A/N: Well here's the next chapter... it's long... and my god writing that crazy girl is going to drive me up a wall... she's so crazy... There's fluffy stuff in there too but still crazy girl makes me crazy.

Chapter 11 – One Step Forward, Three Steps Back

The thought of Zay taking over the bar had taken root in Lucas's mind since he had talked to Riley, the idea of having less responsibility than he already had made him feel lighter in some ways as he started to walk through the upper floor of the building. He would still have controlling interest in the bar, since both Maya and Zay owned thirty percent each, something both of them hadn't wanted when he had brought the building, but he figured that as he began to hand the reigns over he would eventually give them more of that.

Zay had been there for him when he had been at his worst, when he was fighting against the world. He remembered how at first, he had pushed Zay away especially since they had just moved, and he hadn't wanted any friends. The idea that they could move at the drop of a hat made him push away from people who wanted to be his friend. Zay on the other hand had been persistent the first couple of months and had eventually won him over.

He couldn't help the smile that he had on his face remembering those early years, especially after Zay had told him to try out sports to get that pent-up aggression out. Especially if it meant that he would get into less fights, but Zay wasn't much of a football player, but he had become his family during that time. So, his mother always sat in the stands while Zay stayed with her and cheered him on. Eventually their mothers had started becoming friends so when Zay was putting on a production at school or playing baseball with Lucas during the spring their mothers were always together.

Lucas was walking around the top floor apartment, while thinking, and he hadn't been paying attention to what he had needed to make sure it was up to code. The apartment he had been thinking of for him and Riley on the top floor would need to be done by the end of the year. He was lucky that the place didn't need a lot of work since he had resorted all of the floors little by little the moment he had brought the building. So all he really needed to do was order appliances and have the kitchen and bathrooms both upgraded.

"Hey Lucas," Zay said as he walked into the place looking around as if it hadn't existed until just that moment. "Why are you up here?"

"Well Riley and I are going to move up here so I wanted to check it out to see what needed to be done," he said waiting for Zay's reaction. His best friend put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it so when Lucas turned to meet his eyes there was a huge smile on his face. "What are you thinking?"

"That it about damn time that you got something good going for you, especially if you want to live with her," Zay said before letting go and walking over to the windows. The apartment itself was several floors above the one they all lived in at the moment. Two of the floors in between housed the servers for the security company, no one outside of Zay and Maya, and the tech support workers that ran them for him, knew that because of the safety of his clients but also because Lucas still had problems trusting people.

"I have good things happen," Lucas said in defense but Zay just looked at him.

"No you have good reason and business instincts other than that you don't really let the good things happen, your relationships were always crap especially the last one," he said making Lucas think of the things that had been randomly showing up since Riley had come into his life. "Now this," Zay continued. "This is something good, she's good for you, hell I've seen you smile more in the last few months than in all of the years I've known you."

"Seriously I haven't been that bad," he said in defense but Zay just slapped him on the back of his head.

"I swear sloths have more emotional depth than you had all of those years."

"Seriously sloths," Lucas said looking at his best friend and realizing that he might have made a good point about his past relationships.

"Yeah well you move really slow when it comes to actual relationships and getting to know people who aren't your clients for the firm," Zay said to him before fully turning to Lucas. "Just so you know I'm taking your room the moment you move out."

"You're going to have to fight Maya for that and you know it," Lucas said thinking of the fight that would happen because of the one room with a full bathroom.

"I'll win, don't worry about that."

"How? I've seen the two of you fight over a piece of bacon and she still won."

"'Don't worry too much about that," he said with a smile on his face. "I'll make sure that I'll win."

"Sure," Lucas said before turning back to the apartment and thinking about how life would be with Riley there when he remembered that he had to talk to Zay about the bar. "Hey Zay I have a question for you."

"Well you have my attention so shoot," he said turning towards the kitchen area and sitting with his back against the counter.

"How would you feel if I step back from running any part of the bar, and give it all to you," he said as he walked over to his friend and sat down next to him. "I'll still have controlling shares but you would have to run it on your own."

"I'd say that it's about damn time," Zay said pushing him with a closed fist. "I always knew this day would come, where you would grow up. It probably has a lot to do with Riley… you know she's really good for you, and I really do mean that Lucas."

"She's the best thing that has happened to me in a very long time," Lucas said with a small smile on his face. "You can hire someone to take care of the paperwork if you're not sure about doing that along with everything else."

"Nah I think I wouldn't mind doing it all myself, especially since it means I get to boss people around."

"Maya will kill you remember that."

"I know but it's something I can hold over her head," he said smiling at Lucas which made Lucas question his decision because Maya would actually kick Zay's ass if he went too far. "So things with Riley are getting a little serious."

"Yeah well I figured that she's a keeper and I have to work on keeping her," Lucas said smiling at his best friend while thinking of waking up next to Riley every day, or watching her work on a number of things. Even the idea of them in the kitchen together cooking dinner and talking about their day was something he was looking forward to.

"I see that look on your face, and I know that you're gone and all but married to her," Zay said and at the word married another image popped into Lucas's mind, one where she was walking down the aisle dressed in white smiling at him like she was the sun in the sky and the air in his lungs. "Geez, earth to Lucas… you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he sighed realizing just how much she had become a part of his heart in such a short amount of time. "I guess I'm in love."

"Lucas, that's not a regular kind of love I think that you found your soulmate… don't let that go, no matter what."

