Author's Note: Again, I don't condone certain activities conducted by certain stars of the show.


Ruthie cringed, his monotonous voice continuing to drill into her skull. She had no idea what the hell the guy was talking about right now, and she'd stopped caring after the first drink. One thing was crystal clear to her: the man was still hung up on her sister, more than twenty years later. She shook her head sadly, focusing on the partying crowd instead.

The song playing came to an end and the crooning voice of Ed Sheeran came on the speakers.

Two hours have passed since the introduction and, at first, Ruthie couldn't figure out who the guy was. She began to wonder if Allison made a mistake when she said Ruthie knew the bride's family; but it wasn't until the speeches began that she was able to piece it together.

The first person to get up and give a speech was the groom's older brother. He shared an antidote from their childhood, and memories he had with the newlyweds. He wished them the best, ending the speech with an off-color joke that, apparently, only he and his brother got.

The bride's sister then stood up and her speech was a contrast to the one given before hers; this was much more intimate and serious. She shared memories of her and Theresa's childhood growing up in Connecticut. Family members began to cry when she brought up her father, John, who had passed away two weeks before Thanksgiving twenty years earlier.

"As a lot of you know, our dad passed away in a car crash on his way home from work a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Our lives were forever changed after that and I don't think I could ever thank my cousin enough for his support. My cousin uprooted his life in California to move back East, helping Mom and Aunt Sarah. If it hadn't been for you, Rob, I don't think Tessa and I would be where we are today. You raised us, just like my dad raised you and your brothers.

"Thank you." She concluded tearfully.

That's when it struck Ruthie just how she knew the bride's family.

Robbie; or Rob, as he was most likely to be called today.

"So," the man began again, his voice cutting into Ruthie's thoughts. "Lucy has kids?"

"Yeah, I don't think I did." Ruthie shook her head, still not making eye contact. Though Lucy was now divorced from Kevin, she knew her sister wasn't interested in dating again. Divorce had been a sticky subject with their mother; however, given the circumstances leading up to the separation, the Camden matriarch had been supportive. Lucy now had sole custody of her three children, all of whom were now teenagers.

"Camden?" A familiar voice spoke behind her and the man next to her stopped speaking. She spun the chair around, a smile on her face as she looked at the very person that once lived in her home.

"Robbie." She stood, embracing him.

"Sorry," she shook her head. "Rob."

"Either one is ok with me." Rob replied with a shrug as she pulled away. "Just thought I'd come rescue you from my brother who, no doubt, is probably going on about Lucy."

Ruthie bit back a laugh as she grabbed her purse.

"You'd probably be right about that." She replied as Rob led her to a separate table.

"So," Rob began once they were both seated at a vacant table. "What are you doing at my cousin's wedding."

"I really didn't know Tessa was your cousin." Ruthie sighed, playing with the zipper of her purse. "I'm that 'pity plus one' guest; I should be married by now but I'm not, and people are trying to set me up. So, I guess your cousin went to school with my co-worker's cousin or something like that." She finished with a shrug and eye-roll, glancing quickly at him.

"Hmm." Rob nodded. "Well, you know I'm not married and I'm a few years older than you."

"Yeah, well…"

Awkward tension settled over them and they remained silent for several minutes.

"Want to dance?" Rob asked when a new song began to play.

"Yeah, I don't see a reason not to." Ruthie stood and let him lead her to the dance floor.

She never thought she'd be dancing with this man. She stopped playing with fantastical ideas of him years ago. By the time he'd gone back East to help his mother and aunt raise Theresa, Ruthie had gotten over the silly crush. She was dealing with bullies, the stress of seventh grade, and the new kid on the block.

The new kid, Peter Petrowski, was her first 'true' love; or so she thought. She was going through a transitional phase in her life and what she thought was love for her first boyfriend was actually lust. It would take her more than ten years to realize that, until she was a grown woman and a recent college graduate. She and Peter reconnected and decided to be friends with benefits. It was going great until a pregnancy scare drove them apart.

No, her first true love was Martin Brewer. She was still dating Peter when Martin moved into her family's home and she didn't so much give him a second glance. Her first impression of him had been that he was arrogant and he was trying to take Simon's place in the family. But, upon beginning high school and freshly broken up from her first boyfriend, Ruthie began to get to know him. It wouldn't be long before Ruthie found herself falling for Martin Brewer.

There had been quite a few men Ruthie connected with over the years; but none of them came remotely close to Martin Brewer and Peter Petrowski. They didn't elicit the sort of feelings she had towards her first boyfriend and her first true love. There were times when Ruthie couldn't help but wonder, at almost thirty-three, if this is why she was still single. Was this why, whenever she connected with a potential partner, it never worked out?

If someone were to ask Ruthie to candidly describe how she felt about Martin and Peter, and what her relationship was like with them, she would have a hard time figuring out where to begin. In all honesty, she could probably write a series on every feeling, every experience, every thought she had with them. She would be able to write about both the good and the bad. When they walked away from her, more than once, Ruthie had been left devastated.

Ten years have passed since she last saw Peter and a couple more since she last saw Martin. Ruthie would contact them on Facebook every so often, but their interaction was limited to friendly comments on postings or pictures. She knew that they've changed in the years since, just has she has. Ruthie also knew Martin and Peter were both in committed relationships; Peter actually offered to connect Ruthie with an acquaintance of his fiancée recently.

As the song changed, Ruthie brought herself back to the present moment with a blink of her eyes. She looked up at the man who had his hands lightly resting on her back. She tried to remember when she felt anything for him; but it was so hard to. Twenty years is a long time, and people don't really tell you how much a person can change. Hell, she'd been almost thirteen then, and she's thirty-two today. Clearly, she isn't who she was at age of thirteen.

She slowly pulled away from him and he didn't object as she smiled politely at him. They silently walked towards the table they'd vacated five minutes earlier, Ruthie taking a seat without looking at him and instead paid attention to those who remained on the dance floor.

"I'm sorry." He said after a lengthy silence, his words quiet.

"Hmm?" Ruthie looked at him, and it was then she saw how much older he'd looked. He still looked handsome at thirty-nine; but those boyish looks of late adolescence were long gone.

"You know, I packed up one day and left. No goodbye, no apology, no real note. I took off. I mean, you heard my cousin; I had to help my mom and aunt, my uncle had just died. The uncle that pretty much raised my brothers and I. It still doesn't excuse what I did. I am so incredibly grateful to your parents, to your family; and I never really got the chance to say it."

"I appreciate the apology." Ruthie smiled. She didn't know what to say or what to do. She was happy to see Robbie — Rob — again after all these years. But what now? It wasn't like they could pick up where they left off twenty years earlier.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Ruthie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when Allison walked up to her, purse slung over her shoulder. "I would really like to get back, the wedding traffic is going to be bad and I know you're staying with your brother in the city."

"Yeah, that'd be great." Ruthie stood up, grabbing her purse. She looked at Rob one last time.

"It was great seeing you." She knew that she would most likely never see him again.

"You too. Take care."


Author's Note: There may or may not be a third chapter. If there is, it'll probably be a year (safe estimate) before it gets posted. Sorry! I'm just not invested in this fandom anymore; and this was a plot bunny that struck me out of the blue about a year ago.