Thank you!! Your response to the last chapter was outstanding!!! I love it when I smile so much my cheeks hurt! LOL!
A/N: I had a couple of people comment on how Riddick handled the emotional turmoil of being presented with the evidence of Jack's torture at the hands of Toombs. Just my two cents worth why I went the direction that I did. The way I see him, Riddick best deals with anything that comes his way on a physical level. If he's angry, he lashes out and beats someone up or kills them. If he's in a lustful mood, he screws. These are instinctive reactions that require little thought. And then when faced with something he can't handle? Well, we've seen him run. He's quite good at that and I've addressed it in this chapter. However, in this case, dealing with his feelings of guilt has done a number on him. He simply doesn't want to feel at all. He tries the cold shower (physical) and when that doesn't work, goes to the completely opposite spectrum from no feeling to physical sensory overload, which is pain. It's something he's had a lot of experience with, he can see it, and that's a pain he's more comfortable with - something he can focus on rather than the emotions he should be dealing with.
Okay, enough of that. Onto the story.
Disclaimer: Still not mine unless you didn't see it in the movies.
Recap Chapter 10
He stood there for a few minutes regarding the various fragments of glass littering his hotel room floor. He slowly walked over, bent down, and selected a larger, jagged piece of glass. He then placed it in his open palm and made a fist. If he couldn't make himself numb to the pain, then he'd use one pain to mask another. He gritted his teeth as the glass sliced through his skin, then muscle, but he didn't stop until blood began to drip and then pour from the sides of his hand. He sat on the edge of his bed and watched his blood drip and stain the carpet below. This kind of pain was good. This he could deal with.
A few minutes later someone knocked on his door, startling him. "Just a minute."
He wrapped his hand in a smaller towel and answered the door coming face to face with Jack.
Fuck!
Chapter 11
He almost shut it right back. He didn't want her seeing him like this. Hell, he wasn't sure he wanted to see her at all. In her dreams he was already a player, which meant her memory was there, only suppressed. She had been through far more pain than any one person deserved, and he didn't want her to suffer all over again because he showed up and triggered her memories to come flooding back. It was part of the reason he contemplated walking away – leaving once he found out the details of her time in Toombs' hands.
If he did leave, it most likely wouldn't matter. From what he could see she had fallen in with good people who cared for her. It was little compensation for the hell she had gone through, but even Iman would agree that it had turned out for the best. She knew who she was now, where she was from, and who she was living with before she went missing. All of the pieces were there for her to pursue or leave it be, and he could go on with his life knowing she was safe and alive. Who was he trying to bullshit? He wasn't going to leave her again. He couldn't, not after what happened the last time.
Regardless, her unannounced arrival at his hotel would have completely fucked the idea of leaving up . And to make things worse, she prevented him from shutting the door in her face when she barged into his room and brushed right past him.
"How the fuck did you find me?"
"I started calling the biggest hotels in town looking for you and got lucky. I won't be long and then I'll get out of your-." She was about to say hair and stopped. "I'll leave. The reason why I-."
She finally turned around to face him and got her first good look. That was enough to stop her mid-sentence and leave her mouth gaping open in shock. Finding a still wet Riddick naked except for a towel around his waist was the last thing she expected. Knowing someone was muscular was one thing, but seeing his perfectly sculpted shoulders, arms, chest, and abs still sprinkled with drops of water took it to an entirely different level. He was without a doubt the most beautiful man she had ever seen. For some unknown reason the room had become uncomfortably hot, and the sight of him had her so flustered she couldn't utter a word. Instead she just stood there, staring at him like a fool, unable to tear her eyes away. But finally her eyes dropped to the bloodstained towel wrapped around his hand and her focus shifted to that.
"Y-Your hand! What happened?"
Feeling the alcohol's effect, it took him longer to reply than normal. He looked at his hand, then back up to her. "I cut myself?"
"What you're not sure? Looks like you did a hell of a lot more than that!"
"It ain't that bad."
"Bullshit! The towel is almost soaked! How did you do it?" She waved off her last question. "Never mind that now. Let me look at it." There was no way to explain his injury, but his relief that she didn't want to know how it happened was swiftly erased by her desire to see his hand. When she walked to him he actually took a step backward, knocking the door closed.
"No, Jack you don'-."
"I know I don't, but that looks serious. Would you sit?"
Even though it was a question, it came out as a command. She pointed to the desk chair, and he looked at it a second before dutifully sitting down. He blamed his easy compliance on the alcohol. Jack pulled up another chair, sat, and then gently unwrapped the towel and was dismayed by what she saw.
"What the-! This isn't a cut! You've sliced your hand open in several places, and it's deep, too. Doesn't this hurt?"
"Like a fucker, but I've been through worse."
He liked that she was concerned about him, that she could put aside her earlier hostility and look after him. It was such a Jack thing to do. Angry as a hornet one second, switch gears into something entirely different the next. But that didn't mean she had forgotten how she felt originally. He didn't think he'd gotten off that lucky.
As for Jack, although she tried to concentrate on his hand, she couldn't resist stealing another look at him, his chest that is, now that her head was lowered to look at his hand. She hadn't noticed it before, but his skin was a warm, light caramel color. Not a tan either - all natural and very beautiful. She felt her face flush when she wondered if his skin was as smooth as it looked, but she'd have to be content with her ignorance because she wasn't about to reach out to touch and test it. Then she noticed a few scars on his torso and almost asked him the cause, but kept her mouth firmly shut. If she asked him, then he'd know she had been looking. She would be even more embarrassed to know that he already knew and was slightly smiling because of it.
"At least the bleeding appears to be under control."
"Gotta band-aid?" he quipped.
Jack looked up at him as if he was crazy and saw the corners of his mouth slightly twitch. She smiled in spite of herself. "I think this is more than a band-aid and a kiss can fix," she softly replied.
"I dunno." With his good hand he tilted her chin up to look at him, pleased that she didn't flinch or pull away. "We can try the kiss and find out."
He told himself that he was only kidding around to see what she might do, but the truth was that he been wondering what she'd taste like since last night and was half hoping she'd take him up on the offer. But that definitely wasn't the wisest thing to say. Her cheeks turned pink, and then she frowned once she recognized the scent of alcohol on his breath. Her irritation for him just came bounding back.
"You're shit faced."
Slightly disappointed, he leaned back in the chair. "I was workin' on it."
"You've done a fine job already from what I can see…or rather smell."
"So that's a 'no' on the kiss?" he drawled. "Not even on the forehead like you used to do?"
"I can only imagine what kind of sorry shape you must have been in for me to do that!" Thoroughly annoyed, she promptly stood up with her hands on her hips and took a good two steps back. "Get up, get dressed, I'll walk you to the hospital." He raised an eyebrow, which she somehow intuitively understood the meaning behind. "Yes, I am ordering you." But he didn't move. "Now if you don't mind? Get moving I need to take a nap before I go to work tonight."
