52) This World Threw Me Away
River watched as Jayne staggered to the dead guard and took the handcuff keys. As quickly as he could he unlocked his cuffs and then Ciara's, Simon's and River's. As the gun hand unlocked River, Simon picked up the second guard's gun and handed it to Jayne. Simon was nervous, nearly edging over into terror but he was hiding it well.
River took the other guard's weapon and peeked out the door cautiously before moving to the left. Jayne pointed towards the right and murmured his question, "We don't wanna go out like we came in?" River shook her head; Jayne's thought was that at least they knew the way out in his direction.
Simon frowned, "There are at least four armed feds out there."
Jayne nodded, "Six. I know." River nearly smiled, in Jayne's mind six feds weren't much of an obstacle, not between him and River with Simon backing them up. It was nice to be trusted. Even if the idea was ultimately a bad one.
River shook her head at both of them, "We can't go that way." She stared in the direction of the Booking area. "They're here." She felt her hands begin to shake with the bone deep horror the Blue Hands always evoked.
"They who?" Jayne asked and then blinked, "Wait." He looked at her and then at Simon. "Does she mean…?"
Simon wasn't sure what River meant, she could Read as much. "I, uh," Her brother stumbled over his words.
"Can we just move please?" Ciara asked in a worried voice. "Just outside a holding cell doesn't seem the best place for a conversation."
River nodded and began to lead them left, "Very accurate summation." She started to run and spoke over her shoulder, "The Hands of Blue are here." She couldn't help the quick pace of her feet; everything in her was screaming that she needed to run. They all had to run. The Blue Hands were worse than Death, worse than Reavers. They were utterly unfeeling and implacable in their drive to complete their mission.
Jayne's scowl would have been indication enough of his worry even if River hadn't been able to Read his mind. His expression turned darker, and he automatically kept a hand on Ciara when the sound of screams began to echo in the corridor behind them. "What the hell is that?"
River shuddered and increased her pace, "Half a league, half a league, half a league onward…Must go faster." She muttered and led them down the stairs at a jog. "Two by two. Hands of blue. Two by two. Hands... blue... two." She knew she was gasping and she could feel the tears on her face. They were close enough that she could feel their minds. They felt nothing. Living, breathing human beings who felt absolutely nothing. It was worse than the constant pain and anger of the Reavers. Her mind automatically felt for their thoughts, emotions, for any indicator of their intentions. It was all a horrifying blank beyond their determination to recover her and kill whomever she'd spoken with.
She could feel Jayne and the others behind her, terrified. But their fears were a pale echo of her own as she pushed open a heavy metal door and hurried across an empty room. They didn't have any idea what was coming whereas she had no choice but to know, absolutely, the horrors behind them. River shuddered as she increased her speed to a run. Everywhere the Blue Hands went, screaming followed. She'd felt the agony of the dying as they bled, their terror and bewilderment. She had to keep enough distance between the Blue Hands and her friends or Jayne and Ciara and Simon would start to bleed and scream. She couldn't let that happen.
"Where the hell is she going?" Jayne asked worriedly. He had Ciara's hand in his. His absolute resolve to keep her with him, to not lose Ciara again, was like a warm fire in his mind and heart. River took a deep breath as she basked in that warmth and love the big man had for his sweetheart. His mind was a buffer against the pain of the screaming men behind her and the emptiness of the Blue Handed pursuers.
Simon was sounding a little out of breath but not as much as he would have been before Serenity. He still managed to answer Jayne though. "There must be some sort of exit this way."
Jayne was worried but he didn't say anything else. Ciara was looking around, her nerves screaming in River's mind. "I don't see an exit," The Kerry woman remarked in concern. She was clinging to Jayne's hand so tightly that both she and the merc would have aching muscles if they lived to see tomorrow. Her mind was frantic with fear and confusion but for one clear note that simply sang Jayne's real name like a song. Shea Cobh. He was what mattered to Ciara. He'd never let her come to harm in his life if he could help it. He wouldn't let anything happen now.
River wanted to look back at Ciara to reassure her. She would have reassured all of them of her certainty in her direction. But before she could open her mouth there was more screaming from the direction they'd run from. "Forward the light brigade," The words tumbled from her lips. Another staircase, endless white stairs with a doorway at the bottom. She ran down them, "Almost there." One flight. She didn't slow her pace, conscious of the other three on her heels, "Almost there." A second flight. She reached the bottom and the landing with the blue door, "Almost there." She stopped in front of the door, "There. Need to get it open."
Jayne stepped forward and tried it. Of course it was locked. River, nodded as the big man tugged her away from the door to stand with Simon and Ciara, "Stand back." He shot the door with the gun and cursed as the sonic waves did nothing to break the lock. "Shǐ niào, high-tech Alliance crap." He began to beat the lock with the butt of the gun.
River felt him then. Riddick's mind a bright and furious ruby red glowing beyond the door. "Jayne," She hurried forward and dragged her friend back. "Don't want you to get shot," She told him when he looked at her with a confused gaze.
"Shot?" He blinked in surprise. Surprise turned to pleasure when the sound of several bullets hitting the door and locking mechanism came from the other side of the wall.
Riddick kicked the door open, Mal standing behind him and River couldn't help herself. She might have teleported she crossed the space so quickly into his arms. Riddick grabbed her just as quickly, holding her against his body so her feet didn't even touch the floor. And then finally she could breathe. Riddick's arms squeezing her tight against his body should have had the opposite effect but from within them she felt safe. She was still shaking. She could feel the rage in him in reaction to her fear. The smell of burnt cinnamon drove him mad with fury. But if Riddick was with her she could breathe and think through the dread.
"Folks I think we've done all the damage we can do here," Mal pointed out. "Let's go."
River nodded from within Riddick's arms, "Blue Hands are here. We must leave now."
Jayne pushed Simon in front of him and scooped Ciara into his arms. River nodded to herself. Jayne wasn't taking any chances on Ciara getting shot in the run to the ambulance.
"Make for employee parking," Riddick told Simon. "Wash is parked there. We're right behind you."
River kissed his cheek and looked up at her mate as he pulled the door shut, "Just like old times." She remembered them running on planet.
"We gotta get some better old times," Riddick's voice held a hint of a chuckle as they began to run together, hands still linked, towards the ambulance. His relief to see her safe had brightened the grim resolve of his mind and her mate's sense of humor was showing again. Wash and Zoe greeted Simon with enthusiasm, Jayne and Ciara with confusion and River and Riddick with relief.
"We all aboard," Wash asked as everyone crammed into the available space.
"We're good to go," Mal told him and took a seat next to his pilot. Zoe stood behind her husband while River watched the door they'd escaped through. That terrifying blankness that signified the Blue Hands minds was getting closer. She shuddered in reaction. It was a dark day when she would rather deal with Reavers than these men.
"They come," She whispered to Riddick. "Get the rifles."
