My Ruby Redfort One-shots

Special for the year of 2020 Part 1

"Hitch, why exactly did you book my parents tickets to Paris, when a pandemic will be happening very soon?" Is the sound that Hitch woke up from a 10 minute cat nap from, to see a young Ruby have her hand on her hip.

"Good morning to you too Ruby."

"Don't you good morning me buster. We both know that this covid will shut down the world, and that my parents will be in Paris when it happens, so do you wanna' explain yourself?"

"You said the reason in there Ruby. As much as I like being around your parents, do you really want to be stuck with them during a pandemic? Your dad will be pretty bad, but we both know that your mom will be worse. With all the technology we have, it's not like you won't be able to see them. They'll be fine, and everyone will be happy." Hitch replies, leaving Ruby to have a couple of minutes to think it over.

"Fine. But, they better be back before my birthday next year. I know you have ways to get them to Paris right now, so you better have ways to get them back." Ruby threatens, still very unhappy that her parents won't be with her during the quarantine that she knows will happen, but also seeing a lot of truth in Hitch's words. She also knows better to fight this battle, when she knows that she won't win. After all Rule 42: Don't waste time arguing with someone who won't in a million years change their mind.

"Hey, any word on when the world will shut down though?" Ruby asks, an idea entering her head.

"If you are even thinking about not doing homework the day before the world shuts down you can forget it. You won't hear anything from me." Hitch says, seemingly reading Ruby's mind.

"Now Hitch, we both know that I would never do that."

"Kid, you know that rule about not trying to kid someone who's heard it all; I suggest you follow it." Hitch replies.

"Oh come on. It's not like Mrs. Drisco will ever know." Ruby whines, hoping to get Hitch to help her 'just this once'.

"I don't care if she doesn't know. I will not participate in helping you pacrastiate." Hitch insists, getting slightly irritated.

"It's not pacrastiation if I already know more about the subject than her, and the assignment she gave us is stupid." Ruby mutters.

"The answer is no kid. End of sentence." Hitch replies, hoping to end the conversation so he can get a few more minutes of sleep before having to drive everyone to the airport.

"Then how does the paragraph end?" Ruby insists, not giving up on this idea.

Hitch sighs and raises his eyes heavenward, torn between thinking that he should have booked a third ticket, and wondering how long it would take for Ruby to learn how to control her mouth "Let's pretend that it was the end of the paragraph."

"You should have said that then." Ruby insists, thinking of a new plan, that is about as stupid as most of her others. The plan; annoy Hitch until he tells her to get her to shut up.

"I thought that you would have enough common sense to know that the end of sentence would mean that the conversation is over and I want you out of my room. And, before you ask that sentence is the last sentence of the story." Hitch growls, hoping that he won't get any more tempted to commit a crime than what he already is.

"Really. You mean that it isn't one of those sappy stories that has The End as the last sentence." Ruby asks in mock awe.

Before Hitch can say anything, his watch starts to ring. "LB, I have a quick question: What would give me more time in prison? Premidated murder, or a crime of passion?" He replies, causing Ruby to pale slightly.

"The answer to your question is premeditated, and you will not kill Redfort. She is far too valuable of a code-breaker, and we have put far too much money into her agent training for you to kill her just because she has a smart mouth. Besides, if anyone should be able to kill her because of her mouth I believe that I get first shot and that Froghorn would get second. Furthermore, you are the last person to be talking about killing someone because they have a smart mouth and because they are annoying 98% of their waking moments." LB replies irritably. "And, I was actually calling you to tell you that once you've got the Redforts out of the house, we will use it to discuss cases while this little problem is going on." LB responds before hanging up.

"What exactly did LB mean by you are the last person who should be talking?" Ruby asks with a small grin.

"Nothing of any importance." Hitch replies, giving her the get-out-of-here-now glare, and, for the first time in her life, Ruby listens to Hitch's glares that he gives her.

Later that day

"I miss them already." Ruby complains for the 10th time looking directly at Hitch.

"You miss them because you know that you won't see them for a while. Just pretend that it's one of their week-long trips and you won't miss them at once." Hitch replies, not even bothering to look up from his cup of coffee.

"Except I know that it isn't a day trip because Paris is shutting down tomorrow, and the U.S will shut down a week afterwards." Ruby replies, staring directly at Hitch.

"How exactly do you know that information?" Hitch asks, before suddenly feeling like he just made a major mistake, which in fact, he did.

"I asked Blacker to keep me in the know whenever you wouldn't tell me."

"Did you tell him that because he gave you this information you will be skipping school for the rest of the week?" Hitch fires back, before just closing his eyes really regretting not buying that third ticket.

"He guessed it. Apparently he was in Mrs. Drisco's first class that she taught, and that she was an awful teacher even back then. He was more than happy to help." Ruby replies with a smirk because she knows that she's

"Go to your room now." Hitch says boredly, before feeling horror fill because he just acted like he was Ruby's father.

Ruby, in turn, just glares at him before going to her room, when she was really planning on going out through the laundry chute to make the most of her little time with her friend's left.

After he sees that Ruby has listened to him, if anyone had been around or listening to Hitch, they would have heard him mutter the most true words he had ever spoken. "This is going to be a very interesting rest of the year. Very interesting indeed. I'm betting that by the end of the first month nearly everyone in Spectrum will have made at least one plot on how to kill Ruby, or the thought has entered their mind just once."

So , part 1 of 2020 is done. Yes, I know that practically nothing has happened in this chapter, so let's just say that I'm setting it all up and have not planned out 3 chapters in the further but has no ideas what to do for the first chapter. Thinking about making this part of its own book, though I'm not sure if I should since it should only be 8ish chapters. Opinions on this idea please!