All characters that are definitely known to actually be part of the "7th Heaven" Universe are
actually the property of their owner or owners, where applicable, of course. As are all the settings of
this particular story and any related stories I may write at any time. All other characters and/or settings
that are actually non-native to the "7th Heaven" Universe are actually of my own creation, unless
otherwise stated. If they aren't actually of my own creation, they're actually the property and/or
creation of their owner or owners, where applicable. So don't bother suing me now, for I've not
actually claimed your characters and/or settings as mine here, if they're not actually of my own creation.
Besides, I don't really have any money. So you actually wouldn't get anything from me in that way
anyway. I'm a financially poor person, currently, if I won't always be. And so therefore, your chances
of getting any money from me at this time, if ever, are very small indeed. Probably even microscopic, at
the current time.
All poems and/or songs in, at least, this story or series of stories are copyright to and/or of their
respective writers, performers, or authors, and/or their owners, wherever possible, if I'm actually not
their writer and/or owner as well. I claim nothing knowingly for my own, people, that I know isn't
actually mine. Just like I'm doing for any other elements and characters that I mentioned in the previous
paragraph here, I'm doing that here for all of the said poems and/or songs, in fact, people. So the
exact same disclaimer applies to them as it does for anything else related to this story and/or its series,
at least, if not any other story or stories of mine, people. That's whenever possible, of course.
To Elmtree723: I am not familiar enough with Carlos, Andrew Naylos, or Cecilia yet. I have
followed the show that this story, and any sufficiently-related series to it, is, and will be, at least partly,
based on, for at least a few years, if not longer. I am also quite aware that in more recent seasons,
Simon has had a close relationship with Cecilia, at least as of the end of the seventh season, if not even
longer than that. I have also visited the WB's website that has it mentioned quite prominently. And I
am aware of there being a marriage between Mary and Carlos. Though I don't really know all that
much about him at all. As for your suggestion of Lucy and Andrew Naylos possibly having a romantic
relationship of some sort, I really don't know much about the latter, I believe. Perhaps if you would
enlighten me later on, I might investigate the possibility of those two ending up together, eventually. But
I don't think I have seen any episodes where he might have made an appearance. I like Sarah, though,
for Matt. I have an idea of a possible boyfriend or two for Ruthie, though you might have to read "The
Inverness Chronicles" by me to get an idea of possible suitors in that story series for her. Simon, I
think, would be best with Deanna. Though that is still to be decided by me here, I think. Remember,
we may be talking at least a little AU, AT, and/or AR here, Elmtree723.
To AmoebaJones: Yes, I am quite aware, from following the series for at least a while, that
Reverend Eric Camden's father is now, or retired as, a full Colonel in the United States Marine Corps,
according to the known history of the character. That is most certainly a rather valid point here, in your
favor. But please still do try to remember the date or dates mentioned at the very beginning of the
story, AmoebaJones. I said in the very first sentence of the story here that it was one day in 1979 or
1980 when Eric and Annie brought Matt home for the first time. At that particular time, I think it highly
conceivable that Eric's father John could very well have been a Major in the USMC, and not actually a
full Colonel in it. I think it even quite possible, given the fact that we don't evidently know the exact
date of his promotion to the rank of full Colonel in the USMC, that John Camden might have even been
a Major at that time in his life. What if, for instance, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel after, say,
some action in Grenada or some other major world trouble spot anytime within the next five or ten
years after Matt's birth? And then by the time that he retired, or by the time that the main story will
begin here, he'd have eventually been promoted to the rank of a full Colonel in the United States
Marine Corps? That would then agree with the definitely better-known history about the Colonel. I
now seem to remember him talking with Lucy during a certain episode where she was having trouble
with her history homework, and they actually were in the kitchen at least once during that episode
together. He mentioned Grenada during that particular episode, if I remember correctly. And the way
that he said it, at least the first time I saw him do so, I think, it seemed to suggest to me, at least, that he
actually had more personal knowledge of that place than the average Marine Corps member might have
been able to have at that time. What if he was somehow actually part of such an invasion force, in
some hypothetical, if not a real, timeline, after Reagan sent in the troops there? If that might have been
true for him, at least hypothetically, if not in actual reality, I think it'd have been entirely plausible for him
to mention Grenada in such a manner as he'd done then with Lucy, while they were both in the kitchen
making some meal and working together with her history homework. Don't you agree?
To N1m2nd, if I get your user name correctly enough here, in fact: I promise that there will be
more on the way whenever possible, and when the mood strikes me to write more to this story, or to
any other sufficiently-related ones to it. I don't know exactly how long this particular story will be, in
fact. But I hope to make it at least a dozen or so chapters, if not more than that, if at all possible.
To Josie21612: There will be more later, of course. But if I remember correctly enough,
Wilson doesn't make an appearance as a major character with his son for at least the first few seasons
of the series. And they don't really start to have such a relationship with each other, if I'm not too
mistaken, before Mary gets in trouble for trashing the Glen Oak High School gym, and ends up in
Buffalo with or near the Colonel and his wife Ruth. I could eventually go that route with them in this
story and its eventual series, I think But I might want to see the necessary episodes more in order to
better be able to decide one way or the other. I might even pair her up with some character nobody
even knows of yet from one or more of my original series. Or other fan fiction series of mine, whether
they're currently on fanfiction.net yet or not, in fact. Remember, this is only the beginning of the story.
