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

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

Yes, I know if you've read my other stuff you know that I was a Shane girl, but Rick is awesome, too. So I decided to play with him a little. Rate and comment if you like! Thanks, and please, no flames. They are... unhelpful.

+++So, the group has a new home now. The challenge here, besides the obvious of course, is to manage to turn the darkness and bad memories of the place around and make it a home. If that's even possible in this world. But I have faith, if anyone can, it's our heroes here that can do it. Don't you agree?

Now, cue the lovin! lol

"Hey Carl." Ruby said brightly when she got back to the house, another bag slung over her shoulder. He was out front of the main house, sitting on the steps and watching Sally and Jeb play together in a little circle in the yard.

"Hey Ruby." Carl said, looking up from the little piece of wood he was whittling with a pocket knife. Ruby looked around, and saw Carol hanging some laundry from a line on the side yard. No wonder the kids were out here, she was keeping an eye on them. Grabbing a spot next to Carl on the steps, Ruby looked over to see what he was carving.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" She asked.

"Dad taught me, long time ago." He said. "See? It's a crow. There's so many of them in the yard, I thought I'd try it out."

"It's good." She nodded, and looked at the two little ones nearby. "Hey, how are they doin? They seem ok?"

He looked at them, thinking for a moment, then nodded and turned his eyes back to her. Damn, he looked so much like his dad, she thought. "Yeah, Sally's pretty shy, though. I think she'll be ok. Jeb said they lived close, and Bob and Margie found them on the highway after they lost their mom."

"Wow." Ruby's eyebrows went up. "Are they brother and sister?"

"Yeah." Carl nodded, going back to his whittling.

"How about you? You doing ok?" She asked, watching him closely.

"Mm-hmm." He said, his eyes not meeting hers. "Gotta be, right? Gotta be strong. For the group."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But not always, you know? You can be not ok sometimes and it's alright. We're only human."

He didn't say anything to that, and she pushed a frown down deep. Since Lori had died, the playful kid that had been so happy to get the toys at the farmhouse had been replaced by a more jaded, grown up little man. It made her sad, but she knew it was only about survival.

"I found something you might want." She said, reaching for the bag for had brought from the barn. "It's just some clothes, but they aren't worn out. I think they'll fit you."

"Thanks." He said, looking over interestedly at the bag. "I needed them."

She smiled. "And if anything doesn't fit you, maybe they will work for Jeb."

"Did you find anything for Sally? All she has are those long skirts. It can't be comfortable."

"You know what? I think I have a couple things, but I'm going to have to look a little more. You wanna go back to the barn next time I go, give me a hand?" After the bodies were gone, she thought to herself.

"Sure."

"Ok. Well, I'll go put these in your room. You pick one yet?"

"Yeah, I'm sharing with Jeb. Second door on the right on the second floor." He nodded, a smile playing around his serious little face.

"Very cool. Good talking to you, man. You need anything just yell for me, ok?" She stood up, stretching.

"Thanks, Ruby." He watched her go, and she skipped up the stairs to the room he had directed her to, and let herself in. It was a lot like hers. Same wooden floors and blank walls. The prerequisite crosses over the door and the two twin beds, and she sighed. This wouldn't do, not for two little boys. Going to the bureau, she looked in and saw he hadn't put any of his stuff away yet. She quickly filled the empty drawers and closets with the clothes both from her bag and the bags Rick had been carrying around for his son. Once that was done, she removed all the crosses from the walls, and stood there, looking around the room thoughtfully. Her brain ticked away, and with a smile, she swiftly left the room in search of Jimmy.

She found him in the living room, where he was talking to Hershel. "Hey." She said, leaning against the door frame. "I wondered, you guys did fix-its and maintenance around this place pretty often, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, why? You need somethin' fixed?"

"Nope. But if you had any paint, I wanted to take a look at it."

He grinned. "Oh yeah. I can show you, you mind Hershel?"

"Go on, young man. Just take it easy on that arm." Hershel sat back in his chair, nodding at them, and Jimmy got up, leading her out of the house.

"You're painting?" He asked as they walked.

"It's a surprise, but yeah. Carl and Jeb's room is so plain, I wanted to give them something nice." She looked around as she talked. She didn't see anyone else, and wondered if they were at the front gate. "You know where everyone is?"

"I think they were doing perimeters, last time I checked. Here we go." He led her to a work shed beyond the woman's house and opened the door, standing back so she could go in. He followed her, and the light from the windows was plenty good enough to see when the door swung shut behind them. "Any idea of the color you wanted?"

