Author: Cricket71
Title: Return to Darkness
Rating: M. Language, sexual content (M/F, M/M, F/F) torture, murder, and reference to rape.
Fandom: Riddick/Post Pitch Black/AU. Everything is the same up until this point. TCOR never happens.
Disclaimer: Do NOT own any characters from PB/TCOR Everyone else is mine
Summary: Riddick faces his worst nightmare after searching in vain for years - Jack is gone. He must contend with the loss and carry on with his own life, never expecting that he'll eventually chase a ghost.
Pairing: Riddick/Jack (eventually), Micah/Drake (OMCs)
Feedback: Yes, yes, yes, I LOVE LOVE LOVE feedback. Live, write, and die by it!! Make my inbox happy please - anonymous reviews gladly accepted.
Chapter 1
Present – Merc ship somewhere in the Alteris system
She never would have thought opening her eyes would require so much effort, but swollen and bruised as they were it was a chore. The briefest glimpse she caught told her she was back in her cell, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was over –at least for now. However, until she gave them what they wanted, information she didn't even have, they would persist in doing what they could to extract it from her.
It didn't matter if she knew. She would never tell them where he was. Never in a million years. He may have hurt her terribly when he left, but it wasn't enough to make her give him up to mercs.
Rewind more than two years…
Jack and Riddick had spent almost two years together. After a year of that time she finally felt safe enough to shed her 'boy' persona. She let her hair grow and had almost completely ceased wearing masculine clothing. Saying Riddick found the change difficult to handle was a gross understatement. Seeing her with a shaved head and wearing boys' clothes? He could handle that no problem, but Jack as a young woman could only lead to trouble. And trouble found her when she met a boy in one of the ports where they stayed for three weeks.
Knowing Riddick wouldn't like her seeing anyone, much less an eighteen year old guy, she chose not to tell him. Whenever Riddick told her he was going out for the night, she would leave soon after and meet up with Nick, but always beat him back to the ship. What she didn't realize is that Riddick was onto her. She had forgotten about his acute sense of smell, and every time she met Nick the scent of his cologne clung to her hair. He always smelled it the next morning. The third time Riddick noticed it he almost came unglued and made the decision to take care of the problem at the source.
"Jack!" She didn't answer right away and he yelled her name again. "JACK!"
She took a step out of her room with her hands on her hips clearly peeved. "WHAT?"
"Are you fuckin' deaf?"
"No, I had my ear buds in, and if you had bothered to walk another fifteen feet to my room and talk to me to my face instead of yelling like an ogre, you would have seen them. And now that you have me here, what did you want?"
"I'm goin' out."
"So go already," she said, smiling sweetly. He turned to walk away and quietly added, "I'm sure they're already on their backs, legs spread, and waiting."
Riddick turned around and nailed her with his eyes. "What the fuck did you say?"
Her eyes got big for a second thinking she had been caught, but replied, "Nothing."
"That's what I thought."
Once he was gone she called Nick and arranged to meet him near the club.
"So I get you all night, baby?"
"My lord and master will be gone until at least three in the morning, so I'm safe to stay out until one I'd say."
"You make the man sound harsh. Where's he goin' anyway?"
"To get laid. Two, three times a week or more, and he's always gone for hours."
Nick was thinking he liked the idea and was hoping to score himself. "Cool. I'll meet you in thirty minutes in our spot."
"See you then, Nick."
After hanging up she ran to her room and put on her club outfit. The skirt was short and black and her cropped top bared a good portion of her stomach. She blew a kiss at herself in the mirror and then headed out, oblivious that she was being followed.
Nick smiled as she walked up and let out a low whistle. She turned around for him as he checked her out. "Hot, baby."
Jack was beaming. "You really like it?"
"Uh-uh, love it. Come here."
Nick settled his hands on her waist and pulled her closer and then his hands smoothed over her ass, squeezing it as he pressed her closer into him. Riddick caught himself growling and almost made his presence known when Jack circled her arms around his neck and they kissed. They then headed for a nearby club, and he was right behind them. Riddick took a seat in a dark corner, but his eyes were on her and the guy the entire time. They danced for what seemed like forever until Nick took her to a booth for a much needed break.
"The music is really great tonight isn't it?"
Nick grinned pulled her closer. "I know something else that's even better."
Once they started playing tonsil hockey it took everything he had not to storm over, pull the guy off her, and then rip his throat out. He didn't know who he was angrier at; her for doing something stupid like getting involved with a punk like him or the guy for touching her. But soon kissing wasn't enough and he noticed Jack pulling back several times when the guy got too aggressive with her. After several unsuccessful tries he eventually left her alone and went to the bar to bring what appeared to be non-alcoholic drinks. The guy didn't have a wristband which meant he couldn't be served alcohol in the club; a small relief to Riddick.
"At least he can't get her drunk."
But after ten minutes he noticed that Jack wasn't acting right. Her hands went to her head and she shook it as if something was plaguing her. Nick took her face in his hands and started kissing her again, but her responses were sluggish, and when he attempted to put his hands up her shirt, something she had pushed him away twice before for doing, she didn't resist.
