Author's note: Hello there! Just a head's up: there isn't a whole lot of action in this chapter. Sorry if you're left twiddling your thumbs, but this chapter is necessary for character and the story, so…you'll have to live with the filler, haha. ;D For those of you who want to know more about Jyil, here you go! (And Becks, if you're reading, I'm dying to know what you thought about everything!! Leave a long review for me, Luv. Ha ha XD) Until next time! ~Hilts.

"I want half."

Razer's laugh was a loud staccato sound that echoed slightly through the empty Dirt Stadium. Moonlight illuminated the mounds of soil churned up by several warring drivers, and glittered dully across the piles of scrap metal scattered throughout. Jyil scowled as the laughter faded away.

"Do you really think you're in the proper position to ask for half of my profit?"

She crossed her arms. Still frowning at him from her perch on a stack of old tires, she remained silent. Her gaze bored into him and his smile faded away. Razer looked at her critically for a moment, as if thinking. Jyil rolled her eyes to express her annoyance and he finally spoke.

"You did dispose of 86…but that hardly accounts for something as steep as your request."

Jyil snorted. She shook her head, moving to place the Blunderbuss weapon across her lap, tapping her hands nonchalantly across the barrel. Razer noticed this and pursed his lips.

"Please, reconsider," said Jyil.

He smirked at her, ignoring the warning stare he received. The thin banners hanging above them scratched against the walkway in the silence that followed. Dim blue light from the overpass made their skin look pale and cast angular shadows across their faces. Razer could see the exhaustion in Jyil's eyes, but knew he couldn't rule out the fact she wouldn't be able kill him.

"If you plan to pull the trigger, go ahead and try it. In the end, you and I are not so different."

"That's not true," Jyil snapped.

Razer arched an eyebrow. "Really? Correct me if I'm wrong, but a few hours ago, were you not trying to kill me for a substantial bounty?"

She fell silent once again, avoiding his eyes. He noticed she actually looked vulnerable, sitting there with her legs kicking against the old tires like a child. Razer walked closer, his boots cracking across the brittle scraps of car parts that littered the stadium. Jyil grimaced for one reason or another, no doubt from the fresh bruises on her ankle or the wound on her thigh. It looked like she was hiding something; that she refused to say something, but Razer let the moment pass. He buried his hands in his pockets as he spoke.

"I don't give a damn about the hype or the preseason races. It means nothing if you can't handle the real deal." Razer leaned against the line of old tires, looking up at the tattered banners snapping in the breeze.

"If there's one thing I can't stand about this sport, it's rookies who think they know everything."

Jyil straightened up where she sat, the fire returning to her eyes. She glared up at him, her grip tightening instinctively on the weapon lying across her knees.

"I'm no rookie," she warned him, "I've been racing since sixteen and I've been trying to get into the franchise for nearly eight years. I know what the hell I'm doing!"

The ex-racer snorted a laugh. "I'll believe it when I see it."

He pretended not to notice the loathsome look she shot him and continued, leaning off the tires to walk around her in a lazy circle.

"The first race of the season is always important- it will set the tone for the rest of the year. One cannot afford to lose it." He paused, watching as a small cloud of dust floated across the barren stadium.

"As you know, Krew and I are no strangers to betting on this sort of thing; since no one has been impressive thus far, you, Jyil, are just as likely to win as anyone else."

"Does that mean you think I have a chance?" Jyil asked, moodily.

Razer frowned curiously at her. "I said nothing about a good chance. If you want anything from me, you'll have to convince me otherwise. Until then, you get nothing."

He watched as she turned the possibilities over in her mind, her eyes jumping from one thing to another as she processed his words. Jyil suddenly spun to face him, her hair whirling out around her. She fixed him with a threatening stare and he raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"I don't have to prove anything to you. You're the one who has something to lose."

"Really now? Care to explain yourself?"

His mocking tone made her ears burn.

"It's about what I have to offer," she told him, seething.

Razer chuckled. Jyil slid from the stack of tires, palming the Blunderbuss in order to make him respond all the more faster. He took a step back, clearing his throat; an exhausted woman-particularly a woman like this- was not to be toyed with. He growled an annoyed sigh.

