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.

Welcome to the third part of the Rick's Ruby series! To all you who have stuck with me on this craziness, I thank you for coming back for more. :) Please note, some itty bitty stuff and thangs (hee hee Noell!) have been honed slightly. For instance, the notes will be at the end of the chapters now, so make sure you keep an eye out for those. I will also try to make the change in POV a little more pointed, it was brought to my attention that it could be confusing. Please excuse small mistakes in spelling and stuff, I am having trouble with my spell check software. It shuts down the program when I run it so I have to do this on my own. Blah. You'll notice the rest as we go along, nothing too big. Anyway, I truly hope you enjoy this, and much thanks to you all for your reviews, your notes, critiques, and general all around beautiful selves. Much love!

Rick/OC, no slash, rated R for graphic lovin' and ass kickery.

*****This particular story is dedicated to Bnoell14, who has been my co-captain, sister in arms, and partner in crime in this endeavor. Could NOT have done this without you, girl.******************

*Ruby*

Ruby pushed the branches of the low hanging tree to the side and stepped through quietly. Fatigue hung over her like a blanket, making her movements clumsier than usual, slower to react. She was grateful there wasn't an influx of dead in this area, with her low reserves of ammo and strength that would end badly.

"Come on..." She murmured when she broke through the trees and spotted a small country road. She had no idea where she was. Daryl kept telling her it was near a town but the woods were so dense and the few places she'd found so far looked like they'd been abandoned in the sixties, not when the world went to shit. This place was no different. Another dead end.

Stepping around the tiny shack, falling in on itself and overgrown with weeds, she saw an even smaller gas station. It was painted orange, and a beat up, rusty brown truck sat out front. Now we're talking, she thought. It looked worn out but drive-able, but it would probably be drained of gas or broken down, like all the others she'd found. She had to get Daryl back to the farm, get back to Rick. It had been two nights and now three days since she'd seen either, and the thought of the handsome Sheriff was all that was driving her forward.

It looked deserted, deep grasses waved lazily all around it and she crossed the small lot to the front of the building, keeping low in case it wasn't really empty. Last thing she needed was to run into other survivors right now. If something happened to her, Daryl would be alone at the tiny bait store that she had managed to barricade. The leg wound he'd gotten when they'd wrecked the bike had all but hobbled him temporarily. If they'd been anywhere close to the farm, they would have been fine, but the run they had taken and the detour they'd been forced on with a small herd passing through had ruined that. Now she was stuck, but if she could get this truck to work, she could get him back where they were safe.

Going to the front window of the gas station, she saw that it was a simple one room affair. Nothing stirred inside, and she moved around to the front door. It had been kept closed, that was probably the only reason no walkers had drifted in. The door stuck, but she hit it with her shoulder and it bounced free in front of her. Her eyes adjusted to the dimness and she quickly scanned the room for any walkers she may have missed through the window. The smell hit her then, and she covered her nose with her arm, and walked around a set of shelves. A body lay on the floor behind it, the source of the smell, and she turned away from the thing, scanning the shelves for anything she could use. It was oil, parts, most of it gone, nothing useful for her current situation. Stepping over the rotted body, she walked behind the counter where the till was. Crouching down, she peered to the back of the messy shelves there. It must have been where the workers put their personal belongings, lunch, things like that, because towards the back and past torn papers and trash, she found a large Cup 'O Noodles and two small bags of Cheetos. It wasn't much, but it was something. Taking the bag off her back, she shoved the food in, and did one last scan. On the bottom, she found two cans of coke. Hell yes. Grinning, she added those to her bag and fastened it back tightly. She stood up and brushed herself off. One last sweep of the store told her there was nothing else. No keys to the vehicle outside, no more food, nothing she could use. Sighing, she headed back out into the sunlight.

Opening the door to the rusty brown truck gently, she winced when it squeaked loudly. Pausing, she looked around, and saw nothing, so she dove into the cab and felt around for keys. Please, let them have left them behind. Just a break, please... I need a freakin miracle. But there wasn't one to have. The keys were gone and she had no idea how to hotwire the thing. Sighing, she hit the wheel in frustration, and the horn beeped a shrill but short call. Damn! She thought and slid out of the truck, anxious to get away. She'd been out looking all day, and the sun was low in the sky. It would be set in an hour and half, as best she could figure. Wiping her brow with the short sleeve of her shirt, she grimaced. It would have been better not to have done that, she was filthy and there was now a smear of mud on her arm from the dirt and sweat mixing. Darting back into the trees, she heard the first moans and drags of the walkers behind her, probably drawn to the short horn beep. She was going to have to be more careful. If Daryl was depending on her to survive this, he could do a hell of a lot better, she thought grimly.

