A/N: To those who were kind enough to read and review with encouragement, I thank you so much!

To those who were less than kind, you know who you are, and you're entitled to your opinion. I'm genuinely sorry you feel that way, but I won't let your disappointment ruin this journey for me or those still sharing it with me. I will not let your negative opinion affect me or my story. So I wish you happy reading elsewhere, and that's the last word I'll say on the subject.

The scent of cinnamon wafted through the apartment, finding its way to Cory's nose, exactly as Topanga had planned. She imagined the aroma forming into a finger and tickling her husband's senses, just like in the old Saturday morning cartoons they used to watch. Once that happened it would be only a matter of minutes until he stumbled into the kitchen wearing a mask of childlike splendor, and she still had no idea how she was going to tell him about Lucas.

Her gaze shifted to the little girl standing on the stool next to her. When Riley had first announced her pregnancy, Topanga had been heartbroken for her child. Her daughter had no college education, no partner, and no experience with children other than her brother Auggie and his girlfriend Ava Morganstern. She was too young, and unprepared in every way that mattered. It wasn't until her beautiful granddaughter had been placed in her arms that those concerns melted into a deep and profound joy for the new addition to their family.

She couldn't imagine their lives without her.

Cory poked his head around the corner, with an exaggerated smile.

"Is that cinnabuns I smell," he asked hopefully.

Topanga's eyes fell to the task at hand.

"Cinnamon swirl pancakes." She corrected.

He reacted to the menu just as she'd hoped, clapping his hands excitedly and practically bounding into the kitchen. He planted an enthusiastic kiss on her cheek as she continued to work.

"Have I told you lately that you're the best wife I've ever had?"

She squinched her brow quizzically as he turned his attention to his granddaughter.

"And aren't you the sweetest little kitchen helper I've ever seen." He asked in a dopey, sweet voice reserved only for children and animals. "Yes, you are."

The spout of the coffee pot clanked the rim of his mug when the corners of his mouth fell.

"Oh no!"

His eyes narrowed at the plate of delicious smelling pancakes smothered in cream cheese icing.

"It's not my birthday," his suspicion shifted to his wife.

"It's not Christmas or our anniversary. You're trying to butter me up!"

Topanga did her best to feign insult, but her inability to look her husband in the eye gave her away.

"Can't I just want to do something nice for you? Honestly Cory, you'd think I'd never made you breakfast before." She slung the plate back onto the counter with a sigh. "Fine, you're right. That's exactly what I'm doing."

She hated lying to her husband, and it wasn't as though he'd bought her act for a second. He knew her too well.

"How bad is it," his voice rose with his concern.

On a scale of one to ten? From his perspective? At least a thousand!

"Why don't you help her wash her hands," she gestured to her little apprentice, "and then you two can play til I get these done?"

Every alarm in Cory's being sounded. It was one thing for her to manipulate him with food. That was a common occurrence when she worried he might "overreact" to a situation. But she was still withholding information, and more telling, she had drug their granddaughter into the equation as a diversion.

He plucked the little girl from her stool next to his wife and took her into the next room as requested. Playing with her was almost like being in his twenties again. She was so much like her mother, not only in appearance, but in personality as well. Both were happy, silly, and carefree children, but sitting there with her couldn't distract him from the scenarios his imagination concocted, each one worse than the last.

She had just swatted his castle of blocks to the ground when Topanga came in with a fresh platter for the three of them. Usually, he'd have felt like a king among men, had it not been for the anticipation of bad news.

"Alright, Topanga. I got the baby. I got pancakes. I'm ready. Let me have it."

He closed his eyes and scrunched his face in preparation for the blow.

"First, you have to promise you won't overreact." Her hands pushed the air in front of them.

His eyebrows knitted against his hairline with a scoff.

"Have you met me!? You know I can't promise that."

He stabbed into the pancake onehanded.

"And this delivery isn't helping!"

She resituated herself on the couch, running her hands down her legs anxiously.

"I just want you to remember that what I'm about to tell you is not as bad as it seems."

He raked another bite from the fork with his teeth.

"For the love of God woman! Just spit it out already!"

Topanga knew this was dangerous information. Her husband was a creature of habit. He'd always despised change and this particular shift in events would not be welcomed, even under the most optimistic and adaptable of circumstances.

