AN:

I AM NOT A DOCTOR OR REGISTERED NURSE! If you need medical attention please contact your doctor, go to a hospital or call emergency services.

Chapter 3

Aura woke to the smell of coffee and bacon the next morning. Rolling over from the center of her warm cozy bed she saw it was just after six am. She felt the cold air on her face and dreaded getting up for the day. She'd totally forgotten to turn the heat on before bed last night.

With the eclipse came winter like weather in mid summer. It would snow and yet not stick at first due to the warm ground. In a few days it would be a couple feet high. The snow and cold temperatures would leave with the eclipse in eight days.

Aura didn't mind the cold weather or the snow. In fact she enjoyed it. Her house was next to a river; across the river were more brownstone homes like hers and her bedroom window overlooked it. Occasionally she'd open the shutters and watch the snow fall as the water rush on. It was quiet and peaceful for a minute or two. Aura knew it was all an illusion but it was absolutely beautiful. It had the appearance that all was right with the world as everything was covered in white soft snow.

Knowing the sooner she got up and got to her list of chores and repairs the sooner she can relax. She'd better get up and start her day. Before getting ready for her day Aura goes to the thermostat next to her bedroom door and turned it up. She grabbed a thick soft cardigan and made her way into the bathroom. Ten minutes later she made her way downstairs slowly wondering what she will find.

Aura made her way into the kitchen slowly noting only a couple lights were on. Knowing Riddick didn't need any to see and that it was just for her benefit. Reaching the kitchen she saw Riddick placing two plates of bacon, eggs and toast on the dining room table. He turned around and said, "I made breakfast."

Turning to the cupboard by the sink she got a mug for coffee and said, "Thanks."

He nodded his head and went to the refrigerator to grab the butter dish.

"Would you like some coffee?" Aura asked as she poured herself some of the steaming hot coffee from the pot sitting on the counter.

"Yeah," he nodded.

Aura grabbed another mug and closed the cabinet door, "How do you take it?" she asked.

"Black."

After adding a little sugar from the small container next to the pot, she took both cups with her to the small table. She handed Riddick his cup and they sat. As they ate Aura glanced at Riddick and saw him eating quietly. He is so quiet. How can he be so big and not make any noise? She thought to herself.

Aura grabbed a notebook she used for grocery and to do list from the middle of the table and opened it to find her list of things she wanted to get done over the next week.

To Do List:

- declutter closets and put stuff in storage or bags for donation

-fix squeaky floor boards and split board on stairs

-dust

-hang new landscape painting over bed

-change filters in air system

-change light bulb over stairs

-clean windows

-clean rugs

-put new bookcase together (three of them)

-install new fan in guest room

-clean kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms

Riddick could help with the fan, bookcases and moving any boxes, she thought and looked up at him again. Her eyes met his and she quickly looked back down to her plate. Aura put her notebook back on the table and finished her meal in peace. The second she placed her fork on her empty plate Riddick picked it up. He carried the dishes they used to the sink and turned to her. "More coffee?" he asked.

She drank the last bit and nodded yes. He walked to her slowly meeting her stare the whole time. When he is close enough to get her cup she swallowed as he loomed over her. Aura felt the flush of her face as her body warmed to his closeness.

He smirked at her, grabbed her cup and turned back to the kitchen. Aura closed her eyes and calmed herself. Get a grip Aura. She thought. She hadn't felt an attraction like the one she felt towards Riddick in years. Not since she was in college and she had a small tryst with a professor for a couple of months. It had been intense, passionate and over very quickly after she found out he was also seeing the dean's secretary and his wife. Aura didn't take herself for the type to go for a bad boy and learned they came in all shapes, sizes and professions.

She shook her head slightly and picked up her tablet to check the news. As she scrolled through the daily news Riddick placed her cup in front of her. She took a sip and it was a perfect cup, just the right amount of sugar. She hadn't noticed him watching her when she had made it and was pleasantly surprised that he took note of how she liked her morning cup of coffee. It made her smile. No one had even taken the time to learn. She'd had one semi-serious boyfriend for almost a year and on the few occasions he'd slept over he never could remember three teaspoons of sugar. She still remembered he liked a splash of cream and way too much sugar.

