#ouat2011 fic

[madelinecoffee]

In Sickness and Health

A/N: Riley gets sick, Lucas takes care of her. Fluffy.   Pairing: Riley x Lucas Words: 3,596 words 

It had been a hell week at school for Riley. It was midterms so all of her teachers had loaded her down with work. Most of her teachers were doing mid-term projects instead of tests. For this Riley was partly grateful because she had never been good at tests. But she really cared about her projects and wanted to do a good job. Most of her friends were in a similar boat, busy with school and projects. They were all stressed, and Riley wanted to do anything and everything she could to help them. And she did. She sat for a painting for Maya’s project, helped Zay with some science he was confused on, made sure the two geniuses took breaks in their studying. And she made sure Lucas was taking care of himself. But with her friends, her schoolwork, helping out around the house and the bakery, and writing for the school paper Riley often forget to take care of herself.

           Her friends noticed right away. Maya and Lucas had frequent conversations on how to get her to slow down and came up with some ideas to do so. But these past two weeks none of them had been working.

“Maya can’t you like? Use ring power or something to get her to slow down or something? She’s overworking herself. She hasn’t been sleeping and she hasn’t said anything but I can tell she’s getting really anxious again.” Lucas sighed exasperated about Riley to Maya. Riley had to meet with the school paper on some mornings before class started. So they were waiting at her locker for her before school.

“Ring power doesn’t work like that! She shut me down and wouldn’t even let me sleep over because she was working on her projects and her article for the paper. The girl needs to chill. Can’t you use some of your cowboy charm to get her to take it easy?” Maya asked giving him a look.

“Don’t you think I would have if I could!”  Just then Riley turned the corner giving both of them a wide smile.

“Peaches! Luke!” As she approached Lucas took note of her appearance, he loved the girl but she didn’t look good at all. Her nose was red and she looked like she was about to fall over from exhaustion. She gave Maya a big hug and then gave Lucas one. She left one arm around his waist and put most of her weight on him as she turned to them.

“What were guys talking about before I got here you both looked all mad?” Riley asked as she sniffed into her sleeve. Lucas gave her a look of concern but Maya spoke first.

“Honey, we weren’t mad. Just concerned, we’re worried you’re over working yourself. And are you sniffling? Are you sick?” Maya gave her a pointed look

“Maya. I’m fine I just have some sniffles, and I’ll slow down once this week’s over. We have that 5-day weekend? Remember? No school Thursday or Friday because of teacher stuff and then it’s a day off for some such reason. I don’t know.”

“Just because we have a long weekend doesn’t mean you should overwork yourself Sunshine.” Lucas said giving her arm a light squeeze to show her he wasn’t mad. “We just want you to be feeling well so you can be the best Riley you can be. And are you sure your okay you feel a little warm? You could be getting sick.”

“Guys. I’m fine okay. I’m not getting sick its just allergies.” Riley answered with a wave of her hand.

“Riles. Since when have you had allergies?” Maya asked raising her eyebrows.

“They’re new. But it’s fine. I’m fine! Come on we have to get to class.” Riley linked her hands with Lucas as she pulled him away, but not before Maya and Lucas shared a concerned look. Riley was most definitely getting sick and she still wasn’t taking care of herself.

           By the time Wednesday rolled around it was apparent to everyone that Riley was sick. Although she manged to turn in all her projects, she just kept staring off into space and would stop half way through a thought. Not to mention she looked awful, he eyes were baggy and her nose was red. And her hands were al clamy, Lucas noticed first and tried to get her to go home but she refused.

“Lukkee it’s only like a few more hours until schools over anyway. Then I’ll just sleep the long weekend away.” She answered him as she swayed down the hallway. Lucas tried his best to hold up his girlfriend but she kept swaying away from him. He just wanted to help her and he was getting frustrated at her refusal. But it wasn’t just him. All their friends tried to get to go home and she was having none of it. Even her dad tried to get to stay home but Riley, stubborn as always refused. Although she did allow her dad to take her home because everyone feared she’d pass out on the subway or some such Riley nonsense.

           Once Riley got home she immediately plopped down on the couch with a loud groan. She didn’t feel well at all and she knew it was her fault. She hadn’t been taking care of herself these past few weeks. But she figured her needs could wait, her friends needed her help. But now she felt terrible and woozy all she wanted was her mom to take care of her. But that’s when she remembered her parents were going on a school trip with Auggie for the long weekend.

“Mommmy! Mom Mom!” Riley called out knowing her Mom was working from home today. Topanga came in and noticed Riley on the couch, she had too noticed Riley letting herself go these past few weeks. But she didn’t figure she’s be this sick.

“Yes sweet pea? What’s up?” Topanga asked putting Riley’s head in her lap and petting her hair. Riley closed her eyes at the feeling and enjoyed the comfort her mom was providing.

“Mommy is there anyway you or Dad could stay back this weekend? I don’t feel good at all. And I know I’m almost an adult but I think I’m dying.” Topanga defintiley agreed that Riley looked like she was dying and she definitely needed someone to watch out for her.

“Riley honey, you know we can’t. As much as I want t stay home and take care of you we promised the school and Auggie we’d chaperone. Auggie’s still sad he didn’t get to go on the ski lodge trip with us. Try to get some rest sweetie and I’ll see if I can find anyone to stay with you for the weekend. I don’t want you alone when you’re this sick.” Topanga kissed Riley’s head as she drifted off into dreamland.

After letting Cory know about her plans she picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found the one she wanted.

After letting his mom know where’d he be this weekend Lucas packed up a bag with clothes and other things he might need. Topanga had called him and asked him if he minded coming to stay with Riley for the weekend. She and Cory had to go on some trip with Auggie and Topanga was worried Riley would injure herself if she was left alone in her sickness. Lucas had made sure to ask if it was okay with Mr. Matthews before he agreed, the last thing he needed was to loose a shoe. He was grateful Mrs. Matthews had asked him to watch over Riley this weekend, he savored every moment he could sneak with the brunette and a long weekend of uninterrupted time was pure bliss. Sure Riley was sick but he’d still be spending time with his sunshine. He quickly shook his head as he pressed the buzzer and were let into the building. The door was unlocked and the cutest site he had ever scene greeted him.

Riley was on the couch wrapped up with her fleece tie blanket they had made together one time. One side had purple cat fabric and the other side was blue fabric with cuddle bunnies on it. Her hair was partly falling out of her bun, she had a pillow indent on one side of face and she still look exhausted and confused. All in all she looked beautiful to Lucas.

“Hey Sunshine you look cozy” Lucas noted as he plopped down next to her on the couch and gave her blanket-covered head a kiss.

“Lucas?” Riley asked with a slurred voice she was sure this was a dream. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah Lucas! Welcome!” Topanga proclaimed as she entered the area. “Riley, sweetie, Lucas is going to stay with you while we’re away. You’re pretty sick and I just worry about you all alone here.”

“Wait. What?” Riley asked with a confused look as Lucas found her hand under her blanket and gave it a quick squeeze.

“Sunshine, I’m going to be here with you this weekend to make sure you don’t just chug cold medicine or run into walls or anything dangerous. Also I know you get lonely when you get sick so I’ll be here to keep you company.” Lucas told Riley with a proud smile. Riley sat there trying to process the fact that she would have a full weekend alone with Lucas. And her parents were letting her?

“But? Isn’t Dad going to flip?” Riley asked turning towards her mother.

“Nope, Cory’s on board. He’s just happy you’re not going to be alone while we’re gone. I put the numbers you need in case of emergency on the fridge and there’s money for food in the drawer. Medicine is in the tray on the table. I’m sure our future vet over here can figure out what to give you.” Topanga rattled off the information as she pointed to the various areas mentioned. “All right my two loves, we’ll see you when you get back.” She gave each a hug and kiss on the head. Before she exited the door she turned and said, “Take care of our girl Lucas.”

Lucas shot her a smile, “Of course Mrs. Matthews, I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Riley just stared at Lucas in awe. “You’re really going to be here all weekend?” Riley sniffed and her eyes filled with tears. “And you won’t leave me?” Her voice cracked at the end and some tears trickled down. She quickly wiped them away, embarrassed and confused as to why she was crying.

Lucas used his thumb to wipe away some of the tears she had missed and kissed her head, “Yes, Sunshine. All weekend long, I won’t leave you unless you ask okay?” Riley simply nodded and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose. “So what seems to be hurting Riley? Other than your stuffy nose?” Lucas asked Riley with a small smile as he put his arm around her and pulled her close.

“My head’s all fuzzy and I’m really cold. And my stomach feels weird.” Riley told him as she snuggled further under Lucas’ arm and into his side.

“Hmm, okay. Do you want some food? Maybe your just hungry?” Riley quickly shook her head.

“Ow, okay no more head shaking that hurts. Usually when I get a cold or whatever this is I can’t each much without throwing it up. But I am hungry…ugh I hate being sick.” Riley stated with a frown

“Well how about some cinnamon toast or some soup? Huh that shouldn’t be too much for you?” Lucas asked with a hopeful smile.

“Soup sounds nice. I’m cold and it’ll be warm right?”

“Yes, I’ll go get it for you Sunshine. Why don’t you find something for us to watch?” Lucas made sure the remote was close by and her covers were around her. She had queued up Cuddle Bunnies for them to watch. Lucas put the soup on the table as Riley cozied into his side once again. Once he was sure she was settled he put the soup in her lap.

“Thanks Luke is this okay to watch? I wanted something I didn’t need to focus on because words and hard and my head is icky.” She asked giving Lucas a concerned look.

“Of course I love cuddling with you and watching Cuddle Bunnies.” He gave her head a kiss and made sure she ate her soup. Once she had finished he put the bowl on the table.

“Thank you for the soup Lukey.” Riley thanked him and patted his cheek. Lucas just laughed at her and gave her a kiss on the head. He gave Riley some medicine to help with her nose and head following the instructions on the bottle.  Soon after Riley ended up lying across his lap as he petted her hair much like her mother was doing earlier. “This feels really nice, thanks Luke for being with me” Riley expressed as she closed her eyes.

“Of course, anything for you Sunshine. You know I love you.”

“Well yeah you love me…but I don’t know where I’m going with this thought. But I love you too.”  They settled back into comfortable silence, occasionally making comments about the episode playing.  At one point Lucas noticed that Riley had stopped making comments and when he peaked down at her she was asleep with little light snores coming from her mouth. He debated on wither or not to wake up and go to bed. He ultimately decided he was going to carry her to bed and tuck her in. He gracefully picked her up bridal style being careful not to wake up, and he did a pretty good job until he got her into bed. She started to stir as he was pulling the covers over her.

“Luke? What’s happening? Is the queen here?” Riley asked confusion and sleep evident in her voice. Lucas chuckled at her.

