Out Of Sync

Your body jolts when you wake you. You let out a quiet hiss, holding your head as you sit up.

You're in your room?

Weird.

You thought Beth would've dragged you to a hospital. You're not going to complain. Waking up in your bed is a lot better than waking up in a freezing cold hospital room.

"Mom! Oh, good. You're awake. We were worried about you! I'm...I'm so sorry for leaving. I knew it was a bad idea. How're you feeling? Do you need anything?" Beth asks, she speaks quickly with a worried frown. Beth watches you, "I'm...fine, Beth. Don’t worry." You tell her, Beth relaxes, but only a little. "I don't remember what happened, but I must've hit my head. I thought I saw your father of all people in the garage..." You state with a weak chuckles. Beth tenses up once more, squeezing her hands together. "Well, actually, Mom...that...did happen," She says carefully, she glances off to the side, "He's in the room with us right now..."

You follow Beth's line of sight, whipping your head around to see Rick sitting at your desk. He hasn't said a word, he's just been...quietly watching you. You tense, trying to ignore the fearful hammering in your chest. "Where the hell did you come from?!" You shout, Rick sways side to side in your chair, "Two—URP—alcoholics." He burps out. "Dad helped you after you passed out." Beth states, she tries her best to calm you down, but her words spur you into even more of a panic. "He is the reason I passed out," You stress, "He's the reason why any of this bullshit is happening in the first place!" Rick stands up, and you immediately flinch. Rick freezes, he studies you carefully before slowly moving to grab something

Shit. He's going to kill you.

You're such a fucking dumbass...

You spent all this time being pissed of with the memory of Rick Sanchez, that you forgot how terrifying the actual person is. You're too old to fight back.

Please.

If he's going to kill you, please don't let him do it in front of Beth...

"...W-why are you back now?" You ask, watching Rick carefully. You hate how your voice trembles. You used to have more fight than this. Beth places a gentle hand on your shoulder, "Mom, it's ok. Calm down. You shouldn't raise your blood pressure." She warns gently. You shoot her a look, "Beth, sweetie, we talked about this: telling me to calm down won't—" Rick suddenly grabs your arm, your attention snaps back to him in an instant. How did he get so close so fast? How did you not notice?!

He loosens his grips when he sees your terrified expression, "...Are you scared of needles, too?" He asks, "Needles—" You let out a pained hiss at the sharp pain you felt in your arm. Rick pulls the needle out of your skin, you yank your arm away from him, holding it close to you. Did he just poison you? Is that how he plans on killing you?

"What did you do...?" Beth asks, Rick digs into his lab coat, pulling out two items: a flask...and a bandaid. Rick tugs your arm back to him, a lot more gentle this time. "Nothing bad. I just gave her something that'll help her relax and not freak herself out into a heart attack. It’s for the best since, you know, you haven’t had the chance to tell her.” He explains.

Your body starts to relax without your permission, you let out a shaky breath, “W-what is he talking about, Beth…?” You ask, eyeing her nervously. Beth squeezes her hands together anxiously, not a good sign. She takes a deep breath, “I know you hate it when I beat around the bush…” She starts, shutting her eyes, “Dad’s moving in.” Beth says bluntly.

Your eyes widen, you want to have a bigger reaction. You want to scream in horror or something, but you can’t. He made it where you can’t. You manage to move, Beth watches you worriedly while one side of Rick’s unibrow raises. “Mom?” Beth asks, you push yourself off your bed, your legs wobbling underneath you. “Well, shit. I’m moving out.” You say calmly. “Mom—” “Nope. No. Uh uh. I am not spending my last months in the same house as him.” You say firmly, you stumble to your closet.

“I’ll go to one of those old people homes. I know Jerry’s been trying to send me there for a while now.” You mutter, reaching for your bag. “You really shouldn’t…shouldn’t be trying to walk right now.” Rick warns, you glare at him. “Oh, fuck you, asshole.” You huff, your left leg gives out on you, and next thing you know, you’re heading towards the floor again—

Rick catches you, forcing you to sit back on the bed. His hands remain latched onto your arms, “There. I just saved you again. You can fuck me later as a thank you.” He says, you look at him in disgust, “Beth, I’m still moving out. The second whatever drug Rick forced into me wears off. I’m gone.” You sigh. “Come on, Mom. Give it a chance. Please. Do you really want to spend your last months in an old people home? Don’t you want to spend that time with me and the kids?” Beth asks sadly. Rick notes her expression, frowning a little, “W-why do you two keep—URP—keep saying ‘last months’?” He asks, you feel his hands clench your arms, not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough for you to notice he was doing it.

…It doesn’t seem like he even notices he doing it.

“Well—” “You should already know, Rick.” You cut Beth off, grinning at Rick bitterly. He frowns, frustrated confusion evident on his face, “What? You’re going to stick around to watch your hard work pay off and ditch Beth again when I’m gone?” You ask, realization flickers on Rick’s face. “Shit. You’re dying…” He gasps quietly, you stare at him in annoyance. “Yeah. You win. Congrats.” You sigh.

Rick doesn’t say anything, he frowns, seeming…pissed. Rick calms himself down and lets go of you, “…Y/N. You need some rest. Come on, Beth.” He says, he guides Beth out of the room, “Oh. Ok…Mom I’ll come check on you a little bit later.” Beth states, she waves goodbye. Rick shuts the door behind them and you slump on your bed, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes.

…

“…Why the hell does he have to sleep on my room?”

Beth sighs softly, “It’s only temporary, Mom…” She says. “Yeah, because I’ll probably die faster!” You complain, Beth frowns sadly at that. You force yourself to reel your anger in, even though it’s her fault Rick’s moving in…you don’t want to die with your relationship with her in shambles.

“Dad’s going to spend most of his time in the garage anyway. You’ll only see him in here at night.” Beth states, “Why can’t he just sleep in the garage then?” You ask. “Mom, that’s elder abuse…” She says, you let out a heavy sigh.

Rick deserves to be abused.

Morty stumbles up the stairs, walking past you with an exhausted expression, "Morty? You ok?" You ask. Morty stops, he turns to look at you. "Oh, y-yeah. I'm ok, Grandma. I've just been helping Grandpa Rick with...with some science stuff. It's pretty draining, y-you know?" He explains, he rubs the back of his head. You frown in concern while Beth smiles, "Aw, Dad's turning you into a little scientist, huh?" She coos, Morty smiles weakly at her. "I'm gonna go help Jerry bring in the other boxes." Beth states, walking down stares.

You let out a sigh, keeping your attention on Morty. "Are you really ok?" You ask, Morty's smile falls back into an exhausted frown. "I am, but...I wasn't just helping him in the garage or-or something. He took me to a completely different world. And it had these...monsters everywhere." He confess. Monsters? A different world? What the hell is Rick doing? "Maybe we should talk to Beth about it..." You suggest, "No. We don't have to do that," Morty says, looking away, "Mom's really happy about Grandpa staying here. And it was w-weird, but I didn't get hurt or anything." "Well, who knows, Rick has never been good at forming attachments to people, maybe he'll take you on an adventure or two and then he'll leave you alone completely." You tell him, Morty relaxes and smiles a little at you. You ruffle his hair, "Alright. Go take it easy." You say.

...

You feel someone standing over you. You eyes open groggily, you squint to see through the darkness. Rick stands over you, swaying back and forth. Oh, great, he's drunk. Not surprise there. He's been living here for 2 months now, and pretty much every time you see him, he's drunk. "...Go away, Rick..." You sigh tiredly, you turn on your side so your back is facing him.

"I-I made a bomb....to test M-Morty"

"Cool. I don't care." You mumble, Rick stares at you quietly, "I love you." He says, "No, you don't, Rick. You hate me, and I hate you." You sigh. Rick stands there for a little longer before you finally hear his footsteps retreat out of the room. You let out an annoyed sigh as you try to go back to sleep...

...

You tiredly push the food around your plate. You never did end up going back to sleep. Stupid Rick...making you worry about bombs and Morty dying...

You absentmindedly shove a scoop of eggs into your mouth. You thought Beth would've gotten tired of Rick living here by now. That maybe she would've realized he's nothing but a drunk asshole. You were really hoping you wouldn't have to spend your last months dealing with him, but whatever. Only four months left. It's hard to believe you're going to be dead soon. You haven't felt sick or weak at all. In fact, despite Rick being here, you feel the best you ever have in the past 20 years. You don't get winded going up the stairs, you don't get tired at 7pm, and your joint don't hurt when it rains anymore!

Maybe this is just what Ricks wants. For you to feel great and have hope...then you'll abruptly die right when you think you're going to be ok.

He's waiting for you to let your guard down.

Too bad for him, you're never letting your guard down.

