EPILOGUE
Third Person
Almost six months to the day had passed since they escaped the deadly planet and coming up on four months since they showed up on Elijah's parent's doorstep asking to stay for a while. Elijah's parents had, of course, agreed.
The planet was a frozen one, covered with snow. The lakes were enclosed in thick ice and the trees were long dead. Whoever decided to live there had to rely on the neighboring planet to supply them with food and water every six months. The planets' animals, however, had long since adapted to the harsh conditions and were able to survive on their own.
Depending on your race, the freezing winds and bone chilling climate didn't bother most of the people who lived there. For example, the Elves weren't affected by the weather at all and to the Neko race the air was only slightly chilly. However to those that were of the human race…well, if they stayed there, they bundled up completely while outside.
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The door to a large cottage slammed open and then closed quickly.
"FUCK!" A large man exclaimed while resting back against the door.
The rooms' inhabitants looked up at the tired man in amusement.
"Something wrong Riddick?" One of them asked.
Riddick sighed and then glanced over at the three people in the large front room. Instead of answering, he took off his two thick coats, gloves, his hat and his boots and put them in the hall closet. When he was finished, he walked over to where his mate was sitting in front of the fire.
Riddick sat down behind Elijah on the floor and settled his hands on Elijah's large belly. "Remind me why we are here again?"
Elijah laughed and sat back against Riddick's muscled chest. "Oh come on, Riddick. It's not that bad out there."
Riddick snorted.
"He's right you know. It's not all that cold out there."
Riddick rolled his eyes at the large Neko lying on the couch. "You and I are not made of the same skin, Kael."
Kael laughed loudly showing two sharp canines on the top and two on the bottom along with normal looking teeth. Kael, Elijah's father, was full Neko; he had a long black furry tail, two pointed furry black ears, short messy black hair, tanned skin, emerald cat eyes, and like all male Nekos, Kael is large and heavily muscled. At 6 foot 7 and almost 130 kilos, he was the largest Neko from his family.
"No, that we are not my friend." Kael grinned and placed his arms on the back of the couch.
Riddick looked over at the Elf sitting with his socked feet on Kael's lap. "And how are you feeling this afternoon, Selhir?"
The white haired Elf smiled slightly and rubbed his flat stomach. "At the moment? Fine. The nausea was gone shortly after you left this morning."
Selhir had, at the moment, a slim toned build. He's about the same height as Elijah at 182 cm and weighed 75 kilos. Selhir's eyes were an ice blue and his skin smooth and pale. He kept his long white hair in a tight braid down his back most of the time with only his bangs framing his face. Being a full Elf, his pointed ears are only slightly longer than Elijah's.
"Good. You'll be ok in a few months though." Riddick grinned. "You'll be fatter, but at least you won't be throwing up anymore."
Selhir huffed and threw a pillow at him. "It's not smart to tease the one who cooks your food Riddick."
Riddick just laughed. "Oh, almost forgot." Riddick said, pulling out a letter. "This came with the rest of the drop off." He handed it to Selhir and then turned his attention back to Elijah.
"Speaking of the 'drop off', where's the supplies? You were gone an awfully long time to have come back with just a letter." Kael grinned.
Riddick glared at Elijah's father. "It's all still in the skiff waiting for your lazy ass to go and unload it all."
Kael just laughed.
Elijah sighed and rubbed a sore spot on his belly.
"Kicking you again?" Riddick asked lightly massaging the spot Elijah's hand vacated.
"Yeah. I think he wants out." Elijah said smiling.
"Well, he's only got another two months to go." Riddick said softly.
Elvin pregnancies only lasted seven months and almost always had a long, hard labor.
"Yeah. I can't wait until he's born." Elijah said.
Riddick was about to agree when he was interrupted by Selhir's excited voice.
"I don't believe it!"
Riddick and Elijah looked up at the Elf with raised eyebrows.
"What is it ata?" Elijah asked.
"Your brother found a mate!" Selhir responded, pulling a picture from the envelope and handing it to them.
They looked down at the photo. It was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties to early thirties, she wasn't an attention grabber and if you passed by her on the street you probably wouldn't look twice, but she was beautiful in her own right. She had long brown hair and dark brown eyes, her skin was smooth and tan and there were a couple laugh lines on her smiling face. The slight muscles on her toned body had to come from years of hard training and weight lifting.
"It says here that her name is Eve Logan, but she goes by her last name. That sounds familiar." Selhir remarked dryly to Riddick. "She's twenty-nine, human, and is a competitive boxer in both the women's division and in the men's lightweight." Selhir finished. He read the rest of the letter silently and then grinned. "He's bringing her home to meet us…and judging by the date this was sent out, I'd say they should be here any day now."
Elijah smiled happily and handed the picture to his father. He looked behind him at his mate and grinned. "Looks like you finally get to meet my big brother."
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It was two nights later and Elijah was staring up at the ceiling in his and Riddick's room. He bit his lip and glanced over at his sleeping mate. He was hungry. Again. He didn't want to wake up his mate since he was pretty sure it hadn't been that long since he'd had his last snack. Then again...he was eating for two.
"Riddick?" Elijah whispered.
"Mmm?" Came the sleepy response.
"I'm hungry."
It was quiet for a second and then Riddick gave a resigned sigh. He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. "What time is it?"
Elijah looked over at the clock on the nightstand and grimaced. 2:30 am. He had been right. It hadn't been that long since he'd last eaten. He sighed and slowly turned onto his right side to look at his mate. "Never mind. I can wait until breakfast."
Riddick grunted and turned to face his lover. He grinned. "I didn't say I wouldn't go, I just wanted to know what time it was." He propped up on his elbow and looked over Elijah's shoulder. "2:31." He looked down at Elijah. "Do you know that you just had three sandwiches barley an hour ago?"
Elijah licked his lips when he thought about the yummy food his mate had fixed for him earlier. He grinned and shrugged his left shoulder. "Thank you."
Riddick chuckled and placed a kiss on Elijah's lips. He stood up and grabbed his black pants off the chair in the corner. "What do you want?"
"Um…heat me up some of that stew we had for dinner." Elijah replied.
"Ok. I'll be back in a minute." Putting his goggles on, Riddick left their room and went downstairs. He walked into the kitchen and turned the lights on to sixty percent.
As he was putting a bowl of stew in the warmer, he heard a noise coming from the front hall. Lowering the lights, he moved his goggles to rest up on his forehead and started towards the front room. He stopped in the darkened doorway and looked out in to the front hallway. He could see two figures standing by the door; a man and a woman.
(Riddick?) Elijah asked. (What's taking so long?)
(Someone's in the house.) Riddick replied watching the two people as they talked in the hallway. They were too quiet for him to hear though, even with the advanced abilities he had received when he mated with Elijah. He pulled a shiv from a hidden compartment in the wall.
(That's impossible. The only way someone can enter this cottage, is if they have the master key—which dad has—or if they've had their blood keyed into the system by a member of the family.) Elijah stated.
(I know that Elijah. That was my idea, remember?) Riddick replied dryly.
(What are they doing?)
(Just standing in the front hallway talking. I can't hear them.)
(Riddick…everybody who's been keyed into the system is already in the house except…) Elijah's voice trailed off.
(Except…?) Riddick asked. (Elijah?)
(I'm coming down.) Came Elijah's excited voice.
(Down? Elijah—) Riddick was cut off by his mate's excited voice in the front hall.
"Donny!"
"Ooof!"
Riddick rolled his eyes at the site of his pregnant mate trying to hug the man in the hallway, the woman gave them an indulgent smile as she was pushed aside by an over excited Elijah. 'Donny' or rather, 'Donovan', Riddick knew to be the name of Elijah's older brother; so the woman with him must be his mate, Eve Logan. Riddick lowered his goggles and turned the lights on. He put the shiv back in its place.
Riddick stepped in to the front room and the three in the entry hall turned to face him.
"Who are you?" Donovan asked, moving his younger brother and the woman behind him. Finally getting a good look at Elijah's brother, Riddick saw that Donovan looked almost exactly like his father, Kael, and was almost as large. Even though he was half Elf, Donovan looked like a full blooded Neko, with no visible Elvin features.
"Oh don't be silly." Elijah said pushing his brother out of the way. He smiled at Riddick and motioned him over. He looked back at his brother and introduced him. "This is my mate Riddick. I told you about him in my letters."
Donovan smiled sheepishly and stuck out his large hand. He laughed slightly. "Sorry about that then. I guess I'm a little over protective of him."
Riddick glanced at Elijah's smiling face and rolled his eyes behind his goggles. He reached out and shook Donovan's hand briefly. "You're not the only one. He tends to get himself into trouble. You have to keep a constant watch on this one."
Donovan laughed. "Exactly."
"Hey!" Elijah protested.
Donovan reached out and grabbed the woman's arm to pull her close to his side. "This is my mate Eve Logan. Logan, this is my brother Elijah and his mate Riddick."
She said hello and shook hands with Elijah and Riddick.
"Where's ata and dad?" Donovan asked. "I want to introduce them to Logan too." He smiled as he put an arm around her shoulders.
Riddick smirked and folded his arms across his chest. "You're parents are still sleeping as it is almost three in the morning."
