Title: Different Sisters
Author: Malvakai
Rating: PG: some use of the F and similar words
Category: Het; Adventure; Action; Angst
Pairing: Riddick/OFC Zemma
Summary: TCOR AU: Continuation of Daddy's Girl from the alternate ending
Disclaimer: This is written for enjoyment rather than profit, I do not own the borrowed characters or storyline. My OFC is my property and not to be reused without my permission.
There's a poem by William Blake called The Tiger that I quote bits of.
Feedback: Please DO give me any feedback you feel is appropriate, including shredding. This is first draft stuff.
Archive: A qualified "yes"; definitely ok for this site, and anyone else should ask.
Notes: Still in Zemma's first person perspective, but more about Jack.

1. Tomorrow

It had been three weeks since Zemma hemorrhaged all over the Vaako's bed. Two weeks since she said goodbye to her friends and left the Basilica, with Riddick and Jack, on a stripped down frigate. And a week since she thought it was a good idea. Now they were preparing to land on a planet, tomorrow. Zemma was filled with anxiety and without her usual means of dispelling it. Riddick had been keeping her at arms length since her rescue.

She thought she knew why, and didn't want to think about it either. She tossed on her bunk and tried to sleep, instead of thinking about the past two weeks.

Jack was taking best advantage of the gap she sensed between them; chatting up Riddick like an old friend...

Like an old lover. Jealous again, my dear?

...Laughing too loudly and ignoring Zemma completely.

Zemma, consequently, found herself ignoring the two of them. Catching only pitying glances from Riddick when he thought no one was looking. Superior ones from Jack when Riddick wasn't around. He slept in the pilot's seat ship nights. The strain was getting to Zemma. She wasn't quite invisible, not quite included in their little circle, and still clueless about Jack's past. Whatever it was, Riddick did know something. Possibly it was the real reason for this outing.

She lay in her bunk, alone, and thought about waking up that next day... well, it was the next day to her. She found out later it was two more days. All in all she had lost nearly a week.

"Why do I hurt all over?"

"You had to have surgery to stop the bleeding. Nanos work fast on breaks, but soft tissue still needs time to regenerate."

Zemma couldn't feel any surgery scars or find any stitches. That left only one explanation for her sudden loss of blood.

'Should we tell her?' She remembered Jaron had asked.

'No.' Riddick had been firm.

Don't think about it, Zem. It's way past Now.

Zemma didn't especially want to have babies right now, but it shook her anyway. The voice in the back of her head sometimes brought it up, but she never took the idea seriously. She hoped they had fixed her again, but didn't have anyone to ask. She rolled over in her bunk again, that day flashing back into her mind.

Her hands were swollen and painful but otherwise working. Her broken foot hurt less. Ribs too. Zemma finished her examination before Riddick returned from ordering breakfast. He hadn't touched her, except her face to wake her, and to check up on her hands. He dressed without looking at her.

"Need some help getting to the bathroom?" He spoke with his back to her.

"I'm dry as a bone, but I could use a shower."

He turned and started to scoop her up out of bed. She slapped him in the shoulder. It hurt her more than him.

"Don't do that. Just help me walk."

He set her down gently. It was almost the last time he touched her. He did, however, stay in the bathroom as she showered.

"Tell me what happened."

Zemma wanted to say 'no', or stay mute, but he didn't use that command voice that seemed to make her so immediately stubborn. He spoke quietly. Still she heard that quality in his voice that would brook no argument or diversions.

"I pushed Jack's buttons and made the mistake of turning my back on her. My fault, really, I should have seen the mask she was wearing. I let myself get distracted. I was over confident."

"What did she do?"

Zemma mentally shrugged.

"She hit me. I fell. She didn't know the Chemist would find me. She didn't know anything about Dame Vaako."

Riddick didn't reply.

"Don't do anything to her, Riddick." Zemma sighed.

I owe her. I'll handle her.

"She crossed the line." Controlled anger.

"She's just a big kit."

"You think she was playing?" Irritation.

"No." Zemma leaned up against the wall and let the water wash over her. "She's afraid of something, Riddick. Something scarier than you. Doesn't that intrigue you?"

There was a pause, then, "No."

Something in his voice for that short word caught Zemma's attention. She turned to look at him.

"You already knew!"

He glanced away, shrugging one shoulder. 'So what if I do,' he seemed to say.

Zemma splashed him with water. "You knew and didn't tell me! You could have saved me a lot of trouble." She was smiling, teasing him, but he pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against and turned away.

Zemma turned off the water and got out. Riddick was already in the other room.

You hit too close to home, girl.

I didn't mean to.

Zemma pulled on a robe and followed him slowly into the bedroom.

