Maya's blonde hair whipped behind her as she marched down the corridor and towards the grand front door of the building. She was angered by Robert back in the office. If he knew who did this then maybe she could get some answers but he kept it to himself. Typical. That's just like him trying to control everything. There's a reason why I'm never here. With her hand pressed against the door she pushed her way out sighed as she heard the gravel path crunch beneath her boots. Deep in thought, she walked around, trying to clear her head when she suddenly felt a familiar set of hands on her shoulders. "If you're going to try and say something to make me go in there and apologize, don't."

Josh's smooth, velvet like voice tickled the back of Maya's neck as he started to gently massage her shoulders. "I wasn't." He applied a bit more pressure, feeling Maya melt even further into his hands. He sighed, his breath pushing a few of her blonde strands forward as he continued to relax her. In the past year he had fallen deeper and deeper in love with her. The blonde who peaked his interest when she walked through the doors of Holden not too long ago. When he fell, he didn't think it would lead him to a world like this. A world of powers and danger and constantly having to think on his feet. It was funny for him to think that this all came from a few photos he snapped of her and her friends. After high school he always thought he'd be in art school, he never quite expected this.

He's made a few conclusions when it comes to Maya. A few key things he noticed that would always keep her happy. There was of course, never telling her what to do. Helping her when she was stuck, even though she'd never admit it. And massages. It always out a smile to her face. "But what was that back there? What just happened between you and the Professor?"

Maya's once zen nature was whisked away at the mention of the prior moment. She shook Josh off of her and took a few steps forward before facing him. "It was nothing." Pushing her hair behind her ear she shoved her hands in the pockets of her black leather jacket. "I just don't like being told what to do. You know that."

Josh crossed his arms over his chest. "I do." Uncrossing his arms he took a few steps towards her so that he was close. "But I also know that you're not going to forget about this." He took another hard look at her and reached a hand out and caressed the soft supple skin on her face. "And I know that you're going to do this the right way because of that moral compass you have deep inside of you."

Damn him. He was right and Maya knew that. That didn't mean she had to let him know that though. "Whatever," she mumbled, still not moving from his touch. "You still know how I feel about all of this. This whole teach the kids, be the heroes of the world thing. It's ridiculous. I mean what's next? We have costumes? I just don't want to be anymore responsible for the future of all mutants than I was before."

"And you don't have to be. But you and I both know that if we all don't do this, then who will? Who protects those kids? Who protects the mutants?"

He was right once again. Whether or not she liked it, this was her life now. "I hate the fact that you're right," she whispered into his hand. "Are you sure you're okay with this? With this being our life outside of Holden?"

She stared up at him, her eyes wide and curious as she waited for his response. Slowly, he nodded his head and kissed Maya's cheek. "I'm more than okay. All that matters is that the life I live is with you. Our story will unfold as it should."

Maya blushed as she felt his lips touch her cheek. Her eyes subtly changed to a soft pink as she smirked. "Kids huh? And you've got their names picked out? You are quite the dreamer."

Josh frowned and rolled his eyes. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself." She smirked up at her boyfriend and kissed his lips. "But it was very sweet." She moved her lips to his ear as she whispered in it. "And I think Gabriel is a beautiful name."

Kissing her back Josh rolled his eyes as they got lost in the romantic nature of the kiss. "Shut up." Pulling apart he sighed and took in her beauty. "Now come on. We should get back to the others, figure this all out together."

Maya hesitantly agreed and started to walk with Josh hand in hand towards the door. "Josh wait."

Stopping his footsteps he turned towards her, his interest peaked. "Yeah?"

Tugging on his hand Maya bit her lip nervously. "Promise me something. After all this is over, we're done. No more powers, no more fighting, no more danger. A normal life. Just me and you."

Josh smiled down at her softly, kissing her button nose. "I love you but I don't know if that's a promise I can make." Maya frowned at his response. "It's just that I don't think our lives will ever be normal. I mean look at where we are. That doesn't seem exactly plausible." He placed his hands on the sides of Maya's arms and rubbed them up and down. "I love you Maya. But our life is here. Our friends are here. Our family is here. Why would we leave that behind?" He cocked his head and focused on her. "Or should I be wondering why you want to leave it behind?"

Maya sighed, knowing the answer to his question but choosing to ignore it for the time being. "You're right," she said behind a fake smile. "We need to embrace this. It's a part of us right? Let's go. I don't want them to think we bailed."

Pulling Josh in behind her she closed her eyes and she tried to push the voices out of her head. The voices that were calling something she had never seen or felt before.

.:.

"So this is what you guys have been working on down here?" Zay held up a stretchy nylon black suit in his hands as he looked between Charlie and Farkle. "You two read too many comic books."

Lucas took the suit out of Zay's hands and furrowed his brows. "What even is this?"

Farkle took the suit from Lucas and grinned as he held up the creation. "Remember the suits we made for the prom? Well this is the new and improved version of it. We've designed these suits to be incredibly durable, conforming to the body, catering to its every need."

