Oh boy Vindicators 3 Baaaabyyyyy!

Joy had to admit, she did enjoy how clingy Rick got sometimes after his adventures, after the Pickle Rick incident and after Rick's shower, she went out with Rick and Beth, stepping through the portal into the bar Rick had taken her to when they had first met made Joy look around, surprised at how everything looked the same, but it all felt different.

The people in the bar were no longer insanely fascinating, she recognized a few of the species, and she could tell that at a glance some recognized her for what she was, walking to the table she and Rick had shared once before she sat down and crossed one leg over the other before Rick joined her in her side of the booth.

"Throwback huh Baby?" he asked and she smiled at him as Beth sat across from them.

"I was just thinking that." she replied.

"So- are you two really thinking about having kids?" Beth asked and Rick looked at Joy who shrugged.

"I- I mean at this point I think we're less thinking about it and more trying," Rick explained to Beth who looked surprised.

"Wow, Dad, I didn't realize you wanted to have more kids," Beth commented.

"Y-Yeah well, I think that Joy and I have a shared life experience and we've got a strong enough relationship that we think that having a kid will be a good thing for us," Rick explained.

"I just mean- don't you think you're getting a little old to have kids Dad?" Beth asked before the Gazorpian waitress walked over.

"Welcome back," she looked at Joy with a small smile and nod. "Vodka?" she looked from Joy, who nodded, to Rick who also nodded and then at Beth who stammered out a quick:

"Uh, beer please?"

"Right away," she replied before moving behind the counter.

"If Rick needs to be younger he can always transfer his consciousness into a younger clone," Joy shrugged as she put her hand on Rick's thigh as Rick wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"If you think about it, that kinda makes me immortal," Rick replied as he unscrewed the lid of his flask and took a swig from it before handing the flask to Joy who took her own drink.

"So- Joy says you're a god?" Beth asked and Rick glanced at Joy for a moment before looking back at Beth.

"I am," he replied.

"How does that work?"

"Through science Beth," he said. "I wasn't born into the god business like Joy was, I earned it."

"Hey," Joy smiled at Rick who gave her a small grin.

"Joy earned her right of being a god too, she killed for her right to run her planet the way she sees fit."

"Did you do that too Dad?" Beth asked and Rick looked up at the Gazorpian barmaid who brought their drinks.

"Thank you," Joy smiled at her and she smiled back before walking away. "He's destroyed two universes that I know of," Joy commented as she sipped her vodka.

"Two? Jesus Dad," Beth said in horror as Rick shrugged and sipped his own vodka.

"Technically I only destroyed one, it's not my fault there was another one inside of that one." Rick replied as he slid his hand down Joy's chest, running his finger along the neckline of her dress.

"That's true," Joy replied as she took another sip of her own vodka.

"So you're comfortable with who my dad is?" Beth asked as she looked at Joy who nodded in response.

"Rick and I are very similar, I may not be as smart as him, but he and I are on equal footing at times." she said and Rick nodded as he leaned in, kissing Joy's neck. Joy smiled and sighed feeling Rick kiss her before her phone rang in her purse. "Probably just the kids," she said as she drew her phone from her purse and looked at it. "Let me out Babe,"

Rick moved out of the booth and Joy stepped outside to take the phone call while Rick slid back into the booth. "Dad, I like Joy, you know I do, but having kids with her?"

"Is this because of Joy or is it because of your mom?" Rick asked and Beth closed her mouth, looking surprised that he had asked that. "Because Beth, look, the fact is, I'm not with your mom anymore, I'm with Joy, and I deserve to have the life that she and I want, even if that means having kids, and speaking of kids, you should worry less about me and Joy having kids, and worry more about your own kids," he told her, Beth staring at Rick like he had lectured her.

When Joy got back Rick stood up and Joy slipped into the booth, putting her phone into her purse. "The kids okay?" Beth asked softly.

"Hm? Oh it wasn't the kids," she said as she picked up the vodka and took a drink of it.

"What did Elio want?" Rick asked.

"Just an update- he fixed the machine." she explained as she looked at him.

"Oh good to know," he said as she picked up her vodka and took another drink.

After getting home a few hours later Rick watched as Beth collected her kids from Joy's house and then brought them home. When they were gone he looked at Joy and ran his fingers through her hair.

"So what did Elio want?" he asked and she smiled as she leaned against him.

"They found another group of people who were trying to fight against the new ways," she explained. "There was a scuffle, a few people are dead."

"Anyone you know?"

"Maybe by sight but I don't know the whole planet," she shrugged as Rick wrapped his arm around her and using the hand in the back of her hair tilted her head up to press a long kiss to her lips.

"You wanna go upstairs and try again?" he asked and Joy smiled widely before nodding.

"Yeah, let's go try and make a baby,"

Looking back on it Joy wasn't sure if it was the openness of taking with her family that day during family therapy, sharing what was happening on her planet, or if it was the alcohol, but she was happy that whatever it had been, because that night everything came together, and four weeks later Joy walked out of the bathroom holding the pregnancy test in her hand before walking out to the garage where Rick and Morty were working, Rick was working on a device on the workbench and Morty was using a handheld vacuum to suck up a mess of Venutian slugs.

"Don't let any of those things get away, Morty. If their DNA gets into Earth's food chain, our entire species could be sterilized." Rick was explaining to Morty who looked frustrated.

"Then why aren't we killing them?!"

"Right, Next time I need a species sterilized, who's gonna do it for me? You?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at Joy who had stuck the pregnancy test into her pocket.

As he looked back to check on Morty a humming chime started to come from the shelf next to the door, Joy stepped further into the garage and looked at the shelf, spotting the Vindibeacon they had gotten the summer before.

"Uh-oh," she commented as she walked over to the workbench and pulled herself onto it, handing Rick a screwdriver which he took and then looked at Morty.

"Oh, Rick! I-Is that the Vindibeacon? We're being called to assemble by the Vindicators!" Morty said excitedly.

"I refuse to answer a literal call to adventure, Morty. Let it go to voicemail!" he demanded, obviously not in the best mood since he let the slugs get loose.

"Rick, the Vindicators only call when the universe itself is at stake! They're first line of defense against evil! They're the guardians of the unguarded!"

"They're the galaxy's only group of quote unquote "heroes" who hire social media managers," Joy mumbled to Rick who snorted.

"They're the writers of their own press releases, Morty! They're a bunch of drama queens that spend an hour talking and twenty minutes jumping around while shit blows up. They're a phase. We did one, it was the big event of that summer. Let it die."

"I, Morty Smith, invoke my right to choose one in every ten Rick and Morty adventures." Morty held out his Morty adventures card making Rick groan. "Read 'em and weep."

"God... fuckin' dammit!" he took the card and slammed it onto the workbench. "Fine! But don't say I didn't warn you." he pulled a stamp from a small shelf and slammed it on the last remaining square before tossing the card into the trash.

"Yes!" Morty said excitedly before pressing a button on the Vindibeacon and speaking into it. "Vindicator command ship, beacon received! We're doing Vindicators Twoooooooooo!"

Joy watched with a smile before a pigeon flew down and picked up one of the slugs.

"Whoops! Uh, Morty, you might want to freeze some sperm." Rick suggested as Joy hopped off of the counter and ran to the door, spotting the pigeon she held her hands together before swinging them apart, the pigeon exploding and the slug plopping onto the ground.

"Get it together guys," Joy sighed before walking over to the slug and picking it up, bringing it back into the garage and tossing it to Morty who let out a startled yelp.

"Baby, you wanna come do Vindicators with us?" Rick asked as Joy pulled herself onto the workbench again.

"Sure," she shrugged.

"Rick I don't know, what if- what if they don't like that?"

