their ability to find one another is spectacular

North Carolina State Hospital–1967

"Hey guys," the nurse said cheerfully, "How're we doin' today?" She received no response. That was normal. Of all of the rooms, this one was the quietest. Today, it was dead–no, not dead silent. That comment hit a little too close to home, because this was the Children's Ward, and these kids had more of a chance of dying than they did living. It was just silent.

Everything looked okay today. There were only two kids inside. The younger of them, Ruby, was already awake. The nurse flashed her a smile before walking over to Ruby's roommate, Clancy, and shaking him awake. "Come on, Clancy, time to wake up. We've got some new medicines for you to try today." Clancy dutifully swallowed pill after pill, unsubtly looking at Ruby, whose own focus was on the window connecting their room to a room full of kids next door. After Clancy finished, the nurse presented the same medicines to Ruby, who washed them down with water. Neither one had said a word.

The nurse turned around, preparing to leave, when she remembered. "Ruby, your parents want to visit today. That alright with you, darlin'?" Ruby flinched at the last word, but nodded, before sinking back down into the blankets.

A few minutes later, the nurse was giving slightly different treatments to the kids in the room next to Clancy's and Ruby's. She was giving treatments to a little girl named Mia when she saw them. Ruby, happier and more alive than she'd ever seen her, with her hand pressed up against the glass against the hand of a boy named Liam. The nurse remembered hearing a rumor that they'd arrived together, but Liam never talked about it, and Ruby never talked, period. The nurse's eyes filled with tears as she watched Ruby's lips move and heard Liam's voice.

It was beautiful and tragic because every child in this part of the ward was dying, and none of them will ever get any happily-ever-afters, but if anyone deserved this little slice of happiness it was Liam and Ruby.

Gray and Associates–1985

"Ms. Daly! Where are my papers for the Hoover case? Oh, and make a note in my calendar! It's Mother's birthday! Where's my coffee?"

Ruby felt like she was drowning. She hated her job. She was the only administrative assistant who was female, none of the higher-ups in Gray and Associates were bright, and her boss thought he was God's gift to Earth. In reality, if it weren't for her and the other administrative assistants, the company would be underwater. The only reason she took this job was because she needed the money if she's going to keep her two-bedroom apartment. Her foster daughter, Zu, was non negotiable.

"Ms. Daly! I'm expecting visitors today! And what about all the other stuff I told you to do?"

Somehow, she managed to respond respectfully. "They're in your top desk drawer, sir. Yes, sir. I'll get it sir. Shall I notify Olivia down at the front desk?"

"Yes, of course! Hurry up! I have a meeting in ten minutes."

Ruby nodded. "Certainly, sir." He definitely wouldn't notice, but she felt better getting in the last word. She rushed off to the coffee machine and presented a steaming cup of dark roast to her boss a few minutes later. Then she headed down to the front desk to give a similar cup to Olivia, the lady who worked the front desk and the only other woman in the building. Olivia smiled gratefully at her and handed her a stack of papers.

"The Williamson case. I took the liberty of highlighting the relevant parts because dear Lord does the man go on and on."

Ruby felt a smile peek through for the first time that morning. "You're a lifesaver, Liv. Oh, Zu gets out early today. Mind sending her up when she gets here?"

"Not at all. She's–what, in eighth grade now? Lord, it feels like yesterday you brought her by for the first time and announced you were her legal foster parent."

Ruby grinned. "Seems that way, yeah. Thanks, Liv. See you later."

"See you, Ruby."

Later that afternoon, Ruby's office door was knocked on. She looked up because of the shock. No one in this place had ever knocked before entering her office before. She made eye contact with a pair of blond, blue-eyed men. One looked around her age, the other maybe three years older.

"'Scuse me," the older one said. Ruby starts at his voice. The Southern drawl… it took her right back to summers spent at Grams' house.

"Yes, sorry. What can I do for you?" She asked, shaking herself back into business mode.

"We're lookin' for Clancy Gray. The lady downstairs said he was on this floor."

"Her name is Olivia." Ruby corrected before she could stop herself. "Oh, God. I am so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Ain't a problem, Ms…"

"Daly. Ms. Daly. I'm Mr. Gray's administrative assistant. Sorry, would you mind repeating yourself?"

"We're here to see Clancy. Could you let him know we're here?"

"Clancy?"

"You know, Clancy Gray."

"Oh, of course. Beg your pardon, both of you, but no one uses his first name here." Ruby pressed the intercom button. "Sir, your visitors have arrived." After taking her finger off of the button she said to the men, "You might as well take a seat. You'll likely as not be here for awhile."