Charlie nodded. "We're talking thermo regulation, built in communication sets, and so much more. It's amazing."

Entering the room, Josh and Maya looked at them and frowned. "Don't tell me those are costumes," Maya said as she gripped Josh's hand as he stifled a laugh.

Lucas laughed aloud and looked at the two geniuses as they quickly tried to defend their work. "Alright," he quelled. He looked to Josh and Maya and smiled at them. "I figured I'd see you guys back down here. If you're looking for Riley, she's with the Professor down the hall. They're figuring a few things out."

Josh looked to Maya and kissed her cheek. "Go," he whispered. "I'll be here."

The sterile, pristine nature of the underground lab was accented by its silver floors and walls. Maya followed the Professor's tracks as she walked herself down to the end of the hallway. Maya, who immediately recognized the space, shook her head in disbelief as she realized where she was heading. Spotting Riley and Robert, she interrupted their conversation. "Can I talk to you?"

Riley's head perked up as she looked at her friend and smiled softly before quickly realizing that she was talking to the older of the two. Her smiled faded as she began to excuse herself and leave the two. "That takes care of the kids. I'll talk to the others." Ignoring the pit in her stomach Riley brushed past her friend and just shook her thoughts away. There were more important things to tend towards, she didn't have time to think about how her best friend was slowly becoming a stranger to her when the world as they know it was in jeopardy.

Robert stared hard at the blonde as Riley left, knowing what she'd say next. "I'm hearing them again Robert," Maya whispered. Her eyes were focused on the wheels of his chair. "They're getting stronger."

Robert had his hands clasped in his lap as he listened to Maya speak. Thinking back to when she first came to him.

.:.

It had been a few short months since they had arrived at the school. They were welcomed with open arms as Robert allowed them to live in the school, alongside the other students. Everyone had acclimated well, except for Maya who hadn't slept in weeks. He hair was thrown up into a ponytail as she sat up drenched in sweat. Blonde hairs were sticking to the side of her face as her chest rose heavily with each deep breath she took. Throwing the sheets off of her she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stared down at her bare feet. Wiggling her toes she played with her grey shorts and stood up, feeling her white tank top cling to her skin. "You're okay," she whispered to herself. "Just push it out."

Maya looked behind her to Josh sleeping soundly, trying desperately to soothe the voices. She hunched over and gripped the side of her head as the voices grew louder. Louder and louder the voices grew as she winced in pain, trying to fight it off. The pain was so crippling that she hadn't noticed Josh get up. "Maya?" Josh faced her sleepy and confused, alerting as he saw her hunched over. "Maya talk to me. What's happening?" Josh placed his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her worriedly. Seeing her start to cry in pain he quickly thought of what to do. "I'm going to get the Professor. I'll be quick I promise."

The five minutes in which it took Josh to retrieve the Professor felt like ages to Maya as she felt this darkness start to grow within her. Still clutching her head in pain she groaned and her eyes flashed open, revealing no white only black eyes as she stood slowly. A black webbing started to stem from her eyes along the sides of her face as she started to succumb to what she was experiencing. It was like her mind had been taken over by a dark yet comforting voice. "Maya?"

As she turned, she flipped her palms upwards as she tensed up. In front of her Josh stood behind the Professor's chair as they stared at her. Robert swallowed hard as he quickly calculated what was going on. "Joshua leave us." Josh looked down at the Professor confused. "Go," he persisted. "I'll be fine." Josh reluctantly left the room and waited in the hall as Robert wheeled towards Maya. "Maya," he began. "Look at me." Her now black eyes met his green as he placed two fingers to his temple.

There the struggle began. As Robert started to tap into the depths of Maya's mind he could feel her pushing back. With a flick of her finger she pushed his chair back a few inches. "Maya," he warned. "Contain it. Don't let it get the best of you." His chair moved back further. "Maya!" His chair slammed back into the wall as he bounced off of it, falling forward onto the ground. Maya's black eyes retreated back into the depths of her subconscious as Josh ran back into the room, seeing the Professor lying on the ground.

Immediately running to his side, Josh helped back into his chair as Maya's eyes returned to their usual blue. "What the hell happened?" he asked.

Looking between Maya and the Professor, Josh sighed as Maya cowered back in fear of her own power as the Professor quickly realized what he'd have to do.

.:.

Riley sat on a stool in the boys' lab as they droned on, talking about the suits that Charlie and Farkle designed. So lost in the depth of her own thoughts, her mind kept jumping back to Maya. She had been acting weird for months. When they first got to the school, no one expected Maya to adapt and teach and all that stuff. No one asked her to nor did anyone need her to do so, but then suddenly she and Josh were constantly gone for weeks or even months at a time. Before Holden it was just the four of them. Her, Maya, Lucas, and Zay. And they were never apart. Especially her and Maya. It was starting to feel like, she barely knew her. She used to be the one to talk to Maya and calm her down if needed be, not Josh. And now she needed to talk to the Professor without her there?