You glare at Rick. He sits across from you, continuing to eat his food without even noticing your glare. He's probably too drunk to notice. You let out a quiet huff and bitterly go back to eating your own food. The second your eyes are off of him, Rick watches you discreetly, "I see there's a new episode of that singing show tonight," Jerry suddenly says, placing his tablet down on the table, "Who do you guys think is gonna be the best singer?" Morty head smacks into his plate, "Oh, my god. His head is in his food. I'm going to puke." Summer complains. "Morty, are you getting sick? I told you not to practice-kiss the living room pillow. The dog sleeps on it." Beth says worriedly.

Morty lifts his head off his plate, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "I wasn't kissing a pillow, Mom. I just-I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I dunno, maybe my dreams were just too loud or something." He sighs, "Or maybe a drunk old man kept you out all night." You sigh, "Again." Summer adds. "What?!" Jerry asks, narrowing his eyes at Rick, "Dad?" Beth asks. "What? So everyone's supposed to sleep every single night now? You realize that nighttime makes up half of all time?" Rick scoffs. "Damn it!" Jerry says, he slams his fist on the table. "Jerry." Beth sighs "Beth!" Jerry shouts right back. 

"Oh, my god. My parents are so loud. I want to die." Summer sighs "You and me both." You complain, Beth shoots you an upset look while Rick rolls his eyes. He wipes his mouth on his sleeve before speaking again, "Mm, first of all, you don't get to fucking die. Not again. And second, there is no god, Summer. You gotta rip that bandaid off now. You'll thank me later." Rick states. What the hell does that mean? You don't get to die...again? Did he kill you before and you're a clone or something? Oh no, are you a clone? "Ok, with all due respect, Rick—what am I talking about? What respect is due? How is my son supposed to pass his classes if you keep dragging him off for high concept sci-fi rigamarole?" Jerry asks. 

Rick rolls his eyes, somehow, he's the only one that's still actively eating his breakfast. "Listen, Jerry, I-I don't want to overstep my bounds or anything. It's your house. It's your world. You're a real Julius Caesar. But I'll tell you some-tell you how-how I feel about school, Jerry. It's a waste of time-a bunch of people running around, bumping into each other. G-guy up front says 'Two plus two'. The people in the back say 'Four'. Then the bell rings, and they give you a carton of milk and a piece of paper that says you can go take a dump or something. I mean, it's-it's not a place for smart people, Jerry. And I know that's not a popular opinion, but it's my two cents on the issue." Rick says, he wipes his mouth and stands up from his seat. "This was a good breakfast, Beth. You really made the crap out of those eggs. You make 'em the same way your mom used to when you were little." He compliments, lovingly patting Beth's shoulder before he leaves. Beth watches him with tears in her eyes, "Oh, Dad..." She sniffs. "What?" You ask, dumbfounded by what you just witnessed "...For real?" Jerry mutters with the same tone. 

Shit, Rick's been here so long that you're finding it easy to agree with Jerry now...

...

You let out a bored sigh, sinking into the couch. You really hate school days. As sad as it is, Summer and Morty are pretty much the only friends you have. And when you can't hang out with them, you have nothing better to do other than watching whatever random shit you can find on tv. You hear someone approaching the couch from behind, "Jerry or Rick—I don't care—fuck off." You sigh, the footsteps falter for a second.

"First of all, Y/N, never use my name and Jerry name like me and him are equals," Rick says, he looks at you before his gaze drifts towards the tv. His eyes narrow and he looks disgusted, “And second, what the fuck is this shit? Is this Golden Girls? Y/N, you’re watching Golden Girls?” He asks in disbelief. "Again, fuck off." You sigh, Rick reaches over the couch and snatches the remote from you.

"Hey, what the—"

Rick turns off the tv, "That's it. Come on. Yo—URP—you're coming with me." He says. You try to get the remote back from him, "No, I'm not, Rick." You sigh, he holds the remote out of your reach before chucking it across the room. You watch it go flying, slowly turning to shoot Rick an annoyed look. Rick isn't bothered by your annoyance, "Oh, y—URP—yes, you are. Since you're so worried about him, you can come with me while I go pick up Morty." He states. "Pick up Morty? Pick him up for what?" You ask, "I got an errand to run in a whole—URP—different dimension. I-I need Morty as an extra pair of hands, and you get to chaperone." Rick explains. A different dimension? That means...you'd have to go through one of those portals...from his portal gun.

You tense immediately, "Oh no, absolutely not. I am never going through one of those portals—never again." You say firmly, "N-never again? Come on, Y/N. You shouldn't let every bad experience control your life. What—what could've possibly been so bad?" Rick asks. You stare at him a moment, releasing an annoyed sigh, "I fucking hate how you got dementia now or some shit..." You huff under your breath, you glare at him, "You shoved me in one of those things and left me stranded in a different dimension for a whole week..." You tell him bitterly.

Rick falters, his eyes widen slightly. And he looks...sympathetic? "The hell...? He did that?" He asks, "Yes, Rick. Yes, you did." You sigh. He frowns, "Well...sh-shit. And I thought being around you wouldn't give me any more of a reason to hate myself," He says, "Well, anyways, come on. Y-you're gonna come anyway. As long as I'm here, you're not allowed to rot on the couch anymore.."

Rick grabs your arm and drags you off the couch. He pulls you to the garage. You don't put up much of a fight. You're tired. And Rick's drunk. He's turns into such a whiny bitch when he drunk like this.

He comes to a stop in front of his spaceship, he opens the passenger door and looks at you, "...There's no way you're expecting me to get into that thing." You scoff, crossing your arms with an uncomfortably frown. Rick narrows his eyes, he takes another drink from his flask. "Seriously? Do—URP—do you have to be difficult about every single thing?" Rick groans, pushing you inside the ship and closing the door. You let out a startled yelp, "Ack! Hey, this is kidnapping!" You say, watching Rick walk to the driver's seat.

He flops into his seat, shutting the door. He glances at you before reaching over, you flinch. Rick pauses with a bitter frown, he slowly grabs your seatbelt and makes sure its secure. "Ugh, you're s—so jumpy. It's been two months, and you still think I'm gonna—gonna hurt you...I don't wanna hurt you. I wouldn't hurt you." He huffs, the ships hovers slowly, it flies slowly. Weird...you've seen Rick take off in this thing plenty of times, usually, he just speeds off...

"It's not my fault you fell in love with an asshole. I hate him just as much as y—URP—you're terrified of him. If he comes back, he's not gonna hurt you. Not again. I'll kill him before he has the chance." Rick rambles, you watch Rick a moment before letting out a tired sigh. "You're drunk." You state, Rick's grip on his steering wheel tightens. "Yep! Ha ha, that's me, just a big old drunk asshole that you hate. Hahaha, Wubba Lubba Dub Dub!" Rick laughs. You shift in your seat, looking out the window nervously.

...

The ship finally lands in front of Summer and Morty's school. Rick shoves open his door, "Alright, c—come on." He says. You remain still, "I can't." You state, Rick pauses, shooting you an annoyed look. "I'm not saying that to be difficult...this time. I'm banned from stepping foot inside that school." You say defensively. Rick's raises one half of his unibrow, "Y—you are? Why? What the—what the hell did you do?" he asks. You let out an annoyed sigh, leaning into your seat with your arms crossed over your chest.

"...3 years ago, Summer was being bullied really badly. No teachers, staff, or even that fuck-faced principal bother trying to stop it. So, I came up here on my own and kicked the girl's ass." You explain, "Holy shit. You beat up a 14 year old?" Rick snickers. "Yeah. I did it for my granddaughter. That girl was a bitch," You sigh, "Anyway, I had to agree to never enter the school again or else they'd have me arrested." Rick doesn't say anything for a moment as he leans against the ship's open door. You glance at him, watching a grin form on his face.

"Fuck, you're still crazy..." He snickers affectionately, shutting his eyes. You frown, he actually sounded nice. Like he likes you...

"Fine. You can stay here. Wouldn't want you acting any of—URP—any of Morty's classmates. Even if that would be funny as hell." Rick says, he shuts his door and begins to walk away. Perfect, now you can just leave and go home while he's— "Ship, keep an eye on Y/N. Make sure she doesn't leave or die until I get back." Rick states. The interior of the ship glows in response, you tense, looking around nervously, "What the hell...?" You mutter as Rick creates a portal and walks through it

You don't hesitate to undo your seatbelt, reaching for your door. It's locked. "Um, ship? Rick's ship? Let me leave?...Please?" You order, your voice wavers unsurely. Nothing happens. You huff bitterly and lean back in your seat, "Stupid Rick. Kidnapping me with his stupid...kinda cool ship." You grumble to yourself.

...

It takes about 6 minutes for Rick to come back with Morty. 

The ship's doors unlock, Rick motions for you to come out. you sigh and leave the ship, Morty look at you with wide eyes, "G—Grandma? You're coming along too? But I thought you hated Rick." Morty says, "I've been kidnapped." You tell him bluntly, "...O—oh." Morty says, Rick pulls out his Portal Gun, "Don't—don't listen to her, Morty. We're bonding." He says, shooting the gun at a wall, "Wait, if you were just going to use that thing anyway, why bring your ship?" You ask. "B—URP—bonding. Alright. Come on, Morty. Let's go." Rick states, he shoves Morty through the portal without a second thought. You tense up at the sight, Rick turns to you. 

