Hello everyone that's reading this! I know I should be working on my other fics but I couldn't resist. I needed to start a new one! So here I am. As it says on the summary, it contains both Lucaya (romantic) and Joshaya (friendship). I hope you like it.

Update: this chapter has been edited by my awesome beta reader: I Was NotA Robot

HELP'S ON THE WAY

Chapter 1: The Offer

Words: 3321

It was her eyes that had always caught his attention. Since the first time he met Maya, all he saw were her eyes. He'd never thought someone's eyes could be so bright, so blue - so full of life.

He was eleven when he met her. He and his parents had come from Philadelphia to New York to celebrate his niece Riley's eighth birthday. Josh was excited. He loved spending time with her - even if she was a girl and girls were weird. So he bounced up and down in his seat all the to his brother's home, asking 'are we there yet?' to his mother every five seconds. Needless to say, after many hours of sitting in a car with him, both Amy and Allen wanted to kill little Josh, but he didn't even notice.

As soon as they reached their destination, Josh knocked enthusiastically on the door, his luggage in one hand and Riley's present- some Barbie with lots of accessories and a car- on the other. A blonde girl answered the door. She was tiny, and had the most beautiful eyes Josh had ever seen. He normally didn't pay attention to people's eyes - an eye was an eye, whatever the color - but it was impossible not to notice these ones.

"Who are you?" asked the girl, a confused look on her face. She was wearing a pair of jeans that were obviously too short for her and a red shirt, so faded it looked pink. Josh wondered why she wasn't wearing fancy clothes like him; after all, they came to a party.

"I'm Joshua Gabriel Matthews," he answered, showing the blue-eyed girl his smile, which was missing the front teeth. "Who are you?"

"I'm Maya Penelope Hart. Are you related to Riley?" she asked him. "Because I'm Riley's best friend."

"Well, I'm Riley's uncle."

Just then, he heard two voices- his niece's and a boy's- yelling, asking where someone called 'Peaches' was.

"I'm here, Riles!" Maya answered.

So she's the so-called Peaches, thought Josh. But I thought her name was Maya. Why would they call her that? Riley was running to Maya- a little boy with glasses on her heels- when she saw her uncle.

"Uncle Josh! You're here!" she exclaimed and went to hug her. Maya, or Peaches, seemed hurt Riley didn't knowledge her. "Grandpa and Grandma too!"

"Yes! Happy Birthday, Riley!" Josh gave her the pink present he carried in his right hand. His niece opened it and squealed loudly, giving the three newcomers another hug. "Maya, Farkle, look; it's the new set of Malibu Barbie and all of her friends! Thank you so much Uncle Josh!"

Josh studied the blonde girl, who was smiling next to Riley. She didn't seem too happy, though; she was looking at his niece's gift sadly and her ocean-blue eyes didn't shine as bright as they did before. Josh couldn't help but think again of how her clothes seemed so old compared to Riley's shiny purple dress. Maybe it has something to do with that. Maybe her Mommy and Daddy couldn't afford a present like that for her birthday, he thought. For an eleven-year-old, Josh was really quite perceptive. He would have wanted to do something- those eyes should never be allowed to look like that - but he had spent all of his allowance money on a Nerf gun.

He had neither the time money nor the time to help her before Cory and Topanga came to the living room too, with little baby Auggie in the latter's arms. While Amy and Alan went to greet their youngest grandson, Josh noticed his big brother discreetly give Maya a tiny box with crayons.

"What's this for, Mr. Matthews?" she asked wide-eyed. "It's not my birthday."

"I know, Maya, but I thought you deserved a nice present too."

And even though it wasn't half as big as Riley's gift, the blonde's eyes began to shine again.

…..

The years passed and Josh didn't see much of blue-eyed Maya. Due to a variety of motives, he and is parents traveled to New York only once, for Thanksgiving when Josh was thirteen. Not like he didn't get to see his family, though; Riley, Auggie, Topanga, and Cory took the car to Philadelphia every possible occasion. But seldom were the times when they brought the blonde with them. Riley told Josh once that the reason her best friend didn't come with then often was because Maya's mom didn't have enough money and she didn't like it when Cory paid for her. That only confirmed Josh's suspicion about the blonde's economic situation.