"Whatcha got?" She asked, looking at some cans on a shelf at eye level. From the smears of old paint on each one, she gathered that they had more than enough variety to do something fun with the boys' room.

"What about this one?" He asked, picking up a can of deep blue.

"Oh yeah," She said happily. "And we can trim it in this white." She chose another can and pulled it off the shelf. He set her up with brushes, trays, and a large tarp to cover the furniture with. When their arms (well, his one good arm) were loaded with their tools, they crossed the yard back to the house as nonchalantly as possible. She didn't want to alert the kids still playing out front.

"Oh, Beth! Good, you busy?" She said, seeing the girl coming down the stairs.

"No. What do you have?" Beth looked curiously at the cans, and Ruby motioned for her to follow. Once they were back in Carl and Jeb's room, she shut the door behind them.

"Will you help me paint this room?" She asked Beth. "I want to get it done before everyone comes in. Jimmy, if you could stay downstairs and keep them away, that would be great."

"You got it. You sure you don't need help, though?" He asked skeptically, and she laughed, her eyebrows raised.

"You heard Hershel. He finds out I put you to work he'll kill me. No, keeping them away would be the best thing you could do."

Jimmy chuckled and shrugged. "Alright, then." By the time he slipped out the door, Beth and Ruby already had cans open, and the tarp was being spread out.

Rick stood back from the task they were working on, and shielded his eyes from the sharply setting sun. They had been out here for hours, but for good reason. Daryl had had a good idea for an early sensor system for the front gate. A series of ropes tied across the gate where it opened, attached to a single long one that ran across stakes in the ground. If something came through the gate it would pull the long rope. That one ran all the way up to the house, and when triggered it would set off a bell to alert them inside. The outer gates were immobile everywhere except here in front, so it would be just one more layer of protection. Combined with a constant watch at night, Rick hoped it would be enough to ensure they would be safe. It was difficult with such a large farm, but Bob had helped that out before he died. The two other places on the outlying gate had been sealed shut after the breakout, making this the only entrance.

If they didn't get attacked by a herd like they had on Hershel's farm, the gate itself would be enough to keep the walkers out. Rick was being careful not to be lulled into a feeling of security, however. Even if the walkers were fewer now- Daryl had been able to peg the ones that drifted by, attracted to the noise or chance off with his arrows while they worked- the possibility of more was always there. He had decided to implement a more steady schedule of watches as well, and he was running through it in his mind as they worked so he could tell the others about it at dinner. Dinner. He was starving. This alert system meant they all would be able to go in and eat together.

"You guys ready? We just need to secure the bell at the house, and I think we're good here." He said, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Paul, Maggie, Glenn and Daryl nodded, following him back to the house. "After dinner, I'll take watch tonight. Let you guys get some sleep. Thanks for doing it the last couple nights. "

"Not a problem." Glenn said, yawning widely. Maggie grinned at him and took his hand as they walked.

"I hope Carol has food ready." Paul was saying as they neared the house. The lights were on, and no one was outside. Hm, that's different, Rick thought. He wondered where Ruby has run off to. Carl was probably with Carol and the kids in the kitchen, but Rick kept his eyes peeled as they entered the house.

"Hey bud." Rick grinned when he saw his son in the living room. He was fiddling with his pocket knife as he sat in a chair across from Jimmy and Hershel. "You seen Ruby?"

"She's hanging out with Beth." Jimmy offered, and Rick got the strangest feeling from the way the guy said that. Of course, Rick had been gone with the others most of the afternoon and Jimmy had been here. That he would know where she was wasn't unusual, so Rick pushed the feeling away and went to wash his hands in the kitchen. He was drying his hands when he saw Ruby in the doorway with Beth smiling at everyone brightly.

"Oh good! You guys are back." She said happily, and he tilted his head at her.

"What are you grinnin' about?" He furrowed his brow curiously. She had a streak of blue paint on her cheek and it also dabbled the old teeshirt and sweatpants she and Beth both wore.

"It's a surprise. Come on." She said excitedly, and looked back at Carl. "Carl, will you come upstairs for a minute? Bring Jeb."

"Yeah." Carl nodded, and she darted to the stairs, waiting for everyone to follow. Of course, the whole house had congregated, and they were naturally curious, so they all tromped up the stairs after her and Beth. Carl and Jeb got to them first, and the girls stopped in front of the boys' room.

