Summary: Rick and his group have found a permanent home, and he loves the beautiful girl by his side. In the old world, that would have been it. He could live happy. But "happy" is an strange thing when the dead roam the earth and the people that are left want you dead.
This is a sequel! PLEASE- if you have not read Rick's Ruby, you are most likely gonna be lost, so read it first! Due to overwhelming response to the first Rick's Ruby this was inevitable.
Rick/OC, no slash, rated R for graphic lovin' and ass kickery.
++++It is so nice getting back into this with you guys, I can't even tell you. Your sweet words since I just posted this last chapter earlier today have been welcome and wonderful. I truly adore you guys, the way you stick with me. This chapter is going to be a little longer, but I pause to offer a few words not so much of warning, but of attention. Darkness is never far away in this world, you already knew that. In the coming chapters, we're going to see the worst it has to offer. The lengths people and walkers will go, so fingers crossed everyone makes it through... And on that depressing note, here we go...
Rick and Jimmy were waiting at the gate with the others when Whit pulled up the next morning. They'd stayed up the night before with Beth and Paul, enjoying the beauty and joy of impending new life with the young couple, not wanting to think about the parting that was coming. Finally, when poor Beth was so exhausted she couldn't take it anymore, Paul had whisked her away, and Ruby and Rick had retreated to their bedroom to enjoy their last night together for a while. And enjoy it they did. Standing next to Rick there at the gate, her arm around him tightly, Ruby was worn and worried.
"All ready?" Whit had hopped down and came to say a few words of reassurance to the others as Rick and Jimmy tossed their bags in the back of a large truck able to fit several people comfortably. It was followed by a flatbed to fit whatever treasures they managed to find. Paul had asked Rick to keep a lookout for a crib and baby things, but he was going to do that anyway. In fact, he wouldn't come back without them, he'd already decided.
"It's going to be fine. I'll be back soon, ok?" Rick came to kiss Ruby one last time, and Whit looked at her sympathetically.
"I'm not gonna let anything happen to him, Ruby. I promise."
"You better not." She said with a half smile, looking back at Rick sadly. "I love you."
He kissed her tenderly. "I love you, too. Be safe, don't let anybody in here, watch for walkers. Keep the fence up."
"I will." She assured him, nodding, and he looked around the group.
"Alright. Load up." He announced, and Jimmy squeezed Ruby's arm as he passed. She stopped him and gave him a tight hug.
"Be safe, Jimmy. Watch out for him for me."
"You know I will." He grinned at her, and she stood with Paul's arm around her and Beth on either side of him, and watched Rick and Jimmy climb in behind Whit and Satch in the large truck. There were three other men already in, men she maybe had seen once but didn't really recognize, and she understood immediately why the guys hadn't wanted her to go. Try keeping any sort of privacy on a road trip with those guys, she thought. It would be awkward to say the least.
Tears threatened her eyes as they pulled away, and Paul and Daryl got the bridge up. "I'm going back in." She whispered, not wanting to let them see her cry, and turned.
"Ruby." She only got a few steps when she heard Daryl call for her. Pausing, she wiped her face quickly and nodded to Paul and Beth, who were walking with Carl back to the house. Daryl latched the gate and jogged over to her. "Where you think yer goin?"
"To sleep. I'm tired." She said softly and he shook his head.
"Huh-uh. We just lost three people on chores, ya'll think I'm doin' all this myself?" He said light heartedly, and she frowned slightly. Then he looked at her, his eyes intense and understanding, and that was all it took for her to realize what he was doing. He knew she was about to go inside and feel sorry for herself, and he wasn't about let her do that. He turned and walked away, and she watched him for a moment with a smile on her face before following.
Rick watched the fields and lake pass by as Whit drove, listening to the ambient conversation in the truck from the other men. Whit had brought along three men he hadn't really met yet besides Satch. A young man with bright blond hair in a shock on his head and a pair of mirrored sunglasses they called Hacker. Apparently the young man had been very good at getting in and out of anything pertaining to the Web, for all that was worth now. He was short and stocky, muscular and strong by the look of him. He wore a solemn expression but when he smiled it made his late twenties face look much younger. A taller, older man sat next to Rick, looking about forty or so. He was thin, his dark hair graying around his temples and throughout the stubble on his face, but what was most interesting about him was the deeply intense face. It was lined and tanned by the sun, his blue eyes deep and watchful. His name fit, Rick found, when Rick called him Preacher. He looked like a man who studied the Word, mixed with a fighter perhaps.
