Author's Note: Hello! This is my first attempt at writing a multi-chapter fic, so I think it's fair to say updates may not be coming particularly fast, but I promise you all that this fic will never be forgotten. I have every intention of seeing this through to the end. The setting here is directly after Lucas is thrown off of Tombstone in Texas Part 1, though I'm hoping to write something you may not have read before. This is from both the perspectives of Maya and Lucas. I'll be switching back and forth between perspectives with each chapter, starting with Maya here in this one. This is Lucaya-centric (obviously) however there will be some Riarkle (if you squint). Smackle unfortunately does not make an appearance, so no Zayadora. Sad face. This is also my first time writing dialogue for anybody but Lucas or Maya, so I apologize if anybody seems out-of-character. Constructive criticism is always welcome, so please read and review (kindly)! I'd also like to thank my beta Jackie profusely for being super patient with me (as always) while I throw constant revisions at her, and just in general for having wonderful ideas and helping me out as much as she does. I still insist she deserves half the credit for my fics and always will.

Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World, but if I did I'd get on Twitter and make sure everyone knows Lucaya is endgame in a heartbeat. Alas, I cannot.

Chapter I: And She Could Only Watch as the Earth Shattered

Dust and silence.

That was all Maya Hart could recall following the grotesque crunching sound of skin on metal. The gasp of the crowd alone was enough to freeze time. Her heart stopped short between beats. She couldn't see past the blurry wall of heat between the arena and where she sat thirty feet away across a field of impossibly green grass. Before she knew what she was doing Maya was on her feet racing toward the steel enclosure, the worst case on her mind.

Then, like some macabre vignette of moments, each one feeling like it was longer than the last…

Maya peered through an opening in the massive metal fence. Her panicked eyes searched throughout the clouds of dust and dirt that had yet to settle. They finally landed on what looked to be a crumpled body on the opposite side of the arena. Maya's grip tightened on the warm steel under her palms until her knuckles turned white. It can't be him… it has to be somebody else. She watched as Pappy Joe rushed into the arena to crouch over the motionless form. Pappy Joe, what are you doing? It's not him. It can't be him. He's coming up next. Then the old man took off his old cowboy hat and got to his feet, his face turned up towards the heavens as if in prayer, his hat placed over his heart and his left hand running through his mane of gray hair. No, no, no, no, no, this isn't happening. It's not him. It's not him. It's not him. Then she heard the sirens in the distance. Pappy Joe was crying now. Maya had never seen a grown man cry before, and now as she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces she hoped she would never have to view a sight like it again.

Maya felt thin warm arms wrap around her. Hearing desperate sobs as if they were leagues away, she pulled herself back to the present. Maya looked beside her and saw her best friend pressed into her shoulder looking for comfort.

"Riley? What's wrong? And why is Pappy Joe crying? Was that some distant relative of his or something?" Maya asked, looking at the brunette in confusion. "He really ought to get a grip on himself if he's going to cheer Lucas on." Maya shook her head and turned in the opposite direction, determined to head back to where she was sitting before, but Riley held her in place. Maya turned back and saw she was looking down at her with alarm.

Riley reached out and gingerly touched the sides of Maya's face. Looking into her eyes she asked softly, "Maya… what do you think just happened?"

"I think some ha-hurr ha-hurr was thrown off a bull and got hurt." Maya replied carelessly. "But now Lucas is next, so if you don't mind I'm going to go sit back over there and wait…" She made to walk away again, but still Riley refused to let go. Maya turned back and glared at the death grip she had on her arm. "Riley, would you get off?" She snapped. "I don't want to watch Lucas, okay?" Riley took a deep shaky breath and pulled Maya into a hard embrace. "Oof… Riley, what's all this about…? I love you too," she grumbled, awkwardly patting her best friend's back. "But this is hardly the time and place for this…"

Riley leaned back wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. She then gripped Maya's shoulders tightly and looked deeply into her best friend's clear blue eyes. "Maya, I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay? That was Lucas. He's hurt," she said, maintaining eye contact though her voice shook with every word she spoke. "The paramedics are on their way. Are you listening to me?" She added because Maya had rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Maya, listen to me. Lucas is hurt. He's going to be taken to the hospital." Tears softly fell from Riley's eyes again. "Pappy Joe offered to take us with him behind the ambulance. Come on." Riley sniffed and pulled at Maya to follow her, but the blonde wouldn't budge.

