Author Note: So yeah, I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but it's not. So much still is left to happen. I should really learn to stop estimating how long stuff will be, I'm like always wrong.

Chapter Ten

Auggie leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees as he stared at his sister, unconscious after getting knocked over by a police horse. If this had happened to anyone else he wouldn't believe it, but it happened to his sister and she was the only one it ever would.

Ava came in handing him a cup of coffee, "I called your parents, they're on their way. I called Maya and she was so drunk I don't think she even realized that Riley wasn't with her."

Auggie chewed on the inside of his cheek, "My sister has given up so much for that bitch, and this is how she repays her? Doesn't even realize she didn't show up to meet her?"

"I'm sorry" Ava rubbed his shoulder as she looked at Riley, "She hasn't woken up yet?"

"No, not yet, they think she will soon." Auggie's words were unsteady, "I mean what happens if she wakes up and she's a totally different person?"

"Auggie, you're thinking the worst." Ava cupped his chin with her fingers, "The officer said she didn't hit her head on the concrete, she fell on an officer. It's a very Riley thing to do."

He had a small smile, "I just," he sighed, "We fought this morning, about Maya, her future, her happiness, and then look what happens."

"She's going to be fine, that's what the doctors said. All the tests they've run so far show she's actually okay." Ava reminded her husband.

"Riley might be my older sister, but I've always worried about her. She always puts others first, and what has it gotten her?"

"She's a grown woman Auggie, she has to make her own decisions, her own mistakes." Ava pulled up the other chair and sat next to him, "You have to believe she's going to be okay."

"Lucas, come back to bed." Riley's voice dry, dreamy as her body tried to move to cuddle towards someone, only to wrap her arm around the bar of the bed.

Ava looked to Auggie curiously as he moved towards the bed as Riley opened her eyes, he glanced back to his wife who nodded and went to get a doctor.

Riley just wanted to feel her husband's body against hers, "Lucas, where are you?" She groaned before realizing she had her arm draped around the side of a hospital bed.

Her eyes opened greeted to the harsh lighting as she covered her eyes with her hand, "Lucas, what's going on?"

"Riles," Auggie stood near the bed, "It's just Auggie here at the moment."

She kept her hand over her eyes, "Where's my husband, where are my kids?"

Auggie gulped as the doctor and Ava came in.

"Ms. Matthews glad to see you awake." He picked up her chart, "Any pain?"

"It's Mrs. Friar, isn't it?" She removed her hands from her eyes as she looked at her brother, "Please tell me it wasn't all a dream, tell me that I didn't just dream about being married to Lucas, and having children with him."

"I'm sorry Riles" Auggie took her hand, "It was just a dream."

"What happened, why am I in a hospital."

The doctor smiled as he took out his flashlight and examined her, "You were minding your own business when a police horse got spooked, you got knocked back and thankfully another boy in blue was there to break your fall."

"Yeah that sounds like me." She was trying to ignore the way her heart was breaking, the ache that was flooding over her as she answered the questions from the doctor.

"I want to keep you overnight for observation, but Ms. Matthews, you don't appear to have a concussion, you just seemed to have had a shock."

Riley nodded, "That's good, I guess."

"I'll be back in a little while to check on you." The doctor left as Auggie paced back and forth.

"Are Mom and Dad on the way?" Riley twists the sheet around her finger as she tried not to watch her brother.

"Yeah, they are." Auggie stood at the foot of the bed.

"And Maya she's probably off drunk off her ass and doesn't even notice I'm not with her, right?"

Auggie nodded, "Yeah, that would be true."

"You wouldn't happen to know the name of the officer I landed on, I should write a thank you note." Riley sighed.

"You don't have to write me a thank you note, knowing you're okay is thanks enough." He was dressed in an NYPD uniform, tall, dark hair, blue eyes, and a nervous smile.

It took Riley a minute to register who was standing before her, "Charlie Gardner?"

"Yeah, longtime no see and then you fell back into me." He chuckled nervously, "I've never seen Jasmine like that before."

