Chapter 12 - Good Night
Jack looked down at the board. "No way," she said incredulously, having been absolutely sure that she was going to win, or rather that he was going to let her win. "That's impossible, how the hell did you do that?"
Riddick shrugged, taking another pull off his beer and hiding a smug smile. "I'm a sneaky bastard."
"Well, that sucks," she said frowning, studying the moves they'd made, trying to figure out exactly where she'd lost the game. She was absolutely sure from the smug look on his face that he had known from the very beginning he was going to win. Setting the board back up she narrowed her eyes at him. "Play again?" This time she was going to watch him like a hawk.
Riddick glanced down at the watch on his wrist; it was already 2am Station Time. Shaking his head, he downed the remainder of his beer and started putting his boots back on. "It's late. I'd better go." He was starting to feel the weariness pulling on him, and the beer wasn't helping. Plus, he was thinking more 'adult' thoughts about Jack than he would like and he figured it'd be best to leave now before he did something he'd regret.
*NO! He can't just leave!* Jack's main goal was to keep him there, she didn't know if she'd ever see him again if he left now and she couldn't accept that. Somehow in the next four days she was going to try to convince him to take her with him wherever it was he was going. Most people might have seen it as crazy, wanting to leave a well-paying job you liked, friends, and a father who loved you to run off with a man who was an escaped convict and self-professed murderer, but as good as her life had been in the past thirteen years, it had been missing one big piece. Riddick. Most people would say that what she felt for him couldn't possibly be love because she hardly knew him, but she didn't know what else it could be. All she knew was that she had never felt it for anyone else and, now that she'd seen him again, she knew she didn't want to be without it anymore.
"It's not that late. I don't have to work tomorrow and you don't have anything pressing you have to do tomorrow morning, do you? I mean, you've got four more days until the fuel shipment gets here, right?" She fidgeted with the fringe on the edge of the throw. *Ok, jumping into his lap and sticking your tongue down his throat would probably get his attention, but that may or may not be a good idea considering he still sees you as twelve.* "You could sleep in tomorrow." She licked her lips nervously. *On the other hand, fortune favors the brave,* she told herself, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. *But perhaps a more subtle route would be prudent.* "Or...or you could stay here," she said, almost shyly, not really wanting to look up at him.
*What?!* Riddick stopped in the middle of tying one of his bootlaces, not quite sure he'd heard her correctly. Frowning a bit he finished tying his boot then looked up, trying to see her face through the heavy curtain of her hair. He studied her quietly for a moment, wondering exactly what he was supposed to say to that.
It was a little strange to hear herself, she'd never been overly shy about anything, not even sex, but then again she had never been with anyone she had any real feelings for either. That upped the stakes considerably; she didn't want to get hurt. *Pull yourself together,* she admonished herself, *you certainly aren't doing much to prove you're not that same kid he once knew." Pushing her nervousness down, she straightened her shoulders and looked up at him, finding him looking back at her. The look on his face sent a not unpleasant shiver running down her spine. Anchoring a long lock of her hair behind her ear, she stared back at him into those dark, dark eyes. She wanted him to be able to see her face, her eyes, wanting him to know exactly what she was offering. She was glad her voice was stronger when she spoke this time. "You could stay here with me tonight."
For a long time he didn't say anything, conversational skills were not high on his short list of good points. The evening had not been going as planned, and his idea to get Jack to go quietly back into that safe little part of his psyche was pretty much shot, but as good as the offer sounded to him, he wasn't going to let himself go down that path. There were scarier things down that path than he wanted to deal with. His voice was quiet when he spoke to her. "I was wrong, that is the best offer I've had in a very long time."
Jack felt a moment of elation until she realized there was an inaudible 'but' hanging in the air. *Well, it was stupid to think he'd want you anyway,* she told herself, smiling ruefully. Ok. If he was going to shoot her down he might as well get on with it. "But?"
She was smart, and 'sensed' him better than he would like. What could he say that wouldn't hurt her? The answer was, nothing. No matter what happened from here on, she was going to be hurt one way or another, the best he could hope for was to get out with the least amount of emotional bloodshed. *I never should have come here,* he told himself, wishing at that moment that he'd decided to go to any other sector in the galaxy. "But...I don't think that would be a very good idea under the circumstances." He mentally kicked himself for his choice of words, knowing she was going to ask the inevitable question.
