I don't own anything to do with Rick or any character from the Walking Dead. I own the OC character, Ruby, however, and I adore her.

Summary: Shane's been killed by Rick and the group doesn't trust him anymore. So what does Rick do? Snap. He finds a girl in the woods and takes out his aggression.

Yes, I know if you've read my other stuff you know that I am a Shane girl, but Rick is awesome, too. So I decided to play with him a little.

Rate and comment if you like! Thanks, and please, no flames. They are... unhelpful.

He did wake when she moved, and he was immediately on point, his eyes wide open. He'd been dreaming, of sunlight skies and the bodies of the people he killed spread under it on a green field. He saw Shane's face just before he woke, but not the face he'd known for so long. It was a walker's face he'd pictured.

She wiped his sweaty face with his hand and looked down at Ruby, trying to snap out of it.

She was asleep, she'd just adjusted her position. Her face was halfway turned toward him, her hair fallen over her neck and shoulders. She looked peaceful and beautiful and he felt the surge of desire again, his eyes drifting down her body. They'd worked the blankets down a little and the v-neck tee she wore gave him a glimpse of the cleavage he'd seen yesterday. He flicked the corner of his mouth up and used his other hand to untie himself from her.

"What's happening?" She said and he looked up. She was looking back at him with surprised eyes at first, then a quiet anger returned. He looked at his watch and saw it was well past 8, they'd slept for a long time.

"It's morning." He said, sitting up and moving over her to the concrete floor beyond the bed, tucking the guns back away at his waist. He brought her up and untied the shirt from her legs, and she stretched and crossed them under her when she was free. He leaned around her and got the knots out of the leggings, noticing the fingerprint shaped bruises on her arm and the purple circles around her wrists as he did so. She brought them forward and rubbed them gently when he let her go. "Sorry about that."

It was the first time he even felt a little bad about what he was doing to her, but the purple color stood out so much against the warmth of her skin he couldn't help it. He set his jaw and watched her shake her arm out. It must have been asleep, it had been pinned underneath her all night. "Does it hurt?"

"Why do you care?" She asked and he narrowed his eyes. "Yes, it hurts."

He reached out and took her limp arm in his broad hands, massaging the muscles, trying to get the blood flow back. She watched him closely, a wary look on her face, and he looked up at her, a frown on his face. She wasn't terrified of him anymore, she was just resentful. And the satisfaction he'd had at dominating her had faded to a dull throb of what it was. He'd hurt her, and it was bothering him. Still, he wasn't leaving her to fend for herself. He'd take her back, that hadn't changed. What was one more person who hated him?

"Better?" He asked, letting her arm go. She pulled it back and rubbed it a little more, but nodded. "Good. Get your stuff."

She got up and started pulling her clothing back into her bags as he grabbed an empty one and loaded up the rest of the food and water from the shelves. He strapped it to his back and turned around, watching her brush her long hair out quickly and tie it up into a bun at the nape of her neck. She folded the blankets into rolls and tied them to the bottom of her own pack, and when she reached for the mattress he stopped her.

"Leave it. It's too big and we have to move fast."

She looked at the mattress longingly but stood up and followed him back out into the bright sunlight above.

"Stay behind me, keep your eyes open." He said. "I'm trusting you to not take off again. I'm the only thing protecting you out here, you got it?"

"Yeah. But..." She paused and he turned around, frowning. "I have to go to the bathroom."

He nodded and watched her step away from him around the building. "One minute!" He said harshly, taking the opportunity to relieve himself before she came back. He was zipping up when she moved back from around the building, and she stayed behind him as they walked. He figured they were about an hour away from where he left the group, and he walked quickly, glancing back occasionally to make sure she stayed close.

"Walker." She said quickly, twenty minutes or so into the trek. He looked to their right and saw a nurse shambling out toward them from behind a tree, the tag on her scrubs spelling out 'Amy' in block letters.

"Sorry Amy." He said dryly and aimed his gun, dropping her where she stood. Another one came out a moment later and he grabbed Ruby's elbow, holding her against his back as he fired on that one and another that drifted into sight to it's left.

