Thanks to:
TotallyRiddickObsessed
tamekabu – hey again, good to see you reviewing again.
Note: This is the most recent thing I have and I'm working on the future battle scene and it's taking a long-ass time, please be patient! That and I purposely made this long, so please cherish it.
Chapter XXXV: Meet The Convict, Kids.
Riddick prowled in the evening shadows of Imam's house as Jack patiently waited for Rick and Falc to arrive. Things were beginning to brew and soon enough, once the team was assembled, the time would begin to tick.
Neither had been able to spend time with each other after their real first night. Now that both were intimately bonded with one another, they felt the need to be close, regardless of the time or place.
"Please Riddick, you're making me nervous." Jack said quietly, not ordering like he would have expected, but almost pleading.
He immediately stopped and approached Jack. Pulling her back to the stairs, he sat on a higher step and seated Jack beneath him. Pulling her unbraided hair to one side, he began to gently massage her shoulders.
Making appreciative noises, Jack leaned her head on his knee, rubbing into it like a content cat. As the tension loosened under his deft fingers, Jack's breathing evened out. Slipping down a stair he pulled her up into his lap, holding her against him.
Reaching her hand up the side of his face, Jack made him face her directly. Without words, both leaned into a short, yet passionate kiss.
As they broke, Riddick briefly thought of the idea that Jack could get hurt. Shaking it away, he tugged her closer to him. Oddly enough, Jack thought the same thing.
"Riddick?" She asked, her head tucked beneath his chin.
"Yeah, what's up, Jack?" He replied, carding his fingers through her hair.
"Please take care of yourself in this storming of the ship. I know you're superhuman and all that, but you're still mortal. Don't get hurt." She said, glad she wasn't looking directly at him.
"And you too, I can't be watching your ass the entire time." He looked up seconds after a third voice interrupted.
"Yeah but we will." Rick's arrogant drawl drifted into the entry hall. Jack leapt out of Riddick's hold and went to greet her friends.
"Rick! Falc!" She exclaimed, hugging them both. Riddick had stood up and walked to where they were standing.
"Good evening, sir." Falc greeted Riddick, with a respectful nod.
Riddick smirked then burst out laughing. A genuine smile graced his face as he stared down the young man that had just greeted him.
"No one's called me 'sir', before, kid. No need to start now. What's your name?" Riddick asked, still smiling.
"Falc. And this annoying 5-year old would be Rick." He introduced himself and Rick, who was raking Jack's form with his eyes.
Growling, Riddick pulled Jack against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. Rick instantly got it and backed off. Falc smiled, glad to have someone put Rick in his place. He was the worst person to travel with.
"Yo, Jack. What's going down?" Rick asked, toeing his stuff into the house. Falc picked up his few bags and placed them inside, snorting at Rick's lazy method.
"Long story. Want something to eat or drink?" Jack offered, pulling away from Riddick but still holding onto his hand.
"Yeah I'm starving. Stupid motherfucker here wouldn't give me any of his food!" Rick said, motioning towards Falc.
"Now I know where you got your bad language." Riddick commented, walking with Jack towards the kitchen. Falc and Rick followed at a respectful distance, both wary of Riddick.
Jack immediately set to work in the kitchen, finding food for sandwiches and putting it together. She was just done making the sandwiches, then put them into the toaster oven Imam bought from an antique market. She smiled to see the three of them sitting around the kitchen table. Rick and Riddick were having something akin to a glaring contest while Falc was simply observing the room.
Falc had changed his hair since they last saw each other and now it hung to his shoulders, dyed bright silver. His blue eyes looked sharp and attentive as they fell onto Jack. She smiled at him, making him nod in return. He was never one for words. His pale skin almost glowed sometimes, making everything even more mysterious.
As she opened the fridge to look for something to drink for all of them, Jack growled at the lack of liquids whatsoever. Standing up and closing the fridge, she looked at Rick, who had lost miserably at the staring contest.
Rick, short for Ricardo, had naturally tanned skin, dark eyes and almost black hair. He said he was pure-blood Italian, giving him a very light accent, not nearly as noticeable as Liege's. He wasn't as tall as Falc, who was taller than Riddick, and shorter than Riddick as well.
"Alright, kids, there's nothing to drink so I need to go out and get something. Any preferences?" Jack asked, sounding a little more then pissed at the fact there wasn't anything at all the drink.
"Wine."
"Beer."
"Water is fine, thank you Jack."
Jack rolled her eyes as she started to turn and head out the door. Go figure Rick would want wine, Riddick would want beer and Falc would be the most simple. Just water.
"Jack." Riddick's deep voice rumbled behind her. He had twisted around in his seat to look at her.
"I can go out by myself." Jack said, a cold edge in her voice.
"No. You can't." He growled back. She shouldn't be this stubborn all the time.
"Jack, I will accompany you if you would like it. I would feel at ease if I knew you weren't alone." Falc said quietly, standing and pushing his chair in.
"Alright, thanks Falc. Let's go. I want to find both of you alive when we get back." Jack commanded, pointing at both Riddick and Rick.
They left the house, leaving Riddick and Rick alone. The silence became comfortable, almost as if they had known each other for a while.
"'I would feel at ease' my ass. Falc's had a thing for her since she stepped into that damn building. All gentleman-like. Won't get you shit in this day and age." Rick commented, sounding a little angry and jealous.
"Someone's got to be the good guy. 'sides, Jack is mine. And I don't think that has to made clear." Riddick replied, amused at this younger man's thoughts.
"Didn't say she wasn't." He replied, not missing a beat.
"Good. Keep it that way. Jack tells me you're an arrogant bastard and you're living up to it pretty well. Is it true, playboy?" Riddick questioned, leaning back in his chair. He could be just as sarcastic and heartless.
"Yeah, I've slept with most of the girls in school. In different grades, too. But, they love me, what can I say? My sexy charm…" he trailed off, smoothing his hair back with one hand. "No, Jack stayed untouched. Liege made sure of that. Christ, that Irishwoman wouldn't let a male get within five feet of her."
"The way it should be." Riddick growled back.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you want." Rick said carelessly, glancing at the famous convict who sat across from him.
"So what do you know about Liege?" Riddick asked, eyeing the toasting sandwiches. He was hungry…for both sandwiches and Jack. But Jack was out, so sandwiches would do.
"Liege? Damn, that bitch holds so much power at school. No one messes with her, she can walk down any hallway without fear. Sorta like a Robin Hood, she defends the weaker ones. But when she picked up Jack, she was looking for a strong companion. They hit it off instantly and Jack told me how relieved she was to be on Liege's side." Rick stopped to take a breath and glance at Riddick.
"Continue."
"Liege…she was always very serious about survival. She never talks about her past, never. I think someone in her family must've died…considering the way she fiercely protects herself and anyone. That and she hates being talked down to, or anyone else she likes for that matter. It was usually her, Jack, me and Falc. We hung out together and the three of us kept a careful eye on Jack. This one time…shit…" he trailed off, falling into memories.
"What?" Riddick pushed, he wanted to know.
"Well, one day after classes…"
Jack closed the door of her room behind her, making sure it locked. Liege was inside taking a shower and would flip if someone besides her came in.
Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her jeans and shirt and walked down the hallway. She was going to head to dinner early to meet up with Rick and Falc and Liege would meet them there.
As Jack walked out the door of her dorm, she was immediately met with catcalls and wolf whistles, which she was accustomed to by now. With a snort of annoyance, she hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans and continued walking towards the dining hall.
She felt a few people following her, but she wasn't worried. Nothing could happen on campus grounds, or so she thought.
"Hey, babe, feeling lonely?" One guy shouted.
"Aw, c'mon, just a little fun sweet thing." Another called, his friends laughing behind him.
Jack picked up the pace, not responding to those jerks. When she heard them break into a run, she cursed and started to sprint. But go figure these guys were on the track team.
They easily overtook her and one roughly grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground. Wincing she jumped up only to feel a heavy object being smashed against the back of her head.
Shaking it off she thoughtlessly ran up to one of the guys, coming with a swift hook. Cursing he swung at her, but she ducked and spun, bringing her foot directly to his stomach. He still didn't fall but he was groaning in pain now.
The guys had formed a circle around her now, jeering or cheering. He held one arm against his stomach and he lunged forward, swinging with the other. Jack easily backed away and holding the back of his head, brought her knee straight up to his face, feeling the crack of his nose against her.
This should've put him out of the fight, but he still continued, blindly swinging and yelling at her. She knew that this was the leader of the group that had followed her, so if she took him out, she would either be a) respected and left alone or b) beaten to a pulp by the vengeful friends of his.
Concentrating, Jack circled the now completely degraded leader. Feeling more like predator than prey, she leapt at him and while in the air, kicked him twice in the face before pushing him back with her feet. He fell hard onto the ground and she perched on him, still standing on his chest.
She watched as he tried to form a sentence, but he started blinking and soon his head fell limp to the side. Bending down, she felt his pulse and was relieved to still have it pumping. Imam would be upset if she had killed a fellow schoolmate.
Suddenly she was surrounded by all the other vengeful friends and was glad to see the body of the other guy dragged away. 'So much for plan 'a', Jack thought as they angrily glared at her.
Just when they were about to go in for the kill, a furious voice shouted across the courtyard. Their faces paled as a wrathful Liege stormed through them.
"YE FUCKIN' BASTARDS FUCKIN' BACK OFF! YE FUCKIN' SHITS! HOW DARE YE GO NEAR HER!" Liege roared. She was in full fury now, her cooper eyes shining almost golden. Her red hair resembled a sort of mane of flames as she turned and snarled at the other guys, who backed off immediately.
"Where is yer leader?" She demanded, anger tightly restrained in her cold voice.
Silence met her so she grabbed the nearest guy by the collar and threw him to the ground. In seconds her steel-toed boot was pushing down on his neck and her other foot was holding down his crotch, making him emit painful, strangled cries.
"WHERE IS HE!" She shouted at him as he clawed at her boots.
She loosened the pressure and let him take in deep breathes of air. Nodding he tried to sit up, only to be pushed down by her boot on his chest.
"Jack…got 'im. He's passed out somewhere, I don't know, his body was taken away." His voice regained strength as he continued to talk.
"Fine job, Jack, me lass." Liege complimented, without even looking at her. "Who be yer second in command and is 'e present?"
"Yes, I'm here." A tall young man stepped into the circle, stopping just two feet away from Liege and the guy she pinned to the ground. "Let him go."
With a final kick/shove at his crotch and windpipe, Liege let him scramble up and fall back into the crowd where he disappeared.
"I be puttin' this group 'ere out of power. Ye be at the bottom now. 'n if ANY of ye even get near Jack, I will kill ye. 'n I don't ever 'ave regrets, so don't push it." Liege ordered, ignoring the fallen faces.
"But, when he wakes-"
"Tell 'im 'e can talk to me." Liege finished, grabbing Jack's wrist and pulling her through the crowd. Soon that too dispersed and Jack was relieved to have Liege as a friend, comrade and ally.
"So Jack's well-off with Liege around." Riddick noted, impressed at the detail of Jack's fight. Always was a survivor. Never the inferior or defeated.
"Yeah, she is. Hey, speak of the devil." Rick said lightly as Jack walked in with Falc in tow. He insisted on carrying the bags and Jack got out glasses and checked the sandwiches.
"Ready!" She exclaimed, shooing Falc to sit d own.
She put the sandwiches onto plates and bought a glass with each plate. As she approached with the first plate she put it down in the center and both Riddick and Rick reached for it.
With a quiet growl and glare, Rick figured the next sandwich would be just as good. Soon they were eating away and Rick filled her in on the happenings and gossip since she had left. Not that there was much to tell.
As Jack got up to put the dishes in the sink, Falc immediately rose and did it for her and she let him without protest. As she returned, Riddick reached out and pulled her into his lap.
"So, Jack, do they know the plan?" Riddick asked her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Jack knew he wasn't taking well to the other competing male forces in the room.
"No, but I typed up a brief for them." She replied, reaching into her back pocket and taking out two folded slips of paper. She handed one to each and let them read.
Jack snuggled back into Riddick, resting her head on his shoulder. She decided she would convince him tonight that she belonged to him completely and didn't even think about looking at any other guys. Kissing his neck she closed her eyes and wished that Liege was doing alright.
