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Disclaimer: I do not own GMW otherwise Maya would be kicking asses for real.

Maya raced home on Clutterbucket, taking him up to breathtaking speed and trying to ignore the ringing in her ears. Her blood was pounding through her veins. Her body was humming and thrumming with adrenaline. She had barely escaped. Barely made it out of that situation alive. She could have easily been killed if it hadn't been for Lucas Friar.

She couldn't stand him. She never understood why Riley had such a huge crush on him and gushed about him every time he came to help their father with the horses. Sure, he was arguably, in a dark, mysterious, brooding kind of way, slightly, just a little teeny tiny bit handsome with his tousled brown hair and his intense sea coloured eyes, but he rarely smiled, just smirked or glowered. The few times she'd run into him since their encounter a few months ago, he was always watching her with this amused look on his face.

It bothered her. She could never tell if he knew she was a woman or not, but that didn't change the fact that being around him always made her uncomfortable.

Though it annoyed her to think about having had to rely on anyone, especially him, she couldn't deny that his butting into her problem had provided the perfect distraction to escape the cacophony.

Honestly, she did feel a little bad about leaving him behind after he had stepped up to help her, but this was a dog eat dog world, and Maya sure as hell didn't feel like being eaten then. It was the wild west out there. Every man and woman for him or herself.

Finally at the ranch, Maya hopped off Clutterbucket and quickly led him back to his stall in the stables, hoping to God Riley had already gone to bed, and Maya wouldn't have to answer any unanswerable questions. She bid her horse goodnight with a handful of sugar cubes and snuck through the field, heading back to the large oak outside their bedroom window. Gritting her teeth and ignoring the pain in her right hand, she grappled with thin and thick branches, pulling herself painstakingly up until she could reach the little sloped roof. Crawling slowly up, she peeked into the room, noticing the lumpy figure underneath Riley's covers. Surprisingly, there was one under her own covers as well.

Maya pushed open the window and pried herself in, landing on her feet with a louder noise than she had intended. She held her breath, keeping her eyes on Riley. The girl only let out a soft sigh in her sleep and snuggled further in the covers. Rolling her eyes in relief, Maya tiptoed to her bed and pulled aside the blanket. There were a set of pillows and a rolled up blanket set up to appear as if someone was sleeping in the bed. Riley must have done that for her. Maya smiled at the kind gesture. Riley didn't even know where Maya had gone, yet she still had protected her from getting into trouble. Maya mentally promised to give Riley all of her slices of boysenberry pie for the rest of the month.

Her hand stung again, and Maya winced, lifting it up in the darkness to try to see what the problem was. She couldn't see clearly, but even in the lack of light, she could tell that her palm was bleeding. And from the looks of it, a lot.

Maya rushed to the bathroom adjacent their room and checked her hand. There was a large gash on her palm running from her pinkie to the base of her thumb. Imbedded in the skin was a fairly long shard of glass.

"Fuck…" Maya breathed out.

She must have gotten injured when she was crawling out of the window. She ran her hand under the tap, hoping she wouldn't get infected from it. She would steal her father's flask in the morning and try to clean it with some alcohol. All she knew for now though, was that she had to get that shard out before the skin healed around it. Painfully healed around it.

Maya pulled her knife out of her boot. Ripping a strip of fabric off her shirt and clenching her teeth tightly on it, she whimpered and forced herself not to cry out as she slipped the knife under the shard and slowly tugged it out until it was far enough out to pull with her fingers. It was unbelievably painful.

With a silent cry, she yanked it out and dropped it in the sink, breathing heavily and unsteadily and watching as the freely bleeding wound filled the area with red. She stood there, trying to catch her breath and relax her racing mind. Her vision temporarily blurred, and she wobbled forward, gripping the sink with her left hand. She looked up shakily at her reflection in the mirror. Eyes hollowed, her face pale, dust and dirt covering much of her face and body.

She looked like roadkill.

Maya blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog creeping in her gaze. She felt entirely too woozy. She must have lost too much blood from the injury.

Ripping off more of her shirt, she wrapped it shakily around her hand, putting a lot of pressure on the worst part of the injury. She grunted in discomfort, and bit her lip until she was sure she was drawing blood. In a half daze, she wiped up and cleaned the blood she'd dripped all over the bathroom.

Maya stumbled out of the bathroom and back to her room, barely seeing where she was going. Unsteadily, she undressed and shoved her bloody, torn clothes, her hat, and her boots under her bed. It would be a long time before she donned her Micah disguise again. She figured it would be best to stay away from that persona for a while until things had calmed down in town.

