CHAPTER 36:

The next two weeks were uneventful when it came to dealing with Matt Camp.

During that time, Marcy and Brent welcomed their twin girls into the world. Jack tried to keep her mind off her own pregnancy by making several days worth of dinners for Marcy and the family; that way Marcy had a few days to rest with the new twins before she got back into being a full time mom and housewife.

With it being a Friday night, Riddick and Jack decided to do a family night with the kids. They had grilled dinner outside and ate it picnic style at the picnic table.

After dinner they went for a walk before coming back to enjoy the warm weather in the back yard.

Rori laid on a blanket in the grass while Kayden laid beside her and read to her from his book.

Cole had busied himself by rolling in the grass; something he seemed to do after he had been given a bath the day before.

Smirking at the scene of Cole and the kids, Riddick reached over and placed his hand on Jack's leg. "Still feeling alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, nodding from her spot next to him in her lawn chair. I'm shocked though, because during the previous pregnancies, I seemed to get nauseated on all the good tasting food," she told him quietly.

"You saying my chicken wasn't good?" he smirked at her.

She giggled quietly. "It was very good, that's why I'm surprised I'm not feeling sick. Guess this pregnancy is different," she whispered; they hadn't told anyone about her being pregnant yet, not even Kayden.

"Good," he grinned. "I told you this one was going to be different." His hand lightly squeezed her leg.

Jack sipped on her iced-tea. "Don't jinx it, hun," she told him with a serious tone.

Riddick looked at her and nodded. "I meant it in a good way, Jack," he told her quietly. He watched her nod and he sighed. "Who wants to build a fire and roast some marshmellows," he said loud enough for the kids to hear.

Quickly sitting up on her knees, Rori raised both her hands in the air. "Wowi, dad-dy," she said, using the new name she finally learned.

"You want some?" Riddick questioned, watching her nod. "Well come on then. We need to find small sticks to start it with."

Jack stopped him as he went to stand up. "I think our princess should get her jammies on before we start the fire," she mentioned to Riddick; she knew that it was getting close to Rori's bed time and the little girl would be falling asleep outside.

Riddick looked from Jack to Rori. "You heard your mommy, head inside and get your jammies on," he told her.

With a big smile, Rori stood up. She bent over and tried to pick up the spread out blanket.

"It's okay, Rori. I think brother and daddy will pick the blanket up for us. Maybe we can use that to cover up later when we are cold," Jack said as she stood and held her hand out for Rori to take.

When the girls went inside, Kayden and Riddick did pick up the blanket and shook the grass and stuff off it. "Can I start looking for sticks to start the fire?" Kayden asked, putting his book in the chair his dad had been sitting in.

Riddick nodded, "Go for it. Make sure you leave some out in the open for Rori to find."

Kayden knew that if Rori wasn't able to help out doing things she got very upset and most of the time would end up crying on the floor or ground. "I know. Gotta let her do things too," he said. "I think it was easier when she was a baby, dad."

"Why's that?" Riddick asked while bringing some of the larger wood pieces closer to the fire pit.

"Because when she was a baby, she didn't throw tantrums if she didn't get her way," he said, already picking up twigs and sticks near the woods.

With a chuckle, Riddick nodded, "That's true. Can you imagine if Rori was a twin? I bet our house would be filled with lots of tantrums then."

Kayden shook his head quickly, "Oh no! I don't think I could handle twins. I can barely handle one little sister, let alone two."

Riddick thought about that for a moment, "What would you do or say if your mom and I gave you another little sister or brother?"

Bringing the two large handfuls of smaller sticks to the fire area, Kayden looked at his dad. "Where are we going to put the baby?"

"I didn't mean it like that, I meant would you be happy if you had a few younger siblings like Elaine and Chase does?" Riddick asked him.

Watching his dad arrange the sticks into a tower, Kayden nodded. "I think it would be fun. Lots more entertainment, that's for sure," he said with a smile. "But where are we going to put them?"

Riddick was kneeling next to what he was doing. "We aren't having them yet, Kayden," he mentioned, not wanting to spill the secret that Jack wanted to keep for a while longer.

"Dad," Kayden stated.

"What?" he asked and looked at his son.

"Mom smells like Marcy," he paused. "Well, the way Marcy did smell when she had the twins in her stomach. Do I have to share a room with Rori? Because if I do, I'm going to write a formal complaint and hold a family meeting," Kayden warned his dad.

