Rucas Oneshot
Title: Meeting Faith
Summary: Riley meets her daughter for the first time.
WARNING: ANGST

I am sorry…I assure you this hurt me more to write then you realized

"Hey Riles, there is someone I would like you to meet."

Lucas sits down and removes the blanket in his arms, moving the bundle so it was resting in the crook of his arms, where big brown eyes were looking back at him.

"It's our daughter, our beautiful and amazing daughter."

Lucas smiles down at her, amazed that he made something so small and perfect.

"One month today and she is perfect Riles. She has ten perfect little toes, and ten perfect little fingers and a perfect little button nose, and her eyes, Gosh Riley her eyes are exactly like yours, big and bright and always sparkling."

Lucas places a finger to her cheek, watching as his little girl grabs his finger waving it in her hand. His heart melting at the little noises she makes.

He focuses to where Riley is, wishing more than anything that he could take her in his arms.

"I'm sorry we couldn't come sooner Riley, but our little girl was fighting for her life just like her mother and she did it. She made it Riley and I know you are so proud of her; just like I am proud of her. Because I know she is going to be a fighter like her mother, she is going to be strong and resilient and it's nice to know that she is already starting to turn out like you."

Lucas listens to the silence, he knows that Riley can hear him and he knows in his heart that she is smiling right now.

"I suppose you want to know her name. I refused to choose a name for the longest time, because you had to be there, you had to pick the name with me, but the moment I held her in my arms for the first time I just knew. I knew that this is the name you loved and even though I didn't like it, the moment I held her, no other name compared"

Lucas takes a deep breath, needing to compose himself he looks down at his daughter her eyes staring back at him, he leans down and kisses her nose before looking back up at Riley.

"Riley please officially meet Faith Riley Matthews."

Lucas can feel tears start to form, but he holds them back, staying strong for his daughter. He thinks back to the day he held her in his arms.

"Mr Friar, I would like you meet your daughter."

Lucas holds out his arms and the nurse places the tiny human in his arms. Lucas can't stop starring; he is in awe of this perfect little person. This person he made with Riley.

He made sure to count her toes and fingers and to kiss her cheek to make sure that she was really real, before the nurse interrupted him

"Mr Friar have you chosen a name?"

He looks at the nurse before looking at his daughter.

"I refused to choose because Riley is meant to be here, but looking at her I can already feel the name that Riley would love."

The nurse smiles fondly at the new father, who already looks like he would give his daughter the world. The new father whispers something to his daughter, kissing her head before looking at the nurse.

"Meet my daughter, Faith Riley."

"You loved the name Faith and I always thought it sounded cheesy, but you always ended up bringing it back into the list. Do you remember the first time you mentioned it? I do"

"Faith?"

Riley nods; eagerly dog earing the page and ignoring the look of disgust on Lucas's face.

"But why?"

Riley shrugs as she flicks to the next page of the naming book they flicking through.

"It's pretty."

"But Riley it sounds so….Faithy."

"Look Lucas it's just a suggestion, we most likely won't even use it ok? But if you are really uncomfortable with the name we won't chose it."

"Fine, but I am 100% sure we won't be choosing Faith"

Riley rolls her eyes and ignore him, continuing to flick through the book. Lucas just shakes his head…. Faith really?

Lucas can't help but laugh at the memory "Who knew you would be right with the name, but you were right Riley as always. It's pretty and perfect for our girl, because to me it's you believing that I can do this that your faith in me is always there.""

Lucas feels a chill go down his spine, and he knows that it's Riley.

"I know you are probably thinking why I chose Riley as her middle name and I can see you blushing at the fact that I named her after you, but Riley there was no other name that I wanted our daughter to her. Every day when I say her name, I will be reminded of you. You, who I will tell everything about to our little girl, you who our little girl will admire every day, you who makes our world better."

Faith coos from his arms and Lucas feels his heart melting, he is so in love with this small being that fits perfectly in his arms. He will do anything to protect her from any pain or heartbreak, especially the pain he was feeling now. He will tell her that he loved her from the moment Riley told him about her.

"Riley?"

Riley glances up at him from her spot in the empty study, the study that Riley refused to do anything with.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking…" was all she said and Lucas furrowed his brow, coming closer to the her.

'About?"

"Where to put everything?"

Lucas glances around the room, trying to work out what she was doing with the room.

"Are we finally turning this into a study?"

"Hm I was thinking more a bedroom."

"Uh ok." He watches her move to the window.

"I was thinking the crib could go here, so the baby can wake up to the sunshine smiling down on them?"

Riley turns and watches the realization appear on Lucas's face.

"Riley are we?"

She bites her lip and nods, not containing the smile that was appearing.

"Lucas we are having a baby!"

Lucas rushes to her, picks her up and spins her around, kissing her fully on the mouth.

"I love you Riley Friar, and the family we are starting."

"I promise I am going to tell her everything about our story, that our story was filled with love and adventure, and we had our downs but we had so many more ups, and I am going to tell her that you never stopped fighting for her that you never stopped protecting her."

"Lucas?"

Lucas hears the panic in her voice as she shakes him awake.

"Riley what is it?"

"Something is wrong with the baby!"

Lucas jumps into protective mode, helping Riley out of bed and ushering her gently to the car where her hospital bag awaits.

"Sir we are going to need you to leave the room"

"Why? What is happening with my wife? Is my baby ok?"

Lucas tries to look over the nurses' shoulders as they try to push him from the room, but all Lucas hears is beeping, all he sees is Riley's eyes closing and the doctors starting to push his wife and his unborn child to the operating room.

"Mr Frair?"

Lucas's head snaps up as the doctor who walks towards him and he leaps this feet, his family all behind him.

"How are they?"

The doctor smiles sadly "You have a beautiful baby girl, who is a fighter. The cord was unfortunately wrapped around her neck, however we managed to unwrap the cord but due to your baby coming three weeks early we have moved her to NICU as she is smaller than we hoped, and is struggling to breath on her own."

Lucas starts to feel some weight leave his shoulders as Topanga and Cory wrap their arms around him. His baby while in critical care is pulling through.

"And Riley?"

The doctor's face falls and Lucas feels his heart stop.

'She lost a lot of blood and it seems that her body gave all she had to save your child, we managed to stop the blood flow, but Mr Friar it's not looking good."

Lucas feels his world stop right then and there, he knows that in his heart of hearts it's not going to be a happy ending.

"Riley, I love you. I will always love you, and I am forever thankful that you gave me ten wonderful years and a beautiful baby girl."

Lucas kisses her hand, the hand that wasn't attached to wires and IVs and feels the tears dripping down his face.

Three days she has been fighting.

Three days where the doctors prepared him

Today he says goodbye.

He stands up and leans over, kissing her forehead, her cheeks and her lips, before leaning his forehead against her and whispers.

"You can fly free my princess; just promise you will watch me and our girl from above."

Lucas feels a tingle go down his neck, before a cool breeze across his cheek knowing that's Riley's way of saying her last I love you, before finally the beeping comes to a stop and the room goes silent as Riley takes her last breath.

"I was wrong Riley, because while it's not the ending I wanted, it's still happy because I will always have you looking down on me and guiding me. And I have Faith, and she will no doubt be the mini you, the sun who will light my life"

He stands up and wraps his little girl in her blanket, stopping the cold from reaching her. He looks down to where Riley lays and smiles, placing the flowers he had brought in the same spot as his last flowers. He takes a step admiring where his wife lays, promising her that they will be back next week and as he turns to walk away the sun shifts, lighting the words that read back to him a soft gold.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF RILEY GRACE FRIAR
A BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, SISTER, FRIEND, WIFE AND MOTHER.
AND THE BIGGEST PLUTO BELEIVER TO EVER WALK THE EARTH