"What do you want now, Gwendolyn?" Rick spat, not even bothering to look up at me from whatever he was doing.

"The hell are you doing up so early?"

He scoffed. "Was just about to ask you the same thing." I furrowed my eyebrows, looking all around the garage before my eyes landed on the cardboard box on the shelf in the corner. I walked up to it and swiped my hand across the side that had something sketched into it with permanent marker. I patted the residue dust off of my hand and on my pajama shorts.

"Wanna tell me what this is?" Rick took a second before turning to look at what I was pointing at. He squinted his eyes at it before giving me cut eye. "Why do you wanna know?"

I shrugged. "Is time travel possible?"

He took a moment of pure silence before chuckling sarcastically and turning back around to doing his work. "Not on your life. Dimension jumping is one thing, but time travel makes absolutely no sense. There's no way of anyone being able to—"

"But I have."

Again, there was another pause. At this point, I was glad I wore my fuzzy pink socks to bed so I wouldn't have to walk on the uncomfortably cold garage floor when I had to go talk to Rick. I didn't know what Rick would think of me telling him this. Maybe he'd think I was crazy or delusional or possibly mock me because that's just who he was.

"I know."

His response caught me off guard. It was quiet again, except for the occasional cursing under Rick's breath as he tinkered with his toy.

All the possible reasons why Rick could've known about it filled my head instantaneously.

But it was all just a dream.
Why or how the hell could I have mistakened it for reality?

"Did—Did I tell you about the dreams I've been having?"

Another long pause.

"No."

"You think I've lost it, don't you? Crazy fucking Gwen thinks she traveled through time and space." Rick gave me no answer, so I waited before speaking again.

"I dreamt... that me and my boyfriend were fighting because I spent more time working on my time machine than with him—"

Rick spoke up, with sarcasm dripping from his voice, "Shocker. You dreamt of that meathead Connor again."

"No. Someone else, someone I've never seen before in my life." I pulled out one of the chairs next to Rick who stood and sat down on it. I continued, "The machine malfunctioned and I was sucked through it."

"How did the dream end?" He asked, leaving little room for there to be a long and awkward pause.

"That is how it ends." I sighed. "I've been having dreams about the exact same guy for over a year now and I have no idea what these dreams mean."

To my surprise, Rick dropped whatever he was doing in the moment and turned away from his work to face me fully. "Oh yeah?" He asked, sounding somewhat intrigued as he folded his arms across of his chest. I nodded softly, staring down at the thing Rick had been tinkering with.

"Gwendolyn, look at me." I obliged.

"Those dreams you've been having are memories."

There was nothing I could say. There was nothing to say. I was beyond confused and flabbergasted at the same time. I laughed nervously. "What?"

Rick repeated himself, and yet I still didn't fully understand. I was the one to maintain the long and awkward silence as I had to paused to really let everything sink in.

Every single thing that I saw within my dreams were once real and I had encountered it before, and if that everything, that meant...

I looked up at Rick, who I only now realized had been staring at me waiting for some sort of reaction. I didn't feel the tears fall from eyes until they slid off of my cheeks and heard the pitter patter of tears hitting the concrete floor of the garage.

I smiled, stifling a whimper.

"Mickey?"

Rick smiled back, "You sure did love calling me that."

I nearly felt myself faint, but Rick's arms caught me and broke my fall. I was so sure I was still asleep. I giggled and so did Rick seeing me react to this new information. I stared at him longingly, still recovering from the shock of the realization.

Mickey Mendes...

Mick Mendes..

Rick Sanchez.

Smiling giddily, I practically jumped into Rick's embrace and hugged the life out of him. He hugged me back, just as tightly as I had hugged him.

"I missed you too, baby."

I didn't want this hug to end, I was too scared to pull out of it, in fear that somehow I'll never be able to hug him again. I whispered ever so softly in his ear,

"Ho-How long have you known for?"

Rick whispered back,

"Do you remember that memory-analyzing helmet you made way back when?"

