A/N: Wow…I'm just now realizing how long it took me to get back to this…I feel awful. But this is my baby so I am in no way ever leaving this unfinished. Thank you so much to those who pushed me to finally get something done.

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.

Martin wasn't entirely sure just how long he let the water run, a stream of scalding hot water spreading across his body. He couldn't help but think that the longer he stood there, the hotter the water, the more effectively the feeling of the dirt caked into his bones would wash away, dark brown sand sent down the drain. The feeling of sin was nothing to do with Ruthie. No, this was his own misjudgment. A split second decision that almost coast him everything he ever grew to care about. Out of the goodness of her Camden-sized heart, she offered him a second chance. After all he'd done to her, to this family; he couldn't help but wonder if she had wings hiding in the folds of her mocha colored skin. He knew he didn't deserve it, and yet, she forgave him.

The woman he loved with everything he had, the woman he had no decency to wait for, was in his bed tending to a child that wasn't even hers to care for. And yet, she did. From the moment Aaron came into this world, Ruthie was there to prove her worth every single day. If he was being completely honest with himself, as much as the help was needed, was appreciated, it almost seemed to be her way of sticking it to him. Martin was sure it wasn't her intention but somehow, her presence was at the time, a reminder of his impatience. He remembered not being able to eat pizza for months after coming home from his weekend with Sandy. Even now he found the food hard to keep down at times.

"Forgive me, Father," he muttered allowing the last of the warm water take him in. Despite the situation, he couldn't help feeling that doing the same with Ruthie wasn't entirely all that wrong yet he felt the need to apologize anyway. He would be apologizing for Sandy for as long as he lived but never for what came of it. "Ruthie Camden is…different. I know it's not moral, it's not entirely all that just but…isn't she my redemption? It took me so long to see it…so long to accept it, to give in to what I wanted…to what I thought I didn't deserve. But I have. I finally gave in and it was like everything in me was just wiped clean. I understand I'm not perfect. I've made a fair share of mistakes but Ruthie…Ruthie Camden is not one of them. I hope one day you can forgive me for…still not waiting. But she's the one. She's the one I should have waited for and it's taken me a whole lot of forgiving myself to realize this." Martin let out a heavy sigh before letting the water close above his head stepping slowly out of the shower.

Wrapping the towel tightly around himself, he made a slow and quiet trek back to the bedroom. Leaning quietly against the doorframe, he smiled. The two people who mattered most to him where tightly curled in together, Ruthie's hold on him more protective than he'd ever really seen before. He concluded that as much as the outburst from earlier was meant for him, it may as well have served as a reminder to Ruthie about just where she stood. To Martin, she was standing exactly where she belonged, the mother his son truly deserved. As much as he believed it, the slight shadow of reality still lingered. If he didn't work fast, there was no telling just how long they would all be standing frozen in place waiting for the law to intrude on their happy lives.

Shuffling in quietly, Martin carefully took his place next to her. As quiet as he was, he could tell she was still very aware of his being there. Her small frame came in closer, bare skin against the thin barrier of a wet towel he was quick to let fall to the floor. As he looked at her now, hair sprawled against her pillow, he sighed.

"I love you," he whispered brushing his lips lightly against the sharp shaping of her shoulder blade. As aware as Ruthie was of him, his light whisper did little to wake her which for the moment he was thankful for. He almost felt he needed a minute to simply take an eye to every fine detail. Letting a finger brush along the fine indentations of her back, he almost wished to run a finger along his own parts leaving him to wonder just how finely shaved they were to fit hers. "I'm going to make this right," he promised, making a mental note to check with Simon on the status of the phone call he promised to make for them. Looking over at Aaron, he smiled softly. Even though they had promised to start weaning him off, the death grip Ruthie had on him only confirmed what he knew Aaron was all too happy about. "Just for tonight," he chuckled leaving the two to rest in peace as he quickly dressed and made his way downstairs.

"Well, the house is still standing," he laughed to himself. "That's always a good sign." A couch full of his new housemates looked up in surprise.

"We were wondering how long it would take you to rejoin the land of the living," he laughed, a hand extending to Carlos as he promptly placed a twenty in his hands, a none too happy expression across his face.

"You made another bet?" he asked with a raised brow, though at this point he wasn't sure why he was surprised at all.

"Yep. You just earned me twenty bucks for doing the nasty for a good two hours."

"We weren't—"

"Save your breath, boy. If it didn't happen just now, it's only a matter of time," Jay said nonchalantly. Martin's eyes widened making him question yet again how in fact he was related to his newly acquired relatives. "It's all in the eyes, son. You're a Christmas tree around the girl. Better to get it in while you're still around the holiday. By mid-March the look is a little out of place."

