Hey all here's chapter 20, brought to you with the help of cateyes. Hope you enjoy and do please drop me a review.

Kayla

Chapter 20: Meeting The Family

Jack's eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring at Riddick's well-muscled chest, watching it rise and fall as he breathed. She was curled up with her body pressed against his side; her head was resting on his shoulder and his arm was wrapped around her, his hand resting on her side. She blinked a couple of times, resisting the urge to rub her still tired eyes and let herself smile faintly for a moment before the arm around her tightened slightly signaling the fact that Riddick was awake again.

"Don't move." She said groggily too comfortable where she was laying to want to move, the effect of Joe's good red stuff leaving her with a headache.

"You've been dead to the world." He said as she felt a rumble of sorts ripple through his body.

"Is Candy up?" She asked closing her eyes but fighting the urge to fall back to sleep. Damn, she was
comfortable. It made her dozy.

"Up and watching one of your old classics." She could hear the amusement in his voice but all she managed was an 'ummm'. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"It means that I'm tied, I'm comfortable and I've got a headache ten times fucking stronger then a hangover." She ran a hand over her forehead and rubbed one eye. "I don't care if I get hooked, next time I'm taking his feel good shit."

"Oh?"

"From what I understand it makes you feel quite pleasant unlike the safe stuff, though Johnny'll kill him if he were to give me anything but the safe stuff." She shook her head and her eyes flew wide open.

"A man who looks after his family."

"You got that one right." Jack nodded. "No word from the family?"

"None." He said and she was suddenly sitting up.

She had thought briefly about Kelly the night before when she had arrived at the flat but it had only been the swift thoughts of a mind nearly taken over by sleep. What the hell would Kelly think she was up to? Kelly knew about Riddick but she had never seen him and neither had Damien; the boy who was both eyes and
son to Kelly and Damien didn't miss much.

"What is it Jack?" Riddick sat up, the sharp blade of his shiv glittering in his hand, the muscles in his neck and shoulders tense as he listened for betraying sounds of life. There were none and the glint of mercury eyes watched her as she threw the quilt off and jumped over him to land on her feet on the bedroom floor.

"Oh shit!" Jack chanted as she pulled a pair of jeans and a t-shirt out of the chest of drawers. "Get up!" She said exasperated as she turned and looked at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" There was annoyance written on his face as she changed quickly, barely seeming bothered by his presence.

"A lot is bloody wrong. Fuck! I should have sent a communication a head of me. If you dare harm anyone who comes into this house, I will be so bloody angry!" She pulled on a pair of socks and threw a towel at him. "Take a shower."

"Who am I going to hurt?" Riddick gripped his shiv and watched her as she moved around the room, cleaning up and making sure that everything was in it's place where she liked it. She looked at her bed for a moment where he was still sitting and then shrugged, she couldn't be bothered moving that.

"Johnny, Joe or Kevin probably, unless Damien decided he wanted to see me." Jack said. "You probably won't get the chance to hurt anyone because they're not stupid but you're very defensive at times so please trust me Riddick and don't get shiv happy. I got to get this house cleaned up too before anyone decides to come round."

"Your family going to be that desperate to see you?"

"You don't know my family, I do." She glared at him, a look that was totally harmless but made her point. "Go take a shower Riddick, you smell."

"Thanks Jack." Riddick gave her one of his sarcastic smiles and left the room.

Jack left her butterfly knife open on the kitchen counter as she opened the fridge and pulled out eggs and milk and threw them together in a bowl. Scrambled eggs for breakfast or was it closer to lunch? She checked the clock as she flipped the yellowy mix into the frying pan and heard the water heater kick in. At least he was taking a shower.

She grabbed a spatula and quickly scrambled the eggs on a high heat. She wasn't one to go in for cooking on any huge scale. Nice and simple and easy to clean up from was the way she liked her food, at least the food at home tasted a lot better then food on The Aurora. That and she could choose what she ate; protein bars didn't count as good food.

