Author's Note: So we're trying to get a few chapters posted in the next couple of weeks. Hope you guys enjoy!
We're Going On A Trip
Jeremy knew that Ruby wanted to ask something and the fact that she didn't outright ask was kind of freaking him out. The teen wasn't exactly known for tact or hesitation. Everyone else also picked up on it and so they were watching her watch Jeremy with an intense focus.
Hedy was mildly concerned that she was plotting some elaborate prank against him.
Eventually she got up and walked over to him. Jeremy kept his focus on his phone, not really sure he wanted to face whatever the teen had in store for him this time.
Then she kicked his shin.
Now, she did a lot of things to get people's attention. But shin kicking was new.
"Ow! What?" Jeremy cried out, pulling his leg up to hold his shin and rubbing it harshly as if that would help the pain fade.
The teen had crossed her arms and she met his gaze with hard eyes.
"I want you to take me to Black."
Everyone in the room stilled. It wasn't just the fact that Ruby was asking to see the man who killed her parents, it was also the fact that she didn't ask Hedy that surprised them.
Hedy blinked but didn't comment, eyes drifting down to continue looking over a manual.
Jeremy immediately sobered, though he still rubbed his shin.
"Okay," he said simply. "When?"
"Tomorrow."
They had a feeling that was mostly to prevent her from thinking up an excuse to cancel later.
"Right after shift?" Jeremy asked, a bit worried about both of their lack of sleep.
"Yes," she answered firmly. "Nap during shift, I don't care. And I want..." she trailed off and took a deep breath. "I want to stop at the station on the way."
Jeremy looked mildly confused about that request but nodded.
She dropped her gaze as she admitted, "I haven't been by since...You told me."
Jeremy paused..
With Black, there would at least be a pane of glass between him and Ruby.
What was Ruby looking for at the station? There was Derrick's memory, but also the memory of what his best friend was willing to do. Between policemen and women who knew her, knew Alastair, and currently were not fans of Jeremy, a visit was going to hurt her.
But at the same time, he understood.
"Okay."
Ruby gave him a sharp nod and turned to stalk back to the bots. No one brought it up for the rest of the shift, but they were all worried.
This would either be closure, or hurt her more.
As morning came Hedy finally brought up what concerned her the moment Ruby made her request.
"Ruby," she said, putting her tools away. "The prison's too far away to walk."
Jeremy frowned with his jacket slung over his shoulder. He was waiting for Hedy to bring it up. Better her than him.
Ruby stiffened slightly. "I know," she responded curtly.
Hedy was the only one close enough to catch the slight tremble to her hands before she clenched them into fists.
Hedy glanced at Jeremy.
Her brother flinched. "I'll meet you outside the station," he said quietly to Ruby before leaving.
Hedy felt Goldy hesitantly poke her mind out of worry, but she did the equivalent of waving her off.
They weren't going to discuss it unless Ruby brought it up with them first. And it was probably going to be a while before she would want to. Otherwise, Hedy or Foxy would broach the subject. Eventually.
Ruby said a few distracted goodbyes before leaving.
Later, she stood outside the police station that had become somewhat of a safe place over the years.
And now she didn't know how to feel about it.
Jeremy came up beside her. He had been waiting outside in his car rather than going in.
He stood next to Ruby for a minute, both of them just looking at the doors.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she snapped.
She was definitely not fine. She was wound up and upset. Jeremy had never seen her this hesitant to just walk into a building before.
She took a breath before marching forward, heading for the door.
Jeremy straightened up and steeled himself with a deep breath before following after.
This wasn't his precinct but this was still technically him at work. He could be Detective Fitzgerald about this.
This was going to suck one way or another. He was going to be professional and ignore whatever they said to him that wasn't also professional.
Inside, Ruby was doing that thing that probably got her through the games alive. She just didn't draw attention to herself and used her short height to her advantage so they didn't notice her yet. She was standing near the door and just looking around, seeming a bit lost in memories.
Jeremy, unfortunately, was noticed immediately and treated to some hostile looks.
"What do you want?" the officer at the desk demanded.
"Hi. Don," Jeremy said, stopping at the hard look, "Sorry...Officer Perry. I'm just here to have a look at Stone's desk."
He noticed Ruby glance over in surprise and confusion out of the corner of his eye.
"Haven't you done enough?" he asked bitterly.
Ruby frowned.
Jeremy put his hand up trying to keep the peace without putting Ruby in the spotlight. "I know. Please. I'm not here to make things any worse."
"Worse?" Jack spat from his desk. "You played us for weeks before setting Internal Affairs on us!"
"What do you even need now? The trial is next year and you have plenty," Don muttered.
Jeremy fidgeted. True. Murder trials take so long to get prepped for…
"I just..." Jeremy gave up, glancing at Ruby. "I just came to pay my respects. To Stone. I did my job. I know you all hate me. But I can't apologize for arresting Alistair. Just please..." He practically begged them to notice Ruby and tone it down. He could take it, but she didn't need to hear any of this. "I'm just here for Stone, his wife, and their daughter. That's it."
"Pay your respects?! That was a media circus! The reporters were camped outside where Ruby lived!" Jack yelled.
"You didn't do it for Stone, you did it for the fame of taking down a decorated officer turned corrupt cop," someone muttered bitterly.
Jeremy could see the anger flare to life in Ruby's eyes.
"No. I..." Jeremy stopped and closed his eyes, shaking his head a bit. He wasn't going to be able to convince them. Lost cause. "I don't...care...what you believe about me. But I don't want the recognition. I didn't come here to turn everything over. I didn't first come here looking to arrest anyone. And I most certainly didn't show up here to hurt Ruby."
Don opened his mouth to continue the argument when Ruby's patience finally snapped.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded, glaring at the officer. "Would you have preferred that Black got away with the murder? Or are you just throwing a little fit over the fact that you were kept out of the loop? Despite the fact that Black killed the last officer who was going to report him to Internal Affairs?"
Her voice hitched a little as she mentioned her dad, even though she kept the wording impersonal.
"Ruby," Jeremy put his arm out to gently block her. "Don't take it out on these guys, please."
The room was already quiet, but tense from the glares at Jeremy. At the sound of Ruby's voice, the room absolutely froze.
