False Dawn

"No!" She threw herself forward, but Riddick had been rising, getting onto his knees and the baby was in his arms before she could reach him.

"No!"

"Jack! What the fuck!?"

Riddick's words acted like a blow. She drew back staring at him, really looking at him. His brow was creased in the little lines that told her he thought she was fucking crazy. And his eyes. His eyes were looking at her. That beautiful familiar shine was there, glinting in the low light.

"Riddick?" She was nearly yelling, but couldn't seem to help herself. He'd just been out of his mind, trying to bite her, stumbling around, chanting her name, and then screaming like she was torturing him, not to mention that he'd been fucking dead! "Riddick?"

He was scowling at her, holding the baby on his other side away from her as if she were a danger to him. "What, Jack? What the hell is wrong with you?"

She couldn't answer him, her mind not even comprehending that a question had been asked. She held her self still, staring at him for long seconds. He was breathing. She could see it! "Riddick?"

He was still looking at her like she'd gone completely nuts, and in that moment she felt she had. She crawled forward on just her knees, until she could reach him, both on their knees before each other. "Riddick?" she whispered, lifting her hands to him.

"What, Jack?" his voice held the tone of exasperation. He held still for her as she grasped his neck, her fingers searching for and finding that familiar tick of blood beating beneath his skin.

She burst into tears as she felt it, leaning against him. When his arm came up behind her to hold her against him she just cried harder, clinging to his vest. "Oh, God, Riddick, what the fuck?!"

"Jack? What's wrong, baby?"

She lifted her face to look up at him, finding she was looking closely at his eyes, looking for that shine. Her hand slid up to his neck again, pressing hard against the pulse there, making him frown at her.

"What are you doing?"

She sat back, just looking at him. "You were dead, Riddick." Tears started falling again just thinking of the fear she'd felt at losing him. "God, Riddick, you were dead. You were trying to kill me."

His scowl deepened as he stared at her. She hated crying before him, knowing he detested such displays of emotion, but under the circumstances she really didn't give a fuck. His eyes turned to the baby, who was just clinging to his shoulder, looking quite content. Those flashing orbs turned back to her. "Jack, what the hell are you talking about? How could I be dead AND be trying to hurt you?"

"I don't know. I don't know," she whispered over and over, shaking her head as she rubbed her forehead. "Riddick, you were dead. But . . ." She lifted her eyes to look at him and turned her arm, showing the unmistakable bite wound. "You bit me, and you kept trying to do it again." She started sobbing again.

Her arm throbbed and stung where the muscle was torn open. Blood was dried like a crackling coating all the way down her arm, and a few places were still running and wet in places. The pain had taken second place to the horror of what was going on, but now she cringed as the muscle flexed when she lifted her arm.

Riddick's free hand grabbed her elbow in a near grip, his fingers smearing in the blood. He twisted her arm, frowning down at it, and she cried out sharply at the sudden pain his movement caused. "What is this, Jack? I did this?"

She just nodded, again lifting her hand to his throat to check his pulse, reassuring herself. He stared at her, realization dawning of why she kept touching him there. "Jack, what you're saying doesn't make any sense."

She snorted, "No shit, Riddick. I don't understand it either, but I saw it. You were dead, no pulse, no breathing, but you were coming after me."

"Are you sure, Jack? I mean . . ."

Jack glared at him. "Yes, I'm fucking sure, Riddick!" She couldn't help yelling at him. He was trying to say that she had been wrong. There was a bite out of her arm! "You were dead, Riddick," she said softly.

"Dada dead! Dada dead!" the baby cried from its place carefully held in Riddick huge arm.

Jack and Riddick both turned to look at the baby. The sinister words coming in the childish lisping voice were horribly disturbing. Jack felt goosebumps rise on her skin and a cold shiver ran down her spine. The baby just smiled at them, obviously pleased to have their undivided attention despite the shaken looks on their faces.

