Wolowizard: not weirded out at all, don't worry. Actually, I'm quite excited to dig into your ideas :)


On the flight to Birdperson's planet, Morty fell peacefully asleep, still using Rick's lab coat as a blanket. Rick smiled affectionately at the boy. He had a cute grandkid. Rick wondered why he hadn't come for him sooner, and not just for his Morty waves. That pang of unfamiliar guilt hit him again. If he hadn't left his family, no one would have gotten hurt.

"Just wait, Beth," Rick said. "I'm gonna make everything up to you. We're gonna be a family."

"What about Summer?" she asked. "She got herself emancipated and has been living on her own ever since."

"It'll take some time, but we'll return to Earth," Rick replied. "I'm gonna erase every record of you and Morty and replace it so you won't be a fugitive. And as for the prison, I'll just go in and wipe everyone's memories."

"You can do that?" Beth asked in amazement.

"Your father can do anything," Rick bragged.

Beth squeezed his shoulder. "I don't know what made you come back," she said. "But thank you."

"You're welcome, honey," he said, smiling sweetly at her. There was no way he was admitting that the only reason he entered their lives again was so that he could use Morty's brainwaves on his adventures. "So, has Morty always been mute or...?"

Beth sighed sadly. "So he still doesn't talk?" Rick shook his head. Beth sighed again and ran her hands over her face. "He didn't speak a lot when he was younger. That's why I taught him ASL. But he stopped speaking all together shortly before I got arrested."

"What happened?" Rick asked.

Beth gently bit at her lip. "Jonathan would... well, he would beat me." Rick's face darkened. "And he threatened to kill the kids if I left him," she continued. "So I stayed and took it. But one night-" a tear slid down her face "-I heard him at night, in Morty's room. I went to get him, but the door was locked."

"And that's when you decided to kill him?" Rick asked.

Beth nodded. "I waited til he had fallen asleep. Then, I got his gun and shot him in the head."

Rick swallowed hard. "You did the right thing," he said. "I just wish I had come sooner."

"Everything will be okay now that you're back," Beth said.

Birdperson's planet came into view, and Rick smiled at the sight of it. "Go ahead and wake Morty up," he said. "This is gonna be our temporary home."

Beth gently shook Morty's shoulder. "Hey, buddy," she said sweetly. "Wake up."

Morty made a small noise when he awoke. He rubbed his eyes with the sleeves of Rick's jacket and looked in amazement at the planet below him. "This planet belongs to my best friend, Birdperson," Rick explained. "While I work on getting us back to Earth, we're gonna stay here."

Rick landed the ship in front of a small house, and everyone got out. Birdperson opened the door. "Greetings, Rick," he said. "I am glad you and your family have made it all here in one piece."

Rick threw his arms around Birdperson, and the hug was returned. "Man, Birdperson, I cannot thank you enough for letting us crash here."

"It is my pleasure," Birdperson replied. "However, I am afraid I only have one guest room available and a pullout couch."

"What size is the bed in the guest room?" Rick asked.

"Twin," Birdperson answered.

"It's settled then!" Rick exclaimed. "Beth, you'll take the guest room, and Morty and I'll take the pullout couch."

"Ok, Dad," Beth replied. She stepped closer to him and gently kissed his cheek. "Thank you for bringing us here."

"What is your plan, Rick?" Birdperson asked.

"Well first, I'm gonna need to gather some materials," Rick began, "to build a super computer strong enough to access Earth's internet. Then, I erase Beth's record, put a new one in place, and we go home." Rick finished with a smile. "And oh, I'll have to wipe a few people's memories."

"That does not sound complicated," Birdperson mussed. "I and my resources are at your disposal."

"I appreciate it, Birdperson," Rick replied to his best friend. Birdperson was one of the people in this universe who he'd do anything for. He supposed it was time he added his daughter and grandson to that list, especially given all that he was doing for them. Sure, he had originally been motivated by the Morty waves, but now he couldn't resist the idea of repairing his broken family.