Pain and Possession

Riddick stared down at the small frail body that had born his son and housed a fighting spirit almost equal to his. A smile graced is lips and felt a surge of pride go through him when he thought about she belonged to him and only him. She was lying as still as death on the bed and beside her their son lay.

His eyes were closed but Rik knk knew he wasn’t sleeping; he was waiting for his father to pick him and attempt to put him to bed. When he did that was when he would ‘surprise’ him by opening his eyes. It was a little game they played every time Riddick went away and came back. At least to Rick it was a game but to Riddick was another advantage his son was gaining on the people who made up his world. It was an advantage that made it easier for his son to prey upon the others.

Caron had noticed but Riddick did, Rick was extremely bright, brighter most kids his age and he took an unholy interest in sharp objects. Just like his own father did at that age. She thought it was so wonderful that he spent so much time with his son. She called it male bonding. He smiled. It was a lot more than male bonding going on. Rick already knew three of the five easy kill spots, his son would be a formidable force to reckon with in the years to come.

She was pregnant again. She didn’t know it yet though but he did. He knew because he’d coldheartedly planned on impregnating her and because her scent was different. Pretty soon she would swell with his child. The thought pleased him.

It was not because he had an undying need to father any more children that he had made her pregnant, he did it because it tied her closer to him and made it harder for her to leave. He knew that she would leave if she had any inkling of what was really going on.

She didn’t know it yet but she was depending on him more and more and he encouraged it knowing how hard it would be for her to just up and leave when she found out that there was no Richard, that there hadn’t been a Richard for a very long time.

That a child would be born was an added benefit to it scheme of things. He would be sure to teach his children all they needed to survive, to be at the top of the food chain…to prey upon others instead of being prey.

Caron shifted slightly in her sleep and her soft lips formed a soft word and gave a derisive smile as he heard what she had said.

“Richard…” she said again.

As he watched her he thought about that fateful night two years ago when she had attempted to kill him.

The bullet had winged him and while it didn’t really hurt him, it made him angry enough to want to hurt her. She needed to learn her place, she needed to learn that she was his and that he wouldn’t tolerate her trying to leave him, trying to kill him.

When he had first found out she was gonewas was at first filled with fear, then anger took over. He was angry at both himself and her. The anger he felt for himself was far stronger than one he felt at her. He should have known better than to trust her.

But what he felt more than the anger was an intense hatred of Richard who had stopped the beast from possessing her when he had the chance. Had it not been for Richard, the desire the beast still felt for her would have been slaked before she had flown the coop.

After he’d left Richard had wanted to go back to her but Riddick realized that being around her constantly made Richard stronger so he had to stay away until he had complete control. There was no way he was going to give Richard the upper hand again.

He couldn’t Richard control what they did. He was too trusting and their survival depending on ruthlessness.. Richard was their only weakness the beast realized so for the next year he systematically went about expelling Richard foreverthe the back of his consciousness.

He was now so far gone that his voice was hardly ever heard anymore. The beast was in total control now. All Richard could do was watch as the beast did what he felt like doing to whomever he felt like doing it to. Just like he enjoyed the tortured screams of many of his victims he enjoyed hearing Richard’s as he took Caron night after night.

Once Richard had struggled briefly to the surface, it was when she had shot him, but even then he still wasn’t strong enough to do any more than watch in horror as he grabbed her by the throat.

He had wanted her dead at that moment. The fact that she had run away with Rick and was prepared to shoot…had actually shot at him told him that she wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn’t let her get away. Didn’t she know she belonged to him and no one else, not even herself? If he couldn’t have her no one could. If she wasn’t his she was no one’s. Riddick would rather her dead than with anyone else, so he was prepared to kill her. He was even prepared to enjoy her death.

He was slowly squeezing the life out of her and staring down into her wide, resigned eyes when she whispered his name. She didn’t call him Riddick…she called him Richard and that was when the epiphany hit him.