"The sex-face is never really out of place," Kevin pointed out.

"You would know," Carlos muttered. Kevin only nodded happily surly content with the images Martin was sorry he helped paint in his head.

"Watch yourself Senor Taco, both you're wives are pregnant."

"Hermosa," Carlos muttered quietly.

"Huh?" Kevin offered.

"Nada," he replied hastily, Mary and her beautifully pregnant belly filling his mind. Martin couldn't keep from rolling his eyes, a quiet chuckle escaping him as he was sure he was the only one to catch the comment. Even if he didn't know the little bit of Spanish he did, the man's tone wasn't lost on him.

"Where is everyone?" he finally asked. Kevin provided him a simple shrug.

"Setting up camp?" he offered. Martin sighed at the man's childishness, secretly grateful for his lack of maturity at times like these.

"This is all just one big camping trip to you, isn't it?"

"Well, I would call it a sleepover but that's for girls only."

"Right okay," Martin said biting back a laugh. "There should be room for all of you. House is small but I'm sure you can all squeeze in a bit. We can put the dogs in the kitchen. The kids can camp out in my old room. Couples can sleep wherever they can find room."

"Hey Martin, you think we can make smores?" Kevin asked hopefully.

"Not quite sure how you're gonna pull that off since I don't have an open fire pit but if you can work around it and you can keep from burning my house to the ground, I don't see why not," he shrugged deciding early on not to question the man's logic anymore. There were times he himself could see why Lucy had chosen how she did. Even if he had a way of driving them all up the wall at times, there was no denying his big kid personality.

"That was one time," he groaned. "I thought we were over that."

"Oh we are," he said. "It's just too much fun to bring it up and get reactions like that."

"Hey Martin!"

"Yeah?" he asked not bothering to excuse himself as he made his way to the kitchen quickly.

"You got any ice cream?" Mary asked.

"Is this a new food group for all of you now or something?" he teased already digging through the freezer. He froze, already aware of at least three pairs of eyes on his back.

"You better hope that when it's Ruthie's turn…"

"Won't be for a while," he said quickly.

"We should hope not. Two babies at a time is no cake walk."

"As I'm quickly learning," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he said quickly pointing out the ice cream so he could quickly make his escape. "Might wanna save some for the kids," he said carefully, a triple stare stacked on him as soon as he turned back around. "Just a thought," he said slowly. "I can always go get more."

"Thank you, Martin," Sarah said graciously. Lucy and Mary provided their thanks by collecting spoons and ripping into the carton he offered them.

"You're welcome." As he swooped in for a small sample, Lucy slapped his hand away.

"It's my ice cream," he grimaced.

"Are you pregnant?"

"No…According to what I learned in health class that's biologically—"

"Paws off the ice cream!" she growled holding it to herself as though she were shielding a small child.

"Touchy…"

"Excuse me?" Lucy said slowly."

"Enjoy the ice cream," he quickly corrected. "I'm gonna go check and make sure the kids haven't somehow killed themselves."

"There's no screaming, crying, or blood, I'm sure they're fine," Mary offered in comfort as she dug into the ice cream herself. Even with the added reassurance Martin was quick to make his exit.

"If you need anything else, I'll be doing a head count," he said. As he made his way back into the living room, Carlos, Kevin, and Jay were exactly where he left them, now in a heated debate about fire safety.

"…I always thought it was Sparky," he heard Kevin admit as he walked past. Hearing laughter from his old room, he quickly poked his head inside.

"Hey guys," he said more quietly, "you think you could be a little bit quieter? I think the babies are asleep and Auntie's resting." Savannah and Charlie looked up with a quick nod already quieting their voices to a whisper. Even as the three of them sat together, he couldn't help but notice that Billy looked more than a little lost. "Hey," he offered, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. The older boy looked up at him, startled, his eyes glazed with worry.

"I'm sorry sir, did I…?" Martin almost laughed at his formality but then was quick to remember that Billy wasn't quite a Camden. "I haven't…"

"You don't have to call me sir. It makes me feel old. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself. I'm Martin, a friend of Mary's." Billy only nodded, not entirely sure how to respond.

"Thank you Mr. Martin sir, for letting me stay," he said shyly.

"It's not a problem," he smiled. "I've known the Camdens a long time. Any friend of theirs is always welcome," he said, hoping to provide him some comfort. He only supplied another nod. "Is everything okay?" he finally asked.