He gathered pants and a pair of briefs, as far as he was concerned she could suffer his bare chest until he at least got those on. He turned to go into the bathroom and then stopped.
"Well?" She rested her hands on her hips, clearly exasperated. "What are you waiting for?"
He hooked his thumb into the front of his towel and slightly pulled it away from his body. "You want me to drop it here or in the bathroom?"
Jack now turned beet red, mostly from anger, but embarrassment definitely assisted. "I think that answer would be obvious."
He took a few steps closer, towering over her. "Then move yer ass, Jack. You're blocking the door."
Jack practically jumped to get out of his way and glared at him until he was gone. She scratched at the palms of her hands to keep from fisting them. She never wanted to strike someone so badly in her entire life. The man was positively infuriating and had managed to embarrass her not once but twice in a span of five minutes.
He came back out a few minutes later, no shirt, with his pants zipped, but the top button undone. She noticed and rolled her eyes, thinking he had done it on purpose just to see her reaction. Riddick realized how it looked and tried to defend himself.
"I would button it, but I can't with one hand."
"Mon Dieu! Tu me rends folle!"
"I take that to mean you ain't helpin' me?"
However, she did step forward and quickly buttoned his pants, and then immediately stepped back. Even half drunk he didn't fail to notice how she wiped her hands on her pants as if she had dirtied them. What he didn't know is that her palms were damp out of nervousness, something she didn't want him to see.
"And I assume you'll need assistance with your shirt as well?"
She asked it so sweetly and with a smile, too. He knew she was being sarcastic, but she did ask and he wouldn't turn down the help. "Well, now that you mention it-."
"But of course." Jack let out a very short, unladylike growl, no doubt triggered by irritability and headed to the closet but found not one shirt hanging. She did see his boots though and picked them up, placing them next to his chair. "Those I know you'll need help with."
"Shirts are in the drawer. Second from the top."
She opened it and found a sea of black. "My, what a myriad of choices we have."
"You criticizing my wardrobe, woman?" he growled, but smirking.
"Wouldn't dream of it." She took a shirt and then slammed the drawer closed, causing him to flinch. "Sit."
He did as he was told - again, surprising even himself. She pulled the shirt over his head and then held the arm hole wide open so he could put his hand through, trying her best not to make contact with his skin. The rest he finished himself. Without asking she went back to the dresser and opened drawers until she found a pair of socks, and then set to work finishing him up.
"Let's go," she ground out.
After a five minute walk in complete silence they arrived. A number of doctors and nurses greeted her by name, some of whom seemed a bit surprised to see her there that particular day. He found it all somewhat odd.
"You volunteer up here or somethin'?"
"Not exactly. I do bring food from the club once a week, and today isn't my regular day, thus the looks I'm getting. But they know me because I spent six weeks in a coma, then another four months here recovering and undergoing additional surgeries. After that I was here ranging from daily to at least once a week for six more months for outpatient rehab and other procedures."
"For your back?" He realized his slip the second her eyes got big. He wasn't supposed to know about it.
"How-."
"Jean-Pierre mentioned it."
She accepted his explanation and nodded. "For my back and for laser resurfacing of scar tissue."
Riddick was taken to see a doctor who questioned his explanation for how he cut himself once Jack left the room. "I've seen my share of cuts Mr. Bryant, and this wasn't an accident."
"No."
"Have you been drinking?"
"Yes."
Dr. Nelson sensed he wasn't going to get anything else out of him so he didn't push it.
"Our scan indicated severe muscle lacerations, and you also managed to damage several nerves, the feeling from which I can't guarantee you'll get back. I've called for our surgeon who specializes in these types of injuries. It's an outpatient procedure, but it will take a couple of hours."
"Do whatcha gotta do, Doc."
"I saw that you came in with Kyra Rimbaldi. You, ah, know each other well?"
So here it comes. "Known her since she was eleven. Now I get to learn her all over again."
Dr. Nelson smiled and Riddick could tell the minute he let his guard down. Damn these people are protective of her.
"I'm pleased to meet you then, Mr.Bryant. She was with us for so long, we're like an extended family to her. We hoped someone would eventually recognize her. Just so you know, she's been through hell."
"I've seen her records. All of 'em. Jean-Pierre gave 'em to me."
Riddick didn't need to explain his injury. Dr.Nelson knew exactly what he had seen and read and could tell by his voice how affected he was even though it was subtle. He assumed the self-inflicted wound was related. He had treated patients who inflicted pain upon themselves to relieve other types of pain, and it fit that this man in front of him had done the same.
"I'll let Kyra know of your condition. A nurse will be in shortly to do your pre-op preparation."
He had left the door open and Riddick watched as Jack was given the news about his hand. He saw shock, what looked to be concern, and unfortunately a little anger mar her face. A nurse came in prevented him from watching her further.
"Mr. Bryant, my name is Dana Childs and I'm going to get you ready for surgery. Do you have any allergies to medications that we should be aware of?"
Riddick was only half listening to her as she walked in, far more interested in watching Jack's reaction to what the doctor was telling her. When the nurse said his name a second time, he finally looked up with a slight frown on his face. However, that faded at the sight of his nurse – definitely not what he had expected. Even though wearing loose fitting scrubs he could tell she had a nice shape to her, and was most definitely a surprising bit of eye candy; light brown hair, blue eyes, nice full lips, and a pleasant voice. Maybe being in the hospital for a couple of hours wouldn't be so bad.
Wonder what she looks like when she smiles?
"I think you're gonna need to repeat that."
"Allergies, Mr. Bryant. Do you have any?"
"Don't think so. And call me Rick. Mr.Bryant is too damn stuffy, 'specially if you're gonna have your hands on me."
Dana's cheeks turned pink, but she smiled. "Rick, any unusual reactions during previous medical procedures?"
He thought for a second about getting patched up in the slam and waking up with his eyes shined. Now that's what he'd call unusual, but he wasn't in the mood to share that factoid of his medical history.
"Not a one."
Dana took out her medical scanner and tapped the screen a few times. "I just need to get a small blood sample for the anesthesiologist. You'll feel a quick pinch and it's over with. Do you have a preference where?"
His eyebrows popped and he cocked his head to the side. "I get a choice?"
Dana's smile expanded. "Yes, some people just don't like their fingers getting pricked so they prefer I use their arm. It's all a matter of personal preference."
"I see. After what I did to my hand, wherever you decide to poke won't make a difference."
"Your finger then?"
He cocked his head to the side. "Just one?"
She laughed softly and his grin grew. "Yes, just one. That will be more than enough."
"Aw, and here I was hopin' you'd want more than just my finger."
