Chapter 7

I don't own Riddick or Jack, but I am getting an awesome Riddick action figure in the mail, so close enough I guess lol. Sorry this has been so long coming. I have been very distracted but this story has still been on my mind. Well here it is.

2:00 a.m.

Jack lay awake in her room staring at the ceiling. Her mind was on Riddick and how he was going to act tomorrow. She knew she had to go to his work and talk to his boss about him. That was going to be a fight with him if she ever saw one coming. She wondered if she was going to be able to keep him in bed for one day let alone at least a week.

"I should go to the store and pick up some things for him, things "normal" people use when they are sick." Jack smiled despite herself, Riddick was sick! Really sick, who ever would have thought. Rubbing her face with her hands and pulling them through her hair Jack thought back through the events of the day. She sat up suddenly, hearing a noise. From Riddick's room she heard heavy coughing. Cursing herself for not checking up on him sooner Jack got out of bed and went to his room.

Riddick was hot. He felt like he was down in the pits of Crematoria. He throat was torn up and on fire. Sweat covered his whole body, soaking every inch of his sheets. Trying to push himself up and off of the damp fabric, Riddick only succeeded in pushing out a deep racking cough. Collapsing back down onto his soaked bed Riddick's mind began to reel from his rising fever. Blinking the sweat from his eyes he tried to will away the foggy visions that were appearing in front of him. All around him he could hear the sounds of Butcher Bay. The walls of his room melted into his old cell in max security. Above him leathery wings flapped and an eerie call pierced the air.

When Jack opened the door she saw Riddick wide eyed, lying flat on his back and white knuckling the sides of his bed. She rushed over to him, carelessly. She forgot that a cornered animal is a dangerous animal.

She reached for his arm. "Riddick,Riddick, let go of the damn bed! It's not going anywhere!" . As her fingers grazed his arm Riddick lunged forward tackling Jack to the ground. Jack tried to twist away from him, but even in his weakened state he was still able to overpower her.

"What the fuck Riddick!!!!" Jack yelled. Reaching to grab anything she could her hand came to rest on his shoulder. She could feel the intense heat radiating from him and looking up into his face she saw his eyes were glazed over and he was slick with sweat.

Riddick didn't have a shiv on him so he continued to fight barehanded against his attacker. Still from above he could hear the wings flapping. Frantically looking around he knew he didn't have much time till the creatures came to get him.

"How the fuck did they get inside the slam, and how the fuck did I get back in?" Riddick said under his breath. His attacker was still struggling beneath him and was yelling at him as well. He almost recognized the voice.

"Riddick, Riddick, RIDDICK!!! Come on, listen to me you big ass!" Jack screamed at the delusional man, "The fever is frying your brain right now damnit. I don't want to hurt you, but I will. I don't know what you are seeing Riddick, but it's not real." No use, Riddick just fought harder. As his hands started to wrap around Jack's throat, she brought her knee up into his stomach, praying it would be enough.

"Mother fucker!!!" Riddick gasped . His attacker's blow had hit solid in his stomach. As he sucked in a deep breath a deeper spasm of coughing ripped itself from his chest. He fell back off of his attacker and hit the floor. Riddick started to panic as his mind raced faster and faster. He tried to suck in another breath, but it only fueled the fierce hacking. It felt like every cough would rip his chest apart. Trying to pull himself up onto the bed he felt a steady grip encircle his chest from behind.

"Calm down Riddick, calm down, don't worry, I'm sorry I had to drop you, just let it pass, no deep breaths, shallow shallow." Jack just kept talking as she held Riddick. Feeling the depth of his coughing Jack started to take slow steady breaths hoping Riddick would be able to match his with hers. Eventually after what seemed like hours his breathing was normal and coughing ceased. Jack moved around to face him. She wasn't sure where is mind was at the moment so she took a chance. Placing both her hands slowly on his face she saw his fevered gaze lessen.

"Jack?" Riddick whispered shaking his head "I was... I was in Butcher Bay" he looked around bewildered, "again, I heard the sounds. Those creatures from years back, were there above me. Someone jumped me, hit me in my stomach then I was here. What happened, how did I get back here?" Jack smiled slightly. She didn't want to tell him that he attacked her, not yet anyway.

Stroking his face, "You have a very high fever Riddick, you're kind of delusional. Don't worry none of those things were real. It's just the fever getting to you. We should get you back in bed , don't you think." He just nodded. Jack started to help lift Riddick from the floor, but stalled as she saw the sheets on the bed.

