A/N: Hey, everyone! I really wanted to write this since the idea got stuck in my head and I hope you like it. As you can tell from the summary, this is gonna be an angsty fic and I have to warn you that it deals with loss - through deaths, decisions and personal sacrifices. So if those are themes that are not suited for you, please feel free to close this tab. Otherwise, happy reading! :)

Riley is in her dorm when she gets the call, and she picks it up without taking her eyes off her notes. She has a mid term the next day, and she sighs into the phone at the disturbance.

"Hello?"

There is silence at the other end of the line, and she looks at her phone to see who is on the other end of the line. Her eyebrows furrow in confusion when she sees that it is her brother.

"Auggie?"

There is silence again, and she almost puts the phone down when the possibility of Auggie butt-dialing her crosses her mind.

But then, she hears it. That small hitch of breath on the other end of the line, as though the receiver was trying to catch his breath. Suddenly, she feels her heart drop, and there is a tightness in her chest that she cannot explain.

"Auggie? Talk to me, please," she softly begs, pushing aside her notes as she stands up.

Her heart is beating wildly fast, and she cannot help the tears of panic that well up when she hears her brother's familiar hiccup on the other end of the line.

"Aug –"

"Ri – Riley," Auggie cries, and the sound of his voice does not bring her the relief she thought it would. Instead, the tightness in her chest just increases tenfold.

"Aug, what's going on?"

"They're gone, Riles," her brother chokes on his tears, and she stills, not understanding his words. "Riley, they're gone."

"Auggie, who's gone?" she stutters through her tears. "Auggie…"

"They're gone," he repeats. "They're gone. They're gone. Riley, they're gone."

Her heart sinks, and suddenly, she cannot breathe.

No, please, no. Not them.

"They're gone."

No.

"Riley?" a different, yet familiar, voice calls for her and Riley sniffs.

"Josh," she calls for her uncle, and before he even confirms it, she knows from the heartbreak in his voice that they really are gone.

"There was a drunk driver, Riley, and Cory couldn't have –"

She screams before her uncle can fully explain, and violent sobs wreck her body as she heaves. She drops to the ground, unaware of the panicked calls her uncle makes for her.

Her parents are gone – dead – because of a man who decided to drive under the influence.

For a long time, Riley lets herself cry. She cries for her parents, whose deaths were most likely anything but peaceful. She cries for her brother, who had to answer that call all alone and who is waiting for her to be there to be with him. She cries for her family – the one she loves so much and has lost in a matter of minutes.

She cries for herself because come tomorrow, she knows that she has to be strong – for Auggie, for her grandparents, uncles and aunts, and most importantly, for her parents who raised her to be the pillar of strength that she can be.

Come tomorrow, she has calls to make, plans to figure out, and a brother to raise.

She leaves for New York that night, and reaches in the wee hours of the day. Maya and Farkle greet her at the airport, both their eyes red from all the crying. Riley does not cry when Maya reaches out to her, or when Farkle wraps his arm around her. She just taps them on their hands, and makes her way to the car.

She feels numb, and she knows from the worried glances that her best friends share that they were expecting more tears for her. Throughout the ride, there is silence – not awkward but solemn.

The moment she walks into her family apartment, her heavy heart finally feels slightly lighter at the sight of her family. Her Uncle Josh, Uncle Eric, Uncle Shawn, and Aunt Angela are there, and she gives each of them a short hug. They had lost their Cory and Topanga too, and she tries to regard them with as much compassion as she can but the truth is that the only person she wants to see right now is her brother.

"He's in their room," her Uncle Eric lets her know, his voice uncharacteristically soft and tired at the same time. He does not look a single bit like the cheerful man she met at Thanksgiving last year, and her heart aches for him to be that way again.

Riley squeezes his hand thankfully, and walks to her parents' room. She hesitates at the door, drawing in a deep breath before she knocks. When there is no answer on, she pushes the door open and feels her heart break all over again at the sight she comes to.

Auggie has his head buried in their mother's pillow, and from the tear tracks on his face, she deduces that he must have fallen asleep only a few minutes ago. His eyes are close, but his forehead is creased as he mumbles in his sleep. She wants to cry when she realizes that her thirteen-year-old brother is calling out for their parents.

Gently, she plops herself on the edge of the bed, and puts her hand on his shoulder. He jolts awake from her touch, eyes wide and frantic as he looks around. When his eyes land on her, and he realizes that his nightmares are real, Auggie sobs and collapses into her arms.

She does not cry as she holds him in their parents' bedroom, and instead whispers words of comfort into his ear.

She does not cry as their Uncle Shawn gives his eulogy the next day, and instead squeezes her brother's hand throughout.

She does not cry as their parents' coffins are lowered into the ground, and instead merely watches and nods when people come up to her to offer their condolences.

There are certain times throughout the funeral when she wonders if she will ever be able to cry again – but then she looks at Auggie, holds on to him and decides that it does not matter if she does.

Auggie needs her, and she will be strong for him.

The day after the funeral, her grandparents sit her down and she steels herself for the conversation she knows she has to have with them. Her Uncle Eric, Aunt Morgan, Uncle Josh, Uncle Shawn and Aunt Angela are there too.

Riley takes comfort in the wink that her Uncle Eric shoots her, and she sends him a small appreciative smile for his support.

She had seen the way her grandparents had been looking at Auggie throughout the funeral, their aged faces worried but nonetheless determined to be there for him. He is their grandson, and they will do everything they can to take care of him even if the last thing they need at their age is to be guardians of their orphaned grandson.

But they seem to have forgotten that Auggie has her, and she will be enough for her brother.

"I'll take care of him," she says decisively before Amy can get a word in, and her grandfather tiredly sighs when her grandmother stills.

Amy's eyes narrow at her, and Riley gulps. In her childhood, that look would have made her stop whatever she had intended to do, be it to eat the cookie she did not deserve before dinner or when she made too much noise. Now though, Riley holds her ground and does not look away.

"Riley, honey," her grandfather tries to reach out to her but she shakes her head.

"Please, you can't take him away from me. He's all I have and –"

"He is not all you have," Aunt Morgan interjects immediately, the first words she has uttered since Cory and Topanga's funeral. Warmth spreads through Riley at her aunt's words and she reaches out to squeeze her aunt's hand.

"Mom and Dad left him in my care," Riley reminds her family.

"Riley, you're still in school," her Uncle Shawn quips and her heart races at the reminder. "How are you going to take care of him when you're four hours away by plane?"

"I'm quitting school," she announces, and holds up her hand to stop anyone from interrupting her. "Auggie needs me here and I can manage the bakery. I've been watching Mom do it all these years and I know I can do it. I can't make Auggie leave. There has been too many changes for him."

Just as she expected, the protests erupt the moment she is done talking.

"You have two more months left, Riles."

"There has to be another way –"

"Honey, it really will be no trouble for him to stay with us."

"Riley, you don't have to do this alone. You can't do this alone!"

"Alright, that's enough," her Aunt Angela commands loudly and firmly, and Riley lets out a breath of relief when everyone shuts up. Her Aunt Angela regards her with calculating eyes, and Riley fidgets in her seat.

"Aunt Angela –"

"You are not quitting school, Riley. No," her godmother stops her from interrupting, her voice strict and gentle at the same time. "You've talked and told us your plan. Now listen to my suggestion, please."

Her jaw locks, and Riley readies herself for a fight but promises to listen.

"You only have two more months, sweetheart, and you need to finish your education. Your parents wanted to see you graduate and I will be damned if their wish isn't fulfilled," Angela fiercely regards her and the mention of her parents brings a pang to Riley's heart. "Shawn and I will stay here with Auggie until you come back. We can work from home and you won't be troubling us at all. Katy and Maya can handle the bakery for now. We can hold down the fort here."

Angela gets up from her seat from across from her and sits next to Riley. She wraps her arms around Riley, and the younger woman stiffly leans into her godmother's arms, finally relaxing into them after a moment.

She closes her eyes at the familiar maternal touch, and stomps down the guilt that wells up from the comfort she feels from another maternal figure.

"Hey," Angela strokes her chin and Riley opens her eyes to look into her godmother's understanding ones. "This is something that you have to do for yourself, Riley. You've been working so hard. Just let us help you with this. You're not abandoning him, okay? Auggie would never think of you like that."

It should not surprise her that her godmother gets to the root of her concerns even before she can comprehend them herself. Angela has been there for her since she was ten when her godmother reconciled with her parents after being away from them. It had been Angela who had made her realize her love for photography, Angela who reached out to her during the time in middle school when she was bullied and Angela who has always been on the same page as her.

Her Aunt Angela has always been straight with her, and has never treated her like a princess that needed to be coddled, unlike many people in her life.

"What would I do with a photography degree now, Aunt Angela? Auggie needs me more than I need that degree," she tries again and just as Angela is about to say something, a new voice cuts in.

"You should go, Riley," her brother softly agrees, and Riley's breath hitches. Behind her brother, Maya and Farkle shoot her identical apologetic looks for coming in too soon but she waves them off.

Riley gets up and walks towards her brother, "Auggie –"

"I want you to finish your degree, Riley. I know how much it means to you. I was there when you opened your letter. I can't take that away from you."

Love for her brother consumes her, and she cannot help but feel so incredibly proud of the compassionate thirteen-year-old he is.

"Auggie –"

"I know you turned down that internship with Shane Allen," her bother says, and he looks down as he shuffles his feet. "He's your idol, and you turned down your chance to work for him for me. You're my sister, and I know you, and I know there is nothing I can say to make you call him and take back your internship so please, at least do something for yourself. Two months will pass, just like that."

"Auggie –"

"If you love me, and if you love Mom and Dad, then do this, please," Auggie pleads and she flinches.

"That's not fair," she breathes out.

"I'll FaceTime you everyday, I promise," Auggie smiles at her through his tears, but she can see through his façade, just like she always has been able to.

Her younger brother knows what she is willing to do for him, and this is his way of letting her know that he will be there for her too.

And so, she takes the offer that her Aunt Angela and her brother gives her, and nods.

Two months pass by and there are times when it feels as though time has passed in a blink of an eye and there are other times when it feels as though time is not passing by fast enough.

Riley busies herself with her final project, and she is so grateful that her professors are so understanding. On the days when inspiration strikes, and she has her camera in her hand, she does not think of much else. On the days when she wakes up feeling numb, with fears and worries about how she is going to be back in New York to support her brother, she lies in bed and stares at the ceiling until her phone beeps.

On those days, it is as though her family can feel her sadness. Uncle Shawn and Aunt Angela send her motivational messages, Maya sends her updates on her own progress of her art project, Farkle asks for her help to rewrite their petition to NASA to rename Pluto as a planet, her grandparents call her to check up on her, and her Uncle Eric and Aunt Morgan send her silly gifs.

Auggie, on the other hand, decides that he would rather write her long emails to let her know how he is dealing with school. His words are beautiful, and she cannot wait for him to share them with the world. For now though, she is content to have these emails be their thing.

He does not talk about their parents, and though she knows it is not healthy, she feels helpless because she is not ready to talk about them either.

Two months pass and her final project ends. She submits her project, books her plane back to New York and then packs her things from her dorm.

It is time to go home.

She takes over her mother's bakery, and her life starts revolving around it and Auggie.

There are customers she remembers from before she left for college, and new ones she makes the effort to get to know better. The hours that she spends at the bakery make her feel closer to her parents.

There are times when she is at the entrance of the bakery before opening hours and she just has to look at the counter for the memories to start flowing.

Sometimes, she sees her mother wiping the counter, smiling at a customer that has just walked in or even putting a rude customer in their place. Sometimes, she sees her father with her Uncle Shawn at their usual table, annoying her mother and Aunt Angela with their antics. Other times, she sees the four of them – her, Auggie and their parents – sharing a meal after closing hours as they talk about their day.

Riley and Auggie still stay after closing the bakery every Friday night. They make it their tradition, and she is glad for it because it gives her the time to catch up with him. He will tell her about school and his friends, and she tells him about her encounters with customers that make an impact or her own high school experiences.

On the third Friday night, she lets him know that they have to rent out their parents' bedroom and anxiously waits for his response.

"Why?" he asks, his hands stilling and she sighs.

"Mom and Dad have us covered for the next two years but we need to think about the future, Aug," she explains. "I can keep the bakery going but we no longer have the stability of Mom and Dad's finances and –"

"Okay," he cuts her off softly and she blinks at him.

"Okay?"

Auggie smiles at her, "I know you're doing everything you can for the both of us, Riley. I'm not going to fight you on that."

She takes his hand and squeezes it, "How did I get so lucky to have such an understanding brother?"

He waves her off, and offers a cheeky grin, "You didn't think I was understanding when I bit off Beary the Bear's face all those years ago."

"You still haven't apologized for that!" she throws a few fries at him and he laughs.

"I'm okay with another roommate, Riley," Auggie assures her. "But do you think we could put off packing their room until we actually find one?"

There is that hint of vulnerability that has been there since she found him in their parents' room four months ago. It makes him look so much like the young boy she left behind when she first left for college, and her heart, like it has all his life, goes out to him.

She nods, and he lets out a subtle breath before he continues telling her about his day.

Farkle offers to move in and pay for the whole mortgage when she puts up a poster on the glass door of the bakery the next day but Riley refuses. As much as she appreciates and loves her best friend, she knows that she cannot rely on him for every bit of financial difficulty that she needs to tackle.

It is a busy Sunday two weeks later when Zay Babienaux walks into the bakery and applies to be her and Auggie's new roommate, and their world changes once again.

"Hey, here's an idea. Let's just get Aunt Angela and Uncle Shawn to do this. Or Maya and Uncle Josh. Or Grandma and Grandpa. Or – "

"Auggie," Riley tries to interrupt her brother, and she places her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"I mean, all I have to do is show them the eyes and you just gotta give them that look and –"

"Auggie," she tries again, and sighs when he sends a pleading glance her way. "Hey, it's okay if you're not ready to do this, okay? But this room has to be cleared and I think I can do it."

That is one the many lies she has told him just so that she can seem stronger and more in control that she really is. The truth is, her heart is racing a mile a minute and she has never been more nauseous. But she is Auggie's guardian, she will do what is best for him and she will protect him from heartbreak as much as she can.

Her brother does not say anything, and instead just stares at the door of their parents' bedroom.

She tries again to assure him gently, "Look, why don't we try this? You can stay out here as long as you need to while I clear their things. If and when you're ready, you can come in and start helping me, okay?"

Riley waits for him to nod to be certain that he will be okay. When her younger brother finally does, she sends him one last smile before she turns the doorknob and opens her parents' bedroom door for the first time in five months.

She is not prepared for the wave of lavender scent that drifts into her nose. She gulps at how everything is still in place, as though they had never left. Of course, that is what she had paid the housekeeper to do but still, the familiarity of it causes her breath to hitch and once again, Riley feels like she cannot breathe.

It is as though her parents have not been gone at all.

She wants nothing more than to just close the door, lock it up forever and tell Zay that he has to find another place. But then, from the corner of her eye, she sees her brother observing her, as though he is trying to decide how to behave or react according to how she behaves and reacts.

Riley closes her eyes and counts to ten, taking her time, before she opens her eyes, squares her shoulders and takes her first step into Cory and Topanga's room.

Again, the memories wash over her as she looks around.

She was seven when she bounced on the bed to wake Cory up for Father's Day, excited to present to him the breakfast that she and her mother prepared for him.

She was thirteen as her mother went through an old box of her clothing, and Riley's eyes lighted up as her mother handed down her jean jacket and Riley promised to guard it with her life.

She was seventeen when she walked in on her parents cuddling in bed for the umpteenth time, and though she had made a face at how lovey-dovey they still were after being together for so long, she sent a silent prayer (like she has all her life) that she will be able to experience a relationship as pure and loving as theirs.

Riley snaps out of her thoughts and decides to start in their bathroom, thinking it would be the easiest place and she thinks she may be right. There is a weight in her chest as she clears their toothbrushes, soaps and other toiletries. She tugs the shower curtains as gently as she can. When she is finally done, she cannot help but feel proud of herself and figures that she needs a break.

She steps out of the bathroom, and startles when she sees her brother at Cory and Topanga's dresser. He runs his hand across the wood, and she wants to cry at the sight of the tears that drop onto the dresser. Instead, she walks up to him and slides the first drawer open.

"Together?" she asks.

Auggie's smile is small as he nods, "Together."

A/N: I'm planning for this fic to be around four chapters so I hope you guys will stick with me through it if you liked this chapter. As you can also tell, this is also a Rucas AU in which they will only meet later on in the story. I hope you liked this and let me know what you think :)