It's been so long since I've last updated...so sorry...pls don't think I forgot about this story...anyways, all the reviews that I got rocked, and I'm really happy that so many ppl like Notorious. I hope that I'll continue to get reviews, and hopefully good ones. Seriously, reviews are the best part for a wish-I-could-actually-write amateur writer like myself...hope u enjoy...
Riddick sat on the bed, his back leaning against the wall. His wife-beater was stretched across his wide muscular chest. His body seemed relaxed, but Jack knew that he could jump to his feet with a shiv mysteriously appearing in his hand within an instant, even if he was sleeping. She thought about how safe he made her feel as she washed her dishes.
She was humming a song to herself while her hands were hidden in warm soapy water. There was a lock of dark curly hair that was resting on her face. Each time she turned her head to fling it back, it would reappear. After many unsuccessful attempts, she finally decided to use her wet fingers, but before she even had a chance, Riddick was behind her.
He had been pretending to watch the holographic 3-D vid, but his eyes, hidden behind his goggles, were observing Jack. He noticed how that lock was bothering her, and how she was almost too stubborn to take her wet hand to pull it behind her ear. So he decided to help.
He carefully touched her lock of hair and neatly tucked it behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her skin. He bent down to whisper in her ear, "How long does it take to wash dishes? Move it."
Jack tried to jam her elbow into his stomach, but obviously he was too quick. He caught her elbow and then twisted it around so that it was behind her back at an odd angle. He held her arm close to him, and watched her arch her back in pain. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He enjoyed watching her fight him – it's one of the things he likes the most, especially when she's able to hurt him by stomping on his foot. But that didn't loosen his grip. If anything it became firmer, and his fingers dug into her forearm, definitely leaving bruises.
He suddenly let her go and pushed her to the side. He quickly rinsed the last plate and went back to the bed. Jack was already lying on it. As he approached the bed, she said, "lights out". He removed his wife-beater but left his black cargos on. Jack turned to him and tenderly removed his goggles, placing them under her pillow with her gun. She then moved so that she was on her right side, with her head lying in the hollow of his neck. One hand was tucked under her cheek, and her left arm was resting on Riddick's chest. Her fingers were drumming a quick beat on his shoulder.
When he finally couldn't take it anymore, he tried to move her hand away, but she just grabbed his and held on. She soon fell asleep, but he stayed awake wondering why she was holding his hand.
Riddick instantly woke up. Something was wrong. He slowed his breathing and listened intently for any unusual noise. Then he heard the sounds of light muffled footsteps. There were at least four men outside the apartment's door. He quickly got up from the bed, not caring about waking Jack up. He grabbed a shiv from his pocket and signaled Jack to follow him.
She quickly changed from drowsy to alert. She took her gun and Riddick's goggles from under her pillow, and quietly went after him. He was already standing next to the door. The moon's soft light made his silver eyes glint in the dark, matching his shiv's blade. His knees were slightly bent, ready to pounce. His posture screamed lethal power.
Jack stood on the other side of the door. She threw his goggles to him, and he caught them without even looking at her. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins - she was definitely becoming an action junkie. She loved feeling the intense danger and power, but she always had a fear in the back of her mind. She didn't want anything to happen to Riddick because it would kill her emotionally. But she took a few deep breaths to clear her head. It was time to focus and let the beast in.
Riddick and Jack looked at each other at the exact same moment. They both heard the retreating footsteps and the slight deadly hum.
He grabbed her arm and ran towards the balcony. He didn't want to waste time opening the door, so he just barged into it. Pieces of glass cut into him as he pulled Jack behind him. He climbed over the balcony and jumped down to the lower level's balcony. He continued down until he reached the ground. As he looked up to find Jack, a huge explosion and fire blinded him. Pain seared through his head because he didn't wear his goggles.
When he was finally able to open his eyes, he couldn't find Jack. His heart almost stopped beating. He glanced around and saw that she fell from the fourth floor on to the ground. He ran towards her and picked her up. He noticed that her back was severely burnt, so he just flung her over his shoulder so that he wouldn't touch it.
