It's been years! So here's a fic I wrote a long time ago, but had never finished until now.

It was one minute to midnight and she was glad he was standing here. There was a light feeling in Lucas's heart as he heard the words, reminding him of how he felt back in Texas. The moment where they stood under his hometown sky with bodies close and faces lit only by stars and the light of the crackling campfire would remain etched in his mind. It was the day he realized he had a chance with Maya, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't let that thought linger in his mind most nights since that day. Before that moment all he knew was that Riley liked him and she was who he was supposed to be with eventually….if they ever got out of that unofficial thing they'd seemed to be frozen in. But then there was Maya. She had turned everything upside down and he didn't mind. Much like he didn't mind hearing that she was glad he was standing here.

Knowing that she still liked him was enough. He smiled at the blonde wondering what more changes the night could bring. There was something going on between him and Maya tonight and he could feel a strong pull in his heart. The more he stared at Maya the more the new year countdown became but a distant sound. Then like a rock to a mirror his thoughts were shattered as Farkle spoke words that changed everything again. With disappointment on his face, Lucas turned to Maya knowing in his heart they had lost their chance.

Running through Central Park wearing a tuxedo on an overwhelmingly sunny day in May was not a very comfortable activity. Lucas would have much rather skipped pictures in the park, but his friends had insisted. They wanted unforgettable moments but in his opinion prom would be enough. Unfortunately, the day was not going well for him so far. The dry cleaners had misplaced his suit and had taken longer than expected to find it and now he was late. By the time he reached his house to change, his phone was already chiming with texts from Zay asking where he was.

Lucas began to carefully search among the crowds of unfamiliar faces strolling through the park. Most of them, no doubt, wondering why a teenage boy was running in a tux.

Soon he saw his small group of friends all dressed up and looking ready for prom. Upon seeing him Zay immediately started shaking his head disappointedly.

"Where have you been? I called you five times and you didn't answer! This is supposed to be our night. How could you possibly be late to our prom pictures? Did we say 4'o clock? NO! We specifically said 3pm! You. are. one. hour. late." Zay yelled in ear like Lucas had almost missed the most important day of their lives. Lucas rolled his eyes.

He pushed past him then stopped dead in his tracks. Maya stood in a long white and black dress and she was absolutely stunning…so much so that Lucas was sure his lungs forgot how to function. All he could do was stare speechless at his girlfriend.

"Hey quit staring, Huckleberry."

"Y-you- look I- I- you just….wow." Lucas stumbled unable to come up with the right sentence that could even come close to how amazing she looked.

Maya smirked at his attempt and pulled him in by her side but not before letting her eyes linger a little longer on him. "You look wow too."

"Guys! We have to start taking pictures otherwise we're going to be late." Riley exclaimed.

They took pictures in different poses. Selfies and occasionally bothering strangers to take the group pictures.

Lucas put his hands up in a gun position. "The names Friar. Lucas Friar."

Zay started laughing. "You think you you look like James Bond? You look more like-"

"Huckleberry bond!" Maya exclaimed.

"Yes. Huckleberry bond."

"They call him Bonnnnnd….Huckleberry Bond!" Zay and Maya sung and were soon being joined by the others.

Lucas shook his head but laughed along with his friends.

After a few more pictures, Maya kicked off her heels and climbed on top of one of the large rocks. "I'm hungry. You know what's a good idea? I say we go get pizza and forget about prom. We don't need it. Pizza night! Who's with me?"

Riley gasped at the heels Maya had left on the ground. "Maya! You put these heels back on. This is our night to remember. We're going to create memories that will last a lifetime."

Riley continued on her rant about prom but Lucas wasn't listening. He was too busy gazing at Maya who was standing against the evening sun. The sun-setting light shining perfectly against her hair and skin. She was glowing gold. Lucas took out his phone to take a picture because he never wanted to forget how damn beautiful she looked in that moment. And out of all the photographs they had taken that day, this was his favorite one.

It was one minute to midnight and the last song was playing. His hands were on her waist and her arms were around his neck.

They had been dancing the whole night and as the night was coming to an end Lucas couldn't help but be reminded that he had wasted so much time making stupid mistakes that kept them apart. In her arms was exactly where he belonged and he never wanted to leave. Without any hesitation Lucas leaned in to kiss her, loving the sweetness of her lips. As memories with Maya flashed through his mind, her lips still on his, his heart felt aflame, nothing like he felt before and that's when he became absolutely certain that he and Maya were meant to be. When their lips parted Lucas brushed his lips against her cheek towards her ear to whisper the three words he held in his heart. "I love you."

