Chp 2: Ruthie goes home and she and Martin hook up. It's a comfort thing to her, and to him. But she still loves Peter.

I would like to say that I messed with Martin and made him a little more callous and sex hungry. But don't criticize me on that, yell at me for other things.

Ruthie stepped through he front door, in her exhaustion marveling that her parents still kept the door unlocked. She put her bag down and went into the kitchen. No one was there, so she got out some peanut butter and bread and made a sandwich. She took it into the living room, ate it, and fell asleep. When she woke she was looking into Annie's concerned face.

"Mom," she struggled to sit up. "How are you?"

"Fine dear," Annie smiled, but her smile was wan and Ruthie knew she wasn't fine. "How are you? You look terrible."

"I'm just really tired. I ran into Peter at Ecnamor. But he had to stay there, he send his regards and concerns. How is Lucy?"

"She's doing all right. Simon is with her now. Kevin had to go out to get some of her medicine. Ben is out with your father trying talking to Hank. Martin will be here tomorrow and Mary can't come but she sends her prayers and love. Matt and Sarah are on the plane on their way here. Why don't you go talk to Lucy while I go get the twins and little Lucy packed."

"Why are you packing the twins and Lucita up?" Ruthie said as she sat up and brushed her hair.

"I'm sending them up to the colonel for a little while. It's going to be hectic and I don't want them to feel upset about her mom, or the twins about their sister," Annie sighed. "Go talk to your sister now."

Ruthie stood up and talked over to the garage apartment, when she got there it was empty so she went back into the house and ran into Simon sitting in the kitchen.

"She's upstairs in your old room," Simon looked up at Ruthie and grinned. "I'll explain the sleeping arrangement later."

"Thanks Simon," Ruthie smiled back and walked upstairs to her old room. "Lucy! How are you?"

"Fine considering," Lucy was lying down on the bed staring at the ceiling. Her hair was in a mess and she was wearing a pair of Kevin's police force sweats and a grubby T-shirt. "I haven't moved in days, I'm bored out of my mind and Kevin isn't here."

"Oh honey," Ruthie ran over to Lucy and gave her a hug before sitting down on the bed. "What can I do?"

"Tell me about you, take my mind off my poor baby," Lucy stared at Ruthie, her eyes pleading. "No one will do that, they all want to know how I feel what I need, for me to talk. I don't want to talk I want to forget!"

"All right, Lucy. I was at college, sitting and reading Othello, when out of no where Peter says hi. Yes that Peter!"

An hour later Ruthie walked down and sat next to Simon. Simon reached out and pulled her against him. Ruthie cried.

"Shhh. It'll be all right. Hank will take care of her. You'll see, everything will be fine," Simon mussed up Ruthie's hair. "Let me tell you about the sleeping places."

Peter got up and went to the refrigerator, giving Ruthie time to fix herself up.

"I'm in my old room, Lucy is in your old one, Ben and Kevin are in the twins room. Matt and Sarah are in the attic. Mom's sleeping in with Lucy some nights. You and Martin will be in the garage apartment. There that is all."

"All right well, I'm going to go take a nap," Ruthie stood up. "See you later."

Ruthie woke up and rolled over. When she opened her eyes she was staring at the back of a man. His dark hair was messed up and he was sound asleep. But asleep in the same bed as Ruthie.

"Who do you think you are?" Ruthie jumped up and pushed the sleeping figure. "Get out of my bed!"

"Ruthie! Chill! It's me, Martin," the man stood up and turned around. It indeed was Martin.

"What were you doing in bed with me," Ruthie ran her hands threw her hair and shook her head. "It's a good thing I wasn't naked!"

Martin looked her up and down. Taking in the skimpy underwear and lace camisole Ruthie was wearing.

"Yeah, good thing," Martin grinned. "How have you been Ruthie. You grew up since I went to college."

Ruthie blushed and looked around for a robe. When she saw it she swore. The robe was behind Martin, on the other side of the room. Ruthie walked quickly across the room and grabbed her robe. But in her haste to put it on she tripped over the sash and fell right into Martin's arms.

"Watch your step Ruthie, you could get hurt," Martin's eyes were seriously concerned. Ruthie stared into them before she realized that she was dressed in skimpy undergarments and Martin's hands were around her waist and resting on the inner part of her thigh. She stood and put her robe on before stalking across the room to her suitcase.

"You know normally when girls get held up by muscles they sleep with me," Martin grinned as Ruthie spun around. "Or at least say thank you."

"Thank you," Ruthie said in voice that frosted Martin's face and temporarily banished his smile. "Now will you excuse me as I take a shower before breakfast."

"You've missed breakfast, lunch and dinner. I came in at the end of dinner and told Annie that I'd take you out when you woke up. You slept through the whole night and next day," Martin turned around. "Wear something nice I made reservations at the old pool hall. It's now some fancy restaurant that all the couple go to."

"We're not a couple," Ruthie glared at his back.

"Yeah, I know. But it still has great food," Martin turned back toward Ruthie and pulled his shirt over his head. "Now hurry and get dressed. That way we can go eat. I'm starving!"

Ruthie came out of the bathroom dressed in a black dress and with her hair falling down her back. She had even put on eyeliner and mascara.

"Is this nice enough for you Martin?" She struck a pose of an old fashioned supermodel. She turned and strutted down an imaginary runway.

"You look very n-," Martin's voice caught as he stared at Ruthie. Her legs stretched out from black shoes. They (her legs) were barely covered by a short black dress the crisscrossed in the back. She winked at him as she grabbed hr coat off the chair.

"That nice huh."

They talked pleasantly at dinner. Ruthie was drinking heavily. She had had three glasses of wine before they left, and Ruthie had never been one to hold her liqueur. Martin noticed her drinking but decided not to comment on it. Truth was Ruthie was drinking to forget. To forget that Lucy was lying in her old bed in danger of losing her life and her child. To forget that she had left Peter, the perfect polite man in her dorm. And to forget that though she was in love with Peter, she was still feeling something for the suave, if egotistical, man in front of her.

"Are you ready to go?" Martin asked Ruthie. "We've paid, so if you're done we should go."

"All right, lets go," Ruthie stood and pulled her jacket on before walking, slightly off balance to the car.

When they got home she sat down at the table.

"Hey Martin, grab me a beer please."

Martin got one for her and one for him. They sat at the table drinking and listening to the radio that Ruthie had turned on. An hour and 13 beers later, both Martin and Ruthie were drunk, completely drunk. On top of being drunk they were hurting. Martin hurt for Lucy and because he had just been dropped from the army because of a heart condition and because he wanted this women who he used to think of as a sister. With these thoughts in his head he stood and walked toward Ruthie.

"Would you care to dance?" he held out his hand.

"I would love to," Ruthie stood and accepted the offered hand. They danced around the room. Swirling and twirling. Dancing away their pain and pulling each other closer, as if being together would erase their thoughts. They danced till the music stopped and talk radio came on. They stared at each other, both wanting but neither moving.

"Ruthie?" Martin pulled her closer. Their lips were inches apart.

"Yes, Martin," Ruthie sealed the gap and kissed Martin.

Martin was shocked as the conservative Ruthie he had lived with for two years stuck her tongue in his mouth and felt around. Not for long, he soon responded by sucking on it, Ruthie moaned. As their tongues danced Martin slipped his hands down Ruthie's back untying her dress. She let go of him for a second and shook it off. Ruthie then unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants open. Reaching her hand down his pants she began to stroke and caress him; it was Martin's turn to moan with pleasure. They walked their way to the bed, removing clothing as they went. They collapsed on the bed, naked except for the spiked heels Ruthie was wearing.

Martin woke the next morning to find himself gripped in Ruthie's arms. He disentangled himself and walked over to the coffeepot. He turned back to the bed to find a very mussed up Ruthie staring at him.

"Morning Martin," Ruthie brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at him.

"Morning Miss. Ruthie," Martin walked over to the bed and stopped next to her.

Ruthie reached out her hand and pulled him toward her.

"Isn't this a nice thing to wake up to," Martin leaned over and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and, as he stood straight was lifted right out of bed. She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him harder.

They didn't get to drink that coffee until about and hour later.