It was one of those rare mornings he stayed in bed with her. There was no predicting it, so Nicola just enjoyed it. Waking with his arms around her, her nose heavy with his male scent, made her feel protected.

She luxuriated in his warmth, snuggling against the hard contours of his body. His arm strayed to her belly as he kissed the back of her neck. She smiled to herself.

"I can feel you thinking," she muttered. He grunted, fingers stroking lazily. "The baby?" She asked. Riddick sighed, scraping a rough cheek along hers briefly. "Nothing's wrong?"

"Nah," he said as he kissed her neck again. "Just thinking what you'll call him." Nicola laughed lightly.

"Oh, so it's not a forgone conclusion this time? You haven't decided for me?" She turned in his arms, meeting his somewhat chagrined expression. She kissed him to stifle the giggle, seeing Riddick vexed and open like this was an unusual treat, she shouldn't discourage it. Her hand went to his face, trying to soften the guard she watched veil his silver eyes. "Oh love, I don't know... maybe Junior?"

Riddick made a noise and rolled his eyes, catching her hand against his cheek. "Uh, no. Kid doesn't need to be reminded who his father is on a daily basis." Nicola frowned, pulling back a bit.

"Why not? I think it's a fine name. It's not like he'd be saddled with something effeminate or strange, Richard B. Riddick Jr. has a nice ring to it." He snorted again.

"I don't need the competition."

"What exactly does the "B" stand for anyway?" She narrowed her eyes. He smirked

"You've known me how long, and you've never asked?" Nicola smacked his arm.

"Like you know my middle name..."

"It's Ashland. Your mother's maiden name." He chuckled at her raised eyebrow. "Hey, I pay attention to the files."

"So do I," she muttered in a mock pout. "None of them list your full name. For all I know it is something made up, like 'Badass.'" She thrilled at the deep baritone laughter that reverberated from his body to hers. He squeezed her tightly, then kissed her nose.

"Tell you what, you guess it, you can name the kid Junior. Otherwise, you gotta find something else. And I have veto." Nicola chewed her lip.

"Fine. How long do I get?"

"Dunno, maybe a week?"

"Solar or seven days?" Riddick looked at her slyly, lips quirking as he rolled her underneath him.

"Huh, I think our agreement was always on seven, no?"

"Deal," she muttered, sealing it with a kiss.


"Beauregard?" Riddick shook his head, not even looking up from the whetting stoned he was dampening. Jack sat across the table from him, kneeling in the chair, face in her hands as she watched in rapt admiration.

"See, you use water on it. Can't always get oil, so stay away from oil stones. Can't always get a good stone either, but it's best to stick with simplistics. Less chance you'll fuck up." He poured more water on the stone, rubbed it and held it up.

"Don't swear at her," Nicola said absently, checking the list in her hand. He ignored her.

"You want your whet stone flat if you can help it. Wet it down and go grind it on the concrete. This isn't kitchen-chef shit." He held it parallel with the little girl's vision. She met his eyes across it and nodded.

"Bellarmine?" Riddick flicked his gaze to her. Set down the stone.

"No. Now you look at this," He held an 8" carving knife he'd pulled from kitchen, blade up. "Watch the shine along the edge. Watch for sparks to catch the light." He twisted his wrist minutely. Jacqueline's eyes sparkled. She nodded again.

"I saw it!"

"You shouldn't." His tone was muted, disgusted. "If it was sharp. No burr. It's dull if you can see that. Won't cut right." Nicola frowned at him, then rolled her eyes.

"Batholomew? Burton?"

"Double no. You can also check against your thumbnail," he lowered the knife and gently slid the blade across the nail bed. It slid easily, leaving no mark. "If it catches, it's sharp. If it slides like this, it needs work."

"Don't show her that! She's too young to do anything but cut her thumb off!"

"I will not!" Jack yelled indignantly, jumping on the chair. Riddick growled, his eyes narrowed.

"She knows not to touch anything unless I'm around." Even Jack sat down at that deep tone, quiet and cowed. He looked at Nicola, "Satisfied?"