Her eyes went wide, "Jasmine?"

"The horse, that's her name." Charlie took a tentative step towards her, "Um when you're feeling up to it, maybe we could go for coffee, catch up, or maybe drinks."

Riley couldn't believe this was happening, "Um, I can't, my um Husband wouldn't like that."

"Oh, I didn't know you were married."

"Yeah, Lucas, ten years." Riley lied, "three kids Calliope, Lucas-Joseph, and Harper, they're the lights of my life. He's in Texas right now."

"Then that is for sure a no go on the coffee." Charlie sighed, he could've sworn he heard that Riley and Lucas didn't get together years ago, maybe he was wrong. "Well, um, I hope you have a quick recovery, and maybe I'll see you at our next high school reunion."

"Maybe" Riley cringed as she watched him leave before looking to Auggie, "What, it was Charlie and I only like half lied?"

"Riley you're not married, certainly not to Lucas, and I know I don't have any nieces or nephews." Auggie ran his hand through his dark curls, "Do I need to get the doctor back in here?"

"No" Riley grabbed his hand, "It was my dream while I was unconscious, wait if I didn't hit my head, if I landed on Charlie why was I out?"

"They think you passed out when the horse got spooked." Auggie looked at his hand his sister held, "You dreamed about Lucas?"

She nodded, "I mean I dream about him every night, but this, it felt so real Auggie, it wasn't dreamlike at all, it was life. It was the ranch in Texas, three kids, Lucas working as a Veterinarian, I was running the family Christmas tree farm, it was perfection, even when it wasn't perfect, it was still everything I need, everything I want, everything I gave up because my so-called best friend was heartbroken over our Uncle getting engaged to another woman, and instead of living my life, the life I should've had, I've been here, pretending that every single day I don't wake up in an empty bed, trying to ignore the burning ache in my heart."

"What are you saying?" Auggie studied Riley wondering if she finally had the wakeup call she needed or if this was just momentary.

"I uh, I um, I fucked up ten years ago," She blinked away tears, "I shouldn't have stayed here, I should've put what I wanted first ahead of what Maya wanted. I should've gone to Texas, I should've married Lucas, and had a life with him."

Auggie shook his head, "All it took was you getting knocked over by a damn horse to tell you that."

"I'm stubborn, you know that." She reflected as she sat back in the bed, "I just, I guess I have to figure out what I do next."

"Well first you need to stop, and make sure you're really okay." Auggie looked at her, "And then you need to focus on you, before you rush off and do something ridiculous."

"Is it really ridiculous if I get on a plane, fly to Texas and try to win back the man I should've married ten years ago?"

"Didn't you say this morning he's probably married with three kids?"

"He's not." She bit back her smile, "I know Lucas isn't married, because I'm the only woman he would marry, I just know it Auggie."

"Oh Riley, thank God you're okay." Topanga came rushing in with Cory and Ava right behind her.

"Mom" Riley felt her squeeze her tightly, "I'm fine, really I promise I am."

"I just can't believe it attacked by a horse!" Topanga smoothed Riley's hair, "Are you okay, did you hit your head."

"I'm fine, I landed on an officer."

"You landed on an officer?" Cory looked to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, Officer Charlie Gardner." Riley sighed.

"And then he hit on her first chance he got." Auggie pointed out.

Topanga and Cory cringed, "What did you say sweetie." Topanga kept her close.

"That my husband wouldn't like it. That I was married to Lucas and had three kids." Riley shrugged, watching her parents look at each other, "I know, but it got him to back off."

"Tell them what you want to do Riley."

"Auggie" Riley snapped.

"What do you want to do Riley?" Cory watched his daughter, wondering what exactly was going on.

"I'm thinking about putting myself, and what I want, what I need, instead of putting what say Maya wants and needs first. I've been doing that my whole life, I lost the only man I've ever loved because of that. I lost a decade with him, I lost whatever life, whatever kids we were going to have." Riley looked down at her hands, "Maybe it's too late for me and Lucas, but I don't believe it is. I haven't ached for him the way I have all these years for it to be too late, for us not to still have a chance."

