I don't own anything to do with Rick or any character from the Walking Dead. I own the OC characters, Ruby and Paul, however, and I adore them.
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 was 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.
+++It's really flowing right now, guys, but note that the chapters are a little shorter and fast moving. The continued reviews are the reason there have been so many updates in so few days- you guys are so inspirational you have no idea. Keep them coming and the updates will keep flowing. I expect the chapters to become longer after this one. ;) You are awesome!
Ruby sat behind Rick in the large truck, staring at the back of Rick's head. The fact that he seemed to not really need to talk anymore had shifted from being uncomfortable to just sad now. Carl, tucked in close to his father in the front seat and next to Paul, also had resigned himself to the silence and just stared out at the passing landscape out the window. Paul would look back at her occasionally and give a small, reassuring smile or nod, but when they pulled over for gas in the late afternoon, the words that had been said could have been counted on one hand.
Stretching her legs from the cramped position she'd been in, she looked out over the highway in front of them. Daryl helped Glenn and Paul gather fuel from the discarded cars along the roadway, and when they were done she headed over to the hunter. The thought of going back into the quiet truck was enough to make her want to be sick. Daryl, always the observant one, seemed to know just what she was going through because he just held out a hand and helped her up onto the back of his bike. She hugged him tightly as they pulled out again, the sound of the small motor ringing in her ears, and giving her a little relief.
"How you doin back there?" He asked loudly as they rode.
"Sucks." She said flatly, and he nodded.
"Yeah. Figures." He agreed simply.
"What are we going to do about tonight?" She asked, desperate for a change in topic.
"I've been lookin'. Ain't seen much worth stoppin' for."
"You want to just ride through the night?" She asked. "Couldn't be much different than the day."
"Except if the noise draws a bunch of them we won't see it till we're on top of it. Nah, if we don't find somethin' before too late we'll use the tents again." He said and when she frowned it caught his eye. "Girl, just go with me when I clear the area, ok? You don't have to stay with them if you don't want to."
She hugged him a little tighter for that. "I just don't know what to say to him, or Carl. I've never been good with this sort of thing."
"Is this 'sort of thing' is something you dealt with much?" He countered and she grinned a little.
"If it had, that would make me pretty twisted, huh?"
He shrugged. After a few minutes he turned his head so she could hear him clearer. "I've gotten to know Rick pretty well. If he knows you're there, it'll be ok. I think you'll help more than you realize."
"I hope so. But at this point, hearing him actually say two words together would lower the creepy factor."
"It is kinda fresh, you know. Give him time. I wouldn't be much different if something happened to-" He stopped suddenly, realizing he'd just said way more than he intended to and she stifled a grin. She knew exactly what he'd wanted to say.
"If something happened to any of us?" She finished, and Carol's name was clearly intended. He obviously appreciated it because he nodded.
"It'd suck." He finished and they rode for a while in silence, looking at the sky start to turn colors in the pre dusk. It was growing a little cooler with every night, and she looked forward to the cool night air. At that moment, the beauty of the land around them seemed inappropriate.
A beep from behind them caused Daryl to slow and Rick pulled the truck up beside them, pausing in the roadway.
"There's a road up here on the left. We're going to check it out." Paul said from the passenger side and they fell into place behind the truck. Indeed, a mile up the road there was a turn off, and Ruby could see exactly why they had wanted to stop. A large, beautiful lake stretched out in front of her just beyond the road.
The pavement went from the blacktop of the highway to a paler, slightly rougher concrete, and as they rounded the lake and went a little further it turned into gravel. She could feel it kick back from the bike's wheels and hit her legs, leaving little stinging spots in her flesh. A large hill, almost a mountain, bordered them on the left side, the water on the right, and the road a narrow path in between, but it opened up after a few minutes, exposing a meadow on the other side. It was beautiful, and most importantly, it was blessedly walker-free.
Rick stopped the truck and Daryl tucked the bike past him against the wall of the cliff next to it. Glenn stopped right behind them and everyone got out to take in the scenery.