"No. You shouldn't teach her..."

"To play with knives? I don't play, baby. You know that. I'm teaching her respect. Making shivs is what I'm good at. And she wants to know. Good life skills. 'Specially if we're thinkin' of goin' to..."

"Hush," she gave him a look. A 'not in front of the child' look. Jack saw it, opened her mouth.

"Going where?"

"Nothing dear. Listen to your father, if he insists on showing you this..." She made a dismissive gesture with her hands. Jack looked between them, her lips curling in a pout. Riddick held up the whetting stone again, distracting her.

"This is nice. If you have it. Not likely going to in a slam..."

"Where you're never setting foot..." Nicola interjected.

"...or on the go. Whatever. Lots of things you can use to sharpen steel. Bricks are good, any sort of unglazed ceramics - like the bottom of kitchen bowls. You're a girl, a fingernail file will do. I've used the underside of a toilet tank lid..."

"RICHARD!" He actually winced, but grinned at his daughter.

"...You just gotta find something with a beveled edge."

"A what?" Jack cocked her head.

"Rounded. Not square. Something that feels like sandpaper, kid. Grittier the better. You can use that too. Spread it on glass, wet it down, but that's for finer work, touch up, griding down the burr. You want to start with something that feels rougher first." He set the stone down, brought the kitchen knife parallel to it. "When you start, you always sharpen away from your body. Don't ever point the blade at yourself, dull or not. " He flicked a glance at Nicola. See, teaching safety. She pulled a face, but sighed, placated. She went back to her list.

"Blake? Brandt? Byron?" Riddick put down the knife. He snatched the list from her.

"No. Where the hell you come up with these anyway? You already went through a damn baby book on screen last night."

"B.J.?" Jack added. "There's a boy in my class named Benji. We call him B.J."

"Don't help her." He scanned the list."None of these. You're reachin' hon." His eyes stopped.

"What's this? Aiden?" Nicola blushed, grabbing the paper from him.

"Nothing. I was researching etymology. Fire names. Celtic, Scottish, Gaelic. Like your last name. It means 'little fire.'" He looked at her. "Contingency plan." She shrugged.

"Fire? What got you started on that?"

"Don't know. With your history, I tried variations on 'warrior' and 'fury.' Fire seemed to fit."

"You're givin' this way too much thought. But I like Aiden." He met her eyes,soft approval glowing there. Nicola smiled, caught for a moment. Then Jack snorted. That look between them usually meant she got sent to her room or out to play.

"DADDY! Show me!"

"Yeah. OK. Your mom's got another day left to drag 'Beowulf' and 'Baudelaire' out of their literary graves to throw at me."

"You never fail to surprise me," Nicola said, taken aback by the scholarly reference.

"Another thing you do in the slam besides make shivs, honey. Read. Besides, it's a good place to hide your blades, right in the spines, if you can get hardcovers."

"Oh I give up," Nicola threw up her hands. He was determined to drag their daughter down in the mud. She'd leave him to it. She had research to do. She left the room.


Author's note: Sorry to interupt, but my beta reader told me this next section is difficult to follow - because it's dialog with no 'markers'- so, since there are no 'color' markers here, and I can't change fonts, I bolded when Kij is talking... hopefully it's not too distracting, and makes the rapid-fire easier to take.


So Aiden it was. She never did find out. And mutterings of "Rumpelstiltskin" just gave Jack a new favorite bedtime story.

The unmentioned subject over Jack's head had been something simple really, pillow talk, discussing a move to Furya. Nicola was already making preparations to hand off her more pressing duties to vice ministers for a second time, planning to take maternity leave earlier than the ninth month, given how difficult the first birth had been.

She was surprised at how easy it was to let go of some of the decisions, the control she'd so carefully cultivated over the years. That had been more important then, her sole assertion of power and means to success. Motherhood, family - it hadn't completely changed her focus, but dividing her time between temper tantrums in the senate, and temper tantrums at home; or better yet, attempting to understand the motivations of tight-lipped military operatives, or attempting to understand her mate... well, the latter was something she had more control over, and could actually reap some sort of tangible reward.

