Lifeline
Chapter 30
Chikage couldn't wipe the grin from her lips as she continued down the stairs. That is, until she saw the folders tucked into Riddick's sock drawer. She sighed, shaking her head as she bit her thumbnail, glancing over her shoulder toward the front stairs before swearing at herself and reaching for the sheets, quickly making the bed. Riddick had pulled three of the four corners of the fitted sheet from the bed, and a light smile returned as she fixed the covers, the taste of him still on her lips. She fluffed the pillows and walked to the door, those folders catching her eye again. With a huff, she snatched them up and plopped on the bed, folding her legs under her.
She opened Jack's files, her eyes narrowing as she read the list of seven names printed on a sheet of paper clipped to one side. Her eyes flitted quickly over the medical details, nothing to surprise her, and flipped the chart closed, biting her lower lip gently as her thumb ran over the tab of the folder holding Riddick's information. After a brief mental argument with herself, she opened it, flipping and scanning through the several charts and printouts clipped there, then reading in more detail the blood and body scan printouts. She didn't really know if she'd expected Marie to lie, especially when she handed the files over so readily, but found herself somewhat surprised that the doctor hadn't. She sighed. Why she'd expected those files to hold any useful information was beyond her. She shook her head and flipped the page, a tiny impression in the paper catching her eye. She ran her fingers over it, but with the words printed there, she couldn't tell what had been imprinted there. Her eyes narrowed, and she slapped the file closed, running through the kitchen and up the stairs to the cockpit.
Riddick heard her boots thumping rapidly, angrily up the stairs and felt a stab of panic run through him, but she went straight to the lockers, her fingers trembling as she tried to open it.
"What's going on?" he asked quietly, turning in his chair. She didn't answer, intently concentrating on the locker latch. He sighed, standing and wrenching the damn open. She glanced up at him quickly before snatching her pack from the locker and flopping to the floor, sitting cross-legged as she dug through her bag. "What the fuck are you doing?" he demanded, his eyes falling on the folder she'd set before her. He reached for it, but her foot darted out to kick his hand out of the way. "Chi, tell me what the fuck you're doing," he finally roared. She paused in her rummaging and stared up at him.
"Patience," she said simply, immediately returning her attention to her bag. He let out a frustrated growl and spun her chair around, flopping into it to watch her. Her eyes widened and lit up, and she pulled a pencil from her bag, quickly opening the folder and flipping through, turning the folder so the paper she wanted was upside down. His eyebrows rose as she lightly ran the side of the pencil's point over a section of the paper, a name and several numbers appearing. "Mason. Contact number," she said with satisfaction, ripping the paper from the file. "She must have called someone to find out how to get in touch with him and written it down on something when she had your chart open." He nodded, and she lifted her eyes to his. "We can trace it. Pay him a visit." He thought for a moment before nodding once, swiveling in the chair as he pulled out her keyboard, pulling up an intergalactic directory.
"What's the number?" She read it to him, staring up at the monitor as the computer went to work. "Fuck. We're turning around," he announced. "He's on Ergon." She nodded, standing and collecting the things she'd strewn about while digging through her pack, putting the bag back in the locker and going downstairs to find Jack and let her know. She appeared a few minutes later, watching Riddick key in their route. "I'm going around the long way," he said. "We'll land at a different port. Can you reprogram the ship's identification and certificates so we don't draw any more attention?" She nodded, taking the seat he'd left warm a few moments before when he switched chairs, and went to work. A few minutes later, after learning from her mistakes when she created the certificates, she asked him what name he wanted the ship to have.
"I noticed you didn't really like Dark Angel," she said with a smirk. "And we can't use it again for a long time."
"Think of something," he said with a shrug. She sighed, leaning back in her chair and staring at him. "What?"
"I suck at coming up with names," she groaned, shaking her head.
"Fine," he said. "Name her the Lunar Eclipse and be done with it." She nodded, typing in the commands. His eyes followed her finger's rapid movements, graceful and accurate. He wondered for a brief moment where she learned her crafts. She'd not gotten her computer knowledge and gadgetry from him. He pushed the thought aside. There were more pressing issues right now. "I'm going to increase the pressure in the cabin," he said quietly. Her eyes snapped over to his, a warm pain growing in the back of her neck at the quick movement, but she ignored it.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"What about Jack?"