Even the captain, standing in his doorway about to order Jeremy to get out for his own sake didn't move.
The shock twisted into confusion for some of the closest as the tone of Jeremy's voice drifted toward them and they heard how he spoke to Ruby.
"I'll take it out on them if I damn well please Jeremy!" Ruby yelled and oh hell, there were tears in her eyes. "They worked with Black. They worked with my dad. And they didn't suspect a thing. You visit once and you think something's wrong. They don't get to be mad at you when they missed it!"
Her voice broke a bit near the end. It had been years since the officers had seen her this upset and her words made them jerk back as if slapped.
Jeremy took her shoulders but didn't dare hug her. "Sometimes it just takes a different perspective," he lowered his voice, "People can't see the people they care about as capable of horrible things. I'm an outsider. That's literally the only reason."
She bit her lip and blinked rapidly. She hated when her emotions were so out of her control.
"They don't get to be mad at you," she repeated firmly. "If anyone has that right, it's me. And I'm not." her voice dropped. "I'm grateful," she admitted. She hadn't pushed his hands away either so he could feel her shaking slightly.
Jeremy nodded slowly. He whispered so not a single one of them could hear besides Ruby. "What do you want me to do?"
"Ruby...w-what are you doing here?" someone asked cautiously, glancing between her and Jeremy.
"I wanted to see if I could still enjoy the good memories here or if they'd all been ruined by Black," Ruby answered flatly. "Then Jeremy's taking me to see him. I'm going to look that bastard in the eye when I ask him why he murdered my parents."
She met Jeremy's gaze and dropped her voice. "I want you to stop letting them blame you. Dad wouldn't want that."
Jeremy nodded. "I can do that. Come on."
He took the teenager's hand, the other he put in his pocket, and led her right past Officer Perry to Stone's desk, ignoring the looks and half-hearted started sentences.
"You...know each other..." Grange said as they walked past, her voice twisting in realization.
A few people who simply thought Jeremy had come solely to investigate Black were clearly surprised.
Ruby scoffed. "I consider his sister to be my sister so he came along as the annoying older brother part of the package."
Now everyone was outright staring at Jeremy.
"Did you technically just call me your brother because Hedy's going to be so upset I didn't get it on video," Jeremy quietly joked as he set her down at a chair.
"What?!"
"Shut up, Mulder," Jack snapped but he still sounded a bit shocked.
Ruby grumbled incoherently but surprisingly didn't deny it.
She looked over at her dad's desk and a flash of pain crossed her face before she covered it up.
"Dad would be proud of you," she murmured after a minute, not looking at him.
"That means a lot to me," Jeremy said, also pained. "Ruby, we're going to both start crying. As much as these guys hate me, I do have a somewhat professional air I'm supposed to maintain. Please don't make me cry yet."
That dragged a laugh out of her at least and she punched him in the side.
"First you kick me, now punching?" he gasped in pain and exasperation.
It was surreal to the officers, seeing Ruby act this...familiar with Jeremy. They saw the differences. She let him closer than others, her eyes weren't as guarded and she didn't get her hackles up when he suggested she might cry.
Jeremy glanced up as someone cleared their throat.
Sargent Jones was standing there, looking very nervous. "Fitzgerald."
"Hello Jones," Jeremy's tone was a bit less pleasant with this officer, now that he remembered why he didn't like the man thanks to the stupid building. No proof he was involved with what Black did. But he was going to look into it and what he might have done to mess with Hedy and the kid's case.
Ruby eyed the man with annoyance, probably thinking of the same thing. She didn't say anything though, instead turning to dig around in her dad's desk. It looked like she was searching for something in particular.
"I just wanted to check in," Jones said. "I got the sense you were a bit confused when we last spoke." He looked a bit anxious, shifting on his feet.
"You said 'no hard feelings' without giving me any context, Jones."
"Sorry. I just sort of assumed..."
"That I remembered you demanding I falsely admit to the abuse of my little sister and murdering five little kids fifteen years ago? No, I had been rather preoccupied with getting on with my life until recently."
Jone stuttered a bit. "Jeremy, I was doing my job. You can understand that."
"Five ki...Wait, you're talking about the Freddy's case?" said Officer Daily from where he was hovering close by.
"Step away, Daily," Jeremy said without looking at the younger officer.
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," Daily said, quickly walking away.
Quietly, someone derisively hissed at him for calling Jeremy "sir."
Ruby bristled and turned to pin them all with a glare.
"Listen very carefully," she started in a dangerous tone. "His sister is the only survivor from that case. The case Black killed my dad over. Just for the record, I work there. I'll definitely be looking into who their favourite cops are," she hissed the last part, glaring at Jones in particular.
Jones wisely took the moment to nod at Jeremy and just turn around and leave, even as his eyes widened to stare at Ruby in shock.
Most of the detectives and officers in the bullpen were looking at both Ruby and Jeremy in alarm.
Ruby's smile was twisted but she wasn't able to quite hide the pain in her eyes.
"Dad would be fucking disappointed in all of you," she muttered as she turned back to the desk. "Bribes, corruption, now getting angry when a cop actually does their job. What next?"
Several cops looked down at their desk as if they hadn't been listening while a few had the decency to look embarrassed or at least conflicted as they looked at Jeremy like they weren't sure how to feel now.
Jeremy decided to sit back and just watch Ruby, dearly hoping she wasn't going to actually snap. This was nothing. This was normal lashing out. And somewhat justified.
The Captain finally decided to come over. "Detective Fitzgerald," he greeted.
"Captain Danvers..."
The older man nodded before turning to Ruby and speaking softer. "Ruby, I know you're upset. You have every right to be. But can you ease up on the guys? As angry as I was at first, I've gone through all the evidence and I have to side with Fitzgerald. They just need some time. It was a shock for everyone."
Jeremy looked a little surprised. They hadn't spoken much, but at least the Captain had been the most civil throughout everything. He was still expecting some hostility at least.
"They're the ones acting like idiots," Ruby shot back but there was a lack of hostility aimed at Danvers. "It was a shock for me and I didn't jump on the 'blame the messenger' train. He was doing his job. Do you think he'd be happy that his sister is being followed by reporters? They're bothering her too because she works with me."
