Meh... This chapter just wouldn't come out, so sorry if it sucks. I'm pretty sure that next chapter will be better though.
Saismaat, thanks again for the review, it was really helpful.
LaisonFan2 and Spedclass, thanks for the reviews.
And Thanks to everyone else who is reading.
(Disclaimer: Still don't own Pitch Black/TCOR stuff.)
ooo
"What is wrong with you women?!" Riddick yelled at Jack when she wouldn't come any closer to the door to the den, despite the still flashing lights, his coaxing, and then his yelling and growling. It was like she was channeling Fry or some other bullshit that was making her become all noble. Riddick was determined not to play the same part, just on a different planet with different monsters, though. "What is so appealing about dying on some godforsaken rock?"
"Riddick, I can't just leave," Jack tried to explain to him, her voice hard despite the glassy appearance her eyes had taken on. "I have to find them; I have to get them somewhere safe. I can't just abandon them!"
"Don't fucking be like Fry, Jack," Riddick growled as he stalked closer to Jack invading her space. When all she did was turn her head from him he grabbed a hold of her chin, making her face him before went on, asking, "You remember Fry, right Jack? She died after saying shit like that."
"But-" Jack tried to get in what she wanted to say, but when Riddick just let her go, and pulled his goggles off to glare down at her, it was like her throat closed up on her, or more like Riddick was holding it closed.
"No," He barked, mostly uncaring of what she wanted to say to him, while he ignored the lights that still flashed around them, "I allowed her to be fucking foolish because of you, but guess what you're here now, and you don't get that option."
"Riddick…" Jack pleaded with him, trying to get everything that was closed up in her throat across in just his name. However, all she got for her efforts was him reaching for her again. Jack tried to back up when she noticed, but tripped instead and landed hard on the bruise that was most likely forming on her shoulder blades from the hit she took to her back. Her head hit the ground, none to gently, and Jack whimpered in pain as she clenched her eyes shut and vainly tried to relax the muscles that hurt so much in her back.
After a moment Riddick just blew out a sigh and kneeled down, coaxing her into sitting as he said, bringing his tone under control, "Jack no one's going to blame you." Yeah they were recycled words, but Jack needed to hear them too. After all she wasn't getting a choice…
Jack resisted whining when Riddick moved her into his lap, getting her to put her legs around his waist, but she still had to try. She couldn't just let Riddick win like this; he couldn't just take her off this planet before she at least tried to help her friends… Jack put one arm around Riddick's neck, and before he stood up she slipped her hand back to grab the shiv that rested against her back in a holster.
Riddick must have noticed though, and on some level Jack knew he would. Before she could bring the knife any closer to him, Riddick paused in standing and one of his hands caught her wrist in a crushing hold as he chuckled lightly in her ear, "You couldn't get me down to the pits to fight. You think you can kill me though, or at least injure me enough that I won't come after you?" When she still wouldn't drop it he dropped his goggles on the ground to free up his other hand as he asked her, "Did you forget who you were fucking with, Jackie girl?"
Jack shook her head but still tried to grip the hilt harder; however with both of his hands Riddick easily pried hers open to release the shiv to him. As it were though, it also left him with no hands to deal with her free one. She reeled back and punched him in the jaw, even though in the end it was ultimately a very wrong thing to do.
Riddick had the shiv pressing into her back before she knew it as he dared her, "Do it again Jack. Do it." But when she didn't, Riddick grinned and slipped the shiv back where it came from on her body. "Good," He nearly purred to her as he picked his goggles up and put them back on, before he also slipped the hood of his jacket up.
When Jack felt him stand up, and lift her with an arm under her butt she put her arms firmly around his neck. She knew that he wouldn't accidently drop her, (purposely was up in the air if she pissed him off again) but there was something about another person being in charge of her body that made her uneasy. Even if it was just something as small as being picked up. Riddick merely laughed a little at the frown she was giving and turned to walk up the steps and out the door of her old home.
Jack frowned when Riddick didn't let her down once they were out of the basement of the hotel. She figured he would have let her down, but he just kept walking down the alley. Jack ventured to wiggle a bit to see if he'd catch on and put her down, but after she tried once or twice more all he did was lift her a little higher… It made her frown in confusion for all of a second as she looked between them trying to figure out what moving her did, but when she looked back up to find Riddick smirking Jack's green eyes just went round.