"What you could you possibly offer to me?" Razer questioned.

Jyil smiled slightly. "Immunity."

"What?"

"You heard me- lawful immunity, from here, to Haven, to Spargus- you name it."

Razer stared at her a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. He laughed again and Jyil clenched her jaw.

"And how might you do that, my dear? Seeing as how Krew's thrown you to the wolves?"

"I know people who can pull a few strings. That's all it takes," Jyil replied through her teeth, "And the Eco Pirates;" she held up the Blunderbuss for emphasis, "They always keep their end of the deal. You want something from any one of those cities, I can get it for you. That is my offer. Take it or leave it."

Razer narrowed his eyes threateningly, though he seemed to be thinking it over. Jyil leaned back against the tires casually, waiting. He finally spoke, his voice devoid of all sarcastic tones.

"I don't trust you. And of course, you don't trust me. Nevertheless, seeing as how we now face a common threat, I'm willing to propose a compromise."

Jyil sneered at him, walking closer. He could see her fingers tensing along the Blunderbuss as she went.

"Let's hear it."

Razer sighed, clearly almost as tired as she was, though he didn't show it.

"One-fifth. That's the amount of my winnings you shall receive." Before she could protest, he continued. "You will be granted protection in exchange for your end of the deal."

Jyil regarded him cautiously, hating the smirk that stretched across his face. He spread his arms and she breathed a small sigh. They stared at each other for a moment before she spoke.

"Alright. I'm in. But when this is over, we go our separate ways. And Krew better be gone." She stood up on her tip-toes and leaned forward slightly, so her eyes were level with his. "Understand?"

Razer's smirk broadened into a grin. "Certainly. It's just business, after all."

He held out his hand. Jyil gripped it tight, squeezing her bloodied, grimy palm to his. She nodded slightly.

"It's a deal then, Razer."

His hand slipped from hers and he laughed, tilting his head.

"I look forward to working with you. In two days, come down to the racing garage for your first team meeting. We'll have plenty to discuss by then."

"I'll be there," Jyil said.

She turned to head for the exit, her shoes crunching over rocks and gravel. Her whole body was screaming for sleep, her wounds and bruises throbbing dully with pain. She craved for something hot to drink and a shower of equal temperature. A whistle stopped her halfway in her journey and she spun back around clumsily on her heels. Razer dug into his pocket and tossed her something, which she snatched up in her palm. She narrowed her eyes- it was a key.

"I mentioned protection- that'll get you started. It's to the penthouse suite at the Bayside Hotel in the East part of town," Razer explained, "Since you're now the most wanted person in Kras…I figure you have to start acting like it."

Jyil turned the gold-colored key over in her fingers and laughed the first real laugh she'd allowed herself in days.

"The sooner the better," added the ex-racer.

"I don't know what to say," Jyil admitted, "I've got a long way to go before I start buying luxury suites."

Razer actually smiled at her.

"You work for me now. Consider that progress."

*******

She staggered up the rickety front porch and knocked on the door, wincing at the pains that were now shooting through her body. Fighting exhaustion and collapse, she'd walked several more miles to a place that was not only familiar to her, but now carried a special quality that she'd never noticed before.

It was the greatest feeling in the world, to go back home.

The door finally creaked open to reveal the worried face of her older sister. Jyil smiled and the woman's eyes widened.

"Sorry I'm late, Maddy."

She fell forward and clamped her sister in a hug as they stepped inside the comfortingly warm house. Maddy's grip was tight around her as they swayed around slightly in each other's arms.

"It's almost one-thirty in the morning! What the hell took so long?!" Maddy hissed.

Jyil pulled away from her, teetering slightly on her heels before stumbling into the living room. Maddy followed worriedly, her white and red sundress floating out behind her as she went.

"There were some…complications," Jyil finally told her, catching the doorway to keep her balance.

"Complications?!" Maddy echoed, "You look terrible! I hardly thought work gave you this much trouble!!"

Jyil laughed humorlessly, slowly blinking through her drowsiness. Her sister gently grabbed her arm and attempted to steer her toward the kitchen, the worried expression now mixed with slight anger.

"Well, I had to work a little over-time, that's all."