When Kofie had retired as Prime Minister last year, she'd lost the deep motivation to please her mentor with success. She'd quietly begun grooming two of her vice ministers to take over her seat, as she tired of the political games and shifting climate in the halls of power. She'd been debating for a while taking a less stressful job, something where she could actually spend more time with her child... and a second pregnancy just solidified those inclinations.

Riddick had been making somewhat regular jaunts to Furya, but had stopped when she hit the 16 week mark. Kij had actually come looking for her permission to release him from whatever tight-lipped obligation he wouldn't discuss in abandoning whatever military duties they had relied on him for. None of that made sense to Nicola, but sitting down with her friend over turcay, they managed to untangle the mess of non communication that was Riddick's thought process.

"He thinks something will happen while he's gone. He still hasn't forgiven himself for last time."

"It's not like I can't set up a communication relay, it's not the goddamn dark ages," Kij snorted.

"You know as well as I, he never asks for anything," Nicola gave her friend a look. "Isn't used to communicating anyway. Never mind that the doctors and you know enough to not leave me unchecked for 24 hours."

"How are you doing, hon?"

"Fine. Better. Worse. Perhaps because it's a boy. I'm tired, can't sleep, too warm all the time. Goddamn kid is like his father, hotter than a furnace. My body's trying to keep him warm; hell on me. Never mind daddy has this predatorial need to make sure I'm safe and won't stay on his own damn side of the bed." She made a face.

"You want me to lock him up? Assault of a political official?"

"Oh please. He'd be more than happy to tell you it was my assault on him that got me this way." Kij snickered.

"I offered. But seriously, he's the best scout we have for the field research teams. Damn zeno-archaeologists keep pushing the boundaries of the settlements. I don't feel safe letting them run lose until he and a team have cleared the perimeter of some of the native wildlife. For a 'dead' planet, they've managed to grow some pretty nasty predators. He's also surprisingly good at keeping the geologists away from underground lava vents that don't show up on the readouts. There may be a reason a lot of that mineral wealth wasn't tapped before. We may have to scrap the whole mining plan. The thermodynamic balance of that rock is pretty volatile, the astronomers are still butting heads with geologists over how much of that 'wobbly orbit' legend may be true. Your boy seems to have a pretty creepy sixth sense about how the land may or may not lay. Though he's still perfectly happy to sit back and watch them burn if they ignore him."

"Oh, just add that to his file of creepy voodoo shit." Nicola rolled her eyes. "I never approve of him letting people suffer, but that he bothers to mention it at all to people who annoy him, says a lot."

"No, what says a lot is that he's actually taken me up on his first rights military land grant. He's got a lot more coming, but he actually sat down with the settlement planners, got some areas marked as off-limits for the time being, traded his 'native survivor' inter-stellar reserve rights for agreements from the settlement government committee to suspend those areas from colonization and farming." Nicola set down her turcay cup, spread her hands on the table.

"You have that look, " Kij continued, reaching for her hand. "Another 'he doesn't tell me shit' look."

"No... yes." She sighed. "He never speaks in complete sentences... complete thoughts I mean. We'd talked about maybe relocating there... sometime in the future. And there are things he's told me, about the planet... but..." she shook her head. She had a lot to think about.

"It's fine. I'm not trying to pry into your private life. I just wanted to know why after all this... forward momentum he suddenly withdrew from active duty. He has the right, technically he's still an advisor...just seemed strange, even for him." Nicola smiled wanly at her friend.

"Yup. Well, if everyone, including me, wasn't confused, he wouldn't be Riddick." Kij laughed. Patted her hand again.

"Well, as long as you two are fine, I don't care. I'm happy to let him stay home and fuss over you."

"Kij!"

"Oh come on. Like it's not even a little romantic that he's gotten a house and 20 acres set up for you and the little ones on his home turf? Right next to Ziza and her new husband?"

"WHAT?!"