Dana really turned pink that time. "Let's start with a finger shall we? Maybe more later," she added as an afterthought, surprising both herself and Riddick.
Jack was about to go speak with him when she noticed he was with a nurse. She didn't recognize the woman, and it being a small hospital she knew practically everyone there, which meant she was new. They appeared to be awfully chatty and were both smiling. A moment later she laughed and his face broke into a rather large grin.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Is he flirting with her?
She watched them a little longer. The way he was looking at her with his head cocked to the side, and the pink blush that stained the woman's cheeks a few seconds later gave Jack her answer.
Un-fucking-believable! He nearly cuts his hand in half, starts in with the sexual taunts and other shit to make me feel….God I don't know what he makes me feel! And now he's flirting? I cannot believe this man. Son of a bitch! And now I have to go in there and tell him he needs to come stay with me because he won't be able to take care of himself! I doubt this day can get any worse.
Once the nurse left, Jack joined him, but before she even got into the room he knew the wall of hostility would be back up and thicker than ever. It was in the tilt of her chin and the way she held herself, and he wondered what he had done now to get her so riled up.
"Doc Nelson said you did quite a number on yourself. Surgery?"
He leaned in a little closer to her and smiled. "Maybe you shoulda given me that kiss after all."
Jack crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "You're absolutely incorrigible-."
"Can't much argue with that."
"You have no shame either!"
He shrugged. "Doesn't suit me."
"You're sitting here with a debilitating hand injury, I'm out there being told that you're going to need assistance because you won't be able to use your hand for probably six weeks, and what are you doing?"
"Getting my hand looked at?"
"It was a rhetorical question. I didn't expect an answer," she snapped, growing louder by the second. "All the while I'm out there digesting everything he's telling me, you're in here flirting with the nurse!"
Riddick cocked his head to one side and a new grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, which only further infuriated her because she watched him do the very same thing with the nurse.
"My flirting bothered you?"
"So you admit doing it?" she countered his question with one of her own.
He thought for a second and then casually answered, "Yeah, I was, and it bothered you."
"No! It did not. You're taking what I said completely out of context. It wasn't the flirting."
"But you said-."
"I'm well aware of what I said, Rick." She ground out his name, imagining it was him she was pulverizing under her shoe.
"Well if it didn't bother you then why bring it up?" he countered, now undoubtedly having some personal fun at her expense.
"It wasn't the flirting-."she started to insist.
"You're repeating yourself."
"Would you let me get a god damn thought out of my mouth?"
"Go ahead."
She didn't respond immediately, wanting to make sure he wouldn't interrupt again. "It was the fact that this turns out to be a medical emergency, I'm out there worried about you, and you're in here-."
"Flirting," he finished for her.
That did it. Jack slammed the door causing the glass in the cabinet windows to shake. "Not taking any of this seriously!" she shouted.
She would never admit to it, but his flirting did bother her. And if she did admit it, then she'd have to ask herself 'why' and she absolutely didn't have an answer to that.
"So you don't want me to flirt?"
"I-." Jack ground out a scream through gritted teeth. "Dammit! Give me your hotel key card."
"Why?"
"Because you're going to have to stay with me until your fucking hand heals, now give me the god damn key, PLEASE!"
There's my Jack! He took the key card out of his pocket, but held it just out of her reach when she grabbed for it. "Since you said please."
She snatched the key from his hand, jerked the door open, and left. Only then did he let the smile he had been holding back spread across his face. Yes, he knew he shouldn't be pushing her the way he had been doing. But confounding and flustering Jack was a whole lot better than thinking about what had happened to her. Anything was better than that.
His flirting with the nurse had absolutely nothing to do with her though, but he admitted to himself that the timing of it worked out rather nicely. And she said she had been worried about him, too. That he liked. Liked it a lot.
But the flirting and her unexpected reaction to it is what really stunned him. As she got older, she made her displeasure loud and clear concerning his whore visitations and blamed it on the fact that he got to go out and she didn't. He knew there was more to it than that. He finally got to the real underlying cause of her anger after paying close attention to the tone of her voice and watching her body language. It turned out Jack had a crush on him, possibly more, and was jealous of the time he was spending with other women. Never mind that they were whores and he never gave a flying fuck about a one of them.
But he never asked Jack point blank. That would have made things entirely uncomfortable between them, and she probably would have denied it anyway. But years later, when he was trying to find her, he read her entire personal journal to see if there was anything he might have missed, any clues, and that's when he had it confirmed by her own words. Even in entries after he had left she admitted to it, but most of those were also followed by how mad she was at him, too.
Still, his flirting and its consequent effect caused him to wonder. Knowing how she felt about him back then, was it possible for someone to not remember a person, but still recall the feelings they had?
Jack headed straight back to the hotel to pack Riddick's things, grumbling to herself the entire way there. Back in his room she slammed the door as hard as she could, just to vent a little frustration. She didn't do anything at first but lean against the door. Being back in his room again the image of his half-naked, wet body popped back into her brain.
"Oh, for god sake's would you stop it! He's just a man." She groaned, sank to the floor, and laughed at herself. "Yeah, right! Even before I knew Micah was gay and I saw him wet and in a speedo I didn't act like that!" Frustrated she pressed her fingers against her temples. "Ugh! First I almost salivate on the man, and then I act like a royal bitch when I see him flirting with another woman? What the hell is wrong with me?" She stood back up ran her fingers through her hair. "No time for that shit now. I have to get him packed." With her hands on her hips she surveyed the room looking for any luggage, but found none lying about. She went to the closet, the one without shirts, and found only a large bag.
"This is his luggage?"
Rolling her eyes she pulled it out and proceeded to pull everything out of the dresser drawers, trying her best to pack everything neatly. At least that was her intent, but the more she packed, the more she thought about him, and the angrier she became until she resorted to shoving his belongings into the bag regardless of the results. She went into the bathroom and he did have a small bag in there for his toiletries. She packed that with a little more care and tossed it in with the rest of his stuff. Once finished she looked around the room for anything else she might have missed. That's when she saw the broken glass. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the bottle had been smashed against the wall.
"Good god! What possessed him to do this?"
Her initial thought had been that he had broken a glass in his hand, causing the deep gashes, but given the pattern of the shattered glass and the amount there, it wasn't possible. He had to have picked up the pieces that caused his cuts.
"This doesn't make any sense. How could this have been an accident? Did he do that to himself on purpose? But why?"
Dumbfounded, she sat on the bed to think things over, but no valid reason for hurting himself came to mind. She certainly wasn't going to ask him either. Whatever happened she concluded it was his own business and probably happened because he had been drinking.
"Drinking! That shit for brains! It's probably how he cut himself."
One of her hands moved back slightly and connected with something on the bed. She turned and looked and found his handheld computer.
"Glad I didn't overlook this. These things aren't cheap to replace."