Unremarkable was the only way to describe Phoenix, the last man and the one driving the flatbed behind them. About Jimmy's age, Rick did not take him for a soldier, and indeed Rick found as he listened to Jimmy chat with the others, Whit had rescued him from a mob of walkers many months back and brought him into the team. His name was a call back to the city he was from, and he'd been in school at Ol Miss when everything broke out. He was broad shouldered but not as muscular as the others. He wore thin rimmed glasses on his angular face, his hair a light brown and eyes to match, Rick observed as he turned and looked back through the rear window to the vehicle behind them. The question of why Phoenix drove alone crossed Rick's mind, but he was not a vocal sort of person about those things. If he was meant to find out, he would at a later time.
It wouldn't be so bad, being out here with these men. They were nice enough, congenial, but looked like they could take care of business. Still, Rick, even with as much as he knew this trip was necessary, wished nothing more than to be in bed with Ruby, wrapped in his arms and pressed to his cold, lonely lips.
They drove for a long time, until the sun dipped below the horizon and shrouded the landscape in darkness. The moon was going to be a full one, and crested behind them, huge and orange in the sky. Just as Rick was wondering what Whit was planning to do for the night, the Lt turned back in his seat and nodded to him, gesturing to a dirt road off the highway. He had sharp eyes, that was certain. Rick had no idea how the man had spotted it.
"You see a place to go?" Rick asked as Whit pulled the large truck down the narrow roadway.
"Gotta be something, I figure." Whit answered, carefully scanning the surroundings. They hadn't seen walkers in a while, but this was unfamiliar territory. They had gone west, and much farther than Rick had ever been. Jimmy, on the other hand, knew the area and nodded to Rick.
"There is. A little trailer park was back here I think, but it's been a while since I been out this far."
"Doesn't look like a trailer park anymore." Whit mused quietly as they broke through the trees and went into a large clearing. It was perfect for a trailer park once upon a time, but the trailers had long ago been cleared away, leaving a large circle. When everything broke, this area had been under construction, and discarded equipment littered the area. Bulldozers sat in mid doze, the land pocked with torn earth in ditches and holes, but grass had grown over everything making it look like the earth was trying to fix the mess. There was a truck turned upside down on it's roof and burned out, and other various land movers sat about, just waiting to be started up and continue the work that had been begun.
"Future home of MidLand Mall." Satch read from a sign posted nearby and Whit grinned.
"I don't think so, man."
"I guess we're camping." Satch sighed. "Man, I hate camping."
"Quit whining." Hacker teased and Satch turned back, feigning shock.
"Now, I know you didn't just say that to me. Get your ass outta this truck and I'll show you whining, bitch."
Hacker laughed loudly and Whit pulled the truck to a stop next to the bulldozer, and the flatbed pulled up beside them and parked sideways, creating a semi circle of protection around the ground in front of them. Whit started ordering his men as they climbed out of the truck.
"Hack, start draining the equipment of gas, we're gonna need it. Preacher, build a fire but keep it low. Rick, Jimmy, there are tents in the back, you wanna start helping Phoenix get them up? Satch and I will run perimeter."
They worked quickly, quietly, and when they were done, Preacher had a light dinner of canned stuff over the fire. When the others got back and took places around the low lying flames, he handed out paper plates and forks loaded with beans and sliced potatoes.
"Man, I miss salt." Hacker groaned and Jimmy's head snapped up.
"I got some. Carol sent it with me."
"You serious?" Hacker balked. "Oh man, that'd be great!" Jimmy retrieved the small bag of seasoning from his bag and handed it over, and the young man took it eagerly. They passed it around and began to eat quickly. All of them were starving at that point, they hadn't had anything all day.
"So, who's staying up on watch?" Phoenix asked after several bites and Whit swallowed his mouthful before answering.
"Hack and I will. On each side."
"I'll take over with the Sheriff here later on. Sound good, Rick?" Satch asked, and Rick nodded as he chewed.
"Just fine."
"It's set then. I suspect we'll reach the first decent town tomorrow morning, according to the maps, but I want to watch for houses or businesses along the way."
"Yeah, Burkville is comin' up, but it's a dry county. There's a lot of liquor stores along the way when you start getting close."
"Hell yeah." Phoenix grinned but Whit shook his head sternly.
"Don't you even think it. I see you pick up a bottle and I'll shove it down your throat."
"Open the cap first, Lt." Phoenix raised an eyebrow and Whit stopped, looking at him silently for a moment. Finally, a smile broke out over his face and he shook his head, shoving the last forkful of beans into his mouth.
They bunked in three tents, large ones that fit at least four people each, giving them a little room to separate. Jimmy and Rick passed out quickly, in a tent with Preacher, leaving Hacker and Whit to watch over them. It was quiet, peaceful, and Rick slept hard. Still, a couple hours later, when he heard a groan in the distance, he snapped to, and sat up quickly. Jimmy slept, unmoving, and Rick shoved his head out of the tent to see what was going on. Whit was jogging back from a short distance away, a walker's body outlined on the ground behind him and a knife in is hand that he was wiping on his pants. Good, Rick thought. They knew how to be super quiet. It was only Rick's hyper awareness that had made him wake up, anyone else would sleep right through that. Knowing then he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, he got up and relieved Whit from watch duty.