"When Riley came over this morning, she had some news. Apparently, after we all left the bakery last night…

Cory's impatient expression fell into one of deep concern.

"What happened Topanga," he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Is our baby girl okay?"

She smiled weakly, looking down at the toddler in his arms, who was sticky and smiley, and completely unaware anything significant was happening around her.

"Yeah, she's okay. It's just…someone came into the bakery after we left…someone unexpected…someone whose shoes you used to collect."

A low growling noise rumbled in Cory's throat.

"What's HE doing here?!"

That wasn't even the worst part.

"He came to see Riley. I guess after all this time, he still felt like he needed closure-"

Her husband scoffed.

"She's under the impression that he…didn't know…about…"

She gestured toward her granddaughter with a smile.

"Oh! He knew exactly what he was doing!" He whispered aggressively.

It wasn't as though she couldn't understand his reaction. She'd only had a couple hours to process this information herself, and frankly, she wasn't sure she believed Lucas's claims. But she knew her daughter did. Riley had always given him the benefit of the doubt, even after he'd stopped earning it.

Cory peered down at the little girl squirming in his lap. Part of him wanted to hold her tighter, and never let her go. It was the only way he knew to protect her. He'd had the same instinct with his own children. He'd clung tightly to their childhood, and fought life every step of the way. That hadn't kept them from growing up or experiencing all the pains he'd wanted to spare them.

"So, what happens now?"

He slid his granddaughter from his knees to the floor where she could play.

He couldn't protect any of them. All he could do was be there for them.

Topanga crossed over to his side of the room, sitting on the arm of his chair. Gently, she wrapped a reassuring arm around her husband's shoulders.

"Now we wait….and we trust our daughter to know what's right."

Lucas inhaled deeply and let it out slow. He was losing his nerve. It had been easy to text her and ask for a meeting when his body was coursing with adrenaline and his brain was in shock. But in the early light of morning, he'd realized how unprepared for this moment he was. He had abandoned them. Whether he had known it or not, she had been forced to go through the entire pregnancy without his support. She had birthed his child without his hand to hold, and had spent the last two years raising her alone. Nothing he could say would change those facts for her. No apology in the world could make up for his absence.

He'd already deprived her of a partner and their child of a father. The least he could do was step back and give her a minute to readjust.

He'd just pulled out his phone, to cancel, when he saw her rounding the corner.

She wore jeans, the kind that were thin and wrapped around the ankles, with a hole in the knee, and a flowy sleeveless blouse, that was cinched at the waist. The dark waves which usually surrounded her face were pulled back into a barrette, and she kept swatting at her bangs, while she mumbled to herself.

He imagined she was rehearsing her half of the conversation, as he had been earlier.

Her warm brown eyes rose to meet his gaze, and he was thirteen years old again; reaching out to catch her on that fateful subway ride so long ago.

"Hi."

She instinctively reached to brush her hair back, her hand quickly dropping once she realized there was nothing there.

"Hey."

Was it him, or did his voice sound higher? He cleared his throat self-consciously.

"Hi," she echoed, falling into their childhood routine.

The two fell into awkward silence. Outside of romantic comedies and hallmark movie features there wasn't exactly an outline for how to handle their unique situation.

The blonde tapped his thumb against his leg impatiently.

"So…what do you we do now?"

Her shoulders lifted slightly in a bashful shrug that matched her clasping hands.

"I don't know," she confessed with a nervous giggle in her voice. "We could walk?"

Lucas nodded, and rose from the table, following her lead.

Riley had been up most of the night, anticipating their conversation-dreading the accusations that might come up. In the movies, there were always accusations. She knew how it looked; her leaving him in Texas, after she'd conceived, then asking for a clean break right around the time a normal woman would have put the clues together. Looking back, there had been enough signs for her to know by then. The sad truth was, she simply hadn't wanted to. Instead she ignored the symptoms, and when they grew too obvious to dismiss, she rationalized them away. She hadn't deliberately hidden his child from him. But had she been honest with herself sooner, the last three years of misunderstanding could have been avoided.

