Chapter 6 - Go Away Little Girl
Jack turned around to face him, grinning widely. *He does remember me!* The thought filled her with glee. "You do remember me."
The images in Riddick's head were clashing wildly, the image of the starry eyed kid and the image of the beautiful young woman who was standing here now. How could this possibly be the same kid? He remembered how he'd always felt about 'his' Jack, the one he remembered from the HG crash. The one he'd traveled with for a month before parting ways with her and the holy man. It had been the same way he'd felt about Danny, or some of the younger kids at the public home when he was a kid. Like a big brother. That was definitely not the way he'd been thinking about her five minutes ago. Not quite sure how he felt about the sudden change in the situation, he decided to think about it later when she wasn't standing there to cloud the issue.
He frowned at her, putting his knife back in his boot sheath. She just kept smiling at him, that same smile she'd given him when he and Carolyn had gone back to the cave for her and Imam. Like Christmas morning or like he'd just given her a puppy. "Never had a doubt!" she'd said. Like he was her hero, and she'd just KNOWN in her heart that he'd not let her down. He didn't usually like thinking about that. Didn't like how close he'd come to leaving them, all of them, to fend for themselves in the dark. Just because he was a bastard who cared more about his own ass than anyone else's. "That wasn't the smartest thing you've ever done, kid." Truth was he didn't know what she had or hadn't done in her life, but he was pretty sure following a dangerous criminal down a dark corridor wasn't among the most intelligent.
She wanted to hug him, but she didn't know how he'd react, and if he pushed her away it would kill her so she decided to keep her distance. For now. She felt like an idiot, but she couldn't stop smiling. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me."
"You always did have more faith in me than you should have," he said under his breath as he turned and started back down the hall.
*OK, well, that could have gone better.* Jack felt her heart drop as she turned watching him walk away, her smile beginning to fade. "Is that it?"
Riddick stopped, his shoulders dropping almost imperceptibly. He started to not turn, not look at her, but he did anyway. "What else do you want?"
She felt awkward, how did she answer that? Everything she wanted was so simple and yet so very complicated. She spread her hands, shrugging. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. "I don't know, I just thought...just thought maybe we could...you know...talk or something."
A humorless smile touched Riddick's face. "What would we have to talk about, kid?"
It amazed her that one moment she could feel like a 25 year old woman, and with one look, one sentence he could make her feel like an awkward 12 year old again. She'd be damned if she would beg him to stay again. Ruthlessly pushing her awkwardness away, she squared her shoulders and faced him. "I'm sorry. I thought you might care to hear what happened to me after you left me." *I care what happened to you,* she added silently.
*She's got a temper,* he thought, making himself not smile. Tempers could be useful so long as you didn't let them get away from you. "You look like you grew up healthy, you've got a good job and friends. I can see that Imam did a good job." He shrugged slightly. "What more do I need to know?" Why did he feel like one of those asshole fathers who drops their kid off one day only to get confronted by them half a lifetime later? He wasn't her father, which was a damn good thing considering the thoughts he'd had about her before. He was just some jerk who'd gone against his better judgment and did a decent thing once upon a time. As usual, it came back to bite him in the ass.
She didn't know what she'd expected from him. She was just a kid he'd known for a month more than a decade ago. Still, it felt like someone had put a vice around her heart and started squeezing. Hugging her arms around her waist, she nodded, smiling sadly. "Yeah. He did. Thanks."
A light flashed down the corridor followed by a man's gruff voice. "Hey, anyone in here? I'm getting ready to lock down for the night."
Jack looked the direction of the voice and was blinded momentarily by the bright beam of the flashlight. She put a hand up to block the glare, looking around for Riddick, only to find him gone. "Shit." He was gone and she knew she would have to work hard to find him again. She'd never have found him this time if he hadn't wanted her to. He'd led her into that storage facility so he could capture her; he'd probably known where she was every step of her day since lunchtime. She wasn't a tracker or a bounty hunter, if he didn't want her to find him chances were she wasn't going to. So why bother.
"Hey, is this yours?" The guard said, holding her bag out to her. "You done in here? I gotta lock up."
She took her bag from him, following his silent suggestion that she leave with him. "Yeah. I was just looking for my cat, he likes to come down here and look for mice and rats sometimes."
The guard flashed his light from side to side as they walked back to the dock door. "Well, next time you wanna go lookin' around the warehouses you should get one of us guys to go with ya. It ain't safe walking around down here all by yourself." He ushered her out the door and locked it behind him.
"Thanks. But I can take care of myself." Shouldering her bag, she headed back to the airlock that would lead her back out to the concourse, using her keycard to let herself back into the station. You couldn't get back into the station without going through the Dock Master and Customs offices unless you had a keycard. Being a resident of the station gave you more access than a visitor, and being an engineer she could get into all but the most restricted areas. A swipe of a card and she was back where she started.
Standing on the concourse, she just felt kind of empty inside. She was beginning to realize how stupid she had been. She was twenty-five years old, she should know better than to believe dreams and fantasies could come true, but she'd always been a romantic at heart. *That's what a healthy dose of reality tastes like, Jack,* she told herself, chiding herself for her naiveté, *it's an acquired taste you should get used to.* But even though she knew it was stupid to feel sad, she still felt the exact same way as she remembered feeling when one of her classmates in third grade had told her there was no Santa Claus; in her mind she'd known it, but it hurt her heart to find out it was true. Feeling the need to kick some ass, even if it was just her own, she headed for the transport tube that would take her to her gym.
Jack turned around to face him, grinning widely. *He does remember me!* The thought filled her with glee. "You do remember me."
The images in Riddick's head were clashing wildly, the image of the starry eyed kid and the image of the beautiful young woman who was standing here now. How could this possibly be the same kid? He remembered how he'd always felt about 'his' Jack, the one he remembered from the HG crash. The one he'd traveled with for a month before parting ways with her and the holy man. It had been the same way he'd felt about Danny, or some of the younger kids at the public home when he was a kid. Like a big brother. That was definitely not the way he'd been thinking about her five minutes ago. Not quite sure how he felt about the sudden change in the situation, he decided to think about it later when she wasn't standing there to cloud the issue.
He frowned at her, putting his knife back in his boot sheath. She just kept smiling at him, that same smile she'd given him when he and Carolyn had gone back to the cave for her and Imam. Like Christmas morning or like he'd just given her a puppy. "Never had a doubt!" she'd said. Like he was her hero, and she'd just KNOWN in her heart that he'd not let her down. He didn't usually like thinking about that. Didn't like how close he'd come to leaving them, all of them, to fend for themselves in the dark. Just because he was a bastard who cared more about his own ass than anyone else's. "That wasn't the smartest thing you've ever done, kid." Truth was he didn't know what she had or hadn't done in her life, but he was pretty sure following a dangerous criminal down a dark corridor wasn't among the most intelligent.
She wanted to hug him, but she didn't know how he'd react, and if he pushed her away it would kill her so she decided to keep her distance. For now. She felt like an idiot, but she couldn't stop smiling. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me."
"You always did have more faith in me than you should have," he said under his breath as he turned and started back down the hall.
*OK, well, that could have gone better.* Jack felt her heart drop as she turned watching him walk away, her smile beginning to fade. "Is that it?"
Riddick stopped, his shoulders dropping almost imperceptibly. He started to not turn, not look at her, but he did anyway. "What else do you want?"
She felt awkward, how did she answer that? Everything she wanted was so simple and yet so very complicated. She spread her hands, shrugging. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. "I don't know, I just thought...just thought maybe we could...you know...talk or something."
A humorless smile touched Riddick's face. "What would we have to talk about, kid?"
It amazed her that one moment she could feel like a 25 year old woman, and with one look, one sentence he could make her feel like an awkward 12 year old again. She'd be damned if she would beg him to stay again. Ruthlessly pushing her awkwardness away, she squared her shoulders and faced him. "I'm sorry. I thought you might care to hear what happened to me after you left me." *I care what happened to you,* she added silently.
*She's got a temper,* he thought, making himself not smile. Tempers could be useful so long as you didn't let them get away from you. "You look like you grew up healthy, you've got a good job and friends. I can see that Imam did a good job." He shrugged slightly. "What more do I need to know?" Why did he feel like one of those asshole fathers who drops their kid off one day only to get confronted by them half a lifetime later? He wasn't her father, which was a damn good thing considering the thoughts he'd had about her before. He was just some jerk who'd gone against his better judgment and did a decent thing once upon a time. As usual, it came back to bite him in the ass.
She didn't know what she'd expected from him. She was just a kid he'd known for a month more than a decade ago. Still, it felt like someone had put a vice around her heart and started squeezing. Hugging her arms around her waist, she nodded, smiling sadly. "Yeah. He did. Thanks."
A light flashed down the corridor followed by a man's gruff voice. "Hey, anyone in here? I'm getting ready to lock down for the night."
Jack looked the direction of the voice and was blinded momentarily by the bright beam of the flashlight. She put a hand up to block the glare, looking around for Riddick, only to find him gone. "Shit." He was gone and she knew she would have to work hard to find him again. She'd never have found him this time if he hadn't wanted her to. He'd led her into that storage facility so he could capture her; he'd probably known where she was every step of her day since lunchtime. She wasn't a tracker or a bounty hunter, if he didn't want her to find him chances were she wasn't going to. So why bother.
"Hey, is this yours?" The guard said, holding her bag out to her. "You done in here? I gotta lock up."
She took her bag from him, following his silent suggestion that she leave with him. "Yeah. I was just looking for my cat, he likes to come down here and look for mice and rats sometimes."
The guard flashed his light from side to side as they walked back to the dock door. "Well, next time you wanna go lookin' around the warehouses you should get one of us guys to go with ya. It ain't safe walking around down here all by yourself." He ushered her out the door and locked it behind him.
"Thanks. But I can take care of myself." Shouldering her bag, she headed back to the airlock that would lead her back out to the concourse, using her keycard to let herself back into the station. You couldn't get back into the station without going through the Dock Master and Customs offices unless you had a keycard. Being a resident of the station gave you more access than a visitor, and being an engineer she could get into all but the most restricted areas. A swipe of a card and she was back where she started.
Standing on the concourse, she just felt kind of empty inside. She was beginning to realize how stupid she had been. She was twenty-five years old, she should know better than to believe dreams and fantasies could come true, but she'd always been a romantic at heart. *That's what a healthy dose of reality tastes like, Jack,* she told herself, chiding herself for her naiveté, *it's an acquired taste you should get used to.* But even though she knew it was stupid to feel sad, she still felt the exact same way as she remembered feeling when one of her classmates in third grade had told her there was no Santa Claus; in her mind she'd known it, but it hurt her heart to find out it was true. Feeling the need to kick some ass, even if it was just her own, she headed for the transport tube that would take her to her gym.