This one takes place the same day that they arrive to
the Valley.

Again, thanks to Toni for the beta. And thanks to
Mari for letting me add a bit to Jasa's history!

*******************************************************
Dancing With The Devil Part Two
by Christina and Marianne

Grace checked the address she'd written down and then
checked her surroundings. Damn! She wasn't sure she
should be doing this. She'd taken Riddick to his
apartment and left him by himself. He could be gone
now for all she knew. When did she learn to trust
him? How could she learn to trust a murderer? If
anyone could help, it would be her teacher. She just
had to track her down. Finally, she found the Lake
View Home and knocked on the door. Feeling the
immortal signature, and as was her talent, Grace knew
she'd found the right place.

Jasa'd just put Emma down for her nap when she sensed
the newcomer. The signature -- while she couldn't say
*who* exactly -- was familiar and when she opened the
door, she smiled widely. "Grace hon!" Seeing the look
in her student's eyes, Jasa's smile turned maternal.
"Come on in and tell me what's up."

Managing a smile, Grace had to admit that it was
wonderful to see a smiling face. "You wouldn't
believe me if I told you. And though I finally took
your advice and moved here, I didn't come alone." It
was then that she saw the little baby lying in the
bassinet. Images of Riddick hurting the baby filled
her mind. "You have a baby," she whispered softly.
"What have I done?"

"I'm glad you came." Confusion filled Jasa's eyes as
she bent to fix Emma's blankets. "Yes, this is Emma.
And what in the name of the Pharaoh are you talking
about?"

"Jase, I'm over 900 years old and up until a month
ago, I've done some pretty stupid things in my life,
but nothing as stupid and reckless as I'm doing now.
I've put every single life in this valley in grave
danger. When I said, I didn't come alone, I didn't
bring a lover, I brought a killer."

"A killer?" Sitting down, Jasa gestured for her friend
to sit with her as images of a few of Sims Valley's
less than stellar residents ran through her mind.
"Explain."

Grace took the offered seat and ran her hand through
her shortened hair. "His name is Richard B. Riddick.
And I've never met a killer like him. He kills for
sport... because he can. He's even admitted to
cannibalism. He escaped from prison and being a
bounty hunter, I took it upon myself to find him.
Only when I did, he had two people with him. People I
thought were his hostages. But they all swear he's
capable now of living with other people in a society."
She paused as she was talking in circles. "They
trusted him with their lives. And I was foolish
enough to trust them."

"Perhaps he has changed," Jasa put forward with a tone
that spoke of experience. "It isn't outside the realm
of possibility, is it?"

Grace shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. I don't
trust him. I honestly think he killed the last bounty
hunter, and maybe another member of the party he was
with. He'll say or do anything and it will be so
convincing that you'll believe him. And then when he
literally stabs you in the back, you'll still not
believe he's doing it to you."

Nodding, Jasa leaned forward. "I've known a few men
like that. And I can tell you, you haven't put anyone
in any more danger than what was already here. There
are men that live in this valley that make your
Riddick look like a harmless kitten." She reached out
to tap her student's nose gently. "If you don't trust
him now, that is fine and probably good. If he was as
dangerous as you say. But here, he can be controlled.
I assure you of that."

Impulsively, Grace reached out and took Jasa's hand.
"I've seen a lot of bad guys in my time. Maybe more
than my fair share. But none as bad as he is... he
was. I'll never forgive myself if he kills someone or
someone's child. I should have just killed him
myself. He's right, I can't trust him." She thought
over her teacher's words and grabbed onto something
she said, "How could he be controlled? Short of
shackling him and putting the horsebit on him again,
how could he be controlled?"

Jasa smiled slowly, letting a bit of the woman she'd
once been show through, and she placed her free hand
over Grace's. "There are ways. Some subtle, some not.
We just have to tailor our methods to him personally."

"He's smart as a whip and just as devious, Jase. He's
not intimidated by anything that I've found. If the
holy man, Imam, hadn't spoken so highly in his favor,
I would have taken him back to prison instead of
bringing him here. You know, the police here won't
intimidate him, no authority will."

