Author's note: please note that the rating for this story has gone up due to the content of this chapter.

TW: rape

Summer had been right. This place was beautiful. Morty hadn't gone out much to explore due to his anxiety, but with Summer by his side a small smile graced his lips as he looked up into the lush forest. Flowers littered the grassy carpet, and Morty took great care not to step on them. "I'm glad you're getting out," Summer said. "I mean, I know you go out with Rick, but other than that you stay holed up inside that house."

Morty shrugged, not really knowing what to say. He could say that the incident with Jonathan made him afraid of going out alone with only his thoughts for company because he knew he'd be thinking about it, but he didn't want to ruin the moment and make Summer sad. He cared deeply for his sister, and that was why he could never tell her what happened. It would only break her heart. He was pretty sure Rick and his mom knew what happened, but his sister didn't need to be burdened with that knowledge too.

Under a large oak tree, the two siblings sat. Morty pulled his knees to his chest, and Summer slung her arm around him. "I'm so sorry," she said softly. "It's my fault that you fell into the foster system. I should have tried harder. I-"

Morty simply leaned into her, and she quieted down. It's not your fault, he signed.

Summer sighed and wiped her watery eyes. "Maybe not," she whispered. "But I'll always feel like it is."

A twig snapped, and Morty jumped to his feet, prepared to run. "Easy," a familiar voice called out, and Morty instantly relaxed as Rick came into view. He was holding a basket in one hand and had a blue blanket draped over his shoulder. "Your mom suggested I bring you lunch."

"Like a picnic?" Summer asked, her eyes lighting up. Morty gave her a small smile. He liked seeing her this happy after so many years of suffering.

Rick chuckled to himself as he spread the blanket across the ground. "Yeah," he agreed. "Like a picnic."

Morty smiled brightly at his grandpa as he crawled onto the blanket. The old man sat and opened the basket, revealing homemade sandwiches and fresh fruit. Morty picked up an apple and took a bite, savoring its juicy tenderness. Summer sat beside him and began munching on a sandwich. "How's your supercomputer coming along, Grandpa?" she asked.

"Great!" Rick exclaimed. "We got the power, the wiring, and the body. Next on my list is something called crystallized anthenite, better known as a time crystal. Problem is, they're highly illegal and tricky to get."

With a snort, Morty rolled his eyes. "Of course it is," he said with amusement. "So, how do we get it?"

Dead silence followed as Morty realized what he had just done. "Um..." he stammered, unsure of how to deal with it. Summer was gaping at him, and Rick was glancing nervously between the two. Morty swallowed hard, meeting Summer's eyes.

"You talk to him," Summer whispered, eyes shining brightly.

While Morty struggled for words, Rick piped up. "Yes, he does talk to me. But he didn't want you to know because he doesn't want to feel pressured into speaking."

Summer nodded. "I understand," she replied. "He hasn't spoken since Mom killed Jonathan."

Not since Mom killed Jonathan, Morty mentally corrected. Since Jonathan raped me.

"And even then it wasn't very much. He'd go long periods of time without saying a word," Summer explained.

Rick sighed in understanding and put a gentle hand on Morty's shoulder, and Morty felt the tension leave his body at the soft touch. "Trauma can affect the brain in many ways," Rick replied sadly. "Including our ability to speak."

Summer gently bit at her lip and nodded. "Do you think he needs therapy?" she asked.

Morty looked up at Rick anxiously and met his eyes. "I think what he needs is for us to stop talking about him like he's not here," he responded, not taking his eyes off Morty.

"R-right," Summer stuttered. She reached out and grabbed Morty's hand. "I'm sorry, Morty."

"It's fine," Morty whispered, but inside his heart was clenching painfully. He knew his family, though they loved him, thought very little of him. To them, he was just an abused little kid who couldn't handle anything. His eyes started to water, so he quickly stood and ran into the forest.

He heard Summer calling his name, but that didn't stop him. Morty just needed to disappear for awhile. He needed to forget that he was an abuse and rape victim, but that was impossible with his family simultaneously tiptoeing around him and smothering him. Tears dripped down his cheeks, but he didn't make a move to wipe them away. He kept running until his foot caught on a tree root, bringing him straight to the ground.

Lying on his stomach with his face pressed into the ground, Morty's mind quickly changed the scenery. He wasn't in the forest anymore. He was back at his mother's house, chained to his bed. A rough hand pushed Morty's head down into the sheets. Between that and the gag, he could hardly breathe. "You're such a sweet thing," Jonathan crooned right into his ear as he fucked Morty mercilessly from behind. The older man groaned. "Oh god, you're so tight. You feel so good." Tears drenched the sheets underneath Morty's face.

Suddenly, a rush of something hot flooded into Morty's asshole. With horror, he realized it was the feeling of Jonathan's cum filling him. He felt Jonathan pull away. The gag was removed along with the cuffs, and Jonathan simply left, leaving Morty naked and alone to cry himself to sleep while blood and cum pooled out of his ass.

The next thing he knew, two hands were grabbing his sides, pulling him up, and a panicked voice was calling out his name. Morty couldn't help the involuntary shriek as he tried to pull out of the grasp. Instantly, the hands were gone, and Morty turned to stare at the worried face of his grandpa. Vaguely, he was aware of his body trembling and crying, but his thoughts honed in on Rick's brown eyes. He was safe.

Morty crawled his way to Rick and wrapped his arms around the older man's waist. Rick pulled him into his lap, hugging him tightly. "What happened?" he asked softly.

"Flashback," Morty gasped, frantically trying to get air into his lungs.

"Just try to match my breathing," Rick told him. Despite his lungs' complaints, Morty forced the air in and out of himself in the same slow, even breaths as Rick's. Eventually, the crying and shaking subsided, and Morty lay limp and exhausted on Rick's chest as the older man continued to hold on tightly. "Wanna talk about it?" Rick softly asked.

"You're a genius," Morty stated flatly. "I'm sure you already know what happened."

He heard Rick swallow hard as one of the older man's hands moved to gently caress his hair. Rick drew in a deep breath, hesitating. "He... he raped you, didn't he?" he asked sadly.

Morty nodded against his chest as a few more tears leaked out. "He used me and left me lying there in the filth. And when I got up the next morning, he was dead."

"How did she do it?" Rick asked, referring to Beth.

"She grabbed the biggest kitchen knife we had and stabbed him as much as she could. She didn't stop until long after he was dead and a river of blood flowed through our house. A neighbor saw her through the window and called the police. Mom was arrested. You know the rest."

Rick stood suddenly, pulling Morty up with him. "I need to know something," he announced before looking back down at Morty. "Wanna come with me?"

Morty nodded, and Rick pulled out his portal gun. He shot a green portal and jumped through. Morty eagerly followed him, curious as to where he was going. He was not expecting to land in a place surrounded by hundreds of other Ricks and Mortys. With a nervous gasp, he stepped closer to his grandpa and grabbed his lab coat. "It's ok, Morty," Rick assured him. "No one's gonna hurt you here. This is a safe place."

None of the others seemed to notice the couple as they headed for the center of the citadel. Morty's fear melted into wonder as he watched the many different versions of himself. One pair was even made out of corn. Morty had to hold in his laughter at the ridiculousness of it all.

"In here," Rick murmured, gently pushing Morty into a great hall. He was quick to follow his grandpa to the high table where what appeared to be a council was seated at.

"A-77," one of the other Ricks acknowledged them. "What brings you here?"

"I need to know," Rick began. "Out of all the timelines we know of, in how many did Beth marry Jonathan?"

"There were four," the center Rick replied. "Three of them were killed early on by their Ricks. Yours was the only one to be killed by Beth."

Rick fell to his knees, and his eyes began to water. Alarmed, Morty quickly knelt down in front of him. What's wrong, he signed.

"Four realities where Beth married Jonathan, and I was the only Rick who failed you," Rick replied.

You didn't know what was happening, Morty signed. You need to forgive yourself.

Rick gave him half a sad smile. "I don't think I can, kid," he admitted.

Morty threw his arms around Rick's neck. He wished Rick wouldn't blame himself for what happened. While it was true that he wished Rick had found them earlier, he couldn't blame his grandpa for not knowing. Plenty of parents abandoned their kids. The difference was Rick came back.