December 30th 2019

Chapter 364
Their Ceremony of Music

"Alright, Liv, you ready?" Maya asked the youngest Zhu girl as she and big sister Michaela stood on the stage with her, brandishing their violins. Olivia had put aside her crown of flowers for the time of the performance, so not to run the risk that it might slip over her eyes while she played. She now had her Serious Music Face going, and she gave Maya a nod. "Mick?" she looked to the sixteen-year-old. She also nodded. "Good, okay, then you're up," she moved off the stage and back to where Nadine and Zay waited. She gave them the thumbs up so they would know that they were about to go, and then she went to find Lucas, who stood nearby with Mr. Zhu.

As the two violins began their tune, the guests looked up to find the newlyweds walking out on to the dance floor, hand in hand. They turned to face one another, and then they were dancing, almost gliding together. This part of the wedding preparation, at least, could be done while the two of them were still back in Boston. They were both skilled dancers in their own way, but the kind of dance they were looking to perform when they stepped out on their wedding day was just out of their depth. That was okay though. All they needed was to go and sign themselves up for lessons. If they could do so very little of the preparation themselves, then at least they could focus on this, and enjoy themselves, which is what they did. The lessons, as they'd told Maya and Lucas back in the limo, had really felt like the kind of extra time together they needed. It was fun, and kind of a workout, and Zay's 'dancer face' made Nadine laugh to the point of turning red.

"Maybe we should take lessons together," Maya contemplated with a happy sigh, leaning to Lucas' arm as they watched.

"Wouldn't be the first time we took dance you and me," he noted, which got her chuckling.

"There are just so, so many jokes I could make right now," she told him.

"I don't doubt it, and also please tell them to me later."

"Done."

Before long, other couples started to take to the dance floor. Here were Mr. and Mrs. Babineaux, and Mr. and Mrs. Zhu, Lucas' parents, Maya's parents, Pappy Joe and Patty, Dylan and Riley, Farkle and Isadora, Sophie and Chiara, Asher and Ray… Rebecca had made her way out on August Matthews' arm, while his girlfriend was busy playing the violin, while Joey had taken Marley Zhu for a turn.

Lucas held out his hand to Maya. She smiled, placing her own in his, and they were off. They may not have had lessons the way Zay and Nadine had done, but they could get by enough, pulling together what they knew from their dance class days and imitating what they saw.

"Check it out, your other partners are getting antsy," Maya nodded over to where she'd spotted the twins, standing on their chairs so they could see everything. And up on the stage, Olivia Zhu was tracking them, too. They had been promised, and they would collect.

"Song's not over yet, no pressure," Lucas smiled. "I'm right where I want to be right now." Alright, fine, he got her blushing. She didn't see him losing that power over her any time soon.

When the song had ended, the 'official' wedding band turned up. Much as the girls of TXNY would have played all night for one of their founding members, Nadine wanted them to be able to enjoy the night as guests and not as hired entertainment. So, there was the band. They had been Maya's get, through her musical connections, so she wasn't worried about quality. As soon as they started to play, she was proven right.

"Alright, go get 'em," Maya nodded off to where her sisters would be. "Wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting?" she teased. He didn't want to have to go, to leave her, but then he'd given his word. "Sooner you're done with your… obligations… the sooner I get to have you back," she pointed out. He considered this, and then he was gone. Maya laughed.

"May I have this dance?" She turned and found it was Farkle.

"You absolutely can," Maya smiled, taking his hand.

It still astounded her at times to think back to the boy he'd been when she left New York, whenever she'd see him now. For one thing, he'd gotten so much taller than she'd ever expected him to get. But on top of all that, he just… he wore it well. He could have come off as tall to the point of clumsiness, but instead he was in complete control of himself, and it was just mind boggling to anyone who had known him way back when. Now he'd been married for nearly four years… and he was about to become a dad… her little Farkle friend…

"You're crying," Farkle told her as they danced.

"Am I?" she smiled, reaching up to her eyes. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a handkerchief, which just made her laugh. "I'm good… And yes, I guess I am crying, but that's good, it's just… you know…"

"I do," he assured her. "I've known for a month and I still get that jolt sometimes."