"Oh I never said a thing about the police." Jasa
grinned. "And he may find himself out of his league.
There are people in this town, with powers... the
likes of which neither you nor Riddick have ever seen.
I myself have been surprised by a few of them. They'll
help."

That got Grace's attention. "A way to keep him in
line without him realizing it. Cause if for one
second he thought I was controlling him, he'd
retaliate."

"There is a young woman here...A psychologist --
forensic--, and she's a telepath. She may be able
to...plant a few suggestions in his mind. Little
things but checks, things to ensure he plays nice."
Jasa grinned. "Or there are other possibilities we can
explore."

Grace sat back. "I've run myself ragged trying to
find a way to contain him and can't. I should have
known you'd have an idea or two. It's definitely
something to consider. But he'll kill anyone who
messes with him. Believe me."

"Oh she's well protected." Jasa chuckled. "One of us
is one of her charges, as well as a man named
Jinn...he's...well, he's a Jedi Master. I wouldn't get
on his bad side. That man's damn near impossible to
get past."

Grace looked down at her hands. "I so hope you're
right. Like I said, I've met some bad ones, but never
any as bad as this one. Never."

"So have I." Jasa sighed. "I've..." She just stopped
herself from saying 'I've been worse.', instead
altering it to, "I've known much worse."

Grace caught the pause but didn't want to push Jasa.
"I would just hate to put anyone's life at risk." She
stood and started to pace. "Maybe I'm just
overreacting. He's been known to say things just to
get a reaction from you. And maybe he's changing.
Maybe whatever happened to him before I caught him did
start to change him. It's just that I've had to chase
him down on more than one occasion. I've seen him in
action. Those are images I'm afraid to let go of."
She sat down dramatically. "I should have just let
the authorities deal with him."

"Well... we have those... or we could lock him up with
Nick Knight. A local cop, happens to be a vampire. I
have a feeling he'd scare some sense into your little
friend." Jasa reached over and patted her student's
hand. "If not... I'll have a go at him."

Grace looked up in horror. "NO!! You have a child, a
family. Swear to me you'll stay away from him. He
knows how to kill us permanently. Promise me, please!
He's my responsibility, I'll handle him."

"All right, I'll stay away from him, but trust me, he
can't kill us here. Not permanently anyway. Not even
from beheading. I'm not quite sure how it works but
we... reset as it were and our head's put right back
where we left it." Jasa smiled. "We will deal with
him, Grace. Trust me on that."

Sighing heavily, she said, "All this could be for
naught, you know. He could have truly changed. It's
happened before."

"Well then, let's just bide our time and wait and see
what's going on with him." The elder Immortal grinned
slyly. "And if he misbehaves... we'll find someone to
deal with him appropriately."

Grace smiled. "I could tell you a story or two about
him. Took three of us to pin him down one time. Then
two of us had to fight the third cause he wouldn't
share the bounty. Riddick laughed his ass off at us.
I still owe him for that one. The merc he offed last
was the one who tried to cheat us."

"Such a sweetheart," Jasa drawled, reclining back.
"And I can think of a few delightful ways to get even
should you ever need them."

"Jasa, I swear that you are the only person on this
earth or any other that I would admit this to, but the
man has a certain... appeal too." She sighed. That
took more out of her than she thought. She'd caught
herself checking him out at times, and also knew that
he could smell her arousal. The man's senses were
phenomenal. "It doesn't cloud my judgement on him.
At least I don't think."

"Well then, perhaps the way to control him is through
that."

"Just pounce on him!!!" She may be over 900 years
old, but she'd led a very straight forward life. This
was a bit of a shock to her! "Jase, I'm the original
Miss Goodie Two Shoes. Play by the rules, the guilty
must pay. Yet now you're telling me to have relations
with a murderer?"