"Oops. Didn't mean to spoil it. I just didn't know, um, like if it was some personal space for him and ... nevermind. "

"Oh whatever. I'd find out it was ours a year after we moved in. He. Doesn't. Talk."

"Fine. How about we talk about you again? Safer territory. "

"Me? Like what?"

"Like the rumors around the office, that you're not coming back after this kid."

"Huh. Didn't know it was front page already."

"You're giving up a lot pretty early on. And you're not even checking on what Kuron and Pitcher are doing anymore. Stuff that might matter - if you were coming back."She smiled wickedly. "So can I unofficially interest you for a few posts on Furya?"

"Kij!"

"What? I know you're not gonna sit at home and do nothing but raise the children while your *snerk* man is out earning a living." Nicola reached across the table and smacked her arm. "Yipe! Besides, you know they're gonna kick you out of here as soon as they appoint someone to your place."

"I hadn't considered it really. "

"Well, you'll be taken care of on stipend by the RG project for the kids, obviously, military housing will be provided, but these are the Defense Minister's apartments. Not even appointing Riddick Ambassador General of Furya is gonna keep this place."

"Alpha..." she muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing... just attempting to see Riddick at an Ambassadors and Emissaries meeting. Good lord, the bloodshed if you made him keep dress code..., It's giving me a headache."

"Well fine. But think about it. I could get you in with the provisional government pretty easy. It'd be nice to have an official reason to keep in touch, and someone I could trust."

"I'll think about it... but I'm giving some thought to reworking the translated texts the archaeologists have presented. Some of their words... don't fit. The language doesn't seem right."

"Ha! Your just sick of the whole 'Warlord's Wife' bit."

"Yes, no. I mean, this is going to be the presented history of my... children." Plural. It was still a strange thought. "I think I just have a better grasp of modern language and presentation than some of the translators on the project. Most of it is political language anyway. Publicity, if you will." She shrugged.

"Well, let me know. What fun is being in charge if you can't abuse your power now and then?"

"Kij! That's it. I'm taking a nap now. Take your rumors and politics with you when you go." Kij hugged her briefly and snickered.

"Oh I will, but I'm also comming the big guy and telling him you need someone to keep you warm while you rest."

"Kij!"


The sickness wasn't bad until the eighth month. Yes, Nicola spent way too much time in and out of the hospital, with an IV in her arm pushing fluids, the constant dehydration from what she'd affectionately dubbed the 'Furyan Fever.' But it took it's toll. The doctors predicted he would be a big baby, his growth had him weighing around 5 kg (11 lbs) already. Riddick got used to being cussed out whenever the baby moved, which was a lot. She felt achy and dried out and black and blue on the inside. Mostly she just stayed in bed.

The doctors noticed that she'd developed high blood pressure by the 30th week, and on testing diagnosed her with pre-eclampsia. Dr. Othnhaus tried to explain, there were problems with the placenta, blaming the Furyan biochemistry of the baby warring with her immune system again. They hit her with magnesium sulfate ivs, and steroid injections to help the baby's lungs mature. They wanted to induce labor again, worried about the complications of eclampsia during the birth.

So she was back in the hospital, barely conscious most of the time, but during the 34th week, in the middle of a visit from Jack and her father, Nicola's body surprised them all and started the labor process on its own.

Despite the planning, she still had a seizure and stopped breathing. Aiden Alexander Riddick was delivered by cesarean while his mother slipped into a coma. Riddick called Meddia to take Jack home, since she knew without being told that something was wrong with her mother and had been crying in the waiting room for an hour. It said something that Dr. Othnhaus was flanked by two very large military guards when he came to give Riddick the news another two hours later.

" Lady Cantaglia is stable. The baby, your son, is fine." He refused to meet Riddick's gaze as the big man approached him. His hands twitched nervously."I... she... she's not conscious, we're working..."

"Let me see her." It was not a request. The small man pushed up his glasses, rubbed his hand on his forehead.

"I... she's in a coma. It won't do any good. We can have a nurse take you to the nursery to see your son. He's remarkably well developed considering the premature..."

