"Do what?" Martin asked.

Ruthie took a deep breath and stepped toward Martin, raised herself onto tiptoes and puckered her lips. Martin took Ruthie's shoulders in his hands and gently picked her up, placing her a few inches away when he put her back down on the ground.

Holding an unsteady hand in front of him, Martin said, "Hold it! I don't know what crazy scheme you've got cooking up there in that head of yours, but this can go no further than it already has!"

"In case you missed the memo here, Martin, guys think its cool when girls aren't afraid to make the first move. Also, girls think its cool when guys aren't afraid to let the girls make the first move."

Martin's throat suddenly became dry. He looked over at Ruthie and for the first time he saw just how beautiful she really was. How had this transformation eluded him? How had he never noticed the angelic innocence Ruthie emanated?

"Martin?" Ruthie asked. "You spacing out on me or what?"

Martin, returning from his out-there voyage of discovery, shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I just…Ruthie, I just think that this is all a big mistake. You and I are friends. I've never thought of you in any romantic terms. It's just not where my head is right now."

"So where's your heart?" Ruthie asked plainly.

And there it was; the reason why Martin cared for Ruthie as much as he did. She wasn't like other girls her age. She was afraid of nothing. She wasn't afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. And she challenged Martin more than any other girl ever would. He was trying so hard to push her away and with one frank line from Ruthie, he forgot why he was fighting this.

"So?" Ruthie pushed. "If your head is telling you that you don't want me, what is your heart saying?"

Martin took a deep breath and shrugged. "I don't know. I honestly don't know. Yesterday I thought my life was over. I was so overjoyed to hear that Sandy wasn't really pregnant. All I cared about was being given a second chance to do things right. If someone would have told me I'd be wrestling with my feelings for you, I'd have told them they were crazy."

"That wasn't an answer," Ruthie pointed out, with a crooked smile. Martin couldn't help but return the smile. "I'd just like to know before I leave this house, if you and I are friends or if there's a chance we could be something more."

Martin made his way over to the couch and sat down heavily. He crooked a finger, calling Ruthie to sit down beside him. Ruthie, reluctantly, sat, waiting for Martin to make his decisions.

"So let's just say that maybe…maybe…I'm interested in you as more than just a friend. That still doesn't mean you and I could ever date, Ruthie," Martin explained. "Your family would never let you date an older guy, especially now that they know about Sandy."

Ruthie sighed. She had been arguing incessantly with her father about being allowed to date older guys, one in particular. But this was Martin, and her family loved Martin, although there had been a general air of disappointment traveling through the Camden household after learning of Sandy's 'predicament'. It would appear almost hopeless, but Ruthie knew of no such situation, especially if it was important enough to her.

"I can hear the wheels grinding. What have you got going on up there, Ruthie?" Martin asked.

"Well, my dad doesn't want me to date older guys, right? Well Lucy is younger than Kevin and my father let them get married."

Martin smiled. She did have a point. "Yeah, but this whole thing with Sandy?"

"Kevin had sex before he met Lucy. Simon's had sex with lots of girls. Besides I don't think my dad would bring that up."

Martin raised an eyebrow. "You're a dreamer," he smiled, pulling Ruthie closer to his side. "I'll admit that being with you would probably be great. In a lot of ways, you're my best friend. We already know everything about each other, so we know there'd be no surprises. And I've already seen you in the mornings without hairspray or makeup!"

Ruthie hit him lightly. "So does this mean-?"

Martin took a deep breath and put a frown onto his face. "It's just not a great idea right now. First of all, there's Meredith, my girlfriend. I'm gonna have to tell her about this and try to make her understand that you're still her friend and not some backstabber. And if we did wanna be together, we'd have to fight tooth and nail to get past your parents."

With a simple shrug of her shoulders, Ruthie said, "Some things are worth fighting for."