"Who else knows?" she had to ask.

"Just you and Lucas. You're the first people we've told, not even our parents know yet, although we're planning to tell them when we get back to New York."

"And this was… I mean… Was it a surprise or…"

"No," Farkle shook his head. "We discussed it the last maybe two years or so. We knew we wanted one at least, and maybe later we'll go for two, but one is the plan for now. Once we figured that this would be about the ideal time we just… gave it a shot…"

"I don't need to…" Maya begged off, shaking her head.

"Right, well, anyway, it worked," Farkle told her. "Isadora keeps changing her mind about whether or not she wants to find out what it is whenever we can find out, because she keeps coming across reasons for it or against it."

"What do you want?" Maya asked, finding herself unable to do anything but smile. It was as though whenever she heard about her faraway friends they would only grow brighter and more colorful in her mind, and she really needed that sometimes, or else they'd start to lose their edge again. Hearing about Isadora's contemplations over this unborn little Minkus was everything she could ask for.

"Honestly?" he asked, like he'd been dying to share this thought with someone, anyone, and right now he was being given the chance to discuss it with one of the people he wanted to consult the most.

"Yes," Maya eagerly replied. He looked shy now, and she could practically feel his heart thumping away at the thought.

"I'm going to love it either way, you know? Boy, girl, neither…" he prefaced, and she gave his hand a squeeze, calling him to attention. "But in my heart, I think I hope for a girl," he admitted. He didn't even add the rest, but something in his eyes seemed to carry the thought that his choice was made because of others. And in his eyes Maya could see the source of that inspiration… Isadora Smackle herself… and his first and dearest friends, before they'd gone and moved off to Texas one after the other…

"Nope, nope, I'm not going to start again, ah…" Maya just sort of stomped her foot, trying to keep from crying again.

"Want that handkerchief now?" Farkle asked.

"Yes, please."

Lucas had danced first with Nellie Hunter, and then Gracie Hunter after her. Both girls had gone for that tried and true method of standing on his feet while he held their hands and moved this way and that. Nellie had found it extremely entertaining, while Gracie had just held tight and kept looking up at him like it was the only way she could enjoy herself and not freak out. When Olivia Zhu came for her turn, the eight-year-old wanted a real dance, as she was much too old for doing like the littler girls, as she proclaimed.

"Well, good, so long as we're on the same page," Lucas had smiled, offering his hand, and Olivia had smiled back like a prince had just asked her to the ball. The height difference was sizable, but they would make it work, him and her. "Do you get dizzy easy?" he asked, which just made her laugh at first. When she said that she didn't, he told her to hold on, and he spun her around, and around, and around… You couldn't have found a happier girl by the time they were done and he gave her a small bow. She responded just as she'd seen in movies.

"Can I have a go?" Nadine appeared just as her little sister took off.

"I mean I promised my mother a dance, but I think etiquette would prevent her from saying no if it was you wanting to cut ahead of her," Lucas suggested.

"I thought so," Nadine laughed, and they headed on to the dance floor together. "I'm kind of liking this bride freebie card, too bad I can't use it after today. 'Can you cover my rounds? I'm the bride… Dr. Bride…'" she intoned.

"Nadine Zhu, MD, MRS…" Lucas tossed back.

"MRS?" she asked with a curious smile, before she realized what he meant and she shook her head to herself. "I'm going to go ahead and blame how long it took me to figure that out on the fact that it's been a weird few days."

"Bride card?" he suggested.

"Bride card," she gladly accepted. "Speaking of brides…" Nadine looked left and right until she spotted Maya at the other end of the dance floor, with Pappy Joe. "Maybe you should go and… you know…" He almost gulped.

"Now?" he asked, as though he hadn't been counting the hours all day.

"Well, you could wait until I toss the bouquet, but then what if she catches it and your mom bursts into tears?" she pointed out. Lucas didn't know why it was so easy to picture that happening.