And then Maya crashed down face first onto her bed, losing consciousness.

~.~.~

Maya sat up with a start, breathing harshly. Her head spun and she groaned, gripping her head. A little disoriented, she looked at her surroundings, wondering if she had even gotten home last night.

She was in her empty bedroom. Riley's bed was already neatly made. The window was open, letting in some fresh air, and Maya realized she must have been tucked in by her sister. Again, Maya was reminded of just how much she owed her.

She clambered out of bed and looked in the horizon. The sun had already passed its midday position and was on its way to set. She must have slept quite a long time.

As Maya hurried to get herself together in the bathroom, the previous day's events rushed back to her. The bar fight, her escape, her injury. The blonde woman.

With a start, Maya realized she knew what it was that had shocked her so deeply. The familiarity of the woman's face wasn't so much that it seemed like maybe they had met before, but more like Maya recognized that face. Because it had scarily resembled her own. The expression in the woman's eyes was fierce, and one that Maya knew she frequently expressed.

Maya stared at her reflection in the mirror, remembering the look in the woman's eyes. The shape and structure of her face. It was the same. Maya knew it was the same.

She needed to see her again.

Slipping on a dress that apparently her mother had laid out, Maya quickly ran her hands through her tangled mess of loose curls and waves, and hurried downstairs, intending to get something quick to eat and then visit that woman. She had some suspicions she wanted to confirm.

As she passed the parlor, Topanga leaned back in her chair and caught her, "Maya? Are you finally awake?"

Maya backtracked and walked in the parlor, impatiently hoping this conversation wouldn't be long. She had business to attend to. Riley was sitting on the couch next to her mom, helping her sew a tear in an old dress.

"Yes, Mama." Maya replied, looking behind her shoulder, "Just recently."

"Riley told me you hadn't been feeling well last night. I'm glad to see you're better."

Maya glanced at Riley, and she nodded discreetly, giving her a thumbs up through her slight smile.

"Yes. I feel better." Maya turned slightly, as if to leave, when Topanga frowned and stopped her again.

"What on earth happened to your hand?"

Shit.

Maya knew she had forgotten to do something in her daily routine. Her hand was still wrapped in the tattered cloth of her undershirt and was rather bulky and noticeable.

She tried to smile, though her mother's warning glare was making her very nervous, "I-I, umm…"

"She fell out of bed yesterday and caught her hand on the corner of her dresser." Riley interjected smoothly, breaking off a line of thread with her teeth. Maya frowned and stared at Riley. Did she know the truth? It seemed like Riley was helping Maya cover her tracks. Once or twice was coincidence, but now, it seemed a little too well played to be just chance. She was still nonchalantly sewing, her face neutral and unable to be deciphered. It was hard for Maya to tell what could have been going through Riley's mind.

"Oh Maya. You have to be more careful… You have to look your best for tonight's supper guest."

After all, Riley had never caught Maya coming and going from her late night adventures. In fact, there was no reason that she would know or suspect anything Maya had done. But Maya couldn't help but feel a sneaking suspicion that her sister…

Wait, what?

Maya turned to her mother, brows furrowed in trepidation, "Supper guest?"

Topanga nodded slowly, looking a little too guilty than Maya was comfortable with, "Yes, honey. He's out back with your father right now checking the cattle."

Another suitor no doubt.

"What pig headed asshole is it this time?" Maya growled, eyes narrowed.

"Now Maya. That kind of language is not tolerated."

"You know what shouldn't be tolerated?" Maya snapped, stomping her foot, "Being forced to endure these horrible dinners with vile, disgusting men in whom I have no interest!"

"I know you're mad Maya, but your father has made up his mind. The longer you fight his decision and the men he brings, the longer you'll have to put up with this."

"I disagree with the notion that I have to settle. Didn't you marry Papa for love? So why can't I wait to find someone to love and marry?"

"While it is true that, yes, I did marry for love, the difference with our situations Maya, is that you don't intend to marry at all."

"Y-yes. Yes I do." Maya said through clenched teeth, feeling like barfing.

Topanga rose a brow and pursed her lips, looking at Maya in exasperation. "That kind of reaction reveals the exact opposite." She turned to Riley, "Riley, honey. Could you go get Auggie upstairs to wash up? Papa should be back soon for supper."

"Okay."

Riley stood up and as she passed Maya on her way out of the parlor, she lightly squeezed her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic look. Maya smiled slightly before letting her face slacken in fatigue. She was tired of all this suitor nonsense. She didn't intend to marry anyone. And she had other things to worry about.

Maya didn't realize she had been spacing out until Topanga reached out and took her hand.