As she continued to keep herself informed on the goings on of G.O. she heard Riddick turn on the sink. She looked up to see him washing the dishes from their shared meal. If he had been an invited guest she would have insisted on cleaning up since he cooked. Except he wasn't an invited guest and she had told him he had to do his share. Aura wasn't about to do anything that would make him think she was a push over, so she let him wash the dishes.

When she came across a story about an authorized ship that illegally did what appeared to do an emergency landed, she clicked on it. The story had a picture of a small star jumper that looked banged up and old and the same clip of a swat team surrounding a house she'd seen the day before on TV. As she read it she learned that the police knew now who had been aboard the ship but weren't going to release the information yet. All they could say was it was one person and he'd last been spotted in her neighborhood. Figuring now was a good time as any to ask Riddick about how he came to be on G.O. and her house she looked up at him and tried to decide how to approach the subject.

Aura took another drink, set down her tablet and looked at Riddick who was finishing the dishes.

"So, Riddick. What brought you to Glara Ouzel?" she said trying for innocents but not really believing it herself.

Riddick turned to face her, wiped his hands on the rag he had been holding and leaned against the counter to speak to her. "Engine failure," he said tensely.

"Oh," was all she could muster under his intense stare. "Um, can you fix that or…" she stuttered up as he intensely glared at her.

His face was hard and it made her think that he wasn't enjoying being asked questions. Crossing his arms he readjusted his hips, slightly wincing, so both were leaning against the counter and he could face the stove he said in a menacing voice, "Why don't you just ask what you really want to know and quit fishing for information?"

Huffing at his stubbornness to just play along she crossed her arms as well and asked like he suggest. "Why are you on G.O. Riddick? Why did you choose my house out of all places to break into and why don't you just leave while it's still dark out? You of all people should be able to handle yourself out there without any problem."

Riddick chuckled darkly and looked at her. "Well since you asked so nicely. I was on my way to pay a visit to a dear close friend when I started having trouble with the piece of shit jumper I stole from the last no good piece of shit merc that thought he could make a buck off of me."

The way he said "friend" made Aura think if he talked about his friends with that look of disgust she sure didn't want to be his enemy.

He continued, "I had to make an emergency landing and this shit hole was the closes thing. When I hit the atmosphere a couple jets were on my ass but I lost them. As soon as I landed I took off and this was the first house I saw that didn't have a kids play set in the backyard or graffiti all over it. Figured it was a good place to hide out till I could rest up. It wasn't the smoothest landing."

She was surprised that he was actually answering her questions and speaking as mush as he was. Until she realized what it was he was saying. He'd been hurt and she'd failed to notice. What kind of a nurse was she to not have noticed?

"What do you mean rest up? Were you hurt?" Aura asked. She took in his flushed face that had a slight shine to it. Her nursing skills started to kick in and she jumped up and crossed the short distance between them.

As she tried to place the back of her hand on his forehead he grabbed her wrist tight but gently and brought it down between them. Aura felt her skin almost burn from his touch. She would need a cold shower if she couldn't get herself together around this man.

"I'm fine, just a fractured rib and some bumps and bruises. Nothing I haven't dealt with before. And I've definitely had worse. A couple days not having to be on alert and I should be fine," he said as he dragged his thumb up and down her wrist. It gave Aura goose bumps.

"A fractured rib needs to heal for three months at the least, let me have a look," she said quietly as she slowly pulled her arm away form his grasp.

"Really, I'm…" Riddick started but stopped when she glared at him. He figured he'd better not argue. "Where do you want me?" he asked. He'd usually not take being told what to do by anyone but the look in her eyes made him think she wasn't going to put up with his shit and he was better off just letting her take a look if that was what she really wanted.

She pointed at the chair he had sat in at the table during breakfast. He walked over with her right behind him. She asked him to remove his shirt so she could see if there was any indication of internal bleeding. A lesser man would be in serve pain but she had a feeling it would take a lot more than a fractured rib to take down this man.