"I guess I… yeah… Yeah." Was this it? Was it actually time? "Can we keep dancing for a little while though? Just so I can give my nerves the time to…" he motioned something he hoped translated as 'relax and not leap out of my body.' It would have been easy here to say how he didn't want to end up running the car off the road, but then it just made him think about the accident, all those years ago, and he didn't even want to joke about it. Nadine understood it without him needing to explain though, so she nodded and they kept on dancing.

"You're going to bail out on your mom, huh?" she asked, a worthy distraction, or maybe just something to anchor him and bring him back to Earth so he could set his plan in motion.

"Under these circumstances, I'm pretty sure she'll be okay with it."

"Okay with it?" Nadine smirked.

"She'll hit me for trying to apologize?" he offered.

"More like it. How about this, I'm going to fake use my Bride card…"

"Bride card fraud?" he whispered.

"Oh yeah," she whispered back. "If I see her looking for you, I'll tell her that I really needed something and that I sent you two to go and get it, you know, because I'm the bride and I get what I want."

"Yeah, you do. And what happens when I don't come back?"

"If you manage to get like two seconds after you've done your thing, send me a text and I'll tell her the truth? Unless you want to wait and tell her yourself…"

"I do…" Lucas nodded. "For now, just give her the errand part and the rest is just…"

"Right, got it," Nadine agreed, smiled… "Would it be out of place for me to hug you right now?"

"If the bride wants to hug me, who am I to say no?" he asked, and so she hugged him. He hugged her back. "Anyway, I'm wondering if I said congratulations to you."

"Maybe not with the words, but in other ways, I mean you and Maya practically did all the work for us and made sure it would be our wedding and no one else's."

"You're welcome," Lucas told her. "And… congratulations," he added. She tightened that hug and he did the same.

It had been just the four of them boys until she'd come along. For years it had been him and Zay and Dylan and Asher. And then that one day, she'd come across them as they played basketball at the park. Next thing they knew, it was him and Zay and Dylan and Asher… and Nadine. On some levels it was a thing for a while, in the beginning, that they suddenly had a friend who was a girl. But then it was just that they had a friend who was a Nadine. Not to say that the fact that she was a girl didn't matter anymore, when it had always been very much a part of who she was. But it stopped being all 'oh we have a new friend and she's a girl, she's different.' She had just fit into their group and their lives, with an ease the guys had accepted as meaning that it meant she was right where she was supposed to be. The next person to feel that way to them would be Maya Hart of New York…

She'd found her way along the dance floor, first with Lucas, and then Farkle, and then with MJ, who'd finally given himself over to sleep after a few twirls in his big sister's arms. After she'd given him over to their father, she'd found her next dance partner in the form of Joseph Friar.

"You know, you should wear suits like this more often," she smiled as they swayed along. He laughed, just as she knew he would. "It's going to be weird being far from you again," she went on to say, and now he smiled. First he'd been in Austin while they'd been in Houston, then he'd moved over there, to live with his nephew Hank, and then he'd married Patty and he'd moved once again. Now he would be out there while Lucas and her would be back here…

"All the more reason for you to visit as often as you can," Pappy Joe told her.

"No argument here," Maya vowed.

"Hey…" At the sound of Lucas' voice, she turned her head and there he was. "Is it alright if I cut in? It's just that Nadine needs something, and well…"

"Say no more, Lucas," Pappy Joe held up his hand, before bowing his hand to the one of Maya's that he still held. "Off you go," he stepped back with a smile. Lucas led Maya out of the room and into the lobby before he'd stop and tell her the truth… sort of the truth… a lie disguised as the truth that had some truth of its own hidden underneath…

"What does she need?" Maya asked him, fully turned to maid of honor mode, ready to do whatever they needed to do for their bride on her day.

"Nadine? Nothing," he shook his head. Maya paused, pointing at him, then flicking her finger back the way of the reception hall. They could hear the sound of violins, suggesting that Nadine was about to take her spin on the dance floor with her father. Lucas wondered if this was happening now as a way of creating a diversion while he and Maya got away. "I just needed to get us out of there without anyone fishing for details. I've got something else in mind…"

"Oh, you do, huh?" Maya asked, and he was happy to see the flicker of intrigue take her over. That was precisely what he needed at this moment. "What kind of something?"