The flat that she lived in had been owned and refurbished by her late boyfriend, Bret. Most of the decoration in the flat was to a minimalist style, the colors were natural and there wasn't a ton of furniture. The rooms had no particular patterns to them and the furniture that there was tended to be old and comfortable. Bret had liked things plain and simple, she liked things simple and uncluttered so the flat's style had suited them both nicely. Even though she had made her mark on her home, it still was the home that Bret had left.

"Scrambled eggs are go!" She smiled taking the food off the heat and putting half of the simple breakfast on a plate and left the other half in the pan encase Riddick fancied having something to eat after he had finished showering.

"You slept late." Candace said from the doorway.

"Joe's red stuff, got the kick I needed with all the nice after effects." She explained and gave the kid a smile. "Movie over?" She asked. Fork and plate in one hand, butterfly knife in the other, Jack wandered through to the dinning room and started to eat. All of her senses went on high alert as the water turned off and she heard Riddick rustling around in the bathroom. Candace followed her.

"Yep." Candace nodded and sat down. "Who's Joe?"

"A friend. A dealer and producer. Scum of the earth type guy. He's always high on his own shit. One of the nicest people you will ever meet in your life. What you see is what you get and he's loyal to the point of stupidity." Jack smiled. "There's a picture of us all in the living room. I have shorter hair in it and Bret was still alive then but apart from Damien we all look pretty much the same."

"Is that why you told Riddick not to get shiv happy?"

"Yep. I don't want my family getting hurt." She sighed. The outcome would most likely depend on if they had noticed that she was back, and who came through the door first. If it had been Damien who had spotted them and seen Riddick then they would be facings a weapon's stand off. The seventeen-year-old boy was often times too perceptive for his own good. The kid was a smart ass, but he would make a good hunter if he found the right teacher. She could only hope that he didn't loose his innocence and choose the path of death.

"Any eggs left?" Riddick came through to the dinning room, his head and face freshly shaven and smelling like her bathroom soap. His dark goggles were pulled firmly down over his eyes.

"In the frying pan." She nodded. "Maybe we should go other there." She said a couple of minutes later, looking distractedly out of the window. Her mind wondering over a hundred different ideas. The teenager frowned and looked at Riddick but said nothing.

"Where?" Riddick looked at her from where he was standing, eating out of the frying pan.

"That's non-stick, don't scratch it." She said absent-mindedly.

"Where?" He repeated his question.

"The flat above Zion. That's the club that Kelly and her husband own. That way, they wouldn't come here and therefore you couldn't hurt anybody." She had a frown on her face and though she was looking at him, she wasn't seeing.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone unless they threaten me…"

"That's what I'm afraid of." She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them to look straight at him. She used to do that when she was trying to prove that she wasn't afraid, she used to try and stare him out but it was different this time. This time she was trying to let him know how concerned she was about the people that didn't know his capabilities.

"Not to mention that, but until the red tinge is totally gone from your eyes, I don't think that it's a particularly good idea to go out." He was frowning now, too.

"Must have been a strong dose if my eyes are still red." Jack chewed thoughtfully for a minute. "I'll wear sunglasses."

"Wait for them Jack." Riddick shook his head, his request more like a command and she was too used to taking them to say anything back.

"Why are you so worried?" Candace asked.

"Because the guys will come armed and if Johnny feels that there's trouble, he will shoot. He's the head of a family, he will protect that family." Jack answered her. "They are the closest that I have to family besides Riddick, and I would die if anyone were to get hurt. Them or him."

"Thanks." The teen said dryly.

"Not excluding you kid but you aren't going to be in sight when they arrive. I want you in the front room when they come and I want you to stay there until I say otherwise. I'll have some talking to do. You hear?" Jack was firm.

"Gawd, am I a baby or somethin'?" Candace complained.

"No but if guns are involved, I'd rather you didn't add a gun shot wound to the impalement." She shook her head. "I want you to stay out of that, alright?"

"Alright, alright, chill." The teenager shook her head as she stood up, "You know, you could just call them, you have a vid-phone in the hallway." She snapped and left the room.

"I wasn't that bad was I?" Jack looked over at Riddick. He shrugged and shook his head.

"You were always too afraid of being left behind to complain too much." He watched her play distractedly with the remainder of her food as he put the frying pan back in the kitchen. She sighed and took a deep breath. "Go try and call them."