"Yes, I am." The Egyptian chuckled. "Grace, for
thousands of years, women have been using sex to
control men. Its not the most... straight-laced of
methodology but it does work. If you don't feel
comfortable with the idea however, it is quite all
right. After all, I was raised in a completely
different world than you. And I must say, I've never
been used myself, I did use others that way though."

"Well, I've used sex before. But with a dishonest
man! A killer! A man who could slit my throat even
as I slept beside him." She paused and giggled. "It
could be interesting."

"It could be." Jasa allowed with a nod. "Pleasurable
too, the bad boys are almost always the talented ones,
but it's also a weapon. He'll think he's controlling
you when in actuality you've turned the tables on
*him*."

"Well now I think 900 years of sexual experience could
be put to good use on a man who's spent most of his
life in prison. Bad boys, huh? And why didn't you
tell me about this before. *You* are supposed to be
my teacher." She laughed. Her first honest laugh
since she brought Riddick here.

Laughing, Jasa said, "Well, it never really came up."
Grinning, she shook her head. "I can see it now. The
three S's of Immortality. Swordplay, strategy and
sex."

Beginning to belly laugh, Grace said, "Oh my! And you
would have taken me into the library and made me read
books on it first. Prepare the mind before the body
and all!"

"Books?" Jasa snickered. "Pity they didn't have
Penthouse back then. I'd've made you read *that*
instead."

Grace thought. It had been years since she'd seen a
smutty mag! "And left me to my own devices I'm sure."
She took a look around the house and asked, "Jasa, it
looks like you've found a good life for yourself."

Smiling proudly, Jasa nodded. "I have. Who knew? I've
gone positively domestic."

Grace couldn't help but walk around the house and
investigate. "I've never had the desire, but then,
you know that." She picked up a picture of Jasa and a
handsome man in a leather jacket. Both were holding
the baby she saw earlier. "Who's this?"

Jasa's eyes lit up as she reached out to touch the
picture frame. "Derek Rayne. He lives here with me.
Along with a few others but its Derek... He shares my
life and Emma."

"He's very handsome. A good guy, I'm sure. I think
once I get over this fear that Riddick is going to
kill everyone, I'll be happy here. Of course, with
the way I am, I'll probably attract every bad guy from
here to Christmas."

Jasa grinned. "Not unless you spend a lot of time on
the other side of the river. They have a tendency to
congregate over there."

"I moved Riddick in there and will have to check on
him periodically, which means that I'm going to be
spending time over there."

"Well let me know when... I have a friend who hangs
out over there. A vampire, Nick Knight's daughter
actually. Seren. She's one of the good guys. She'll
watch your back, and of course, I'll go."

Grace sat down the pic. "I appreciate that. But I
never go anywhere unless I'm heavily armed. I figure
one or two will try but when they learn I'm not going
to be easy prey, they may think twice. You know, I
was a bounty hunter for twenty years. Bad guys were
my life. It was the best way I could think to do my
bit for justice."

"Don't we make the pair?" Jasa chuckled. "An ex-cop
and an ex-bounty hunter. And they will think twice, as
long as you avoid some of the Immortals that live over
there." She made a face. "Pitiful brutes."

"Those will be the first I come in contact with then,
I'm sure. I'll just have to stay on top of my skills.
Being in charge of Riddick will make sure I do that.
And we are a pair. Who do you think I got my desire
for justice from?!"

A grin dawned on her teacher's face. "You sure
couldn't have gotten it from me. I'm not exactly the
best of role models."

Grace put down the picture. "When you found me, I was
stealing bread to stay alive. *You* taught me how to
survive the right way, the honest way. I watched you
fight the injustices and found my desire for that came
from you. You were the best kind of role model for
me. I could have so easily ended up like those on the
other side of the river."

A decidedly maternal smile graced Jasa's features and
she reached out to pat her student's cheek gently. "I
didn't do any more than show you what was already
there. But thank you nonetheless."

"I mean it, Jase. And perhaps that's the reason why
I've taken this chance with Riddick. He was never
shown what was already there. I guess I have to try,
even if it does get me killed." The last was said
with a laugh. "But then again, until then, the sex
would be fabulous!"

