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 Thirteen: Every Time I Close My Eyes

Lucy stood in a state of shock. She was speechless. Why did her little sister have to make a surprise visit during this mess?

"Lucy," Ruthie spoke, "Say something."

"Why are you here, Ruthie?" Lucy asked, stuttering a little. Ruthie laughed.

"You said I could come visit during spring break. It may not look like spring here, but we're on break all this week. It started last weekend, but I just got here this morning. I thought it could be a surprise," Ruthie explained, then shivered. Kevin came to the door, looking just as shocked as Lucy.

"What are you doing here, Ruthie?" Kevin demanded. Ruthie laughed uncomfortably.

"I'm visiting my sister and brother-in-law," Ruthie replied, "Now can I please come in? It's really cold out here."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Lucy agreed, then took one of Ruthie's bags from the porch. Ruthie stepped into the house and looked around.

"Do you have a couch?" Ruthie asked.

"Not yet," Lucy replied, "But we've been looking." Ruthie nodded, then sat down in one of the kitchen chairs.

"You've been here for awhile, but this house seems pretty bare," Ruthie noted. She continued to look around while Kevin took Lucy by the arm and led her to the bathroom. Kevin closed the door quickly and faced his wife, frantic.

"Why is she really here?" Kevin demanded.

"She's on spring break," Lucy explained, "And when we first moved in, I told her she could visit over spring break. The thing is, I completely forgot about it with what's been going on!"

"So what are we going to do? Nichol has a black eye, Amelia's gone mental, and this is the first actual conversation we've had together in a long time!" Kevin exclaimed, his voice hushed. Lucy's mind was running wild, but came to no apparent stop. She paced for a few seconds, then sat down on the side of the bathtub.

"I don't know, Kevin. I think the best idea is to just pretend that everything's normal until she leaves. We'll all have to go back to our own rooms, though. We can't argue. She can't find out anything, because if my parents find out, they'll want to come out here and help us fix it. They'll go insane. I don't want that, Kevin," Lucy decided.

"That sounds good. We'll just have to find a way to tell Amelia and Nichol," Kevin agreed.

"They're not going to like this," Lucy commented, then put her face in her hands.

"It shouldn't be too hard, right? I mean, she can't be staying here for more than a week or something," Kevin stated.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed, "But we'd better go back out there before she realizes anything fishy is going on." Kevin nodded and the two exited the bathroom, hoping Ruthie hadn't noticed anything. Lucky for them, Amelia had woken up after hearing the doorbell and was keeping Ruthie company.

"Good morning, Amelia," Lucy greeted, warmly. Amelia smiled back.

"Hey. I was just saying hello to your sister. She says she's here on spring break?" Amelia replied.

"Yeah. I'd actually forgotten all about telling her she could come out. I guess I didn't realize that it'd been that long," Lucy explained.

"You guys have been gone a month now. We really miss you," Ruthie stated, smiling.

"I miss you guys too," Lucy replied. She put her arms around her sister, who returned the embrace.

Lucy and Ruthie talked for the next hour and a half. In that time, Kevin had led Amelia and Nichol away and told them about their plan. Both agreed, but neither were happy about Ruthie's visit.

That night, Ruthie went to sleep early. Lucy had made up a bed for her out of an old mattress that Amelia and Nichol had. They put the mattress in the center of the living room and provided blankets and a pillow. Ruthie was still completely clueless about the situation. Because she was sleeping, Kevin and Lucy sat in their room. They were on the bed, both completely silent.

"What if she finds out?" Kevin wanted to know.

"She won't," Lucy replied, determined.

"We can't have her finding out. We're still trying to figure this out," Kevin stated.

"We wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you. I hope you understand that," Lucy replied, her voice filled with anger.

"Hey, you had a choice with Nichol," Kevin stated.

"I wouldn't have even thought about it if we hadn't found out about you and Amelia," Lucy explained, her tone was harsh.

"It was wrong," Kevin admitted, "The thing with me and Amelia. If I could, I never would have done it. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Lucy replied, "All is forgiven. Everything is hunky-dory. Gabriella died, you had an affair with my best friend. It's all cool, though."

"Lucy, I'm sorry. I've always loved you. I always will love you. I was just confused, Lucy," Kevin explained. She rolled her eyes.

"Stop with your lying!" Lucy exclaimed.

"What lying?" Kevin demanded.

"You weren't confused! Gabriella died after you'd started having an affair!" Lucy yelled.

"I didn't say I was confused about Gabriella, Lucy. I was confused about my feelings for you. Ok? You'd been acting so weird around that time. You were more moody than usual. I know the pregnancy had something to do with it, but you were just getting to me!" Kevin explained. Lucy's eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry for bugging you," Lucy apologized, then exited the room and locked herself in the bathroom, where she cried.