"I think we can all agree that putting yourself first is a great idea, but maybe don't hop on a plane first ten minutes you're out of the hospital." Topanga warned, "But maybe, make a plan, don't rush."

"Of course, Mom" Riley sighed knowing that sure she could wait a day, maybe two, but first chance she could get on a flight to Texas she would be on it, and she wouldn't even stop at a hotel, no she would go straight to the ranch and find Lucas.

Farkle Minkus looked at his sleeping wife, amazed she could still be asleep with all the noise of someone banging on their front door downstairs. He grumbled as he slipped out of bed, putting on his slippers after he felt the cold hard wood floor beneath his feet.

Half asleep he moved down the stairs, rubbing his eyes, tugging on his hair just as the doorbell began to ring he swung the door open, startled by what he saw. He wasn't greeted by a distraught Riley, or a drunk Maya, or a police officer with troubling news. No standing on his doorstep was a man he wasn't sure he ever expected to see again in New York City.

"Lucas, what are you doing here?"

"Can I come in, I forgot how fucking cold New York is." He rubbed his hands together as he tried to keep his denim jacket close to his body.

Farkle moved out of the way, watching as Lucas' tall, muscular frame filled the foyer. "You are the last person I anticipated finding this morning."

"Who'd you expect it to be?" Lucas look around, he'd seen the pictures on Facebook and Instagram of course, but seeing the home his friend had created with Isadora in person was something different all together.

Farkle closed the door, watching as Lucas took everything in, "Honestly most likely Maya, lost after a night of drinking."

Lucas turned to him, "That happens enough you expect it?"

Farkle shrugged, "Yeah well, Riley doesn't keep her on a leash or anything, probably should."

Lucas felt the knot in his stomach, had he made a mistake, had he come all this way just to get his heart stomped on. "Are they, um, what is I mean is," he ran his hand over his hair, not sure he could ask him.

"Coffee, we need coffee before you even think to ask what I'm afraid you're trying to ask." Farkle guided him towards the kitchen,

Lucas could feel his body buzzing, what was he thinking, coming here out of nowhere, after a decade, to try and win her back. He was probably a decade too late.

Farkle handed Lucas the mug of coffee, "Before you even ask as far as I am aware Riley and Maya are just friends, co-dependent, toxic, yes, but lovers, never."

Lucas took a long slow sip as he mulled that information over, "What makes you so sure of that?"

Farkle leaned against the counter, really taking in the cowboy in front of him, worn denim jeans, a tight flannel shirt across his chest, a denim jacket that had probably seen more animal births than he would ever want to think about, unshaved but not a full-on beard, eyes filled with a crazy combination of hope and fear. "I've never seen Riley look at Maya that way, not even after more drinks that I care to estimate, and when she's had that many drinks, Maya isn't the name on her lips, yours is."

Lucas felt his heart twist, "She drinks a lot like that?"

"Not really, and when she does she's just trying to keep up with Maya, which no one can." Farkle put his mug down, "Why are you here Lucas, why did you show up on my doorstep on today of all days?"

"It's like there is this vice on my heart, twisting, squeezing, and each day it tightens. It's been like that for what ten fucking years." Lucas squeezed the bridge of his nose as he focused on night crying, he could, he wouldn't cry in Farkle, not after all this time, "I can't do this without her anymore, I don't want to, I never did. What do I have to do to win her back?"

"Do you know what today is?" Farkle crossed his arms over his chest.

"Her birthday, her thirtieth birthday" Lucas picked up his mug taking another sip, "Am I too late Farkle, is there another man?"

"Only if her heart is going clippity clop over the cop that she landed on last night."

"What, what does that mean?"

Farkle rubbed his hands together, "Riley kind of sort of got knocked over by a police horse last night, she's not hurt, she landed on a cop."

Lucas felt his stomach drop, "She landed on another man?"