"He not a fast businessman?" The younger one asked, taking a seat on the couch in her office.

"Let's just say I got that couch for a reason."

Almost twenty minutes later, she got a response. "Send them in, Ms. Daly." Mr. Gray ordered.

She nods at the men. "He's ready for ya now." Her Virginia accent pushed through a little with that sentence.

As they exited, Zu bounded into the room. "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby! Look! Look what I got on the algebra test!"

Ruby took the proffered paper. In glorious, red marker there was a big 100 percent written. A genuine grin lit up on her face as she embraced her foster daughter. "Good job, Zuzu! Very good job."

The men did not comment on Ruby's interaction with her foster daughter, but the younger of the two murmured a congratulations to Zu as they exit.

Forty minutes later, the younger man poked his head into Ruby's office. "All done with Clancy," he told her.

Ruby sighed. Zu, now on the couch reading the tattered copy of Watership Down Ruby inherited from her father, looked up briefly at this interaction. "Wish I was," she said ruefully.

"Why don't you quit?" He asked.

Ruby jabbed her finger at Zu, ensconced in the book again, and the man nodded. "My name's Liam," he said suddenly. "Liam Stewart."

"And this matters to me because…" Ruby trailed off, genuinely confused.

"Well, Ruby Daly, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date? Say, next Tuesday? I have it on good authority from the lady downstairs-pardon me, Olivia-that you get off at six. We could have dinner, at, I don't know, six-forty-five?"

Ruby looked at him, about to decline politely, before thinking it over. If nothing else, he was polite. So she accepted. "Only if you're okay with a thirteen-year-old third-wheeling," she warns. "And just one."

Liam grinned. "Just one," he repeated. "And Zu seems pretty cool."

"I am cool." Zu said, not even glancing up. Ruby cracked a smile.

"It's settled then," she said.

"'Course it is. See you then, Ruby Tuesday."

Silverledge Cemetery-1946

Liam took a deep breath before entering the cemetery. It wasn't the first time he'd been here, but it was the first time he's been here without his mother, or stepfather, or little sister.

As he made his way down the meticulously kept paths, he allowed his mind to wander off down Memory Lane, when he and his family lived in happier times. Mornings fighting his brother and sister for shredded wheat cereal, walking to the movie theater to see matinees and double features, and waiting for the latest issue of Superman when he was little come to mind, as his feet guide him to his destination. And then, when he was older and the war started, coming home to a house that only contained his mother and Claire, because Harry and Cole were off fighting against the Axis Powers. Finally, less than a year ago, watching Claire run out the door to greet Harry, and the moment Liam and his mother realized that Cole wasn't behind him, and Cole would never be in front of, behind, or next to anyone ever again, because a bullet had caught him on the shoulder, and the nurses hadn't gotten there in time.

And now Liam was here, the memorial site for all of the soldiers from his town whose bodies hadn't been recovered, and all he wanted was to turn around and leave, but he couldn't, because this rock was all he had left of his big brother.

When he reached the memorial, he was surprised to see someone else there. Even more surprised to see someone he knew; someone whom he hadn't seen in almost three years.

Now it was libraries that he remembered. Hours spent poring over math textbooks and doing practice problems, which turned into hours spent kissing and going on dates, which turned into a shouted argument when she told him she was leaving to fight for their country and he begged her to stay.

"Ruby?" His voice was barely above a whisper, but she heard him and turned around. When her eyes met his, he saw her sharp inhale.

"Liam." He continued staring at her, and she tugged her sleeves down from their rolled-up position, clearly self-conscious. Idiot, he berated himself, staring makes Ruby nervous.

"You're back," he said, awkwardly breaking the silence.

"Been back for a while, actually," Ruby said.

He should have said something else, like how he was glad she was alive, or if she'd gone to see Chubs yet, but all that came out was, "You didn't tell me." He didn't mean it to be as accusatory as it ended up being, but Ruby stepped back anyway. He apologized immediately, "I'm sorry, that-I didn't mean-"

"It's fine. You-you're right. It's just-I don't know, I felt like I had to visit Cole first, get some things off my chest, before-before I could see you."

"Why?"

"I-I was with him, when… well, you know."

Liam blinked. "You were one of the nurses who couldn't save him?"

Ruby looked away. "Not exactly."

Now Liam was extremely confused. "Then how…?"

"I was part of the regiment. Cole's regiment. He-when he found out that I joined, he insisted. Said you wouldn't forgive him if I got killed and he didn't do anything. But, when the bullet was shot, it hit him, and-I'm sorry! Lee, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

At this Liam's resolve broke. He rushed over to her, pulling her close, as she sobbed apologies. "It's okay," he murmured, "It's okay, darlin'. I understand. It's okay."