She loved that he didn't question her, didn't ask how she knew. Riddick just moved Simon off his seat and got Jayne to hold Ciara for a moment while he lifted the seat to reach the storage area under it. In the space of half a minute he'd retrieved the rifles and handed her one. River took the gun and studied her hands. They were trembling and try as she might she couldn't block out the Blue Hands long enough to get them steady.
Riddick saw her predicament and called for Jayne, "Cobh, c'mere an' take River's gun."
Jayne nodded and moved forward to crouch next to Riddick, "Okay Rick. What'm I shootin' at?"
"The source of the screaming," River answered from behind the men. She handed Jayne the gun and moved so she was behind the two men. "Blue Hands. No armor on the skull." She twisted her hands together in an attempt to control how they shook before she continued, "Shoot them in the head when they emerge. Must wait until both are clear of the door. Kill them both."
"Two by two Hands of Blue?" Riddick asked her as he sighted down the gun barrel. Wash was still above the parking lot. The ambulance was built for smooth landings and takeoffs and speed in the air. But smooth didn't always make for fast. Still, they didn't have long before they'd be at the right altitude for travel.
"Yep," Jayne answered as he checked the gun and began to line up his own shot. "When they got us in holding they musta made a call. Screamin' started soon after that. An' River started to go a little…wobbly."
"Didn't collapse though," River pointed out firmly. "Figured how we could get out. Forward the light brigade, charge for the guns." That she was trembling now was beside the point. She hadn't lost her mind when the men had come. Her eyes were on her mate, and even though he was looking down the scope she could feel his grim satisfaction. He was very pleased with her, grateful she'd been able to keep going in the face of her fears. And very determined that these particular men would not be hunting her again.
"Ain't sayin' you did bad," Jayne reminded her. "Just sayin' it was tough on you s'all."
"Not easy," She agreed and looked over her shoulder at Wash. "Mr. Pilot man, please do not take off for Serenity until after we have killed the evil men."
"We're killing people in a hospital zone?" Wash asked, "Isn't that against the rules? We had a plan for this right?" He sounded halfway between amused and worried as he kept the ambulance in a steady rise.
"Bad feeling," The Reader explained. "Hence the guns. Remember? Besides they started the killing. Killed every fed in the hospital to get to us. Made them bleed from their eyes and nose and teeth and fingernails. Screaming death and pain. Canon to the right of them, canon to the left of them, volleyed and thundered."
"Guess they did start it then," Wash nodded. "We've got another minute or so before we're at cruising altitude anyway." As always when Wash was flying his concentration was on his job. River took a deep breath and did her best to imitate his calm. Riddick was taking slow timed breaths, he and Jayne sinking easily into sniper mode. Even heart rates, deliberate breaths, and steady hands aimed as they awaited their targets with seemingly endless patience. Between Riddick, Jayne and Wash, she could feel her own nerves steadying.
"Don't need one," Riddick had a thread of deep satisfaction in his voice. "The hún dàns are pokin' their heads out the door now." He took a deep breath, "There's one." He told Jayne, "And there's the other."
"I got the right," Jayne confirmed his target and adjusted with silent ease.
"I got the left," Riddick agreed. "One, two…"
"Three," Jayne finished and the two of them fired simultaneously. Two bullets speeding on their way with the sound of one shot. River tilted her head as she looked between the two men and Read from her lover that they'd used an old trick from the army. Multiple snipers on coms, synchronizing their shots. It caused greater confusion to the enemy and obscured the sniper locations from anyone who might come looking.
"And they are down," The convict had a smirk of gratification in his voice and he turned to look over at Wash. "Two seconds to close it up and we're good."
Jayne was sliding the ambulance door closed as Riddick spoke. The big merc grabbed the rifles and stuck them back in the storage compartment before taking a seat next to Ciara again. "We're good to go," He called from his place.
River nodded her agreement, "Jayne is correct. No more pursuit. No one left to pursue us."
"Well let's go home then," Wash chuckled.
River took a seat on the floor next to Riddick and sighed as he pulled her into his lap. The captain was very irritated. He didn't like Wash not looking to him for permission before he agreed to hold the ambulance's altitude. He was angry that there was a person he didn't know with them, pretty as Ciara was. And he was really aggravated about the guns and the killing. He'd wanted a smooth easy job with no shooting and he hadn't gotten it.
Riddick's mouth on her neck, his thoughts silently praising her for a job well done as he held her tightly against his body, distracted her from the captain's anger. River wrapped her arms around her mate's neck and raised her face for his kiss. Hot, hard and demanding, his lips came down on hers. They promised her love and warmth and acceptance of everything she was. Her moan filled his mouth as she responded by pulling his head closer to hers. He was everything. Her other half, her lover and partner, her dearest friend and her beloved. Her equal. Just as she was his.
No matter how angry Mal was, they'd done what they knew was right. Kept their promise to Jayne. Saved Ciara from a life of slavery. Riddick's hands were holding her tight to his body. She could feel Simon's relief, Jayne and Ciara's joy along with Ciara's lingering confusion. Zoe was irked but speculative about Ciara while Wash was sunk deep into pilot mode. River sighed against Riddick's lips and shut them all out in favor of concentrating on her love. Time enough to deal with the fallout from their little jaunt to the core.
Riddick had to admit he wasn't paying much attention to anything besides his woman when they landed in Serenity's bay. He noticed a bit absently that Inara was back and Kaylee was coming down the steps to greet them but River was in his arms again and he wanted to give that his full attention. Her head was tucked under his chin so he could feel and smell her hair while his hands rubbed over her back and neck. She was still tense and her scent notes were tangled with worry. The steel and silk of her scent had a frayed and worn smell to it and she needed rest. They'd both feel better once they were back in their bunk and skin to skin.
Riddick carried River out of the ambulance after Mal exited it. Serenity's unique collection of scents washed over them both and he took a deep breath. He and his mate both needed to sit and absorb that they were home again. The big convict sat on a nearby crate and concentrated on his woman's hair and face and her soft skin under his lips. The smell of burnt cinnamon was fading as her nerves steadied, replaced with the scents of love and desire. All he wanted was to concentrate on plums and honey but unfortunately there were other concerns to address. Mal's voice asking a very pertinent question of Wash caught his notice though and he reluctantly looked up to hear the answer.
"Tell me we weren't followed," He demanded of the pilot through the cockpit window. Riddick's spine straightened, his muscles tightening, in preparation for the answer.
But Wash shook his head, "Nothing in our rearview the whole way back."
Mal nodded in satisfaction but Riddick could still smell the temper on him. "All right. Take us out of the world, as quick as you can," He instructed his pilot. For once he did not order Riddick to accompany Wash.
The red haired man was climbing out of the ambulance quickly, "We'll be out of atmo in five minutes." Riddick could feel River's gaze following the pilot and looked down at her.
"When all noncombatants are out of range then the barrage will begin," River whispered and leaned back against his body with a sigh. "Fury and confusion, does not like surprises. Wants to know ahead of time if surprises are coming."
