A/N: There's always gotta be at least one in my stories.

Thank you for the awesome reviews! I'm really grateful for all your kind words and the interest in this story. Thank you, loves! :D

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

Lucas turned into the parking lot of his complex, cutting the engine and leaning his head against the steering wheel. He was so stupid. So, so stupid.

It had been about five days since that disastrous confrontation in Maya's classroom, and as he suspected, she'd completely cut off contact with him. She hadn't spoken to him at all nor had she sought him out. She was avoiding him on purpose, and he knew it was all his fault.

But Lucas couldn't help it. He loved her. And he couldn't be the father of her child without her eventually picking up on it and realizing that. So it was better that she found out beforehand.

But Farkle was right. They were a messed up pair of people.

"How's Riley?" Lucas asked, taking a sip of his soda.

"She's alright." Farkle responded. "I don't think D.C. is big enough to handle her though."

"I don't think D.C. is big enough to handle the both of you…"

"Also true…" Farkle snorted, "But enough about that. I didn't come to visit you just for small talk. Riley sent me on an emergency mission because she couldn't come up herself. But she talked to Maya on the phone, and she said that Maya was barely functioning properly, which has only happened twice: when her grandmother passed and when you two broke up."

Lucas grimaced, his glass halfway to his mouth.

"So by deductive reasoning, I figured you were the cause or involved." Farkle slowly rotated his finger along the rim of his own glass as he watched Lucas carefully. "And judging by your reaction just now, I was right."

Lucas let out a long sigh, setting his glass back down on the coaster of the bar counter. Nearby him and Farkle, a group of rowdy men were cheering when their team scored another touchdown.

"I messed up, Farkle." Lucas groaned, "I really messed up and now Maya is avoiding me for real."

"What happened?"

So Lucas told him everything. Maya's want of a baby, her request he be the donor, his conditions and terms, his stupid confession to her. Everything. Farkle listened attentively, nodding occasionally, his azure gaze thoughtful as Lucas revealed all that had happened the week before.

"Wow… It's actually a lot less intense than what Riley thought."

"What?" Lucas frowned in confusion.

"She thought you two drunkenly slept together and Maya ran and pretended like it meant nothing and then found out she was pregnant and started avoiding you."

"Oh." Lucas chuckled fondly. That was classic Riley. She usually always jumped to the most extreme conclusions. "It's not that bad. But she did get the baby bit somewhat correct."

"Yeah. But now I wasted a couple days flying up here when it isn't even something that serious."

"Hey!" Lucas said in offense. "It's serious to me. Maya's absence is hard to deal with because we're always hanging out."

Those two years where they didn't speak had left a huge impact in his life and it had been incredibly hard to develop a rhythm once again without her presence. Going on with each day without Maya in his life, whether platonically or not, was always particularly jarring.

"You both are completely messed up." Farkle knocked back the rest of his drink with a smirk. "None of this would happen if you guys would just stop playing these twisted games with each other."

"Twisted games?"

"You're literally perfect for each other and when you finally—finally—date after years of being in denial and everyone knows you two are going to go the distance and just when we think you're going to get engaged and marry each other, Maya breaks things off. And then five years later, she asks you to help her have a child, which she could have had with you by now if she had just married you." Farkle snorted, shaking his head in mirth. "But nope, she doesn't want to get married. She apparently just wants your babies, which is strange not gonna lie. It's like she's using you. Which, for whatever reason, makes you happy."

"And then you." Farkle continued, "You happily accept but only on the condition that you two do this thing the natural way which basically means you propositioned her Lucas."

Lucas groaned, "I did, didn't I?"

"And on top of that, not only did you proposition her, but you also told her that you still want to marry her despite her adamant refusals so now our plucky friend is not talking to you anymore. Good job. Riley and I are gone for six years and you two manage to make a total mess of your relationship. Twice."

Lucas sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly. "Farkle. I don't even know what to do."

"You should just move to a new city."

"I'm serious."

Farkle set down his drink, contemplating Lucas with sympathy in his eyes. He patted his shoulder consolingly.

"I know how much you love her, Lucas. And I know how much the break up messed you up. But if Maya doesn't want to talk, if she chooses to avoid you, if she's running away from the situation, there's honestly nothing you can do but wait. I'm sure she'll come around eventually."

"I hope so…"

Lucas groaned, snatching up his work bag as he left his truck, and headed past the lobby of his complex. He waved at the front deskman in greeting and made his way into the elevator. Lucas pushed the button for his floor and sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall.

Farkle was right. There was nothing he could do but wait for Maya to come around. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much each day he went with a lack of response from her made him feel like he had truly lost Maya, all he could do was wait.

He had sealed his fate when he decided to tell her the secret he'd been keeping for years.

The elevator doors opened on his floor, and Lucas walked out, heading down the hall towards his apartment. He wasn't really paying attention as he walked, a bit lost in the conflict that had taken over his life, but when he turned the corner of his hallway and focused his vision, he noticed there was someone anxiously pacing back and forth in front of his door.

A short, blonde someone who froze when she saw him.

Lucas wasn't sure how long he stood there, gaze locked with hers, holding his breath, but all he could think about was how despite having not had contact for only a handful of days, it felt like it had been an eternity. It was like a breath of fresh air to see Maya. He honestly had never been more happy and relieved to see her in his life. Lucas wasn't sure what the expression on his face was, but a light blush grew on Maya's cheeks, and she chewed her lower lip, nervously clutching the strap of her purse.

He took a few tentative steps towards her, carefully gauging Maya's reaction as he approached. He knew if he startled her, she would probably flee. But Maya watched him with apprehensive blue-gray eyes, waiting for him to reach her.

"You could have called." Lucas said, coming to a stop in front of her.

Maya stared up at him, her expression carefully guarded and revealing nothing.

"Lucas… We need to talk."

"I know."