Title: Downfall
Type: 7th Heaven Fan Fiction
Rating: PG-13 (Sex, Alcohol, possible drug content)
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of 7th Heaven. I do own all my original characters and this story, though. Don't take.
Summary: Tragedy strikes Lucy and Kevin, who then must decide what to do with their lives.

Downfall

Chapter Three: What You Need

The next few days were a complete hell for the entire Camden/Kinkirk family. Preparations for the funeral were made. Tears were shed. Friends of the family had been scarce, but the calls had been so persistent that they had to unplug the phone.

Lucy slept on the Camden's couch all day. Her depression was so deep that she didn't even want to eat. Kevin took a leave from the police force, and was seriously considering not going back. The day of the funeral came too quickly, but not quickly enough. It was a quick funeral that involved a lot of sad faces and crying.

Afterward, Lucy sat in a secluded corner of the park. It was a beautiful place that no one seemed to have discovered. It was a few feet from the woods, with only a swing and some trees surrounding it. Not much fun for the kids, Lucy assumed. She sat in on of the two swings in the gray set. Her tears seemed to have dried up, but her heart was still plagued with sadness. Lucy looked up and noticed Amelia Smith approaching her.

Amelia was about as tall as Nichol. She had short, dark hair and big, hazel eyes. She was so thin that some might think she had an eating disorder, but it didn't take away from her beauty. Her face was marked with a small, curved-up nose and a small scar on her cheek, which no one ever seemed to talk about.

Both women were dressed in black dresses. Neither had changed since the funeral. Amelia sat beside Lucy on the empty swing, but was reluctant to make conversation. She'd never gone through anything so traumatic, and couldn't imagine what Lucy was going through. She only stared at the ground, occasionally meeting Lucy's eyes, but only for short moments.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Amelia spoke, her voice low. Lucy shook her head a little.

"It's not your fault," She answered, "It's no one's fault. I thought it was mine at first, but I'm over that now. I guess I thought that because I miss her so much. I miss her so much."

"This is such a bad situation," Amelia stated, "I don't know how I'm supposed to be feeling. How do you feel?" She glanced at Lucy for direction, but received none.

"Like I have no reason for living anymore," Lucy replied, "My reason for living was taken from me." Amelia's eyes shifted to the ground. She kicked it effortlessly with her feet, barely stirring up the loose dirt.

"This has got to take the cake for the worst day of my life," Amelia told Lucy, who stared at her.

"The worst day of your life? Imagine how I feel," Lucy challenged. Amelia nodded.

"I can't," Amelia explained, "Nothing like this has ever happened to me and I hope it never does. I mean, bad stuff happens. I just can't imagine losing a daughter I was just starting to get to know."

"You lost a baby," Lucy reminded her.

"It hadn't been born or breathing. It wasn't a month old and healthy," Amelia replied, "I wasn't even showing yet."

"Still, it had to feel kind of like this."

"Maybe," Amelia considered. Their talk was interrupted when they noticed Kevin and Nichol approaching.

"How does everyone know to come here?" Lucy asked, mainly to herself. The men were also dressed in dark colors: Kevin in a black jacket and pants, Nichol in a dark brown button-down shirt and nice jeans. Nichol was smoking a cigarette and had an opened beer in his hand. Lucy noticed a single white rose in the hand he held his cigarette with.

"You're an idiot," Amelia snarled, glaring at her husband. Nichol looked back, innocently.

"What'd I do now?" He asked, sighing. She stood up from the swing, walked to Nichol, and snatched his beer. She then proceeded to throw it as far as she could.

"I told you to stop your drinking!" She exclaimed. Kevin and Lucy watched as Amelia went off.

"Baby, it's a tough day," Nichol stated, "Give me a break. It's not like I'm drunk. That was my only one. I promise." Amelia shook her head and slapped his face, knocking his cigarette to the ground.

"Why do you have to make everything about us?" She demanded, "This is about Kevin and Lucy, not you and me."

"Why do I have to make everything about us? You're the one who's blowing all of this out of proportion," Nichol replied. Amelia shook her head again.

"I can't believe this," She muttered, and walked away. Everything was silent for a few moments. Kevin took the swing beside Lucy.

"I'm sorry about that," Nichol apologized, "She just gets angry when I drink."

"It's ok," Lucy dismissed, "You don't have to apologize."

"I need to use the restroom," Kevin informed them, "I'll be right back." He stood from the swing and headed to the bathrooms. Nichol took his seat and lit up another cigarette, then extended the pack to Lucy.

"Care for one?" He offered.

"I don't smoke," Lucy replied, coldly.

"Believe me, it'll make you feel better," Nichol promised, "I didn't smoke until someone told me that it helps relieve stress. I haven't stopped since. Actually, the only times you can catch me without a cigarette in my mouth is when I'm sleeping, in a no smoking restaurant, or having sex. Sometimes even then." Lucy smiled a little bit.

"Why were you stressed?" Lucy wanted to know. Nichol smiled deviously.

"I'll tell you that," He began, "If you have one cigarette." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Give me that," She demanded, snatching the pack. It was almost empty, but there were a few cigarettes left. She removed one and put it to her lips. Nichol pulled out his lighter and lit the cigarette for her. Lucy inhaled and immediately began a coughing fit.

"Are you all right?" Nichol asked, laughing a little. She nodded, then took a puff of the cigarette. When all her coughing had subsided, she looked at Nichol.

"Your stress?" She reminded him.

"Back in like 99' or whatever, my older brother Jake was having all these problems. He had these pedophilic tendencies and my parents were really worried about him being around my little niece. Jake had this girlfriend and she was kind of afraid of him, so she came to me. We talked and talked and realized we liked each other. Jake caught us in the act in his room and went crazy. He broke up with her and hit me. There was a lot of tension and the family eventually had to ask him to leave," Nichol explained, "I was really depressed about the whole thing and blamed myself. I had migraines and got sick a lot. A friend offered me a cigarette and I realized that it kind of balances me out."

"Your brother's a pedophile?" Lucy repeated, curiously. Nichol made some random hand gestures.

"He never did anything with kids or anything, but he was around my age now at the time. His girlfriend was eight years younger than he was and she thought he had a thing for her younger sister, who was around twelve at the time. He always liked to spend time with younger kids. He was weird," Nichol answered, "He's over it now. He's dating a wonderful girl. She's his age."

"That's good, I guess," Lucy stated. She had almost finished her cigarette, whereas Nichol had moved to another. He lit it and inhaled deeply, then blew smoke everywhere. A moment of silence passed between the two, until Lucy broke it. "What's with the rose?" She pointed to the white rose she'd noticed before. Nichol smiled and twirled it in his hand, then handed it to Lucy. Lucy looked at it for a second and handed it back.

"Isn't it pretty?" He asked, "I'd never seen a more perfect rose and I thought if one's that perfect existed, why couldn't I have it?" His fingers closed around the rose as he continued to play with it.

"It really is perfect," Lucy agreed. She touched one of the soft, moist petals and smiled. She noticed the thorns and then Nichol's calloused hand. He continued twirling it.

"Would you like it?" He offered, handing the rose to Lucy with his hand open. She shook her head, smiled, and closed his hand around the rose.

"No thanks, Nichol. It was a nice gesture, though." She rejected. Nichol smiled sweetly, then glanced at the ground. "I wonder what's taking Kevin so long." Nichol looked back at Lucy.

"He's talking with Amelia," Nichol answered, without doubt. Lucy gave him a look of disbelief.

"He went to the bathroom," She argued. Nichol shook his head. Lucy threw her cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it.

"Nah, he was just making an excuse. They're talking about her problems, his problems. Kind of like us. Funny, isn't it?" Nichol replied with supremacy. Lucy was still unsure.

"How do you know this?" She wanted to know.

"I know people," He replied, "and I know that Kevin is struggling with Gabriella's death just as much as you are. He doesn't know how to show it and how to be there for you. They're talking it through." Sure enough, Kevin and Amelia came back at the same time. Both seemed to be feeling a little better.

"I'm sorry for drinking, honey," Nichol apologized, "I wasn't thinking." He put out his current cigarette and put it back in the pack; it wasn't completely used yet.

"It's ok," Amelia assured him, "I was letting my emotions about the funeral get the better of me." Nichol got up from the swing and kissed his wife.

"We'll see you guys later," Nichol told Kevin and Lucy. Amelia waved and the two walked away, hand in hand.

"Those two are something else," Kevin stated, smiling a little. Lucy nodded.

"They're really good people," Lucy agreed, "Amelia is one of the best friends anyone could have and Nichol makes me laugh."

"I had a talk with Amelia," Kevin informed his wife, then continued, "She really helped me sort my feelings. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to act around you. I didn't know if I was supposed to be the tough guy. Amelia told me that I should just be upfront with you."

"That good," Lucy replied, a little confused.

"I'm not sure of what to do, Lucy, so I might not seem as in control as usual," Kevin explained.

"That's fine. This is a hard time for us all. It's better if we just act the way we feel and don't cover anything up. That's why I've been kind of sad lately." Kevin smiled.

"Kind of sad? Dad was about to send you to Dr. Gibson," Kevin joked. Lucy playfully hit him, but stopped smiling soon after she'd started.

"I have a confession to make," Lucy stated.

"What is it?"

"I smoked one of Nichol's cigarettes while you were gone," Lucy informed him, "He said it would help me balance my feelings. I don't know if it did, but I kind of regret it."

"It's ok," Kevin assured her, "I used to smoke, remember? Nichol used to offer me cigarettes. Like you said, it's a hard time for us all."