, his eyes moving to the ceiling as he had to recall the events. "I know it was a bit later in the night but I hadn't gone to bed yet. As far as where, I'd steer clear of the couch and table for awhile; I also had to change the sheets to my bed."

Zay laughed, though he seemed slightly shocked. "Friar, you dog."

"It's not like I meant to. She made the move first," Lucas clarified, pointing a finger as if his best friend was the true guilty party.

"Mhmm. Next, you're going to tell me that you went on a date with her and didn't like it."

"It. Wasn't. A. Date. She and I went out to dinner. We went home after three hours. Nothing big."

After an eyebrow exchange and a few snarls given, the two were back to throwing the ball and attempting to hit each other in the face. This moment reminded him of when they were in high school and he'd lost his virginity long before anyone else in his grade. (Granted, he'd been a year older, but some others had been as well.) The only difference now was that they were much older and somehow more foolish with the situations they seemed to be getting themselves in.

This was the second time his doorbell had gone off near eleven at night. He sighed and rose from the couch, once again, finding Maya behind it. He almost opened his mouth to say something else but closed it in the way her expression changed.

"He's- We were just driving and all of a sudden, this shot goes right through th-the window and he-" she rattled off, her hand motions frantic. Her hand locked around his wrist and he found himself being dragged down the stairs, the explanation forgotten as her legs seemed to be doing overtime. Her face was covered in blood, mud, and tears, a mix that never gave a good outcome.

Once he was in the parking lot of his apartment complex, he broke his wrist free and latched onto hers, stopping her to look at him. "Maya, you have to tell me what happened before I go out there. We need to get help."

"I don't know if he's dead. He got shot in the shoulder and I screamed when he swerved and passed out. I don't remember too much after that but I know that I ran 3 miles because I knew you were close. You were the only person I knew could help him."

Perhaps it was the adrenaline leaving her system or just the shock of seeing someone shot. Either way, her legs were going out from under her, one arm already catching her before her knees could hit the asphalt. He saw that she was still awake but her face was too distorted for him to do more than pick her up and carry her. "You'll have to tell me where the vehicle is. He'll be fine."

She simply nodded as he settled her into the passenger seat, her hands already doing the work of the seatbelt as he jogged around and climbed in. After doing so, he started shifting gears the second he was able to, pulling from the parking space with a screech.

The ride was brief and Lucas reminded himself that he had to stay calm before anything else. After all, he'd gone from veterinarian to bullet wound specialist in a matter of weeks, it seemed. He didn't have to be told where the crash was; the glass was everywhere and the metal of the car had scraped the pavement before sliding into the grass.

He left his car parked on the other side of the road, turning to look at her. "Wait here."

He wasn't sure what he would do once he got there but he had to at least try to get Josh out of the wreckage. He jogged across, seeing smoke still flow up from the hood of the car. Green orbs scanned the area and he saw Josh sitting there, head half blown off, mouth agape and hands still clutching the steering wheel.

For the first time in a long while, his stomach threatened to turn and empty their contents, his hands automatically finding his phone and dialing 911. "This is Lucas Friar, I'm on a back road, God knows where; there's been a crash and the driver is dead. His name is Josh Matthews."

His eyes moved back over to his own vehicle, seeing Maya's eyes on him the entire time. Her eyes were glossed over with tears, her jaw clenched so she wouldn't let them drop. Her hands were held together, her knuckles becoming white. He thought about how she said he'd been shot in the shoulder and checked; the wound was there, still pumping some blood out slowly. Which meant that not only had it been a murder, but that Maya would be the first suspect.