As he took his shirt off she saw him wince again and heard him groan. How had she not noticed he was in pain sooner? He was very good at putting on a calm façade. She picked up his arm and lifted it up over his head to check his side for bruising and signs of bleeding. He hissed and tried to jerk his arm from her grip. Aura wasn't letting go though. She held tight and stated, "The more you struggle the more it will hurt. Just stay still while I have a look."

"I'm not the type to struggle when a beautiful women wants to touch me all over," Riddick said with a grin. Even though it was a pain to lift his arm over up like she wanted he was enjoying the skin to skin contact with her. It'd been a long time since he'd touch a human that didn't involve fist and even longer since a woman had touched him. He kept to himself and away from civilization as much as possible and rarely sought out female companionship. When he did it was for one thing then he was gone.

He then grimaced at her as she put his arm back up and held him still. Aura felt around a little and ignoring his grunts as she poked and prodded his side with her finger tips. His skin was soft for someone always on the run. And she was having a hard time not staring at his well defined chest and arms. She scolded herself for not being professional and took in the bruising on his rib cage. There was a large purple and green bruise and as she felt his ribs one by one she noticed he flinched when she felt on his fifth rib. He had a couple other bruises on his chest but they didn't look too bad. Without an x-ray she wouldn't be able to tell if the rib was broken or just fractured but since he was up and walking around she'd guess it was just a small hairline fracture. He'd need bed rest and maybe some pain medicine to help with the pain he should be feeling just from breathing.

She placed his arm back down by his side and told him her diagnoses, "It's probably just a fracture."

"That's what I said," he said a little cockily.

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at him.

"And like I said it takes at least a few months to heal. You need to be on bed rest for a while and not over exert yourself," she shot back. "You should have said something last night; I could have given you something for the pain."

Aura huffed as she crossed her arms and walked out of the dining room and made her way to the small downstairs bathroom to get him some pain relievers.

"Where are you going?" she heard him call from the dining room.

"To get you something for the pain," she shouted from the bathroom as she rolled her eyes.

After she found what she was looking for out of the medicine cabinet, she made her way back into the dining room and turning into the kitchen. As she glanced at Riddick on her way past him she noticed he had put his shirt back on, Thank the gods. She thought. Aura didn't think she had it in her not to stare at his physic if he'd have left it off.

She got a glass out of the cabinet, filled it with some water from the sink and walked back to Riddick. She held out the glass and two white pills.

He looked at her hand and asked, "What's that?"

"Just some mild pain medication."

Riddick looked up at her from his seat and laughed. Aura's jaw dropped a little. Here she was trying to help him and he was laughing at her.

"What in the hell is so funny?" she demanded.

As Riddick calmed himself he took the offering, he took the two pills and downed the half full glass of water. He couldn't help but laugh at her as she demanded things of him. He'd had big strong man quiver in his presence but this tiny woman seemed fearless when facing him. She was really starting to grow on him.

"Nothing," he said with a grin and offered her the glass back.

She again rolled her eyes at him and decided it didn't matter. Why fight a losing battle with a crazy person.

After taking the glass back from him, Aura moved back to the sink to wash and rinse it out. Over her shoulder she said, "You should go rest on the couch. I don't want you doing anything to overexert yourself and make your injuries worse."

She couldn't ask him to do help with her list knowing he was hurt. Had he said it right away when he presented himself to her last night, the night surely would have gone a different way. She couldn't help but help people when they were hurt or sick. She'd gotten it from her father, even if he had drastically changed later in his life.

When she turned around to make sure he was going to do as she asked she jump slightly and grabbed her shirt over her heart bracing herself against the counter behind her with her other hand. Riddick was standing closer than ever and if either of them took a deep breath they'd be touching chest to thighs.

Aura looked up into his eyes and all thought was completely lost. He leaned down, his lips coming at her own, her eyes closed and at the last possible second he turned his head to the side and brought his mouth to her ear. He took a deep breath and whispered into her ear, "Only because you asked me to, sweet-like." Then he pushed his face into her hair and took another deep breath. She heard him groan, not sure if it was due to her or his injury.

As he walked away Aura felt her lungs burn with the need for oxygen. She took a few quick breaths and tried to calm her rapid heartbeat before she opened her eyes. As she did she released her hand from her shirt and the counter behind her. She hadn't even realized she'd been clutching it like a lifeline till she felt the blood flow back into her fingers. Taking a look in the livingroom she saw Riddick sprawled out on her couch looking completely relaxed in the barely lit room.