When Ruby decided she was mad at someone it took a lot to change her mind. They all knew that but it had never been aimed at them before. Jeremy had dealt with it though and knew you just had to wait until she calmed down on her own.
Captain Danvers sighed a bit before glancing at Jeremy. "Staying long?"
Jeremy frowned a bit. "Don't know if you heard. We're heading to the prison."
Danvers stared at him for a minute before glancing at Ruby. "That's a drive, Fitzgerald."
"She knows."
Ruby crossed her arms defiantly while everyone else looked worried.
"Do you know about her...dislike...of cars?" someone asked hesitantly and immediately got a death glare from Ruby.
"He knows and I'm right here so don't talk about me like I'm not."
"Sorry," they said automatically.
Jeremy just nodded. "She can take it." He didn't exactly want to tell them that she'd already done it before. Climbing into a taxi on her own when she needed to.
Ruby just wasn't the type of person to let her phobias get in the way of getting what she wanted.
They didn't look convinced but no one was stupid enough to question an already agitated Ruby. The teen rummaged around in the drawers before apparently finding what she was looking for in the last drawer. She made a triumphant noise as she pulled out a folder and something Jeremy couldn't get a look at before she shoved it into her pocket.
"Okay, I'm done. We can go."
Jeremy was a bit surprised as she abruptly stood up and started walking out. He quickly followed, jogging to catch up near the door without much more than an automatic goodbye behind him.
She didn't look back, which told them just how angry she was. It would be a while before she visited the station again.
"Where's your vehicle of death?" Ruby asked blandly.
Jeremy gestured at it, mildly surprised no one was petty enough to have it towed.
She visibly steeled herself before marching forward. "Let's get this over with."
"Front or back?" Jeremy asked stiffly, unlocking the car as he went around.
"Front. I can't..." She trailed off but he understood. She'd been in the backseat during the accident.
Jeremy nodded, then noticed Ruby wasn't moving. After a second, he went around to her side to open the door for her.
"You'll be okay," Jeremy said. "It's twenty minutes. You can handle twenty minutes there and twenty minutes back."
The teen took a deep breath before forcing herself to move.
"Twenty minutes," she muttered.
Jeremy glanced back, catching some people watching them from the windows of the station. He ignored them after a harsh glare.
He slowly closed the door on Ruby once she was inside, before running back to the driver's side.
The teen was sitting stiffly but she wasn't panicking. She was carefully keeping her breathing even and focusing on that.
"I'm going to start the car now," Jeremy warned. "You're probably better off keeping your eyes open."
"I'm not a fragile little flower," she muttered but it lacked any heat.
"Shut up and put up with my paranoia," Jeremy snapped lightly as he started the car and they headed off.
The teen sulkily fell silent, still tense and wound up. She kept her gaze on her fidgeting hands instead of out the windows.
Jeremy drove in silence instead of turning on the music like he usually would.
"You're doing really well," he commented when they were a few minutes away.
"Shut up," she muttered, sounding more like her usual self. She had her eyes shut now and he recognised the calming techniques she used. She probably learnt them from her therapist.
Jeremy was genuinely impressed she was handling it this well. Or at least pretending to. Whatever the case, it seemed to be working. He just dearly hoped the rest of the drive was uneventful. Too often he had the luck of being cut off and having to slam on his breaks.
That would be an unfortunate turn of events.
Thankfully the drive was peaceful and they saw the prison, jail really, if he was being technical, coming up. Ruby was already getting twitchy to get out.
Jeremy stopped at the security gate and showed his identification to the guard, briefly explaining who Ruby was, that she was a minor and that he was escorting her.
They let him through while Ruby eyed them a bit warily.
He was struck with the realisation that outside her town, Ruby didn't really visit anywhere. So this was new.
"I know I don't really have to tell you this," Jeremy said as they parked. "But you have to do everything they say. No breaking the rules here. Leave your pocket knife in the car. They'll confiscate it."
"How'd you know I have a pocket knife?" she asked but begrudgingly took it out. And the taser. And an assortment of glitter bombs.
And was that Hedy's wrench?
Jeremy huffed as he climbed out. "Given all the little construction projects you have to do with your pranks, it made sense." He eyed the wrench, wondering if Hedy knew. Hedy was usually very particular about her tools, even the ones that got thrown at stupid people (robots).
Ruby rolled her eyes but couldn't quite hide how eagerly she scrambled out of the car.
They both got to the front door and were greeted by the warden. That was a bit strange if Jeremy's expression was anything to go off of.
"Sir.."
"Fitzgerald, it's good to see you again. We weren't expecting you."
"Sorry about the short notice. I'm here to see..."
"Black right? He might refuse to see you if this isn't on official business."
"I don't think he will."
The Warden glanced at Ruby a bit confused.
Ruby crossed her arms and looked back with a stubborn expression.
"He's my godfather and he killed my parents," she stated bluntly.
The Warden raised his eyebrows.
"Ruby Stone," Jeremy said.
The Warden nodded, but he didn't look happy. "Just fill out the paperwork," he said to Jeremy. "I'll let him know. See you inside."
The teen watched him walk away suspiciously.
"Who's he?"
Jeremy hadn't ever realized just how suspicious she was with strangers. And it was still startling that she was relying on him right now. She didn't know this place. Ruby hated being the one at a disadvantage.
Hedy would have been so much better for this… why didn't Ruby ask her?
"The warden is in charge. He runs the place," Jeremy said. He gestured for her to follow him as he went inside.
Ruby trailed after him, glancing around with sharp eyes. She was getting restless now that they were so close to actually meeting Black.
Jeremy showed her where to sign on the paperwork then filled out the rest for her before he put his gun in a grey bin and handed it to the officers.
Jeremy went through the first security gate and was patted down after they waved a wand over him. Silently he hoped Ruby wouldn't fight about being touched. It could be a bit uncomfortable. The officers would explain it to her though. They just didn't say anything to him because he'd already been several times.
Her rather impressive scowl told him exactly what she thought about the entire thing and one of the guards asked why she looked like one of them had kicked her puppy.
Jeremy winced then waved them through as the warden showed up and escorted them to a large room with several tables, a few of them occupied. Jeremy was immediately concerned they weren't going to the room that had a full wall in between the convicts and visitors with the private telephone between them. It was just a wide table with a pane of glass between them and a barrier underneath. Someone could get around or over the barrier in a few seconds if the guards weren't paying attention for a moment.