She nodded and stood up, leaving him in the dinning room for less then five minutes before she came back
and shook her head. "Got the answer machine." She shrugged, scrapping her plate into the waste disposal
and putting it in the sink.

"You're really worried?"

"Yes, I'm worried. I don't want you hurt and I don't want them hurt. I don't know what I would do if you
were to go and try and die on me again." She finished her meal and stood up. She rubbed her eyes as she put her plate in the sink and started playing with her blade as she thought. "I've thought about it more than it was probably good for me to think about it in the past couple of weeks. And I'm not just bringing it up because of today, and what may or may not happen but because of everything that keeps happening, that's
happened over the years to people because of me."

"What are you saying Jack?"

"That I won't let you die because of me or for me. That includes today, which is why we're going to do
things my way." She turned on him and snapped, flicking her blade open and shut, open and shut as she
thought.

"Stop that Jack or I'll take it off you." Riddick growled. He was not happy but she didn't care, she had to work out a way to make sure that weapons were never drawn. She threw the blade on the counter, irritable.

"Now you happy?" She snapped and he just looked at her.

There was a knock on the door and Riddick stiffened, taking his shiv out of it's place with one hand and his other hand catching Jack's arm as she picked up her blade again and tried to move past him into the hallway.

"Not yet." He growled.

"Put the shiv away! Mercs don't use front doors but my friends do." She tried to extract her hand from his grip as there came another knock on the door, a little harder then the first but his grip was like iron and unyielding. This whole thing was getting old fast! "Go to the living room, keep Candace company. If I need help, I'll call you but I can handle myself. I told you, we're doing this my way." Jack flicked out her butterfly knife as if to prove her point and gave him a pleading look.

"I don't like this Jack." Riddick looked at her coolly. Jack shook her head and shrugged, a little bit of anticipation showing though her worry.

"You don't have to like it. Trust me on this?" She said, looking at his hand on her arm. He let go of her, the expression on his face never changing. "Thank you." She said as there was a loud bang on the door and she could hear male voices arguing on the other side. They never change, can never just knock once and wait. She thought.

Riddick was on high alert beside her as they walked down the hallway and he stopped at the door of the living room where Candace was already standing looking at the door with interest. "In." Riddick said to the teenager and she disappeared from sight. Jack stopped at her front door and was very aware of Riddick's shined eyes on her back. She shooed him away with a hand as she gripped the handle and undid the bolts.

"Hi." Jack said as she opened the door and saw not only the three men she had been expected but Kelly and
Damien too. She smiled a nervous greeting when she saw them, but noticed they had come armed to the hilt. The four adults were carrying guns and there was a blade at Damien's side.

"Is that guy still here and are you in trouble?" Jonathan got straight to the point.

"So Damien did see us get home then?" Jack looked at the blonde kid and smiled with genuine affection as she sighed.

"Answer the fucking question babe so I can either split after we deal with what ever shit you've gotten yourself into this time or when you've explain yourself and Johnny boy here is satisfied." Kevin snarled. "I have other shit to do today besides get your ass outa a mess."

"No one is in danger, maybe you should have called to make sure before coming round here all armed and shit." She shook her head. "But you might want to meet my friends before you split and do whatever other stuff you got on today. Oh yeah, I've asked you before not to call me babe, so stop!" There was something about Kevin that always had and always would get Jack a little riled.

"Kel was worried about you, so we thought we'd make sure you were alright face to face, after all you are a few weeks late coming home." Joe shrugged, his words drawled out lazily as always.

"That's a story for later, you wanna come in or you just gonna stand out here?" Jack asked, as Joe gave her a lazy grin.

"You're eyes are still red." He said.

"You made the shit, aint my fault." She answered. "I didn't meant to worry you Kel."

"I know." The older woman answered and made the first move inside, pushing past the grim faced men in her wheelchair and made her way down the hallway until she reached the door of the living room, Jack walking beside her. Kelly looked up at her and smiled as Jack pushed the door open a little wider before they
entered the room.

