False Dawn
folder
M through R › Pitch Black
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
31
Views:
10,043
Reviews:
65
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
M through R › Pitch Black
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
31
Views:
10,043
Reviews:
65
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
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.
Chapter 7
**Note: This story was written a while back, and Bebe pointed out that Riddick is a bit…soft. I completely agree! My Riddick’s are much harder now, and reading this makes me smile at myself, but to change it would be difficult. So forgive me for my Riddick being a little out of character. I believe Riddick can change with time, but that it should be done a little more subtly that I did it here.
Chapter 7
Riddick held the glass of water out so that it brushed her fingers and she'd be able to take it. "Just take them, Jack. Trust me."
He had never spoken those words before. Who in their right mind would trust Richard B. Riddick? He half expected her to laugh and throw the pills at him. She didn't. He watched with a mixture of emotions that he couldn't name as she lifted her hand to her mouth and dumped the pills in, and then quickly took the glass of water.
When she finished he took the glass and set it aside as she settled back into the pillows. He felt a small bit of relief at having the medicine in her, knowing they would prevent the chance of conception. ‘Morning-After’ pills were common in the universe, but he’d never had to deal with them. When he’d gotten supplies for them, preparing for the chance of anything happening, he’d gotten them, not wanting to think of why he’d need them.
They sat in silence for a long time, and Jack's even breathing made him think she had fallen asleep. But then she spoke, her voice no more than a slurred whisper. "I love to hear you laugh."
Riddick just stared at her, never expecting her to say such a thing. He remembered laughing at her earlier and smiled, pleased that she was thinking of that instead of the nights' events.
"I sometimes do stupid stuff just to hear you laugh. It's like a live thing that is reaching out to me. It fills me up, making me feel like I was hugged or something. It's wonderful."
She had never opened her eyes and he was starting to wonder if she really was asleep and just talking nonsense. But then her hand found his and she was holding it tightly. He could see that she was crying again, barely making a sound.
"Thank you, Riddick."
He didn't say anything, unsure of what to say. It was starting to piss him off, this uncertainty when dealing with her. He wanted to protect her, take care of her, keep her safe, most of all, from himself. It was a hard thing to think of wanting to protect a girl from the big bad universe when he was reputedly the worst person alive. He had no idea what to do, what she needed, only knew that he didn’t know how to give it to her.
"What were you doing out there, kid?" He really hadn't even meant to speak aloud. He was honestly just wondering where the fuck she had been going. But as soon as the question was out he felt her jerk. Then she was sitting up and staring at him, her one wide eye shining with unmistakable fear.
"Riddick! Oh, my God! I completely forgot!"
"What?"
She swallowed and just stared at him, at the only thing he knew she could see of him, his shining eyes. "The news. I was watching the news. They know Johns died on T2. They reopened your file and upped the bounty. I had to come and tell you. It's live capture only. You're on the wanted list again. They got Imam. But he wouldn't talk. God! He's probably dead. What do you think they did to him?"
She was speaking so fast he could barely decipher all her slurred words. He managed to catch most of it, and his head started clicking over possibilities. His first thought was to just dump her. She was safer without him. If he was caught, they wanted him alive, but she was just an extra. Expendable. Then she said Imam and he knew she was in as much if not more danger than he was. If they found her they'd do anything to make her talk.
"Who?"
His question cut into her speech as she was starting to repeat some of the same shit over. "What?"
"Who are 'they'?"
She stared at him with that one wide eye again and he didn't really need her to say it. Whoever it was, she was scared to just think of them. Riddick didn't know of too many things that could scare someone that badly, other than him, of course. "Chem Industries," she whispered finally.
He nodded, his mind going back through possibilities. He'd been forced to deal with CI before. Hell, they'd given him a home for years, but this was different. They didn't want him back to catch up on old times.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered, interrupting his thoughts.
He was amazed at how little he was affected by it all. The worst thing for him was the risk to her. She had no part in this, and she didn't deserve to have to be on the run with him, but now she was just as wanted as he was. "We disappear."
"We?"
His head jerked around to look at her. "Jack, you're as wanted now as I am."
"But I'll just slow you down. I don't want to get you caught," she whispered.
He actually smiled, "I was thinkin' the same thing, kid."
Her eyes lowered from his and he hated teasing her. "Jack, they'll do the same thing to you that they did to Imam. I can't let that happen. They want me alive, so that protects me some, but not you."
Tears seeped from her swollen eye, the other, full of tears, just looked up at him anxiously.
"It's okay, kid. We'll disappear." He stood and stepped back away from her. "I got some stuff to take care of. You gonna be okay?"
She nodded and settled back into the bed. "I'm sorry."
He stopped and stared at her for a minute. "That's enough, Jack. None of this is your fault. It should be me apologizing to you. If I'd been here tonight, nothing would have happened. You wouldn't have had to come out looking for me and gotten hurt. I'm sorry, kid."
He couldn't stay there after that. He stalked from the room, hating the whole fucked up situation. And hating himself for causing the whole fucked up mess. And for being such a coward. He was more scared of what that girl thought than of anything else.
He dressed quickly. Black as usual, though he wore long sleeves to try to hide his distinctive size a little, and then a stocking cap to cover his bald head.
He stood in the front doorway, staring back into the house to where Jack was. He hoped she'd be okay for a couple hours while he was out. She needed to get some rest, and he had to get everything prepared for them to leave. She wasn't safe here anymore.
His jaw worked as he remembered what she had been through tonight. She would be sore and bruised for days.
He locked the door and, with goggles in hand, headed out into the night, cursing the constant oppressive wet heat. He had some shopping to get done.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Jack curled up on her side, hugging the extra pillow tightly to her. She knew Riddick was right, that none of their problems had been directly her fault, but she still felt responsible. With her tagging along he had more to worry about. And after tonight it was pretty obvious that she couldn't even protect herself, so he would have to do that too.