He stopped the Warden after another guard directed Ruby to sit down at one table. "This isn't safe."
The Warden frowned. "We've found that Black isn't violent. These are the appropriate precautions and the separated rooms are full at the moment."
"This room is set up for visiting partners and families. He killed her parents, sir."
"I understand, but he can't get to her."
"That's not my concern."
A nearby guard looked skeptical. "Look none of us like Black, he turned on his fellow cops. But you're telling me you're worried about a teenager attacking a fully trained officer?"
Before anyone could answer, an inmate chatting to who was most likely his wife glanced over and then did a double take. "Hey Ruby!" he greeted quite happily, his wife also looking over and smiling warmly.
Ruby glanced up. "Hey Jimmy. I told you not to get involved with Carlos' gang."
The guy just rubbed his head sheepishly.
"What?" the guard muttered.
Jeremy blinked before looking irritated. He quickly said to the guard. "Yes. I am concerned about her attacking him." He turned back to Ruby, even knowing she heard everything he said. "Ruby, don't freaking tell me you know that guy." He gestured at Jimmy in exasperation.
"Oh hello, Detective Fitzgerald," Jimmy's wife said. "How's Amelia?"
"Good," Jeremy said automatically before blinking at the woman. He shook his head confused.
She looked at him sympathetically. "Our kids go to the same school. Small world, Detective."
Ruby was snickering. "Jimmy over there was the best guy to go to for electronic stuff. Then he decided to be an idiot and get involved with Carlos who dumped him the moment he needed a scapegoat." She turned back to Jimmy. "Don't worry, his lovely sports car mysteriously blew up in front of him after that. Karma, what can you do?" she shrugged.
The guards were staring at her like they didn't know what to do or how to take this.
"What brings the town terror all the way out here?" Jimmy asked in confusion.
Ruby's grin dropped. "Turns out Black killed my parents."
"Oh...I'm sorry, Ruby," Jimmy said sadly, "I heard a cop was in here on a murder charge. Seen him around. He's mostly been smart and avoiding everyone. He don't have many friends in here."
"Alright, you guys aren't supposed to be chatting, you know," one of the guards said, but he wasn't aggressive about it.
"Am I supposed to be focusing on the fact that I'm about to face the murderer of my parents instead?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jimmy's wife was looking disapprovingly at the guard. Jimmy, on the other hand, snorted.
"If you think you can stop that girl from doing what she wants, then good luck."
"Aw, Jimmy, you say the sweetest things," Ruby cooed.
"I'm just doing my job," the guard said sternly. He didn't know Ruby. "There are rules to follow." He glanced at Jeremy.
Jeremy nodded at him slightly and the guard frowned but didn't say anything else.
The Warden raised his eyebrows. "I'll leave you to it."
"Sir, I still don't think..."
"Fitzgerald, the other rooms are filled and scheduled until visiting hours are closed. If you want another room you're going to have to come back later and give us more notice."
"Right..."
Ruby crossed her arms and settled in to glare at the door.
Jimmy leaned back, picking up on what Jeremy was concerned about.
"Uh, Warden, sir. We all love Ruby, but she's been known to be a bit violent when she's upset. There was one time a drug dealer tried to set up shop near her home. She put him in the hospital."
Ruby smirked slightly to herself. "He deserved it. He approached Ricky."
The Warden frowned, concerned, but didn't budge.
"She'll just have to behave then," he said. Sympathetically he added. "I understand this is difficult. But we really don't have any other facilities right now. This is me bending the rules already. Otherwise, I'd have to send you away until another day. Scream at him all you want. Just don't touch him or we have to put you in lock-up overnight."
Ruby bit her lip. Normally that wouldn't be much of a threat. She'd been in lock up before. But she couldn't skip a shift at the pizzeria.
"Fine, I won't punch the bastard who smiled to my face after causing the accident where I watched my parents bleed out in front of me," she gave him a twisted smile.
The Warden didn't look like he was any happier about the situation but nodded. The sympathy didn't leave his eyes.
Jeremy looked at Ruby distrustfully but didn't argue further as he sat down next to her, shooting another look at Jimmy.
The Warden paused by the door. "I need to get back to work. Let me know if you need anything, Fitzgerald."
Jeremy nodded stiffly. He already knew he was asking for a lot. He was lucky the Warden knew him. Otherwise no one in their right mind would agree to let a teenager face to face with the man who tried to kill her. Outside of court that is.
Jeremy dreaded the trial. He had no doubt Ruby was going to be called to testify, especially if there was a chance she was an adult by the time the trial actually happened.
Ruby didn't say anything, keeping her gaze fixed ahead. Up close Jeremy could see her digging her nails into her arms.
Jimmy chatted with his wife and them for a while (the guard didn't stop them this time since it did seem to calm the teenager a bit) until one of the doors across the room opened.
Two guards led Black in.
He didn't look like a detective anymore. The orange clothes changed that. His hair had grown out a bit too.
He paused at seeing Jeremy and Ruby. He had to have been told who was visiting him, but Jeremy wondered if they had told him about both of them or just one.
Ruby's expression went blank in that way Jeremy had only seen when she was hurting and didn't want anyone to know. Jimmy and his wife shot glares at Black and Jeremy had the feeling that the news would spread quickly in the prison. He also had the feeling that Ruby might know more inmates than he was comfortable with. Black's stay was likely to grow much more unpleasant after this visit.
Jeremy didn't say a word as one of the guards locked Black's handcuffs to a bar on his side of the table. That worried him a little. Black wouldn't be able to get away if Ruby lost it. While part of Jeremy would be okay with that, it wasn't safe for Ruby. He didn't want her spending the night here either, for many reasons.
"Black," Ruby's voice was flat. They couldn't pick up any one emotion from it. It kind of bothered the guards. She'd been a sulky, sarcastic teenager a moment before.
"Hello, Ruby," Black said quietly, glancing at Jeremy. He glared a bit. "Fitzgerald, why would you bring her?" he seemed upset.
"She asked," Jeremy said, stiffly. "I would have preferred she never had to look at you again."
Ruby folded her arms on the table and narrowed her eyes.
