Rube was so tired, so drained, that he didn't even realize that his door was unlocked when he walked in. Or even that the lights were on, there was food on the stove, and Van Morrison was playing on his record player.
He only realized something was up when he saw a girl sitting in one of his chairs, listening to the record, and sipping that nasty herbal tea of hers he thought he threw out. She was staring out the window, down into the street, with a sad expression on her face.
"Cal?" He asked in shock, and Rube was rarely shocked.
She looked up, a wide grin replacing the melancholy. "Hey old man!" She jumped up, putting down the tea, and hugged him tightly.
He sighed, hugging her back tightly. She was so much different then his daughter was today. Despite being much thinner than usual, she was still there and alive (or as alive as someone who is undead can be). She wasn't weak or frail, she'd never be weak and frail if she could help it.
Taking her shoulders, Rube pushed Cal back so he could get a good look at her. She had tears in her eyes, but he knew they were in his as well.
She was paler than normal, her pronounced cheekbones and tired bloodshot eyes all telling him that she hadn't been eating as well as she should.
But those green eyes were the same, and so was the quirky smile, pert nose, and the light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
"Blue start bothering you kid?"he laughed, picking up a strand of her naturally dirty blonde hair.
She scrunched her nose, "A little." She admitted. "I was cleansing myself, no harmful substances, makeup, junk food, etc."
"And does that include not eating?"
She glared at him, "Half my trip back was on some big fucking boat, I didn't bother eating after I puked up two days worth of food. And the plane ride didn't help." She whined. "I'm never traveling again! And you cant make me." She sat back down in her chair.
Rube laughed, "Well then you can stay behind while we go on our upcoming 'vacation.' This time we're getting California."
Cal sighed dramatically, "Fine, but I'll just be drugged out of my mind for the trip."
"What happened to the whole purification thing?" Rube was going into the secret cabinet where he hid, from Mason, all his good booze.
"Pshhhh! What happens in Tibet stays in Tibet. So yes I'll have some scotch. I'm gonna dye my hair again, maybe red this time, or green, but not pucky green." She pointed to the second cup Rube held up. "I think I'll try that whole vegetarian thing out for a while."
"Its all bullshit to me. Speaking of food?"
"Ohhhh yeahhhh!" Cal jumped up and ran to the stove.
"Let me guess, its either pasta and pesto or stir fried tofu."
"Pasta, and you know you love it." She stirred the soup a little then lowered the heat.
"I do, and your lucky I like the one of the two things you can cook well." Rube handed her the glass.
"Bastard." She grinned and they clinked glasses.
He sat back and grinned at his sixth reaper who had been awol for almost two years. And he was sure as hell happy she was there. Cal being here was already helping with that horrible ache hes been feeling all day.
"You know, I cant help but think that you being here on this day isnt a coincidence."
Her eyes went all wide and innocent, "What do you mean?"
"Cal, I know when your bullshitting me, you and Mason are terrible at it."
She sighed, "I was in England. I was planning to come back in a month or so, but I got a phone call. A little birdy told me to get my shit together and head over because someone I loved was about to get a little more fucked up."
Rube sighed, "Eloquently said. So Penny called."
"This morning, I got here maybe two hours ago. I decided it may not go so well if I showed up there."
Rube shook his head, "I needed to do it all alone. But thanks kid. You help more than you know."
"Well I do owe you for all the times you pulled me out of my ubiquitous all-consuming pits of wallowing misery."
"Song of yours?" He asked the sometimes songwriter.
"Nope, right off the top of my head." Cal leaned foward and put a reassuring hand on his knee. "But seriously. I'd do this for you any day, whether I owed you or not Ruby."
He grabbed her hand, almost desperately, and squeezed it. "I know kiddo."
A little while later Rube and Cal were on the couch, drinking tea, playing scrabble, and listening to Neal Young this time.