"I…don't know exactly," he said honestly. "It's no disrespect to you sir but I…don't know what I'm even doing here. I'm not sure why my dad brought me here." Martin nodded hoping that whatever Billy wanted to talk about would be given some kind of clarity. He decided to try and provide him the little he could with the small bit of Camden history he had in his favor.

"Well, what do you think you're doing here?" he started slowly.

"All he said was we were going to visit an old friend or something."

"Do you remember?"

"A little…Daddy says I was…really little when she left. But it's all kinda blurry. I wish I could. She seems nice." Martin tried not to laugh as he recalled Mary's fist making contact with his grandmother's face. He wasn't quite sure if "nice" was the right word for the young boy's second first impression but he said nothing. "He still talks about her…Not in front of me or anything but when he's on the phone with Grandma he says her name a lot. He always talks about how much she helped us."

"Mary's like that with the people she cares about," he said. "Now, I don't know exactly what happened but, if what happened in the yard today means anything, she still cares a lot about you and your dad."

"The more he talked about her, the more I thought she just…forgot or didn't care anymore. He says that she's the one who left. I always…thought it was my fault." Billy still wasn't sure why exactly he was telling Martin all of this. The man was practically a stranger. A nice stranger who invited both him and his father into his house but he'd never even met the man until today. But then he figured it was either him or his dad.

"I'm sure that's not it," Martin said. Billy shrugged. "Grandma always says I'm just…a burden. Still not sure what that means but Dad gets mad every time she says it so it can't be a nice thing to say." He could feel his eyebrow raise in question as the boy spoke of his grandmother, not entirely surprised at the jab.

"That's because it's not," he said.

"What does it mean?" he asked looking up at him, hoping to finally make sense of at least one of the many mean things she'd told him all his short life.

"It means for someone to have a bit of extra weight in their lives," he said trying to simplify the insult for him, if nothing more than for him to finally understand what was being said about him. He had always wished that someone would have done that much for him. With that bit of knowledge he might have been able to fight back a bit harder.

"Like they're fat?" he asked, his brow still knit in confusion.

"Not quite…"

"Because Dad says it's not nice to call people that."

"That's also true. But that's not what it means. It's like…You know when you've got a really heavy backpack you have to carry around all day?" Billy nodded. "It's that little bit of something extra that kind of weighs you down because there's so much stuff in it."

"So…I weigh him down," he said slowly, a trace of sadness in his voice. Martin was quick to shake his head. "Grandma says that a lot though. And it…kind of makes sense. I never had a mom. It was always just me and Dad. A little while ago he told me that he was really young when I was born, that Mom left. He said she went to heaven. That she's up there with God or something."

"That's one of the best places someone can be, Billy," Martin said quietly. "It helps me a lot when I'm sad."

"Why are you sad? Did something happen to your Mom?" He only offered a solemn nod.

"She died when I was really little. And even though it's been a really long time, I still get sad. But I know she's in a better place where she doesn't hurt anymore and where she can be happy."

"You think my mom's happy, Mr. Martin?" Martin nodded again with a small smile of his own. "I'm sure she is. And so proud of you."

"I'm not a mistake, am I?" he asked quietly. He shook his head, pulling in a little bit closer.

"No, you were the best thing that ever happened to her."

"She died when I was born though. That's what Dad says. How could I be the best thing that ever happened if she didn't even know who I was?"

"Do you believe in heaven, Billy?" He nodded, somewhat unsure of his answer at first. "She's there with my mom somewhere and so happy she was able to be a part of the reason you're here. She watches you every day. Just to make sure you stay out of trouble," he teased. Billy smiled a little, somewhat relieved."

"I kinda wish I had a mom. They look really nice to have," he said wistfully.

"I don't see why you can't," he said.

"But mine's dead," he said mater of factly.

"Doesn't mean you still can't have one here," Martin reminded him. Billy looked up at him, the confusion in his eyes growing a bit, a layer of sadness in his eyes.

"I don't think she remembers," he said slowly. "And even if she did, it'd be kind of weird to ask her to be my mom."

"Oh she remembers," he said. The boy's eyes turned hopeful and Martin could only nod. "Mary doesn't just defend anyone."

"She punched Grandma in the face!" he said, surprising Martin with the excitement it provided.

"Yeah but you know you're not supposed to do that."

"Yeah Dad says it's bad to be violent." He nodded. "But that you gotta stand up for yourself."

"You're dad's a smart guy," Martin smiled.

"You think I could…I don't know…Ask her if she could kinda be like my mom? Or would that be weird? I know she has a husband and it's not my dad but…she's the only mom I really…remember."

"I don't see why not," he said. "You know, most of the people here aren't related by blood but we're still family. Take me for example. The Camdens are more like my family than my dad. He wasn't around as much and that means they pretty much…raised me."

"That's…sad," Billy offered quietly.

"Not really. It's all I know. Annie and Eric aren't my mom and dad but they're ones who loved me when my real parents couldn't. They taught me right from wrong and gave me a home, fed me. I call them Mom and Dad," he shrugged.

"But I already have one."

"I know. But in this family, you'll learn pretty fast that it's always okay to have more."

"So…since she's married and gonna have another baby…Mr. Carlos is gonna maybe be like a second dad?"

"If that's okay with you and what you want, I'm sure he'd have no problem with that. You've seen how big this family is. He's got nieces and nephews and parents and brothers and sisters. He's very open to people," he said. "We're all parents here. One of us is always…around."

"Kinda weird," he laughed.

"I thought so too for a while. But it's nice. You're never really alone around here."

"You have a baby, Mr. Martin?"

"Sure do and without the Camdens we wouldn't be here."

"Does your baby have a mom?"

"He does. A mom who loves him very much. She's not his real one but that's all he knows. She raised him. And that's all that matters. Living with the Camdens has taught me it doesn't really matter where your blood is. What matters is who's there when you need them the most. They never fail. They loved me as if I was always a part of their family."

"You think they'll like me?" he asked. Martin nodded, offering him a light clap on the shoulder.

"Of course they will. You wanna come down and see if the girls saved us some ice cream?" Billy smiled with a slight nod.

"Ice cream? Where?" Savannah asked; already up off her place on the floor.

"Downstairs. Come on, before the babies eat everything." As the three raced down the stairs, he was quick to call after them. "Ask nicely!"

"We know!" As they made their way down, Martin made a stop at the bedroom, looking in on Ruthie and Aaron who looked to still be lost in sleep. Slipping in quietly he brushed lightly along Ruthie's cheek, startling her a bit.

"Sorry, just came to check on you. You want me to take him?" he asked, eyeing Aaron who lay snug next to Ruthie. She nodded quietly, readjusting to get comfortable. "Alright, come on big guy. Let's give Mommy a minute to breathe." Aaron offered a subtle whimper eying his cozy spot carefully. "You wanna go see if we can sneak you some ice cream?" he said hoping to divert his attention for long enough to let Ruthie find some kind of alone time.

"Someone say ice cream?" she asked sleepily. Martin let his eyes go wide looking at her carefully.

"We better hurry before she takes it all," he said already heading towards the stairs.

"Wait! I want ice cream," she pouted.

"I have to learn to be quieter…" he mused. "Well, at least I think there's still something left," he offered turning back to face her. "If it hasn't already all been eaten."

"Three pregnant women and three kids? Doubtful but there's always hope."

"Does this mean we're going downstairs?" he asked slowly.

"Maybe…" she smiled.

"Alright, come on," he sighed putting Aaron back in her lap taking them both up slowly. "Didn't get a chance to finish my head count but all that's left is Mom and Dad and…Grandma, wow that feels weird."

"It's nice. Even out the score a bit," she smiled.

"Yeah well you still have me beat by like a billion."

"What can I say? We're Camdens." Martin nodded, realizing that their namesake was the only real reason any of them needed. "I guess you're an honorary Camden so there's technically no score keeping."

"Oh but it's so much more fun this way," he said. "I'll catch up someday."

"If it makes you feel any better, I think we're all filled up now. Now it's just a matter of you catching up."

"But….babies…Six of them…"

"Right…We're a fertile breed," she laughed.

"So I've noticed," he groaned.

"I'm sure we won't all be here forever. I know the house is small. You can blame Kevin."

"Already did that earlier. But then we could also blame Lucy and Mary for craving them…"

"You want to have things thrown at you and three pregnant women crying on your conscience?"

"Not particularly…"

"So let's stick with Kevin. He's kind of used to it."

"Agreed."

"Now, about that ice cream…"

"Right…The ice cream. Are we sure there are no hula skirts or sombreros Kevin could potentially wear? I have neighbors."

"I'm sure he'll behave himself. There's no Rose to drive away with our insanity so I'm sure it'll be pretty tame." It was instances like this that made Martin sure that the reason there was a rising physiologist in this family had at least a little bit to do with the family dynamics.

"Maybe we should go check on Simon first…Make sure he's not fallen asleep standing up or something."

"Okay…" she sighed. Martin laughed promising to be quick about it. Making their way back to the nursery, Simon's slumped over form was the first to greet them. Neither of them could fight the quiet snort that rose. "We didn't do that, did we?"