You look at him fearfully, Rick examines you carefully before letting out a defeated sigh. Hopefully that means he's going to let you stay here and not go through the creepy, freaky portal—

Rick holds his hand out to you. "...What?" You ask, looking at his hand with a nervous frown. "Come on. Morty will get jittery the longer we make him wait." He says, he grabs your hand and steps through the portal, pulling you along with him. You shut your eyes as you follow him, you can't help but tighten your grip on Rick's hand. It only takes a second for you to go through the portal...

Going through it is the easiest part.

It's hoping that you actually get to go back home that's truly terrifying...

Rick grip stands firm around your hand, "O—oh, man, Rick. You can’t just be—be shoving me into portals like that." Morty says, rubbing the back of his head. Rick lets go of your hand, "Sh—URP—ut up." He says. Rick glances at you as you look around in confusion. "Rick, where are we...?" You ask. "It's dimension 35c, and it's got the perfect climate conditions for a special type of tree. Call a mega tree, and there's fruit in those trees, and there's seeds in those fruits. I'm talking about mega seeds. T—they're—URP—they're incredibly powerful and I need them to help me with my research." Rick explains, he starts walking. 

You and Morty don't hesitate to follow him, the two of you don't have much of a choice. Being separated from Rick means losing your only way home. Your nervous frown lessens a little when you notice Morty shooting a sympathetic smile your way. You smile back at him, he's trying to comfort you when he's just as terrified as you are. "Oh, man, Rick. We...we're looking around this place, and we're starting to work up some anxiety about this whole thing. W—why'd you bring Grandma? Mom says we can't overw—overwhelm her. If—if something happens—" "Your grandmother isn't a newborn baby, Morty," Rick says, turning to grab Morty by the shoulders, "If you keep babying her, she'll turn into a boring old lady, Morty. I had to save her from watching Golden Girls, Morty. Who actually fucking watches Golden Girls unironically, w—when they're not falling asleep or some shit?"

"Can you not talk about me like I'm not hear?" You sigh, Rick ignores you and continues to talk like you're not even right next to him. "I know that new situations can be intimidating. It's all scary and different, but, you know, mee—meeting them head on, charging right into them like a bull, that's how we grow as people," He says, actually sounding like a good role model for once, you know that won't last long, "I'm no stranger to scary situations. I deal with them all the time. I'm going to keep your grandma safe. Nothing will ever happen to her. Now, if you stick with me, Morty, we're gonna be—holy crap, Morty, run!"

A monster roars loudly behind Morty, Rick lets go of Morty and grabs your arm, forcing you to run with him and leave Morty behind. Morty doesn't hesitate to start running, too. You and Morty let out horrified screams, "Run! I never seen that thing before in my life! I don't even know what the hell it is! We got to get out of here! It's gonna kill us! We're gonna die! WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Rick shouts over the sounds of your screams.

...

You take slow deep breaths, trying to calm your hammering heart as the three of you continue to walk. You can hear your heartbeats in your head. "Morty..." You breathe out, he looks at you worriedly, "Y—yeah, Grandma?" He asks. "Are your adventures with Rick always like this?" You ask quietly, "Oh...uh, yeah. M—most of the the time. Actually...he's being a lot nicer this time. I mean...he hasn't left me behind or made me do something dangerous once..." He whispers, you frown. "So, I was right. Rick is putting you in danger," You sigh quietly, "Don't worry, Morty. I'm going to have a serious conversation with your mother about th—"

"What...what are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing!" You and Morty squeak, Rick narrows his eyes at the two of you before turning his attention back to the direction he's walking in. "...Rick, how much longer are you gonna keep us here? Morty needs to get back to school. And honestly, I fucking hate it here." You complain, Rick stops in his tracks and turns to you. "Are you joking me?" He asks, bits of his spit land on your face.

You cringe and wipe your face with your sleeve, Rick continues his rambling. Honestly, you can't even tell if he's still drunk anymore. His words are slurring less, maybe he's not as drunk, but Sober Rick is just an insane. "I—I mean, look at all the crazy crap surrounding us." He says, "Yeah, Rick. I do see it. I see all of it, and I still want to go home. Crazy I know." You sigh before Rick suddenly grabs your face, "Look at that thing right there. W-what the hell is that thing? You think Morty would ever see that kind of thing at school? Look at it just lumbering around. It defies all logic—that thing." Rick rambles. You smack his hands away, Rick shoots you an offended look, "We are surrounded by monsters, that's kinda the reason I want to leave—" "Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!" Rick cuts you off, grabbing Morty. "Morty, you see this?" He asks, the three of you look over the edge of the cliff. 

"You see what we just stumbled upon, Morty? Any idea what that is down there?" Rick asks "The mega trees?" Morty asks "That's right, Morty—look, he's learning right now." Rick tells you smugly before grabbing you by the shirt. Your eyes widen fearfully, "—The mega trees with the mega fruit on them. And that's what I'm talking about, Y/N. That's where my seeds are. If we would have done what you wanted, I would have never found them, because-because you want Morty to go get a worthless education!" "Rick, let me go..." You say nervously. He stares at you a second, he sighs, but does let go, "What's...what's so special about these seeds, anyways?" Morty asks. "You're just l-like your grandma, Morty. You both ask a lot of questions. And neither of you are very charismatic. It makes you kind of an—URP—under-underfoot figure." Rick states. Morty frowns deeply while you scoff in disbelief. 

Rick pulls a pair of shoes out of his lab coat, "Just take these shoes, Morty. They're sp—URP—special grappling shoes. When you're wearing these thing...ba—these babies, you can basically just walk on any surface you want, Morty. Up, down, below, turn around to the left. These things really bring it all together." Rick explains, Morty puts the shoes on. You watch him with a worried frown as he walks towards the edge, Morty takes a step—and immediately falls, "MORTY!" You scream, running towards the edge. Rick grabs you quickly and stops you from jumping after him, "You have to turn them on, Morty! The shoes have to be turned on!" Rick shouts, your eyes widen in horror at the sight of Morty smacking into the ground with a painfully loud thud. Your squirming out Rick's arms is enough to get his attention back on you, "And, you. W-w-what the hell are you thinking? You're just gon—URP—gonna jump after him? What good are you gonna do if you're hurt too?" Rick...scolds. You can't believe this drunk asshole is scolding you, and you really can't believe he's probably actually right...

"You can call me fucking stupid later, Rick! Morty is definitely hurt, and now he might be dying because of you and your science bullshit!" You shout angrily, "Me?! How is it my fault that he didn't turn the shoes on?!" Rick asks, "Maybe you could've better explained how they worked instead of sucking your own dick!" You say. Rick frowns, "Maybe I wouldn't have to 'suck my own dick' if you just did it for—" Morty's loud cry of agony thankfully cuts Rick off. "Shit. Hang on, Morty!" You call out worriedly.

Rick sulks a few seconds before letting out a sigh. He puts on his own grappling shoes, and makes sure to turn them on. He grabs your arm and pulls you closer to him, starting to walk closer to the edge of the cliff. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on! I don't get my own shoes?" You ask nervously, Rick rolls his eyes, "I didn't pl—URP—plan on you coming. That w-was a spur of the moment decision. Maybe if you start tagging along more, I'll start making you cool shit, too." He says, he scoops you up in his arms and begins walking down the side of the cliff. You glare at him, "Oh, I am not tagging along on more on these nightmares. And after this, I'm making sure Morty's not either." You say bitterly.

"...You—you know, you really shouldn't force your hatred of me onto Morty. He's...he's a good kid. A smart one, too. He'll figure out I'm an awful piece of shit all on his own." He states. Once the two of you reach the bottom, you break out of Rick's grip, "Morty!" You shout worriedly, rushing over to him. He lays on the ground, twitching and groaning in pain. You take a look at his messed up legs, covering your mouth. "Oh...I'm gonna throw up..." You mumble in disgust. Rick walks up behind you, "Didn't you used to want to be a doctor? A little blood shouldn't be—ew, gross. Never mind. Throw up..." Rick says, his own face twisting in disgust as he looks down at Morty.

"Morty, oooh, you really did—did a number on your legs right now. You know, you got to turn the shoes on, Morty, for them to work. Yeah, look—I turned mine on. I had no problem getting down here. It was a leisurely breeze. Even got to snuggle up with your Grams for a little bit. I liked it, but she didn't get to enjoy it. He's too worried about you, Morty, to even care about her old flame." Rick rambles on, you choose to ignore him completely. "I'm...I'm in a lot of pain!" Morty cries out, Rick pulls out his flask and takes a long sip, "Ye—URP—yeah, I can see that. But do you think you'll still be able to help me—URP—collect my seeds, Morty?" Rick asks, putting the flask away.