"Yeah, I only know what Auggie told me last night." He was holding back the tidbit of who the officer was, seeing how amped up Lucas was he knew he didn't need to add the Charlie Gardner fuel to the fire.

"Where is she, I should go to her, I should go see her right now." Lucas was already moving towards the kitchen door.

"Hold up Freak-face" Farkle stopped him, "Calm down first, is this how you want Riley to see you? I'm betting as soon as you got this idea in your head you've been in action mode right? Bought the first plane ticket out here, didn't sleep on the plane right, still wearing what you had on last night. You need to sleep, get cleaned up, where are you staying?"

"I found a hotel room, I checked in, dropped my stuff off, and yeah." Lucas rubbed his chin, "Is this ridiculous?"

Farkle thought back to his phone call with Auggie, he knew what Riley was planning, "I don't think so, listen, like I said that Riley still has your name on her lips, I think though she may never say it out loud she knows she made a mistake when she didn't go to Texas all those years ago. But years of putting Maya ahead of herself, that's got to be a hard habit to break. Are you prepared to finally let go if she can't do that?"

Lucas was silent, where was a tree to kick when he needed it? "If I didn't think it was possible Farkle, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have spent far too much money on a plane ticket just to be here as soon as I could. Last night I got this panic inside of me, I couldn't breathe if I thought about another day without Riley in my life."

"Okay, I mean you're here now for a reason right, so maybe your subconscious knows that her subconscious knows something, I don't know you two always had a weird connection." Farkle bit the inside of his cheek, "We're having a party for her tonight, dress in something you would wear for a date, I guess is the best thing I can tell you. Its tonight starts at seven, but maybe come a little after. I mean I'm pretty sure she's going to be excited to see you, but we never really know do we."

"Who all is going to be there?"

"We, Isadora of course, Riley, Maya, Zay, and lord only knows who Maya has said to drop by cause she always invites a million people that none of us know." Farkle looked around the hallway they stood in, "I guess all I can really say to you is good luck Lucas, I hope that you're not too late, but I really don't know."

"Thank you, if you could just text me the address I'll be there, I think the only thing that could keep me away would be a pack of wild Maya's outside telling me they're lovers, and even then I think I would still fight for Riley."

"You should, you should've ten years ago, why didn't you?"

"Pride, fear, anger, I had so much going on with Pappy Joe and the ranch, I was too afraid I really lost her after everything."

"You guys I'm fine, the doctor gave me the all clear." Riley reminded her parents after they brought her home from the hospital. "I'm just going to rest, read some magazines, watch bad TV, I'm going to go meet up with my friends, I won't drink, I will come home early and go straight to bed before ten."

"Are you sure Riley, one of us could stay with you." Cory suggested.

"Dad, I'm positive, just go, I'm thirty years old I can take care of myself." Riley opened the door.

"Cory, she's right, she's an adult, the doctor just told her to rest for the day. We shouldn't hover." Topanga warned.

"Fine, but call us if you need us okay. We're only block away."

"I know," Riley smiled, "I'm fine, whatever crazy ideas I was having last night are gone. I promise."

Cory didn't believe her, he had a feeling that by this time tomorrow she would probably be calling from Texas either elated or in tears. "Okay, happy birthday sweetie, just rest."

"I will Daddy, I promise." She closed the door once they were pushed into the hall, locking it, all the locks including the deadbolt as she leaned against it, catching her breath.

She grabbed the bag with her jewelry from the hospital and tore it open as she sat on her couch, she ignored the earrings she'd worn, didn't care about her watch at the moment, she just had to check the charm bracelet, make sure that none of them were missing.

Her fingers ran over each charm, remember the moments when Lucas gave them to her. The Eiffel tower as the first one, a promise of a future trip, a trip she knew in her heart of hearts they would still make. The graduation cap with the year engraved on it. The purple cat for her eighteenth birthday, and the cowboy hat for her nineteenth. The fall leaf for their anniversary senior year of high school, and the star for their anniversary during junior year of college after they'd spent the entire summer in Texas working on the ranch.

