"Are you sure that you want to eat here, Little One? Out of all the restaurants, you want this one?" Damon asks as Ana pulls him towards the old run down looking cafe.

"Yes, I'm sure." Ana stops as she comes to a man sitting on the sidewalk. She gets a sad look on her face as she takes in his dirty appearance and tattered clothing.

Damon pulls her along. She looks up at Damon as they enter the diner, "Can we get him and the others in the alley some food too?"

Damon looks at Ana at her wide blue eyes that are pleading for him to say yes. "If you wish, that could be easily arranged." When she gives him one of her rare smiles he feels like he's king of the world.

Damon orders several meals to go and when they are ready Ana helps him to carry them back to the man and the woman and children in the alley.

When the man sees them with food his eyes go wide. He recognizes Damon for who he is. "Thank you Master Phoenix and young miss."

Damon tenses at the street bum's words. "How do you know who I am?"

The homeless man lowers his eyes at the angry words, "Forgive me Mr. Phoenix. I used to work for Hawk, until I was injured. Hawk told me he had no use for a cripple and kicked me out. I wasn't a full fledged member yet," he shows Damon the half filled in tattoo of the hawk he has on his chest. "But I have been trained in just about everything. After I was injured, my poor wife did her best to support us, but with the last pregnancy she lost her job and then we lost everything else."

Damon looks at Ana and sees her imploring him with her eyes.

"Eat your dinner. After Ana and I eat we'll talk." Damon says with a sigh. The man's eyes get wide and Ana smiles widely once more.

Ana was never happier to finish a meal. After Damon had his driver pull the vehicle up to where the homeless family was. "Right, up you go, into the car." The man looks at him in shock.

"Sir, you don't want us in there. We're filthy..." the man's protest die off as he looks at Damon and then to the little girl at his side.

"Ana wants you to come with us. Therefore get in the car." Damon holds onto his temper with difficulty. Seeing this the man gets up painfully and hobbles over to his wife and helps her up and takes one of the littlest ones. He escorts them all over to the vehicle and helps them into the back seat. He stays as far from the others as he can, he doesn't want them to get his lice.

"They'll need to stay at least a day in the hospital for observation. The children possibly longer. I'd have to report this to DCFS if he didn't have a job and place to go to to live. If you hadn't of come when you did at least one of the children would have been dead within forty eight hours. The woman a few days longer. None of them would have lasted another month." The doctor gives Damon the information after the man had given her permission to do so.

"Thank you doctor. Have they been cleaned up?" Damon means deloused. The doctor nods and Damon is much happier now. He'd already sent his driver to have his vehicle cleaned and detailed.

He goes into the room where the man waits for him. Ana skipping at his side. She's very happy at Damon's decision, even though she knows he's not.

"The doctor says that you will make a full recovery, but it will take time." The man looks at Damon in shock.

"I'm not going to lose my leg?"

Damon gives him a small smile and sits himself on the rooms only chair. Ana skips over to the rolling stool the doctor usually uses and amuses herself by spinning around.

"No, you'll have to have therapy after it heals but you should regain if not full use, almost full use of your leg." Damon is happy to report. The man stares at him in shock.

Damon continues, "Once you are released, and your family, you will be given housing on my estate. This is of course contingent on you swearing loyalty to me. If I ever find out you remain loyal to Hawk I'll kill you and your family. Is that understood?"

"Understood sir, I have no loyalty to the man that left me and my family to die a slow and painful death."

"Good. Your job, your only job, will be to guard my ward, Ana. She likes you. My men feel that she is a weakness and have made it clear to her how they feel. She needs someone that she likes and trusts to protect her full time. She has someone that goes to school with her, but needs someone for the rest of the time.

"Do you think you can handle that?" Damon demands.

"Yes, sir, as part of her protection will I be training her in anything?"

"Yes, I want her trained in weapons and self defense. If she requests more let me know and I'll tell you if I approve or not.

"Once you swear loyalty I'll expect you to wear my mark. I'll be taking care of all medical bills you and your family accrue from today forward."

At that point Damon has Jackson swear his allegiance and he becomes Ana's bodyguard.