Disclaimer: I do not own Riddick. If I did, there would be so many more movies and Jack would not have died. I, however, am forced to use this nonprofit means of expressing my idea about this fantastic character. So don't sue me.
Rating: This is rated M because of swearing, sexual tension, sexual references, gore, and general Riddickness.
A/N: Hello there. Yes, it's another Riddick fic. What can I say, I'm obsessed. This one will be much longer than my others. It starts off right after Pitch Black ends and deviates from there. I borrowed some stuff from CoR, but not much of the actual plotline. This story will follow Jack after the events of Pitch Black. I've adjusted Jack's age. She is 15 in this story when it starts. I know, I know, she would have had a hard time hiding the fact that she was a girl at that age, but just use your imagination. I had to up the age for the sake of continuity in the story and so I wouldn't have to do giant light-years leaps in her life. Anyways, I'm going to stop rambling now. One with the story!
Chapter One
"There's so much prayer to make up for," Imam murmured, running his prayer beads through his fingers, glad that he could finally see them again in the comfortingly florescent lights of the skiff. "I hardly know where to begin."
Jack looked at the dark man sitting across from her, then at the captain's chair. She could see Riddick's muscular form settled in the seat as he flipped various switches, setting their course, which would take them into the nearest shipping lane. She still couldn't believe that she was actually on a ship flying away from all those creatures. She'd figured she'd be dead by now.
"I know where I'd start," Jack said, looking back at Imam, tilting her head towards their savior. The holy man looked at Riddick, his mouth tightening ever so slightly as he watched the convict maneuver the controls.
"Yes, I suppose that we should include Mr. Riddick in our prayers," Imam said, but Jack could tell he was choking on the words. Giving thanks for a murderer. Now that was ironic. Jack just shook her head at the older man, bending her head when he did.
I feel stupid doing this, Jack thought, listening to Imam mutter in his foreign tongue. I don't believe in this shit. If there is a God, then he certainly doesn't like me and I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me beg.
Still, she mused. If I was going to say thank you for anything, it would be Riddick. Without him we wouldn't have even lasted two minutes with those things. I probably would have been the first one to go, too. After Zeke, that is. And even if somehow we had made it to the canyon, Johns would have cut me up and turned me into a big old pile of bait. Riddick saved my life. I don't care if it's bad; I'm glad he's alive, and that the monsters didn't get him.
Jack peeked over at Imam. His head was still bent in prayer. He looked like he was going to stay that way for a while. Easing away, Jack quietly got up and walked towards the front of the skiff. She slid into the copilot's seat, not looking at Riddick directly, just in case he decided to order her to go back to Imam.
"A lot of questions, whoever we run into," Jack said, finally looking over at her silent companion. "Could even be a merc ship." Riddick turned his head towards her ever so slightly, indicating that he was listening. Jack bit her lip. She could feel his eyes on her, waiting for her next move.
"So, what are we going to tell them about you?" she asked, content to put the ball in his court. She watched him, looking for any signs of what he was thinking. Relief washed over her when she saw the corners of his mouth tilt upwards in a very faint smile.
"We tell them Riddick's dead," he said, turning back and looking out into the endless abyss of space before them. "He died somewhere on that planet."
Jack looked at Riddick, not sure what to say. The words were logical. But the way he said them… it was as if there was a whole other meaning that Jack didn't quite understand yet. He sounded… not necessarily mournful, but almost regretful. Jack couldn't figure it out, and it was bugging her.
"What do you mean, he died somewhere on that planet?" Jack asked, finally giving up trying to puzzle it out.
"That's what we're going to tell whoever picks us up, kid," Riddick said, looking at her like she was an idiot.
"I know that," Jack retorted, rolling her eyes. "I meant… why did you say it like that?"
"Like what?" Riddick asked, keeping his eyes focused on the distant stars in front of him. Jack nearly growled in frustration. The man was being obtuse on purpose.
"Don't bullshit me, Riddick," Jack snapped, swiveling her chair so that she fully faced the murderer. "You know exactly what I mean. You meant something else when you said that Riddick had died on that planet."
"Oh I did, did I?" Riddick asked, glancing over at Jack in amusement, which only served to fuel Jack's conviction that he was hiding something from her.
"Yes," she said, crossing her arms and glaring at the larger man. Riddick swiveled slightly so that he could look at her more fully. Jack continued to sit there, arms crossed, glowering at the convict. Riddick returned her stare. She didn't waver. He slid his goggles up, leveling her with a stare from his mercury eyes. Jack just smirked. If he thought that was going to frighten her off, then he was in for some news. She could have stared at his eyes all day.
They sat like that for a while, staring at each other, each trying to back the other down. It was a comical picture, a massive, muscle-bound murderer trying to stare down a little scrap of a girl with a shaved head. Finally Riddick sat back in his seat, a real smile coming across his face.
"You've got stones, kid, I'll give you that," he rumbled, chuckling to himself. "You're stubborn too. That can be a downfall, but you've got that patience to go with it. That's good. It means that you can wait out your prey, wait until they get tired or weak and make that one fatal mistake." Jack smiled, his compliments warming her.
"So, are you going to tell me what you meant?" Jack asked hopefully, wondering if she had actually won this contest of wills.
"Nope," Riddick replied, shaking his head, grinning at her. "At least, not yet. One day I will, kid."
"Promise?" Jack asked, knowing she sounded like a naive child, but unable to stop herself.
"Promise," Riddick rumbled after a brief pause. Jack studied him intently, looking for any signs of deception in his features. But his face was a metal mask, completely unreadable. Jack sighed. She just hoped that he'd keep his word. She hated not knowing things.
The silence stretched between them. But it wasn't uncomfortable. Jack was content to lean back in the copilot's chair and watch the blinking lights on the console as she let her thoughts drift. She knew that Riddick was watching her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She knew that he didn't mean her any harm, at that moment at least.
Jack drifted in and out of awareness. Darkness closed over her as she dozed off. At one point she woke to the feeling of two strong arms around her, gently lifting her and carrying her before placing her down on the lumpy mattress at the back of the skiff and easing away. Jack made small noises of protest, latching onto the warm bands of steal and holding them close.
"Relax, kid, I'm not going anywhere," rumbled a voice from somewhere above her. Jack relaxed at the sound, but still kept one hand wrapped tightly around the warmth. The last thing she heard before drifting off to sleep was the sound of deep chuckles and a shiv being slid from its sheath.
A/N: There, chapter one done! There will probably be another chapter or two before they get picked up by a ship. I'm thinking of actually splitting this story into two, since it'd be really long if I kept it all combined. Anyways, thanks for reading and please drop a review and tell me what you think!
