He Didn't Come
folder
M through R › Pitch Black
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
48
Views:
5,019
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
M through R › Pitch Black
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
48
Views:
5,019
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Pitch Black, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Epilogue: Renaissance
The boys couldn’t grow up in space. They needed a home world. They needed stability. They needed what neither Riddick or Jack ever had.
After a couple of months of agonizing over what to do, Riddick decided to call an old acquaintance from a long while back. He was nervous about it, and hesitated as long as he could. Old man Andrezada was a mean bastard, but he had once made it clear that he would always welcome Riddick’s employment. However, you didn’t work for Andrezada and just walk away. Riddick had done a few jobs and then disappeared. There were mercs on his tail, and he didn’t even have time to pack. He just stole a transport and ran. The Andrezada of Teteran Prime didn’t take kindly to deserters, and Riddick wasn’t sure what kind of a reception he would get when he made contact. Nat was standing up and starting to form coherent sounds that might have passed for words by the time Riddick decided that there were no other options.
When he got through to the boss, he found an unexpected boon. Jaime Andrezada had been the boss’s son back then, but old man Andrezada had long since died, leaving his son in charge. Jaime and Riddick had formed a bond of sorts back then, and when Riddick got in touch, Jaime had been more than accommodating for Riddick and his ‘family.’ When he mentioned that he was starting to build underground prizefighting into a major industry, Riddick had made a noncommittal noise, but inside, he immediately began calculating the possibilities. If he could get a good deal from Jaime, then that might be the answer to his problem.
Andrezada had done more than offer a deal—he had instantly asked Riddick to be his head trainer. He had hinted at having Riddick train some bodyguards and assassins, too, but Riddick was careful to show no interest. He knew better than to get in too deep too fast. Prizefighting was halfway legal, and he didn’t want to get drawn into anything he would be tied to. Maybe once he was established he would branch out, but right then, he just wanted something that was somewhat stable.
Part of the deal he negotiated was that the safety of Jack and the boys would be guaranteed. Andrezada had no desire to get on Riddick’s bad side, remembering fully well what he was capable of. Riddick would be absent for weeks at a time on the road with his trainees, and though Jack was more than competent at self defense, he wanted to be sure that they would be protected. Andrezada understood this, being a family man himself.
It was better than Riddick could have hoped for. On the surface, everything would be normal. Riddick, Jack, and the boys would be supplied with new identities, and since Andrezada basically ran Kinagi, they would be ‘legal’ in the eyes of the city. If the local government okayed it, then the Alliance wouldn’t come sniffing around. Part of that new identity was to make them all one family—meaning that Jack would become, in the eyes of Alliance law, Riddick’s wife, and Anthony and Nat would become their ‘real’ children. They even had a real house in a nice neighborhood.
Jack hadn’t found a job yet, though. She was thinking about going to work for Andrezada as well, but nothing was decided yet. Her focus at this point was the same as Riddick’s. They just wanted to get the boys settled in.
Their first night in Kinagi, Riddick and Jack sat up holding hands on their backyard porch swing, not saying a word as they gazed at their new sky. That sky had alien constellations, but those unfamiliar shapes served only to remind both of them that this was truly a new start. Riddick and Jack were both awed by their luck. Each had come from a previous hell, and out of the ashes of the conflagration that erupted when they first met, they had built a real life for themselves and their adopted kids.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Jack said softly.
“What is?” Riddick asked, looking at her. His shine reflected Jack’s image, and she smiled. She had always loved his eyes, and there was something about the quality of the Teteran atmosphere that made them seem even more striking.
“All of this. Everything we’ve done. Where we are.”
“Of course it’s amazing.” Riddick bent to kiss her, his firm lips pressing gently against her own.
Jack looked at him as he moved his head back. “Any regrets, Mr. Murderer?”
Riddick shook his head and pulled his wife into his lap. “None,” he murmured, tickling her ear. “You?”