"Maya? You've looked a little wan since you came downstairs. Are you alright?"

Her question was so simple and she had only been asking generally, but for some reason, Maya suddenly got the urge to reveal everything to her mother. She just wanted someone else to know, so she wouldn't have to shoulder the burden on her own.

"I just… I think…"

And Maya closed her mouth. Revealing what had happened would mean that Maya would have to let her mother know about Micah and the saloon and a few of her occasional nightly adventures capturing some loose bandits with a gang of cowboys. Doing so would without a doubt end with Topanga forcing Maya to stop those activities. She wasn't ready to relinquish her alter ego yet.

"Maya?"

"Sorry, Mama." She scratched her head and laughed, "It's just my monthly. It's making me tired."

"Put something warm on your stomach later, okay baby?"

"I will."

And then the front door opened, and Maya could hear her father conversing with their dinner guest as they entered. She rolled her eyes slowly in exasperation and smoothed down her dress, preparing for another pointless supper.

~.~.~

Maya had mixed feelings about supper. On the one hand, Maya was sure her mother had really outdone herself on this meal. It was superb. Succulent roast, mouthwatering vegetables. But on the other, Maya had been forced to sit next to the idiot of the evening.

His name was Clint, he was a disgusting pervert, and Maya always felt wholly uncomfortable around him. Back when they were children, they used to wrestle in the mud, fighting for dime novels and bullets for their rifles. She would always beat him and then shove his face into the mud with her dirty boots. She never liked the way he would always try to cheat. As they grew, he became even more revolting, insulting her by saying she should act like a girl. And then when they had grown into and out of puberty, he began to look at her like she was a slab of meat he wanted to bang. Riley used to tease that he had a crush on her and that one day they would get married, something that Maya would vehemently deny. And now this turn of events… It was starting to look like Riley would be right. The stupid idiot was making excellent conversation, and Cory looked rather intrigued.

Clint had also brought his father along to dinner, and Cory and Clint's father were now engaged in conversation regarding the state of the farming land and grazing for the animals.

It went without saying that Maya hated Clint's guts. He was always leering at her or looking at her breasts unabashedly. Like right now. She was absolutely positive his gaze was settled on the little cleavage that was peeking out from the top of her corset.

She snapped her glare to him.

"Do you mind?" Maya hissed, trying not to draw too much attention to them.

"I don't actually. It's a nice view."

"Oh I bet, you dirty little shit." She turned slightly away, facing away from him so that he had a direct view of the back of her shoulder. She didn't want to be anywhere near this creep.

"It'll look even better when you're naked and riding me like a horse." He whispered huskily, putting his hand on her thigh and squeezing.

Did he think he was actually turning her on? How nauseating. Maya had half a mind to upchuck everything she'd eaten right in his face. She scowled and flicked his fingers off of her lap, giving him a warning glare.

"Don't you dare touch me." she growled.

He smirked and went back to his meal, answering one of the Cory's questions about the state of their farm. Maya slightly untensed, hoping that this supper could end soon so she could get out of there. She was jittery and restless and just wanted to get out of the damn house already.

"Maya, you've become quite the beauty since the last time I saw you." Clint's father stated congenially, "Very sophisticated."

Auggie let out a little snort at that, and Topanga shot him a cautioning look for him to quiet down. He went back to his soup in silence, ducking his head down with red cheeks.

"Thank you, sir." Maya replied, "That is very kind of…"

She froze. That weasel Clint had snaked his chubby little sausage fingers on her leg again, only this time, he was trying to drag up the material of her skirt.

That little shit…

"Maya?"

"I apologize. That's very kind of you to say."

Maya nonchalantly slipped her hand to her lap and grabbed a small amount of the skin on his hand between her nails. She pinched him as hard as she could, until she knew the skin had broken and blood seeped out. He yelped, snapping his hand out of her grip and jolting so violently that his thighs crashed into the bottom of their dinner table and the silverware clattered noisily.

"Goddamn!" he cried out, cradling his injured hand in his other hand.

Everyone stopped eating and stared at him.

"Good Lord boy. What the hell is wrong with you?" His father asked, watching him in confusion.

"He must have had too much to eat." Maya said obnoxiously, smirking triumphantly, "Maybe his stomach is jumping. Maybe he has to take a shit… Lord knows he's full of it."

"Maya!" Cory scolded, glowering at her, "That is highly inappropriate."

"It's quite alright." Clint responded, an unsettling smirk on his face. He met Maya's bewildered eyes, and his eyes shone with mischief. She swallowed thickly. She had expected him to be angry. The angrier the guests usually got, the more likely they were to fuck up and get kicked out by her father himself. "I rather like this side of her. I think the fact that she is willing to speak her mind only makes her more beautiful."

Without a doubt, all eyebrows at the table jumped high up on foreheads at his words. Even Maya, who never believed a word many of them said, found herself rather surprised that he had said those lies anyway. Maya's brusque behaviour was always a deterrent to suitors asking for her hand. What was his game?

Maya narrowed her eyes, glaring at him and whispering, "What are you getting at, you prick?"

"Your worst nightmare, you little bitch. You'll pay for that." He growled quietly back at her, a vulgar sneer on his face.

Cory picked back up the fork he had dropped and shook his head as if he couldn't believe what had just been said, "Well… I'm glad you find her outspoken attitude rather attractive. Maya, isn't that good?"

"No." she growled, just about having lost her appetite. She could feel it. Something really bad was about to happen. "He's not being sincere, Papa."

"That's too bad that you think me a fake." Clint said, a slight singsong to his voice, "It's all real. Just like this." He turned his attention to her father, "Mr. Matthews, sir? May I properly court your daughter? I would like to marry her someday."

Maya gasped, dropping her silverware in shock. Clint grinned maliciously and took her hand, "Now don't be so shocked, Maya. I've been in love with you since the day I laid eyes on your pretty angelic head when we were children."

Maya glowered at him and tried to yank her hand out of his, but he tightened his grip, squeezing threateningly.

"No, Papa. I don't want to court him."

Maya drove her heel onto his foot, and he grit his teeth, keeping his tight smile wide and friendly. He turned to Maya again, his eyes shining lethally in warning. Maya bared her teeth at him, just about ready to claw his face in if he did not stop.

"Please sir. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to wed your daughter."

"Papa I don't–"

"Yes. I permit you to court her."

Maya froze and stiffened. She could not believe what he had just said. Was her father really letting this idiot court her? He considered Clint decent enough of a man to have her hand? This was ridiculous! She knew her father was one of the smartest, most perceptive men in the entire county. How could he not see how Clint really was? How come no one was objecting to this?

"Papa no! Clint is a fucking ass! You can't allow him to–"

"Language, Maya." He said simply, going back to his meal.

Her mouth clamped shut in surprise.

She had been dismissed.

Dismissed.

With two fucking words.

Maya glanced around the table, trying to see if anyone else was as outraged as she was. But her mother looked pleased, excited almost. Auggie was barely paying attention, picking at his stew in boredom. Riley was smiling at her, as if it was great that someone wanted to court her. How come no one knew what a real ass Clint was?! How come no one was trying to stop this farce!

She was alone.

She was alone in this family.

Maya knew the bile was rising up her throat before her brain even signaled she was about to throw up. Barely able to contain the vomit, she wrenched her hand out of Clint's and rushed out the dining room to the downstairs bathroom. She emptied out the contents of her stomach in the toilet, dry heaving and breathing heavily when there was finally nothing left to empty.

"Motherfucker…" she rasped, feeling liquid dropping from her eyes. Whether from vomiting or her plight, she didn't know. "Dammit!"

She punched the lid of the toilet. How could he? How could her father just give her away like that to that turd of a man? Did he really not care about her?

"Of course he doesn't…" Maya growled, "I'm not his daughter. I never was. I never will be. And he just wants to get rid of me."

Maya couldn't stay in the house any longer. She couldn't take this shit. She was not going to sit there while Clint fondled her inappropriately, listening to his cock-and-bull tales of chivalry.

"Fuck this…" She had better things to do than spend her time in a family that wanted her gone.

Maya violently wiped and washed out her mouth with water. Bunching up her skirts, she left the bathroom and carefully snuck down the hall towards the kitchen and the back door.

She would figure out what to do about Clint later. But for now, there was somewhere she had to be. Something she had to do.

It would be hard to ride Clutterbucket in her billowy, immense dress. And she wasn't totally sure it was safe to ride sideways going at such a fast pace, but it would have to do.

Clutterbucket greeted her enthusiastically, bucking his head excitedly. He always knew when she needed a serious ride or had to leave. He was very in tune with her emotions.

"You understand me, don't you boy?" She hopped on her horse, crossing her legs to help keep her a bit more anchored and wrapped her arms around his neck, "We're going to town Clutterbucket."

Clutterbucket let out a little whinny before setting off on a light trot when Maya gently urged him to go.

She was going to go to the saloon. And prove once and for all what she had already suspected since she'd been growing up. And if she was right, she would confront her parents.

But one thing was for sure.

Either way, she would not be getting married any time soon.