Jack managed not to look away, though she wished at that minute that she could crawl into a hole and never come out. "What circumstances?" She felt a small stir of anger inside her and decided it was better to hold onto than the hurt she was feeling. She crossed her arms over her chest, a defensive posture. "It's not like I'm a virgin, I'm twenty-five years old, not fifteen."
*No, of course you're not,* he thought. "There's a very long list of reasons starting with the fact that I'm eighteen years older than you and ending with the fact that when I leave this station four days from now I don't want to take any regrets with me, yours or mine." Rubbing his hand over his scalp, he sighed heavily, shaking his head. He was not good at stepping around the feelings of women, they were just too damn delicate and Riddick was just not a tactful person. "Look, Jack. You're a good kid." He could tell from the slight wince at the corner of her eyes that he was not doing well. *To hell with it,* he thought, *just tell her the truth, before you stick your foot so far down your throat you can kick your own ass, then get the hell out.* "It's like this. If I sleep with you," not normally a euphemism he used, but fuck just didn't seem like the right thing to say to Jack, "then I'm going to be killing the image of a sweet little twelve year old who, for some ungodly reason, looked up at me like I was a hero. There are days when I really need that image as a reminder that all of humanity isn't a pile of shit. It keeps me from going down some very dark paths."
Feeling some of the anger bleed from her, Jack's defensive stance dropped a bit. Knowing that she had made a difference in his life was important. Though it wasn't exactly what she might have hoped for it was, at least, something. "That's a selfish reason, you know."
"Selfish?" Riddick figured that no matter which way he went it would be a selfish decision. *That is the problem with women,* he thought, *no matter what you do it's never the right thing.* It was so much easier to deal with a woman when you didn't give a shit how she felt about you when you left. He nodded decisively. "Yes, it is." Standing up, he lifted his jacket from the back of the chair and pulled it on, turning toward the door. "I never said I was a saint."
Throwing the blanket off her shoulders, Jack followed Riddick to the door. She couldn't just let him go, not like this. *Say something, Jack!* she commanded herself, but nothing seemed to be coming to her. Not knowing what else to do, she put herself between Riddick and the door.
Riddick almost smiled as she 'blocked' the door. "What're you going to do? Keep me in here against my will?" He couldn't quite keep the teasing tone out of his voice.
Putting her hand on the knob, she fidgeted from one foot to the other. *OK, now what, genius?* "Just promise me something," she said earnestly.
"I don't do promises," he said flatly.
Jack was not going to take no for an answer. Not from him, not now. "Not even for an old friend?" she asked him quietly. She knew it was a low blow playing the old friend card, but she was desperate just at the moment.
He should just pick her up and move her, it wasn't like he couldn't get past her, but he didn't. He'd worry about why later. "Fine. What?"
"Promise me I'll see you again before you leave," she said quietly. She knew if he didn't want to see her, she might as well just say goodbye now.
*Damnit!* She really did read him a lot better than he was comfortable with. After tonight's fiasco he'd had no intention of seeing her again before he left the station. She apparently knew that. He should just tell her what she wanted to hear and then forget about it after he walked out that door, but he knew he wouldn't. *Damnit.* "Ok," he said wearily, "I promise. Can I go now?"
Jack felt her heart start beating again. He'd given her his word and she felt certain he'd keep it. That still gave her time, not much time but it was something to work with. She smiled up at him, deciding to press her luck a little. "Do I at least get a goodnight kiss?"
A goodnight kiss? Was she serious? He didn't have to ask, the look on her face told him she was. He was torn between wanting to show her that he was serious about keeping his distance and wanting to give her exactly what she was asking for. He knew he should go for the nice, chaste kiss on the forehead. It would serve nicely to piss her off and it would get him out of there. Killing two birds with one stone was a good thing. He knew this, but he couldn't help wanting to show her that she was playing with fire and she should back off while she was still able.
*Be careful what you wish for, little girl,* he thought. His eyes never leaving hers, Riddick moved forward with the slow purpose of a jungle cat. Laying a hand to either side of her head, splaying his long fingers out over the cool metal surface of the door, he leaned into her, bringing his face close to hers, his lips a hair's breadth away from hers. He could taste her breath, sweet. Brushing his lips lightly over hers, he saw her eyes flutter closed. The reasoning part of his mind told him he should stop, leave it there, his point was made, but he couldn't. He just wanted to taste her. Running the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips, he felt a shudder run through her as she sighed, opening her mouth to him as he pressed his lips against hers, his tongue delving into her mouth. Reason left him as she returned his kiss, her small hands sliding under his jacket, fingers bunching the fabric of his shirt as she urged him closer.
Jack's head was spinning as Riddick kissed her. His lips were so soft, the kiss nothing like the hard, passionate kisses she'd always imagined and hoped for. Smiling to herself, she returned the kiss. For once, reality was so much better than fantasy. Her hands found their way to his waist. Needing something to hold onto, she fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him closer until she was trapped between the hard length of his body and the cool surface of the metal door. The old adage about being trapped between a rock and a hard place suddenly popped into her mind, but she knew with a great deal of conviction that she couldn't imagine any place she'd rather be.
*God, she's sweet,* Riddick thought as he kissed her. So much sweeter than anything he'd tasted in longer than he cared to remember. *Too sweet for me,* he reminded himself. *I was supposed to be teaching her a lesson, what the hell am I doing?* Reluctantly pulling away from her, he looked down at her for a minute, memorizing her face because, promise or not, he wasn't going to see her again. It was too dangerous. He knew that next time, if there were a next time, he wouldn't stop himself. While he was starting to like that idea more and more, he didn't want her to hate him, and he knew that was exactly what would happen.
Her eyes were heavy lidded as she looked up at him through the dark fringe of her lashes, her mouth slightly open as the tip of her tongue ran over her kiss-swollen lips. Brushing his fingers over her hair, testing its softness, Riddick put his hands on her shoulders and moved her gently, deliberately away from the door. He opened it, blinking as he stepped out into the brighter lighted hall. His voice was husky as he turned back to speak to her. "Good night, Jack." Not waiting for an answer, he shut the door firmly and walked away from her.
Still recovering from the kiss, and the way Riddick had so abruptly ended it, Jack stared mutely at the door long after he left. He may have said 'Good night' but she could hear the 'Good-bye' in his voice and she knew he wouldn't be keeping his promise. Hugging her arms around herself, she moved numbly toward the couch, dropping down onto the cushions and wrapping the blanket around her. Closing her eyes, she lay down on her side, cradling her head on her arm. She could feel hot tears running down her face, but she did nothing to stop them or wipe them away.
Jack looked down at the board. "No way," she said incredulously, having been absolutely sure that she was going to win, or rather that he was going to let her win. "That's impossible, how the hell did you do that?"
Riddick shrugged, taking another pull off his beer and hiding a smug smile. "I'm a sneaky bastard."
"Well, that sucks," she said frowning, studying the moves they'd made, trying to figure out exactly where she'd lost the game. She was absolutely sure from the smug look on his face that he had known from the very beginning he was going to win. Setting the board back up she narrowed her eyes at him. "Play again?" This time she was going to watch him like a hawk.
Riddick glanced down at the watch on his wrist; it was already 2am Station Time. Shaking his head, he downed the remainder of his beer and started putting his boots back on. "It's late. I'd better go." He was starting to feel the weariness pulling on him, and the beer wasn't helping. Plus, he was thinking more 'adult' thoughts about Jack than he would like and he figured it'd be best to leave now before he did something he'd regret.
*NO! He can't just leave!* Jack's main goal was to keep him there, she didn't know if she'd ever see him again if he left now and she couldn't accept that. Somehow in the next four days she was going to try to convince him to take her with him wherever it was he was going. Most people might have seen it as crazy, wanting to leave a well-paying job you liked, friends, and a father who loved you to run off with a man who was an escaped convict and self-professed murderer, but as good as her life had been in the past thirteen years, it had been missing one big piece. Riddick. Most people would say that what she felt for him couldn't possibly be love because she hardly knew him, but she didn't know what else it could be. All she knew was that she had never felt it for anyone else and, now that she'd seen him again, she knew she didn't want to be without it anymore.
"It's not that late. I don't have to work tomorrow and you don't have anything pressing you have to do tomorrow morning, do you? I mean, you've got four more days until the fuel shipment gets here, right?" She fidgeted with the fringe on the edge of the throw. *Ok, jumping into his lap and sticking your tongue down his throat would probably get his attention, but that may or may not be a good idea considering he still sees you as twelve.* "You could sleep in tomorrow." She licked her lips nervously. *On the other hand, fortune favors the brave,* she told herself, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. *But perhaps a more subtle route would be prudent.* "Or...or you could stay here," she said, almost shyly, not really wanting to look up at him.
*What?!* Riddick stopped in the middle of tying one of his bootlaces, not quite sure he'd heard her correctly. Frowning a bit he finished tying his boot then looked up, trying to see her face through the heavy curtain of her hair. He studied her quietly for a moment, wondering exactly what he was supposed to say to that.
It was a little strange to hear herself, she'd never been overly shy about anything, not even sex, but then again she had never been with anyone she had any real feelings for either. That upped the stakes considerably; she didn't want to get hurt. *Pull yourself together,* she admonished herself, *you certainly aren't doing much to prove you're not that same kid he once knew." Pushing her nervousness down, she straightened her shoulders and looked up at him, finding him looking back at her. The look on his face sent a not unpleasant shiver running down her spine. Anchoring a long lock of her hair behind her ear, she stared back at him into those dark, dark eyes. She wanted him to be able to see her face, her eyes, wanting him to know exactly what she was offering. She was glad her voice was stronger when she spoke this time. "You could stay here with me tonight."
For a long time he didn't say anything, conversational skills were not high on his short list of good points. The evening had not been going as planned, and his idea to get Jack to go quietly back into that safe little part of his psyche was pretty much shot, but as good as the offer sounded to him, he wasn't going to let himself go down that path. There were scarier things down that path than he wanted to deal with. His voice was quiet when he spoke to her. "I was wrong, that is the best offer I've had in a very long time."
Jack felt a moment of elation until she realized there was an inaudible 'but' hanging in the air. *Well, it was stupid to think he'd want you anyway,* she told herself, smiling ruefully. Ok. If he was going to shoot her down he might as well get on with it. "But?"
She was smart, and 'sensed' him better than he would like. What could he say that wouldn't hurt her? The answer was, nothing. No matter what happened from here on, she was going to be hurt one way or another, the best he could hope for was to get out with the least amount of emotional bloodshed. *I never should have come here,* he told himself, wishing at that moment that he'd decided to go to any other sector in the galaxy. "But...I don't think that would be a very good idea under the circumstances." He mentally kicked himself for his choice of words, knowing she was going to ask the inevitable question.
Jack managed not to look away, though she wished at that minute that she could crawl into a hole and never come out. "What circumstances?" She felt a small stir of anger inside her and decided it was better to hold onto than the hurt she was feeling. She crossed her arms over her chest, a defensive posture. "It's not like I'm a virgin, I'm twenty-five years old, not fifteen."
*No, of course you're not,* he thought. "There's a very long list of reasons starting with the fact that I'm eighteen years older than you and ending with the fact that when I leave this station four days from now I don't want to take any regrets with me, yours or mine." Rubbing his hand over his scalp, he sighed heavily, shaking his head. He was not good at stepping around the feelings of women, they were just too damn delicate and Riddick was just not a tactful person. "Look, Jack. You're a good kid." He could tell from the slight wince at the corner of her eyes that he was not doing well. *To hell with it,* he thought, *just tell her the truth, before you stick your foot so far down your throat you can kick your own ass, then get the hell out.* "It's like this. If I sleep with you," not normally a euphemism he used, but fuck just didn't seem like the right thing to say to Jack, "then I'm going to be killing the image of a sweet little twelve year old who, for some ungodly reason, looked up at me like I was a hero. There are days when I really need that image as a reminder that all of humanity isn't a pile of shit. It keeps me from going down some very dark paths."
Feeling some of the anger bleed from her, Jack's defensive stance dropped a bit. Knowing that she had made a difference in his life was important. Though it wasn't exactly what she might have hoped for it was, at least, something. "That's a selfish reason, you know."
"Selfish?" Riddick figured that no matter which way he went it would be a selfish decision. *That is the problem with women,* he thought, *no matter what you do it's never the right thing.* It was so much easier to deal with a woman when you didn't give a shit how she felt about you when you left. He nodded decisively. "Yes, it is." Standing up, he lifted his jacket from the back of the chair and pulled it on, turning toward the door. "I never said I was a saint."
Throwing the blanket off her shoulders, Jack followed Riddick to the door. She couldn't just let him go, not like this. *Say something, Jack!* she commanded herself, but nothing seemed to be coming to her. Not knowing what else to do, she put herself between Riddick and the door.
Riddick almost smiled as she 'blocked' the door. "What're you going to do? Keep me in here against my will?" He couldn't quite keep the teasing tone out of his voice.