"Well they're literally begging me to come to help them- beggars can't be choosers," Rick shrugged before looking at Joy. "Go pack us some clothes Baby, I've got to pack a few things that we might need." he explained and Joy nodded.

"Got it," she agreed, cupping his face and giving him a quick kiss before hopping off of the workbench again, stepping right onto one of the slugs. "Eugh, gross, Morty, clean this shit up before you go."

"Oh y-yeah, I'll finish that, sorry Joy."

"It's fine," she said as she scraped her foot on the floor of the garage and then walked out, going across the street where all thoughts of telling Rick the news escaped her head and she focused instead on packing a bag with a few days worth of clothes for her and Rick.

After finishing packing the bag Joy paused at the doorway to their room before she set the bag down and walked down the hall, looking at the rooms they'd given Morty and Summer to use while they were there, then she looked over at the last bedroom, the one that had been hers growing up. It was spacious, it was sunny and it would be perfect.

Smiling now Joy walked outside, pausing when she saw a round top shuttle craft landing on the street by The Smith's driveway. Jogging over as wind swept her hair back Joy walked over to Rick who handed her a bag that she stuck inside of their overnight bag before Morty came outside with a backpack.

"Alright, let's do this stupid shit," Rick sighed as a ramp extended and he stepped onto it, holding Joy's hand. She stepped onto it with him and Morty behind her and the three walked up into the shuttle, the ramp drawing back and the door closing automatically.

"The shuttle is remotely flown," Morty explained to Joy as he stowed his backpack in an overhead compartment like on a train and then sat down.

"Yeah all their money and this still looks like the set for a stupid novel to take place on a train," Rick mumbled as he took the bag from Joy and stowed it before sitting down on the aisle seat, Joy taking the one by the window.

"Well, hopefully this is worth it," Joy smiled at Rick who rolled his eyes.

"It's not." he assured her.

When they finally got out of Earth's atmosphere Joy leaned against Rick's shoulder, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. "This is stupid," she mumbled as Rick wrapped his arm around her.

"I know Baby,"

"I met that idiot Vance one time when I was traveling." she told Rick who scoffed.

"Where at? A mall opening?"

"Bar opening,"

"Same diff." he scoffed as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. "It'll be about an hour or two before we get to their ship," he told Joy and Morty. "Get some rest while you still can."

"Way ahead of you," Joy replied as she drew her legs up, tucked them under her and curled against Rick, sighing as she closed her eyes to take a nap.

When Joy woke up it was to Morty excitedly chattering and the sounds of the shuttle docking. "God dammit Morty, I told you not to wake Joy up." Rick sighed and Morty looked at her guiltily as she rubbed her eyes.

"It's fine," she told Rick, patting his leg. "Don't worry about it."

"Alright, well, uh, here we are," Rick said as he took Joy's hand, his other hand holding their bag. "Let's get this shit over with." Rick said to the two of them, Morty bounding through the door of the shuttle the moment it opened.

"Please stand still while we check you in to Vindicators HQ," a tall thin white robot said in an electronic voice before scanning Morty's face. "Morty Smith, welcome to Vindicator's HQ." the robot scanned Rick's face next. "Rick Sanchez, welcome to Vindicator's HQ." the robot then turned to Joy and scanned her face, the pleasant voice suddenly announcing "ERROR UNKNOWN PERSON, ERROR ERROR."

"Jesus- Rick!" Morty clapped his hands over his ears before a woman came floating into the area, she had purple skin, an impossibly tiny waist and was surrounded by small floating planets. Supernova, Joy had seen her in press releases, and heard Rick ranting about her before.

"Rick, Morty," she greeted them before looking at Joy. "Who is this?"

"My- My wife, can you shut that thing up?" Rick asked before Supernova waved a hand at the robot that silenced it and then it went rolling away.

"I don't recall asking you to bring your… Your wife, really?"

"Yes," Rick replied a little testily. "And you didn't, but seeing as she's my wife, I brought her with me."

