The Things That Happen

Author's note: The second chapter...I have a lot of this written already, so the updates should be kind of regular for a while. Tell me what you think...I'm still kinda nervous about posting here... Please forgive any errors, and please read and review, but more than anything, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned them - I would have made millions. But, alas, I don't.

~*~*~*~

Riddick and Kyra sat in the cramped cell and worked on their plans, losing track of time. When the bell rang for the meal, they didn’t even pause. Feeding time came and went, and Kyra only flinched as the first of the cats went by her door. Only when the slam was quiet for the night did Riddick lean back against a wall and consider the results of their labor.

“You think it’ll work?” Kyra asked, looking up at him from her spot on the floor. The soft candlelight glinted in her eyes. Riddick hesitated for a moment, looking over the crudely drawn diagrams and charts again before answering.

“Yeah.” But she’s gotta know that shit won’t pan out like this when things start happening.

“When?” The last of the cats growled as it padded by the front of the cell. Kyra shivered.

“You tell me.”

“The cats get let out just after surface dark,” she muttered. “They have to circulate the air first. Maybe, if we’re quick, we could make a run for it.” Riddick nodded. Smart girl. “I know some people-” He waited. “Maybe they could help.” He gave her a wary look.. “They’re good people, I swear.”

“Later,” he said. Kyra yawned. “You need sleep,” Riddick added.

“Yeah. Probably.” She yawned again and crawled onto the seat. Riddick watched her curl up slightly as she lay on her side; she was asleep almost instantly. Listening to Kyra’s deep, even breathing. He moved around the cell, extinguishing candles and covering the sleeping girl with a blanket. Then he took off his goggles, lay back on the bed, and went to sleep.

Riddick woke to someone pounding on the bars of the cell door.

“Kyra!”

He opened his eyes at the hoarse cry and immediately closed them again with a hiss of pain. Someone was shining a light into the cell. Groping blindly for his goggles, Riddick growled. When he brushed his fingers over them, he pulled them on and blinked, adjusting to the harsh light.

“Kyra, wake up.”

“What?” Kyra sat up and squinted. “Arthur?”

“Let me in. We need to talk.”

Sighing, she glanced toward Riddick and cringed. “Turn off that light,” she growled.

“Sorry.” The light clicked off and Riddick could see a small, older man standing anxiously outside the cell. Kyra swung her feet to the floor. Moving across the small stone room, she unlocked the door. She motioned Arthur back and swung it open.

“What is it, Arthur?” she asked, rubbing a hand over her face and pushing her fingers into her hair. Riddick’s attention was caught by how beautiful she looked, standing in the doorway, framed in a halo of dim, ambient light. Her long, brown hair was tumbled around her shoulders and her face was rosy from sleep. She had grown up a lot in the past five years. Startled, he forced those thoughts from his mind and focused on the small man speaking rapidly to Kyra.

“Trey’s been watchin me, Kyra. He’s been comin around my cell just before feedin time, tryin to get his money. I don’t have it!” The man paced the small room, running agitated hands over his nearly bald head.

“Slow down, Arthur.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. “How much do you need to hold him off?” she asked finally.

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Arthur said, looking startled.

“That’s why you came bangin on my door, isn’t it? You need the credits to keep him off your ass.” Arthur didn’t say anything; he wouldn’t meet Kyra’s eyes. Riddick raised an eyebrow and shot her a glance.

Clearing his throat, he said, “How much, old man?”

Arthur whirled around, startled. “Who’re you?” he demanded.

“Don’t worry about him. How much, Arthur?”

Keeping his eyes on Riddick, he muttered, “Seven hundred.”

Kyra sighed. “You know what I need,” she said. Arthur nodded.

“Thanks.” He shot Riddick another wary look and hurried out of the cell. Kyra swore softly and slammed the door.

“Seven hundred credits.” She slapped her hand against the wall. “Where’m I gonna get that kind of money?” Prowling the room, she talked to herself and tried to figure out a plan.

“How much’ve you got?” Riddick’s question surprised her and she turned to face him.

“Not enough. Right now, I don’t think I can even cover half that.” She paused. “Especially after the nine hundred last month,” she muttered. Riddick gave her a look that clearly stated what he thought of that. “I know, I know. He’s probably a scam artist…” Kyra trailed off and frowned. “That doesn’t solve how I’m getting those credits.” Riddick reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card.

“Here.” He handed it to her. Kyra scowled at him.

“I can’t take that, Riddick,” she snapped.

“It’s not mine.” He rose and pressed the card into Kyra’s hand. Then he just stood there, holding her delicate fingers clasped in his large palm. Her hands were rougher than he thought they would be; he could feel small calluses on the ridge of flesh under her fingers.

Kyra cleared her throat and Riddick blinked. Grunting, he stepped back and sat down.

“Take that, switch the credits to your account. I’ll take care of the old man,” he said. Kyra raised and eyebrow, but stayed silent. She watched as Riddick stepped out of the small cell and onto the walkway. Shaking her head, she pocketed the card and absently rubbed her hand on her pants. She could still feel Riddick’s hand engulfing hers; still feel his rough fingertips caressing the skin of her wrist. A strange tingling sensation shot up her arm, warming her whole body. Shivering, she focused her mind away from Riddick; there were other things to worry about.

~*~*~*~

Riddick prowled the walkways and stairwells, looking for…something. He was fuming, both at Kyra and the old con man - what was his name? Arthur. Suddenly, Riddick’s anger had a direction. Turning abruptly, he stalked back toward Kyra’s cell. He rounded a corner and his silver eyes flashed. There was Arthur, surrounded by a group of hardened-looking men. He was laughing and talking like he hadn’t a care in the world – not about money, anyway.