"I'll try my best," he said and he meant it. "Now let's get out of here before Maya starts to realize that my room is going to available, because if she knows she'll start moving in now and you won't have a chance."

"I have a fight ahead of me don't I," Zay said as they walked out of the top floor apartment. "Maybe if I asked Charlie to move in with me it would give me more leverage."

"So does that mean that I'm not the only one getting serious here?"

"Yeah well I'm not at the point you're at," he said pushing Lucas aside. "But I do see some kind of future with Charlie, which honestly I hadn't seen it coming like this but it's nice."

Lucas watched as Zay smiled to himself, he was as gone as Lucas was but he wasn't going to tell him just yet, he actually wanted Zay to realize it for himself.

"You want to get some food, since we both have the afternoon free?" Lucas asked since they hadn't had the chance to hang out without it dealing with the bar or breakfast with his sister, Josh and Charlie.

"Yeah, sure man," Zay said as he stood next to Lucas. "As long as it's something good because I'm starved, and I can probably eat a whole pizza by myself."

Lucas let out a laugh as he out his arm around his best friend. "Pizza it is, which is good because I haven't had a decent slice in weeks."

"What Riley doesn't like pizza?"

"She does but we've been so busy at the firm that it's always cold by the time we get around to eating it, and you know how I hate cold pizza."

"Yes, I've heard this argument for years, and I understand because cold pizza is a travesty but seriously Lucas just stick it in the microwave," Zay said pushing him away. The argument had actually been going on since they were in High School, mainly because the pizza at the school was crap if it wasn't hot. This had somehow kept going throughout the years and now he can't eat cold pizza without cringing.

The two of the went to their favorite pizza place, it was a ten-minute walk from the bar, and it was a hole in the wall kind of place, but they had great pizza, so it hadn't mattered. It was also a place that he had gone to growing up to escape, he had worked there while going to school and they had encouraged him to build his business. The family that ran the place had become his mentors and he always went back there to see them.

They sat in the back in a small booth away from the street, where the smell of pizza cooking was the strongest. Lucas looked out and wondered why they hadn't come back in a while, except all that came to him was his busy work schedule. When he had been with his ex she always wanted to go to fancy restaurants, so he never got the chance to go back to his favorite pizza place. Zay put in the order while he sat there thinking about everything he's been through since he was last there, and Riley's face popped up, her smile, working with her. Nothing else mattered.

"Well there's a face I haven't seen in a while," a familiar female voice said.

Lucas turned to greet the wife of the shop owner. "Hey Lydia, how are you?"

"Better now that I see that you're still alive Lucas," she said pulling him up for a hug. She was as close to a second grandmother to him and he loved her even if he was a little too rowdy growing up. "How have my boys been?"

"Good, Zay's ordering for us," he said as he pulled away.

"Have you found something special since I last saw you?" she asked before he could say anything else.

"You might say that he found a gold mine Lydia," Zay said walking towards them laughing.

"Well there's my other boy, all that's missing is Maya and I'll have all of my kids here," Lydia said before pulling Zay in for another hug while holding on to Lucas's hand.

"Maya's a little busy, but we'll bring her over one day," Zay said smiling at the older woman. "Along with her boyfriend, and this guy's girlfriend," Zay pointed at Lucas and he wasn't sure why he felt the heat rise up to his face.

"So, you have found something special if you're blushing like that," Lydia said smiling at Lucas before turning back to Zay. "And what about you huh Zay? A boyfriend? A girlfriend?"

"I'll bring him along too," Zay said pulling away.

"As long as it's serious, I don't want you bringing someone here if you're not serious," she said to Zay knowing Zay's history of relationships. "The same goes for you Lucas."

"Lucas is practically married to Riley," Zay said with a huff but all Lucas could think about was the word marriage and whether it was true.

Lydia talked to them a little longer before going back to helping in the kitchen leaving Zay and Lucas alone. The two of them didn't talk about marriage or anything, instead they talked about thanksgiving and how they were going to set up the bar to accommodate their families. They talked about everything but their significant others, mainly because this was their time. Work wasn't something they brought up, even though they spoke about Zay's role once Lucas stepped down from the bar but the conversation was pushed away the moment the food arrived.

Riley had set up the lunch just so that she would be able to get to know Maya outside of their small interactions whenever Riley had gone to the bar, or the times that she had slept over at Lucas's place. So now she was sitting across from Maya in a small Mexican restaurant that Riley had found over the years, and because Shawn was a fan of eating all kinds of food.

"I love this place," Maya said as she looked through the menu, this made Riley happy because it meant that she had chosen the best possible place.

"That's good to hear," Riley said but her nerves over talking to Maya about anything especially relating to Lucas were all over the place.

The two of them didn't say anything after that as they picked their orders, Riley thought the worse because neither one of them were talking. Which wasn't the best way to build a friendship with someone. Especially someone who was dating Josh, they needed to get along and Riley knew that but she couldn't shake the feeling that she could mess up at any point in time.

"How about a drink," Maya said after they had both been quiet for what felt like an eternity.

"It's only one in the afternoon, but I guess it would be nice to relax a little," Riley answered, knowing that she lived close enough that she didn't have to worry too much about driving anywhere.

The two of them ordered margaritas and started drinking them as soon as they came, Riley knew that Maya was nervous as she was. This was the first time they had done anything without the group of people that followed them around.

