NOTE: And here is the 2nd chapter. Jack is now a mommy and Damian chats with Tentadora. All characters are copyright to Vivzmind.

Jack blinked down at the bundle of fur and wings curled up in his lap. He gently stroked it a few times, "Poor thing...no family, all alone. But Jack's here for you. You know, I don't think I've named you yet. I think I'll call you Astro. You know, cause I really like space. I know this seems all so sudden, but I think I'd like to take care of you..." The kitten didn't hear him as it snuggled deep into his lap, fast asleep.

Kayla smiled at them, "I'm sure you'll make an excellent father, Jack."

Jack nodded, smiling at them. Strangely, Jack felt at peace with the bundle of fur curled up in his lap. Usually something horrible would happen to him whenever he walked outside his safe zone of a room due to his curse. Perhaps the good luck charms were working after all. Suddenly, an ice cream truck burst through the fence of the schoolyard and Astro flew away in time. Just then, the truck hit Jack and the teen jackal was reduced to a crushed body with a massive pool of blood spreading around him. Jack howled in agony as the wheels crushed his bones and the driver ran out of the truck and up tp Jack's body, "Oh god. Oh god no. Please, kid...don't die. Don't die. Oh, man, Oh man...I'm so sorry. A bee flew in my car and on the steering wheel and..."

"It's okay. I'm fine. Stuff like this happens to me all the time." Jack said, slowly getting up. Just then, the bee flew out of the ice cream truck and landed on Jack's nose. Jack whimpered softly as the bee thrust its stinger onto the tip of his nose. Jack wept softly, tears of pain streaming down his cheeks.

"Oh, you poor kid. Here, have some ice cream." The ice cream man handed Jack an ice cream cone and the scoop fell on the ground. Suddenly, bees swarmed all over the fallen ice cream and Jack, stinging the poor pup into oblivion. A few of the bees stung him in the eyeball, rendering him temporarily blind. By the time the bees were finished, Jack was in the nurses office, whimpering from the pain. He could feel Astro licking at his bee sting wounds and he couldn't help but smile. He closed his eyes and rested for a bit, exhausted from his recent bad luck attack. Eventually, Jack's vision restored itself and his bones healed. Keiko didn't seem to mind Astro's comforting presence towards Jack but had to remove her a couple times when operating on him.

Zill entered the office and sighed, "Poor Jack, that's the 4th time this week he's been here."

Kayla smiled, "Look on the bright side, he's got a new friend."

Zill smiled, "Yeah, having a pet should be a real morale booster for Jack." Kayla nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Damian was on his knees, begging Tentadora, "Pretty please? Baby need banjo. Twang twang twang." The demonic jackal made a big pouty face.

Tentadora sighed and patted Damian on the head, "Sorry, but I don't have any money at the moment. Jack might help you out, though if you ask nicely."

Damian sighed, "But Jack's too smart, he knows I owe him a lot."

"Aww, it will be all right. You just gotta be a little extra persuasive with Jack. Tell him you'll set him up with a nice romantic date with Jillian." Tentadora replied, winking at Damian.

Damian gasped, "Tenta, you're a genius! I'll set the plan in motion tomorrow. Thank you!"

"You're welcome, honey." Tentadora replied.

That night, Jack sat in his padded room. He peered down at Astro and smiled warmly, "You really lit up my day, Astro. Even with all my injuries and bad luck, I must admit that it felt really nice to have someone lick my wounds." Astro purred and snuggled into Jack's lap.

Suddenly, Jack's mother Mindy entered his room, "Hi, Jack. Just thought I'd give you some dinner. How's little Astro doing?"

Jack smiled, "She's fine, mom. So far, I'm the only who takes the brunt of my bad own luck."

Mindy laughed, "It's so nice to see my baby getting a pet. Pets are a big responsibility and responsibility is a sign of growing up. But at the same time, I don't want to see my baby grow up and move out." Mindy whimpered softly, a tear trickling down her muzzle as she pulled Jack into a tight hug, squeezing him so tight his head popped off and left a bloody neck stump.

Jack's decapitated body took his head and screwed it back on as he rolled his eyes, "Come on, mom. You're embarrassing me. Just cause I got a pet doesn't mean I'll move out right away."

Mindy smiled, "I guess your right, you've grown up to be such a bright little kid, I'm so proud of you. Anyway, your dinner tonight is chicken and broccoli."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "No bones?"

Mindy chuckled, "Of course not, they're chicken strips. You know, Jack. You're getting real skinny. You need some more meat on your body, you're nothing but bones. After this, I'll whip up a really fattening chocolate milkshake for you. How does that sound?"

"I think you got the terms meat and fat mixed up, mom." Jack replied sarcastically.

Mindy shrugged, "Doesn't matter. Maybe if you got bigger your head won't fall off so easily and Rusty wouldn't stick it in the urinal like that one time."

Jack blushed and glared at his mom, "Mom, you promised never to speak of THAT incident again!"

Mindy sighed, "I'm sorry. But really, you need to bulk up a little."

"Mama!" Astro squeaked as she flew up to Jack and licked him on the nose. Jack giggled and hugged her, "Thanks for dinner, mom."

And so, Jack ate his dinner in his padded cell of a room and drank his milkshake. He even shared some of his chicken with Astro before the two cuddled each other in his bed of pillows. That night, Jack had a surprisingly peaceful rest with his new companion by his side.

NOTE: Awww...aren't Jack and Astro so adorable together? Jillian will arrive in the next chapter and Damian's reign of terror will continue.