Chapter 35 - Hello Again
The house was dark when Riddick and Doc stopped the jeep and jumped out. The lighting units that spread artificial sunlight throughout the underground city had already darkened to the dim twilight that would mark the underground 'night'. It might seem strange on any other planet for the underground 'day' to run opposite the day on the surface, but on D2, where the daylight was lethal, it made perfect sense.
Doc opened the door and ushered him through. "Come one, let's get you settled in, then I'm going to bed." He shot Riddick a mock scowl. "I'm old, and you're cutting into my beauty sleep."
"Don't want to do that," Riddick joked, "you need all the beauty sleep you can get, old man."
Snorting, Doc led him through the house to the back bedroom, the room Jack had occupied while she was there. "Go on, you know where everything is. Make yourself to home. If you want something to eat, there's some leftovers in the fridge." He turned to go into the room he shared with Amy, but stopped as his hand touched the knob. "Just fair warning, I thought you should know that it's pretty likely the weather around Amy will be a bit on the chilly side. Jackie," he knew it wasn't fair to make the boy feel guilty, but he also needed to know, "Jackie was pretty hurt when you didn't come back, very hurt, and Amy likes Jackie, so you do the math."
A muscle in Riddick's jaw twitched, it wasn't his fucking fault that everything went to hell in a handbasket every time he turned around. Still, he was probably as angry with himself for hurting Jack as Amy was, so he'd take whatever she dished out. "I'll be sure to wear something warm."
A rueful smile touched Doc's lips. "Probably not a bad idea." He eyed Riddick critically. "Get some rest, Rick. You're safe here."
Riddick watched as Doc walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Safe. He took a deep breath and tested the word in his mind, to see if he felt it. Strangely enough, he did, and it was a pretty nice feeling. Walking the few remaining feet to the guest bedroom, he walked inside and closed the door.
The room was dark, of course, and there were no windows on the back side of the underground house as there was a sheer stone wall a few feet away, but it didn't matter to Riddick. He didn't even bother to turn on a small amount of light as he worked his way through the small room, dropping the bag at the end of the bed, and found the adjacent bathroom. Stripping quickly out of his clothes, he stepped into the shower stall and turned on the water as hot as he could stand it. God, but it felt good. Leaning his forearms against the side of the stall, he rested his head on the heels of his hands and let the water wash over him, let the heat work into the aching muscles and bones. He was almost too tired to move, to wash himself, but finally he sighed and pushed himself away from the wall, reaching for the liquid soap dispenser.
As he slowly washed himself, he started thinking about Jack. What if she decided now that she wanted to stay here on D2? What if after she saw him again she still wanted to work with the HGs? It had never occurred to him that she might not still want him like she had before, he'd just been so intent on getting back to her. *Shit.* Well, worrying about something never did a damn bit of good, and he was too tired to worry about anything right now. Tomorrow, instead of worrying about it, he'd do something about it. Rinsing himself off under the rapidly cooling spray, he let his mind shut down. He needed rest, needed sleep. Shutting off the shower, he quickly dried himself off and, not bothering to dress, flopped down onto the bed. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.
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Jack woke up early, before Akemi and Slone were even settling into a good sleep. She knew after they'd left Trevor's that Akemi and Slone had stayed up much later than she had. As soon as the trio had gotten back to the small house they were sharing, though, Jack had taken herself off to bed. She'd heard them, of course, so sleep hadn't come as easily as she might have hoped. It wasn't easy having to listen to your friends making love in the next room at the best of times, it was worse when you were thinking of someone else and wishing he were there with you.
Making sure she didn't disturb her friends, she showered and dressed quickly and left the house. It wasn't a far to Doc and Amy's place, so she decided to forego the scooter and walk. Hardly anyone was awake yet, it was hours until sunset topside, until the artificial sunlight would start to mark the beginning of the underground 'day'. It was nice to have the time alone to think.
She'd thought a lot about what Doc had said. Did she really want to give up on Riddick? Hell, she'd loved him for the better portion of her life, even if she hadn't really known what it was to love him until two months ago. Truth was, if Riddick were to come back today and ask her to go with him, pissed or not she wouldn't worry about whether he was going to drop her off at the next planet, she would just want to be with him. She hated herself for that. Unconditional love. What was she, a puppy? But try as she might, she knew she'd be lying to herself if she tried to convince herself she could just stop loving him. She could live without him, she would, and she wouldn't pause her life in the hope that he might return any more than she had the first time around. It wasn't like she couldn't survive without him, it would just hurt to have to. Looking up, she realized she was there. She didn't want to wake Doc and Amy up, so she opened the door as quietly as she could and let herself in, closing the door behind her.
