Well, luckiest day of the century – good time for a post...even if it is for the unluckiest chapter! Oh well! My lucks will cancel out and leave me back at square one! Go me!

Disclaimer: The usual

On with the shoe!

This picks up right from where Pass and Davie get back to Bucks to face the music, as it were.

/-/-/-/-/-/

You're in for it now Pass, I thought as Ross came closer. He stopped right in front of us and glared at Davie. They were about the same height, but Ross' body language made it clear that he towered over him in his tough hood way. He glared at me – who he did tower over physically – and I offered him a small smile.

"I thought I told you not to go anywhere."

"I had work," I explained

"And I told you not to go anywhere."

"So you said," Davie offered and I wanted clamp a hand over his mouth

People did not talk to Ross like that. Two-Bit said he hit people just for looking at him wrong. Davie had a nice face; he shouldn't have anyone busting his nose.

"Davie told me I couldn't work like this and I should have listened to you," I said before Ross could act "I'm sorry."

Ross didn't soften at the apology. He just reached for my arm and I let go of Davie to go and stand beside my cousin. I wondered if Davie was expecting a thank you as he stood there. Finally he sighed and sent me a little smile before leaving. That left Ross and I standing in the barroom. I shifted my weight and winced, missing Davie already. Ross growled at me and roughly grabbed my arm. I winced and he eased up a bit but still held on tight enough to let me know I was in trouble.

"C'mon. I was cooking before your boyfriend showed up."

"He's not my boyfriend," I grumbled as he led me into the kitchen "I'm not even sure what a boyfriend is."

"Good," Ross growled "The less trouble you get in while you're here the better."

I glared at Ross' back, wondering when he got so mean and pushy. He was never like this while we were growing up. Still, a lot had happened since we were nine. I shook my head and looked around the kitchen for a distraction. There were dirty pots and pans in the sink and the floor could use a mopping, but aside from that I was impressed with how clean it was. Ross stirred something on the stove and I wrinkled my nose behind his back. It smelled like chili powder and eggs. Regardless of my lack of appreciation for the smell, my stomach mutinously growled approval for food.

"Could have told me you were hungry."

"You weren't around," I replied as he pulled out plates from the cupboard

"I was right down the fucking hall," he cussed, tipping food onto the plates

"And I didn't know that. But we're eating now," I said as he set down the mess of eggs and some kind of meat in front of me and sat down at the island as well

He didn't say anything as he began to eat, washing down odd bites from a bottle of beer that sat beside his plate. I poked at my meal with my fork a few dozen times before jabbing a piece and tasting it. Ross watched me as I tried to pick out what had been so unappealing about this. It actually tasted nice.

"You still hold your fork like you're about to stab someone," he pointed out, shoveling more food into his mouth

I glanced down at where my fist was wrapped around the fork. He held his sideways instead of up and down. Weird. I turned it to match his and found that this made it easier to get under the food. You got more of it on your fork.

"Aunt June wasn't much for table manners." I shrugged

He didn't say anything and I liked that. Two-Bit and Davie had to know everything. He knew everything he needed to. When he needed to know something, I was sure he would let me know. There would be no subtlety about it and I would most likely end up telling him anything he wanted to know just so he wouldn't glare at me like Dad and his dad and Aunt June. I couldn't take that, not from him.

"So, I'm not allowed to go anywhere?"

I wasn't asking because he had already made that abundantly clear. I was trying to make conversation.

"Nope."

"What do you expect me to do all day?"

He glared at me right then, but it was all his glare and not one of our family members'. That made it ok.

"I expect you to stay where you're told, but you already proved you won't do that," he growled "I don't have time to baby sit you."

"I don't need a babysitter," I told him

The two times I had ever had a babysitter were some of the worst experiences of my life. The first one thought it was ok to lock me in a closet until I cried myself out and the second one almost let Marlene drown in the tub then blamed it on me even if I wasn't anywhere near my sister at the time. A babysitter was definitely not necessary.

"Like hell you don't," he replied and I didn't bother to argue with him

We sat in silence for a few minutes while we ate what was on our plates. We were nearly done when someone came into the room. I didn't look up at first, but when I did I was at a total loss.

"Ross?" I asked and he glared at me before looking over at the guy going through the fridge

"For fuck sake, Buck. Put some clothes on," he growled

The scruffy naked man turned towards us and I looked down at my plate with interest. He wasn't wearing a stitch.

