(a/n) so usually I wouldn't put anything up tht was this short unless it was a teaser, like the last chapter, however I've lost a bit of my muse, and could overall use some feedback so I know what I'm doing well and not doing well, so here's a short chapter. (May be edited later)
**** 30 years before ****
Beth shifted from the couch as a knock came at the door with a groan. Her feet scuffed against the floor as se dragged herself away from her relaxation, and towards an uninvited guest.
She opened the door, huffing out a breath in annoyance, but freezing when she saw her father standing before her, clad in an white military uniform and decorated with medals.
"Da-" she stopped herself from calling him Dad. The Rick before her couldn't be her Dad, as he had spent the afternoon in the garage, as he always did. "Can I help you?"
"You must be F-348 beta 9's Beth. Is F-348 beta 9 here?" Unlike her father, this Rick spoke without a stutter. The authoritative tone sounded strange in his voice.
"Uh, yes? He was here for breakfast," Beth said unsurely. It was common for her Dad to be present for breakfast, but to have disappeared with her son by half nine. The silence from the garage didn't always mean emptiness, so she cross her fingers and hoped.
"Give him this when you see him," The soldier said, handing her an envelope. Beth examined her fathers typed registration number on the front, and the Rick council crest stamped in the corner. "It is important."
His medals jingled like bells as he turned on his heels and disappeared across the lawn. Beth closed the door, holding the envelope in a shaking hand. Her father had never gotten such an official letter before, and never from another Rick.
"DAAAD!" She called into the house, "There's a letter for you!"
She waited for a reply, and when none was given she set the letter by the garage door, eyeing it as she returned to the couch. Her mouth went dry as her mind ran through thousands of scenarios. She'd already lost her mother just three years before, and she'd grown used to having her Dad live with her since then. She didn't want to lose him.
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Tension hung in the air like a storm cloud, bringing the misery of a rainy day to the table. The Smith family ate in silence, holding cutlery with white knuckled grips.
"Rick," Jerry began softly, relaxing as the maddening sound of silver scrapping against plates faded away, and the silence was replaced with his voice, "Beth and I, well, we just wanted to know, y'know, what that letter said?"
Rick remembered the feeling of the crisp paper in his hand, and the stab in the chest as he read the print. Beth saw worry flash across her fathers face as he licked his lips and reached into his coat for his flask.
He brought it to his lips and downed a swig of the liquid courage, hoping he would have the strength to tell his family the news.
"Well, JeERRry, there's a war," he said as he screwed the cap back onto his flask and returned it to its place, "and all Ricks have been call-called t-to arms, or something. Basically, M-Morty and I are leaving in the morning aANd we have to go fight."