"What're you talking about Riley?" Maya asked with a soft chuckle. "That's not Lucas. It doesn't even look like him." She motioned in the general direction of where she'd seen whomever it was laying in the dirt. Maya tried to not look at the paramedics strapping him onto a stretcher. "Lucas wouldn't just lie down like that; he'd get up like he always does." Riley screwed her face up at this, trying hard not to completely fall apart. "Stop crying. Look, Lucas is next and I don't want to see it. Can we just go sit over there, please?" Maya pleaded, because Riley was clearly determined not to leave her alone.

Pappy Joe appeared as soon as she asked this, Zay and Farkle in his wake. His face looked shiny and raw from his own tears. "You girls ready to go?" He asked. It sounded like there was a frog in his throat.

Maya broke away from Riley and looked from her to Pappy Joe in frustration. "Why does everyone keep saying we need to leave? Lucas is next, Pappy Joe. Don't you want to be there for him?" She demanded.

Pappy Joe looked at her shocked, and then his gaze shifted to Riley heatedly. "You didn't tell her?" He growled.

"Of course I told her! She isn't listening!" Riley cried. She looked to be on the verge of another breakdown. "It's like she refuses to understand what's happening. I can't get through to her!" This last statement looked like it crushed her, because Riley's shoulders now slumped and she was staring at the ground sobbing. Farkle was next to her in an instant, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Riley leaned into him looking grateful for his presence.

Trying to calm himself, Pappy Joe nodded and sighed. "Maya, listen. I know this is hard to hear because I know how much you care about him." Maya scoffed at him. Who the hell is he to tell me who I care about? "I don't know what you think happened in there, and frankly it doesn't matter. What matters is that Lucas is hurt; hurt bad." He paused, and when he next spoke his voice sounded like it was on the edge of breaking. "He wasn't movin' and we couldn't get him to wake back up. We're gonna follow the ambulance in my truck so we can be there for him. Understand?"

Maya looked from Pappy Joe's old tear-soaked face to each of her friends waiting for someone to tell her this was a joke. Zay looked distraught. Farkle was watching her closely, looking like he was deep in thought. Riley was still crying. But no one was arguing with Pappy Joe. Finally she realized what was happening.

"No." She muttered in disbelief.

"But Maya…!" Riley shouted.

"I said no!" bellowed Maya, now backing away from her best friend.

"I can take 'em with me to the hospital, Joe," a comically southern voice cut in. "You can catch up after dropping this one off at the ranch." Cletus had arrived.

Pappy Joe looked at Maya's face and thought for a second before making his decision. Turning to his longtime friend he nodded. "You take care of 'em, Cletus, or I'll have your hide."

"You know I will, Joe. See you in a few." And with that he tipped his hat and left, the others following behind him closely. Riley didn't take her eyes off Maya until she was so far away she couldn't see her anymore.

Pappy Joe was looking at Maya with what looked like great sadness and concern. "C'mon darlin', let's get you back to the ranch," he rumbled quietly.

The time in between was a blur, but all the way back to Pappy Joe's ranch Maya's mind was racing. How could Lucas have been so stupid? She warned him. She told him this was dangerous. She told him he shouldn't go anywhere near that bull. Actually you told him you didn't want him anywhere near that bull. There's a difference. Shut up. You care about him. SHUT UP. You love – SHUT UP!

After what felt like hours of internal struggle, Pappy Joe finally parked the truck in the yard. He looked at Maya seated next to him. "Maya, you should really consider seeing Lucas," he murmured. "I understand it's hard, but he needs you… now more than ever. You're very important to him."

Maya was looking anywhere but at the grizzled man sitting next to her. She scoffed. "If I was so important to him he wouldn't have gotten on that bull," she muttered. "I told him I'd never speak to him again but he did it anyway. He obviously doesn't care that much about me. So why should I break my word for him?"

Pappy Joe sighed heavily and looked forward out of the truck's windshield, frowning at the dark clouds on the horizon. How poetic, he thought. "Sometimes, Maya… Sometimes people make their own decisions. Sometimes they decide to go away for a while, and sometimes it can take time to understand why." He paused as if to let what he just taught her sink in. Oh Lord, he's like a darker southern version of Matthews, she thought with disdain. Pappy Joe turned back to look at her. "But what I already understand is that that boy cares for you more than I've ever seen him care for anything or anyone." He gave Maya a small smile. "I see it in the way he looks at you… like you put the stars in his sky. Maybe he doesn't know it himself yet, but he will... with time. Now we're all just gonna have to pray that he gets that time."

With that last Pappy Joe gave her a meaningful look, reached across and threw open the door on her side. Maya rushed into the house so as not to get caught up by the storm. If she were being honest, right now she wanted to put as much distance between herself and Pappy Joe as she possibly could. She watched solemnly from the front door as he pulled out of the yard and headed back up the road toward his grandson.

