A/N: Test, projects, and clubs oh my! It's been a busy few days! I tried to get this chapter up earlier, but this one was hard to write. Not hard as in I didn't know what to put into it, but hard as in revisiting old memories that made me wanna push off writing this chapter. But, I was able to pull through. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is this plotline.

By the time Riley returned to the hospital the next morning, Lucas had already changed into the sweat pants and tee shirt his parents brought him. Currently, Mr. and Mrs. Friar were bringing their car closer to the exit, leaving Riley and Lucas alone together.

"Eager to get out of here?" Riley commented.

Lucas shot Riley a look saying, Do you even have to ask that? But still he responded, "Yeah, despite remembering being here for about a day, I already got sick of being here. Uncomfortable beds, no color, terrible food… take me anywhere else and I'll probably, no I know I'll enjoy it a lot more."

The same petite nurse who ushered Riley, Farkle, and Maya out the other day walked into the room pushing an empty wheelchair. "Mr. Friar, you're parents are outside waiting for you."

Lucas shifted his eyes from the wheelchair, to the nurse, back to the wheelchair, and back to the nurse. "Is that really necessary?" he asked, somehow hoping they would let him walk out on his own.

The nurse brushed her straight dark bangs out of her face and shook her head. "I'm afraid it is. Protocol."

Riley held her breath trying to suppress her laughter as she watched Lucas drag his feet towards the nurse and slowly sat down in the wheelchair. She knew he wanted to walk out of there without any aid more than anything, but he still wasn't one hundred percent when it came to his motor movements yet.

"I'm so lucky Maya's not here right now," Lucas said, thinking about the potential jokes that Maya could have made if he saw him like this, as he rested his head on his hand and the nurse began to push him out towards the front.

Riley let out a soft giggle at Lucas' comment and nodded in agreement. "Oh, probably knowing her."

Thankfully for Lucas, it didn't take them long to reach the Friar's car. Lucas got out of the wheelchair as quickly as he could, grateful he didn't have to ride in that thing anymore, and slowly climbed into the back of the car with Riley following close behind him. After a few more moments, Mr. and Mrs. Friar got into the front seats and headed towards their home.

Riley helped Lucas into the apartment and led him over to the couch. Once there, Lucas shifted his weight and let himself fall onto the couch, letting out a sigh of relief once he felt the softness supporting his body. Riley slipped off her shoes and sat down next to him, curling her legs underneath her and bringing herself closer to Lucas. He wrapped his arms gently around her and inhaled her scent.

"I missed that," he whispered, holding her tighter.

Riley chuckled. "How could you? It's only been twenty four hours since we last saw each other."

"It could be less than five minutes, and I'd still miss it."

Riley blushed slightly as she cuddled closer to him, happy to feel his warmth against her once again. She didn't realize how much she missed being like this in the time that passed. And now that they were like this once again, Riley couldn't see how she lived without it for that long.

After a while, Mr. and Mrs. Friar came back inside and went off into the apartment to do some sort of housework, leaving the two teens alone. Lucas and Riley just stayed where they were. Every once in a while, one of them would shift slightly to get into a comfortable position again, and would continue to enjoy the comfortable silence that grew between the two.

"So," Lucas said, deciding to break the silence. "Any plans for the rest of your three day weekend?"

Riley shrugged. "I figured I'd come back tomorrow, but other than that nothing," she finished, shifting her eyes to look up at his.

Lucas smiled. "Sounds good to me."

The two of them gazed into each other's eyes for a long while, and didn't care how much time had passed. Lucas leaned in closer, but before their lips could meet, a buzzing came from Riley's phone.

Both teens let out a frustrated sigh. Riley pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the text message that interrupted their moment. After she read it, Riley let out an annoyed groan.

"Good news?" Lucas asked sarcastically.

"It's my dad. He needs me to come home and babysit Auggie right now. Apparently he and mom need to go somewhere."

Lucas hugged Riley a bit tighter. He didn't want her to leave, but he knew that if he wanted to stay on Mr. Matthews' good side, Riley needed to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Lucas nodded. "I'll be here," he replied, and placed a small kiss on her lips. Riley put her shoes back on and headed out the door. As she walked down the hall, she thought back to the time she and Lucas just shared. Even though it just ended, she couldn't wait for it to be the next day. Like Lucas said earlier, it wasn't even five minutes, and she already missed it.

It didn't take her long to reach her family's apartment. Once she opened the door, she saw her parents walking about the apartment, making sure that they had everything they needed. Cory looked up and saw Riley standing in the doorway.

"Hey Riley, sorry we had to call you home early."

"It's no problem. I was planning on heading back tomorrow."

Topanga smiled. "Alright. Everything should be set for you and Auggie. We'll see you in a few hours," she said, then placed a kiss on top of her daughter's head before she and Cory headed out the door.

Auggie walked into the room and stared at his older sister. Riley saw him enter and stared back at him. The stare off continued for a while until Auggie got bored.

"Apparently mommy and daddy don't think I'm capable of looking after myself," Auggie finally said, trying to let Riley know that he was not pleased about this situation at all.

Riley crossed her arms. "Do you remember the last time mom and dad left you here by yourself for an hour?"

Auggie shrugged. "But I'm ten years old, I can look after myself!"

Riley shook her head. She remembered when her parents thought it would be alright to let Auggie be by himself last year. It was amazing what that kid did in an hour to make Mr. and Mrs. Matthews realize that he wasn't ready to stay home by himself yet.

"Well, clearly mom and dad don't think so. So, anything you want to do?"

Auggie threw his hands up in the air. "I don't care!" he said as he turned around and left the room.

Riley shook her head again, sat down on the couch, and picked up her book that she left on the side table earlier that day. The more things change, the more they stay the same, she thought as she began to read.

A/N #2: Hope you guys enjoyed it! Plenty of Riley/ Lucas coming in the next chapter, so stay tuned. If you could leave a review before you head out that would be great :) Until next time!