1¹ | Dexter ▷ Scott Summers | ✓

N I N E

Ruth was out of the mansion within the hour.

Raven had made Jean pack up her things for her, making sure they only fit in one suitcase. It wasn't hard, Ruth didn't have much.

It was around five in the morning when everyone's safety was insured. It was also the time when Ruth was sent away.

Charles had persuaded Raven to let Ruth take a warm bath before she left, but that was it. He didn't look at her when she left.

She sat in Hank's car, her nails digging into her arm. She was still crying.

"Is there anywhere I can take you?" he asked for the fifth time. Like the other times, she didn't respond. He growled. "Ruth, as someone who went to college when he was your age and younger, I should know that having somewhere to stay is extremely important! Do you have any family in New York? Any at all?"

She sniffed, shaking her head violently. "No! I'm from California! I don't know most of my family because pretty much none of them approved of my parents getting married! I'm alone! Just send me to jail again!"

Hank skidded to a stop in the middle of the road, nearly sending Ruth flying through the windshield.

He whirled around to glare and her and her heart started to race, a jolt of fear striking her.

He took a deep breath. "There is no way I'm sending you back there. Never. Damn, I'd send you to St. Agnes, but they wouldn't accept you."

She let out a shaky breath. "I'm Catholic if that helps? They take in stray Catholics?"

He started to drive, slowly, looking at her. "Really?" She nodded. "Huh. Didn't strike me as the type."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah. Kurt doesn't know. Uh, I don't like the church much, you know?"

Hank nodded, not answering. After a moment, he said, "I don't want to send you away. Neither does Alex."

She scoffed. "I nearly killed him."

Hank nodded. "Charles trusted Alex not to kill me or him. You remind him of himself. He knew you didn't mean it. He tried to use that to keep you at the mansion."

She looked at her shoes. "And you?"

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "We let everyone else stay, no matter what they did. We need to stick together. And everyone's mutations are different, that's why we work with them. We were just starting with you."

She bit her lip. "Everyone wants things so fast. I can get it eventually, but no one ever waits!"

He nodded. "That's the way I felt when I was your age. For the longest time, really."

She frowned. "But you graduated college when you were my age! You sped through school!"

He smiled, a little bitterly. "But I wasn't good in social situations. Even when I met Charles and Raven and Erik and Alex. I'm still working on it now."

She looked at him. "Me too." She sighed. "Me too."

Hank nodded and they went silent. It wasn't until they neared the lights that he spoke again. "There's one place I could take you..."

She sighed. "Okay."

º º º º º

"Is she alright?" Alex was the only one that greeted Hank at the door. If his question could count as a greeting.

Hank shook his head. "Not really. She'll live, but she's reverting back to her old self. She was doing so well."

Alex put a hand on his arm. "I know. C'mon, go get some sleep."