"What are you doing here?" Jack asked as he closed the door behind him and stormed past her.

"I'm here because I was looking for you." Tenenbaum replied as Jack sighed in frustration.

"How did you leave Rapture?" Jack asked as he started walking into the kitchen. The kitchen was typical of a 1960s kitchen. It had a large countertop with an oven and refrigerator. There was a small window that overlooked the side yard. It was directly connected with the dining room which had a single large wooden table with seven chairs around it, six on the sides and two at the ends.

"I have a private Bathysphere. I used it to get to Iceland with as many of the little ones that I could rescue. I hid it and managed to find a place for the girls. They're being taken care of. I then managed to book a flight to America." Tenenbaum explained as Jack took a drink of water from a glass he had prepared throughout her explanation.

"Then how did you find me?" he asked.

"Easy. I traced your account information and found you here. It was not difficult." Tenenbaum replied as Jack sighed again.

"But why were you looking for me?" Jack asked.

"Because you are the only person on the surface that I know. I left Rapture because the Splicers were getting bolder. They were getting desperate and they could smell the traces of ADAM within my little ones in the sanctuary. I knew it was time to leave when I noticed that most of the little ones still in the city were beginning to go through the changes into adulthood. The ADAM causes these changes to start a little earlier than usual but once they start, they essentially will become just like the others. There was nothing left for me there." Tenenbaum explained.

"So…what do you need me for? I can't take in more girls as much as I would want to, I just-." Jack explained but Tenenbaum interrupted.

"No, I'm not asking you to take care of the girls. I'm essentially becoming something that your father despised. A parasite. I need money and a job. I have nothing left. You are the only person I can trust." Tenenbaum said as Jack started walking towards the den, deep in thought. The den was spacious and was a part of the entryway. There was a single red leather wing backed chair sitting in a corner next to a pair of bookcases sitting adjacent to each other. Next to the chair was a small table with a lamp and a book on it. In the adjacent corner was a small table with three chairs around it and several half finished drawings. Three used Rapture Med kit boxes served as crayon boxes. Between the chair and the small table was the door to Jack's room and the guest rooms. Along the wall next to the chair was a door to the girls rooms and a combination phonograph and radio next to the door. There were photos mounted on the wall of Jack, the girls, and even a photo of Andrew Ryan and Jasmine Jolene, Jack's biological parents. There was even a photo of Dr. Tenenbaum resting next to life preserver from the ship that brought Jack and the girls to America. The opposite wall had a wooden, red fabric, sitting couch with a landscape portrait hanging over it. The floor was wooden but had a decorative rug over it. Jack walked over and sat down in the chair with a thoughtful look. Tenenbaum sat on the couch, looking at him curiously.

"If it's money you need-." Jack started to offer, but again Tenenbaum interrupted.

"No, I refuse charity. I need a job. I know the girls are scared of doctors and that you would probably wish to avoid having to visit one with the remnants of ADAM in your system. I can help with that. I can also continue some of my work in researching a cure to the sickness that is caused by the ADAM." Tenenbaum explained as Jack leaned back in thought.

"Well…I have a proposal." Jack said as Tenenbaum looked at him intrigued.

"Go on." She said as Jack leaned forward.

"The girls need a mothering figure and I need someone who can be here to pick them up if necessary. The house is usually in good shape so-." Jack explained but once again Tenenbaum interrupted.

"You need a maid." She said bluntly.

"Not necessarily. You'd have plenty of free time while the girls are at school and while I'm at work. You'll be able to devote that time to researching that cure you're talking about. I'll pay you to simply be here just in case something happens." Jack said as Tenenbaum leaned back in thought.

"It is an interesting proposition. I'd need some place to stay." Tenenbaum said.

"You'd live here, free room and board. We have two guest bedrooms and you can claim either one of them for yourself. I'll pay you simply to be here for the girls, to be a mothering figure for them. They need one desperately and they know you so they'll be more open with you." Jack explained as Tenenbaum thought for a moment.

"Very well. I'll stay, Herr Ryan." Tenenbaum replied as Jack nodded appreciatively.

