A/N: Keep in mind that there is a slight time discrepancy between Katy/Billy chapters and Lucas/Maya chapters. I hope none of it has gotten confusing, but if you remember, Chapter 19 (labeled as 20) had Lucas waking up after a specific amount of time had passed whereas Katy/Billy chapters started immediately after they jumped off the cliff.

Hi hanayoridango (I LOVE THAT SERIES)! Sorry you were uncomfortable with them churning butter so soon! My mindset in writing it at the time was probably something along the lines of 'they're both brash (drugged) young adults who are extremely relieved the other is alive', if that somewhat makes sense? I hope that despite that one spot of discomfort for you, the remainder of the story is to your liking though :)

Thank you for the reviews! I truly appreciate them all, and I am so happy you guys are enjoying the story :3

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

When Maya slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she registered was the painful, soreness that seemed to be running through almost her entire body. Everything was tender and aching. Especially her inner thighs and under her navel. It was almost as bad as the pain she used to get when she was first learning to ride and her legs would be weak from riding and her thighs sore from the chafing and from using muscles she never was accustomed to using. Only this was more intense and more focused in one general area.

She remembered what had transpired between her and Lucas.

Maya almost immediately stiffened, her eyes widening when she finally paid attention to the fact that there was a muscled arm curled around her back holding her to the distinctly male body in front of her.

Oh fuck…

It was like a sudden recollection of memories replayed in her mind, reminding her of how he'd kissed her and touched her and where he'd touched her and where he'd put his mouth and his other part…

Maya's cheeks burned a little red and her heart battered in her chest. She'd never had such an out of body experience in her life. It had been way too intense. And almost frightening.

She glanced up, observing his face. He was breathing evenly, his eyes closed, a slight scowl on his face, the expression on his face unrelaxed. She wondered what he was dreaming about for him to look so disoriented.

Maya breathed out through her nose, a little conflicted, bringing her gaze back to his scarred chest. What the hell had she been thinking?

Well, she knew what she'd been thinking.

All-encompassing relief and desire and something else that bothered her. And the something else was definitely the reason why she had shucked all propriety out the window and decided to let things get that far.

Because as much as Lucas bothered her, there was something about the softness hidden deep behind the cold rage that seemed to be quite prevalent in his eyes that made Maya feel something like apprehension at the thought of where they would go after the mess with Jed was done. That apprehension had been lingering at the corner of her mind for a while, but now it was much stronger than before.

She hated it.

Lucas shifted, his grip around her back loosening the slightest bit, and Maya glanced back up to sea foam eyes watching her silently that set her pulse on fire. Her breath hitched, and Maya averted her gaze with a frown.

"How long have you been awake?" she said in annoyance.

"An hour." She could see his smirk from her peripheral. "You suck your thumb in your sleep."

Maya's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Shut up."

They fell into a spell of silence, though Maya was definitely not comfortable. It wasn't that Lucas made her uncomfortable. Despite the aches and pains her body was experiencing, the warmth from Lucas' body was pleasant, almost serene in a sense, which was pretty surprising seeing as how he was tense and the expression on his face was far from tranquil.

No.

Her discomfort was coming from her guilt.

They were hiding out in this house until they recovered more in order to return to their own town, but what about her mother and her family? They still had to finish up the plan, and she knew she needed to make sure her mother was safe and free before she could even think of enjoying herself. Yet, she was lounging around, protected, while her family and mother were unaccounted for.

"We need to go back." Maya said, pushing herself slightly away from him. "It's been too many days. And I can't just stay here, not knowing if my mother or family is safe. I just have to make sure…"

He said nothing, though the hand on her lower back was stroking slow, comforting circles that made her want to curl up into him and go back to sleep.

Maya swallowed, her brows furrowed. "I need to get her free. No matter what."

"Because you feel guilty." Lucas said.

It was a statement, not a question, and once again, Maya found herself bristling in annoyance at how easily he was able to figure her out.

"If I wasn't a burden to her, if she hadn't been worrying about me all these years, she could have run off. She could have escaped without looking back, but I know she stayed because she wanted to watch out for me. Make sure that her leaving wouldn't put me in danger. I want to give her a chance to start over."

There was knock on the door before Lucas could respond.

"Maya? Lucas? Are you both awake?" Lila called from outside the door, "Your clothes have been washed and dried. I laid them out downstairs if you would like to depart soon. There are some britches for you to use, Maya."