As she made her way back through the trees and past a small lake, back to the bait shop off the gravel road, she managed to stay away from the walkers. The last thing she needed to do was waste her ammo and draw more, so her sidearm stayed tucked into her waist band, and she stayed low. When she heard a groan or a shuffling, she just went around it, keeping her eyes and ears open. Slinging her bag more firmly across her back, she pulled herself over the culvert she was climbing through and jogged up the embankment. The road lay dusty and hot, stretched out a short distance and vanishing around bends on either side. She realized she's misjudged where the store sat, she could see the turn off down the road to the right, and she started to walk quickly

The sun was dipping below the horizon when she reached the back door of the building. A walker was drifting around the front when she'd skittered by, staying low and quiet. Stepping over the trip wire she'd put up when she'd left, she used the key they'd found when they had searched the place the first night and unlocked the back door. Slipping in, she locked it back tightly and went to the office quickly. It was dark inside without windows in the back room, cooler than the growing southern heat of the early summer outside, and she picked up a flashlight from the counter next to the door where she'd left it. Clicking it on, she made her way through the space to the manager's office where she knew she'd find Daryl. The place was bigger than it looked from the outside. The back was short under the graduated tin roof, but elongated into a brighter front room lined with windows that overlooked the small lake out front. It was nothing but a stocked pond once upon a time, something for kids and old people to practice their fishing skills.

"I'm back." She said when she let herself into the small room. The owner had a cot there, a tiny little tv and a mini fridge. He must have either lived there or spend nights often, and Daryl was laying down at the moment, an arm thrown over his face. With the covered window, the room was dim, difficult to see in without the narrow beam of light she held. "How you feelin'?"

He pulled the arm away and looked at her through half closed eyes. "I was getting worried." He said grumpily, and she frowned. He was hurting. Crossing to the desk, she put the flashlight on it's end so she could see, put her bag down and sat on the edge, wiping her brow tiredly.

"Sorry. I went a little further today, but there was still nothing to get us back home, not yet. Tomorrow will be better." She put her dirty fingers on her chin and bit her lip as she watched him. He shifted and winced, making her cringe a little. Going to the edge of the cot, she knelt down on her knees. "How is it?"

"It's fine." He lied, but she pulled apart the ripped cloth of his pants up and saw the long gash he gotten when the bike had landed on top of him and they both skidded down the concrete. A small group of walkers had been on the gravel road, unseen around a bend, and Daryl had been going too fast to stop. Ruby had actually felt one of their hands grasp at the back of her tee shirt when they'd whizzed through the first two, turning slightly to miss a third, and then the pain of the bike going down sending them both flying. She'd landed in the tall grass a little ways away, getting only some nasty bruises that were just now starting to turn a sick yellowing color across her body, but he had fared much worse, taking the brunt of the impact between the gravel and the bike. Despite his injuries, Daryl had still managed to shoot three of the things before she'd regained her bearings, retrieved her gun, and helped shoot the rest. Thank god there were only half a dozen- any more and one or both of them might not be sitting there then.

"I need to get some actual bandages, clean it better."

"Can't spare the water. Besides, you got the gravel out, it'll be fine." He mumbled, covering his eyes again. He was right. All they found in the station was a 12pk of bottled water, and five of those were gone.

"We'll manage." She said firmly. He was NOT going to die of blood poisoning just because she wanted a drink. Grabbing a nearby bottle and a fairly decent rag made out of a tee shirt stocked in the station, she began to clean the bottom of the wound.

Daryl spoke while she worked, and she knew he was trying to take his mind off the pain. His poor face was so strained and pale that it broke her heart and she tried to be as gentle as she could. "So, what'd you see out there?"

"More of the same. Went cross the highway, to the south. The cars I found were broken, or drained. You really need to teach me how to hotwire, though. Found a truck maybe would have worked if I had been able to at a little gas station about five miles away. No houses still, I mean, nothing good. Saw a burnt down trailer and a fallen shack. We really are in the boondocks, aren't we?"

"You don't know how to hot wire? It ain't hard. You should know how to by now." He said, and she grinned as she worked.

"Guess I've been a little busy. You know, learning how to shoot, oh, and that pesky running for my life thing."