“…So I skinned her for seven hundred.” The old man chuckled.

“How much’ve you gotten in all, Art?”

“Shit, more than three k,” he bragged. Riddick pulled up against the wall to listen. He waited, barely restraining his fury. When the conversation was over and the men around Arthur moved away, Riddick struck. In an instant, the older man was pinned against the rock wall.

“You made three big mistakes, Art. First, you messed with the kid.” Riddick pulled off his goggles and locked his eyes with Arthur’s; he could smell the fear radiating from the smaller man. “Second, you did it in front of me. Pissing me off isn’t a good idea. Third,” he paused, waiting. “You let me catch you alone.” Arthur gave a pathetic little whimper just before Riddick’s shiv slashed down his chest, slicing open the man’s dirty shirt and leaving a shallow cut in his flesh. The blade was pressing dangerously against the exposed skin of Art’s throat when the clanging signaling feeding time interrupted Riddick’s concentration. He started, then an evil grin spread over his chiseled features. Dropping the smaller man, he growled, “That was a warning, old man. Don’t let me see you again.” If you make it back to your cell alive. Turning on his heel, Riddick strode down the walkway, back to the cell and Kyra.

He made it to the door, just as she was swinging it shut. “Where the hell have you been?” she muttered.

“Taking care of things.” There was a scream from some unlucky soul on their level and Riddick grinned. Kyra shook her head and turned away.

“I’m not going to ask, because I probably don’t want to know.” She resettled herself on the seat and pulled a wireless comp unit onto her lap. “I’ve almost got the money transferred. What do I tell Arthur when he comes back?” Kyra looked up. Riddick stared back, innocently. “Oh.” She turned back to the comp as he pulled his goggles out of a pocket and replaced them over his eyes. Keying in a few more codes, Kyra leaned back and rolled her head around her shoulders. She sighed and absently rubbed her neck muscles. A cat prowled by the cell, snapping at the bars. Startled, Kyra let out a little gasp and put a hand to her throat

“Can you work on that thing in the dark?” Riddick asked. Shaking her head as if to clear it, Kyra made a small sound of assent. He moved around the room, extinguishing her few candles. Sighing again, Kyra pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. The harsh light of the comp screen cast the natural alcove in an eerie blue glow. Riddick sat on the blankets piled on the bed, leaned back against the stone and watched her.

Kyra muttered to herself as she carefully hacked her way into the banking systems. “Do you, by any chance, know the PIN for this mysterious card?” she asked Riddick without much hope.

“One, six, one, seven,” he rumbled from his place in the shadows.

“What?” Her eyes, needing almost no adjusting between the bright comp screen and the dark cell, sought him out.

“One, six, one, seven,” he repeated. Keying up the main access page, Kyra typed in the numbers. Instantly, another page popped up on the screen. She gave a low whistle and quickly transferred all the credits out of the account.

When she finished, she shut down the comp unit, plunging the cell into complete darkness. “Finished,” she said. “You know, you could’ve been a little more helpful, there.” Riddick raised an eyebrow and pulled off his goggles so he could see Kyra. “I mean, I could’ve been here for hours, just trying to hack into the bank systems enough to get the PIN.” He shrugged.

“I’m here to help,” he said.

“Just like you helped Fry?” she muttered. Why had she said that? Maybe the exhaustion was getting to her…

Suddenly, Riddick was holding Kyra against the barred door of her cell. One of his large hands lightly encircled her throat, and the other arm was between her legs, supporting her weight. “Leave Fry out of this,” he growled.

Shocked by Riddick’s reaction, Kyra swallowed hard. “Sorry.” She looked toward the ground, about two feet below her. “Can you let me down?”

“You don’t know anything about that, kid. Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking you do.” His grip loosened and she dropped to the floor; he didn’t let her go.

That’s bullshit. She may have only been a kid, but she remembered. Why the hell did she wake up in the middle of the night stifling screams, if she didn’t know anything about it? Jerking her chin up, she narrowed her eyes. “I know plenty. Don’t forget it,” she spat.

Lifting a brow, Riddick gripped her tighter. She wanted to fight, did she? Well, fine. Let’s go, kid. “Like what?”

“Let me go.”

“No.” Kyra’s eyes darted to the seat and her favorite shiv. Well, she’d just have to make do with what she had…

“You made one mistake, Riddick,” Kyra growled, cautiously feeling around in her mouth for one of her hidden blades. “You pissed me off.” In one quick, fluid motion, she leaned in and used her tongue and teeth to manipulate the small shiv; a thin line of blood traced across Riddick’s cheekbone. He hissed in surprise, but didn’t pull away.

“You’re good, Kyra,” he said. “But I’m still better.” Instantly, she was, again, forced against the bars and lifted off her feet.

“Bullshit,” she retorted. She tightened her thigh muscles around the arm Riddick was using to hold her up against the bars. Bracing herself with her legs, she pulled another small shiv out of a sheath strapped to the outside of her thigh. She pressed the blade to his throat and raised and eyebrow.

“Nice.” Riddick release Kyra, watching as she gracefully dropped to the floor. “Now go to sleep. This place is getting on my nerves and I wanna get outta here tomorrow.”

Muttering under her breath, Kyra moved to the bed and spread out the blankets. Lying down, she curled up on her side, facing the wall. Riddick grinned and leaned back against the rock, keeping watch. When the sound of her deep, even breathing convinced him that she was sleeping peacefully, he lay down on the seat and closed his eyes.