She held it up to the light, watching the way the morning sun danced on them, memories, moments, they were all captured here. Her heart ached as she thought of all the moments that were lost, missing, never to happen.

She put the bracelet on the table and grabbed her laptop from the nearby table. She had to follow her heart, she had to follow her gut, she had to find Lucas and win him back.

Lucas opened his eyes, finding himself in the hotel room, sleeping over the covers still in the clothes he'd been wearing since yesterday. He checked the time on his phone, he saw he had a slew of messages and he realized he hadn't left an out of the office message or anything like that as he started to listen to them.

"Dr. Friar, it's Mrs. Ellis, I know you've been working every so hard. I'm sending my girl Alice over this afternoon with some casseroles for you, we don't want our favorite veterinarian going without a good meal."

Lucas rolled his eyes, how many times had he turned Alice down, why was she still going along with her mother's schemes to try to seduce him?

"Hey Lucas, um it's like seven in the morning, where the hell are you? I thought you were going to help us fix that fence down near that acreage you keep saying is saved for something top secret."

Lucas sighed hoping that the ranch hands went ahead and fixed the fence, they shouldn't need him to hold their hands to get things done.

"Dude, Farkle said you showed up at his place early this morning. What the hell are you doing in the city, today of all days. Call me."

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Zay's voice. He tossed his phone back on the bed before he started to strip down, remove the clothes that now felt heavy and desperate with the decision he'd made the night before.

He went into the bathroom, starting the shower and pulling his boxer briefs off along with his socks before getting under the hot spray. He leaned against the shower wall, his mind flooded with images from the dream he'd had that morning. Riley and him, married, three beautiful children, attempting to make love in the shower.

Lucas would be lying to himself if he said he didn't think about the days, the nights, all the time lost, the children they could've had by now.

He gripped the shower wall, this had to work, he had to win Riley back. He didn't know what he could or would do if he didn't.

He washed away the negative thoughts before turning the shower off and wrapping the hotel towel around him. He studied himself in the mirror, his beard a little ragged and rough, should he go for a clean shave or just clean it up?

After several moments of hemming and hawing he decided to trim it, he was a grown man it might feel a bit weird to be a bit baby-faced after all these years.

He gelled his hair, trying to make sure it didn't look like he was trying. His stomach was in a knot, this had to work right, he couldn't lose her again.

Lucas dug through his bag, putting on a pair of clean jeans, a black V-neck, and a blue cardigan sweater. He felt his heart racing, tonight was going to be a moment he would remember forever, no matter what the outcome was.

He dug in his bag pulling out the black box, he opened the lid studying the charms he'd collected over the years. He couldn't explain why he was drawn to them, especially since it would seem like such random times of the year to even think of them. He picked up the carousel horse, then the basketball, the harp, and finally the angel. He wished he knew why he had to give these to Riley, the others he'd collected could wait, but not matter what these four were ones that she had to have.

He checked the time again, his body filling with nervous energy as the text came in from Farkle to tell him where Riley's party was going to be.

He grabbed his jacket, he was on a mission, time to win back the love of his life, if it wasn't too late.

Riley stood outside the restaurant, her heart racing as she thought about her plans, tonight could very well be her last night in New York.

"Riley" Maya cried before throwing her arms around her and hugging her tightly, she was giggling, swaying just a little bit, obviously, she'd hit up happy hour with the other girls from the gallery.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Peachy" Maya smiled as her hand stroked Riley's face lovingly, "Where were you last night. You never showed up."

"I was in the hospital, Auggie or Ava called you." Riley could feel whatever thread that had been keeping them entwined all these years close to snapping.

Maya thought for a moment, "Oh that was you, I thought you were just ditching me."

Riley was about to say something when Zay came up "Two of my favorite ladies, Happy Birthday Riley."

"Thank you Zay." Hugging him, "Where's the wife?"

"Migraine, she insisted I come out, but I don't think I'll stay long." He explained just as Farkle and Isadora arrived.