"She'll probably fall asleep and wake up with a hangover," Riddick said with a shrug.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Chikage asked, eyes wide as he reached for the control panel. "Why the hell would you want to do that, especially when we're going to have to be completely alert tomorrow when we go pay this Mason asshole a visit?" Her eyes closed suddenly, scrunching tight as she gripped the back of her chair with all her strength as Riddick turned the dial controlling cabin pressure. "Fuck," she groaned, slowly sliding to the floor. Riddick grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose as the effects finally got to him, and he shook his head as though clearing it before gathering Chikage in his arms, flipping her over his shoulder, and trudging down the stairs. Her ears were ringing, head pounding as she hung upside down, and she had to grasp his belt tightly to feel grounded. "God, Riddick," she moaned, watching the world bounce as she glanced around. "I'm gonna hate you tomorrow." He only chuckled, sounding very far away, and suddenly she realized what he was up to. Her suspicions were confirmed when he dropped her gracelessly on the bed, his hands moving to rest on his hips. She realized he'd kicked the door shut when she finally forced herself to sit up, feeling like her head would explode.
"I told you I'd get even," he said. She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"You really think getting even like that with the pressure all fucked up is really a good idea?" she asked slowly, feeling almost drunk.
"Doesn't bother me," he said cheerfully, throwing in a shrug just to piss her off. As expected, her eyes narrowed up at him as he unbuckled his belt.
"You're a prick," she spat, her hand going to her forehead as she moved to the head of the bed, the dizziness almost becoming overwhelming.
"You'll get used to it," he said gently, giving her an almost-sympathetic smile.
"What, you being a prick or the cabin pressure." He glared at her, though mentally glad she still had her sense of humor about her.
"The pressure." Her eyes followed his hands as his arms unfolded, feeling nearly cross eyed from the added pressure. His fingers grasped the hem of his shirt and he pulled upwards, watching her eyes follow his movement as he exposed more skin.
"I dunno if I will, actually," she said slowly, swallowing thickly as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the wall.
"Why's that?"
"Gettin' worse," she whispered, scrunching her eyes shut more tightly. He clicked his tongue at her, pulling his shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor silently. She groaned as he leaned a knee on the bed, shaking her slightly, and he sighed.
"Is it really that bad?"
"Think you could turn it down a notch?" she asked. He chuckled, and suddenly he was gone. A moment later, the pressure released, but only, as she had asked, by a notch or so, and she faintly heard his boots ringing on the stairs. Instead of going back to the bedroom, he passed it, going upstairs. A few seconds later, he was back, carrying a conked-out Jack into her room. She watched through a semi-haze as he settled Jack on her bed and pulled the covers up, closing her door quietly before returning to his own room. He kicked the door closed, the click barely audible. "So what's with the pressure?" A sly grin spread across his face, and she instantly regretted the question. She was mesmerized by the play of his muscles as he crawled toward her, a surprise gasp escaping her as he grabbed her ankles and wrenched her away from the wall, her head flopping onto the pillows.
"The pressure is turned up to block out any sounds you might make," he whispered, now hovering over her, just inches between them. "Because I'm definitely," he continued, pausing to grasp her wrists and raise them over her head, pinning her arms down firmly to the mattress, "definitely going to get even." His voice had lowered to deeper than she'd ever heard him speak before, and a shiver ran through her, instantly followed by a pang of pain in her head making her cringe. A quick flash of concern passed over his face, but was gone when she started struggling against his hold. It was replaced instead by a feral grin, and her eyes crossed as he leaned forward, his lips pressing lightly to hers. She arched upwards trying to find more contact with him, but he pulled away just enough to keep the contact already established. She moaned, her face contorting as she struggled harder, resorting to biting his lip fiercely. He pulled away, staring down into her face, the grin replaced. Her eyebrow rose, and she knew he was up to something. He shifted beside her, reaching for something, but his back blocked her view. She struggled against him, but only managed to waste precious energy, finally giving up and lying there, a bored expression plastered on her face. He turned back to her, and her eyes widened.
"No," she said quickly, shaking her head as he continued to pin her arms with one hand, using his other to raise a bundle of socks to his teeth and unfold them. "God damn it, Riddick, no!" She struggled further, thrashing her legs until he trapped them between his own, sitting just above her knees as he leaned down to kiss her once more, a short and almost chaste kiss.