Riddick took a deep breath and nodded his understanding. He kept an eye on Mal as the taller man greeted Inara. The Captain was acting affable enough towards the Companion but that didn't mean the man's mood was improved. Mal was the sort that could smile at everyone else right up until he cut the object of his ire off at the knees. It was a quality the convict could respect but at the moment it was like watching a time bomb slowly tick down. Sure enough, the captain smiled easily at the elegant woman, "Hey. How was your thing?"
Inara smiled politely as Zoe emerged from the ambulance, gave Jayne a courteous nod and when the merc helped Ciara down from the vehicle didn't betray her surprise by so much as a blink. Mal's question drew her attention though and she gave an elegant little shrug of one shoulder before she replied. "As advertised: lots of needles and cold exam tables." She tilted her head and regarded the ambulance taking up a great deal of space in the cargo bay, "I heard you had some excitement."
Mal's smile flickered into a grin as Kaylee came to greet them both, "Oh, nothing much. Lots of running around. A little gunplay." He looked at Jayne who was still holding Ciara's hand when Kaylee came up to them. "A couple of needles."
Simon exited the ambulance as Inara smiled and murmured something about a cup of tea. The tall Browncoat pulled his mechanic into a back to front hug and kissed the top of her head affectionately as Riddick watched. The man was still behaving as if there was nothing wrong. But Furyan could smell that the storm was about to break. Mal's gaze narrowed in on Simon as the doctor moved towards them both. "So... Did you get what you needed?"
The core doctor regarded Mal calmly and then looked at Jayne and Ciara before he glanced at River and Riddick, "We did. The scan seemed to set off the alarms though. I expect River will want to do some husking to find out why."
Kaylee was frowning as she got a good look at Jayne, "What happened to your face?"
Jayne's attention was forcibly pulled from his sweetheart and he blinked at Kaylee in confusion, "Huh?" In return Kaylee motioned to her own eyebrow, mouthing 'ow'. Jayne's hand reached up and came away with blood before he shrugged. "It's nothin'. If I didn't give Simon somethin' ta do he'd think I didn' like him no more."
Simon chuckled, "I assure you Jayne, you needn't injure yourself to make me feel needed. I've got plenty to keep me occupied between my sister and Rick. Not to mention the way Mal seems to get himself shot. Constantly." He added as an afterthought.
Kaylee laughed as she looked backwards up at Mal, "You do end up with bullets in ya 'n awful lot Cap'n."
Mal smiled, "Well that's cause I'm lucky that way. Got a magnetic personality."
His little mechanic groaned at the pun and shook her head. "Well I'd better get goin'. We're hittin' sky in a few and I wanna make sure my girl's all set."
Riddick watched as Kaylee left and turned his head to regard Mal expectantly. The blow up should come at any moment.
Mal waited. His lungs pumped like a steam train as he took deep breaths and exhaled, waiting for Kaylee to shut a door behind her. Finally the telltale thump of a door sliding shut floated down to them and Mal let loose. "What in the name of the wo de ma he ta de feng kuang de wai sheng dou are you four playin' at? You kidnapped someone? How'n the gorram hell did ya manage that?"
Before anyone, even Ciara, could interrupt and tell him that she was definitely not a kidnap victim, the Captain gathered more air and kept going. "I dunno what ya'll are playin' at but I've had enough a you treatin' this boat like it's your ruttin' toy store. This is my ship. I'm responsible for any law breakin' goes on an' that means if you're plannin' on somethin' I oughta know about it. An' iffen I don't? We're gonna revisit that talk we had 'bout the airlock an' how fast ya'll can breathe vacuum."
"Pū jiē!" Riddick couldn't restrain his roar for another minute. The fact that Mal had stared straight at the slender woman in the convict's arms as he threatened the airlock had roused the animal in a way that left the man straining for control. "Ever think that iffen you'd work with us for five minutes we wouldn't have to hide?"
River patted Riddick's arm and slid off his lap so they could both stand, "We made a promise to Shea when we came aboard. Promised to help him find her. Promised to leave no stone in the 'Verse unturned." She told the Browncoat flatly, "We will not break our word because you were being tetchy. Displeased with me being a woman. Annoyed that we do not behave in the way you understand." Riddick growled deep in his throat to underscore her words. One way or the other Mal would understand that he and River were united in everything.
"Who in the name a all that's unholy is Shea," Mal wanted to know. He was looking very irritated and a little wild eyed at being thrown new names along with the new face in his cargo bay.
"That'd be me Mal," Jayne shrugged. "'S my real name. Shea Cobh." He still had Ciara's hand in his. Riddick would make book that the man wasn't letting go of the woman anytime soon. "An' she ain't been kidnapped," Jayne continued in an irritated tone. "She's been rescued."
"From what?" Mal shook his head, "A lifetime a breathin' rarified air? What's in the Core that you needed to rescue her from that you couldn't be bothered to tell me first? Because this weren't no spur a the moment thing I'm guessin'."
"Slavery," Simon interrupted the Captain before he could get going on another of his rants. The doctor's voice was ice cold and he was still with fury. "They took a free woman and they were going to sterilize her, tag her and sell her to the highest bidder." As Mal stared at him the Core refugee continued with a hint of a sneer, "And before you extol the delights of the Core worlds again, might I remind you that Core people took my sister and Rick and were torturing, experimenting and enslaving them."
Riddick watched as Simon stalked off to the infirmary. He had to admire his little brother; Simon could really make an exit when he wanted to. He could feel the smirk pulling at his lips and smelt River's silent amusement at Mal's confounded expression staring after what he'd thought was a tame greenhorn doctor.
"The captain has slightly misjudged the situation," River said quietly. "Perhaps we should unload the cargo while Ciara and Jayne have Simon look them over. No surprises." She tilted her head at Jayne and it was Ciara who nodded.
"Come 'long now Shea," The slender newcomer tucked her hand in her beau's arm. "I'll feel better if you have that scratch looked at. An' we'll need to be certain sure that they've not stuck anythin' in me doesn't belong."
Riddick smiled as Ciara's language began to echo the lilt he'd first heard when he met Jayne. Mal scowled at he and River, "Fine, then Rick, you help me with the cargo. River, you go 'long with your brother an' do your huskin'. Like to know you're not gonna light up every sensor you come near in the future."
The Furyan watched as his little mate nodded and slipped off his lap before she kissed him gently on the cheek, "Hold your temper my láng." The Reader reminded him. "He knows very little of us in truth."
"No promises," Riddick growled but he grabbed her back for another kiss before he let her go up the steps to the lounge.
Unloading the ambulance wasn't exactly thought provoking work but Mal was frowning like he was using all his concentration on it. Finally the captain looked at Riddick and met his gaze, "I don't like secrets. Think that's been made obvious." He said finally.
"Yeah, I've noticed," The convict grumbled as he set the last of the crates down. "If we'd thought that we could trust you it wouldn't have been a secret."
"Since when am I not trustworthy," Mal almost yelped and Riddick sighed.
"Lemme think," He rolled his eyes. Before he could continue Wash took Serenity off the docks and into the atmosphere. The captain hung onto the crates for balance while Riddick just leaned against the stairs. When they reached the Black the escaped murderer took the spectacles off and slipped them in his pocket. His goggles emerged from another pocket but he simply held them for a moment. The dim light was enough that his eyes were shining; he could smell that the sight unnerved Mal. "Right now you're a little freaked because a my eyes," He observed. "You've known about 'em for months but they still freak you out."
"And that means you cain't trust me?" The Browncoat clearly didn't like where this was going.
"Just an observation," Riddick kept leaning back against the stairs. He was relaxed even if the captain wasn't. "You decided I'm an evil lecherous hump somewhere along the way and that River needs protection from me. You've grabbed her and scared her to death, to the point where she pulled a knife on you. And you don't seem to get that if we don't tell you somethin' it's for your safety and ours."
"See! That there is just what I'm talkin' about. That's the sorta thing I need to know," Mal retorted. "You two adding things into a job because you feel like it ain't something that makes me feel easy about letting you have the run of the ship."
"If Ciara hadn't been in the hospital there wouldn't even been a job," Riddick snarled back at him. "That hasn't crossed your mind? Not once? None of us wanted to go to a Core hospital, risk our necks, for something as stupid as a scan. Yeah Simon wanted it but River's doin' well enough that he didn't need it."
"Then why-"
"Because a the way you treat us, the way you treat Jayne an' me an' River. Even the way you treat Simon," The Furyan interrupted him angrily. "You treat Jayne an' me like we're lower'n dirt. You act like Simon's an idiot about anything but doctorin' and Core life. And River...well half the time you act like she's a lunatic and the other half like she's a child. She's neither."
"So that means you gotta lie to me?" The Captain snapped back. "You four wanted to pull a job on your own ain't like I haven't let you before."
"That's the point Mal, ever since we broke down you act like you're waitin' for us to snap and kill you all in your beds." Riddick stood away from the wall and paced. He could feel his heart racing, like his blood could burst from his veins. "Dunno what we've gotta do to prove that we're not gonna turn on you but I'm gettin' tired of trying to figure it out." He looked towards the infirmary where Simon was doctoring Jayne, "That man...he's the most loyal, faithful person I've ever met besides River and Simon. When he gives his word there's nothin' that'll make him break it."
"You obviously ain't heard how he come to be on the boat," Mal nearly sneered.
The growl that burst from Riddick's throat was nearly a roar, "I know he took a better deal. Took a bunk on a boat where the women were treated decent. Where he had a better chance of finding his woman. He gave his word to Ciara before he ever met you. He hasn't turned on you ever. He hasn't even thought about it."
"Not two days after you came on the boat he was talkin' about there bein' an interesting day if he was offered enough money," The captain tried to remind him. "That sound like fidelity to you?"
"Jiào nǐ shēng háizi méi pìgu yǎn," Riddick cursed vilely. "All that proves is you ain't ever seen more'n Jayne. Shea Cobh is my brother. Jayne's just a mask to hide Shea. 'Cause Shea's been kicked around by the gorram 'Verse enough. An' by you more'n most." He sneered at the captain. "He's been on your crew for more'n a year an' never turned on you. He's protected your women, been as polite as he could given his circumstances and he's gotten shot for you almost as much as when he was in the Browncoats. But that don't seem to matter to you none."
"It don't change the fact that you four went behind my back and-"
"Did what River an' me promised when we learned he still hadn't found her," His blood was hot and it showed in his snarl of a voice. The animal was rising, fury and the need to protect his family racing through his blood regardless of what might happen to the captain. "If we'd come to you an' told you Shea's girl was bein' held on Ariel you might not have even believed us." Riddick glared at the taller man and started to pace again trying to contain the Animal, "The way you've been acting lately we weren't sure if you'd just forbid us from settin' foot dirtside if you had the mind to. Then we woulda been disobeyin' orders. Didn't wanna do that. You're the captain an' all." His tone made it quite clear what he thought of Mal's leadership, "So we figured easier to get forgiveness than permission. We'd waited any longer an' Ciara would have been mutilated and sold, tagged like an animal and made a slave. We'd never have gotten her out afterwards. The hospital was our only window."
"I never woulda-" Mal tried to make a start on a defense and Riddick turned on him quickly.
"An' a month ago you would never have grabbed River an' tried to pull her off my lap," He snapped the words out. "We been tryin'," His hands clenched into fists. "Tā mā de niǎo we been tryin' so tā mā de hard to show you what we are. To not hide every ruttin' thing we need from you. So you'd see we ain't tryin' to...to deceive you."
"What are you talkin' about," The captain's smell reeked of confusion and irritation and Riddick snarled back at him.
Before he could speak though, River's soft voice was carrying through the air. Only Riddick noticed the undercurrent of pain and fatigue in her voice and how it echoed in her scent. She strode quickly through the bay and took one of Riddick's fists in her hands, "We have tried to show you." Her elegant tones were better than a smoother to Riddick's animal. "We have not hidden our needs. How much we must touch each other. How much we love."
"Makin' out on the bridge ain't-"
River's voice cut the Captain off more elegantly than Riddick's had, but no less curtly, "Is completely necessary to us, just as it is to Zoe and Wash." She shook her head at Mal and leaned against Riddick's side, calming him further. "We have sparred, worked hard on our fighting skills and stopped hiding from you when we did. Used our blades and had rousing bouts in our attempts to let you see the more of us."
"He looks like he's gonna kill you!" Mal objected, "I ain't lettin' a man that size fight a girl little as you with blades. You don't stand a chance against him."
"See that's where you're wrong Mal," Jayne and Ciara were walking down the steps Simon a bit behind them. "River could probably take Rick if she was tryin' to kill him. She's a bit faster, just ain't as strong." The gun hand grinned at River. "An' there's the whole genius thing."
"Stamina is about the same," River nodded her agreement. "My mate is the only person on the boat who could stand against me truly." Riddick let his hand wrap around her waist and took a deep breath. The scent and feel of her calmed his rage better than anything else.
"We been tryin' to show you," Riddick remarked in a low voice. "Hidin' what we are, what we can do...feels like a cage. Like we ain't free any more than we were in the Academy. We kept tryin' to hide, to act civilized for you, an' it made it harder to keep control of the animals. Makes us tetchy."
"Feels like we could come apart at the seams," River nodded her agreement. "Couldn't keep doing it. Not when you knew we were hiding something. Concealing who we are made you more suspicious of us not less."
"Why didn't you just gorram say," The captain wanted to know. "You've been drivin' me crazy with alla these stunts you've been pullin'. And you wonder why I'm feeling tetchy myself?"
"Had no way to explain it," The convict shrugged. "Ain't anyone else in the 'verse like me an' River. Wasn't sure you'd believe us if we just said it. We got secrets still. Ain't ever gonna say we don't."
"But we were trying to share what we are with you," River told the captain softly. "Know that you feel protective of me." She took a deep breath, "It is appreciated but I cannot be protected by being put back in the music box. I must be myself. Richard must be himself. Or why bother to keep us aboard? If we must hide...can't do it. Can't hide anymore. Can't be kept in the cage again."
"See?" Riddick looked at Mal and saw a slightly dawning understanding on the tall man's face. "I'm Furyan. Got no words for what it does to me, to the animal, to be...restrained. You got a look after Jiangyin. I've been dealing with somethin' like that every day on this boat. And so has River. Alla the rules you got...we try an' abide by 'em. But you seem to make up rules just for us. Neither one of us can live in a collar Mal. We'll die first."
"So living under my rule, on my boat, ya'll can't do that anymore? Is that what you're sayin'," Mal was irritated and confused but at least he was trying to ask the right questions.
Riddick sighed and shook his head, "Dunno if you'll ever understand Mal." He confessed heavily. "An' maybe now ain't the time for talkin' about it. We're all tired."
"All right, let's skip past the rescues accomplished under my nose part an' go straight to the sniping folks out of the ambulance part," Mal changed the subject. "What in the hell was that?" Riddick almost winced. Mal's voice had gotten a little loud again and to someone with sensitive ears it was a bit uncomfortable. Thankfully Jayne was willing to answer the Captain.
"Remember how River was goin' on 'bout 'Hands a Blue'?" Jayne reminded the tall Browncoat, "That's what she were talkin' 'bout. Two fellas wear blue body armor up to their necks. They had this…thing…" He shuddered visibly and Riddick could smell his discomfort as the huge man recalled his experience in the hospital.
"From what I could gather it was some sort of sonic device," Simon explained in his cool measured tones. Doc was more unnerved than he looked but Mal wasn't working with Riddick's sense of smell or hearing. Mal wouldn't hear the barely noticeable tremble in Simon's voice as he explained. He couldn't smell Simon's outright terror at the idea of losing River to those men. "They were sent for when we were caught. I assume to take River back and to get rid of the rest of us. We don't know why they…killed all the Feds."
Mal shook his head and looked at River and Riddick, "Ya'll just attract trouble the way I do bullets doncha?" He sighed. "C'mon. We're in the Black. Rick, check with Wash 'bout the course we set. Jayne, you got dinner duty, 'spect you an' River can' handle that. I want everyone in the galley in an hour." He looked at Jayne and Ciara with a frown, "Guessin' you didn't exactly get a chance to pack. Simon, you go an' get Kaylee, see if she an' Nara can get Jayne's girl outfitted in somethin' sides scrubs."
River smiled, "My clothes should fit as well. I'll bring some to the galley and you can try them on."
Riddick watched as Ciara nodded with a grateful smile, "You're bein' far too kind. But I'm in no position to refuse your offer."
The convict pressed a kiss to his woman's temple, "I'll be on the bridge if you need me Qīng Xiāng." Her slender hand caught his and squeezed his fingers affectionately before he trotted up the steps. Riddick frowned and watched his woman for a moment from the catwalk. She still smelt too much of fatigue for him to be completely comfortable away from her. It had been a hard day.
Wash was absently turning his T-Rex dino in his fingers while staring out at the stars when he arrived at the bridge. "Rick," He greeted his co-pilot a bit absently.
"Wash," Riddick took his seat and checked the instruments before he turned slightly to look at the pilot. "Somethin' eatin' at you?" He knew his silvery eyes glowing through the dim light of the bridge was an unnerving sight but Wash looked up and back to his T-Rex without a flinch. There was a new note to the pilot's scent, like a smoky fire. An emotion he hadn't come across in the pilot yet, an oddity in itself since the two of them spent quite a bit of time together on the bridge.
"Just wonderin' how I should take it, that you didn't tell me about the rescue operation," Wash said finally. He looked up and met Riddick's gaze. "Did you think I wouldn't help?"
Hurt, Riddick realized with a slight frown. He'd hurt Wash's feelings, made the man think he and River didn't trust the pilot by keeping him out of the loop. "Shit," He muttered. "That wasn't it." He barely registered the sigh that escaped from his lips. "Didn't wanna put you in a bad spot."
"A bad spot," Wash repeated dully. "Because I've never been in one of those before," He muttered his sarcasm tinged with bitterness for the first time in Riddick's hearing.
"A bad spot with your wife," Riddick clarified. That got Wash's attention and the escaped murderer nodded emphatically. "Think I dunno how she feels about orders? 'Bout goin' off 'thout instructions? If we'd told you about Ciara, about our plan and Zoe found out you knew and didn't tell her? Shit. I can't think of a worse place to be than in bed with a pissed off wife. And I've spent years in Slams and on the run."
"I thought you didn't..." Wash shrugged uncomfortably. "I thought we were friends. I would have stood with you if Mal'd given you a hard time about it."
"We didn't tell Mal either," Riddick reminded him. "Nobody but me, River, Simon an' Jayne knew what we were doing. Worse came to worse ya'll would have been none the wiser. I'd a gone after my family an' the ship woulda left."
"Now that's about the sorriest thing I've ever heard," Kaylee's voice was a snarl that might have rivaled one of Riddick's in a temper if it hadn't been for her sweet voice. "Thinkin' we'd go off on our merry an' just leave ya'll. What kinda mèi mei d'ya think I am Rick?"
Riddick cursed as the bridge became crowded with Zoe and Mal entering the space behind Kaylee, "I thought we were gonna talk about this at dinner?" He glared at Mal. "Jiàn guǐ , why'm I botherin'? Crew like this I dunno how ya'll think you're in command. Run right over a man."
"Welcome to my little slice of life," Mal rolled his eyes. "Wash, came to let you know that preliminary course aside we're gonna hafta sit down and work out contacts an' all before we get set for fuel."
"Well right now we're headed for Persephone," The pilot explained cheerfully. "Thought Badger might help us unload the ambulance. And it has the benefit of being a regular stopover for us so it's not exactly suspicious if we've got anyone eyeing our trail." Wash leaned back with the peculiar half smile he got when he was clever with navigation and would like accolades for his particular genius.
"Good work," Mal nodded. "Now let's set the auto pilot an' get along to the galley. Seems I've got an extra passenger an' I'm not too sure I really understand how she came aboard." He shook his head in mock dismay.
"I'm a little shaky on that myself," Zoe commiserated with her Captain a sardonic smile playing around her lips.
"Tiào chū fǔ dǐ jìn huǒ kēng," Riddick muttered to himself and rose from his chair. "Really startin' to dislike the galley. Feels like I'm always tā mā de explainin' myself in there."
"You do tend to do stuff requires explainin'," Kaylee chirped her reminder at his back.
Riddick growled and shook his head but didn't reply stalking down the hallway in annoyance. River and Jayne looked up as he entered and Jayne gave him a commiserating look while River simply shrugged. Ciara and Simon were nowhere to be seen or heard.
River must have Read his curiosity because she smiled slightly, "Told Ciara to use our bunk to change into clothing. Simon is in the dorms setting up a room for her. Jayne was insistent."
"Gotta court her," Jayne nodded. "Won't be easy but I ain't treatin' Ciara like trash just 'cause her folks did."
That got Riddick smiling as he pictured his oldest friend with a nosegay in his hands for the slender woman they'd rescued. "Hope you're aimin' for patience," He teased the taller man. "I'm told courtin' a woman is hard work. Takes time."
"Yeah it does," Wash agreed having heard the tail end of the conversation. "Least yours likes you already Jayne. Zoe didn't like me at all when we first met."
"You were bothersome," River's voice was amused. "Didn't fit in any of the right boxes. Refused to be defined and quantified." Riddick could see her smiling next to Jayne as she chopped up vegetables and threw them in the wok. He narrowed his gaze on her and took a deep breath. Under the smells of the meal his woman was still tired and a little edgy. She was trying to behave normally, hiding her fatigue but after the meal he was taking her to their bunk. His initial reaction when they'd gotten out of the ambulance had been the right one, they needed quiet and time. Skin privileges to remind themselves they were both safe.
"Thought that was a good thing though," Jayne chuckled as he closed the steamer and set the timer for the rice. "Ain't that what that verse a yours said Rick?"
"Got a million in my head Cobh," Riddick chuckled in spite of the gathering crowd in the galley. Everyone was flocking to the table now. The convict nodded reassuringly at Simon as his brother appeared in the doorway with a wary look. He didn't blame the doctor one bit for the caution, when Mal went on a rampage it was best to be out of the way. "You gotta gimme a little more'n that," He continued as Simon entered the room.
"The one you were sayin' 'fore the Siege," Jayne was stirring chicken flavored protein in with the vegetables while River grabbed plates, flatware and chopsticks. "It was s'all 'bout not knowin' why you love someone bein' better."
Riddick caught a glimpse of a slender face surrounded by waving hair that was a bit lighter than River's as Ciara came down the hallway and stood against the doorframe. She was wearing a pair of River's cargo pants and a tee-shirt. The pants were an inch too long and the shirt more than a hair too tight. She was a pretty woman, slender and elegant looking with curves that would look right snuggled up against Jayne. "Cobh why don't you turn 'round and pay attention to your woman 'stead a askin' me about poetry more'n four lifetimes old?"
That distracted his friend for a little bit as Jayne handed over command of the meal to River and leapt to get Ciara seated at the table. His solicitous manner got all sorts of goggle eyed looks from Zoe, Kaylee, Inara and the Captain though Wash simply smiled and took his usual seat.
River turned and slanted an admonishing look at Kaylee, "Knows that Jayne is not nearly as uncouth as he pretends." She reminded the mechanic. "Said as much months ago. No need to be afraid of Jayne."
"Aw, I know that," Kaylee shrugged as she took her seat. "But knowin' an' seein's two different things is all."
Riddick watched as the rest of the crew distributed themselves around the table while Jayne and River got the food laid out. Part of his brain was still working on the poetry Jayne had asked him about while the other was trying to figure exactly what to say about Ciara's rescue.
River slipped into her seat beside him, dropping a kiss on his cheek as she did and he couldn't help wrapping an arm around her waist. He'd come far too close to losing her today. Her slender body slid up against his, snug to his side and something he hadn't realized was wound tight inside him relaxed minutely. Her scent was warm with humor and the tequila smell of it tickled his nose. "Thought a somethin' Qīng Xiāng," Riddick murmured his question.
River nodded and smiled up at him before she turned to look at Jayne who was sitting as close to Ciara as the chairs would allow. In the quiet before the meal was served her voice caught everyone's attention, "Love not me for comely grace, for my pleasing eye or face, nor for any outward part, no, nor for my constant heart. For these may change or turn to ill so thou and I shall sever. Keep therefore a true lover's eye, and love me but know not why. So hast thou the same reason still to dote upon me ever."
Jayne grinned, "I shoulda known you'd think of it." He nodded his satisfaction and sent Riddick a grin, "I never can remember the words but it sure was funny to have you sayin' all sortsa inspirin' stuff 'fore we started fightin'."
Simon chuckled, "If my memories of what happened on planet are accurate he still hasn't broken the habit." The doctor shook his head as he passed the bowl of rice down the table, "I still didn't know him very well at the time. So it was a bit of a surprise when he and River began to trade Tennyson back and forth before we ran the gauntlet of our own little valley."
Riddick chuckled, "Probably didn't help that I'd been actin' like an ignorant fèi wù gǒu niáng yǎng de the whole time we were there." Wash and Kaylee both had frowns on their faces, plainly trying to remember if they'd been told this part of the story or not. The Furyan shrugged as he continued, "Had been keepin' up the charade 'cause a the merc that'd chained me up. After that it was more 'cause I didn't trust the pilot. But we were close enough then that I was lettin' the mask slip a bit. More worried about River an' givin' her a little comfort than intimidatin' a woman without a spine of her own."
"Speaking of spines," Mal spoke up and Riddick sighed. The Captain was going to start in on what they'd been doing and planning and the whole conversation was going to be worse than irritating. "Seems there's been more than a little bit of secret keepin' on my boat. River, Rick, you two got a little bit of talkin' to do."
Riddick growled his annoyance and forced himself to set the chopsticks down before he stabbed someone with them. Before he could speak Simon's voice cut through the tense silence, "Captain my sister and her husband need to eat more than two bites before you begin your interrogation." He told the tall man insistently. "Or do you think that being shut into a coffin, chased through a hospital and nearly recaptured by the Alliance is some sort of relaxation regimen for the two of them?"
"Well how's about you then Doc," Mal speared the slender core man with a glare. "Maybe you'd like to enlighten me as to why ya'll felt it necessary to hide what you were doin'?"
"I believe we explained that adequately in the cargo bay," Simon retorted coldly. "We didn't trust you to agree to a rescue. Your initial reaction to Ciara's presence proved, to me at least, that we were correct. We couldn't leave her there."
"Not that it ain't nice for Jayne to have his sweetheart back," Kaylee's voice was puzzled but reasonable. "But why were ya in the hospital?" The pretty mechanic looked at Ciara, "Don't look like you're sick."
"I was in the hospital so that once they sold me I wouldn't be able to get pregnant unless the man who bought me wanted me to conceive," Ciara's voice was as elegant as River's in its way but still held the musical lilt of Kerry in her speech. "After that they were planning to implement a tagging procedure so that if I ever ran he could find me."
"They intended to auction you off?" Inara's voice sounded as if she had trouble considering the implications.
"As far as I know," The escaped slave nodded, her bow shaped mouth set in a hard line at the thought. "I've been trained to be everything a man or woman could want. A bedwarmer, a caretaker, hostess, or secretary. A mistress, or even someone's nanny if that's what is needed."
"They gave you a Companion's training and then added to it," Inara realized in horror. "Without any of the spiritual guides or the respect implied along with a Companion." She looked at Mal and shook her head, "It's highly illegal."
"They didn't exactly advertise," The Kerry woman replied coolly. Riddick tilted his head at Jayne and the big gun hand gave him a half grin. Ciara had spine to spare and that was something he could respect. He could smell River's brain working as she listened to Ciara and thought over what the other girl was saying.
"So you started out a legal indenture?" Wash asked quietly, "Or was that just a line of zāo gāo they fed to your parents and Jayne?"
"I've no notion what my parents were told and I gave less than a damn about it after I was taken," Ciara shrugged off the question. "They sold me, took coin for me and never once looked me in the eye whilst they did it. I held out hope that my Shea would come for me but I never believed that my family would make a try for me."
"From what I learned on the cortex it's quasi-legal at best," Simon explained quietly. "Indenturing children is only allowed under certain very narrow circumstances. But because no one knew the law Ciara's indenture wasn't examined very closely."
"Is that all they take girls for?" Kaylee looked worried, "I mean how many other kids have they done this to?"
"They don't always take children to be whores," Ciara shook her head. "It's my bad luck I grew up pretty enough to qualify." She shrugged, "It's like…an orphanage or a school. They want to know what skills we have, what we're good at, what we could be used for. One of the boys my age was taught to be a personal chef because he had a gift for it. Another girl was brilliant at math and she was trained to be an investment advisor."
"With whoring along with it," Riddick added grimly.
The Kerry woman shrugged, "I don't doubt it." She leaned against Jayne's arm and sighed, "They raise you to know that you belong to whoever holds your contract. Everyone got sex training. Even the ones who weren't…considered optimal for the trade."
"And how did you four find her," Mal aimed his question at the conspirators. "Couldn't have been easy."
"Wasn't," Riddick grunted in irritation. He took a swallow of water and sighed before he looked at River. "You wanna explain it?"
"Yes, my láng requires sustenance still," River nodded. "Began with a physical description. Tracked Ciara from Kerry, from the time of her indenture. Jayne knew to the day when she'd been taken." The Reader shrugged, "Found a broker on Persephone. Planned a job with Shazza and the Cap'n as distractions. Information theft along with a bank robbery. Narrowed down where Ciara was sent."
"That job we went on was so you could find her?" Mal blinked in shock. "You been plannin' this thing for that long an' you never told me?"
Riddick sighed, "I told Jayne the day we got on the boat that we'd help him find Ciara." He looked at Mal and knew his expression made plain that he didn't care what the Captain thought of his actions. "Ever since I've known the man he's been looking for his girl. Fought a war for her sake. Sure as hell wasn't gonna give up just because it was peacetime."
"Wasn't anything to tell until lately," River shrugged off Mal's irritation. "Mr. Universe allowed me to utilize his cortex and network to increase our search range. Fed me increasingly narrowed results until we found Ciara on Ariel. Determined that the day of her procedures was the only window of opportunity for rescue. Developed a plan to break into the hospital. Payday for the crew, a plausible reason for the job and voila, we were in."
"You mean you did all that and no one besides the four of you knew about it?" Ciara was staring from Jayne to Riddick and River to Simon and then back again. "How did you manage it?"
"The hard part was getting the crew in," Simon shrugged. "They're not Core and they're not used to pretending they are so we needed disguises. And of course the ambulance."
"Still don't see why you couldn't a told us," Mal argued. "Am I that unreasonable?"
The chorus of yeah's, yeses and in Jayne's case a 'hell yes' that came back from the four conspirators along with the addition of Wash's adamant question of 'when are you reasonable?' answered Mal's question pretty definitively. The captain scowled and Riddick shrugged at him.
"We told you that already. You've been in a bad mood because a River an' me. We weren't gonna take the chance of you not wanting to bother. Knew there could be trouble. Slidin' the three of us into a Core hospital was always risky with the price on River an' me. An' it ain't like they'd just let Simon waltz in an' out either." Riddick shook his head, "But we knew if we didn't get her today we'd lose our chance for good. Once she was tagged? Even if we got her we wouldn't have enough time for Simon to get rid of the tags before the feds caught up with us."
"How'd you get in an' out then since you three are tagged fugies anyway," Mal wanted to know.
River's laugh was like a breeze, "Genetically tagged." She reminded the Captain. "That doesn't mean a tag like Ciara would have gotten."
Simon nodded, "Think of the tag Ciara would have been given as something like…a bright red hat. Everywhere she went she would have sent off sensors as an indentured person. Like a leash leading back to the person holding her contract."
"And that's different from the tags you three got?" Zoe had been quiet up to that point but her question was like a knife cutting through the air. Riddick studied the first mate's expression. She wasn't pleased but she didn't seem as annoyed as Mal was.
"River, Rick and I are tagged but instead of a hat it's like a bracelet or a ring. We haven't been injected with anything that lights up sensors the way Ciara would have been," The doctor explained. "Our eyes, our faces and builds are in the Alliance database. But there are ways around that."
River nodded beside Riddick, "Ones and zeros, yes or no, the cortex sees all but can't see everything."
"Well that just makes all sortsa nonsense," Mal muttered.
Riddick watched his woman roll her eyes at the captain, "Mr. Universe and I husked the databases. Law enforcement has altered records. The cortex feeds cannot match our faces because the parameters have been changed so we do not match the records. We have not changed. But the records were."
"Cortex is a difference engine," Riddick slid his hand up and down River's spine as he took over the explanation. "It don't allow for maybe's and might coulds. It needs an exact match. Ain't like a human brain takes a look and says 'yeah that looks like our guy'. That's how we were able to walk outa the hospital. That's how we could go out on a Core world an' not get caught. Eyes are as distinctive as a fingerprint but River messed with those records too. Glasses to alter the corneas, change the camera's angle and they can't get a match on those either. River changed 'em but it's best to do somethin' to hide the eyes no matter what. Eyes are what people remember most a the time."
"Will do the same for Ciara as we have for the rest of the crew," River remarked absently as she traced her fingers over Riddick's knuckles. Her gentle hand was soft over his huge paw as it rested on the tabletop next to his glass and Riddick raised her knuckles to his lips for a thankful caress. "Must make introductions to Badger as well."
"Wanted to ask if ya'd get together some ident papers for Ciara," Jayne's eyes were on River. "Thanks to the hospital job got more'n enough cash to pay for 'em."
"Consider all paperwork a welcome home gift," River aimed a happy smile at the big gun hand. "She is pleased to help her gē ge reunite with his beloved."
Riddick chuckled in spite of his irritation at the surprised look on Cobh's face, "What'd ya expect Shea? My woman's got me beat to hell for loyalty."
"Might have something to do with how stubborn she is," Simon muttered in a pseudo discreet voice. Kaylee began to giggle and Wash started to laugh outright as River made a face at her brother.
Riddick pressed a kiss to his woman's hair and took a deep breath of her scent while he was so close. She still had those threads of fatigue in her scent. "You feelin' all right xiǎo láng," He murmured the question against her hair, hiding his voice beneath the chuckles and joking of the pilot and doctor.