"I'm sorry, Lucas!" She burst out suddenly, turning on her heel. "About the other night, I mean. I never should have blurted it out like that, it's just…you were going to leave, and you hadn't so much as acknowledged her, of course, now I know why but at the time-"

Three years and 12 hours to plan the perfect speech and this jumbled mess was what came tumbling out of her!

Lucas only knew three ways to get through to her when she was like that. Kissing her, while tempting, hardly seemed the right course of action under the circumstances, and he couldn't stand there listening to her beat herself up for telling him the truth.

The blonde pressed his finger to her lips, mid-sentence. The breath of her words died against his skin.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm glad that you told me. I'm just sorry I didn't come sooner, okay?"

She nodded, nibbling the flesh of her lip where his finger had been.

"Why are you here?" She grimaced at her choice of words. Nothing was coming out right.

"I mean, if you didn't know, something had to bring you back to the city," she tried again.

The two began walking again, occasionally stealing glances at one another when the other wasn't looking. Despite the distance and the years, they were still in perfect rhythm. At least physically.

"You." Her head tilted toward him curiously. "I tried to let you go. I tried to move on. Riley, I couldn't do it. I couldn't understand how we got here. I still don't. So, I got on a plane and I came looking for you…I don't know what I was expecting…"

She offered half a smile as reward for his honesty.

"I'm betting it wasn't this."

Her smile faltered at his nervous chuckle.

They had almost felt familiar, walking that trail together. But the old Lucas would have known she was phrasing her concern as a joke to protect herself. He wouldn't have laughed it off so easily.

The brunette hastened her step.

Before he could think about what he was doing, he reached out, taking her hand in his own.

"You're right. I wasn't expecting it, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy about it."

Her gaze fell to their joined hands. Then back up to his face.

She hadn't pulled back and she wasn't walking away. Both gave him hope that he could rectify whatever damage he'd unintentionally caused.

"I'm a dad," he grinned with pride. "I have a daughter. We have a daughter, and I couldn't be happier about that! I want to know her, Riley. I want to know everything about her. You know, I realized last night that I don't even know her name...I don't know if she knows anything about me…"

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before releasing it.

"Lily." She breathed the word with a mother's love. "Her name is Lily."

The brunette was beginning to understand why the people in those movies were always pacing and moving around for those conversations. It was the same reason animals didn't stand out in the open during hunting season. A moving target was harder to hit. Standing there next to him left her far too vulnerable and exposed for her liking.

She resumed their walk, and thankfully he followed.

Lucas imagined his little girl running through the bakery the day before, listening to others call her by name. A smile came to his lips.

"Lily Friar," he tested the name on his tongue and instantly liked the taste.

"It's pretty. I like it."

He couldn't see Riley wincing from behind.

"Mathews." She called over her shoulder. "I wanted to give her your name, but they wouldn't let me without your consent. They wouldn't even let me put your name on the birth certificate."

She'd fought hard against that law, but they seemed to think that Lucas would be grateful for the protection. As if they knew who he was or what he would want. One look in his eyes confirmed what she had always known. The law had been wrong. He wasn't grateful. He was hurt.

"Lily Mathews sounds pretty too."

Riley beamed with his approval.

"I kind of felt like it was the perfect mix of you and me…just like her."

The blonde chuckled at her comment. Though he appreciated her efforts to keep him connected to their child, there was no denying their kid was all her.

"Looks to me like the Mathews genes won that competition."

Now that her guard was down, he found it more difficult to contain himself in her presence. It wasn't just habit he was fighting. There had always been a natural pull between them.

"All but the eyes and equilibrium."

There was something in her voice that made him wonder if she was reliving the same memory he had been the night before.

"That's a shame," he called from behind. "How is the love of her life supposed to find her if she doesn't come flying backward into his arms?"

She froze momentarily.

Had he just called her the love of his life?

Riley shook her head in denial, but her steps slowed as she walked to the familiar pace they shared.

"Your life is far from over, Lucas."

It didn't matter if he lived to be a hundred and ten or died the next day, his heart was set on her.

The universe had thrown them together at such a tender age, but knowing her and loving her, had made a world of difference in his life. She had made him the man he was. And a father. An unexpected new chapter was just on the horizon.

He ran a hand down the center of his head, a look of sheer wonder on his face.

"I still can't believe this is happening."