You and Morty stare at him, both of you are in disbelief. You pinch his arm as hard as you can. "Ow. Unnecessary...." Rick grumbles, rubbing the area you pinched. You glare at him, if you had the tools, you'd stab him in the balls. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That's it, Rick! That's the last straw! I can't believe this—I'm sitting here with both of my legs broken. a-and you're still asking me about getting those seeds?! No wonder Grandma hates you so much! Y-y-you're a monster!" Morty shouts, Rick frowns, seemingly concerned about Morty ditching him. "Ok, hold on just a second." Rick says. He grabs his portal gun, opening a portal and running through it. Your chest tightens, "Did...did he just abandon us here...?" You ask fearfully. Morty whines out in pain.

Shit, right, that's not the most important thing right now.

The most important thing is Morty.

You crouch down beside him, letting your knees rest on the dirt. "Ok, Morty. I know it hurt, but can you breathe for me? Just try to breathe, ok? Focus on that." You tell him comfortingly. Morty takes deep, shaky breaths, continuing to groan and wince between each breath. A portal opens behind you, you look back to see Rick quickly approaching. He stabs a needle into Morty's leg, you watch both of Morty's legs snap back into place. Morty's pained breathing slows, he slowly stands up, hoping from leg to leg.

"Wow, Rick. That stuff just healed my broken legs instantly. I mean, I've never felt so good in my life. Thank you." Morty says, Rick rolls his eyes and starts walking ahead, "Don't worry about it, Morty. Just come help me get these seeds, alright, buddy?" He says. "Sure thing, Rick." Morty says, you still frown in concern as Morty walks up one of the mega tree with his now turned on boots.

Rick glances at you, "Not that you asked, Y/N, but what just happened there is, I went to a future dimension with such advance medicine that they had broken leg serum at every corner drugstore. The stuff was all over the place." He states, "Wow, that's pretty crazy, Rick." Morty says. You cross your arms, "Yeah, I thought you'd have been smart enough to make your own broken leg serum." You say. Rick shoot you an annoyed look, "There's just one problem—one little hang up," Rick says, he catches the fruit Morty threw down, "The dimension I visited was so advanced, they—URP—had also halted the aging process. Everyone there was young and they had been forever. I was the only old person there. URP—It was like I was some sort of, you know, celebrity, walking around. I-I was fascinating to them. And there were a lot of attractive women there, and they-they-they-they all wanted time with me. I had a lot of fun with a lot of young ladies, but I spent so much time there my interdimensional portal device—it's go no charge left. It's got no charge left!" "WHAT?!" You and Morty shout. Morty was scared, but you were pissed, "It's as good as garbage. It's not gonna work anymore!" Rick reaffirms.

"Are you kidding me?! We're stranded here because you wanted to be whore?!" You shout, "A-a whore?! You—you know, this could be considered your fault. Of course I just want some attention, Y/N, maybe if you were a little bit nicer and helped me out with a hard on every now and then—" Rick lets out a pained grunt when you kick him in the balls—which felt way more satisfying than you want to admit to yourself. Rick grabs his balls, falling forward and curling into himself. You look at Rick as he lays on his side, it's one of those rare times he feels human and not like a demonic monster.

A small gun-looking robot comes out of his belt buckle. "Assessing threat to groan." The robot states, scanning the area before eventually scanning you. You roll your eyes, "Seriously? You got a robot protecting your old man dick?" You ask, raising an eyebrow, "You seriously had to kick me in the balls?" Rick groans out, glaring up at you. You grin at him unapologetically, "Yeah. That was honestly so therapeutic. I should do it more often." You say. The glare fades away from Rick's face. You pretty much never smile...not when he's around you at least.

It's been so long since he's seen you smile...even if it's because you're being a little shit.

"Groin is aroused. No threat determined." The little belt robot says before it disappears back into the belt. "Ugh...snitch." Rick complains as he stands back up. Rick adjusts his pants with an uncomfortable pout, "Gr—great. Now I gotta—gotta—gotta deal with that for the next hour." He huffs. Thankfully, it looks like Morty tuned out the entirety of what just happened, more stressed about the portal gun than anything else. "Aw, geez. This isn't good. W-what are we gonna do? I-I have to be back at school right now? How-how are we gonna get back home?" Morty asks fearfully.

"There are way to get back home, Morty. It's just—it's just gonna be a little bit more of a hassle. We're gonna have to go through interdimensional customs, so you're gonna have to do me a real solid." Rick says as he puts a mega seed in each of Morty's hands. "Uh oh..." Morty mutters with a nervous frown, "When we get to customs, I gonna need you to take these seeds into the bathroom, and I'm gonna need you to put them way inside your butthole, Morty." Rick states, you deadpan at his words, "You're gonna need him to what?" You ask, "...In my butt?" Morty asks unsurely. "Put them way up inside there, as far as they can fit." Rick says.

Yeah...you genuinely need Beth to get him out of the house. Away from you, and definitely away from Morty.

"Rick, why don't you just leave the seeds here and come back and get them when your stupid gun has more charge?" You sigh, Rick look at you with an offended frown, "Leave the seeds?! You want me to le—leave with nothing?! That means with whole trip was a pointless waste of time!" He says. "So? Everything about you is a pointless waste of time. What else is new." You huff, "You're so mean to me! Stop bullying me!" Rick complains, "You deserved to be bullied!" You sigh.

"Oh, geez, Rick. Grandma's got a point," Morty chimes in, you both look at him, "Can't we just leave the seeds? I really don't want to have to...to...to do that." "Forget about leaving the seeds. Leaving the seeds is not an option! Someone's gotta shove these seeds up their ass, Morty. Th—these seeds are gonna get through customs unless they're in someone's rectum, Morty. And they'll fall right out of mine, I've done this too many times, Morty." Rick says, "Yeah...that's why you can't shove 'em up your own ass..." You scoff under your breath. Rick drapes an arm over you shoulder, yanking you closer to him, "A-and your grandma here has a veeery sensitive anus, she'll give us away. Sh—she'll twitch and make too many faces, Morty." Rick adds, both you and Morty cringe, "Why the fuck would you tell him that?" You ask. Rick ignores you, "I mean, you're young. Y-you've got your whole life ahead of you, and your anal cavity is still taut, yet malleable. You got to do it for Grandpa, Morty. Yo—URP—you've got to put these seeds inside your butt." He says. "...In my butt..." Morty mutters, Rick removes his arm from you. You finally stop holding your breath. You held it 50% because you were a little scared, and 50% because Rick almost always smells like ass.

Rick places his hands on Morty's shoulders, "Come on, Morty. Please, Morty. You have to do it, Morty. Do it for me. Do it for Grandma." Rick says, "Do not do it for me. Do not shove something up your ass and think you're doing it for me." You quickly interject. Morty stares at Rick nervously, "...Oh, man..." Morty sighs

...

Rick watches you as you look around curiously, this place is just like an airport, but...it looks like you, Rick, and Morty are the only humans. Everyone else is an alien or a creature. The two of you stand in line, waiting for Morty to return.

Morty uncomfortably shuffles over to the two of you, "...I don't like it here. I can't abide Bureaucracy. I don't like being told where to go and what to do. I consider it a violation." Rick grumbles. "Wow, so fucking surprising." You scoff. Rick rolls his eyes, "Man, I really can—can't wait for us fuck and get out all this aggression. Maybe then, you'll start being nice and loving me again." Rick sighs, "Yeah, keep dreaming." You grumble. Morty shifts uncomfortably, Rick glances at him, "Did you get those seeds up your butt?" Rick asks, "Yeah, Rick. Let's just get this over with, ok. I mean, these things are pointy. They hurt..." Morty sighs

The line move forward, but only a little, "That means they're good ones," Rick states, patting Morty's back, "You're a good kid, Morty. Those mega seeds are super valuable to my work. You've been a huge help to me. I'm gonna be able to do—URP—all kinds of things with them. It's gonna be great, Morty A—URP—all kinds of science." Rick rests a hand on Morty's shoulder and a hand on your mid-back, guiding you and Morty up front. "Ok, next through." A bug alien says, he stops Morty from coming with you and Rick, "Except you. You go over there." He says. "Why does he have to go over there?" Rick asks, you and Morty share nervous frowns. "Random check. He's got to go through the new machine." The bug alien explains, "What new—URP—machine? Rick asks, "It's a new machine. It detect stuff all the way up your butt." The bug alien states.

The hand Rick had on your back moves quickly, latching onto your hand tightly, "Run, Morty! RUN!" He shouts, Rick drags you along with him as he run away. You stumble, barely managing to keep up. Morty screams behind you as bright lights flash all around. You look back to see a bunch of bug aliens chasing you down...and they had guns. "O-oh, shit! Uh, Rick...please tell me you have a plan!" You gasp fearfully, "Yeah! I do, keep running and make sure you don't get shot!" Rick says

Morty runs through a puff of green smoke. He coughs violently, spitting out a green... goopy baby...