She'd never been happier in her life than living with him. But now she just felt like a burden and she knew she would never be able to live with herself if he was captured because of her.
Chapter 7
Riddick held the glass of water out so that it brushed her fingers and she'd be able to take it. "Just take them, Jack. Trust me."
He had never spoken those words before. Who in their right mind would trust Richard B. Riddick? He half expected her to laugh and throw the pills at him. She didn't. He watched with a mixture of emotions that he couldn't name as she lifted her hand to her mouth and dumped the pills in, and then quickly took the glass of water.
When she finished he took the glass and set it aside as she settled back into the pillows. He felt a small bit of relief at having the medicine in her, knowing they would prevent the chance of conception. ‘Morning-After’ pills were common in the universe, but he’d never had to deal with them. When he’d gotten supplies for them, preparing for the chance of anything happening, he’d gotten them, not wanting to think of why he’d need them.
They sat in silence for a long time, and Jack's even breathing made him think she had fallen asleep. But then she spoke, her voice no more than a slurred whisper. "I love to hear you laugh."
Riddick just stared at her, never expecting her to say such a thing. He remembered laughing at her earlier and smiled, pleased that she was thinking of that instead of the nights' events.
"I sometimes do stupid stuff just to hear you laugh. It's like a live thing that is reaching out to me. It fills me up, making me feel like I was hugged or something. It's wonderful."
She had never opened her eyes and he was starting to wonder if she really was asleep and just talking nonsense. But then her hand found his and she was holding it tightly. He could see that she was crying again, barely making a sound.
"Thank you, Riddick."
He didn't say anything, unsure of what to say. It was starting to piss him off, this uncertainty when dealing with her. He wanted to protect her, take care of her, keep her safe, most of all, from himself. It was a hard thing to think of wanting to protect a girl from the big bad universe when he was reputedly the worst person alive. He had no idea what to do, what she needed, only knew that he didn’t know how to give it to her.
"What were you doing out there, kid?" He really hadn't even meant to speak aloud. He was honestly just wondering where the fuck she had been going. But as soon as the question was out he felt her jerk. Then she was sitting up and staring at him, her one wide eye shining with unmistakable fear.
"Riddick! Oh, my God! I completely forgot!"
"What?"
She swallowed and just stared at him, at the only thing he knew she could see of him, his shining eyes. "The news. I was watching the news. They know Johns died on T2. They reopened your file and upped the bounty. I had to come and tell you. It's live capture only. You're on the wanted list again. They got Imam. But he wouldn't talk. God! He's probably dead. What do you think they did to him?"
She was speaking so fast he could barely decipher all her slurred words. He managed to catch most of it, and his head started clicking over possibilities. His first thought was to just dump her. She was safer without him. If he was caught, they wanted him alive, but she was just an extra. Expendable. Then she said Imam and he knew she was in as much if not more danger than he was. If they found her they'd do anything to make her talk.
"Who?"
His question cut into her speech as she was starting to repeat some of the same shit over. "What?"
"Who are 'they'?"
She stared at him with that one wide eye again and he didn't really need her to say it. Whoever it was, she was scared to just think of them. Riddick didn't know of too many things that could scare someone that badly, other than him, of course. "Chem Industries," she whispered finally.
He nodded, his mind going back through possibilities. He'd been forced to deal with CI before. Hell, they'd given him a home for years, but this was different. They didn't want him back to catch up on old times.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered, interrupting his thoughts.
He was amazed at how little he was affected by it all. The worst thing for him was the risk to her. She had no part in this, and she didn't deserve to have to be on the run with him, but now she was just as wanted as he was. "We disappear."
"We?"
His head jerked around to look at her. "Jack, you're as wanted now as I am."
"But I'll just slow you down. I don't want to get you caught," she whispered.
He actually smiled, "I was thinkin' the same thing, kid."
Her eyes lowered from his and he hated teasing her. "Jack, they'll do the same thing to you that they did to Imam. I can't let that happen. They want me alive, so that protects me some, but not you."
Tears seeped from her swollen eye, the other, full of tears, just looked up at him anxiously.
"It's okay, kid. We'll disappear." He stood and stepped back away from her. "I got some stuff to take care of. You gonna be okay?"
She nodded and settled back into the bed. "I'm sorry."
He stopped and stared at her for a minute. "That's enough, Jack. None of this is your fault. It should be me apologizing to you. If I'd been here tonight, nothing would have happened. You wouldn't have had to come out looking for me and gotten hurt. I'm sorry, kid."
He couldn't stay there after that. He stalked from the room, hating the whole fucked up situation. And hating himself for causing the whole fucked up mess. And for being such a coward. He was more scared of what that girl thought than of anything else.
He dressed quickly. Black as usual, though he wore long sleeves to try to hide his distinctive size a little, and then a stocking cap to cover his bald head.
He stood in the front doorway, staring back into the house to where Jack was. He hoped she'd be okay for a couple hours while he was out. She needed to get some rest, and he had to get everything prepared for them to leave. She wasn't safe here anymore.
His jaw worked as he remembered what she had been through tonight. She would be sore and bruised for days.
He locked the door and, with goggles in hand, headed out into the night, cursing the constant oppressive wet heat. He had some shopping to get done.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Jack curled up on her side, hugging the extra pillow tightly to her. She knew Riddick was right, that none of their problems had been directly her fault, but she still felt responsible. With her tagging along he had more to worry about. And after tonight it was pretty obvious that she couldn't even protect herself, so he would have to do that too.
She'd never been happier in her life than living with him. But now she just felt like a burden and she knew she would never be able to live with herself if he was captured because of her.