A 4th Of

July Miracle!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Tiramisuspice and the Jackie Bags Hyde episode from That 70's Show inspired this one. Also, Tiramisuspice writes some AMAZING stories so check em out! Even if you aren't Team Lucaya. Also probably one of the few times I may write Rucas, course I could always be wrong.

Summary: A miracle on the 4th of July makes for a very happy Riley.

Riley Matthews first met Lucas Friar on the subway train one day on the way to school alongside her best friend Maya Hart back in the seventh grade. He'd quite frankly been a little scary to the girl considering just how angry he was. Not to mention the rebellious streak he had in him that saw him get into trouble more than once. She and her friends would later learn he moved to New York to live with his aunt Rachel after his parents had been killed in a car wreck while his Pappy Joe had been hospitalized and wouldn't be expected to recover for a good long while due to the wreck. Rachel as Riley would learn was an old friend of her parents from college who had been in the Peace Corps for years until she decided to leave and move to New York. This revelation would show Riley and her friends just why he was so darn angry a lot of the time and the brunette had naively thought being around them would make it go away. But sadly as time went on, that anger just never seemed to go away but he would have moments where he was happy. And those would be moments she would love the most.

Zay's arrival would also to some degree help show a side of him any of the group rarely saw as well. And while she long had a crush on the guy, something that freaked out her father a lot much to the amusement of her friends. He never would let anything happen as he felt he'd just ruin her happy innocence no matter what she said. So she would date other guys to try and get over her crush on him while he dated various girls and each one never lasting long with him. He and Maya would even date here and there at times too with both declaring it wasn't even anything really serious between the two. Those two would continue to have a fairly odd friendship that Riley saw as something special between the two since they could relate to one another in ways her, Farkle, Smackle, and Zay really couldn't.

Lucas and Maya would fight tooth and nail for one another and for their friends. Even quickly giving up pot shortly after trying it after Riley accidentally walked in on the two smoking it. Their reasoning being that a three hour lecture from her really wasn't worth the high they would get from pot. Something Zay had laughed his head off about later on when he heard the story but he couldn't say that he didn't warn the two. It got him a couple of bruises in the end but he had considered it to be worth it. Lucas would also be something of a teacher to Riley in the ways of Zen, something Maya had raised an eyebrow about considering how often he himself had been willing to use violence. The former Texan native would admit that it was something his aunt Rachel had got him started on as a means to control his anger and to use alternate methods for when someone would try to goad him into doing something.

Which honestly had explained to the two girls on why he seemed to be somewhat more cooler headed around the middle of their Freshmen year of high school. Riley would also be one of the very few who'd be witness to the more softer side of Lucas on quite a few occasions that had the effect of making her long lived crush on him grow even stronger. And near the end of their Sophomore year of high school, the daughter of Cory and Topanga would decide she had enough of him keeping something beyond friendship from happening between the two of them. He'd fight against it as hard as he could using every reason in the book to try and make her see his way of things and even try to enlist Maya to help him out. Not that it would do any him any good since even the artist was a bit tired of him ducking Riley's feelings for him.

It wouldn't be until the 4th of July that things would come to a head during the party Mr. Matthews' parents threw in Philly for the holiday. A party that saw Riley bring a guy over that she had met at the mall in the city while claiming there was no ulterior motive for the whole thing when Zay, Smackle, and Maya called her on it. Said guy would get the crap knocked out of him when Lucas hit him in the jaw and Riley was instantly convinced he did it out of love for her. Topanga and Amy would quickly usher him in to the kitchen to ice his hand and have a little talk with him as well while Alan and Cory made sure Riley's little guest left the neighborhood with no intention of coming back to start trouble. Of course had Lucas known what the two Matthews women were really up too, he wouldn't have let the two drag him in there.

"Look… I don't like Riley like that okay!? She's a goody little two-shoes while I'm nothing like that! I'm hate and anger and she's love and happiness in a bubbly little package!"

Topanga and Amy looked at one another for a few seconds before looking back at him. "I think someone's protesting a little too much!" Sing songed Amy and causing Topanga to nod in agreement with a smile on her face.

"Lucas, I have seen my daughter with other boys and I have seen her with you. She's at her happiest around you and its clear as day to anybody else that you are more at ease with her and pretty happy too then you are with anyone else."

Lucas paced a little and rubbed his head in agitation at what was said to him. Then, turning to the two ladies of the Matthews clan with a finger pointed at them. "I think you two are nuts, cause if I like her… Then shoot me."

The two looked at one another and then as one, they turned to him and mimicked a gun shooting him. Causing him to groan over it before walking back outside and leaving the two to smile at one another over a job well done. An excited squeal could be heard thanks to the window being open and they both knew then and there that the young man had asked Riley out. "THAT'S MY BOY!" Shouted out Maya and causing the two to laugh.

Nearly an hour later would see the two happy kids at a park sitting on the hood of Cory's minivan since out of the two only Lucas had his license. She was leaning up against him as he sipped on his drink and not even feeling bothered by the fact she was on him. Which made him deny any reasons for why he wasn't bothered by it as he was still fighting against the whole thing. Little did he know that Riley had no intention of letting him have his way this time around where they were concerned. "Mmm… This has been really nice." Spoke up Riley with a contented sigh.

"I don't hate it." Admitted the young man, even though he would have rather not have even said anything.

"You do know we could have been doing things like this long before now right?"

"Riley, can we not do this right now? Heck, normally I'm the one who ruins moments like these."