Riddick, dressed all in black like normal, was standing with his back to them, Candace was a stark contrast, dressed in blue and white, her skin pale from sickness, her blue eyes watching them from the couch near where Riddick stood. He had already drawn the heavy brown curtains and put the lights on dim. In one hand he held the wielding goggles he normally wore to protect his light sensitive eyes, in the other hand he held his shiv ready to use. It was one of those moments when she was able to see him as other people saw him and could understand the frown that was on Kelly's face as the two people stared at each other. He was quite the sight to behold.

"Next time," Riddick said slowly as his eyes stopped on her for a moment before scanning the four that had joined her and Kelly. "We do things my way."

"Why?" Jack cocked her head slightly, her tone as close to defiant as she ever got with him.

"Because you just let four guns and a blade walk right in here without a second thought." He rumbled.

"Sweet eyes." Jack heard Damien hiss.

"Don't even think about it!" Kelly, Jonathan and Jack all said at the same time and Riddick laughed a deep rumbling laugh that made Jonathan grip his gun a little tighter on reflex. Candace caught the movement and moved quickly to stand closer to Riddick, just off to one side and just behind him.

"You're fine kid. Men like that don't shoot children." He said softly. It amazed Jack how after all her mistrust, Candace sought out Riddick for protection more often then not when she felt uncomfortable. Riddick turned his attention to Damien. "There are benefits when it comes to eyes like these, you just have to work out if what you have to go through to get them is worth it kid."

"Don't you go encouraging that boy Riddick. His observational skills are good enough without letting him see in the dark." Jack moved away from her friends and stopped at his side, her hand reached out and touched his arm. She could feel the tension in the muscles controlling his hand and his shiv. "Put it away?" She whispered, never taking her eyes off his face even though he wasn't looking at her.

"Why the hell should he?" Candace said suddenly. Riddick and Jack both looked at her sharply. She blushed. "They have weapons drawn, why shouldn't he?"

"Don't worry kid." Riddick said smoothly.

"Chill Candy." Jack motioned with her head for the kid to join her but she shook her head, seemingly happy to stay where she was.

"Candy? Sounds like a hooker's name." Damien said and Candace snarled at him.

"Shut the fuck up!" She snapped and Damien laughed.

"Shut up Damien, you're not helping." Jonathan said softly.

"Jumpy thing, eh?" Damien was watching Candace with interest.

"You would be too if you were me. Ass!" Candace glared at him, her normal attitude resurfacing with a vengeance.

"I'm going to like her. She has the measure of you already and she's barely even met you." Kevin chuckled.

Riddick put his shiv away, but said nothing.

"Guys, meet Riddick and my newest charge, Candace Dalton. Riddick, Candy, that is Kelly, Johnny, Joe, Kevin and Damien." Jack made the introductions quickly. "No trying to kill each other please, I like you all the way you are. Without missing limbs and without holes."

"I thought you said that Riddick was dead." Kelly said.

"I'm a hard man to kill." Riddick's eyes looked over the woman.

"I'm sure." The older woman nodded. "And just so you know, a man called Steve Dalton was the last to come out here looking for our bounty Jack."

"Steve Dalton? Are you sure?" Candace blurted out her eyes wide. Kelly nodded. "That's my father."

"I'm splitting, I don't want to know anymore." Kevin shrugged and left, Damien keeping a wide berth of the red haired man as he walked past him.

"How the hell did you get you hands of a merc's kid?" Jonathan asked, the look on his face incredulous.

"Long story." She shrugged. "Not illegally if that's what you think."

"Hey Dame, you wanna do me a favor?" Kelly asked.

"Not if it means leaving." The teenage boy answered honestly, his blue eyes roaming over Riddick with a
hungry curiosity. He had been right, Jack had brought big danger into their lives, though he wasn't sure if it was the man himself or a danger that would follow him. Really, it didn't matter all that much, he was fascinated.

"Go get some pizza, take it home. Joe'll go with you." Jonathan said handing the boy some money. Joe shrugged after a look of protest was shot down by Kelly. "You want the kid to go with them?" He motioned to Candace.

"I'm not going any fucking where with them." Candace snapped.

"It's alright guys." Jack shook her head and Joe and Damien left. "Go to your room for a bit eh Candy, let the four of us talk?" She asked the girl and the teenager left without much protest, watching Jonathan with suspicion as she moved past him.