"Thanks Doctor. Perhaps you can even find a way to fix my voice." Jack said as Tenenbaum looked hesitant.

"I'm afraid that, what Fontaine said about becoming a Big Daddy, is true. It's a one way street. I don't think that I can fix your voice…or the smell for that matter." Tenenbaum said as Jack's eye twitched.

"I thought it was just a spray. I've showered constantly and it still won't come off." Jack said as Tenenbaum shrugged.

"In remembering the ingredients, there was a small amount of ADAM in it, so it probably seeped in through the skin. It's possible that the ADAM caused your skin to start naturally producing the Big Daddy pheromones." Tenenbaum explained as Jack's eye twitched even more before he picked up the book on the table next to his chair and trudged into his room.

Jack's room was small compared to most of the others. It had a single bed against the wall underneath two windows. One looked out to the side yard and the other looked to the back. Opposite his bed was the closet and between the closet door and the door to his room was a desk with a corkboard on the wall over it. He had been researching his father, Andrew Ryan, and was keeping his notes up on the board. The desk held several files and documents, all of the audio diary tapes he had collected from Rapture along with the tape player itself, plus the revolver that Tenenbaum had given him. At the foot of his bed was a steamer trunk that held the grenade launcher and chemical sprayer from Rapture. On the wall opposite the door was a tall metal safe that held the modified shotgun, crossbow, Tommy gun, and revolver from Rapture along with all the ammo for the weapons and his remaining EVE Hypos plus five med kits. On the desk were his research camera and a small phonograph. The desk chair was a simple wooden swivel chair with green felt padding.

He sat down at the desk and cracked open the book. He was about to continue where he had left off in it when he heard the phonograph start up in the den. He suspected that Tenenbaum wanted to put some music on but was surprised when he heard the music was none other than "Rise, Rapture, Rise." He stepped out into the den and saw Tenenbaum was sitting in his chair, reading a book from off the shelf.

"Something wrong?" she asked. Jack simply shrugged and walked over to the phonograph, picking up the cover to the record, looking at the "Rapture Records" label on the cover. He shrugged again and put the cover in a small bin by the radio and phonograph with a number of additional records before turning towards the doctor. He knew the girls would get a kick out of having Dr. Tenenbaum there with them. He simply had to come up with a cover story for anyone who asked questions about her sudden appearance.

"Actually…" Jack said, turning down the volume slightly, "…we need to discuss something's. Namely what are we going to tell other people about you?"

"I'm the girl's nanny." Tenenbaum stated plainly without looking up from the book.

"I was thinking that you could be a friend of the family that took care of me when I was younger. I simply called upon you to help me take care of the girls." Jack said, earning a curious look from Tenenbaum.

"That is an interesting play on the truth. Yes I did take care of you as an infant in Suchong's lab and I suppose we are technically friends." Tenenbaum said before nodding. "Very well, that will be the story."

"Good, then shall we get you settled into your room?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum glared at him.

"I am settled. I had nothing when I arrived here except for the clothes on my back." Tenenbaum replied.

"Fine-fine. You should probably learn the girl's names though." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded and lowered the book as Jack reached for the photo of the girls off the wall.

"A good idea." She said as she joined him on the couch. Jack then proceeded to point out each of the girl's names. She started taking notes even to help her recognize and remember them. Their full names were; Rebecca Jasmine Ryan, Suzanna Diane Ryan, Brigid Elizabeth Ryan, Masha Lutz Ryan, and Amelia Samantha Ryan. Rebecca's middle name was Jack's mother's stage name though he really didn't know it was her stage name at the time. Suzanna's middle name was in honor of Diane McClintock, the unfortunate former lover of Andrew Ryan who was murdered by Frank Fontaine when she stumbled upon him while he was out of his Atlas persona at the moment. Masha's middle name was actually her true last name but Jack decided to hold off on telling her that until she was older.

"You've honored me by giving Brigid that name. I'm touched." Tenenbaum said as Jack shrugged.

"There were some people from Rapture who should be remembered. They deserve as much." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded.

