A/N: I love reviews…heck I love reviews more than I love George Stults (well ok that's a lie right there) seriously I love reviews because I need to know if you like my writing and want me to continue
A/N: Although I wished I owned 7th Heaven sadly I don't but I do own everyone else except for the following—Annie, Eric, Mary, Sarah, Matt, Kevin, Lucy, Carlos, Simon, Ruthie, David & Sam, Captain Michaels, Ben, Patty-Mary, Kevin's Mom and anyone else I forgot
A/N: For any of you who are just starting to read this I didn't like the way some of the chapters looked so I improved them starting on June 11th, 2004! Because I finally got a hang of how I should be writing
It's a hot, sticky, uncomfortably warm afternoon at the beginning of August in 1981. At 9 month's pregnant Annie Camden decided to take a day off from trying to get the new baby's room together in case she was to go into labor early.
She went into her 2 year old Matt's bedroom to get him ready for the park only to discover that he had decided to dress himself because he was so excited about going to the park.
"Matt" she exclaimed laughing. "What did you do?" she asked him walking over to his new bed that she and Eric had put together only a few months ago.
"Me dress self" Matt replied showing Annie that he even put his own shoes on the wrong foot and backwards. Annie started to laugh and sat down in the rocking chair that would soon be moved into the new baby's room sometime later this week when her husband Eric had a day off from his counseling sessions at the new church he had just started at.
"Come here sweetie" she said to Matt as he grabs the dresser drawer handles and stood up and toddled over to Annie.
"Are you ready to go to the park today and play with the big kids?" She asked him with a smile putting him up on her lap awkwardly.
"Baby?" Matt asked, touching her huge stomach
"Brooder?" he asked looking up at Annie. Annie smiled sweetly at Matt while she put his shoes on the right foot and shook her head.
"No" she replied, "It's a girl" looking at Matt's confused face and laughs.
"You are going to have a sister...remember?" she told him grabbing the left shoe off her other knee,
"No brooder?" Matt asked again looking sad while Annie started to laugh again
"I'm afraid not sweetie...but you will be a big brother" she replied stroking his thick dark brown hair.
"Are you ready to go to the park and play with the big kids?" she asked, setting him down on the blue carpet that was in his room.
Matt's eyes got really big "Yeah" he replied running to his open closet and pulling out his favorite baseball hat, running back over to Annie and hands it to her.
"Put on mommy please?" he asked her.
"Ok baby" Annie replied putting the worn blue baseball cap on his head and stands up trying to get the kink out of her back and places one hand on her bulging stomach.
"I bet you can't wait until you can join this family," Annie whispered to her baby daughter who was kicking like mad for some reason that afternoon.
"Mommy?" an excited looking Matt said to Annie snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Let's go to park," Matt said running over to his mother and grabbing her hand trying to pull her towards the bedroom door.
"Matt" Annie replied laughing at her small son "we can't go yet" looking at his sad face.
"I have to leave daddy a note and let him know where we are going so he doesn't worry" patting her small son on the top of his head and picks him up and walks down the stairs and goes into the kitchen before setting Matt down.
"Here sweetie" she said to Matt opening the refrigerator handing him his favorite red sippy cup full of juice "hold onto this while mommy writes her note to daddy" she exclaimed as she picked up a pen and ripped off a piece of paper that was on the refrigerator door quickly jots down a note to Eric and signed her name to the bottom and looked over towards Matt.
"Are you ready to go to the park sweetie?" she asked him with a bright smile on her face.
"Yes!" exclaimed an excited Matt who raced to the back door and opens it up.
"Matt?" she yelled out the back door "don't go past the picnic table ok?" she told him closing the back door and double checking to make sure it was locked.
"Yeah!" an excited Matt replied pumping his fist into the air. Annie stood there for a moment and laughed at her son
"Well then let's get going" she replied taking a hold of his tiny hand and they both walk hand in hand towards the gate, letting Matt open the gate door and shutting it close they started to walk down the driveway and onto the sidewalk when Annie heard a car horn honking at them.
"Hey there good looking" a familiar voice said to both Annie and Matt through the station wagon passenger side window. Annie stopped in her track and turned to look towards the car and rolls her eyes when she saw her husband of more than a year..
"Eric, what are you doing home so early?" she asked looking at her watch.
"I came home for some lunch" he replied with a smile "but I noticed that my two favorite people were just leaving" he answered with a grin looking at Matt.
"Hey there buddy where are you off to?" he asked Matt slowly moving the car into their driveway and placing it into park.
"Mommy and me going to park" Matt replied excitedly jumping up and down waiting for his dad to get out of the car.
"Really?" Eric said looking over at Annie who had placed her left hand on her stomach and her right hand her back.
"I thought mommy was supposed to take it easy for a while" he replied lifting an eyebrow looking at Annie.
"I know I know" Annie muttered looking at an excited Matt who had lain on the cement sidewalk looking at the ants.
"But I was tired of being indoors all the time and I figured that Matt and I would enjoy sometime together "she replied giving Eric a sad puppy look, putting her lip out hoping it will make him cave.
"Annie" Eric started to say, giving her another look "we have talked about this already" looking at her bulging stomach.
"Your so close to your due date that well...anything could happen at any moment"
Annie stood in their driveway and sighed...he was really starting to get on her nerves.
"Eric...don't worry this time" she told him looking at Matt "nothing is going to happen this time anyways" she replied letting her voice trail off as she walked over to where Matt was laying on the sidewalk and gave him a tiny nudge with her foot.
"Come on sweetie...mommy is ready now" she told Matt giving him her hand and they start to walk the opposite way.
Eric quickly jogged up the left hand side of his wife and kissed her on the cheek.
"I will be home at 6 tonight so if you and Matt want to go ahead and eat dinner without me that's fine" he replied holding out his hand towards Matt to give him a high five.
"No, we can wait" Annie replied looking back at Eric.
"I thought that we talked about this before?" she asked, frowning as she put her hand above her eyebrows to keep the sun from shining in her face.
"Dinnertime is when the family gets together"
"I know but I thought that maybe just this once?" he asked lightly drawing circles on her stomach.
"Eric..." Annie started to say when she was interrupted by a finger being placed over her mouth.
"I'll be there" Eric replied to her giving her a great big grin and a quick kiss on the cheek and walked slowly back to the station wagon.
As Annie and Matt continued to walk the same worn path towards the park Annie's thoughts turn back to the day they found out they were pregnant with baby number 2.
Annie is staring at the tiny stick that has a bright pink plus sign on it "Oh lord" she said out loud looking over at Eric who was sitting on the side of the bathtub in the master bathroom.
"Well... what does it say?" Eric asked her anxiously looking at Annie with curiosity.
"Well...it says that it looks like we are going to have another baby" she cried openly rushing towards Eric wrapping her hands around his neck.
"Matt!" she exclaimed grabbing a hold of his shirt collar when she realized that he was about ready to go running across the street onto oncoming traffic.
"Don't you ever do that again" she scolded him with anger in her voice as a scared Matt looked up at her.
"You could have gotten hurt" she told him pointing a finger at the car that had slammed on its break to avoid hitting Matt.
"I sorry momma" Matt sobbed putting his two hands up to his face.
Annie sighed and grabbed his hand firmly and walks across the street. They arrived at the park only a few minutes later when Annie released Matt's hand and sat down on a bench next to a young woman with blonde hair and a young baby boy.
"Now Matt...I want you to be careful ok?" she told him looking serious while his young head is bobbing up and down in understandment.
"Now...go have fun and BE CAREFUL" she yelled after he took off running towards the slide which was currently his favorite part of the park. Annie sat back down on the bench slowly and turned her head when she hears a small chuckle.
"It's hard letting them go off by themselves isn't it?" the young women asked giving her a smile.
"How did you know?" Annie asked her smiling back at her.
"Well I have two boys of mine own and it was hard letting the older one go" she answered matter of fact
"By the way my name is Karen...Karen Kinkirk" she replied holding her hand out to shakes Annie's.
"Nice to meet you Karen...my name is Annie Camden" she replied shaking Karen's hand.
"Mom!" said a little boy with brown hair running up to Karen.
"That boy over there on the swing won't let me have a turn and he called me a bad name!" he said pointing to where Matt was swinging back and forth. Annie sighed when she followed the little boy's finger and discovered him pointing at her own son.
"I'm sorry" she said to the little boy who was standing in front of his mom.
"I'll go and talk to him "she replied grumpily as she got off the bench and walked over to where Matt was.
A few minutes later she came back with Matt in tow looking angry.
"Matt...I want you to tell him that you are sorry" she said looking Matt in the eye.
"No!" an upset Matt cried looking at the little boy.
"Matthew Camden...I'm giving up until the count of 5 to say you are sorry...1...2...3...4"
But before she could get to 5 she was interrupted by the shouting of "I'm Sorry!" cried Matt yanking his hand out of Annie's grip.
Annie sat back down and looked at the young boy who was tightly clutching his mother's other free hand.
"I'm sorry about that sweetie...Matt hasn't been acting nicely lately" she replied giving him a nice soft smile.
"I think it has something to do with him no longer being the older child anymore" she replied looking puzzled towards Karen.
"That's ok" replied Karen looking at her oldest soon and brushes some of the dirt off of his nose.
"This is Kevin and he is three years old" she replied ruffling his hair and looked at the baby "and this is Ben he is just about a year old" she replied bouncing him up so Annie could take a look at him.
"Hey honey? Are you and the boys ready to go?" a male voiced asked behind Annie.
"I think so" Karen replied looking at her husband.
"Annie this is my husband Paul...Paul this is Annie Camden" Karen told her husband with a smile.
"Hi, nice to meet you, how are you today?" Paul asked Annie sitting next to her on the bench.
"I'm fine" came Annie's tired response.
"Daddy!!" replied Kevin who ran into his dads lap.
"Hey there buddy! What have you been doing today?"
"I was on the swing and played on the slide until I saw you" Kevin said looking at his dad.
"Well I think I better get going" Annie told the couple, standing up and placing her hands on her hips.
"Matt! It's time to go home" she hollered across the park when she spotted Matt walking slowly towards her with a sad expression on his face.
"What's wrong Matty?" Annie asked Matt using his nickname that her mom had given to him when he was only a few months old.
"I don't want him to leave" Matt replied pointing at Kevin who was in Paul's arm.
"I want to play longer" he continued starting to whine.
"Oh Matt" Annie replied smiling at Karen and Paul.
"I'm sorry sweetie but Kevin has to go home now" she told him as he buried his head into her leg.
Annie looked up at Karen and started to speak "you wouldn't happen to be free sometime this week?" she asked softly stroking Matt's head as he cried into her leg.
Karen and Paul exchange glances at each other and start to chuckle at one another
"I'm always here" Karen replied moving Ben to her other hip.
"This is the only place that I can get my peace and quiet while Kevin runs wild and burns off all the energy that he has built up" she replied looking at a sleepy Kevin who had put his head on Paul's shoulder.
Karen bent down to a teary eyed Matt and gave him a big smile
"Hey there Matt" she replied patting him on head "Maybe sometime this week if it's ok with your mom maybe you can come over and play with Kevin and Ben" she told the little boy before standing straight up and looked over at Annie.
"If that is ok with you" she replied with a smile.
"I'll have to talk to Eric about it but I don't see why it wouldn't be a problem" Annie replied with a quick smile.
Before Karen, Annie and Paul knew it they were standing around for another 30 minutes talking about their families. Paul had set Kevin down onto the grass to join a bored looking Matt and the two started to play a game. After another 15 minutes Matt decided that it was time to go home.
"Mommy?" Matt said as he tugged on Annie's maternity shirt.
"I have to go potty" he replied dancing back and forth as the adults laughed at him. Annie smiled at Matt and before taking his takes his hand she looked back at Paul and Karen.
"I do hope that you guys will join us on Thursday for dinner" she told them.
"I'll call you sometime before then" replied Karen who had already exchanged phone numbers with Annie a few moments later.
With that the three adults who each had a child in their hand walked slowly away from the park not knowing that with each step they would take their relationship would become a lot closer than they would ever know.
As the days passed by Annie and Karen became really good friends taking Kevin, Ben and Matt to the park together when they had free time. As the time came closer for Annie to give birth Karen would stop over on her way to the park and pick up Matt letting Annie have time to herself before the baby was born.
A few weeks later towards the end of August as the Kinkirk's and the Camden's were celebrating Ben's very first birthday Annie's water broke. Eric was such a nervous wreck that it was Karen who accompanied Annie in the ambulance. Later just before midnight a baby girl was born to Eric and Annie.
As their little girl was handed to them later in Annie's hospital room it was the Kinkirk's who were right there with a sleepy Matt who got to see his sister for the first time. As the years started to go by Annie and Karen both discovered that they were pregnant with each couples third child.
They were also astounded to find out that they were both due in October of 1983. The months flew past as they helped Paul celebrate ten years at the local Glenoak Fire Department and they celebrated Eric's five years at GlenoakCommunityChurch
Late in October of 1983 both Annie and Karen gave birth to baby girls. Karen delivered Patty-Mary on October 15th, 1983 and Annie delivered Lucy on October 21st, 1983. Though Patty-Mary was only 6 days older you never would have known. Lucy and Patty-Mary were best friends from the beginning just like Matt and Kevin and Mary and Ben.
Two years later Annie and Eric were excited that they were expecting baby #4 this time it turned out to be Simon in May of 1986. Karen and Paul had decided not to have any more children because they both had two siblings in their family and decided that three children were enough for them.
In 1988 Eric celebrated his 10th year serving the church. The Kinkirk's threw a surprise party for him which Annie had nothing to do with it because she had her hands full with an active 9 year old Matt, a grumpy 7 year old Mary, a happy and playful 5 year old Lucy and a sweet and quiet 2 year old Simon.
Annie thanked god everyday for her happy and healthy family and thanked him for having great friends like Karen, Paul, Kevin, Ben and Patty-Mary. In 1989 Annie discovered yet once again that she was pregnant for hopefully the last time. In March of 1990 with Eric out of town her water broke and was luckily enough Karen had stopped over to pick up the three older kids to take them to school.
Karen managed to rush Annie to the hospital with all four of the kids at her side. Annie gave birth to a happy, healthy baby girl. Since Eric wasn't there Annie choose to name the baby girl Ruthie since all of her other child have biblical names. Then during the fall of 1992 something terrible happened that no one…not even the Camden's could ever believe could happened.