"Ok, you ready?" She asked, smiling and eyes wide. Throwing open the door, the boys went in.

"Oh wow!" Jeb exclaimed, and Rick walked in after the boys. Putting his hands on his hips, he looked around the room in astonishment. The previously drab and plain room had been painted a beautiful deep blue color, and the doors and windows were trimmed a bright white. On opposing walls were beautifully done swirls of white in abstract shapes, and the beds were now made in colorful quilts and fluffy pillows from one of the adult rooms. The bookshelves were stocked with a couple dozen books and comics, and toys for Jeb were neatly lined across the floor near the child's bed. On the window were bright white curtains fashioned from a sheet and tied creatively to look as good as any store bought ones.

Finally, above Carl's bed was a verse written in beautiful script, painted right into the wall. It read "You've got every right to a beautiful life..." When Rick read that, he felt tears spring into his eyes, and his breath catch in his throat. Carl clearly felt the same way, because when he looked back at them, his eyes, too, were damp.

Jeb ran to the toys, and Carl looked around in wonder. "This is great." He breathed out slowly, and Ruby's smile grew even bigger.

"Beth and I kept you away for a while, hope this was worth it."

He grinned, and nodded. "Definitely. Where'd you get the books and stuff?"

"Found them all over the place. The attic, the other rooms, you name it. And you both have a whole bunch of new clothes in the closet and the drawers here. Carl, these are yours, and these are for Jeb." She pointed to according drawers, and he looked through the appreciatively.

She went to a small one by one table on Carl's side of the room and opened the lid. Everyone looked over and saw it was a record player, old but functional. "Carl, you know how to use one of these? I found it in the barn, along with a huge box of records."

"No, I never used one." He said, walking over to look at it with her.

"It's not hard. Just have to be careful of the needle, see?" She reached down to the box tucked under the stand, and pulled out a large vinyl record. Putting it on the turn table, she showed him how to lay the needle gently down on the record, and a moment later the room was filled with the soft, low sounds of The Beatles. "Now, I know the music is old, but it's classic, man. You're gonna love it. You got Zep here, the Ramones! I think I'm gonna be spending a lot of time here listening to it with you, if you don't care."

He chuckled at that, and she stepped back while he started going through the records, back to Rick's side to watch the boys.

"I can't believe this is the same room." Rick said, shaking his head in wonder. "You guys did an amazing job."

"I love it!" Jeb said happily from his spot on the floor.

"So do I. Thanks Ruby." Carl said with an unusually wide smile. He went over and hugged her tightly before going to Beth and doing the same.

"I'm glad you like it, man." She said, squeezing his shoulder.

"You guys come eat and you can spend the rest of the night in here if you want." Carol said, smiling from the door. She loved the room too, everyone did, and she grinned at Ruby proudly.

"Can I stay too?" Sally asked as Carol led the kids back down for dinner, and Ruby chuckled. The others took one last look and began to filter away till it was just Rick and Ruby left.

He wrapped her tightly in his arms. "I can't believe you did this for Carl. I can't imagine anything cooler. The Ramones? You kiddin' me? Those records must be worth a fortune!"

She kissed him and smiled. "He really likes it doesn't he?" She was still so excited it made him laugh.

"My god, he's not gonna come out for a year."

"Not true. He has to eat sometime, and this room doesn't have a bathroom." She joked, and he rubbed her cheek with his thumb as he held her close. "And guess what? I found pink paint to do up Sally's room, too. And more blue for ours, but lighter. What do you think?"

He didn't say anything, just looked at her with the most adorable expression. She laughed and tilted her head. "I said, what do you think?"

"It's not what I think. It's what I know." He finally said, his face suddenly intense and serious and she looked at him curiously. "I love you so much."

A breath escaped her chest and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, Rick."

"I do. I think I always have. How did I find you in this messed up world, Ruby? I really want to know how I got so damn lucky."

"You kidnapped me." She smirked, running her fingertips through his hair lightly.

"Best... kidnapping... ever." He said, and when she laughed, he cut it off firmly with his mouth on hers.

When they broke, she looked up at him through her dark lashes. "I love you, too, Rick. More than you know."

Ruby and Beth has been so busy they hadn't had a chance to get dressed up for dinner like Maggie had requested, but that hadn't stopped Maggie. She sat next to Glen at the table in a beautiful short black dress, her hair wavy around her face and a bit of blush and lipstick. The girl didn't need it, she was naturally gorgeous by anyone's standards, but she absolutely glowed and Glenn couldn't take his eyes off her.