Jack nestled back into his chest. “Nope. I’ve got everything I never knew I wanted.”
Riddick laid his chin on the top of her head and kissed her hair. “Good.”
~~Fin~~
After a couple of months of agonizing over what to do, Riddick decided to call an old acquaintance from a long while back. He was nervous about it, and hesitated as long as he could. Old man Andrezada was a mean bastard, but he had once made it clear that he would always welcome Riddick’s employment. However, you didn’t work for Andrezada and just walk away. Riddick had done a few jobs and then disappeared. There were mercs on his tail, and he didn’t even have time to pack. He just stole a transport and ran. The Andrezada of Teteran Prime didn’t take kindly to deserters, and Riddick wasn’t sure what kind of a reception he would get when he made contact. Nat was standing up and starting to form coherent sounds that might have passed for words by the time Riddick decided that there were no other options.
When he got through to the boss, he found an unexpected boon. Jaime Andrezada had been the boss’s son back then, but old man Andrezada had long since died, leaving his son in charge. Jaime and Riddick had formed a bond of sorts back then, and when Riddick got in touch, Jaime had been more than accommodating for Riddick and his ‘family.’ When he mentioned that he was starting to build underground prizefighting into a major industry, Riddick had made a noncommittal noise, but inside, he immediately began calculating the possibilities. If he could get a good deal from Jaime, then that might be the answer to his problem.
Andrezada had done more than offer a deal—he had instantly asked Riddick to be his head trainer. He had hinted at having Riddick train some bodyguards and assassins, too, but Riddick was careful to show no interest. He knew better than to get in too deep too fast. Prizefighting was halfway legal, and he didn’t want to get drawn into anything he would be tied to. Maybe once he was established he would branch out, but right then, he just wanted something that was somewhat stable.
Part of the deal he negotiated was that the safety of Jack and the boys would be guaranteed. Andrezada had no desire to get on Riddick’s bad side, remembering fully well what he was capable of. Riddick would be absent for weeks at a time on the road with his trainees, and though Jack was more than competent at self defense, he wanted to be sure that they would be protected. Andrezada understood this, being a family man himself.
It was better than Riddick could have hoped for. On the surface, everything would be normal. Riddick, Jack, and the boys would be supplied with new identities, and since Andrezada basically ran Kinagi, they would be ‘legal’ in the eyes of the city. If the local government okayed it, then the Alliance wouldn’t come sniffing around. Part of that new identity was to make them all one family—meaning that Jack would become, in the eyes of Alliance law, Riddick’s wife, and Anthony and Nat would become their ‘real’ children. They even had a real house in a nice neighborhood.
Jack hadn’t found a job yet, though. She was thinking about going to work for Andrezada as well, but nothing was decided yet. Her focus at this point was the same as Riddick’s. They just wanted to get the boys settled in.
Their first night in Kinagi, Riddick and Jack sat up holding hands on their backyard porch swing, not saying a word as they gazed at their new sky. That sky had alien constellations, but those unfamiliar shapes served only to remind both of them that this was truly a new start. Riddick and Jack were both awed by their luck. Each had come from a previous hell, and out of the ashes of the conflagration that erupted when they first met, they had built a real life for themselves and their adopted kids.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Jack said softly.
“What is?” Riddick asked, looking at her. His shine reflected Jack’s image, and she smiled. She had always loved his eyes, and there was something about the quality of the Teteran atmosphere that made them seem even more striking.
“All of this. Everything we’ve done. Where we are.”
“Of course it’s amazing.” Riddick bent to kiss her, his firm lips pressing gently against her own.
Jack looked at him as he moved his head back. “Any regrets, Mr. Murderer?”
Riddick shook his head and pulled his wife into his lap. “None,” he murmured, tickling her ear. “You?”
Jack nestled back into his chest. “Nope. I’ve got everything I never knew I wanted.”
Riddick laid his chin on the top of her head and kissed her hair. “Good.”
~~Fin~~