"Excuses." He grumbled and she glanced up at him, still smiling. He met her grin with one of his own, and she started to wrap the wound on his leg with fresh rags. His pants were filthy, caked with mud and grime. It wouldn't do to let them touch the gash in his flesh, but he wouldn't take them off. She didn't blame him, he was way too shy.

"We really do need to get you some clean pants, though. I don't want to see what would happen if some of this got into that wound."

"Probably already did, it's fine. Ain't turned, have I?"

"God, please don't say that." She grimaced as she finished up and sat back, sighing deeply.

"Gotta deal with it, Ruby. Somethin' happens to me, you know what you need to do, don'tcha?"

"Quit it, Daryl." She said firmly, getting up quickly and going to the bag on the desk. She started to pull things out of it, obviously distressed by the topic of conversation.

"Ruby, say it." He said quietly, but firmly, and she set her jaw and turned irritatedly.

"Say what? You want me to shoot you, that it? Fine, you turn, I'll shoot you. Happy?"

"Ecstatic." He said dryly, and she couldn't help it. She chuckled a little, then put her hand to her head. Tiredness was overtaking her quickly, and she slumped against the desk. "I'm just sayin it's not like I got bit and got time to do it myself. If this infection gets worse, I could turn in my sleep, and you know it. I just wanna know you're gonna do what you need to do."

"I wouldn't let you walk around like one of those things, you don't have to worry, ok?" She grabbed a can of coke and one of the bags of Cheetos and brought it to him, sitting down in front of the couch. "Now, just eat, ok? This is actually something good for a change."

"Gettin' tired of peanuts?" He asked lightly, taking the bag from her and opening it. He was right- the only other thing in the station when they got there was a large tub of salted peanuts and since Daryl couldn't hunt they'd been living off them the last two days.

"Nah, beats chewing on sticks." She grinned, popping the can of coke open and taking a small sip. It was hot, but it tasted wonderful. "Ah, caffeine. I won't be sleeping tonight."

"Yeah you will." He said around a mouthful of chips. "You're beat. I shouldn't have let you go out there alone like that, not with the condition you're in."

She reached over and took a Cheeto from the beg he offered. "Don't even start on that. I've done worse plenty times before. And you really think it would have been easier dragging you along with me?"

"I could have hotwired that truck."

"True." She gave him that. "Don't worry about it. I'll find something tomorrow, we'll be back on the farm before you know it."

"I'm sure they're already out here lookin' for us. Just hope they realize how far north we went. Rick can't track for shit." He said, and she could hear his voice fading with fatigue, pain, and worry. The infection was really wearing on him and he knew it. It was the only reason he'd been talking the way he was about her having to shoot him. He never talked like that. It was making him loopy. Loopy and tired. He spent most of the last day and half asleep, tossing and turning fitfully in his troubled sleep with sweat running down his face and neck. She'd watched him, wiping at his brow with rags and praying to God that Rick and Paul found them soon, and kept safe while they were looking. Daryl had turned down a road they hadn't planned on taking when he'd seen tracks, and now they were much farther north than they'd told the others they would be.

"Get some sleep, Daryl." She whispered. He'd already closed his eyes, and she reached out, brushing his hair away from his eyes. He frowned in his sleep and shifted slightly, and she let out a long, low breath. Leaning forward, she laid her head on his stomach, just needing the closeness at the moment. His heart beat echoed in his body, she could hear it low and deep against her ear. It was comforting, and she smiled a little, closing her eyes. He moved again, and she felt his hand lay atop her head, stroking her tangled and messy hair with his rough fingers. He must have needed this, too.

Opening her eyes, she blinked rubbed her face with the back of her hand. She'd fallen asleep, and wondered how long she'd been out. Daryl had moved and thrown an arm around her neck. It was awkward, she was still sitting on the floor and faced out, leaning back against him, his arm around her in what would look like a choke hold. He'd curled up a bit, and she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. It made her smile. He was such a big tough guy, but he was like her. He missed the farm and the people there, and she was all he had. He was clinging to her the same way she was clinging to him, albeit not as literally, for sanity, for safety, to just feel human right now.

She wouldn't have moved him, but if there was one way she could tell she was pregnant it was the constant damn need to pee. As she slowly slid out from his grip, she silently thanked the universe that she didn't have the morning sickness Beth had been afflicted with. She could handle the body cramps, the tiredness, the vivid bruises from the accident, she could even handle having to go to the bathroom constantly, as long as it meant she could keep going. He murmured something in his sleep and she paused, not wanting to wake him. He slept deeper now, she'd never be able to get away with that if he was a hundred percent. Grabbing the flashlight, she made her way into the front room, then clicked it off again. The moon was shining through the windows, making just enough light for her to see clearly. She and Daryl had claimed opposing sides of the space for their business, and she went to hers, quickly dropping her jeans and going to the bathroom in a bucket there. It wasn't safe to go outside, so they had to make do and they were taking whatever privacy where they could get it.