You and Morty watch in horror as the baby grows up and dies within only a few seconds, "W-what the hell—" "DON'T THINK ABOUT IT!" Rick stresses, the three of you run straight into a dead end. Morty shrieks as security aims their guns at you, Morty activates his shoes and runs up the giant storage container behind you. "Oooh, nice, Morty!" Rick says, activating his shoes. Rick scoop you up bridal style again, following Morty. You don't fight with Rick this time, you fearfully grip his shirt and lab coat. The three of you would be safe up here, right...?

The bug aliens start to fly, surrounding the three of you once more. Well, so much for being safe...

Rick and Morty run away, the three of you scream as you fall off the edge of the storage container and land on a small ship that was carrying luggage. You don't stay on that ship for long, rolling off of that and landing on top of something purple and slimly, at least you're back on solid ground. You look at the purple liquid on your hand fearfully, Rick stands up, continuing to run away with you in his arms and Morty by his side. Rick comes to a stop in a room with a giant blue portal.

He finally puts you down, handing both you and Morty your own guns, "I need to type in the coordinates to our home world. You two will have to cover me." He says, you breath shakily, "Ok." You sigh. Morty looks at you in shock, "G-Grandma—" "It's them or us, Morty. And we can not die in the same room as Rick." You warn, firing the gun with ease. Morty watches you with a worried pout, "L-listen to her Morty. You don't wan-want to die in a room with me. There's no telling what I'll do to your corpses. I might just eat 'em." Rick says, he quickly types away on the large keyboard.

"You're a cannibal now?" You ask, "No, but I'll eat you anytime, all you gotta do is ask." Rick offers, grinning at you playfully. "Do you want me to shoot the aliens or you?" You sigh, "Grandma, I don't—I don't want to shoot nobody..." Morty says nervously. Rick speaks before you could, "They're just robots, Morty! It's ok to shoot them! They're robots!" He stresses, Morty frowns unsurely, but shoots his gun at one of the security guard, the laser snaps his leg in half.

The guard screams out in agony, "MY LEG IS SHOT OFF!" He screeches, another guard crouches down to his level, "Glenn's bleeding to death! Someone call his wife and children!" The guard shouts. "...Holy shit..." You mumble, lowering your gun. You and Morty look at each other with wide eyes. "They're not robots, Rick!" Morty shouts, "it's a figure of speech, Morty. They're Bureaucrats. I don't respect them. Hut keep shooting! You have no idea what prison is like here!" Rick shouts.

You and Morty continue to fire your guns. Too bad neither of you have the best aim...

"Holy crap, this is insane!" Morty screams fearfully, he manages to shoot a guard in the shoulder while you shoot the same guard's head clean off. The blue glow behind you turns green, "Come on, Y/N...—and Morty! We got to get the hell out of here!" Rick shouts, yanking you and Morty into the portal.

You let out a pained grunt as you slam right on top of Rick. You're quick to get off of him. "I can't believe after all that, you're still hard..." You groan, standing up. "After seeing you shooting a gun with that sexily crazy look in your eyes. I think I'm harder than I've ever been in my whole life." Rick says. "Gross." You sigh, a bunch of teenagers stare at the three of you.

Teenagers?

Lunch tables?

Oh no.

"Shit. I gotta get out of here." You say, "W-w-where the hell are you going?!" Rick calls out as you run to the closest exit...just barely missing Beth, Jerry, and Morty's Principal... "Oh shit..." Rick sighs.

...

You take a sip of your drink, watching Beth and Jerry carrying boxes filled with Rick's stuff out of the garage. They toss the boxes into a U-To truck. "You guys should really not be touching that stuff. It's beyond your reasoning." Rick says, "You're beyond our reasoning!" Jerry shouts.

"Takes one to know one." Rick says, glaring at Jerry. "Dad, how could you make my son miss an entire semester of school? I mean, it's not like he's a hot girl. He can't just bail on his life and set up shop in someone else's!" Beth scolds. This...this is beautiful. After two months of being forced to share a room with your drunk, used-to-be-abusive ex-husband, you're finally going to be free.

You'll get your room back, and Morty will be free from adventuring with an old maniac!

Morty approaches you with a worried pout, "G-Grandma? Can't you do something about this...?" He asks quietly, "Eh...I don't think I can help Rick out on this. He fucked up. And fucking up means getting fucked in the ass. Excuse my language." You tell him.

"Wha—what are you guys doing with my stuff?" Rick asks, "We're moving you...to a nursing home." Beth tells him, her tone becomes a lot more gentle, but her firm expression never leaves her face. "A nursing home? What are—what are you, nuts? I'm a genius. I build robots for fun." Rick says, he crosses his arms. "Well, now you can build baskets and watch Paul Newman movies on VHS and mentally scar the boy scouts every Christmas." Jerry says. "What's that last part supposed to mean?" You ask, "It's personal." Jerry states.

"Dad, Mom, c-come on. Rick just needed my help is all. A-and, Grandma came along to this time. She can keep an eye on me." Morty says, "No, I can't." You quickly say. "Morty, leave your grandmother out of this. She's already dying, we can't rely on her to keep an eye on you." Jerry sighs, you choke on your drink, "Jerry!" Beth scolds, "W-WHAT?!" Morty shouts, his eyes growing wide.

Rick doesn't say anything, but he does look back at you, his eyes narrowing in thought. Did he forget his plan to kill you? Is he going to finish the job sooner?!

"You told Jerry?!" You shout, looking at Beth. She frowns unapologetically, "I'm sorry! I had to tell somebody. It was hard keeping this to myself..." She says, she looks away from you like a scolded child. "I'm her husband. Why wouldn't she tell me?" Jerry asks, you glare at him. "Because you can't keep a secret for shit! The kids weren't supposed to know!" You sigh, "Grandma? You're dying...?" Morty asks worriedly.

He tugs the sides of his face, “W—why didn’t you say anything?! Oh, man, oh, geez…Grandma! Rick dragged you to a bunch of dangerous places today! He—he’s supposed to be super smart! Maybe he can help you.” He stresses, “Morty, he’s the one who poisoned me and made me sick in the first place.” You state. “What?!” Morty shrieks, “…Poisoned?” Rick mutters, frowning at you. “See? He’s even putting your mom at risk.” Jerry tells Beth, she frowns. She didn’t believe you at first when you blamed Rick for your weakened heart. Maybe after seeing with her own eyes what he can do, she finally believes you.

She's realizing how much of a mistake this was.

Beth takes a deep breath, “Dad—” “I’ll fix her.” Rick says. Everyone looks at him questioningly, “What?” You ask, narrowing your eyes at him. He glances at you, “I didn’t poison you, Y/N. I-I have a pretty good idea who did." He says bitterly. "You've got to be kidding. You can't even take responsibility for the shit you do—for the shit you did—can you? What? You're gonna 'fix me up' just to get back into Beth's good graces so you don't get kicked out?" You scoff. "G-Grandma, he's offering to help you..." Morty says, "I don't need or want his help, Morty. I'm fine with dying in peace."

"...Can you really help Mom?" Beth asks Rick, "What?!" Jerry ask, "Beth..." You sigh. "I can," Rick states, frowning thoughtfully, "Look. Let me stay and h—URP—help fix this shit. If your mom still hates me by the time I’m done. I’ll go…forever.”

You and Jerry look to Beth with nervous frowns. Neither of you wanted Rick to stay. “…Ok.” Beth says, “WHAT?!” You and Jerry shout, “I don’t want you to die, Mom! If Dad says he can help you—and he wants to—let him do it!” Beth says defensively. “Beth. I am old! I’m halfway towards death whether my hearts healthy or not!” You groan. “Yeah! If your mom wants to die, who are we to get in the way of that?” Jerry agree, you turn to glare at him. “Jerry, shut the fuck up.” You say. “Wha—but I’m agreeing with you!” Jerry says, “My mind’s made up, Dad’s staying to help Mom.” Beth says. She walks over to the moving truck to bring Rick’s things back.

“Uh, hello?! Have you thought about asking me what I want?!” You call out to Beth, but she never responds.

Fuck…you were so close to being free…

—

Beth trembles beside you, letting out shaky breaths as she struggles to hold back tears. You comfortingly hold her hand, you can't but avoid her gaze despite your small efforts to soothe her. You've always hated it when she'd cry, you hated it even more when she'd cry and there was nothing you could do to fix the problem...

She used to cry a lot when he left.

"What...what are you saying...?" Beth croaks out, the doctor looks up from her clipboard. She shoots you both a sympathetic smiles, you know what she's trying to do. It's appreciated, but it's not working. You don't want sympathy. You want...to live.

"Mrs. Sanchez—" "Dr." You correct bitterly. You have no marital ties to him. Even if he disappeared before you could officially divorce his ass. The doctor pauses for a moment, "Dr. Sanchez," She says, "I've...in all my years of being a doctor, I've never seen a heart that's so...sick. I can't even properly explain what's wrong with it. Your heart is still beating, sure, but...it honestly shouldn't be. I'm not sure how you're still alive right now."

The doctor rereads your charts, like she's magically find the answer if she just read it one more time. "But...Mom's always been so healthy. I don't understand how something like this could happen." Beth sighs shakily. You frown, you have a very good idea how this might've happened. And who caused it.