"Run." He said, not wanting to waste his bullets on two more that were off to the right in the distance. He kept her elbow in his grasp as they took off in the opposite direction. Even with the pack on her back she ran lightly, and he found his still worn body out of breath after ten minutes of keeping up with her. "We're good." He said, and she slowed to a walk, her eyes furtively flicking around them but finding the forest had fallen still.

Rick pulled the pack off his back and got a water out, downing half of it with a single gulp. He handed it to her and she finished it quickly, wiping her rosy mouth with the back of her hand. She twisted around and felt in a pocket of her bag and brought out two granola bars, handing one to him before ripping the paper off the top of hers and taking a bite.

"Thanks." He said, taking a bite of his and they walked side by side while they chewed.

"Is this a man camp, really?" She asked, her eyes drifting over to him.

"No." He shook his head, his eyes on the ground ahead. "There's women, my wife and son are there." She was going to find out soon enough, no sense in hiding it. "For what its worth."

She looked at him with a surprised face, but when he ignored it she focused back on the ground. The way he'd acted he wasn't surprised when the mention of a family stunned her. "Got a doctor and his family, a couple men and women we've been with since the city." He finished, and she bit her lip, glancing back at him.

"Do you do this often? Find people and force them into your little group?" She asked, her tone not acidic as the words might have implied.

"It's been done." He said simply, remembering Randal. Hopefully she wouldn't turn out like the boy had. Rick felt a sense of belonging with her, like she was his. Like a puppy you found find on the street and bring home to play with. She wasn't part of the group that had watched him decline, she only knew this rough, hard man, so he couldn't disappoint her. It felt good, and he intended to hold on to it.

They walked in silence for a while before she spoke. "Are you going to tie me up again when we get there?"

"Do I need to?" He asked, his eyes ahead. It might not go over well, but he'd do it if he had to.

"No." She rubbed her sore wrists and he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Good. I want to see you at all times, no wanderin' away, and we won't have to worry about it."

"Will I get my gun back?"

"Don't push it, Ruby." He said warningly and she dropped her head. "We're getting' close." He said and she looked back up, searching for signs of life in the clearing woods ahead. They eventually found their way to the road and walked down it quickly, passing a few abandoned vehicles and bodies on the road. Around a bend ahead they saw a cluster of vehicles in a line, and a small grouping of people in a semicircle on the clearing next to them.

Rick spotted Daryl first, standing watch in front of the blue truck, his crossbow on his shoulder. The man walked to them, his eyes taking in Ruby close beside him. He looked over at her and she dropped her eyes, stopping when he did.

"Didn't know if you got to be walker food or what, man. Who's this?" Daryl said, eying the pretty girl.

"Found her in the woods, alone. Thought she should be with us." Rick said, looking past him at the group. They were looking at him but hadn't taken the move to come over, and Lori just huddled next to Carl, whispering softly to him. She didn't even look at him, and Rick felt his anger return violently.

"She got a name, seeing as she's another mouth to feed?" Daryl asked grumpily and Rick snapped his attention back to the filthy guy. He looked beat up, worn out, like the rest of them. When Ruby didn't answer, Daryl frowned. "She lost her tongue, man?"

Rick looked over at her. "Answer him."

"Ruby." She said quietly and Daryl looked at Rick like he'd never seen him.

He'd seen the marks on her arms and narrowed his eyes.

"We found some gas, some ammo in the cars up the road while you were doin' whatever the hell it was you were doin." Daryl said, his eyes going back to Rick. "We should clear out. Walkers been coming close."

"Let's go, then." Rick said, taking the pack off his back. He started toward the fire and Ruby stayed close behind him. He got to the circle of people and pulled out the smaller bag of food from his pack, handing it to Carol. Everyone looked up then, watching Ruby, who kept her eyes on the ground. Even Lori had turned her attention up, and he coughed lightly.

"Found her, and some food. We need to clear out though, let's go." He said shortly and they got up quietly, gathering their things.