"Behave," he cooed, taking her earlobe between his teeth, quickly releasing it. She arched up at him, trying to buck him off her, but he shifted, trapping her legs in a scissor move as he turned to tie her hands to the frame of the bed in an intricate knot. He made them tight enough to hold her but still allow her to figure out how to wriggle free if she really wanted to. She sighed, a deep scowl marking her face. "Aw, don't be like that," he crooned, grinning down at her as his thumbs hooked in the waistband of her pajama pants, drawing them slowly down her legs. She saw an opportunity and took it, her heel catching him in the stomach, throwing him with a loud thud into the door. His eyes flashed, and she stuck out her tongue, knowing she'd caught him off guard. She heard the growl before she saw him move, his fingers wrapping tightly around her ankles. "What, am I gonna have to tie these down too?" he snarled.
"Fuck you," she snapped, still trying to figure out the knotted socks holding her wrists. In an instant he was straddling her hips again, the tops of his feet pressing into her shins to hold her legs down. She tried to lift her hips off the mattress but he was too heavy, and she sighed in frustration.
"Listen to me, sweetheart," he said roughly, his fingers tangling in her hair, pulling her head to the side to bare her neck to him. "You should never have started this game if you didn't think you could handle it." She took a breath to snap a reply back to him, but the expression in his eyes made the breath catch in her throat. Her brows furrowed as he pulled away from her, the glint of metal behind him drawing her attention.
"Riddick, no," she whispered, shaking her head. She felt the point of the shiv press lightly into her belly, almost hard enough to draw blood but not quite. She strained against him, breathing heavily as he moved the shiv slowly up her abdomen, her favorite pajama shirt slowly being cut away from her. The straps were cut next, and he pulled the tattered piece of clothing away. Her eyes followed his hands as he gently set the knife on the bureau next to the bed, lowering his head to rest against her belly.
The anxiety remained in her stomach, twisting it in knots as his hands slowly tickled up and down her sides. Her body reacted, but her mind was still focused on the look she'd caught in his eyes. She couldn't think of anything to say that would be safe enough to break through this haze he was in, so she kept her mouth shut, focusing her eyes on a rusty spot on the ceiling. She felt him move, and her eyes closed as his lips pressed to her skin, his tongue slowly delving into her navel before he started a trail up to her lips. The expression was gone when she looked up at him now, but her concern remained, and though she knew it was written all over her face she didn't try to hide it. He shushed her, shaking his head as he bent to capture his lips in hers, but she turned her head away. She felt rather than heard the low grumble in his chest, and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the blow to come. Instead, his fingers lightly traced the contours of muscles in her arms flexing as she strained against the socks binding her, his lips lightly following his fingers. Goose bumps rose on her skin, but it was mostly from the ultimate feeling of vulnerability running through her at the moment and the flashes of memories long since repressed. His teeth grazed against the pulsating vein protruding from the side of her neck, the jugular, and she tensed, but felt him smile against her, and that didn't make her feel any more at ease.
"Don't you dare be afraid of me," he whispered suddenly. Her head snapped back to him, eyes narrowing up at him. Her mouth opened, but she couldn't form any words. His finger settled over her lips, and he shook his head, replacing his fingers with his lips, claiming hers in such a gentle manner it was completely unlike him. He traced the curve of her jawline with his thumb as he kissed her.
The cold air hit her as he lifted away from her, standing next to the bed just out of sight. No matter how she turned her head, either her arm or the pillows that had moved during her struggle against the socks blocked her view. She huffed, throwing her head back against the mattress.
"Patience," he rumbled. She jumped at the sound of his voice, and then felt the bed give again as he returned to her, the rest of his clothing removed. "You know, I thought you'd pushed every single button I had," he purred, running a hand along her side and down her hip and back up. "But this afternoon," he continued, shaking his head as he pressed his forehead to hers, "you found one I didn't know I had." She swallowed, the uneasiness returning at the ambiguity of his words. His eyes lingered on hers for a moment, his nose a fraction of an inch from touching hers, and his face was gone again. Her stomach twitched as he scrubbed the stubble on his chin down her belly, turning his head from side to side as the trail swerved. He planted a kiss on each of the peaks protruding slightly at the front of her hips, sliding his hands down her legs. His fingers twined around her knees, lifting one slightly as his lips moved down the inside of her leg, then repeated the action on the other.
