This is my first GMW story and I'm sorry it's so sad, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone. I cried a bunch writing this. Enjoy.

Lucas Friar made his way down the aisle of the auditorium until he found a good seat in the second row right in the center.

He thought that maybe they were coming a little too early, but he'd rather be early than late. He wasn't the only parent with that idea either, so she had given him her jacket and teddy bear, hugged him tight, and bounded off towards her teacher, her dance bag on her shoulder and her little tutu flouncing.

He couldn't believe she was so big. It seemed like it was just yesterday that he had held her for the first time but here she was, heading to kindergarten in the fall.

This was her first dance recital. She was so excited to finally wear a pretty costume and dance with all her friends on stage 'like a big girl' (at Christmas time, the older students at her dance school had but on a show but the three to four year old class was not involved. They did, however, have a little show for the parents instead of class one day). Dancing made her so happy. He was glad she loved it so much.

He put her jacket and bear in a seat to save it for Farkle and sat beside it. Farkle was the only one of his friends able to attend as everyone else had some sort of conflict. They were devastated but Farkle was bringing a nice camera to film it so they could all see it.

Lucas looked at the program be had been given. Spring Into Dance! was apparently the theme of the recital and it was printed in bold curly letters on the cover along side flowers and butterflies. He opened the book and after a page of thank yous started the listing of classes and the songs they would be dancing to. It went by age, thankfully. His daughter's class was second in the book, following the littlest dancers that came out with their moms.

He skimmed down the "Little Stars- Ballet: ages 3-4" page until he found his daughter. Faith Friar. He smiled. What a little star she was indeed.

Faith was adorable, enthusiastic, and passionate. She loved with her whole heart. And she was so smart, it amazed him. She was curious. She was silly. She was sweet. She was everything he had hoped for in a child and more.

He took a picture of her name in the program on his phone. He was certain the program would be put in her memory box but he wanted to keep it, at least a picture, forever too. This was a big day for his baby girl.

He flipped through the program just to see what the other classes would be performing and how old the oldest students were. If Faith liked it, she could stay in dance at that school until she was a senior in high school, which seemed such a long way a way but he knew she would be that big in a moment. There was still plenty of time left before the recital started, so Lucas checked his phone.

Slowly, more people began to trickle into the auditorium and the noise level grew. More people filled in the second row.

"Hey," a voice said, making Lucas look up. It was Farkle, holding a video camera and a little bouquet of daisies.

"Hey," Lucas replied, pulling Faith's jacket and bear into his lap so his friend could sit. "Faith is going to be so excited you came."

"I wouldn't miss it." Farkle replied with a smile, sitting down. He held up the bouquet of yellow flowers. "Does Faith like daisies?"

Lucas chuckled. "I don't know, I think she's a little too young to have a favorite flower. She likes them all."

"So she'll like this?"

"Yup." Lucas promised.

"Good,"

"Farkle, you are the first boy to ever get my girl flowers." Lucas pointed out.

"It's an honor." Farkle told him. "Didn't you get her flowers?"

"I was going to, but then I saw this. It'll last a lot longer." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box and opened it. It was a silver ballet slipper necklace with tiny pink gems on the center of each shoe.

"She's going to love that." Faith loved sparkles. There was glitter all over Lucas' apartment in quantities unimaginable just from her toys and clothes. She also loved pink.

"I hope so," Lucas replied, slipping the box back into his pocket. "It kind of reminded me of something she might have gotten from..." he took a deep breath. "Her mom."

Farkle smiled sadly. "You know she'd be right next to you, so excited to see her dance."

Lucas nodded. She would have been, if she were able to.

Almost five years ago, Faith was born in the middle of June and it had been one of the happiest days in her parents' lives. Everything happened as it was supposed to and both mother and baby were totally healthy. Faith came home the day after being born. Her parents loved her to death. Having a little princess of their own was magical and amazing and everything was right with the world.

Until Faith's mother got sick a few weeks later.

The doctors said not to worry, that it was a cold or the flu and it would pass. And they listened. But one day, her fever spiked scarily high and she wasn't acting right and Lucas could think only to take her to the emergency room. After testing for everything under the sun, it turned out she had caught some sort of infection after Faith was born and it had been missed. They started treating her for it right away, but it had been so long, they weren't sure how much good it would do.

She wasn't contagious, so Lucas could stay with her and she could snuggle her daughter. After two days, she had become weaker and she started saying things that scared Lucas to death.

"You take good care of my baby, okay?"

"I'll love you forever. Never forger that."

"Tell Faith everyday how much I love her."

"Please don't cry. Everything will be okay."

She asked to see Faith again, so her mother brought her up to the hospital. She whispered lots of things to her that no one else could hear. She kissed her and hugged her and told her she loved her.

Later that day, only after she made a very shattered Lucas promise her that Faith would get to grow up in New York, she took her last breath.

Lucas had been devastated. Everyone was. He couldn't remember anything about the funeral or even what kind of infection she had. He didn't want to remember. He wanted to remember her just as she was in life. Not sick. Just, full of life.

Lucas looked down at his lap.

"You know she'd be shoving a picture of Faith in her tutu at everyone, so proud of her." Farkle said, to try and make light of the moment.

Lucas laughed a little.

"She'd be proud of you too." Farkle said quietly. "I know she would."

Lucas fiddled with the zipper on Faith's little jacket. Farkle dropped it.

The lights dimmed suddenly, as the show was about to start.

Nearly every seat in the little auditorium was filled, yet for some reason, the seat on Lucas' other side remained empty.

Faith's class came on about halfway through. They were in little fairy costumes dancing to some song from one of the animated movies she liked. Lucas recognized the song as one his little girl sang around the house.

Faith was fifth in from the left of twelve little dancers. She knew the steps, and it showed, albeit a little clumsily. Some of the little girls seemed to have no idea what they were doing. The girl to Faith's right was following Faith's movements.

The smile on Faith's face as she pointed her toes and twirled around and skipped was genuine. She was having so much fun up there. Her happiness was contagious.

At the end of the song, the audience clapped as they did following every performance, but he and Farkle both stood up to cheer for her. She had done an incredible job and they wanted her to know they were there.

Faith saw them both and waved, making a few people chuckle, before curtseying and walking off stage with her class.

After the recital was over, Lucas and Farkle waited near where Lucas had dropped Faith off for her. A bunch of other families were waiting for their kids too.

"Daddy!" Faith cried happily, running towards Lucas.

"Faith!" Lucas said, catching her and picking her up. "You did such an amazing job, Princess! I'm so proud of you! You danced beautifully!"

She giggled cutely and hugged him around his neck.

"You looked like you were having so much fun."

Faith looked at him. "I was, Daddy! I love to dance!"

"I'm glad, baby girl."

Faith grinned at him again before looking at Farkle. "Uncle Farkle you came!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, peanut." Farkle replied. He held out the flowers to her. "These are for you because you are one incredible little dancer."

She took them. "They're pretty! Thank you!"

"You're welcome." Farkle replied. "And don't worry, I filmed your dance so you can show everyone."

"Thank you!" Faith repeated.

"I was going to get you flowers too, but I didn't." Lucas told Faith. "But I did get you something. I'm going to put you down so I can show you, okay?"

Faith nodded and Lucas put her on her feet, giving her enough time to hug her uncle Farkle, which he returned.

He pulled out the necklace box and crouched in front of her. "A beautiful ballerina deserves a beautiful necklace." he said as he opened it.

Faith's eyes widened. "Is it mine, Daddy?"

"It's all yours, Princess."

Faith bounced up onto her toes before launching herself into her father's arms. "Thank you, Daddy!"

Lucas hugged her tight. "You're welcome, Faith. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Daddy!"

"Would you like to put it on?" Lucas asked her.

She nodded, so he put it on for her. She was beaming.

"Can I take a picture of you, Faith?"

She nodded, so Lucas pulled out his phone. "Smile,"

Faith smiled just like her mother. It hurt him a little every time he saw it, but it was also one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

Farkle took a picture of Lucas and Faith together and then it was time to go.

Lucas zipped up Faith's jacket and handed her back her bear and after saying goodbye to Farkle,they started for home.

After a snack and a bath, Lucas was tucking Faith into bed. She was rather tired.

"You did such a great job today. I am so proud of you." he told her for the ten thousandth time. "You danced in front of all those people and you had so much fun."

Faith smiled, but then glanced down at the bear in her arms. The bear was the one her mother had picked out for her before she was born. Unlike her other stuffed animals, the bear didn't have a name. It was always The Bear or My Bear or Mommy's Bear. But never a name. She never let that toy out of her sight. It meant a lot to her.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Would... Mommy be proud of me too?" the innocence and uncertainty in her voice broke his heart.

"She would be so proud of you." Lucas assured her. "She'd be proud of you every day, just like I am, but especially tonight. You danced beautifully."

Faith still looked a little unsure, so he continued. "Mommy loved you more than anything else in the whole world, Faith. You were everything to her. She would be so happy that you love to dance and so proud of you for dancing on that stage tonight."

"Does Mommy know I love her?"

Lucas tucked a a piece of hair behind her ear. "Yes, I know she does."

Faith smiled and lay down on her pillow, her bear tucked under her chin. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Princess." he kissed her on her head. "Good night."

"Night," she replied.

He turned left the room, leaving the door open a crack.

He wandered into the living room of their apartment.

There was a toy box in the corner and a little flowered book bag beside the door. There were flecks of glitter on the rug and scribbly artwork taped on the fridge.

There was the only picture of the three of them all together on the mantle. It had been taken the day Faith came home. He never moved it.

He walked up to it and ran his finger lightly over the image of his wife, smiling sadly.

"This is hard." he said aloud in a whisper. "Being a dad is hard. Doing it without you is even harder. But Faith, Faith and that smile of hers makes everything okay. Every day she looks more and more like you... We miss you, sweetheart. I miss you."

He started at the picture for a moment longer before sitting on the couch and turning on the tv. He stumbled across a rerun of his wife's favorite show and decided to watch it, at least for a few moments. He swore they pulled that show totally off the air a year or two ago, though.

Being a single dad was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, but had faith that everything would work out just fine.

And he also had his Faith, and that made everything better.

I left Faith's mother ambiguous on purpose. Who do you think her mom is? Id love to hear your thoughts!

Please review and thanks for reading! I will definitely be writing more for this fandom!