Jack was sitting on the edge of Rozi's bed and smiled as her pretty young
daughter tried to pull on her favorite marshmallow pink party dress, but
was having trouble getting it over the curls that she insisted on.
Rain began to drip outside. The bushes looked like they were incased with a fine glass and it smelled like fresh cut grass and sunshine, even though the sun was long hidden behind the smoky blue storm clouds. Rozi, like Riddick loved it when it rained. It was something that they shared unaware.
"Mommy," Rozi said handing the dress out to her. "Can you help me?" Jack smiled and kissed Rozi's petal soft cheeks. "Sure baby, lift up your arms" Rozi did as she was told and patted at the smooth material when it settled around her knees. " You look beautiful, now I have to go make sure your brother is ready" Jack was about to leave when Rozi asked. "Mommy, can I wear make-up?"
Jack was about to pat her on her head and tell her she was being silly, but she had Riddick's charm, it was totally impossible to say no to her. "Come on sweetie" She took Rozi's china doll sized hand and led her to the bathroom and sat her on the porcelain. "Now sweetie, the trick about wearing make-up is to look like you're not any. You have wonderful skin, so you don't need foundation, you have pretty long eyelashes, so no mascara" Jack smiled as Rozi giggled as she smoothed light pink eye shadow over her little lids and placed a quick kiss on her daughter's puckered lips.
After applying the minimum amount possible of lip-gloss and eye shadow to her daughter's face, she went to see Matt. She had to laugh when she saw him. It looked like a tornado had attacked and struck entirely in his room. Pants, shirts, underwear and nightclothes were strewn across the large room and he sat in the middle of them. She scooped him up into her arms and kissed him. His hair was black and soft from the shower that Kathleen had given him and he smelled like his favorite green dinosaur shaped soap and the powder Kathleen used
"I dressed myself Mommy," He said proudly as struggled to the ground to show off his choice of a little white undershirt, dark blue sweatpants and his battered Nikes. " I can see that my darling, you did very well. Now you have to stay clean, you are meeting a very good friend of mine today" "You mean the man?" Jack smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Yes baby, the man. Come on, we have to get your sister"
Riddick was waiting and talking idly with Kathleen in the kitchen as they waited for Jack to come in with the kids. "How long have you been working for Jackie?" Asked Riddick as he sipped one of Kathleen's ever-ready mugs of coffee. "It would be 6 years this coming April sir" Riddick nodded slowly and stopped when he saw Jack carrying Rozi and Matt in her arms.
They both peered at him owlish with eyes the exact same color of Jack's. Riddick nearly laughed at the difference of their choice of clothing. Matt smiled at him widely and Riddick immediately recognized the smile as Jacks.
"Hi" Riddick said in barely more then a whisper. "Hi!" Rozi said in a chipper voice and scrambled over to him. Riddick reached down and lifted her onto his lap. Matt, feeling left out went over to him too and propped onto the chair next to him and clutched the bright blue plastic cup of milk that Kathleen had handed to him and drank deeply.
"I have a question" Rozi said very professional sounding. "What is it sweetie?" She swallowed almost comically and asked. "If you're my daddy, how come you didn't live with us before?" Riddick looked alarmed over at Jack who was looking equally shocked. "Well," Riddick said, but didn't know quit how to finish. "I had to go away for a while" Rozi nodded like she understood. "Are you going to stay now?" Riddick shrugged. "I hope so"
Matt finished his milk and quickly scrambled back to Jack and hid behind her long legs. Not shy at all, Rozi nestled herself on Riddick's hard chest and breathed in deeply. "I hope you do, you smell good" Riddick laughed his deep wonderful laugh. Jack had a flashback 10 years back to the Rock when she first heard him laugh and ask Imam where the hell his god was now.
"You really think so sweetie?" He asked her and stroked her feather soft curls and kissed the top of her hair. She kissed his cheek with innocence a child could only possess and smiled before she ran out the kitchen door dragging Matt with her. Riddick watched her and turned to Jack.
