A/N: Thanks for your patience. The writer's block is definitely lifting and the story is progressing, so stay tuned for more!

Ruthie approached Martin's front door, feeling her nerve was lost and wondering if it was better to retreat to the safety of her own house before things got any worse. Just as she was about to do so, Bill Brewer opened the door.

"Ruthie!" he greeted with a smile and hug. "How are ya, kiddo?"

Ruthie smiled. Where others had only seen the potential for disaster in Ruthie and Martin's relationship, Mr. Brewer saw only the good. He treated Ruthie like a daughter and often encouraged the two teenagers to spend time together, doling out for many of their "dates".

"Hi, Mr. Brewer," Ruthie said. "Is Martin around?"

Bill turned and pointed to the back yard. "I thought he just came from your place?"

Ruthie smiled, giving away volumes with the small gesture. Bill nodded his head, as if understanding exactly what had happened. "You go ahead in. I'm off to work, but tell Martin I'll be back for supper."

Bill gave Ruthie another short hug and off he went. Ruthie shut the door behind her, crossing the living room on her way outside. Martin's back to her as she stepped out of the patio door, sliding it closed behind her. She stood quietly behind him, not quite sure how to start.

"Martin?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

Ruthie sighed. "I don't like the way you spoke about my family. With that said, I do realize that they have been a little intrusive and I can see where your frustration is coming from."

Martin didn't turn around when he said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things about your family. For the most part, they've been wonderful to me."

Ruthie finally joined Martin, taking a seat beside him and placing her hands on the glass-topped table. She folded and unfolded them several times. "I'd like to talk about the future."

Martin nodded his head slowly. Here it comes, he thought. Ruthie Camden is going to dump me and I can't say as I blame her.

"I know that I get weird whenever you talk about Sandy or the baby. That's not fair. I knew coming into this that they would be an integral part of your life. It's just hard to think about the two of you…like that," Ruthie admitted.

Martin finally found the courage to face Ruthie, the girl he was falling more and more in love with everyday. "It's not like that, Ruthie. It never was."

"She knows you in a profoundly different, more intimate way than I do. I can't get past that."

Martin bit hard into his lower lip. Just get this over with, Ruth. This feels like torture.

"When you're in love with someone, you want to experience everything with that person and you hate the idea of them having experienced anything without you. That goes tenfold for things like kissing and touching and sex, especially sex."

Martin couldn't help but smile at the pink hue of Ruthie's cheeks. Her innocence intoxicated him, in a way he'd never be able to explain.

Instead Martin took hold of Ruthie's small hands and pressed them to his lips. "You and I will experience that someday. And when we do, it will be all brand new for me too, because I'll be with someone I love and respect and yearn for. There wasn't anything like that with Sandy."

Ruthie lifted her brown eyes to meet Martin's. "I'm going to try harder to be more accepting and more supportive. I guess I got a little freaked out when my parents talked about my being a mother figure to your child. It made things that much more real. I am only sixteen."

Martin nodded his head slowly, still holding Ruthie's hands in his. "I'll try to be more sensitive to your role in all of this. And, hard as it may be, I'll even try to be more tolerant of your parents and their concerns."

Ruthie laughed, knowing that it would be hard for Martin. "Thanks."

"Have we made up then?" he asked slyly, raising an eyebrow.

"I think I heard something about kissing being a must in the whole 'making up' scenario," Ruthie teased, leaning forward.

"You're thinking of 'making out'," Martin teased right back. "But I'm definitely not opposed to that."

Ruthie smiled as their lips met. After a few seconds, Martin pulled Ruthie out of her chair and onto his lap, deepening their kiss. Ruthie relaxed against Martin's chest, placing her hands on the back of his head, massaging his scalp. One of Martin's hands was on Ruthie's back, the other rubbing her thigh, becoming dangerously close to Ruthie's bottom.

"Martin?" Ruthie whispered, pulling away from the kiss.

She looked down at Martin's hand, frozen on her backside, then back up at Martin's eyes. Martin smiled. Ruthie smiled back and pulled Martin back in for another kiss.