"You are right. You know, you are a little like your father in some respect. Some of the same facial features but you have something similar to him. You have his brilliant mind and some of his ideals. You have his good traits but you have one thing that Andrew Ryan didn't often show. You have compassion in your heart, and that is something that cannot be gained from splicing or mental conditioning. It is created by your own choice." Tenenbaum explained before standing up and heading to her room, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts. He soon found himself staring at the photograph of his father. Jack tried to figure out why he had put his picture up there but eventually came to realize that it was at the, very least, to show what little honor to his father that he could muster, all things considered.


Two weeks later…

Tenenbaum had integrated nicely into the family and she had even started making sure the house was in order, despite Jack's protests that it was unnecessary. Her response was that it was the least she could do. Jack quietly gave her a raise for it. With Tenenbaum there, he could now go fulltime at the fix-it shop. Jack was sitting at a workbench at the Barton Fix-It shop, tinkering with a broken radio as another radio behind him played the music of some rock-n-roll singer named Elvis. Across from him was a rather tough woman who Jack believed could have been the basis for the old Rosie the Riveter posters he had seen (Although she appropriately had the personality of a Rosie type Big Daddy). She wore blue overalls with a blue work shirt and a red paisley decaled bandana over her hair. Her name was Jean Rothschild. Jack wasn't in the slightest bit intimidated by her so long as he had a wrench nearby. He had killed Big Daddies before after all. Standing nearby was the shop owner, a man named Richard Mycroft. Whenever there weren't any customers he would work on some of the devices but he was usually interacting with the customers.

"Hey, Jack, pass me that screwdriver." Jean said with a gruff voice. Jack silently complied, handing her a screwdriver just as the bell to the front door opened.

"Hey, Dick! I've got something for ya." One of the entering customers said. Jack knew the voice as the neighboring drug store owner, Bob Malcolm.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Dick asked.

"My cigarette dispenser broke on me and I need to do something with it." Bob said as Dick shrugged.

"Well, we could fix it for you." Dick replied.

"Well you see, here's the problem. I've already got another one coming in already to replace it. I was wondering if I could just toss the old one in your junk pile out back." Bob asked as Dick turned towards the silent Jack and Jean.

"Jack, Jean, can either of you give him a hand?" Dick said as the two joined in helping to move the broken cigarette vender out into a small junk pile in the back alley. The second Jack saw it; it immediately reminded him of the Circus of Values vending machines from Rapture. The twist knobs were arranged in almost exactly the same and it even had the large metal side slots for coins. This got Jack thinking. As soon as Dick was paid to store it by Bob, Jack approached his boss.

"Excuse me." He signed, earning Dick's attention

"Hmm? Yes Jack?" Dick asked.

"Do you suppose I could do some work on this? I've got a few ideas on what we could do with it." Jack signed as Dick shrugged.

"Sure, it's just an old piece of junk. Just don't get behind in your other repairs." Dick said as Jack nodded.

"Yes sir." He signed back as he started by opening the container that held all the cigarettes. He took the boxes of cigarettes and chucked them into an empty box to be returned to Bob next door. He checked the workings and made a few quick fixes and adjustments before opening the empty coin box. All in good condition save for the coin slider which was broken. An easy fix. He quickly fixed the slider and closed it up so he could return to the repairs inside. He'd work on the machine in his own time later.

"What's going through your head, Ryan?" Jean asked, a cigarette hanging from her mouth as she worked on a broken electric fan.

"Just an idea, that's all." Jack signed back before returning his attention to the broken radio. Soon another customer entered.

"Hey, Dick." A familiar woman's voice said. Jack paused the second he heard the voice.

"Radio broke again?" Dick asked lightheartedly.

"Afraid so. Think you could fix it?" the woman asked as Dick chuckled.

"Yes ma'am. Jack, could you take this?" Dick asked as Jack turned around and sure enough the woman was Julie Stein.

"Julie!" Jack signed as he approached.

"Mr. Ryan-er-Jack! Hello, how are you?" She greeted with a friendly smile.

"You know each other?" Dick asked, confused.

"I teach his five daughters at R. Fulton. They're very good girls." Julie said as Jack took the radio and started examining it. He almost instantly found the problem and darted into the back. He came out a second later with a replacement part.