"Fuck that. I outrank all you sons of bitches," he said as he stared past his goggles at the guards. "I'm going to see Nicola now. So either step aside, or you can explain your injuries to Gen. Houston when they let you out of intensive care." The guards moved back as he pushed the sputtering doctor aside.

He knew where she was, he could always tell when she was close. Even with the overwhelming scent of blood and birth from the surgery, he found the recovery room quickly. The nurse monitoring her vitals paled as he strode into the room, quickly backed away and fled.

She'd looked fragile before the delivery, all dehydrated, pale and feverish. Now, she was just diminished, ghostly, tiny without the bulk of their son balanced in her center. And she looked distinctly blue, or what he'd come to interpret the color as such in his vision. Lack of oxygen in her blood from the seizure. He grabbed her hand, felt how cold and limp she was, as he knelt beside the bed.

"Nicola, baby, don't do this to me..." he raised her palm to his cheek. "You can't leave me like this. The kids, you..." he choked, barely able to breathe. He kissed her fingers, let her hand fall back. He felt the moisture clouding his goggles then.

"Fuck!" he snarled, standing suddenly and ripping them off his head. He paced the 10 ft space, trying to quell the desperation and anger. All he could picture was 15 years ago, Kyra limp in his arms. The last time he'd let himself care, and that didn't even compare to what he felt for this woman, his mate. The fucking universe couldn't have her, she was his. He kicked the cement baseboard, jammed his fist into a metal storage cabinet on the wall. Nothing satisfying to break here, nothing that wouldn't end up hurting her. He stared at her form unmoving in the bed, took a deep breath, leashed the anger. Then he stepped up to the bed, hit his knees beside her again, grabbed her hand.

"Nicola, you get back here right now or I'm going to pack up our kids and take them on a field trip to Hell to bring you back. You're mine and I love you and I'm not doing this family thing without you and Jack with never forgive you and what the fuck do I know about babies and..." He knew he was crying now, which was fucked up and he didn't care.

"Richard... I love you too. Now shut up, you're babbling." Nicola sighed heavily, trying to pull her hand free. She moved weakly. Gods, she hurt. She could barely protest when she suddenly found herself half in his arms. "Quit it. Where's my baby?" Was he... crying?

"Aiden's fine. You were pretty close to checkin' out though."

"Was I?" She didn't remember.

"Yeah, scared me pretty fucking bad for a minute there..."

"You? Nothing scares you." Maybe it was the drugs, but that seemed kind of absurd for Riddick to say.

"Yeah. You did. Fucking love you, babe. You're not allowed to do that again."

"OK. No dying, check. ...can I go back to sleep though?"

"Dunno. Better not till the doctor sees you." He laid her back on the bed gently.

"Can I see our baby then? I miss him." Riddick kissed her, pressed his forehead to hers.

"Yeah, hold on. I'll get the nurse."

She fought to keep her eyes open as his shadow retreated from her view. The last thing she recalled was Jackie climbing on the bed, playing with the IV tube, and then Aiden had kicked her and... Then waking up to hear Riddick say 'I love you' and threatening to take her children to Hell. She still wasn't sure she was awake. Her darling predator ominously vowing to drag her babies with him into the abyss, that she didn't doubt. She'd accused him of that on a regular basis. But he'd said he loved her. Out loud. Twice. Oh well, that was fair. She gave him two kids. Miracles could happen.

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Author's note: Thanks for your patience. The last scene of this chapter really bogged me down. I've actually written well past this... just avoiding the difficulty of making "Big Evil" say those three little words. He's stubborn, after all. Timeline is gonna jump now. Be prepared. I'll have the next chapter up by the end of the week. Thanks for the comments. I'm trying really hard to keep character and action true. Next stop - Furya!

Oh and like all the medical stuff I've written about- eclampsia is real. Women often end up with no memory of the event after a seizure/coma. I'm totally stealing a line from "Hellboy" for the 'coming after her' thing, oh well. It seemed appropriate.