She didn’t want Riddick, she wanted Richard. It was Richard she wanted to give herself to…it was Richard she wanted to belong to, so he gave her Richard.

Loosening his fingers he stepped away from her and left her alone. His first instinct had been to kill, now that he decided against it his second nature was to possess and it seemed the only way to do that was to be Richard.

It was easy to be Richard; after all he’d watch him from the sidelines for the majority of his life. He’d only come out when Richard had to kill someone.

She had run after that, and he found her again but instead of attacking her like he wanted to do, he did what he thought Richard would do in the situation. Twice more after he’d found her, she ran and he knew she was determined to continue to do so, so he had to somehow convinced her that he wouldn’t hurt her and that he had changed…somewhat. She knew he could never change. Even Richard had been a killer.

It had taken a patience the beast never knew he had possessed to get her to trust him again but once the trust was established he howled with triumph on the inside. timetimes he laughed at how naïve she was, how she had believed that good would win out in the end. It made him sick sometimes, but he realized that it was the price he paid to be with her.

Now when he killed, he did it stealthily, or if publicity of his kill couldn’t be avoided, he made it a clean kill. Most of the times e accepted hits that he knew she wouldn’t have a problem with anyway…a child molester, a rapist…

The beast hated having to give up what he loved best about his kills but he wanted her so he made adjustments.

Crouching down at the bedside he took his finger and ran it down the side of her face, loving the feel of the soft skin beneath his hand. She was his and his alone. He would never let her go. He would kill her before he let her go.

Her eyes fluttered open at the touch of his hands and she smiled at him, he returned the smile. It was a smile the beast was proud of; he had had to practiced for a long while to get right. But now that he had the hang of it, it was as easy as killing someone.

“Hi…” she said softly, raising her hand to touch his face.

“I just got home and all you can say is hi…” he teased.

“I missed you…” she leaned forward and placed a soft lingering kiss on his lips. When their lips separated she told him huskily, “Carry Rick to bed and I’ll show you how much…”

He stood fluidly, not needing to be told twice. He always felt a twinge of irritation when she ordered him about and now was no exception, but he did as she bade anyway because he knew Richard would have done it. And he was supposed to be Richard.

As she watched him walk away with their son Caron gave a slight smile, he would soon be gone and he didn’t even know it. He thought she didn’t know but she knew. She knew he was Riddick and that Richard was gone, but she didn’t mind because she was getting her Richard back by slowly transforming Riddick into him.

as sas so intent on fooling her and making her think that he could be the man he had been in the beginning that he didn’t even realize that he was slowly becoming that man in all actuality.

He might have killed him but she would have her Richard in the end. Just as he had destroyed the man she’d loved, she would destroy the creature he was. The first step in her plan was to tame him and she was already succeeding.

The beast was vicious she knew but it didn’t have her cunning.wantwanted her and she allowed it to possess her at a price. She was tired of running, there was no where she could go that he wouldn’t have found her anyway. So what she did was stopped playing by his rules and made up a few of her own.

Many times she asked herself if she loved him and for each time the answer she got unsettled her. It wasn’t about love anymore it was about survival and possession. She wanted to survive and he wanted to possess. At least that was she told herself but when he was in her arms and saying the worhe lhe loved to hear it was another ting entirely.

The soft sound of his footsteps indicated his return and she pasted a smile on her face as she waited for him. He shed his clothes without any hesitation and crawled into bed with her.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders she pulled him down onto her and he nestled in the natural cradle her legs made for him.

“You were gonna show me how much you missed me…” he reminded her, giving her small nipping kisses along her neck.

“I love you Richard” she pulled his head up and said the words while looking directly into his eyes.

‘I love you too” he replied, telling himself he had to say it because he was pretending to be Richard. The beast didn’t love. He disregarded the warm feeling in his chest, paying no attention to it in hopes that it would disappear.

Caron smiled at his words, she was taming the beast one step at a time