A/N: Oh wow here I am starting another story. Lately, my mind has been flooded with ideas and if I don't put them into words I'm afraid I'll lose them. Also I'm really avoiding writing a court decision for a moot court competition and this was much more appealing. I'm going to try to be consistent with updating all three (Jesus what did I get myself into) of my stories, but with school being in session, I'll probably not have a set schedule or anything, but I do try to stick to my word of finishing what I start.

-o-o-o-

October, 1985.

Whether she be in Atlanta or New York, the one constant that she carried with her was the fact that autumn was her favorite season. While others claimed that the spring was the season of reawakening and new beginnings, Lux felt that autumn was when she truly came alive, when she started anew. Maybe it was the fact that she had spent twenty of her twenty-six years in school, and that the coming of autumn meant a new school year full of new classes and new opportunities to learn. Maybe it was because the crisp air and the vibrant colors of the leaves just before they fell awakened the darkest parts of her soul.

Upon her graduation from Columbia's law school that past May, she had taken on the habit of running – something she could not do between the classes, the intense studying, and the internships. Now that she had finally taken (and passed) New York's bar examination and had a steady job with consistent hours, she could afford herself the luxuries that she had deprived herself of for so long.

Though, she'd have to admit that the self-imposed deprivations paid off.

Despite the fact that, in 1982 when she first began law school, more and more females were being admitted to Columbia, Lux found herself to be only one of twelve women in her section. From the very first day she started law school, she knew that she would have to work hard to set her apart from not only the women in her class, but the men as well.

And that she did.

Perhaps it was Ruth Bader Ginsberg's win in the case Frontiero v. Richardson when Lux was ten, which was one of the three hundred gender discrimination cases Ginsberg had argued on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, that ignited in Lux a fire that could not be extinguished. From that moment on, she knew that she was destined to go to law school and be just like Ginsberg, and she worked even harder, spending many late nights pouring over her classwork, in order to become even half the lawyer that Ginsberg was.

Her efforts were not without merit. In fact, in 1985, not only did Lux graduate second in her class (she couldn't help but to be satisfied that the person who had the number one spot in her class was a woman rather than a man), and was able to serve as Vice Chancellor for the Moot Court team – helping to bring the team a victory in the criminal law competition.

Her classmates were surprised when Lux did not accept a firm job, which had been what most of the classmates strived for, and instead took a position in the New York branch at the very organization where Ginsberg had her success. Lux was determined to make a difference, and the best way she could do it was by working for an organization that fought for the rights of marginalized people in society. It did not matter to her that she was not being paid nearly as much as those who took the lucrative firm jobs. It was more rewarding to her to know that her efforts were going to a bigger cause – ensuring that the constitutional protections were extended to all, not just white men.

She took a pause from her run to check her watch. It was nearing 7:30 pm, and she silently cursed to herself – she was behind schedule. Afton hated it when she was late, but by now there was no avoiding it. It was going to take her a half hour just to get home from Central Park, and she still had to get ready – there was no way she was going to be on time for their 8:00 date. Groaning, she turned around and began her trek home.

Sometimes, she wondered what her mother would think of her running alone in the dark. To Lux, New York had been nothing short of a welcoming haven after being trapped in Georgia under the repressive watch of her mother and stepfather for eighteen years. To her mother, however, New York was a dirty cesspool infested with crime and "good for nothin' hoodlums." Lux was home for Christmas in 1984 when news of the subway vigilante shooting those boys broke out. Her entire trip consisted of disgusted looks from her mother, urging her to come back to Georgia where it was safe.

Lux just laughed at her and returned to New York to finish her last semester.

She had been in New York since she was eighteen, first getting her undergraduate degree from Columbia and then going on to get her law degree. The one thing she knew about her father, who died when she was just two years old, was the fact that he had been a lawyer. While that fact was not what determined whether Lux went to law school or not, she couldn't help but to feel some connection to the man she had never met when she, too, decided to pursue the profession. Though, Lux didn't consider herself too much of a sentimental person, and didn't give the man much more thought.

Somehow, Lux had cut five minutes off of her run from Central Park to her home. If it weren't for the fact that she was still going to be late, she would have been impressed with herself. When she opened the door to her apartment, her dutiful cat Ruth screamed at her, indicating that she had yet to be fed. Moving as quickly as she could, she filled the bowl. "Don't be such an ass," she muttered to the cat, who had recoiled when her owner tried to pet her.

