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Part XV

Brian walked over to the table where Jacklyn and Riddick sat. He smiled at them. "Hey you two. You know it's gonna take me a week to clean up my room from the mess you two left."

Riddick gave his classic grin. "Well… you did lock us in there together."

Jacklyn gave his arm a playful slap as she grinned.

"Have either of you seen Sil? The cook is gripping his head off cause she hasn't showed for dish duty."

Jacklyn frowned slightly. "I haven't seen her since last night."

"We'll look for her." Riddick stood up and looked to Jacklyn. "I'll take the Maintance Bay, you check the Cargo Hold."

Jacklyn nodded to him as she got up and jogged out of the Mess Hall. She found Sil's scent easy enough as she neared the Cargo Hold. She also detected another scent, an unfamiliar one, probably one of the crew she hadn't met yet. The doors slid open and she walked inside. She paused for a moment as she glanced about. Jacklyn smirked a bit as she made her way towards Sil and the stranger.

When Jacklyn rounded the crate she stopped cold in her tracks. A startled Sil and Billy stared at her. Her eyes narrowed a bit as her gaze focused on Sil's busted lip. Her lips curled back in a snarl as she lunged at Billy. He staggered back a few steps before Jacklyn slammed him into a crate and held him there.

"Mama-cat no!!" Sil protested as she moved behind Jacklyn. Jacklyn glanced over her shoulder at her, she hesitated a moment then finally moved her arm from Billy's throat and let him go. Billy coughed as he gave a scared but relieved look to Sil.

Jacklyn turned to face Sil frowning, a hand reaching out as fingers brushed her chin in a motherly way. "Who hit you kitty-cat?"

Sil glanced down a moment then back up to her. The look on her face was so sweet and innocent Jacklyn couldn't help but smile. "Promise ya won't be mad at me?"

"I promise." With a face as cute as that how can I be mad?

Sil looked down once more. "Nova…"

A deafening silence filled the room as anger rushed through Jacklyn. Nova trying to fuck her life up was one thing, hitting her kid was another. No one got away with that, absolutely no one. She growled slightly and stormed out of the Cargo Hold, headed for the bridge.

****** ****** ****** ******

"Nova!!!," Jacklyn gave her a warning as she entered the bridge. Nova turned and stared wide eyed at her sister. A brutal shove slammed Nova against the wall, her nails pricking at the skin of her neck. Jason and Mia Reed watched in stunned silence.

"I've killed people for less that what you did!!"

A puzzled look crossed Jason's face. What was his little girl talking about? She killed people for less than what? "Jackie…?"

Jacklyn hardly paid him any mind. "You're lucky you're family… otherwise, I'd have killed you by now. Oh, and one last thing…," she stared into Nova's terrified green eyes, "…if you so much as touch her ever again…. I won't hesitate to kill you. Then you'll get to see how territorial a mother cat really is. Do you understand me?"

Nova nodded to her, unable to speak at the moment. When Jacklyn let her go she crumpled to the floor trembling. Jacklyn turned around and saw many faces staring at her. She just grinned out to the faces, her gaze resting on the smiling Riddick and Sil.

"Jackie, what in the Hell did you mean by all that?!" Jason looked at her, his face red with anger. Mia was kneeling by Nova trying to comfort her.

Jacklyn winced visibly at the name as she turned to face him. "I'm not the little girl you left behind anymore, Dad. I'm just doing like you taught me before you disappeared from my life… taking care of my own."

"Jackie I won't tolerate any fighting on my ship. We work together if we want to survive… not try to kill each other."

"Then maybe we'll get our own ship. And can you stop using that name? Little 'Jackie' is gone. She has been for a while now."

"Then what am I supposed to call you?," he frowned from her words and harsh tone.

"Jack, Jacklyn, I don'—"

"How about Alpha?," Riddick broke in as he moved to her side. They both gave him a puzzled look.

"Why that?," Jason asked solemnly.

"Well… for one she was the beginning that showed me all the good I could do. Secondly… I think her, Evie," he gestured to Sil, "and me could all use a new start."

A slow smile moved across Jacklyn's face as she peered up at Riddick. He gave a warm smile down to her as he draped an arm around her shoulders and then Sil's. She thought back to what he had told her. 'You are the beginning of every good thing in my life now. And I'll be the end of anyone or anything that tries to take you away from me again.'

"Sounds like a plan to me…," she smirked up to him, "Omega." If he was determined to name her and Sil after old Biblical terms and people she'd do the same to him. He just chuckled a bit and grinned down to her. Sil had a huge smile on her face as she giggled happily, wrapping her arms about Riddick's waist and hugging him. He looked over to her and smiled lightly before looking back to Jacklyn.

Jacklyn knew she was were she belonged. She was with the people that loved her the most. They were all she needed and wanted. And to think just over a year ago she thought she'd paid the price for love…. Looked like she'd given more than her share and now she was getting it back tenfold. It was more than she could have ever hoped for.

Another chance… Another life…

****** ****** ****** ******

THE END

. . . OR IS IT?

Authors Note : So how did you guys like it? Sorry it took me so long to get it posted. Please send in your reviews, good or bad I don't care. I wanna know what you guys thought. What did ya like? What didn't ya like? That kinda stuff. Also, right now I'm unsure if I'm going to make anymore sequels to this story. I'm working on trying to get another story together that a friend suggested I write. If you have an idea for a story feel free to send it to me and I'll see if I can write something. If ya do send in ideas I ask for a pen name or nickname or something so I can give credit when I get finished writing about the idea. Well I guess I've talked quite enough, eh?

Have a great day guys!

Jacklyn C. Reed