"Somethin' wrong, Dally?" he asked "Last time I checked I owned this place, not Dallas Winston. If I want to wander around my place hung over and in my birthday suit, I think I damn well will…"

The guy stopped then because Ross had stood up and looked mean and annoyed at him. I would have stopped, too. I glanced back at Buck – the proprietor – who was now looking like he was thirteen and some tough fifteen year old wanted his lunch money. He backed off a little and held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Now, Dally. I think you make a pretty good point. This can't be good for business and all." He glanced over at me then "And you have a lady friend. Sorry, miss."

Ross glared at me and I looked back down at my plate quickly.

"She's gonna be here for a while. So no more shit. Got me?" Ross growled

I assume the other guy was submissive to that because he didn't say another word and it went back to being the pair of us. I dared to look over at where Ross didn't look like anything had interrupted his breakfast. Now, that was a family trait. They could go from calmly eating to beating the hell out of someone to calmly eating again without giving any sign that they had been interrupted in the first place. I hated that. It was one of the worst traits he could have inherited. It explained his temper, too.

I glanced up when Ross growled and tossed his fork on his empty plate in annoyance.

"I'm going out," he said putting his plates in the sink "Stay here."

"Where are you going?" I asked, feeling uneasy that he was leaving

"Out. If you're not here when I get back, you'll wish it was Dad who found you first."

There was something deadly serious in his eyes, so I nodded and looked back down at my half eaten breakfast. He didn't come back into the kitchen and I assumed he was gone. I sighed after fifteen minutes and found I wasn't hungry anymore. I fiddled with the chunks of egg and meat - Spam maybe? – and waited for a long time.

"Hey, Pass! You sure got Dal pissed and…golly."

I looked up at Two-Bit's stunned look and smiled at him. That reopened my lip and I winced. He dug through his pocket and handed me a handkerchief. Well, he was full of surprises if he was carrying one of those around.

"Thanks," I mumbled around the cloth

"What happened?" he asked seriously and I shrugged

"Got on my uncle's bad side," I replied, "I'll be ok, though."

He didn't say anything and I was worried then. Two-Bit not talking wasn't a good thing. Usually his lips moved, even if he wasn't talking.

"You can eat the rest of that, if you want," I offered nodding at my breakfast "It's cold, but I've never liked to see food go to waste."

"Dally didn't kidnap me from school just so I could come and eat your food," he commented, taking a bite anyways and sliding the plate closer to himself "Did you cook this?" I shook my head and he nodded "Then you won't be offended by the fact I think it tastes horrible."

But he still ate it.

"No, you're here to baby sit me," I explained

"Dal thinks you need a baby sitter?" he asked and I sighed

"My get out of jail free card was permanently revoked for lack of communication."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I went to work when he told me not to go anywhere," I answered "But I came back."

"Well, with Dal it's all or nothing, obviously." Two-Bit smirked "You sure got him in a mood. When he dragged me out of English he was muttering something about indecent exposure and naïve chicks and a lot of other things I didn't catch."

I shrugged. "There was a naked man in here."

Two-Bit laughed around a bite of meat and ended up spitting it on the plate.

"Glory, Pass. Tell me you've seen a naked man before!"

I fidgeted on my stool and finally shook my head. If I had, I didn't remember. Most of the places I slept on the road were not inviting to bare skin and I avoided other people. I suppose I must have seen my dad at some point, but I hadn't seen him – clothes or otherwise – since I was nine. I only knew what he looked like anymore from looking at a worn picture in my duffle once in a while. I missed him something awful, though.

"And Dal was in here with you?" he asked and I nodded "Man, you must be on his good side or somethin'. What's the deal with that?"

"His dad is my guardian," I answered as Two-Bit's eyes widened "He and my father were brothers."

"You and Dal're family?" He asked, squinting at me "Well, I guess I can see it with the hair and the eyes…man, you two act nothin' alike."

I shrugged. I didn't know him well enough to say, but what I did know about him was enough to say. It was complicated. You had to have past experience with the rest of the family to get it.

"So does this mean I can ask Dal what your name is and hell actually know something beyond Passin' Through?"

I rolled my eyes at Two-Bit. "Does this mean he'll tell me what your real name is, too?"

He frowned a bit at that.

"That's a good point. Keith," he said holding his hand out

I looked at it, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do with it until Two-Bit picked up my hand, tactically avoiding the bruises, and held it.

"This is the part where you tell me your name and we shake hands like we've just been introduced for the first time."

"But we already know each other," I pointed out

"Just humor me."

I sighed and nodded "Jocelyn."

"See, that weren't too hard. Jocelyn Winston. Kind of a nice name." he smirked

"I don't go by it."

"That makes two of us." He smirked "Nice to meet you, Jocelyn."

"You too, Keith."

It was short, but hey. More to come.

Any comments at all are welcome and flames accepted

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens