Author's Note:

So... extra chapter! Yay?

Disclaimer: Mentions of Suicide. Nothing graphic, just Ruby bringing up her past.

Chapter 143

It Was Raining…

Hedy had been a bit twitchy that night. She was pretty quiet. It wasn't so strange, as she could be quiet when she was very focused on working on someone.

Spring was still at the top of her priorities and she was busy with him when she got a text.

She glanced at it, staring for a moment before getting rid of the notification and putting her phone away.

"What was that?" Spring asked. He was still a bit awkward when speaking to everyone, but he made an effort to at least be calm and less jittery around Hedy. He'd been making a lot of progress lately. He cared very much about making sure to show he wasn't anxious around her or that she didn't have to be afraid of him, although the latter was something Hedy continuously said he didn't have to worry about.

"Jeremy's coming tonight. He's on his way."

"Oh, that's nice." They weren't close, but Spring respected Jeremy a lot.

Hedy smiled at him, but she worried him with how strained it was.

"Hedy?"

She shook her head and went back to working on his arm, glancing at Ruby.

A little while later, Ruby quit playing cards with Foxy to make a trip to the bathroom.

Hedy waited until she was absolutely sure Ruby was out of earshot.

"Guys," she said loudly, getting their attention as she set her tools down. "Jeremy's on his way."

Several of them paused and looked at her oddly.

"Okay?" Freddy said, confused. He lowered his book to stare at her.

Hedy continued. "I'm warning you because he's coming to tell Ruby something, and she's going to react very badly. I just need everyone to be calm and let her react. She's going to be very angry at me and Jeremy, at least."

Foxy tensed and frowned at the mechanic with suspicion. "What are you talking about?" he growled just a bit. It sounded like Hedy was about to upset Ruby on purpose. That couldn't be good. Why?

Hedy frowned. She opened her mouth to explain, but shut it as she heard the front door unlock and let Jeremy in. The building didn't even resist, almost as if it knew what was going on.

Several of the bots moved to greet him but cut off in shock at his appearance.

He usually wore comfortable clothes when visiting them, like jeans and a t-shirt. At that moment, however, he was decked out in a business suit and tie, his police badge clearly visible, and clipped to his belt. He looked like one of those classic detectives from a crime tv show. Did he just get off work? That was strange. He wasn't a detective in this town, and it was well past midnight. If he was planning on coming, he usually would have time to change from his work clothes.

He looked tired.

Most shockingly, his lip was bleeding, and he had an obvious bruise darkening on his cheek.

He looked at Hedy and nodded as he sat down heavily at one table, slumped over and running his hand through his hair as he let out a shaky breath. He barely looked at the rest of them and closed his eyes. His gun was visible with how he sat.

The fact that the building didn't take his gun away made them feel even more nervous.

"What's going on?" Goldy asked anxiously, glancing at the door that Ruby left through.

Jeremy lifted his eyes to look at the bear. "I...made an arrest tonight," he said. " And Ruby needs to know before it hits the papers tomorrow or people start trying to call her."

He sounded...sad. It was such a strange tone to hear from him.

"Where is she?"

"She'll be back in a minute," Hedy mumbled, and the bots got the distinct impression she knew what Jeremy was talking about.

He nodded. "Where's Mike?"

"He had to go visit family for a few days," Hedy answered. "He just got back, and I told him to skip shift and get some sleep instead." She looked at her brother. "I'll tell him in the morning."

"Hm."

They sat in a tense silence for a few minutes, all wondering what was going on.

When Ruby walked back in, she frowned and looked around.

"Hedy's brother, didn't know you were visiting." Ruby still called him that, but it was more of an endearment now, although she wouldn't admit it.

She took in his clothes with a confused expression but didn't comment, turning to head over to Foxy to continue their game.

"Ruby, I need you to come over here for a second," Jeremy said seriously, gesturing at the chair next to him as he used a napkin to wipe blood from his lip.

Ruby's frown deepened while the bots looked even more concerned. Foxy was twitching slightly like he wanted to get between Ruby and Jeremy.

The teen crossed her arms. "Why?" she asked, gaze darting to Hedy, like she was asking her opinion.

"I need you to be sitting down," Jeremy said honestly.

"Ruby, just listen for once please..." Hedy said softly. "This is important." She pointed at the chair next to Jeremy, glancing at her brother. "Jeremy has something to tell you and you're going to be very upset. If you're standing, I think you're going to fall over or hurt yourself."