His attentions returned to her lower stomach as his fingers tightened on her knees, lifting them over his shoulders. As he expected, she clamped her legs tightly around his head, her hands pressed into the wall helping to push him away from her, or at least trap him into going no further. The look on her face was priceless. He'd known this would surprise her, but the scent of her fear far outweighed that of her arousal, though it existed. He sighed, shaking his head as much as he could with her legs still fastened around him, and worked his toes into a good enough spot on the bed frame to counter her force, and since he was stronger he won. She either had to let him go or let him smack her head into the wall, and she wasn't about to risk passing out. With a growl, she tightened her legs around his head as hard as she could before letting him go. The pressure he'd been countering her with wasn't stopped quickly enough, and he landed squarely on top of her, his nose buried in her neck. The chuckle rumbled through him, and he shook his head.
"Chikage, listen to me," he whispered, directly into her ear. Her breathing quickened as the scent of her fear intensified. "Look at me, baby," he continued, nuzzling his cheek against hers before pulling away to let her comply. She didn't, and he grasped her chin gently, feeling the tremor there as he forced her to turn her head toward him. His brow furled as he realized just how terrified she was at this point, the tears already welling up. "I'd never hurt you," he insisted, mustering all the honesty into his eyes he could stand to without breaking down completely. "God, Chi," he sighed, lowering his forehead to hers, feeling her eyebrow quiver under his. He swallowed past the uninvited lump in his throat. His lips met hers for a brief moment, and when she didn't respond he pulled away, keeping his eyes clenched shut. "Please tell me you know I could never hurt you."
"If you care about me even the slightest bit, untie me right now," she said, failing to keep the tremble from her voice. His eyes opened, staring down into hers for a moment before he nodded against her, pulling away to untie the knotted socks. She immediately shoved him away from her, curling into a ball as she buried her face in the nearest pillow. He sat there for a moment, mentally scolding himself as he watched her rock slightly. The lump in his throat swelled, and he had trouble getting around it before he slid to his side next to her, wrapping his arms around her and curling himself along her back. She'd broken into a cold sweat, and he felt a sob rack her body.
"Shit, Chi, I'm sorry," he whispered, pressing his lips to her shoulder. She shuddered, and he pulled her tighter, feeling the tension hum through her. He took over her rocking, gently swaying both of them.
"Can you turn the pressure down?" she asked quietly, her voice muffled by the pillow. His rocking stopped, and he nodded, his cheek still pressed against her shoulder blade. He moved away from her, and she curled tighter into herself, hearing him pick up his pants and slide them on before opening the door, feeling him hover, just standing there for a moment before he was gone. She looked up to make sure he'd left and quickly rifled through her drawers, hurriedly pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, sliding under the covers and curling back up. She let out a sigh as the pressure was released, her body relaxing only slightly. His bare feet slapped quietly against the floor, his steps pausing in the doorway again before he shut the door. She heard clothes ruffling, assuming he was changing, and soon the bed gave, but he didn't crawl under the sheets with her.
"Do you want me to sleep upstairs? On one of the couches?" he asked quietly, folding his hands in his lap and staring down at them as he sat next to her.
"No," she answered, followed by a quick sniffle. He turned to look at her, but her back was still to him, and she'd not moved. After a moment, he nodded, shifting to turn down the sheets and slide into the bed with her, keeping to his side as he lay on his side, staring at the back of her head. His hand grew a mind of its own, reaching out to brush her shoulder, but he retracted it as she started, his eyes closing in defeat. "Tell me something," she said quietly. "How did you think I knew so much about what Jack was going to have to face going to see Marie?" He felt like she'd punched him in the gut as hard as she could, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.
"I don't know," he finally managed. "But now I feel like a fucking idiot for trying this," he admitted.
"Anything but tying me up, Riddick," she whispered, shaking her head. The tremors had returned to her voice, her tears now falling unobstructed. She turned to him suddenly, eyes already swollen and bloodshot. Before he knew what was happening, she'd thrust herself against him, one hand looped tightly around his neck as she pressed her nose into his chest. "Nothing brings it back except that." He nodded, his arms going around her as he pulled her closer against him, his hands sliding up and down her back.
"I'm sorry, baby," he whispered, surprised at the shakiness of his own voice. She shook her head.
"You didn't know."
"I should have." She let it go, refusing to argue with him over this. Instead, she pressed closer to him, her fingers digging into her skin as another swell of tears blurred her vision. She blinked them free, and he felt them soak into the shirt he'd opted to put on, running his hands through her hair as he shushed her softly. He pressed his lips to her forehead and shifted onto his back, cradling her against his side. His uneven breathing slowly lulled her to sleep, but he remained awake.