Nine weeks later, Ruthie was home full time and the baby was expected any day. Mary was working less and less and spent most of her time catering to a very fickle and irrational Ruthie. Sometimes Ruthie would scream, sometimes cry, and sometimes do nothing at all. Mary was just about at her breaking point with her little baby sister. She couldn't keep this up much longer.

Mary went into Ruthie's bedroom to see how she was doing, only to find Ruthie on the bed crying her eyes out.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm homesick," Ruthie said blatantly. Mary was surprised. "I want to go home to Mom and Dad, but I doubt they'll let me back in. Not after I came to live with you."

Mary shrugged off Ruthie's rude comment like she did most of the others that came out of the 13 year old's mouth. "You know that Mom and Dad love you. I am sure they would be happy to have you back in GlenOak if that is what you want."

"I don't know if that is what I want, but I think it is."

"What about staying here with me and Wilson?"

Ruthie shrugged her shoulders. "I just miss Mom and Dad. Don't you?"

"Honestly?" Mary asked. Ruthie nodded. "Not really. Why do you think I left and never came back?"

"Because Mom and Dad hate you, just like everyone else does besides me and Matt."

Mary swallowed hard. That was more than she needed to know. "Then why do you want to go back to that? I mean you would think-"

"You would think that since I lived here I started turning into you? Well I haven't. I'm still a Camden and you aren't anymore…because a Camden knows just as well as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz that 'there is no place like home'. This isn't home; it's some fantasy world. I need to go back to reality and the people who care about me."

"Don't think for one second that I don't care about you! I got you out of there when you couldn't stand to be there anymore."

"Yeah, but-"

Mary raised her voice to almost a yell. "And don't assume that this place is not 'home' just because it's not the place you grew up. It's home for me with my husband and my son. I'm older and I have a different perspective on things than you do. Just because you're mature and have a higher IQ than I do does not mean that I can't comprehend the meaning of family. Why do you think I took you in in the first place?! Because you are my sister and I love you! But if you don't agree with that…the maybe you shouldn't be here anymore."

Ruthie got haughty. "Maybe I shouldn't."

Mary slammed the door to Ruthie's room and locked herself in her own. She knew the fight she had with Ruthie was petty, but whenever anyone tried to judge her it always set her off. Her parents were another trigger, too. Ruthie had lived with Mary for nearly 8 months now and she didn't know her any better than her parents ever would. All three of them were close-minded and self-absorbed. She couldn't take that kind of stuff anymore. Unlike the rest of the Camden family, she had outgrown it.

Mary kicked her bed a few times before lying down on it. She covered her face with her hands as she started to explore the inner workings of her mind. For once, she figured out parts of the reason why she really was so upset. She wished she had the strength the forgive them. She wished she had the strength love them and that they had the strength to love her. She wished she could just go back home and everything would be OK, like she was back in high school without a care in the world. Well, those times had passed and with it went the strength and power of her youth and the ability to open up to another human being besides Wilson. She had no parents, no siblings- only a husband and a son. This was the hardest "restart" Mary had to face yet, and she was only 22.

Wilson walked in the door and Mary went over to greet him. She wrapped her arms around him firmly, determined not to let him slip out of her grasp. Wilson knew something was up by the way he held her. There was more longing behind it; a desire that came from within her that he did not fully understand.

"Are you all right Mare?" Wilson asked.

"I'm fine," she answered, being short with him.

"Are you sure? Because-"

"I'm sure. I just have a lot on my mind right now, that's all."

Wilson rubbed her back gently. "Like what?"

"Can we talk about this later?" she said finally pulling away from him.

"I guess so, but if something is going on you know that you can tell me."

Mary nodded forlornly. "Later."

Billy walked into the room and over to Mary. Mary didn't even notice him come over to her. Billy tugged on her shirt to get her attention.

"Now that Daddy is home, do you have time for me? Let him take care of Ruthie."

Mary just stared in front of her. Ruthie wanted to go back home to her loving parents and now Billy was feeling neglected; not only was she being perceived as a bad sister, but a bad mother as well. How much more was she going to have to give before she got something in return?