"Well, I was dancing with my mother just now…" he started, another lie, but again, good cause…

"You were? I could have sworn I saw you with Nadine…"

"Well, I had to be seen with her first, for the…"

"Bride errand, right, right, okay, go on."

"I was dancing with my mother, and I got to thinking about my dad's surprise," he went on. She gave a slow nod, as though to say 'right, yes, that thing that's been bringing you out here all these weeks and not telling me a single thing.' "It's kind of done now," he told her.

"Oh, good, does that mean I get to see what it is soon?" Maya asked, with genuine giddiness.

"Actually, how would you like to see it right now?"

"Do you even need to ask, Huckleberry?" she nodded. This is all about asking, actually…

"Come with me," he got hold of her hand and led her out the door. They made their way to the parking lot, to his car, where they stopped. The sun had gone done by now, something she pointed out when he reached into the glove compartment and produced a blindfold.

"I'm not the one being surprised here."

"I was actually thinking 'what if you were?'" Lucas asked. Maya still had that quizzical smile on her face.

"Is this about to get weird? Not against it, just trying to prepare…" He let out a breath, presenting her with the piece of fabric he'd confirmed would not let her see through at all.

"Think of it like a dress rehearsal for when I spring the surprise on her. Best way to test it out without her knowing is to do it while she's busy," he gestured back to the building.

"Alright, so I'm roleplaying as your mother in this?"

"Yup… Sound good?" he asked.

"Hold on," she raised her hand, eyes closed. "Have to get into character." She took a good, centring breath, before facing him and opening her eyes again. "Now, Luke, what is this about?" she asked, in an impression of Melinda Friar that was so dead on it was almost creepy, especially for the potential crossing of wires with his girlfriend pretending to be his mother.

"Well…" he started, only to stall at the prospect of playing into this charade. Maybe he hadn't thought this through. Of course now she was absolutely committed to the bit, and she was staring expectantly at him. "Mom…" he finally said.

"Yes, dear?" she asked. Freaky… so freaky…

"Dad and I have been working on something together for a while."

"You mean all those times your father disappeared on me the way he did, all those days you had off from work and didn't come to visit your mother?" she 'reprimanded him,' again embodying the role so well that he came very close to bowing his head in shame and apologizing. With how amused she had to be, it was a wonder Maya hadn't cracked up.

"Yes, exactly," he finally told her.

"So, what's this that you've been working on?" 'Melinda' inquired.

"Well, it's a surprise… for you." Right here it could be said that they had moved into the territory of the truth. Maya simply didn't know that he was speaking to her and not to his mother, as she was playing her. "I want to show it to you, but first I have to put this on you."

"Oh, now this is exciting. Alright, go on. But not too tight, watch the hair," she casually instructed. Lucas moved to stand behind her and slipped the blindfold over her eyes, fastening it at the back of her head, as promised, not too tight, but also enough that it would hold without slipping off.

"Is that good?" he asked. She felt at her face.

"Yes, it's perfect, thank you."

"I'm going to help you into the car now, alright?" he touched her arm and then her hand, and he guided her into the front passenger seat before shutting the door and going around to his side. He had barely shut his door that she chimed in and asked him to buckle his seatbelt.

Something about not seeing her eyes almost made it easier to break the spell so he didn't have to play into the whole mom scenario anymore. Instead he could just smile, and pause a moment – as he fastened his seatbelt – to contemplate the fact that they were no more than a half hour away from the moment now. All he had to do was drive her to his grandfather's old house… their house… and then the time would be upon them.

You had to hand it to Maya, and did he ever. She was always in for committing to a bit. She spent much of the ride still in the 'persona' of his mother, from asking him questions, making sure that he was driving properly, to making comments on the weather, telling him her thoughts on the wedding today, how happy she was for Zay and Nadine. In this subject, it would have been difficult for anyone to discern whether these were the thoughts of 'Melinda' or simply Maya's, spoken in the voice of his mother. Either way, she seemed to have had an excellent day.

