Chapter 4

The next morning Bobby got up and worked on her punching bag for a while before taking a shower, washing her hair, body and face. She went to her closet and chose her outfit by lightly pressing on the selection screen in the wall with her fingertip. A drawer slid out with the selected clothes and she got dressed in black pants with flared bottoms, an emerald long sleeved V-Neck shirt with large Dolman sleeves and zipping her heeled boots up, letting the pants cover them. She put her hair up in a ponytail at the back of her head and left her room almost immediately seeing Malcolm.

"My, don't you look all dressed up." He said smiling and she looked down at her outfit.

"Do I?" she asked looking back up at him.

"Yeah you do. But you look beautiful."

"Thank you Malcolm." She said and moved to walk past him.

"He's in the docking bay." Malcolm said and she turned, looking at him.

"Who is?"

"Riddick."

"And why do I care that he's in the docking bay?" Bobby asked crossing her arms.

"Oh come on Bobby, we all know about you two. He went to your room shortly after you left the mess hall."

"Yes and he left after not even ten minutes."

"A lot of things can happen in ten minutes."

"Malcolm you are a very good friend, and I never thought I would say this, ever. Malcolm...get bent." She said and turned on her heel, walking away angry. But her feet, having a mind of their own, decided that she wanted to go to the docking bay. She stopped, leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed again and her calf crossed over the other one with the tip of the boot on the floor. Riddick was welding the hull of a skiff, his black goggles on over his eyes, the flame of the torch reflected in the lenses. His head and face were newly shaven, he had torn off the sleeves of the jumpsuit and sweat glistened on the exposed skin of his massive biceps. She watched him for a little while, nodding greeting to anyone who acknowledged her. After a little bit Riddick shut off the torch and hung it up, going to the foreman to say that he was done. The foreman nodded at him and Riddick walked towards her.

"See anything you liked?" he asked teasingly as he stopped in front of her, his hand resting against the wall, a playful grin on his face. She smiled and ran a hand down his sweat-coated caramel colored skin. The grin left his face and she could feel his intense gaze on her. Her hand was stopped on his arm and she pulled it away quickly, a deep flush coming to her cheek making him grin again.

"Would the noble Sir care to join me for lunch?" she asked recovering quickly and he perked an eyebrow at her. "I've read Charles Dickens since I was old enough to read, and when you do that you kinda pick up on the lingo."

"Yes I would care to join the fair Lady for lunch. But I must freshen up first in my chambers before we go have our meal." Riddick said in the same cadence and she smiled.

"Super." She said stepping away from the wall and he snorted. He offered his arm to her and she took it, looping her arm in his. They walked down the hall arm in arm, catching amused and sometimes surprised glances from the people they walked past. They entered his quarters and he took his arm from hers.

"Take a seat, I'll be out in a few minutes." He said and turned walking into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Bobby sat down on the bed and picked up the book she loaned him, pleased to see that the slip of paper he use for a bookmark was stuck in pages more than halfway through. She set the book down on the nightstand again, listening to Riddick take his shower.

Riddick scrubbed his body down, a smile on his face at the thought of Bobby on his bed, the bed being the only place to sit besides the floor. He rinsed off and shut off the shower, grabbing a towel from the rack and wrapped it around his waist getting out of the stall.

Bobby looked up as the door to the bathroom slid open and her eyes went wide, the dim lighting in the room allowing her to see him with just a towel around his waist, water beaded on his skin and drops leaving trails as they ran down. She managed to tear her eyes away, the blush returning, and look back down at her lap. She could hear him coming closer and saw him reach past her and grab clothes that were next to her on the bed. A second later the bathroom slid open then close and she let out a huge sigh, falling back on the bed.

"Comfy?" she heard a moment later and sat up seeing Riddick in the doorway of the bathroom in his black tank top and green cargo pants, a grin on his face. She didn't answer. "How about we skip lunch and stay here?"

"And do what exactly?"

"Talk, get to know each other. And if we happen to have sex then so be it." Riddick said still grinning and she snorted, smiling nervously.

"We can talk in the mess hall."

"Nah, too many people in the mess hall. I would like to talk to you in private." He said and she thought for a little while.

"Okay, we can talk here. But try anything and I'm gone." She warned and he held up his hands.

"I'll be a perfect gentleman, I promise." Riddick said and she nodded. He sat down on the bed next to her and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together. "So tell me about yourself. I mean I know your name, and that you're the Captain's daughter. How long have you lived on Dark Angel?"

"All my life, I was born on this ship. My father at that time was only a Navigation Officer and my mother was a mechanic in the engine bay. They were married on the ship, and like I said I was born on the ship."

"Have you ever been off this ship?"

"Only on small jaunts when we dock at a station or a planet."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty five."

"How old are your parents?"

"Well my dad is forty six and my mom um."

"What?"

"My mom died a long time ago."

"Oh geez, I'm sorry. How did she die? If you don't mind me asking that is."

"I don't mind. There was a leak in the core of the engine she was working on, by the time she discovered it and patched it up it was too late and she got hit with a large dose of radiation poisoning. She died a couple weeks later."

"How old were you?"

"Five or six."

"Shit. You were really young."

"I know, and that's probably why it hurts so much that she's gone." She said and lone tear escaped a corner of her eye to leave a silver track down her face. He reached over and brushed it away with his thumb making her lips quirk into a ghost of a smile. "Okay, enough about me. How about you? Where were you born?"