"How much longer do I have left?" You ask, Beth sniffles, unable to hold back the sob in her throat. "I would love to tell you that you at least have a full year left, but realistically, you'll be lucky if you live another 6 months." The doctors states, you gently nudge Beth, offer her a weak smile, "Look on the bright side, Sweetie. I'll still be around for everyone's birthdays, and maybe Christmas." You chuckle. Beth wipes her tears, a sad smile forming on her face.

"You won't be around for Jerry's birthday..." She reminds you, "Yeah? Well, fuck him—actually, don't do that. Last thing you need is a new baby once I'm gone Who would help you take care of it? Definitely not Jerry." You joke. It doesn't have the effect you want, tears returns to Beth's eyes. The doctor opens the door, she must've gotten tired of being forced to witness this depress fest. "Spend as much time with your loved ones as you can, Ms. Sanchez. Cherish your final months, fill them with good memories. And please, let me know if anything changes." She says, you and Beth stand up from your seats. "We will..." Beth says before she guides you out of the room.

The walk to the car is a blur...

You remember the brief glimpses you got of some of the nurses' faces, all the looks of pity and sympathy.

You hated it.

Why do you have to be dying? Why can't you just die? You'd rather not drag it out...

Once she's sure you're secure in your seat, Beth walks to the other side of the car and slides into the driver's seat. She rubs the tears out of her eyes, "...I hate when they call me Mrs. Sanchez," You complain bitterly, leaning against the window, "It's bad enough to be Dr. Sanchez, but Mrs. is just disgusting. I haven't seen him in years. And if I did see him, the first I'd do is drag his ass to the courthouse and divorce you. Maybe I should get my name changed back to my maiden name before I kick the bucket."

"Mom, that's what you want to focus on? You just found out that you're dying, but you want to focus on Dad?" Beth asks as she starts the car, "Of course I'm thinking about that asshole. It's his fault I'm dying." You state, Beth pauses, glancing at you. "...Mom, you've never told me the full story, but I know Dad treated you like shit. Still, there's no way he could've done something to your heart." She tells you, the car pulls out of the parking spot and drive off. Your gaze remains focused on everything outside the car, anything you could see through the window.

He's done plenty to your heart.

First he stole it, and then he broke it.

And now he's probably poisoned it, too.

You sigh, "Beth, he...was a great scientist. I may hate him, but I can't deny it. He was capable of doing and creating things I didn't think were possible." You tell her, Beth watches you as you reflect, frowning in concern. She'd be lying if she said she didn't wonder what you saw in him, why you fell in love...why you fell out of love...

"He used to be so...nonchalant. Things never got to him, and if they did, he'd never show it. I don't know what happened...why he changed, but eventually, he became a very angry person. Never towards you. No, he preferred acting like he didn't give a damn about you instead of being loving—or even angry—towards you. I remember mentioning getting a divorce to him before, right before he left us. He had a big freakout about it, which lead to us arguing. Things were said, stuff was thrown, and he made it clear that no matter what I wanted or what I tried, I was going to continue to live as his wife...and when he wanted, I was going to die as his wife." You say, your eyes becoming distant the more you think about it.

"Holy shit..."

You snap back to reality, glancing at Beth. She keeps her gaze on the road, but you can see how your words had shaken her even more than she already was.

The rest of the ride home was silent...

...

Beth seems even more distressed now that you've made it back home. "Oh, oh no...how am I gonna tell the kids?" She asks, you place a hand on her shoulder, "Don't. I don't want the kids to spend my last months being depressed and cautious around me. I want to enjoy the time I have left, I want them to enjoy it, too. Without any pain of thinking about or knowing the truth. I want to feel normal." You state, Beth nods understandingly. Her phone buzzes, Beth glances at it, muttering out a quiet "Shit, not now..."

"Work calling?" You ask knowingly, Beth look at you, she looks less like a 34 year old women with a husband, two kids, and a stable job and more like a 4 year old kid, terrified of being separated from her mother on the first day of school. "Y...yeah, but I don't want to leave you alone right now—" "Beth, sweetie, don't worry about me. I got Summer and Morty to entertain me. Do what you need to do." You tell her encouragingly. Beth frowns, but doesn't argue with you, she barely argued with you before, but she's definitely not going to do it now. "Ok...ok. I'll see you after work, Mom. And, I'll pick up ice cream on my way back." She tells you, Beth pulls your into a hug, squeezing you like this is the last time she'll ever see you.

Who knows, maybe it will be...

You hug her back before stepping out of the car, "Bye, Sweetie." You say, waving goodbye and heading inside the house. Beth watches you disappear into the house, she tightens her grip on the steering wheels, "I already lost one parents...why doesn't the other one have to be taken from me, too..." She mutters bitterly before she drives off.

"I'm back, party people!" You announce, "Party people? No one says that. You're so cringe, Grandma." Summer snickers, never looking up from her phone. "Using the word 'cringe' is cringe, Sum Sum. I would know, I'm the queen of it." You say, "Oh! H-h-hey, Grandma! How...how was your appointment?" Morty asks, he looks away from the tv. You walk over and join him the couch. "Boring. All doctors do is spout nonsense about needing to take more vitamins." You huff dramatically.

Summer finally looks up from her phone, "Were you a doctor?" She asks, you shoot her an offended look, "I was a dentist. There's a difference." You state, Summer grins teasingly, "Is there?" She asks. The two of you have a silent stare-off, "Morty. You're officially my favorite grandchild." You tell him, "What?!" Summer groans, "I...I wasn't before...?" Morty asks. "I didn't have favorites before. Now I do." You say with a shrug.

...

You quickly leave the bathroom and make your way back to the living room, "How much did I miss?" You ask, returning to your place beside Morty. "Jeremy's finally going to reveal who he wants to spend the rest of his life with." Summer tells you. You let out a scoff-ish laugh, "The rest of his life is a bit of an overstatement," You snort, "We've talked about this, Sum, reality show relationships only last 1—maybe 2—years." "We seriously need to get you back into the dating game, Gram Gram. Your views on romance are so cynical. It's depressing." Summer sighs.

"Hey, go out and get yourself a shitty boyfriend or two, then you'll be thinking the exact same way I do." You warn, but the smile on your face is unserious. Everyone jumps at the sudden, loud crash coming from the garage. It was enough to shake the whole house. "What the hell?!" You gasp, you glance over Summer and Morty. They seemed fine, just startled. "W-what was that?!" Morty asks nervously, Summer sighs and rolls her eyes, "Dad probably just forgot to open the garage again." She states. You groan, "Ugh, it's too late for this shit." You complain, "It's 6:38." Summer tells you, "Still too late." You say, standing up. "Grandma, you know Mom doesn't like it when you and Dad fight..." Morty warns, he frowns worriedly.

You wave him off with a gentle smile, "We're not going to argue, Morty. I'm just gonna scold him for being a dumbass. Let me know if I miss anything good." You say. Morty still frowns as you walk to the garage door, "Jerry, how hard is it to remember to open the fucking door—" You push open the door, but instead of being met with Jerry's stupid face, you're met with...an old man? His eyes widen when he sees you. The sides of his brow drops sadly.

No...

NoNoNoNoNoNONONONONONO...

It's...he's not...he can't be.

The old man just barely lifts his hand to wave at you. "...Hi, Y/N." He says, the horror settles on your face. It is...fuck, has he come to finish the job?! To take you out sooner? He can't even let you live 6 more months?!

You tighten your grip on the doorknob, you slowly close the door. You stumble away from it as you struggle to keep your breathing steady. "Done already? Weak. You usually yell at Dad for way longer." Summer calls from the living room. Morty stands by the counter, he followed you because of course he followed you. He liked it better when you and Jerry weren't at each other's throats. "Grandma, w...what's wrong?" He asks, you open your mouth to speak, but nothing leave your mouth except for shaky, choked breathes. The room sways, and your body somehow feels lighter than air, but heavier than a boulder at the same time.

"...Grandma?" Morty asks again, you body goes limp and you slam into the kitchen tile. "OH!" Morty lets out a startled yelp, looking around in a panic, "O-o-oh, geez! Sum...Summer?! Call Mom! Or...911!" Morty shouts. The noise and Morty's panic is enough for Summer to hurry to the kitchen. "Well, which one? I can't call both!" She says, she looks down at your unconscious form, her eyes widening. "I don't know!" Morty stresses, he still doesn't know why you fainted!

The garage door opens, it's not Jerry who walks in, it's some...random old man Summer and Morty have never met before. They share nervous expressions, the old man looks down at you, "Move. I'll help her." He says, bending down and reaching for you. "Excuse me. Who are you?" Summer asks, she tries to sound brave and firm, but the waver in her voice gives her fear away. The man doesn’t respond, his focus solely on you. Summer and Morty stand there helplessly, unsure of what to do. “S-Summer? Shouldn’t you be calling Mom…?” Morty asks, Summer’s attention drifts back to her phone, “Y-yeah. Right. Um, ok…” She mutters.

