For entertainment purposes only, not for profit. None of the characters are mine.

Pairing: Ruthie/Martin

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She tossed and turned in her covers, kicking them off after a while even though it was freezing cold outside the warmth they provided. It was two in the morning and Ruthie knew she wasn't even close to falling asleep. She growled into her pillow in frustration because she knew, just like many nights before, she was going to start replaying the events again.

Damn you Martin Brewer.

It was his damn fault she could not go to sleep. What right did he have to tell her that he wanted to be with her after he knew that she loved T-bone? He had some nerve.

Rubbing the sleep off her eyes, Ruthie reluctantly got out of bed and grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand before heading downstairs.

She made not point to keep quiet as she made her way down. Heck, she stomped a little on the stairs on her way down half hoping that someone would hear her and they would join her.

Ruthie took her cell phone and dialed the numbers that had been playing in her head all night. As she waited patiently for the phone to dial she wasted no time to rummage though the kitchen cabinets. Cookies. Jack Pot. Only then did she realize how hungry she was.

"Hello?" raspy voice said after the seventh ring.

"I'm up. It's your fault. The least you can do is come over." Ruthie supplied flatly as she took bites from her cookie. Savoring it.

"Ruthie? Is that you? What time is it?" Ruthie could hear him moving around now. He sounded surprised, and a lot like he had just been woken up. Haha. Yeah, that's because he just had, she thought in satisfaction. He cleared his throat before speaking again, "Is everything ok?"

Ruthie couldn't help to roll her eyes. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Use the back door." She hung up before he could give her a response.

---

Ten minutes later Ruthie heard a light knock coming from outside the kitchen door. She go up from her chair and made her way to open the door. Standing outside her backyard was none other than Martin Brewer. He was wearing a baseball cap, probably to hide his un-mused, un-gelled, whatever you call it, hair. He had on some black sweats and gray t-shirt under his jacket. Not like she noticed or anything.

"Took you long enough." She noted a bit annoyed as she made her way back to her awaiting plate of cookies.

"Eh? Umm ok…" He said confused, closing the door behind him. "Is there a reason you woke me up at two in the morning, dragged me out of bed, and made me come over? Its like forty degrees outside."

"Yeah, try these" she handed him a cookie, a grin playing on the corners of her mouth.

He was now looking at her like she was crazy. He moved slowly toward her and took it. "You brought me here for this?" Martin narrowed his eyes as he waved the cookie around.

She nodded.

"Are you ok?" He asked again. He just had to make sure.

"Yeah, like I said, it's your fault I'm up so now you are going to join me for a late snack. So, taste." She ordered.

He took a small bite, looking at her skeptically.

"Good, right?" she grinned as she took a bite of one herself.

"Great." He swallowed.

"So about it being my fault that you're up. How exactly is it my fault?" He cocked an eyebrow questioning with a tilt of his head. After all she had just woken him up at two in the morning for… Cookies? He needed some sort of explanation.

"Well ever since that night, you know when you told me you wanted to be with me, to choose you over t-bone, well it just plays up in here," she pointed with a finger to her head, "like a freaking broken record, and I don't know why but I cant make it stop. I can't sleep. So, therefore its your fault." She told him blatantly, but then she just looked away.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't taken aback by this.

There was silence. Crickets could be heard. No, not really, but the silence was so thick any noise would be welcomed right about then.

"I see. Well, did you ever think there was a reason?" He wondered after a while. Ruthie's honesty had just opened doors that, he hoped, led to something more. A guy could hope, right?

"No." she shook her head, dismissing it, "But it is your fault, so you have to suffer the consequences. That means if I'm up, you're up."

Well, it was a working case.

"Ok, ok" he didn't argue, putting his hands up in surrender, he couldn't help the cheesy grin that was forming.

In Ruthie style, she just rolled her eyes, and smiled back at the boy standing in front of her. "You're such a dork."

"So…" he made an O with his mouth. Martin stood there looked around, rocking back and forth, as he put his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "What do I have to do?"

"Sit."

---

They sat there for a while; it was an hour later when Ruthie finally began to feel sleepy. Something about having him being there. She wasn't going to take the trouble to over analyze her thoughts and come up with answers, that where the life changing kind… blah blah blah. All she knew is that it was nice to feel…at rest.

He had long ago fallen asleep. Martin said he was just going to rest his eyes for a minute or two; it had turned into about forty-five. His elbow was propped up on the table as he rested his chin over his palm. That hand of his must have been numb by now. His eyes were shut. Poor guy, Ruthie though, Oh well. She quickly dismissed the guilt coming over. After all, it was his fault she had many sleepless nights.

"Hey" she gently tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh?" for a minute he looked a little lost. "Hey" he registered with a yawn, stretching his arms as far as they went.

"I'm heading to bed now." she gave him the heads up that it was ok to leave.

"Oh ok. So my job is done for tonight then?"

"Yes" she took note of the clock in the microwave.

Martin nodded, and gave her a sleepy smile. He got up from the chair and made his way to the door.

"Hey" he turned around before opening the door, "If you, you know can't sleep or something, I'm here to serve my time." He said jokingly, "Dad made some of her famous pie, so you know, late snacks on me."

He opened the door to leave.

"Martin," she called out, "pie sounds good."