"Who is she?" Carol asked, handling the bag, careful not to break the jars inside.

"Name's Ruby. She's coming with us." He said, watching as Lori and Carl got into the back of the red SUV they'd found with T-Dog, Hershel and Beth. Glen and Maggie went to the Matrix, and Rick let out a frustrated breath.

"Hello, Ruby." Carol said kindly and Rick looked over to see Ruby look up and nod. Carol frowned but nodded back, glancing at Rick and going to put the bag in the back of the Matrix. Rick led Ruby to the blue truck in the front of the line and she got in next to him, putting her bag on the floor between her feet, and he watched as Carol moved up the line to the bike Daryl was on in front of them. She got on the back and they took off.

"You got any more water?" He asked and she nodded, reaching into her bag and handing him a bottle. He took it and drank before offering it back to her and she took it, drinking quickly. She capped the bottle and laid it on the seat between them, bringing her legs up to her chin and wrapping her long arms around them tightly.

"Where are we going?" She asked after a while, turning her face toward him from looking out at the passing landscape. He didn't want to tell her, but he felt a kind of proud victory from the way she'd behaved with the others. Staying close to him, speaking when he told her to, and he smiled to himself.

"Not sure. The farm we were on is gone, we have to find someplace else." He said and she frowned.

"You don't know where we are?" She asked him curiously and he looked over into her beautiful face, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not going to the prison?" She asked and he furrowed his brow.

"What prison?"

"The maximum security facility about a day east of here. We were going before we got attacked, and then I stopped because I didn't think walking into a place like that alone was such a good idea." She said, looking ahead. "Anyway, you're headed right for it."

"Well, that explains the walkers." He said, his eyes back on the road and a concerned look on his face. He needed to stop someplace safe and think about this. They drove into a prison and more than likely it would be overrun by either walkers or survivors. Either one would be able to snatch Ruby and Carl away from him in a heartbeat, and he wasn't having that.

"How long you been in the area?" He asked after a little while and she looked back at him, taking her legs down and stretching them out in the floorboard.

"A month." She said. "Give or take."

"You know of any houses, anything off the road?"

"We passed most of what we saw, but I think there's a farmhouse not too far back. I don't know if it's safe."

"We'll make it safe. Show me." He ordered and she nodded. He beeped his horn and pulled over, and the others took his lead and did the same.

"There's a farmhouse." He called out as he got out of the car. He took the keys with him and ordered her to stay put before he emerged and he looked back to ensure she would, though he already knew she would. Daryl, T-Dog, and Glen got out and walked to him. "We can check it out, get a few days rest."

"She tell you that?" Daryl asked, his eyes going to her in the car, and Rick nodded.

"Yeah. She's been here a while."

"All on her own?" Daryl asked incredulously.

"Yes, Daryl. We're turning around." Rick answered irritatedly at the series of questions.

"We should keep going." T-Dog said and Glen nodded. "Walkers everywhere, man."

"Exactly. We need to get somewhere safe, get a defense." Rick said. "Follow me back." He started to walk back to the car and when he glanced back and didn't see them move, he looked at them wearily. "Come on."

"You the boss." He heard T-Dog mutter but he just slid in behind the wheel and started the car, doing a U turn in the middle of the road. They followed close behind him, and he looked over at her.

"Where is it?"

"Up here a bit." She said uncertainly. They drove for a few minutes in silence, and she pointed to a road overgrown with weeds to the left. "That's it. I remember the mailbox being broken."

He looked saw a rusty red mailbox in it's post, bent over and hanging loosely. He turned the truck up the road and he could see the white house through the trees. When he got to the clearing it was in he pulled the truck to a stop near it and peered up through the windshield. He got out and she followed, only needing a glance from him to know he wanted her at his side. As she stepped close he turned to the others as they got out of their cars and looked up at the two story structure with a large front porch across the front. It was simple, a medium size and should fit them nicely. The windows were still intact though the grass grown up around it in a field of cowtails and weeds. It has obviously been rundown even before all this started.