Your grip on the gun is firm as you shoot at the target in front of you. Maybe going to a shooting range to blow off steam makes you seem like a crazy bitch, but it’s the only thing that works for you now.

You won’t allow yourself to drink, you can’t risk turning into your mother…

Some friends have recommended "therapy", but you’re not paying someone to listen to your problems. Who does something like that?!

With each thought that forms in your mind, the target gets a new bullet hole. Again and again…until eventually you’re out of bullets.

"Damn…" You sigh, glancing at your empty gun, you place it down on the counter in front of you. Do most people empty their guns at shooting ranges? Is that normal? Can you just…ask for a refill?

"Man, I’d hate to be whoever pissed you off."

The man at the counter beside you finally speaks up. He was there before you arrived, and he hasn’t left yet. Now that you think about it, he hasn’t been shooting either…

"So, you finally speak. I was wondering if you were just gonna keep watching me the whole time." You say, removing the earmuffs. The man chuckles, "Oh, you noticed? Sorry. I don’t usually stare at pretty ladies are the shooting range, but that’s because I never see pretty ladies at the shooting range." He says. "Cute. You must’ve been working on that the whole time." You snort, you look the man up and down. "What’s next? You’re gonna ask if I’m here with my boyfriend?" You ask.

The man laughs, "Let me guess, you’d very strongly tell me that you don’t have a boyfriend, and that you don’t need one to come here?" He asks. "Yeah, that sounds like me." You snicker, the two of you share a laugh. There’s a few seconds of quiet as the man looks over you. His expression is tense. "And…what would you say if I asked you to come with me to the cafe next door…?" He asks.

You take a moment to think it over, studying the guy. He seems harmless, and his has the amazing ability to match your sense of humor. Maybe this is the universe finally sending you a win—even if it’s a small date...

…

"What happened after, Mama?"

Beth tilts her head back to look at you curiously. You spot Rick in the corner of your eye, he leans against the wall, listening and not making his presence known. You smile knowingly, holding back a laugh. "He tricked and stole an important organ." You state, Beth gasps, "Really?!" She asks. You hear Rick approach, he lightly hits your head with one of the throw pillows. "Not true." He scoffs, "Daddy! You’re home!" Beth says, she hops onto her feet and runs over to him.

You smile softly at the sight of Beth latching onto Rick, he chuckles and bends down to hug her properly. "Hi, sweetie. Ignore your mom’s slander. I never stole any organs." He states. "You did, though." You say, Rick raises one side of his unimpressed unibrow, waiting for you to continue. You blow a kiss his way, "You stole my heart~" You whisper. Rick’s expression softens, he chuckles under his breath. "You’re so cheesy." He says, you shrug as you stand up.

"It’s ’cause of the baby in her belly."

You stiffen, both your and Rick’s attention snaps to Beth, "Right, Mama? That’s why?" She asks. Rick looks at you with a surprised expression, "…Beth, how’d you even hear about that…?" You ask, she smiles, "I heard you talking to Auntie Ariel about it!" She tells you, "Right. Of course you did." You chuckle weakly. "Wait, a baby? N/N, you’re pregnant?" Rick asks, your attention shifts to him.

"I was going to wait for dinner to tell you guys, but yeah. I’m pregnant. Surprise." You say, Rick stands up and rushes over to you. "Beth, sweetie, cover your ears." Rick says, "Ok." Beth says, she places her hands over her ears, but continues to watch the two of you. "Holy shit, Baby! That’s amazing!" Rick says, he wraps his arms around you.

"I heard you, Daddy!" Beth giggles mischievously, "No, you did not." Rick teases playfully. You chuckle at them both, "Is the baby gonna be a boy or a girl?" Beth asks, "We don’t know wait, sweetie. We gotta wait and see." Rick tells her, Beth deflates, poking her lower lip out. "Ew, but waiting is boring. Mama, can’t you tell what’s in there?" Beth whines. You and Rick watch Beth affectionately, "I wish I could Beth, but the baby’s too small for anyone to tell." You state.

Beth groans, but her sulking doesn’t last long as a thought pops into her mind. "Hey, wait…how’d Mama even get a baby in her belly?" She asks. You pause before wiggling out of Rick’s arms. "I should get a start on dinner, but Daddy will explain everything to you the best he can. He’s smarter than I am." You say, running to the kitchen. Beth lets out squeal-ish laughter while Rick shouts at you, "Traitor!"

…

"—And then, I squished it under my shoe and heard it crunch!" Beth recalls excitedly, Rick glances up from the crib his was putting together, "…Did you now?" He asks. "Uh huh!" Beth says, there’s little to no shame on her voice, even as she continues, "I saw Cody outside, too. It’s too bad he didn’t see me." She sighs. "Oh? And why’s that?" Rick asks, Beth giggles, "Because he didn’t see the rock I threw at him!" She says.

Rick watches Beth carefully, “You’re…excited about having a little sibling, right?” He asks, Beth beams, “Yeah! Of course I am! I get to have a best friend all the time! Even when you and Mama are busy.” She says happily. Rick lets out a quiet breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.

Beth perks up at the sound of the front door opening, “Mama’s back!” She says, launching out of the room. Rick watches her leave with a tired chuckle, “I hope Baby Number 2 is a little more…empathetic to others…” He mutters to himself.

…

You press a kiss on Beth’s forehead, gently pulling the blankets over her. “Goodnight, sweetheart.” You say, “Goodnight, Mama.” Beth yawns, you turn off the lamp. Rick shuffles behind you, turning on the nightlight he specifically made for Beth, “Oh, wait, Daddy. I don’t want the nightlight tonight.” Beth says, she sits up. Rick pauses, he tilts his head in confusion, “You don’t? You’re gonna be ok sleeping in the dark…?” He asks, frowning in concern.

Beth pouts with an unsure expression, “I dunno…but Veronica says that only babies sleep with nightlights. And I’m not a baby!” She huffs. You and Rick share a look, “Oh, please, Veronica doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” You say, “Yeah. You think this is the only nightlight I’ve made. Even your mother has one.” Rick states.

“You do?” Beth asks, looking at you, you shrug, “Yep, maybe you l got that fear of the dark from me.” You tell her. “Can fear be…in…inherited?” Beth asks, Rick drapes an arm around your shoulder, “That’s good question, Beth, but it’s getting late and you have school in the morning,” He says, Rick gently guides you towards the door, “I promise we’ll have an answer for you in the morning.” “Promise?” Beth asks. Rick nods, clicking on Beth’s nightlight, “Promise.” He reaffirms. “…Ok. Goodnight, Mama. Goodnight, Daddy.” Beth says, she snuggles into her blankets, closing her eyes.

Rick shuts the door behind the two of you. Rick doesn’t let you break free from him, not yet, he gently guides you towards your bedroom. “This is the 5th time Beth’s said something about this Veronica kid. I wish I could talk to the teacher about it, but I’m pretty sure Beth is overhearing everything she’s talking about. Beth’s made it pretty clear the other kids don’t actually talk directly to her…” You sigh. “I think we really need to work on Beth’s…quirks.” Rick tells you quietly, the two of you reach your shared bedroom, "I don't think there's much we can do to 'fix' them at this point." You confess quietly.

"...I guess, I just feel guilty sending her to Froopy Land all the time." Rick states, you flop onto the bed, an exhausted sigh leaving you. “Beth’s taken me to Froopy Land before. I’d live there.” You say with a shrug, rolling onto your back. Rick chuckles, “Glad to know you appreciate my work.” He says, “Oh, definitely. You should make us our own secret little world.” You suggest. “Yeah? You would like that, wouldn’t you? You’d get to have me all to yourself.” Rick teases, he lays down beside you.

You snicker, “Of course. I could spend all my time with you and never have to worry about work or bills? Sounds like a dream.” You snickers shift into a yawn, “Are you sleeping with me? Or are you the car’s sleep buddy tonight?” You ask, Rick sighs softly. “I’d love to sleep in a bed with you tonight, but I’m so close to figuring out portal travel…” He says, you gently pat his cheek. “If anyone can do it, it’s you.” You say, Rick leans into your touch. “You really think I can do it?” He asks.

“Definitely. And when you finally figure it out, we’ll never have to worry about traveling by car again.” You say, Rick laughs, “We’ll be the coolest family in the neighborhood.” He chuckles. “We’re already the coolest family in the neighborhood. I’ve got the hottest husband, and you’ve got the sexiest wife.” You snicker, Rick watches you as your eyelids become lower and lower.

It doesn’t take much for you to fall asleep. Rick’s not surprised, between your job, raising Beth, and now your pregnancy…you’ve been exhausted. You’ve been so patient with him, too. You haven’t complain about him spending so much time in the garage—his lab. You truly believe he’s capable of making something great. He lets out a quiet sigh, placing a gentle kiss on top of your forehead. “I’ll make it worth it, baby. You’ll never have to worry about anything again…” He promises in a hushed voice. Rick pushes himself out of bed and quietly leaves the bedroom.

