Chapter 16: One step forward, Turn and walk away

Ruthie sat eye's wide staring at her parents, not believeing what she was hearing. 'oh my god'

Martin blinked several times, trying to figure out if what he had just herd was real, or if he was dreaming.He looked over at Ruthie and knew the same thought's were going through her head, and he knew it was real. 'oh my god'

Both Eric and Annie sat quietly watching the two teenagers in front of them. After a few minutes without a word being said, Annie looked over at her husband, and placed her hand over his. He knew what she was thinking, and didn't even need to look in her direction. He picked up her hand and gave it a gental squeez, before speaking."Are you two ... OK?"

The sound of her fathers voice shocked Ruthie. She had been staring at her parents, but haden't really seen them sitting there.She swallowed lightly trying to find her voice. "I'm ... I'm not sure if I understand."
"OK, ... what exactally don't you understand?"
Martin decided it was time to say something, so before Ruthie could respond, he cut in."Are you saying that we can't be together?"

Eric inhaled a deep breath."Yes. ..." Ruthie felt tears sting her eye's. She bit her lower lip, blinked back her tears and looked away. Martin felt his body get weak, and without realizing it, dropped Ruthie's hand, that he had been holding through the entire conversation. Ruthie looked back at him when he did this, and felt her breath cath in her throat. She wrapped her now free arm across her stomach, and looked away again. She wasen't fully listening when her father began speaking again. "And No."

She looked at her father again, and felt her lost hope, slowly return.Martin apperantly feeling the same looked back up at Eric and Annie."What do you mean?" Annie decided to talk this time.
Annie- "What we mean is, that you can't date, right now. Because it would be kind of difficult to date, while your grounded." Ruthie didn't fully understand why she was going to be grounded, but she wasen't going to give her parent's a reason to tell them they couldn't date at all.So she just sat quietly and let her mother finish. " 1 month. And then we'll see what happens. If you go the whole month without giving us a reason to change our minds, then you will be aloud to start ... dating."

A huge smile appeared on both Martin and Ruthies faces."Are you serious!"
Annie smiled at her daughters happiness."Yes, we're serious." Ruthie jumped up and ran to her mothers side and wrapped her arms around her.Annie returned her daughters hug. "As long as you don't give us a reason to change our minds!"
"We won't!"

Martin watched Ruthie jump from her mother to her father, with a huge smile on her face, he loved the way she looked when she was happy. Exhailing a long breath he stood up. 'It's OK. We're OK.' Both Annie and Eric stood up also, and Ruthie bounced over to Martins side, and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He returned her hug, and squeezed her just as tight.
Eric saw how happy his daughter was, and how much Martin loved her, and he knew that they were making the right choice.
Annie walked over to Martin and gave him a hug."Thank you." He whispered to her quiet enough for only her to hear. She smiled and let him go.
Annie then turned to her daughter, and put her hand lightly across her back."Ruthie honey, why don't we go upstairs so we can let Martin and your father talk. ..."
Ruthie smiled at Martin again, then looked to her father. She walked slowly to his side, then stood up on her toes and wrapped her arms around him."I'm really sorry dad. I just- "
Eric cut her off mid-sentance."I know honey. I know."
"Thank you." She kissed him lightly on the cheek then let go of him, and walked slowly up the stairs, with Annie following.
As they walked up the stairs, Eric and Martin could hear them talking.

"And while their talking ... we can talk about the rules of your punishment.' Both heard Ruthie sigh loudly, and they smiled to themselves.

Silance filled the room once again, and Martin looked nerviously at the man infront of him. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he looked down, the feeling of guilt taking him over.

Eric watched Martin shuffel nerviously, with his hands and feet. Suddenly feeling sorry for the boy, he walked over to the refrigator, and opened it, after a few seconds he pulled out a picher of lemonade, and reclosed the refregator.
Martin stood silently watching as Eric just as silently moved around the kitchen, and finally stopped behind the counter. After pouring two glasses of lemonade, he held one out to Martin, and sat it down on the counter.