"Oh, fuck you." I pulled myself out from the crook of his neck to look Rick once again in the eye. "Why'd you tell me to stay away from you in my dreams?"

Rick grunted, "Because I didn't know what would've happened if you found out. You're not from another dimension, at least not one from this multiverse. No, no you time travelled here."

"So all that shit in that cardboard box there—?"

"Your old time machine. I saved it when you..."

Another long pause.

"When I what?" In that moment, I identified Rick's eyes beyond the point of familiarity.

In a sudden and unexpected jolt, Rick leapt from besides me and over to the whiteboard in the corner of the garage. Popping off the cap to one of the dry-erase markers left on the countertop, I watched as Rick began to scribble out some nonsense on the whiteboard. "D'you know what this is?"

I focused my eyes on his writing. It was a sketch. "This is the dimension we're currently in." Rick continued, tapping on the whiteboard. The tip of the marker squeaked as he drew again.

"If this line is our dimension," he draws a circle enclosing the line. "And this is the multiverse that has a quintillion different dimensions..." he then draws a bunch of other circles around the previous drawing. "Then you must've fallen out of one of these other multiverses and into this one, because only dimensions follow through the same time frame unlike multiverse. In one of these multiverses, World War I is coming to an end, and in those other multiverses' dimensions, a different outcome is created.

You tampered with time and so, there's a Rick in this multiverse who doesn't have a Gwen or a Beth or even a Summer or Morty."

"Wh-what? You and I had kids?"

The corners of Rick's mouth tugged into a coy little smile, he found me adorable, I could see it in his eyes. It was so scarily similar to the way Mickey would look at me. I still can't believe this is all real. That Mickey is real.

"Kid. Beth's your daughter." He chuckled, clearly amused by my mannerisms. I giggled, covering my mouth with both hands. Walking back in awe, accidentally into the wall, I decided to sit down on a stool before I tipped over and fainted.

"There's a lot you need to be telling me, Rick." He nodded, talking out another stool and pulling it close to me, putting an arm around my shoulders as he pulled me into his chest. Just like Mickey would.

Rick was so sentimental towards me, it spooked me so to see him act so differently, so lovingly towards me... towards anything for that matter.

He took in a deep breath before beginning. Peaceful at his touch, I purred at the feeling of his chest rising slowly and then dropping softly.

Rick began,

"I love you Gwen, but I also love my work, so I find a balance for time between the two things that make my life worth living."

Rick takes my hand in his, caressing it softly as he pulls me into his embrace. I looked up in his eyes, my chin on his chest.

"I love you so much more than science, so I want to make more time for you. But you obviously care about your little science project there more than you do me."

I was surprised to hear Rick tell me all this, I never realized how much time I dedicated to this machine of mine and it made me feel terrible for the way I've been behaving lately. I analyzed Rick's face, it was genuine and full of love and sorrow.

Stepping out of his embrace, feeling the garage suddenly grow colder, I walk over to the contraption I built sitting their on the countertop. The machine I put my effort into, all the time I had in the world dedicated to this thing, all the blood and sweat and tears. Gripping my fingers along the side, yanking it off of the counter in one harsh pull and allowing it smash in the concrete floor.

Kicking at it and smashing it to bits with my father's old crowbar up against the wall, I refused to feeling even the slightest things of regret as I destroy the one thing that did not guarantee any of the time I had lost back.

Once it was simply a pile of metallic rubble, I stepped back again, staring down at what I had down. Rick was just as in awe as I was, he was surprised to see what I had done for him.

He knew that machine meant so much to me, but he also knew that I loved him more than anything on this earth. I turned to Rick who was now staring at me; he shook his head, grinning, before mumbling under his breath, "Babe.." with a wry chuckle to follow.

We walked up to one another, not at all in a rush to reach the other's warm embrace, but when we were so close, Rick lifted me up by my waist and spun me around. I of course giggled at this, because not even my work of art could give me this sort of feeling Rick effortlessly made me feel.