Maya found a blanket thrown over the couch and wrapped herself up in it. She sat down with a heavy heart and began to cry. This isn't what was supposed to happen. She decided a long time ago that she was going to bury her feelings for Lucas for the rest of her life. She'd made peace with the fact that it was going to be Riley and Lucas forever, though admittedly she was the whole reason the two had bonded in the first place. Riley deserves her knight in shining armor. I deserve nothing. She learned this cold, hard fact the day her father left. Maya shivered from a sudden chill and wrapped the blanket tighter around her tiny frame. She had decided to dedicate her life to making sure Riley would have the very best, and maybe one day she could at least be happy with the knowledge that she helped make it happen. But now everything had all gone to shit and she was stuck in between her best friend and her best friend's happily ever after. Lucas was in the hospital, Riley was frightened and upset, and Maya might as well have shouted from the rooftops just how much she cared about the stupid cowboy. How could it all have fallen apart so fast? How could I possibly even begin to fix this?

Maya shook her head. There I go again, being selfish. Lucas is in the hospital and all I can think about are my damn feelings. She knew Riley was upset with her for not going with the rest of them. She couldn't blame her. Riley only wanted to support Lucas, but Maya was consistently letting her down on that front since arriving in Texas. Still, if Riley hadn't encouraged Lucas to ride the bull in the first place… But Maya shook her head even harder at that wretched thought. This isn't Riley's fault. We both signed him up for this; it's on both of us.

Then Maya remembered Zay's face at the arena and felt a rush of guilt. He looked so lost. He'd been nonchalant in the tent, but she knew it was just an act. Zay was always using humor to mask his fear and this time had been no different. Now his best friend was in critical condition because of a stupid joke she cooked up with Riley weeks ago. This is entirely my fault. Sure, it was Riley's idea, but I encouraged her because I can't leave well enough alone and I always go too far. She could almost hear Mr. Matthews reprimanding her right now. Maya found the idea of digging up more of Lucas's sordid Texas past irresistibly tenacious. She only wanted a little more dirt to tease him with, and if in the process she walked away having uncovered more truth about what he'd done to get expelled three years ago… well that would just be a bonus. My fault, my fault, my fault.

Maya thought back to Farkle and the calculating look he'd been giving her lately. He was the main reason Maya couldn't stomach going to the hospital. She was enraged with Lucas for ignoring her and getting on that bull, she was beside herself with guilt for getting them all in this situation to begin with, but most of all she was terrified that Farkle had seen right through her again. Ever since they were little Farkle was able to do whatever he set his mind to. Maya had the great displeasure of knowing this also included his innate ability to see through a façade.

- FLASHBACK -

Second Grade

"What's wrong, Maya?" Farkle piped up from his seat next to her at the lunch table. "You haven't eaten anything."

"I'm not hungry." Maya said dismissively, pushing her food around her tray. Her mom always used to tell her not to play with her food, but her mom didn't really say much of anything to her anymore. She always left for work before Maya woke up in the morning and got home long after she'd fallen asleep.

"But it's taco day! I thought you loved tacos!" He exclaimed. Now he was looking at her in that way she hated. Like she was a math problem on the board they were told to solve.

"Shut up, Farkle. And stop looking at me like that," Maya demanded.

"Like what?" He asked curiously.

"Like you want to fix me or something," she snapped back quietly. She felt a tear leak from the corner of her eye and turned to wipe it away quickly.

"I'm not trying to… I'm sorry." Farkle looked away, but then back again. "Are you sure you're okay, Maya? You've been really quiet today," he pressed.

Maya stood up and ran from the lunch room as fast as her short little legs could carry her. She had to get away from him, from this school… from everything.

Little did Farkle know that that day, so many years ago now, marked a full month since her father left she and her mother behind for reasons even Maya still didn't fully understand. Less than an hour ago he was looking at her the exact same way he had back then. If she went with the rest of them she wouldn't have been able to shake the feeling of that incessant penetrating gaze of his. She learned to control her emotions better over the years, but lately they'd been all over the place. Maya knew that she would've collapsed under the weight of everything that had happened in the past two hours, and the situation, now already at emergency levels, would have reached a boiling point. So Maya resolved that she couldn't see Lucas. Surely the others would be enough to comfort him. Riley especially would be a nice ray of sunshine to fix him up. If he survives, she thought with a deep dread. Lucas didn't need her. Nobody ever really needed Maya.

Thunder boomed in the distance drowning out her sobs. Maya curled into a ball and cried herself to sleep in the dark, the storm outside nothing compared to the one raging inside her heart.