Beastly Bonds
Chapter XVI
All Readers Please Read This: As all of you faithful reviewers know, I'm going to be absent from my laptop for ten days starting this Sunday. As such, I feel compelled to finish "Beastly Bonds" before I leave. I decided a while ago this story would be nineteen chapters long, no more, no less. I don't want to hear fuss about this.
Thanks to these reviewers:
Iridescent Twilight – Although you're 'late' as you so kindly put it, you're still the first reviewer. It amuses me slightly to know that you were antsy for a computer. I've been in the same spot, so I know how you feel. I mean, but hey, if that sandwich scene was with Riddick, wouldn't we all want to be his sandwich? God, that sounds so kinky.
whitelite – It's true, I spoil the readers horribly.
sara – I'm really amazed about how many reviewers of this story started the first few chapter reviews saying they really liked this independent Jack. I'm so…happy to know I hit that aspect of her character well. Aie, Mary-Sue, how I fear/hate thee.
crematoriacon - I feel foolish for asking, but what does WTG mean? I'm familiar with WTF, but with my not-so-clean mouth, that is pretty common. Thanks for reviewing. Erm, I noticed that you haven't written anything, will you?
ren3017 – I haven't left yet! Need to give all you faithful reviewers your R/J fix.
Story!
He woke to someone kissing him and by the now-familiar taste, he didn't need to smell or see her to know it was Jack. All the same his silver eyes flickered open to see her straddling him stomach, leaning down to kiss him again. Awake, he responded, bringing up his hands to hold her head close to his. Her hair fell around him, the silky strands tickling his chest.
"I could wake up this way for the rest of my life." He spoke softly, kissing her lightly again.
"As could I." She responded, sitting back on her heels.
Somehow they had made it back to her bungalow and even into her bed, not bothering to check if anyone was still in the living room.
Riddick, more importantly, his beast, reveled and was honored by the fact that he had been her first. And it would stay that way, this he knew well.
He was distracted from his thoughts as Jack slid off him, curling up against his side. Her hand gently traced around the stitched slashes, silently amazed that they had lasted the night. Jack felt him nuzzle the top of her head and she looked up only to be lip locked into another passionate kiss.
"Jack, can you tell me? About your family?" He asked, his gravelly voice curious, not jealous about the attention she had been focusing on them earlier.
"Why?" She replied, not offended.
"I could say to know what sort of expectations your father had for your future…"
"Lover." She put in, face straight and calm.
"But in I would just like to know." He continued, trying to block out the victorious howl that his inner beast had sounded at the one word she had supplied seconds before. Riddick let her stay silent, he could only guess she was relapsing into a family memory he must've sparked. He held her closer and waited patiently, knowing that coming to terms with lost loved ones was never easy.
"Dad! Dad! You'll never guess!" Jack excitedly spoke to her father over the phone, seeing her mother standing in the doorway of the bathroom, a smile on her face.
"What is it?" He asked, his voice genuinely curious.
"It's mom!" She replied, not expecting his reaction. Her trained ears heard something clutter and break on the other end and her father's breathing become slightly unsteady.
"Is she alright? What happened?" His voice revealed everything.
"She said I'm going to have a baby brother! How cool is that!" She felt better when she heard her father chuckle then laugh on the other end.
"That's amazing, Jackie. Can you put her on the phone?" He sounded very relieved and happy. Jack handed the phone to her mother, whose graceful movements and hands took it from her, bringing it up to her ear.
Jack didn't miss the way she held her stomach as she talked to her father on the phone, at one point shooing her off to do her homework. She figured they were going to talk about all that romance stuff that she had no interest in. At all.
Jack sighed, still unaware that she had yet to answer the question as she slipped into another memory, snuggling closer to Riddick. This one was farther back, back when her mother hadn't been so calm and at ease. Back when her father was in the war.
"Mom, you ok?" A much younger and much sleepier Jack stood in the doorway of the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. It was late at night but she had seen the lights from downstairs and went to investigate.
She had found her mother sitting on one of the stools at the counter, her healthy skin unusually pale and her eyes red with dried tears. Over the last few weeks her eyes had lost their spark, her hair lost its shine and even her voice was dull to Jack's ears.
"Mom?" She asked again, making her mother look at her.
She had always known her daughter Jacqueline would be beautiful, seeing how she was almost exactly like herself in her younger years. So in essence a small version of herself stood in the doorway, the oversized long-sleeved t-shirt her father had left from her hanging off one shoulder. The sleeves that were too long cloaked her hands, hanging off in extra lengths of cloth as she moved them. A pair of gym shorts finished the outfit, making her look like a daughter of a professional athlete who had 'borrowed' his clothes.
"Jackie, did you have trouble sleeping?" She slipped off the stool and knelt down, opening her arms to her only child. Jack trotted over to her, snuggling into her mother's embrace.
"No, but you do. Why can't you sleep?" She asked, pulling back. Her mother weakly smiled at her, exhaustion clear in her features.
"I guess I have trouble sleeping." She replied.
