Sorry for the short chapter. Work in the real world is an evil thing. I DID start a crossover fic with Riddick and Logan (Wolverine), if you want to check it out.
Chapter 3 - Impasse
Riddick's head made a nice loud clang on the metal floor when I jerked my legs out from under it and scooted rapidly towards the front of the skiff. Any breath I had left was catching in my throat painfully; I could feel myself getting dizzy. It didn't matter. I had to get as far away from Riddick as I could at that moment; I had to escape the questions I didn't want to answer. I was just starting to crawl into the navigator's seat when a rough, angry hand gripped my ankle and jerked me back twisting me around. Hard.
It isn't a simple thing to maintain your composure flat on your back with a pissed off criminal straddling you and pinning your hands over your head. It tends to be even more difficult when one happens to be physically weakened and in the throes of an emotional earthquake. All I could manage at this point with head averted and eyes tightly shut was a weak "let me go!"
"Fuck that!" His voice was calm, jaw tight, face impassive. "I just asked you a question, Jack. A simple 'fuck you, Riddick' would have been enough to let me know you didn't wanna talk about it." I could feel him lean in closer until his breath whispered against my sensitive exposed ear and throat. "Now, were gonna talk about it."
A choked sob escaped my throat, ending in a whimper. I felt so weak and my mind was racing, thoughts arriving so quickly they all blurred together screaming what had become my mantra… 'get thorough this' followed by the equally important 'play the game, Jack.' Licking my cracked lips I squeaked, "I don't want to."
"Leave the child alone, Riddick. Hasn't she been through enough?"
Riddick ignored Imam's half-hearted plea, using one hand to pin my arms while the other came down to grasp my chin, slowly forcing my head to turn towards him. His fingers were rough against my face awakening reactions within me I wasn't ready to admit having. Part of me hated him for that; the same part of me loved him for that.
"Look at me, Jack."
I snapped my eyes open angrily, ready to give this arrogant, heartless bastard the sharp edge of my tongue, killer-with-a-shiv or no. I was fully unprepared.
Do you know how life has those moments… the ones that are somehow more real, more complete then others? I used to call them porticos. It was easy to imagine these glimpses of clarity as small doorways into a world where everything was painfully beautiful and time had no meaning. Looking into Riddick's face I had the same sensation I'd felt upon waking up in the middle of a field on Killroy 9 (who the hell names a planet Killroy anyway?) and seeing the planet's unique atmospheric combination turn the night sky into a tapestry of riotous color. According to Papa, it was an Aurora Borealis, a phenomenon that existed on Terra as well, just not with the same intensity or scale. Being a scientist, Papa was prone to squelching beauty with logic and theory, but that night he just let me use his stomach as a pillow, saying nothing more as we stared into the dancing celestial lights. Papa understood about porticos, even if he rarely ever saw one.
I don't know how long I was looking into Riddick's face, into the strange reflective surface of his eyes before he let me go. He must have seen something in my expression, or noticed a change in my breathing; whatever it was, it startled him enough to release me. He leaned back against the bulkhead, looking at me with an indecipherable expression.
"Jack."
That's all he said, just 'Jack,' very quietly and strangely. It was as if he were trying my name on his tongue for the first time, rolling it around in his mouth as if to savor its flavor. He sounded as if my name tasted funny, like tasting sour while expecting sweet.
"I'm not going to talk about it," I said tiredly as I sat up and crawled in his direction and settled down beside him. "I'm just not ready yet." I couldn't believe the words coming out of my own mouth. I was unused to such honesty with people I'd been playing 'Jack' with. Maybe it was time to end the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~