Still, if anyone had asked Rick his opinion, he would have said Ruby was the most stunning creature on the planet, sitting there next to him in a ponytail and paint smudged clothes. Her cheek still carried the remains of the paint she had tried to scrape off, and she was grinning widely, laughing at something Paul had said from down the table. What she had done for Carl wasn't something he needed to survive. It wasn't something that would save his life, at least physically. Instead, it was something that the boy needed while Rick managed to save his heart. That sweet innocence that had already been so deeply damaged and torn apart. It was a chance to say, 'you're allowed to be happy', to live your life despite the troubles outside. Rick thought about that quote over Carl's bed. "You've got every right to a beautiful life" and he sighed. It was true. Carl had more than every right, but so did Ruby, and Rick wondered if she knew that.

He'd told her he loved her, and she'd said it back. Something he didn't think he'd every hear or say again for a long time now. Not just since Lori had died. Sitting there, surrounded by his family, his lifebloods, he felt complete. He was happy. To hell with the dead rising, with the end of the world. Despite all that, he'd managed to find a woman he was supposed to find all along, and they were together. His son was alive and the sound of his laughter cut through Rick's thoughts, bringing him momentarily back to reality, and Rick grinned at him.

The world had tried to end him, and he'd survived. He'd done better than that- he found joy again.

He'd found LOVE. And at that moment, Rick realized he wouldn't have changed anything. They'd won.

-Flashback-

August, 2009

Kings County, GA

Backroads outside of town, 2:00 am

Rick Grimes wiped his face tiredly as he drove his patrol car down the dark country road. A raccoon scuttled off the pavement, catching his eye, and he pointed to it.

"That was a big one." He said, and his partner, Shane Walsh, peered through the darkness as they passed.

"Easy 15 pounder. What are people feedin' these freakin' things?" He asked lightly, and Rick chuckled. He raised an eyebrow at his tall, dark haired best friend. They'd been best friends their whole lives, and with the police they made natural partners.

"Maybe it's the one been raidin' Betsy Mark's trash. She's called three times in the last month, saying it's all torn apart."

"A 'course Betsy called us about a raccoon." Shane smirked. "Woman will call about anything."

Rick stifled a yawn. "So, Vicky called you, huh? I saw you talkin' when I went into the gas station back there."

"How'd you know it was Vicky?" Shane looked at him curiously, one of his thick dark brows going sky high in the typical Shane way it did.

"Because she's the only one who can make you look horny and depressed all at the same time." Rick responded, and Shane's loud laughter filled the car.

"Aw, man. I don't know. She's wantin' to move stuff back into my house. After I just got Sarah's stuff out, finally. I'm just tryin' to figure out a way to tell her no so I can still call after my shifts are over." Shane said devilishly, and Rick grinned, shaking his head.

"If she's pushin' it, why don't you just call somebody else? I know you got choices, man?"

Shane scoffed. "You obviously have not seen that ass, brother. Bounce a quarter off that thing."

"Oh, I've seen it. Everybody's seen it. She don't try to hide it, you know." Rick said flatly.

"I know." Shane said with a grin, and a little wiggle of the head suggestively.

"My god." Rick cracked up. He was grateful to have Shane that night. Having not slept much the night before he was exhausted, and none of the other deputies kept him awake the way Shane did. Besides, it had given him the chance to vent about the reason he hadn't slept. Yet another fight with Lori, his wife. Stupid and inconsequential, but it had kept both of them up yelling at each other late into the night and sent him to the couch when it was over.

He pulled the car to a stop at the stop sign heading back into town, and opened his mouth to say something when a car blew right through the stop sign going the opposite way.

"Oh no you don't." Rick murmured, making a quick U turn and flipping on his lights. Shane buckled up quickly as they took off after the car.

"Black Audi, License plate..." Shane began to rattle off the details of the car they were following to base and it slowed and stopped in front of them, off to the side of the road.

"Single female." Shane finished speaking into the walkie and looked over at Rick. "You got her? I'll start the paperwork."

"You passin' up a chance to go see if she's hot?" Rick asked, joking surprise and Shane narrowed his eyes at him.

"You been listenin' to me at all, man? I done told you I'm takin' a break from crazy chicks. And any girl that drives like that is definitely a crazy chick."

Rick laughed and got out of the car, shutting the door behind him. Settling his wide brimmed hat on his head and began the walk to the Audi. When he reached it, he motioned for the girl to lower the tinted windows.

