A/N Okay I'm really sorry the first time I posted this you could see the code, as you can see I've fixed that little problem. :-)
Enjoy
XXXX
Ridley had been right, it hadn't taken long at all for his mutated kin to find a way up to them but by then he and the Human had put a decent distance between themselves and those who wanted to eat them for dinner. The monster's weren't deterred though, no they still searched still roared and screamed. The tsunami of cannibal soon filtered into the hall they were in intent on ripping them open and feasting on their still warm remains. Thinking quickly Gold pushed Belle into one of the decaying side rooms that must have been storage or maintenance access areas, the floor hurtled past and paid no attention to them hidden away in the corner beside the doorway. They should be dead, and then it occurred to Gold that they were covered in so much mutated blood that the cannibal probably couldn't smell anything but themselves, their scent was masked. 'Miracles do happen' he thought. Then again maybe not, Gold could smell the rancid breath and hear the clawed feet of one who remained. Searching out that one oddity in the blood. The blue lights of its spear flashed on the walls and Belle buried her face deeper into the alien's chest, a childish way of keeping herself safe.
Belle shook with fear and all Gold wanted to do was take her away somewhere safe where no one would ever hurt her again, the stench of half coagulate blood filled the air and made it almost impossible for them to breathe. The silence was the thing that terrified Belle the most, the long drawn out silence punctuated only by deep hissing and the scratching of feet on the floor showing their killer was still there. The darkness stretched on around them consuming everything but the ball of luminous blue light showing off the monster's shadow. He dared not make a sound and simply held Belle tighter to his warm body. Just when they thought they would be discovered the monster backed away to follow its clan and continue the search, somehow satisfied with what it could smell. They waited in pure silence for a short while making sure the cannibal was playing no trick before Belle took a step away from her alien lover.
"What happens now? Where do we go?" She demanded, her tone was quiet but it was no less of a demand for answers.
"We need to get to the escape pods, they're not far now." He responded just as quietly.
They made haste getting through the dank ship, with every step they hears blood curdling roars, bloodied screams and growls punctuated by the thuds of feet on metal. Everything was so loud that Gold couldn't tell where it was all coming from any longer, but they couldn't slow down, there wasn't enough time for that now. They moved as silently as was possible with as much speed as they could muster, time was running out. Belle had grown used to all the twists and turns of Gold's ship, used to the fear of monsters around the corner but this was the first time that she could feel the same fear from Ridley. He'd been her rock but now even he was terrified.
"Nepankis!"
He all but screamed when they came to a halt before a fallen section of the ship, large chunks of metal, wiring and tubes hung from the ceiling and littered the floor, there was no way to go through. Ridley looked around for a split second and then started to speak once more.
"Alright, you're going to have to get in the service shaft again."
"What?!"
Gold pointed a gold-green finger upwards and Belle followed to see another heavy black grate, she wanted to argue but there wasn't time.
"I'll boost you up and you can go through, I'll go round."
"No. If you are sending me up here that means there isn't time to go round, I need you to get over your fear of small spaces because I won't leave you."
Ridley opened his mouth to protest but Belle cut him off with a glare that said shut up and do as you're told. Gold did and boosted her up so Belle could push the great aside and clamber into the shaft, she dropped her hand back down and helped him up into the dark, confined space. She could see that this small space was more terrifying to him than the cannibals and she actuality found that funny for a second or two. She passed him her flash light and sent him off first, he had to go first Gold was the only one who knew where they were going. They crawled for a few moments and Belle could see he was starting to panic, it seemed talking to him was going to be the only way to keep him calm. She smiled, just like he did for me when we first met.
"What do you remember, Ridley? About before the hyper-sleep?" She tried to sound nonchalant but frankly she was failing.
"N.. Not much." He managed to respond. "I... I... I think I had a son, but I can't remember."
Belle stopped hearing that, Belle hadn't though not remembering was torture but not being able to remember if this flicker of a memory was his child or not was far worse. She mentally shook herself and carried on crawling behind him.
"A lot of your memories have come back since you woke up, I'm sure those ones will to."
She was now comforting him for his claustrophobia and the death of his child. Oh God I hope his son didn't become one of those things. Belle spoke to him as calmly as she could while they crawled quickly and after a while Ridley responded to it, his answers became less stuttered and longer, he was calming down.
"You know when we get up to the surface I want you to show me what roses look like. They're your favourite." He told her breathlessly.
"Of course. You'd be great on Valentines Day."
"What's Valen-"
He was cut off abruptly when the shaft collapsed beneath him and the two fell through and slammed into the floor, Belle landing on top of him knocking the air from his lungs and adding to his bruises. She jumped to her feet and quickly helped him up... then froze. There before them with blood dripping from their lips and sharp spears in their hands were a heard of cannibal just looking at them, it was as if someone had hit pause on the remote and everything had stopped as hunter stared at pray.
"Run." Was all Ridley said before he had Belle's hand in his and they took off down the hall.
It wasn't far to the escape pods, Gold knew that. They just had to make it to that room. That was all. Each step felt like a marathon, each heartbeat threatened to burst their hearts. Each roar forced their skin to vibrate in horror. His hand gripped Belle's so tightly that he was sure it would bruise and Belle held on with just as much determination and strength. The open door came into sight and Gold dared not look back, Iniduoh xnib sdam, his mind screamed and was translated to something along the lines of just a little further. The second they made it into the room Gold dropped Belle's hand and slammed his palm down on the lock door button sending the heavy black blast door thundering down to the floor squashing one of the cannibal, but it was too late it hadn't stopped all of them.
Before it could pull itself to stand Gold dove on it and held the creature down, the monster shot its teeth out desperately trying to take a chunk out of Ridley's neck
"Shoot it!"
It was only with Gold yelling at her that she realised she still wore the pulse cannon on her arm, she jumped into action like she'd been burnt and rested the cannon against the monster's head and then fired. Instantly the cannibal's head exploded coating them both in yet more foul smelling black blood, at point blank even a non-lethal weapon could kill. Gold pulled himself to his feet and wiped the blood and brain matter from his eyes and mouth, it may have looked horrible but it tasted far worse.
The two clung to one another for a moment getting their breath back and enjoying the fact that they were both alive. Miracles were still coming their way and Belle was thankful for every single one of them. But their luck had to run out and that came with Gold screaming Nepankis yet again. When they turned their attention to the escape pods every single one had been smashed to destruction. Ridley instantly knew it was the Navigator who'd developed Pandorum, he had to have been the one responsible, they were so close to freedom and yet so far.
The two searched the large room anxiously for what felt like forever, it was strange that time somehow stretched on while they were so aware of how little time they had left on the clock.
"What about this one?!" Belle cried across the room at Gold.
Hidden away in the dark corner was a single escape pod, the lights were out but the thick casing looked intact. She prayed to anyone that would listen that it still worked. Ridley raced over and looked over the chamber before setting to work on the side panel, in seconds he had it lit up and displaying symbols.
"It works?" Belle needed him to confirm it and he did with a short, sharp nod.
Relief flooded through Belle's whole being raging through like a fire breathing a new lease of life into her cold body.
"It works yes, but... the air canister has been damaged. There's only a minute and a half of air left. If you breathe slowly you'll just make it to the surface. We can't both go." He spoke in a whisper and his eyes dimmed.
"Can't you just move a canister from one of the other pods to this one?" She asked hopefully.
"No." He answered stoically. "All the crew have to have a basic knowledge of engineering but it doesn't extend to mix and matching escape pods. The only reason I had any idea how to fix the reactor was because I read the manual so many times and I still screwed that up."
"The ship didn't blow up, I think you did pretty well."
They really didn't have time for an argument but it seemed it was happening anyway.
"I moved one of the coils the wrong way and far to quickly, it broke which means the reactor can't line up properly. Its why we only have an hour or so rather than a day." He sighed, Ridley was angry with himself. "In about twenty minutes this ship is going to implode, I don't think it will do too much damaged on the surface."
"That's not your fault, you did the best you could and we're here now, we can get out. We can both fit in the pod."
"No." He told her forcefully. "There isn't enough air and I won't let you die. You have a life to go back to, I don't."
"But you can do your chameleon thing and hide, you can have a life." She was pleading now.
"No. And I can't keep this up forever" He told her again before letting his skin lighten to match Belle's own. "Saree, I'm a coward let me do something good and brave for once in my life."
How can he say that? He's brave and heroic, he'd proved that to me over and over again. Even though he's terrified beyond belief he still did all those things.
"I won't leave you, Ridley." She told him with a look of determination in her eyes. "Either you get in that pod with me or I stay too."
"Belle don't be stupid-" He pleaded.
"No! I'm not leaving you here to die!"
"Why are you so stubborn?!" They were yelling at each other now.
"Because that's what love does to people! It makes them stubborn! It makes them stay by the side of the person they love."
Belle didn't have the energy to yell any more and her voice dropped from a scream to a whisper.
"You love me?" It came out so quiet that Belle had to strain to hear it.
Belle nodded with a smile and stepped closer to kiss him, if they were going to die she sure as hell wasn't going to die without kissing him again.
"I love you too, Saree."
XXXX
Belle sat in the infirmary on board Fairytale with a dark red blanket wrapped around her and a large cup of water with a straw in her shaking hands. It was so strange to be in daylight once more, to feel its heat on her pale skin. Her blue orbs flashed up to see Ridley still unconscious on Victor's medical table and she pleaded with anyone who would listen that he would be alright. His skin was still human like and Belle was thankful for that, it meant that Killian and Emma hadn't shot him yet. All of the DERT team were gathered around the room, Emma was sat on one of the work counters with Jefferson and Killian leaning against it beside her while Ariel, Archie and August stood over by the far wall with Gold between them. Victor leaned over Ridley checking him over leaving Ruby and Graham sat on small metal chairs facing Belle.
"Wait, you love him? Its been four days." Ruby asked in amazement interrupting Belle's story.
Was that really how long it had been? Four days? Seemed like years to Belle.