"I just don't see how a human with no conceivable powers aside from the ability of poor judgement is going to help us." Supernova said as she looked Joy over, Joy giving her a tight smile before stepping forward.

"Wrong on both counts Sweetheart," she said. "I have power you couldn't even dream of Princess,"

"Okay," Rick chuckled a little nervously, stepping forward and grabbing Joy's shoulder. "Come on Baby, leave- leave the dumb star lady alone," he said as he guided Joy out of the landing zone.

After putting their bags in a hallway to be put into rooms for them later Joy joined Rick and Morty and the rest of the Vindicators to a meeting room, looking around she noticed that some of the other Vindicators seemed to be missing and she looked at Rick who shrugged.

"I guess we got here early," Morty looked excited at the idea while Rick rolled his eyes.

"Vindicators, Worldender is back," Supernova floated over to the table, a hologram showing the image of Worldender in the middle of the table. "and this time, he's out to end more than worlds. We have reason to believe his stronghold is located on-"

"-My balls." Rick interrupted, Joy sniggering at the comment.

"Rick! Joy!" Morty protested and Joy looked at Rick who grinned at her.

"-The Terraneus system. Once in range, Million Ants will scan for pheromone activity, which should lead us to the location of the base." Supernova already sounded done with Rick.

"Oh, that's Million Ants. I can't see the ants over here. It just assumed that was, uh, Turd Man. Wiggly Turd Man." Rick said as he looked over at Million Ants, Joy sniggering again.

"Rick, Joy, stop!" Morty insisted.

"Rick, do you and your wife have something to add to the briefing?" Supernova asked as she looked between Rick and Joy.

"Uh, yeah, just a few more design notes." he said. "Just- Just trying to familiarize Joy with all this bullshit," he pointed to the guy to Joy's left who looked like a giant alligator had fucked a tank. "Um, this guy. The, uh... The, uh…"

"I am Crocubot." it opened its mouth to speak but didn't move its mouth as it spoke it had some sort of machine in the back of its throat.

"Right, Crocubot. So, you're half-cold, unfeeling reptile, half-also cold, equally-unfeeling machine." Rick put his hand on the back of Joy's chair.

"Yes."

"So, your origin is what? Y-You fell into a vat of redundancy?" he asked, Joy snorting as she swatted his arm.

"Be nice," she smiled at him.

"Got damn!" a smaller vindicator who was sweeping in the background grinned at Rick's jab.

"Noob-Noob, we're having a briefing!" Supernova said to the other Vindicator before turning to Rick and Joy. "If I can continue, Rick. I anticipate sophisticated security measures. I trust you can be of service there."

"Well, let me check my list of powers and weaknesses. Ability to do anything... But only whenever I want... Yeah, that sounds like a job for me." Rick nodded, his hand resting on the back of Joy's chair.

"I wish he had the ability to check is attitude." a beefy man with a glowing train whistle around his neck commented.

"That's Alan Rails, Baby. After his parents' tragic death in a railroad accident, he gained the power to summon ghost trains. It's not all bad, though. They were spared having to see their grown son wear a whistle!" Rick explained to Joy who smiled tightly and nodded to Alan who looked like he wanted to throw down with Rick right then.

"Got damn!" Noob-Noob called again, obviously loving Rick's commentary.

"Thanks, Noob-Noob! This guy gets it." As Rick spoke the doors opened and Joy rolled her eyes as Vance Maximus flew in on his jet pack before landing by the table and drinking from a martini glass.

"Vance Maximus, Renegade Star Soldier!" Morty said in awe and Joy looked at Rick who rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Sorry I'm late. It was happy hour." Vance said as he looked around and everyone but Rick and Joy laughed.

"Uh, I have also been late because of my drinking and mentioned it to zero applause." Rick pointed out, drawing Vance's attention.

"Rick Sanchez, Tinkerer of Terror. Man, that's hard to say. And... Morty, right?" Vance looked from Rick to Morty.

"Whoa, yeah!" Morty gasped, excited that Vance had remembered his name.

"I never forget a kid." he looked from Morty around the table before doing a double take at sight of Joy. Flying across the table he landed between Joy and Crocubot to Joy's discomfort. "And who is this? I don't think I've met you before Gorgeous, Vance Maximus," he introduced himself to her and she looked over at Rick.

"Ah, Joy Sanchez," she introduced herself. "Mrs. Tinkerer of Terror," she smiled at him and he looked from her to Rick.

"Huh," he said as he looked at her. "You uh, you're married to-"

"To Rick, yeah." she nodded with a tight smile, holding up her left hand to show her wedding ring.

"Well okay." he moved back to the other side of the table, walking this time, not flying his little jet pack and Joy looked over at Rick who rolled his eyes but pulled Joy's chair closer to his. "Well, uh, what do you say, Vindicators? Let's make this three for three?" his comment was met by joyous applause.

"Did he say three for three?" Morty asked.

"Did he say he never forgets a kid?" Rick replied as he looked at Joy who raised her eyebrows.

"You mean "two for two", right, Vance?" Morty asked as the 'heroes' looked around almost guiltily.

"Actually, we assembled a second time last summer to fight Doomnomitron." Supernova explained and Joy lifted her eyebrow as she looked over at Morty who looked almost crushed to hear that.

"So, this is... Vindicators 3? And you guys did Vindicators 2... w-without us?" he asked.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Million ants spoke up. "I sense... insecurity."

"Are you sure there's not just a picnic nearby?" Vance asked and again everyone but Rick, Joy, and this time Morty laughed.

"I guess he found his crowd. Pretty toothless stuff, guys." Rick mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

The rest of the meeting went fine, they were brought up to speed on the whole Worldender situation and after that they were invited to dine with the rest of the Vindicators as they wouldn't make it to the Terraneus system before morning.

After a dinner where Rick and Joy sat aside from everyone else they were shown to their rooms, Joy was sharing with Rick and Morty, and after showering and getting into her nightgown she climbed into bed and looked at Rick who was undressing to take his own shower after Morty got out of his.

"Babe, I'm exhausted," she told him.

"You feeling okay?" Rick asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, just tired, I'm going to go to sleep okay?"

"Alright," Rick moved over to her and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips. "We're not going to keep you up are we?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No," she smiled. "I brought my eye mask," she held up the silk eye mask she'd brought from home before wrapping her arms around Rick's neck and giving him another kiss. "And don't worry, Morty will outgrow these assholes," she assured him. "Just let him see who they really are,"

"You got it Baby," Rick gave her one more final kiss before letting go of her as Morty opened the bathroom door, walking out in his pajamas.

"Rick, it's your turn."

"Goodnight Baby," Rick said to Joy softly, Joy smiling at him as he stroked the back of her hair before she put on the silk eye mask, laid down, turned to face the wall and fell asleep.

When she woke up it had only been a few hours and Rick was roughly shaking her shoulder. "Was'rong?" she asked sleepily as she lifted the eye mask off of her eyes.

"B-Babe," Rick said drunkenly. "I need you to help me kill Worldender,"

"Isn't that what we're here to do?" Joy asked as she rubbed her eyes. "And are you drunk?"

"Yeah but those- those fuckin assholes, they'll never fuckin let us actually kill him, it'll be four hours of getting caught in stupid traps, fuckin' not letting us kill anyone but henchmen, and a whole bunch of pointless monologual bullshit." Rick told her as she blinked sleepily at him. "Drunk or not, Baby, you know I'm right."

"Yeah okay," she sighed as she slipped out of the bed and put on a pair of slippers before Rick opened a portal, yawning as they both stepped through it.

Please review, I love reading people's thoughts on the story and it lets me know how people are feeling about the direction of the story!