A/N: thanks to cutleryismyfriend, katarinthedamned, Anea The Morwnynion (and because I might not remember later...thanks for boosting Everybody's Fool reviews up to 70...yay, new record! Love your insanity...so much fun!), DemolitionV and Arrna for reviewing.
Hugs to you! Hugs and cookies!
Since this is the absolute last chapter of this fic...(pauses to let readers finish sobbing)...I am asking you all very nicely to review so that I will know my fic is appreciated...I love everyone who has reviewed...especially everybody who made me happy after the nasty flamers...
Look for a new PB fic by me coming soon...really soon I hope...it will be the sequel to this one...until then TTFN! (oh and cutlery...you can't steal Johnny Depp, because he doesn't belong to me...he belongs to Molly...she just lets me borrow him somedays)
The days seemed to start running into each other after a while.
Since there was no sun, they couldn't tell when was day and when was night so they slept when they felt tired and ate when they were hungry.
Eventually things fell into a pattern and it began to seem almost normal to be living in such close quarters with one another.
Riddick stopped by, on his daily inspection of the building to check on Cassandra.
She was lying on her side, her eyes wide open, but she wasn't moving.
"Cassie ?"
No response. He gripped her shoulder and shook her gently.
"Cassie ?"
Her eyelids fluttered and she let out a soft moan.
"You all right ?"
She looked up and a faint smile spread across her lips.
"Oh, Rick. Sorry, I must have spaced out for a minute there."
"Are you sure ?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. The bleedings almost stopped now."
"All right. If you're sure."
Cassandra squeezed his hand and smiled a bit more broadly.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"All right."
Riddick got up and continued the inspection.
"Rick."
Marina slid off the steel box she had been sitting on and walked over to him.
"Yeah ?"
"Have you noticed how quiet it's gotten lately ? I think that the eclipse might be over."
Riddick closed his eyes and listened. Marina was right. It was really quiet. Almost eerily quiet.
The creatures had staked themselves outside the small building and at all hours of the day or night, the air had been filled with their cries.
He'd gotten so used to hearing the high-pitched shrieks that he'd begun to just tune them out. But now that he was listening properly, he could tell that everything was quiet.
"I'll go check."
"You're not planning on opening the door, are you ?"
"No. I actually found a small window up on the wall, but it had a metal shutter over it, so I closed the shutter to keep the creatures out."
He walked over to the small window and forced the steel shutter up, letting bright sunlight flood into the room.
Everyone blinked sleepily in the sudden light and picked themselves off the floor, rubbing their eyes and stretching.
Suddenly, a low whine split the quiet atmosphere of the settlement.
Riddick unchained the door and pushed it open, just in time to see another ship land a little way from the building.
A magnified voice boomed out from inside the belly of the ship.
"You, there. Stop where you are."
Riddick held up his hands in a sign of surrender.
"Are you of the SXL G2 ? We got reports that it made an emergency landing on this planet two weeks ago."
Had it really been two weeks ? Well, he could figure that out later.
"Yes, we are."
"And who are you ?"
"I am the captain."
"How many other survivors are there ?"
"Only a few. Most died in the crash."
He didn't bother telling them about the creatures. Not yet at least. Let them think that the others who had been killed by the creatures, had really died in the crash.
"Get them to come out. We have instructions to take all of you to your intended destination."
Thank you."
"Will you be requiring any medical help ? Is anyone injured ?"
"Yes, we will need medical help."
The other survivors had begun to emerge from the building and a gangplank was lowered, allowing them onto the ship.
Jones tugged at Riddick's shirt and looked up at him nervously.
"Um, Mr. Johns ? Cassandra won't wake up."
"What do you mean ?"
"I tried to get her to wake up, but she won't."
Riddick's heart was suddenly seized in the cold vise of terror. He ran back inside to where Cassandra was lying.
"Cassie ?"
No response again. He shook her, but she didn't move.
"Cassie ?"
Finding her wrist, he frantically checked her pulse.
None.
A few tears slid down his cheeks, as he lifted her body up, cradling it to his chest.
Stepping back into the light, he was met by the captain of the rescue ship, a burly bearded man, with a very red face.
"Is she injured ?"
"No. She just died."
"Better leave her here then. No telling how long it will take us to reach our destination, especially with the meteor storms the way they are right now."
"No."
He didn't realize how harsh his voice sounded, until he caught the look of surprise on the other mans face.
"I'm sorry. But I can't just leave her here. She needs a proper burial."
"Fine. We can put her in the cargo hold. It's refrigerated."
"Thank you."
The door slid shut behind him, as he entered the belly of the ship.
Carrying Cassandra into the cargo hold, he laid her down and gently traced the contours of her face.
Her skin was so pale and her lips had a faint bluish tint.
"I'm sorry, Cassie," he whispered. "I wish things could have been different for you."
Standing up, he walked out of the hold and glanced back one final time, before shutting the door behind him, leaving Cassandra's body in the dark...
(sniff...sniff...WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH)
Another one of my babies is all grown up and gone away...now I'm sad
(sniff)
Please don't hate me too much for killing off Cassandra...I hated doing it, but it had to be done for the story to progress...
Look for my new PB fic coming soon...probably today actually...
Sex, Riddick and rock 'n' roll everyone!
Love ya,
Spoonie!