A/n – given the falling off audience response, I was going to put this on hiatus for a while to see if I was just too close to it to see its flaws, but the humor of posting this chapter on Easter got me . . .

Chapter 35: Mr. Scary Kidnapper Pants

The Destroyer of Worlds? Is that who I am? "Goin' by Riddick these days."

"Riddick." She smiled slightly. "I wondered if I'd ever see you again."

Ever? "I know you told me to stay away." Recklessly, he continued. "But I really miss you."

"I've missed you too," she said, softly. She reached forward and touched the ground like she was making sure that it was still there. "So," she said, a little inanely, "how are you?"

He shrugged. "Well rested." He rubbed his face. "How've you been?"

"Dead." She was watching him carefully.

"You look good for a dead girl." She snorted. "How's the afterlife treatin' you?"

She gazed at him for a long time. "It seems to like me."

"Oh?" He rumbled. "How so?"

Her surreal calm slipped slightly. "On the – on the one hand, I'm the better killer now," she said. "No one dies here. Except by my hand. They call me the Death Goddess of the Underverse. The Dark Lady."

"I'm sorry," he said, and he meant it. There was an awkward silence. He finally broke it. "How'dya get that job?"

"I think you did it. Somehow. Zhylaw said-" something shadowed her face. "Zhylaw said I was something new. Because I gave one Lord Marshal a death blow and drank the blood of another. I'm a type of Lord Marshal. I don't know if I can bind people to this place, but I do know I can break the connection. And then they're gone."

"Good trick."

"Yeah. Good trick."

"On the other . . . hand?"

"Well, no one's torturing me," she said, her voice light.

He rubbed his face. "Glad to hear it."

She smiled faintly. "It's good to see you, but why are you here, Riddick? And why now?"

He shrugged. "Missed you."

"You said that."

"I thought maybe it was a trick. That you killed yourself so you weren't a hostage. Told me not to come for you for Zhylaw's sake. Been wanting to ask."

"No trick," she said softly. "I meant it. I won't-" her voice cracked. She took a deep breath and the calmness returned. "I won't help destroy that world so that some people can live forever in this one."

"I had a dream," he said, low. "I had a dream that you were kneeling over some chick, burned, sobbing. Then you touched her and she disappeared."

She started slightly, her surreal calm slipping again. "Yeah. That's pretty much what happened." She took another deep breath. "I do understand you better now. I had a friend. A girl. She came to me asking for death. I asked her to stay with me for a month just so I could be sure that's what she really wanted. We . . . fell in love, I guess. At least, I fell pretty hard for her." He felt a stab of jealousy. Tried hard to keep it from his face. Her eyes were distant enough he didn't think she saw. "We were together for years. Built a nice little house. Then one day Lord Marshal Baylock shows up and threatens to torture her forever and make me watch if I don't do what he wanted. I killed them all. Even her. That was years ago." She finally looked at him. "That was your nightmare, wasn't it? Why you left me on New Mecca? Why you were so freaked about keeping me locked up?"

He kept his voice soft. "Yeah."

She nodded. "I get it now." There was something new in her eyes. A softness that made him want to kill something.

He shoved it down and moved a little closer to her. Pitched his voice low, strangely afraid to tell her the truth. But he did. Most of it. "I had another dream. I dreamed Ninshubar's sainted grandmother told me I should wake up. Said you were alone, and you'd always be alone if I didn't take you back, and I'd sleep until the end of the world, or whatever."

Their eyes met. "Huh," she said. Hers were softening towards tears. He moved a little closer. "Jesus." She looked away from him. "This place is weird. I'm never sure what's a dream here."

He snorted. "I hear that." He ran his hand over his head, frustrated.

"You know, when you took me to the Quasi-Deads, Zhylaw was there. I thought it was just a hallucination. It wasn't. They were showing me this place. He stroked my hair and called me his 'Iron Queen.' I tried to hit him and I got you."

He grunted. She nodded. "I didn't get it. Just thought it was the Quasies fucking with me. Then I figured out that Zhylaw really was talking to me. Selena told me that "Iron Queen" was one of the things they used to call Persephone. The Queen of the Dead. They also called her Kore. Same as Nin's grandma."

Nin's grandma. Kore Arkhipov. Terraforming queen of the dead lady in the park with the kids . . . Uh oh. "Huh?"

