Written: September - November 2001

Note: If you hate the thought of downloading 26 chapters one after the other, hop onto my website and get the story in one part (but make sure you´ll be back here to read the author´s note and post a review): ht tp://w ww. world-wyrd-web .com (you´ll have to delete the spaces between the letters, the address wouldn´t show up when I wrote it correctly).

Disclaimer: "7th heaven" and all its characters belong to Aaron Spelling – but Jeff´s mine! Unfortunately I´m making no money with this story. But presents and cheques (and most of all reviews!) will be gratefully accepted…grin

Rating: Now that I finished it and know the ending myself, I finally decided to rate it PG-13 (because of the violent stuff and the language)
Continuity: Set in season 4, but without the twins – sorry if I mess things up here, but I don´t want to write about the babies. Just imagine they´re on vacation...hehehe... ;)

Summary: A runaway in trouble – old story with (maybe) a few new ideas. Features mainly Eric, Lucy, Simon...yeah, and Jeff, of course!

This is my first fanfic ever and English is not my native tongue – so please review it and be gentle (I'm always curious if you think the characters are "in character", so please tell me). And if you want the solution for the riddle (later on), you´ll have to email me anyway!


Times of Trouble


The boy peeked around the corner and froze. In some distance, next to the shelf holding sweets and canned food, were two guys standing and talking. Both wore the white uniforms of shop assistants and were arguing about some lists lying in front of them. The boy made sure no-one else was in sight, then slowly lifted one hand and grabbed a small glass of pasta sauce and a bag of rolls from the shelf next to him and quickly stuffed both into concealed pockets inside his jacket. He had done this many times before and knew how much he could carry without drawing attention of the shop´s staff. Strolling to another aisle he also found a can of corn and a bag of rice, both for single households and therefore small quantity either.

Passing by the breakfast shelf he threw a short glance at the kellogg´s boxes. He didn´t have a bowl of cereals in a long time. No chance, the boxes were just too big to take away unseen. Arriving at the cashier he took a pack of chewing gum out of the shelf next to the cigarettes and put it on the conveyor belt.

"Hey, cool, you´re buying my brand", the blonde girl at the cashier said and produced a big red bubble. The boy smiled for an instant without answering and handed her a dollar. He stuffed the gum and his change into the left trouser pocket (the only one which still had some space left) and headed for the exit. On the way out he passed a security guy, who only glanced at him for a moment, then turned back to the old lady he was talking to.

Suddenly a family entered the shop, two adults and 4 kids, and a little girl of about 10 years nearly bumped into the boy who quickly stepped aside and let her run along for the shopping cart.

"Ruthie, wait, you can´t just run around and knock people over." the mother called after her and turned to the boy with an apologizing smile. "Sorry for that. She is just excited because I promised her to get ice cream today."
The boy smiled back for a moment: "No problem."

He watched as the two other girls passed by, the older one not giving him a second glance, but the younger smiling broadly at him. He gave her the same quick smile he had grown accustomed to in the past few months and pretended not to notice the suspicios gaze from her father´s face. ´As if I just invited her out ´, he thought slightly amused.

When the way was no longer blocked he turned and walked through the sliding doors and stood outside for a moment, glancing back over his shoulder at the family whose members spread out into the shop. Then he shrugged and disappeared into a side alley.

Annie wasn´t able to catch Ruthie before the girl could reach the freezer. "Ruthie, I know that you love ice cream very much, but would you please look out for other people before storming through a shop?"
"Okay Mum, I will – next time. Can we take chocolate, vanilla and strawberry?"
Annie sighed, but couldn´t help smiling.
"Sure, and take one of the diet boxes as well, Mary and Lucy asked for them."

****************

"These are the last bags", Eric dramatically groaned and lifted the 3 bags of food onto the kitchen table.
"Thank you", Annie smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "Simon and Lucy will help me to put everything away, you can go and and work on your sermon."
Before Eric could respond the telephone rang. He took the receiver.
"Hello?……Yes, good morning, Mrs. Bink. ….. Of course, what can I do for you? …. No problem, I have to go there anyway to pick Matt up for lunch……yes, his car´s still broken…..no problem at all, you´re welcome. See you later."

He put the phone back onto the kitchen table and turned to Annie.
"Mrs. Bink accidentially left a few books on the counter of the library. I´m bringing them to her house when I´m picking up Matt later."
"Okay, just hurry a bit – I´m starting to cook dinner at about 5:30."
Eric nodded in agreement and went to the study to finish his sermon.

****************

Even in broad daylight the factory hall was a spooky place. Dirty, occassionally broken windows only brought dim light into the room, plants grew through the cracked cement floor and sometimes a rat moved along the wall on it´s search for food or shelter. There was a huge room with the remainings of an old printing machine, some rusty parts of steel and a few ripped paper piles, in which rats and mice had their nests. Nobody came out here, not even the teenagers searching for a place to party thought about this hall. There were huge locks on every gate and the only way to get in was a small office window on the upper level, which could be reached only by climbing an old oak near some empty oil containers, jump onto the left container (the right one was too slippery) and crawl the way to the window sill.

No, nobody ever came here – and that suited the boy very well.
He slept on a dusty couch in the abandoned office obove the factory hall. It was a dry place and wouldn´t get as cold as the street. To protect his food from the nibblers he put everything in a plastic bag and hung it on a hook in the ceiling until he needed it. The old factory was one of the better hideouts he had had so far.

His name was Jeff and he had turned 15 two months ago. It was his 11ths months as a runaway and after a few hard lessons in the beginning life as a straw turned out not to be that difficult for a quick learner. Whenever possible he worked for a meal and a bed, though for a minor it is very difficult to find proper work. But food was provided by supermarkets as well as clothes when you spend some time planning the theft and Jeff turned out to be a natural when it came to shoplifting. He sensed holes in a supermarket´s safety program and used them, but he only took food and other vital basics and never more than he actually needed.

When he arrived at "his" office he first took the plastic bag from the hook and filled it with the content of the concealed pockets. Then he crammed through the pile of junk in the corner of the small room and put out a gasburner. Although it was old and as badly scratched as the pot he brought from under the remainings of the broken desk it still worked and Jeff began to prepare his lunch.