A/N: Sorry everyone, but I had a bout of writer's block. It's temporarily lifted though…enough for me to bang out this next chapter. Thanks again for the great reviews…you guys are great!

Ruthie pulled away from Martin, letting out a sigh of contentment. "Why can't times always be like this?" she asked, gathering Martin's arms back around her.

Martin rested his chin on top of Ruthie's head, pressing his chest into her back and holding her closely. "You want a list?"

"Sandy, the baby, my parents," Ruthie whispered. "Things would be so perfect if that could all go away."

Martin took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. He wondered if Eric and Annie Camden would ever truly like the idea of him dating their daughter.

FLASHBACK

"Martin and I want your permission to date each other," Ruthie announced.

Eric Camden stared at his daughter and then at the young man asking for permission to date her. He should have seen this coming, but still, he wasn't prepared. The fact that Ruthie was infatuated with Martin hadn't eluded anyone in the Camden family, but Eric had wrongly assumed that Martin's feelings for Ruthie were strictly platonic.

"Dad? Mom?" Ruthie asked. "Did you hear what I said?"

Annie smiled at the two young adults in front of her. "We heard you, Ruthie. We're just processing, that's all."

Processing, Martin asked himself. What does that mean?

"Have you thought this thing through?" Eric asked Ruthie, ignoring Martin completely. "He's about to become a father, Ruthie. You're sixteen."

Ruthie closed her lips firmly. Martin could tell that the mention of his impending fatherhood made her uncomfortable. He hoped that would get easier for her.

"Ruthie?" Annie pushed.

"I know that Martin is going to have a baby in a few months. I know that," Ruthie spit out.

"Are you prepared for that?" Eric asked. "Because right now it may seem like the easiest thing in the world, but when that baby arrives, things will change drastically, for both of you."

Martin remained silent feeling like this was a conversation he wasn't meant to be a part of. Ruthie looked to him, a muted call for reinforcement, for aid.

"I think that Ruthie and I have to just deal with things from one day to the next," Martin offered, realizing as soon as he said the words how flimsy they sounded.

"Ruthie is sixteen, Martin," Annie reminded. "She's way too young to be a mother-figure."

"Whoa," Martin laughed nervously. "Let's step back a second. I asked Ruthie to date me, not become a mother to my child."

"But if you and she want to be together, she will have certain responsibilities that involve your child, won't she?" Eric asked.

Ruthie's face turned pale. She felt sick to her stomach. She could barely take care of herself, much less someone's child.

Martin sighed. "I just want your permission to see Ruthie. Everything else will get figured out."

Ruthie smiled at Martin, pleased with his straightforward statement. Eric and Annie saw the look pass between their youngest daughter and the young man she'd been pining for. They looked at each other, knowing that they would have to grant the two permission, but also knowing they didn't have to like it.

"We won't stop you from dating," Annie said reluctantly. "But we also don't like the idea."

"We want you two to be smart about this… 'relationship'," Eric stated. "Keep things simple. They'll get complicated enough in no time."

Ruthie's face turned crimson as she gave her father a deadly look. She knew exactly what he was implying. "So this is your idea of permission to date?" she asked.

Eric shot her a curious look, as did Annie and Martin. Ruthie rolled her eyes, knowing that her father hated that. "You'll say it's okay for us to date, but you'll be watching me like a hawk anytime Martin and I are together."

Eric got up from the couch he was sitting on and smiled at his daughter. "You can bet your life on it."

END OF FLASHBACK

"Things will get better, Ruthie," Martin said, kissing the top of her head.

Ruthie turned around so that she was facing Martin. She looked up into his eyes, searching for further reassurance. "I thought that things would be wonderful as soon as you admitted you liked me too."

Martin laughed. "How can you possibly not think this is wonderful?" he asked sarcastically, pointing to the kitchen window, where four faces were staring out at them. "It's like being a celebrity. All they need is some telephoto lenses and it's like being in Hollywood."

Ruthie shook her head and smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out they've got tracking devices on us. It's too much of a coincidence that they show up everywhere we are."

Martin nodded. "It's just coming as a surprise to you now that your family is a invasive and snoopy?"

Ruthie stepped back. It was one thing for her to think these things, but it was another thing for Martin to voice his opinion about it. "They're my family, Martin."

"And they're crazy, Ruthie!" he said matter-of-factly.

Ruthie took another step back, crossing her arms over her chest. "My family is not crazy, Martin. They care about me."

"I have done nothing but be a total gentleman around you and they still act like I have horns and a tail!" Martin exclaimed. "If they didn't trust me, they shouldn't have given us permission to date."

"Where is this coming from?" Ruthie asked quietly. "Is everything okay with Sandy?"

Martin sighed and rolled his eyes. "My problems don't all lie with Sandy, Ruthie."

Ruthie couldn't believe that she'd been snuggling up to this same guy not more than ten minutes ago! It was like some switch had been flicked and Martin's alter ego came out.

"What?" Martin yelled, looking at Ruthie. "You're thinking I'm being a jerk?"

Ruthie nodded. "Yes. You are."

"Well I'm not sorry!" he exploded. "I hate having my every move watched by one member of your family or another. I hate the fact that they all see me as some kind of irresponsible guy about to take advantage of some helpless girl. You, Ruthie Camden, are anything but helpless!"

"I never claimed to be."

"Well you're not!" he continued yelling. "And another thing… Exactly when are you going to stop drilling me about Sandy and the baby? It's like if I mention them, I'm suddenly the bad guy. She is having my baby, Ruthie, and that's not going to change just because you want it to."

Ruthie bit into her bottom lip. If I bite till it hurts, I won't cry, she told herself. Why is Martin being like this? What was happening to her sweet boyfriend?

"I'm going home!" Martin announced.

Ruthie watched Martin leave her yard, his hands stuck firmly into his pants pockets, his shoulders slumped. Letting out an unsteady breath, Ruthie let her tears fall.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed in the yard. Just when she thought she was done crying, she'd think about Martin and more tears would fall. She had her head lowered, almost to her lap, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Lucy joined her on the picnic table. "You okay?"

Ruthie looked up, tears everywhere, looking a mess. "We had a fight."

"First fights really suck, don't they?" Lucy asked. "It feels like you'll never get things back on track."

"Martin's a jerk!" Ruthie snapped.

Lucy giggled. "They all are at times. What happened?"

"He just snapped! He said our family was crazy and he was tired of always being watched."

"Our family is crazy, Ruth," Lucy pointed out. "But they care about us and that makes up for it. I'm sorry if I've been adding to the stress for Martin. I guess we're just all concerned about you, Ruthie. This is big. You and Martin."

Ruthie turned to Lucy, wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt. "It's just a boyfriend."

Lucy smiled at Ruthie. "It's more than that, Ruth. It's a major commitment."

"You don't think we should be together either, do you?" Ruthie asked sadly.

Lucy shook her head. "I think you and Martin are destined to be together, if not now, then someday. I do, however, think that neither of you have talked about the really important things. Have you decided how your relationship will be after Sandy has the baby? Have you talked about Martin going away for school?"

Ruthie hated the thought of both of those things, but realized that Lucy, in her infinite knowledge, had struck a chord. Martin and Ruthie hadn't talked about the future at all. And whether they liked it or not, the future was steadfastly approaching.

"Go and talk to Martin, and really try to work through this fight and then talk, really talk. Get everything out in the open. The best part of being in a relationship is being able to lean on the other person. You have to be able to be honest with Martin and he has to know that you're there for him, in every way. So go and work things out. I'll tell Mom and Dad you went for a walk," Lucy smiled.

Ruthie hugged Lucy and went off in search of Martin and a clear chest.