OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
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ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
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FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
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outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
It had been about a week since everything had happened. Will and Ruby had been released after a few days from the hospital, and he had been relieved to light duty until he fully healed from his leg injury. He sported a lovely limp that he hated with a passion, but he was easily able to find his mind distracted by getting Ruby into his new home. His Ruby. His pregnant Ruby. God he was still in disbelief that they had been as lucky as they had been. That the bullet she had taken hadn't hit the baby. That she had been the tank as she put it. His strong, beautiful Ruby had been the safe haven for his child. Their child.
Not that it meant that he had forgotten about his other child. The one who he spent an hour on the phone with when the news got out that things were back under control, telling her that he was fine, and that it would take a lot more than an event like that to take him away from her. He was so happy to see her face. He hadn't told her that she was going to be a big sister, not yet. He had to start off small, and introduce the idea of Ruby to her first. Which that took up most of their conversation. Asking what she was like, was she pretty, was she nice. He had been glad that Ruby hadn't been around for that conversation because he was sure that he would have made her sick to her stomach over how much he was gushing over her.
He was at the base when he got the phone call though. His ex, the mother of his child, on the other end. "Will, Harper will be on the next flight to you. You have to take her." Immediately he knew something was wrong. The whole point that Harper didn't live with him was because he moved around too much and her mother could offer her stability in school and everything else. He pressed as to what was wrong, excusing himself from the meeting he was in to go limp pace outside in the hall. She explained that her brother had gotten sick, and after they immediately quarantined him, they went to go get tested. Harper came back negative, and she felt it was best that Harper went to him to keep her safe, because the family lived together.
Will accepted of course, wanting his daughter to be safe. And he had gotten a three bedroom town home to himself, so she could have her own room while the baby had their nursery as well. God, to have a full house. Ruby was right when she said that he wanted that all American dream of a family and a dog. He helped plan out the flights for Harper and how they would go about getting her since she was flying alone. Thankfully the airlines had great policies in place for minors flying. Harper was just excited to be coming to see him. It had been too long and he looked forward to seeing that little blonde girl.
He tried calling Ruby next, leaving her a voicemail telling her to call him because it had to do with Harper. He didn't want to leave everything over the voicemail, but he never received the call back. She was probably busy, or sleeping. He knew from the reading he had started doing that she could probably be really tired or dealing with morning sickness. That was falsely called morning sickness too because really it could pop up at any time. When his day was over, he rushed to the airport to pick up Harper. She ran into his arms and he hugged her tight to him. He held her hand as the girl went right into a whole story play by play of her flight. He chuckled along with her as he texted her mother to let her know that she was safely with him before grabbing her two suitcases and bringing them out to the car that he rented. Motorcycle rides were out the window until his leg healed.
The ride home was easy, Harper was so excited to be with him and Will felt the same way. He had forgotten to check his phone to see if Ruby had replied to him by the time he pulled into the driveway and grabbed her bags. "Welcome home Harper," he said as he unlocked the front door and opened it for her. Only for his eyes to lock onto Ruby and realize that they hadn't talked about this yet. The little blonde girl in front of him stared at the brunette and she walked inside. "Is this Ruby? Wow, she's really pretty daddy! Hi, I'm Harper." And immediately, he laughed. Leave it to Harper to break the silence.
Ruby had felt like the past week had gone by in a blur. She and Will had been discharged from the hospital, her cases were piling up and the little gremlin inside of her was apparently rebelling at the idea of living happily inside of her. She had agreed to go home with Will and stay at his place, at least until they could figure things out formally. She had momentarily wondered if they were moving too fast, but that thought had lasted all of seven hours before the pregnancy hormones began rearing their ugly head. Her days since the hospital seemed to move in a blur between sleeping, vomiting, and working.
She had been thankful today was the last day of work for a short while. Three of her cases had been unexpectedly wait-listed, which was disappointing, but also meant she had four days off. Four days that would let her catch up on rest, have some much-needed conversations with Will, and let herself breathe. Let life slow down a little bit so she could actually gather her thoughts and think about what the hell they were going to do.
City Hall had recently been re-opened and she had spent the majority of the day trying not to focus on the events that had happened there. Thankfully, the day had been too busy to let her mind wander too much. She was in and out of courtrooms and offices, her phone on silent the entire time. She knew Will was busy today too. They had thankfully put him on desk duty for a while. She knew he hated it, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved. The thought of him out there, dealing with rioters and bullets was too terrifying for words. She had just found him, she couldn't lose him. Exactly what they had she didn't know, but she didn't let herself think about any of that, at least not right now. They would have plenty of time this weekend.
Ruby exited City Hall and turned on her phone, calling a car. She gave them Will's address and dialed his number when she got inside. He didn't answer and she frowned slightly at the message he left. Harper? She tapped her phone lightly against her knee, her mind anxious and jumping from one wild idea to the next. She sent up a silent prayer for the girl's safety, hoping maybe it was something to do with her school. That maybe Will had to be somewhere, maybe he had to travel to see her. With all of the chaos going on right now there was no telling what could be happening.
Ruby paid the driver and used her key to get inside, slipping her shoes off at the door. It was heartbreakingly familiar, even after only a few days. The smell of his house, the cool air that kissed her skin, the utter feeling of being home. She turned the tv on, scanning the stations before leaving it playing MLB highlights. She missed sports. She missed going to baseball games most of all. There was nothing like a cold beer and greasy stadium foods on a summer Sunday. She sighed, watching the highlight on the screen for a moment before making her way to the kitchen.