…

You take a look around the nursery, a warm smile resting on your face. It’s really starting to come together. You still don’t know the baby’s gender, but you don’t want to know. Not yet, not until the baby’s born. You did the same thing when you were pregnant with Beth.

You can hear noises in the garage. You’re always hearing the sound of Rick’s tinkering in the garage when you’re in the nursery, they’re right next door. This time, though, you hear something different than the usual explosions. You actually hear something powering up before you hear a sound you’ve never heard before.

A smile forms on your face, “…I knew you could do it.” You say under your breath. You stand up and leave the nursery, walking to the garage door. You slowly open it, Rick smiles softly when he sees you, “Rick? I heard sci-fi noises, and I didn’t immediately start smelling smoke. Did you make a breakthrough?” You ask, smiling at him excitedly. Rick walks up to you, he intertwines his hands with yours, “Sort of,” He says, gently squeezing your hands before he lets go, “I just took a long look at myself, and…I don’t think this science thing is gonna pay off.”

You tilt your head in concern as he shrugs off his lab coat, “Are you…ok with that? I know how much you want to be a scientists.” You say, Rick chuckles and presses his forehead against yours, “I want to be your husband more.” He states. His words pull a soft smile out of you. You don’t know what’s making him so soft and sentimental, but you’re not going to question him and his choices.

“How about I go get Beth and we can go out for ice cream?” You offer, Rick takes your hands once more, he grins, “That, Y/N, is that last great idea that will be ever had in this garage. I’ll start up the car.” He states, you press a gentle kiss to his lips before heading back inside the house. “Beth!” You call out, “I’m right here, Mama.” She says, shuffling off the couch.

You smile at her, “Come on, sweetie. We’re heading out for ice cream.” You say, Beth’s eyes light up excitedly, “We are?!” She asks, you take her hand, “Yep. You know what flavor you want?” You chuckle, “So many. I want 15 flavors!” Beth tells you. “15?! I don’t know if they’ll even have that many flavors.” You gasp playfully, Beth giggles. You hear the car honk, the sound muffle by the walls, “Come on, girls! The ice cream’s gonna melt!” Rick calls out playfully.

Beth gasps and tugs you towards the garage door, “Come on, Mama! We gotta hurry!” She says, you laugh, “I’m coming. I’m coming. Don’t forget I’m talking for two…” You joke, you and Beth walk into the garage, you make sure to shut the door behind you. Beth waves at Rick excitedly, he chuckles and waves back.

You hear the sci-fi sound you heard before and there’s suddenly a green glow behind you. Both you and Beth turn around in surprise. “Mama, what’s that?” Beth asks, Rick’s eyes narrow in confusion. “…I think it’s one of the portals your father’s been working on…” You mumble with an unsure expression. A round device drops out of the portal. It beeps quickly, its lights flashing wildly. Your eyes widen in realization. You try to grab Beth, to protect her—to do anything, but it’s already too late.

You don’t feel any pain. You can only hope Beth didn’t either…

The force of the explosion is of the to flip the car upside down, Rick is thrown out of the car. It takes him a few seconds to process, his eyes widen in realization as he stares at the fiery garage, “NOOOOOOO!” He screams in horror.

>._._._._.<

“…Sir…? Sir? Sir, can you understand me?” A paramedic asks, shining a flashlight in Rick’s eyes. Rick doesn’t say anything, staring at the destruction distantly. He tightens his grip on the blanket they had given him.

He didn’t get to say goodbye.

He didn’t even get to say he loved you and Beth…more than anything.

You didn’t scream, your first and only instinct was to protect Beth…

Beth…

She was just a kid. A little kid. Sure, you and Rick joked about how she was “8 years away from college”, but she was a kid! Now, she’s never going to experience high school or middle school or anything.

And what about the baby…the baby that never even had the chance to be born…

Rick breathes, but it feels like he’s swallowing hot water. “He needs stitches. Come on, let’s go.” The paramedic tells the driver, “No…” Rick says lifelessly, the paramedic flinches, “Oh, shit! Man, you scared the hell out of me…I didn’t think you’d speak the whole time.” He says, Rick doesn’t respond to the paramedic, but he does move to stand up, “I’m not going to a hospital. I’m staying here…” He states.

“Wha—but, sir. You’re injured—” “I’m fine. Just…go away.” Rick says firmly, the young paramedic looks back to the older one in the driver’s seat. They share a look before the older one shrugs, “He’s been through enough. Let’s not drag him to a hospital if he doesn’t want to go.” The older paramedic says. The younger paramedic sighs, but shuts the door. The ambulance drives off while Rick limps back to the house.

…

“Man, you’d kill me if you saw this dinner, Y/N…” Rick jokes quietly, no one laughs at his joke. No one teases him. No one even asks for a slice of pizza. Rick takes the cold slice and chew it. He’s not hungry…well, that’s not true, he’s starving, but he doesn’t have the desire to eat. He’s just eating so he doesn’t die…

Rick sighs, “Why shouldn’t I just die? Then I could be with you a-and Beth.” He says bitterly, Rick reaches over the side of his chair, grabbing a new beer, his 7th can. He cracks open the can and takes a long drink, letting out a heavy sigh. “I miss you. I miss you so much.” He confesses to the empty air of the house. “It’s a little funny, when you think about it. I killed you. Not me-me, but a version of me. He just…killed you and Beth. Like it was nothing. Like you were nothing.

Rick tosses his empty can to the side, grabbing another one. “Do…do you think that if he was another version of me…maybe he had a version of you and Beth? I’ve been wondering. I don’t think he did. If he knew you, why would he kill you? To get back at me? I’m not that petty, am I? You would’ve told me if you thought I was petty, right?” He asks, he still gets met with silence.

“…I’ve been hiding something from you.” Rick says, swirling his beer can around, “I know you said you wanted it to be a surprise, but I couldn’t wait. I checked,” He sighs, he brings the can to his lips, “We would’ve had another girl…” Rick takes a long drink from the can until it’s empty. “At least I don’t have to worry about taking down the nursery. The explosion was so bad, it destroy that, too.” He says bitterly.

He’s been feeling that lot more.

Bitterness instead of sadness.

Anger instead of bitterness.

That Rick…that evil version of himself. He only did this because he wanted Rick to leave behind everything and travel across dimension. Rick doesn’t reach for another can, “…I’ll do it.” He affirms.

…

Rick stares at his own reflection. “Man, she wouldn’t even recognize me if she saw me now.” He huffs softly. It’s only been…2 years—he thinks. How could he look so different?

You always said you wanted him to grow his hair out…

Rick brushes a strand of hair out of his face. “Wait…you’d probably think I’m hot.” He assumes, Rick sighs, “Then you’d probably say something like, ‘Oh, I would’ve died sooner if I knew you would’ve got soooo hot!’” He mimics your voice. He can still remember what it sounds like. Clear as day. It’s…haunting.

No you, no Birdperson, no one...

Rick’s all alone.

Rick stares at his reflection once more. He looks so…tired. There’s no light in his eyes. You wouldn’t think he was hot, you’d be too busy worrying about what the hell could’ve happened to make him look like that…like this. Rick lets out a heavy sigh. “Just another year…and then I’ll stop.” He promises…you? Himself? He doesn’t know anymore.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

. . .

Rick takes a long drink of beer. After 40-something years of this shit…he’s switched to drinking out of beer bottles. They give him so much more beer.

Green portals open in front of Rick, more versions of himself step out and each of them meet the same fate the others ones did. Despite how drunk he is, Rick aims perfectly for the other Ricks’ heads. When he first started doing this…he felt a form of satisfaction. Like he was avenging you and Beth.

Now he only feels nothing…

…

He promised himself he wouldn’t do this. Rick doesn’t want to be like those other sick fucks.

Rick sighs deeply, glancing down at all the house as his space cruiser flies above the neighborhood. “I’ve checked. So many dimensions…she’s gone.” He sighs, taking a long drink from his flask.

This is the only one.

This is the only dimension where you’re still alive.

Why? What makes this dimension do special?

Maybe…that Rick—the one who started all this—maybe he cared this version of you, but not all the others…

Rick tilts his steering wheel downwards, crashing right into the garage. The crash destroys the door and good chuck of the garage’s roof, Rick climbs out of the vehicle, unfazed by the destruction around him.

“Jerry, how hard is it to remember to open the fucking door—”

The door that leads into the house open, that’s what gets a reaction out of Rick. His eyes widen when he sees you standing there. Is this what you would’ve looked like if you had the chance to grow older? The sides of Rick’s brow drops sadly, “Hi, Y/N…” He says, just barely lifting his arm to wave. You stare at Rick, horror settling on your face. You don’t share any words with him, you slowly close the door.

Rick continues to stands there…until he hears the sound of your body thudding against the floor. He rushes to the door, but stops himself when he hears voices.

“OH! O-o-oh, geez! Sum…Summer?! Call Mom! Or…or 911!” “Well which one? I can’t call both!” “I don’t know!”