“No Sunshine you’re just going to bed, I’ll be out on the couch if you need anything though okay?” Lucas made to leave before Riley’s small hand latched onto his wrist.

“No. Not okay. You said you’d stay with me all weekend. And you’re trying to leave.” Riley looked close to tears as she looked at him.

“Shh Sunshine. I’m not leaving I’ll just be in the living room. I don’t know where else I’d sleep.” Lucas tried to soothe Riley but she was having none of it.

“Luke. No. You sleep here with me. But the left side, the right side is my side.” Riley told him firmly. The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. Sure he sometimes snuck over and accidently feel asleep well they were talking but he never purposefully sleep next to her.

“Riley are you sure you want me sleeping next to you?” Lucas asked nervousness evident in his voice.

“Well duh Luke. What you’re never going to sleep next to me? What about when we’re married you’ll sleep on the couch? You’re dumb.” Riley stated as she pulled the covers over herself and waited for him to get in.

“Sick Riley’s mean. And you’re already thinking about us being married?” Lucas pouted as he slipped into the left side of the bed.

“Shush, I just wanted you to get in so we can sleep I’m so tired and cold. And you’re so warm. And now we can cuddle!” Riley scooted over to Lucas and laid her head on his chest while the beat of his heart lulled her to sleep. Lucas was soon to follow with his arms around Riley.

Riley woke up with a start in the middle of the night. Something didn’t feel right. She quickly realized she was about to puke. She threw her hand over her mouth as she ran to the bathroom. Her stomach revolting the soup she had previously eaten. As she leaned over the toilet she felt someone pull her hair pack and rub her pack. Once she was done and flushed and leaned back to see her boyfriend grabbing a hair tye off the counter and doing her hair into a low pony.

“Luke. You don’t have to, you can go. You don’t need to see me like this, I think I’m going to be here for a while.” Riley expressed her voice hoarse and her eyes tired.

“No way Sunshine, I’m not leaving you remember?” Lucas gave her a dubious look, “What are you going to do when we’re married and you get sick huh? The vows say ‘in sickness and in health’.” Riley didn’t get a chance to respond as her stomach churned again and she leaned over, still feeling Lucas rubbing her back. Once she was done tears sprung to her eyes as she leaned back into her boyfriend.

“I hate this. I hate being sick. All I want to do is sleep but I don’t think I can stand. This sucks.”

“Well if you want to go back to bed I can carry you. How about that?” Riley nodded her head at Lucas suggestion. He scooped her up so they were chest to chest and she laid her head on his shoulder. Once back in her room he tucked her back in and got into ‘his side’ as Riley announced.

“Thanks Luke. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Riley slurred as she went off to sleep.

The next few days went by smoothly Riley only ate toast as to not upset her stomach and took her medicine without complaint. They watched TV and snuggled and talked. Lucas read Harry Potter aloud to Riley a tradition they had started a few weeks ago. They’d read the book out loud together and once they were done they’d watch the movie together. By Sunday night Riley was almost completely better. But it was evident to Lucas that something was still bothering her.

“Sunshine what’s on your mind? You’ve got your thinking face on.” Lucas asked her bobbing her nose to bring her out of her head.

“Well it’s two things…the first one. Luke? Do you think I made myself sick?” Riley asked him sheepishly playing with his fingers as they cuddled.

“Made yourself sick? What do you mean?” Lucas asked with a concerned tone.

Riley sighed, “I mean, do you think because I was doing so much stuff and didn’t take the time to care for myself or get out of my own head that that’s why I got sick?” Riley shrugged and looked away from Lucas.

“I think that you care a lot. About everyone in your life, but sometimes you forget or don’t think about yourself. And yeah maybe it’s part of why you got sick but it could also have been chance.” Lucas shrugged and gave her cheek a kiss.

“So it is my fault!” Riley started to sniffle and Lucas was quick to console her as she snuggled her face into his chest.

“Shh Sunshine. I don’t think it was you, you not taking care of yourself probably contributed to whatever sickness was already inside of you. If you want we can work on making sure you take of yourself together? How does that sound?” Lucas asked rubbing her back gently. Riley peaked out from Lucas’ chest and sniffled.

“That sounds nice Luke. I think I just get wrapped up and in my own head. And to some extent its just easier to worry about others than it is to focus on my own issues.” Riley stated with a sigh

“Well that’s what I’m here for Sunshine, to take care of you.” Luke gave her nose a kiss electing a giggle and wide smile from Riley. “So we all good with that topic?” Riley nodded her head and snuggled more securely in Lucas’ lap. “You said there was something else?” Lucas trailed off as he waited for Riley to fill him in.  She suddenly flushed pink.

“Uh…I was just wondering if you meant what you said when you talked about in sickness and health and like…do you think like think we’ll get there someday? Like marriage?”

“Of course, I love you and like I know its silly but this weekend kind of felt like we were married. It sucked you were sick but I liked taking care of you. Don’t you think about stuff like that?” Lucas asked her with a small smile

“I love you too, and of course I think about stuff like that I just thought that’s cause I’m a girl. But I’m glad you think about it too.” Riley let out a large yawn and Lucas noticed how late it had gotten. Lucas scooped Riley up

“Come on Sunshine lets go to bed.” Riley smiled into his shoulder happy to be in his arms.

On Monday they stayed in their pjs and made pancakes. Riley had Lucas do a facemask with her, they had a nice day in without Riley’s sickness looming. Lucas ended up staying with her Monday night as well and they went to school together on Tuesday with huge smiles on their faces. Their friends teased them about ‘Dr. Lucas’ taking care of Riley for the weekend. But Riley just smiled and laughed it off and said she was grateful she had Lucas for sickness and health.

[trainingseasons]

The Wolves of War (my version)

Rating: M for violence and language

Word Count: 2,900.

Part 1 of 3.

I wasn't too impressed with how the finale turned out. They didn't focus  much on the core group or brought back characters that everyone loved. So I decided that I wanted to write my own version of the finale. A lot of the scenes and some lines will be similar to the show's episode, but for the most part, this is my take on what should had happened. I hope you like it.

Scene 1

Location: Lot

Scene starts out the same way the prior episode ended. Deucalion is lying on the ground after he was shot multiple times. The hunters surround Scott, Lydia, Malia and Peter. Monroe orders the hunters to shoot. Scott dodges a bullet and knocks one hunter to the ground. Malia jumps up and kicks another hunter. Lydia is cornered by two hunters. She starts screaming and the two hunters fall down to their knees. She punches them. Peter is dragging Deucalion to safety. More hunters arrive. Scott takes cover behind a column. A hunter surprises him from behind. Scott looks terrified. A jeep hits the hunter and sends him flying. Stiles appears.

Stiles: You didn't think you would do this without me?

Derek appears.

Derek: Without us?

Stiles frowns.

Scott: (smiles) Thank god, you're here.

Theme song.

Stiles gets out of his jeep and takes out a new baseball bat. Derek extends his claws. They join the others in battle. A hunter aims a gun at Malia and Stiles hits him over the head with his bat.

Malia: Thanks Stiles.

Stiles: Anytime.

Scott, Derek and Lydia take down more hunters.

Monroe: Retreat! Retreat!

The hunters and Monroe get into their cars and leaves. The pack gather around Deucalion. Scott kneel down beside him. Scott is heartbroken. Malia takes Scott's hand. Stiles takes an interest in Scott and Malia.

Stiles: (whispers to Lydia) What's going on with them?

Lydia grabs Stiles's hand and walks him to the other side of the lot.

Lydia: It's complicated.

Stiles: Are they dating? What about Kira?

Lydia: She sent him a letter a while back telling him that he shouldn't wait for her. She doesn't know when she'll come back.

Stiles: Another question.

Lydia: Yeah?

Stiles: Why didn't you call me when things were getting this bad?

Lydia: (looks down) I had my reasons. We had our reasons.

Stiles: I'm going to need more than that.

Lydia: (looks at Stiles) I didn't want anything to happen to you. After what happened with the ghost riders, it would kill me if I lost you again.

Stiles grabs Lydia and hugs her tightly. He thens, passionately kisses her.

Stiles: I love you, Lydia. You're everything to me, and I never want to cause you pain. But you can't keep stuff from me to protect me. You wouldn't want me to do that to you. Yeah, I'm not a werewolf, banshee, or whatever the hell Theo is, but I think I have proven myself in battle over and over again.

Lydia: I love you, Stiles. I'm sorry, you're right. Scott or I should had called you. But we can't dwell on the past. We have a war to worry about. It's getting really bad.

Stiles: Let's focus on that.

Lydia and Stiles start walking back to the pack, holding hands. Scott is still kneeling by Deucalion.

Scott: I'm sorry that I couldn't saved you. I failed you.

Deucalion opens his eyes and starts to cough, startling Scott.

Deucalion: Scott, you didn't failed me.

Scott: But you're dying because of me.

Deucalion: No, I'm not.

Scott: What?

Deucalion lifts up his shirt to reveal a bullet proof vest. He stands up.

Deucalion: This isn't my first rodeo with hunters. The reason why hunters used guns and arrows is so they don't have to get close to us to kill us. So I came prepared.

Malia: So, wait. Why didn't you give one to me or Scott?

Deucalion: You didn't ask.

Malia: How are we supposed to ask for something that we didn't know was an option?

Deucalion: You're fighting a war. You have to think of everything. One misstep and you're done.

Scott: Will you help us come up with a new plan?

Deucalion: I'm sorry, I can't. You're on your own. I did all I can.

Derek: What would my mother think of you abandoning us when we need you the most?

Deucalion: Talia would had done the same thing.

Derek: What?

Deucalion: I'm not abandoning you. I'm stepping down. You think you need me when you don't. I will only be hindering you. The true alpha and leader is Scott, not me. (looks at Scott and puts his hand on Scott's shoulder) Scott, you got this. Believe in yourself and your pack. From what I've seen, no pack is stronger than yours. Combine your strengths.

Deucalion starts walking away.

Scott: Deucalion!

Deucalion turns around.

Scott: Stay safe.

Deucalion: (smiles and nods) You too. Good luck!

Deucalion leaves. Lydia and Stiles return. Stiles winks at Scott and pulls him in closer for a hug.

Peter: This love fest has been fun, but I'm out of here. Let me know when you have a plan.

Peter walks away.

Stiles: What was Peter doing here?

Scott: He is going to help us.

Stiles: You must be desperate to ask for his help.

Scott: Yeah, we kinda are.

Derek: Scott, we need to talk.

Scott: What is it?

Derek: Kate's back too.

Lydia: That bitch is back?

Derek: And she's after Scott.

Stiles: What else is new? She's always after Scott.