Riley giggled and gave him a playful nudge. "Believe me, I know the feeling!"

This was the most lighthearted he had seen her since his return. It should have filled Lucas with joy to see her that way, but the obvious contrast between her guarded and carefree natures, only made him ache with regret.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that alone." He hung his head in shame. "I swear if I'd known-"

The brunette lifted her finger against his moving lips with a sympathetic smile.

"I know you would have been here, if you could have." She dropped her finger and gestured back gestured toward the path she wanted him to take. "And I wasn't alone. My family was amazing, as always. And Maya held my hand through the entire process."

They were walking much closer now; a breath away from touching.

"What happened…it wasn't my fault or yours. It just is what it is."

Lucas nodded, wordlessly.

"All we can do is now is move forward."

He'd thought there was no greater pain than dreaming of a life that would never be, but this was worse. The moments he had spent years imagining; feeling their child kick for the first time, seeing their child grow inside her, holding her hand through the delivery- they had all happenedn

"You're right." He walked quicker, with longer strides and laser focus.

There was no going back and reliving her first day. He'd never hold his daughter as a newborn, but he could hold her. He could teach her how to tie her shoes or kick a goal. He could make certain she knew what kind of man her father was.

"The first thing I have to do is cancel my flight to Texas."

Her head shifted to the side. Cancel his flight?

"And I need to find somewhere to live."

Somewhere to…

Riley's dark brown eyes went wide as understanding dawned. She rushed forward, eager to catch up with the blonde.

"Don't you think it's a bit early to be talking relocation," she panted from behind.

Even with her long legs, she was struggling to keep his pace.

His handsome features twisted into a mask of confusion. If anything, he'd say he was three years too late in making this move. But better late, than never.

"And what about school? Lucas, you're already halfway through. You can't just quit now."

He'd dreamed of being a veterinarian longer than she'd known him. She wouldn't let him give that up for her and Lily. Those type of sacrifices only led to resentment. She knew that better than most.

Lucas wanted to understand, but he'd lost all sense of reason. Two days ago, finishing school and becoming a vet was the only priority he had. It was the only purpose in his life. Now he had a daughter, and Riley to consider.

"So, I'll do what you did." He shrugged it off and continued walking. "I'll take a year off and then go back."

The brunette was stomping behind him now.

"Only I didn't go back, did I!?"

It had taken five years and an unplanned pregnancy to make her face her fears. But that was her choice, not his. There was no sense digging up the skeletons of their fractured relationship now. All that mattered was Lily and doing what was best for her.

"I'm just saying…it's not as simple as you think. That time away, it changes things. It changes you. If you let it…I just don't want that to happen to you."

The blonde punched the signal button for the crosswalk.

He didn't want to stand still. The longer he stood there, the more he thought about the validity of her concerns, and the reason behind them. The tone in her voice made him long to hold her, to comfort her, but he knew there was nothing he could say.

His dark green eyes met hers with burning intensity.

"I'm not gonna let that happen. I promise."

The little man on the sign lit up, signaling it was safe to walk, but she wasn't sure she could move. Not with him looking at her like that. He could have told her that the sky was purple or that grass was orange, and she'd have had no choice but to believe him. He spoke with such conviction, there was no room for doubt.

The last few blocks her brain went into autopilot. She didn't remember crossing the street or walking toward the bakery, but soon they were rounding the corner and her mother's establishment was in sight.

Reluctantly, she glanced over at Lucas, to find he was already watching her.

"Thank you…for coming to meet me, for telling me about Lily…just for everything."

He shoved his hands back in his pockets, denying his instinct to reach for her.

She ran a finger through the fringes of her bangs, tucking the final strands behind her ear, with a smile.

He tapped his thumbs against his jeans.

"When do you think I can see her?"

Riley crossed an arm over her body, rubbing the patch just above her elbow. Her shoulders pulled in.

She should have seen that question coming, but hadn't. Just like she hadn't thought about him cancelling his ticket or moving back to the city, though she had set it all in motion. She was the one who had kept him from walking away

"I don't know…I think we should keep talking…figure some things out first, before we start getting her involved."

Like a snowball on a hill, that one sentence had gathered mass and momentum, on its path to her doorstep. Neither she nor her daughter were prepared for the avalanche.