"Riddick, let's have you sit for a minute over on a chair or something. I want to change the sheets, they are soaked with sweat." Leading Riddick to his work out bench in the corner of his room, Jack went to go find some clean sheets. Upon coming back she saw Riddick hunched over on the bench shivering.

"Jack one minute I feel like sunrise on Crematoria, next like a UV VI blizzard," his teeth chattering under his breath.

"Ah Riddick, you got chills now from all the sweat. That will happen with a fever this high. Your body just can't deal with all the fluctuations", Jack softly responded draping a thick blanket across his shoulders.

"Bullshit" Riddick said softly shivering and coughing, "My body can deal with anything". Jack just looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him, but kept her mouth shut. She quickly finished changing over the sheets and helped Riddick back into bed. Feeling his forehead Jack found that his fever was still rising so she left the room and quickly came back in with another glass of water and some more pills.

"Here take these Riddick", offering the pills forward, "they should keep your fever down enough to let you sleep. And drink the whole glass of water; you need it since you sweated everything else out." Once again Riddick complied without a fight, which Jack was sure would end soon as he got some sleep. Turning to leave she heard Riddick clear his throat behind her.

"Jack" he asked hoarsely "would you stay here for a while." Riddick paused, "With me"? She didn't turn around at first. A small excited smile played across her face at what she had just heard.

"It must be his fever again" she thought "he doesn't know what he is saying, but I don't fucking care I'll take what I can get".

"She isn't turning around you stupid fuck." Riddick chastised himself, "You already woke her up and had her haul your ass back into bed. I'm sure she is tired of taking care of you; she probably doesn't want to deal with you again for the next three weeks. Hasn't she done enough for you already"? As Riddick continued ripping into himself he didn't even notice Jack walking back over to his bed with another cool wash cloth. He was jarred back into reality when she sat down on the corner of his bed. His musings halted, Riddick endearingly looked up into Jack's face.

Jack smiled sweetly at Riddick as he gazed into her eyes. The two sat for a moment sharing a peaceful moment together that was broken all too soon by a few hitches in Riddick's breath followed by a very large drawn out sneeze. Sighing in frustration Riddick just plopped back down onto his pillow.

"Riddick" Jack said holding out a box of tissues, "Come on, you're getting all stuffed up and either you're going to get a sinus headache or you are just going to keep sneezing all night."

"I already have a headache Jack" Riddick retorted refusing the box sniffling loudly. As he did Riddick felt his nose start to itch again.

"Ah Fuck!!!" Riddick grunted, flipping himself face down into his pillow. Jack just watched smugly as Riddick sneezed three times into his pillow. She nudged his shoulder with the tissue box smiling. Without looking at her Riddick grabbed a handful, turned on to his side, his back to her and blew his nose several times.

"This is disgusting." was all Riddick said, throwing the tissues to the floor.

Jack ,holding back a small laugh, decided that now was not the time to dig into him, so instead she placed the cool washcloth on the base of his neck. Riddick jumped a little at the cold contact, but quickly relaxed under the coolness against his fevered skin.

Jack stayed next to him for a few moments slowly stroking his back. Riddick scooted closer next to Jack, actually enjoying the comfort from the contact. Listening to Riddick's breathing go from slight wheezing to a gentle pace Jack got up and went to the other side of the bed, sitting down in front of him. His eyes were closed so Jack decided to try her luck again. Biting down tentatively on one of her fingers, she leaned forward and placed a small kiss on his forehead. She thought she got away clean, but gasped as a large arm slowly snaked around her waist. Blushing a deep crimson she looked down at Riddick, thinking she had been caught. Relieved to find him still sleeping Jack breathed out in relief.

4:45 a.m

Jack stayed with Riddick for another hour to be sure he was sleeping soundly. Checking his forehead one more time she found it still warm to the touch, but a little better then before thanks to the pills. Replacing the cool washcloth across his forehead, she draped one more blanket over his sleeping form. Tiptoeing softly to the door, she glanced back at Riddick and allowed herself a moment of girlish glee. Her heart fluttered just a bit as she slowly closed the door behind her and returned to her room for a few hours sleep, a broad smile painted on her face.

Hope you like this one. I think it's kinda cute. A little fluffy but whatever. I'm a little out of practice, so yeah. I'm pretty motivated at the moment so yay. r/r plz no flamers