Derek: Yeah, but this time she has yellow wolfsbane.

Scene 2

Location: Armory

Gerard is walking back and forth waiting on news that's Scott is dead. Monroe rushes in.

Gerard: (grinning) Is he finally dead?

Monroe: Unfortunately no.

Gerard: NO??!! How hard is it to kill an alpha?

Monroe: I don't know. You tell me. You haven't been able to kill him yet either.

Gerard: You watch your tone with me, girl.

Monroe: Sorry. It won't happen again. Two guys appeared in a Jeep that we weren't expecting. One was really skinny and had a baseball bat, and the other had a beard and was built.

Gerard: A jeep? Sounds like that annoying kid Stiles.

Monroe: Stiles? Sheriff Stilinski's son?

Gerard: Yes. And I have to assume the other guy is Derek. Kate told me she ran into him earlier.

Kate walks in.

Kate: Talking about me? (looks at Monroe) What's she doing here?

Monroe: It's none of your damn business. You're one of them. I should just kill you now.

Kate: Oh honey, you can try, but I'll slash your throat before you pull the trigger.

Kate extends her claws and Monroe takes out her gun.

Gerard: ENOUGH!!

Kate and Monroe look at Gerard.

Gerald: Monroe tell me that the hunters are in place.

Monroe: It's all taken care of. We have hunters everywhere. Scott and his pack won't know what hit them.

Gerard: (smiles) Good.

They discuss their plan. A person unseen to them is watching and then leaves.

Scene 3

Location: Lot

Lydia: What do we do next?

Scott: We need to find the others.

A woman's voice: That's going to be a problem.

Everyone turns around.

Scott: (smiles) Braeden.

Braeden: Hi.

Commercial break.

Scott: It's so great to see you. Are you here to help?

Braeden: Yeah, and I brought back up.

A girl start walking towards them.

Lydia: No, it can't be.

Scott: Kira!

Kira: Hi everyone. I'm here. Obviously you know I'm here, I'm standing right in front of you. You can see me with your own eyes. Two eyes. (Everyone stares amusingly at her) I'm rambling again. I'm sorry. I'm going to shut up now.

Scott runs to her, picks her up and gives her the biggest hug.

Scott: I missed you so much.

Kira: I missed you too.

Scott: Please tell me you're staying.

Kira: Uh..

Malia: My turn now.

Scott puts Kira down and Malia hugs her. Then Lydia and Stiles.

Braeden looks around.

Braeden: Where's Isaac?

Derek: I thought he was with you.

Braeden: He was supposed to meet us here.

Scene 4

Location: Beacon Heights (night)

A cab pulls up to a high school. A man gets out of the cab and looks around his surroundings. He's extremely confused.

Isaac: This doesn't look like Beacon Hills.

Cab driver: It's Beacon Heights.

Isaac: I said Beacon Hills not heights. Beacon Heights sounds like the name of a town in a badly made spin-off of pretty little liars.

Two girls walk by.

Girl 1: You watch pretty little liars?

Girl: What a loser!

Isaac: Hey! Pretty little liars is my guilty pleasure, ok? I'm not going to be shame for it.

Girl 1: That show sucks!

Isaac: I'm not denying that. And you know what?

Girl 2: What?

Isaac: You suck too. Yeah, I said it.

The two girls give him the finger and walk away.

Cab driver: Very classy. Now pay up.

Isaac: But you didn't take me to the right place.

Cab driver: Yes I did.

He show Isaac the receipt he signed earlier.

Isaac: So, can I get a ride to Beacon Hills?

Cab driver: I'm not driving to a town that's a day away.

Isaac: What? I'm supposed to be there tonight.

Cab driver: There's no way you'll make it. Now pay up and go.

Isaac: Fine.

He looks at the price and his eyes bulged.

Isaac: Oh my god!

Cab driver: What is it?

Isaac points and looks in horror at the trunk. The cab driver gets out of the cab and heads to the trunk. Isaac quickly walks to the driver's side and gets in. He takes off in the cab with the driver running after him yelling. Isaac looks back.

Isaac: (shouts) Sorry! I'll bring back your cab eventually.

Isaac doesn't pay attention and crashes the cab into a hydrant.

Isaac: My life sucks.

Scene 5

Location: Lot

Braeden: We can't wait for Isaac. We need to start going over strategies immediately.

Scott: We need to find a place. We can't stay here. The hunters might come back.

Braeden: I was at the armory and I overheard Gerard's plan. They have hunters all over the place. It's not safe anywhere.

Scott: Then where do we go?

Chris shows up.

Chris: I might know a place.

Commercial break.

Scene 6

Location: Argent’s house from season 1

Chris leads the group to a bunker full of hunter supplies underneath his old house.

Scott: Does anyone else know about this place?

Chris: Just me. I built it myself.

Scott: You built this by yourself?

Chris: I was bored. Needed something to do.

Stiles: You need to be bored more often. This place is awesome!

In the bunker, there are bookcases full of hunter books, a wall full of weapons, multiple tv screens on the opposite wall, a high tech computer and a desk. Everyone looks impressed.

Stiles checks out the tv screens.

Stiles: Does your computer work?

Chris: Yes.

Stiles: Good. I can hacked into the security cameras all over the town.

Derek: Did you learned that in your FBI training?

Stiles: I learned it from one of my classmates. That's how I saved your sorry ass.

Derek: You didn't saved my sorry ass. I saved your sorry ass.

Stiles: That's not how I remembered it.

Stiles's flashback

Stiles and Derek are seen running from two hunters. Derek trips over a small pebble. Derek starts crying.

Derek: (sobbing) Just go on without me.

Stiles: (posing like a superhero) Not on my watch!

Stiles picks up Derek and starts running.

Derek: My hero!

End flashback.

Derek: That's not what happened.

Stiles: I'm sorry Derek. It happened exactly like that.

Derek: This is how it really went down.

Derek's flashback

Stiles and Derek are seen running from a group of hunters. They get cornered. Derek starts fighting the hunters and getting the upper hand while Stiles just cries. Derek knocks out the last hunter.

Stiles: Derek, you're my hero.

Derek: I know. I'm everybody's hero.

Stiles hugs Derek.

End flashback.

Stiles: I didn't hug you. (Looks at rest of the pack) I didn't hug him. (Looks at Derek) And I didn't called you a hero. Isaac is more of a hero than you.

Derek: Yeah, sure.

They start mocking each other.

Scott: We need to focus. Stiles, you need to hack into the security cameras. Check the hospital first.

Stiles: Right on it.

Static fills the screens.

Scott: What's going on?

Stiles: I don't know.

Gerard appears on the screens. Everyone steps back.

Gerard: Aww! Look at this family reunion. You should thank me for bringing you back together.

Scott: Let's meet in person so we can personally thank you.

Gerard: All in due time, my friend, all in due time.

Scott: What do you want Gerard?

Gerard: A little bit impatient are you?

Scott: You're not one for small talk. Get on with it.

Gerard: Were you expecting visitors from London?

Stiles: Who's from London?

Gerard shows footage of Jackson.

Lydia: Jackson!

Stiles: You can keep him.

Gerard: How's your mother doing Scott?

Scott: You leave her alone.

Gerard: We have hunters everywhere.

Gerard shows footage of Parrish trapped in a cell in Eichen house guarded by 3 deputies, footage of agent McCall in jail, footage of hunters storming the hospital, and footage of hunters at the school.

Gerard: You can't save them all.

Scott: You won't win.

Gerard: I already did.

Stiles turns off the screens.

Kira: What do we do now?

Scott: We fight!

Commercial break.

Scene 7

Location: Armory

Monroe: How can we ambush them now if they know that we have hunters waiting for them?

Gerard: You already tried to ambush them, how did that go?

Monroe: Not well.

Gerard: You need to stop questioning my plans. I know what I'm doing. This time my plan will work.

Monroe: What's the new plan?

Gerard: Scott is not going to leave any of his pack members behind. He will try to save them all. His pack is strong together, but separate them and it leaves them all vulnerable. An alpha is not as strong without a pack. When he send his members to save the others, then we'll attack. I want you to go to the school. That's where Scott will be. Take this.

Gerard hands Monroe a bullet.

Monroe: What's this?

Kate: A bullet, dumbass.

Gerard: Yellow wolfsbane is in the bullet. It should be more than enough to kill an alpha.

Kate: Why are you giving her the wolfsbane? I should be the one to use it on Scott.

Gerard: I trust her more than you.

Monroe: I won't let you down.

Gerard: You better not. There won't be another chance.

Scene 8

Location: Bunker

Malia and Stiles are on the phone.

Malia: (On phone with Peter) We'll meet you at the school as soon as we can. Watch out for the hunters and the Anuk-ite. Stay safe.

Stiles: (On phone with his dad) Parrish is being held in a cell in Eichen house by three of your deputies. Be careful dad.

Malia and Stiles end their calls and return to the group.

Stiles: I need more information on this Anuk-ite. What is it?

Scott: It's a creature that spreads fear and paranoia. When it was two halves, anyone who went near it, experience tremendous amount of fear. But now that the two halves are one, it uses your fear against you and then when you look at it, it turns you to stone.

Stiles: How do we defeat it?

Scott: I don't know yet. But I have a theory. If we can destroy it or at least trap it again, the townspeople will stop hunting us.

Stiles: Good in theory but..

Scott: What?

Stiles: What happens if you're wrong? What if they don't stop hunting us?

Scott: I don't know. I have to believe that the only reason why they want us dead is because of the Anuk-ite. I have to believe that there's still good in them and they just scared of the unknown.

Stiles: I'm assuming you have a plan.

Scott: Don't I always?

Scott starts telling everyone the plan.

Scene 9

Location: High school

Peter enters the front doors. He sees multiple statues in the hallway. He walks up to a statue and realizes it was a hunter. He walks to another statue and hears a voice behind him.

Talia: You are a big disgrace to this family. You don't deserve to call yourself a Hale.

Peter: (whimpering) I'm sorry Talia.

Peter turns around and sees the Anuk-ite. The Anuk-ite eyes glows and turns Peter to stone. The Anuk-ite turns it's head sideways and looks at Peter.

Scene 10

Location: Bunker

Everyone is gathered in a circle.

Scott: Everyone knows their assignments?

Everyone nods. Scott smiles.

Scott: Before we go…

Stiles: No speeches. Anything you say is going to sound like a goodbye speech. I don't think any of us can handle that.

Scott: Fine. No speech. We'll going to win this.

Stiles and Lydia start to leave. Stiles turns around and winks at Scott. Then Derek and Braeden leave. Then Chris followed by Malia and Kira. Scott starts leaving and looks back at the bunker.

Scott: Showtime!

To be continue...

[fireawayniall]

Writing plans for 2018!

I was tagged by @niallandharrymakemestrong to share my writing plans for the upcoming year, well here it goes!

• I'm in the process of planning/writing my first Niall fic! I'm super pumped about it! The idea has been stuck in my head for months and I'm finally getting it on paper.

• Finish This Time Around! I had great ideas for this story and have pieces of multiple chapters, I just need to finish it.

• I really want to get into writing prompts.

• I'm also writing my own book!

I tag @sand1128 @shebe67 and @ouat2011. Excited to see what everyone has planned!

[rucaswriterweek]

Day Two--Romance

Yay it’s day 2! Romance stories. These wonderful, amazing, authors write stories that make us swoon over the romance.

@cowgirlangel95​ wrote one of our favorites called And They Called it Rodeo, this sweet AU where Riley meets Lucas on a road trip while getting over an ex. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11673977/1/And-They-Call-it-Rodeo

@maryeemeeh wrote the amazing Back to Yesterday which sees a future where Riley is 22, and Lucas returns to New York for an internship and to plan his wedding to another woman. We still get chills just thinking about it. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11666343/1/Back-To-Yesterday

@its-beautifuldreams42 wrote the beyond addictive Hello, it’s me which will make you swoon, cry, scream, wish death upon Charlie. We still get riled up about it a year later. http://its-beautifuldreams42.tumblr.com/gmw-multichap-fics

taylorchochran (is she on tumblr, we haven’t found her if she is)  brought us a story where Riley and Lucas fall in love with each other, even when she’s Married to her Job. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11812599/1/Married-To-My-Job

@katdvs gave us Riley and Lucas sneaking around in the night, while Maya, Zay, and Farkle tweet about them and create a viral sensation in Wedding Weekend https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11735804/1/Wedding-Weekend

@shipperluv gave us chills with her one-shot North Star. We just reread it recently and it still got to us. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12011694/1/North-Star

@ouat2011 took us into the world where RIley and Lucas can’t hide from their feelings any longer one night in Crash Course.  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11927212/1/Crash-Course

[katdvs]

Reader Survey Results

Favorite Multi-Chapter is Thunder Chasing The Wind followed by Oh, What A Night.

Favorite One-Shot is The Paris Rules, followed by Scented and Snowed In.

Favorite Non-Rucas Pairings are Josh & Maya, and Wyatt & Alex.

If Fan Fics had an “if you enjoyed this author you might enjoy these authors” it would for sure recommend @ouat2011 @whenrileymetlucas​ and @iwantyoutochooseme

[reytonbleyer]

32 for the ship asks

Thank you for sending a number, anon!!

32 - Share five must-read fics.

Only five? It’s too hard to choose! Hum… ok so:

The very first rucas fanfic (trilogy) I got downright addicted to was “Stay”, a fanfic by @ouat2011 and, of course, when you read that one you’ll have to read “Go” and “Home”. For real, you just won’t be able to stop yourself haha Seriously, just ready anything Katie writes (I strongly recommend that you do) and you’ll be good. Yes, she is that amazing!

I also loved “The Riley Diaries” by @me-youhaveme​. I’ve linked you to the last part so you can find all the others too. It’s an amazing plot and beautifully written!

“People You May Know”, by @girlmeetsrileyandlucas​… talk about incredible! The characters have so much depth in them, the whole story grows in a way that’s so enthralling, you can’t help but fall in love with it!

I have also read (probably) every fanfic @iwantyoutochooseme​ has ever written… it’s kinda hard for me to pick one. But “British Invasion” is on progress right now and it’s really really great, so I’d totally recommend you start there!

Last, but most certainly not least, you need to read @whenrileymetlucas “The Story of Us”! The plot, the characters, the dynamics, literally everything about this story is so amazing (and hey, don’t be shy to check the other stories, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed)!!

Long answer…? Maybe, I might have gotten a bit carried away but there’s just too much talent on this fandom!

Send in a number!

[frankchurchillsaysrelax]

First Riverdale fic and of course it had to be Archie/Betty. We seem to be one of the smaller ships in the fandom but I hope people can enjoy it even if they don’t ship them.

This is a series of short vignettes focusing on their friendship and their interactions through their bedroom windows over the years.

I started this several weeks ago so some things are different from canon.

Finally I just want to give a shout out to @sand1128 and @ouat2011 who were nice enough to read this over and convinced me it wasn’t terrible. Thanks ladies!

oh, if the right one came along

A bright pinprick of light behind her eyelids pulls her from where she’s drifting between wakefulness and sleep. The small red dot moving in random patterns on her bedroom wall is enough to get her out of bed.

How many times had this scene played out over the years, since she was four and her family moved into the house next door to the little red headed boy and his parents.

They’d gotten the laser pointer idea from an old television show; drawing pictures on each other’s walls and creating codes to communicate in secret. Amusing each other on rainy Saturday mornings, her keeping him company when he was in trouble, him comforting her when the nightlight wasn't enough to keep the monsters away. So many wonderful moments that forged their friendship throughout the years.

The patterns this time are nonsensical, just moving frantically to try and catch her attention. She tiptoes softly to her window and pulls the gauzy curtains back, coming face to face with her heartbroken best friend. The moonlight reflects off his tear stained face and the knot that’s taken shape in her stomach since she first heard the news tightens.

Silently, she points towards her backyard and the fort that houses so many of their memories. He nods quickly before retreating into the darkness of his bedroom.

As quietly as she can, she sneaks past her parents’ and Polly’s rooms, down the stairs, and out the back door. He’s already waiting for her; it’s easier for him to get out now that it’s just his dad.

He says nothing, simply folds himself into her arms and cries.

She only lets her own tears fall when he begs her to never leave him. She buries her face in his neck and promises. Never ever.

He shouts her name one afternoon. No lasers or phones, just his changing voice squeaking joyfully across their lawns.

She opens the window quickly and hears the catchy beat before he even has a chance to turn up the radio. A song she hasn't heard in years, an inside joke from long ago, and she couldn't stop the peal of giggles that bursts from her even if she wanted to.

She races to her own radio already singing at the top of her lungs, not even caring if her mother comes to yell at her. His gangly limbs flail about and her blonde ponytail whips back and forth as they enjoy this moment of youthful silliness.

The moment only lasts a few minutes and soon she is falling back onto her bed, out of breath and still laughing.

How lucky she is to have someone she can be so freely herself with.

The night they take Polly away she doesn’t answer her phone. The blinds are closed tight, the room is dark, yet he can still hear the faint sounds of her pained cries. He wonders how loud they must be for him to hear across all the space between them. He wonders how bad it all must be for her to risk anyone hearing her cry.

He writes her a song that night. It’s probably not very good and he’ll probably never play it for her, but it lets him say all the things he wishes he could say to her.

His best friend’s world has completely shattered and all he has to offer her are a few chords and pretty words strung together to show that he will always be there for her.

Her window has been empty for weeks now. The blinds are up with nothing behind them to shield the world from, the lights are continuously off, but still every night after a long day at one of his dad’s job sites he finds himself habitually looking for the girl next door. He misses her more than he thought he would.

He knows why they sent her away and he knows that it’s for the best. The weeks after Polly left she just wasn’t the same, and things didn’t start getting better until her mom took her to see a doctor. She wouldn’t tell him what happened, but in those last few weeks before summer he could breathe a sigh of relief at the signs of his best friend returning. It was easy to make her smile again, and her energy skyrocketed as she became hyper focused on preparing for the summer internship her mom had gotten her a spot in at the last minute.

She’d needed the distraction, and based on the few texts he’s gotten from her it seemed to be working.

He was happy for her even though he felt like he was drowning, losing himself. He felt like he had no one to talk to anymore, not even Jughead who had been disappearing more and more recently, spending all of his time at the old drive-in.

And then Geraldine saw him. She saw him and she listened. She encouraged him and his music in a way that no one ever had.

And maybe she was right, maybe the reason he never shared his music with her was because he was afraid she would think it was stupid. She'd never say so to his face, she was too nice for that, but wouldn't he be able to sense her disappointment?

She was pretty much perfect, he'd always thought so. Perfect grades, perfect internship, less than perfect family but she still had two parents who loved and supported her. Would she really be impressed by his mediocre songs?

No, Geraldine was right. He shouldn't show them to anyone else until he's improved, and she could help with that; she was a music teacher after all. There was no point in bothering his friends with his insecurities and pipe dreams.

She needed her internship and he needed Geraldine.

The boy is oblivious. The pernicious night of the back to school dance should have proved that, but she's still surprised by just how far it goes.

It feels wrong watching him change his clothes, even if he is standing perfectly in front of his window like an Abercrombie display case. If she didn't know any better she'd assume he was doing it on purpose, but she is all too painfully aware that that isn't the case.

It's like he doesn't even remember she's standing there; on the other side of her window where she's always been. Until recently that is. Maybe he'd just gotten used to her not being there this summer. Maybe he didn't miss her as much as she’d missed him. Maybe he’d never noticed her there at all.

She hates that he's making her question the validity of their entire friendship.

Toni Morrison was right. One summer really can change everything.

Grundy is gone and he doesn’t know how to feel. Geraldine, or Jennifer, or Miss Gibson, whatever he’s supposed to call her now, had turned his world upside down in what he thought was a miraculous way. All it turned out to be was a mess.

After several long talks with his dad he’s starting to understand what happened, but he just can’t wrap his head around it. It didn’t feel like she was using him. She didn’t make him do anything he didn’t want to do, or that he’d thought he’d wanted to do.

How could everything between them have been a lie when it all felt so real?

He still sneaks out some nights. Sometimes he goes running, other times he doesn't make it past the garage where he will blast music as loud as he can in a pathetic attempt to drown out his thoughts.

Most nights when he’s sneaking back in, no matter how late, the lights are still on in her window. He can see her working on God knows what, papers strewn all over her bed, books open on every available surface. He’s not sure when she finds time to sleep.

He wakes in the middle of the night from a bad dream involving him alone on stage in nothing but a pair of boxers covered in cats.

One glance out the window shows him that she’s still awake. They need to be up for school in three hours but she’s still flitting around her room, resolutely reciting something to herself.

When she doesn’t respond to his texts he digs out his old laser pointer from a shoebox under his bed and sends her one of their old secret messages. Are you awake?

He’s not sure if she remembers their made-up code until she pops into her window with a tired smile. She starts looking around for something, probably her phone, but he’s feeling playful and he desperately wants to see one of her genuine smiles which have become so rare in these last few weeks, so he quickly draws out another message. Answer me.

She shakes her head softly and disappears for a few minutes until finally he gets a red dot on his own wall. What’s up?

Her brow furrows as she watches him carefully trace the shape of a bed onto her wall, cursing his five year old self for never thinking of a code for go to sleep. It takes three tries but finally she catches on and turns back to look at him regretfully. Before she can make excuses he shoots her a look he hopes conveys that he won’t be taking no for an answer.

Another red symbol is drawn on his wall after a few long seconds. Goodnight. He waits until she's turned off the lights before returning the message.

He’s glad they can still communicate this way, through nothing but a laser and a few simple looks. It makes him hopeful that maybe things haven’t changed between them as much as it seems.

He’s grounded, again. She’s trying her best to cheer him up even though her mind is racing with a million other things: homework, her crazy mother, the latest breakthrough in Jason Blossom’s murder...normal teenage things.

But after half an hour of sending the funniest memes and cat videos she can find, the sight of him laughing, even if she can’t hear it, makes it all worth it.The shaking of his shoulders, the way he throws his head back when he finds something particularly funny, the wide grin that she hasn’t seen in so long, and the way his smile reaches his eyes whenever their gazes catch are nothing short of mesmerizing.

The feelings she’s been trying so hard to bury are now clawing their way out, filling her heart with a hope she knows is unhealthy.

When Jughead comes barging through her bedroom door talking a mile a minute and clearly having recently downed one too many cups of coffee, her attention immediately shifts to him. She ignores the buzzing of her phone as the other boy who holds a special place in her heart tells her his newest theory on who might know more than they’re letting on.

Once they’ve cooked up a plan on how to question their suspect, Jughead leaves and she turns back to her window only to find that he is no longer there. She picks up her phone to check her missed texts and a bemused frown eclipses her features at his sudden change in attitude.

2:14pm

hey I think I’m gonna head down to the garage and practice

2:15pm

but thanks for keeping me company

2:18pm

tell Jug I said hi

It all goes wrong so quickly.

They all go to Cheryl’s party together, everyone except Jughead who decided he’d rather spend the evening writing than getting drunk with the popular kids. Val’s ditched him for Josie almost as soon as they’ve entered Thornhill, while Kevin and a certain blonde disappear into the crowd not too long after.

He and Veronica are left on their own and Cheryl quickly inserts herself into their conversation with her usual grace. He’s actually grateful when Reggie calls his name, until he’s telling him that Chuck is boasting about how he’s finally going to get revenge on Polly's sister, and he feels his stomach drop.

Veronica is the first to move, muttering to herself about stars, darkness, and a hot tub. Apparently she knows something he doesn't.

He makes a mental note to thank Reggie later for coming to warn him as he worriedly follows the football captain out to Cheryl’s pool. The first thing he notices is that Kevin is nowhere in sight. He's never had a reason to be mad at his friend but he's suddenly pissed that he would leave her alone. His mind focuses on the situation and he watches as the disgraced football star and his friends surround her. She's tipsily drinking from a red cup and doesn't seem to notice the group of boys invading her space.

With Veronica’s help he manages to quickly extract her with minimal damage, doing their best to avoid a scene that would undoubtedly embarrass her later. Reggie helps hold Chuck off long enough for them to get to his car and he's again thankful for his seemingly out of character behavior.

He drops Ronnie off first before driving them home, thanking whatever higher power was listening that her parents are both out of town for the weekend. He’ll have to ask her when she's sober how she got them to leave her alone.

She refuses to let him help her upstairs so he leaves her giggling form at her front door with instructions to drink plenty of water and sleep on her stomach. He rushes back to his house and up to his window to check if she's made it to her room alright. The sight that greets him is unexpected but he can't force himself look away.

Dancing clumsily around her room in nothing but a pale blue bra and her jeans, she looks the happiest he's seen her in months. He knows he shouldn’t watch, she probably doesn't even realize her blinds are open, but he's a creep and he won't deny himself this glimpse of the carefree girl his best friend used to be; although clearly she's not the same girl, she's gone and grown up and he's barely noticed.

He watches for a couple minutes, swearing he'll look away in a second, until suddenly she stops in front of her mirror almost tipping over at the abrupt change in movement. She stares at herself with her back to him, her head tilting to the side.

He wonders what she's thinking. There was a time when he would know exactly what was going on inside her head, but those days seem so long ago he's not even sure they ever existed.

She stands there motionless for a long time until she raises one hand to smooth over her signature high pony while the other clenches into a tight fist at her side. He barely has time to question what she's doing when her fist shoots out and punches the mirror. He's out of his room and down the stairs before her knees have reached the ground, her body quaking with sobs.

He grabs the spare key from under the doormat and lets himself into the Cooper’s house and he can hear that what he'd thought were sobs are actually screams. He takes the stairs two at a time and bursts into her room where she is huddled on the floor screaming endlessly into the carpet. She lashes out when he tries to touch her but eventually collapses against him, now sobbing.

He helps her up and leads her to her bathroom, gently shushing her as he pulls out what he needs to fix her hand. She cries through the entire process as he first washes her hand before disinfecting and bandaging the wounds. She still seems unaware of what's happening and it scares him; he's not entirely sure it's just from the alcohol.

Once he's finished he gathers her back into his arms and tries to calm her. He has no clue what to say so he starts humming softly under his breath.

He soon remembers that she isn't wearing a shirt. He wants to get her a change of clothes but he doesn't want her to think he's leaving, and frankly he doesn't want to let her out of his sight.

He pulls her gently back into her bedroom and sits her down on her bed, careful to avoid the broken mirror. He goes to the drawer where he knows she keeps her pajamas and grabs the first pants and shirt he sees. He offers them to her and watches as she struggles to throw on the shirt, helping her navigate the sleeves.

When she stands and reaches for the button on her jeans he whips around to give her some privacy only turning back when he hears her stop moving.

She's standing there looking so broken and he feels his heart breaking for her. The perfect girl he’d always seen her as had started to show her cracks over the last few months. This moment has been a long time coming and he's just happy he can be here for her.

She doesn't ask, but then again she doesn't really have to. He puts a hand on her back, guiding her to the bed and pulls back her covers so she can slip in. He doesn't want to sleep in his jeans but he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable so he just removes his shirt and shoes before walking around to the other side of the bed, laying on his back so she can curl into his side.

He’ll get in trouble for this, and if her parents ever find out he's as good as dead, but there's no way he's leaving her right now.

They lay together in silence for a while until she speaks for the first time since he’d dropped her off earlier, her voice hoarse and watery. I love you Archie.

The words come quickly to his tongue, but he pauses before he can say them. Too many thoughts race through his mind. How does she mean it? Does she know how she means it right now? He's not even sure he knows how he means it anymore. Should he say it when he doesn't know?

When he finally whispers it back she's already asleep. It's probably for the best.

read it on ao3   

[trainingseasons]

🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊

@slowburnotptrash, Farah is the most passionate stydia shipper in the fandom. And she is one of the funniest people I know.@ouat2011, Katie is an incredible writer. I'm always looking forward for her newest updates on her rucas fic.@kirayukimuras, Sierra is a very talented gif maker and one of my favorites. @lorelaisgilmores, Drea is never afraid to speak her mind and I really respect her for that.@madelinecoffee, Madeline is one of the sweetest people I know. Her poetry is always relatable.@flawlessbanshee, Hannagh writes the best headcanons for Stydia and Bellarke. For every 🎊 I get I'll recommend a blog

[rileysluke]

Can you recommend some other Rucas fic writers?

okay, so there are so many amazing writers out there & i know i’ll probably forget some of my faves so i’m already crying honestly

but here are a few that come to mind!

@ouat2011 @iwantyoutochooseme @whenrileymetlucas @sand1128 @friarlucas @rileyliley @shebe67 @friarsriles @grizbehr @rileyfriars @grapes-day @hopefulforus @shipperluv @rileysmatthews @rucadora @imaginarybird

[mrfreakface]

Just wanna give a little shout out to @ouat2011 because no matter what I'm feeling or how sick I am I can just slip into bed and read one of her fics and I immediately feel at ease. I'm suffering through the flu right now and Serendipity is the only thing that helps ease my headache. Seriously recommend all of her work!

[cocoabutterkisses16]

Can you recommend some Rucas fic writers?

Ok, first of all, thank you so much for sending me this because now I get to shout out all of my amazingly talented writer friends💁🏾. Some of the Rucas fic writers I love are:@ouat2011 @friarlucas @whenrileymetlucas @rucadora @sand1128 @katdvs @iwantyoutochooseme @shebe67

[katdvs]

What's the best fic you've ever read? What's the best fic you've read lately?

The best fic I ever read was called A New Face, it was written back in like 1998-1999 and it was a General Hospital/Port Charles fic. I was obsessed with it. Like I would print out the chapters and bring them with me to read at lunch. Sadly it’s not archived anywhere because this was before FF was a thing, and it was only posted on soapzone on the message boards. I remember Tonya the author didn’t even have a copy on her computer, she just had the printouts from the site as her copies.

As for lately, I am loving 21 by @ouat2011 and I really loved The Cinderella Promise by @yuniesan

And I just realized I totally dated myself with that best fic ever part.

Slumber Party Saturday

[sand1128]

GMW FanFic Active Writers List

The names listed are those that reblogged the GMW FanFic Writers Roll Call post. I have tried to keep the details as originally posted. If something needs to be changed- let me know.  If you need to be added to this list- let me know and I will add you. 

The status of the show may be cloudy but the fanfic writers love is still shining!

@rileysrobot: rucas, riarkle, rilaya

@rorysgilmoree : Rucas     

@ouat2011  Rucas

@winterliley: rucas 

@smilzforlife: Rucas

@GrizBehr For now

@matthewsjosh: joshaya

@imaginarybird. Mainly Rucas, but there will often be Smarkle somewhat present as well. Also occasional gen fic and other randomness that strikes me.

@girlmeetsrileyandlucas : Rucas

@stabbymcgeee rilaya, smarkle

@mayamattews: joshaya

@miissnoname Rucas

@kkmallow3: Rucas!

@shebe67. Rucas…currently Smarkle wip

@gmwmeetsniall when I have time, rucas

@frankchurchillsaysrelax rucas, joshaya, maybe smarkle?

@missgamergeek / @mgg-fics: rilaya

@gmwrainbowcat Rilaya

@typicallyriarkle Riarkle, Lucaya, Zaydora, ocasional Larkle

@fangirlcassie: Rilaya :) @thunderandlightningfics is where I post them!

@callmecottoncandyface Riarkle, Lucaya, Zaydora, pretty much anything else. I love to write. And I especially like writing for this fandom.

@donniebaarnes riarkle

@rilayabelacqua Rilaya

@hpdwgmwfanfics lucaya, zaya, rilaya, riarkle, zayadora 

@gmwbmw87 Mostly Riarkle, but I’ll write for any ship from GMW and BMW.

