Bringing it down

venes Thanks! :-) Well aren´t you a both loyal reader and reviewer...?

Eryn I know, I love my cliffies... You´ll see in this chapter.

Death Sorry about the delay. Here´s the next chapter for you.

Erica By all means, here´s more. :-)


Chapter 18 Back to humanity?


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Gritting his teeth Riddick walked back and forth in Karyn´s small kitchen. In his huge arms he carried a treasure, a trust bigger than anyone had ever given him before. Wrapped in a beautiful lilac scarf provided by Lajjun, lay a very tiny human.

Karyn´s boy.

He was sleeping and had been ever since Riddick was shoved out into the kitchen with Imam a little less than an hour ago. Riddick had never in his life held a newborn before and in the beginning he barely dared to breathe, holding the quietly sleeping infant like he was made of delicate china.

Imam had stepped in and showed Riddick how to support him under the head and to hold the little boy close to his chest so he could feel Riddick´s heartbeat. Riddick had immediately assumed Imam was taking the boy, knowing all too well that people might not expect him to take on a baby, but Imam had quietly closed Riddick´s arms around the little one and smiled.

He'd been studying the little face, to see if he had any similarities with Karyn, ´please don't carry the features of the other one´, Riddick found himself almost praying.

Now all you could see was a whole lot of dark brown hair with a hint of red in it that stuck up out of the scarf. The rest of the little body was hidden in Riddick´s massive arms.

Riddick and Imam hadn’t talked much. Worry was etched on both their faces, not knowing what went on in the other room and why the hell it took so long.


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“You care for her?” Imam asked.

Riddick sighed and shrugged. “Truthfully, Holy man, I don't know the fuck why!”

Imam smiled. “She's an extraordinary woman, Mr. Riddick.”

Jack had to put Karyn to sleep in order to save her life. After pushing Riddick and the newborn out of the room, she quickly retrieved the rest of her equipment from the bag and started the long process of evacuating the placenta from Karyn´s uterus.

Karyn continued to bleed profusely and Lajjun ran back and forth with more units of the blood replacement product.

Finally she couldn't find any more remnants, the bleeding had decreased and when she palpated the uterus she came to the same conclusion as the scanner; it was completely expelled and the danger should be over.

Jack looked down at herself, she was covered in blood from head to toe; she was sitting in a pool of blood on the mattress and her arms were wet and slippery up past her elbows. She looked at Lajjun and laughed:

“I need a shower, and perhaps a change of clothes!”

Lajjun looked relieved and smiled back; if Jack laughed it must mean everything was going to be all right.

“Thank you, Allah” she responded “and thank YOU, Jack!”

The two women burst out in giggling until tears were streaming down their cheeks, as the tension left their bodies.

In the kitchen the two men flinched when the heard the joyous sounds from the other room, looking at each other they sighed relieved and actually smiled for the first time since they met this time around.

Imam was sent back home to bring a new mattress for Karyn´s bed, Jack and Lajjun took out the major load of the soiled sheets and towels to the backyard to, according to traditions, burn it later on.

When Jack returned for the last time from behind the house, she suddenly found herself face to face with Riddick. She gasped and swallowed nervously. Neither had forgotten the harsh words from their last meeting.

Riddick had his goggles on, arms crossed over his chest and a slight frown. The look on his face made Jack uncertain as how to act. Then she burst out, while playfully slapping his arm:

“Oh, come on Rid! You know damn well I didn't…”

Riddick´s stern face cracked open into a smile; he removed his goggles and caressed her cheek with one hand.

“After today, Jack, even if you HAD called those mercs… I wouldn't have held it against you.”

Jack began to say something, looking upset, but was silenced by Riddick who laid a finger on her lips.

“Shhh. I know you didn't.” He nodded at the house: “C’mon, they need us inside.”

Back in the house, Imam looked at them as they entered together and nodded approvingly. Riddick went to sit next to Karyn as she slowly began to awake from the drug.