Maddy shook her head, pressing a palm to Jyil's cheek to wipe away dirt and sweat. She was still directing her toward the kitchen door, quickly inspecting for any wounds and clicked her tongue after finding several bruises along her arms. Jyil had begun to push open the swinging kitchen door, but a sudden blur ran up to her and something seized her around the waist. She gasped slightly, nearly falling over.

"Aunt Jyil! You're home!"

The voice was so familiar and made relieved tears well up in her eyes. She smiled softly, sinking down to fully bring the little boy into her arms. He grinned at her excitedly, bright brown eyes shining up at her.

"Hello, Charley, my sweetheart. I missed you so much!"

If her voice sounded hoarse and barely recognizable, the boy took no notice. He hugged her tighter, saying,

"I missed you, too! We haven't seen you in forever!"

Jyil studied him for a moment, tousling his thick sandy hair. Tears stung dully behind her eyes, but she smiled through it, cupping her youngest nephew's cheeks in her hands.

"I know, honey. I'm sorry."

The six-year-old grinned. "It's okay. I'm just happy to see you!"

Jyil fell to a sitting position and Charley scrambled into her lap, his little arms still wrapped tightly around her. She sniffed and pressed a kiss to his head, rocking him back and forth. Maddy stepped forward to watch them, one hand unconsciously settling on her slightly protruding belly. Jyil glanced up at her and she smiled.

"I told them they could stay up until you came home, but you were so late…"

Charley finally loosened his grip around her, and Jyil tousled his hair, smiling down at him in relief. She never thought she'd be this happy to see his face, to embrace him and hear his voice again.

"Why don't you go back to bed, kiddo?" Jyil whispered to him, "I'll make breakfast tomorrow when you wake up."

"Okay." Charley beamed and clamped her in another hug. "G'night, Aunt Jyil," he whispered in reply.

He kissed her on the cheek, then scuttled to his feet to hug Maddy as gently as he could, seeing as how he was so careful around her now that she was pregnant.

"'Night, Aunt Maddy," he said.

She giggled quietly as he spun around to trudge up the stairs to the guest room, his bangs flipping up over his head as he went. Jyil rose to a standing position, wincing from the effort. She leaned against the wall for support as Maddy said,

"They were so excited to see you. Even Oskar was- you know he cares the most."

Jyil limped over to the sofa, where her fourteen-year-old nephew lay sound asleep, a blanket draped over him. He was sprawled out comfortably, his arm hanging to the floor and his legs slung over the arm rest. She smiled at him, leaning down to lift the bangs from his forehead and plant a kiss there.

"Yes, I know. He's just too embarrassed to admit it."

Jyil gently ran her fingers through his hair, feeling the tears surge once again. She pulled the blanket tighter around him, trying to ignore the fact her fingers were trembling.

"Come on, Jyil," Maddy said, "Time for a doctor's visit."

She smirked, wincing at the pain in her leg as she walked past her sister to head into the kitchen. A pot was steaming on the stove and two mugs waited with tea packets inside. Maddy poured the hot water in each of them, and handed one to her. Jyil held it fiercely in her hands, so relieved to have something warm to drink. Maddy rapped her knuckles on the counter.

"Sit," she ordered.

Jyil complied, grimacing at the pain. Carefully, Maddy unwrapped the makeshift bandage around her leg and inspected the gash. She frowned thoughtfully, reaching into one of the cabinets under the sink for a First-Aid kit.

"How's it look, Doc?" Jyil quipped, drinking her tea.

Maddy raised her eyebrows. "So this was the 'complication', huh? Someone wasn't paying attention."

Jyil scowled but said nothing, enjoying the soothing taste of the tea instead. She tensed as Maddy pressed a gauze strip doused in disinfectant against the wound, crying out. Her sister kept the strip firmly in place, shaking her head.

"You have some nasty bruises, too," she observed.

"Yeah, I have bruises. You should consider me lucky that's all I have."

Maddy fished for a needle and thread, smirking. "Looks like he got you pretty good. So he really was worth all that money, I take it?"

Jyil squeezed her eyes shut as her sister began stitching up the gash, taking another sip of tea to take her mind off the pain. She hissed and punched the counter as the needle pulled at her skin.

