My Ruby Redfort One-shots

I'll Always Be There For You

"See ya later, Clance," Ruby calls as she gets on her bike and starts to head home.

"See ya later, Rube." Clancy calls back, looking out the window watching her ride off. If only he had stayed at the window a little longer; then maybe we would be here for a different story today.

Halfway home, she feels her watch buzz. "Jeepers, Hitch. I thought you said I'd have the weekend off after closing the last case; guess criminals never know the meaning of break though. If only she had stopped to look at what the message had said. She would have seen that it actually told her to stay at Clancy house, that the Count had returned. Instead, she assumed it was telling her to go to the entrance, and so she turned her bike around.

At the next intersection, while waiting for the light to turn green, a black van approached. Ruby was so distracted on what the case might be about she didn't notice, her second mistake of the evening.

It only took thirty seconds. She was grabbed off her bike, pulled into the van, all while a hand was covering her mouth. Then, a handkerchief was brought up to her nose, and everything faded to black.

Hours later, at the Redfort house, Hitch was debating what to tell LB. Ruby still wasn't home, which was worrying, especially since Clancy said she went home when he showed up at his house to collect her.

"Hitch, there had better be a good reason for you calling me. With the recent return of you know who, I've been extremely busy, and you know it."

"Yeah, LB, there is. I don't know where Ruby is. She had already left the Crews when I sent the text, and she isn't here," Hitch admits, and LB breathes in sharply before letting out a few curses.

"You think he has her?" LB questions, and Hitch just nods.

"She wouldn't just run off anymore. After what happened at the hospital, she's had so many nightmares. One day I found her really shaken up, and she just told me that she would never run off or do something so stupid or irrational again. She hasn't either," Hitch admits, and LB just shakes her head.

"Alright, you and Blacker start searching for her. If you can't find her, bring in a few others; ones you're sure you can trust. Be careful Hitch, these are troubling times right now. If the wrong people catch wind, we're doomed," LB orders.

Hitch hangs up, and immediately dials Blacker. "We got the go ahead. You take North, I'll take South," He says, and Blacker nods.

They search for hours, long into the night and next morning, but it's all for nothing. They bring in more people, Zuko and Sam. Same results.

LB hits the streets for the first time in years. This becomes the number one priority; LB sells it as if they find Ruby they'll find the Count too. The other Spectrums join in on it, all of them keeping an eye out for her.

Eventually, the local police get involved. By this time, Ruby has been missing for a bit over thirty hours. They keep searching, but everyone is all too aware of the statistics. With each passing minute, the statistics are stacking against Ruby if this person were normal; they're not quite sure if they should be happy that it's the Count or not. On one hand you can never predict what he might do for what reason so she might still be alive, but then again, he kidnapped her and he doesn't have the best track record of wanting her to stay alive.

Around this time, when they go through yet another abandoned building where someone said they spotted a girl looking like Ruby and come up empty, at the exact moment that Hitch and LB share this look of utter despair, Ruby wakes up.

All that she's aware of is that the cell is dirty. Filthy, even by her standards. Though, that may be because her room is slightly cluttered, well, very if you're Mrs. Digby, but it doesn't have layers upon layers of dirt, grime, blood, and who knows what else on it.