"It's so good to see all of you." Riley looked at her friends, hugging them all, "You okay Farkle?"

"Yeah, I am, I'm glad you're okay." He told her as they went into the restaurant before talking to the host for the table.

Once they were all seated Riley began to look over the menu as the waiter arrived, "Could I get a Coca-Cola" she ordered to drink then immediately heard Maya order a cocktail while everyone else stuck to soft drinks.

"So, Riley what exactly happened last night?" Isadora looked up from her menu, knowing they needed to kill time before Lucas arrived.

Riley put her menu down, "You know I'm not even sure I could explain it." She removed her jacket as she spoke, the jingling sound of her charm bracelet catching Farkle's attention. "I was on my way to meet Maya, and I guess something spooked a police horse and I was right in front of it. I like passed out, fell on an officer. You will never believe who."

"Well we know it wasn't the cowboy." Maya giggled and rolled her eyes thankful they hadn't had to deal with Lucas in years.

Riley ignored Maya, "It was Charlie Gardner, he hit on me in the hospital." She sat back in her seat, looking down at the charms, "When I was out, I had this dream about Lucas, the life we could've had, it felt so real. When Charlie asked me out I was like, nope married to Lucas."

Farkle sucked back a smile, his foot bouncing nervously, "What else happened in this dream world of yours?"

Riley looked around, "Well you and Zay were married to each other."

Zay had been taking a sip of water, started to choke before Isadora could slap him on the back, "Stay away from my husband homewrecker!"

"What the hell Riley?"

"It was a dream, lots of weird stuff happened in it, but it did feel very real. At least me and Lucas, the kids." She felt her hand shaking so she folded them on put them on her lap.

Maya downed most of her cocktail that had just arrived as the waiter took everyone's meal orders, and once he was gone she looked at Riley, "Why are you dreaming about Huckleberry, it's been ten years. He was trash then he was always going to be trash."

The entire group stared at Maya shocked.

They were silent, no one knew what to say.

Riley rose from her seat, looking down at the woman she had always considered her best friend, her sister, "Lucas was never trash, he isn't trash." She took a deep breath, knowing this was it, this was the moment, "What is trash is you not even giving a damn that I was in the hospital. What if I had been actually injured? Would you care, if you did would it only be because the person who saves you wasn't around to save you from yourself? How fucking selfish can you be?"

Riley was visibly shaking, and Maya was only half paying attention to what was happening as she tried to signal to the waiter for another drink. Riley grabbed the glass and slammed it onto the table and stared into Maya's blue eyes, "You have a problem, you've pickled yourself in alcohol for the last decade, and why, because Josh married someone else, because you have unrequited feelings for me, or because you just need to be a mess so that I would stick around?"

Farkle's eyes were wide and he grabbed Isadora's hand, praying that Lucas didn't show up in the middle of this.

Riley felt herself huff, "You treat me like I'm invisible until you need me, and if I don't do things the way you want me to than it doesn't matter. You use me Maya, and I have let you. Never again, not anymore. Get your shit together, deal with your fucking problems, grow up, you're thirty years old for crying out loud. You've used and abused me for the last time, I made a mistake ten years ago, I let you get into my head, you always get into my head and make me think Lucas isn't good enough for me. No more, I'm done letting you control my life this way. I'm done letting you overshadow me and try to control me like some demented puppet master. The strings are cut, you and I are no longer friends, I'm not sure we ever were."

Maya could only blink and stare as Riley gathered her purse and coat looking to her friends, "I'm sorry, this isn't how I wanted this night to go. I wanted us to all have fun together."

"You make it sound like you're leaving us all." Zay studied her.

Riley pulled her coat on over her purple dress, pausing for a moment to pick up her purse, "I've decided that I need to fight for what I want, what I need."

"What would that be?" His voice cut through the air, and everyone turned to look at him.

Riley put her hand over her heart as it raced, her eyes had to be playing with her, this couldn't be real, he couldn't be right here in front of her. "Lucas" she barely breathed his name before she was moving around the table towards him.