"Every penny," was the terse reply.

Maddy paused their conversation to stitch for a few minutes, several strands of hair falling from her ponytail as she worked. Jyil sighed shakily, leaning her head back against the cabinets. Soon, her wound was treated and she felt as though she could fall asleep at any second. Maddy's voice brought her back to reality.

"What happened, Jyil? There's something you're not telling me."

She looked over at her sister, watching her for a moment as she cleaned her hands in the sink. Maddy looked up at her expectantly, her sapphire eyes locking with Jyil's amber ones.

"You've told me everything since you were a kid, always. You probably told Dana stuff too, but it was always me you came to. Whatever you aren't telling me, I've heard worse. After your little sister tells you she's an assassin you can pretty much roll with anything."

Jyil laughed in spite of herself. She reached out and gently laid her hand on Maddy's midriff, still slightly smiling.

"Don't get too worked up, okay? For her sake."

"Just tell me what's going on," Maddy said evenly, settling her hand over Jyil's dirty one.

She took in a breath. "I didn't kill Razer. Couldn't do it."

Jyil watched as her sister's eyes grew wide and let her hand slide from her belly, shaking her head. Tears burned again as Maddy said,

"Are you…are you serious?!"

"…Yeah."

Jyil grimaced as Maddy made a throwaway gesture, taking a few steps back and covering her face with her fingers. She laughed once, not knowing what else to do. Jyil watched tearfully as she leaned against the counter beside her, whispering something under her breath.

"I couldn't kill him, Maddy. I let him go."

"Well of course you couldn't do it! You had an attack of the conscience and decided to let him keep his wicked life, am I right?!"

Jyil's ears burned at hearing her sister's sarcasm. Her voice was louder than Jyil would have liked, and her eyes flitted to the doorway, where she knew Oskar still slept on the couch. Her vision blurred with more tears and she forced herself to look at her shoes, hating the way she felt. It was as though they were children again, and Jyil had stolen Maddy's clothes without permission like she did so many times before. The latter fought to keep her voice low, practically glaring at her little sister. Jyil finally looked up at her, angry now.

"You're seriously mad at me? You can't underst-"

Maddy stormed out of the second doorway leading into the dining room, her dress snapping slightly as she went. Jyil was left to stare into space, her mouth hanging open stupidly after being interrupted. Maddy reappeared seconds later with a familiar folder spread open in her hands, rifling through the papers inside. Jyil's eyes widened and she jumped off the counter after her. Pain shot up the length of her leg, causing her to bite her knuckles to stifle a scream.

"Maddy, give that to me," Jyil managed to groan.

She turned to keep away from her, the auburn ponytail striking her across the cheek. Several pictures fell from the folder and fluttered to the blue and white tiles. Maddy prodded the papers angrily and hissed,

"Three counts of grand theft auto, street racing, robbery, assault, assault with a deadly weapon, illegal gambling-"

"Maddy, give it to me!"

"- possession of illegal weapons, attempted murder, murder-"

"Maddy!"

She snapped the folder shut and threw it on the counter, clattering the sugar, salt and pepper shakers. Jyil flinched.

"What more does that bastard have to get away with?!" Maddy exclaimed. Even with a hushed voice, she still seemed threatening. "We aren't teenagers anymore, Jyil. Razer is not who we used to think he was! He is not a hero- he is a murderer!"

Jyil could feel the tears slipping down her cheeks to drip from her chin. She shook her head slowly, gazing up at her sister almost pleadingly.

"…So am I," she whispered.

Maddy's expression softened instantly. She sighed. "You're better than he is. The people you…take care of…are terrible people. You're protecting others by doing that- he kills anyone who gets in his way. For no reason."

Jyil laughed a sardonic laugh, stamping her foot on the floor. She looked to the ceiling, at the dim overhead light splattered with old food stains. Droplets ran at odd angles down her face as she grabbed fistfuls of her tangled, damp hair.

"Don't lie to me, Maddy. I can't stand it. Don't defend what I do; you may still love me in spite of everything, but Dana won't. And neither will Dad."

"That's why this was the last time," Maddy said softly, "The money would have been everything you needed to quit the job and still race for Rayn."