They heard her footsteps disappear down the hall, and Maya knew it was officially time to leave and end this. They'd lost enough time, and they couldn't stay there any longer. There were things that had to be done.

No time for any distractions.

~.~.~

"Maya? You okay?" Lila asked in concern, "You were walking with your legs spread pretty widely."

"I'm fine." Maya averted her gaze with a slight blush on her face when Lucas and Feeny stepped out of the back door of the house and approached the stables. She attached the cane she had been given to Clutterbucket's saddle and then leaned against her horse to take some of the pressure off of her leg. "My injury."

Lila stared at her pensively for a moment as she filled Maya's saddle bag with bandages for them to use for their injuries. Then she chuckled softly, a knowing smile on her lips.

"Well, do remember to put a heated towel below your navel. It'll help. You know, for your injury." she said with a wink.

Maya knew her cheeks were enflamed in embarrassment, and she kept her gaze staunchly on the ground as Lila supported her under the arm to help her get up on Clutterbucket. The whole act was painful and Maya grit her teeth when she scraped her injured hand against the rough mane. Maya hissed when she sat atop Clutterbucket, the interiour of her legs feeling like they were burning. It was going to be a bitch to ride.

"Thank you, Lila. For everything." Maya said gratefully as she rearranged herself, "And sorry about threatening you to fix my nose."

"Oh that?" She chortled. "Don't worry about it at all."

Maya waited for Lucas and the old man, trying to mentally prepare for the terrible ride. They stopped next to Clutterbucket, and Feeny smiled.

"I wish you both luck on your journey."

"Thank you." Lucas responded, setting his black hat on his head. "We appreciate the help. You saved our lives."

He prepped to hop up and mount the horse.

"Uh, Lucas. One moment." Feeny said, a little in concern.

Lucas turned with a raised brow, waiting for him to speak.

"When those men who were after you came, we heard something quite alarming. They stated that the mayor was ordering your capture to kill you as you are highly wanted criminals. Surely they were not speaking of your father?"

Maya's eyes widened, and she looked at Lucas to gauge his reaction. Lucas' jaw was clenched tightly, his breathing was a little heavier.

So it was confirmed.

He really was the son of the previous mayor.

"My father is gone. As is my mother." Lucas' gaze darkened. "The mayor they were referring to is my uncle."

Feeny's eyes widened in surprise, his expression a little shocked. "Your parents are no longer in this world?"

"They haven't been for fifteen years." he replied, "A lot has changed since you last visited."

Feeny and Lila were speechless staring at the two of them, a bit disturbed by the things they must have had to endure.

"Lucas…" Lila said, brows furrowed in concern, "What the hell happened to your family?"

Lucas smiled. "It's nothing terrible. I've already made peace with it."

Maya's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. She could see plain as day by the way his muscles had stiffened with his very false words and the way his eyes glinted sharply that he had definitely lied about that. Hell, the smile hadn't even reached his eyes, and his fists were clenched.

Feeny nodded, nevertheless, clearly accepting the fact that Lucas was not open to continued conversation on this subject.

"Good luck you two. Safe travels."

"Thank you."

Lucas hooked a foot in the stirrup before tugging himself up with only a grunt from the strain on his arm. He settled behind her, and Maya bristled when she felt his proximity against her back and backside. She scooted slightly forward, a bit embarrassed and still jumpy from what they'd done. His crotch was too damn close!

"Why are you sitting so close?" she said lamely, feeling self-conscious. "It's indecent."

"Indecent?" Lucas said lowly against her ear, reaching slowly around her to pick up the reins. Her skin prickled in excitement, and she cursed her overly sensitive body. "The things we did earlier were far more indecent than this."

Her face burned red.

They waved goodbye at the kind old couple before Lucas slapped the reins and Clutterbucket took off in the night back towards their town. As Maya suspected, the jolting was further aggravating her injuries and soreness and she cringed, trying not to let it affect her. Besides, there was something else she would rather focus on at the moment.

"Why did you lie to them?" Maya asked Lucas after a while of riding, "You haven't made peace with anything."

"It was either that or tell them we're plotting Jed's death. I think I made a prudent decision."

"Except that no one believed a word you said." Maya snapped. "You know, I've noticed something terrible about you. You have these self-destructive tendencies like you just don't give a shit what happens to you. You let your thoughts destroy you. You willingly put yourself in harm's way regardless of the consequences."

Lucas said nothing, though Maya could definitely feel the intensity of his glare.

"I've been wondering for a while, but after we finish up this plan, are you still going to try to go after Jed? Even though you know he'll probably kill you?"

Lucas still remained silent, but Maya saw his hands tighten on the reins, and she knew. She knew he still wanted to destroy Jed even if it meant death. Despite Feeny's warnings, Lucas was still going to put himself directly in harm's way in order to get Jed, even at the cost of his own life. She knew that was what his silence meant.

And even though she tried to pretend like it didn't bother her, it scared her.

"Tell me the truth." Maya growled, "You owe me that much after violating me like that."

"Violating you?" he said dryly, "You weren't exactly opposing anything."

He was redirecting. But she wasn't going to let him avoid it this time. She wasn't going to take the bait. She wanted to know. Lucas was Jed's nephew. He was supposed to be dead. But here he was, alive and—for the most part—well and so vengeful that his eyes had accumulated some dark shadow she wasn't sure would ever go away. She wanted to know what had happened to him.

"Lucas. What did Jed do to you?"

For a few seconds, he didn't say anything, and Maya wondered if she would have to grab one of the knives in her saddle bag and threaten to shove it in his damn leg to get him to talk. But then he let out a resigned sigh.

"My father was the mayor preceding Jed. When I was seven, Jed killed my mother and father." He said, his voice laced with a venom that made goosebumps rise on Maya's neck, "Stabbed them right in the heart. I watched my mother die right in front of my eyes. He threw me in the river intending for me to drown, but Billy saved me.

"Jed has to die. And when he dies, I want to stare him in the face when I pull that trigger. I want to watch his eyes dull. I want the last fucking thing he sees to be me and know that I made good on my promise to send him to hell. I don't give a fuck if I have to die to do that. All that matters is that my father's bullet ends up in his head."

His alarming tone of voice was nothing but a low, dangerous growl, and Maya could easily feel the murderous intent rolling off of him in waves. Her eyes widened in shock at his words. She didn't dare look behind her shoulder. She knew what she would see.

That inhuman Lucas with the empty, frigid eyes that brought chills of fright down her back.

That was why he wanted nothing more than to bury the mayor in his own filth. His whole life had just been one giant quest for revenge. She understood his need for vengeance. Afterall, she wanted Jed to die for putting her mother through that torturous life too and for attempting to kill her. But she didn't get Lucas' complete disregard for his own life. The way he seemed to not care about anything or whether it mattered if he lived or not.

It was revolting.

Maya took a deep shuddering breath, trying to calm herself down. "Are you so damn fucked up that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for revenge? What good does killing Jed do if you can't even live to enjoy the moment? Where's your will to live?"

"It left when my parents were forcibly taken from me." he snarled, "And I could ask you the same thing. You seem to have lost any will to fight."

"Lucas, look at me!" she snapped, lifting up her injured, swollen hand. "Jed destroyed my hand. I was shot in the leg and poisoned by a damn bullet. I can barely walk on my leg anymore. My throat was almost slit. My nose was smashed out of place. My mother was forced to be his personal whore! You think I don't want to shove a pike into his fucking eye?!

"I want to kill him just as much as you do, but one round against him ruined me. He made me feel a fear that I've never once had in my life. You haven't tried to fight him, Lucas. But I have. Jed isn't someone who will let you live. He'll kill you. Without a second thought."

"...Who said I even wanted to live."

And her breathing faltered as unease permeated her body at the words. The words so filled with loathing and resignation and grief.

"What?"

He had no response and they rode on in silence, the clopping of her horse being the only sounds she heard.

"So you just want to die. Just like that. Regardless of what you stand to lose."

"My purpose in life is solely to kill Jed. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Is the only fucking thing in your heart malice?" Maya said in disbelief, her voice shaking slightly at the sharp sting from his words. Her fist was clenched so tightly, she could feel her nails biting into her skin. "Is there nothing else besides your vengeance?"

Lucas remained silent and Maya knew he had ended the conversation. He had nothing else to say on the matter. He'd made up his mind. He wanted to kill Jed, and he wanted to die doing it. For the first time since she'd met him, Maya could very clearly see just how jaded and soiled by wrath he was. How deeply his rage had turned him into some kind of… monster.

"You make me sick." She spat through grit teeth.

Why did he have to be that way? And just when she'd...

Maya closed her eyes, trying to ignore the way her heart lurched painfully in her chest.

Somehow, she felt that pain more substantially than any of the aches running through her body.