That's why, when Josh was seventeen and traveled to New York for Christmas, he didn't expect how much Maya had changed. Yes, she was still short and blonde and had the same eyes that startled him every time but she was different. Or maybe Josh had always been so focused on her eyes that he had never realized how pretty she really was. She had become seriously attractive - especially for a thirteen-year-old - and he couldn't help but saying something about it.

"Boy, you grew up gorgeous."

He never thought it would bring him so much trouble. Maya's eyes lit up almost as bright as the Matthew's Christmas tree and Josh knew he had done wrong. He liked Maya, but not romantically. Even if he had felt even a little attracted to her, he knew it wasn't going to happen. Josh was a realist; he knew they lived in completely different worlds. And he also knew that even if he let himself feel something, in the end, it would only hurt her. And Josh refused to be the reason her blue eyes were filled with sadness.

So he shot her down every single time she approached him during a whole year before she finally moved on.

…

At first, he didn't notice what was going on. Maya still flirted with him and called him 'Uncle Boing' and he completely bought it. Until he saw her eyes. They didn't shine as brightly as they did before. As soon as he noticed, Josh got worried. Something had to be seriously wrong with the blonde if she wasn't totally hyped about seeing her 'more than just a crush'. For weeks he thought about it, inventing theories that went from Katy being bankrupted toMaya being kidnapped by aliens.

It wasn't until Riley and Maya's middle school graduation that he finally realized what was going on. Due to him studying at NYU, he could easily go to John Quincy Adam's Middle School Graduation. It was held in the gym, where they placed a stage with a podium and lots of chairs for the people.

After the ceremony (Riley had won the 'School Spirit Award'), he went to greet his brother, along with Topanga and Auggie. Then, he walked to where he niece stood, talking to four friends- Maya among them.

"Hey guys," Josh greeted the five people, four of whom he knew. "Congratulations! You finally graduated middle school!"

"Thanks, Uncle Josh!" Riley hugged him.

Then he turned to Maya but she barely gave him a,

"Hey, Uncle Boing! I'm glad the NYU girl could take your paws off you enough time for you to come!" before she resumed her previous conversation with Mr. Howdy. Or better yet, her bickering.

"We've been over this a thousand times, Maya. Just because I come from Texas doesn't mean I'm a complete cowboy," Howdy was saying. Josh was sure his name started with L - Liam, Luke, or something like that - but he couldn't be sure.

Maya grinned at him, her eyes so bright they seemed a little bit blue-er than usual. She stood on her tiptoes, so their height difference didn't seem so huge. "You rode a bull, Bucky McBoing Boing. And a sheep. That's about as cowboy as it gets."

And that's when Josh understood it. Maya's eyes didn't light up with him because she didn't like him anymore; she liked this Howdy/Cowboy/Bucky McBoing Boing guy. Even if he knew he shouldn't meddle- this was strictly their business - he wanted to help her. He wanted her blue eyes to shine even brighter than they did now. And, after all, butting in was a family trade almost every single Matthews possessed.

When Howdy, Turtleneck, and the other guy- Josh still didn't know his name- left to their houses and Riley went to talk to her dad, Josh approached Maya. She looked beautiful in her red dress and matching heels. She also wore, for any apparent reason, a cowboy hat on top of her blonde hair.

"What's up with the hat?" he asked her.

"Lost a bet with Lucas," she replied. So that's the name of the cowboy: Lucas. "What's up with your hat?"

"I'm not wearing a hat."

"Exactly my point. I think I had never seen you without a beanie before. I had started to think it was attached to your head."

"Well, this is a formal thing. I had to dress up a little."

"It suits you, Uncle Boing." Even if she didn't like him anymore like that, Maya had to admit that Josh looked really good in his dark blue suit.

"Speaking of Boings," Josh started. "I see you've replaced me. I'm not the only Boing in your life." He acted hurt and wiped an imaginary tear from his face.

"What you're jealous of Huckleberry now? Because you are the only Boing I want to marry."