@sassykryptonitetale Riakle, Lucaya, and Zaydora.

@lasha1878 @ballerinascowboysandminki riarkle zaydora lucaya joshaya can request anything

@dauntless-demigod23I will write literally anything anyone asks me to all you have to do is ask because fuck it I like to write and I’m fucking desperate

@leia321

@yuniesan (princess-pluto on wattpad) Rucas, Joshaya, Smarkle - I’m not going to give up on my fiction because disney can’t realize what they had

@xsparkleyxfarkleyx @ballerinascowboysandminki riarkle zayadora lucaya :D might attempt Rilaya.

@riarklemedia2ndblog @riarklemedia riarkle and a tiny bit of lucaya

@riarklemedia2ndblog @girlmeetsworldedits Riarkle, Lucaya. Rilaya. Zaydora.

@soultastic Rilaya :3

@takeitoffsanta lucaya, joshaya, rucas

@its-beautifuldreams42 I definitely will continue to write fanfics for the show. I’ll be writing mostly Smarkle, Rucas, Rilaya, and Joshaya but I’ll probably write some clique six stuff.

@sand1128   Rucas

@friarlucas. Rucas... Clique 6

[trainingseasons]

Since today is Fanfic appreciation day, I want to give a shout-out to some of my favorite Fanfic and headcannon authors. I lost alot of sleep because of your fics. I hope you guys never stop writing. @astralfreckles, @couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name, @flawlessbanshee, @friarlucas, @grapes-day, @iwantyoutochooseme, @kirayukimuras, @ouat2011, @plutomeetsgenius, @riarklequeens, @rileymatthews, @slowburnotptrash, @stileslydias.

[gilbertandanne]

Abaddon

n. a place of destruction; the depths of hell.

Fancast | Tracks | Spotify

AU: Ever since he broke up with his girlfriend, Lucas Friar has been stuck in a perpetual state of purgatory.  One night, he shows up outside of her apartment, desperate to escape the emotional paralysis that’s held his soul hostage for over a year.  What he discovers eventually sends him on an emotional journey through Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell as depicted in The Divine Comedy.

Pairing(s): Rucas centric, but Joshaya are dating in this AU.

Rating: M - there is nothing graphic, but there is some language and some adult situations, so I’d rather play it safe.  If it were a movie, it’d be rated R due to the fact that fuck is said more than once.  This is an angsty/dark fic, but there are dashes of fluff, too.

Flashbacks are in italics. Quotes from The Inferno are sprinkled in and notated.

Chapter Word Count: 6,862

Tagging: @naelacy @iwantyoutochooseme @madelinecoffee@fireawayniall @katherinefrays if you want to be tagged, let me know

“There is no greater sorrow than to recall our times of joy in wretchedness.” - Dante, The Inferno

Prologue | Limbo | Lust | Gluttony | Greed | Wrath | Heresy | Violence | Fraud | Treachery | Epilogue |

Chapter One: Limbo

‘When I had journeyed half of our life’s way, I found myself within a shadowed forest, for I had lost the path that does not stray. Ah, it is hard to speak of what it was, that savage forest, dense and difficult, which even in recall renews my fear: so bitter – death is hardly more severe! But to retell the good discovered there, I’ll also tell the other things I saw. I cannot clearly say how I had entered the wood; I was so full of sleep just at the point where I abandoned the true path.’ (Inf. I. 1-12)

The last 24 hours felt nothing short of surreal for Lucas Friar.  It still didn’t feel real, even after he boarded the afternoon bus to Connecticut.  Maybe it was because at this particular point in this life, nothing seemed to surprise him.  Maybe it was because over the course of the last year, he found it hard to care about anything at all.  And, he learned, if you didn’t really care about anything, you couldn’t ever really be surprised.

So, he pondered as the bus pulled out of the station, if he no longer possessed the ability to care about anything, why was he on a bus to Connecticut—to Farkle’s parents’ ski cabin?  Sure, he used to enjoy snowboarding, but why did he have the sudden urge to spend the next several days gliding down the slopes?  He hadn’t had any desire to do anything evenly remotely considered fun in over a year.  Why now?

Because he knew that it had nothing to do with snowboarding and everything to do with who else would be there that weekend.

She was going to be there, and after the previous night, he knew that he had to be there too.

The same she that he swore to himself he’d stay away from.  The same she that invaded every single one of his senses the moment she fell onto his lap on the subway when they were in 7th grade.  The same she who had occupied every ridiculous dream he had ever envisioned for himself.  The same she that he left behind on her 21st birthday.

Lucas pressed his forehead against the slightly frosted window as the New York City skyline slowly faded away.  Had it only been a year since that dreadful night?  It felt like a lifetime ago.  He was a completely different person back then.  That Lucas had hope for the future.  That Lucas had goals he wanted to achieve, and was well on the way to making all of those dreams a reality.  That Lucas had a clear direction for his life.

Above all else, that Lucas could feel.  Back then, he was capable of experiencing every human emotion under the sun: joy, sorrow, anger, pain, but above all, he knew what being in love felt like.  And God, he loved her more than he ever loved himself.

And yet, it was that version of himself who broke her heart.  He broke up with her hours after she turned 21.  Even now, a year after the fact, whenever he closed his eyes, he could picture her standing in the middle of her bedroom while he told her that he wanted to end their six year relationship.  Over the course of the last twelve months, he had become haunted by the anguish that shown in her beautiful brown eyes.  He could also pinpoint the precise second when her heart broke, because that was the exact moment his did the same.

Seeing her crumble right in front of his eyes—and knowing that he was the one who caused it—had to be one of the most gut-wrenching moments he would ever experience.  Almost immediately, he tried to take it all back.  He didn’t want to break-up.  He never wanted to break-up.  He only wanted everything to be better.  He wanted her to be happy.  The moment he saw the first tear slide down her cheek, he knew that he had made a horrible mistake.  He desperately tried to take it back, to fix everything he had just done, but it was already too late.  She promptly kicked him out of her apartment and out of her life.

The moment his legs carried him away from her apartment, every incredible feeling he had ever felt with her faded away.  The pain that had overtaken every nerve in his body intensified with every step he took away from her apartment.  When it all became too much—when the weight of his actions and his own heartache became unbearable—a new sensation overpowered him: numbness.  When he realized that he no longer felt suffocated by what he had done, a tidal wave of relief washed over him.  In the back of his mind, he knew that it wasn’t right—that pushing down all of this self-inflicted pain would only be detrimental in the end—but he didn’t care.

That was the entire point.  

He simply didn’t care about anything anymore.

Until last night.

Lucas wasn’t sure how long he paced outside of her door.  

He wasn’t even sure what he was doing there.  

He hadn’t heard a word from her in over a year.  She refused to speak to him.  She refused to see him.  Even though he found an alternative way of handling the pain of the break-up, he still wanted to try explain the situation to her, perhaps even salvage their relationship, but apparently, he was the only one.  She ignored every single gesture he made the month following their split.  When winter break drew to a close, he knew he had to leave.  Even though he transferred to Cornell, even though he was now in the same state as she was, he realized that he had to give her what she wanted.  

After all, it was the least he could do.  

He wanted to fight like hell for her—for them—but the fact that she wouldn’t even talk to him sent a very clear message to the stoic Texan: leave her alone.  The fact that he now felt completely numb to the entire world around him made that choice a much easier one to make.  The old Lucas wouldn’t have given up so easily, but this new Lucas realized that she deserved something much more than what he had been able to offer her for the last three years.

With that in mind, he ceased all attempts at communicating with her.  He didn’t call, didn’t text, and deactivated all of his social media accounts.  She knew nothing about his life just has he knew nothing about hers.  

So, why did he end up outside of her apartment—the one place he swore he’d never return to?

Because it had been over a year since that horrific night and he still couldn’t feel anything.  He had become completely detached to the world around him.  Logically, he knew that it was no way to live—that he had somehow detached himself from his emotions in order to cope with what he had done—but he couldn’t help but to wonder if this coping mechanism had become permanent?  Maybe his brain was still trying to protect his heart from facing the emotional consequences of what he had done.  Maybe it was because he had not idea how she was doing.  Every time he talked to Zay or Farkle, he was tempted to ask about her, to see how she was, but he never did.  He knew he lost the right to know anything about her life a long time ago.

And yet, here he was—about to disrupt her life just to get a glimpse of the woman he had foolishly left behind that frigid night.  Maybe if he saw her, maybe if he knew that she was ok, that she had moved on, he’d be able to feel something again.

He had been selfish with her once before.  It was how he ended up exactly where he was now.  He knew that if she wanted to talk to him, she would have reached out by now.  He knew that he had absolutely no right to barge in on her life anymore.

He knew that he was being selfish once again, but her apartment was the first stop he made when he got back to the city.  It wasn’t even a conscious decision.  Somewhere between leaving his apartment in Ithaca and arriving in New York, he shifted into autopilot, but instead of ending up at his parents’ place, he ended up outside of her apartment.  That had to mean something, right?  Maybe it meant that enough time had finally passed.  Maybe it meant that they could act like adults and finally sit down and talk this whole thing out.  He had no expectation that anything would return to normal or that they would even part as friends, but he also knew that he couldn’t even begin to repair himself until he saw her—until he knew that she was ok.

Maybe somewhere deep down, she felt the same way.

Before he could second-guess himself for the tenth time since he arrived at the building, he knocked on the door.

As Riley loaded her bags into Farkle’s SUV, she was hit with an incredible sense of dread about the weekend ahead.  She groaned as she tried to squeeze her bag in with the other luggage and groceries piled underneath it.  She wasn’t sure why she was suddenly feeling so anxious about the trip.  It was ridiculous.  They had planned this little vacation for nearly a month now, not to mention the fact that being able to escape the city for a few days was the only thing that pushed her through finals.  

It was going to be fun.  

It had to be fun.

She knit her eyebrows together as she continued to wrestle with her luggage.  She knew that it would also be the first time she had gone back to the mountains since the breakup.

Maybe her sudden bout of anxiety was just a side effect from seeing him the previous night?  She paused as a flash of him outside of her door came to mind.  She shook her head as she tried to quickly chase the mental image away.  No.  That wasn’t it.  That couldn’t be it.  Lucas Friar no longer had a hold on her.  He broke up with her over a year ago.  He dumped her on her 21st birthday.  That was it.  That was the end of their story.

So, if that were true, then why had she thought of little else since she saw him through her peephole last night?  An even bigger question she had for herself was why she let him come inside in the first place?  Why did she pretend that everything was perfectly fine when she felt anything but fine?  Why did every single feeling she had spent the better part of last year trying to free herself from come charging back at her the moment she looked into those brilliant green eyes again?  Why did her legs quake when the right corner of his lips turned up into that charming little half smile?  Why did her heart race at the sound of his voice?

But why, above everything else, did she ask him to stay?

“Need help with that,” Farkle chuckled from behind her.

Riley spun around as she faced one of her best friends.  Her frown deepened when she noticed that he looked completely bemused at her frustration.  ‘If you only knew,’ she thought to herself as she handed him her bag.  She said nothing else as she walked toward the passenger side door.

She mentally chastised herself as she opened the door and climbed into the black SUV.  As soon as she buckled her seatbelt, she leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.

She should have never answered that stupid door.

Riley groaned as she leaned her head back. She rubbed her aching neck as she looked back down at the chemistry book that sat on her coffee table. “I hate you,” she muttered. She had always been pretty good in her science classes until she came face to face with an organic chemistry class the fall semester of her senior year of college. She glanced at her phone. ‘12:35am.’

She yawned as she slowly stood up and made her way to the kitchen. It was going to be another all-nighter. She needed coffee—tons of it. As soon as she put a K-cup in the Keurig, she heard a knock on her door. She frowned at the sound, and briefly considered ignoring it all together, but her curiosity quickly got the better of her. Maya was spending the night with Josh, so unless something catastrophic had happened, she knew it couldn’t be her roommate.  Besides, Maya had a key.  She wouldn’t knock on her own apartment door.

Riley frowned as she peered into the peephole.  No.  This couldn’t possibly be real.  Her mouth ran dry as she closed her eyes and leaned forward in order to rest her forehead against the door.  It was the last person she’d ever expect to see outside her door in the middle of the night.  She had no idea what he was doing here, but she knew that she couldn’t see him right now.  Not only was it the first time she had seen him since that night, but also, she was in the middle of preparing for a hellacious exam that she had to take in seven and a half hours. Maybe she could just walk away and pretend that no one was home? Maybe she could force herself to forget all about the guy who stood on the other side of the door?  

She leaned away from the door, fully prepared to turn around and walk away from him just as he did to their relationship, but instead, she found herself unlocking the door.  She shook her head at her own weakness as she opened it. Even in the middle of the night, even when she looked like a complete mess and was stressed beyond belief, some small part of her demanded that she face the past.

As her tired chocolate eyes met his shiny emerald ones, it felt as if she were teleported back to when they first met that fateful morning on the subway ten years ago.  Despite the fact that she could hear her heart pulsate in her ears and could feel her legs quiver at the mere sight of him, she tried to act casual.  She knew she had to.  She couldn’t let on that he had any sort of physical affect on her.

In order to mask her quaking form, she leaned against the doorframe as she crossed her arms over her chest in a protective stance. God.  She hated her body.  She hated how it always seemed to betray her in situations like this.  She cleared her throat as she forced herself to focus on the fact that her ex-boyfriend had showed up outside of her apartment in the middle of the night. “Lucas?  What are you…when did you,” she took a deep breath in order to steady her rapidly unraveling nerves, “It’s after midnight…what do you want?”

Lucas had rehearsed what he was going to say the moment he realized where he was, but as soon as he laid eyes on her, his entire speech went out the window. He couldn’t help but to take in the spectacular picture that had always been Riley Matthews. The girl of his dreams, the one who got away, the one who still haunted his every dream, even a year after their painful breakup.

The corner of his right lip lifted into a smirk—his first attempt at a smile since the breakup. “Are you wearing my shirt?”

Riley looked down at her apparel. She wore a blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.  The denim shorts she wore could barely be seen underneath the oversized shirt. Her long brunette tresses were piled on top of her head in a messy bun with a pen to hold it all in place. “I-I don’t know,” she lied, “I can’t remember where I got it from.”

The truth was that she could recall every detail of the moment that he gave her that shirt, but she wasn’t about to let herself go down that road.  It was another lifetime ago.  They were different people then.  She hadn’t spoken to him in a year.  She didn’t know anything about the guy who stood in front of her.  He was nothing more than a stranger to her now, and while at one point, the thought of Lucas Friar becoming a stranger seemed impossible, Riley refused to allow herself one second of remembering him as anything else.  

It was easier that way.

Before the silence that hung in the air between them completely took control of the situation, Lucas knew he had to just come out and ask for the impossible.  “Can I come in?”

Even though she was surprised to see him outside of her apartment, she was floored when he asked to come in.  “I-I don’t know,” she stammered as she crossed her arms over her chest once more. “Why are you here?”  She knew that she wasn’t mentally prepared to handle the situation that was beginning to unfold in front of her. She hadn’t seen him, let alone talked to him, since their breakup.  Even if she didn’t have that final in a few short hours, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to see him—or even if she’d ever be ready to see him again.

“I know it’s late,” he began as he began to fidget with his fingers, “but I just got into town and I…well, I…I know it’s late, it’s just that…I…um…” He eyed her from head to toe once more. His memories of her did not do her a shred justice. She was still completely and utterly hypnotic. “I had to see you.”  Before he could stop himself, before he could back peddle and accept the fact that he had caught her at a bad time and leave, he told her the one urge he forced himself to bury for the last year.  He needed to see her the moment he left her apartment that night.  Every day, every hour, every minute since then he had to stop himself from doing exactly what he had just done.  He thought that after being away for a year, after accepting the fact that he was no longer of capable of feeling anything, that it would be easier to see her—to know that he made the right decision that night, but now, as he stood in front of her, he wasn’t sure how he had ever managed to utter those words to her.  It was the biggest lie he had ever told anyone, and he said it to the one person he swore he’d always be honest with.

She swallowed under the scrutiny of his gaze as she tried to ignore the slight pang in her heart at his words.  Why did he need to see her?  Did he want a first hand look at the ruins he left behind?  Was this some sort of ploy to placate a guilty conscience?  Riley didn’t want to know.  She had learned over the last year that, perhaps, some things were better left unsaid. “I…um…I have a final in the morning.”

He nodded slowly as a wave of disappointment flashed across his features.  He should have known that she was busy, not to mention the fact that it was late.  If she weren’t in the middle of something important, then she’d most likely be asleep.  He should have been more aware of the time.  He should have talked himself out of this whole thing long before he ever reached her door.  He had been able to do it every day for over a year now.  What made tonight so different?  “Oh. Well, I…um…you don’t have to…you probably don’t want to, but is there any way I can see you sometime over break…maybe this weekend?”

She bit her lower lip as she considered her options.  This whole thing was completely unexpected and to say she was thrown by it would be a complete understatement.  She had no idea what he wanted to say, and quite honestly, Riley wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear it.  She wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to engage in any sort of conversation with him ever again.  She knew that if she did, that night would inevitably come up, and she had no desire to relive a single second of it. “I’m going to Connecticut this weekend.”

“Connecticut?”

She looked down at the ground next to his feet. “Farkle’s parents’ cabin.”

He nodded. “Oh.”  How could he be such an idiot?  Zay had mentioned something about going to the cabin a few weeks ago, but much like most of his thoughts, that little piece of information completely vanished the moment he saw her.

“Yeah. I mean…with everything going on…graduating in a few months and everything, Farkle wanted to go…and I need to…” She took a deep breath as she tried to control her chaotic thoughts.  “I need to get out of my head for a little bit.”  She turned her head to the side as she looked back in the apartment. Her gaze immediately landed on the bane of her existence, which taunted her from its position on the coffee table. She wanted nothing more than to throw the book and all of her notes out the window. When she turned back to Lucas, a completely insane and desperate idea came to her. “You aced organic chemistry when you took it sophomore year, right?”

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but chuckled at her question nonetheless. “Yeah.  I took an advanced course last spring, too.”

Why was she even entertaining this notion? She was absolutely certain that this was a terrible idea, one in which she would question during the following days, but right now she was desperate, and once upon a time, before everything got complicated and they completely imploded, they were friends. And friends helped one another, right?  “I know it’s late, but if you aren’t doing anything and aren’t jet lagged or something…would you mind helping me study? I’ve been struggling with it all semester and the final is half of my grade…and it’s in seven hours.”

He never thought that she’d even open the door to him, let alone ask for his help with something.  Desperate to spend any amount of time with her that he could, he gave her a small smile.  “Of course.  You know I’d do anything for you.”

Riley opened her eyes when she heard the driver’s side door open.  She reached for her purse as Farkle slid into the driver’s seat.  ‘Yeah.  You did everything but stay,’ she thought as she put on her sunglasses.  She knew she had to get out of this funk before they reached the cabin.  If Maya suspected that Riley even saw Lucas last night, let alone the fact that she spent a few hours with him, Maya wouldn’t ever let her hear the end of it.  She didn’t want the whole weekend to be focused on every single detail of the few hours she spent with her ex-boyfriend.  Despite what had happened the previous night, Riley believed that their romantic relationship was exactly where it belonged—in the past.

Farkle frowned as he looked over at one of his best friends.  “You ok?”

“Yeah,” she lied as she leaned her head back against the headrest.  “I guess I’m just burned out from finals, you know?  It’s…been a very long semester.”

Farkle nodded.  It had definitely been a rough couple of months.  He had spent the better part of it interning at Minkus International.  Between that and his classwork, he barely had any time left to see his friends.  He was hopeful that this weekend would somehow reconnect everyone before they scattered for good after graduation in the spring.  “At least it’s over now though, right?”

“Yeah,” she sighed as he pulled away from the curb in front of her apartment building.  “Yeah, I’m sure I’ll be more like myself once we get there, you know?”  More like herself?  What did that even mean?  Riley was fairly certain that she hadn’t been ‘herself’ in years.  She wasn’t sure where that bubbly little optimist was anymore.  She lost bubbly somewhere in the middle of freshman year and her optimistic nature had slowly diminished the older she got.  Now, she was just stressed-out-exhausted-and-way-too-busy-to-allow-herself-to-think-about-much-of-anything-else-Riley.  Maybe this weekend would offer her something that the last year hadn’t—a moment of peace.  She looked over at one of her best friends in the world and gave him a small smile.  “Let’s get some music going and I’m sure I’ll decompress on the way there.”

When Riley reached forward to turn up the volume on the radio, Farkle’s frown deepened.  He had known her for seventeen years.  He knew when she was stressed out.  He knew when she was upset.  He also knew when her mind was focused on something, rather someone, else.  “Are you sure it’s not anything else?”

“I’m sure,” she easily lied before she changed the radio station.  “So, where’s Zay?  I thought he was riding with us.”

Farkle knew when to take a not-so-subtle hint.  He learned a long time ago that just because he knew she was hiding something from him, he didn’t necessarily have the right to call her out on it.  She had changed the subject and he knew that he needed to respect her desire to talk about something else.  “Finishing up his last final.  His stuff is already loaded up.  We just need to swing by one of the performing arts buildings to pick him up.  After that, we’ll be on the way.”

