A/N: The new chapter of "We Three Hearts" is now available!

April 22nd 2021

Chapter 112
Our Opening Into Solace

After the last period ended, Elizabeth offered to take off with Marianne and meet Maya at home. She needed to get a few errands done, and so did her granddaughter. So, Maya settled her daughter back in her stroller, gave her some good kisses until they'd see each other again, and then she saw the pair out of the school. With a breath of fresh air in her, she spun on her heel and made her way to the gym, where she found Dylan tossing a basketball at one of the mounted hoops. She'd seen enough of this, from him and other teammates over the years, to recognize an attempt to clear one's head.

"Can I cut in?" Maya called. Dylan stalled his dribbling and turned around.

"What, in those shoes?" he nodded to her feet.

"I can beat you in any footwear," she informed him, which made him chuckle.

"I'd like to test that hypothesis."

"So, that's behind us now," Maya approached him, getting back to what had really brought her here. He tossed her the ball and she caught it, held her arms around it to show she wouldn't throw it.

"Kind of glad that was at the end of the day," Dylan admitted, scratching at the back of his head. Even he didn't look completely used to his short hair yet.

"That bad?"

"No, not bad, but…" He sighed, paused to think. "I've had Phoebe and Taylor in my class the last few weeks, and it's been fine. It was a little weird at first, but I got over it. They don't know me, so I'm just the gym teacher to them. And they're such great kids, both of them…

"But their father knows who I am, and I know who he is… When he walked into the gym earlier, it was like turning back time, and I could see him, in my house, with my dad and… He walked in here, and I could tell he wasn't sure whether I knew anything, if I'd put the pieces together about his kids, but I'm pretty sure he knows that I know who they are now. Both of us were going around, acting like it was any other day, but on the inside…"

It was all boiling over, more and more, and for a little while the rise had been so light as to be easier to brush aside, but here, today, there'd been a very noticeable push, and it felt like an eruption was just on the cusp. Bearing that in mind, there was a brief moment where Maya considered not telling Dylan her own part, but it didn't last beyond that. She couldn't keep this from him. It would have been dishonest, and it was one thing to keep Phoebe and Taylor in the dark, but this…

"I saw her," she told him, and with the way Dylan looked at her, it was clear that she didn't need to specify who this 'her' was.

"Where? When?"

"My grandmother and I took Marianne for a walk between my two afternoon classes. On the way back, I spotted her, sitting in her car, parked outside the school. I didn't get to talk to her, so I don't know what her intentions were, if she was thinking of coming for Taylor's presentation, I… I might have scared her off without meaning to. She caught me staring, and I…" she shook her head. "She drove away."

She watched Dylan as he processed all this. Always, as long as she'd known him, she had described him for what he was: one of the kindest human beings she ever knew, one who you could never be mad at, when he had this air about him that inspired happiness. And to see him now, to see how this whole situation was almost leeching at all that, slipping under his skin and rattling him…

"You want to…" Maya finally offered out the ball. He looked at it, considered it.

"No, I should probably head home. I just need to…"

"Hold your son?" she guessed when he looked like he was at a loss for words. The thought of Nicky acted not unlike the effect Dylan had on his friends. It brought back his smile.

Now he was off, too, and Maya made her way back to her classroom to gather her things. She had places to be, one place in particular. She was due to drop off Khalil's sketchbook, and another batch of cookies. She had Desi's diary, too. The girl had insisted on getting assignments, just like her brother, and Maya happily obliged. She'd done just the one so far, but it was clear it mattered a lot to her. She'd also done her covers, and like with her brother's, she did one side and Khalil did the other.

As she got in the minivan, she picked up her phone and found a message from Lucas. It had a few pictures attached, showing Walt's six horses had landed at Sullivan Stables and were now settled in. In one of the pictures, Lucas posed with one horse she knew, without explanation, would have to be the one called Lucky II. It made her laugh, but at the same time it started her thinking as she took off for the Russell house. The idea didn't take long to come together, but it would require a few things to fall in place, preferably before she reached her destination. So, she started making calls.

One call to Lucas, one to Khalil and Desi's grandparents, one to Grangie. As she pulled up to the house, everything was set.

The two of them were outside the house, like they were just about every time Maya came over. This time, it looked like Khalil was showing his little sister how to shoot the ball at the hoop. She took aim and threw. The ball didn't make it, and Khalil ran to get it, pouring on encouragement for his sister to try again, which she did. She didn't succeed this time either, but she got closer, and Khalil gave a nod that said as much as he collected the ball again.

"Maya!" Desi ran to her before her brother could toss her the ball back. She still hugged very tightly, but she'd gotten to a point where she didn't hold on so long. She still remained just within reach, which was more than fine by her. She took the bag of diaries and cookies when it was offered to her, and she held it in a way that showed how much she'd come to look forward to the delivery.

"Hey, so, I had an idea earlier, about your next assignment," Maya told the siblings as she indicated the bag. "I talked with your grandfather, he said it'd be alright if I took you two on a bit of a field trip."

Soon, the three of them were packed up in the minivan and leaving the Russell house. There was definite curiosity about where they were going, but Desi looked like she'd put some value on maintaining the surprise, so Khalil let her have this and didn't inquire. They had both been to Sullivan Stables before, with the Hunter kids, so the big reveal – or part of it – was sprung as soon as they neared the road with the sign that pointed the way. That left the pair of them curious to find out why they were headed there, and that was already something. Then, as they got to the parking lot, Desi spotted the Hunter minivan and the passengers within.