Donovan grimaced and looked down at his watch. "It is isn't it?" He looked back up. "Well, why are the two of you up then?"
As if in answer, a beeping noise came from the kitchen. "That's why we're up." Riddick said as he walked back in to the kitchen.
Elijah grinned at his brother, "I was hungry."
"Again." Riddick called out from the kitchen and Elijah laughed.
"Again." Elijah agreed. Donovan and Logan laughed as well.
" I guess we'll just go on to bed then and introduce Logan to ata and dad in the morning. Which room is ours?" Donovan asked.
"You guys are downstairs. Just go down this hall here, it's the last door on the right. I'll see you two in the morning." Elijah, being much shorter than his older brother, had to stand on his toes to kiss Donovan's cheek. "It was nice meeting you Logan. Goodnight."
"Night." Donovan and Logan replied at the same time and then disappeared up the dark stairway.
"Elijah." Riddick called from the kitchen.
"Coming, dear." Elijah replied cheekily, and then went into the kitchen. He smiled when Riddick huffed at being called 'dear'.
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Two Months Later
Loud screams of pain sounded from Elijah's and Riddick's room where Elijah was trying to give birth to his first-born son. He'd been in labor for almost a full day and he was beginning to lose his strength. He squeezed Riddick's hand again when another contraction hit. "Fuck!" Elijah's body was dripping with sweat and his face was flushed from the pain. He closed his eyes; he was just so tired.
Riddick replaced the rag on Elijah's forehead with a fresh one. The coolness of it caused Elijah to open his eyes again. "Hey there." Riddick spoke softly.
Elijah gave him a small exhausted grin.
Riddick brought Elijah's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. "You're doing great, baby."
Elijah sighed and closed his eyes again.
The healer came back in to their room just then to check on Elijah. He smiled at Riddick and then looked at a large screen that showed a real time video of the baby's position inside Elijah's belly. "Looks like it's time to push Elijah."
Elijah smiled briefly at his mate and then grimaced when pain hit him again.
The healer got down between Elijah's legs and checked out the birthing channel and then looked back up at them. "Alright, Riddick. I need you to get on the bed behind Elijah and make sure you two have as much physical contact as possible. He's going to need your strength for this."
Riddick did as he was told and let Elijah rest his weight against his chest. He grabbed both his mate's hands and kissed Elijah's temple. "You can do this Elijah. You're almost done, and you'll finally be able to hold our little boy in your arms."
Elijah nodded and then started pushing when the healer told him to. The pain was awful, but so worth it when he was looking at his baby boy in the healer's arms ten minutes later.
"Riddick." Elijah whispered, not having the energy to talk any louder.
Riddick tore his gaze away from his newborn son and looked down at his mate. He moved to sit on the bed next to his mate and brushed back his sweaty bangs. "What is it? Do you need anything?"
Elijah smiled and shook his head slightly. "How's he look? Is he ok?" He couldn't see his son anymore since the healer had taken him to the table at the far side of the room to be checked out and cleaned up.
Riddick smiled. "He's perfect."
The healer came back over with their son in his arms. "I agree." He said with a smile. "Are you ready to hold him now?"
Elijah gave the healer a tired smile and looked up at Riddick. "Help me to sit up."
Riddick lifted his lover and placed a few pillows behind his back. The healer brought the baby closer and placed him in Elijah's arms.
Elijah and Riddick looked down at their newborn son in awe. "He's beautiful." Elijah said quietly. He rubbed his thumb against the baby's smooth cheek. His son opened his eye's and looked at him. They were a stunning ice blue.
"Would you like me to let them in?" The healer asked.
Elijah shook his head. "In a moment."
The healer nodded and left the room. He looked up at the group of four staring at him expectantly. He smiled at them. "Elijah is doing great. They wish to have a few moments with their son and then you can go in." He looked at Selhir, "if there are any complications, give me a call and I'll be over as soon as I can. As you well know, the birthing channel closes immediately after the birth of the child, so all you'll need to be concerned about is keeping Elijah comfortable. He's going to be tender for a few days. Otherwise I'll see you in another month to give you a check up."
Selhir nodded and rubbed his own baby bump.
"I'll see him out." Logan said and Selhir smiled gratefully.
When Logan returned a few minuets later the four of them quietly entered the room. Riddick was sitting up against the headboard on Elijah's right, so Selhir sat down on the other side of the bed. Kael, Donovan and Logan stood quietly behind Selhir and looked down at the newest member of the family.
Selhir peered down at the tiny baby in Elijah's arms and smiled. "He's beautiful."
Elijah rested his head against Selhir's shoulder. He smiled down at the sleeping baby in his arms.
"Have you thought of a name yet?" Selhir asked.