"Everything feels heavy," River shuddered and flinched against him. Riddick looked up to see Mal's speculative gaze on River and growled low in his throat.
"Need to get you somewhere quiet," Riddick cursed himself for not taking her to their bunk right away. His arm around her waist was the only thing holding her slender body steady. She was trembling and her usual grace was nearly gone. A step back from the table and every eye fell upon them.
"Please, Richard," River moaned, her voice rising uncontrollably. "The staring...it's so loud! Make it stop, please make it stop." She was shuddering violently now, her legs folding under her until he had a choice, let her sink to the ground and kneel beside her or carry her bodily out of the galley.
He growled furiously as he sank to his knees, his arms banded around her protectively. The entire crew was staring at her and he could only imagine how loud their thoughts were in River's mind. "I gotcha Qīng Xiāng. Look at me, see me River," He slid his hand under her chin and tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "See? Right here. Breathe with me zhì 'ài . Breathe." When she took a deep breath along with him and he heard her heart slow minutely from its panicked racing Riddick nodded. "Good baby, that's real good. Now tell me what you need," He commanded gently. "Gotta get centered again. Right?"
"Need..." She took a huge gasping breath and Riddick felt more than heard her struggle for control over her words. "Need the blade and blood. It's... it's too loud. Heavy and hard, pushing at me. Please. My Riddick...please."
"'S'all right," Riddick spared a moment to give Mal and Zoe a hard stare of warning that to speak in the next few minutes would mean a very violent and bloody death. "Got your shiv? Or you want mine?" He had to keep her talking, had to make it real for her. She could get stuck inside her mind for half a day if he didn't prompt her to speak when she got like this.
"Yours, please. Mine is...still on my thigh..." River's voice was faint but a bit steadier than a few minutes ago.
"All right," The convict kept his voice steady, as soothing as he could, and slipped the bone shiv out from his back. Closing her fingers around the handle he wrapped his hand around hers. "Feel me? I'm right here."
River nodded and took another deep breath. Riddick heard Kaylee whispering worriedly, "What's wrong? Why's she got a knife-"
Thankfully Simon interrupted her before the mechanic could get going. "I'll explain later Kaylee. Right now we all just need to keep calm and let River center herself. She's had to do this before."
"But I-" Kaylee subsided and Riddick dared a glance up to see Mal's hand on her arm. The captain hadn't taken his eyes off River and Riddick but he'd known unerringly how to silence Kaylee.
"'S'all right baby," Riddick crooned to his mate. "I'm right here. You just do what needs doin' now." He held his forearm out beside hers and released her hand. "You and me River."
"Blood to blood," River whispered drawing the tip down her forearm in a thin line. She handed him the shiv and Riddick did the same to his own arm.
"Blood to blood," He echoed her softly. He held his arm straight and nodded as River bent and slid her tongue along the bleeding slice on his skin. "My blood on your lips, my life within you," Riddick kept his voice low and gentle, his words only for River.
River nodded slowly and held her arm out for him. He bent and pressed his mouth to the cut on her arm, his tongue hot on her cool skin, tasting her blood on his lips. "My blood on your lips," His woman spoke deliberately, breathing in and out with exquisite care as she regained control. "My life within you."
"Blood binds us," Riddick looked into her eyes again. "Blood and life between us."
Her breathing slowed even further and her scent was clearing, the silk and steel of her mind stronger with every heartbeat, "Blood binds you to me and me to you." River exhaled the words carefully, "Blood and life between us."
Riddick looked at his woman and nodded his satisfaction. She was still wound tight, still needed time alone with him but she wasn't in danger of losing control anymore. Unfortunately that still left the two of them with an appalled audience of crewmates. "Well tā mā de dì yù ," He muttered.
"Rick you'd better take River to your bunk," Simon said quietly. "I'll explain as best I can. You two can talk to us in the morning. But you need... well. I'm sure you know what you need."
Riddick tilted his head and saw that Simon was resolved, he had that ramrod straight spine that meant he was set and stubborn. Any argument would simply delay the inevitable. Riddick looked at River, still concentrating on her breathing and nodded his agreement. "C'mon baby, let's get you to bed." He stood and tucked the shiv back behind his belt again before he scooped River up into his arms. Without another word to the crew or Captain the escaped murderer cradled his woman in his arms and walked out of the galley.
Author's Note: Wow! Finally done with Ariel. I won't lie, this episode really suffered from an extreme case of 'I don't know what to do!-itis'. The way it was filmed didn't lend itself to writing very well and I got majorly distracted while I was writing it. I also got incredibly sick again, and so did my husband. But yay! Chapter is up and its longer than the last one. And we'll have a little set up and then we're on to War Stories in the next chapter I think.
All of you faithful folks who've hung on and waited and been incredibly patient with me I can't thank you enough. I've got a decent idea of how War Stories is going to go, so it should be posted a bit quicker. The downside is that we're at the point where I'm writing and then posting. I don't have anything prewritten so I'm hoping to get a little ahead before I post the next chapter. I'll try to make it quicker than two months though.
What do we think? Are we happy with Ciara's introduction? We'll get to know her a bit better in War Stories and then we'll be rearranging a couple of episodes because I think they fit better. Jayne is going to want to take Ciara home to Kerry for a visit so those two won't be around for a couple of episodes. Hence the rearranging. But did Ariel end the way you wanted? How did we like Simon's snobby doctor act? I figure he and Jayne will have a good laugh over that one later when they tell Riddick about it.
Chinese Translations:
Shǐ niào - Shit and piss
hún dàns - bastards
Pū jiē - fuck you
láng - wolf
Jiào nǐ shēng háizi méi pìgu yǎn - May your child be born with an imperforate anus
Tā mā de niǎo - goddamn it
tā mā de - fucking
Qīng Xiāng - Sweet Scent
mèi mei - little sister
Jiàn guǐ - to hell with it
Tiào chū fǔ dǐ jìn huǒ kēng - out of the frying pan into the fire
fèi wù gǒu niáng yǎng de - good for nothing son of a bitch
zāo gāo - Crap
gē ge - big brother
xiǎo láng - little wolf
zhì 'ài - most beloved
tā mā de dì yù - fucking hell
Script Chinese Translations:
wo de ma he ta de feng kuang de wai sheng dou! - script - holy mother of god and all her wacky nephews
Quote Sources:
Half a league, half a league, half a league onward – Charge Of the Light Brigade – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Forward the light brigade - Charge Of the Light Brigade – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Forward the light brigade, charge for the guns - Charge Of the Light Brigade – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Canon to the right of them, canon to the left of them, volleyed and thundered - Charge Of the Light Brigade – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Love not me for comely grace, for my pleasing eye or face, nor for any outward part, no, nor for my constant heart. For these may change or turn to ill so thou and I shall sever. Keep therefore a true lover's eye, and love me but know not why. So hast thou the same reason still to dote upon me ever. – John Wilbye