She had just gotten things out of the fridge to begin cooking when she heard his door open. Ruby walked out of the kitchen, a smile on her lips when Will walked through the door. Then a blonde little girl made her way inside, all smiles, her blonde curls bouncing as she began speaking, asking if she was Ruby. Ruby felt her breathing hitch, the smile faltering as she realized that not only was this girl Harper, but Harper was here...with them.
The girl was a carbon copy of Will, blonde hair and piercing eyes. Her smile was even like his and she took a steadying breath, the smile returning to her face. She moved to the girl, kneeling down so they were eye-level. "Hi Harper. Nice to meet you. I'm Ruby. Your dad has told me so much about you." She held out her hand to the little girl. She was utterly and totally terrified of course, but her issues weren't Harper's fault. She shook the little girl's hand and stood, unsure of what to do next. Normally she would have kissed him, asked him about his day, but this was anything but normal.
She didn't know what Harper knew, she didn't know what he had told her about them or heaven forbid, the baby. She herself didn't know what was going on, much less now that his child was here with him. She wanted to ask him a million questions, but now clearly wasn't the time. She cleared her throat, forcing a smile, "I'm sure you guys have a lot of catching up to do. I should...go."
She met Will's eyes. She wasn't angry of course, how could she be? Harper was his child, she was a little mini Will, who wouldn't love her to pieces? She had nothing against the girl, she was just terrified. This wasn't her. Though, she supposed it would be soon, maybe. It was a lot, it was much too much hitting all at one time. She put her hand on his arm, "We can talk later. You go enjoy your daughter. I'll...call you tomorrow."
Will watched Ruby the whole time, catching her faltering look as she took in him in full dad mode. He knew this was a lot. That this was a cause for her to try and run as far and as fast from him as possible. He hoped that this wasn’t the case but he could see it on her face. No matter how well she was trying to compose herself as Harper babbled on. Her blonde hair swayed lightly as she shook Ruby’s hand, and as she stood he expected a welcome home as well. The one he had gotten the past few days. But today was different. She stood there as he moved them inside fully and shut the door.
“I'm sure you guys have a lot of catching up to do. I should…go.”
As their eyes met, he moved towards her his hands lightly gripping her upper arms as he drew her to him, pressing his lips to her forehead. Harper seemed wrapped up in checking out the living room at the moment. As she made a comment about them talking tomorrow, his head shook slightly. “No, please stay. I know I am asking a lot of you right now, but please don’t leave. We have to talk about this.” All of it really. Harper, them, if there was a 'them'. Hell, he believed they were a them but they had never really had that talk to say that they were together.
He pressed a small kiss to her lips, his thumb stroking her cheek before he picked up Harper’s suitcases again. “Harps, come on. Let's get your stuff into your room. You can start putting your stuff away while Ruby and I make dinner.” He heard her little feet run towards a hallway that she had no idea where it ran to. His blue eyes turning to Ruby as he gave her a small pleading look, “Please Ruby,” he said before Harper was calling out for him.
His arms gripped both bags as he limped up the stairs with them and down into one of the two bedrooms upstairs. The master bedroom was on the first floor in this house, along with the living room and kitchen. The room he put his daughter into was set up as a plain guest room. A full-sized bed in it, nothing special. But he was sure it would soon be plastered with her drawings and, oh dear god, he was going to have to do some shopping for her. Besides what her mother sent, he had nothing for her there. He placed her suitcases on the ground and turned towards her. “Hey Harps, can you do me a big favor? Can you put all your clothes away and your toys?” She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him again. Which he gave her a squeeze back. And that was when he made his way back downstairs, hoping that he wasn’t going to be met with an empty house. But also half expecting it.
“Ruby?” He almost said her nickname, but he had a feeling with how spooked she looked, that using it would just make her uncomfortable until they talked about what they were. “Babe, are you still here?” Babe was about as close as he could get to a pet name without pushing it too far. He rounded the corner and headed for the kitchen, hoping to find her in there.
Will closed the distance between them and placed a kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes, reminding herself to breathe. That was a good sign, she supposed. She had assumed Harper might have heard her name before. Will didn't seem like he'd be the type to hide things from his daughter, but she hadn't been sure. Women who weren't Harper's mother was a bid deal, even she knew that, and the last thing she wanted to do was put Will into an uncomfortable spot explaining things. She wished she could shove him outside and figure out exactly what in the hell was going on, but knew they didn't have the time. She offered up the excuse to leave but Will shook his head, asking her to stay.
Ruby swallowed hard. She wasn't just in unfamiliar territory, no, for her it was like being behind enemy lines. She was entirely lost with no map, no way to call home and surrounded by people speaking in a different language. Every nerve in her body was telling her to run for it, but his eyes were pleading with her to stay. He kissed her lips softly before picking up Harper's bags. The little girl bounded up the stairs and oh how Ruby wanted to run the opposite direction. She moved forward and pulled Will's face to hers, pressing her lips to his. She put her forehead on his for just a moment before moving away, letting him go up the stairs.
She crossed her arms, holding herself for a minute. This was scary, utterly terrifying, but he wanted her here. Will wanted her here. Harper was his child, his family. The two of them had something that no one could come between and nothing could move. They had something that was all theirs and all their own. And He...was offering to share that with her. He was offering her a small glimpse into what they had, what she might have, if she dared. Ruby's hand dropped lower, thinking about the tiny being who she would bring into the world. What kind of world that being might have, if she could be brave enough to find out, for its sake.