As she picked it up, her finger brushed over the power button turning the device on. The small screen illuminated almost immediately. Jack went to turn it off when she saw the name 'Jack' on a folder. She withdrew the stylus from its holding place and went to tap the folder to open it, but stopped at the last second.
"Maybe I shouldn't do this." Her reluctance flew out the window after two seconds. "The hell with it. This is about me so it's not like I don't have a right to see it."
Jack tapped twice and the folder opened. Inside she found more pictures of herself that she hadn't taken time to look at earlier. The earlier she went back the shorter her hair got and by the time she reached the ones where she was eleven she was bald, just like him.
"Holy shit! When he said I was passing myself off as a boy he wasn't kidding. I shaved my head? What in the hell was I thinking? A nice crew cut wouldn't do? Dear god, I looked just like him."
She went back through some of the other pictures again, this time analyzing her expression along with Riddick's.
"Hmm. He doesn't look too happy getting his picture taken. I, on the other hand, look thrilled. Odd that he's wearing goggles in most of these. I wonder when he got the lenses?"
After going through the pictures, she closed the folder with her name on it, and that's when she began snooping around.
"Let's see Rick. Got any dirt on yourself in here?"
She tapped randomly through some of the folders and found a contact list. Skimming quickly through it produced nothing juicy as she hoped. It just appeared to be a bunch of business contacts.
"Well that was boring. Any other pictures? A girlfriend perhaps?"
The very thought of finding a picture of another woman made her uncomfortable, but she searched anyway. The only images that showed up were of her, which came as a small relief.
"Like I would care if I found one anyway," she told herself, out loud no less as if hearing it would convince herself that she didn't indeed care.
She found one last folder that caught her eye and double-tapped, but it wouldn't allow her in.
"Password protected? Must be where you keep the really good stuff then."
She attempted to gain entry trying a few words, but without knowing more about him it was fruitless to attempt further guesses. Besides, if it somehow locked her out after so many incorrect attempts, he would know about it, and she didn't wish to get busted for snooping.
"So much for that." She tossed his handheld into his bag, took one last look around the room and headed back to her house.
Jean-Pierre came home just as Jack topped the stairs with Riddick's bag. "Qu'est-ce que c'est?"
"This? It's Rick's bag. He cut his hand open on a piece of broken glass, and I mean really cut it. He's at the hospital now in surgery, but he won't be able to use it for six weeks, so I told him he could stay here."
Jack hadn't the slightest clue that Riddick would have been staying with them regardless. JP knew how lucky he had just gotten and wasn't about to tell her of the invitation he had extended.
"That's very nice of you," he commented without giving away a hint of what he knew.
"Well I couldn't not offer him a place. So you're okay with this?"
"No problem. It's your home as well, ma petite. Besides, you two can get to know each other again. But 'ow did you know he hurt his hand?"
"Micah and I were out together and the more I thought about Rick, the more determined I was that I didn't want to see him until tomorrow. I thought he might try and show up at the club tonight so I found out where he was staying and went to ask himto stay away. When I showed up he had already cut himself."
"So, he'll need your help tonight. I'll call in another bartender."
"No!" she screeched, cringing at the sound of her own panicky voice. "Really," she said a bit more calmly, "you don't have to do that."
"He doesn't need me helping him, chérie. You're not working the bar tonight. Besides, you didn't take a nap."
"A nap? I'm not three. You can't be-."
"No arguments," he stated firmly.
Jean-Pierre left her standing at the threshold of Rick's new room with her mouth agape as he left the house.
"No arguments? Damn you, JP!!"
Two and a half hours later Jack was back at the hospital. She had arrived half an hour late on purpose. After all, Riddick had become a gross inconvenience in her life, and she wasn't about to bend completely to suit his needs. However, what she saw when she arrived did nothing to improve her mood. Riddick was sitting in a wheelchair chatting with the same nurse he had been flirting with earlier.
"Been waiting long?" she asked sweetly, hoping he had been doing exactly that.
"'Bout half an hour, but Dana here was nice enough to keep me company."
So much for making him wait and suffer.
"So what's with the wheelchair? It was just your hand."
"It's hospital policy," Dana answered even though the question wasn't directed to her.
Riddick gave a loopy, drug induced grin and shrugged like he was completely innocent in the whole thing. "Oh, forgot to introduce you two. Jack this is Dana. Dana, this is Jack."
They both shook hands and Dana flashed her a brilliant smile, which, for some reason, made Jack want to wipe it off the woman's face. Then she put her hands on Riddick's shoulders in a far too familiar way and lightly squeezed them.
"Rick told me about your ordeal and how you were just reunited. I think that's absolutely amazing. You must be so thrilled that someone finally found you."
Was it her, or was Dana just talking down to her like a little lost child? Now Jack not only wanted to wipe the smile off her face, she had the urge to do her bodily harm. The question the loomed in her brain was 'why'?
"Yes," Jack smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, "ecstatic." She looked down at Riddick. "You ready to walk home?"
"You're not gonna push me?"
If her eyes could have thrown daggers, he'd be dead. "Don't give me a reason to make you need to use that chair."
"Rick," Dana interjected, leaning down closer to his face, "don't forget if you have any questions about taking care of your hand, call me, or if you have any questions at all."
"Thanks Dana." He patted her hand that still rested on his shoulder. "You've got a great bedside manner."
"Oh I'll just bet," Jack said under her breath, but Riddick actually heard her. He finally got out of the chair, and he couldn't wipe the smirk off his face. Jack waited until they had exited the hospital before speaking again - just to give herself a moment or two to settle down before she let something out of her mouth that she might later have to a apologize for.
"Well, in spite of everything you look remarkably happy, Rick."
"Drugs."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why don't I fully believe you?"
"And if I said you were the reason?"
Jack smiled sweetly up at him. "Then I'd have to ask what it is I did so I could make sure to never do it again."
Riddick let out a bark of laughter, which did nothing but sour her further.
"I suppose the drugs were responsible for loosening your tongue, too? What happened to me was none of her business."
"Thought you were friends with all the staff."
"And that made it okay? Oh, and for the record, that was the first time I've spoken to the woman."
She was right, which meant he was wrong, and he never liked having that pointed out. Then again, it was partially her fault as well and he was more than willing to make her aware of it, too.
"It was your own fault. You were late, she was there and asked what brought me into town, so I told her. End of story."
Unfortunately, she couldn't argue with that. Dammit! "Tell me something-." she began.
"Okay, something."
Completely fed up with him and his flippant responses, her hand whipped out and backhanded him in the gut. Nothing hard enough to hurt him, but it made a loud 'smack' noise on impact. He grunted more out of show as he was used to that kind of thing from her, but she was completely dismayed at what she had done to this man who was little better than a stranger to her. She wasn't thinking when she did it. It happened as if by reflex. He didn't realize anything was wrong until she fell a few steps behind. When he turned she was standing there with her hand over her mouth and her eyes were wide as saucers.
His brow furrowed and his stomach knotted. Had she recalled an unpleasant memory– one about him. "Jack?"
She shook her head. "I-I am so sorry. I don't know why I did that." Then she frowned. That was the second time today she had needed to apologize to him, and it was twice too many for her taste. "I'm not myself when I'm around you."
He shook his head and smiled, relieved that this was all it was. "You're wrong, Jack. You're more yourself than you know, and you don't need to say sorry for smacking me."
"Why because you deserved it?" she blurted out.
He chuckled. "That, and I'm used to it." He rubbed his stomach where she had hit him. "You hit a hell of a lot harder now, but that was nothin' new comin' from you."
That made her feel a little better, but she couldn't resist getting in a little 'dig'. "If that's something you're used to does that mean you've always been an ass?"
"What can I say? You do bring out my best qualities."
Well that wasn't what she had expected him to say, which left her wondering where to take the conversation. Something completely off topic and safe was her choice.
"Tell me about the man I was living with. Iman?"
"Holy Man? He can come off kind of arrogant, but that ain't him. He's a good man, probably one of the best I've met."
"How did I look at him? Like a father?"
He nodded. "I'd say so, but a little more laid back. Not as much as you are with JP though."
"Have you told him I'm alive?"
"Not yet. I wasn't sure you were you and I wasn't gonna get his hopes up and put him through that hell."
She frowned slightly, more confused than ever about Riddick. He definitely had his moments of compassion, which didn't quite mesh with the other less likable facets of his character that she had already witnessed.
"That's very thoughtful of you."
He shrugged, not entirely comfortable with the compliment. "If you say so."
"Trust me…it is. But back to the crash? After we got off the planet, what happened?"
"Got picked up by a merchant ship headed to the Helion System. They put us in cryo-stasis and we hitched a ride until Helion-5. From there we got a transport to Helion Prime, to New Mecca. Iman already had a house waitin' on him and we all lived together, but not for long. I left, not because of you or him, just somethin' I needed to do. You didn't like that too much so you hid in my ship. I didn't know until it was too late to turn around. By the time I could take you back, you wormed your way into stayin', and we traveled together until you were fourteen. That's when I took you back to Iman."
"Why the change?"
"You needed more than I could give."
"A father?"
"Yeah, a family. A home."
"It must have been a huge change for me, then. How many times did I see you after that?"
"You didn't."
"You never saw me again?"
"Never."
She frowned, confused as to why he would look for her for three years after not seeing her for two years preceding her disappearance. Riddick was quickly becoming a complex puzzle, and she wondered if she would ever figure him out, but that wouldn't stop her from trying.
"But why? There was enough of a relationship that existed to get you to look for me, yet you never visited me for two years?"
He huffed his breath, and now Jack was intrigued. He was clearly uncomfortable talking about this.
"Dunno. Timing never worked out, and two years later you went missing."
She put her hand on Riddick's arm, causing him to stop mid-step. "What aren't you telling me?"
A hell of a lot more than you know and nothin' you can handle right now. So he elected to keep it simple. "We-." This wasn't what he wanted to discuss, not now, not for weeks if he had the choice. "We, ah, didn't exactly part on good terms."
"I was fourteen, how old were you?"
That wasn't the question he expected, and he was visibly relieved that she took the conversation in another direction. "Headin' on twenty-eight."
She quickly did the math in her head. That made him thirty-five now. But if he was as gorgeous to her at fourteen as he was to her at almost twenty-three, then she could only imagine how she might have felt about him, and what his departure might have done to her.
God, I bet his leaving devastated me. Only one way to find out.
"Breaking my heart wasn't a very nice thing to do." Her gamble paid off. His head whipped toward her, he met her eyes for a split second, and then he just as quickly looked the opposite way. After that, he got defensive.
"You don't remember shit," he growled.
She finally had him off balance for once, and it felt fantastic.
"No, but I was right. Might as well spill the rest. No, on second thought, let me see if I can sort it out myself. You didn't just break my heart, you crushed it. As a young teen, I probably built my entire existence around you, and then it was gone. Pulled out from under my feet before I knew what was happening, and -."
She had no idea how accurate her words were, or how much they were bothering him. And not just because he hated hearing what he had done, but because she was mocking it all, as if she was never a part of it.
"Stop it," he barked, his tone causing her to jump. "Just stop."
Jack simply stood there, silently reflecting on her own words, and then what she had been doing hit her. Shame washed over her. None of it was real, not to her, and she was making light of it, but to him it brought back memories of an unpleasant experience. In a way it touched her to know that although he did hurt her, it was not something he was proud of.
Once again she found herself needing to apologize. "I-I didn't mean-. I'm s-."
"Forget about it."
Not the best choice of words, considering she couldn't remember anything anyway, but it had probably been the best thing he could have said.
"Forgetting was the easy part." They caught each other's eyes and both smiled and then she switched to a safer topic. "It's only seven o'clock, but this day already feels like it has lasted for weeks."
"Didn't get your nap, Jack. You still workin' tonight?"
"No," she sulked. "JP wouldn't let me. It's probably for the best anyway. With Micah coming home last night, we stayed up until I couldn't keep my eyes open, then I had that dream that woke me up, and then you. Now I'm exhausted."
His ears perked when she mentioned Micah, and now it was his turn to sport the foul mood. Was that the fucker from last night? Unfortunately, he didn't think, he just asked, and ended up revealing far more of himself than he intended.
"Micah? He's the blond who was all over you at the bar last night?"
The muscle in his jaw was flexing as though he was grinding his teeth. Interesting, she thought. Micah was hardly all over her, but from his perspective that's exactly what he had seen.
"Yes, that was him." And that was all she would say. If he wanted to know more, which she got the feeling he did, he would have to ask her. It would have to wait though, because they had just arrived at her house. "Home, sweet home."
"Which room is mine?"
"Top of the stairs, first door on your right. It doesn't have its own bathroom and neither does mine, so we'll have to share. It's the door to the right of my room. I packed your bag and it's already up there. Oh, by the way, are you hungry?"
"Wasn't until you said somethin'."
"I honestly don't feel up to cooking, so I'm gonna order in from the club. How does a steak sound?"
"They have cows in a cave?" he quipped.
"Smart ass. It's imported, much like most of our stuff. So, you want steak or should I order you a tofu salad?"
He glared at her for a second, but only a second. "Steak, medium-rare."
Twenty minutes later Jessie, one of the girls from the club, brought up their food. Jack was so used to seeing them in various states of undress that she thought nothing of it. But in her home, in normal lighting, and with Riddick in the room, seeing Jessie like that was extremely uncomfortable.
She might as well have been naked wearing a completely transparent bikini top, coupled with a skirt short enough her thong was visible every time she moved. Jack didn't miss how his eyes took in Jessie, nor the appreciative look she gave him either. She bit her tongue though and said nothing, even after Jessie left.
Jack began to eat and she was three bites into her own steak before she noticed that he hadn't touched his.
"What's wrong? Is it not cooked right?"
"Looks fine, but I can't cut it."
Although she had completely forgotten about his hand, she wasn't going to apologize for not cutting his steak before enjoying her own. There had been plenty of time to say something before she sat down, but then again Jessie was still with them, and he was most likely ogling her instead of thinking about needing his steak cut. She remained in her seat and put her fork and knife down. Her elbows went to the table and she propped her chin up on her interlaced fingers.
"Why didn't you ask me before I sat down? There was ample time."
"I-." He snapped his mouth shut and she raised an eyebrow. "I was distracted," he answered honestly.
Instead of taking his plate, she got up and came to him. When she leaned over to cut his steak, Riddick got his first chance to truly take in her scent. Sure, he caught whiffs of it before, but there was nothing compared to inhaling it scant inches from her skin. And there it was again; vanilla, sugar, a little spicy, and oh so sweet. He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth the second he felt the all too familiar tightening in his groin. Definitely not a response he needed. Fuck! Why'd she have to smell good enough to eat? Like a god damn sugar cookie! His steak didn't seem nearly as appetizing now, not when he'd much rather have her for dessert first. He leaned in a little further, tempting himself, and a few wisps of her hair brushed across his face, and he barely suppressed a groan. He was admiring the long line of her neck, imagining his mouth on it when she finished with her task. She took one look at him and mistakenly thought he was hurting based on his facial expression.
"Are you in pain?"
Startled that she had spoken to him, he leaned away from her. "Yeah." Just not the kinda pain you're thinkin'. "It'll pass."
"You can't take a pill for an hour."
"I'll live."
They finished their dinner in relative silence and then Jack called down to the club.
"Jeff, it was delicious as always, thank you. If you could just send one of the guys up to clear the dishes, I'd appreciate it. What? Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Hold on while I ask him." She put her hand over the receiver.
"Ask me what?" he demanded.
"Dessert? Do you want any?"
She might as well have asked him if he wanted her, because he had already equated the two in his mind.
"Dunno." he said with a small smile. "What are you offerin'?"
Jack blinked twice, opened her mouth to answer, and then promptly shut it. The way he asked it - why did it sound as though she was suddenly a part of the menu? She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment.
"Tell you what, why don't I surprise you. Is there anything you simply can't stand?"
"Nothin' I can think of."
"Good. Do you want coffee, too?"
"Why not."
"Jeff, we'd both like coffee, I have cream and sugar up here so you don't need to bother with that. I'd love a slice of your cheesecake with raspberry sauce, and what's that special dessert you make for birthdays? Yes, that's it. Yes, I'm sure. I think he'll love it. Thank you."
Dessert came ten minutes later. While Riddick was in the living room watching a movie they had started, she got the coffee and set that down first on the table in front of them, and then went back to get dessert. She put hers down first, and then with a smirk on her face presented Riddick with his. It was a small chocolate cake molded in the shape of a woman's chest - overly large breasts included. On top of each mound was a dollop of whipped cream with a cherry right where the nipples would be.
He cocked his head to the side as if he was trying to figure out what to say before he held the plate closer to her, but found himself speechless.
"What? You don't like them? After the way you stared at Jessie's breasts I thought you should have a pair of your own. It's got an incredibly decadent melted chocolate filling, too, so be sure to eat them while they're still warm. Do you need help cutting it?" she asked innocently.
"No, I got it, thanks." The thought of licking the whipped cream from the top of each mound was tempting –just to see her reaction. But he used his fork instead and she was right, the filling was incredible along with the rest of the cake.
Jack had yet to take a bite of her own dessert, far more interested in what he thought of his own, which was altogether unnerving having her watch him as he devoured it. "So, how is it?"
He looked up at her and smiled after he stuffed another fork full in his mouth. "Mmm. Best damn boobs I ever had!"
"Good. I'll pass your compliments on to our chef."
"Yeah, you do that." And then he sank his fork back into the cake.
As he ate he thought about the stunt she just pulled on him. Jack may not have resurfaced yet, but she sure as hell has broken through enough to show her face from time to time - or her ass, depending on what mood she was in. As for the cake, he ended up eating everything but the two cherries, which she snatched from his plate and ate herself. He had done that on purpose to see if she would take them because Maraschino cherries had always been a favorite of hers. He was chuckling by the time she pulled the second one from its stem with her teeth, causing her to frown.
"What's so funny?" she demanded, slightly irritated.
Turning to face her on the sofa he studied her for a moment before answering. "Remember what I said when we were walkin' home?"
"You said a lot of things."
"I'm talkin' about how you're more you than you think." She nodded remembering that part of their conversation. "Wanna know why I didn't eat my cherries?"
She shrugged. "I figured you didn't like them."
"No, I love 'em. Didn't eat 'em because I wanted to see what you'd do."
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"
"Because I know you love 'em too, or you used to, and anytime you had the chance they would go missing from my dessert."
Suddenly her back went rigid at his insinuation of petty theft. "So I like them. So what. I didn't steal them."
"But you thought about it, didn't you."
"I did no such thing!"
Her denial might have worked if she hadn't busted out laughing at the word 'no'. Riddick was laughing right along with her, but she still felt the urge to smack him again. Luckily it was medicine time.
"You can have your pill now."
"Don't need it."
"You're getting one regardless. It will help you sleep."
"Yes, mother," he grumbled.
"I should have known you were going to be a difficult patient. Men are all the same. They may grow up, but they're still big babies on the inside."
"Who you callin' a baby?"
"I wonder."
She took their plates and coffee cups to the kitchen and returned with glass of water, his pill, and ointment for his hand. He dutifully took his medicine, and then watched as she unraveled the dressing on his hand to apply the antibiotic ointment. Jack clenched her eyes shut for a moment once his hand was revealed. She thought it looked bad before, but seeing it now with the rows of angry black stitches made it look far worse.
"Why didn't they use a laser to suture your hand?"
"Dunno. Somethin' about it healin' better the old fashioned way."
They both wrinkled their nose when she uncapped the tube. It had a vile medicinal smell. She was about to dab some on the first row of stitches, but paused first to look up at him.
"Tell me if I hurt you."
He nodded. Not that he could say anything. He was already hurting. She had his injured hand cradled in her own, with both resting in her lap. That wasn't the problem. She was being gentle as hell, it was what she was doing with her thumb that was killing him. Although she probably wasn't conscious of her actions, her thumb had been lightly brushing back and forth across his pinky finger from the start. Even though comforting, the subtle caress of her finger had stirred his animal fully awake, unleashing a rush of lust to have her stroke an entirely different part of him that was growing uncomfortably hard for the second time that night.
He would have laughed if someone had told him he could get turned on by it, but here he was struggling to keep himself in check, wanting her to keep going, but knowing he had to make her stop before he embarrassed himself...or worse. In either case he needed prickly Jack to come back. He abruptly pulled his hand from hers and squeezed enough of the ointment onto his thumb so he wouldn't need her to hold the tube.
"We'll be here all night at the rate you're goin'," he gruffly complained.
Jack glared at him, but didn't move away. "What the hell! I was trying not to hurt you, which is why I was taking my time!"
"This has to be done twice a day, so I should do it myself anyway." He then caught her eyes, smiled, and paused another second for effect. "Unless you're lookin' for an excuse to touch me."
Her outraged gasp did the trick for him. "Son of a bitch!" Jack jumped off the sofa and stormed into the kitchen. She returned shortly after with the roll of gauze and threw it at him, narrowly missing his head.
"Wrap your own god damn hand!"
Jack angrily stomped upstairs and slammed her bedroom door. A few minutes later he heard her come out and then another door slammed, he figured that had been the bathroom door. Ten minutes later he heard her footsteps again, and her bedroom door was slammed a final time. He decided to turn in early himself and went upstairs shortly after.
Hearing her talking, he quietly crept over to her door. It was a friend she was talking to, Micah, and she was bitching about him. He heard a few key words when she raised her voice such as 'rude beast', 'absolutely unnerving', and his personal favorite, 'intolerable ass'. He was about to go to his room when her tone completely changed. She had just gone from angry bitching to gushing sweetly at something he was telling her. 'Sweet', 'thoughtful', 'love it', 'can't wait', she laughed, and then he heard her call him 'baby'. He growled and went to his room, kicking himself for staying to listen to the last part.
He lay in bed, sleep not coming as easily as he hoped. His mind kept going back to Jack and the behavior between the two of them that day, particularly his.
"It was fuckin' easier when she was a kid!"
There were unspoken boundaries when she was younger. He kept to his side, and she kept to hers and all was right in the world. They teased, pushed each other, and sometimes pissed each other off until the ship almost shook from their yelling, but that was normal for them.
However with 'grown up Jack' who didn't remember any of that, things were completely fucked up. Although not 'his' Jack, there was enough of her there that he found himself falling back into their old ways. Only now he was doing most of the teasing, pushing, and pissing her off. And he found himself trying to get under her skin, which was easily accomplished any time their talk was even remotely sexual.
But why? Why was he doing it? Stupid question – he wanted her, that's why, but having her was not going to happen. This was Jack. She wasn't a woman he could buy for the night or a whore like Marilyn willing to sell her body to get what she wanted, and he hadn't a clue how to deal with a woman who didn't neatly fall into one of the two categories. So naturally he talked to her the way he did to piss her off so she'd turn all hostile and prickly. If she stayed that way, she'd keep a decent distance from him, and that made things safe. Or so went the direction of his reasoning.
But then there was Micah and herein lay his problem. Riddick unexpectedly discovered that he felt very territorial where Jack was concerned, and this went beyond the desire to protect her. As a kid, he always spoke of her as 'his' and she had been; his to protect and watch over. This Jack was still his, but with a new twist thrown in just to make things complicated and confusing.
Although a crude comparison, Jack was a bone and Riddick the dog. The bone belonged to him, even though he had no true claim on it. He knew, however, that actually claiming the bone and taking it as his own was something he couldn't do, so he played with it a little, but in the end left it just out of his reach. However, when another dog came sniffing around making a play to steal his bone, he felt the urge to come on like a devil dog teeth bared and growling. Not exactly a reaction he could control.
Yes, he had definitely gotten off to a less than stellar start with her, but it was far too late to erase the day's events. He only hoped that tomorrow would go better than or least not as bad as today had gone. Regardless of everything he did accept one fact as an unalterable truth. Life with Jack would never be as it once was
Unlike Riddick, Jack was dead to the world within minutes after her call with Micah. It had been an excruciatingly long and emotional day. Sleep may have come easily to her, but sleeping well did not. As had happened the previous night, she was haunted by memories that came to her as shifting dreams. Just as one moment in her past would come into focus it was replaced by another, and then another, but there wasn't a rewind button so she could go back and revisit them.
It caused her to wake up several times during the night. Each time she grabbed her tablet computer and furiously scrawled as much as she could, hoping to make some sense of it in the morning. Riddick's presence had triggered something in her subconscious allowing these memories to surface. She felt like a dam that had just suffered a small crack allowing water to slowly trickle through. She prayed that if and when it did burst, that it didn't take her along with it.
And so ends another chapter!
Now you know the drill...
Feed me, please!! Thank you!!
Chapter 10 Reviews
Kimmae: Thanks Kimmae for the Chapter 7 comments!! I do appreciate them!
Jospry: "This story is fantastic" - Thank you so much Jospry!! I appreciate it and I update as often as I can (once a week?), but depending on future chapters and the content the wait may get longer.
PrincessYente: Yes, they talked!! Finally, huh? They'll be talking and more from here on out.
NotAfraidToLive "this story is truely amazing. you are the bomb!!" What a way to put a grin on my face!!! Thank you!! And they'll be talking a lot more, too along with some serious struggling to get to relearn each other.
dogo: "I was in awe when you made riddick break down after he saw what happened to jack. Man...that imagry was excellent!! I mean it was deep without getting too sappy."
- Thank you so much for the comment. I was really worried how it would come out myself, but I felt like something had to happen. Feeling something for someone, much less dealing with emotions is so foreign to him and dealing with it on a physical level by harming himself instead was the best way for him to cope. Thanks again!!
FluidDegree: "And what is Jack going to be thinking when she sees that he is practily undressed...lol I know what i would think."
- Yep, I know what I would think, too!! Hee hee. It obviously got her attention, eh? She may be a little frigid, but she definitely isn't unaffected by him. Thanks for reviewing!
jensen's Angel:" cookie?? scratches head oh cookie, damn i got distracted with a half naked wet riddick lol"
- It's amazing how many people caught onto that fact – that he's still wet and half naked even though I didn't stress it. LOL! Yes, it would distract met, too. BTW – put in an order of white chocolate macadamia nut, please.
"we need to know jacks reaction to his nakedness lol"
- The girl may have issues regarding sex, but she's not unaffected obviously. Thank you so much for sharing your favorite parts of the chapter and how they affected you. I really love when readers take the time to do that, and believe it or not it helps me see what pieces that I write have the most impact.
"hehe typical riddick, always thinkin with his downstairs brain and not the one he's suppose to use, classic lol"
- As you've read, he does a lot of thinking with the 'downstairs brain' - love that term BTW!!! He's in a pickle with her. He wants her, but he's resolved that he can't have her, but he doesn't want to her too far away from him and no one else gets her either.
"i wanted to hug riddick when he picked up that piece of glass to cut his hand because he shouldn't blame himself for what happened,"
- Yep, it's really rough on him. Anyway he looks at it, he's to blame for what happened to her and these are emotions that he simply can't deal with. He has no experience dealing with them either so that's how he copes. Thanks so much for the review!
Running-Wild22: "How in the world is he gonna explain himself to her"
- He will avoid it at all costs!
"I hope she doesn't see the file on what happened to her, it will completely freak her out."
- I thought about it, but now isn't the time. Thanks Kia!!
unknown beedee: Yep, the silver eyes had to be in there. They were the only things that would work for her as evidence because she had so little to go on.
"i also wonder when she'll find out "rick's" real identity"
- Still working on that one. And not telling about Steven yet. Hee hee. Thanks so much for the compliment and especially for reviewing!!
iluvriddick: "are you happy now? you have me cussing and practically slapping the shit out of my computer. i could have woken up my children with the crap that was coming out of my mouth. you're truly a sick cold woman. but oh how i love your story"
- OMG!! You had me laughing my ass off reading this! What imagery! I think I went back and re-read it a couple of more times, too. Please don't take it out on your computer though! Well, I'm so pleased that I have you 'hopelessly addicted'. I can't ask for more than that. Oh, and getting you all frustrated again is just icing on my cake! Thanks sweetie!
J3w3ll: Can I just say once again how much I LOVED your review!! Damn, but you get right in there and start digging into the deep stuff and that thrills me to no end!
"One pain to mask the other - interesting. That's NOT an instinctive or animal response"
- No it isn't, and I struggled with that, but you HIT right on it with your next comment,
"Everything instinctive is usually in self-preservation, and thinking on it, I guess this is self-preservation, but it's at such an emotional level, so, for Riddick, I did not see it coming."
- We don't see something on an emotional level coming from him because HE isn't emotional. Dealing with anything on that level is HIGHLY disconcerting for him. He just doesn't know how to handle it at all, but pain? That's something else entirely. PHYSICAL challenges he can deal with without a problem, and so he chooses the physical pain hoping it will overshadow the other.
"I was a little suprised Riddick didn't run himself after feeling so guilty, but then he thinks his running caused it in the first place, so he's trapped in one hell of a paradox."
- As you saw in this chapter, he definitely contemplated it, but realized he couldn't. Yes, he's trapped and good.
NightmareMonster: "im kinda surpirsed she fainted."
- She was sure he wasn't who he said he was, so finally seeing his eyes for real and given how already emotionally upset she was just did her in. Keep in mind, this is a more fragile Jack than we're used to.
"im mighty confused, how did jack find riddicks appartment?"
- She explained herself – Riddick was confused, too.
"and you keep cliffhangin. your gunna kill me."
- That's the idea!! LOL!
" iv thought about writing but im not very good at it so i was wondering have you had lots of practice? or have you taken classes? or are your mad writing skills all natural?"
- A Kid Like Her was my very first story. I haven't had any classes in writing fiction, nor have I had lots of practice. I do read a lot and try and study writing styles of others though, especially narrative aspects because I feel that is my weak area. So, I guess what I have is natural, BUT I know I have lots of room to improve and grow. Don't get discouraged about your own writing either. Believe me, my first drafts are edited 10 times over. I still go back and tweak A kid Like Her because I see things that could be better. Thanks so much NM for the great review!!
SG1987 "I think the meeting went well considering."
- I think so, too. He could have not yelled at her, but that's him.
"The thoughts about Riddick possibly being the devil but still having a sexy voice was great!" -
Hmm…devil with a sexy voice! LOL Yep, I'm liking that, too.
"It seems that Micah has alread taken a liking to Riddick, even if it's just on the physical level lol."
- Yep, Micah loves eye candy!
"But I just realized...Jack is standing in front of a mostly naked wet clad only in towel Riddick. Can't complain about that visual lol"
- Yep, a half naked, wet, dripping Riddick! Sweet!
"Aren't you proud of me? I didn't ask that many questions this time lol" -
That's okay, it just shows me how invested you are in the story!! Thanks!!
snooze5 "And I feel really bad for Riddick, why can't they just live happily ever after (because then there would be no story...duh!)"
- Seriously! Where would be the fun in that??? Ha ha ha! Thanks Snooze!
Vampiress-06: "damn you...again...WHY in the hell do you leave us like that...damn you damn you damn you"
- Because it makes you write stuff like that! That's why! LOL! And a bumbling band of baboons? Nice alliteration! Thanks Vampiress for the enthusiasm and my fingers are on the keyboard working hard!!
AliasSpyCrazy I already replied personally since you were addressing earlier chapters, but had to give you a shout out here, too! Thanks as always girl!
vinlovedroolwish: Well shame on you for being out of touch (LOL) but thank you so much for the high praise!! "THIS STORY ROCKS!" – Love that!!
" But like everyone else I must say cliffhangers are EVIL. Especially this one, Riddick fresh out of the shower wearing only a towel and Jack is at the door."
- Yep, what a way to meet a man, huh? Can't believe you met your hubby that way! LOL! You mentioned something about an explosion between Jack and Riddick. AS you have seen from this last chapter, it's not smooth going between them at all. They're going to have to get through some emotional issues (on her part mainly) and then there's the question of her memory that could cause problems as she gets it back. Should be interesting and I haven't a clue what will happen! Thanks for the review!!
PagingDrHouse-Furyan Goddes...: " And seeing Riddick bleeding and in a towel... sigh"
- Yep, she was pretty tongue tied from seeing him like that. He affects her even in spite of her own intimacy issues.
"Poor Riddick... he feels so guilt. I hope he doesn't do something stupid and run :("
- As you read, he thought about it, but realized he just couldn't do it to her again. At least he wasn't that stupid. Thanks as always!
Wannabanauthor: "i love you! i love you! i love you!"
(grins) I feel so loved!!!
" i feel bad for riddick :(. if he was real i would love to make him feel better"
- You and me both!! LOL! You wonder what will happen?? Me, too!! Thanks WBA!!
FitMama: "Fantastic reunion! I love the banter between the two of them."
- So glad you enjoyed it and now I'm having a lot more fun with them now that they're together. The banter is my favorite part! She almost saw the information about herself but he had it password protected. I didn't go into why, but it was an afterthought on his part in case she wanted to see more pictures of herself that he had. Good thing he did it, too. It would be very difficult to deal with that information alone especially seeing the pictures. She will learn what happened though. Just not now.
Thanks FitMama!!
August 7, 2007