From the corner of her eye, she saw that the light on her answering machine was blinking. The only person who called was her mother, and she rolled her eyes just thinking about the message that was waiting for her. I'm curious as to what you do with your time, Lux, she could hear her mother's voice chiding in her head. Well, Mari would just have to wait, Lux technically didn't have to call until their bi-weekly phone call that was scheduled in two days.

By the time 8:30 rolled around, Lux was nearly running into the Chinese restaurant where she and Afton met every Wednesday and Friday. When he saw her in the doorway, he sternly pointed a finger to his watch.

"Sorry," she said panting. "I was runnin', I lost track of the time."

"Running," he enunciated. As a man born and raised in the north, he still wasn't accustomed to her southern accent. "I really wish you would be more mindful. You were never late to class."

Lux hadn't told her mother about her relationship with Afton. In fact, she hadn't told many people about it. He was around twenty years her senior, and the only reason she met him was because he had been her Civil Procedure professor her first year of law school. She wasn't quite sure how her mother, or her peers, would react to the news that she had been dating one of her professors.

"I'm sorry," she said again, her breathing finally slowing down. "I'm just not so used to havin'…having this free time."

"I know for certain that you wouldn't come to work a half hour late," he continued, his eyes scanning the menu, though she knew that he was going to get what he always did. "We have very limited time together, and I thought you would cherish it."

Oh, and he was married. Which is why they only saw each other two times a week at a shifty restaurant on her side of the city, though at least two nights a week he'd stay late in his office where she could call him on the phone without fear of interference from his wife. He and his wife hated each other, Lux knew both by what he had told her and how the two of them acted whenever they were in public with one another. The only reason they were still married was because of the children, but Afton assured Lux that once the kids were old enough, he would be divorcing his wife.

She honestly didn't mind being the woman on the side, it actually worked quite well for her. It gave her the time to focus on her schooling and career, while still getting the attention (plus some really good sex) from one of the most coveted professors on the faculty. Yes, her mother would damn her to hell every day for the rest of Lux's life if she found out, but that was exactly why Lux didn't tell anyone about their relationship.

"I do cherish the time," she said, making herself look guiltier than she actually felt. "You know I do."

He softened, he couldn't be angry at her for long. "I'm sorry," it was his turn to apologize. He sighed. "You know how Willa can be. She was up my ass about where I go on Fridays."

"What did you tell her?" Lux asked, a look of apprehension on her face.

He looked a little pleased with himself. "I told her that I was staying overnight in the city because I was conducting a study session for the first years, and that I had a meeting in the morning with the Dean."

"Did she believe it?"

"Oh, she ate it up," he laughed. "I guess the fact that I'm pretty close to being made Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs is a factor on my side."

"Ugh," Lux groaned. "I wish they would just tell you you had the position already."

"Patience," he said, smiling. "I'll find out eventually."

-o-o-o-

Her Fridays with Afton was always the same. They'd eat at some restaurant (they alternated between four hear her neighborhood, where they knew that his wife nor any of the faculty at school would see them), and the entire time they ate they pretended as if they were two friends having a normal conversation. When it came time for them to walk back to her apartment, they would nearly run, until they were finally behind the threshold, running up the stairs leading to her third-floor walk-up where they'd finally be alone. He would spend the night, leaving at around 7:00 am Saturday morning, in time for him to make it back home to his family by 9:00 am.

She fumbled with her keys as she tried to unlock the door, with Afton close behind her, kissing her neck. Even to this day, he made her skin flush a furious shade of pink. "Back up," she said breathlessly. "I can't open the door."

Finally, she was able to do it. Every Friday was always the same, he would start undressing as she made them drinks. "Gin and tonic?" she asked, patting Ruth on the head as she nearly ran to the small kitchen, rummaging through her alcohol cabinet.

"As always," he replied, working on unbuttoning his shirt.

"Oh shit," Lux said, mid pour, remembering that her mother had left a message. "I have to listen to something real quick."

Afton laughed from the other room. "A message from your mother? That really puts me in the mood."

"Oh, shut up," she laughed, pressing play on the answering machine as she continued making drinks. Instead of her mother's familiar voice, there was a stranger's voice coming from the machine.

"Um, hello, Ms. Wheelan, this is Eric calling from Saint Elizabeth's Hospital for the Insane in Philadelphia. I'm calling about the status of your aunt. If you could please call us back at the following number, we would really appreciate it."