Now a flash of worry crossed her face before she hid it behind annoyance. For a moment they thought she'd refuse just to be difficult, but then she moved over and dropped into the chair.

"What?" she half asked, half demanded.

Jeremy leaned forward a bit, elbows on his knees as he glanced at everyone before settling back on the teenager in front of him.

"Ruby, you know I knew your dad. And you know how close we were."

Ruby shifted uncomfortably, already looking like she wanted to bolt. She hated anyone mentioning her parents.

"Yeah, what of it?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Jeremy hesitated. "After I...learned what happened months ago, I looked at the case file. And I noticed there were some problems. Missing pictures. Your...the car was sent to be destroyed before the investigation was done. Things like that. I got permission to open up your parents' case again. Without telling the precinct here about it..."

Ruby stiffened and narrowed her eyes at him. They honestly expected her to hit him any moment now.

"Why?" she forced out, hands clenching.

Jeremy took a short breath. "I'm...not good at letting things rest, Ruby. And I thought something was off. I started talking to some people and well..." He paused. "You know Alastair Black? The cop who was there the last time you were arrested?"

She was still glaring at him suspiciously. "Yeah," she answered after a moment. "He's my godfather."

Jeremy visibly paled and Hedy watched his breath hitch as if he had just been brutally punched in the chest.

Hedy reacted nearly the same way, unable to breathe for a second as she closed her eyes.

"Ruby...I arrested him tonight," Jeremy said quietly, maintaining eye contact.

Ruby blinked at him for a moment. "What?! Why?!" she demanded, starting to look angry.

Jeremy stayed as calm as he could. "I was working with internal affairs. They're charging him with multiple counts of tampering with evidence. And obstruction of justice." He looked at his sister again. "But I'm a homicide detective, Ruby. I arrested him for..." Jeremy cut off choking and covered his mouth, taking a breath.

He had done this before, he had to remind himself. But it was always other people. Never this close. He just had to get it out before he broke down so Ruby could react.

He refused to look away from her intense eyes, even as he felt his start to tear up. "I'm so sorry, Ruby," he took another deep breath and just said it as clinically as he could. "I arrested Detective Alastair Black for the murder of Derrick and Rose Stone and the attempted murder of Ruby Stone."

There were multiple exclamations of shock from around the room as the bots reacted.

Ruby herself, went as still as a statue. "What?" she asked, voice completely void of emotion. "It was an accident. Wet roads. Uncle Alistair wasn't even there when it happened. I saw what happened."

Jeremy shook his head slightly. "What you remember...isn't..." he trailed off. "Correct. The road wasn't wet, Ruby. It hadn't rained at all that week. The brake line was tampered with to snap and fail. No pictures were kept of the car's condition and the person who signed off on the inspection of the brakes wasn't really on call that night."

Ruby was starting to pale. "No, it was an accident. There's...Uncle Alistair and dad were best friends. There's no reason he'd do that." there was a slight tremble to her voice. "What kind of sick joke is this?"

Jeremy swallowed. He was trying so hard not to cry either. "Ruby...I..." he picked up a file from the table they had been too distracted to see him set down when he came in.

"He..." Jeremy cleared his throat as he looked at a paper in the small file. "The charges internal affairs charged him with include him taking bribes from..." here he paused and closed the file. "Ruby, do you know how I met your dad?"

The teen shook her head numbly. It was disturbing. They'd all been expecting more of an explosion. But she seemed to be slowly withdrawing into herself.

Jeremy spoke softly. "When the kids went missing. When Michael killed them, your dad was the lead detective on the case." He paused to let it sink in. "That's how I met him. I was a suspect. But he knew it wasn't me, and he looked out for me while I was dealing with my dad, and with Hedy in the hospital. And well..." he gestured around them rather than any of the bots. "My week. He didn't know about that, but he was there for me even though he had no obligation to be. He was the one looking for Michael."

All of them were staring at Jeremy in shock now. Apparently, they hadn't known that.

Or they had forgotten.

Ruby hadn't known either if her wide eyes were any indication.

Hedy, however, had already been filled in on this part so she just listened silently.

"The case stalled but Stone refused to let it go. He kept dragging it up every few years, even when I asked him to stop before I moved away. He...found out someone had kept him from solving our case. There were a number of officers that were bribed by the company, this company, to help cover up the murders. Black was one of them. I think your dad found out Black was involved. Your dad had a meeting with the commissioner planned a couple of days later. Our boss's boss. I think he was going to do what I did."