"My goodness." Carol breathed softly, but Ruby glanced over to see how Rick was taking it. He looked disinterested, absent, and she sighed to herself.
"Where are we setting up?" Maggie asked.
"Wait a minute to do it. I saw something I want to check out first." Daryl said, garnering everyone's attention. "Ruby, you want to come with me?"
"Sure." She said, and threw a last, searching glance at Rick before following Daryl back around the wall they had parked next to. "What did you see?" She asked him as they walked.
He kept his attention focused and his crossbow in hand firmly, walking one step in front of her at all times. "There was a dip back here in the hill, did you see it?" He asked.
"No. What does that mean?"
"Maybe nothing." He answered, finding the spot he had been referring to. It was on the lake side of the road, and he stepped down the hill carefully, looking back to make sure she was close and safe. "But sometimes... it means this." He said, reaching the foot of the hill and smirking satisfactorily. She turned around and looked, and joined him in his secret smile. The small hill had wound down almost underneath the roadway above, and a cave sat hidden there, facing the lake.
"A cave?" She grinned, disbelievingly. "Like, a dark, dank cave?"
"Hey, don't knock it." He said softly, leading her closer to inspect the dim opening. "The best protection we're gonna find anywhere, I tell ya. You ever hear of a walker coming through a rock wall?"
"No. But I have heard of bears. And bats." She joked. Of course she trusted him to find a good place to stay, but she stayed safely behind him as they approached the medium sized rock opening in the cliff.
He grew quiet when they stepped inside, and flipped on a flashlight he had tucked into his belt. It was medium sized from what she could see, and the fading sunlight together with Daryl's flashlight gave it a decent enough glow to be comforting. Maybe ten feet high after the lower opening, it stretched nearly 15 ft to the back wall, about the same width-wise. And it was empty, a fact that set both of their hearts into a relieved sigh. Off to the back, though, was a man sized opening, and they approached it carefully, ears and eyes peaked at attention. A shuffling sound came just as they got to the "door", and they froze. Daryl crouched a little aimed his crossbow defensively, pausing just outside before swinging into an attack position at the opening. Ruby almost squealed in surprise when he let an arrow fly suddenly and he grinned widely, confusing her immensely.
"Got dinner." He said, chuckling at her paleness, and she peered past him into the beam of light of the flashlight. A deer had taken up residence in the small room, and the arrow Daryl had shot was now protruding from it's still, unbreathing chest.
"That scared the hell out of me." She groaned and he chuckled, retrieving his arrow and dragging the carcass to just inside the cave opening.
"Let's go get the rest, get this cooked up. Gonna be a good night, girl. Told you it'd get better." He said and she rolled her eyes. It wasn't going to be hard to get better, last night was the roughest they'd had together as a group. Ever.
It didn't take long to go back and gather the others, lug their bags and packs back to the cave. In fact, after they had tucked the cars away from view, locked them up tightly and all gathered in the new, thankfully mostly hidden space, the sun had only just dipped below the horizon.
"This is good." Carol remarked as she instinctively began the process of making the cave comfortable for everyone.
"Very good." Glenn murmured as he and Maggie began laying out the pallets for bedding. No one wanted to show too much relief or excitement, it still didn't seem very appropriate in the light of Rick and Carl's grief. The two of them set about getting Carl set up in the small back room of the cave, near the bedding for Carol and Hershel. The three of them would be safe and comfortable there, the others in the front room. Daryl set about skinning the deer on a large rock near the lake, his attention always on a potential threat around them. When Ruby gathered the containers for water, she was surprised when Rick joined her.
"Hey." He said, his voice heavy and his expression tentative.
"Hey." She said soothingly, giving him an encouraging gaze.
"Want some help?" He asked and she nodded enthusiastically. Keeping his weapon at the ready and Daryl in sight, they walked the thirty feet to the water's edge.
"Looks clean enough." Ruby said, rolling her jeans up and kicking her shoes off. She waded out several feet and began to fill the containers with fresh water.
Rick did the same and they spent the next few minutes in peaceful silence, filling and carrying the jugs to the lake's shore. "You alright?" He asked after a while and she looked at him, surprised.