Standing back up, she went to a shallow bucket near a long set of windows to wash up. Daryl had been smart, it had rained yesterday,morning, delaying her trip out, and he'd told her to put an empty bucket outside and bring it in after. Voila, they had fresh water to wash up in. She looked outside at the trees and the road as she rubbed the dirt and grime off her hands, then her face. Pulling her hair down out of the band she'd tied it up in, she grimaced when she caught a whiff of herself. Neither of them smelled too good, so it didn't much matter, but she could barely run her hands through her greasy, knotted hair. Giving up, she tied it back up into a knot on top of her head, and started to go when she saw the headlights flash from the road. Shit... She hadn't even heard the engine coming, she'd been so wrapped in her thoughts. Ducking down and pressing her back to the shelves, she closed her eyes and prayed they would just pass by.

*Rick*

"I'll be back by nightfall. Please don't worry." Ruby shoved a long sleeved pull over in her bag and looked back at Rick with a cheerful smile. "It's good, you know. Getting out, this baby is all Lola and Beth talk about and it's driving me crazy! I'm not even showing yet, can you imagine what it's going to be like? This is the best time, babe."

Rick leaned against the door and watched her skeptically. When she'd said she was going hunting with Daryl, all he could think about was tying her to the bed till the thought passed, but if he did that, she'd never talk to him again.

"I'm asking you not to go, he can handle it on his own." He'd insisted.

"Why should he have to? We're all eating here, he shouldn't have to do it all. When was the last time Paul or Glenn went out?" She said as she tugged a brush through her thick hair.

"He's good at it! He likes going alone."

"You are so stubborn."

"Me? You're the one insisting on going on a trip you don't need to. Did you really think I'd be for this?"

"No. I didn't. But he said he thought he saw a new herd of deer moving into the area, I can help. If we do good today, no one needs to go out for a while, and you know we need to restock the freezers."

"Why you?" He asked, going to the bed and sitting down. He looked so defeated that she came and sat down next to him, looking him right in the eye.

"Who else can use the crossbow? I can shoot while his hands are full." She said softly. It was a good point, he had to admit it. "I'm quick and fast, and we work well together. Merle could go but he still can't walk long distances without getting winded. If he tried to take somebody else, he'd just say they were slowing him down. I can't cook, and you and Paul won't let me pick up the feed bags anymore. I can't do another load of laundry with Beth, Lola and Carol, they won't stop talking about the pregnancies. If I hear another 'when the baby comes' I'm gonna lose my mind."

"I know. But don't you get where I'm coming from? I don't want to let you out of my sight." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Of course I do. I get it, and I swear I'll be careful. But look, I'm what? A month and ¾, maybe two, along, right?" She asked and he nodded. "Well, in another two months, I'm going to be a lot bigger, and I'm not going to be able to do these things. Try and take my big ass out into the woods and I'm gonna scare everything away tromping along like an elephant. You're gonna get sick of seeing me I'm going to be here so much, bored out my mind and following you around like a puppy.."

"That's not possible." He grumbled and she laughed lightly.

"I'm just saying, let me work now, while I still can. I want to help, I can't just shun my responsibilities because of this. It wouldn't be right, or fair."

He bit the inside of his cheek and considered her carefully. "You're going to be safe?"

"Of course."

"And you'll be back before the sun sets? No later." He raised an eyebrow and she held up a hand solemnly.

"On my heart."

"Where's your gun?" He asked and she pulled it from her hip, where she'd tucked it away. He checked it carefully, and glanced at her bag. "Extra ammo?"

"Two clips." She patted the bag and he nodded. Handing her the gun back, he frowned, but she knew she had him.

"If you're not back, I'm going to find you. And I'll kill Daryl."

"When has he ever not protected me, Rick? We'll be fine." She stood up and reached for his head. Pulling it to her stomach, she held it there firmly, and kissed his hair. "I'll be back in time for you to ravage me tonight. If you're not too tired."

He growled softly and looked up, pulling her down to his lips. His tongue danced with hers, back and forth, taking her breath away. When he finally pulled back, her cheeks were rosy and flushed, and her eyes bright. "Never too tired." He whispered, kissing the tip of her nose and her eyelashes. "I love you."