"Where exactly are you taking me, Luke?" she asked, after they'd been driving for nearly twenty minutes. That was for some reason the part that felt the weirdest in this whole scenario of her playing his mother. Oh, she had Melinda Friar down to an art, no doubt to it. That little touch though… His mother was pretty much the only one who'd call him Luke, so to hear it from Maya, who to his recollection had not once, not in nearly ten years of knowing one another, called him Luke. Lucas, or Friar, or Huckleberry… Dockleberry… sure. There was 'Lukey,' as her sisters would call him, and that was as close as it got. He really needed to get to the part where she turned into his girlfriend again and stopped being his mom, and wow… that was not a sentence he'd ever conjured in his head before.

"I can't tell you that, it's a surprise, remember?" he asked, smirking. He knew this wasn't so much his 'mother' asking him anymore. This was Maya, committed to the end but inevitably at the same time… she had to be wondering where they were going, what was happening. She knew he was taking her to the surprise, whatever it was, and if she'd been attempting to figure out where they were going by keeping track of the turns and the distance they had travelled at the beginning, by now she had no idea anymore, and she could only sit there and wait.

"Yes, of course," 'Mom' replied. When they pulled to a stop, he reached over and took her hand.

"Want to hit pause for a second?" he asked, and at once when she looked at him, even if he couldn't see her eyes, there was Maya again.

"I still can't take this off, can I?" she guessed, pointing in the general direction of her blindfolded eyes.

"Not yet," he confirmed, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand, to her fingers… She took a breath and nodded. "Unpause?" And she was back.

"I am thrilled that you kids are coming back to Austin next month," she beamed.

"I know," he smiled, driving onward.

"You know I am always happy to visit you out in Houston, but sometimes all that driving leaves me so stir crazy. And you know how your father gets about driving in the evening," she pointed her finger in his direction. Lucas laughed.

"Yeah, I do," he nodded.

There were not so many lights out here, as they drove on to the lane. Sometimes, when Lucas and his friends had been little, they'd joke about how Pappy Joe lived in the woods. This sometimes led to ghost stories around the campfire that felt just on the border of too on point, especially for some people who shall remain nameless and also, as of today, married to the ever lovely Nadine Zhu. And with no one living at the house – yet – the whole thing would just be pitched in darkness when they arrived. They'd have the headlights from the car to guide their way, sure, but that hadn't felt right. This was supposed to be The Big Moment, and the whole reason for his working on the house all these months, in secret, had been so that he could give her… a proposal to remember.

So, he needed lights, and he wasn't about to run around to go and turn things on while she waited in the car. He needed an alternative. And Sam Hart had been the one to come up with one.

The car reached the end of the lane, the old mailbox having withstood the test of time, with the faded FRIAR marked on the front. In all his work, he hadn't changed that yet. It wasn't that he wouldn't, more that… whenever he did, he wanted to do it with her. Knowing Maya, she'd want to break out her paints, and he was all for that. He drove them up the road, slowly, and not too close to the house, and then he pulled to a stop. He turned off the headlights. If he needed proof that Maya couldn't see a thing through the blindfold, her lack of reaction said it all.

"Are we there?" Melinda/Maya asked.

"We're there… here…" Lucas confirmed, pulling out his phone and opening the application which would – provided that everything worked out all right – bring about the illumination he needed. The connection was live. He took a breath, and he flicked the on switch.

Just ahead of them, lights began to cascade into life.

There were the porch lights, and then inside the house, the ground floor, and the second floor, and then the attic at the top… She wouldn't have to squint to know where she was or what she was supposed to see. The house had come alive and it was ready to welcome her.

Lucas got out of the car and went around to her side, opening her door and helping her find the ground, walking slowly forward as he held her hands.

"Okay, stop here, that's good. I want you to turn around for a second." She turned around, her back now to the house front, and he moved to face her. "Keep your eyes closed, I'm going to take off the blindfold. The light might hurt at first, yeah?" She nodded, and he reached around to undo the knot. "Hey, Maya?" he asked, carefully brushing any displaced hairs back into place as she stood there with her eyes closed, then slowly allowed them to open, to look at him.

"I'm me again?" she asked.

"That'd be preferable," Lucas nodded.

"But the surprise…" she frowned, confused. He smiled.

"… is for you, Maya. It's always been for you."

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners