Riley drives away from the ranch looking in her mirror at the twins who looked sad making her want to turn the car around. She felt like she was failing them and Elena all together and she couldn't take it. As much as the ranch meant to them to her she couldn't turn back.

It was four months after losing Elena and Riley was feeling more lost than ever. She had just loss her sister someone she loved and now she had two little pieces of her left and she wasn't sure she knew what she was doing.

She read all the books tried to remember things she had seen her own mom do when Auggie was born. But she still felt like she was failing and letting Elena down and not keeping her promise.

She wasn't sure how she ended up in Texas well that's a lie she was visiting with her aunt Morgan who lived out there before moving closer to her and Eric and trying to find inspiration.

What she wasn't sure of is how she ended up driving to Lucas place with the twins sitting in the back. It had been one and a half years since she seen or heard from him but she just needed someone to tell her she would be alright.

She pulls up not seeing his truck or even Pappy Joe and sighs resting her head against the steering wheel as she felt the tears coming. She starts to silently cry so not to wake the twins when she hears a tap on her window.

She wipes her eyes and looks up seeing Pappy Joe smiling at her. She smiles and opens her door checking to see if the twins were still asleep. "Sun star what on earth are you doing here?"

She starts to tear up again and wraps her arms around him. "I don't know what to do Pappy Joe." He rubs her back letting her cry until he hears the twins start to wake in the backseat. He helps her take them out setting up the little bassinet they never tossed away and helping her put the twins in.

He watched as she watches them checking every second to see if they were okay. "Sun star they're fine come sit." He hands her a cup of tea. He waits while she sits there continually wiping at her eyes trying not to cry.

He hands her a box of tissues and waits while she blows her nose. "Riley are you alright?" She lowers her head shaking it and shuddering while dabbing at her eyes. "I'm sorry Pappy Joe I don't even know why I'm here." She tells him after finally telling him her story.

He grabs her hand and gives it a squeeze. "You were looking for someone to tell you you would be alright and things would get better?" She lightly laughs at the fact that was what she wanted. "Were you hoping Lucas would be here to help you?" Riley lowered her head in shame.

She didn't know what she wanted maybe it was being sleep deprived and the loss of Elena that had her yearning for something familiar again. She gets up looking out the window and sighed. "I should go my aunt Morgan probably wondering where I ran off to."

She starts grabbing her stuff when Pappy Joe walks up to her putting his hands on her shoulders. "Sun star I know things may seem bad right now and you feel lost. Like the world is trying to crush you but you push back." She smiles as he cups her cheeks. "You're a lot stronger then you know. Remember that."

She didn't know it than but Pappy Joe's words stayed with her and became her mantra helping her through the days she thought she couldn't make it. He told her if she ever needed anything she could come visit with him. He fell in love with the twins that day too when Charlie smiled at him.

She was also glad she hadn't run into Lucas either she found out he was still in a on again off again relationship with Maya before it was off and she got together with Josh.

"Mama Riley are we leaving Pappy Joe?" Rosie asked from the backseat. Riley smiled at her telling her they were staying just going to spend the rest of the summer away from the ranch. She puts on a cd for them of their mom singing crazy songs she made up for them when she was pregnant.

Riley drove to a little two story house that she visit once before. Having an open invitation from its owner and from the looks of the balloons and streamers decided to go all out when she called him.

She shakes her head smiling as she pulls into the driveway seeing him stand up with his banner welcoming them. How he managed to get this done after their phone call this morning was beyond her. "Mama Riley who's that?" Charlie asked once they parked. She turned and looked at them smiling. "An old family friend."

"Riley Matthews it's been to long." She laughs as that's the first thing he tells her every time they see each other. "Hey Charlie." She hugs him before helping get the twins out. "Hey Rosie, Charlie two." He tells them handing them each five dollars and making them smile.

Ever since Charlie was introduced to them he would slip them five dollars and when Riley asked why he shrug and say why not. "Hey if you guys go inside I'm sure that ole ball and chain will have chocolate chip cookies for you."

The twins look at Riley and before she can answer they hear. "Charlie Gardner say that one more time and you will sleep outside." The twins run inside laughing and Riley grabs their suitcases putting them on the porch.

"So not that I don't enjoy seeing you but don't you usually stay at casa de Pappy Joe?" Riley smiled sitting on the porch with him. "Well there were complications." Charlie looks at her and she nods her head. "Wow. I thought he leaves for the summer?"

"Not this time." She stands walking over to the fence looking out at the open field. "Want me to go over and hit him from behind with a really big stick?" Charlie asked walking next to her. She looks at him weirdly and he smiles leaning on the fence looking back at the house.

"As nice and slightly weird as that sounds Zay is over there so I'm sure you probably be the one hit with the stick." He fakes like she wounded him and she laughs looking back at the field. "Have you guys talked with each other?"

Riley glances at him and shakes her head. "That's why we're here. I had got a call from Eric and was upset and Lucas came in and we fought. And a part of me even after all these years wanted to just tell him everything but I couldn't."

Charlie watched as she rubbed her head he knew why she was holding back. He had been there when Lucas and her got together and when she seen Maya and him together. But he knew she was holding back because of what was happening and things with her and Lucas were always going to be unresolved.

"Maybe it's a sign." He tells her leaning on the fence and looking at her. She looks at him weirdly making him laugh.

"I know me Charlie Gardner defending Lucas Friar." He shivers making Riley laugh as she turns and looks at him. "I can't think about all that right now. Have you heard from your lawyer friend?" There was a very short list of people who really knew what was going on in her life and Charlie was one of them.

"He said your mom is one of the lawyers taking the case." Riley leaned her head against the fence feeling her breathing getting erratic. Charlie rubs her back already knowing the signs when she having a panic attack. "It's okay Riley just breath. Do you need water?"

She shook her head leaning her hands on the fence and lowering her head. She repeated that dorky rhyme again closing her eyes tightly trying to block everything out. "Are you okay do you need water or want me to call an ambulance?"

She shook her head wiping her eyes as she stood leaning against the fence again. "Isn't that a conflict of interest? I mean can she do that?" Charlie looked at her and she knew the answer. Of course she could her mom was a shark and if you try to go toe to toe with one you will end up losing something or everything.

Riley sighed listening to the twins laughing inside. They were her life and she would be damn if her mom or this guy with his crazy claims were going to come in and take them from her without one hell of a fight.

"Can your friend find out what proof this guy has? Because Eric's lawyers tried but since Topanga is on the case they aren't sharing until the trial." Charlie nodded and they walked back to the house.

"Wait when you said cookies you meant store bought right?" Charlie starts laughing and the front door opens. "I'll have you know Riley I've learned to bake and I'm quite good." Riley smiles walking up to a very pregnant Missy Bradford giving her a hug.

It use to feel strange hugging her but now it was like second nature to her. It was strange to even see her married to Charlie but apparently they found each other in college and haven't been apart since.

They head inside and even though they were still in Texas Riley could see that the twins missed being around Pappy Joe and most importantly Lucas. It broke her heart and she didn't know what to say or do without going back. But she couldn't what was going on took top priority even though it pained her.

After lunch when Charlie and Missy took the kids to get ice cream Riley sat on the porch with her laptop open playing music. Looking for a sign telling her she knew what she was doing. She looked up at the sky watching the clouds pass when Pat Benatar "love is a battlefield" came on making her smile.

"Okay Elena I hear you." Riley laughed looking at the cloud that seem to be staring back at her.

It was two months into their freshman year and Elena and riley were in the midst of one of their Saturday night movie roulette in their dorm room. They were talking on the couch while thirteen going on thirty played in the background.

"So I say we skip the dart and watch p.s I love you." Elena tells her as they eat licorice that they stole from the girls that lived in the dorm next to them when they were bullying another girl named Tammy about not having any makeup in the bathroom.

They stood up to those girls telling them real beauty is on the inside and Tammy was beautiful inside and out. Something they weren't. Their revenge was the candy and Tammy for hers when she got asked out by the hottest guy over them.

Riley gives her a look biting a piece of licorice. "No we have rules remember?" Elena groan giving Riley her puppy dog eyes. "Please. Por favor mi amiga? You know I love Gerard Butler you know mi corazón only beats for him." Riley shakes her head laughing as Elena held her heart laying across Riley's lap dramatically.

"Hey I can't bend the rules for you when my heart beats for Chris Evans but I didn't complain when we didn't watch civil war after the avengers." Elena narrows her eyes at her and stood grabbing a licorice.

"Well then I hope he appreciate you fighting in his honor hummingbird of New York." She flicks her candy in the air like a sword. Riley grabs a licorice and stands doing the same. "The same to you butterfly of Texas."

They flick their candies at each other making crazy sword noises that if you passed their room sounded like a bad imitation of Bruce lee. "Hold the battle our part!" Elena shouts turning up the tv when Jennifer Gardner was singing love is a battlefield with the girls at the slumber party.

Riley and Elena danced and laughed singing at the top of their lungs without a care in the world.

That's was one of the things Riley loved about Elena. If Riley wasn't in the mood to go out and party Elena never pushed her like she was sure Maya would have done. Sure they went out to parties but the most fun they had was sitting in their dorm dancing and laughing together.

Riley knew what her next move was going to be and gets up grabbing her phone and makes a call. "Hey it's me. Can we talk?" After dinner Riley looks for the twins and finds them in their new beds just laying there. She smiles and knock on the door.

"You two must hate me don't you?" She asked sitting on Rosie bed looking at them. The twins share a look and Rosie speaks first. "We miss Pappy Joe and chief." Riley nods figuring they did.

"What if I told you you guys could spend time with them?" They both gasps sitting up and Charlie sits with Rosie. "Can we move back mama Riley?" They asks together. She cup both their cheeks shaking her head.

"Its not that I don't want to it's just some things need to be sorted first. Okay?" They nod and give her a hug before laying back down going to sleep. Riley looks out the window towards the sky and sighs.

"Wish me luck butterfly."