Lifeline

Chapter 22

Chikage glanced up from her computer to see Riddick standing in the front stairwell doorway, just leaning against the doorframe, his form a silhouette. She managed a weak smile before turning her eyes back to the screen, resuming her typing. The chair across from her scraped quietly against the floor, and he sat, folding his arms on the table.

"Jack asleep?" She nodded, not looking up from her work. "How long?"

"A few hours," she answered quietly. "I think the excursion into town wore her out a little." Riddick nodded, leaning back in the chair. "Any luck?"

"I might have a few leads, but nothing concrete yet," he sighed, rubbing his eyes. She glanced up at him, worry flitting over her face for a moment, but it was gone by the time he looked at her again. She nodded, and stared back at the computer.

"Might want to try hospitals next," she suggested. "If she was a nurse then, she'd probably stay in the field."

"I thought about that," he agreed. "Figure I'll start tomorrow."

"You think she kept the same name?" she asked, glancing up at him quickly.

"I doubt it. I was planning on cross-referencing transfer dates first. Seeing where it led." She nodded, saving her work and quietly closing up the laptop. His eyes stayed on her as she rested her head on a fist, her elbow sliding out until she was nearly laying on the table. He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering for a moment on her cheek as her eyes closed. "You're wearing your hair down more," he noted. She only shrugged, opening her eyes to glance at the clock on the microwave.

"It's not been impractical lately." They spent a few minutes with him looking at her, and her looking everywhere but him.

"I'm sorry, Chi," he finally said. Her eyes met his for just a fleeting moment, and she shrugged, sitting up to rub her forehead.

"Not a big deal," she replied with a sigh. "Lot of tension right now."

"Yeah, but I over-reacted." Yellow met silver and stayed there for a moment. "I didn't think you were hiding anything from me anyway. I don't know why I did that." She smiled slightly, shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter, Riddick. It's not a big deal," she repeated. "When are we moving on?" His eyebrow rose. "I didn't figure you'd want to stay here long."

"Probably leave tomorrow," he said, the confusion disappearing from his face. "I wanted to get back into the lanes and stay there for a while if you think she can handle it," he said, nodding toward Jack's room. She followed his gaze, then nodded.

"I think she'd prefer to be away from other people for a while." His eyebrow arched again, and she chuckled. "I think she feels safer up there," she explained. "Away from the cities and all." He nodded slowly, rubbing a hand over his head.

"I need to shave," he commented quietly.

"I wondered when you would notice," she jibed, receiving an evil grin.

"You know, I think I might grow it out for a while." Her eyebrow rose, trying to imagine him with hair. "If I do end up tracking Marie down, she might be less likely to recognize me that way." Chi nodded, reaching out to run her fingers over his prickly scalp.

"We'll see how long it lasts." She stood then, leaning backwards to stretch. "I'm going to bed," she announced, giving his shoulder a squeeze before leaving the room. He followed, poking his head into Jack's room for a moment before joining Chikage in their room.

"Should probably get some doors hung," he said, glancing across the hall as Chikage peeled her shirt off. She followed his gaze and shrugged. "I'm sure both of you would want some privacy, right?"

"Doesn't bother me, but I imagine she wouldn't mind," she answered with a shrug.

"I wouldn't mind either," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. Her head turned to look over her shoulder at him, and he only smirked at her. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter as she finished changing, letting out a contented sight as she wriggled under the sheets. He wasn't far behind, cradling her against his side. Her arm snaked around his middle, her fingers tucking between his skin and the bottom sheet. "I'll get up tomorrow and go find something to hang as doors," he said quietly, planting a kiss on her forehead. She nodded against his chest, her nostrils flaring as she stifled a yawn.

"Wake me when you get up this time, huh?" He chuckled.

"Sure."

"I mean it.

"I know you do," he said, the laugh remaining in his voice. "I will." She nodded in satisfaction and shifted against his side. They fell quiet, listening to Jack's quiet snores from across the hall. "You think she's really as okay as she seems?" he finally asked.

"I don't know," she answered quietly. "I'd like to think so, but there's no telling." He sighed. "I'm sure we'll find out eventually though." He glanced down at her with a start, and she looked up at him. "If she's just pretending to be okay, it won't last forever. I think we just need to give her time to figure things out."

"Yeah, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"She'll come to one of us if she needs to." He was quiet for a while, and she propped herself up on an elbow, eyebrow quirked questioningly.

"I'll bet she goes to you," he said with a hint of pout. She pursed her lips into a scolding look, and he raised both eyebrows as a challenge.

"Why do you say that?"