And finally-finally-he thought he'd be able to move on from Cole's death.

American Toxicology Labs, TN*-2011

Ruby was rushing to the hazardous materials dump site (lovingly nicknamed "Pigpen" by an intern long before Ruby had started working there) after one of her interns mixed the bleach with ammonia, trying not to inhale, when she crashed into another person.

"Don't breathe in!" She said hastily as he moved to help her up. He looked at her intern's expulsion ticket as she dumped it into Dessie. He waited until she had securely shut the door before commenting.

"Bleach and ammonia mixed together?" He asked wryly. She nodded.

He grinned. "I made the same mistake when I was an intern. If it wasn't for my best friend, I would probably have inhaled and died right there, in the Snoopy Lab."

Snoopy Lab, probably nicknamed by the same Peanuts-loving intern who gave Pigpen, Charlie Brown Hall, and Lucy's Office their monikers, was most notable for being the place where interns screwed up. When Ruby was an intern, she knocked the baking soda into the vinegar, which was perfectly safe, but ultimately useless.

She gave him a once over. "Should I thank this friend, or reprimand him for this act?"

"Oh, reprimand him, definitely," he said, going along with her.

She snorted. "My roommate would like you."

"Do you like me?"

She shrugged, very confused as to why she was feeling flirty when she had an intern to give a piece of her mind, but willing to give that idiot more time to fear the wrath of an angry woman that was about to bestowed upon him. "We'll see."

He regarded her for another moment, and she almost felt like she was nineteen and meeting her freshman year roommate's boyfriend, but she could tell his interest in her was less invasive than Clancy Gray's. "I'm Liam Stewart, been here for six years. You?"

Ruby smiled, reaching out her hand to shake his. "Ruby Daly, D.A.B.T.** for eight months. This is my fifth year, overall."

He gaped. "You're a D.A.B.T. and you've been here less time than me? How can I be you?"

She snorted. "I also have no social life whatsoever, and it's been two years since I've gone out with anybody who doesn't work here. Trust me, you don't' want to be me. My grandmother says that my social life is worse than hers, and she's in her eighties and isn't allowed to drive anymore."

Liam raised his eyebrows. "So, I take it that means that you don't have a-"

"If you say 'boyfriend', you're gonna lose all of the brownie points you've won."

"Well, I was going to say 'dog', but, hey, if you wanna answer the boyfriend question instead…"

Against her will, she cracked a smile. "Gotta get back to my idiots-I mean interns."

"Sure you do. Here." He scribbled something on a piece of paper. She looked at it dubiously.

"This isn't your number, is it?"

"Nope. Not that stupid. It's the name of me and my best friend's blog, which is mostly our running list of the best takeout in the city."

She took it from him. "I'll have you know I make a fantastic General Tso Chicken and spaghetti burrito."

"I am intrigued, but mostly afraid for your health. Also, that's three different cultures, and doesn't your stomach protest at what you're putting into it?"

"I'll check out the blog, would that ease your mind?"

"Make sure you try El Charolais. It's both good and cheap," he called as she walked back to the Snoopy Lab. She shot him a thumbs up.

"Will do. Make sure you study for the D.A.B.T tests. There are some trick questions that seem flyaway."

"Got it. See ya later, Ruby Daly."

"See ya."

New York City-1782

The knock startled George. He wasn't expecting any reports today. "Come in," he called. He was surprised, but smiled, to see a familiar face walk in. "I thought I heard your footsteps, Ruby." Please don't be here for the reason I think you're here, he prayed.

He'd known this young woman since she was an infant. She was his goddaughter, his pride and joy, and (after the tragic death of her father in the French and Indian War, and her mother in childbirth) his ward. As a little girl, she had reshod his horse better than most grown men. As a teenager, she had been his best spy, able to apply just the right amount of charm to drunk Redcoats to get them to spill everything they knew. She'd gotten him information that had saved the lives of over half of his troops, many times over. However, barely a year ago, he had had to put her on more low-risk assignments, using the ring she now wore on her left hand as a reason. He hadn't wanted her future children to lose their mother because he put her in a situation that was too dangerous. Now, he knew, he was reaping the results of that decision.

He'd seen her happy, angry, disgusted, sad, even brokenhearted, but he'd never seen her like this-some mixture of worried and furious.

