oOo
The bullet had taken almost the only vector it could have to do anything but lodge in a safety bulkhead, but it had found its soft spot after all. Traveled along hidden compartments and air returns and through the soft body of a holy man before coming to rest, harmless at last, in a properly reinforced cabin wall.
They'd staunched the blood. Jack was slowly, carefully, applying synthetic skin to the wound. He'd die without a transfusion, she was pretty sure. She'd known where the bandages were; Tir had actually gotten them for her. Blood was harder. You had to make blood. Tir had been gone a long time.
Abu's dying because of me. A horrible part of her followed up. And if he dies, Riddick can't leave me with him. She thought about Bor and Tir.
They want me.
Abu doesn't.
Riddick thinks I'm a problem.
She was trembling. It was making it hard to get the synthetic skin to stick.
Someone's hand was on her shoulder. Bor. His eyes were infinitely compassionate. "Let me." She moved away, gratefully, as he took over the task of bonding the skin together.
"He needs blood," she managed to get out. Her voice sounded harsh to her own ears.
"Tir told us. He and Riddick went to generate some. It's going to be okay, child. It's a clean wound. You saved his life. You did good." The compassion in his voice made her eyes hurt.
"Thank you," she managed.
After careful work he looked at her again. "We've done all we can until they get here. Let me patch you up." She nodded. He moved her to a chair and knelt in front of her. He carefully cleaned the cuts on her face, lip, and throat. "Child. You deserve a better life than this. We'll give you a home. Let us take you home."
She stared at him.
A noise at the door. Riddick and Tir were there, with packets of synthetic blood. Riddick's eyes were on her. He was not happy. Bor spoke mildly, "I need to finish this. Can you two handle the transfusion?"
Riddick nodded, curtly. He moved to Abu, started setting it up. There was an awkward silence in the small improvised sick room. As soon as Bor was done, Jack stood, tried to slip away. "I'm . . . I'm gonna check on the captain." Riddick shot her a dark look, his hands busy.
Tir's hands weren't. He came up to her carefully, unthreateningly. Put his arms around her. Despite herself, she melted into him. "Come with us," he murmured.
"You might want to let go of her," Riddick growled.
She tried to pull away, woodenly. Tir didn't let her. Despite not being done, Riddick began to uncoil himself, move towards them.
He'll kill them. Riddick will kill them, and it'll be my fault. "Tir. Please. Just – I gotta check on Themis."
Tir stood his ground, but he stopped trying to persuade her. "Uncle, she's just a little girl. She doesn't understand what's going on. We can't let her stay here."
Bor's eyes flicked to Riddick. "Let her go, son. We aren't kidnappers. It's her decision."
oOo
As soon as he was sure Abu wasn't going to die, Riddick went hunting for Jack. She had collapsed against a wall in the captain's cabin, her arms wrapped around her knees, a vacant look on her face, and tears drying on her cheeks.
"They okay?" he asked, nodding towards the sleeping forms of the captain and her husband.
Jack stared at him blankly. He eased over to the bed, laid two careful fingers first on the woman's jugular, then the man's. Their heart beats were slow but regular, and they did not flinch from his touch. They'd been drugged too, but they'd be fine. Probably. Wait, what the fuck do I care? Jack was messing with his head.
She hadn't moved while he checked on the captain. Probably the drugs. He didn't want to think of what else might have put her into a fugue state. He took her hand and she followed him woodenly into the cockpit. Sat her down in the copilot's seat. Felt right to have her there.
He stopped the Ceridwen, turned it to its original heading. What else was there too do? He didn't like these guys, but wasn't about to turn them over to a military that tortured little girls. Wasn't about to take a little girl anywhere near there.
Fortunately Themis had "forgotten" to send any of the messages Lucien had so carefully encoded for his superiors. They were all sitting in a queue. He deleted them all as completely as he could, glad that no one knew they were coming.
He'd decided they hadn't killed thousands. He'd decided they were probably even telling the truth – that they were from some dead world and some weird ass military were trying to kill them. He had no idea if they were right; that he and Jack were part of that dead world. The coincidence was stupid and unlikely.
As stupid and unlikely as you stopping to save this kid's life? As stupid and unlikely as her killing Drake? As stupid as being jealous of a 16 year old boy?
He rubbed his eyes. They'd saved Abu's life, but he'd just about killed Tir when he'd grabbed Jack. The whole thing made his head hurt. And he really didn't like Jack's personality transformation. Usually, nothing shut her up.
Bor and Tir were prepping the skiff for launch. He'd given them the navigation computer, told them just to go. She didn't need to see them again. He gave her a sideways look. She was staring out of the view screen. He didn't know he was going to ask until the words came out. "Do you wanna go with them?"
She wouldn't look at him. "Is that the elephant in the room?"
What the hell is she talking about? Didn't seem the time to ask. He kept quiet.
"I don't know what to do," she said, at last, softly, sounding like she was going to cry. "I've been thinking about what you said. That I'm a problem for you and Abu. They could solve that problem."
He grunted again. I said that? When did I say that? There was an awkward silence. After too long, she resumed talking. "Drake said that if he didn't turn them over, it'd be war. Billions would die."
Been there. "Not our problem, Jack. We're not turning them over."
"That's your decision?"
"Yeah."
She actually smiled, almost gratefully, some of the numbness seeming to drain away. "Do you think they're right? That we're like them?"
"Maybe. Gotta be some reason I like you."
Her voice turned wistful. "If I go with them, would you come too?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Not gonna join anyone else's dog pack."
She snorted, sounding more and more like the old Jack. "No, you're not, are you? You're in-charge guy."
Smart kid. "Yeah. Pretty much."