"I wanted to look you in the eye and ask if it was worth it. Becoming a murderer, hypocrite and ruining my life?" she asked mildly.
Black didn't answer. He just sat back straight in his chair, searching her face. A second later, "I never meant to cause you pain, Ruby."
Jeremy sneered at him but didn't say anything. He glanced at Jimmy as his visiting hour ran out and the second guard unlocked him from the table.
"I regret every day."
"Because you got caught," Jeremy said, immediately recoiling. He had meant to keep his mouth shut. This was for Ruby.
She didn't seem to disagree since anger flickered across her face as she stared at Black.
"Hurt me? One, I almost died in that crash so you never cared if you fucking hurt me. Two, I was suicidal for years as a result and convinced for a good portion of those years that it was MY FAULT. You never spoke up. Next bullshit platitude."
Black almost seemed to flinch. But unfortunately, he also knew Ruby pretty well. He was expecting something like this.
"I'm sorry, Ruby. I really am. I don't expect you to forgive me." He actually sounded regretful.
Part of Jeremy was a little angry that he never got an apology, as insincere as he felt that one was. He was a bit biased after all. He probably wouldn't be able to tell if Black was being truly sincere or not. He had to remind himself that it didn't matter what Derrick meant to him. It didn't matter how much his death had hurt Jeremy, much less finding out it wasn't really an accident. This was for Ruby. But it didn't change how much Jeremy suddenly just wanted to leave. He wasn't about to leave Ruby though.
Ruby scoffed. "Right, I believe that. That's why you never spoke up, why you continued to cover up the truth about the murders at Freddy's, why you tried to stop anyone from looking into it. You were just so sorry," the sarcasm practically dripped from her voice. "The only thing you're sorry about is that you got caught Black."
She gave a sudden, cruel smile. The kind she gave to Michael.
"Or maybe you're just sorry that your wife is refusing to take your calls, that your kids refuse to visit."
That definitely hit a sore spot.
Black's calm countenance cracked in pain at that, before he shoved it down.
Black really tried, but the older man couldn't stop the smallest hateful glance at Jeremy.
Jeremy still didn't say anything.
Mrs. Black refused to speak with Jeremy and he respected that. He wasn't going to approach her unless she asked him too. The kids had reached out to ask him questions, but he didn't meet with them. He never asked Ruby if she was close to them. After learning Black was her godfather, it made sense she was, but he never asked if she had spoken to them after all this.
Ruby's smirk widened a bit, eyes dark with pain.
"It seems pretty poetic that you lose your family after taking mine from me," she commented.
"It was never supposed to go that far," Alastair said, strained. "Derrick he... I told him to stay away. I never wanted to hurt him or your mom, Ruby. Things just...got out of control."
The teen rolled her eyes, in full 'hurt everyone because I hurt' mode. "You're a coward. My dad was doing his job, and you couldn't handle the idea of dealing with the consequences of your actions. So instead, you killed them."
The way her voice wavered a bit was the only clue to how much she was hurting.
"I...didn't think I would..." Black paused. "Ruby you've got to understand. Things got out of control. It was just one thing. I...was thinking about my kids. The money went into a college fund. After twenty-four hours the chances of finding those kids alive were next to nothing."
Jeremy stiffened. "We're talking about Stone. Not that case."
Black glanced at Jeremy with an expression like he was trying to get him to understand. "Fitzgerald, cases go cold all the time. There wasn't anything that could have been done."
"Yes there was," Jeremy hissed, his voice cracking a little, very embarrassed that Ruby was acting calmer than him. He should excuse himself...
"And if it had been your kids?" Ruby asked in a detached tone. "If they disappeared and twenty-four hours passed, would you accept 'oh the chances of finding them are next to nothing, no point in trying'? Five families lost a child. One family was permanently scarred by it. And you shrugged and said, I don't care. I'm getting money for my kids' college funds."
Ruby tapped her lip thoughtfully. "I wonder what they'd say if they knew where their college funds came from. Probably would refuse to touch it. They were raised with morals after all. Obviously Aunt Erin can take the credit for that."
Black was getting upset. Maybe hearing Ruby maintain a relationship with his wife while refusing to call him by his first name stung. Who could tell?
Jeremy could see the anger that cracked through earlier seep out a little bit more.
"Leave them out of this, Ruby," he said, his even voice wavering barely.
She smirked cruelly. "Why should I give you that consideration when you didn't do the same for my parents? After all," her breathing hitched slightly. "You knew I was going to be in the car."
"You weren't supposed to survive!"
The guard shifted at the shout but a glance at Jeremy and he settled again, clenching his fists behind his back as he tightened his jaw. He was in this job for the same reason Jeremy was after all. To protect people. He must hate this situation as much as Jeremy did.
He stared at Black as the man realized what he said.
"You..." Black tried to tone himself down. "I didn't want you to be alone. I…I didn't want you to suffer. To go through…everything you did."
Ruby stared back at him before a slightly hysterical laugh slipped from her.
"Fuck, how the hell did I ever think you cared about me? If you wanted me to die then why didn't you just let me when I cut myself? Why did you call the ambulance huh?!" she demanded, voice rising.
"I couldn't watch you do that to yourself," Black snapped. "I never wanted you to suffer. I regretted everything. I went to your house to fix it but you had already left."
Ruby gave a hollow laugh.
"Bullshit. You were at the station with your loyal cops on call. There's no other way you could have hidden the evidence of tampering. And you never wanted me to suffer? That's about the same level of bullshit." she leaned forward, smile twisted and eyes pained. "The crash crushed the right side of my body. My leg, my arm, I could barely breathe. I still dream about that. And the drip drip of my parent's blood while the paramedics tried to pry us out. While I screamed at them to save my parents. Then you show up at the hospital all depressed and sad and 'I'm so sorry for your loss Ruby'. Then you had the gall to offer to take me in? What kind of monster are you? Or did you just want a chance to finish the job?"
Jeremy had closed his eyes, feeling a little ill at Ruby's description, but he could deal.
He heard the insult in Black's voice as he responded, trying to scratch together some semblance of self-righteousness.
"No. Of course not," Black said, his voice dipping into anger again. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I told Derrick to back off. I told him what could have happened. I told him not to put you or Rose in danger."