She slapped him on the arm after moving away from him. "Oh please, this moment is SO not ruined and you know it! After all, I'm on a really great date with the guy I've wanted to be with for years. So how can anything ruin that?"

Huh, well… I'm pretty sure I could come up with a few ways.

"Besides, if you even try to ruin this really great date, they will never find your body." He looked at her in surprise over that but she acted like nothing had just happened as she stared at the darkening sky that was starting to have some fairly amazing light shows from all the fireworks.

"Damn Grasshopper, I think you've surpassed the master." He told her with a smile only to get a light smack on his arm again.

"Language?" She nodded with a beaming smile as she was not a fan of bad language, plus the fact he'd just gave her such a compliment like that made her really happy.

A few minutes of silence aside from the exploding of fireworks would see Lucas speak up again. "Riley..." He began and causing the girl to look his way.

"I'm not gonna lie, this has probably been one of the best dates I've ever been on. I mean its been peaceful and quiet so what's not to love?" She pinched him in response to that.

Riley then moved off the hood to stand in front of him with her hands on his knees. Something he liked the feeling of even though he had no intention of mentioning that anytime soon. "I'm really happy you think that." She told him with a smile.

Lucas could probably look into her eyes forever if given the chance. But he knew he'd lose himself in her eyes and that was something he wasn't sure he could do. "But the fact is Riles-" He never got a chance to continue that line of thinking as Riley moved forward and kissed him since she knew full well where he was about to go with that line of thinking and wasn't about to have any of it.

And it wasn't long before he was kissing her back and it was perhaps the most passionately intense filled kiss either of them had ever experienced. After what felt like an eternity between the two, they parted from one another and leaned their foreheads against the other's in silence. For Riley Matthews, that kiss proved exactly what she had been saying about herself and Lucas and what they could have together. And she was now more determined than ever to get him to see that and allow her ray of sunshiney happiness to fill him up and not be so gosh darned gloomy all the time. As for Lucas? He knew full well what that kiss meant and it honestly scared him as it proved anything Riley had said to him to be right. A part of him wouldn't mind kissing her again cause damn! It had proven to be one Hell of an experience for him.

But could he really allow himself to give into her? His gloominess as she put it made him worried he would ruin her and potentially make the happy girl as jaded as he was. Lucas knew she believed that by their being together it would help him become less angry but he doubted it as he knew it would take something monumental for it to happen and he doubted that ever would happen. Now he realized he was likely just making excuses but he could live with that if it meant he didn't ruin what was so special about her. "Now you know I've been so very right about us." The girl said after what seemed like years of peaceful silence between the two of them.

He couldn't deny he felt some measure of peace around her as Topanga Matthews had mentioned earlier. Especially now after that kiss between the two of them. "Riley..." He began but she put a finger on his lips to quiet him.

"No Lucas, don't fight this. Let yourself be happy and give us a chance. The more you fight the more I fight against your fight."

The determined look in her eyes showed Lucas she wasn't playing around at all and he just sighed. He considered what he could do to resist but the likelyhood of it hurting her in the process bothered him more then he cared to admit. Especially if he caused her to cry and Lucas knew how far into the deep end he'd be if that happened. Plus he really didn't want to get chased after with shovels by Matthews and Hunter. "You really aren't gonna leave this alone are ya?" He asked in a slightly defeated tone.

"Nope!" Replied the girl while popping the 'p' with a big smile on her face.

Leting out a breath as he knew then and there he wasn't going to win as when he really thought about it, fighting her on this would just get really tiresome after awhile. Especially when he himself knew he liked the girl as much as she liked him. His Zen Therapist and his aunt Rachel would probably have a field day with this whole thing once they found out. Plus the chance to see Matthews' face when they got back and announced what they were would be pure gold for him too. "Alright Grasshopper, if you want an angry rebellious mess, you got one." Lucas said at last and the reaction he got from the girl made him realize that was the right way to go about it.

The kiss she gave him soon afterwards was another big clue about it as well. He couldn't help but pull her back to him for another kiss though as he quickly realized he just couldn't really get enough and the fact she wasn't fighting that was a really good sign. The cute sounding giggle she gave out while they kissed had him realizing he was probably going to become a goner very quickly. But a part of him really didn't mind that possibility. After they stopped kissing, though both wouldn't have minded continuing to do that. The two placed their foreheads against the other's again and stayed that way for awhile and just generally enjoying the presence of the other as the fireworks went off. Eventually they headed back to Riley's grandparents place to enjoy the evening's fun and when Cory saw the two hand in hand he completely freaked out.

Which had Lucas running away from both Cory and Shawn, much to everybody else's amusement. The whole thing made Maya wish she had a camera to record the whole thing but she would definitely be inspired by it to paint something a lot of people would love as she had created a piece showing Riley at the center of it with two nets with the names of Cory and Shawn on them trying to catch a bull dog named Lucas. Lucas himself was torn between loving and hating the painting while being proud of his blonde friend for creating it to begin with. Riley would prove to be a very good and calming influence on the young man and he would in turn help her be less gung ho about the rules though he could never quite get to her ease up about the language, and to not be as naive so that others wouldn't be able to take advantage of her.

His true healing however would finally begin when Cory started up the Forgiveness Project near the beginning of their Senior year of high school. Something that would take him back to Texas for the first time in years despite Pappy Joe's attempts to get him to come back after the older man started to really heal. His confrontation with the graves of his parents however and the healing that resulted from it is another story however.

Author's Notes: Hope those of you who read this will have enjoyed it! Will try to have the last chapter for Wild Times In Texas up tonight as well. And Merry Christmas everyone! R and R!