Jyil closed her eyes, sinking back into her place on the counter. Her foot caught on one of the pictures as she went and it caught the light. Maddy gazed back at her with sympathetic eyes. The younger of the two pressed her palms to her forehead and whimpered slightly.

"No, it wouldn't. I was going to give that money to you, Oskar and Charley. To keep them in school, to pay for your hospital bills, for everything."

Jyil paused to suck in a breath as Maddy walked back up to her. She straightened up and continued.

"So, I dipped into Rayn's funds a bit. It was enough to support me for a year until I started winning races, or if she decided to fire me. And…if the worst happened, the money would go to you and Dana."

Maddy gasped softly. "Jyil, she could kill you if she finds out!!"

"She did. And she tried."

Jyil painfully lifted her other leg and rolled down the leather of her shoe to reveal the large, bluish purple bruises that shined dully around her ankle. Maddy let out a sharp gasp this time.

"She sent Bowie and UR-86 to do the honors. That fucking robot grabbed me and threw me around like a ragdoll." Jyil gazed up at her sister and smiled slightly. "Razer saved my life. I don't think he meant to at all, but he did…and now, long story short, I work for him."

Maddy looked torn between shouting, whispering and crying all at once. Jyil winced for the umpteenth time, reaching out to grasp her hand reassuringly. She barely allowed her this action, looking at her strangely.

"Oh, my God…you shouldn't have come to the house!!"

"I had to see the kids, Maddy."

The other woman pressed her hands to her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I had to see them- I can't stress that enough. I almost died tonight," Jyil told her, voice quavering. "I thought I would never see you or them ever again. I accepted his offer because I wanted to at least see them again; can you understand that?"

Maddy nodded, holding back tears of her own. She ran a hand through her hair, sniffling. Jyil slid carefully off the counter again and closed her in a gentle embrace. They held each other for a few minutes, listening to the grandfather clock tick loudly from the living room.

"What if she comes after you again?" Maddy whispered.

"…He promised me protection."

"You can't rely on that, and you know it."

Jyil pulled away from her, running her hand up and down her arm soothingly. Maddy sniffed, trying to keep her mascara from smearing. She regarded her little sister seriously for a moment before she spoke.

"We aren't kids anymore, Jyil. This isn't like sneaking out after dark to go watch him race. This is real. Razer is not that hero we used to put up on such a great pedestal. I hope you know that."

"… I do."

Maddy sighed. "And doing all of this for me, and the kids…you don't have to."

Jyil stepped away from her, moving to pick up the pictures on the floor. She nodded.

"Yes, I have to."

The two sisters talked for a few more minutes, before Maddy decided she would head to off to bed. She left Jyil alone, who had gone to sit at the dinner table turning the pictures over in her hands. He looked so happy in one of older images of him as a teen, dressed in ratty clothes with a wrench in hand, perched atop his car and laughing at a friend standing beside him. It almost fascinating to her, to get a small glimpse into his life, particularly to see him at such a young age. She flipped to the next one; him again at sixteen, caught in a triumphant laugh after catching a redheaded boy in a headlock. Print on the back read, property of the Krimzon Guard, and she frowned curiously. According to his file, he'd lived in Haven City for quite awhile before moving to Kras at the age of 11; she wondered why the Krimzon Guard had once owned this picture.

With a small sigh, she dug her spoon yet again into the tub of ice-cream she'd brought from the freezer, closing her eyes as the familiar, calming taste spread across her tongue. It had always been comfort food, and tonight was no exception. The floorboards suddenly creaked off to her right and she gave a start, turning sharply to face Oskar. He smiled at her sheepishly.

"Hi," he said.

Jyil hurriedly brushed the papers back into the folder as he walked closer to her, his hands in the pockets of his raggedy jeans.

"Hi, kiddo. Did I wake you up?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "No, I noticed the light was on out here. I wanted to see you, I guess."

Jyil smiled as the teen sank into the chair across from her, tapping her fingers on the folder absently. Oskar returned the gesture, crossing his thin arms over the table. His short greenish-blue hair was in disarray and he may have grown a few inches since she'd last seen him, but he was still the boy she remembered.

"I missed you," he said.