"Yeah. Worried about you though, if I'm being honest."
He nodded as he filled. "I'm sorry about that, Ruby."
"You got nothing to apologize for."
"I do. It had to scare you to death, and I haven't said two words to you."
"Why are you sorry about that? Don't worry about me, Rick. You are Carl... I can't even imagine what you two are feeling right now."
He paused in his task and looked out over the water. "All I had to do was make sure Carl had a mother and I couldn't even do that. And T-Dog too. If I had been watching..."
"Stop it." Ruby almost shouted that, and quickly stilled herself. Tossing her empty jug back to the shoreline she waded to him, looking up into his face. "I don't want to hear that. I don't need to tell you that there was nothing you could have done. You already know that."
He returned her gaze, shaky and sad. "I don't know what I'm supposed to tell Carl."
"Just be there for him. It's all you can do. You are so strong, and he's going to be alright, I promise you that. We're all going to make sure of it."
He raised his hand and put it against her cheek, stroking her skin with his rough thumb. She put her hand over his and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. They stayed like that for a while, till the bright stars started coming out and the large moon lit the ground in a soft glow.
When they got back to the cave with all the water, Paul had built a fire just outside the opening. Ruby looked around a little frantically, wondering if it could be seen, but saw Daryl shake his head at her.
"We're hidden under the hill, don't worry."
She wondered how he seemed to most always know what she was thinking, but pushed it aside and nodded, giving him a grateful smile. Soon, Carol had meat and a pan of water over the flames, and the smell of cooking meat stirred her stomach hungrily. She realized none of them had really eaten in almost two days.
"Hey Ruby?" Maggie called out to her as she was going through her bag, and Ruby looked up at her questioningly. "We're going to get washed up, you want to come?"
"Oh, god yes." Ruby nearly moaned. She felt disgusting, and it was the best idea she'd heard all day. Carol left the meat cooking with Daryl and she came with Ruby, Maggie and Beth, towels and bottles of soap in hand.
"Now, don't you be peeking at us." Beth teased Paul, who stood at the water's edge, watching over them.
"I won't, long as you four watch out, too. Don't get to chattering and let something come up right behind me." He retorted jokingly and she swatted at his arm as he obligingly turned his back to them and watched the hill and fields beyond.
"Oh god this feels amazing." Maggie sighed as they stripped down and waded into the water. Once they all were in the lake up to their shoulders they began passing bottles and soaps between each other, lathering up slowly and thoroughly. It had been a while, and they were all missing the cold shower at the farmhouse.
"I'm going to stay in here all night." Ruby agreed, suds in her eyes and hair. She dipped and rinsed, reveling in the feeling.
"So, Rick talked to you, huh? I saw you two out here earlier." Maggie said and their attention fell on Ruby.
"I think he's going to be ok." Was all the answer she gave, and they nodded understandingly.
"Poor Carl." Beth said softly and was met with murmurs of agreement.
Nothing else needed to be said on the matter and the subject was changed. "It's so great Daryl spotted this place." Carol said, taking a bottle of conditioner from Beth. "If he hadn't, we'd be camping up there in the open."
"He's pretty smart like that, huh?" Ruby said teasingly, wondering if Carol would slip about her feelings for the man they way he had for her on the bike earlier.
"He sure is." Carol answered softly, a look of secret satisfaction on her face. Ruby chuckled softly, and they all rinsed one last time and waded back to the shore. Paul stayed with his back to them while they dried and dressed, and when they got back to the cave Daryl had a good portion of the deer cooked already.
Carol took over for him and Maggie, Beth and Ruby sat around the fire talking while the men washed up. When they came back, they all sat around and talked softly over dinner, filling up on deer meat and the very last of the vegetables from the garden that had kept.
The fire put out and the entrance to the cave manned for the night by Glenn, sleep came quickly to them all. The kind of hard, exhausted sleep that people who just couldn't take anything else thrown at them that night had, and even the rising sun's beams of light the next morning had trouble waking them.