"Ah! T-E-L-E-V-I-S-I-O-N." Cal put, then said. " Something R-U-B-E needs to G-E-T."
"Oh look, S-H-U-T-U-P. Something C-A-L needs to D-O." He however put all the words down on the board.
"Oiy! Hey that's illegal! That's so illegal!"The record began skipping and she started to curse and fumble up to fix it.
"How did you find those records I thought I hid them."
"Ummm you did, but you forget that I am not like Mason. I'm not stupid."
"Its not that Mason's stupid, he just gets distracted by the booze."
"Is it bad?" She asked as she spelled out C-E-S-S-E-S-I-O-N.
"He quit cold turkey for three weeks."
"And he fell off the wagon?"
"He had to dress up as a clown and perform at a little kids party for a reap."
"Ouch."
Rube spelled out R-E-A-P.
"Wow, now that is unoriginal. At least do a synonym"
"Shut it. Its gotten worse though. With this whole Daisy and Ray thing. And of course there's you."
"Whaaaa?"
"Now don't start up that guilt complex of yours, but your leaving may have fucked him up a bit more."
She dropped her scrabble pieces and looked up, eyes wide. "Oh come on, I mean it couldnt have meant that much to him."
Rube sighed, "You're all fucking blind aren't you! He loves you, he always has. You mean more to him then...booze does!"
"You really think so? What about this Daisy?"
"That's mostly his down stairs talking, and lonlieness from not having you around to tolerate him."
"And me? What's thinking his thingy or his brain?"
"Both."
"Oh goody." She said giddily, but still serious.
"Weren't you two, you know together before?"
"Huh, oh yeah, but not really intensely. I didn't think Mason wanted that."
"Are you kidding? The fuck up was scared to death that you didn't want that. Its why he didn't do anything."
"We''re all fucked up aren't we." She sat back on the couch.
Rube shrugged. "Yeah." Sitting back with her, and she put her head down on her shoulder. "But we can all be fucked up together."
"One big happy undead fucked up sort of family." And they both started laughed, even though it wasnt funny at all.
It was well into the early morning by the time Rube woke up again. His arm was asleep underneath Cal's head.
Stretching, he carefully slid out from under her, "Come on kid, time to actually go to bed." He picked her up, "This is much easier with you then it was with Mason."
That got her attention, "Huh?"
"I'll tell you later." He dropped her down on the bed, and turned to go back to the couch.
"Noooooo, I'll take the couch Ruby. Your all old and stuff, it'll throw your back out."
Rube sighed and cuffed her on the back of the head lightly.
"No really, stay."
He turned and looked at her.
"Pleaseeeee."
Oh god, he thought, she's sticking out the bottom lip.
"I was real close to having a bad dream before you woke up, so if I go to sleep again it'll come back."
"You realize that makes no sense."
She shrugged and pulled on his hand like a five-year old.
He sighed and got in the bed, only to have a very annoying reaper press her abnormally cold feet against his ankles.
"Fucker! I will push you off the bed." He growled, and she just giggled. "You smoking again, what about the cleansing thing?"
"I said, what happens in tibet stays in tibet, anyway I was in London, they all smoke! Peer pressure, it was aweful. Plus its not like its gonna hurt me. Better than the nasty ass cigars you like."
That earned her a light slap on the head, and she pressed her feet against his ankles again.
"Don't think I wont!"
As soon as her giggling stopped she talked again, "Rube."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry about your daughter."
He felt his chest grow tight, "I am too kiddo. But just so you know, I'm glad you're here. Your, well your like a daughter to me."
Rube could see her eyes growing unusually bright, "I didnt have anyone, ever. Well until I started working, but all those role models and father figures were way twisted. What I'm trying to say is that your like a dad to me Rube."
"Thanks kid." He chuckled.
There were a few moments of silence, then, "Rubbbbbyyyyyyyyy."
"Yes?"
"Your my favorite daddy."
"Go to sleep kid.