He saw her eyes first. Big and dark, long lashes. Damn, Shane missed out, he thought. Crazy or not. She spoke first as the window dropped.

"Officer, I am so sorry. I really didn't mean to run that sign." She looked at him apologetically, her full lips curved into a frown. "The tree was in the way, but that's not an excuse."

He didn't play the good/bad cop by any means, and she hadn't killed anyone, so he just nodded. "I have to say if you'd have been goin' a few miles slower you might have seen it, miss." He said, requesting her license and insurance information.

"I know. I really am sorry. I'm usually a lot more careful." She handed her things through to him and sat back in her seat, defeated. A long fingered hand brushed her hair back tiredly, and he noticed she had been crying. A while ago, maybe, but the tell tale tracks of tears fell across her face. As a cop, he'd had women cry on him to get out of tickets all the time, and this girl definitely was not doing that. In fact, if anything she was trying to cover it up, keeping her head low, hands flicking about her face and hair.

"Is there any reason you're out here at such a late hour, Miss..." He looked at her license. "Redman?"

"Ruby. I'm on my way to get my dad. He just flew into your air field and I'm meeting him and taking him back to Atlanta." Her voice was even, soft.

He nodded, frowning. What had put this girl out on a lonely road in the middle of the night after she'd obviously been upset? He didn't think it was to pick up her dad. "Hey, you ok? Tired?"

"Yeah. It that obvious?" She mustered up a smile, and tried to make it as bright as she could.

"Well, it is 2 am. Call it deduction." He responded jokingly, and she laughed gently. It was a good sound, he found he liked it.

"Got a point."

"Alright, give me a minute while I run you, ok?" He asked, and returned to the patrol car. It was a hot night, sticky, and he looked forward to getting back in the air conditioning.

"What's the deal?" Shane asked as he got back in.

"Says she's picking up her dad. Just got tired, I guess." Rick said, leaving it at that. If he'd have told Shane that there was a beautiful and upset girl in that car, his friend would have been at her window in an instant, offering her a kind word or a shoulder. He knew the hound dog Shane was, and he loved it most of the time. It was funny as hell. But he wanted to spare the girl, Ruby, that. Looked like she'd seen enough for the evening already.

Rick tapped her info in the computer and saw she had no priors. "I'm lettin' her go." He said, and Shane nodded as he got back out of the car. When he got back to Ruby, he handed her cards through the window, and leaned against her door, his arm on the top and his head dipped low so he could see her properly.

"I don't see any reason to ticket you, Ruby." He said, and she looked at him, surprised but grateful. "Please take it a little slower, huh? And next time your Dad flies in, tell him to either go to Atlanta or take cab, ok? Out here at night, it's not the safest thing in the world for a girl alone. Especially if she's... tired."

She looked at him with wide eyes, knowing that he wasn't fooled at all. He knew she'd been crying. Smiling faintly, she looked at the dark road ahead for a moment. "You know," She said softly. "It's funny how one person you trusted completely can ruin your whole night, and then somebody you don't even know comes along and makes you feel a little bit better."

He grinned at that, and she returned it. This time, it wasn't tinged with the sadness like before. He tipped his hat to her. "My pleasure." He stuck his hand out, and surprised himself. He never did this, but it felt right. "And, it's Rick."

She took his hand, and he felt how warm her fingers were beneath his cool ones. "Rick." She repeated, still smiling.

"Well," He let go and stood up. "Get on now, Ruby. Just be safe."

"You too, Rick."

He watched her pull away, then walked slowly back to the patrol car. Shane grinned when he got in. "No ticket, and a handshake. Man, I shoulda gone up there. She must have been somethin'."

Looking over at his friend, he shrugged. "Don't know. Guess I'll never find out." Rick turned the car around and headed back toward the station.

It was time to go home.

The End

Authors Note:

Hey guys, thanks for finishing the story! I truly hoped you loved it as much as I loved writing it! Thank you to the several of you who, with dedication, sent me reviews so often. It was because of you that I am pleased to announce that the sequel to this story is going to be out very soon.

In case any of you had a question about this last part, I wanted to clear it up, leave no room for speculation. The flashback here at the end actually happened to Rick and Ruby, but neither remember it. It's just one of those little things that happen to us in our daily lives and we forget about, but imagine if Rick DID remember that he'd met Ruby one random night years before? It's fate that they would end up together, kismet, whatever you want to call it, it's just plain cool.

Sincerely,

LL