He turned back to Ruby and pointed back at Carol, Lori, and Maggie in a small group behind them. "Stay right here. I'll back in a minute." He leaned in toward her when he spoke, his hand on the butt of his gun on his hip. She nodded and he stepped away, looking back at he went up the front steps. Carol made a motion for her to come closer but Ruby pretended she didn't see it and got down, digging a water from her bag. Rick needed to get the search done, get back up here before the others could talk to her too much, get an idea of what he'd done.

"T-Dog, Glen, you take upstairs. I'll clear the first floor. Let's go." he called out and T-dog and Glen followed him in, guns drawn. Rick watched them ascend the stairs and quickly set about checking the first floor. He scanned the tattered living room. It had dull, dark hardwood floors and a large fireplace in the far wall. A worn couch and a three armchairs faced a television from the eighties and a couple ugly paintings of farm houses and horses adorned the wall. He moved through the doorway to a medium sized kitchen. Another table and a fridge with a door hanging open were there, cabinets and a sink on the wall. He saw two doors along another wall and opened the first one, finding nothing but a pantry with a few cans and a dead mouse on the worn linoleum floor.

The second door really surprised him. It was a bedroom, and he wondered about the unusual placement. It was tiny, only a bed and a dresser, and a little closet, but it was neat. Untouched. The bed was even made, a faded blue flower print blanket pulled up to a fluffy white pillow. Huh, he thought. Carol would love it.

Going back to the sink, he turned the glass knobs and saw that they still had running water. Must be a well on the property, he thought. It was cold, but it was great anyway.

He left that room and walked back through the living room and into the front foyer. It was small as well, but there was a door in the back and he opened it to reveal a half bathroom. A toilet and a claw foot sink barely fit into it. He left the door open to it and went to the dining room on the opposite side of the house. A good sized table with chairs and a hutch was there, and beyond it was a another bedroom, only slightly larger than the one by the kitchen. A dresser against a wall and a few articles of clothing scattered around the floor. A bed in the corner, and a small vanity across from it with an old, scratched mirror and a stool. He checked that closet too and went back around front, meeting Glen and T-Dog at the bottom of the stairs.

"How many bedrooms?" He asked, and T-Dog took the last step down. "Five. Small but we should fit."

"The cellar opening is outside, go check it while I bring them in." He said and the two of them went out the door. He walked back to the blue truck for his pack, Ruby right by his side. Lori watched with a stunned silence, and he looked at her with victorious eyes. She'd screwed around on him, lied and pushed him away for the last time.

"Go on in. Carol, I want to show you something." He said to the group and Ruby started to move past him with the others but he took a step forward, casually blocking her. "I'll show you where to go."

She nodded and followed him and Carol inside and back toward the kitchen.

"Oh my goodness." Carol breathed when he showed her the cozy bedroom.

"I thought you'd like that." He said, standing in the door with Ruby, watching Carol run her fingers over the blue and ivory patches of the quilt.

"I don't know if I know how to sleep in a bed anymore." Carol said with a grin, and he chuckled.

"Glad you like it." He said, and gave her a quick nod before leaving the doorway. He could hear footsteps upstairs as people picked rooms, and he took Ruby to the back bedroom. They put the packs on the floor, he put his hands on his hips.

"Get settled in." He said and left the room quickly, shutting the door behind him. Going back outside, he walked up to Daryl, and T-Dog joined them as Glen went to check on Maggie upstairs.

"Cellar is clean, canned food down there though. We should bring it up." T said and Rick nodded.

"We need to block the windows on the first floor. Somethin' comes through we can fire out the second story windows." Rick put his hands on his hips, looking from the men back up at the house. "I think we'll be good here for a while, got running water."

"We do?" T-Dog said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yeah, must have a well on the property." Rick said.

"What if another geek fell in though, like on the farm? I better check it out 'fore we go usin' it." Daryl said, hoisting his crossbow.

