"I just walked away, why did I do that?"
"You talking to yourself again, Camden?" T-bone came in her room and sat down beside her while leaning in for a kiss. She moved and got up. An ackward silence fell between them he coughed, she stood in place and shuffled her feet.
"He got to you didn't he?" He finally asked.
"Uh, um, I don't know what your talking about." She said avoiding the question.
T-bone shot up and looked her in the eyes "Martin, he got to you. You still love him, you lied to me." She looked at him hurt, confused, and betrayed.
"Look T-bone, yeah I admit, he got to me. But I did love him, I was in love with him for as long as I could remember. But this year I fell in love with you. I didn't think that would ever happen. But I spent a week with him, talking to him, having my best friend back in my life. He kissed me, he kissed me and he was attracted to me, he said things that I have only wished him saying to me." She said tears flowing out of her eyes. "Get out of my room, right now, leave!"
T-bone left rejected and didn't know what to say or do. Ruthie just crashed down on her bed trying to forget everything.
Martin sitting at the hospital still reliving what he said, what happened in the last week. "Damnit I am such an idoit, I'm a jerk, I am pathetic. I love her, I love Ruthie Camden, how come I couldn't say those words to her"
"Because you're an idoit. Which I told you were last week." Sandy said sitting down next to him.
"I blew it, she walked away and didn't say a thing, she left. I'm such a jerk." He said looking around tears in forming in his eyes. "You know, when you gave birth to Aaron she hugged me, right over there." Pointing to the hallway. "She said she hated me a week before and, she...she didn't have to be there, she didn't have to be there giving me the strength to go in and see you and Aaron. But she did, she gave me an unconditional strength, that I didn't deserve"
"You know, I meant what I said last week, you are meant for her"
"Well obviously she doesn't think so. T-bone made that perfectly clear"
"T-bone is young, stupid, naive. Ruthie, Ruthie is mature, she has loved for as long as I could remember."
"I need to see her. Right now"
"Martin it's late she's asleep"
"Then, I'll wait. All night." Martin started to get up, "Can I take the car"
"Better yet, I'll drive you."
He got there around twenty minutes later all the lights were off, he was pacing around the backyard thinking over and over what he would say to her, beating himself up for not doing this sooner. He remembered the conversations he had with her in the backyard. He laughed to himself and smiled at the thought of her. He sat down on the back porch which he had done a thousand times before. He thought of her, of all the signs he never saw, of the converstations he had with her about the many girls that didn't mean anything to him now. He drifted off to a sleep and awoke to the morning light. Eric came out and noticed him on the porch.
"Reverend Camden"
"Martin? Martin, what are you doing here"
"I love her. Yeah I know it sounds ridiculous, but I love your daughter. I love her, and I am not leaving until she hears it from me."
Eric was speechless, he didn't know what to say he just smiled and went over and gave him a hug. "Good to see you, Son."
Martin smiled to himself, he knew that he had recieved his blessing. They went inside and they had some coffee and talked, and talked. T-bone walked down in the kitchen and saw Martin sitting there talking to the Eric.
"Get out, you don't live here anymore. This is my family...this is my family now, not yours"
Eric turned around and gave him a look and just said nothing in disbelief.
"I'm sorry Reverend, but seriously he can't be here. Can he?"
"Martin is always welcome in this house, in this family. Now I think you two have some talking to do."
"I have nothing to say to him." T-bone said coldy. "Well thats good, because I didn't come here to talk to you." Martin said getting up and pouring a glass of Orange Juice. Walking past him he just waved bye and proceeded to Ruthie's room.
He walked in and looked around, nothing had changed. He stood by the first bed, Ruthie had always taken the second one. He was standing in the same exact spot when Ruthie was getting ready to go out on her date with Vincent. He laughed at how things had changed since then. He sat down across from her just watching her sleep, he thought to himself that she was gorgeous. He couldn't help but think that. Ruthie tossed and turned and then flickered as the sun hit her face and she opened her eyes slowly and saw him.
"Martin?"
"OJ, I know how much you like it in the morning." he said holding th glass out.
Sitting up in bed and reaching for the glass their hands brushed by eachother and they both felt the electricity rush through them. Ruthie adjusted herself in bed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled as she sipped the orange juice.
"Thanks. What are you doing here"
"You left without saying anything last night, I had to see you first thing in the morning."
"You've been here, all night?!"
"Well, not here, but outside, yeah." He said with a nervous smile.
There was an ackward silence between them like they didn't know how to act around eachother.
"Well, I guess I should let you get up and dressed. I'll leave." He started to get up until she reached for his hand."Don't."she grabbed ahold of him and he sat back down.
"Okay, so your gonna keep me prisoner now?!" he said breaking the ice.
"Maybe, would you have a problem with that?" she said with a devilish grin.
"Not at all, as long as you were with me. Ruthie, everything I said last night, that is how I feel, how I feel about you. Look, I have to say something and I am afriad if I don't say it now, I will never say it"
"T-bone and I made up yesterday before you talked to me. Actually, I kicked him out of my room last night after I got home."
"You're back together with him?"
"I don't know. Right now I don't know anything, all I know is that I don't want you to leave. I want to stay in this moment forever." He sat right next to her now looking right in her eyes, and pulled her into a tight hug. "Then I am not going anywhere."
"Ruth---" T-bone said walking in the room.
"T-bone..." she said leaving Martin's grasp.
"We're not back together are we?" looking at the both of them.
She looked at Martin, and then she looked at T-bone. She had always wanted Martin ever since she had remembered she was always in one way or another in love with him, but she did fall in love with T-bone this year. But she would never know what it would be like to finally get what she wanted.
"We--No, no, we're not back together. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too." T-bone said looking at the two of them. "I swear Brewer, if you hurt her, I will hurt you, and I know I may not look like I can, but I will. I make a promise of that." T-bone said looking at Martin.
"I promise, but you have my word this time. I won't hurt her." Martin said looking back Ruthie.
T-bone left the room, and Martin looked at Ruthie.
"You better not be lying to me. You better not see Jane while you are seeing me. This is it. You and me, not you, me and Jane or whoever random girl it is next week. I want to know it's only going to be me. Okay?"
"Ruthie, I---" He kissed her, this time differently from the other times he had kissed her. It was full of passion and love, something the other kisses weren't. He broke the kiss and just smiled. "I love you." Martin said and kissed her again.
A/N: It's supposed to be a one shot. But depending on how next week goes I will most likely continue it. So please R&R! )