A/N: Oops… (When you realize you haven't updated in a month…) I guess it just took me too long to get to this story and then I missed opportunity after opportunity to update because this chapter was kind of weird and hard to write for some reason. Not like physically hard, but like structurally and plot wise. I couldn't get my thoughts or ideas organized for this chapter. It just came out a bit more awkwardly written than I would have liked. I had two different versions before I could figure out which to use. So sorry if it's rough, but in the end I wrote it out this way and I hope it works! If you really think it needs work, let me know, I can try to pull a better organization from my brain and try again :)

I'm actually going to attempt to finish writing this story by next week. Let's see how badly I fail lol ;3

Thank you guys for always being so supportive and kind! I honestly appreciate all the time you all have taken to read this story! I appreciate it very much and I am happy that you all are enjoying the story! :D

Disclaimer: It's a good thing I don't own GMW because these poor characters would be put through the ringer...


As soon as Lucas parked in his spot, he cut off the engine of his truck and hurried his way back to the apartment, climbing the stairs two at a time. He'd just gotten done meeting with Joey and getting what he had asked him for. Joey hadn't been particularly open or friendly with Lucas when he had first contacted him, making some difficult to understand comments about Lucas daring to impregnate Maya in the first place and taking her off the market. But once Lucas had told him the situation, he'd been completely on board, promising Lucas he could get it done by the end of the next day.

And he had done it, just as promised.

Now all Lucas had to do was show Maya and hopefully his plan would work.

He unlocked the apartment door, leaving his shoes in the foyer as he made his way to the living room.

"Maya?" he called out, "You home?"

There was no response, but as he walked into the living room, he found Maya sitting on the sofa staring blankly at the TV, watching some western movie. The volume was set higher than she normally would have it, and he had heard the saloon brawl the characters were in fairly easily from down the hall.

"Maya." Lucas said in concern, "Have you been sitting here all day watching TV?"

She cleared her throat, snapping out of her daze with a slight frown, her gaze still half lidded and no particular expression on her face.

"No… I…"

She fell silent, her expression still blank, and Lucas' heart clenched in his chest from seeing Maya this way. So unresponsive and looking lost. She had stopped crying, but it definitely seemed like now she was resorting to her old tactics of blocking herself off and putting up a guard to avoid the pain. It wasn't healthy, but Lucas knew that short of Riley forcing her out of that state through physical means, he didn't think there was really anything he could do or say that could stop her spiraling right now.

Which was why he desperately hoped this would work. Because if it didn't, he would have to call Riley to come fix things, and she would yell at him for not properly taking care of her Peaches. Lucas could still remember the day he and Maya had officially called it quits after their fight, and Riley had given him a four hour lecture about how stupid the two of them were for ruining their relationship that badly until his ears had bled. He knew if he screwed this up, Riley would come after him again with some of her work colleagues. And she would not be quite so lenient this time since Maya was pregnant. Double the people, double the pain she had told him.

Lucas sighed and picked up the remote and changed the channel to one of the video channels before sliding the CD he'd gotten from Joey into the DVD player. He set it to play.

"Maya, I have something for you. I know you've been hurting, but I think I know just how to cheer you up."

He walked back over to the couch, settling next to Maya and taking her hand in his. She didn't respond though she glanced at him warily out of the corner of her eyes for a moment before returning her gaze to the TV.

When the video started, Joey's face appeared on screen, a camcorder flipped to face him as he spoke in it.

"Hey Maya. I heard about you losing one of your babies. Sorry that happened. A high class woman such as yourself doesn't deserve that at all. But your Casanova came to me with a request that I put together a video for you apparently kinda like some video you made for him when you two were kids or something. I didn't get it, but whatever. It's not the best quality, but I only had two days to do this, so blame Casanova for wanting it so soon. So here you are, teach. Why do you think Maya Hart will make a great mother?"

The screen changed to Joey holding a mini microphone to a student in the hallway.

"Maya? Oh she's totally chill. She's an awesome role model and if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have been able to figure out my passion for art and design. I'm going to fashion school in the fall thanks to her guidance. She wrote my rec letters for this program in Paris too and I got a full scholarship! She's literally the best."

"My mom was rarely home when she was on her job hunt. When I told Maya, she let me stay at her apartment until my mom got home and would make me dinner so I wouldn't have to buy takeout all the time. She really took care of me and it made my mom's absence easier to deal with. I have no doubt she'll be a great mom. If she can care for some random student like her own child, then imagine just how much care she'll put into taking care of her baby."

"She's like a mother to us in her own way, Maya is. I don't know how to describe it, but she's just so comforting and warm."

"That kid is lucky to have her as its mother. Maya's like that zen older sister, mom, aunt person that you've always wanted. And her leather jackets are sick. Her kid's gonna be the coolest kid in school."

"Do I think she'll make a good mom? What? What kind of stupid question is that? Have you even met Maya? Her very presence in the classroom—she doesn't even have to say anything—is a comfort. But you can totally talk to her about anything. And she listens. Really listens and pays attention and gives really good advice."

"I've never had her class or talked to her before, but one time, Ms. Hart climbed a giant tree in the back of the school in these four inch heels to get a cat out. It was pretty badass. I think it goes without saying that her kid has a pretty fearless mom. Shit. I wish my mom would climb a tree in four inch heels."

Maya sniffled, letting out a small laugh, and Lucas glanced at her with a smile. Her eyes were red rimmed and watery, her lower lip trembling slightly. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to him, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, snuggling up closer to him.

