Disclaimer: The 7th Heaven characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them to tell a story. Please don't sue. All non 7th Heaven characters belong to me.
An observant reader may recognize elements from the prologue as the beginning of a story called Witness, posted several weeks ago. I pulled the story off www.fanfiction.net due to lack of motivation (but I am grateful to all who reviewed) and I have a totally different idea (thanks to some friendly inspiration from my friend Spit Fire, and 'twas I who challenged Spit to write a "Gay Simon" fic, as the idea of "Gay Simon" intrigues me and this story is likely to go that direction I later chapters...)
I like dark fics. This story is going to be very dark. It starts with character death. Please don't flame me if you don't like it. (Constructive feedback is totally different, and greatly appreciated) I'm telling you now so you can make the choice to read it and I hope you do. So here it is...It comes with a read at your own risk warning. Some material may not be suitable for all readers.
Please remember this is a work of fiction. All similarities to persons or events is purely coincidental. That said, it's time to begin.
The Road Home
By Dark Inzanity (c) 2002
Prologue
Glen Oak, California
Lucy Camden sat her three year old twin brothers side by side on the sofa. Sam held on to his favorite teddy bear and David kept a small toy car in his tiny fist. Lucy had delayed this moment as long as possible, and still wasn't ready for it. The boys were so little. Maybe too little to understand. They looked at her with their big, innocent little boy eyes and she felt her heart snap in a thousand tiny pieces. As if she wasn't broken enough.
She took a deep breath and touched each of the boys, checking their solidity, reassuring herself they were there. Alive. Whole. Beautiful. Perfect. Untouched by the evils of the world. Tears dripped from her eyes onto her hands.
Simon reached out to lay his hand on Lucy's shoulder for support and Kevin reached for one of her hands, gripping it in his. Ruthie stood behind Lucy, Kevin, and Simon, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot.
"What wrong?" The boys asked as if they had rehearsed the question, their voices rising with the same intonations. "Why sad?"
"Sammy, Davey, we have to tell you something very important. Okay?" Lucy's voice wavered, and her eyes darted from one boy to the other. She didn't dare look at Kevin or Simon or Ruthie. "I need you to listen carefully."
"We listen, Lucy." Sam had a slightly higher pitched voice than his brother, but upset as she was, Lucy couldn't tell their voice apart. She attempted a smile for their sakes, to reassure them.
"Remember this morning when you got up and Roxanne was here babysitting you?"
Sam nodded and David looked bewildered. "We bemember," Sam reached out to pat his sister's cheek.
"The rest of us went to the hospital. Mommy and Daddy were hurt in a car accident. Do you understand what I'm telling you? Mommy and Daddy went to Heaven, boys. They went home to Jesus."
The boys looked at each other, their eyes wide. One of them nodded and two little voices rang out with "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
What tiny fragments were left of Lucy's heart shattered completely at the boys innocence. She folded in on herself, her face hidden behind her hands as she cried. Kevin put his arm around her then, and pulled her to his shoulder. The twins climbed off the sofa and stood each on one side of Lucy, their little hands on her back.
"We be okay." One of the boys said.
His brother finished the thought. "Not be sad."
Lucy pulled away from Kevin and caught both boys in the circle of her arm. Simon reached for Ruthie, and the two of them joined the circle, along with Kevin.
*.~.*
Later that afternoon, Simon and Ruthie had the boys upstairs when the doorbell rang. Lucy slowly pulled herself away from Kevin and dried her face with Kleenex before she went to answer it.
A woman in a three piece pant suit stood on the porch.
Kevin stood behind her when she pulled the door open.
"Lucy Camden?"
"Yes." Lucy could barely speak through the lump in her throat.
"My name is Jillian Adler. I am here on behalf of child welfare services to check up on the minors Simon Camden, Ruthie Camden, Samuel Camden, and David Camden."
"Child welfare services?" Kevin repeated.
"Yes, sir. And you are..."
Kevin extended his hand. "Kevin Kinkirk, ma'am. I'm Lucy's fiancée." Lucy shot Kevin a confused look. Kevin offered only a small nod of explanation, and directed it at Jillian Adler. "We have been planning a summer wedding, however in light of recent events and the unfortunate passing of Lucy's parents, we will marry sooner so that we can properly take the children in."
Lucy stepped back and reached for Kevin's hand. She gave a gentle squeeze to say she understood what he was doing.
"I see." Jillian Adler craned her neck to get a good look inside the house. "And where do you currently live, Mr. Kinkirk?"
"In the apartment over the garage," Kevin answered without missing a beat.
"And what about housing for the children? I understand this property belongs to Glen Oak Community Church. What happens if the church takes the house back, now that Reverend Camden will no longer provide his service to the church?"
Lucy fought the urge to attack the woman for the emotional cruelty of her words.
"Lucy and I always planned to buy our own house as soon as we were married."
"What is it that you do, Mr Kinkirk?"
"Officer Kinkirk, ma'am. I am a police officer."
"I see." Jillian Adler's entire manner seemed to change with that knowledge. She looked at Kevin a little closer, and at the same time she backed down. "In that case...I'll bid you good evening, and I'm sure we will be talking soon about this situation."
Kevin sepped forward to shut the door, while offering Jillian Adler obligatory farewells. Once the door closed, he leaned against it and turned his eyes to Lucy.
"We're getting married?"
"We have to. The state will take the kids if we don't. The twins and Ruthie, at least."
"Oh my God."
"What?"
Lucy moved forward and pressed herself against Kevin. "I just realized we're orphans."
"We're going to keep the kids together, Lucy. You and me and Simon and Ruthie and Sam and David. It's going to be okay."
Lucy shook her head as the tears spilled down her cheeks. "Nothing will ever be okay again, Kevin."