The sun rose slowly and pink and red in the sky at dawn. Rick sat on the ground, leaning against the frame of the bulldozer and watched it, wondering what Ruby was doing right then. There was no way he could know that she was, in fact, doing the very same thing at that moment. She sat at the window in the living room and watched the colorful orb burst forth from the edge of the earth, the shadows of the previous night evaporating in front of it. She been up most of the night, unable to sleep without her partner beside her. She hated it, but she was so jealous of Maggie and Beth right then, cuddled in bed with their loves.
"Ruby. Are you alright?" Carol was surprised to see her when she walked in, and Ruby jumped a little, startled out of her thoughts.
"Yeah."
Carol frowned. "Don't tell me you've been up all night. You're going to be exhausted."
"I'll be fine." Ruby sighed, and Carol mirrored it exactly.
"Come on. I'll make you some tea. I hope Rick finds coffee while he's out there. It's been a rough last week without it."
"Yeah, I think we're all missing it." Ruby said, taking a place at the table and watching Carol. "How far away do you think they are now? Do you think they drove all night?"
"I don't know, sweetie. But really, please don't worry."
"Yeah, quit yer worryin." Daryl spoke up behind them as he walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water, beside Carol at the sink. "They're fine. But I need your help today. That back fence needs to be reinforced. You up for it?"
"Daryl, you've had her out there all yesterday, let her rest." Carol chimed in and he rolled his eyes and took a long drink.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize she was such a delicate flower." He said, sarcastically and Ruby gave a little, amused grin, still tinged with sadness. "What do you say, girl? I could use the help."
"I'll go change." Ruby took a deep breath and clicked her nails one last time on the table as she got up. Carol handed her a mug filled with tea as she left, and they watched Ruby take a sip as she left the room.
"I hate seeing her so worried. You think they'll be back soon?" Carol asked, and Daryl nodded.
"He ain't gonna leave that girl for very long. Fact is, I'd hate to be the person who tried to get in his way. You saw what happened to my brother when he screwed with him tryin to get back." He answered and Carol smiled at his insight.
"Very true." She handed him a cup of tea, and he grimaced a little but took it.
"Ugh.. Turnin' me into a hippie, woman."
"It's got caffeine." She answered softly, amused.
He raised his eyebrows a little and eyed the cup in his hand. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke right before downing the whole cup. "Hippie it is, then."
"Where are we going? I thought the fence needed to be fixed." Ruby said, confused, when Daryl led her out the front door and toward the cars.
"We'll get to it, hold onto yer britches." He chided, opening the passenger side of a nearby blue truck and standing back so she could get in. She tilted her head curiously but slid past him and into the cab. He shut the door behind her and tapped it before crossing across the vehicle and getting in. "You got yer gun and everything?"
"Always." She tapped her side with her finger and he started the car, pulling it to the gate. They were across and had the gate secured behind them quickly, and soon were driving quickly down the roadway toward the highway.
"Is it a secret?" She asked, watching him closely.
"Is what a secret?" He kept his eyes on the road as he spoke.
"Our destination. Forthcoming you are not."
He shrugged. "Figured you could stick around the house and drive yourself crazy thinkin', or we could go on down to Eddie's group and you could see Lola and the baby. You ain't been there in a long time, and I thought you'd like it."
She smiled at him, not really surprised. He was sweet, and every day saw him opening up a little more. "Thank you."
He looked at her briefly before sliding his eyes back to the road. "No problem. 'Sides, I wanna see if they got anything for the baby comin'. Their kid is getting' bigger, probably got a lotta stuff they ain't usin."
She chuckled, looking out at the land as they passed. He frowned, glancing at her. "Somethin' funny?"
She shook her head no, but he nearly jumped a little when she suddenly slid across the cab and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "I say it again," She said, returning to her spot. "Thank you."
He seemed embarrassed, coughed lightly, and stayed quiet the rest of the way to Eddie and Lola's place. Buck was on watch when they arrived, picking their way across the long ago burnt out trailers surrounding the small homestead. Buck whistled as they got closer and waved them in, and Eddie and Lola came out to meet them when they pulled to a stop.
"Well, hey!" Eddie said cheerfully, earning a smile from Ruby. "Where's Jimmy?" Lola held Lily's little hand between them, and the child tottered on her own.
"Out on a run with Rick and some of the guys from town. She's walking?" Ruby asked as she got out, coming closer to the little family.