Jeremy's eyes snapped open. He wasn't…
"Then he just had to keep poking-."
Utter fury crossed Ruby's face then, breaking through the calm act.
"Don't you dare blame my dad for what you did," she snarled, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. "Don't-don't-" She was shaking. "You murdered them. And ruined my life. And now you're trying to blame HIM?!"
Her breathing was hitched and she seemed caught between fury and a panic attack.
Black was losing his composure too. He didn't even look at Jeremy or the guard who was tense and ready to take someone down. It was clear who he'd prefer to, but he'd do his job either way.
"I'm sure you had no choice," Jeremy hissed quietly, too upset to check on Ruby. "I'm sure you had too much at stake. Looking out for your kids. Your career. Your freedom. Your reputation was worth so much more than three lives."
"Don't you fucking dare think you understand, Fitzgerald," Black spat, whatever calm and apologetic persona he was trying to maintain breaking. He hated Jeremy. It was easier to ignore the younger man if he wasn't speaking. "You don't get to come in saying crap about Derrick being like a father figure to you when you hadn't even checked on him in over six years. You didn't even know he was dead."
Jeremy stared at him for a moment, glancing at Ruby as she stayed standing.
Her hands were on the table and her head was bowed as she trembled.
"We had a falling out," Jeremy said. "I had just made Sargent. I was offered another detective position in another town with better pay and was moving my family. Stone was proud of me. He came over to visit and mentioned a breakthrough he had made in the case. My sister and those kids' case..."
Black stilled at that to stare at Jeremy. Jeremy was that Jeremy? Wait, he knew that. He always knew the name Jeremy Fitzgerlard. And his little sister… How the fuck could he have forgotten that? He…he would have seen Jeremy coming a mile away if he just remembered that this man was that scrawny nervous kid Jones dragged into interrogation a dozen times. There was a thread of panic at the confusion of why he hadn't remembered before he was distracted and the anxiety faded away with it and he couldn't remember, in the moment, why he was so bothered a few seconds ago. Of course he knew this was that scrawny kid. He always knew…
"I got upset. I told him I didn't want to hear about it anymore. I gave up on it already and unless he had something concrete I didn't want to dredge up those memories again. He tried to get me to work with him and I told him to get out. He didn't seem upset with me. He just...gave me a hug and told me he'd call to check on us when we were settled in. I never got that call."
"I remember..." Ruby's voice broke on the words. "Dad was so excited when he came home. Was talking about how proud he was. He was planning to make a surprise visit to your new house with mom and me. I didn't know it was you... Then... then he called Uncle Ala–Black to talk about an old case..." she wasn't looking up at either of them as her whole body trembled, not even acknowledging her own slip.
"I always thought I had turned him away. I had twin babies and a new job. I was distracted. Given how I acted toward him, I thought he didn't want to speak to me. I left a message but I never heard anything. It always slipped my mind to catch up with him," Jeremy explained guiltily.
Black watched with a strange expression. He hadn't realized they were close. Ruby was Ruby and Jeremy was some lucky detective who happened to know Stone.
"It was all a bunch of bad timing," Black said, still staring at Jeremy. Still angry.
"You're delusional," Jeremy said.
Black narrowed his eyes. "Derrick and Rose would still be alive if he had just listened to either of us."
Ruby slammed her fist on the table, breaking the skin. "Don't." her tone was ice cold now. "Don't put yourself in the same category as Jeremy. He told my dad to stop out of trauma and grief. You did it out of selfish greed. My parents would still be alive if it wasn't for your greed." she looked up then, eyes dark with malice. "If I didn't have things to live for now, I'd kill you myself," she hissed and smiled as he reared back in shock. He was a cop, he'd seen that look in the eyes of murderers. "You turned me into this," she spoke too softly for the guard to hear. "You did. I could snap your neck and feel nothing but satisfaction, dear godfather."
The guard shifted with a chill up his spine, unsure if he should intervene. Technically, the teen hadn't touched the prisoner yet. He couldn't hear what she said, but she was leaning too close to the barrier and Black looked...scared. Of a girl. He glanced at Jeremy but got no clue of what he should do from the detective.
Jeremy was too busy to notice. He didn't call Ruby out, but he did take Ruby's hand and squeezed it, pulling her back just barely. It was time to go.
Part of him really didn't want to stop her.
She was done when she decided, but there was a line where this just wasn't good for her.
He suspected they had already crossed it.
She resisted for a moment, keeping those dark eyes on someone she at one point might have considered family. Eyes that were so much like Rose's but now were twisted with pain, rage and a flicker of madness. Then it was like a shutter came down, hiding everything from sight again. Her face was wiped clean of emotion and she let Jeremy pull her back slightly.
"You were family," she whispered. "Pray for a life sentence. Because if I ever see you again, I'll make you regret ever knowing my family. I'll make you hurt."
Jeremy could feel her starting to shake again.
"I hate you," the teen hissed, tears springing to her eyes again. "I fucking hate you."
He could see the moment something snapped in her as she crumpled, breaking down into sobs.
Jeremy wordlessly pulled her into his side, staring at Black.
The man wasn't even worth his anger at this point.
Black opened his mouth to say something but Jeremy interrupted him.
"I think we're done," he said to the guard.
The guard wordlessly nodded and spoke into his radio to call someone to get Black.
Ruby didn't even resist the hug. He wasn't even sure she was aware of it as she cried, her face buried in Jeremy's shirt as sobs racked her small frame.
Black hadn't seen her cry since the night she lost her parents...
Black looked on in silence as they waited a few very long minutes for the guard that was supposed to take him away. He looked away to stare at a wall with an expression Jeremy couldn't help but interpret as remorse. Shame, maybe.
Look at what you did, you spineless bastard, he thought. He rubbed Ruby's back fast and soothingly, feeling her shake in shallow sobs. "It's okay, Ruby…" he murmured. "We're done. We're going home now." He wasn't sure what Ruby called 'Home' now. The orphanage? The pizzeria? Hedy's house? Did she even know?
By the time the guard arrived to take Black, Ruby had fallen silent. She didn't say anything and her eyes were dull and empty. Jeremy had a bad feeling that the teen had reached her limit and had finally completely withdrawn. He'd seen a hint of it when he gave her the news of Black's arrest but she'd pulled herself out of it. Now though…
Black cast one more look at both of them. A mix of pain and anger.
Neither Jeremy nor Ruby moved to immediately leave. Probably the only reason they weren't asked to vacate was that the guard saw he knew the warden.
Jeremy didn't push her for several minutes.
"Ruby?" he eventually said.
She didn't show any indication that she'd heard him, staring blankly at the floor as he held her.
He'd seen this in trauma victims before when they couldn't process and shut the world out for a bit.
"Ruby?" he said again, worried. He rubbed her arm as she stayed pressed against his side.
"You can't stay here," the guard mumbled apologetically.
Jeremy nodded to him and moved to get up, trying to carefully pull Ruby with him. "We've got to go," he whispered.
She moved along easily enough but still didn't give any indication that she'd heard him.
He couldn't take her to the pizzeria or orphanage like this...
He picked up their stuff from the front desk and signed them both out, just writing Ruby's name on the form while he kept one hand on her shoulder.
He called Hedy to let her know they were coming but she didn't pick up. Knowing her, she had probably fallen asleep sitting up waiting to hear from them.
Ruby didn't even freak out in the car and that's when he knew this was probably more serious than he thought.
He occasionally tried to get her attention as he drove to Hedy's house but got no response. Should he take her to the hospital instead?
Once at his sister's house, he got out of the car for a moment to punch in the code to open the garage, careful of Hedy's various projects in the space.
He froze a bit when he opened Ruby's side door to get her out.
She was holding the pocket knife he had left in the center console. It wasn't open, but she was turning it around in her hands contemplatively.
Jeremy carefully laid one hand over hers, blocking her view of it. "Ruby, we're at Hedy's house. Want to come inside?"
He still didn't get any response and now he was really starting to get worried. He mentally went through the list of things she'd taken out of her pockets and identified any that could be dangerous to herself.
Carefully he took the knife from her unresisting fingers and guided her out and towards the door. Where was Hedy?
His guess about Hedy having unintentionally fallen asleep was proven right when he found her in the living room, her back propped against the couch, her head tilted back as glasses were falling off and there was a scatter of papers around her. She seemed to have been trying to get homework done.
She started and looked up in alarm as she woke up, covering her stomach and chest with an arm and reaching for her side bag on her chair. She probably had a taser in there. She saw Jeremy and Ruby and frowned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She looked at Ruby in concern then at her brother questioningly.
"It...didn't go well," he told her softly, guiding Ruby to sit in a chair. He pocketed the knife. "She hasn't said a word since we left."
Hedy looked worried as she carefully got up, heavily leaning on the furniture as she limped. She could suffer a little pain to check on Ruby faster than getting back in her chair. "Ruby? Come on, look at me, please?"
She didn't even twitch at Hedy's words, staring straight ahead. She hadn't wiped the tears tracks off her cheeks either. She just looked like no one was home at the moment.
Hedy ran her thumb over Ruby's tear tracked cheeks as she cupped her best friend and little sister's face in her hands and tried to look in her eyes.
"Come on...Ruby, you have to wake up," she said
"I think she hit her limit," Jeremy told her softly. "He was blaming Derrick for the whole thing. She threatened him and then just... she just shattered. She's completely withdrawn, Hedy."
"I'll..." Hedy paused, not sure what to do. "I'll call Alice..." She limped back toward her chair and left the room for a moment, fishing out her phone.
Jeremy stayed with Ruby to keep an eye on her.
Alice answered on the second ring. "Hello Hedy," she sounded concerned. Ruby probably told them where she was going.
"Hi, Alice. First off, Ruby's at my place," Hedy said softly.
"Is she alright?" she asked worriedly. "She's been stressed about this visit."
"She's...I don't know, Alice," Hedy said. "I usually can talk her out of things but she's just...gone. She won't look at anyone. She won't say anything."
Alice was quiet for a moment. "Is she staring ahead and not reacting to anything going on around her?" she asked hesitantly. "Not ignoring, more like she doesn't notice anything?"
Hedy nodded before she remembered Alice couldn't see her. "Yes."
"Not again," Alice took a deep breath. "That's how she reacted when she got the news that her parents were dead. She shut down. She only came out of it days later. The doctors said she couldn't process everything so she withdrew mentally."
Hedy stiffened slightly. "Days?" she asked, worried about Ruby and several other important things.
"Yeah. I think it was a week before she was aware again. It never happened again so I thought it was a one time thing..."
"Should I bring her home?" Hedy asked in concern. She was disturbed by how unsure she felt.
Alice hesitated. "I want to say yes, but I don't think the children would react well to seeing her like that."
"Okay. Jeremy and I can keep an eye on her," Hedy promised. "Should I try to get her to eat?"
"She should take basic directions if it's the same state she was in before. Just...Hedy please keep any sharp objects away from her. When she came out of it last time she immediately cut herself with a nearby pair of scissors." Alice explained.
Hedy closed her eyes and flinched. "Okay..." she breathed, remembering the pocket knife. "Ruby's not working tonight." How she dearly wished she could explain to Alice why this scared her.
"Thank you for this Hedy," Alice sounded near tears. "I wish I could help her, but she'd be furious with me if she ended up scaring the children."
"I understand," Hedy said gently. "I'll let you know if anything changes. Thank you, Alice."
The conversation ended with Hedy feeling more apprehensive than when it started. Ruby wasn't in any state to be at the pizzeria. The bots would all panic and wouldn't understand what was wrong."
But her not showing up to shift left everyone open to possession.
Michael would jump at the chance. She really didn't know about the kids, but she overestimated them before.
Hedy scowled at that thought for a moment before taking a breath.
"Ruby," she said when she came back. "I just called Alice. You're staying here until you feel better."
Jeremy looked up.
"You can't go to work tonight. Not like this. Do you understand? I'm going to talk to the bots about this so that we're okay tonight."
Jeremy stiffened.
Hedy's heart sank a little when she received nothing in response. Out of everything, that should have gained some reaction.
"Hedy... that means, the ghosts..." Jeremy trailed off, looking helplessly at Ruby.
"I know..." Hedy said, a thread of fear in her voice. "Can you make something to eat? I'm going to try calling the pizzeria."
He glanced down at Ruby again and nodded. It was so wrong to see the teen sitting so still and silent. "I'll make soup."