Riddick laughed. "We will discuss that a bit later," he told him as Jack and Rori came back out.

Rori was in her footie pajamas with her shoes on. Since it was starting to get a little cooler as the sun went down, she already had her sweater on. "Wowi elp, Den!" she announced to her brother.

"You're ready to help? Good, because I need all the help I can get," Kayden told her as he waited for her to get down the porch steps and come to him. "Dad needs lots of starter sticks so we can roast marshmellows."

Licking her lips, she bent over to pick up a couple very small twigs she found. "Her doe, dad-dy!" she went quickly over to give him the twigs.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Help Kayden find some more," Riddick said with a smile as he added her contribution to the fire pit.

When Kayden and Rori were far enough away from them with Cole, Riddick looked at Jack. "You know how we are always saying our kids are super smart?" he asked her.

Jack was sitting in her lawn chair that she brought closer to where they would be at for the next couple of hours. "Yeah," she said.

"Well, Kayden knows you are pregnant," he said quietly.

She turned her head and looked at Kayden who was pointing something out to Rori. She looked back at Riddick, "He does?"

He nodded, "He asked where we were putting the baby. And he made it clear he's not bunking with Rori."

Jack sighed, she liked that her kids were smart and capable of certain things like their dad, but sometimes she wished they weren't as capable and smart as they actually were. "I was hoping he wouldn't notice," she stopped and looked back over to her kids. "At least for a bit longer."

"Worrying over what might or might not happen with this baby isn't going to help you stay healthy, Jack," he stated. "We all have to think positive."

"I'm trying," she said a bit more harshly than she wanted to.

Riddick watched as Jack's silent apology washed over her face. He stood up and walked over to her. Using one finger, he lifted her chin up so she was looking at him. "I know and you are doing a great job at it," he kissed her lips.

When enough sticks were found, Kayden sat in a chair and Rori climbed onto Jack's lap. They all watched quietly as Riddick started the fire for them.

As the fire started to get going, Riddick ran into the house to get the marshmellows.

"I'll get the roasting sticks," Kayden told Jack before he went onto the porch where the metal sticks were hanging.

Rori leaned back against her mommy's chest and stomach. She pointed to the fire as the flames danced, "Hot!"

"That's right, it's very hot," Jack reminded her. "That's why we let daddy roast our marshmellows for us."

Nodding her head, Rori turned when she heard Riddick come back out. "Dad-dy, mash mows?" she asked.

"Yup, I have the marshmellows," he held them up with a grin. "Got a couple small plates and a wet cloth as well."

That made the little girl clap her hands and grin back.

Kayden came with the roasting sticks. He gave one to his mom, one to his dad and kept one for himself.

Jack helped Rori get two marshmellows on their stick. She watched as Rori followed Riddick with her eyes; she was keeping an eye on her treats as he began to roast them.

An hour later, Rori was sound asleep in Jack's arms. Her sticky hands and face had been washed prior to her falling asleep.

Jack listened quietly as Riddick and Kayden talked about different topics.

"When we get to go to the cabin again, can we go fishing to have a fish fry?" Kayden asked with a smile.

Rididck nodded in the glow of the flames, "Sure. Maybe if we can manage it again this year, we can go when the wild mushrooms are in season."

Grinning, Kayden nodded too. "Yeah. And if we get enough, we should bring them home and freeze them," he added.

Jack knew that with Rori now being older than last year, they could go mushroom hunting as a family; it was something they all enjoyed doing together.

"Thanks, Kayden," she teased. "Now I want homemade cream of mushroom soup."

Kayden laughed, "Sorry, mom." He came over to her and kissed her cheek. "Maybe this year we will find enough to fill even the extra freezer in the barn, that way you can make as much soup as you want."

Jack smiled up at him, "That would be wonderful."

Going back to his seat, Kayden looked at his mom. "Do you think this baby will make you want a lot of stuff like Rori and I had?" he asked.

She glanced at Riddick and before she could answer, Riddick spoke. "All pregnancies are different. I'm sure there will be some days when she will want fifteen different things. Other days not so much."

There was a small pause before Jack took over talking. "We aren't telling people about me being pregnant. Okay, son?" she asked him.

Kayden nodded, "Is that in case he or she needs to go be with Grandpa Imam?"

She smiled, "That's right." She looked at Riddick and reached over to take his hand. "But your dad and I think this time will be different," she said, while keeping eye contact with her husband.