After taking another couple of minutes to collect herself she made her way into the living room with Riddick's coffee cup and another glass of water. She placed them down on the coffee table in front of the couch and retrieved the remote control from the side table on the opposite side of the couch from Riddick's head. She placed it by the cups and turned to go back into the kitchen.

She left his hand on her leg and stopped. She turned to look down at him and took note that he didn't let go of her. "Thanks," he mumbled, almost shyly. he'd never in life left shy before but this woman seemed to be making him feel things he didn't know he was capable of feeling anymore. It was unnerving and for once he felt like someone had an upper hand on him. He both liked and hated it. He wasn't sure if staying was going to work out for him but he would see how the day went before he made his decision.

Aura smiled down at him and said, "Your welcome." His grip tightly ever so slightly then he let go and placed his arm back on his chest.

"I'm going to start working on my list and try to get some cleaning done, if you need anything just shout," she said. He smirked at her and she was pretty sure he was checking out her ass as she walked away. She couldn't find it in herself to be upset; she'd done the exact same thing the night before.

For the rest of the morning Aura worked on deep cleaning her kitchen, dining room and down stair bathroom. Around noon she wiped her sweaty brow with the back on her hand and pushed some of the hair that had escaped her messy bun behind her ear. Aura figured it was a good time as any to make lunch. As she made her way through the living room she asked Riddick if he had a lunch preference. He said he wasn't picky and Aura went into the kitchen to make soup and sandwiches. A short time later she brought their bowls and went back for their plates. After making a final trip to make them both glasses of sweet iced tea, Aura sat down on the couch that Riddick now was sitting up on.

Riddick noticed aura trying to pull her cardigan tail over her feet while they ate so he inched closer and pulled her legs towards him. She now was sitting with her back to the arm of the couch and her knees bent in front of her. He left his thigh up off the couch and pulled her feet under it then sat back down. She eyed him suspiciously but didn't say a word. She continued to eat and watch whatever it was that Riddick had been watching before she joined him on the couch. After a few minutes her feet started to warm up and she smiled to herself. Riddick seemed to have a soft side and that just added to the mystery that was Riddick. She wondered if she'd learn anything else about him during their time together but immidietly put the thought out of her head. She was already taking a gamble harboring a fugitive. She didn't need to get personal involved with the man on top of that. When her socked feet had warmed enough she pulled them back under her and turned to face the rerun that was on TV. She would have to keep reminding herself exactly who Riddick was. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him frown but acted like she hadn't noticed.

Riddick was silent through out the meal but his thoughts were far from it. He hadn't even thought when he had grabbed her legs. He saw she was cold and did something to fix it for her. It felt weird to just be sitting in her home and having a meal while watching TV. He'd never had a normal day. His life from the start had been one bad day after another. He did what he had to do to live , survive and kept going. He was uncomfortable with the whole situation but he couldn't leave just yet. He needed to rest at least for a few days before he could go looking for a way off this rock and even then he thought he'd have a hard time leaving this peaceful bubble Aura had created for herself. While uncomfortable, it wasn't a bad umcortortable. He didn't think he'd ever fit into the little world she'd made for herself but he would enjoy it for a little while before he made his way on to the next task he had to take care of.

After lunch Aura collected the dishes to be washed and continued in her quest to clean her home thoroughly. She dusted all of the downstairs, swept and mopped the hardwood floors and vacuumed the rugs. When she finally decided to call it a day she went into the kitchen to start dinner. As she cooked the meat for chili she felt warmth come over her. She turned to see Riddick sit lying on her sofa and a flicker of amber light caught her eye. She put down her cooking spoon and walked into the living room. Turning her head to the right she saw there was a fire burning in the wood burning oven next to her reading chair. She smiled to herself before she realized Riddick must have gotten up to start it. She didn't know if she should thank him or yell at him for not resting. When she turned to look at him with her hands on her hips he was smiling at her. She shook her head at him and went back to preparing dinner.