"She's like all three Powerpuff girls. She's sweet like Bubbles, tough as nails like Buttercup, and driven and a great leader like Blossom. Sugar, spice, and everything nice. Totally a well-rounded mom."

"Like, out of all the teachers I have, Maya is the most nurturing and definitely my favourite. Like, she actually cares about our wellbeing and like, how we're doing in school and stuff like that. And like, I know that her baby will like have the best mother they could ever have."

"Oh my God, Maya is super assertive and doesn't take any crap from anyone! So her child will probably not get away with any crazy stuff. That's a good thing in my opinion. A mom who will discipline."

"Maya's having a baby?! What the fuck?! Holy shit! Holy shit! How come I didn't know this?! Of course she's going to make an amazing mom! She's passionate about life and everything she does and will definitely inspire her child to become passionate about something in life too. She's a great teacher and leader and is literally like the only reason why so many people have come to love art! God, and she's just the coolest person ever and has such great taste in music and literature and she's just so knowledgeable about so much random stuff and she's so smart and down to earth and chill! Her kid is literally going to be so well versed in so many areas of life!"

"Maya would make a great mom because she gets it. She gets life. And that'll definitely play a huge role in the way her kid grows up."

"Her eyes. And I'm not just saying that because I have the biggest girl crush on her. She can literally talk to you with her eyes. Seriously. It's so cool. She can tell you to shut up without a word or praise you without a word or show you how proud she is or console you or let you know when you're in trouble and scare the crap out of you with a single look. And her smile is the best damn thing ever, especially when her nose crinkles up all cute when you make her laugh. It makes you want to smile too. I love her smile. Always puts me in a good mood. But can you not put this on whatever video project you're doing though? My huge crush on her is kind of embarrassing."

"Because she's like a mother to us. And if she's that good of a mother to us, she's going to be an even better mother to her baby."

Maya whimpered with a chuckle, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Lucas pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"She smiles at me in the hallway, even if she doesn't know me. Ms. Hart smiles at everyone. She just seems like a really genuine person, I guess? I think she'd be a good mom."

"Hmm… Why she would make a good mom? I guess I would say because she's a nurturer. She understands what it means to lift up students and encourage them without coddling or spoiling them. She seems to have a pretty good balance between being a mom and being a friend."

"Well, we all know Maya would make a pretty awesome mom because she's just perfect. But can we just talk about how gorgeous she is and how gorgeous a kid she's probably baking in her oven right now? And I've seen her baby daddy. Holy crap… They are going to have one seriously attractive kid. A lot of great genes in that pool to pick and choose from."

"Maya Hart is going to be the perfect mother. Because she respects all of her students as individual human beings with their own lives and problems, and she acknowledges that. She pays attention to that. And she's going to do the same for her baby. She deserves all the congrats in the world for having the chance to be a mother. Phenomenal woman. Seriously."

"Oooooh. Okay, Maya is flawless, but she's like also flawed. Like what I mean is that she makes mistakes and she owns up to them and apologizes, you know? My sister always told me to never trust an adult who can't admit when they're wrong or own up to their mistakes, but she does and that's what counts to me. Trustworthiness. The fact that I am able to trust her with things when we talk is really important to me. I can trust her to listen. I can trust her to be there for me if I need her. She's also very humble. She has great qualities that her baby will pick up."

"Why I think Maya will be a great mom? That's an easy answer. She has so much love in her big heart to give. She'll be a great mother because she'll give her baby all that love and more unconditionally and without hesitation."

The scene cut to a bunch of the previously interrogated people standing in a group in her classroom, waving at the camera.

"And that's why we think Maya Hart will make a great mother! We love you, Maya!"

Joey's face came back on the screen for the final scene.

"You got that, Maya? There's no reason you should be scared or unconfident of being a mom. You'll be a great one. But if that really good looking Casanova with the face doesn't treat you right, Maya, you come to me, okay? I'll take care of you. And you. Casanova. You're lucky to have her. She's the best authority figure I know. And that's saying something because I hate all authority. You better cherish Maya, got it?"

The screen faded to black, and Maya straightened up, her breathing a bit choppy from her impending sobs as she turned to Lucas with a smile.

"You asked him to do this for me?"

"Of course I did. I couldn't bear to see you hurting like that."

"Lucas…" she murmured softly, cradling his cheek with one hand, her eyes welling with tears again.

"Maya. You're compassionate. You're loving and patient and always put the people you care about as a priority in your life. You'll make a wonderful mother to our baby, okay? Don't you ever think otherwise." he said gently, wiping away a tear trickling down her cheek, "I really am lucky to have you as the mother of my child. And I wouldn't have it any other way. You're everything that I've always wanted and more. You're my better half, and you make me a better me just by being around. You're an inspiration to all of us, and you'll be an inspiration to our child. Believe me and every one of those people when we say that our baby is in great hands because they will have you as their mother. So please cheer up, Maya. When you're unhappy, it breaks my heart. And you know all I want is for you to be happy."

Maya's face contorted and she broke down, sobbing, tears running down her cheeks in small rivulets, her hand shakily covering her mouth as she started tearfully laughing. He pulled her into a hug, holding her tight and rubbing soothing circles on her back as she clung to him, crying happily into the crook of his neck and shoulder, her body shaking from her sobs.

"I love you, Lucas… I love you so much. Thank you… Thank you…"

"I love you too, Maya." he whispered, his heart almost bursting in his chest, "More than life itself."