Smiling, Kayden looked at them, "Good, because I thought it over. If I have to share a room with Rori, that will be alright."

"It will be?" Riddick asked, wondering what made him change his mind.

He nodded, "Yes, because I will just build a wall in the middle of the room so she can't touch my stuff."

Both Riddick and Jack laughed.

"Let me write a formal complaint about the wall and we can have a family meeting about it," Riddick chuckled some more.

They sat there for a while longer. All three of them enjoyed their time under the stars.

Almost four hours later, Cole woke Kayden up by pacing the bedroom.

"Lay down, Cole," Kayden told him.

Cole looked at him right before his ears twitched and he moved over to scratch at the door.

"What's wrong?" he asked, slipping out of bed.

Following Cole into the hallway, Kayden glanced towards his parent's room; from the sounds of it everyone was sleeping. Kayden watched Cole disappear down the steps, so he went after him.

"Cole," he whispered. "We have to get dad up."

As soon as Kayden was down the steps, Cole quietly growled at the front door. Kayden looked at the door and jumped a bit when he saw someone walking towards the house. Quickly, he hid behind the recliner and peeked out around it.

Cole began to bark and growl loudly as the person neared the door.

"Dad," Kayden called out, still hiding behind the chair.

"Shut up, you stupid mutt," the man slurred at the loud barking.

Just as Kayden was about to yell for his dad again, a gunshot was heard. Glass from the living room window shattered onto the floor.

A second shot was heard and the other window was broken into a million small shards.

Cole kept barking throughout the ordeal. Kayden was in a tight ball with his head covered by his hands.

Kayden could hear the sound of heavy feet running down the upper hallway. It was mixed with the sounds of his dog barking and loud cussing from the shooter. "Help me," he screamed, as tears started to roll down his cheeks.

The moment Cole began to bark downstairs, Riddick sat up in bed. His hand reached for his shiv on the bed side table; his fingers wrapped around the handle just as he heard Kayden call for him.

"What's going on?" Jack asked him.

Before he could answer her, the first shot rang through the house. "Son of a bitch," he growled, already heading into the hallway. "Get Rori into our room," Riddick commanded.

When the second shot was fired, Riddick ran down the hallway; he didn't bother looking into Kayden's room, because he could tell from the distance of Kayden's yell the boy was downstairs.

Riddick heard Camp's voice as the drunk bastard hollered at Cole to get away. He looked down the stairs at his son trembling and crying on the floor behind the recliner. Rage flooded his senses causing him to growl, "Oh you mother fucker."

Basically jumping down to the bottom of the steps, Riddick put himself between his son and the asshole who seemed to be trying to get into the house.

Cole continued to bark and snarl, his nails scratching at the wood on the lower portion of the door. His fur was covered in small pieces of glass, but that didn't stop him from trying to protect his family and home.

"Are you okay?" Riddick asked Kayden, trying to keep his anger under control long enough to get his son to safety.

Kayden wrapped his arms around Riddick as soon as his dad talked to him. "I'm scared," he admitted to his dad as more tears trickled down.

Looking over to the door, Riddick could see Camp trying to get in through the window. "I know," he said and picked Kayden up. "I want you to go to my room with your mom and sister." Riddick quickly carried him up the stairs and stood him on the top landing. "Stay put."

"But what about you and Cole?" Kayden asked. He looked past his dad as Cole growled ferociously and Camp let out a blood curdling scream.

Riddick pointed towards the end of the hallway, "We'll be fine, just do as you're told."

Kayden turned and ran down the hall as fast as he could.

When Riddick heard the bedroom door slam shut, he turned and descended the stairs in record time. From the sound of it, Cole was doing his best to keep Matt outside.

Riddick rounded the corner and watched as the dog jumped through the broken window, knocking Camp off balance.

"You picked the wrong family to fuck with," Rididck growled again; the only thing he was thinking about was the strong smell of fear that had been rolling off his son. His vision became hazy as he stalked barefooted through the broken glass.

When he reached the same window Cole had just gone through, he glared at the man stumbling backwards down the steps as the dog lunged to attack him once again.

"Time to do things my way," Riddick stated, stepping through the broken window and out onto the porch.

His grip on his shivs tightened. It was time to end the nonsense.

To Be Continued...

AN: Any spacing issues, I blame completely on . It's been driving me nuts the last few weeks!