"So, Josh asked me to move in with him," Maya said breaking the second bout of silence that had fallen over them. Riley choked on her drink the moment the other woman had spoken. "Yeah I guess that's not something you spring on a person while they're drinking something."

"You think," Riley wheezed as she tried to catch her breath. It took her a moment and a glass of water before she could speak again. "When did that happen?"

"About two weeks ago, I haven't had the chance to talk to my brother about it but I figured I could talk to you about it since Josh is your family," Maya said giving Riley a small smile and a quick shrug. "And I was hoping we were friends… but this has been really awkward."

"I think we could be really good friends if we talked more often," Riley answered Maya with her own smile.

"Okay," Maya answered and cut into her food. "So, are you alright with me and Josh?"

"Yes, I am, I don't know why you're acting like you need my permission to date him, but I think he's happier with you than anyone else I've ever seen him with," Riley thought back to Josh's last relationship and it ended with him and his girlfriend still being friends, they had just realized that they weren't compatible at all.

"It's not your opinion that I'm scared of right now… it's probably the fact that I'm meeting his parents for thanksgiving and I've never gotten to the point in a relationship where I met my boyfriend's parents, or even him meeting mine. It's new."

"I know how you feel, I was nervous when I met your mom, but you shouldn't really worry too much, my grandmother will love you."

"You really think so?' Maya asked, and Riley knew that the other woman was scared of messing up what she had, it's the same insecurities Riley had when it came to Lucas, but she was working through them every day because Lucas made everything better.

"Honestly Maya, yes," Riley answered truthfully knowing it's was the right thing to say, because what Maya needed was something to approve of her relationship with Josh. It was something that she one hundred percent approved of.

"Thanks Riley," Maya said as she took her hand and smiled. "You're a good friend."

"Good, now where are you two planning to move to?"

"Josh's place, it's small but it's also not something my brother owns, which will give me the chance to grow a little more," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Josh has an area he's going to put my art supplies in, and we're talking about furniture and all kinds of things… it's very domestic."

"Well at least this means he's going to have furniture because that boy is a minimalist when it comes to buying things," Riley laughed thinking about how sparsely furnished Josh's apartment was, he had sworn that he just didn't have the time, but Riley knew that he just hated shopping for anything.

"I noticed," Maya said laughing along with her. "But I have plenty to take with me so it should be alright."

They continued to talk about the move and about Thanksgiving when Riley realized that she hadn't brought up the fact that she was moving in with Lucas. It wasn't that Riley hadn't wanted to say anything about it, it was the fact that she wanted to tell everyone at the same time especially since they had just recently decided to do it. But this was his sister and they were both in the same predicament when it came to family acceptance.

"So, when are you and Lucas moving in together," Maya said pulling Riley out of her thoughts. "I already knew it was happening, especially since he had brought contractors in to look at the top floor apartment."

"Uh… um… well it's still a while away I guess," Riley said fumbling with her words.

"The apartment most likely will be finished by the first week of December, I know because it has been mostly finished since he brought the building," Maya said as she looked up at Riley. "And Zay's been trying to find a way to get Lucas's room without knowing that he already has it. I swear that boy thinks he can win in a battle against me."

"How do you think he's going to react when he realizes he got what he wanted?"

"Well I'm pretty sure he's going to throw a party but since Lucas is going to still be living in the same building I doubt it matters, but as long as he gets the room, he'll be happy especially since I keep having to hide from him every time Charlie is over."

"I'm guessing that you walked in on them in the middle of it haven't you."

"God yes, and those two can't keep it in their pants which just makes it more difficult to deal with. I've never seen two people so handsy with one another."

Riley couldn't help blushing because she remembers the day she had walked in on the two of them, but she was also glad that they were finally going to get their own space where they would be able to be alone together.

"As long as they're happy I guess it doesn't matter," Riley said to Maya smiling at the other woman.

Nothing else mattered to Riley outside of everyone else's happiness and that's what she hoped to convey to everyone she had in her life. They were slowly growing into a small makeshift family, slowly being knitted together by chance.

"I have to ask," Maya said pulling Riley out of her thoughts. "How can you handle Lucas, because he's my brother and I love him but god he's annoying sometimes."

Riley couldn't stop herself from laughing because she knew Maya was trying to break the tension. "I could say the same thing about Josh," she answered.

The two of them started laughing, while talking about their significant others and family. Riley told Maya about her grandparents, as well as how Josh came to be when his siblings were older than he was. It was a fun afternoon for the both of them because it's rare for either one of them to hang out with the other.

"I have to meet Isadora for a dress fitting for the wedding, if you're not busy would you like to come with us," Riley said once they had finished eating their food. She was hopeful that they were on their way to becoming closer friends.

"Sure," Maya said with a smile. "I'm not meeting Josh until later tonight so I would love to go with the both of you. I hang around too many guys anyway so it would be nice to talk to girls."

Riley smiled at Maya, nodding before getting up and paying the bill. Riley's life had been filled with all kinds of friends, new and old recently and she was happy that they had all become closer over the last few months. Once they were finished and sitting in a cab on the way to the dress shop Riley could feel herself getting comfortable. Good food always made her feel like she should relax right afterwards but she didn't have that luxury at the moment because there was so much to do.

Once they reached the fancy Park Avenue bridal shop, Riley saw Isadora sitting on one of the chairs inside of the boutique as a flurry of activity happened around her. Riley smiled as she stood up on the curb before pulling Maya along into the shop.