Lux froze. She didn't have an aunt. At first, she thought that this must be some mistake, but they had gotten her last name correct. "Did I hear that right?" Afton asked, walking into the kitchen. He was reduced to nothing but his undershirt and boxer shorts. "I thought you didn't have extended family?"

"I don't," she replied slowly. "I'm going to call them back to let them know they have the wrong number."

"Just leave it," he said, pulling her closer.

"But it's someone's aunt," she said. "Who's in an insane asylum. I don't think that's something that I could ignore."

"Fine," he said. "But don't take long."

Lux listened to the message again, being sure to take down the number that the man left. Quickly, she dialed the number, hoping that someone would be there to pick up even though it was nearly 10:00 at night.

"This is Eric at Saint Elizabeth's Hosp—"

"Oh, hi!" She said, as if she was talking to an old friend. "I was just callin' to tell you that I got a message from y'all and I think it was a mistake."

"Can I have your name please?"

"Lux, Lux Wheelan."

"I have you down as Jean."

"That's my first name," she said. "I go by my middle name."

"So, you're Jean, Jean Wheelan?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, we were calling to tell you that your aunt has been deemed suitable to live in public. I was wondering if you could be here by noon tomorrow to pick her up?"

"Okay, you see, there's a slight problem with that," she said. "I don't have an aunt."

"According to my files, you're her next of kin. You're also the only family member she has left."

"Are you sure?"

A disgruntled sigh came from the other end. For a few moments all she heard was the rustling of paper, until he finally came back on the line. "Yes, I am sure." He said. "Now, if you aren't going to pick her up, she's not going to have many other options—"

Lux couldn't help but to think of the homeless people she saw on the streets on her way to work, or on her run in Central Park. She wondered if this was how they got onto the streets – because they didn't have anyone there when they needed someone.

"Noon, you said?" Lux asked. "I'll be there by noon. Can you give me more information about my aunt?"

-o-o-o-

"This person could be a murderer, Lux." Afton said as he got out of his car once the two of them got to the train station. Despite the fact that he did not agree with what she was doing at all, he still agreed to lend her his car in order for her to make the two-hour trek to Philadelphia to pick up a woman she had never met before.

"I don't have a bad feeling about this," she said. "If I had a bad feeling, I wouldn't do it."

"I didn't realize you were a psychic," he replied sarcastically. "Use logic, Lux."

"This woman will be on the streets if it weren't for me." She protested. "I can't let that happen."

"I'm not going to let you get killed because you decided to play martyr."

"I highly doubt I'll be killed."

"Fine," he said, knowing that there was no point in fighting her. "As a compromise, don't crash my car."

"I'll be just fine." She winked before he walked into the station.

-o-o-o-

She could imagine the long drive to Pennsylvania as being much scarier if she didn't know how to read a map. For once in her life, Lux was grateful for her stepfather. For some bizarre reason, the man was obsessed with maps and had taught her and her half-siblings how to read them at a young age. "You can be as big of an idiot as you want," he told them. "But it'll be over my dead body that y'all don't know how to navigate yourselves."

She took the fact that her car ride had been smooth and without any disaster as an indication that this was going to go well. She was going to help a woman, a stranger no less, get back on her feet and the outcome was going to be rewarding for the two of them. She shoved Afton's doubts in the back of her mind – he was just so cynical that he couldn't comprehend people being good.

When she rolled up in front of the Hospital, she saw a man standing outside with a woman, whom she presumed was the woman that she'd be picking up. With a smile on her face, she unlocked the passenger door and opened it, before getting out of the car to open the trunk to put the woman's two small suitcases away.

If Lux had to guess, the woman was nearing sixty. She had dark hair, almost black (though there were noticeable flecks of gray in it), styled in a pixie cut. Despite the fact that she had been in a hospital for God knows how long, the woman was dressed sharply in black short-sleeved top and black slacks. If it weren't for the angered look on her face, Lux would think that the woman was in a perpetual state of mourning.

"It's been good to have you," the man told the woman as she settled in the passenger seat of the car. The woman said nothing in return.

As Lux drove away, the woman raised two middle fingers towards the man's retreating figure.

Lux was slightly taken aback, but refused to think about Afton's doubts again.

"So, Jean," Lux said slowly. "Jean Louise?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, call me Scout," the woman said, though she didn't sound angry. "Do you have a cigarette?"