Ch19-Double or Nothing

Jack sat at the kitchen table sipping a cup of orange juice while Riddick read the newspaper. Every now and then Riddick would look over the paper and grin at her. "What?" She asked slowly when she caught him for the 5th time. "Nothing, you're just so beautiful is all" There was a clatter in the living room and Riddick got up and stalked into the living room. The now shaggy black and gray dog that Jack had named Cleopatra had gotten into the brass pot of ostrich feathers that Kalina had demanded on. "Oh you useless ball of nothing, you're lucky Jackie won't let me cook you" Jack came rushing in and scooped Cleopatra into her arms. "Don't be mean to my baby," She cried and petted Cleopatra soothingly. Riddick laughed and kissed her. "I don't want to think about what you're going to act like when this little one is born," He said as he laid a calloused hand on her slightly rounded stomach. "Yeah, there's uh, something I need to tell you Riddick" He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. "I'm not just having one" Riddick grinned. "Twins?" Jack nodded with an unsure smile. "Is that okay?" "Would I do this if it wasn't?" He asked with a laugh and kissed her sweetly. "No, I guess you wouldn't" "I love you" "I love you too Riddick"

-Nine months later-

"I hate you Richard Riddick I seriously hate you!" Jack screamed as she sweated in the hospital. "Of course you do honey, now breath," He said as the doctor checked her pulse for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Well, Mrs.Riddick, you're doing great, it'll be over in a minute. Soon you will have a beautiful baby girl and a baby boy. Now just one more big push and the boy will be born" Jack bit her lip and pushed with all her might. There was a moment of silence then a life-giving cry came from the tiny infant in the doctor's arms. There was a sharp burst of pain and another scream of life. Jack sat up and took a few deep breaths. The babies were wet and crying, but they were the most beautiful things Jack had ever seen in her life. The doctor handed the girl to Riddick and the boy to her. "Well what do you want to name her?" Riddick asked in awe at the tiny form of life in his hands. Jack gazed down at her baby girl and sighed. "I think I want to call her Roselyn Marie " Riddick smiled widely. "That's a beautiful name. What about our boy there?" He asked. "Well, why don't you name him?" Riddick bent over and kissed her softly then kissed a now silent infant in her arms. "Matthew Scott" He said and blinked furiously at the tears that were welling up in his eyes. One slipped over and Jack gently caught it with her finger and pretended to put it in her pocket. "I'm going to keep it, you don't let them fall very often" Riddick smiled and kissed her again.

When Jack was allowed to go home, Riddick wouldn't stop fussing with her. "Are you sure you're alright? Is there anything I can do?" "Yes" When Riddick rushed to her side she said. "You can sit down and chill out, I'm fine Riddick." He still looked uncertain, but Jack blew him a kiss and went back to nursing Roselyn while Matthew slept quietly in a cradle next to her. The phone rang and Riddick answered it before Jack could turn her head to even look at the phone. Cleopatra padded into the room, like Jack was a while ago, full of pregnancy. Riddick picked up the phone and smiled. "Hey Kalina, yes everything is fine, what? Oh my fuck, are you sure? Shit shit shit" At Riddick's fierce swearing, Jack looked up worried. He hung up with Kalina and turned to Jack. "What is it baby?" She asked when he didn't saw anything. "Kara called them" When Roselyn was laid in the crib and quiet, Jack laid her head in her hands and cried softly. "What are we going to do?" She sniffled. Riddick scooped her into his arms and cradled her much as she had with his children. "I'll take care of it" He said in a dark voice that always put Jack on edge. She looked up at him. "What are you going to do?" When he kissed her forehead and got up, he still said nothing. As he got his coat Jack asked him again. He gave her one last look before he walked out the door and the door slammed shut. She wanted to go after him and demanded an answer, but now Matthew was crying, and Jack went to sing to him softly.

"All I ever wanted in this world

Baby I found in you

I never felt this way before

But I can't break through

And now I lie awake, alone at night

So afraid now to close my eyes

Just one more dream of you

I'll carry here inside Baby cause you don't know, how I feel

Livin' my life without you

Baby and you don't know what it's like

Lovin' you all this time

I'll give you all my love, heart and soul

Riskin' it all on a chance

Now when I need you the most, you don't know"

Matthew settled against her breast and fell asleep. She watched her precious children sleep and smile graced her lips. She was married to the most amazing man she'd ever met, bared 2 of his children who were absolutely gorgeous. But now Kara Martin was trying to snatch it all away from her. "Riddick won't allow that" She said quietly to herself. She traced a finger over Roselyn's petal soft cheek softly and her young daughter opened her eyes and gurgled happily when she spotted Jack. Roselyn's eyes were a very dark blue, but Jack expected that they would change to green by the time she was one.

Riddick didn't come home that night and Jack was too exhausted to really care. Roselyn and Matthew insisted in crying 10 minutes apart, so she didn't get any sleep. Once they were finally quiet, Jack slept for about 2 hours but gave up and watched the news. Everything twisted inside her when she heard the old news announcer say. "Local Kara Anne Martin was found dead in her apartment, her throat was slit by a shiv and so were her wrists. Her murderer, infamous murderer Richard Riddick has confessed to the murder" Then her world went black.