"Finally," Isadora stood up as Riley walked in as the women around them started working on bringing out more dresses. "I was thinking that you forgot but then I remembered that you don't forget about anything and I'm just getting paranoid about this whole wedding business," she finished before looking over at Maya. "Oh, hey Maya, good thing you're here because I was wondering if you could be a bridesmaid, I was going to ask Josh to ask you because he needs a partner for the day."

"Hey Iz," Riley said stopping her friend. "You're going to take a breather any minute?"

"Sorry," Isadora said before sitting back down. "It's just so frustrating, you know planning a wedding. If it were up to me and Farkle we would just elope and get it over with, but apparently, it's going to be the event of the year," she finished with a sigh.

"Isadora," Maya said smiling at her. "I would love to be a bridesmaid, even if it just means one less piece of stress in your life."

"That would be wonderful," Isadora said to Maya before launching herself from the chair and pulling the other woman into a hug.

"See Maya, now you have two girl friends in your life," Riley said before wrapping her arms around both women. "Now to the dress fitting," she said pulling them apart and pushing Isadora towards one pedestal, and Maya towards another as she took the third.

Isadora didn't have a large wedding party, most of the people she did have consisted of her cousins, and Riley, Josh, and Charlie. Farkle's parents added the rest of the wedding party including children of their friends. So, adding Maya was a welcome addition, Riley wondered if they should add Zay, but she knew the reason why they hadn't asked was because some of Farkle's parents' friends were ultra conservative people who were going to the wedding only for business purposes. They would be angry if there was a same sex couple as a part of the wedding party.

They had talked about it with Farkle's parents who had said a firm no on the subject, they were fine with Charlie bringing Zay as his date but that was as far as it would get. The wedding had to be traditional in every sense. Farkle had been angry, they had fought mainly because neither him or Isadora wanted a big wedding to begin with and if they had to have it they wanted it their way. Ultimately, they decided against it, the compromise being Maya if she would accept the invitation, but she remembered the hurt look on Farkle's face over the whole thing.

"So, let me get this straight," Maya said breaking Riley out of her thoughts. "Riley's both the best man and the maid of honor."

"Yes, that's what we decided since she's our best friend, so when we talked about what she would wear Riley came up with the solution," Isadora said as they brought Riley's dress out.

"I have to see this," Maya said stepping down from where she stood as soon as the seamstress finished her measurements. Walking over to wait as Riley put on her dress around the curtain that surrounded where she stood in the right side of the room.

The dress was custom made for Riley, a mixture of the suits that the men were wearing and the dresses the women were wearing. The skirt was just above her knee, white and fluffed out the top part was tailored to have a shirt collar as well as cuffs but it was sleeveless and backless. The jacket was also fitted to her frame and breathable which had made Riley happy since she was the one who had to wear it. The dress had been finished, this was her last fitting since the wedding was taking place the first week of December.

When the curtain opened she saw Isadora smiling at her fully dressed in her own wedding gown with pins sticking out of the sides as they made plans for adjustments. Riley worried her friend was going to stick herself with one of them and bleed on the dress.

"Well that's an amazing dress," Maya said smiling at her. "My brother is going to love it, for various reasons," she winked at Riley making her blush as she thought of Lucas running his hands down her back while dance, of course the thought turned inappropriate almost immediately.

The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon in the boutique as the workers made adjustments to the dresses that Isadora and Maya were going to wear. While Riley busied herself trying on the mountain of shoes that had been put aside for her. They all matched the dress in their own way but it felt tedious trying to figure out which ones she wanted to wear, and which ones would be comfortable enough to wear.

By the time they had all finished the sun was setting on the horizon bathing the area in an orange glow as the fall leaves that were still on the trees around them struggled to fall. Riley picked up a small red leaf and smiled, remembering how she had once thought that if you wished on a leaf and the wind took it away it would land on the person you would be with for the rest of your life. So, she made a wish, just for everyone to be happy, and watched as the wind took it away, flying into the sky above them.

She left her friends with a smile deciding on going home and resting after a long day, Maya on her way to meet Josh, and Isadora on her way to dinner with Farkle. It was the couple's usual date night ritual after dealing with something related to the wedding, which had Riley thinking just how cute they were together.

Zay had left soon after they had finished eating, leaving Lucas alone with his thoughts and what it would be like to live with Riley and the words practically married floating around his head. He found himself walking around the neighborhood not worried about work for once, not worried about the bar either now that Zay was going to take over. For once he found himself focused on himself and not everyone else in his life. His mother was happy, she had her loving husband who treated her as an equal as someone to be cherish and loved. She also had the possibility of going back to school within the next few months, he was getting the chance to see his mother get something that was denied to her so long ago. Maya was happy as well and as much as he annoyed her about Josh, he knew that the other man made her happy, and they were falling in love and letting go of their past.

Then there was Riley who sort of fell into his life and gave him a hope for his own life, she made him smile. The word marriage still floating around his head. He wished he had met her years ago before everything fell apart around him as they ran from one state to the next as they tried to find a home. He loved watching her, laugh as her whole body moved when something was funny. Or when she was concentrating on something and the world around her fell away until she was done with her task at hand.

As he walked around the neighborhood he realized that he had gone farther than he realized because he found himself in a different neighborhood altogether. The leaves on the trees were falling around him and he found himself following a small red one that was blowing in the wind. He wanted to catch it and hold it in his hand, not because it was free but because he wanted to save it from its fate in the world. When it stopped moving as the wind died down around Lucas, he found himself looking through a small antique shop, but in the window was a ring, a single stone in the middle while the small gold band was carved with flowers and leaves. He could blame Zay for bringing up his relationship, he could blame his best friend for him finding something like this.

But, the leaf that he had followed down the street through the wind, rested on the ground at his feet touching his boot. It was a deep red color, the small lines connecting to one another, connecting Lucas to his future. He looked back at the ring and wondered how it would look on Riley, how she would look walking down the aisle towards him. Their lives together as a married couple, or their lives together period. They've only known each other for a small amount of time, but he couldn't see his life without her.

Without thinking about it he walked into the store and asked about the ring, even though he didn't know Riley's ring size, or whether she would say yes. Buying a ring couldn't hurt, he could hold onto it until he was sure she would say yes. Maybe ask her during Christmas and give her a good memory in December. Maybe hold onto it until they had been together longer, but he was sure that one day he wanted that moment to happen with her. Nothing standing in their way, with their happiness held closely in his hand.

He ended up walking out of the store with the ring nestled inside of it's box, while the box rested in the inner lining of his jacket. No one would notice it there, and it was well hidden, but to him it felt like something bigger, something that would give him the chance at a future.

Lucas hadn't noticed the light steps of the woman following him, he never noticed when something good was nearby. She still didn't understand why he had broken it off with him, she didn't understand why he would go with someone like that brunette that follows him around. If only he could see who she really was then their relationship would end and he would go back to being with who really mattered in his life.

Their relationship had been going great, she was getting closer to having him ask her to marry him, so she couldn't understand why he pushed her away.

She hadn't gotten close enough to know why he had gone into that shop, and she wanted to know what he had been doing talking to the shopkeeper. As she walked by, she saw a jewelry display case and wondered what it had held when Lucas as looked into it. Instead of following Lucas she went into the shop and looked around.

"What happened to the piece that had been in that case," she had asked acting like an interested buyer.

"Oh, I'm sorry, someone brought the ring just a few minutes ago but if you're interested in it I can show you others like it," the shopkeeper said before turning around to pull out a tray.

But she didn't wait, she walked out the store determined to catch up with Lucas and confront him over the ring, but when she rounded the corner she realized that he was long gone. It frustrated her to no end, why would he buy a ring for that woman? Why her, couldn't he see how perfect they had been when they were together?

Riley had gotten home soon after her lunch with Maya only to grab the swatches for the thanksgiving dinner before heading to the bar to work on how she was going to serve everyone food and seat them. She hadn't realized just how much she wanted to have her family near her, just how much she missed them. Over the last few weeks since the trip they had taken to the cabin, some memories had begun pushing their way into her mind. They weren't significantly huge memories, she still couldn't remember everything, but they had been glimpses to a life she had once had. They had also made her want to get closer to her family a little more, she knew it had been selfish to want to think of herself for once but in the end, they were always going to be there for her, so she wanted to show them that she loved them, and this dinner was also a way for her two worlds to come together.

Lucas had given her the keys to the bar for the day so that she could figure out a way to set up the party without having to worry too much about having to work around the customers on a day the place was open. She had spent most of the day with Maya at lunch, or helping Isadora with wedding preparations.

She walked over to the bar smiling as she remembered the day before, she believed that Maya would be one of her closest friends as time passed. But she would also know that the three of them had formed a kind of bond with one another in just a few short hours. It felt nice to not have to worry about having to her two worlds collide, as far as she knew everything was going very well.

As she walked down the street she saw Charlie's familiar frame standing outside the bar with his head against the door and his eyes closed. She knew that pose, and that sad looking face, it was the same one he got when he overthought everything in his life. After Charlie had come out to her all those years ago he struggled with telling his family. The same look on his face as spring break had gotten closer. That year the Gardner's were going on a trip together to Italy, Riley had told him that if he was sure of what he wanted and they loved him they wouldn't care that he was gay.

It hadn't gone that way in the end, the only people still in his life is his oldest sister who had known for years and tried to get him to admit it to himself. The rest of the family had shut him out, which angered Riley to no end eventually leading her to write a long email to his sister. His sister had stopped talking to her parents as well, and during the holidays Charlie always went to her house for dinner. His parents haven't tried to make amends and Riley has given up on trying to help Charlie with that. His family are the ones who love an accept him for who he is and not who they want him to be.

So, seeing the look on his face made her sad because she didn't want him to struggle especially when he had finally found happiness in his life.

"Hey Charlie," she said when she reached him. She pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back hoping to sooth whatever was on his mind. "You want to tell me why you look so maudlin, since I'm pretty sure you're not drunk but you do have that glazed look in your eyes."

"Just a lot on my mind," he said to her tightening his hold on her. She felt his body shudder for a moment as if he were trying to hold in something painful.

"It's the holiday," she murmured into his ear. "It does that to people."

She pulled away and put her hands on his face, pulling him down so she could rest her forehead against his. "You're a good man Charlie Gardner, don't let anyone tell you otherwise," she whispered before pulling away and digging out the keys to the bar and opening the door. "Now come inside and tell me what's on your mind."

Charlie nodded and followed her in, he didn't say a word as she walked towards where the light switches were and turned on the overhead lights bathing the two of them in the warm glow, she disabled the alarm that Lucas had given her the code for and looked around. Charlie sat down at one of the tables and rested head on his hands as Riley pulled out two bottles of water.

