As Real as it Gets

Vacation and Relaxation (Chapter 6, Part 4)

You woke up to the sight of a beautiful sunrise through the big window. The mountains and hills in the distance gleaming delightfully in the morning light. Grumbling was heard from Rick as he moved his head away from the bright window. You turned to him and lightly shook him, "Morning, sunshine." You spoke softly.

"Ugh, five more minutes..." he mumbled.

You shook him slightly harder, "Get the fuck up."

"I don't wanna..."

"C'mon, I want to explore more of the spa." You removed your blanket and were about to stand up when Rick's hand stopped you. He murmured something as he snuggled close to you, trapping you under his arm. You sighed in defeat and accepted your fate as you listened to his soft snoring. "Get up, Honey." you spoke after a few more minutes of lying in bed.

Rick kissed your cheek before finally releasing you from his grasp. You were free to put on your clothes and he did the same shortly afterwards. You exited the bedroom and went past the living room where Summer and Jerry were sitting on the couch.

"Ugh, I hate that there's no Earth internet here!" you overheard Summer talking to herself, "Stupid alien Wi-Fi..."

"Well, maybe you can use that opportunity to..." Jerry spoke, "talk to your father?"

"Dad, please stop." She sighed.

You made your way to the kitchen where Beth and Morty were drinking coffee. "Good morning!" you spoke happily and started making your own cup of coffee, "How are you guys doing? Did you sleep well?"

"Oh, good morning." Beth sat down on the bar stool, "Oh yeah, the beds were so comfortable, like sleeping on a cloud. So, what are we doing on this beautiful day?"

"I was thinking... we could go outside to the parks and see what activities they have there. Maybe even have a picnic?"

Beth smiled, "That sounds wonderful!"

"They have, like, uh- ball throwing games," Morty spoke, "but the ball starts running away if you're not quick enough to throw it back." 

"That sounds fun." You said thoughtfully.

From the corner of your eye you saw Rick leave the bedroom and walk over to the kitchen, "Morning, dipshits." He said to his daughter and grandson. Stepping closer to you, he left a sweet kiss on your lips, "Is that for me?" he looked down at your mug, "Aww, thank you, Babe. You're the best!" Taking it out of your hands, he walked away and sat on the couch.

"That little shit." You whispered to yourself as you made yourself another coffee.

-

All six of you left the building and headed down the stone walkways, towards the parks. The walk was short and enjoyable. There was a little shop, selling all kinds of sports equipment, such as balls, rackets, etc. They all looked high-tech and futuristic. Rick and the kids picked up some stuff for activities while you went with Beth and Jerry to find a nice place to leave your things and spread a picnic blanket. You decided on a spot in a clearing next to a lake. Beth and you sat down and she took out a bottle of red wine from the basket, as well as two glasses.

"How did you sneak that? I didn't even notice." You laughed.

She handed you a glass and poured some wine, "Oh, it's a skill I acquired a while ago, it's called parenthood."

Jerry wanted to join in and sat down on the blanket, "May I have some w- "

"No, Jerry." She cut him off, "The ladies are talking. Go do something else."

"Fine!" he stood up, "I'll... go for a swim... in the lake!" And he did exactly that, he took off his shirt and pants and slowly made his way into the water. Some yelping could be heard, something about the water being cold, but you just kept talking to Beth.

Rick, Summer and Morty reunited with you fairly quickly. They started playing volleyball, but with a weird looking ball, and you were invited to join in. You drank the remaining wine from your glass before walking over to them.

"You ready to crush their little asses in some fucking volleyball?!" Rick hyped you.

"Oh yeah! Let's- ugh- go!" you coughed.

His face turned to concern, "What's wrong, Babe?"

"That wine was fucking disgusting." You whispered and looked over at Beth. He laughed and threw the ball in Summer's direction. She hit it and then you hit it back to them. Morty missed the ball and it grew tiny legs and started running away. The boy panicked and quickly went after it.

You looked around and your gaze fell on a group of trees to your right. No wind was blowing, but one of the trees was moving. It made you wonder what the hell was happening. You suddenly felt something collide with your stomach and you yawped in surprise.

"Morty, you- " Rick was about to yell at his grandson for throwing the ball at you, but you stopped him.

"No, leave him alone. It was my fault, I wasn't paying attention."

"Wh-what were you looking at?" Rick questioned.

"That tree over there..." you pointed your finger at it, "it's moving, but there's no wind."

The four of you started walking towards that weird tree. As you got closer, you noticed that not only were the leaves and the branches moving, but so was the trunk and the roots. Rick gestured with his hand for you to stay back, he then carefully stepped closer to it.

The tree suddenly turned around and smiled with its big mouth, full of teeth, "HI! I'M BARRY! BARRY THE TREE! THAT'S ME! I'M BARRY!"

"Oh god." Summer spoke with a disturbed tone, "Is that a sentient tree? With a face?"

"I'M NOT SENTIENT, I'M BARRY!" he babbled cheerfully.

"Uhh... Hi, Barry." You said, "I'm Y/N. What- what do you do here, Barry?"

"BARRY TALKS TO HIS FRIENDS!" He looked back at the group of normal trees, "THEY DOn't talk back though... BUT THAT'S OKAY, BARRY LIKES TALKING TO HIS FRIENDS!"

"That's kinda sad..." Morty whispered.

"Yeah... let's just go." Summer started walking away and Morty followed her.

Rick got closer to you, "You wanna go... back to playing volleyball?" he whispered.

"Okay." You spoke, "Goodbye, Barry. It was nice talking to you!"

"WAIT!" Barry stopped you in your tracks, "IS Y/N FRIEND OF BARRY?"

You thought for a moment, "Yeah, Y/N is a friend." You said with a smile.

Barry was visibly happy with a newly made friend and turned to tell the other trees about you. Rick and you went back and joined the kids playing volleyball and had a great time. Rick played the game, but you noticed he was on edge, like something was bothering him. 

You then took a break after a while of playing and stood close to the lake, looking into the clear, calming water. All of you then sat on the blanket and enjoyed some snacks and desserts that were packed in the basket while also comfortably talking. Later, Jerry, Beth, Summer and Morty all decided to go back to the spa to explore some of the 'spiritual wellness', whatever that is. 

Rick walked over to you after they left and hugged you tightly, "Babe, don't panic, but... someone will try to kill us." he whispered.