She stormed up to his desk, slapping down a letter. He looks down at it, all the blood draining from his face when he saw the handwriting. Liam Stewart's penmanship was rather unique, especially in personal letters. He skimmed it quickly, knowing that Liam wouldn't put any details in written correspondence not hand-delivered by himself or his brother, Cole. There were vague details that would be worthless to many people, but George knew the code. It was one that Ruby had developed at the age of twelve. It was also one that was only used when Liam was worried about the chances he'd make it home. Oh dear. "Where are they?" Ruby asked him, rather viciously. He eyed her worriedly. Ruby was not a rash person, but she got a little single minded when it came to protecting the people she loved. He had been the one who sent the Stewart brothers to that Redcoat camp, to infiltrate and report back. Now he was worried he wouldn't live long enough to read that report.

"I believed it was a low-risk assignment, Ruby, I promise."

She fixed him with her most fearsome glare. "That. Wasn't. What. I. Asked." She seethed. "Where is my husband. Where is my brother-in-law? Why am I here, and not there, with them, helping?"

"Ruby-"

"Uncle George, please!" She was crying now, and George inwardly panicked a bit. He hadn't had to deal with a crying Ruby since her mother died, and then it was Martha who had taken the reigns. "They're my family! I can't lose them!"

"You won't, Ruby," George jumped at little. He hadn't even noticed Charles Meriwether—which, come to think of it was what made him such a good spy. He and Ruby had learned how to be good spies together. They'd been partners for years, and there were few pairs George trusted as much as them. One of those pairs was the Stewart brothers, bringing George back to the problem at hand.

"With, or without, honestly, your permission sir, I propose that Ruby and I infiltrate the same camp as Cole and Liam."

George jumped out of his seat. "Absolutely not! Need I remind the both of you that Cole and Liam can take care of themselves? Besides that, you two are needed here, helping the people."

Ruby eyed him. "You do know that we really are going whether you like it or not, right Uncle George?"

"No!"

"We'll send you reports, sir!" Meriwether called as he and Ruby walked out of the room, both clearly already planning the mission. George sighed, putting his head in his hands. Those kids were going to be the death of him.

but not perfect

Wyebrook Estate-1934

Clancy Gray regarded the room, very bored. He had been here for four hours already, and had absolutely no intention of remaining any longer. He dropped his glasses off with one of the waiters and set about locating his wife, so he could tell her that they were going. It wouldn't be difficult to convince her, as Ruby despised these things far more than he did. He finally spotted her talking to a pair of blond men. His lip curled. The Stewart brothers. Somehow, Ruby had managed to find the two people here he had worked twice as hard to avoid. He plastered a fake smile on his face as he approached them. It faltered slightly as the shorter one said something that made Ruby laugh. He doubled his pace.

"Gentlemen," he greeted emotionlessly, before turning to his wife. For a split second, he admired her green dress, and how it matched her eyes, but he quickly shook off that useless affection. Their marriage was not one of love, but rather one to stabilize his image and keep her parents and grandmother from feeling the effects of the economy. "Darling, we are going now." He could tell that Ruby wanted to protest, but she said nothing about it, simply wishing the Stewart brothers a good evening.

Clancy saw how her gaze lingered on the younger brother, and his on her, as he helped her into her coat. They exited the building in silence. As they waited for their car, he turned to her. "You will never speak to either of them again," he told her. He sensed how she wanted to fume, but knew better. The last time she had, she had felt the effects for days.

The ride back home was as silent as any other they had taken together. He almost felt guilty about forbidding her to see them, but after what they had done to him and his father's company, no one from his family was to consort with them, Ruby included. Pretty as she was, she was his bargaining chip, the only reason he wasn't in jail. They both knew that if he did not control her family's survival, she would take all of the information she had on him to the police without a second thought. She cared for him even less than he did for her, but he could not risk her.

* actually a real place, but other than the name, pretty much everything else is fictionalized

** D.A.B.T. stands for Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology. It basically means that someone has passed a whole bunch of tests and been certified by the American Board of Toxicology

So, this has been in my head for months. I started writing it in December, so only six months! Hey, that's pretty good for me.

The ideas came about from a lot of different places. The first was just all of those five-and-one fics out there across the fandoms. The second was this Lab Rats fic that I read a long time ago called Across the Universe(s) by EmeraldTulip. The final, and most annoying piece of inspiration, was this Darkest Minds fic where Ruby was married to Clancy, but she and Liam kept having visions of each others' lives (if you can't tell which one that inspired, just scroll up a little bit). By the way, if anyone could tell me what that fic was called, and who wrote it, I will happily credit them, too.

Anyway, this is finally done. Also, I'm done with finals! Woohoo! I survived! (there were times I didn't think I would)

I'm rambling on waaay to much. See you guys soon!

~swanglade37