He beamed at them, little open smile showing the first buds of his four front teeth. Then he laid his head against Riddick's hard shoulder and closed his eyes. Jack frowned at him for a moment, certain that a child wouldn't fall to sleep so quickly. But he just sighed contentedly and lifted a pudgy hand to grip the edge of Riddick's vest in a small fist.

Riddick turned back to look at her, his eyes scanning her, then coming to rest on the open wound in her arm. She waited for him to say something, anything.

His eyes lifted to hers and her heart went out to him as she saw the hurt and confusion and regret there.

"Let's put him down and get you cleaned up," he whispered.

She nodded and silently stood, forcing both the physical and mental exhaustion away.

He carried the baby into the tiny bedroom and laid him in the center of the bed. Jack just remained where she stood, not moving.

They had several hours to go to reach the larger ship. For Trow and Chip's safety, she and Riddick had ordered Trow to depart as soon as they were let out. The further away he was, the safer they all were. To catch up with the slow pace that he had set they would be traveling at max speed for four to five hours. It made sense to sleep.

Riddick came back out to stand before her. His hand sought her arm and gently held it, gently cupping her elbow. "Jack, I don't understand, but I didn't mean to hurt you."

She just nodded, feeling her eyes want to close.

"Tired?"

She nodded mutely, her eyes on his chest. Then she lifted her face to look up at him. "Can you just hold me for a minute?"

His face hardened, almost scowling at her, and then he was pulling her forward, his arms wrapping tightly around her. She smiled in understanding when she heard the hoarse groan vibrate through him. She knew how hurt he had been by her attitude when he had found her on Hezeweld, but it had been all she could do. Things had been so messed up in her head that she had had to just ignore what his presence meant and go forward. She had to finish what she had started, what she needed to do, before she could deal with how much he had hurt her, and how much she had missed him. But seeing him acting so strangely and thinking she had lost him for real had prioritized everything. Yes, her son was the most important, but Riddick was and would always be her life. She loved him too much to let him go. She loved him enough to die for him.

She hissed at the pain in her arm but she wrapped her arms around him in return. "God, Riddick, I thought I'd lost you."

She felt his face against the top of her head, his breath deepening as he breathed in her scent. "You're never going to lose me, baby. I just can't believe I hurt you."

"I don't understand it either, but I don't blame you." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, as she pressed closer into the steady beat of his heart that she could feel inside his chest. "I was scared."

"I know, baby, I'm sorry."

They stood together for long minutes just leaning on each other. Riddick must have felt her sway, her legs feeling weak, because he was suddenly stepping back from her. He kept his hands on her, steadying her, and she was thankful for that.

"Come on, baby." He guided her to the tiny bathroom and urged her to sit on the toilet seat.

He gathered bandages and medicine, and then had her hold her arm over the sink so he could rinse the blood away. She let her eyes close, feeling more exhausted than she'd ever remembered being. A low angry rumble from Riddick had her lifting her eyes to him.

"What?"

He was scowling at her arm, his lips pulled back a bit so that she could see his teeth clenched together. "Jack. There . . . I . . ."

She looked down to her arm and her lip curled in disgust. It hurt terribly, but the sight of it was worse. A nearly perfect round patch of skin was gone, the meat beneath was neatly hollowed out, looking raw and now freshly bleeding.

"What?" she asked, not understand what he was trying to say.

He looked at her with a frown that was either thoughtful or pissed, she couldn't tell. "You said I bit you."

Now she was frowning. What the hell did he think was wrong with her arm if not a bite? She looked down at her arm and then back up at him, feeling stupid for not understanding what he was asking. Wasn't it obvious?

"Yeah. What?"

He looked back down at her arm, which he was holding out straight across the counter and sink by her wrist. "How in the fuck did I do this? Where's the missing piece?"

The words were growled at her and she realized he WAS pissed. He was mad because he didn't understand, or didn't want to. She shook her head partly in sympathy, "Riddick." She shivered at what she had to say, the image of it happening coming to mind. "You ate it."