In a haze Karyn started to notice things, the white painted tiles in the ceiling, a heavy coppery-sweet smell in the room. Her focus came and went, and as she tried to get a grip she suddenly realized she was no longer having trouble breathing. Her hands darted up and touched her belly, finding it flat made her gasp and she sat up in a half panic, looking desperately around the room.

That's when she saw Riddick sitting right by her head, he hadn't moved the whole time, he just kept looking at her.

Karyn´s heart rate went straight up when she saw what he carried in his arms. A baby, her baby!
She looked questioningly at him, for a moment afraid of what this meant. Then her features relaxed as he smiled and held his arms towards her, offering her child to her.

At first they didn't speak at all. Karyn was lost in the tumultuous feelings of becoming a mother and Riddick was wise enough not to break the fragile moment. None of them moved for the next couple of hours as Karyn and her baby boy step by step learned to know each other and, more importantly, how to breast feed. Riddick was breathless as he watched the sacred act.

He'd never seen anything that beautiful.

Jack and Lajjun had prepared a meal for all of them and Imam had Karyn´s mattress changed. Riddick helped Karyn with Lajjun´s chicken soup, and fed her spoon by spoon. Karyn was nervous to meet Riddick´s silvery gaze. He seemed calm though, and that was probably a good thing.

But there were still unanswered questions.


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Later in the evening, when Imam and his family had left, Riddick stood quietly on the porch and watched the sun set over the plains of Dalaga. He wasn’t really sure whether he should go back inside or just walk away and leave her the fuck alone.

Jack had left him the body scanner and asked him to survey Karyn´s system every other hour during the night, just to be sure. She and some more women would be back in the morning to nurture Karyn like they always did here. A tradition designed to give the new mother and baby a chance to relax and get to know one another.

Riddick sighed and turned to close the door behind him. She would need him during the night… and perhaps he needed her as well…

Riddick tucked the remains of the dinner away, stalling a little, gathering his thoughts. Then he slowly entered the bedroom, it was rather dark and Riddick removed his goggles. He could see Karyn in bed and the sleeping infant in a small cradle next to her. He hesitated, perhaps she was sleeping… that’s when she turned her head and looked at him.


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Karyn felt like she'd been run over by a train. Jack had given her a mild pain killer, as well as a drug that would maintain a moderate contraction of the uterus during the next 24 hours. Jack and Lajjun had summarized for her everything that had happened during the day.

She mourned that she'd been deprived of a normal child birth, but she was thankful that she was alive and her baby healthy.

During the latter part of the evening, as soon as her thoughts drifted towards the presence of Riddick in her house, they immediately darted towards something else, anything else. That felt way too dangerous to think about.

What was he doing here?!

Karyn felt the movement of air, rather than heard him entering the bedroom. She took a deep breath and turned her head.

There he was, in all his glory, this amazing, beautiful and terrifying man! Her heart seemed to skip a beat.

She had lived in the belief, and hope, that she would never see him again in her life. And then, when she saw him this morning, standing in her doorway she was sure he'd come to kill her. To finish what he started on the ship those last moments they were together.

Then all hell broke lose. Now, all she remembered from the day, was Riddick standing by her side, supporting her, screaming with her, or was it at her…? Sweating with her…

“Hi” she whispered.

Riddick sat down next to her, on the edge of the bed. He looked over at the baby.

“Is he sleeping?”

“Yeah, drugged from all the milk he got last time” she smiled weakly. Then she got serious again, gathered all the courage she could muster and asked straight out:

“What are you doin´ here, Riddick?” she swallowed, feeling uneasy “When I saw you in my kitchen, I thought you came to kill me… Did you?”

At first Riddick didn't say a word, then he leaned in closer, forcing her to shrink back a little.

“Damnit Karyn, ain’t you ever afraid? You just don't keep asking a convicted killer things like that!” Riddick burst out, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Karyn´s lips twitched equally and finally neither could hide their smiles. Riddick lowered his head towards Karyn´s, his lips almost touching hers. Instantly she got serious and bent her head away from him, his closeness causing a vortex of emotions, most of all worry.