"Thanks," Hedy said, already waiting for the phone in the guard office to ring. She did not want to talk to the Manager and it was a different number. Usually, there was someone nearby who could hear it.
"Hello?" Andrew answered the phone in confusion. It barely ever went off.
"Hi, Andrew. It's Hedy. Can I speak to Puppet or Freddy? It's important."
"That request isn't even weird anymore," he sighed. "Gimme a minute."
A short time later Puppet was answering. "Hedy."
"Mari," Hedy greeted. "Ruby can't come to work tonight," she outright told him.
If it had been Freddy she might have asked how Spring was feeling that day or how work was first to warm up to it.
Puppet was quiet for a long moment. "What happened?" he asked.
"The visit to the prison. It went poorly. I wasn't expecting it to go well...but...She's shut down, Mari," Hedy said. "I'm not sure how else to explain. It's like a coma? But she's still awake." Hedy sat back in her chair as she watched Ruby. She didn't want to be talking about Ruby in front of her but she also didn't want her out of sight.
Normally talking about her like she wasn't there was one of the quickest ways to ignite Ruby's temper. Still, there was nothing.
"Is she in the hospital?" Puppet asked after a long pause.
"No...She's here. With me at my house. I called her guardian, but Alice said Jeremy and I just have to watch her and be careful when she wakes up. She can hear us. I think. But it's like she's gone inside herself. Far. It looks like there are no lights on."
"Like she's a robot."
"...That's one way to put it, Mari." Hedy said, a little confused at the ironic comparison. Obviously he meant an unliving robot.
"What about tonight?" he asked calmly.
This was where Hedy was the most unsure. "Technically, I think I could get her into a car and bring her to work." Her voice dripped in guilt. She didn't want to do that to Ruby, even with the bots at stake. "But...Puppet, I think we'll just have to deal with the ghosts tonight..."
He heard her voice dip in anger despite her worry.
Michael was a given, but Hedy still didn't trust the kids an inch. Those video tapes were barely a week ago and her snap at Ginny was fresh on their minds.
"I'll talk to the others. I think the majority would agree to keep her away for the night," he admitted. "And seeing her like that would upset most of them." Not him of course. He wouldn't care. Not even after seeing what she used to mean to him. Things were different now. He wouldn't care. He wouldn't.
"We can't exactly keep it from the ghosts," Hedy said, her tone biting. "I suspect someone knows already. Some of the kids like to listen to the phone lines for fun."
She didn't mention that Goldy did too.
He sighed. "We'll figure it out," he told her. He wanted to tell her to stay home as well but he knew she wouldn't listen. Damn her stubbornness…
"Alright. I'm going to try to get her to bed. See you tonight," Hedy said. "I'm bringing extra salt."
"Probably a good idea," he sighed.
"Hang up first," Hedy said and he didn't argue. She heard the receiver set down.
She waited a moment for the click of the line going dead but it didn't happen.
"Benji," she said.
There was a little gasp and then she got the dial tone.
Fantastic. At least it was the ghost that seemed the closest to actually liking Ruby. That was something...
Jeremy didn't ask what the plan was as they ate.
It was a relief to see Ruby actually move and take the spoon to feed herself when they asked. She still didn't respond, even getting up to use the bathroom by herself.
Hedy had a minor heart attack when Ruby returned as Hedy suddenly remembered the razors she, Sarah, and Rena left in the bathroom, but Ruby wasn't gone for too long and there was no blood. She still went to the bathroom to check if anything was missing, hiding everything just in case.
They felt so far out of their depth right now. And it was scary to see Ruby so... so empty. She was always filled with energy and emotion. This was just wrong. They managed to get her into Hedy's bed with no fuss and she dropped off to sleep immediately. She looked so small curled up under the blanket…
Hedy brushed the messy hair out of Ruby's face.
Jeremy set her shoes on the floor by the dresser.
In the hallway, Jeremy whispered. "You shouldn't go tonight."
"I know. But I have to."
"Why?"
"Same as before. We can't leave the Toys to deal with everyone alone. And Mike, because you know we'd both stay to keep an eye on things. The ghosts might completely turn on who they're possessing directly if they don't have us to go after."
Jeremy thought that was a terrible attempt to comfort him but he knew she was right. "Someone needs to stay here with her."
Hedy looked at him.
"Hedy," he sounded pained. He wanted to be there for his sister but at the same time he'd watched Ruby break down today. He didn't have the heart to leave her alone. "I'll go to the pizzeria. You can stay with her. The kids have more of a grudge against me. They might leave Mike alone."
Hedy shook her head. "You're good at avoiding them, but I can sense where they are. I also...need to distract Michael. He'd..." she faltered a bit. "I think he'll take this chance to try and kill Spring if he doesn't have a reason to keep him around as a body."
She glanced back into the room with a regretful look. She wanted to stay with Ruby too. "If she tries to hurt herself. You'll be able to stop her better than me."
Jeremy's expression fell. He couldn't really argue with those points.
"Please be careful Hedy. If you got hurt, she'd never forgive herself."
"I'll be careful," Hedy promised. She sighed. "Maybe I should try to get some sleep." She didn't sound hopeful. "I need to warn Mike too."
He nodded silently. What was there to say?
Jeremy went downstairs while Hedy went back in her room to keep an eye on Ruby and try to take a nap. She sat on the edge of her bed and checked on Ruby again.
She looked peaceful at least.
"I'm sorry Ruby," she sighed as she gently brushed the younger girl's messy hair with her fingers. "I know it's not fair." She was so angry someone could make the strongest person she knew shut down so completely.
It was a good thing Ruby had asked Jeremy to go with her and not Hedy. Maybe she didn't know what was said, but Hedy didn't trust she would have been able to hold her temper. Jeremy had a detective mask to help him with that. Could she have stopped this from happening? Would she have made this worse?
In her sleep, Ruby shifted one hand drowsily, reaching up to weakly grasp Hedy's hand. She still didn't wake up.
Hedy got back in her chair and did her best to lean on the bed to be as comfortable as she could. Her back was going to kill her but she didn't want to freak out Ruby in this state by sharing the bed. She let Ruby hold onto her in her sleep and passed out, fitfully worrying about the upcoming shift.