Disclaimer: I'm too tired to make it rhyme, so here goes, nice and simple, easy as pie, yep any second now...Oh fine! Maybe it's a little harder then I think, but for the love of god and goddesses, 7th Heaven is not mine! Are you happy now? Whoever you are?

I am aware of the review changes, and I usually try to follow the rules, but in this format, I don't have that many reviews, so I'm just going to post them all at the end and follow the rules on the next story I do. Seriously, I'm not that lazy, just overworked!

Happy Turkey Day Everyone! Sorry for the short-ness, but I think the next one is slightly longer!

Dedicated to Ste, the sweetest boy on Earth and funny for a five year old!

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In the morning, he had woken up first. The smell of her hit him early on, giving him a dazed smile. He had never felt so content, so free, as he was with this person. A wave of sadness hit him when he remembered that she was Ruthie.

"I don't want you dating him," He told her, "Vincent's not good for you,"

"Martin, I'm sorry, for thinking that you liked me in that way," She said to him, a slight blush on her face.

A eleven year girl was walking home with a boy slightly taller then her, talking about their school project on mines. He saw them together, and followed them home, to get to know his neighbors on his father's orders.

He didn't know that he would still be following her, voluntarily even after all these years and everything that happened.

"We need to talk,"

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

"I hate me too,"

It had been eight years since he saw her. Eight years with triumphs and regrets for the two young people lying side by side, in bliss.

"Martin's a star?" She grinned, "I always knew he would be,"

She had always believed in him and his dreams. Was it really so wrong to have such feelings about such a person?

He was knocked out of his thoughts when Ruthie shifted slightly, her leg now on top of both Martin's legs, making him realize how compromising their positions were. A light shade of red came across him and gently he woke Ruthie up.

She smiled, "Five more minutes, please," She came closer to him, inhaling his scent which seemed pleasanter then what Paolo usually smelled like.

Martin didn't know what to do. Ruthie was now cuddling with him, a silly smile on her face.

"You smell better, honey," She mumbled, "Did you take a shower last night?"

"Uh, yeah," He said. She thought that he smelled? "I should take more showers," he mused, not noticing that she had called him 'honey'.

"What are you doing today?" She put her head on his chest, running her free arm up and down his back, sleepily thinking that Paolo had finally used the moisturizer she had given him. It was about time.

Martin was a little surprised at Ruthie's forwardness. It felt nice and tingly for her to just run her hand lightly on his back, "Uh, I think I have to buy some presents for Christmas,"

His voice sounded a little deeper, but Ruthie didn't notice, hearing the word presents, "What are you getting me for Christmas?" She grinned, still not opening her eyes. Her hand had moved to Martin's front, feeling the way his chest felt, a little more built then usual, "Somebody's been working out lately," She commented, a delighted smile on her face.

"Uh yeah," Martin was turning scarlet, the last time someone had done something like running a hand up and down his chest, it had been a fitness trainer and he had been checking for bruises, "Uh, I don't know," He honestly had no idea what she was talking about, being too distracted.

"I like pearls," She said to him, finally opening her eyes, and seeing it wasn't Paolo, but Martin, "Martin? Where's Paolo?" She remembered everything that happened and turned an even deeper red then Martin's scarlet. She turned even darker when she remembered where her hand was and what she had told him, "I'm sorry, I thought you were Paolo,"

"It's okay," He said softly, "Felt nice," Coughing he went back downstairs and Ruthie gave thanks to the lord that she didn't do anything more inappropriate then an innocent touch and hit herself with the pillow.

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"Daddy, what are we giving to everyone?" Susie asked looking around the Promenade

"Well, we have stuff for all the kids and most of the adults," Martin said, "We just need to find something for Steven and Simon's girlfriend,"

"And Ruthie," Susie reminded him.

"Yeah," Martin sighed, he would let Susie pick Ruthie's gift. He didn't know if it was a good idea to get her a present right now.

"Steven will like that," Suze handed him a blue blanket with little white elephants on the edges.

"Yeah," Martin said, spotting Matt outside and waving to him.

"Hey Martin, Susie," He greeted, smiling, "What are you two doing?" He asked, holding a bag from the drug store.

"We're getting presents," Susie said, "Will Steven like this?"

He laughed, "Sarah already got him one of these in a different color. If I were you, I'd get Steven a pack of diapers, he'd appreciate it" He suggested and Suze wrinkled her nose.

"What are you doing here?" Martin asked

"I'm picking up a prescription for Sarah," Matt held up the bag

"What's wrong?" Susie asked

"Nothing big," He smiled, "Oh, and would you guys have any idea what Simon's girlfriend would want for Christmas?" He looked at them hopefully.

"We got her a hat," Martin said, "Suze picked it out," He held up a hat that would make any respectful woman cringe.

Matt frowned, "Yeah, I think we're just going to stick with the sweater set that Sarah picked,"

Martin laughed, "I'm thinking of going into the jewelry store next. We'll probably buy a pair of earrings or something, with the hat,"

"Good idea," Matt chuckled, and noticed someone was about to fall, so he set down the bag and ran over before the poor woman would've fallen and broken her leg. Suze picked up the bag and went to give it to Matt.

Matt turned a little funny when presented the bag. He snatched it from Susie and ignored the woman thanking him, just going out of the store, steaming all of a sudden.

"Humpf," The young lady frowned and just continued on.

"Daddy, what's Zoloft?" Susie asked him, holding his hand while he held the shopping bag.

"It's a pill that helps sad people," Martin explained, "Why?"

"Matt had it in his bag," She looked up at him, "Is Matt sad?"

"No," Martin frowned, putting all the pieces together, with Matt dropping Katie off everyday and Sarah not at work with him yet, constantly taking care of the baby, "I think his wife has postpartum," He mused, feeling bad for Matt.

"What's postpartum?" She asked

"After a mommy has a baby, sometimes the mommy is unhappy for a little while,"

"Why? Lucy's always happy in the pictures with Savannah," Susie said

"It doesn't happen all the time," Martin explained, "I don't understand it very well, so you should ask David when we get home,"

"Okay," Susie said, "Let's get Ruthie chocolate. Everybody likes chocolate,"

"Fine," Martin said, looking in the mirror of the jewelry store, admiring a pair of pearl earrings.

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"Hey Robbie," Ruthie smiled, "Sorry I'm late, I had a busy morning," She sat down next to him, at the pizza place, "Where are Mary and Charlie?"

"They're at home with the others," He said gravely, "Ruthie, does the name Rebecca Wells mean anything to you?"

A flash appeared before Ruthie's eyes.

"This is the names of all the girls I ever did it with," He said to her, giving her the list, "One of them is the mom,"

"Uh, yeah, she was on the list of women that Peter slept with," Ruthie said, nervous. She pulled out the worn list of women's names from her purse. She had memorized each one, in case she ever met them.

"Rebecca was my cousin," Robbie explained, "We called her Becca for short," He smiled fondly, "She was the baby of our family, only nineteen when she went missing,"

"Huh?" Ruthie said, confused

He sighed, "The day that Becca went missing is the same day that you and Brady were in that car accident,"

"Do you think that her disappearance has to do with Brady?" Ruthie was nervous

"I did a little more research and it turns out that there were nine other women around the same age in the same area that turned up missing the same day," He gave her the list, "Any of these familiar?"

"Yes," Ruthie frowned, "Peter slept with all these women!" She showed him her list, written in Peter's minute handwriting, "There are no other women on this list,"

"I figured something was up when Brady died on the same day, but I didn't think too much of it until my aunt told me that Becca had a son with a man with a STD, that she gave to the man and I thought of Brady right away,"

Ruthie was shocked,

"Um," Robbie continued, "I didn't find out about this until about two months ago when I was visiting my aunt. As for the list of women, I've had that since the police mentioned the disappearance of several other women and I kept it with me, trying to find the missing link that connected all these women,"

"Peter," Ruthie said softly, "Then, Brady is your cousin?" She laughed, "I always thought of you when I saw him with this giant smile on his face, I never knew why,"

"Are you sure Brady is dead?" Robbie asked, "Because all these women are missing and perhaps his death was staged by whoever hates Peter out there,"

"Robbie, don't," Ruthie sighed, "I've never been able to accept Brady's death until three days ago," She said softly, "There was just some nagging feeling in the back of my head that he was alive,"

"Well, nothing's for sure regarding Brady, but Ruthie, "Robbie sighed, "That day that you fell in a coma and Becca went missing, it was the hardest choice I had to make about who to support, who to be there for,"

Ruthie sighed, "Robbie-"

He didn't let her finish, "I picked Becca, because you had your family around you and she had no one. I-" He sighed, "Becca was like you, only a little older. She and I would hang out all the time when we were younger. When I couldn't find her, I went through a phase that only Mary seemed to soothe into something more constructive,"

Ruthie smiled

"I don't know how," He laughed, "To this day, I still don't know how Mary did it. Anyway, when I found the connection between you, Becca, and Brady, I just had to ask,"

"How are you so sure that Brady is hers?" Ruthie asked

He smiled, "She had a dog named Braden and he died of old age, I believe, when she was fifteen," He frowned, "Brady is just a nickname, right?"

"Oh," Ruthie said," Yeah, Peter gave him the nickname, but, why did Becca just leave him on the doorstep of a man who is dying from an STD?"

"I don't know," Robbie said, "She had dreams to be a pilot in the air force and she never could stand the idea of abortion, so, I assume, she gave him to Peter, knowing that Peter would take care of him,"

"Wow, we need to tell the police," Ruthie said, a little jarred by everything, now that it had all caught up with her.

"No," Robbie said, "Ruthie, they closed the case years ago. I think a better chance is to go to the hospital and see if they have anything on Brady,"

"Fine," Ruthie sighed, "But if we find solid evidence, we are telling Detective Michaels," She grabbed her purse and followed Robbie, not hungry anymore.