Just then the song came to an end and Lucas slowly dropped his arms and began to lead them away from the dance floor. However, before he took another step Maya grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a kiss then whispered into his ear, "I love you too." Lucas would never forget that moment for the rest of his life.

It was one minute to midnight and Lucas was walking out the door. He could hear the footsteps of the chaotic blonde chasing after him. She yelled insults obviously not caring that she was waking up all the neighbors. They'd been arguing for the past half and hour and it was bad. They weren't listening to each other and it seemed to have turned into a competition of who could yell louder. Lucas made his way down the stairs. He shouldn't have come here in the first place. He stormed out of the building and pushed to look back at Maya possibly for the last time. She stopped following him and stood by the building door. Her angry demeanor was gone and only a calm expression remained.

"If you want to leave, you should. I'm not going to stop you." She said before turning away and heading back up the stairs.

Lucas turned away and hopped into his old blue pick up truck ready to turn on the engine and drive away.

Lucas took the keys, but he paused and through his rear view mirror he looked at the building then at the road and back once again at the building. Realizing what he would be leaving behind he let the keys fall and buried his head into his arm against the steering wheel.

After sitting alone in his car for 20 minutes he came to the conclusion he couldn't leave. He couldn't just drive off into a road that would take him away from Maya. Now that he was calm he could see now how both wanted to protect each other but during the argument one word had led to another and it all spun out of control. So he couldn't leave…he didn't want to. He didn't need more time to think about it and rushed out of his car and back into the building.

Lucas knocked on Maya's door desperately.

"Maya I'm sorry. Please. I shouldn't have left. I shouldn't have said all those things that hurt you."

"You just wanted to protect me. I was just being stubborn. I don't want to leave. I never want to leave. I want to be there by your side for as long as I can because I love you. If there's anything this argument told me is that I love you so much and I'd be an idiot if I actually left."

Lucas's voice got quieter. "It's okay if you're still mad at me. I can give you some space for a while."

When the door didn't open as he expected, Lucas sighed and slid down the apartment door. "Okay."

The next morning he awoke on the floor looking up at Maya who was giving him a quizzical look. "What are you doing here? Did you stay here the whole night?"

Lucas stood up quickly. "I did. I just wanted to apologize and then I couldn't leave anymore so I stayed. Look Maya I'm sorry. I know you're just worried about me. You're right. We don't need the money that desperately. I don't need to move to Texas for a good job. I don't need a job where I'll mostly be riding bulls and giving lessons to adrenaline junkies. You're right. I know I can find something else here. We can work it out some other way. Together." He held out his hand.

Maya stared at his hand then back up to meet Lucas's eyes. "I'm still upset."

Just as Lucas was about to put his hand down Maya took it and Lucas wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry about everything I said." Maya said into his chest.

"That's okay." Lucas said as he held her tighter.

The longer they stood there together the more the memory of what had happened the night before faded.

It was one minute to midnight and there were a million stars in the sky. Lucas and Maya swayed to the music under the string lights that competed against the star illuminated Texas sky. With foreheads touching, wide smiles and intertwined fingers they continued to dance surrounded by their guests. Just hours ago they had become husband and wife. During the ceremony Lucas told Maya that though they had spent many years together already, his love for her continued to grow. He knew he loved her when they were just kids yet he could feel himself falling in love over and over as each day passed. He told her how she has been the best thing that's ever happened to him and he vowed to protect, respect and love her forever. Lucas vowed to be by her side through everything they would experience. He vowed he would do everything in his capacity to make sure she was happy because her happiness was what he cared about the most.

A few years into the future, on a summer night, Lucas woke up to a movie of a heroic princess playing on the tv screen. He'd seen it a million times and could tell it was coming to an end. He reached over his wife to retrieve the remote from the side table and turned off the tv. Though the room was dark he could still see the shapes and feel the warmth of bodies next to him. The city lights outside casting enough light for him to look at the beautiful humans next to him. Maya under his arm, sleeping in the crook of his neck, her hand holding the small hand of their two year old son who laid peacefully on Lucas's lap. On Lucas's other side a small 5 year old blonde slept, head on his ribcage. He gently kissed his wife's head before allowing himself to fall asleep again.

It was one minute to midnight….
and everything was exactly as it should be.