"Am I?" he asked; he was tired of jokes and small talk; he was wanted to get to the point directly. "Because I'm pretty sure you like Bucky McBoing Boing even more than me."

"I do not like Lu…" Maya started to deny it until she saw him raising his eyebrows at her; he knew. There was no escaping it. "Am I that obvious?"

Josh decided not to mention the profound study he conducted on her eyes. He didn't want her to think of him as a creep. "You're not the only one that focuses on the little details," he said at last. "And I want to help you get together with Bucky."

"You what?!" Maya asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because, Maya, I care about you and you deserve to be happy. I don't want Lucas to be in your dungeon of sadness, too; one guy is more than enough. So are you going to accept my help or what?"

She hesitated; should she? It was a stupid idea - to seek help from the guy you once liked to seduce the once you currently liked - and it was probably going to end really badly but, who cares? Maya had never been one to worry about the consequences before. "I'm in."

…..

Due to their family waiting in the car that night, they couldn't discuss specifically of what was going to happen and what they were going to do. So they set up a meeting- not a date, extract business- a week after their graduation. Due to their plan being a secret, Topanga's wasn't an option; instead, they chose to meet at a little café at NYU Josh and his friends usually frequented.

"Hey, Josh," greeted Maya breathlessly as soon as she arrived; the subway had been late so she had to ran to be on time. Normally, she wouldn't have cared about her punctuality but the curiosity about Josh's offer had gotten the best of her. "I'm here. Now, tell me what you've got."

"Not much really. Just some ideas here and there. It's not like this is all I'm thinking about all day; I go to college, you know?" That was a lie, a big, fat one. He had been obsessing a bit over Maya's problem, though he would never admit it out loud. "But first, you need to tell me what the story with Lucas is. Does he know that you like him? Does Riley know?"

That was one thing he had been wondering about for a while. The few times he had been in the same room with both Riley and Lucas, he had thought it was his niece who had been dating him. Lucas had even taken her on her first date! So he didn't get why all of the sudden the blonde began liking the cowboy. Girls were so complicated.

Maya started talking, telling Josh everything that had happened; from the first time both girls met Lucas in the subway, to Texas and the almost kiss, to Riley stepping back, to finally Farkle uncovering her secret. She started with hesitation but realized, as she spoke, that it felt really good to finally speak to someone about everything. With her best friend, Lucas was kind of like a taboo- something they never ever even dared talk about. There was always Farkle, but the blonde knew that he would probably end up telling Riley everything Maya told him and Zay couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"So…let me get this straight. Riley and you are having an unspoken fight about the same guy, who has tried to make a move on both of you. And because you love each other so much, you tried to step back for her and she tried to step back for you. Am I right?" Maya slowly nodded, her eyes filled with gloom and guilt. "And you don't even know how Lucas feels."

"That seems about right, Uncle Boing. Now, do you have any advice for me? I'm assuming the three years you have on me make you somehow wiser than me."

Oh, boy. This is going to be harder than I expected. For starters, helping the blonde would mean go against his niece, his own blood. Second, he didn't know where the hell to start; this whole romantic triangle- square if you included Farkle- was way too complex for him to handle it on his own. He needed outside help and Josh knew exactly who to ask.

He took out his phone and dialed a number. Maya looked at him puzzled and mouthed 'what do you think you're doing?' but he motioned her to wait. After three tones, the person on the other side of the call answered.

"Hey, Jasmine, I've got a problem. Could you meet us at the usual café? I'll explain everything later."

"Josh, what's up? Is everything alright? And who's us?" Jasmine asked quickly.

"You'll see. I'll explain as soon as you arrive," he paused for a moment. "And before you ask, yes, you can bring Andrew with you."

"'Kay. We'll be there in five." She hung up.

"All set! Help's on the way!" Josh grinned at the blonde, though she didn't reciprocate. Instead, she slapped in hard on his arm.

"You moron! What did you do that for? This supposed to be between the two of us. This isn't anyone else's business, especially your friend's!"

"Trust me, Jasmine knows about this stuff. She'll probably give you better advice than I could ever do. Besides, she and Andrew won't tell a soul. Who would they tell anyways? Don't worry, Maya. I only want what's best for you."

She opened her mouth to talk. Then closed it and opened it again afterward. Needless to say, she didn't know how to respond. "I…guess its fine, then," the blonde said at last.

They sat in silence, waiting for Josh's friends to arrive for what seemed like forever. Finally, Jasmine and Andrew arrived; the first one wearing a Power Puff Girls tank top and shorts and the latter carrying a black purse. Both of them were breathing heavily as if they had run all the way to the café. As soon as Jasmine saw who accompanied Josh, her eyebrows rose so high they almost fell off her face.

"Maya Hart," she said; her voice full of shock. "I didn't think I'd see you again. Not in a long time, at least. What are you doing here? Still trying to win Josh over?"

"Not anymore," she answered sincerely.

"Young Maya here is having some boy trouble and she has come to me seeking for help," said Josh and the blonde smacked him in the arm, yet again. "Okay, okay. Maybe I offered to help her."

"But then she told you what the problem was and you realized it was too much for you, so you called me," stated Jasmine and Josh nodded, his head down. She turned to face the blonde. "So what's wrong, Maya?"

The blue-eyed teenager started talking though she wasn't about to tell the whole story again; after all, she had just told the whole thing to Josh not even ten minutes ago. So she cut it short and just told her the bigger picture, trying not to get into much detail. However, Jasmine interrupted her so many times to ask her specifics that she probably ended up telling her every second of her life during the last two years.

"I'm so confused right now," commented Andrew when Maya finished her narration. "What's a Farkle exactly?"

"C'mon, it's not that hard to get," said Jasmine, lacing her hand with her boyfriend's. "And, if you ask me, it's pretty obvious what's going on."

"Care to enlighten the rest of us?" asked Josh; he was angry that Jasmine had gotten what he didn't, even if this was her area of expertise.

"Maya likes Lucas. Riley likes Lucas. But Lucas only likes Maya. I think—" she was interrupted by the blonde

"How can you tell? You haven't even met Huckleberry!" she protested.

"I can tell. And, now, if you let me finish, I'm going to tell you my theory," the three of them nodded in unison. "I think Lucas used to like Riley; she made him feel welcomed here and whatever. But I do think he had always felt a little bit attracted to Maya, as you can see with the unnecessary touching and the flirty teasing…"

"It's not flirty!" complained Maya.

"Please, Maya, don't kid yourself; we all know it is. So anyway, I think after the date and that kiss with Riley, he realized he liked her more as a friend though he wouldn't admit it."

"Why not?" asked Andrew puzzled.

"Because Riley was the obvious choice for his New York self, 'Lucas the Good'. I think, without realizing it, he started to fall for you, Maya. That's why his first reflex in the campfire was trying to kiss you. But he didn't because he hasn't come to terms with his feelings yet. And also, because he feels like he owes something to Riley. You should talk to Riley, sit face to face and pour everything you're feeling out."

"In your bay window," added Josh cheerfully. He was feeling really optimistic about this whole situation.

"But I can't! If I tell Riley, she'll just step back again and sacrifice her happiness for me. Besides, we're not even sure Ranger Rick likes me."

"Then I guess we have to figure it out." Jasmine replied.

"How exactly?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm right, but I think that to prove my thesis, we would have to witness an interaction between the three of you. How Lucas acts around with Riley, versus how he acts with you."

"Are you suggesting we go spy on them?" asked Andrew in disbelief. At least that much he understood.

"I wouldn't say spy exactly, but…"

Maya wasn't really keen on the idea of three college guys - one of them her best friend's uncle and her ex-crush- spying on her and her friends while they hung out, but if it could help her solve her problems, maybe it was worth it. She was so tired of the unresolved tension that this awful triangle had created.

"Are you sure this will help?"

"You can trust me, Maya. I'm majoring in psychology. And I love celebrity gossip. I know about this kind of stuff."

What did you think? Please favorite, follow and review. I have chapter 2 ready and I'm currently writing chapter 3 so my updates won't take too long. But, to be honest, I do need some kind of encouragement. iF I recieve no comments, I'll probably won't be as anxious to update. So beware :)