"Well if you gotta go," Jasa snickered. "Make sure
there's good sex first..."

Grace laughed at that. "You are so right. And now, I
should probably head out. I need to get in touch with
my new employer and try to find a job for Riddick. I
still only have living room furniture in the
townhouse, so that needs to be taken care of as well."

"Well, when you get all of that taken care of, drop by
again! I love having you around!"

Grace took a long look at her teacher and finally
smiled. "It's great to be here. And you know I'll
come by. You won't get rid of me that easily."

The Egyptian snickered. "Like I'd try... wait a
minute... Job? Who're you working for?"

Grace had risen and was starting to head for the door
when she heard the question. "Well, when I came into
town with the rather large criminal, it seems my
abilities to handle him attracted the attention of a
certain young man who runs a personal security
business. He said his name was Nick Boyle..."

"Nick!" Jasa smiled in delight. "He's... well... he's
the closest thing Derek has to a son... And Jennifer's
like another daughter to me. She's his significant
other. You're working with Nick huh..." She winked.
"Let me know what you think of Angel when you meet
him. He consults for Nick sometimes."

An inquizitive look followed that comment. "And just
who exactly is Angel? A co-worker, huh?"

"Angel's a vampire. He stays here sometimes." Jasa
winked. "I serve as a late night snack on occasion."

"Late night snack?! You mean, you let him..." She
just couldn't believe it. "He feeds off of you?!"
She sighed. "I have a lot to learn, huh? I'm working
with a vampire."

Laughing, Jasa nodded. "You are. Relax though, he
doesn't bite unless asked and it feels damn good when
he does." She winked again.

Grace smiled. "Lemme come around to the idea of sex
with an escaped con before I warm up to the idea of
being supper for a vamp. Is he cute?" She giggled.

"Not cute..." The elder Immortal sighed.
"Gorgeous...and all broody too."

"I seem to attract broody like horses attract flies.
But I bet he will make working mids much more
interesting. Oh yes! Thanks for the heads up,
Teach."

"You're quite welcome." Jasa grinned. "You will find
them interesting too."

"I start Monday night. Nick's giving me time to
settle in and settle Riddick in before I start
working. Not only is he cute, but he seems very
understanding."

"Oh he is," Jasa agreed. "A real sweetie that one. And
you'll like working for him! He's a doll."

"After the hell I've seen the past few years, a doll
would be very nice indeed. Remind me that there are
still some good guys out there."

"Oh there are a lot of them!" The petite Egyptian
smiled cheerfully at that. "And many of them live
here!"

Grace sighed. "Hopefully, I'll have time to meet some
of them soon. But I have a feeling that my charge
will take up most of my time. Maybe someday." She
stood again and sighed. "Well, I really should head
out. I'm beat mentally and physically."

"If he gets too much for you, we'll drop him at say...
Seren's for a night and we'll find you a nice guy to
keep some time with." Jasa's voice was quiet and firm.
"Understood?"

Grace gave a small mock salute. "Yes, ma'am. And the
next time I come over, you better have that baby's
father around so I can meet him. I don't think I've
ever seen you so happy. You deserve it more than
anyone I know."

"I'll call him if he's not here," Jasa answered with
an even more brilliant smile. "And I don't deserve him
but I'm glad the gods blessed me with him."

"Well, I would debate that, but you are too darn
stubborn," she softened that statement with a laugh.
Quickly, she gave her teacher and friend a hug.
"Thank you, Jase, for everything."

"You got that hon and anytime sweetie." The elder
Immortal's smile was maternal as she patted her
student's cheek. "Don't you dare be a stranger, got
it?"

"I promise," she said as she walked out the door. She
looked around and checked her surroundings as was her
habit. Before heading down the sidewalk, she waved to
her teacher, feeling much better after their talk.

After waving, Jasa stepped inside and closed the door.
"If he hurts her... I'll kill him."