She took a steadying breath before walking to the kitchen. She had planned on making tuscan chicken pasta, but highly doubted that was high up on any kid's favorite meals list. She put the cold items back in the fridge and eyed the wine, oh if ever a night called for alcohol, this one would be it. She shut the door as she heard Will ask for her and she called over to him, "I'm in the kitchen."
Ruby turned and hopped up on the counter as Will came into the kitchen. She held up the pizza place flyer, "I vote takeout." Will moved to her and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. The counter gave her the perfect height to rest her head on his shoulder and she closed her eyes, breathing in his soothing scent, "What happened?" She hoped it wasn't anything terrible. She hoped maybe he had spaced and forgotten about her visiting, that maybe this was a planned thing that he forgot to tell her about. More than anything she hoped that this wouldn't change what they had between them, whatever it was. She hoped he wasn't about to pull the rug out from under her. A child could complicate things. She knew that better than anyone. Two children, one suddenly very near and one not even in the world yet brought the complication factor up a few thousand degrees. She moved her head so she could look into his icy blue eyes, "How can I help?"
NOTES ; I MODDED THE WHOLE HIM WALKING OVER TO HER THING, LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO CHANGE IT!!
When Ruby pulled him in for a kiss before he disappeared, a little bit of worry melted away. She wouldn’t run from him after that right? She would wait, at least talk with him before she decided to leave. But he would put up one hell of a fight to keep her there. There was no where else she belonged more than with him. He was confident in that fact. Whether they had that talk or not, he considered himself hers. Hell, he was willing to move mountains for her if they so much as made her sigh the wrong way. And their baby, the one that she was growing every day inside of her, that had to be another reason as well right? She knew that he would do anything in his power, anything and everything, for the two of them. Just because Harper was there, didn’t mean he cared less.
As he heard her call back from the kitchen, he closed his eyes and let out a breath of relief before he came through the doorway. She was perched up on the countertop, holding up the pizza offer in a hand. He smiled lightly as he moved forward and stepped in close to her. “Takeout isn’t a bad idea. Are you craving anything in particular?” He agreed with her as her head laid down on his shoulder. His hands rubbed up and down her arms lightly, trying to soothe her. He knew this was a lot. He remembered how she looked when she first caught a picture of Harper and realized that not only was he in the military but also how he was a father.
“What happened?”
What a great question. He took a deep breath as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It happened really fast. I didn’t get more than a couple of hours heads up,” He told her, wanting her to know that this wasn’t an ‘oops I forgot to tell you’ or an ‘I felt it better to spring this on you then tell you ahead of time’ kind of thing. “Maggie, Harper’s mom, called me today. Her brother is sick, infected. And they all live together. As soon as they found out they quarantined him and left the house. But Maggie didn’t want to risk Harper. They all went and got tested and when Harper’s tests came back negative she put her on the first flight out to me.” He explained softly as he heard the soft thuds above from his daughter. He imagined she was throwing her toys around instead of actually putting them away as he had asked. But it didn’t matter.
“Ruby, I couldn’t say no. I didn’t want to say no. I know this is big. It’s a lot to take in all at once. But we have always seemed to live for adventure since meeting one another,” A small laugh bubbling in his chest. They really were a bit reckless together. But he loved every single minute of it. “I’ve told her about you, as I’m sure you could tell by her knowing your name.” He continued on, his hands moving from her arms to rubbing her back lightly. “I… ah,” A nervous chuckle left him as he tried his best to figure out how the hell he was going to word this to her without causing her any panic. Or anything that would have her trying to fly off the countertop from him. “She’s eight, and the best way for her to understand what we are is by telling her you are my girlfriend.” He looked into her eyes at that and gave her a small kiss on the cheek before he placed another one on the other side.
“So I guess in a way, I should have asked you first.” He said with a small smile. Hell, they already told each other that they love one another. And they skipped a few steps to starting a family together. “Will you officially be my girlfriend?” He flashed a bright smile to her as he tugged her closer to him if that was possible. He felt like the question was straight out of a cheesy high school tv drama. But he was never really good at asking it. And asking her to ‘go steady’ with him felt just as odd. “No pressure or anything, you are just carrying my child.” he joked, preparing for her to swat at his arm or something of the sort.
But at that mention, he did look behind him to make sure Harper wasn’t downstairs just yet. “I didn’t tell her about the baby. I figured it might be best to wait until after the first trimester? I read that sometimes its best to do that?” He didn’t want to put out there that there could be complications or anything. It was a true fact anyone could find if they looked at any pregnancy book. But he didn’t want to believe that that would be them. He believed that once they were past the twelve-week mark, he’d be telling everyone and any way that he was going to be a father again. ‘Look at my gorgeous girlfriend, she’s having my baby!’ Okay, maybe not worded exactly like that. But you get the point.
Will's hands softly ran up and down her arms and the stress of the day begin to melt away. Even though there was a little being upstairs who promised many more new levels of stress-inducing chaos, at least for the time being, she was calm. He asked if she was craving anything and she pursed her lips in thought before replying, "Italian sausage, black olives and...banana peppers." She glanced up at him, curious at what his pizza preferences were. "How about you?" It was odd, she mused, being this intimate with someone. Odd and strangely comforting. It was different than physical intimacy. She could handle the physical stuff any day of the week, but the emotional stuff: what his favorite kind of pizza was, what kind of music he liked, what his favorite candy was. All of those little things that made a person unique, was something entirely foreign. It was a vulnerability to let someone in that close, to have someone else walking out there in the world who knew you, it was an incredibly intimidating thought.
He began telling her what happened with Harper and she listened quietly. She took a deep, steadying breath when he began speaking about the virus. She would be lying if she said she didn't worry about it. It was terrifying. She closed her eyes as her head rested on his shoulder. Her heart broke for the little girl upstairs. The virus was incredibly infectious and lethally deadly. If one person in that house contracted it, there was a high chance that the others would as well. It was a coin toss on if they recovered or not. When he said Harper's test came back negative she tried pushing all of those thoughts away, at least for the time being. She needed to focus on Will and what he needed right now. They would handle whatever came in due time.
He began talking about how he couldn't say no and she shook her head, softly shushing him. "No. Of course not. Will, she's your daughter. That's not a choice, she should be here, end of story." It terrified her to no end and in the back of her mind the question of exactly how long she would be there was definitely floating around, but she would have kicked his ass herself if he had said no and left her with her mother. Will said he had told her about who she was and Ruby nodded slowly, waiting for him to elaborate. His hands moved to her back and she met his eyes curiously when he chuckled. An amused smile came to her lips when he nervously spoke about her being his girlfriend. His lips met her cheeks and she found herself grinning.
It was cute. She supposed that if she hadn't been carrying his child, if he hadn't saved her life and cemented the fact that she was utterly and totally in love with him, the question might have scared her more than it did now. Hell, if none of those things had happened she wouldn't have even been here. But they did, and she knew as scary as all this was, the idea of not being with him was scarier. "Hmmm...." She tapped her finger to her chin as if in thought. He made a joke about her carrying his child and she playfully hit his shoulder, a smile on her lips. "Yes. I will be your girlfriend. I feel like I'm back in high school. Do you want to go makeout under some bleachers?" She gave him a teasing grin. Officially asking her to be his girlfriend was completely and utterly Will, Mr. Goldenboy to the letter, she amusingly thought to herself.
He mentioned not telling Harper about the baby yet and she nodded in agreement. She had resisted the urge to buy a thousand baby books because of that little nugget of information. The nurse at her OBGYN had informed her of it at her first appointment, citing statistics that had made her blood run cold. She had tried to carry on with her life, she had tried to not let thoughts of the little being inside of her stray into her mind because as much as it had been a surprise...she didn't know how she'd feel if she lost it. She tried not getting too absorbed in the idea, because if it was taken away, she didn't know what that would mean for her, or them for that matter.
Her focus moved back to Harper. "When do you need to go back to the base?" The questions bubbled up in her mind and she curiously glanced up at him, "Do they have some sort of daycare there? Does she even go to daycare?" She was horrible at this. The girl was clearly old enough to be in school, but schools weren't going on right now, so she assumed the next solution would be daycare. She didn't know if there was an age limit or not but where else did kids go? She wasn't entirely sure, but she did have time off. Swallowing the fear she spoke up again, "I do have a few days off, at least until next week. And that's assuming they don't get pushed back further. I could...watch her if you needed me to?" Her brain was screaming at her to shut up, but she couldn't just not offer to help.
The sound of feet moving down the stairs pulled her attention and she braced her hands on the counter, hopping down from it. The little blonde's friendly gaze moved between the two of them and Ruby felt the awkwardness rising in her chest. She forced a smile as Harper asked about dinner and she held up the pizza restaurant flyer. "How do you feel about pizza?"
Will nodded when she went on with what she’d want on the pizza. The option for making dinner was a bit lost on him at the moment and he felt like it would be best for neither of them to worry about it. He did however laugh when she asked what he was craving and he shook his head lightly, pressing a kiss to the side of her throat as he reached for his phone. “Nothing that I’d be able to order.” His tone was suggestive that he meant something only she could give him. He quickly dialed the number and pressed the phone to his ear before she could shout at him or anything like that.
”Hi, yes I’d like to place an order for delivery. Large pizza, Italian sausage, black olives, and banana peppers. And a small cheese. Uh yeah, add in some garlic knots as well. Okay... yeah. Thanks.” He placed their order before pushing his phone to the side and turning his attention back to her. Explaining the situation that had brought the little blonde girl to them. All bright eyed and full of questions. He was sure that she was going to make the two of them laugh and probably shift uncomfortably at times as well. Harper had already asked him questions that he had to quickly redirect. And he was sure that once they told her about being a big sister, she would only continue to ask the questions that were going to not only make Ruby squirm, but Will as well. He was sure that would be along the lines of ‘how did the baby get in there?’
He let her hush him, his heart was pounding as he watched her closely. He felt relief wash over him though as she backed up what he felt deep down. That Harper belonged here with them. That she was welcomed. He really didnt even want to think about how that conversation would have gone had it not gone over with Ruby. Because he was determined to make this work. For all four of them now. He wanted Ruby there with him and Harper, and he wanted their little bean, as he had been so affectionately referring to the child she was carrying, to be there with them too. Will hadn’t approached the subject yet, but he knew that he was going to be spending a lot of nights talking to the little bean in her stomach as they grew. No matter how ridiculous or adorable Ruby might have found it.
As he went on about being his girlfriend, he felt his heart stutter a moment at her smile. Okay this was good. She liked the idea of what he said. And that smile said everything that he needed, not that he would turn down her words either. Though as she pondered out loud, he was feeling a little anxious. Why? Well she could decide to torture him and drag out her answer. Which is what she was doing. Though he laughed out when she smacked his shoulder at his ‘child’. He feigned a look of hurt as he grasped his shoulder, only to immediately break out into the biggest grin that threatened to crack his cheeks at her yes. “Oh, let me get to work on those bleachers then...” he teased her, looking behind him like materials were going to just appear for him to get to work. “Maybe tonight I can sneak into your bedroom through the window.” He offered instead.
He knew that the subject was a touchy one, that the idea of the first twelve weeks being the scariest were something that they had treaded lightly around. But he knew that they both thought about it. He was ever so cautious with her, which might be annoying at times but he truly wanted her to be okay. And secondly, he wanted the baby to be okay. He reached forward and brushed her still flat stomach, as if it was to settle them both in their thoughts. “I know they are doing great in there. You are taking such good care of them.” He reassured her. He said ‘they’ and ‘them’ just because they truly didn’t know what the baby was yet. Even though Ruby had said before that she thought it to be a boy. He hadn’t asked since if she still felt that way, but he was curious.
At her questions though, the completely relevant ones that he hadn’t even thought of yet. “I have the two few days off, with the leg and now Harper, they approved some time.” He started. Though what the hell was he going to do? He doubted that there was a daycare on base. But it was also fair to say he had no idea because he’s never had to look into that before. “I’ll have to ask around. I’m not quite sure...” And then like the beautiful, amazing woman she was. One that he did not deserve, she came in to help save the rest of the week at least. His hands immediately reached out and pulled her forward a little, his face going the rest of the way as he gave her a solid kiss. “What would I do without you?” He mumbled lightly against her lips.
Will shifted lightly as they heard the stampede of his daughter come tearing down the stairs and towards them. Clearly done, or at least as done as she thought she could be. And Ruby slide right down the counter. The young girl nodded eagerly at the idea of pizza, like most young kids do. And Will was glad to see the two. “Hey Harper, why don’t Ruby and I show you around the house?” He said, placing a hand on Ruby’s back, his thumb drawing small circles on her back, trying to be as comforting as he can.
Will's lips grazed the soft skin on her neck and Ruby closed her eyes, a wicked smile coming to her lips. Had they been alone, dinner would have been the furthest thing from her mind. She would have been perfectly content with letting the evening progress towards whatever r-rated events he had on his mind. They, however, were not alone and the tempting promise of his lips to her skin was a tease of the worst sort. She softly nudged him, muttering "tease," as he dialed the pizza place.
She eased into a playfulness with Will, nudging him when he mentioned the baby. His playful smile met hers and he made a joke that rivaled hers. The banter that they had was so easy. So utterly easy that it seemed almost unreal to her. He was what she never knew she needed. She grinned, "Golden boy breaking rules? Now that I've got to see."
She couldn't imagine the tall, muscular and utterly handsome man before her as a teenager. He was Mr. all-American of course, no way he was a rule-breaker growing up, especially not with the parents and family life that he had hinted at. "Were you a jock in high school?" She angled her head watching him in amusement before adding, "I swear if you tell me you were captain of the football team I may involuntary gag." She wasn't the troublemaker that someone might peg her for, especially with her last endeavor of breaking into the military facility. No, Ruby had been a good student, one that flew right in the middle of the troublemakers and popular kids. She liked excelling in classes, but had no desire to make friends or waste time on anything that didn't interest her. She had seen school as exactly what it was, a precursor to higher education, not a place for fun or finding herself.
Will placed his hand gingerly on her and spoke about the baby, the word 'they' causing her face to wrinkle in protest. "Not they. There is only one gremlin in there and it's definitely a boy. A girl wouldn't cause this much trouble." And trouble it had been. Sure she had known that women got sick a lot, especially during their first pregnancy. She had expected some level of sickness and fatigue, but so far it had been like a shocking blow to the head. Her day mainly comprised of vomiting or fighting off a sleepy state that seemed to come and go for no reason at all. The doctor had assured her it would ease up in her second trimester, and she was hanging onto that hope every time she vomited the contents of her stomach up.
"While we're talking about the little gremlin..." She pursed her lips, not exactly knowing how to say what she needed to say. The nurse at her OB had been very specific about who would and who would not be allowed in the room with her, whether it was for simple appointments or delivery itself. The hospital was tightening protocol and only immediate blood relatives and spouses were permitted and that was dependent on nothing changing.
There was no telling what the world would look like in another six or eight months. There was no telling if the hospital would even be safe. The last attack had been a deadly one with bloodshed and loss of life to spare, not to mention the sickness and infection that moved invisibly and silently. She looked up at him, "How long do you have left in your contract?" She hated that she had to ask that. She hated the idea that he wasn't free. He was in a contract that had zero loopholes. He was signed and committed to a job that didn't care that she was pregnant or if he wanted to leave and live a life somewhere else. She knew he wanted a future with her and she knew that the idea of not having a future with him wasn't one she liked. Still, he was a soldier and the option of marrying or moving away or starting a life somewhere safer with her and Harper wasn't a guarantee.
Ruby listened quietly as he mentioned that the base gave him time off. That was a blessing. At least he'd have a few days to get Harper settled in without having to leave her. When she offered to help out, she almost wished he would have waved off the idea. She was completely and utterly unprepared for it, but when he gave her a grateful look, pressing his lips to hers, she supposed she'd figure it out. Plus, if she stayed around while he was here it might give her time to get more comfortable with Harper. She could at least then pick up on when and what she was supposed to do. Will spoke softly and she gave a small smirk, "Oh I imagine you'd turn every day into daddy/daughter workday. Strap her into a backpack or something. Just my guess." She couldn't see him just dropping her off somewhere where he wasn't familiar. That or maybe he'd have the daycare under 24/7 surveillance.
The little blonde made her way down to them and Ruby reminded herself to breathe. Will offered to show the girl around, his hand moving to the small of her back. She mentally tried giving herself a pep-talk. She could do this, surely...she could do this.
Will made a fake, over dramatic hurt face as she called him a tease, the light banter from her had him easing up about the situation that had been laid out for him. He would make good on that promise, later of course, but once Harper was to bed. And Ruby was tucked into their bed, he would make good on what caused him to be a ‘tease’ right now. He mouthed the word ‘later’ to her as he spoke on the phone, winking lightly at her with a playful smile.
He rolled his eyes with a hint of a smirk on his lips. Forever golden boy for her. He had to admit, he liked that she viewed him like that. There was something endearing about it, and the fact that now it wasn’t tossed around as an insult, he liked it even more. He was sure she felt the same way about her nickname, kitten. “I will have you know, I was a fun teenage boy. Which means I may have done some questionable things that could have gotten me in trouble. Thankfully, I have been very good at getting myself and others out of sticky situations.” She would know all about that. Twice now, he had gotten them out of some damn bad situations. He figured by the third she’d have to promise to marry him one day. Give he a slice of that white picket fence life that she always joked about him wanting.
He tossed his head back and truly laughed. “Football captain? Come now, I know you picture me as the All American Boy, but you have to know that a military family moves around too much to secure things like that.” He did raise an eyebrow though and grin lightly at her. “I was more into baseball anyway.” He turned a blue gaze to her, scanning her up and down before he took a stab at something. “And you, were captain of the debate team and a volleyball player.” He half joked. But he could definitely see the first of those. She was great at arguing. He had gone toe to toe with her several times. And it took him pulling out the ‘you owe me’ cards to get her to take a step back.
Will chuckled at her face when he mentioned ‘they’ instead of ‘him’. Oh this was definitely going to be a touchy subject. And he wasn’t surprised in the least as she corrected him and called the son in her womb a gremlin. “I’m going to tell our son you called him that.” He teased, though his heart was so full in that moment. The idea of his son. It was ridiculous how happy it made him. Even the day that they were at the clinic and woke up to find one another. Hearing that little heart beat just pumping away happily brought tears to his damn eyes. He knew it could be viewed as weakness in him, but it was something he couldn’t and wouldn’t change. He was happy.
Though his smile fell just lightly as she seemed to drop into a more serious tone. When she asked about his contract, he felt a small pang of sadness hit his heart. There were so many things stacked against the two of them. But he was determined that he would be with her, he would do everything within his power and even more if needed. “I’m a little more than halfway through with this one now. So under two years now.” It was too long left, he already knew that was going to be that thought. “What makes you ask that kitten?” He had a feeling it was more than just a ‘wondering’ thing with her. She was sharp and would be trying to figure out their next five moves, like this was a game of chess. And he was more than willing to be that pawn for her in her mind.
“Thats not a half bad idea Torres,” he laughed. Though he decided to take a chance to make her give him a shocked expression. “Would you ever trade Torres for a name like McCabe?” An all teasing smirk on him. Though there might have been a hidden question under it, trying to figure out how far off that idea might scare her.
His mind shifted back to the idea of Harper at work with him. Knowing Harper would love that idea more than anything else. Work day with dad? Get to boss around the other soldiers just to make her laugh? She’d be on board. “A few years back, she was visiting me and I had to go lead a training. I had her come along. She was bossing those boys around, telling them to drop and give her ‘firty five’.” He laughed, trying his best to mimic that little voice of hers. “So adorable that everyone put in extra effort to hear that squeal of laughter from her.” She was a cute kid, and he wasn’t just saying that because she was his kid. Though that might have helped.
When the little blonde appeared, he tried his best to give Ruby small gestures of reassurance. This was new to her, and he wanted her to know that he was going to help her as much as he could. With small touches, brief kisses to her cheek or forehead when Harper was busy studying the new space. He made it his mission to ease her worries. “You’ve got this kitten.” he even whispered to her at one point before he heard the doorbell ring, signaling that the pizza was there. He disappeared to grab the box and place it in the kitchen. Dinner was served, and he hoped that with it, it helped make the rest of the night that much easier. He could see it in Harper’s face that she was tired from her long trip. Which just meant that the moment he got her into bed, that him and Ruby could have one more moment to themselves.
Ruby raised her eyebrows as Will spoke about his teenage years, a surprised grin on her face. That she hadn't seen coming. It made sense, she supposed, that the man who was incredibly good at getting out of tough situations had developed that gift in his earlier teen days. She was curious of course, this other side of him that wasn't as shiny and perfect as she had imagined he'd be. "Well, now you've got me curious. I'm going to have to pull your permanent record now. See what you've been hiding golden boy." She tilted her head to the side playfully. She could pull his records, if she wanted to, it was one of the perks of being a lawyer. Though she doubted she'd find anything more than a harmless prank or something of that variety. She'd put money on it that there wasn't anything too terribly embarrassing in there.
Will laughed, a true genuine laugh and she found herself grinning back at him. When he brought up the military family and moving thing she pursed her lips in mock defeat "Touche." She was grinning again as she tapped her finger on her chin before speaking up again, "Okay. So not a football player. I bet you won a superlative though didn't you?" She met his eyes, the grin still on her face as she watched for any hint or tell that she had guessed right.
When he mentioned the baseball thing she couldn't help the grin turning into a full smile. He was irritating and utterly too perfect for words. She reached out, moving her arms around his neck, gently pulling him closer so he was between her legs. She kissed his lips softly. "Well, if that's the case...I think, after all of this is over, we should take Harper to Fenway Park." She laid her head down on his shoulder before speaking again, a soft smile on her lips, "We'll get hot dogs and popcorn and wear the brightest red shirts that we can buy." She looked up at him, a mock suspicious look on her face, "Unless you're not a Red Sox fan, and if that's the case...it might be a deal breaker." She smirked.
It was oddly exciting and terrifying all at the same time, to make future plans. To think about a future that involved her and a family. To think about her life being completely and utterly different than what it was now. She could get used to that, she thought silently to herself. The idea of not being alone. The idea of sharing her life with him and raising a child, raising children. She was beginning to think that maybe it wasn't so suffocating, that maybe it wasn't a fairytale, that maybe it could be something that she could have, that she might even need.
Will turned the guessing game to her and she felt her face redden at the completely accurate guess of her being on the debate and volleyball team. She smirked, "That might be...accurate." She thought about just leaving at that, but fair was fair. "It was the debate team, the chess club, model UN, and student president. I was very driven." She met his grin, fully waiting on the ribbing that she figured was coming. She supposed she was a totally different person now than she had been back then. When she was a teenager, rules were the law and she usually spent her weekends studying or catching up on extra credit assignments. Now she considered rules to be negotiable and weekends were spent doing as little work as possible. Oh how things could change.
Will teased her about her nickname for the baby and she laughed at his threat, "You go right ahead and do that. He knows he's a gremlin." It almost seemed fictitious. Talking about the little being that was half her and half him. It was easy to play it off, it was easy to deal with nausea and vomiting and exhaustion when she attributed it to the little gremlin. It was easier to think about it all when she called him that. Some little being that was causing trouble. As he got bigger, as his movements became solid enough for her to feel she wasn't sure if the nickname would stay. She wasn't sure how she would feel then, as the baby grew and got ready to join them. It wasn't something she was quite ready for yet. So Gremlin it would be.
The nature of their conversation changed and she felt her heartbeat quickening as he answered her question. Two years. 24 months. 730 days. She would have this baby in seven months, give or take a handful of days. He'd still be in his contract for more than a year. She tried to hide it, but she knew that probably wasn't working. He was too good at reading her anyway. "That's...a lot of time."
She rested her head back on his shoulder, her mind running from thought to thought. The idea of him being sent somewhere far away terrified her and she was shocked to feel that thought scaring her most of all. Not that she couldn't wait on him, not that she couldn't be patient and take care of their child without him there if she had to, no. The idea that scared her most of all was that they could take him away. That she had no say in what positions or situations he was put in. Not that she had any right to that now. But maybe she wanted to. Maybe it bothered her because wanted more, she needed more of a say.
Then, as if right on cue, Will joked about changing her name and her eyes met his grinning face. Her first thought a few weeks ago would have more than likely resulted in her giving him a resounding hell no, with an accompanying shove, but the past few weeks had been like a war zone. They had been tested and put under stress and fire, coming out on the other side as different people, at least she was. Was she ready to marry someone? Her knee-jerk reaction was no. Was she ready to marry Will though? That answer was something entirely different. She wished she could read his mind, her eyes trying to decipher if he was being his charmingly irritating self or if maybe there was something more there. Her eyes met his, putting up her solid courtroom poker face, "I guess you'll find out if you ask."
Her heartbeat was all but coming out of her chest, hinging on what he was going to say next as Harper came into the room. Ruby took a steadying breath, feeling his hand on the small of her back, her nickname whispered in her ear. As Will went to answer the door, Ruby walked to the fridge, looking over at the little blonde, "What would you like to drink with dinner Harper?" she asked. Harper asked for juice and Ruby pursed her lips, "Hmm. I don't think your dad has any. What about milk?" The blonde nodded and began talking about her favorite beverages that ranged from juices, flavored water and even to caffeine-free soda on the rarest of occasions apparently. Ruby found herself grinning amusingly as she went on and on and on. "Maybe tomorrow we can go to the store and stock up on your favorites?"
“Well, now you've got me curious. I'm going to have to pull your permanent record now. See what you've been hiding golden boy.”
He raised his brow in challenge. “Go ahead, I’ve got nothing to hide. I think you’ll find a rather clean record.” His tone was neutral but the smug look on his face said it all. “Like I said, I’m good at not getting caught. Can’t say the same thing about all of my friends...” But he liked the idea of her trying to find something on him. She’d probably just get a lot of different schools that had him listed as a student for a year or so here and there. Maybe some little league action in his young years. A toothless smile under a baseball helmet. Or some really questionable batting scores in his young years.