"So are you going to tell me what's on your mind," she asked as placed the water in front of him and sat down.

"It's just," he started but sighed and looked up to meet her eyes. "Maya and Josh are moving in together, did you know that?"

"Well yeah, but that's because Maya told me," she answered all of a sudden understanding where part of this was coming from, it wasn't his family he was worried about. It was Zay.

"Well Zay also told me that she was meeting your grandparents this week, and how you already met his parents and how Lucas met Shawn, but I haven't met anyone, we haven't talked about moving forward," he said as tears began to fall down his face. "I love him so much but I don't know where this is all going."

Riley took his hand and held on as she used her other hand to wipe the tears from her best friend's face. "You might be over thinking this Charlie," she said softly as she watched his face change from one emotion to the next. "Maybe Zay's as afraid of this relationship as you are, maybe you're afraid of getting hurt because so many others have wronged you."

"But we haven't even told each other that we love one another," he said softly.

"He does, I'm pretty sure of that," she said giving him a small smile. "I've seen the way he looks at you, hell I've seen the two of you going at it. He wouldn't care that much if he didn't love you."

"I do love you Charlie," Zay's voice said from the back door startling the two of them out of their chairs. "I was going to tell you at dinner tonight, since we always have date nights on Monday's, and I was going to ask you to move in with me too." Riley watched as Zay began to fidget, pulling on the sleeves of his sweater. "I love you so much that I don't care if my mother and father approve."

"They do you know," Riley said without hesitation, she wanted them both to be happy without the thoughts of consequences. "Your mother told me so."

Zay smiled at her before walking towards his boyfriend. "I know this is going fast, we're almost at our three-month anniversary, but I want to live with you and show you how much I love and care about you. Even when you don't tell me what's wrong, and why you're holding back on me."

"I'm afraid," Charlie said not looking Zay in the eye. "I've been rejected before by people I love so I was afraid of being hurt again."

"Well those people are idiots and they don't deserve you," Zay said pulling Charlie's face to his. "No one deserves to be hurt by anyone."

"He's right Charlie, you don't deserve to be hurt by anyone," Riley said getting up and kissing him on his head. "Take good care of him Zay. I'm going to leave you two alone while I work from the office, don't do anything that would involve me walking in on someone in a compromising position."

"I want to introduce you to my sister," she heard Charlie blurted out as she walked away, smiling to herself. "She's my family, and I hope that you can introduce me to your mother."

They were going to be just fine, she knew this because they needed to talk before anything went wrong. This was just one step forward in their relationship, one of hopefully many happy moments. She walked towards the small hallway leading to the back office, the back door to the bar was still open, which meant that Zay had forgotten to close it. Riley walked over to the door and shut it close making sure that it couldn't be opened again without a key, before walking into the office.

The computer was making a weird noise as she put her stuff down on the table, she thought maybe Zay had been there for a while learning how to run the bar. She walked over to save his work and stop whatever was happening so that he could get back to it. Instead she was greeted with a video that was playing on the screen. It was dark but she could see that it was something intimate playing on the screen. She was trying to find a way to turn it off when a female voice said Lucas's name and it made her stop.

It wasn't Riley that's for sure, Lucas would have said something, but judging from the angle of the camera, Lucas himself didn't know that the video was being filmed. Riley turned off the sound and the screen and rushed out of the room. She had just seen her boyfriend in an intimate position with another woman and she wasn't sure what to think about it.

"Hey Riley," Zay said as he walked back towards where she stood, Charlie not far behind him. "We were gonna order some food and help you out with whatever you need."

"Riley what's wrong," Charlie said rushing towards her. "Are you alright?"

"I went into the room and the computer was on and it was playing this video of Lucas having sex with someone," she said her heart beating a mile a minute. She was so shocked by the video she hadn't noticed Zay giving Charlie a look.

"Um, I never turned on the computer," Zay said to her making her head snap up. "I was taking inventory when I heard you two come in."

"But I disabled the alarm," she said wondering what was happening.

"The code was enabled, since I don't like surprises, so when you disabled it and didn't re-enable it, anyone could have gotten inside without us knowing," Zay said but she could feel the blood drain from her face.

"Zay the backdoor was open when I walked back here," she was scared, someone had gotten in without them knowing. Which meant the video was specifically put on the screen for Riley to see, whoever it was knew that she was going to be there.

Farkle had asked Lucas to meet with him for a late afternoon meeting to discuss their partnership, Farkle had ideas for a user friendly interfaced program for home security. As well as other things for Lucas's business, the two of them met at the café he always found Riley at. It made him smile just thinking of them sharing a coffee with one another, or just sitting there and talking.

"This place must have good memories for you," Farkle said as they finished talking about the programs and creating a tech based division of his company. "You keep smiling every time you take a sip of your coffee."

"Sorry," he said smiling. "Riley and I come here a lot, it's just our place I guess."

"Oh, I understand that," Farkle said with a smile. "Isadora and I have a spot in the New York Public Library's main branch that we always go to. It's actually the same place I proposed to her, and as much as I wish that we could get married there, I don't want anyone to know about it."

Lucas had been thinking about the ring that was now living in his jacket pocket, he hadn't realized just how much he really loved Riley until after he had gotten it. He couldn't bring himself to take it out, wondering about the right moment to give it to her. Farkle had made him think of those days they spent in the café smiling and drinking coffee, talking about everything they could that wasn't work related.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Farkle said pulling him out of his thoughts. "What are your intentions towards Riley?"