His hand tightened painfully on her wrist, his narrowed scowling eyes drilling into her. "I did what?"

She looked away, hating having to tell him what HE had done. Not meeting his eyes, she kept her gaze on the floor, his leg, her lap, whatever she could as long as she didn't have to look at him, she told him quickly, "You chewed it up and swallowed it."

He released her and took a step back, stopping in the open doorway for the room was so small. She looked up to see his mouth was literally open in his shock as he stared at her. "How could I have done that?" he whispered. She saw his hand rubbing his belly lightly and his expression became pained, like he could feel her flesh in his stomach. She turned away, her hand coming up to her mouth, as she swallowed several times to keep HER stomach in place.

Minutes passed with nothing but silence, tears running down her face, and her stomach finally settling enough to allow her to look at him. "I'm sorry, Riddick. But I really don't blame you. Can you please just wrap it so I can go to bed?" She bit her lip for a moment, eyes still leaking. "I just can't deal with this right now. I want to sleep."

Finally he nodded, his face solemn, and slowly stepped forward again. She hated the pained expression he wore. She hated that no matter if she blamed him or not, he was going to blame himself. The look he gave the still bleeding wound in her arm made her think he thought it was going to move or something, like he was afraid of it.

She moaned softly as he wound gauze tightly around her arm. It was already becoming terribly sore, and the throbbing ache had yet to subside. Besides that her head was pounding, she felt weak all over, and she still wasn't sure her stomach would stay in place.

When the bite mark was out of sight Riddick stopped scowling as much. They quickly undressed her, leaving her wearing only panties and a slightly bloody wifebeater. She cautiously stood, trying not to use her arm to aid her, but having to lean on the counter when her legs wobbled. He was there immediately, his arm circling her back, keeping her hurt arm free. His other arm hooked her legs up and he lifted her against him and made it to the bedroom in just four quick steps.

The baby was sleeping, spread out on his stomach, head turned to one side. Riddick placed her gently down beside him, brushing back her hair that was escaping her braid.

"I'll be right back."

It seemed only seconds. She'd heard him turn to leave, knowing he would want to check their course, but when she opened her eyes again, feeling as if she had just blinked once, he was there. She frowned, disoriented, when he held his hand out to her.

"What?" she whispered, her voice barely working.

"For the pain," he told her, holding the pills out so she could just open her mouth and let them drop in. "And infection."

Her eyes lifted to meet his just as he dropped the pills into her mouth. She dry swallowed, but then he was lifting her to sitting and she took a sip from the cup he held.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He set the glass down in the small holder beside the bed and then carefully climbed onto the bed. They scooted the baby over so there was enough room for Riddick to lie behind her, his front to her back.

She sighed and snuggled into his hard length at her back, the arm beneath her head not the softest pillow, but worlds better than any fluffy thing. His other arm came over her side to twine his fingers through hers, and she could feel his breath on the side of her neck.

When she heard him take a deeper breath she knew he would speak, but was surprised by what he said. "So what's this little guy's name?"

Jack smiled, looking at the baby asleep before them. "He doesn't have one."

"So give him one." His voice was trying to be soft, but in the end just deepened, making her appreciate the deep timbre.

Jack's hand skimmed across the baby's fine hair. "The one I picked out was Aiden."

He squeezed her fingers as she brought them back to fit into his hand. "I like that. Does he have a middle name?"

Jack closed her eyes, tears stinging her eyes again. She'd picked out a middle name while she'd been pregnant, but had changed it since. "Lucas," she whispered.

"Aiden Lucas," he whispered roughly against her hair. "That's good, Jack. He'll like that."

Jack could only nod, as tears threatened to choke her. She took several deep breaths, squeezing her eyes shut and tried to relax, not wanting to cry one more time this day.

Riddick's face nuzzled into her hair and his arm tightened around her, pulling her closer. "It's okay, baby."

She just nodded and tried to relax enough to sleep.