"Would you stop me?"
He shrugged. "Maybe."
"Why?"
Because I don't like them. Because I don't like the idea of you goin' with people already thinkin' of you as breeding stock. Because about the only thing I know about them is their little sister got raped and murdered by men who are hunting them. He didn't think she'd find any of those reasons convincing. "Because I'd never see you again."
She froze. Looked hard at him. "Will you see me if I don't go with them? 'Cause I sorta had the feeling you were going into the dark after you drop me off."
"Don't wait up. But – yeah. If I can figure it out."
She leaned back, closed her eyes. Then she started to laugh. "You are one manipulative bastard."
A throat cleared from the back of the room. Jack spun her chair quickly, Riddick turned slowly, pissed at himself for letting someone sneak up on them. Even more pissed that Tir was standing there, looking murderous. "We cleaned up the bodies for you. We're ready to go."
Jack stood, took a step towards him uncertainly. She gave Riddick a quick look. Tir watched it hungrily.
"Last chance," Tir said, softly. Riddick went very still.
Jack looked down, shook her head. "Thank you. I wish – I wish things were different. But no. I'm gonna take my chances with Riddick and Abu."
"Even though they don't want you?"
She looked down. Flushed. Tir pressed on. "Can I talk to you alone?"
"No." Riddick broke in. "You can't. Say your piece and leave, boy."
Tir's eyes were only for Jack. "I'll fight him for you. If you want."
Jack looked him square in the face, seeming much older than fourteen. "Thank you. That's sweet. And kinda offensive. But he's not the bad guy here. You should go."
Tir did not leave. "One kiss?"
Jack blushed scarlet. Riddick considered intervening. But Jack met the boy's eyes and smiled. "Okay. One kiss."
Tir finally gave Riddick a defiant, if panicked, look. He shrugged, enjoying the kid's sudden discomfort at the realization that he would be watching. Intently. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said, low and sweet. Tir's face darkened. Then he looked back at Jack, and his eyes softened.
The boy gathered Jack's face in his hands gently. Leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. After a moment, Jack's eyes closed, and her lips parted. Riddick watched, feeling increasingly irritated as the boy deepened the kiss, stroked her hair almost reverently. Jack's heart beat accelerated and her body relaxed and tensed and gave off smells that some day would get men killed, if Riddick was anywhere in the quadrant.
After far too long, Tir broke off the kiss. Smiled down at her with tears in his eyes. "Your . . . keeper's gonna snap my neck. Are you sure . . ."
She laughed, unsteadily, but she was shaking her head. "Goodbye Tir. I'll miss you." And with that, Tir slipped away. She watched after him until he was long gone. Then she collapsed into the copilot's seat and closed her eyes.
oOo
Long after the Furyans had finally slipped into the velvet darkness, Jack opened her eyes. "I'm gonna check on Abu." She walked out steadily, without looking at him. He gave her a few minutes before following.
The kid wasn't with Abu; she was in their room. Carefully separating their things. Right. They're gone now. She can go back to her own room. But he felt a pang of regret. Don't packs sleep in a heap? He watched her carefully.
"Guess I've killed a few people now," she said, with an attempt at lightness. It sounded oddly hollow.
"Yeah, guess so." She was back to not looking at him. "What's up with the personality transformation, kid? You're normally so . . . chipper."
She paused. Finally, "I don't want to be alone."
Then why are you packing? "When are you ever alone? I've known you for six months. You're never alone. We walk into a space station and you're in the center of a crowd."
"Yeah. I'm good at making friends." She stopped. "You're going to leave, and Abu doesn't want me." She rushed on. I know I'll be just fine on New Mecca. It's sunny there." She hesitated. Finally, the words spilled out, "But I'm – I'm gonna miss you." She met his eyes for one agonized instant. Then she pushed on. "I . . . knew as soon as I saw the bullet where it went, and I thought about letting Abu die. So you couldn't leave me with him."
He sighed. He sat down on the bed. Patted a spot right beside himself. "Come here." She did, slowly. "Bor said we're a pack."
Her lips twitched. "I like that. That sounds right. That means we're family."
"Yeah. Family." He pulled out a shiv, tapped it against his palm. She watched it carefully. Very conscious of those eyes on him, he slowly sliced the blade across his left palm. "Gimme your hand."
She complied, silently. Her heart was beating hard enough he could feel it in his own veins. Carefully, he made a matching cut across her palm. She winced, but did not pull away.
He put the shiv down and pressed their hands together hard. Her eyes were big and her breath ragged. He was suddenly unsure if he was hurting her or not. He tried to be gentle.
"There. Now I'll always be with you."
"You're in my blood," she whispered. Incongruously, she giggled. But she had tears in her eyes.
"Yeah. And you're with me. That means when you're rich, and happy, and safe on New Mecca," he whispered, low and soft and more rough with emotion than he intended, "A part of me will be there too."
Thanks, J3w3ll, Femme! Jack did make a decision. I'm not sure it's the right one, but it's the one she made. . . Riddick wins every fight, but he sure doesn't always win the girl.
Femme, Tir and Bor are probably articulating my own unsettled feelings.
ClaudZion, glad you found it and you liked it! I didn't really want them to have a physical fight over her, if only because I don't think I could write it right. But I also think she'd be pissed off.
JacklynK, glad you found and liked it! So you "hear" Riddick differently than I do? How so?
NotAfraidToLive, thanks! This story was just a writing exercise I actually wrote over at artofvindeisel. I'll echo over another one soon. I've got two others that are done; one that's another trip to New Mecca story that ends happily; the other when Jack's all grown up that doesn't end quite so happily. Got a preference which one I do first?
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