The question wasn't shocking to Lucas, he knew that it would come one day, but he hadn't expected it the day after buying the ring. "Well…um…" he stuttered looking for the right words.

"I'm asking because you have this look on your face that says nothing but love for her, but also because I don't want her to get hurt if you're thinking of one day ending it with her," Farkle said his face serious as he stared Lucas down. "I will make sure you don't survive a day if you hurt her."

"I'm not going to hurt her," Lucas said his heart hammering in his chest. He hadn't thought about having to ask for permission to marry Riley, but knew that he had to have this conversation with several people. "Um… I actually brought a ring yesterday that I knew would look good on Riley, and I don't know why I brought it in the first place, it was just there in the window and I couldn't stop myself."

"Well that was unexpected," Farkle said once Lucas was finished. "I was expecting something else, like I won't hurt her I love her, kind of thing, not a ring, especially since you've only been together for less than three months."

"I love her, and if she would have me as her husband even though we've been together for such a short amount of time I would take it and give her the world," Lucas said the truth sitting in his heart, as the thought of Riley being with him as his wife filled him with joy. "She's the best person I could have imagined for myself, she surprises me every day and gives me hope for something I never thought I had hope for."

"Good," Farkle said smiling up at him.

Lucas was going to say something else but his phone started ringing, Zay had started doing inventory for the first time without Lucas's help that afternoon but Lucas had made sure that he could be contacted in case anything happened, or if he needed help.

"Hey Zay, I'll stop by later just…" he started to say but Zay interrupted him.

"Lucas, we have a problem," Zay said his voice serious. "I think you should get over here now, I don't think your ex realizes that you've moved on."

Lucas could feel his heart breaking for a moment, he knew Riley was supposed to be at the bar working on the seating arrangements for Thursday, but she was also working on figuring out how to have all of the food set up. He stood up leaving his food behind and walking out of the café, Farkle following close behind him.

"Lucas what's wrong," Farkle asked as Lucas rushed towards the bar. They were close enough to not have to take a car but he also didn't have the patience to turn on his car and drive. It was one of the reasons he had picked the café, it was close enough that he wouldn't have to worry about driving.

"I have an ex-girlfriend who honestly won't let go," he said as he rushed down the street. "Lately things have been showing up at my job, but I pushed them aside thinking it wouldn't get to be too bad as long as I ignored it."

"Except she doesn't understand it's over," Farkle said and Lucas knew that this was his acknowledgement of what was happening in Lucas's life. "How long were you two together?"

"Almost a year, but I never got serious with her, not in the same way I am with Riley," he said knowing that he should have looked into Chai the first time something happened. "When I broke it off it was because I knew it wasn't going anywhere and so I told her that it was over."

"Did you look into her background? There could have been something you didn't know about," Farkle said and Lucas knew he should have, but he had still been numb to everything around him at the time. He was living life as if he were on autopilot. There was nothing really holding him to the world outside of his family, not until Riley.

"I don't know," Lucas said wondering why he hadn't been the same way he had been with Riley, he knew something had been off about Chai but when she didn't do anything for months on end he forgot. "Oh god," he said as the truth hit him. "It's Riley."

"What do you mean?"

"As long as I had been single she thought she still had a chance, it wasn't until I got together with Riley that everything changed and she started coming back," he said thinking back to the first time something had happened was right after Riley came into his life.

"Lucas this could be deeper than your relationship with Riley," Farkle said as the reached the street where the bar was. The bar, his apartment, the servers to his business, everything that made him who he was, everything he had spent so many years building.

He ran towards the bar and rushed into the building, not thinking about what it could all mean. When he walked in he saw Riley sitting at one of the booths her head in her hands while Zay checked everything in the room, Charlie not far behind him with a toolkit.

"What happened?" Lucas said as he walked into the bar and towards Riley who was holding herself together. Farkle following him into the bar from the street.

"The backdoor of the bar was open," Zay said stopping what he was doing. "Even though I had locked after coming in this morning, but when Riley came in she had disabled the alarm without reenabling it and well…"

Zay motioned for Lucas to follow him, but before he did he put his arms around Riley and kissed her on the lips. "It's going to be fine," he said and she nodded.

Whatever it was that had happened had affected Riley and he knew it by the way she wouldn't meet his eyes. He felt hurt by that but he didn't want to say anything that would hurt her more so he followed Zay into the back office feeling as if they had taken three steps backwards in their relationship. He left Charlie and Farkle with Riley, no one would dare go after her if she was surrounded by people.

"What happened," he said once Zay had closed the door.

"There was a video playing on the computer when Riley had come back here," Zay said as he walked over to the desktop they used for the bar and turned the monitor to show Lucas. "We didn't turn it off because we thought you might want to see this."

On the screen Lucas saw himself, the angle was weird which meant the camera wasn't somewhere he would have been able to see. His ex was directly under him, while they had sex. It was something he wouldn't have thought would have been recorded at any point in time. Lucas knew that this must have been done towards the end of their relationship because he remembered not feeling too into it but still going. It was as if he were looking at himself from another world entirely. That version of himself didn't exist anymore, that version of himself just went through the motions of his life without thinking about what it meant.