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He was awake and staring into the darkness, listening. Riddick had no idea how long he had been asleep, but when he'd heard the front door open and shut quietly, he had been wide awake. Rolling off the bed, he dropped into a low crouch and made his way to the end of the bed, grabbing his pants and pulling them on. He found knife hidden in his boot, and the well-oiled blade made a slight hissing sound against the leather as he slid the knife out of the sheath. The weight of it felt good in his hand. Leaning his back against the wall beside the door, he waited, ready to strike.
*********************************************************
Jack had moved in with Akemi and Slone about a month earlier, but there were still a few of 'her' things at Doc's place. Nothing on D2 was actually her's but they were things people had given her and she'd need them when they left the planet, she didn't know how long they'd be gone before it would be safe to return. Doing her best not to wake Doc or Amy, she tiptoed quietly along the corridor and went to her room. She opened the door and walked inside. She had just opened her mouth to turn the lights on when a strong hand clamped over her mouth, a large arm pulling her back against a massive chest. Her first reaction, of course, was to struggle, but when she felt the chuckle reverberating through the chest, through her back, she knew immediately who it was. A shiver ran through her that had absolutely nothing to do with fear.
As soon as she'd opened the door and stepped inside, Riddick had known who it was. Laying the knife on the small chest of drawers beside him, he had been unable to resist the urge to replay the scene from the warehouse that first night. He smiled as he stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. When she had finally stopped struggling, he knew she knew who he was. Still smiling, he brushed his lips over the shell of her ear. "Surprise."
Caught between desire and anger, Jack tried very hard to hold onto the anger, though she could feel it slipping away. Well, she wasn't going to give in that easily, not after he'd been gone for two months. Not until he answered some questions. Baring her teeth, she bit, not delicately, the soft flesh of his hand.
"Ouch! Shit, Jack." He released her mouth, but kept his other arm wrapped around her waist. "Why the hell did you bite me?"
She liked the surge of satisfaction that went through her, childish though it might have been. "Because you had your hand somewhere it shouldn't have been."
The house was dark when Riddick and Doc stopped the jeep and jumped out. The lighting units that spread artificial sunlight throughout the underground city had already darkened to the dim twilight that would mark the underground 'night'. It might seem strange on any other planet for the underground 'day' to run opposite the day on the surface, but on D2, where the daylight was lethal, it made perfect sense.
Doc opened the door and ushered him through. "Come one, let's get you settled in, then I'm going to bed." He shot Riddick a mock scowl. "I'm old, and you're cutting into my beauty sleep."
"Don't want to do that," Riddick joked, "you need all the beauty sleep you can get, old man."
Snorting, Doc led him through the house to the back bedroom, the room Jack had occupied while she was there. "Go on, you know where everything is. Make yourself to home. If you want something to eat, there's some leftovers in the fridge." He turned to go into the room he shared with Amy, but stopped as his hand touched the knob. "Just fair warning, I thought you should know that it's pretty likely the weather around Amy will be a bit on the chilly side. Jackie," he knew it wasn't fair to make the boy feel guilty, but he also needed to know, "Jackie was pretty hurt when you didn't come back, very hurt, and Amy likes Jackie, so you do the math."
A muscle in Riddick's jaw twitched, it wasn't his fucking fault that everything went to hell in a handbasket every time he turned around. Still, he was probably as angry with himself for hurting Jack as Amy was, so he'd take whatever she dished out. "I'll be sure to wear something warm."
A rueful smile touched Doc's lips. "Probably not a bad idea." He eyed Riddick critically. "Get some rest, Rick. You're safe here."
Riddick watched as Doc walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Safe. He took a deep breath and tested the word in his mind, to see if he felt it. Strangely enough, he did, and it was a pretty nice feeling. Walking the few remaining feet to the guest bedroom, he walked inside and closed the door.
The room was dark, of course, and there were no windows on the back side of the underground house as there was a sheer stone wall a few feet away, but it didn't matter to Riddick. He didn't even bother to turn on a small amount of light as he worked his way through the small room, dropping the bag at the end of the bed, and found the adjacent bathroom. Stripping quickly out of his clothes, he stepped into the shower stall and turned on the water as hot as he could stand it. God, but it felt good. Leaning his forearms against the side of the stall, he rested his head on the heels of his hands and let the water wash over him, let the heat work into the aching muscles and bones. He was almost too tired to move, to wash himself, but finally he sighed and pushed himself away from the wall, reaching for the liquid soap dispenser.
As he slowly washed himself, he started thinking about Jack. What if she decided now that she wanted to stay here on D2? What if after she saw him again she still wanted to work with the HGs? It had never occurred to him that she might not still want him like she had before, he'd just been so intent on getting back to her. *Shit.* Well, worrying about something never did a damn bit of good, and he was too tired to worry about anything right now. Tomorrow, instead of worrying about it, he'd do something about it. Rinsing himself off under the rapidly cooling spray, he let his mind shut down. He needed rest, needed sleep. Shutting off the shower, he quickly dried himself off and, not bothering to dress, flopped down onto the bed. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.
*****************************************************************
Jack woke up early, before Akemi and Slone were even settling into a good sleep. She knew after they'd left Trevor's that Akemi and Slone had stayed up much later than she had. As soon as the trio had gotten back to the small house they were sharing, though, Jack had taken herself off to bed. She'd heard them, of course, so sleep hadn't come as easily as she might have hoped. It wasn't easy having to listen to your friends making love in the next room at the best of times, it was worse when you were thinking of someone else and wishing he were there with you.
Making sure she didn't disturb her friends, she showered and dressed quickly and left the house. It wasn't a far to Doc and Amy's place, so she decided to forego the scooter and walk. Hardly anyone was awake yet, it was hours until sunset topside, until the artificial sunlight would start to mark the beginning of the underground 'day'. It was nice to have the time alone to think.
She'd thought a lot about what Doc had said. Did she really want to give up on Riddick? Hell, she'd loved him for the better portion of her life, even if she hadn't really known what it was to love him until two months ago. Truth was, if Riddick were to come back today and ask her to go with him, pissed or not she wouldn't worry about whether he was going to drop her off at the next planet, she would just want to be with him. She hated herself for that. Unconditional love. What was she, a puppy? But try as she might, she knew she'd be lying to herself if she tried to convince herself she could just stop loving him. She could live without him, she would, and she wouldn't pause her life in the hope that he might return any more than she had the first time around. It wasn't like she couldn't survive without him, it would just hurt to have to. Looking up, she realized she was there. She didn't want to wake Doc and Amy up, so she opened the door as quietly as she could and let herself in, closing the door behind her.
*********************************************************
He was awake and staring into the darkness, listening. Riddick had no idea how long he had been asleep, but when he'd heard the front door open and shut quietly, he had been wide awake. Rolling off the bed, he dropped into a low crouch and made his way to the end of the bed, grabbing his pants and pulling them on. He found knife hidden in his boot, and the well-oiled blade made a slight hissing sound against the leather as he slid the knife out of the sheath. The weight of it felt good in his hand. Leaning his back against the wall beside the door, he waited, ready to strike.
*********************************************************
Jack had moved in with Akemi and Slone about a month earlier, but there were still a few of 'her' things at Doc's place. Nothing on D2 was actually her's but they were things people had given her and she'd need them when they left the planet, she didn't know how long they'd be gone before it would be safe to return. Doing her best not to wake Doc or Amy, she tiptoed quietly along the corridor and went to her room. She opened the door and walked inside. She had just opened her mouth to turn the lights on when a strong hand clamped over her mouth, a large arm pulling her back against a massive chest. Her first reaction, of course, was to struggle, but when she felt the chuckle reverberating through the chest, through her back, she knew immediately who it was. A shiver ran through her that had absolutely nothing to do with fear.
As soon as she'd opened the door and stepped inside, Riddick had known who it was. Laying the knife on the small chest of drawers beside him, he had been unable to resist the urge to replay the scene from the warehouse that first night. He smiled as he stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. When she had finally stopped struggling, he knew she knew who he was. Still smiling, he brushed his lips over the shell of her ear. "Surprise."
Caught between desire and anger, Jack tried very hard to hold onto the anger, though she could feel it slipping away. Well, she wasn't going to give in that easily, not after he'd been gone for two months. Not until he answered some questions. Baring her teeth, she bit, not delicately, the soft flesh of his hand.
"Ouch! Shit, Jack." He released her mouth, but kept his other arm wrapped around her waist. "Why the hell did you bite me?"
She liked the surge of satisfaction that went through her, childish though it might have been. "Because you had your hand somewhere it shouldn't have been."