"Okay," he frowned. "So, are we talking like a week, a month. How long do we need to talk about this?"

Her eyes darted through the crowd, searching for an exit that didn't exist. There was only one way out of their conversation, and that was to end it.

"I don't know, Lucas. However long it takes. There's still a lot to figure out."

Lucas took a deep breath and tried to count to ten in his head.

He only made it to five.

She kept saying they had "a lot to figure out," but from where he was standing it felt simple. He had missed the first two years of his daughter's life, and he wasn't going to miss any more.

His hands weren't in his pockets now, they were on his hips.

"It's not like I'm asking to take her back to my hotel room or to spend a week in Texas. I just want a few hours of playtime. What's so complicated about that?"

Riley wanted to scream but she couldn't. She could barely breathe. Her ribs suddenly felt too small for her chest, as though they were suffocating the very organs they were meant to protect.

They had officially become the characters in those movies; standing on a random street, hurling accusations at one another. She almost wished he would have accused her of hiding Lily. At least that, she could deny. But she couldn't honestly look him in the eye and pretend the thought of sharing her daughter with him didn't scare her to death.

"She doesn't even know who you are, Lucas!"

Her hand flew over her mouth, as the blonde reeled back.

Shock filled her eyes. She had no idea what she'd intended to say when she opened her mouth, but it hadn't been that. Those words had forced their way into the air with a life all their own.

"I-I didn't mean…"

The words had been cruel, but there was truth in them. That was what hurt him the most.

"That's why I need to meet her! So that she can know me!"

His hand waved through the air, driving his point home.

Riley's fingers curled into fists, willing her heart to stone. She didn't want to keep hurting him. That was why she had left him, why she'd given back his grandmother's ring-because she was tired of causing him pain. But she couldn't allow him to sway her. His happiness couldn't be her priority anymore.

"I'm not saying that she shouldn't know you. I've always wanted that, for both of you…but right now she doesn't. What she knows is me, Maya, my parents, and our friends. She's happy and secure, and if we go changing everything on her…" she sighed. "I understand why you're in such a hurry, I do. But that's all about you! What you want. How you feel. Stop and think about what's best for her for minute!"

"I am," he shot back, "and I think two parents is better than one!"

The brunette opened her mouth to retaliate, but nothing came out. She was prepared for an argument, not a sucker punch. But this wasn't a conversation or even a disagreement anymore. It was a fight. He wasn't hearing her. He wasn't even listening. All he cared about was getting what he wanted.

The only question was how far he would go to get it.

"Only if both those parents can work together and put her first. If you can't do that, then you might as well go back to Texas, because you're no better use to her here, than you were there."

Lucas was on fire. His muscles burned with tension. He needed a bag to punch or a tree to kick, but all he had was Riley standing in front of him- between him and his child.

He took a step back, hoping the distance would help. It didn't. The eyes he remembered with such light and warmth were now cold and dark, as though she were staring straight through him.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Never had he looked at her with such contempt before. It was enough to churn her stomach. This wasn't what she'd wanted. She'd entered their encounter determined to remain civil and in the present, but she couldn't be near him without reliving it all- and it was too much. Their spiral of blame and resentment had poisoned any hope of a peaceful negotiation.

Riley threw her head back as though looking to the sky for answers. Slowly her gaze lowered to his face; his thin tight lips and clenched jaw. He had no intention of backing down. She knew that much.

Her head shook slightly as she let out an exasperated burst of laughter.

"No." She brushed past him, leaving him alone to argue with himself.

There was only one way to end their vicious cycle and that was to walk away. He could have the last word, if it was so important to him, but he couldn't pressure Lily into a relationship she didn't want or wasn't ready for, to appease his own conscience. She wouldn't allow that.

Tired and deflated, he collapsed into the chair he had been sitting in earlier that morning. He rewound and replayed the last hour repeatedly in his mind, searching for where it had all gone so wrong. He'd been doing the same with their relationship for the last three years and he'd yet to find that critical turn for the worst. For him, it had been when she'd shouted that his own daughter didn't know him, as though that were his fault. But she'd assured him more than once that she didn't blame him for his absence.

He dropped his head into his hands.

So why had she gone off on him with no warning?

There had to have been a trigger, something he was missing.