"Yes." Elijah replied and sat up slowly. He looked at Selhir and grinned. "We've decided on an elvish name."
"Really?" Selhir whispered.
Elijah nodded and looked over at Riddick. "We thought, with your permission ata, we'd call him Nindir." Elijah said.
Selhir's eyes filled with tears. "I would be honored…and I know that your uncle would be honored as well."
Nindir is Selhir's twin brother. He's been missing for over a thousand years and was thought to be dead by everyone, except Selhir and his family.
"Nindir it is then." Elijah said smiling down at his sleeping son.
Elijah looked up at his mate and grinned at his awed expression. "I want another one."
Elijah laughed at the unexpected comment. "Riddick." He shook his head. "My love, we have an eternity to have hundreds of children…which, by the way, we are NOT doing, so don't get any ideas. But I would like to have a few more. Just not right now. Let's wait a year or two ok?"
Riddick grinned at the thought of Elijah birthing hundreds of babies.
"Wait…an eternity?"
Elijah, Riddick, Kael, and Selhir looked over in Donovan and Logan's direction. Logan had a very confused expression on her face.
Donovan gave them a small sheepish smile. "It um…never came up?"
"Donovan…" Selhir started but his voice failed him.
Elijah picked where Selhir left off. "Are you seriously telling me that the subject of your AGE never came up?"
"She knows how old I am." Donovan said defensively.
"Donovan, you should have covered all this stuff BEFORE you bonded. Now you need to take Logan and go to your room. You have a lot of things to explain." Kael told his eldest son.
Donovan nodded and the two left.
Elijah looked down at a sleeping Nindir. "And that was your Uncle Donny. He can be a bit daft sometimes."
The others laughed quietly.
After staying for another twenty minutes, Kael and Selhir left the new family alone to get some rest.
Riddick took Nindir from Elijah when he started to fall asleep. Elijah opened his eyes and smiled at Riddick. "I love you."
Riddick smiled back, "Love you too." He watched as Elijah closed his eyes and fell asleep. Riddick walked over to the window with his son and looked out at the frozen landscape. He looked down at Nindir when he felt a tiny hand grab on to his shirt. Nindir's eyes were open and he was staring up at him. "I thought babies were supposed to be loud, huh? You haven't even cried yet." Nindir yawned and Riddick tucked the baby blanket a bit tighter around him. "Think we can keep it that way kid?"
Nindir yawned again and closed his eyes.
"Welcome to the world, Nindir." He looked back out the window and watched as the snow came down. His eyes narrowed when he saw a large black shape begin to form off in the distance. It was a ship, and it was coming their direction. The proximity alarm started going off. It woke both Elijah and Nindir.
His son's eyes were wide and he jumped in Riddick's arms. Riddick took his eyes off the approaching ship and looked down at his son's surprised face.
The alarm was still blaring when Nindir opened his mouth wide and let out a wail.
Riddick sighed and glanced back out the window again. He started rocking his son to get him to quiet down but with the alarm still going, that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.
Elijah appeared at his side and took Nindir from him. He cuddled him close and followed his mate's line of site out the window.
"Looks like trouble."
Riddick grunted and gave a relieved sigh when the alarm was finally shut off. "Looks like it."
Kael's voice suddenly sounded in the room. "There's an unknown ship approaching. Entering lockdown."
The window went dark when a black panel covered it from the outside. Riddick went over to the other side of the room and turned on the monitor so he could see what was going on outside. He glanced back at Elijah and saw him slowly make his way over towards their son's bed. Nindir had stopped crying and fell back asleep. After placing Nindir in his bed he made his way over to Riddick just in time to see the ship pass by their cottage.
A merc ship. Elijah knew it had to be there for him and Riddick. "Riddick?"
Riddick turned the monitor off when the ship was out of site. He faced his mate; Elijah looked worried. "Everything's going to be fine. We'll just stay inside until they leave the planet. They don't know we're here, otherwise they would have landed." Riddick pulled him close and wrapped Elijah tightly in his arms.
Elijah nodded and rested his head against Riddick's shoulder. He could see their son's bed out of the corner of his eye. He pulled his head back and looked up at his mate. "Nindir-"
Riddick interrupted. "Our son will be fine. No one will get to him while I'm still breathing. Especially no merc."
Elijah put his head back against Riddick's chest and closed his eyes. He trusted his mate completely. Riddick would protect them. They would be fine. Nindir would be fine. No one could hurt them.
Elijah's eyes opened again and he turned his head to look at his son's bed again. He gave a low growl, and may the Valor help whoever tried.
End.
Look for the sequel sometime soon! I haven't started it yet, but I've got some ideas.