"Not that I remember… I should probably get him an air mattress. He never seems to leave this room, no matter whose house it is. It's almost like he's…afraid."

"At least it's not me he's hovering over anymore," Ruthie said.

"Seems he's found a new project…" Making their way inside, Martin tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey Simon, wake up." Ruthie couldn't help laughing louder as her brother jumped a foot in the air.

"Oh crap, I dropped the baby!" he said frantically, noticing his empty hands.

"That baby?" Ruthie supplied pointing over to an occupied basinet.

"Oh…"

"You need to catch some z's, my man. How much sleep have you gotten since he came home.

"Iunno," he shrugged. "Someone's gotta watch him though…Might just disappear."

"He's very much real, big brother. He'll still be here if you let yourself get some sleep."

"But…"

"Luke is going to appreciate an attentive father over one that's dead on his feet. He's sleeping. Go do the same."

"I'll just…" he faded sinking to the floor.

"You might need a mattress of some kind first or else you wake up all twisted and sore.

"Like you haven't…"

"Not quite sure what you mean by that but okay. You keep watch while I go get him something to sleep on," he said, his gaze turned to Ruthie as she was set in the rocking chair by the wall. Nodding obediently she couldn't help finding humor in her disheveled brother.

"Having fun yet, big brother?" she teased. "Oh yeah…Time of my life," he groaned. "Two hours at a time…When does it stop…When do I get to sleep?"

"Eighteen years from now. Best to keep your schedule cleared up till then."

"Joy," he mumbled raising his arms weakly.

"I'm sure you'll live," she laughed.

"We'll see about that." Martin soon returned with foam and blankets resting them against the wall. Quickly throwing his bed together, Martin led him over to it. "This should be much comfier for sleeping," he said. "Would you like me to tuck you in as well?" Not quite understanding the question in his haze, Simon sleepily nodded causing Martin to shake his head. "Alright, to bed we go," he said.

"Nice and tight…" Simon mumbled.

"What?"

"Just…go with it," Ruthie said.

"Okay nice and tight," he agreed bringing the blankets up around him.

"Mmm… This is nice…Cozy….Soft…Thanks Dad…" he said, voice faded as his eyes closed.

"Welcome," he said biting back a laugh.

"Wait! What if something happens?" he said desperately, sleep now cleared from his eyes.

"Nothing's going to happen, man. Baby's over there, you're over here. Everyone's okay. Now sleep. You'll thank me when you don't collapse in the morning." Martin realized he hadn't even been heard, Simon's eyes already closed with a subtle snore ringing through the room.

"He's gonna feel so much better when he catches on," Ruthie said, feeling somewhat bad for her brother's misfortune and less than subtle over-protectiveness. "Cute thing, he was always like this…Only more so after he helped save that baby."

"Wait, what baby?"

"It's just Simon being Simon," she said proudly. "Now, about that ice cream!"

"The ice cream that's likely all gone by now?"

"Because someone insisted on tucking him in…"

"Hey, you're all at my house. Kind of my job to be a good host and all that."

"Right, now mush!"

"Do I look like a dog to you?"

"Nah, you're not as furry." He let a subtle growl rip through nuzzling lightly against her skin."

"Ooooh, nice doggy," she giggled. "Shall I ask you to chase it?"

"Chase what? I've already got what I was chasing," he said quietly.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" she asked, a soft smile spreading across her face.

"I'm not sure if you know her. Goes by the name of Ruthie…Kinda short, really cute, dark complexion, smoldering eyes…"

"Smoldering huh?" Martin nodded as they finally made their way down the last few stairs. "I think you've mentioned her a few times…"

"She's a real catch."

"So I hear, she said nibbling lightly at his ear. They were quickly brought back out of themselves as a round of gags was heard around the room.

"Shoulda just stayed up there," Kevin pointed out.

"My house," Martin pointed out. For the first time that quieted Kevin rather quickly. "Unless you want to make this a real camping trip and make your way outside. There's no one to bother you out there."

"But it's cold," he said quietly. "Kevin doesn't do cold. Unless it's ice cream. That's a good cold. But they took it all. There's nothing left," he pouted."

"That's what you get for dancing," Ruthie pointed out.

"Yeah but you—"

"I what?" she challenged.

"You've been da—"

"Finish that and you're most certainly sleeping outside," Ruthie glared.

"But you are!"

"You're what?" Lucy shrieked.

"Well, it was nice knowing all of you…"

A/N: You remember how this works. Questions, comments, complaints. Feel free to leave them!