Martin taking this as the older mans version of a peace-offering, accepted it greatfully and sat down. After taking a small drink from the cup, he sat it down softly, the clanking of the glass hitting the cold tile of the island, being the only thing herd in the unsettingly dead air. Praying for something to say, Martin let out a long sigh, which seemed to catch Eric's attetion.

"Martin ... I want you to know that what I said earlier ... I didn't mean it ... I was upset and ... I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." Martin smiled slightly in acknowledgment, sensing that Eric had more to say. And he did. "I want, ... I need you to understand that when I found the two of you, I was shocked, and hurt, and ... scared. In my eye's Ruthies still my little girl, even though I know she's not a little girl anymore." When Martin looked up he saw the tears forming in Eric's eye's, and his guilt grew. But still he sat and listened, knowing it was the best he could do. " I 've come to think of you as one of my own children Martin, I trust you, not only with the choices you make, but also with my daughter." Martin looked up, and Eric smiled at him, Martin smiled back knowing it was his turn to talk.

He inhaled a long breath and began."I'm beyond greatful for everything you and Mrs.Camden, have done for me. You guy's don't make me feel like the boy who's staying with you, I feel like apart of the family. When I first realized how I felt about Ruthie, I was afraid to admit it to anyone. Because I thought that by feeling anything but family love towards her, I was doing something wrong. ... I was afraid of what you would think. How you would feel. ... I don't want to lose my place, as a part of your family, I love being apart of it." Martin looked down at the glass sitting in his hands, becoming suddenly self-conches. "And now that I've embarrassed myself, I'm just going to stop talking. And go up stairs, if that's ok with you."

Without waiting for an answer, Martin stood to leave, But Eric stopped him."Martin you'll always be apart of this family, don't ever worry about that OK?" Martin gave a quiet nod, and smiled. "And when it come's to how I feel about you and Ruthie ... well it's a bit overwhelming, but I'm OK with it. And after I have a little more time to let it settle in, I'm sure I'm going to be extactic, so don't worry OK." Martin smiled again, and stuffed his hands in his pocket's, which caused Eric to laugh lightly. "Now you may go up stairs." Martin nodded once more appreciatively, and ran up the stairs.

Ruthie's room

Martin knocked softly on Ruthie's door, not fully sure as to what he was going to say to her when she opened it. When he herd the sound of foot steps , he realized it didn't mattered what he said all that mattered was that they were OK.And a smile spread across his face.
When the door opened his smile slightly faded."OK, why is it, that every time a door is opened around here, your standing at the other end?" He asked jokingly.
Lucy just smiled and moved to let him in. He laughed lightly and walked past her.

Seeing Ruthie, the semi smile left on Martin's face dissappered. She wiped her eye's and plastered a smile on her face. Right away he became worried, he walked quickly over to her, and wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her tightly against him.

Ruthie wouldn't let the tears that wanted so badly to fall, do so. She kept the smile on her face, and hugged Martin back. When he tightened his grip on her, she felt her body tense, at the closeness, and she pulled away.

Martin noticing this looked at her becoming more and more worried by the second. Lucy who had apperantly also noticed, cleared her throat, to catch their attention, only to get Ruthies. She gave her little sister a weak smile, and walked out of the room. She was a bit hesitant about shutting the door, but thought that they needed a little bit of privacy.

"What's wrong?" He took a step towards Ruthie who walked over to her desk where she thought she would be safest, and sat down. "Ruthie-"
She cut him off before he could say anything else."So uhm ... how did everything go?" She motioned to outside the door.
"It went fine. Ruthie what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Everything's fine." They both were quiet for awhile, Martin not believeing Ruthie, and Ruthie trying her hardest to not break down. "So I was thinking about tomorrow ... I'm grounded, so how exactally is that going to work out? I mean we still have to meet Cecilia and Simon."
This seemed to distract Martin a little, for the time being."I don't know Ruth, ... I guess I can just go alone. But you might want to tell me good-bye now, seeing as how without you being there your brother's going to kill me. I mean Cecilia will be there, but really how long can a pregnant woman keep me safe, she'll end up having to pee or something, and then I'm dead." They both laughed.

"Well ... I was thinkning I could just tell my mom and dad, that I have to go to the library."
Martin shook his head as she finished. "Remeber what your mom said? We can only be together if we don't give them a reason to not let us be. ... No more lying."
"But it won't be a lie. I do have to go to the library, I'll just do it during my free period."
"Ruthie that's still a lie."
"You have a better idea? One that won't end with you sitting in a hospital room, and my brother sitting behind bar's? Because as much as I love you, that won't matter to him. Simon's still think's he has to be the 'protective big brother'."
Martin stayed quiet, trying to think of something, anything. But ended up with nothing."We wont stay to long." Ruthie smiled, knowing she won, but didn't say anything. "Eat, quick talk, and leave. OK?" She gave him a quick nod. 'Now that that's over with ...' Martin thought to himself. "Now ... What's going on?"

"What are you talking about? I already told you, there's nothing going on."
He didn't believe her. "Ruthie."
"Martin." She responded.
"Ruthie!" He snapped, becoming both impatient and nervous.
"What!" He gave her a stubborn look. Knowing that she couldn't just avoid the subject forever, she finally gave in. "Fine. You really want to know?This! Me & You Martin."
Martin steped back, he was ready for anything just not that."What do you mean?"
Ruthie saw the look on his face, and realized how that must have sounded. So she started again, this time in a much calmer tone."Martin ... we just got together lastnight. And then today we ... we ... well you know. I've never felt like this." Now she let her tears fall.
Martin had to fight the urge to go over and hold her, so insted he sat down on her bed."Felt like what?"

"Scared. ... Uncontrolable. ... Like ... we're moving really fast ."
"I know. I know." His voice was just above a whisper. "It's like, we just stop thinking." Ruthie just nodded in response, trying her hardest to gain control of herself, and not succeding. "W-what do you wanna do?" He was regreating his question, because he feared the answer.
"I don't know." She replied quietly.
Martin couldn't pull his eye's away from her, he was terrified. "Do you want to ... you know ...breakup?" His voice was shaking.
Ruthie just looked at him, like her heart was breaking, which was breaking his heart."What? No! Why ... do you!"Her tears began to fall faster.
Martin jumped up, he took her by the hand, and brought her up into his arm's. "Of course I don't. Ruth I love you. I just thought you wanted to." He stroked her hair, with one hand while the other was wrapped securly around her waist.
"Well I don't." She pouted defiantly.
Martin couldn't help but laugh a little. "Good. Because neither do I." Ruthie looked up at him, and smiled as big as she could. "We just need to slow down." He finished softly.
Leaning her head against his chest, she let out a long sigh."Yeah, I know."

a/n: OK everyone this is the last Chapter I had,
to edit. So it's probably going to take me a little
longer to get Chapter 17 out. If anyone has any ideas,
please feel free to let me know. I had this problem
before, I didn't know where to take the story,
with the lunch and everything, so it would really
help me out, hearing what ya'll had in mind.
OK well I hope ya'll enjoyed this Chapter!

Thank you ALL for your great reviwes!
I love reading, what everyone thinks it makes me
so happy lol. I know that there are alot of spelling errors
in the first couple of chapters, and I've tried to fix them,
but everytime I type in my WordPad after Saving the
file, it kind of ... erases what I've written LOL.
So I hope it dosen't irritate ya'll to much,
and if it does I'm honestly sorry.

OK well this note, seems to have turned into a letter
LOL.
So again Thank you all! And enjoy!

Always, OthGGC