"San Antonio, Texas, on Earth." Riddick said. "You probably already know how I was found, mostly everyone does."

"Yes I heard the story. How did you find out?"

"I did some research on myself when I was in a foster home, wanted to find out more about my history. Who my parents were and all, when I found the headline. Infant boy found in liquor store trash bin with umbilical cord around neck, the date matched my birthday so I knew it was me." He said and she touched his shoulder, telling him to go on. "For a long time I wondered why my mother tried to kill me so early. Was I that unwanted? Did she hate me that much? After I killed my first person, and then another, and another, I would wish so hard that she had succeeded in her task. Just to keep me from becoming the monster that I became." He was surprised to feel Bobby's arm come around his waist and her head settles on his shoulder. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against him.

"You're not a monster, Riddick. I am confident in your humanity, very confident." She said and he looked down at her seeing her gazing up at him.

"What makes you so confident?"

"You could've killed me or anyone anytime now. But you didn't, you could have escaped anytime now, but you didn't. There was even a pool to see how long it would take you, I think the longest time was an hour." She said and he shrugged.

"The work is good, keeps me busy. The company is even better. Besides I'm tired of running, of killing. I only kill to survive. I could have taken a pod and escaped, but I would have to kill a dozen or so people to do it, your father included. I only killed those inmates and guards in Butcher Bay because they threatened my survival, besides killing them gave me a reputation of being savagely deadly and then no one messed with me."

"Your life is brutal." Bobby said and he smiled.

"Some parts of it, yes. But not all." Riddick said and his breath caught when he felt her soft lips press against his cheek. His hand, which was near her shoulder, reached up and removed the tie from her hair. Long mahogany colored hair fell around her shoulders and his chest and arms. She pulled back and looked at him with her clear green eyes. His fingertips ran down her cheek lightly and traveled along her jaw. "Beautiful." He whispered and gently caressed her throat. Bobby swallowed and he looked up and into her eyes.

"Riddick..." she whimpered before she pressed her lips to his. He groaned and put his hands on her waist, picking her up and pulling her onto his lap. He reached down and pulling up her pants leg a little finding the zipper on her boots and pulled them down. Her boots dropped to the floor and he pulled off her socks. Putting his hands on her hips he pulled her closer as he parted her lips, his tongue sliding past to skim the inside of her bottom lip. She moaned into his mouth and put her arms around his neck sinking into him, allowing him to kiss her deeply. Riddick's hands ran up and down her legs and she pressed against him more. He leaned back against his mattress and they broke the kiss, breathing heavily.

They were lying full out on his bed, their limbs twined with each other. Riddick's shirt was off and so was hers, her bra still in place, and the top button on his pants undone. He pushed her onto her back and rolled on top of her, his hands grasping her waist. He broke his kiss with her and pressed his lips to her chin, down her throat, the hollow of her throat and down her body. He kissed between her breasts and down her stomach, stopping when he was level with the fastenings of her black pants. He looked up her body to see her looking down at him, her green eyes glazed slightly. Bobby put her hands on his shoulders tried to pull him back up, he moved back up so they could look eye to eye and kissed again. His fingers danced along the edge of her pants and undid them, pushing them down slightly feeling lace underneath. She froze suddenly and he broke the kiss, propping himself up on his elbows and looking into her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"We have to stop, I can't do this. Riddick get off me." Bobby said and he rolled to the side. Like he said before, if the woman says to stop then he stops. Right now it's about what Bobby wants, not what he wants. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, grabbing her shirt and pulling it on. She grabbed her socks off the floor and stuffed them into her boots, not bothering to put them on. She stood and looked down at him still lying on the bed, he had rolled onto his back and was looking up at her. "I'm sorry." He propped himself up on his elbows.

"Don't be. There's nothing to be sorry about. If you're not ready, you're not ready. I'll respect your wishes." Riddick said and her eyes softened.

"Who knew you could be so sensitive and understanding."

"Don't tell anyone okay? I have a reputation to keep up." He said and she chuckled, leaning over him and kissing his lips quickly. She stood and pulled her pants up where they belonged and fastened them.

"That was so much better than going to lunch." She said and he smiled.

"Well good. I'll see you later?"

"Of course." She said and they kissed quickly. She left smiling and Riddick collapsed back onto his mattress with a huge sigh that shook his muscular chest. He got up and staggered into the bathroom for a cold shower.

Bobby lay on her bed with her hands behind her head, when she got back to her room she had changed into red silk pajamas. She wondered what Riddick slept in, if he slept in anything at all. Her lips quirked at the thought of him sleeping in the buff, his body had felt wonderful against hers. She remembered the defined muscle of his chest and abs, his biceps flexing as he held her. He had narrow hips, wide shoulders and a slender waist, his hipbones protruding sharply. His hands were big, and his fingers were long, almost completely wrapping around her small waist. But his lips, those were something else entirely. They were full and impossible soft, and when he kissed her it was passionate and wonderful. Her mind flashed back to his defined abs and she remembered seeing a thick scar running from his right hip to just below his left set of ribs, it had been a few shades lighter than his dark tan skin. She'll have to remember to ask him how he got it next time she sees him.

"Lights off." Bobby said and her room was thrown into darkness.