"Do that." Rick nodded. "T-Dog, come help me board up the first floor." They gathered a few tools from the chest in the truck and went back in. They worked quickly, using anything they could find to board the windows. Closet doors ripped from the hinges, clapboard found in a crawlspace under the stairs, and the hutch pushed against the window in the dining room. When they got to the back bedroom he had left Ruby in, Rick pushed the door open and saw she had made the bed in the corner with the blankets she had brought, and she was on it with her legs crossed under her. She looked up when they entered, and Rick saw T-Dog give her a once over.

"You finding what you need, Ruby?" He asked kindly, and Ruby nodded but stayed quiet.

"We'll use the closet door." Rick said, breaking in. They went to the closet and pried it loose, taking it to the one window in the room. They hammered it in quickly, Ruby watching them from her spot on the bed. Rick looked over at her at one point and saw her expression. Resigned and kind of sad, her eyes were large and met his. She sighed and looked away, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her hands over her mouth.

They finished and Rick stepped back. "Thanks, T."

"No problem." He said, throwing another look at the girl as he left.

"We're gonna eat soon." Rick said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest, watching her. She didn't look at him but she nodded, and he breathed out through his nose. "We have running water. You want to get cleaned up?"

"Sure." She said wearily, standing up and grabbing a small bag she'd put on the floor and a spare set of clothes. He led her through the house, past Glen and Maggie in the living room, and up the stairs. They doors were all open but one, bedrooms obvious to the hallway. The door that was still closed must be the bathroom, and he knocked on it.

"I'm in here." Beth called out and Rick frowned.

"How much longer?"

"Few minutes."

He turned to Ruby. "You can wait for her here." She nodded and leaned against the wall, and he turned and went into the bedroom at the far end of the hall where Carl's voice was drifting from.

Lori looked up at him as he entered, but quickly returned her gaze to the bed she was making in the corner. He looked over and saw Carl pawing through the closet in search of anything that could be used. "Hey Carl."

The boy looked at him with sad eyes. "Hi."

"Sorry I was gone all night."

"It's ok. Who's that girl you found?" He asked half-heartedly.

"She was alone in the woods. I thought she'd be safer with us."

"Carl, why don't you go down and see if Carol needs help. Don't go outside." Lori said, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. He nodded and left, and Rick closed the door behind him. "What the hell is going on, Rick?"

He frowned at her accusatory stance. "I said I was sorry I was gone all night. Daryl was there, wasn't he?"

"Thank god. Not that you cared anyway. It's just like when you took off for Atlanta and got Amy killed."

"You haven't said two words to me all week. I thought you woulda liked not having me around for a while." He poke loudly, angry at being blamed for the young woman's death.

"What the hell am I supposed to talk to you about? How about how you killed Shane? You drag us behind you not caring what we think, and you stay out all night when you know there's walkers everywhere and bring back strange women?"

"What are you pissed about Lori?" Rick was angry, and he pointed his finger at her, taking a step forward. "That Shane is gone or that I brought her back? Shane tried to kill me, Lori. He had a gun aimed at my forehead and he was coming back here to take you and Carl away. And you woulda gone with him, I know that. I know you wish it was me, not him."

She looked shocked, and she shook her head. "I don't know what happened to you, Rick. You scare Carl, you scare me, and you don't even care!"

"I am trying to keep you alive." He said through gritted teeth. "I thought you'd like this. I'm acting like Shane did, aren't I?"

She put up her hand, her eyes wide, and she shook her head. "You are so messed up, Rick. You can't even see it. Stay away from me, and from Carl." she huffed, marching past him and he grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. She looked down, stunned at the movement. He'd never touched her before. "Don't you ever put your hands on me."

"Don't you tell me what to do with my own son."

He narrowed his eyes angrily and she gave him a disgusted look, pulling his arm away and throwing the door open, stomping down the stairs. He stood there for a few minutes, his hand rubbing his tired eyes. So fucking self righteous, he thought. His fury threatened to boil over and he marched back downstairs and into the back bedroom he had put Ruby in. He punched the wall hard and sat down on the side of the bed, putting his head in his hands. He was so sick of all of this.