"Yes." She told her friend taking a sip of water. "But not for the reason you think. Its not because he saved me. Its because... because of the way he sounds Scottish even though he's from another planet. Because of the way he swears in his own language mid sentence, because of the way he pushes his tongue into the corner of his mouth when he's working. The way he thinks he's a coward but he's actually the bravest man I've ever met." She took another sip of water. "Doesn't matter that I've only known him a few days."
"Well, if he really is an alien what happened between you two arguing about monsters and here?" Graham asked calmly.
"Yeah, what did Ruby interrupt?" Added Jefferson with a smile.
"He turned away after we kissed, I think he was trying to think of a way to convince me to leave him. I didn't even think about it I just needed to make him come with me. I just took off the pulse cannon and hit him with it." Ariel chuckled quietly. "It wasn't hard to figure out the launch button." Same colors as the first door Belle had come across.
Emma chortled. "He wouldn't do it so she made him."
"I can't believe that this guy is an alien, you're still oxygen deprived Belle." August told her.
"Yeah, I mean Victor is a doctor, don't you think he would have noticed something off by now?" Ariel agreed.
"Not necessary." Began Archie pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Television is the thing that makes people think aliens look like something from a Spielberg mov-"
"Em guys, you're gonna want to see this."
Victor's tone was concerned as he backed away from the medical table. Everyone looked over just in time to see Ridley's skin darken and fade back to its natural gold-green color, everything went silent after that and the DERT crew just stared at him. Belle was at his side in an instant, quiet a feat thanks to her shaky oxygen deprived body. She looked down with loving eyes and willed him to wake, seconds ticked by and then finally she found his brown orbs looking up at her blue ones.
"Hi Saree." His voice was groggy and still littered with sleep.
"Well, what do you know? He does sound Scottish." Killian mumbled but Belle wasn't listening.
It had been so hard to breath on the way up, her body had craved the air, begged for it. She'd seen the darkness closing in around her eyes, the black coming to claim her for the afterlife. She'd passed out for a while, she didn't know how long for, she'd eventuality woken to Victor breathing air into her lungs while Emma did the same to Ridley. She'd woken up, he hadn't. Not long after Belle had gotten her bearings and returned to Fairytale Graham and Killian had demanded to know what had happened and so Belle had told her horrific tale.
"Hello, Ridley." She beamed down at him.
"You hit me."
It was a statement not a question but his tone wasn't accusing it was more surprised that she'd actuality done it. Belle opened her mouth instantly to apologise but he quickly interrupted her with a far more absent-minded question.
"Why am I chained to this table?"
Surprisingly it was Victor who answered the alien.
"Sorry about that." He started cautiously. "We...we didn't know how violent you'd be when you woke up and Killian insisted on having you handcuffed."
"I'm not going to hurt any of you." Gold responded. "And this attempt was futile."
Without another word Gold simply looked down to his chained right hand and ripped it upwards bending and snapping the metal into two halfs leaving everyone, even Belle, to gasp. The bit still hanging off his wrist was quickly pulled away and thrown to the bottom of the table where it landed with a thud.
"He's that strong?" No one was sure who Emma's question was directed towards; maybe all of them.
No one answered the blonde, they were all too busy watching Gold who made no attempt to move off the medical table. Everything was silent as Ridley looked down at his hands realising they were once again gold-green rather than the pink human color he'd simulated while talking to Belle.
"I'm sorry, Belle. I can't keep a fake skin color for very long while I'm unconscious."
"Its alright." Belle didn't care, she just cared that he was safe and alive. "It doesn't matter."
Belle leaned down and pressed their lips together leaving Ariel, Killian, Graham and Emma to raise eyebrows while Ruby and Jefferson wore expressions of awww its cute. August carried on watching in amazement that aliens really existed, his face almost perfectly matched Archie's own. Victor being the doctor of the group had pushed away his holy fuck this guy really in an ET thoughts and instead got Ridley a glass of water setting it down on the small table beside the Doanreki.
After a moment Graham stood from his seat beside Ruby and stepped over the short distance towards Ridley, the two looked at each other for a second or two as if leaving time for Graham to figure out what he was going to say and then finally, the almost painful silence was broke.
"We have Belle back which is the important thing." He told Gold. "Regina is pissed but I don't give a damn to be honest, she cares very little for human life that isn't her own." Graham sighed. "You'll soon realise that some people on this planet would kill you the second they found out what you are, but Belle loves you so we are going to keep you hidden from prying eyes. Its the right thing to do. We are a team of explorers, we were sent here to discover things and Belle discovered you. If you were an artifact we'd have taken you have to headquarters, studded you but you're not, you're alive; free thinking. You also saved the life of someone I hold very dear countless times. And so it doesn't matter if your skin is black, white, green... you're one us now." Graham smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Graham Humbert, welcome to Earth."
Ridley remembered this gesture from the information he'd learnt from Belle and so stretched his hand out to shake Graham's causing a pleased twitch on the humans lips. He looked up to the thick glass porthole that let in the golden light of day and felt its heat, the planet he was born on was long gone but the planet he belonged on seemed to be welcoming him. He watched as the sun balanced on the rim of the world and a hush descended, then spoke.
"Ridley Gold, nice to meet you."
The End.