"She just seems more comfortable with you," he said with a shrug, shifting next to her, adjusting the leg she'd thrown between his.

"Why do you say that?"

"She's hardly said ten words to me since she got here, Chi," he explained.

"Just give her time," she advised. He sighed, draping his forearm over his eyes. "I know you expected her to be the same girl she was before, but she's been through hell and back. Just let her do this at her own pace." He nodded. "She'll warm back up to you eventually." Silence settled over them, and soon three sets of quiet snores echoed through the lower level of the ship.

---

Chikage inhaled sharply, her eyes squeezing shut as she wormed around under the sheets. A pair of lips pressed to her shoulder, and her eyes popped open, her head snapping to look to the side of the bed.

"I'm leaving," Riddick whispered with a small smile. She nodded, making an unhappy face at him as she flopped on her other side to face him. "Go back to sleep," he said, chuckling as he smoothed her wild hair away from her face before standing up.

"I'm awake now," she croaked, scrunching her eyes closed as she stretched lazily, her toes curling. She smiled up at him now, shifting further under the covers. He leaned over to press his lips lightly to hers, and turned, leaving the room. She heard the hydraulics as the ramp lowered, then again as it raised, and the click as it locked. She heaved a sigh and stretched again, reaching out to her sock drawer. As she pulled a pair on, she sat up, yawning. Her black sweats were pulled over the shorts she'd worn to bed, along with a flannel button down over the frumpled wife beater.

She shuffled toward the kitchen, pausing to smile at Jack, who was strewn all over her bed, the sheets rumpled and twisted. Jack's toes twitched, and Chi snickered quietly, shaking her head as she continued to the counter, starting a pot of coffee. Jack appeared a few seconds after the smell started wafting through the rooms, her hair as mussed as her sheets. She flopped at the table, roaring out a monstrous yawn.

"Hungry?" She looked up at Chikage through bleary eyes, blinking slowly a few times before nodding.

"Time is it?"

"It's early," Chi answered, dropping a few slices of bread into the toaster.

"Where's Riddick?" She glanced over at the girl, watching her stretch.

"He went to get something to hang as doors," she said, reaching for the toast. "You want butter?" Jack nodded. "God only knows what he comes back with," Chikage said with a smile, rifling through the fridge to find a tub of butter. Jack watched her as she fixed breakfast. "Probably shower curtains or something." Jack smiled, shrugging.

"It'd be more private than just a doorway," she said.

"True." Chikage sat down across from Jack, sipping her coffee as Jack ate. "I'll bet he tries to con me into hanging whatever he got, though."

"I'll help," Jack offered. Chi smiled.

"If you'd like to." A small nod, and more toast crunching.

"Do you really think it was smart for him to go into town?" Jack asked suddenly, talking around the bite she'd just taken. Chi glanced at her.

"I'm sure he can handle it," she said quietly. "I hadn't even thought about it, though."

"Does he still have a bounty?" Chi nodded absently, staring into the steam rising from her mug. She knew the next question before Jack even posed it. "Do you have a bounty?" Another small nod. "What'd you do?" Chikage took a sip from her cup and set it down gently, rubbing the handle.

"When my tour was up with the black ops, a friend and I started doing security jobs. Eventually we started working for a guy Company wanted really bad, and they found out. Some of Company's guys got too close and died in the process, and it was all downhill from there."

"Riddick?"

"No, his name was Dave."

"You make it sound like he's dead too," Jack said quietly.

"He is," Chikage said with a nod. "He turned on us, and one of the other guys he turned ended up killing the guy we were working security for, and his daughter." Jack clicked her tongue.

"How old was she?"

"Six."

"What was her name?" Chikage glanced up at Jack with a sad smile.

"Her name was Amy." Jack nodded, returning to her toast. Chi took a breath and paused, watching Jack's eyes slowly rise to hers. "You know you can talk to us, right? Either of us." Jack nodded, lowering her eyes back to her plate. "Whenever you feel like you need to or want to."

"I know," she answered quietly.

"He'll kill me if he knows I told you this," Chi said, her eyes twinkling deviously. Jack smiled up at her slightly. "He's worried about you." Jack's eyebrow rose, and Chi's face turned serious. "Both of us know what happened there, Jack." Jack blinked, but didn't look away. "You're a strong girl, darlin'," she continued. "And we're both here for you when you need us." Jack's lip quivered a little, but she nodded, adding a small smile.

---

"Do I know you?" Riddick glanced up, pushing his sunglasses further up his nose as the clerk looked him over.

"I don't think so," he answered, turning back to the slabs of aluminum.

"You sure look familiar," the man pressed, emerging from behind the counter.

"I've just got one of those faces," Riddick said with a smirk. The man shrugged, and Riddick walked away, carrying two slabs under his arm easily as he headed toward the aisle with the hinges. Ten minutes later, he was back on the street, glancing over his shoulder at the door of the hardware store. Every time he turned down another road, he'd glance back to make sure no one was following. The ship came into sight, and he started jogging. He glanced around as his thumbprint processed through the ship's security system, and the ramp started to lower. He secured the future doors in the cargo hold and climbed the ladder up to the main level, smiling as Chikage and Jack looked up at him as he entered the kitchen. "Ready to blow this popsicle stand?" he asked. Chikage and Jack glanced at each other, staring for a moment before both of them burst into hysterical laughter. His eyebrows rose, and his eyes lingered on them until he nearly tripped on the first step up to the cockpit, and their giggles continued as they followed, an intermittent chuckle breaking through the silence as he readied the ship for takeoff. "Wanna let me in on the joke?" he finally asked.

"Blow this popsicle stand?" Jack finally roared, launching into another fit of cackles. Chikage snickered, fighting to stay in control.

"You have to admit it was out of character for you, Riddick," she said, barely getting the words out before chuckling. He shrugged.

"Can't I do that now and then?" he gruffed, taxiing the ship out onto the runway. By the time he set the autopilot, Chikage and Jack had straightened up, though both were still grinning. They didn't look at each other as they unbuckled their harnesses for fear of losing it again, and Jack headed up to the library. "I'm gonna weld the hinges onto the doors," Riddick said, pointing over his shoulder toward the cargo hold. Chi nodded, but he waited, and she raised her eyebrows. "Wanna help?" She gave him a little shrug and followed, but he blocked the path. Her brows furled, and she stared up at him, her eyes widening as he spun her around, her back slamming against the wall as his lips mashed against hers. She let out a small moan, moving to wrap her arms around his shoulders, but he pulled away and started down the ladder.

"What the hell was that for?" she gasped, her chest heaving.

"I wanted it," he said with a wide grin and a tiny shrug, sliding down the rest of the way to the cargo hold. She grinned, following him down. Jack appeared a short time later, and Chikage sat back, watching as Riddick showed her how to weld the hinges on securely. She looked like she'd used tools like this before, and Chikage was fascinated just watching them interact. Evidently the talk they'd had helped at least a little. Riddick glanced up every now and then, grinning devilishly at Chi over Jack's head, but Chi only shook her head, averting his eyes as she smirked. Soon, they moved the work up to the main level, Riddick holding the door up, and Chikage supervising as Jack welded the hinges into place. After a quick test, they repeated the process on the other room. Immediately, Jack ran up to the library, bounding down the stairs and into her room, beaming as she wiggled her fingers at Chikage and Riddick before shutting the door and flopping on her bed to read in her own room, with a door to close. Riddick turned to Chi, and she stared up at him for a moment, her head tilted to the side as he closed the distance between them, kicking their door shut as he wound his arms around her waist to expel the air between them.

"It's not sound proof, you know," she whispered, letting her head fall back as he lifted her off the ground, his lips attacking her neck.

"So be quiet," he said, his words mangled as he continued torturing her skin. She chuckled, a sound deep in her throat, and he growled in response, dumping her on the bed. She scrambled toward the pillows, watching him crawl up the foot of the bed toward her on all fours, an image of a panther stalking its prey flitting through her mind. Her skin tingled as he hovered over her, just inches away and she arched up toward him, twining her legs around his hips as their lips finally met again. She broke her lips from his to pull her shirt over her head, and he did the same, instantly going to work on the clasp of her bra while she worked on his pants. They wriggled out of their clothing, and he sunk into her, both stifling groans. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, her forehead pressing against the side of his neck as she struggled to choke back the moans forming in her throat. His teeth closed on her earlobe, and she whimpered, both their breaths hurried and frantic. She turned her head, biting his arm lightly as her back arched. He let a grunt slip, and her eyes squeezed shut, their lips meeting to quiet each other's now uncontrollable moans. His palm settled on her cheek as he stilled, feeling her tremble under him. Slowly, he pulled away, staring down at her as she nuzzled his hand, a gratified smile growing on her lips.

"You okay?" A small nod.

"I needed that," she whispered. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he leaned down to kiss her once more before flopping on his side next to her. He draped an arm over her middle, winding his legs around hers as she slid her arm under his head, pulling him to her chest. One of her hands traced patterns in the sheen of sweat on his back, while the other mirrored the designs on his face. He let out another quiet moan as his eyes closed, and she smiled, placing a kiss on the end of his nose as she let sleep take over.