Her Protector

Detective Lucas Friar

New York City. March 22, 2030. 7:15 PM

"Come on, Zay. Where are we going?" Lucas asked as Zay drove Lucas to their destination.

"Lucas, I can't tell you. This is a surprise. If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise. Do you get what I'm saying?" Zay asked turning the steering wheel and turned to Lucas, noticing him trying to remove his blindfold from off of his face. "What are you doing? Don't do that. I don't want you taking anything off.

"But I can't see a thing." Lucas said.

"That's the whole point." Zay said to the young patrolman now promoted detective as he stops in front of his house in Long Island, stepping out of the car to help Lucas out. After stepping out of the car, Zay led Lucas up the stairs on the porch and to the front door, taking Lucas' house keys from out of his pocket to unlock the door. As they opened the door, Lucas and Zay stepped inside the house with Lucas removing his blindfold from off of his face only to notice that the whole room is dark.

"Zay, unless I didn't pay Con Ed or might be expecting something. You must be up to something, aren't you?" Lucas asked.

"Why would I be up to something?" Zay asked as Lucas began to feel his way to the light switch, flipping it on and sees a group of people standing in the living room, with a banner hung on the doorway that reads "Congratulations, Lucas!". Everyone was there to celebrate Lucas' promotion to detective. It was a celebration for him. Close friends from school including Maya and her husband Josh, Farkle and his wife Isadora, Lucas' beautiful wife for seven years Yvonne. Zay's wife Vanessa, his family and friends from the police force who are on their off-hours with their wives and their children.

"SURPRISE!" Everybody shouted.

"Congrats to your promotion, buddy!" Zay cheered and stuck a cigar in Lucas' mouth.

"Wow, I can't believe that Huckleberry is now a detective. Does that mean you'll be using your "Texas Ranger"-style fighting on them?" Maya asked sipping some Cran-mango juice from a red solo cup.

"Hey, at least I'll be in plainclothes." Lucas said.

"Well, I just want to say that I am proud of my husband for being promoted to detective." Yvonne said as Lucas hooks her into his arms and gives her a full-blown kiss on the lips with everyone in the whole room starts hooting and hollering with somebody from the police fore doing a wolf whistle as Billy Ross, one of Lucas' friend in the police force took a picture of the two of them.

"Alright, guys. Alright, you two. Break it up. Save it for the bedroom. Your friends and family are here." Said Lt. Michael Keegan as he walked over to Lucas and Yvonne. "Lucas, I want you to have this. Now, I know that you'll be holding the police-issued snub nosed .38 but since you're from Texas and everybody in Texas have a gun. I'm sure if it's true, but I bought you a gift just to congratulate you."

Lt. Keegan hands Lucas a box. The young detective opens the box, only to see a Colt .45 1911 Nickel-plated pistol with two clips.

"This used to be my gun while I was a detective on the force. I want you to have it." Lt. Keegan said.

"Wow, thank you sir. Looks nice." Lucas said.

"Just don't wave that thing around and fire it up in the air like they do in Westerns." Lt. Keegan joked as everybody laughed. Later during the party, Lucas, Josh, Zay, Farkle and Billy were sitting downstairs in the entertainment room watching the Mets/Reds game on Lucas' 55-inch television while their wives are upstairs talking to each other and their children are playing. Farkle gets up from the couch and walks over to the bar, grabbing himself a bottle of Samuel Adams Boston Lager and hands Lucas a can of Cherry Sprite soda. Lucas was on the wagon for six years. After his break up with Riley, Lucas started drinking heavily while he was in the police academy with Farkle, Josh, Zay and Billy. When he met Yvonne, she helped him stop drinking, she was there for him ever since.

"So Lucas, have you and Yvonne ever thought about having some little Ranger Ricks running around the house?" Billy asked sipping his beer.

"Yvonne and I haven't talked about having children yet. She's been busy helping Senator Hastings on the campaign trail and I'm busy fighting crime on the streets of New York." Lucas said as Farkle hands him his soda.

"Oh, come on. You're thirty years old and Yvonne is thirty-five years old. It's about time for you guys to have children. I mean, look at me and Maya. We have a little girl and we're raising her. I'm busy with my job in the force and Maya is also busy with her art and we still have time to raise a child." Josh said.

"Hey, you are lucky to be married to Yvonne. She helped you stop drinking after you and..." Zay stopped talking so he won't mention her name after Josh, Farkle and Billy stared at him. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay, Zay. I'm okay. No need to mention her. Besides, she's got an excellent job now and she's with somebody that she loves. I'm telling you guys, Riley Matthews and I are history. Sorry, Josh. I know that she's your niece and I used to date her." Lucas said.

"I know." Josh said.

"Did you talk to her?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah. Maya and I talked to her last week. We had lunch with her and Charlie at their new penthouse." Josh said.

"How is she doing?" Lucas asked walking over to the bar to get some chips.

"Well, she's doing alright." Josh said.

"Did she ever mention me?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah. She wanted to know it you were safe out there on the streets." Josh said.

"Well, I'm glad that she's doing good in her life." Lucas walks back to the couch.

"I've read that Riley is planning on working on a new romance novel." Farkle said. "Smackle couldn't get enough of reading her stories and...are you kidding me?! How is that a strike! You stupid son of a bitch!"

"Easy, buddy. Easy." Lucas said calming down Farkle.