It felt like she was shutting Riley out. She was becoming this person that Riley barely even recognized at times. She was sure she didn't even notice what Riley was doing in her classroom. Belgium 1831. It's not like she'd care anyways. She was barely at the school to know what was going on. "Riley?" Riley wasn't paying attention to notice someone calling out her name. "Riley?"

Riley's eyes fluttered as she felt Lucas' hand on her shoulder. Looking up at him she blinked twice and smiled. "Yeah Lucas?"

Lucas frowned and looked back the rest of the men in the room, who were still pre occupied in their conversation. He pulled her up and to a private area as he stared at her. "Is everything okay?"

Riley looked up at the Texan and immediately felt guilty. "I'm fine Lucas. I just-"

Lucas swallowed hard and started to look nervous as he anxiously brought his hand up to his neck. His voice got low. "Is this about what happened the other day? Because I know how hard things have been for you lately and I know Maya hasn't been here much but I knew what that day was and I figured you shouldn't be alone for it." Riley just stared up at him, too nervous to speak. She had tried to push what happened out of her mind, being successful up until this moment. "Just don't start acting weird around me now and not talking to me about things. Because we've always talked about things for as long as we've known each other and I don't want that to stop because of something I shouldn't have done."

Riley hugged herself with her arms wrapped around her slender body. She was suddenly aware of how close she was to Lucas. "You were just trying to help. Be a good friend you know? You had nothing but the purest of intentions and things just got out of hand." Lucas opened his mouth to speak but Riley went on. "You knew it was his birthday so you made sure I didn't feel alone. And you just happened to be the only person around who knew because I can't seem to talk to Charlie about these things even though he's my boyfriend. And you're one of my best friends and you remembered and you cared and you did something and I'm just grateful that you did because I've been so alone and-"

"Riley?" Lucas interrupted. He cupped his hands around her round face and stared deep into her brown eyes. "Maya is still your best friend. Life is just changing."

Riley didn't move. She enjoyed his hands being there. "And what if I don't want life to change?"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders and begrudgingly removed his hands from Riley's face. "Sometimes change can be good. It can help you realize something. Even when it's too late."

Lucas started to walk away when Riley said one last thing to him before he walked away. Guiltily, she spoke softly. "I wanted to kiss you back."

.:.

Charlie took note of Riley's timid demeanor as she slumped in her chair. Deciding to talk to her about it later, he shook his head and focused on his work with Farkle when the Professor and Maya entered the room. "Alright everyone," the Professor began. "Here's what we do going forward. We're splitting up. Three teams okay? I've tracked down the mutant who led the attack in D.C. we're going to need some answers from them."

Maya nodded. "Yeah. Me and Josh are going to check that out. We've done a lot of exploring lately so we'll be good out there."

"Are you sure Maya? You seemed pretty heated earlier," Farkle observed.

Maya smiled stiffly. "Yeah I know. Trust me I've got it under control and Josh knows what to do. Thanks Farkle."

Robert continued. "I'm going to head to D.C. see what's going on with the congressional bill and see what else I can find out."

Farkle perked up and smiled. "Count me in. I need to get out of this basement. Besides, I grew up rubbing elbows with politicians because of my dad. I'll help you navigate D.C."

Lucas and Zay shared a look and frowned. "Wait. You two can't go out there without any protection. We don't know what could be going on up there. We're coming with you. Just in case."

"But what about the school? The kids?" Riley asked with her arms folded over chest, making sure not to lock eyes with Lucas.

Robert looked to the brunette and smiled softly. "I was actually hoping you would stay here in the meanwhile. Charlie would be with you of course but no one cares about these kids more than you do. I wouldn't trust them or this school with anyone else. I want you to protect this school Riley."

Riley grew nervous as she realized the Professor was serious. "Professor are you-"

He cut her off. "Yes. I am positive."

Riley took a deep breath and nodded. She could do this. Her dad would be so proud if he knew what she was doing. It was settled. She and Charlie would watch over the school. Charlie. She hasn't told Charlie about the kiss. The truth was, they've been pretty distant lately and that wasn't just because Charlie had been hard at work in the lab. Riley had been inadvertently pushing him away for a while now and that had nothing to do with Lucas. Bringing her mind back to the task at hand she looked to Maya and Josh. "You guys be safe okay?"

Josh nodded and reached for Maya's hand. "I'll always keep her safe Riley. I try to make sure she comes home to you."

Riley shared a smile with him, happy that she was entrusting him with her best friend. "And you guys too," she said to Farkle and Zay. She locked eyes with Lucas and gave him a soft smile and moved to the Professor. "And I'll keep everyone safe. I promise."

"I know you will Riley."

Let their latest adventure begin.

A/N: That's a wrap on chapter two! I hope you enjoyed! What do you guys think of Riley and Lucas? Or are you more Riley and Charlie fans? Also what do you guys think is going on with Maya? Let me know!