When dinner was ready she once again brought their meals to the couch and sat to eat. This time when Riddick moved closer she immediately placed her feet under his thigh and smiled at him shyly. she dug her feet in the cushion under his leg and when a little voice asked her just what did she think she was doing she ignored it.

They enjoyed they meal in silence while watching a comedy Aura had seen before but still enjoyed. After cleaning the kitchen again Aura made some sleepy time tea for both herself and Riddick. Surprised when he asked for honey in his because that was how she liked hers as well. Having something in common with a murderer should have concerned her except it didn't.

When it was ready she took Riddick his and then sat in her reading chair, picking up her romance novel to escape into the world of fantasy. Riddick turned down the TV like she'd done the night before. How could an escaped convict be so thoughtful? Maybe he was just trying to not disturb her so she would let him stay. She had to keep in mind that he was a conniving criminal and not a house guest. He was only trying to keep himself out of jail, not here to play nurse and footsy.

Once when she looked up from he book to take a sip of her tea she looked up and saw that Riddick too had a book. One of her favorites. Another piece of the puzzle that was Riddick. When she noticed his head turning to look at her she quickly turned back to her book realizing she had been staring at him for at least a full minute. "Creeper much?" she asked herself.

Riddick had felt her stare the second her eyes had lifted from the page of her romance novel. She didn't seem the type to read much romance books and her bookshelves only had a couple. All had an inscription from someone named Meira, probably her sister or close friend, insisting she find love for herself. The rest were from a wide range of genres. After a minute or so of her staring he looked up at her. She flushed red and turned back to her book. As he took her in from her messy bun to her comfortable clothing he saw a rare type of beauty he hadn't seen but a hand full of times before. It wasn't just her looks but the way she carried and presented herself. It was a classic beauty and he wasn't going to deny that he was very much attracted to her. He knew if she gave the slightest indication that she wanted to make this symbiotic relationship physical he would have to restrain himself from devouring her.

As the tea made Aura more and more tired she figured she'd better get to bed. It was going on ten pm and it was easy to get off a normal schedule during the eclipse. She had to make sure she stuck to a decent bedtime as not to be completely thrown off like she had the first time she'd stayed home during an eclipse. With only artificial light she hadn't paid any mind to the clock and when it was time to go back to work she was exhausted for a week trying to get her body back on track. She'd learned her lesson and made sure to keep an eye on the time from then on.

She put their mugs in the sink to be washed in the morning and went to get Riddick more pain medicine. When she got back to the living room Riddick was placing the remote back on the table having just turned the TV off. He stood and went to stretch but winced in pain and bent in half gasping for breath. Aura rushed to his side and rubbed his back as he tried to catch his breath. After a few minutes he stood up and looked her in the eye. He was so close and Aura could feel his breath on her face.

As he leaned toward her Aura shoved the pills into his hand and backed away. "I thought this might make it easier for you to sleep," she gulped. "We should get to bed. I mean, I should go to my bed and you should go to your bed." Her face heated from the blush and she turned to go up stairs. She knew she couldn't enter a sexual relationship with Riddick as easy as it would be to do so. She was half way up the stairs when she turned to see if he was following.

He stood in the spot she'd left him with a weird expression on his face. She wasn't sure what it was exactly but she let it go.

"Are you coming up?" she asked.

He looked up at her and nodded his head yes. He had almost kissed her but she had flown away from him before he even realixed that was what he was about to do. He didn't know if he was glad that she'd moved away and their relationship wouldn't be even more complicated than he'd like or mad that she didn't seem to want to kiss him as badly as he wanted to kiss her. He made his way slowly toward the stairs and as Aura continued on. She opened her door and turned to see Riddick make it to the second floor landing.

"Good night," she said in a confident voice. She entered her room and locked the door behind her. It had been a normal eclipse day for the most part. The evening had been slightly off but she didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing. If things were still weird tomorrow she'd say something. Make sure he knew where they stood with each other and that she was not interested in anything more than what they already had. Even if that was a complete lie.

AN: Please review and let me know if you like this story. I have up to chapter 5 written and will post one chapter a day till I get to the chapter I'm working on. I'm currently half way through 6. And sorry for the AN. I personally dislike long ones and cringe every time I start to write one.