"I'm sorry Billy," Mary said, "but I haven't made dinner yet."

"Is that Ruthie's fault, too?" he said with a smug tone.

"No, it's my fault. I should have just left her alone and made dinner for everyone, but I didn't. I'm sorry kiddo."

"Wait a second," Wilson said. "Exactly what happened today?"

"Later," Mary said sounding aggravated.

Wilson looked at Mary, and then over at his son who was also in a bad mood. "Listen, why don't I make dinner while you go play something with Billy?" he offered to Mary.

Mary sighed heavily. "Ok Billy, let's go."

Billy went toward his bedroom and so did Mary. When she reached the doorway, she turned back to find Wilson still staring at her. She mouthed the words "I love you" to him and went into the 6 year old's room with a smile. Billy pulled out a tiny chair from his play table and instructed Mary to sit. She did as she was told, and Billy went over to his toy chest.

"What do you want to play?"

"Whatever you want."

"How about a board game?" he said.

"Sure."

"CandyLand or Chutes and Ladders?"

"Chutes and Ladders."

Billy pulled the box out and put it on the table in front of Mary. He took out the board and the pieces, giving Mary a girl member of the Chutes and Ladders gang and himself a boy one. Although he was happy he finally had Mary's undivided attention, he was still a little angry with her.

"What's wrong?" Mary finally asked.

"Nothing."

"Then why aren't you talking to me?" Billy did not respond. "Are you mad at me?"

Billy looked into Mary's eyes. "Yes."

That hurt Mary more than she ever expected it would. She always felt that she might as well have given birth to Billy because he was so much apart of her heart and her life. To have him say that broke the last remaining pieces inside of Mary that were still fastened together. "Oh," she said softly.

"You and me haven't talked for two weeks. You used to want to talk to me. Now all you care about is Ruthie. I'm you son now. Aren't you supposed to care about me, too?"

Tears were starting to well up in Billy's eyes as Mary reached out and pulled him close to her body. Billy cried on Mary's shoulder as Mary began to cry on Billy's. Things were falling apart because she had spread her love to thin, and it rocked her little world that a six year old boy had to point out to her what no one else could. She was doing too much and loosing the simplest pleasures she had in life, like talking to Billy and lying in bed with Wilson at night when she was actually in a good mood.

Billy pulled away from Mary and, again, looked her in the eye. "When are things going to go back to normal?"

Mary knew that Billy wanted straight answer from her. Tomorrow, next week, on the fourth of July all would have been sufficient answers to Billy. Unfortunately, Mary could not give him a definite response. Nothing in her life was definite anymore. "I don't know."

Billy pouted. He did not like Mary's answer.

"Tell you what," Mary said, "how about you, me, and Dad make dinner together tonight, just like the old days."

"No Ruthie?" Billy asked.

"No Ruthie," Mary said standing up. "Besides, she is asleep anyway."

Mary and Billy joined Wilson in the kitchen. They stirred spaghetti sauce together, tossed a salad, and balled up some hamburger for meatballs- just like a real family would do. Wilson stole Mary away for a second so that they could "set the table". He put his arm around her waist and would not let her go until she turned to face him.

"What?"

"Are you feeling OK? Are you tired? You don't look right," Wilson said.

"I feel fine and I'm not any more tired than I have been every other day for the past 6 months." Wilson let out a deep breath as Mary yanked his hands off of her. "Let's just eat this dinner now," she said.

Wilson nodded and went over next to Billy, helping him carry the salad to the table. Mary stared at her two men, a slight smile coming across her face. To the outsider it might have looked as if Mary was spacing out due to sheer exhaustion, but in all actuality things were clearer in her head at that moment than they had been in a long, long time. Too bad this would be the last meal they would have as a "normal" three person family unit.

(A/N: I hope you liked this chapter better than the last one. Next chapter: Mary confronts Ruthie, but does it help ease her pain? I'm anticipating two, maybe three, more chapters of this story. Then I will be off to the next one. I just want to finish this, though, because school is starting soon and it took me the whole summer plus to do this thing.)

Please please review! Your feedback makes my world go round.