Riley made him a better man and he was glad for it, but it also meant that the life he had once lived was coming back to haunt him in every way possible. Chai had made the first move by recording this, but it had also been her mistake, it had been done without his permission. He was going to do everything he could to make sure that whatever she was attempting to accomplish would never happen.

"Lucas what are you thinking," Zay said pulling him out of the dark thoughts in his head.

"Why would she do this, especially since after we broke up she all but disappeared from my life," he said looking for where the video was coming from, before finding a flash drive connected to the computer. He grabbed a tissue from the box and pulled it out ending the video on the screen. "Get me a Ziploc bag from the kitchen," he said before wrapping the drive in the tissue.

Zay rushed out of the room and came back as quickly as possible before handing the bag to Lucas and watching as he slipped the drive into the bag.

"Zay, do me a favor grab Farkle and bring him here, I need him to check the computer for anything else that could have been left behind," Lucas said before running a hand through his hair and sitting down on the couch.

He needed to change the codes for the doors and install cameras at the fire exits as well as buy a brand-new computer for the bar because he was going to burn the one currently sitting on the desk.

Farkle started working on the computer the moment Lucas explained what had happened, he didn't go into too many details. All he cared about was talking to Riley and making sure she was alright. He asked Farkle to recommend a good computer to replace the one currently sitting on the desk and had him order it for delivery so it could be installed the moment he finished.

When he walked out to the main area of the bar he saw Riley sitting with Charlie, her eyes vacant as if she weren't there. Charlie nodded to him before standing up and leaving the room to join the others. Lucas sat in front of Riley, not knowing what would be the best way to approach what was happening.

Riley was the first to speak up, "She made that video without you knowing didn't she," she said looking down at the wood grains on the table, slowly tracing them with her fingers.

"I didn't know, and it wasn't right of her to do that, but I find myself at fault for it happening anyway," he said with a sigh. "I wasn't the same person you know now when I was dating her, I was more closed off, I was focused on work and not my relationship that I missed the signs."

Riley sighed before looking up at him. "I saw that," she said to him. "In the short amount of time I had watched that video I knew that you weren't the same person, but it still hurt to see, and I think that's what she's attempting to do. She's trying to hurt me."

"Then that means she's trying to hurt me as well," he sighed thinking of what he could have done differently. "I think she's slightly unhinged, and if I was the same man you know now this may have turned out differently."

"What do you mean Lucas," she said and he was afraid he was going to push her away with the truth. They talked about his past but he never told her the full extent of his life before he met her.

"Riley, before you came into my life, I felt like I was a shell of a man, there's so much of my life that I pushed aside in order to protect my family, but somewhere along the way I also lost myself," he said running a hand through his hair not sure if he was about to ruin the best thing that has ever happened to him. "I used to get into fights growing up, a lot of fights because honestly after my step-father I worked harder to protect everyone even though I was damaged beyond belief."

"I already know all of this," she said to him surprising him even more by taking his hand. "Lucas I know who you are, you're kind and sweet, you're nothing like your step-father, my only problem with all of this is why she's acting this way towards me. What does she want."

"I don't know why but I think she wants me," he said squeezing her hand softly.

"She's slightly unhinged," Farkle said as he walked out of the office and towards where they were sitting. "I took a look at that flash drive and Lucas she recorded almost every time the two of you had sex, there's all kinds of files on you in there as well as your step-father, your mother, and even Maya."

Lucas couldn't help but stare at Farkle at the revelation. "Wha…. what?"

"Lucas, you need to involve the police, I'm certain she was only going to leave the video but left the drive by accident when she heard Riley with Charlie and Zay," Farkle continued. "I also think she killed your step-father, there's a video on there of an accident and a few links to articles on the accident itself, this girl is completely unhinged at this point and could put everyone around you in danger."

"Especially Riley," Charlie said walking towards the booth to join them, Zay close behind him. "She meant for Riley to see that video and no one else, but it didn't happen that way."

"Man, I knew she was nuts but this is seriously some Criminal Minds level crazy," Zay said before sitting down. "The next thing you know we got the FBI here trying to figure out why we didn't call the police because she went and murdered a bunch of people."

"Zay, honey you have to stop watching those crime shows," Charlie said trying to bring Zay down from his miniature rant.

"We'll call the police and have them deal with this, we also need to up the security here in case she comes back," Riley said and Lucas knew that voice, it was the same voice she used when he had to sign a bunch of paperwork, she turned into her efficient personal assistant. If he didn't pay attention he was sure she would take over the whole company, or at least run it with him.

"I'll call the police," Farkle said before walking over to the phone and calling the local station.

"I'll call some of the guys from the firm to come and look over the place and make sure that we can up the security, cameras on all exits, new locks, the works," Lucas said sighing at how much this might cost. "This also means the bar is going to be closed all week."

"We can just say that we're doing renovations," Zay said before getting up and walking off to the office, Charlie not far behind him.

"But thanksgiving is on Thursday," Riley said as if she realized what was happening. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll get everything done by then, you just work on making sure everything is ready to go," he said before standing up and pulling her out of her seat. "Thanks… for you know… being an understanding girlfriend."

"Lucas if you can put up with the crazy amount of baggage I carry, then I can do the same for you," she said before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Plus, I kind of already knew that there was a lot more to you than bad boy bar owner, remember you cried in my arms."

"I love you," he said before kissing her, his hands on her face, as he took in the taste and smell of her. This is what he wanted, an equal who understood him, now all they had to do was deal with his ex-girlfriend and they would live happily ever after.