"You look like you need this."

He glanced up to see an old friend staring down at him with a sympathetic grin and a styrofoam cup of coffee from the bakery behind him.

The blonde smirked in response and accepted the gesture, while the brunette seated himself at the opposite end of the table.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" Lucas sipped the bitter, hot, liquid cautiously.

His companion shrugged with a knowing expression.

"Process of elimination."

Lucas shook his head with an amused grin. For some reason, he'd expected a more impressive answer.

"It's neutral territory," he explained, "and it's kind of the place where all the big moments in our lives take place."

His blue orbs glinted with nostalgia.

"Isadora and I held hands for the first time at this very table."

The corners of his mouth slipped downward.

He loved Isadora Smackle with every atom that composed his being. Which made their extended periods of time apart all the more difficult to endure. He would never deny her the room to grow or opportunities for accolade. Still, he couldn't help but ache for her in her absence.

Guilt tugged at the blonde's conscience.

Farkle had defied the committee on his behalf, and as a former member of the protection squad, he knew that was no simple task. His loyalties would be questioned, after his last move. There was no telling what this small act of kindness might cost him.

He leaned in, planting his elbows on his knees.

"I'm sorry, man. You stuck your neck out for me, and I made a mess of it."

The brunette just grinned back at him.

"You had to know this wouldn't easy?"

Lucas groaned in reply. Nothing between he and Riley had ever come without persistence on his part, and usually some form of intervention from their friends or some sage advice from Mr. Mathews. Unfortunately, neither the protection squad, nor her father, were great fans of his.

He slumped back in his seat, caressing his temples.

"She's the one who told me Lily was my daughter. Why would she do that, if she doesn't want me around?"

Farkle sipped his coffee and sat it back down on the table.

"She wouldn't."

The blonde gripped the ends of his arm rests.

"She does. She told me to go back to Texas."

The brunette's brows furrowed as he processed this latest bit of information. From a scientific standpoint, it made no sense for Riley to encourage a connection between father and daughter during their first encounter at the bakery, only to force him out of their lives a day later.

"She knows you'd never do that, and honestly, I don't think she wants you to."

Granted, it had been years since Riley had acknowledged any kind of feelings for the father of her child, but her faith in his character had never wavered throughout the pregnancy. She had done everything in her power to inform him of their situation, and continued to advocate for his rights when he wasn't there to do so. All those actions implied that she wanted Lily and Lucas to have a relationship, as did her decision the previous evening.

Lucas flung his hands in the air, his arms still planted firmly on their rests.

"Then what does she want?"

She had been the one to press the issue of Lily's paternity, but balked when he'd attempted to step up for their child.

Farkle leaned back in his seat, pondering the question. He'd once been an expert on all things Riley Mathews, and felt no hesitance speaking on her behalf. Until he'd spoken one New Year's Eve a little too publicly and damaged two of the most important relationships in his life. Months passed before he managed to earn their forgiveness. Since then, he'd grown accustom to keeping his observations to himself, at least where the thoughts and feelings of others were concerned.

He couldn't say how Riley felt about Lucas after so many years of silence, or his parentage to Lily because the brunette never spoke on either subject. However, there was one insightful deduction he could share with his old friend, which might aid him moving forward.

"You just found out about Lily. For you, this is happening right now. But for her, this is something she has been living with for the last three years. She may have wanted you here, but that doesn't mean she expected you to show up."

The blonde leaned forward pensively.

"What are you trying to say?"

The genius shook his head, reluctant to elaborate. He was already flirting with the line between observation and speculation, and had no desire to cross it. Instead he scooped up his drink and offered a confident grin.

"You know what? I'm not saying anything that you don't already know or can't figure out on your own."

Farkle knew this was no simple task for his friend. Though he knew Riley Mathews in ways no one else ever had or would, his emotions had always kept him from seeing intentions clearly when it came to the bubbly brunette. Lucas could always talk to her. The sad truth was he chose not to whenever he grew afraid of what he might hear. Riley had their daughter, and unless Farkle had misread his reactions, Lucas's heart as well. Never had he had reason to be more frightened of her response. But if they were to have any hope of working through this painful misunderstanding, he couldn't spell it out for either of them this time. They had to take the initiative.