AUTHOR'S NOTE: I KNOW! I'M TRYING! I promise I'm trying to get out the next few short stories for 'The Chronicles'. You'll be happy to know that there's nine more parts to this series. NINE. As for the next series… Well, I've got three parts written and working on a fourth. It may not have too much of Riddick in it though, mainly focusing on Harry and his years in Hogwarts and such. I'm thinking of calling it 'The Story of a Boy'. Don't know if I'll stick with that. Might put it up for voting.

Slowly, he snuck up on his prey. Careful to make not a sound, he crawled across on hands and knees. He wasn't afraid to get dirty to get the job done. And done it would be.

He was almost there!

Careful…

Careful…

And then…

"What do you think you're doing," growled Richard, turning around to grab Harry as he leaped to jump on his back, a smile already making its way across the older boy's face.

Harry squealed, then promptly started laughing as his Richard tickled him. Yes, Riddick was his. The five year old, almost six, knew enough to know that Richard was going to be his. …he just didn't know enough to understand what that meant, however.

But none of that mattered. He was with HIS Richard. And Richard was playing with him!

Eventually Richard stopped the tickle attack and held his smaller body close to his own. Harry smiled as a soft kiss was pressed to his forehead, right over his strangely shaped scar. He looked up at the older boy adoringly.

"Pwetty Wichawd."

Eyebrow arched, Richard shook his head. "What did I tell you about your pronunciations, Green-eyes? Hmm?"

Huffing, Harry crossed his arms and glared up at his Richard, but his eyes were twinkling in amusement. "To. Talk. Slowly. Until. I. Can. Pronounce. Words. Correctly. Without. Thinking."

Fingers moved quickly up the younger boy's sides, much to his amusement.

"Now you're just being silly," grinned Richard. He stopped with the tickling when Harry's face began to turn an interesting shade of red. "Now. Let's try this again. Okay?"

Scrunching up his nose, Harry repeated his earlier words slowly and hesitantly. "Pretty Richard."

…it was kind of funny watching Richard's eyes get big.

A smile slowly growing on his face, Richard chuckled. "Harry. I'm a boy. Boys aren't pretty. Especially boys like me. Now you on the other hand…"

Harry tilted his head curiously to the side. "Huh? Harry pretty?"

"Nope," Richard replied right away. He pressed another kiss to Harry's forehead when he started to frown. "You're not pretty. But that's because you're beautiful, Green-eyes."

"Harry… beautiful?" Tilting his head to the side again, Harry looked up at his Richard. "Richard thinks Harry is… beautiful?"

Richard smiled. "Yep. Inside and out. You're a regular beauty. Which I guess makes me your beast."

"Hmm," Harry hummed, much to the amusement of his Richard. "Okay. Harry… beautiful. But only if Richard is my beast."

"Deal," growled the Beast to his Beauty, smiling when the Beauty laughed.

End of Chapter.