"God damn fucker drugged her!"
Nick didn't see Riddick coming until it was too late. He grabbed a chunk of his hair and slammed his face into the table, instantly breaking his nose. He screamed in pain, but Riddick wasn't finished with him yet. He jerked Nick from his seat and slammed him against the nearest wall and his blade was at his throat, biting into his skin a second later.
Riddick pulled off his goggles and Nick shrieked in fear once faced with twin silver orbs staring back at him..
"What's your name?"
"N-N-Nick."
"Nick." He pressed the blade further into his throat and a line of blood began to trickle from the cut. "Of all the girls you coulda picked, you, Mr. Shitforbrains, had to go after her, a thirteen year old!" Riddick smelled the fear oozing from him and smiled, which only made Nick whimper like a baby. "Guess you realize that was a fucked up choice, huh? Don't nod, the blade might go in deeper. Just say yes."
"Y-Y-Yes."
"Good boy, Nikky."
He removed the blade from his throat and Nick almost began to blubber he was so relieved, but it didn't last long as he felt the point of his blade pierce his balls through his jeans. Riddick covered his mouth to keep anyone from hearing him.
"Do you have any more of that drug left you gave her?"
Unable to speak he nodded.
"Give it to me."
He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out three more packets of the drug. Riddick took them and then they walked over to where Jack was sitting. She was so out of it that she was completely unaware of what had just transpired.
"Jack, get up. We gotta go."
It took her almost half a minute to focus enough before she could recognize him. "Riddick? Wh-what are you doing here?"
Nick nearly pissed his pants when he heard what Jack called him. "Oh my god, please don't kill me. Please don't kill me."
"Kill you, Nikky? You ain't worth the effort. 'Sides, I've got other plans for you."
Riddick managed to get Jack up and walking. He took them both out the back door of the club and hailed a tax. After a quick call he directed the driver to an address across town. Pulling up, Nick noticed it was another club, but not one he was familiar with.
"What is this place?"
"You'll see soon enough. Get out of the car." He directed the driver to wait on him and left Jack in the backseat asleep.
Nick took a look around the club as he was dragged to the bar. It was full of men and there wasn't a woman in sight, which meant this wasn't his kind crowd. He tried to bolt and Riddick's iron grip on the back of his neck prevented him from moving. He ordered Nick a drink and set two packets of the date rape drug before him.
"Dump it in the drink."
Nick began to whimper. He knew what was about to happen to him. "I-I-I'm s-s-s-orry."
Riddick leaned down and spoke right next to his ear, low and deadly. "Little fuckin' late for that. You went after the wrong girl. You touched what's mine, and I have a slight anger issue when some dumb fuck does that. Now put the god damn drug in the glass and drink every last drop or I swear to fuckin' god I'll pour the shit down your throat myself."
Nick did what he was told and consumed the entire contents of the glass. He was shaking from fear the entire time until the drug started to take effect. Riddick finally caught sight of the guy he had called while in the cab and waved him over.
"Rick, never thought you'd actually show up."
"I am a man of my word, Simon. This is the guy I mentioned."
Simon looked Nick over appreciatively even in spite of his bloody nose. "Very nice."
"So you can take care of him?"
"That won't be a problem. I've got a few friends who will absolutely love him."
"Knew I could count on you. Next time I'm in town, I'll bring by an extra case of Morphus wine."
Riddick left the club and got back in the cab. Jack was still asleep and she remained that way even as he carried her into the ship. But he didn't put her to bed. That's what he would have done if he was in a forgiving mood, which he wasn't. Instead he went to the bathroom and laid her in the tub, and then turned on the shower – cold only. She screamed as the freezing water rained down on her and frantically crawled toward the faucet to turn it off. The room was pitch black and other than being in a bathroom she had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was being in the club with Nick. She shivered and her teeth were clattering as she felt her way out of the tub.
"Cold Jack?"
She looked up and saw Riddick's eyes and knew she was fucked.
"There are clothes on the counter. Get dried off and dressed for bed."
He threw a towel at her after calling for the lights to come on and left her alone. Ten minutes later she was in her room, but didn't bother asking for the lights. They probably wouldn't have worked anyway. Riddick was pissed, and a pissed off Riddick meant darkness only. She crawled on her bed and sat there with her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging them to her. She knew without looking that he was already in her room. She could feel him.
"Aren't you gonna ask what happened, Jack?"
He sounded angrier than she had ever heard him before, which meant something horrible must have happened. She spoke in the direction of his voice, to her right. "I-I'm afraid to ask."
"You should be." She jumped because he had spoken in her left ear and scared the shit out of her.
"Oh god," she sobbed, "I can't remember! I was at a dance club and that's all I remember!"
"Strange." She turned her face back to the right where he was before. "You didn't mention Nick. Was he that forgettable?"
How does he know about Nick? "How'd you-."