"Nightmares?" Jack pushed, knowing sometimes that nightmares could keep her up.
Her mother wanted to reply with 'if you only knew the nightmares I have', but she didn't, knowing it would upset Jack. Instead she said that she just couldn't sleep without her father nearby. Which was half the truth.
Moments of comfortable silence passed and her mother stood and went to the glass windows, opening one and relaxing slightly in the breeze. It was early morning, maybe two or three A.M., making the neighborhood quiet and serene to watch and listen to. Yet the peaceful silence was broken by the kitchen phone ringing. Her mother's heart froze, could it be that call she had dreaded since she saw him off? She held her breath as the phone continued to ring, Jack just being able to reach it on the wall. She got it down and put it to her ear.
"'alo?" Her sleepy voice spoke. Suddenly her eyes cleared as she heard the voice on the other end, but Jack's mother didn't see that. She almost collapsed in relief when she heard what her daughter said next.
"Daddy! I miss you!" She said, holding the phone tighter. Jack's mother approached her, tears stinging her eyes. Every phone call was painful for her, not knowing if he would be able to call the next time.
"Uh-huh, I've been good. Dad. But there's this kid in school who is being a real bully. No matter what the teachers tell you dad, don't believe 'em." She added, hearing a tired chuckle on the other end.
"Yep, ok. Goodnight Daddy. I'll go to sleep, promise. Hey, here's mom." She said, handing the phone to her mother. She immediately went back out and up the stairs, even though she had seen the tears in her mother's eyes, she knew she needed the few minutes alone with him. Even if it was on the phone.
Jack stood on the top of the stairs for a moment, clenching her jaw when she heard her mother begin to quietly sob. She sat down on the top step, just able to make out the kind and gentle reassurances her father gave over the phone. Soon the sniffling stopped and her mother bid her father goodbye, always ending the conversation by saying, 'Godspeed.'
When she began to talk, her voice seemed relaxed, as if speaking from a memory, not actually her real voice. Riddick stroked her hair, wondering while he listened how the hell Neunzhen hadn't come in and tried to rip his throat out yet.
"Just me, my dad and mom. My full name, Jacqueline Laurent, chosen by my dad. My mom stayed at home, but she translated old transcripts that museums brought to her from all these different systems. My dad was in the army-"
"High Commander Laurent?"
"Well, last name is obvious but how did you know?" She asked, curious. Did everyone know about her father? Surely Riddick hadn't served with him.
"Probably the one man in the universe who did not advocate or condone the way in which high-security prisoners, like Tipner, were transported. Saw him once, on the way to my first slam. He personally boarded the merc ship I was on and almost verbally beat the shit out of each and every one of them. Probably because I was younger, so he took more sympathy, but all the same." He explained, looking up at the ceiling.
"You know about Tipner? Like, pre-Crematoria Tipner?" She asked, now completely off topic.
"Met him in Butcher's Bay."
"Woah, he was in Butcher's Bay the same time as you? But you escaped-"
"This was pre-Riddick, the most-hunted man in the universe. You wouldn't believe it but ask Tipner, I was related to the boss who ran Butcher's Bay." He smiled down at Jack's amazed snort.
"Somehow in your twisted life, I can believe that. So, still interested in the Laurent family?" She asked, making a mental note to go after Tipner later for details of a younger Riddick.
"Fire away." He replied, closing his eyes briefly.
/Just thought that 'Laurent' was a fake I.D. name, never knew she was actually related to the High Commander Laurent./
"Dad was in the army, wars to be specific. Time goes by, I grow up, dad comes back, I find out I'm about to be an older sister. Then it happened." She related the fateful night that changed her life.
When she finished, she sat up, her bare back facing Riddick. He saw her roughly wipe at her eyes and pulled himself up, ignoring the pain in his side and arm. He kissed the back of her neck as he gathered her in his arms, thankful she didn't resist but instead turned and buried her face in his neck.
"It's ok, Jack, I've got you." He comforted her best he could, remembering those were the three of the first four words he had spoken to her.
"Wake up! Wake up!" Litman shook Tipner awake, shaking him hard enough to rattle his brains and upon focusing on this feeling, Tipner smacked him hard across the head.
"Is there anything this important?" He crossly yelled, his blind eye glaring just as hard as his other.
"No, but I didn't want to go exploring off island by myself, so I woke you up." He explained, not sounding at all apologetic.
"You didn't want to go…by yourself…" Tipner was muttering darkly, never a good sign. "And pray tell, why didn't you get Krent and Meth to go with you?"
Litman just gave him a you-shouldn't-be-asking-that-question look and Tipner suddenly 'ah'd' and nodded. Of course, that would be slightly awkward for the new couple to be out and about but not be able to really touch each other. Not only that but Litman would feel obliged to let them be by themselves, leaving him alone. He wasn't even going to think about asking why he didn't go ask Jack. He didn't want to imagine what Riddick would do he if he interrupted something.
"So, will you?" Litman pressed, looking like an eager and slightly annoying young child.
"Yes, yes, fine. Maybe I can even find some more books." He added, feeling slightly hopeful. Litman immediately remembered something that he had hidden for perfect usage like this.
"I asked Tom about places to go shopping, you know, and he said there was a library of sorts on another archipelago. We could plan it out today and head out tomorrow." He felt strangely better when a smile cracked the old man's wrinkled face. Like he had just done a good thing to make his father happy, but Litman's thoughts turned dark at the thought of his father. The man who had put him off touching anyone for as long as humanly possible.
"Indeed, undoubtedly Jack might want us to pick something up. Perhaps we could call a sort of meeting. Later that is, once I can safely assume that Riddick and Jack have…settled in." he chose his words wisely.
"Good idea. So…Tipner, you gonna stay here? You know, after the hiding period?" He asked, changing the subject. Seeing how the older man wasn't going to sleep, he figured he could at least keep up a conversation.
"I don't know, actually. The thought of dying here is quite appealing, though, and I don't have a long lost relative to go searching for, so it's possible." He spoke calmly and casually about his death, shocking Litman.
"Dying! You're basing the choice off of where you want to die?" He asked, sounding outraged.
"Come now, Litman, you don't honestly believe that I have much time left. I'm old, Litman. Old people simply don't survive very well in this day and age. Please settle down. What are you going to do?" He asked, seeing the other man's face change with thought.
"I'll probably leave. Maybe even get an early shuttle out, I'll see when we go exploring tomorrow about a port or something. There are places I'd like to see myself before I go out. And I plan to do so with a bang." He added, laughing himself once Tipner barked a sort of half-laugh.
"And how do you propose on 'going out with a bang', hm?" Tipner asked, a grin still pulling at his face.
"Not sure. Maybe settle down, get married, have kids or some weird shit like that." He sounded confused, as if this was an idea he had never breached before.
"Having children isn't 'weird shit', Litman, you just aren't accustomed to thinking like that. For us, it's never been top priority to keep the family genes going for generations, it's been survival. Now that we can survive without having to stab someone every other week, you can start considering those options. I'm sure your offspring…spawn…would be absolutely…delightful." He muttered 'spawn', but Litman still heard it.
"Good to know you care. If you're still kicking when I do have kids, might drop 'em off here to have you babysit them, Grandpa Tipner." He replied, smiling.
"Babysit? Me? And do what, watch them drown themselves in the ocean? By the time a woman even considers settling down with you I'll be dead by at least a century. What good is a corpse watching children, eh?" He retorted, making Litman shout an insulted cry.
"Pre-Crematoria, I was a chick magnet!" He argued, making Tipner laugh even harder.
"You? A chick magnet? Really, the only things that would've gravitated towards you would be bad luck and if you had the money, prostitutes. Not to mention a whole curseful of bad attitudes, poor language and no charm whatsoever." He bit back. There was no out-insulting Tipner, not even on a good day.
Hours passed, evening crept from behind the thick tree trunks and rose in winds off the ocean breeze. She breathed deeply, the salty air tingling her nerves, but not in a painful way, not at all. Standing alone on the deck, she tugged the thin blanket around her tighter.
It didn't bother Jack that she was naked underneath the blanket, most likely because the only other person in the bungalows was Riddick. And it wasn't like he hadn't seen all of it, not to mention mark it. She smiled softly at this, breathing in deeply.
She closed her eyes and she sensed and felt his presence behind her, approaching with care and respect. Warm arms wrapped around her completely, pulling her back into his chest, his steady heart beat putting her at ease. From the way he had walked, she could tell he was half dressed, wearing the now-dry pants from the beach.
Would rather have him otherwise and in a bed, but he's here, with me. Don't think I would ever want it otherwise.
"Feeling alright, Jacqueline?" His voice rumbled through her, waking the dormant butterflies in her. Matters weren't helped when he used her full name, the way it calmed her and excited her, like the reassurance of distant thunder.
"Hmm. Little sore." She spoke softly, resting her head on his chest, lowering one hand from its grasp on the blanket to cover his, tracing designs on his skin.
"Well if you keep working at it and get used to it enough, the soreness won't be bothering you." She couldn't resist a small laugh at this, especially the way he emphasized it.
"But I certainly can't do it alone, now can I? Might need a personal trainer." Her voice sent bolts of shock down his spine, making him almost purr as she turned around and leaned into him, trailing one finger down his bare chest.
"At this rate, you're going to need a tamer, Jack, not a trainer. After last night, I'm pretty damn sure you don't need to be trained in that…department." She laughed this, quieting quickly as she happily lay her head on his chest, watching the far off water.
Jack tensed when she felt one of his arms leave its grasp but heard him taking off his goggles, so she relaxed again. The goggles safely tucked away, he returned to holding her to him. Closing her eyes again, she let go of the blanket, but it was still held up by the way she was pressing her body against Riddick's. Jack wove her arms around his waist, returning his embrace.
"Riddick…" she spoke his name almost reverently, but the soft undertone of loyalty, devotion and maybe even love changed it.