Josh and Lucas exited the hospital room per Maya's request. Riley and Maya had always shared a special bond, even though that bond hadn't been in use for a while. It was rare for one of them to keep a secret from the other, especially for this long. It was something they needed to talk about. Sure, Josh and Maya were going to get married and Riley and Lucas were as close as two platonic friends could be, but they weren't Riley and Maya. Nobody was.

"So…" Josh started, not knowing what he should say. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know." Lucas answered, honestly. "I haven't really talked about it in a while."

"You and Riley don't talk about it?" Josh asked.

"She does, most of the time." Lucas said. "She's just now starting to heal. I'm at a point where I can tolerate it."

"So, this is what brought up the drinking?" Josh asked after another moment of silence.

"Yep," Lucas said. "I was just doing what I'm sure you're doing right now; imagining special moments with your kid. Riley and I thought it was such a sure thing but then she miscarried and we fell apart. I don't blame her but if she didn't go to Washington and just stayed until we figured everything out, I think we both would have been healthier. I needed her and she needed me.

"I just remember thinking 'I wish there was a way I could forget about them.'" Lucas continued. "So I got drunk and I forgot for a night. And then I got drunk the next night and I forgot again. So I kept getting drunk until I would forget and I always felt so awful because they were the last image in my mind before I blacked out.

"I didn't know of any other way to forget. Then, I saw her and I was a complete ass to her. I knew I went too far and I got help. Now, here we are." Lucas finished.

The two men were silent for a while, neither quite knowing what to say. The fact that this had happened to one of Josh's best friends and his niece shocked him. They were the lucky ones. They were the ones nothing had ever happened to. He supposed it was unfair to assume that. Six years ago, it was hard to keep Riley and Lucas off of each other. There was no way they just got tired of each other. There had to have been some serious reason why they broke up but he just never thought it would have been this.

"I'm so sorry, man." Josh told Lucas. "I had no idea."

"There's no way you could have known." Lucas said. "It was something we wanted to keep between us. It turns out its not all that healthy."

"Maybe not." Josh responded. "So, does anybody else know?"

"No," Lucas responded. "Not even her parents."

"Wow, that's some pretty heavy stuff." Josh said.

"You're telling me." Lucas replied.

Silence once again fell through the hallways with the occasional beeping from the machines in other rooms. Sensing the conversation was over and the moment had passed, Josh saw the opportunity to leave Lucas alone with Riley. They probably needed to talk about this.

"I'm going to go check on Maya." Josh said. Lucas gave him a nod as he stood up from the ground.

Josh entered Maya's room and only about a minute later did Riley exit as well. Her eyes were big, red and puffy and her nose was stuffed up. It was obvious she had been crying with Maya about the situation but Lucas wasn't exactly feeling like he could do a cheer right then either. He stood up and walked over to her as soon as he noticed her.

"Hey." He said first.

"Hi." She repeated.

"How's Maya?" Lucas asked after a small moment of silence.

"She's doing better." Riley said. "She understands why I acted the way I did now."

"That's good." Lucas replied.

"Yeah," Riley said. "How's Josh?"

"He's jittery and nervous." Lucas said. "But I think he understands too."

"Good." Riley said.

There was another moment of silence and Lucas was about to ask Riley if she wanted to leave when she chimed in.

"This place is so strange, isn't it?" Riley said.

"Strange?" Lucas asked. "How do you figure that?"

"Well, in one of my more recent sessions, my therapist said I should try to focus on all the good things I have in life and on all the good moments I had with… him." Riley said.

"We found out we miscarried in a room down there." Riley said as she pointed down the long hallway. "But we found out we were going to have a baby in a room up there." She continued this time pointing directly above them. "We first heard him up there. I mean, we made a baby, Lucas. Do you know how beautiful that is? I mean, everyday I wish he was here with us but the fact that we did it alone is pretty incredible."

"I know you probably don't want to hear me say this, but you're amazing." Lucas chuckled.

"Why would I not want to hear that?" Riley asked.

"I… well, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Lucas said.

"I'm not uncomfortable." Riley said. "You can tell me that any time."

Lucas just had to hug her then. He really wanted to kiss her but he knew that it was better for him not to. Riley had a boyfriend, one that she seemed to like a lot and he didn't want to jeopardize that. As long as they were friends, he would be fine.

"I did want to talk to you about something, though." Riley mumbled into his shoulder.

"Okay." Lucas replied as he backed out of the hug. "What is it?"

"Well, if it's okay with you, I think I want to tell my parents about the baby." Riley said.

"Really?" Lucas said after a while. "What brought that on?"

"When Josh and Maya found out, I just felt like this huge weight had been lifted off of my chest." Riley said. "It felt good that they knew. And my parents aren't exactly your biggest fans. Not since the last time they saw you."

"Okay, you're right." Lucas replied. "So when do you want to tell them?"

"Not any time soon." Riley said. "This was hard enough, I don't think I could do two confessions in one night. Just the next time we see them and the timing seems right."

"Okay." Lucas said. "I'm all right with that."

"Good." Riley replied. "I'm so happy you're here, Lucas. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Oh, well, most of this progress has been you." Lucas replied.

"Yeah but it hasn't been easy." Riley said. "Just… thank you for being there."

"Of course." Lucas said. "What are friends for?"

Riley, Maya, Josh and Lucas all returned to the cabin later that day. It turned out to be a good, needed break for all of them. Maya and Josh were of course stressed about their wedding plans, traveling and now their impending parenthood but Riley and Lucas hadn't exactly had easy weeks leading into this one.

At around midnight, the gang decided to start up a wonderful game of Truth or Dare. They used to play this all the time in college, usually always picking dare and having to do something absolutely insane. Since they were all older now, they toned back the dares but they were still just as fun. One dare had Josh drinking some horrible combination of liquor Riley and Lucas had found downstairs. Another saw Riley jumping into the freezing cold lake with all of her clothes on and playing the remainder of the game in her soaking clothes, although Lucas graciously gave her his jacket when she started trembling on the couch beside him.

"All right, my turn." Maya exclaimed after a truth that had her admitting to making out with Farkle after her twenty- first birthday party. "Um, Lucas!" She decided. "Truth or Dare?"

"Oh, with you?" Lucas questioned. "Definitely truth."

"All right." Maya responded. "What was the scariest moment of your life?"

Maya expected his answer to be more along the lines of a time he was trick or treating when he was little and some dumb teenager in a scary mask jumped out from behind a corner and scared him. The game always had a light heartedness about it anyway. But Lucas decided to answer honestly which was more dark than anybody thought.

"Honestly?" He wanted to confirm and got a nod from Maya. "The scariest moment of my life was when Riley and I were at Cornell. We had just found out she was pregnant and we were pretty distant from each other. One night, I'm sleeping and I feel somebody shaking me and calling my name. It was Riley and she looked so… helpless. Like a stray puppy stuck in the rain. That's when I knew it was over. That was the scariest moment of my life."

The room was silent for a long time after that. All the warm and light air that had filled it before had just been sucked out and replaced with an air colder than Riley's damp clothes. That wasn't what anybody thought he was going to say, not even Riley. Lucas knew he had ruined the game for them but that was okay because he honestly didn't want to play anymore. For the first time in a very long time, he wanted to throw back a million bottles of the hardest liquor in the entire world because that memory was the only thing that was playing through his mind. Just the memory of being slightly disorientated. The memory of Riley's desperate shaking and her loud voice, straining to call his name. The memory of finally being fully aware of everything and Riley's horribly frightened puppy dog eyes staring at him through the darkness. The memory of her hopelessly saying 'I'm bleeding'. She relied fully on him to spring into action and he didn't do anything right away.

"I think I'm going to call it a night." Lucas mumbled into his hand as he practically ran back to his bedroom.

Riley looked at the stunned couple on the couch across from her. They seemed to be just as frozen as she was when she finally came out of the lake.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Riley said. "If I don't see you before you guys go to bed, then have a good night."

"Okay, you too." Maya replied.

Riley walked down the hall until she reached Lucas' room and lightly knocked on his door.

"Lucas?" She asked. "Can I come in, please?"

Riley waited a few seconds before the door opened. She was pulled in and the door was closed before she even knew what was going on. She found herself standing on the rug in the middle of the room and Lucas close to the door looking almost insane.

"Why did I do that?" He was muttered while grabbing his head with both fists. "Why the hell did I do that?!"

Lucas turned around and slammed both of his fists on the wall behind him. Riley was stunned to see him this way. She thought this wouldn't affect him nearly this much. She had no idea what to do or what he needed her to do so she just stood there and waited, hoping he would give her instructions.

"Now that memory is all I see." Lucas said turning back around. "You remember what I'm talking about, right?"

"Yeah, I-I do." Riley said. "That's not exactly my favorite memory either."

"I just… I just want to go downstairs and have a drink… or two." Lucas said.

Thinking fast, Riley ran to the door in front of him, doing her best to block him from leaving the room and going downstairs.

"No! Lucas you know you can't." Riley said. "You've done so well over the past four years. Don't give that up."

Lucas held his stance for a moment and they hung his head in defeat, which happened to land right on Riley's shoulder. She grabbed him by his neck and pulled him into a hug. It didn't take long for the waterworks to start and soon Lucas was crying into her shoulder while holding her waist for dear life.

Riley did her best not to think of the memory Lucas had just described but it was a memory that would always be so painfully vivd to her. She remembered waking up with a huge pain in her stomach. She remembered thinking it was just a cramp. She remembered seeing the pool of blood around her thighs, tricking down the rest of her legs. She remembered feeling more terrified than she had ever felt before. If Maya had asked her than question, she would have answered with the exact same thing.

"Of course I remember that." Riley finally said, more choked up than she was anticipating. "I hate that memory."

Lucas pulled back and looked her in the eyes. Red, puffy eyes met red, puffy eyes. This was another moment they would remember vividly but in a different kind of way.

"I remember the way you looked at me." Lucas said. "You-you were so helpless. There was nothing you could have done. But I just sat there like an idiot. If I had moved faster maybe-"

"No, no, no!" Riley shouted, banging her fists into his rock hard shoulders for emphasis. "No, this is not your fault. It didn't matter if you had gotten up right away or did nothing, it was going to happen."

"You don't know-" Lucas started but Riley interrupted again.

"You're the doctor!" Riley exclaimed. "You know this stuff. Think with your brain and not your heart on this one. Would it have mattered?"

"No," Lucas answered after a minute. "No, I don't think it would have."

"You were, are and will always be there for me, I don't doubt that." Riley said. "But you can't prevent stuff like that."

"I love you." Lucas said.

"I love you, too." Riley responded.

"I have for a long time." Lucas continued. "I never stopped."

"I know." Riley said. "Me too."

"Then, please forgive me." Lucas said as he quickly moved his left hand from Riley's waist to the back of her neck and pulling her lips to his. He knew it was wrong. He knew she had a boyfriend. He knew she might push him away and never speak to him again but this was one of those things that he couldn't prevent.

Riley was surprised by the kiss at first but it only took a second to completely melt into him. She loved him and he could make her feel like nobody else could. Except Jake. But sometimes, even Jake's best couldn't compare to Lucas' worst. A part of her was screaming that Lucas has always been the one for her. A part of her was screaming that she and Lucas had tried and it had been amazing but it didn't work. Maybe now Jake was the one for her. It was all so confusing and she just wished the answer could be much more clear.

They eventually both backed out of the kiss they didn't realize they needed.

"Sorry." Lucas said with the best boyish charm he could muster.

"It's okay." Riley replied. "Just… If you happen to see Jake, or anybody for that matter, don't tell them about this."

"I promise." Lucas said. "I just need you sometimes."

"Believe me, I understand that." Riley replied.

Silence fell over the couple once again. Lucas still had his right hand securely on Riley's waist, left hand on the back of her neck while both of Riley's hands were placed on Lucas' shoulders. It wouldn't have taken much effort for them to kiss again.

"I think I'm going to shower and then go to bed." Riley said. "It's been a long day."

"Okay." Lucas replied. "Is there anyway you could stay with me tonight?"

"What do you need me for?" Riley asked.

"Just to keep me sane." Lucas said. "I think I'll be okay but you never know."

"Yeah, I understand." Riley responded. "Would there be anymore kissing?"

"Not unless you want there to be." Lucas responded.

"Okay, good." Riley said. "I'll stay."

"Thank you so much, Riley." Lucas replied as Riley finally walked out of his embrace and headed for the door.

"What are friends for?" Riley responded.

"Those two really love each other." Maya said aloud as she and Josh were getting ready for bed.

"You think?" Josh asked.

"I know." Maya said. "I just don't know what's stopping them."

"Well, Riley did mention she was seeing someone." Josh replied.

"Yeah, but Riley always pushed for you and I to go out. At least when it made sense." Maya replied. "I want to do the same for them."

"Oh, no." Josh sighed. "Maya, please don't meddle in their lives. They are humans who have been through enough pain."

"I'm not meddling, I'm just pushing." Maya said. "I can do Riley. Will you help Lucas?"

"How am I supposed to do that?" Josh asked.

"I think I have a plan."

AN: Hey guys! So I'm really sorry I fell through on that promise for three new chapters. School got crazy and life got crazy. But here's the good news: I'M ON SPRING BREAK! WOO! So that means lots and lots of updates! (hopefully!)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I made time to watch Fuller House this week and I realized as I was writing this that Riley's situation is almost kind of like D.J.'s in that show. She's got one guy that basically represents her future and one that was her first love and represents her past (btw, who else DIED when they showed the prom scene in the episode Steve and Matt were fighting over D.J.?! GAH! I love them so much!) I also want to know, what team are you on if you watch Fuller House as well, Team Matt or Team Steve? I'm Team Steve all the way!

I think next chapter will have a moment where Riley and Lucas tell Cory and Topanga about the baby. Following chapter I'm planning on having the wedding and then all hell's going to break loose! It's going to be fun!

Follow, favorite and review!