“Riddick!” she burst out. “You can't be here! Please go. Now.”

She turned away from him and looked at her little baby, hot tears filled her eyes and rolled onto the pillow.

“I ain´t goin´ nowhere” Riddick said calmly and lay himself carefully down on the bed next to her, pushing her just a little to see what she'd do. Karyn jerked with surprise and spun around, realizing she was way too close to Riddick and that there was no escape. Her heart rate picked up and she felt cornered, she didn't like it one bit! Suddenly it all came back to her, memories from the ship, the release of the cryo chambers, how he'd forced himself on her and finally almost killed her!

“What are you gonna do?” she spat, pushing at his ungiving chest. “Rape me again?” Anger was rising inside of her as she threw the ugly words in his face.

Riddick got angry. Riddick got really angry, she could see that, and with a hint of fear she wished she could take it back.

With poorly held back fury he said slowly in a low, controlled voice: “Why would you say a thing like that, Karyn?”

“You're nothing but a murderer, a machine” she cried, unable to stop herself now that she had started, tears kept rolling down her cheeks. “You don't care shit about other people and their lives!” She could see she hurt him, still she went on. “I know what you did to all those people on the ship. People! You know, like you and me. No, my mistake, maybe not like you!”

She turned her back at him again and sobbed into her pillow “You killed them all. They told me you killed them…”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Riddick growled, his anger rising by the second. His palms itched to pull her out of the bed, to shake her, to…

Riddick swallowed and exhaled slowly, his heart was beating too fast. Instead of hurting her which had been his first impulse, he laid his arms around her and held her firmly to his chest.

Karyn couldn't fight him. Her mind urged her to try to get away, but her body screamed that she wanted this man to hold her. She needed him close. Still the last time she'd seen him he had tried to kill her… and now she wanted him to comfort her! Could she be more messed up?

“Karyn” Riddick said in a voice just above a whisper. She could feel the vibrations of his words reverberate through his chest. “Does it matter to you that I didn't kill those people.”

Karyn frowned and turned her head just a little. “Yes” she whispered.

“I didn't.”

He sighed and sat back up. Then he explained to her how the mercs had found the cryo section. How they without knowledge on how to correctly open the chambers, had tried to force them open, which killed the passengers inside. Riddick DID however leave out the small detail on WHY it killed them….

As he spoke, he could see how Karyn relaxed more and more. When he was finished Karyn reached up and lay her hand on his neck, slowly caressing the skin there with featherlike strokes.

“I'm sorry” she whispered. She hated that she'd hurt him, but she'd wanted to get to him, to get a reaction out of him. She had wanted to punish him!

Now all she needed was some peace.

Without a word Riddick removed his boots and his thicker shirt, keeping his tank top and pants, and lay down beside her again, embracing Karyn in his arms.

Karyn turned so she could face him and mumbled into his chest.

“This whole day I thought I was gonna die, Riddick. Just tell me I won’t…” She snuggled closer. Oh, Gods, how she had missed his smell!

“You'll be fine.” Riddick whispered into her hair in a barely audible voice. “You'll both be fine.”

That night Riddick watched over Karyn and her baby. He never slept. Every other hour he scanned her body like Jack had told him. He made her tea when she asked for it, or brought water when she preferred it and helped her to the toilet because she was too weak to walk on her own. When she woke up and found herself lying in a big pool of breast milk he dried her with towels and helped her to change the nightgown.

And slowly a bond formed; a trust between two people who had made a habit of never trusting anyone.

Karyn woke with the first rays of sunshine beaming through her window. Her body felt slightly more recovered, she stretched her limbs one after the other and enjoyed the feeling of being able to move again.

Speaking of moving… her head snapped in the other direction to look for Riddick, only to find that side of the bed empty.

Karyn sighed, she knew she didn't have to call for him, or search the house.

He would be long gone by now.