‘And just as he who unwills what he wills and shifts what he intends to seek new ends so that he’s drawn from what he had begun, so was I in the midst of that dark land, because, with all my thinking, I annulled the task I had so quickly undertaken.’ (Inf. II, 37-42)

The two-hour trip to Connecticut felt more like ten hours to Lucas.  While he still felt emotionally disconnected to pretty much everything around him, the time he spent with Riley the prior evening had revealed several cracks in his emotionless foundation.  For the first time in a very long time, he felt something—perhaps a twinge of nervousness—at the prospect of seeing her again.  He wasn’t sure if she knew that he was coming.  He had no clue if Zay had warned her or if she was going to be completely surprised by his presence.  

He spent the majority of the previous night with her as he helped her study for her exam.  For the most part, they kept it strictly about the material, but his thoughts couldn’t help but to drift back to her as the wall he had built around his heart began to crumble.  In the few hours they spent together, he was reminded of every single reason why he fell in love with her in the first place.  She was easily the most captivating person he had ever met.  By simply being in her orbit, he felt lighter.  At one point, he even felt something akin to actual happiness.  Even though they spent most of the time studying, her mere presence had more of an affect on his emotional state than anything else in the prior year had.

He told himself all along that if he showed up and she seemed ok—that it appeared as if she had moved on from their relationship—then he would force himself to finally let her go.  He would attempt to shuffle through the rest of his life and be content enough with the knowledge that somewhere out there, she was happy.

But somewhere in the midst of studying for organic chemistry, he realized that she didn’t seem to be happy.  It was late at night and they were studying what had to be her least favorite subject in the world, (not to mention the fact that her least favorite person was helping her), but even with taking all of that into account, she still didn’t seem quite like the girl he fell in love with.  Melancholy and despondency clung to her in much the same way that it did to him.

As he approached the bus station, he began to think that perhaps he was wrong in his assessment—that maybe he only saw what he wanted to see.  He knew that if he saw only a slight hint of sadness in her eyes, it would push him to do the one thing he should have done a year ago—fight like hell to keep her.

It was nearly 2am before Riley’s fourth cup of coffee that night began to wear off.  She and Lucas had been going over the material for well over an hour by the time first yawn escaped her exhausted lips.  She squeezed her eyes closed in an attempt to offer them a brief moment to recharge.  She knew she couldn’t stop and go to sleep now.  It finally felt like she was getting somewhere.

When she opened her eyes, she looked over at Lucas, who seemed—amused?—by her sudden drowsiness.  “I think I need another cup of coffee,” she admitted.

“I think you probably need to get some sleep,” he commented when she yawned once more.  As much as he wanted to spend more time with her—even if it was just to help her study for her final—he also knew that at some point, she either knew the material or she didn’t.  Riley seemed completely exhausted.  All of this studying wouldn’t do her any good if she fell asleep during the exam.

“I’ll be fine,” she grumbled as she stood up.  “Do you want some?”

Lucas was too captivated by her simple movement to fully comprehend the fact that she asked him a question.  He couldn’t help it.  It had been a year since he had seen her.  In that year, he had forced himself to forget how he felt by simply being in the same room as her.  Even though he could tell that she had changed in much the same way that he had, she still had this uncanny ability to make him forget about everything that existed outside of the space they shared.

It scared the shit out of him.

He thought that he was so far gone that even Riley Matthews wouldn’t be able to infiltrate his stone cold heart, but there she stood, completely unaware of the fact that she was threatening to dismantle the walls he subconsciously constructed the moment he left her apartment that horrible night.

“Lucas,” she curiously asked as she slightly tilted her head to the side.

“Hmm,” he answered as the sound of his name on her lips slowly brought him back to reality.

“Do you want some coffee?”

“Oh, s-sure,” he stammered.  When she disappeared into the kitchen, he turned his attention back to the book in front of him.  He began to fidget with the pencil she gave him earlier as he looked back down at the book in front of him.  He slowly inhaled as he forced himself to remember what happened the last time he was in this apartment.

No matter how she made him feel, he knew that he had no say in whatever path their relationship would take—or even if they would have any kind of relationship after tonight.  He was well aware of the fact that they weren’t even friends right now.  They were barely acquaintances, strangers more precisely, although he knew he would never be able to classify Riley Matthews as a stranger, no matter how much distance was between them.

When she reemerged into the living room, two steaming cups of coffee in hand, he could feel the distance between them as a result of the selfish decisions he had made in the name of love and for the sake of the utopian future he had always dreamt of with her.  The irony wasn’t lost on him.  He did what he did in order to preserve the wide-eyed optimistic brunette who flew into his arms one fateful day on the subway, but instead, his actions had forced both of them to grow up and grow cold.

When she offered him one of the mugs, she gave him a small smile.  Most people wouldn’t think twice about it, but Lucas immediately noticed the significant amount of effort she put into that forced little smile.  He could always distinguish her genuine smiles from her fake ones, and this was no different.

At least she tried.

It was more than what he had been able to offer anyone in the last year.

When he reached for the mug she held out to him, their fingers brushed against one another—the first time they made physical contact with one another since the night of their breakup.  He swallowed as he felt a dull pang deep inside of his chest.  It felt more like a thump than anything else.  Still, the sensation was more than anything else he had felt in a very long time.

Judging by the way Riley’s eyes immediately fell to their still slightly interlaced fingertips, he could have sworn that she felt the same sense of longing that threatened to demolish the emotional barrier that guarded his tortured soul.  If she looked back up at him, if those gorgeous brown eyes met his, he knew that everything he had tried to protect himself from would immediately flood him. A year of suppressing every painful second of that horrific night and a year of self-hatred—mixed in with the consequences of spending a year without her—would completely engulf him, and while he wasn’t sure exactly what would happen next, he knew that at the very least, he’d crumble to his feet in front of her.

He never got the chance to find out, because instead of shifting her downcast eyes up toward his desperate gaze, Riley flinched as she pulled her hand back and tucked her hair behind her ear.  Her gaze fell to the floor behind her as she turned away from him.

Neither breathed a word about it.  Neither acknowledged the way their hearts jumped at the sensation.  Neither wanted to admit the truth that threatened to suffocate them.

They’d both prefer to choke on their respective heartaches than to admit what the absence of the other had done to them over the course of the last 12 months.

Besides, they both reasoned as they edged back into studying, they hadn’t spoken to one another in so long.  Neither knew what the other’s life held—or even if there would be room for them in it—and what, if any, role they would play.

Lucas gripped the mug as he sipped the piping hot contents.  As the dark liquid burned the inside of his mouth, he slowly fell back to earth.  This was his reality.  He chose to become a spectator, and until she indicated otherwise, he knew he had to respect that.

Right?

Riley was grateful that neither one of the guys seemed overly enthusiastic to maintain any sort of conversation as they made their way up to the mountains.  If her mind had been a little less foggy, then maybe she would have noticed how uncharacteristic it was for Zay to not be fully immersed in the stereotypical high-energy road trip spirit.  Riley was too preoccupied with being grateful for the fact that she had a couple of hours to think, to try to find a way to get that surprise encounter with Lucas out of her mind.  Whenever she found herself analyzing any part of their interaction, she quickly reminded herself of what he did to her on her birthday.  The guy she knew—the guy she once loved—would have never done that.  He would have fought for her.  He wouldn’t have shattered her heart, especially in the manner that he did.

When they reached the cabin, the trio unpacked the car in silence for the most part.  Riley was grateful for the fact that Maya and Josh had apparently left the cabin in order to do something somewhere else.  She knew that would buy her a little time to unwind from the drive and from the last several chaotic hours of her life.

She busied herself with unpacking her clothes while the guys took a quick trip into town in order to pick up a few last minute items from the grocery store.  The mundane task of putting her clothes away became cathartic as her mind slowly drifted away from Lucas and toward the excitement of the upcoming days.  Riley knew she’d analyze every millisecond she spent with him at some point, but for now, she was on vacation.  She needed to get out of the city and get out of her own head for a while.  Being in the mountains always offered her peace.  She wanted to spend the next several days completely immersed in the moments that surrounded her.  She wanted to create lifelong memories with her best friends and not dwell on one interaction she had with her ex-boyfriend.

Still, she was also well aware of the fact that this was the first time she had ever gone to the cabin without Lucas.  When she first caught sight of the house that held so many memories for them, she briefly thought that this whole trip would be one huge mistake.  How could she possibly not think about Lucas if everywhere she turned, she’d come face to face with a memory of him?

Surprisingly, and gratefully, Farkle switched up room assignments, so instead of staying in the room that they shared during the last few trips, Riley’s new bedroom was located on the opposite side of the cabin.

Perhaps that was why Riley was able to have a few moments to pull herself back together.  She knew that she could do this.  She could enjoy a long weekend in the mountains with her friends and not think about her ex-boyfriend.  After all, she had been doing just fine for the last few months.

When she heard someone knock on the door, she half-expected it to be Maya and Josh.  As her fingers gripped the doorknob, she failed to remember that Farkle had given the couple a key to cabin a few days earlier as Maya and Josh arrived earlier that morning.  So when Riley opened the door and recognized who stood on the other side, her grip on the doorknob instantly tightened as her knees nearly gave out from underneath her.

She opened her mouth and closed it twice while her brain tried to reconcile what was happening.  Was this some sort of dream?

Standing in front of her, with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, was the one person she was desperately trying to forget about this weekend.

Riley blinked several times as she gripped the doorknob even tighter.  Her chest constricted as she felt the onset of a cold sweat forming across her entire body.  This couldn’t possibly be real.  Was he actually here right now?  “Lucas?”

He gave her a small smile as he adjusted the weight of the bag on his back.  He wasn’t expecting her to answer the door.  He wasn’t even sure if anyone was there as there were no vehicles parked in the driveway.  He only knocked as a courtesy before he grabbed the spare key, which resided underneath a flowerpot placed on the side of the house.  “Hey.”

“Hi,” she automatically answered without even thinking about it.  She didn’t possess the ability to focus on the fact that she had slid back into their old greeting.  She was too floored by his presence to comprehend anything else.

“Hey,” he easily replied with a pang of nostalgia.  It was the way they used to greet one another in middle school, back when they thought things couldn’t possibly get more complicated between them, and yet, here they were—eight years later and they couldn’t possibly be any more estranged from one another.

“Why are you…w-what are you doing here?”

‘Through me you pass into the city of woe: Through me you pass into eternal pain: Through me among the people lost for aye. Justice the founder of my fabric mov’d: To rear me was the task of power divine, Supremest wisdom, and primeval love. Before me things create were none, save things Eternal, and eternal I endure. All hope abandon ye who enter here.’ (Inf. III, 1-9)