He placed his lips on my forehead and let them rest there before pulling away slightly to maintain eye contact with me once again.

Rick professed his love for me, and I professed my love for him.

*****

"Thanks for squanching out, ladies and gents! We'll see you in a few squanches!"

I run backstage, push past a few of the staff and some assistants, to find Birdperson coming off the stage first. He greets me and I greet him back.

"Great show tonight! You guys did phenomenal out there, and you've got the vocals of a... well, a songbird."

"Ha." Birdperson chuckles (?) in a monotone voice. "I appreciate your compliment, Gwendolyn, and your pun-based joke was comically relieving. Thank you." Birdperson pats me on the back, but unintentionally knocks the wind right out of me.

"Don't mention it, buddy." I coughed before inhaling deeply.

"Rick is waiting for you out on stage."

"What's he still doing out there?" I wonder this to myself before heading on out onto the stage. All of the audience members are still in their seats, sitting there staring up at the stage with anticipation.

My eyes land on a tall, lanky man with his once gorgeous blond hair now dyed blue. Or at least I'm calling it that. Rick fell in love with his new hair colour, so he genetically altered his DNA so that he doesn't have to keep re-dying his hair.

Rick was trying to hide a smile behind his left hand, which was now covered in lavish rings that matched the colour of his hair.

"Rick? Baby, what's going on?"

He turned to the audience, bringing a finger to his lips to silence them, before turning back to me. It was only that I realize that he was still miked.

"Winnie, sweetheart," he sighed. "I met you in high school during the darkest time of my life and now that I've found my light, I'm scared of losing you. That's the one thing that keeps me up at night: the fear that you won't be there when I wake up besides you." Rick held me close, one hand cupping my check and the other wrapped around my waist.

The audience, at this time, couldn't contain their squeals of excitement and some began whistling.

Oh my God, he's doing it.

"I want you. I want you to be mine."

Rick slowly lowered himself down on one knee and the whole stadium screamed. I, on the other hand, was just so much in shock that I couldn't quite process much of what was happening, it was like an out-of-body experience.

I saw myself in the crowd, screaming along with the others, egging myself on to kiss him.

I blinked. Breathing again, I met eyes with Rick. He was so tall that when he was on one knee, he was barely an inch shorter than me. I leaned down, both hands on either side of his face, and kissed him with such a raw passion that it ignited every last butterfly in my stomach on fire.

Rick stood up, took the ring from the box and slid the gorgeous diamond ring on my finger before kissing me again. He picked me up, I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist as he spun me around, just like how he did when we were teenagers.

He stopped to carry me off stage, and as we left to go celebrate in the back room, I heard Rick whisper in my ear,

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

*****

"Rick?"

"Hmm?" He mumbled sleepily as I stroke his forehead and play with his beautiful blue locks of hair. "What ever happened to that band of yours? The Flesh Curtains I think they were called, right?"

Rick exhales through his nostrils tiredly. "Why do you ask?"

I shrug. "Just curious is all."

Rick answers, "Some things came up. Squanchy, Birdperson, and I grew up, I guess. Got too old. We had responsibilities to take care of." Rick moves his head slightly so that he's looking up at me. "I wanted to be there for you." I smile at him, my cheeks growing hot.

There's a comfortable silence in the air that sits like a recently spritzed perfume that still smells after the sweet smelling person had left. I allow it to stay that way for a while but not for too long, as I found myself slowly falling asleep to the beat of Rick's heartbeat.

"Rick...?"

"Hmm?"

".... do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

I felt his chest jolt slightly underneath me as he chuckled breathily. "I hope it's a girl." I smiled, "Me too. I've always wanted a little Elizabeth to my call my own, I've loved that name ever since I was a little girl. We'd call her Betty for short... or maybe Libby."

Again, I felt Rick chuckle. "Why not Beth?"

There was that comfortable silence again. I smiled, drifting off to sleep in his arms.

*****

"Smile, sweetheart!" Rick chuckled, snapping the photo. "What are you waiting for, honey bunches? Make a wish!" I smiled at Beth, kissing her on the cheek before stepping back beside my husband's side. 