"Get back in bed. You aren't healed yet." Calm, quiet voice.

Zemma was feeling light headed. She did as requested rather than follow him out.

He'd barely touched her since then. She tossed on her bunk, alone in the tiny cabin.

She did finally talk him into continuing her training last week. At least that got her more than sympathetic looks from him. He even smiled a little at her.

Jack's face, on the other hand, well, that made Zemma smile.

Zemma didn't mind Riddick working out with Jack too. The girl had some interesting moves, but Riddick always had more interesting counters. She felt she learned a lot just watching them.

But Jack hated anything that brought Zemma and Riddick closer. Only that morning during their training session, Riddick had pulled Zemma into a hold that lasted a minute too long...judging by Jack's face. Zemma felt him breathe deeply against her hair, and her heart quickened its pace. She turned her face towards him but he spun her loose.

"Try again."

Zemma was tempted to let him complete the grapple again, just to be in his arms, close to him. But her obstinate streak wouldn't let her. She threw and pinned him, instead, ending up on his chest, grinning mischievously.

He actually smiled back before he flipped her. She found him sitting on top of her, her arms pinned, smirking at her. She kept smiling back.

Until Jack cleared her throat.

Zemma tried to hold Riddick's gaze. Had her hands been free she might have clutched at him despite, or in spite of, Jack's presence. Riddick rose and pulled Zemma from the floor, his eyes unreadable behind his goggles in the brightly lit room.

"That's enough for today." He walked off rather stiffly.

"I'm not that fucking fragile," Zemma hissed under her breath, knowing he would still hear her.

He stopped half way through the door, turned slightly, but said nothing before continuing on his way down the dark hallway.

Jack gloated.

Zemma turned her smile on Jack. "Just you and me, sister."

Jack hopped up from the crouch she had been resting in.

Riddick had, this week, been shooing the women out ahead of him, never leaving them alone in the same room after getting everyone's adrenaline up.

"I owe you a kick in the head," Zemma continued as Jack walked confidently towards her.

"You think I'm gonna take it easy on you because you covered for me with Riddick?"

Zemma kept the surprise off her face. Did Riddick really think she lied? Or did he just tell Jack that? Might explain his attitude. But, she told him the truth, Jack only hit her, and she fell...

Jack took a stance in front of Zemma, but was moving again a half second later.

Zemma was ready; she'd been ready all week. She let herself move fast, not holding back. She focused on power moves whenever Jack gave her an opening, but found they were always a ploy. Zemma took several hard shots and kept on smiling. She gave some back and Jack's face never changed.

Zemma sped up, and Jack got trickier.

But she was still telegraphing, and once Zemma learned which twitches were feints...

Jack spun into a kick. Zemma was ready for it, she caught Jack and slammed her into the floor. Jack lay still a moment, stunned. Zemma walked calmly up and kicked her in the side of the head. Then she turned and left the unconscious girl on the floor with a sense of self-satisfaction.

The smiled died on her lips as she stepped through the door to discover Riddick standing in the darkness. She poked him hard in his chest with one finger.

"I didn't cover for her."

She walked back to her cabin alone. She spent the day there, alone, thinking about the past three weeks yet again.

You worry too much. He'll get over whatever it is.

Zemma tossed on her bunk. At ship's morning she was supposed to pilot the ship to planet side, following Riddick's coordinates. He wanted to see what she'd learned.

He wants to see if I can pilot in blue sky.

Then I'm supposed to go outside.

Zemma shuddered and counted her heartbeats, hoping for sleep. She was in the thousands and thinking of counting backwards instead when her door opened. She twitched up her lenses.

Riddick.

Zemma smiled and waited, thinking about the first time he had done this. When he sat on the edge of her bunk, Zemma reached out to him. He caught her hand but didn't speak.

"Don't be an asshole, Riddick," Zemma broke the silence with a whisper.

He turned his head slowly to her. "What?" His voice was low and curt.

"Will you please just lay down and hold me?"

He looked at her another moment. Then he lay down, his head propped up on one hand, the other holding hers. Still too distant for Zemma's taste, she turned, laced her arms around him, and put her head against his chest. He laid his arm across her back.

"I'm no more an idiot than I am fragile, Riddick. Is that why you've been avoiding me? Because you didn't want to tell me I was..." She trailed off. She didn't want to say it either.

He didn't reply, but put his face against the top of her head.

"Did they at least... fix... me again?"

"Yes."

Zemma spoke in Furyan.

"What was that?" He asked, mildly curious. She hadn't called him a prick.

"I said, 'I'm afraid of tomorrow'."

He pulled her close to him.

Neither of them spoke, and eventually Zemma did fall asleep.