"I love you too." She murmured against his cheek.

"Guess we better get you out there. He's probably griping about having to wait and getting a late start."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "You keep kissing me like that and he can wait all day."

He raised his eyebrows. "Is that all it takes to get you to stay? Well, alright then..." He joked and leaned down again, but she stopped him with her two fingers on his lips.

"Oh no you don't. You're slick, buddy. But I have to go."

He'd walked her down, holding her hand tightly and not letting go until they met a small group around Daryl's bike in the front yard. He was checking something on the back wheel, and Rick had frowned. "You're taking the bike? Won't that scare the deer? And how are you going to get them home?"

"We're goin' off road. The herd's moved into a place a truck won't go. We're just goin to see how big it is is, if it looks like they're stayin' put. I can tie a big one on the back here." Daryl had explained, and Ruby looked satisfied with that. She looked up at Rick with a sure smile, and he relented.

"Be careful, Starlet. No hero complex, ok? Go and get back." Paul said, and Rick could see he wasn't any happier than he was at her going out. She'd been right. Getting pregnant had changed everything, they were doubting her leaving their eyesight now. He knew it was killing her, and he put on a brave face.

"I'm looking forward to you following me around like a puppy." He murmured into her ear when she'd finished hugging Paul and Maggie, and came back to kiss him one last time.

"Soon." She smiled, and he'd watched her get on the back of Daryl's bike. The engine revved and they were off, spitting up grass and small pebbles as they crossed the bridge and went across the field. The sun shone brightly off her hair as they drive away, and she'd looked back at him just as the bike went through the trees and down the path there, out of sight. He'd held a hand up in goodbye, his worry evident on his face.

Now, standing over a map stretched on the hood of the black truck, in the middle of the highway by the farm in the dim, rising sun, Rick was mentally kicking his own ass. Why had he let her go? He didn't care if she never spoke to him again, he should have tied her to that bed right then, when he had the chance.

Paul leaned over his shoulder and pointed to a road. "We haven't checked there yet. We should try it."

"Yes we did, remember? Yesterday when Maggie and I got off course, we were right by there." Glenn said from Rick's other side, and Paul frowned.

"But you only got the edge. Look at all these places they could be."

"We're try it again. Go further. I'm not coming home without her this time." Rick nearly growled it, and Glenn's mouth clamped shut.

"No, we won't. We'll find them, Rick. Today's the day, I can feel it." Paul said quickly. The big man hadn't slept since that first night Daryl's bike hadn't re-emerged from the trees, and he looked pale and strained. Rick looked worse. Two nights since had passed, and they'd spent every moment of every day since searching for the two lost members of their group.

"Here comes Whit." Glenn said, and Rick turned. True to form since the next morning, when Rick and Paul had raced to the town to see if Ruby and Daryl had gone there, Whit had brought a couple men in two trucks to help them look. They met on the highway every morning, right after day break.

"Got our territory ready?" Whit asked grimly as he hopped down, and Hacker followed from the other side of the truck.

"Yeah," Rick nodded, looking back over the map. When the two men reached him, he pointed to a place on the wrinkled paper. "We're moving north, splitting up here. You go there, we're going here."

"You really think they went that far north? The woods are too thick, nothing there, why would they go there?"

"We've tried south and east, and there was nothing. It makes sense." Paul said, and Whit frowned, but nodded.

"Alright. You know your man better than I do, if you think he'd try it, we should." Whit agreed, and nodded for Hacker to get back in. "We'll follow you to the place we split up, meet back there an hour before sunset unless you find something first."

"You got the walkie?" Paul reminded him, but Whit was already pulling the small black box from his pocket. He handed it off, and Rick took it, pinning it to his belt. Climbing quickly into the truck, they were off, racing down the highway. Rick gripped the steering wheel tightly, cursing himself. When he found her, he was never letting her out of his sight again.

****Well, first chapter down! I should explain, the title "Perpetuity" is a call back to just trying to find a medium in this world, if that's even possible. A way to exist and grow, to maintain what safety they've been able to find. They haven't been able to do that yet, so here's to keeping your fingers crossed. I truly hope you liked it, I didn't plan on starting like this but that's how it turned out. Will Ruby and Daryl get back to the farm and to their people? If I didn't leave you a little curious, I wouldn't be doing my job. ;) I look forward to your reviews and your thoughts, I live for them! Thanks for reading, and staying with me on this ride. Love you all!