"That was fast." Julie said as Jack installed the part. The radio almost instantly flickered on for a second, making Jack pause. He glanced at the radio and saw it had a plug on it and it was definitely not plugged in.

"Did ya bump something again, Jack?" Dick asked as Jack nodded with a helpless shrug.

"How did that happen?" Julie asked with a perplexed expression.

"Oh, Jack bumps something every now and then that. It's harmless. He's still the best fix-it guy I've got." Dick said as he clapped Jack on the shoulder.

"No-no…it wasn't plugged in." Julie said as she lifted the plug. A look of panic briefly flashed in Jack's eyes as Dick and now Jean looked at the radio curiously.

"She's right. How did that happen, Jack?" Dick asked as Jack shrugged helplessly. He knew the reason was the leftovers of the Electro Bolt Plasmid.

"Probably some leftover electricity. Probably built up somewhere in the radio and turned it on for a second." Jack signed as Dick shrugged.

"I'm no electrical engineer but that sounds like a possibility." Dick said as Jack handed the radio back to Julie. She silently paid for the repairs and left in silence, leaving Jack a little worried.

"Wonder what's bugging her?" Jack signed with a clueless expression.

"Not sure. My own wife is a little odd at times. Anyway, we best get back to work." Dick said as they returned to fixing the broken machinery.

"By the way, Jack, what exactly are you planning with that old cigarette machine?" Dick asked.

"I think we can use it to sell more than just cigarettes. Like pep-bars or small candies and such." Jack replied. Dick seemed to like the idea.

"Interesting. If you can get it working again, we'll give it a try." Dick replied.


That evening at home…

Jack, Tenenbaum, and the girls were sitting at the dining room table eating dinner in relative silence. Masha and Rebecca kept arguing with each other, prompting either Amelia or Suzanne to get involved. Brigid seemed content to simply sit and watch the argument. The argument seemed to stem from the fact that Masha had lost a drawing that she had been working on and she blamed Rebecca. Tenenbaum was ignoring the argument as she looked over some notes she had made regarding the ADAM sickness but Jack was getting irritated.

"Alright, that's enough!" Jack said, his voice instantly silencing the bickering sisters. Tenenbaum was even ripped from her concentration, sitting at perfect attention. Jack took a breath and calmed himself.

"Okay, what's this all about?" Jack asked.

"Mr. Bubbles, Becky lost my drawing in school today!" Masha replied. Jack turned his attention to Rebecca.

"Rebecca, did you take her drawing?" Jack asked as Rebecca shook her head.

"No, Mr. Bubbles! I didn't! You always say not to steal so I didn't!" Rebecca replied.

"Are you telling the truth?" Jack asked as the former Little Sister nodded frantically.

"Yes Mr. Bubbles! It's the truth!" Rebecca replied.

"Then I believe you. Masha, Rebecca did not steal you drawing." Jack said to Masha as she sat back and pouted.

"See, she didn't take your drawing after all." Suzanne said smugly.

"Suzanne, don't be smug." Jack scolded, causing the girl to fall silent.

"Yeah, Masha, I lost a drawing too." Amelia said as Masha turned to look at her sister.

"Really? What was it?" Masha asked.

"It was a drawing of home." Amelia replied. Her answer caused both Jack and Tenenbaum to pause.

"Home? You mean our house?" Jack asked as Amelia shook her head.

"No, Mr. Bubbles, I mean our other home. Rapture." Amelia replied as Jack and the doctor exchanged worried glances.

"Masha, what exactly was your picture?" Tenenbaum asked.

"I drew a picture of my sisters and Mr. Bubbles." Masha replied as Jack rubbed his temples.

"Was I in a diving suit?" Jack asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes, Mr. Bubbles. Why?" Masha asked back as Jack leaned back in thought.

"You know what this means, Herr Ryan." Tenenbaum said as Jack stood up.

"Either they simply misplaced the drawings or someone has taken them because they suspect us." Jack said as he headed for his room. He was going to make sure his weapons were still in working order.


End Chapter 3

I own Dick and Jean.