After the girl hopped out, she was caught up in a hug with her two best friends, and if this had been the end of the surprise, she could probably have been satisfied. Nellie and Gracie had been so important, since the news had come down, in giving Desi that additional bit of support she'd needed. If they hadn't already identified themselves as best friends, this whole period in time would have been the thing to clinch it. And since they already were that for each other, they had become stronger than ever before.

"Come on, we have something to show you," Nellie told Desi while Gracie nodded and smiled.

With all passengers from both vehicles gathered, the group took off through Sullivan Stables, soon to be met by Lucas, who'd been waiting for their arrival since Maya's call. He rejoined his wife here, the two sharing a brief kiss and a look of promise, of future discussions about Family Day. Right now, they had something else to focus on.

"They just got here," Gracie told Desi and Khalil both as they neared the stables where Walt's horses had been brought. "They don't know the place very well, and Lucas said they might be a bit nervous. But they'll be happy to see us, right?" she turned back to her brother-in-law.

"Very happy," Lucas nodded.

It was all they needed to know, and as they came to discover the horses, Maya was happy to find that she'd had the right of it in her initial thought. Being around the animals, introducing themselves and tending to them, appeared to bring the brother and sister something like peace. Desi soon became particularly called to one of the horses, a female called Cherry, while Khalil spent most of his time with the oldest of the bunch, which was Lucky II.

"I wrote down an assignment in your diaries, and you're still welcome to fill those, too, but I was thinking it might be a nice change of pace to have a subject to study," Maya explained to the pair, and they were both on board at once.

They would stay here, at the stables, for a while longer, with the horses, as Desi wanted Maya to tell her how to draw a good horse. She wanted to do Cherry the right way. While she saw no wrong way for her to express her vision, Maya gladly gave Desi – and Khalil as well – some pointers. The prospect of the activity seemed to liven them both up, so she wasn't about to get in the way of it.

"Mrs. Friar?" Khalil came back to her, as the Hunters were preparing to leave. They would drive the siblings home.

"Yes?" Maya walked to meet him.

"Our grandparents spoke to Desi and I… about school. They want us to aim to go back in January, after the holiday break, to do our work with a couple of tutors until then."

"I know," Maya nodded. They'd mentioned as much when she'd spoken to them earlier.

"I was thinking, maybe I could come to the school, to drop off and pick up the sketchbooks, so you don't have to go out of your way every week…"

"I really don't mind," Maya assured him. "I'm happy to do it. I will be there," she promised. "After you and Desi are back in school, then you can bring me hers and take it home again, if she still wants to keep it going, of course."

"I think she will," Khalil responded with a thankful nod. "You should see her when she's bent over that thing, the big furrow in her brow. She almost has her tongue sticking out and everything… Don't tell her I told you that," he amended, which made his teacher laugh.

"Our secret," she agreed.

After they'd gone, Maya made her way back to Lucas, who'd remained at the stables, with Lucky and Cherry and the rest of them. They'd both had a long day, her with Family Day, him with the relocation, but now it was all done, and they were just happy to be reunited. Lucas told her about the whole process, having to make three trips, taking the horses two by two, and how they'd all coped with this. Maya told him about the presentations, the various encounters she'd had. And she told him about the new chapter in the Orlando-Munroe saga.

"It's all coming to a head, I know it is," Maya sighed, leaning her head to her husband's shoulder as they stood leaning on the gate outside the stables.

"Nothing you can really do about that, is there?" Lucas had to remind her, much as he would have preferred to give her a happier prospect. It only made her sigh again. He took hold of her hand as it hung next to his, and she gave a squeeze. "All you can really do is try to diminish the damage as much as possible."

"I don't even know how to do that," Maya admitted. "If they find out on their own, it won't be good. If I tell them, it won't be good either. If Dylan tells them, same. If their parents tell them… None of it is going to turn out alright. They're going to get hurt, and it won't matter how it happens, it's going to be very bad, whichever way they go."

She thought about the way the whole situation had slipped in and disrupted Dylan's normal state. Then she thought about Taylor, about Phoebe most of all, and she imagined this revelation doing the same to them. It made her want to scream, to just throw herself in front of them, to spare them the hit that was about to collide into them. It wouldn't work, would it? This wasn't her hit, and it would just pass through her. It would reach them all the same.

Worst of all, she feared the look in their eyes, in her eyes, when they realized how many people had known about this, how many people had lied in their faces all this time, how Maya herself had been part of this. How would Phoebe ever trust her again? It sounded so selfish, but she couldn't help it. They'd been through so much, the last three years, from dance classes at lunch to basketball, to senior year…

"Come on, let's go home," Lucas slipped his arm around her shoulders, leaned to kiss the top of her head. Of course, he'd be able to feel the turmoil coming off of her, couldn't help it. He would feel it, and he would do his thing, like always. Precious Huckleberry of a husband… In moments like these, she didn't know that she could ever have been more thankful that he was her companion in life.

"I think we need to end Family Day with a bit of family movie night," she declared, and Lucas smiled, nodding in total agreement. The two of them, Marianne in their arms, Granny Lizzie and Cara nearby, maybe Mateo, too, if he was joining them for dinner that night… It was the only right way for them to close this day, to touch base with what they had to come home to.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners