| 021 | Ruby |

When I opened my eyes again with a struggle, I found myself in my bed, in short pajamas, a cold face towel on my forehead, and a mug of warm tea in the side. Refusing to succumb to the fever that was sending shivers down my spine, and made my entire body ache as I tried to move myself, I forced my body to stand. I did almost faint, but I held my shit together, holding on the headboard.

"Shite," I groaned, blinking with some difficulty.

Looking around, I tried to find my phone, spotting it on the seat next to the door that takes to my closet, about twenty steps away from me. Taking a deep breath, I walked towards it slowly. It probably took me a minute to take each step, but I managed and sat down on the puffed seat when I got to it, allowing myself to breathe in and out.

When I looked at it, the clock was marking 4:56 pm, there was a load of texts from both my son and my mum, plus twelve missed calls from mum, and just thinking about it made my head hurt. I only got up when I felt stable enough to walk slowly like a normal human being, instead of a bloody snail, but I stopped on the door of my bedroom when I heard voices from outside, more than one, mostly masculine voices. Then I remembered everything.

From being kidnapped by Jameson Martens, to killing him and his spies, to meeting Rhyot, his people and Niklaus. Then to how I snapped at him and how he learned about Rhett. Plus everything that we talked about in his car, until the point where I fell asleep on the passenger seat.

"Fuck," slowly, I opened the door of my bedroom, hearing the voices coming from my private living room in this floor, which I followed.

When I got there, I found a woman strangely familiar punching Rhyot on the shoulder countless times, while he just recoiled and took it all, as for Niklaus, the dumbarse was watching it all amusedly. That is, until he saw me and gasped, "Princess, you're up? Why are you up?"

"What the fuck are you doing in my place?" I groaned, holding onto the wall.

"Ruby, shit," Rhys stood up abruptly, throwing the woman kindly on the couch, and coming to me. "You shouldn't be up, you have to laid down, your fever hasn't vanished yet. Did you take the tea?"

I blinked slowly, "What?"

"The tea, on the bedside table."

"What... what are you doing here?"

He frowned, "Taking care of you? You're sick."

"I'm not sick, it's just a fever."

"Fever is a sickness, temporary if we're careful, but still," he groaned, holding on my shoulders softly, and I couldn't help but to stead myself on his arms, arms that are bare and tattooed and... sculpted and veiny and... "Ruby?"

I blinked, licking my lips and looking up to him, "Hm?"

Sighing, he took me in his arms again, bridal style, and I gasped, "As stubborn as always, I see this haven't changed," he began to walk to my bedroom.

"Wait, who's that?"

"Oh, my, God," the woman gasped. "Ruby, you look hot!"

"Who is she?" I frowned, trying to look over his shoulder.

He strode inside my room and the two followed us.

"I'm Adeline, you don't remember me? Adeline Crowther!"

My eyes widened as he laid me down back on my bed, "The oldest Crowther."

"Yep, you don't remember me?" She asked and I blinked confused.

"We met?" I have no memory of her.

"You were 8," she nodded. "Before I move to the west with mom."

"I don't..."

"Here," Rhys handed me the mug of tea, "drink it all, you need it," with a bit of struggle, I held the mug in my hands and he helped me, tilting it up softly. "Swallow it all, don't let a drop go to waste," he said innocently, kindly.

But fuck, if I didn't choke in it, feeling my entire face flush, "Don't say that."

"What?" He blinked as if he didn't get it.

"I'm not saying it," I snapped, weakly pushing him away from me. "Arsehole."

"Ew," Adeline groaned. "Ew, ew," she definitely got it.

After a second, Rhys gasped with understand, "Not like that, Ruby."

"Is that muscle memory?" Klaus mocked and we both glared at him.

"What is wrong with you, trash panda?" I snapped at him.

He gasped, "I'm Japanese, not Chinese."

"And you didn't get the reference," I scowled.

"Is it better?" Rhys replayed and I turned to him. "It's worse."

"Much worse," we said together and I hated that I laughed.

"Did you just quote Guardians of the Galaxy on me?" Niklaus gasped.

"So, you did get the reference," I rolled my eyes, ignoring what just happened and sipping the rest of the tea, not letting a drop go to waste. "Ugh, this is nasty."

"I bet you've swallowed worse," Niklaus mocked and I felt my face burn.

It was not because of the fever, "Not worse than your mum. Though she clearly didn't swallow it well enough," I gave him an up and down look, "seeing as how you're standing here, uh?!"

His jaw dropped, "What the hell? The rumors about you were true?"

I glared at him, "Did you sleep in my house?"

"Yes? I told you, me and Rhys are a package. I didn't sleep with you two, tho."

My eyes widened and I glared at Rhys, "You slept with me?"

He cursed, "No, I didn't sleep a second, I just stayed here with you, in your bed, taking care of you, and trying to bring this damn fever down. Klaus also didn't sleep a second, he was taking care of making sure there was nothing wrong with your house. And, well, disarming the bomb we found in your kitchen, and the one we found in your library, as well as the one we found in your amazing underground garage. He also had to check all of your cars, and we found the drug in the A/C of all of them, so, some of my people came here, took all of our cars out of here, and they are taking care of making them safe to use again."

"What the fuck?" I felt anxiety rising up. "That fucking,"

"Ruby!" My mum screamed from the first floor, hitting the door. "Ruby!"

"Shite!" I set the mug in the bedside table, pushed Rhys to lay in my bed and forced myself to stand. "Shite, shite, shite, shite!" I cried.

"Who... who's that?" Adeline gasped.

"That is Ryacinth Vaughan!" Rhys told her.

"It's my mum," I groaned, "and she can't know you are here. Stay here!"

Forcing my body to run to the door, I left my room and closed the door, but I couldn't even walk further before mum was on the top of the stairs, staring into the hallway of the bedrooms, huffing, looking an awful lot like me, older version. So, I just stayed on the door, holding it close.

"Ruby!" She yelled exasperated and ran to me. "Ruby, darling, are you okay?"

I swallowed, "Yes? Just with a light fever!"

When she touched my forehead, she flinched, "Where is this light?" She yelped in dismay. "Fuck, you're just like my dad. Did you have a seizure yesterday?"

"What? No!" I lied.

"Don't lie to me!"

I clenched my jaw, "Did Rhett call you?"

Her eyes widened, "So, you did, and he didn't tell me," shite.