Disclaimer: I do not own any 7th Heaven characters, the college is made up

In chp 1 Ruthie is reunited with her ex Peter, this is the first time in 3 years they have seen each other. Enjoy

If anyone had been paying attention they would have noticed the handsome blonde man walking across the courtyard. They would have seen him walk up to the brown haired girl sitting on the bench reading. But no one was there that day. It was just them, alone under the cherry tree.

"Ruthie? Ruthie Camden?" Ruthie looked up from her book to see Peter standing above her, as she stared at him she realized that it was Peter. But not the Peter she had broken up with in her sophomore year. This Peter was a traveled Peter, an older Peter.

"Peter! It's great to see you again. What are you doing at Ecnamor?" Peter stared down at the first girl he had loved. She was beautiful, while she had always been pretty she was now gorgeous, the girl people stop and stare at. Her eyes had changed; they were not as soft as they had been the last time he saw them. They had an edge, the edge of someone that has seen things, and learned many things.

"I heard about this school and I thought I'd come see it, my school isn't as great as the advertisement said. Though it took me three years to figure that out," he smiled; the same smile.

Ruthie smiled back. "It's great to see you, we should get together while you're hear."

"That sounds good, say coffee? Later today or tomorrow?"

"All right, I'll meet you by the Coffee House near the main hall," Ruthie stood to go. "Around three?"

"Sure, see you then Ruthie."

"Till then Peter."

The next day Ruthie sat in the Coffee House. She had put on her favorite green shirt, green had been Peters favorite color. She sighed as she realized there that there was so much she didn't know about him. Things she had once known. She drank her tea and waited. And waited. At 4:00 she stood up and left. Peter had never shown up.

Ruthie was sitting in her dorm re-reading Othello and trying to figure out how Othello and Iago were similar in their motives for killing their wives. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Peter, his hair blown askew by the wind. He pushed his way in before she could close the door on him, something she fully intended to do.

"Where were you?" she said just as he said,

"I can explain."

"Go ahead," she walked over to her bed and sat down. He stood awkwardly in front of her, twisting his hands like a boy who knows he's going to be chastised.

"I was on my way when I ran into a professor my mother dated, oh about a year after we moved away from Glenoak. So we stopped to chat. I had like him, he wrote one of my recommendation letters," Peter sat down on Ruthie's window seat, sinking into the purple pillows. "We talked and before I knew it, it was 4:30, I rushed to the coffee shop but you were gone. I asked the manager and he said you had left about half an hour ago. So I went to the dorm listings office and said I was your brother and that there had been a death in the family and could I please have your dorm number. So she gave it to me, and here I am."

Ruthie stared at him sitting there, the look on his face so sorrowful that she couldn't help laugh and accept his plaintive apology.

"Don't worry Peter, we wouldn't have been able to talk long anyway I had a 5 o'clock class," she smiled and went over to the mini refrigerator tucked under her desk. She pulled out a couple of beers and tossed one at him. "Have a drink and tell me how you've been."

The rest of the night was spent reminiscing about their childhood. It wasn't until right before Peter left that they began to discuss the reason for their break-up.

"I couldn't take it, with my dad committing suicide and my moms depression. I just didn't know how to handle it," Peter said.

"Yeah but I was the one to break up with you. I didn't want to be so near such sadness," Ruthie moved to sit on the bed with Peter. "I wanted to be happy, a regular teenager."

"I understand, now. Back then I hated you. I didn't get why you would leave me, even though all I did was push you away," Peter drank the rest of his beer and threw it into the trashcan.

"I had plans, we were going to go to prom and get a hotel room. You were going to be my first time," Ruthie handed her beer to Peter. "Instead I went with Sam from English class, remember him? He wasn't the best first time. But I stuck to my plan.

"That was my plan too, but my dad changed all that," Peter watched Ruthie as she stared into the distance.

"I wish it had been you," she said looking at him. "I wish I had those memories of you, and me."

"Who says you can't?"

They were both intoxicated on alcohol and memories. Maybe this is how it was suppose to be, thought Ruthie. Or maybe this is all a mistake. Whichever one it was Ruthie didn't stop him when he kissed her. He kissed her full of 'might have beens' and 'what ifs'. He kissed her for his dad and his mom. She kissed him for the prom night that never was and the sadness she felt when she said 'it's over'. They kissed a kiss, which rivaled the great kisses through history.

The kiss lasted till they were lying down, both the way God had made them. Naked. They remained naked and kissing till the next morning. When they woke they were intertwined; Peters' leg between Ruthies', her arms around his neck, one hand grasping his hand. They awoke as comfortable as if surrounded by feathers and velvet.

"I'm glad I have the memories," Ruthie murmured into his ear.

"Me too."

For a week they lived in complete happiness. Peter would walk Ruthie to class, sometimes he would sneak in and stay; mostly, though, he went to the campus library and read. When Ruthie wasn't in class or doing homework they could be found in two places. Either at Ruthies dorm, making memories or discussing ones already made; or at the coffee shop talking to the regulars and the college kids. It was there where Ruthie received the news, she was alone, Peter had a meeting with the Dean of Admissions to see about transferring to Ecnamor.

Ruthie hurried back to the dorm to wait for Peter.
"I have to go back to Glenoak. Lucy is having trouble with her baby, you know how she's pregnant again. Well, there are complications," Ruthie said, he voice muffled as she buried her face in Peters' chest.

Peter wrapped his arms around her and they sat that way until she fell asleep. Peter stood and laid her down on the bed. He then walked to her closet and got down her suitcase. When she woke he was asleep in her desk chair; her suitcase was packed at his feet.

"Peter, Peter," Ruthie shook Peter till he woke. "Thank you so much. I have to go now."

"I know," he shook his head, and brushed the hair out o his eyes. "I'm going to miss you. We get this second chance and then you have to go."

"But I'll be back, soon," Ruthie blinked rapidly. "Do you want to stay in my room while I'm gone, that way you won't have to get a hotel room."

Peter nodded and held out his arms. They hugged and Ruthie tilted up her head for a kiss. This kiss was full of the second chance that was being taken from them, they were in love and they knew it.

Peter walked home in the rain after dropping Ruthie at the station. Ruthie had rain of her own, running down her face.