"I fuckin' followed you Jack. After smellin' his cologne on you a few times, I knew somethin' was up. I was tailin' your ass the entire night. I followed you to the club, watched you dance, then watched the two of you sucking face."
Jack's anger swiftly boiled over. She should be able to go out and please herself just like him.
"You have no fucking right to get angry at me!! All I wanted was to have a little fun. I never go out! I've begged you to take me to clubs, but you refused so I have to sit here in this ship on my ass while you go fuck a god damn whore whenever you feel like it. Tell me how that's fair!"
"You wanna play the whore, Jack? Is that it?"
"God no!"
"You sure about that? Looked to me like you were off to a good start tonight."
"No!" she cried and slammed her fists on the bed. "I've kissed him, but that's it."
"That's it? Didn't look like that from where I was sittin'. His hands were all over you. I've seen women with 'fuck me' written on their face, and tonight it was all over yours."
Jack gasped at his harsh words. "How can you say that to me? I told you what my uncle did to me. You know I don't want to have sex with anyone. I pushed his hands away for fuck's sake! I always have when he tries to go any further."
"I saw a little of that, too, but after you drank what he gave you, you didn't seem to mind what he was doing. Not one bit. He put his hands up your shirt, Jack and you didn't push him away. He probably would have fucked you right there in the club had I not gotten him off you."
She finally understood why he was so angry. She had put herself in danger with her reckless behavior. She was trembling now as she thought about what could have happened. He was right. Had he not been there – it was too awful to contemplate.
"I'm so sorry, Riddick," she sobbed, repeating her apology to him over and over until she felt the bed give from his weight and his arms wrap protectively around her. After that she just cried until she had no more tears to shed and fell asleep cradled against his chest. He didn't leave her right away. It wasn't so much to make sure she was okay, but for himself. He had been harsh, angry, and even a bit cruel to her tonight, but it all stemmed from one thing – fear. What had almost happened to her shook him more than he'd like to admit. Jack had become important to him. No, important didn't cover it. She was the only person to see beyond his hardened shell, and she had managed to crack it enough to squeeze her way in. It had taken a while, but he was finally able to admit, to himself at least, how much her faith in a man perceived as a monster had changed him. Not a metamorphosis, the changes were subtle, but he wasn't the same man and never would be again. Although the words would never leave his mouth, he loved her in his own way. It wasn't in the romantic sense either, nor was it brotherly, it was simply there, and his fear for her began there.
After leaving her he went straight to the bridge and contacted Iman. Jack needed structure in her life that he couldn't provide, and obviously she yearned for a kind of freedom that would always be just outside of her grasp as long as she was with him. Taking her back to Iman was the only solution even if he didn't want to do it. And when the day came that he walked away, she didn't make it easy on him. Jack had screamed and ranted when he told her he was leaving, but when he actually left the house she refused to let him go. She ran after him, grabbed his arm and tugged hard, but he jerked it away.
"Why are you doing this? I know I've been a pain in the ass lately, but leaving me? Give me a reason Riddick. A good fucking reason why you've decided to leave my ass here for good. I need to know why! You owe me that much!"
"Let's get this straight. I don't owe you shit. I put a roof over your head, I bought you clothes, I fed you, and I protected you. Seems like the bottom line reads that you owe me, not the other way around."
"Y-you make it sound like I was worthless, that I was nothing more than excess baggage." The pain in her voice was palpable, and then she got angry. "Who do you think cleaned the fucking roof you put over my head, and washed not only my clothes but yours, did all the shopping for everything, and then cooked your ass every godforsaken meal you ate? Seems like we're pretty even to me."
"Exactly. I don't owe you shit." He turned and began to walk away, but her heartfelt plea almost did him in.
"Please." But he wouldn't turn around. Not completely. Not if he was going to pull this off.
"You want the truth. It was fun Jack –havin' a mini-me around, but after a while it got old. Real old. I never wanted you with me in the first place, but you yanked that choice away when you hid on my ship. You were a burden from the start, and I'm tired of having it on my back, over my shoulder, and chatting in my ears every fuckin' day. I did the whole hero thing, but it ain't for me. I was fine without you before, and I'll be fine without you when I'm gone. So do me a favor, run along like a good little girl and go find yourself someone else to play house with. I'm fuckin' over it."
Jack stood there frozen in place unable to believe the cruel words that tumbled from his mouth like verse. That's because it was unbelievable. He was hurting her on purpose with spiteful words that he didn't believe, and he wouldn't even look at her when he did it. Then she did the unthinkable. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. It was the absolute worst thing she could have called him, and it hit its mark with deadly accuracy because she was right.
"Coward! You FUCKING coward!! Did you stay up all night writing that bullshit? I don't believe you! Not a god damn word of it! Turn around and say it to my fucking face!"
But he didn't turn around. He kept walking toward the port and it was the longest, most agonizing mile of his entire life. He had just crushed the one person who mattered most to him for all the right reasons. One day she would understand, and hopefully forgive him when he returned. It would be years before that happened, but he never planned on leaving her for good.
Chapter 2 coming soon...
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