After she left the room the four of them looked at each other. Jonathan and Riddick seemed to be assessing each other in the way that two big men tended to do, but it would have been obvious to anyone that Riddick was by far the more dangerous of the two even if the extent of his killing career was unknown to the observer. Kelly however looked between Riddick and Jack and then her blue eyes settled on the twenty-two year old.

The girl stood next to Riddick, the same stance and aura seeming to radiate from her that always had. Her eyes were still watchful and it was obvious that she was uncomfortable in the situation but there seemed to be a newfound confidence in her. She didn't seem so paranoid standing next to the intimidating form of Riddick. Kelly couldn't help but wonder if she was seeing a glimmer of what Jack had been like before she had met her.

"Are you alright?" Kelly asked finally.

"Riddick's not going to hurt me Kel." Jack shook her head, a frown spreading across her lips.

"That's not what I asked hun." Kelly said and Riddick looked at Jack who had suddenly retracted her touch.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Jack shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, for a start, last time you were home late without telling anyone was when your flight partner at
the Academy nearly got you killed during fight exercises. You have the child of a mercenary whose out for my bounty with you and she's been really sick recently and lastly, he's reappeared." Kelly said nodding in Riddick's direction. "No offense." She added and he inclined his head. Jack clenched her jaw as she felt Kelly get under her guard as she had the habit of too often doing.

"He showed up before everything went wrong, not long before granted but before. Candace came after, he
acquired her for me. You'll find out that Riddick is a badass until it comes to kids, he goes on a killing spree every time he sees one being hurt." Riddick growled next to her but she didn't pay any attention. "Captain Manor took a job that meant we had to pick up some people from the planet that I crashed on as a kid. Guess who the lucky pilot got to be? My damned conscience got the best of me again."

"I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry Kelly. I don't want you to be sorry, because it wasn't your fault." She heard her
own voice crack slightly and cleared it. "I don't even want to talk about this now. Later if I have to, but
not now." She watched Kelly nod and moved a little further from Riddick, hoping that he hadn't caught the
look on her face.

"So is this a permanent arrangement? You, the kid and him?" Jonathan spoke up.

"Don't make it sound so sinister Johnny." She gave him a pleading look.

"Alright. What's the answer?"

"I'm not going anywhere for the moment." Riddick answered him.

"Yeah, it's permanent for the moment." Jack nodded her confirmation.

"You still going to tend bar for me while you're around?" He changed the subject for a moment. "You
know your roster started three weeks ago?"

"Yeah, I'll tend bar, I always do." A smile appeared on Jack's face as she shook her head.

"What about you Riddick? You want a job too?"

"If he works there will be trouble. Mercs will be crawling all over here to find him. Someone will more than likely get killed." Jack snapped stopping Riddick answering the question. "I won't let Kelly get caught."

"They won't find me." Kelly shook her head.

"It doesn't matter if they do Kel, you didn't kill Lang and it's not your DNA they have on file." Jack said angry suddenly. "God, I'm good, always dragging other people into my shit." She snarled turning her back on all of them. "I bring death and destruction wherever I go."

"Cut the self-pity Jack, it won't get you anywhere!" Kelly snapped.

"I know it won't. I'm sorry." Jack ran a hand through her hair. "I just don't know how much longer you should take the rap for me. It's not fair on you or Johnny or Damien." She sat down, hardly noticing Kelly
wheeling her way over.

"It's not like I can get out much around here anyway Jack, and as long as they don't get a hold of me, they won't ever come after you for that DNA sample that would make you guilty." Kelly lightly brushed the top of Jack's head with her hand. "There's a rather big night on at the club tomorrow night Jack, come as a guest, you and Joe always have a good time and I'll make sure that Luke knows you're back in town, bring your friend with you. If you want, Candace can stay in the flat and keep Damien company."

"Or rip out his throat." Jonathan added.

"Yeah, sure." Jack just nodded; part of her couldn't believe that she had blown her secret in one simple conversation. Kelly turned her wheelchair around and looked up at her husband.

"You ready to go?"

Kelly nodded. "I think Jack might have some explaining to do."