"Guess she was a goddess, and her uncle kidnapped her, raped her, and made her stay with him. Made her the Queen of the Dead. His Iron Queen. Zhylaw was offering me that. He did offer me that. I turned him down, and I died. Because I didn't want to be that. And then I come here and I have this crazy superpower. I can kill dead people." She swallowed. "You and Zhylaw. I'm Persephone to your Hades. The Death Goddess of the Underverse."

He shook his head, insides cramping slightly. "I never kidnapped you."

"No. You didn't. But you would have."

He shrugged, irritably. "Maybe. Dunno."

"Oh, fuck you, Riddick. You would so do that."

He grinned. "Once upon a time. Maybe. Not now. I know you wouldn't like it."

She rubbed her face. "She told me another story. About this god Set who hated the sun so much he kept trying to put it out, to keep it from shining. He hated his brother so much he killed him. He hated – and wanted – his sister so much he caught up with her when she was searching for her husband's body. Their brother. Gods are wacky. He found her in the swamp and he raped her." Riddick closed his eyes. "But one night, when a bigger monster went after the sun, he saved it. Saved the day. This brother murdering, sister raping monster saved the day. That's you too, you know."

He sighed. "Yeah. That's a part of me."

"You saved me. I loved you with all my heart. You were my big brother. You were the only man I ever wanted. Then you locked me up and you raped me. Then when things weren't working out, you locked me in the dark with no food."

"I fucked up. I was just trying to keep you -- safe."

She sighed. "If you'd stopped a word earlier, I would have believed you."

"Jesus, kid. You're the only person I've ever loved. You're the only person who ever loved me. Because of you I ended up on top of this wolf pack and I didn't know what I was doing. I did my best. It went to my head. I fucked up. But kid, you did too."

"How?"

"You kept letting me get away with it. If you'd gotten in my face instead of being all sideways, I would have thought you were serious."

"Jesus, Riddick, you brought me back as weak as kitten. Do you really think I could make you take me seriously?"

He exhaled noisily. "I didn't mean too. And I never tried to hurt you. Except that one time after you fucked – after I got jealous. If you'd gotten in my face, I would have backed off."

There was a long awkward silence. Finally, she broke it. "Eris said – Did you – did you really kill yourself?"

"No."

"Where have you been?"

"Some cave."

"You've been sitting in a cave for all these years?"

"No – maybe. Been sleeping. Didn't seem that long."

She blinked. "When – when did you get here?"

He shrugged. "The day you offed yourself. I got irresponsibly drunk. Eris got in my face and . . ." he stopped talking. She was laughing. "What?" he said, irritably.

"You've been here asleep since the day I died?"

"Guess so."

"So. Wow. You, uh, talk to anyone since you got here?"

"Just Nin's granny. In a dream. Or whatever."

"Huh." She rubbed her face again. "Did she tell you what happened to the Necromongers?"

"No . . ."

"Well, if Vaako wasn't shittin' me, Nin took 'em down. He wasn't dead, just . . . delayed."

Riddick stared at her. "Vaako?"

"He came a few years ago. Filled me in."

"Nin blew up the fleet?"

"That's what he said."

Riddick stared at her. Then he started laughing. He slapped the ground. "Kid, I'm damned impressed."

"I thought you'd be . . . angry."

"Just 'cause you blew up my stuff? Just 'cause I go back to being hunted by mercs? Why would I be angry about that?" She swallowed. He grinned at her. "Kid, don't you get it? You won. You did what I told you, and you beat me."

"What?"

"Don't you remember? All those times we sparred? I kept telling you. Don't meet strength with strength if you don't got more of it. You found a way to beat me goin' sideways. I am fucking impressed."

She gave him a quick, unwilling smile. "You stopped saying that after you left me on New Mecca."

He grinned at her again. "Come back with me. Let's see this world you made."

She scrutinized him again. "How? I'm dead in that world. If Vaako's right, the Quasies are too. How do I come back?"

He smiled. Leaned back, as unthreatening as he could be. "Eris showed me how to make bodies.

"Out of what?"

"We used a purifier, but I think I could use just about anything."

"Not – not a person."

He shrugged, trying hard not to grin with the sudden rush of hope. "I can live with that."

She got a strange look on her face. "If I come back with you, then what?"

"You give me a chance to do it right."

A look of longing passed over her face. She closed her eyes. "No. Riddick, we can't go back. We broke the connection with the Underverse. We go back, the connection's full on back. Through both of us. We'll tie the world back here. The Necros -" Her voice caught. "They could start over again. Using us."

He nodded. "Hm. Interesting. That old lady told me to take you back or she was going to let me sleep until everything thing else was dead. I think I gotta do it, kid."

Jack stared at him blankly. "So you're a kidnapper after all."

He sighed. "That's up to you, Sunshine." He went quiet. "That old lady told me that Nin misses you. And I think she showed me your kids. Our- kids. I think a lot of time's gone there. And Nin's dying, and getting really whiny about seeing you again."

"Oh." She closed her eyes. "You're one manipulative bastard."

"Yeah." There was a long silence.

She seemed be thinking. "Okay. You can take me back. And I'll give you a chance. But only if – only if you promise not to restart the Necros. And no killing people just because it makes your day easier, no threatening me, no – no forcing me to do things, got it?"

He thought about it. Smiled, low and dangerous. "Okay. No killing unless they threaten you or me. No threatening you, no forcing you. I'll be a good boy. As long as you give me a chance. You got it."

She closed her eyes. He watched her closely. Finally, she opened her eyes, stared into his, nodded. He pulled a shiv from his pants and pricked his thumb. Pressed it to her lips. Reluctantly, she opened her mouth, licked off the blood. He resisted the temptation to thrust his fingers in. Shouldered the pack. Took her hand, reached in and went back to the real world.

It took a very long time.

Riddick hit the ground hard and rolled like the Underverse and the real world were moving at different speeds. He jerked to his feet, the knife in his hands. There was no one there.

Wherever they were, it sure as hell wasn't the Basilica. He was on a planet. There were stars in the sky and something that looked suspiciously like dawn on the horizon. The air was clean and cold and there was the distant sound of bird song.

Well, huh. What a terraformed war fleet looks like. Who knew. He probed inside gently. Jack? You in there?

There was a long silence. Finally, grudgingly, "Yeah. I'm here, Mr. Scary Kidnapper Pants. And it's Kyra."

He grinned. Can you see where we are?

There was a moment of silence. Again, her voice was grudging. "Yeah. It's pretty."

Just like you, he thought back. There was a sound. Riddick moved slowly back into the trees. Someone was coming through almost silently. He pulled a shiv.

It was a girl. Thirteen, maybe fourteen, her skin a little darker than his own. She carried a bow, an arrow notched. She was hunting something. Me?

Being disembodied seemed to be making Jack irritable. "I can see her. Run, kid," Jack snapped. "Don't make the mistake I did." He grinned, slipped the shiv back into his clothes, stepped out to where the girl could see him. "Hey."

She blinked at him without fear, lowered the bow. "Hey. Do I know you?"

He considered the question somberly. She did look strangely familiar . . . "I don't think so. I'm Richard."

She nodded. "I'm Kyra Kore Arkhipov." She seemed supremely proud of that fact.

"Oh shit." Jack's voice whispered in his head. He smiled at the girl. "That's a pretty name." He paused. "Family name?"

"Oh yeah. Kore Arkhipov was my grandfather's grandmother." She sounded proud. "And Kyra – well, you gotta know about Kyra."

Riddick snorted. "Yeah. I think I might." Took a stab. Not literally. "You're Ninshubar's granddaughter?"

She smiled happily. "Oh yeah. You know my granddad?"

"I used to. He around?"

"Oh sure. At the temple. You here to see him?"

"Just passin' through. But I'd like to talk to him. Can you take me there?"

She shrugged. "Sure." She hesitated. "He's really old."

Riddick smiled at her. "Means he did something right." He held out a hand. She took it fearlessly. He ignored the voice railing in his head.

The girl walked him to a marble building on a hill. Riddick let her lead him through the outer doors and interior columns to a small door. She knocked. "Grandpa!"

After a moment, the door opened. Nin was a very old man. He blanched when he saw Riddick. Riddick grinned at him.

Nin forced himself to relax, looked at his granddaughter. "Thank you -- Kyra. Would you -- would you find your mother? Ask her and her brother to come see me? Tell him an old . . . Furyan friend of mine from the fleet is here?"

"Sure." She smiled at Riddick and almost skipped out of the room.

Nin waited until she was gone. "You're a dead man," he whispered, gripping the door frame. "You died almost sixty years ago."

"Not as such," Riddick opined laconically. He rubbed his head. Itched. Needed to get it shaved better. "Can I come in?"

The old man stumbled back into a large office. Riddick walked in, enjoying this more than he should. Nin moved to the other side of a messy desk. Stared down. "How are you here? Where have you been?"

"Around," Riddick said. "Nice world you've built."

Nin moved some papers around and came up with a gun. "You don't belong in it."