Putting her hand on the knob, she fidgeted from one foot to the other. *OK, now what, genius?* "Just promise me something," she said earnestly.
"I don't do promises," he said flatly.
Jack was not going to take no for an answer. Not from him, not now. "Not even for an old friend?" she asked him quietly. She knew it was a low blow playing the old friend card, but she was desperate just at the moment.
He should just pick her up and move her, it wasn't like he couldn't get past her, but he didn't. He'd worry about why later. "Fine. What?"
"Promise me I'll see you again before you leave," she said quietly. She knew if he didn't want to see her, she might as well just say goodbye now.
*Damnit!* She really did read him a lot better than he was comfortable with. After tonight's fiasco he'd had no intention of seeing her again before he left the station. She apparently knew that. He should just tell her what she wanted to hear and then forget about it after he walked out that door, but he knew he wouldn't. *Damnit.* "Ok," he said wearily, "I promise. Can I go now?"
Jack felt her heart start beating again. He'd given her his word and she felt certain he'd keep it. That still gave her time, not much time but it was something to work with. She smiled up at him, deciding to press her luck a little. "Do I at least get a goodnight kiss?"
A goodnight kiss? Was she serious? He didn't have to ask, the look on her face told him she was. He was torn between wanting to show her that he was serious about keeping his distance and wanting to give her exactly what she was asking for. He knew he should go for the nice, chaste kiss on the forehead. It would serve nicely to piss her off and it would get him out of there. Killing two birds with one stone was a good thing. He knew this, but he couldn't help wanting to show her that she was playing with fire and she should back off while she was still able.
*Be careful what you wish for, little girl,* he thought. His eyes never leaving hers, Riddick moved forward with the slow purpose of a jungle cat. Laying a hand to either side of her head, splaying his long fingers out over the cool metal surface of the door, he leaned into her, bringing his face close to hers, his lips a hair's breadth away from hers. He could taste her breath, sweet. Brushing his lips lightly over hers, he saw her eyes flutter closed. The reasoning part of his mind told him he should stop, leave it there, his point was made, but he couldn't. He just wanted to taste her. Running the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips, he felt a shudder run through her as she sighed, opening her mouth to him as he pressed his lips against hers, his tongue delving into her mouth. Reason left him as she returned his kiss, her small hands sliding under his jacket, fingers bunching the fabric of his shirt as she urged him closer.
Jack's head was spinning as Riddick kissed her. His lips were so soft, the kiss nothing like the hard, passionate kisses she'd always imagined and hoped for. Smiling to herself, she returned the kiss. For once, reality was so much better than fantasy. Her hands found their way to his waist. Needing something to hold onto, she fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him closer until she was trapped between the hard length of his body and the cool surface of the metal door. The old adage about being trapped between a rock and a hard place suddenly popped into her mind, but she knew with a great deal of conviction that she couldn't imagine any place she'd rather be.
*God, she's sweet,* Riddick thought as he kissed her. So much sweeter than anything he'd tasted in longer than he cared to remember. *Too sweet for me,* he reminded himself. *I was supposed to be teaching her a lesson, what the hell am I doing?* Reluctantly pulling away from her, he looked down at her for a minute, memorizing her face because, promise or not, he wasn't going to see her again. It was too dangerous. He knew that next time, if there were a next time, he wouldn't stop himself. While he was starting to like that idea more and more, he didn't want her to hate him, and he knew that was exactly what would happen.
Her eyes were heavy lidded as she looked up at him through the dark fringe of her lashes, her mouth slightly open as the tip of her tongue ran over her kiss-swollen lips. Brushing his fingers over her hair, testing its softness, Riddick put his hands on her shoulders and moved her gently, deliberately away from the door. He opened it, blinking as he stepped out into the brighter lighted hall. His voice was husky as he turned back to speak to her. "Good night, Jack." Not waiting for an answer, he shut the door firmly and walked away from her.
Still recovering from the kiss, and the way Riddick had so abruptly ended it, Jack stared mutely at the door long after he left. He may have said 'Good night' but she could hear the 'Good-bye' in his voice and she knew he wouldn't be keeping his promise. Hugging her arms around herself, she moved numbly toward the couch, dropping down onto the cushions and wrapping the blanket around her. Closing her eyes, she lay down on her side, cradling her head on her arm. She could feel hot tears running down her face, but she did nothing to stop them or wipe them away.