"Why was she wearing make-up?" Jack raised an eyebrow at his rather harsh tone. "She wanted to look nice for you" Riddick shook his head and dismissed the comment. "She's too young to wear it" Jack gave him a puzzled look. "Why does it matter Riddick? She's only 5" "That's my point"
Mark, hearing them fighting came into the kitchen and took a protective hold on Jack's arm and he could feel her muscles bunching under the soft silk of her misty purple shirt and fine skin. "What's going on here?" He said in a rough voice. Riddick didn't even glance at him. "This doesn't concern you Hurley" Jack shot Riddick a violent look.
"This does concern him. And don't tell me if I should let my 5 year old daughter if she can wear make-up or not" Riddick's lips snarled and he reminded Jack of a hungry wolf. "I am their father dammit" Mark stepped forward, fire turning his eyes to vicious aqua lighting. " You haven't been around long enough to call her your daughter I've been more of a damn father to those precious children then you could ever be in your fucking life"
Jack saw something snap in Riddick's eyes as soon as Mark said that, and if she'd never been afraid of him before, she defiantly was now. His voice was no more then a rumbling growl and neither Jack nor Mark could make out what Riddick said, but Jack knew she wouldn't be more at ease if she did.
Every muscle in his body was coiled like a snake and never had he wanted to hurt something or someone so badly. "Get out" Concentrating on the raw fury and the burning in his eyes, Jack stormed out of the house. A minute later she came back in with equal fury. "Wait, this is my house, I don't have to leave. You leave" Riddick snarled and said. "Fine, and this time don't expect me to come back"
He slammed the door so fiercely that some pictures that were framed on the wall fell and shattered into little icy pieces on the ground. Jack stared at them in a trace before she realized what had just happened. He was gone again, and this time, she believed him when he said he wasn't coming back.
"Mommy" Asked Rozi from the doorway. "What happened?" Jack looked at her like she didn't know who Rozi was, and then she said rather sadly. "Mommy and Daddy had a fight. Daddy had to leave for a while" Rozi looked pained. "When will he come back?" " I don't know my baby, I don't know" Jack cuddled Rozi close to her until it was so late Rozi couldn't keep her eyes open and Jack's body was crying for sleep.
Rain began to drip outside. The bushes looked like they were incased with a fine glass and it smelled like fresh cut grass and sunshine, even though the sun was long hidden behind the smoky blue storm clouds. Rozi, like Riddick loved it when it rained. It was something that they shared unaware.
"Mommy," Rozi said handing the dress out to her. "Can you help me?" Jack smiled and kissed Rozi's petal soft cheeks. "Sure baby, lift up your arms" Rozi did as she was told and patted at the smooth material when it settled around her knees. " You look beautiful, now I have to go make sure your brother is ready" Jack was about to leave when Rozi asked. "Mommy, can I wear make-up?"
Jack was about to pat her on her head and tell her she was being silly, but she had Riddick's charm, it was totally impossible to say no to her. "Come on sweetie" She took Rozi's china doll sized hand and led her to the bathroom and sat her on the porcelain. "Now sweetie, the trick about wearing make-up is to look like you're not any. You have wonderful skin, so you don't need foundation, you have pretty long eyelashes, so no mascara" Jack smiled as Rozi giggled as she smoothed light pink eye shadow over her little lids and placed a quick kiss on her daughter's puckered lips.
After applying the minimum amount possible of lip-gloss and eye shadow to her daughter's face, she went to see Matt. She had to laugh when she saw him. It looked like a tornado had attacked and struck entirely in his room. Pants, shirts, underwear and nightclothes were strewn across the large room and he sat in the middle of them. She scooped him up into her arms and kissed him. His hair was black and soft from the shower that Kathleen had given him and he smelled like his favorite green dinosaur shaped soap and the powder Kathleen used
"I dressed myself Mommy," He said proudly as struggled to the ground to show off his choice of a little white undershirt, dark blue sweatpants and his battered Nikes. " I can see that my darling, you did very well. Now you have to stay clean, you are meeting a very good friend of mine today" "You mean the man?" Jack smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Yes baby, the man. Come on, we have to get your sister"
Riddick was waiting and talking idly with Kathleen in the kitchen as they waited for Jack to come in with the kids. "How long have you been working for Jackie?" Asked Riddick as he sipped one of Kathleen's ever-ready mugs of coffee. "It would be 6 years this coming April sir" Riddick nodded slowly and stopped when he saw Jack carrying Rozi and Matt in her arms.