So there is a lot that is yet to be decided for it and its storyline or storylines, as you might logically
enough expect here, Josie21612. I will, of course, consider all that you have said here, just the same.
And I thank you all for making sufficiently clean, courteous, and appropriate reviews of my
story here, so far. Now, before I get too long-winded here with my responses to your comments, I
think I'd better get on with the story here, for the obvious enough reasons. Now back to the story, and
you know what to do, I'm quite sure, everyone.
******************************************************************************
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe
Chapter One
It was now August 29, 1996, and Matt Camden was just chilling out with one of his best
friends, if not his very best friend, at the Glen Oak Pool Hall. This friend of his was John Hamilton, a
young, tall, and a little stocky, black man about his age, in fact. They were going to be high school
sophomores or juniors at Glen Oak High School, as of the day after Labor Day 1996, in actual reality.
Matt was sitting near John, as John was playing 8-Ball Pool with another young man with moderately
tanned skin, watching John and this young man play pool with each other. He was doing this with a
plastic glass filled with cola being in his left hand, as well.
Matt Camden currently had on a mostly maroon T-shirt with white text on it. The T-shirt said,
on its front "Property of Glen Oak High School", in fact. And it also had the size "XL" on its front, just
above a two-holed horizontal pocket that was in the abdominal area of the shirt. He was also wearing
a pair of black leather jeans that were at least a little similar to the jeans motorcyclists were often
known to wear at times. These jeans, though, were for the most part, rather plain, except where the
built-in buckle was present, and at the very bottom of them on their legs' outsides, where there were
zippers that ran up to just a few inches above their cuffs there. Under the jeans' zippered cuffs, then,
there were a pair of mostly black cowboy boots with hints of embroidered wildcats on their outsides
showing, wherever possible. The toes of the boots were slightly rounded, but they were, for the most
part, still quite square, in fact. A mostly maroon jacket of his was now hanging near the main entrance
of the Pool Hall, as well, where he'd left it upon his and John's arrival at the Pool Hall. His wallet was
in his jeans' front left pocket, in actual reality.
As for John Hamilton, he was wearing a mostly light blue button-down shirt over a plain deep
purple Hanes T-shirt, as he leaned over to make his next shot at the pool table here. He was also
wearing a pair of Levis 501 dark blue jeans with the regular cut to them in the appropriate size for
himself currently. The button-down shirt was long-sleeved, and it was also now fully unbuttoned, in
fact. A Timex analog watch was on his left wrist, and it was a rather plain-appearing, yet quite
utilitarian one, as well. It appeared plain, at least for the most part, anyway. But actually, it had some
hidden features that most people, if not anyone else besides him or other members of his family, didn't
actually know about. What those particular hidden features were exactly, not many people actually
knew yet, if they ever would. In fact, there might even be some hidden features that he didn't yet know
of yet for it, if he'd ever know of them, in his life, at least, if not other people's lives as well.
His current opponent was a half-Mexican, half-Asian young man who was now apparently
about John and Matt's age. And he and his family had just moved into the Glen Oak area from the San
Francisco area of California, in actual reality. He and his family had met John and Matt at services
conducted by Reverends Eric Camden and Morgan Hamilton, not long after they'd moved to the area
from the San Francisco area. He had tanned skin like his father, and almond-shaped eyes like his
mother. His eyebrows were rather bushy, but he had no signs at all of any facial hair whatsoever. He
was about 5'11" and about 150 pounds, with just a little bit of an athletic build to him. And he now
wore a pair of glasses that could change the darkness of their lenses, depending on the sufficiently-
nearby available light. In his left earlobe, he wore a single red, silver, and black bear claw-shaped stud
earring. Around his neck, there was also a rather plain gold necklace showing partly from under his
silver and black T-shirt, and two points of an attached gold and silver crescent moon peeked out from
under its collar. The points were pointing at his slightly rounded chin, as he now leaned slightly forward
over a nearby chair, and also somewhat loosely held his pool stick in his left hand about halfway down
its shaft. Over his T-shirt, he also had a crimson and black school-style jacket with the logo of his
previous high school on its back. On the front left upper pocket of the jacket's outside, his name was
present. That name, in fact, was "Julio Mamoru Enrique Suzuki", in appropriately-sized letters, of
course. And just under his full name there, his most common nickname "Juggler" was also present, in
fact. For he often liked to juggle in his life, whenever possible. His jeans were similar ones to John's.
But instead of them being Levis like John's were, they were Wranglers in a more appropriate size for
himself, and with a more stylish cut to them than John's were. Also, he'd decorated them with various
circus-related designs, wherever possible, on their stonewashed denim, just to show more of his
personality with them. Under them, and not covered by them, he also wore a pair of low-cut
basketball-style sneakers, of some Converse-related variety, that were mostly black and silver in their
nature, whenever possible.
John shot at a three-ball grouping of solids, and sank two of them on his next shot here. But he
failed to sink more of his four remaining balls after that shot of his. So it became Julio's turn here, of
course. Julio said, "That was a good try there, John. But I think this game is mine, seeing as I count
only two of my balls and the 8-Ball remaining on the table in positions quite favorable to me here. You
have four balls near each other or the rails where they might not easily be able to be pocketed. You're
quite good, I'll admit, here. But I really don't think that you'll win this game here."
"We'll see, Julio. As long as the 8-Ball is still up here, I still have a chance to win this game
here, of course."
"True enough," said Julio, as he pocketed his 13-Ball here, and hoped that he'd be able to take
down the 14-Ball on the next shot. His shot pocketed the 13, and came within a few inches of doing
the same for the 14. But he left the 14 about two inches or so away from the nearest side pocket, and
about six inches away from where the 8 still sat on the table. The 8 was now essentially quite blocked
by the 1 and 5 Balls in a rather small triangle near the left foot corner pocket. While John's 2 and 6
Balls were near the other corner pocket on that end of the table. Julio applied a mainly follow stroke
with a bit of left English. And that then allowed him to sink the 14 easily enough to get into a good
enough position to sink the 8-Ball and win the game here, in fact.
"This next shot should win the game for me, I think, John."
"Take it, then, please."
Julio did so. And he was right, in his belief here. He then said, "As per our earlier agreement,
then, you're to help me get sufficiently acquainted with the girls around here as much as possible, for at
least the next week or two, once we start school here."
"As agreed, I will do so, to the best of my ability to do so, Julio."
"Thank you, John. Now I think I'd better go find my sisters Anita and Carlota around here, for
we have other things that we all have to do around here for a while."
"Take care, then, Julio."
Julio then set his pool stick down on the appropriate table here, and briefly nodded at and
shook hands with John, just before he walked over to another part of the Pool Hall to collect his twin
dark-haired sisters Anita and Carlota. They were conversing with each other when he came up to
them. No more than just a few minutes later, all three of them had left the Pool Hall again, in fact.
After Julio, Anita, and Carlota left the Pool Hall, John eventually asked, "Matt, do you think
that Julio will fit in well at our school?"
"I really don't know, John. Of course, I really hope so."
"You think the jocks will like the Suzukis well enough here?"
"I really don't know. These three Suzukis don't seem to be much the sporting type, at least in
terms of joining any school teams, that is."
"Anita had some winged feet on her jacket, I think."
"She may be the most athletically-inclined of them, then, John. Carlota seemed like the kind of
girl who was quite the book-wormish type to me when I met her earlier. She had a lot of books in her
arms when we met before one of my dad's services a few weeks, at most, back, I think."
"And what of Julio, Matt?"
"Fun-loving guy, from my first impressions of him, with a bit of a mysterious air to him. Like he
might be more than he seems to be in his life. And that he might somehow actually know more than he
currently realizes about a lot of things and other people in it."
As Matt then finished his cola, John then asked, "What are your plans for the rest of the day
here?"
"I thought going out with Heather for a while on the Promenade would be a good idea. We
were thinking about spending some time with each other there for a while. It's been most of the
summer since we've been able to spend a significant period of time with each other for more than an
hour or two at a time."
"Where was she most of the summer?"
"With friends of hers in Washington, in fact. She was visiting them, and checking out a few
college possibilities at the same time, there. She was thinking about going to Gallaudet University when
she graduates from here, John. Though I don't know yet if she'll go there."
"I see. And what about your future plans for your life?"
"I don't know yet," said Matt, as he put some money down on the counter in front of him.
Then he and John soon left the Pool Hall together for elsewhere in the area. Matt dropped off John at
the Hamiltons' residence in Glen Oak, and then went home.
When he got home, his younger sisters Lucy and Mary handed him his mail. Among the pieces
of mail that he received was a letter from a friend of his from several years before. This friend of his
had often gone to summer camp in the Glen Oak area with him several years before. And they'd kept
in touch ever since. Even after this friend had moved to Pennsylvania with his family a year or two later,
Matt had remained in regular enough contact with him. When Lucy and Mary handed him his mail, he
thanked them both, and then took his mail to his room to read it for a while.
Eventually, he learned that this friend of his and his friend's family were going to be moving
back to the Glen Oak area, after several years away from it. And that pleased him, for it had been
quite a while since Matt had seen his childhood friend Travis Collins. They had been really good
friends with each other since shortly after Lucy had been born to Eric and Annie in Glen Oak, in fact.
And it had been four or five years since Matt had last been able to see Travis in person, actually.
After he finished reading his mail, he soon left his room with a great big smile on his face. He
then headed to the kitchen area, encountering his mother Annie on the way. When she saw that he was
apparently very happy, she then asked, "You look really happy right now. What's got you that way,
Matt, if I may ask?"
"You remember Travis Collins from summer camp several years back?" When she nodded, he
then said, "He and his family is moving back here, in fact, Mom. It's been a while since he was last
here in the Glen Oak area for a long enough period of time."
"And how soon do they expect to arrive here?"
"They're going to be flying here tomorrow, and they're having their things shipped to their old
house. It seems that Mr. Collins got reassigned here by his employer, due to various retirements of
company personnel. And he was able to buy back his family's old house for what he'd sold it for, as
well. Travis hopes to be back here by sometime on Sunday, at the very latest, if at all possible."
Annie and Matt conversed with each other for a few more brief moments, before Matt asked,
"Mother, who are you leaning toward for the Presidential race this year?"
"I think I'll be going for Dole-Kemp over Gore-Inouye and Perot-Stockdale this year. Though
I haven't decided one way or the other yet. Both of the two major parties seem to be tough to decide
between this year. I think it's going to be a closer-than-normal election this year because Perot and
Stockdale seem to be stronger than they were last time around, at least in terms of current popular
support for them both, anyway. They earned 19.2% of the vote last time around against the
Republicans and the Democrats. The Republicans took 42.2% of the popular vote last time, and they
earned 313 electoral votes. The Democrats took 38.6% of the popular vote, and earned 193 electoral
votes. Which, of course, then left Perot and Stockdale to take the remaining 19.2% of the popular
vote, and the last 32 electoral votes. President Reagan in his fifth straight successful Presidential
election got almost 47.4 million votes paired with Illinois's Charles Percy, last time around. Governor
Clinton of Arkansas ran with Al Gore, and the Democrats took just over 43.4 million votes for
themselves. Perot and Stockdale took almost 21.6 million votes for the Independents in the last
election, if I remember correctly enough here."
. "I see. And just how well do you think that Dole and Kemp will do this year?"
"I'd expect them to get no more than about 40% or so, Matt. Gore and Inouye could make it
a very close race, especially if Perot and Stockdale mess up enough to open the door for them to do
so. But I don't think that they will, just the same."
Then Annie let Matt move again toward the kitchen, and reminded him that she didn't want him
to get into the cookies that she'd earlier made for the back-to-school party that Lucy and Mary were
planning to have with a number of their closest friends. Matt promised that he'd not get into them, and
then he parted from his mother again.
When he got there, his youngest sister Ruthie was playing with a few of her toys near the
kitchen's main counter area. She soon saw him, and he asked her, with a wide grin on his face, "How
are you today, you little munchkin?"
"Fine, Matt. What's cooking in that head of yours, so to speak?"
"I'm happy, that's what, kiddo."
"Why's that?"
"My friend Travis is coming back in order to live around here again."
"I don't remember someone by that name, Matt. Who is he?"
"He's one of my friends from quite a while ago, in fact, Ruthie."
"How long ago, if I may ask?"
"Since shortly after Lucy came to be born here, munchkin."
"I see. And is he as good a friend of yours as John is?"
"No, of course not. We've not seen each other in person for about as long as you yourself
have been alive, in fact, if I remember correctly enough here."
"And how did you meet him?"
"We met in a playground near the church, and we've been friends ever since, in fact."
As Matt then opened the refrigerator, Ruthie asked, "Have you known him about as long as
Heather, most likely, Matt?"
Matt glanced at her for a brief moment, just before reaching for some Italian bread, some sliced
ham, and some holed cheddar cheese slices. And he soon answered, "As a matter of fact, yes. We
met him when a few other kids were picking on him a bit, Ruthie. We soon made them leave him
alone, and ever since, we've been quite close to each other. When Travis moved away, he asked me
to keep as close an eye on Heather as possible, whenever possible. And ever since, I've done that to
the best of my ability to do so. He never actually was interested in her romantically, I believe, though,
Ruthie. Unlike me, of course. I'm quite sure that you and everyone else around here knows now that
I'm still very interested in her as a potential romantic mate for the rest of my life, in fact."
"But don't you think that it might be very hard to stay together past your eventual graduations
from high school here, Matt? Remember, she's at least hearing-impaired, if not totally deaf. That, in
itself, can make relationships between hearing and hearing-limited or non-hearing people quite a bit
more difficult to maintain easily enough, I think. You know I'm right about such things here, of course."
"Let me ask you this, then, if I may." Matt made a sandwich or two here, and then nuked them
both in the nearby microwave.
"Go ahead and ask your question, then, Matt."
"Do you or do you not think that there is a conceivable enough future where we might
eventually marry and spend the rest of our lives together, if at all possible, Ruthie?"
"I suppose that there might be, of course. But if so, I really don't see it at the current time, at
least, if I ever will. Instead, I have this rather strange feeling that your future lifemate is still somewhere
out there. And if so, I really don't know exactly who she might just be yet, Matt. This feeling of mine
here seems to suggest that she might very well have dark hair, at least. But not much more, if anything
at all. And as far as I know right now, Heather doesn't currently have dark hair in her life."
Eventually, Ruthie left the kitchen, and she went to the room that she now shared with Simon in
the Camden family's residence. Matt soon finished his sandwich or sandwiches, and then he put his
dirty dish in the nearest sink. This he did, for the obvious reasons, of course, before he too left the
kitchen again. He soon was in the Camdens' station wagon, and driving toward the Promenade for his
planned meeting with Heather, in fact. He hoped to return home by the time the Camdens had supper
that evening. But he really didn't know just how long things might go for him and Heather then and
there, for the obvious reasons. For he couldn't currently see the future, of course, in his own life, if
he'd ever be able to do so in it.
******************************************************************************
Yes, readers, I know that there's actually a two-term limit for real Presidents of the United
States now. But in this story series, at least, things may not necessarily be as they actually are in our
own world. In this story and its related timeline, at least, there are no term limits for most political
personages that might be mentioned in it, unless otherwise stated by me in it and its related series.
Whether said personages are real or fictional, there are no term limits for such personages, unless
otherwise stated, in this story and its related series. Other differences in this story's Universe and that
of the real one that we're more familiar with, at least as it pertains to "7th Heaven", if not also the
Universes of any other series of any conceivable enough kind, will be noted if and whenever necessary
and/or possible, readers. So please bear with me, if things aren't quite as they've been in our current
world, and are now. You might like some of the differences in the applicable timelines, I think, readers.
Or you might not. Only time will tell, of course, whether or not you actually do so here.
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this
story, after the above Chapter One, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere
around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be
more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll
depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for
all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of
mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as
well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a
lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other stories of mine that might feature its
main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The
Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all
possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out!
actually the property of their owner or owners, where applicable, of course. As are all the settings of
this particular story and any related stories I may write at any time. All other characters and/or settings
that are actually non-native to the "7th Heaven" Universe are actually of my own creation, unless
otherwise stated. If they aren't actually of my own creation, they're actually the property and/or
creation of their owner or owners, where applicable. So don't bother suing me now, for I've not
actually claimed your characters and/or settings as mine here, if they're not actually of my own creation.
Besides, I don't really have any money. So you actually wouldn't get anything from me in that way
anyway. I'm a financially poor person, currently, if I won't always be. And so therefore, your chances
of getting any money from me at this time, if ever, are very small indeed. Probably even microscopic, at
the current time.
All poems and/or songs in, at least, this story or series of stories are copyright to and/or of their
respective writers, performers, or authors, and/or their owners, wherever possible, if I'm actually not
their writer and/or owner as well. I claim nothing knowingly for my own, people, that I know isn't
actually mine. Just like I'm doing for any other elements and characters that I mentioned in the previous
paragraph here, I'm doing that here for all of the said poems and/or songs, in fact, people. So the
exact same disclaimer applies to them as it does for anything else related to this story and/or its series,
at least, if not any other story or stories of mine, people. That's whenever possible, of course.
To Elmtree723: I am not familiar enough with Carlos, Andrew Naylos, or Cecilia yet. I have
followed the show that this story, and any sufficiently-related series to it, is, and will be, at least partly,
based on, for at least a few years, if not longer. I am also quite aware that in more recent seasons,
Simon has had a close relationship with Cecilia, at least as of the end of the seventh season, if not even
longer than that. I have also visited the WB's website that has it mentioned quite prominently. And I
am aware of there being a marriage between Mary and Carlos. Though I don't really know all that
much about him at all. As for your suggestion of Lucy and Andrew Naylos possibly having a romantic
relationship of some sort, I really don't know much about the latter, I believe. Perhaps if you would
enlighten me later on, I might investigate the possibility of those two ending up together, eventually. But
I don't think I have seen any episodes where he might have made an appearance. I like Sarah, though,
for Matt. I have an idea of a possible boyfriend or two for Ruthie, though you might have to read "The
Inverness Chronicles" by me to get an idea of possible suitors in that story series for her. Simon, I
think, would be best with Deanna. Though that is still to be decided by me here, I think. Remember,
we may be talking at least a little AU, AT, and/or AR here, Elmtree723.
To AmoebaJones: Yes, I am quite aware, from following the series for at least a while, that
Reverend Eric Camden's father is now, or retired as, a full Colonel in the United States Marine Corps,
according to the known history of the character. That is most certainly a rather valid point here, in your
favor. But please still do try to remember the date or dates mentioned at the very beginning of the
story, AmoebaJones. I said in the very first sentence of the story here that it was one day in 1979 or
1980 when Eric and Annie brought Matt home for the first time. At that particular time, I think it highly
conceivable that Eric's father John could very well have been a Major in the USMC, and not actually a
full Colonel in it. I think it even quite possible, given the fact that we don't evidently know the exact
date of his promotion to the rank of full Colonel in the USMC, that John Camden might have even been
a Major at that time in his life. What if, for instance, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel after, say,
some action in Grenada or some other major world trouble spot anytime within the next five or ten
years after Matt's birth? And then by the time that he retired, or by the time that the main story will
begin here, he'd have eventually been promoted to the rank of a full Colonel in the United States
Marine Corps? That would then agree with the definitely better-known history about the Colonel. I
now seem to remember him talking with Lucy during a certain episode where she was having trouble
with her history homework, and they actually were in the kitchen at least once during that episode
together. He mentioned Grenada during that particular episode, if I remember correctly. And the way
that he said it, at least the first time I saw him do so, I think, it seemed to suggest to me, at least, that he
actually had more personal knowledge of that place than the average Marine Corps member might have
been able to have at that time. What if he was somehow actually part of such an invasion force, in
some hypothetical, if not a real, timeline, after Reagan sent in the troops there? If that might have been
true for him, at least hypothetically, if not in actual reality, I think it'd have been entirely plausible for him
to mention Grenada in such a manner as he'd done then with Lucy, while they were both in the kitchen
making some meal and working together with her history homework. Don't you agree?
To N1m2nd, if I get your user name correctly enough here, in fact: I promise that there will be
more on the way whenever possible, and when the mood strikes me to write more to this story, or to
any other sufficiently-related ones to it. I don't know exactly how long this particular story will be, in
fact. But I hope to make it at least a dozen or so chapters, if not more than that, if at all possible.
To Josie21612: There will be more later, of course. But if I remember correctly enough,
Wilson doesn't make an appearance as a major character with his son for at least the first few seasons
of the series. And they don't really start to have such a relationship with each other, if I'm not too
mistaken, before Mary gets in trouble for trashing the Glen Oak High School gym, and ends up in
Buffalo with or near the Colonel and his wife Ruth. I could eventually go that route with them in this
story and its eventual series, I think But I might want to see the necessary episodes more in order to
better be able to decide one way or the other. I might even pair her up with some character nobody
even knows of yet from one or more of my original series. Or other fan fiction series of mine, whether
they're currently on fanfiction.net yet or not, in fact. Remember, this is only the beginning of the story.
So there is a lot that is yet to be decided for it and its storyline or storylines, as you might logically
enough expect here, Josie21612. I will, of course, consider all that you have said here, just the same.
And I thank you all for making sufficiently clean, courteous, and appropriate reviews of my
story here, so far. Now, before I get too long-winded here with my responses to your comments, I
think I'd better get on with the story here, for the obvious enough reasons. Now back to the story, and
you know what to do, I'm quite sure, everyone.
******************************************************************************
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe
Chapter One
It was now August 29, 1996, and Matt Camden was just chilling out with one of his best
friends, if not his very best friend, at the Glen Oak Pool Hall. This friend of his was John Hamilton, a
young, tall, and a little stocky, black man about his age, in fact. They were going to be high school
sophomores or juniors at Glen Oak High School, as of the day after Labor Day 1996, in actual reality.
Matt was sitting near John, as John was playing 8-Ball Pool with another young man with moderately
tanned skin, watching John and this young man play pool with each other. He was doing this with a
plastic glass filled with cola being in his left hand, as well.
Matt Camden currently had on a mostly maroon T-shirt with white text on it. The T-shirt said,
on its front "Property of Glen Oak High School", in fact. And it also had the size "XL" on its front, just
above a two-holed horizontal pocket that was in the abdominal area of the shirt. He was also wearing
a pair of black leather jeans that were at least a little similar to the jeans motorcyclists were often
known to wear at times. These jeans, though, were for the most part, rather plain, except where the
built-in buckle was present, and at the very bottom of them on their legs' outsides, where there were
zippers that ran up to just a few inches above their cuffs there. Under the jeans' zippered cuffs, then,
there were a pair of mostly black cowboy boots with hints of embroidered wildcats on their outsides
showing, wherever possible. The toes of the boots were slightly rounded, but they were, for the most
part, still quite square, in fact. A mostly maroon jacket of his was now hanging near the main entrance
of the Pool Hall, as well, where he'd left it upon his and John's arrival at the Pool Hall. His wallet was
in his jeans' front left pocket, in actual reality.
As for John Hamilton, he was wearing a mostly light blue button-down shirt over a plain deep
purple Hanes T-shirt, as he leaned over to make his next shot at the pool table here. He was also
wearing a pair of Levis 501 dark blue jeans with the regular cut to them in the appropriate size for
himself currently. The button-down shirt was long-sleeved, and it was also now fully unbuttoned, in
fact. A Timex analog watch was on his left wrist, and it was a rather plain-appearing, yet quite
utilitarian one, as well. It appeared plain, at least for the most part, anyway. But actually, it had some
hidden features that most people, if not anyone else besides him or other members of his family, didn't
actually know about. What those particular hidden features were exactly, not many people actually
knew yet, if they ever would. In fact, there might even be some hidden features that he didn't yet know
of yet for it, if he'd ever know of them, in his life, at least, if not other people's lives as well.
His current opponent was a half-Mexican, half-Asian young man who was now apparently
about John and Matt's age. And he and his family had just moved into the Glen Oak area from the San
Francisco area of California, in actual reality. He and his family had met John and Matt at services
conducted by Reverends Eric Camden and Morgan Hamilton, not long after they'd moved to the area
from the San Francisco area. He had tanned skin like his father, and almond-shaped eyes like his
mother. His eyebrows were rather bushy, but he had no signs at all of any facial hair whatsoever. He
was about 5'11" and about 150 pounds, with just a little bit of an athletic build to him. And he now
wore a pair of glasses that could change the darkness of their lenses, depending on the sufficiently-
nearby available light. In his left earlobe, he wore a single red, silver, and black bear claw-shaped stud
earring. Around his neck, there was also a rather plain gold necklace showing partly from under his
silver and black T-shirt, and two points of an attached gold and silver crescent moon peeked out from
under its collar. The points were pointing at his slightly rounded chin, as he now leaned slightly forward
over a nearby chair, and also somewhat loosely held his pool stick in his left hand about halfway down
its shaft. Over his T-shirt, he also had a crimson and black school-style jacket with the logo of his
previous high school on its back. On the front left upper pocket of the jacket's outside, his name was
present. That name, in fact, was "Julio Mamoru Enrique Suzuki", in appropriately-sized letters, of
course. And just under his full name there, his most common nickname "Juggler" was also present, in
fact. For he often liked to juggle in his life, whenever possible. His jeans were similar ones to John's.
But instead of them being Levis like John's were, they were Wranglers in a more appropriate size for
himself, and with a more stylish cut to them than John's were. Also, he'd decorated them with various
circus-related designs, wherever possible, on their stonewashed denim, just to show more of his
personality with them. Under them, and not covered by them, he also wore a pair of low-cut
basketball-style sneakers, of some Converse-related variety, that were mostly black and silver in their
nature, whenever possible.
John shot at a three-ball grouping of solids, and sank two of them on his next shot here. But he
failed to sink more of his four remaining balls after that shot of his. So it became Julio's turn here, of
course. Julio said, "That was a good try there, John. But I think this game is mine, seeing as I count
only two of my balls and the 8-Ball remaining on the table in positions quite favorable to me here. You
have four balls near each other or the rails where they might not easily be able to be pocketed. You're
quite good, I'll admit, here. But I really don't think that you'll win this game here."
"We'll see, Julio. As long as the 8-Ball is still up here, I still have a chance to win this game
here, of course."
"True enough," said Julio, as he pocketed his 13-Ball here, and hoped that he'd be able to take
down the 14-Ball on the next shot. His shot pocketed the 13, and came within a few inches of doing
the same for the 14. But he left the 14 about two inches or so away from the nearest side pocket, and
about six inches away from where the 8 still sat on the table. The 8 was now essentially quite blocked
by the 1 and 5 Balls in a rather small triangle near the left foot corner pocket. While John's 2 and 6
Balls were near the other corner pocket on that end of the table. Julio applied a mainly follow stroke
with a bit of left English. And that then allowed him to sink the 14 easily enough to get into a good
enough position to sink the 8-Ball and win the game here, in fact.
"This next shot should win the game for me, I think, John."
"Take it, then, please."
Julio did so. And he was right, in his belief here. He then said, "As per our earlier agreement,
then, you're to help me get sufficiently acquainted with the girls around here as much as possible, for at
least the next week or two, once we start school here."
"As agreed, I will do so, to the best of my ability to do so, Julio."
"Thank you, John. Now I think I'd better go find my sisters Anita and Carlota around here, for
we have other things that we all have to do around here for a while."
"Take care, then, Julio."
Julio then set his pool stick down on the appropriate table here, and briefly nodded at and
shook hands with John, just before he walked over to another part of the Pool Hall to collect his twin
dark-haired sisters Anita and Carlota. They were conversing with each other when he came up to
them. No more than just a few minutes later, all three of them had left the Pool Hall again, in fact.
After Julio, Anita, and Carlota left the Pool Hall, John eventually asked, "Matt, do you think
that Julio will fit in well at our school?"
"I really don't know, John. Of course, I really hope so."
"You think the jocks will like the Suzukis well enough here?"
"I really don't know. These three Suzukis don't seem to be much the sporting type, at least in
terms of joining any school teams, that is."
"Anita had some winged feet on her jacket, I think."
"She may be the most athletically-inclined of them, then, John. Carlota seemed like the kind of
girl who was quite the book-wormish type to me when I met her earlier. She had a lot of books in her
arms when we met before one of my dad's services a few weeks, at most, back, I think."
"And what of Julio, Matt?"
"Fun-loving guy, from my first impressions of him, with a bit of a mysterious air to him. Like he
might be more than he seems to be in his life. And that he might somehow actually know more than he
currently realizes about a lot of things and other people in it."
As Matt then finished his cola, John then asked, "What are your plans for the rest of the day
here?"
"I thought going out with Heather for a while on the Promenade would be a good idea. We
were thinking about spending some time with each other there for a while. It's been most of the
summer since we've been able to spend a significant period of time with each other for more than an
hour or two at a time."
"Where was she most of the summer?"
"With friends of hers in Washington, in fact. She was visiting them, and checking out a few
college possibilities at the same time, there. She was thinking about going to Gallaudet University when
she graduates from here, John. Though I don't know yet if she'll go there."
"I see. And what about your future plans for your life?"
"I don't know yet," said Matt, as he put some money down on the counter in front of him.
Then he and John soon left the Pool Hall together for elsewhere in the area. Matt dropped off John at
the Hamiltons' residence in Glen Oak, and then went home.
When he got home, his younger sisters Lucy and Mary handed him his mail. Among the pieces
of mail that he received was a letter from a friend of his from several years before. This friend of his
had often gone to summer camp in the Glen Oak area with him several years before. And they'd kept
in touch ever since. Even after this friend had moved to Pennsylvania with his family a year or two later,
Matt had remained in regular enough contact with him. When Lucy and Mary handed him his mail, he
thanked them both, and then took his mail to his room to read it for a while.
Eventually, he learned that this friend of his and his friend's family were going to be moving
back to the Glen Oak area, after several years away from it. And that pleased him, for it had been
quite a while since Matt had seen his childhood friend Travis Collins. They had been really good
friends with each other since shortly after Lucy had been born to Eric and Annie in Glen Oak, in fact.
And it had been four or five years since Matt had last been able to see Travis in person, actually.
After he finished reading his mail, he soon left his room with a great big smile on his face. He
then headed to the kitchen area, encountering his mother Annie on the way. When she saw that he was
apparently very happy, she then asked, "You look really happy right now. What's got you that way,
Matt, if I may ask?"
"You remember Travis Collins from summer camp several years back?" When she nodded, he
then said, "He and his family is moving back here, in fact, Mom. It's been a while since he was last
here in the Glen Oak area for a long enough period of time."
"And how soon do they expect to arrive here?"
"They're going to be flying here tomorrow, and they're having their things shipped to their old
house. It seems that Mr. Collins got reassigned here by his employer, due to various retirements of
company personnel. And he was able to buy back his family's old house for what he'd sold it for, as
well. Travis hopes to be back here by sometime on Sunday, at the very latest, if at all possible."
Annie and Matt conversed with each other for a few more brief moments, before Matt asked,
"Mother, who are you leaning toward for the Presidential race this year?"
"I think I'll be going for Dole-Kemp over Gore-Inouye and Perot-Stockdale this year. Though
I haven't decided one way or the other yet. Both of the two major parties seem to be tough to decide
between this year. I think it's going to be a closer-than-normal election this year because Perot and
Stockdale seem to be stronger than they were last time around, at least in terms of current popular
support for them both, anyway. They earned 19.2% of the vote last time around against the
Republicans and the Democrats. The Republicans took 42.2% of the popular vote last time, and they
earned 313 electoral votes. The Democrats took 38.6% of the popular vote, and earned 193 electoral
votes. Which, of course, then left Perot and Stockdale to take the remaining 19.2% of the popular
vote, and the last 32 electoral votes. President Reagan in his fifth straight successful Presidential
election got almost 47.4 million votes paired with Illinois's Charles Percy, last time around. Governor
Clinton of Arkansas ran with Al Gore, and the Democrats took just over 43.4 million votes for
themselves. Perot and Stockdale took almost 21.6 million votes for the Independents in the last
election, if I remember correctly enough here."
. "I see. And just how well do you think that Dole and Kemp will do this year?"
"I'd expect them to get no more than about 40% or so, Matt. Gore and Inouye could make it
a very close race, especially if Perot and Stockdale mess up enough to open the door for them to do
so. But I don't think that they will, just the same."
Then Annie let Matt move again toward the kitchen, and reminded him that she didn't want him
to get into the cookies that she'd earlier made for the back-to-school party that Lucy and Mary were
planning to have with a number of their closest friends. Matt promised that he'd not get into them, and
then he parted from his mother again.
When he got there, his youngest sister Ruthie was playing with a few of her toys near the
kitchen's main counter area. She soon saw him, and he asked her, with a wide grin on his face, "How
are you today, you little munchkin?"
"Fine, Matt. What's cooking in that head of yours, so to speak?"
"I'm happy, that's what, kiddo."
"Why's that?"
"My friend Travis is coming back in order to live around here again."
"I don't remember someone by that name, Matt. Who is he?"
"He's one of my friends from quite a while ago, in fact, Ruthie."
"How long ago, if I may ask?"
"Since shortly after Lucy came to be born here, munchkin."
"I see. And is he as good a friend of yours as John is?"
"No, of course not. We've not seen each other in person for about as long as you yourself
have been alive, in fact, if I remember correctly enough here."
"And how did you meet him?"
"We met in a playground near the church, and we've been friends ever since, in fact."
As Matt then opened the refrigerator, Ruthie asked, "Have you known him about as long as
Heather, most likely, Matt?"
Matt glanced at her for a brief moment, just before reaching for some Italian bread, some sliced
ham, and some holed cheddar cheese slices. And he soon answered, "As a matter of fact, yes. We
met him when a few other kids were picking on him a bit, Ruthie. We soon made them leave him
alone, and ever since, we've been quite close to each other. When Travis moved away, he asked me
to keep as close an eye on Heather as possible, whenever possible. And ever since, I've done that to
the best of my ability to do so. He never actually was interested in her romantically, I believe, though,
Ruthie. Unlike me, of course. I'm quite sure that you and everyone else around here knows now that
I'm still very interested in her as a potential romantic mate for the rest of my life, in fact."
"But don't you think that it might be very hard to stay together past your eventual graduations
from high school here, Matt? Remember, she's at least hearing-impaired, if not totally deaf. That, in
itself, can make relationships between hearing and hearing-limited or non-hearing people quite a bit
more difficult to maintain easily enough, I think. You know I'm right about such things here, of course."
"Let me ask you this, then, if I may." Matt made a sandwich or two here, and then nuked them
both in the nearby microwave.
"Go ahead and ask your question, then, Matt."
"Do you or do you not think that there is a conceivable enough future where we might
eventually marry and spend the rest of our lives together, if at all possible, Ruthie?"
"I suppose that there might be, of course. But if so, I really don't see it at the current time, at
least, if I ever will. Instead, I have this rather strange feeling that your future lifemate is still somewhere
out there. And if so, I really don't know exactly who she might just be yet, Matt. This feeling of mine
here seems to suggest that she might very well have dark hair, at least. But not much more, if anything
at all. And as far as I know right now, Heather doesn't currently have dark hair in her life."
Eventually, Ruthie left the kitchen, and she went to the room that she now shared with Simon in
the Camden family's residence. Matt soon finished his sandwich or sandwiches, and then he put his
dirty dish in the nearest sink. This he did, for the obvious reasons, of course, before he too left the
kitchen again. He soon was in the Camdens' station wagon, and driving toward the Promenade for his
planned meeting with Heather, in fact. He hoped to return home by the time the Camdens had supper
that evening. But he really didn't know just how long things might go for him and Heather then and
there, for the obvious reasons. For he couldn't currently see the future, of course, in his own life, if
he'd ever be able to do so in it.
******************************************************************************
Yes, readers, I know that there's actually a two-term limit for real Presidents of the United
States now. But in this story series, at least, things may not necessarily be as they actually are in our
own world. In this story and its related timeline, at least, there are no term limits for most political
personages that might be mentioned in it, unless otherwise stated by me in it and its related series.
Whether said personages are real or fictional, there are no term limits for such personages, unless
otherwise stated, in this story and its related series. Other differences in this story's Universe and that
of the real one that we're more familiar with, at least as it pertains to "7th Heaven", if not also the
Universes of any other series of any conceivable enough kind, will be noted if and whenever necessary
and/or possible, readers. So please bear with me, if things aren't quite as they've been in our current
world, and are now. You might like some of the differences in the applicable timelines, I think, readers.
Or you might not. Only time will tell, of course, whether or not you actually do so here.
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this
story, after the above Chapter One, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere
around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be
more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll
depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for
all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of
mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as
well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a
lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other stories of mine that might feature its
main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The
Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all
possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out!