Ruby's eyes went a little distant like she was remembering something. Most likely those few days before her parents' deaths that she usually kept locked up in her head. From the way her hands tightened around her arms, nails digging into the material of her shirt, she must have noticed something that she didn't back then.

"Ruby...?" Jeremy murmured, only guessing what it was she was remembering. Like hell he was going to question her now, but he was going to have to eventually. He dreaded it. "I'm so sorry. It wouldn't have changed what I did, but I didn't know Black was your godfather. I didn't know you were close. I..." Jeremy halted. "I didn't understand why at the time. He asked me if he could talk to you. To tell you this himself so you wouldn't have to hear it from anyone else. I told him no."

"He offered to take me in after," Ruby's voice was strained and her eyes were still a little distant. "He stopped my suicide attempt and got me to the hospital. He... he... he killed my parents?" Now her voice cracked and they were alarmed to see tears forming in her eyes. They'd seen her cry due to anger, but never sadness. Never in front of them. The lack of anger and just...betrayal, on her face was heartbreaking.

"Yes, h-he admitted to it," Jeremy said, his own chest aching. He leaned forward, his hands were shaking as he took her forearms, fully expecting her to pull away. But that would be okay. Anything she was feeling was okay. "Ruby, I'm so sorry." His voice cracked. "I don't...Ruby. I don't know what to say now. I can't make this better."

Hedy stayed apart, her head bowed in grief for people she never got to know. This wasn't something she and the bots could help with, not now. Not at this moment.

Ruby just stared at him as the tears slipped free. He could pinpoint the exact moment where she just shut down on them, withdrawing into herself mentally and physically as she tucked her knees under her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Hedy could also feel the building's concern as she withdrew from it as well.

Jeremy got out of his chair and for the first time pulled Ruby into a hug as he kneeled, holding her curled form in his arms as he also quietly sobbed. He could feel her heart hammering as tears stained his suit.

"Please, Ruby," Jeremy said into her hair as if she was his other little sister. "I came to let you scream at me. Or even hit me. If you just have to cry, that's okay. But whatever you need, just do it, please."

"Don't close off," Hedy whispered. Begged, really.

Ruby curled up even tighter if that was possible. "He killed them. And then looked me in the eye at the hospital and said it was an accident. He offered to take me in...He said dad was like his brother. He...He killed them and then lied."

That seemed to finally make something snap as the teen let out a ragged sounding sob. A light flickered, but nothing exploded.

There was still no sign of the expected anger but at least she was crying and wasn't holding it in.

Jeremy hugged her tighter.

Foxy shifted but glanced at Hedy.

The mechanic shook her head.

Bonnie looked pained and torn between comforting Ruby like both he and Foxy wanted, and holding Foxy back.

Chica was holding her beak shut, making quiet dry sobbing noises while Goldy held Mangle steady as the fox tried not to make a strangled sound and swayed, as if unsure if she was supposed to do anything.

Freddy had a blank expression, that old habit of compartmentalizing pain rearing its head. Somehow, pain for Ruby's sake hurt more than his own could.

Toby was staring with his ears back and he actually looked about to cry too, although he'd be the first to admit he was a little confused by how much he cared. A lot had changed over the last few months. But it was still bizarre to be sad about a couple of adults. Or maybe he wasn't upset about them, but how they were making the night guard feel, although that was still odd.

Puppet was in his box. He didn't dare play his music box but he wanted to hear anything but Ruby crying.

It was just so wrong.

Spring didn't move from where he was sitting next to Hedy. He knew this wasn't a time for anyone but Jeremy to do something, not yet at least. It was hard to watch though.

The teen looked shattered and younger than ever as she sobbed in Jeremy's arms. Foxy clearly wanted to hug her or do something but he was at a loss. Jeremy was the only one who shared memories of Ruby's parents.

"Ruby," Jeremy said after a few minutes, still holding her as she continued to cry. "Black is a respected officer in a lot of people's eyes. It's going to be hard for a while. I've already been threatened by some of the other officers. Reporters might come looking to ask you questions. I need you to ignore them."

"Fuck them," her reply was lacking its usual heat. For the first time since meeting her, she looked like a lost kid.

Jeremy managed a weak smirk at her words. "I already warned Alice and Clint tonight before I got here. They said they'll explain what they need to the kids so the reporters don't try to catch them off guard either. Apparently Ricky overheard because he wasn't in bed yet and asked if he could carry pepper spray but Clint said no."

Ruby didn't react with a smile or proud comment like she normally would. She just bowed her head and mourned her parents all over again and they could do nothing to help her.