"I wish for a sparkly rainbow unicorn that shoots candy out its horn!" Beth squealed before blowing out the six pink candles posted up in the white frosting of the funfetti cake my daughter wanted. I giggled, holding back the fact that a wish had to be kept secret for it to come true. But how could I tell that to my now 6-year-old daughter? If she wanted a rainbow unicorn, I know for  a fact that Rick would find a way to make his daughter's wish become reality.

I took the camera from Rick so that he could help Beth with opening her dozens upon dozens of birthday presents, it was the sweetest moment that I knew was going to stick with me forever. I watched as my family gleefully tore away at the pink and gold wrapping paper of a huge present to reveal a swing set. I stared at her, the biggest smile superglued onto my face. I wish she had my strawberry-coloured hair instead of her father's lemon-coloured, but that makes up for the fact that she has my eyes. 

*****

"Elizabeth Diane Sanchez, I forbid you from going to prom with that dipshit!" Her father stormed towards his daughter's bedroom door, I stepped in and stood tall before him.

"Rick! Watch your mouth! If she wants to go her school dance with Jerry, then I say let her. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it, he's a cute kid." Rick furrowed his eyebrow at me, still unconvinced to let his daughter go. I smiled up at him with affection. "Besides, you and I were high school sweethearts, and look how we end up." I took Rick's hand and immediately felt all the tension within him disappear.

Rick sighed before pulling me into his chest and wrapping his arms around my hips. "I just don't want to give my only baby away... especially not to Smith." He whispered lovingly in my ear before pulling away and sneering that last part. "You need to trust me, Ricky. I have a really good feeling about Jerry." Just as I was taking Rick back downstairs, now calmed, we both hear Beth's bedroom door open and the clicking of high heels on the steps. 

I remember the dress Beth was wearing. It was long and silver, almost like silk.

But most vividly, I remember the look on Rick's face when he saw his grown daughter in her prom dress.

*****

" 'You need to trust me, Ricky. I have a really good feeling about him.' What a crock of shit!" Rick screamed, this was only the beginning of an ongoing feud that sparked between the two of us that would lead on for years to come. As it was just constant bickering back and forth, from the morning till late in the night. Where we were once as close as two lovers could possibly be, we were now totally detached and cold. I tried to reason with Rick but he would also tell me something hurtful, which in turn would make me say something hurtful back to him. This cycle would continue until our very last argument.

I would be lying if I told you that I remember the argument in its entirety or even what the argument was about, but it started one night just before bed. The house was empty, Beth had left the house to raise Summer and Morty, and we were much older. I could tell by the balding of Rick's hair. He was yelling at me and I got upset, I stood up from the bed and I screamed back at him. All I ever wanted was to abandon science from our lives, and Rick didn't want that. It was history repeating itself.

It was there, I remember, that I told him something so incredibly heartbreaking that I could read the expression off of his face and that expression, in turn, broke my heart into two. With a quick snap of the finger, his face distorted into anger, rage, and betrayal. He wiped away the tears from his eyes and cheeks, quickly packed his things all the while ignoring my attempts to apologize. All that really stuck with me was the banging of the door behind him. So there I was left in silence, all alone. My daughter was gone. The love of my life was gone. Everything, ripped away from me.

I couldn't get a hold of Rick from there on, I didn't know where he was going or when he would be coming back. I just wanted to be in my husband's arms again, if it only it would be our last time. I sat myself down in a recliner by the fireplace, waiting for Rick to come back. I never got up to eat, I never got up for anything, I stayed in place until I would heard that front door unlock and open. But it never did. I remember watching the fireplace one night, simply staring at it, I watched as the flames died down and suffocate itself until there was nothing but a black ash. 

At that moment, I heard the door open. I was so happy. I was motionless as I watched Rick walk up to me on the recliner, putting a hand on my shoulder. He looked so weary but just as handsome as I remembered him. All I wanted to do was apologize and kiss him