A/N: Every time I say it might be a while, I manage to find some more time to write. Your reviews help me to find more time throughout my crazy schedule, so thank you for all who reviewed. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Think we know this by now…

Lucas wrapped his sweater tightly around him and continued on his way towards the Matthews' apartment. The colder autumn air blew about the city, sending a chill down his spine. After a few more steps, Lucas was happy that he was now out of the harsh breeze as he pressed the intercom's button. "It's Lucas," he said. It took a few minutes for someone to answer, and like the past few days, Mrs. Matthews' voice replied.

"Come on up."

Lucas headed up the stairs and smiled. He started to come a bit earlier so he and Riley could spend some more time together. Lately, he was busy after school trying to catch up on all the work he had missed, thus the two didn't see each other as much as they wanted to. So, they tried to see each other whenever they could find time, earlier in the morning being one of them.

As he walked through the door, he saw Riley just sitting down at the table, along with Mr. Matthews sitting at his usual spot and Mrs. Matthews standing at the oven, checking on something that was inside.

Lucas sat next to Riley at the table, dropped his book bag next to the bench, and placed his arm around her. A small smile crept across her lips as she leaned in closer to him.

"Morning," Riley greeted as she looked up at him.

Lucas' eyes met her gaze and he grinned. Just seeing her made his day so much better. "Morning."

After a few moments, the sound of Mr. Matthews clearing his throat reached their ears. Both of them turned their heads to see him giving them a somewhat unapproving glance. Riley and Lucas separated a bit, and Riley let out an annoyed sigh.

"Daddy, you do realize that we've been together for around two years now. What's the big deal?"

Before Mr. Matthews could answer, something that sounded like a small explosion came from somewhere in the kitchen, causing Riley to release a startled scream. Lucas immediately shielded Riley from any potential danger, but instead of another explosion, everyone heard a low, annoyed groan come from Topanga.

Both teens looked up to see Mrs. Matthews standing in front of the open oven.

"So much for getting a head start on dinner," she muttered as she looked at the mess that now lay inside of the oven.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What was it?"

"Baked potatoes," Mrs. Matthews responded. "I wasn't going to have time to make them when I got back from work, so I was trying to get them done now. And now instead of having dinner ready, I have an even larger mess to clean before I head off."

Lucas released Riley and cleared his throat. He felt so embarrassed over what he just did. Freaking out over that? Get a grip, Lucas!

Lucas' actions didn't go unnoticed by Mr. Matthews. Sure, he knew that Lucas would do anything to make sure Riley was safe, but what Lucas just did seemed to be a bit extreme.

Several silent minutes passed before the intercom buzzed, announcing Maya and Farkle's arrival. Riley stood up to let them in as Lucas looked down at his watch. It was a couple minutes after seven, which meant once the two came up they were going to head out immediately. Once Maya and Farkle appeared in the doorway, both Riley and Lucas grabbed their bags and headed off with their friends.

As the four friends left the apartment, Cory paid closer attention to Lucas' body language towards his daughter. He appeared to stay close by Riley… much more so than usual. It seemed like Lucas needed to be near her. Come to think of it, Cory realized that Lucas had done the same thing since he started coming over early. Realizing those actions and the one he witnessed earlier, he realized that it looked like Lucas was trying to protect Riley from something. What it was, however, he had no clue.

But he was going to find out.

As Cory walked into the school, he passed by Riley, Lucas, Maya, and Farkle. The four of them were hanging out by their lockers before classes started. When Cory passed by them, he looked at Lucas out of the corner of his eye. Again, Lucas was standing close by Riley as if he needed to protect her from any potential danger. Not even Farkle stood around Maya like that, and he was in love with her for several years! Seeing Lucas like that concerned him. What happened to cause this?

Cory walked into his classroom and began to prepare for the first class of the day. He took a couple stacks of papers out of his briefcase and placed them on his desk just as the warning bell rang. Each student in his class began to enter the classroom, including Riley and her friends.

Once everyone was seated, Mr. Matthews began to hand out the worksheets to the class. "I thought we'd change things up a bit for today. Your assignment today will be to complete this worksheet on the 1920s and the Great Depression, then outline an essay on how the events in the 20s helped to cause the Depression. All of this will be due on Friday."

Most of the students groaned when they heard the assignment, but they realized that it could be worse. The class broke off into groups and began on the work that was just given to them.

Cory smiled to himself as he returned to his desk. The real reason why he gave his class this assignment instead of his standard lecture was because he needed more time to grade essays from his other classes.

It didn't seem to take long for the bell to ring, dismissing class. Everyone gathered their belongings and some of the students headed for the door as fast as they could, eager for homeroom.

Mr. Matthews stood up at his desk, looked at Lucas who was still packing his things, and said, "Mr. Friar, would you mind staying behind for a moment?"

A/N #2: Another cliffhanger for ya. Hope you guys enjoyed it! If you could leave a review on your way out that would be great. Until next time!