"Then we'll just do the best that we can."
*.~.*
An observant reader may recognize elements from the prologue as the beginning of a story called Witness, posted several weeks ago. I pulled the story off www.fanfiction.net due to lack of motivation (but I am grateful to all who reviewed) and I have a totally different idea (thanks to some friendly inspiration from my friend Spit Fire, and 'twas I who challenged Spit to write a "Gay Simon" fic, as the idea of "Gay Simon" intrigues me and this story is likely to go that direction I later chapters...)
I like dark fics. This story is going to be very dark. It starts with character death. Please don't flame me if you don't like it. (Constructive feedback is totally different, and greatly appreciated) I'm telling you now so you can make the choice to read it and I hope you do. So here it is...It comes with a read at your own risk warning. Some material may not be suitable for all readers.
Please remember this is a work of fiction. All similarities to persons or events is purely coincidental. That said, it's time to begin.
The Road Home
By Dark Inzanity (c) 2002
Prologue
Glen Oak, California
Lucy Camden sat her three year old twin brothers side by side on the sofa. Sam held on to his favorite teddy bear and David kept a small toy car in his tiny fist. Lucy had delayed this moment as long as possible, and still wasn't ready for it. The boys were so little. Maybe too little to understand. They looked at her with their big, innocent little boy eyes and she felt her heart snap in a thousand tiny pieces. As if she wasn't broken enough.
She took a deep breath and touched each of the boys, checking their solidity, reassuring herself they were there. Alive. Whole. Beautiful. Perfect. Untouched by the evils of the world. Tears dripped from her eyes onto her hands.
Simon reached out to lay his hand on Lucy's shoulder for support and Kevin reached for one of her hands, gripping it in his. Ruthie stood behind Lucy, Kevin, and Simon, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot.
"What wrong?" The boys asked as if they had rehearsed the question, their voices rising with the same intonations. "Why sad?"
"Sammy, Davey, we have to tell you something very important. Okay?" Lucy's voice wavered, and her eyes darted from one boy to the other. She didn't dare look at Kevin or Simon or Ruthie. "I need you to listen carefully."
"We listen, Lucy." Sam had a slightly higher pitched voice than his brother, but upset as she was, Lucy couldn't tell their voice apart. She attempted a smile for their sakes, to reassure them.
"Remember this morning when you got up and Roxanne was here babysitting you?"
Sam nodded and David looked bewildered. "We bemember," Sam reached out to pat his sister's cheek.
"The rest of us went to the hospital. Mommy and Daddy were hurt in a car accident. Do you understand what I'm telling you? Mommy and Daddy went to Heaven, boys. They went home to Jesus."
The boys looked at each other, their eyes wide. One of them nodded and two little voices rang out with "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
What tiny fragments were left of Lucy's heart shattered completely at the boys innocence. She folded in on herself, her face hidden behind her hands as she cried. Kevin put his arm around her then, and pulled her to his shoulder. The twins climbed off the sofa and stood each on one side of Lucy, their little hands on her back.
"We be okay." One of the boys said.
His brother finished the thought. "Not be sad."
Lucy pulled away from Kevin and caught both boys in the circle of her arm. Simon reached for Ruthie, and the two of them joined the circle, along with Kevin.
*.~.*
Later that afternoon, Simon and Ruthie had the boys upstairs when the doorbell rang. Lucy slowly pulled herself away from Kevin and dried her face with Kleenex before she went to answer it.
A woman in a three piece pant suit stood on the porch.
Kevin stood behind her when she pulled the door open.
"Lucy Camden?"
"Yes." Lucy could barely speak through the lump in her throat.
"My name is Jillian Adler. I am here on behalf of child welfare services to check up on the minors Simon Camden, Ruthie Camden, Samuel Camden, and David Camden."
"Child welfare services?" Kevin repeated.
"Yes, sir. And you are..."
Kevin extended his hand. "Kevin Kinkirk, ma'am. I'm Lucy's fiancée." Lucy shot Kevin a confused look. Kevin offered only a small nod of explanation, and directed it at Jillian Adler. "We have been planning a summer wedding, however in light of recent events and the unfortunate passing of Lucy's parents, we will marry sooner so that we can properly take the children in."
Lucy stepped back and reached for Kevin's hand. She gave a gentle squeeze to say she understood what he was doing.
"I see." Jillian Adler craned her neck to get a good look inside the house. "And where do you currently live, Mr. Kinkirk?"
"In the apartment over the garage," Kevin answered without missing a beat.
"And what about housing for the children? I understand this property belongs to Glen Oak Community Church. What happens if the church takes the house back, now that Reverend Camden will no longer provide his service to the church?"
Lucy fought the urge to attack the woman for the emotional cruelty of her words.
"Lucy and I always planned to buy our own house as soon as we were married."
"What is it that you do, Mr Kinkirk?"
"Officer Kinkirk, ma'am. I am a police officer."
"I see." Jillian Adler's entire manner seemed to change with that knowledge. She looked at Kevin a little closer, and at the same time she backed down. "In that case...I'll bid you good evening, and I'm sure we will be talking soon about this situation."
Kevin sepped forward to shut the door, while offering Jillian Adler obligatory farewells. Once the door closed, he leaned against it and turned his eyes to Lucy.
"We're getting married?"
"We have to. The state will take the kids if we don't. The twins and Ruthie, at least."
"Oh my God."
"What?"
Lucy moved forward and pressed herself against Kevin. "I just realized we're orphans."
"We're going to keep the kids together, Lucy. You and me and Simon and Ruthie and Sam and David. It's going to be okay."
Lucy shook her head as the tears spilled down her cheeks. "Nothing will ever be okay again, Kevin."
"Then we'll just do the best that we can."
*.~.*