They both peered at him owlish with eyes the exact same color of Jack's. Riddick nearly laughed at the difference of their choice of clothing. Matt smiled at him widely and Riddick immediately recognized the smile as Jacks.
"Hi" Riddick said in barely more then a whisper. "Hi!" Rozi said in a chipper voice and scrambled over to him. Riddick reached down and lifted her onto his lap. Matt, feeling left out went over to him too and propped onto the chair next to him and clutched the bright blue plastic cup of milk that Kathleen had handed to him and drank deeply.
"I have a question" Rozi said very professional sounding. "What is it sweetie?" She swallowed almost comically and asked. "If you're my daddy, how come you didn't live with us before?" Riddick looked alarmed over at Jack who was looking equally shocked. "Well," Riddick said, but didn't know quit how to finish. "I had to go away for a while" Rozi nodded like she understood. "Are you going to stay now?" Riddick shrugged. "I hope so"
Matt finished his milk and quickly scrambled back to Jack and hid behind her long legs. Not shy at all, Rozi nestled herself on Riddick's hard chest and breathed in deeply. "I hope you do, you smell good" Riddick laughed his deep wonderful laugh. Jack had a flashback 10 years back to the Rock when she first heard him laugh and ask Imam where the hell his god was now.
"You really think so sweetie?" He asked her and stroked her feather soft curls and kissed the top of her hair. She kissed his cheek with innocence a child could only possess and smiled before she ran out the kitchen door dragging Matt with her. Riddick watched her and turned to Jack.
"Why was she wearing make-up?" Jack raised an eyebrow at his rather harsh tone. "She wanted to look nice for you" Riddick shook his head and dismissed the comment. "She's too young to wear it" Jack gave him a puzzled look. "Why does it matter Riddick? She's only 5" "That's my point"
Mark, hearing them fighting came into the kitchen and took a protective hold on Jack's arm and he could feel her muscles bunching under the soft silk of her misty purple shirt and fine skin. "What's going on here?" He said in a rough voice. Riddick didn't even glance at him. "This doesn't concern you Hurley" Jack shot Riddick a violent look.
"This does concern him. And don't tell me if I should let my 5 year old daughter if she can wear make-up or not" Riddick's lips snarled and he reminded Jack of a hungry wolf. "I am their father dammit" Mark stepped forward, fire turning his eyes to vicious aqua lighting. " You haven't been around long enough to call her your daughter I've been more of a damn father to those precious children then you could ever be in your fucking life"
Jack saw something snap in Riddick's eyes as soon as Mark said that, and if she'd never been afraid of him before, she defiantly was now. His voice was no more then a rumbling growl and neither Jack nor Mark could make out what Riddick said, but Jack knew she wouldn't be more at ease if she did.
Every muscle in his body was coiled like a snake and never had he wanted to hurt something or someone so badly. "Get out" Concentrating on the raw fury and the burning in his eyes, Jack stormed out of the house. A minute later she came back in with equal fury. "Wait, this is my house, I don't have to leave. You leave" Riddick snarled and said. "Fine, and this time don't expect me to come back"
He slammed the door so fiercely that some pictures that were framed on the wall fell and shattered into little icy pieces on the ground. Jack stared at them in a trace before she realized what had just happened. He was gone again, and this time, she believed him when he said he wasn't coming back.
"Mommy" Asked Rozi from the doorway. "What happened?" Jack looked at her like she didn't know who Rozi was, and then she said rather sadly. "Mommy and Daddy had a fight. Daddy had to leave for a while" Rozi looked pained. "When will he come back?" " I don't know my baby, I don't know" Jack cuddled Rozi close to her until it was so late Rozi couldn't keep her eyes open and Jack's body was crying for sleep.