No more wiggling… Was the only thought Jack would admit to having about the situation, even if he might have just been messing with her, before she heard something. Jack went to turn her head to try and find it, but Riddick put his hand over her mouth and shoved her into the wall next to them.
She whined against his hand at the pain of her bruises and injuries being jolted, but he didn't move to help her at all. Jack tried to listen to Riddick when he told her to relax, his breath puffing out against her neck, but when his lips touched her neck it felt as if him telling her to relax was like getting an alcoholic to understand they were being cut off for the night. Not impossible, but damn hard sometimes.
The footsteps stopped after a few moments, and Jack turned her head opposite of where the person went hoping they were gone, but when Riddick pulled back from her neck and spoke her hopes were dashed. "This is not a show," Riddick said gruffly as he subtly let up on the pressure he was putting on Jack's abused back, and now that she had moved her head he moved his one hand from her mouth to rest against her side to keep her steady.
"Mmh, she looks like she has a nice body though," A voice that Jack couldn't place, but had probably heard before said.
"She caught my eye," Riddick growled before he indulged himself and tasted Jack again, even if it wasn't completely necessary. It seemed to be enough for the man though, because he finally turned and went down through the door he and Jack had just walked out of. Riddick didn't move them away from the wall though as he lightly nipped at Jack's racing pulse, making her grip at his jacket and pull down his hood.
"Riddick…!" Jack gasped, torn between pushing him back and pulling him closer. Not that she really had to choose because he pulled back from her neck then and let her down with little warning. She looked up at him then, and damned the welder's goggles he wore. It's like they were a tool to hide his already hard to read emotions.
"We got to go," Riddick said suddenly as he gently took a hold of her upper arm and started to lead her out of the alley. Jack had just been so warm against him; he hadn't really meant to carry on that far. He just meant to tease her a bit, maybe get her back for trying to run away from him.
Jack felt lost as she followed Riddick. She was being torn in so many directions at once, and it didn't help that one of the directions was Riddick and he was pulling her away from everything else. Sure when she had first met him, his direction being the only one wouldn't have bothered her in the least. She would have gladly run after him with no coaxing needed what so ever. Now though… she felt she should at least find the gang a decent hiding place before she abandoned them. Riddick had even done that much on the dark planet in the M 344/G system, though he did come back for her and Imam with Fry.
Riddick was almost concerned when Jack's eyes went unfocused, but she was still walking. Still she wasn't bumping into anymore people then was unavoidable in the crowd milling around to get to the different casinos, so he let it go, only looking back at her every now and then. After about the second time her eyes seemed to drift off after a second, and that's when she started to struggle again. Riddick looked, but couldn't find either Tasha or Pip. He did however catch sight of a girl who looked similar to Tasha being pulled along after her mother. The girl was too young though, and too clean to be the Hacker, but apparently Jack was either seeing someone he wasn't, or she wasn't paying attention.
Jack wasn't paying close enough attention, because she thought she was seeing Tasha. She snapped out of it though when Riddick growled, "It's not her." She focused more and noticed the woman pulling the girl looked a lot like the girl, her mother. Tasha didn't have one as far as Jack was told.
As Riddick moved in front of her and picked her back up, Jack frowned but didn't do anything to resist him. She felt like a child, but still she just moved her arms back around him and put her head on his shoulder. She saw three other "Tashas", two "Pips", and even one or two people she for a half a second thought were Gigi or Victor. Jack knew that it was just because she was looking for them, because she so desperately wanted to see them alive one more time… Maybe it was a good thing Riddick was holding her, or she'd be running after people who were unfortunate enough to look like the people she lived with.
It didn't take long for Riddick to get them to the docking bay once he didn't have to steer Jack, and once he got there he gave some fake name and some creepy old guard let him passed. Of course this was not before the guard leered at Jack as Riddick let her down onto her feet. "Have a nice night." Was all they heard as Riddick quickly pulled Jack after him, towards where he had the ship he bought on some small planet not far from New Mecca.