"You aren't embarrassed to say it?" Jyil asked him with a wry smile.

Oskar yawned, shaking his head. He propped up one elbow and cupped his chin heavily in his hand, watching as his aunt ate another spoonful of ice-cream.

"Nope. I don't care what anyone says. I haven't seen you in a month."

Jyil sighed, swallowing the desert sloppily. "I was away on business. Haven City can be really difficult to…work in."

Oskar nodded again, rubbing his eye. He frowned slightly, reaching for something on the table. Jyil's eyes widened and she would have said something had there not been a large mound of ice-cream in her mouth. The teen took one of the glossy photos she'd failed to put away in his hand and inspected it, one eyebrow arched. He laughed.

"What's this for, Aunt Jyil?"

He flicked it over and Razer's smirking face greeted her from the image. She growled slightly. Oskar laughed again.

"So you do still have a crush on him! Mom found one of your notebooks the other day, and I read some of it. Pretty funny stuff."

Jyil snatched the picture from his fingers and stuffed it away. Silently, she was horrified at what Oskar could have read in one of her old diaries, which were filled with tales of angst, unrequited love, gushing and her scribbled drawings of cars and car parts.

"Oh, joy. Well, I was actually going to give you one of those, but that wasn't the one I had in mind," Jyil grumbled. "And it wasn't a crush, Oskar. He was someone I admired, that's all."

Her nephew snorted. "That's not what I read."

Jyil was at once defensive, pointing at him threateningly with the ice-cream spoon. She couldn't help the smile creeping across her lips, however.

"You took it out of context," she told him, simply.

Oskar shook his head, a wide grin across his face. Jyil could see the holes in his well-loved Grand Prix t-shirt at that moment and made a note to buy him some new clothes soon.

"I don't think so. When you started talking about his hair I nearly lost it! 'How does he get it like that? It's so perfect.' Those were your exact words!"

Jyil felt her cheeks reddening, flicking ice-cream at him to stop the embarrassing memories from resurfacing. Oskar snickered, wiping the chocolate from his nose. His aunt smiled at him and winked. She had almost forgotten what his laugh sounded like; it was uplifting to hear.

"I did like to read them, though. When you weren't blubbering about him, you actually had some cool stuff to say. Some of it….I dunno…it was like you're talking about how I feel now." Oskar made a face and shrugged. "I know that sounds stupid, but…yeah."

The fell into a comfortable silence. Jyil smiled at him again, watching as he fiddled with the makeshift necklace she'd made for him: a key on the end of a dog tag chain. It belonged to an old combat racer they were restoring together. Oskar loved racing almost as much as she did; her sister would joke he was really the kid Jyil was meant to have in the future. There were times when he'd felt like her child, particularly when he had been a baby and Dana hadn't been able to take care of him as often as she would've liked. Jyil and Oskar were like spiritual mother and son, and often they could finish each other's sentences.

She handed the ice-cream spoon to him and he took it gratefully, leaning forward to scoop out a large mound.

"Can you keep a secret, grease monkey?" Jyil asked him.

Oskar nodded, cheeks stuffed with melting goop. She giggled

"…I'm going to race for Razer's team this year, not Rayn's."

He almost spat everything over the table, his eyes bugging out in shock. Jyil made a face of disgust, half-laughing as she handed him a napkin.

"You're kidding me!" Oskar gasped.

Jyil shook her head. "No, I'm not. But you can't go telling everyone, alright? It only just happened and I don't need the extra attention."

Oskar gripped his hair excitedly in his fists. "Aw, I have to tell someone!"

"No, you can't tell a soul. No one. Understand?"

Her nephew let out a dramatic sigh, sinking back down into his seat. Jyil raised her eyebrows.

"Alright, alright. I won't say a word. Don't give me that look."

Jyil smiled. "Good boy."

The two shared the tub of ice-cream in contented silence before Oskar yawned terribly. Jyil managed to convince him to go to bed, in spite of how excited he was. At the bottom of the stairs, he brought her into a fierce hug, grinning.

"I'm really glad you're home, Aunt Jyil," he said.

She couldn't stop tears from welling up and held him tighter, kissing the top of his head.

"I am, too, sweetheart. Believe me…"