"Leave me. They're coming," mumbled Jack. Riddick just ignored her and ran towards the one place they would never be found. The thought of leaving her behind never even crossed his mind, and he was angry that Jack had such an idea. But he was even more furious that some people were able to hurt her. He was going to have to be patient tonight. But tomorrow, he would torture, maim and kill whoever had come.
As he ran in the shadows, the smell of burnt flesh tingled his nose. It made him run even more swiftly, leaping and ducking any obstacles. He had let his primal side take over. As he approached the deserted building, he quickly scanned the area. It was completely empty, just the way he liked it.
He repeatedly banged his fist on the front door, loud enough that Jack slipped out of unconsciousness. Her body felt as if she was being skinned alive. The smell of her burnt flesh was coming to her in waves, and making her feel extremely nauseous. She didn't even have to warn Riddick – he put her on the floor and held her hair back.
As she threw up, the door opened and a petite silhouette appeared. Jack couldn't see her face in the dark, but she was surprised to see that Riddick seemed to know her really well. It made her a bit jealous, especially when the woman put her arm around Riddick's waist. But then another wave of nausea hit her and she threw up again.
When she was finally done, Riddick tried to lift her, but she stubbornly refused his help. No matter how much she hurt, she didn't want to look weak in front of this woman. Riddick got pissed at her stupid show of bravado and at how she shrugged him off, so he just went in. He didn't even bother turning around to see if Jack followed.
Jack painfully got up, and almost fell a few times as she entered the building. The woman was smart enough to stay away from her. She stumbled again, and finally fell down. She got to her knees and hands, but couldn't get up. Her back was killing her, and her head felt like it would explode. She felt like giving up and sleeping on the floor. As the world starting spinning and fading out, she felt a massive arm hold her by the waist and drag her to a bench. She wanted to lie down, but deep down she knew that her back couldn't take the weight. She was hurting so much that she was almost starting to feel numb.
Riddick brought a chair and sat behind her with a medic kit. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. Anything that he tried to fix would cause Jack a lot of pain. He grabbed the box and tried to find some morphine, but there was none. He got so angry that he punched the wall to his left. His knuckles were split open and bleeding, and the wall had a huge hole in it. He wanted to punch it over and over again, but he knew it would be useless. He took a sharp intake of air and cracked his neck.
"This is going to fuckin' kill."
"Can't you pump me up with some drugs?" Jack asked trying to drown out the pain and fear.
"There's none."
"Get me water, beer, vodka, absinth. Can't you just fuckin' get me something?" It was too late, she couldn't hide her panic. She knew that when Riddick would try to clean her up, it would hurt her like a bitch. She could take pain, even in large doses, but having your back being burnt by a bomb, and then falling four floors on the same back, was too much. She wished she were as strong as Riddick.
She watched him leave and was momentarily afraid that he wouldn't help her. But he came back with a large glass. It was filled to the brim with a green liquid. She took the glass from him with one hand, while the other reached out to his hip. She looked up into his eyes and her lips mouthed sorry. Riddick barely nodded, accepting her apology. She took a strong grip of his cargo pants, and gulped the glass down. The intense licorice taste momentarily burned her throat before she felt it hit her hard.
"Ready?" Riddick asked. She just stared at him as if she had never seen him before. He took it as a yes.
He went back to the chair. He took out his shiv and started cutting her shirt off. She was only wearing his black shirt and underwear. The problem was that there were parts of the shirt burned into her skin. He didn't know how to clean her up, even if she was already hallucinating and numb, without her crying. And he couldn't stand her tears. He had to use desperate measures, so he knocked her out. She was immediately unconscious and her body slumped back. He effortlessly caught her and laid her down on the bench, so that her back was facing him.
Riddick spent the next two hours meticulously cleaning Jack's wounds. He dabbed at them patiently and then finally patched them over with a laser. He tried to not leave any scars, but she had some. They looked as if someone threw acid at her, and it dribbled down her back, ending right before her underwear began.
It was late morning when Jack woke up. At first she was confused, but once she saw a sleeping Riddick sitting next to her, she felt better. Then she remembered what happened to her. She reached out to touch her back, but her hand was slapped away. Riddick was awake.
She turned her head slowly to get a better look of him. He appeared older. Jack smiled slightly; she loved having an effect on Riddick, but then she saw the woman come into the room.