"She's learning." Lola nodded and watched as Ruby got down on a knee and tickled the child's chin with her fingernail.
"Hey baby girl. How are you?" Ruby cooed, and the girl smiled brightly at her, showing off her large bottom teeth.
Eddie shook Daryl hand and put his fists on his hips. "Well, we're real glad to see ya. I was comin' out there anyhow in the next day or so."
"Yeah? Somethin' you needed?" Daryl asked and Eddie nodded.
"Got a new guy. Figured you should know before you show up and he surprises you, ya know? Don't want ya to shoot him after what happened with that ass, Tom."
"Where'd you find him?" Ruby stood and crossed her arms over her chest. It was instinctive at hearing Tom's name. Made her twinge with disgust.
"Up on the road, wanderin' back towards here. Mighty beat up, talkin' to hisself. You wouldn't believe it. I didn't think he was gonna make it, I tell ya. Runnin a bad fever and delirious. One 'a us been stayin bedside with him all the time in case he turned but it's been four days now and he's managed to get better."
"That's good. Aren't you scared, bringing people in like that? Especially with having Lily?"
"Nah, we've been watching him, and he couldn't hardly move anyhow. He ain't armed now and except for a smart mouth, I think he's pretty harmless at the moment, at least till he gets better. Especially with his handicap." Eddie explained and she tilted her head a bit.
"Handicap?"
Eddie nodded, picking up a mewing Lily and holding her tightly. "Yeah. Guy's only got one hand."
Daryl's head snapped up at that and they heard a breath escape his throat. "What'd you say?"
"Yeah, I know. Weird right? I say again I can't believe he made it like that." Eddie answered, but Daryl cut him off abruptly.
"Where is he?"
"You ok, Daryl?" Eddie had become alarmed at Daryl's reaction and it had made the others take notice. Now, all eyes were on the hunter.
"I said, where is he? Come on, now." Daryl blurted and Eddie frowned but pointed to a trailer behind them.
"He's in there. Canton's with 'em." Eddie barely got the words out before Daryl had turned and darted toward the trailer. Ruby was right behind him as he threw the door open with a clatter and rushed inside, freezing when he got to the door to the bedroom in the back. He stopped so suddenly that Ruby ran into his back and stumbled, but he didn't seem to notice. It was quiet for a moment, with Canton taken aback by his sudden appearance and reaction, and everyone except Daryl and the man in the bed utterly confused. Finally through, Ruby watched the man in the bed begin to chuckle weakly, his pale, deeply lined face hinting at a harshness she wasn't used to the people around her. There was something about him, she could tell it immediately. This guy was going to be trouble if they stuck around long enough.
The man cleared his throat painfully but smiled. "Well I'll be damned." He said weakly. "Hello, little brother."
"Merle." Daryl whispered, and Ruby's mouth fell open in surprise. She opened her mouth but any sound was cut off my rapid gunfire from outside. She felt her heart leap into her chest when it was followed by a sharp cry from both Lola and Lila, the toddler's extended and frightened.
Eddie got to the doorway of the trailer and shouted inside as gunfire picked up and echoed painfully in their ears. "Get out here! Walkers! They followed ya!"
Daryl had to put away his stunned shock at Merle's reappearance and he and Ruby ran back outside together. The sharp reports of bullets in the air had only increased and when they turned the corner to see past the trailers, he felt Ruby's hand grab the back of his shirt tightly as she raised her own weapon.
"Oh my god." She breathed and he raised his crossbow and fired. Just beyond the line of burnt out trailers, the yard was filling with the shambling bodies of the dead, and they weren't stopping.
"Get up there!" Daryl grabbed the back of Ruby's collar and hauled her forward, to a ladder on the trailer his brother was in. She scrambled up and stood, her gun joining the chorus of the others'. Running back to the door of the trailer, Daryl froze when a walker stumbled around the other side, almost getting to the door before he did. He dropped it with an arrow and switched to the gun at his side instead of his bow. Slamming the trailer's door closed tightly against further invasion, he rounded the metal structure and ran right into three more walkers before he could stop. His breath escaped his chest in a gasp when he felt their cold, slimy hands on his arms, and a gunshot near his face sounded, sending a cold sensation over his chest. He fired and two of the things in front of him fell to the ground just as his cold feeling grew and he realized he was covered in blackened, congealed blood. He wiped it away as best he could as he kept firing, trying desperately to not get it in his eyes. Another gunshot from right above cleared his path and he looked up. Ruby was staring down at him frantically, her hand outstretched to him.
"Daryl!" She was screaming. "Get up here!"
He reached up and grabbed her hand, letting her help to pull him up. He was almost there when a sharp yank and a pair of rotting hands grabbed his leg and pulled.