He never claimed to be good at it. But he made for a decent player. Nothing to take him on scholarships, not that he wanted to go that route anyway. He always had a blast with scrimmage games. Well, now that he thought about it, she might actual find something on his record. He recalled a time that his parents had gotten called to pick him up next to an empty lot, with a shattered window across the way. Which ended with a police report and his parents paying to have the window repaired. And him grounded for a few weeks. So if she dug hard enough, she’d probably find that report in there. He had argued that it wasn’t his fault that the ball he hit went that far...
Will laughed at her guess on what he had won. “A superlative? Now why in the world would you guess that I won something like that?” He teased, questioning her because she was certainly making some assumptions on him. “Actually, I do believe that I had won ‘Most likely to break the law without getting caught’.” He laughed as she tugged him closer to her. He happily moved onwards her, murmuring happily as she kissed his lips. Yeah, he could get used to this every day. Her sitting cozily on the counter, stealing kisses from him why he throws something together for a meal. Or her cooking him breakfast while he admires her over his cup of coffee. Where does he sign on for that contract?
At the mention of Fenway Park, he softened against her. God that was a fantastically perfect idea. And he listened contently as she painted a picture out for him with Harper, her and him. Hot dogs, popcorn, and... red shirts? He chuckled lightly. Did it really matter? He’d wear the brightest color whatever shirt for her. But it was too fun to resist. “Red Sox? Oh ma’am, this is a Dodgers household. ” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and nuzzled her lightly. “But for you, I’d wear that red proudly. Under a Dodgers’ cap.”
He watched her cheeks redden at his guess of what she succeeded in in high school. He at first felt like he had nailed it. But go figure, she had done so much more. He looked at her truly with a look of surprise. “Forgive me for underestimating you. I really thought you were about to tell me that you were too cool to do half of those things. And instead would skip class and draw some graffiti on the bathroom stalls.” Halfway joking, halfway serious. UN? Chess? Well that was some fun information to tuck away for later. “For a good time, call Becky at 555-555-5555.’ or something like that right?” He laughed. Poked at her side lightly to tickle her. Away from her still recovering area.
“I wish I had been able to meet high school Ruby. I feel like she might have liked high school me.” He joked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Did she realize how beautiful she was? He wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy or the fact that he just down right loved her. But she was absolutely stunning, no matter what. No matter when. And he never got enough of her.
He chucked, thinking about the son that was there. God, he really didn’t know if he should be saying that it was true. He believed her when she said that she felt that’s what it was. That the baby would be a little boy. He’d have a balance between the children. And deep down, every father wanted a son as much as he wanted a daughter. He had been with her during some of the crazy mornings, trying to offer her any support her could, though he knew that there wasn’t much except to be there for her. Help hold her hair back or stroke her back to try and soothe her. If she had even wanted that to begin with. And they were only getting started. He might have read a little ahead. But he was prepared to try his best to comfort her as she grew uncomfortable. “Eventually we’d have to give him another name though. So keep that in mind. Gremlin wouldn’t be as cute on a birth certificate.” He laughed lightly.
Will almost felt bad at watching her turn over the time he just laid out for her. And he agreed with her. It was a lot of time. And ideally, he had wanted to serve his twenty years and the retire at the age of thirty eight. He had planned that since the beginning. Securing a good name for his family, good pay for when he left with full benefits. And now more so then ever, it still seemed like a solid plan. But as she had said, that was a lot of time. That was about six years from now. And he’d be asking her to do one of a few things. Either moving with him every time he got reassigned, which meant she was giving up her career. And that was not going to happen. He wouldn’t allow it. He knew how much she had worked for what she had. So the more likely option would be her settling down somewhere, and waiting on him. Waiting for when he could come home and be with her. And that made him almost sick to his stomach.
Would she even wait for him? If he asked, if she agreed to marry him and have this family with him... would she wait? His chest ached at the thought of being away from her for weeks, months at a time. It was hard enough with Harper. But add in Ruby and another child? God he couldn’t imagine. How could he even ask that of her when he could barely stand to think of being away from her like that? “It is.” He agreed, his tone with a hint of sadness behind it. As her head settled on his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her waist and stroked his other hand through her hair.
He hoped his joke was planted right. It was something that a lot of military men tended to rush into. First girl they found after a few months? Put a ring on it and then worry about the divorce papers later. Not that it was always the case, but it was most of the time. But that wouldn’t be him and Ruby. If he somehow got her to say yes to him, he’d fight for them every step of the way. He’d make it work. He loved her, he wanted her in his home. In his arms. Everything she was willing to give him, he would selfishly take and would give her everything he had to offer back. And all he found himself able to do when she responded, was to take her face gently between his hands and place a soft kiss on her lips. One that was a promise of his own with no words able to be said. “Guess I’ll have to find out.” He whispered as he pulled back.
And then Harper was sweeping in and shifting their moment. Which they both seemed to transition right into without any hesitation. Will went to the door, and upon returning, got to watch the two women that meant the most to him interact. Harper her usual chatty self listing all kinds of drinks to Ruby, who had clearly asked about something on that subject. He laughed lightly as he pulled out plates and started dishing out pieces of pizza appropriately on them. A garlic knot of each plate as he put them on the table. He nodded with Ruby at the idea of heading to the store and he looked between them. Love for them both clearly on his face as he took his seat. “Definitely have to get some more fun stuff now that Harps is around, right?” He said, ruffing up her hair lightly before he dove into his dinner. He could get used to this.
