Picking Up The Pieces

Jack sat on the couch unable to move, think, or feel. Shit, she could barely breathe.

What happened? She was assaulted again with the questions, questions she didn't have the slightest answer to. Suddenly all of Jack's senses came into focus, had she just heard a sound? Was it a creaking floor board? A foot fall? A caring stranger? Like a tidal wave everything came back to her: they'd fought, she won, walked out, she was running-some fucking hallucination-, she passed out, he took her inside and fixed her up. After she tore him down mentally and physically he returned to her and watched over her.

Why would you do that for me?

Against her body's wishes Jack rose quickly looking around the room, disregarding her brain's demand to remain calm. Jack limped towards her bedroom, there the sound was again...it was him, had to be! Jack nearly sprinted into the bedroom...

Nothing.

More feverishly now, Jack limped down the hall toward the bathroom. She flung the door open only to be met with more emptiness. He had to be here! She could hear him, feel him; he was here! Jack, now running, flew back down the hall and to the kitchen. Nothing! Where was he? Jack became hysteric, she checked the bedroom again, the closet, the bathroom, the fucking kitchen cabinet. There were only so many places he could be and she kept coming up empty. She could hear him, he was here.

Jack stood in the living room and a realization hit her...he'd left her. The thump she was hearing was her own hollow heart. Jack's face tickled. Quickly a hand whipped up and made the itch stop. Her hand came back wet. Crying? Really? What did it matter, she'd left him hadn't she? She ran away didn't she? Even in her enraged state she returned to him. She hated herself. She couldn't leave him. And now she was crying...and alone.

Jack's lip quivered, can't you see I came back for you...now where are you?

Jack screamed, her whole body shaking. A fist flew through the air and into the wall. Another muffled scream. She clutched her bloody hand, You piece of shit, you left me! Her knuckles throbbed in unison with her thumping heart, it's sound filling the room. She felt betrayed. Jack drove her hand into the wall again even harder, relishing in the pain, letting it dull her aching heart.

I hate you! You left me!

One, two, three, four more punches to the wall. There was a hole now, her hands complete mush, her wrist bleeding again. She didn't feel it. Jack wanted to crawl out of her body, scratch her way to the surface. She was being eaten alive. She couldn't stand it. She needed out, she wanted to wretch herself from his grasp, his choke hold but instead she was twisted and strung tighter.

"I HATE YOU!" Jack screamed.

Her body slid down the wall, she landed in a heap. The tears came now, unabashed and freely. Her salty sadness only made her more enraged. She hated him and hated herself more for caring. For so long she'd closed off such feelings and now they arose and ruled over her whole being. Jack smashed her head back into the wall, welcoming the pain.

"I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU RIDDICK!" Jack slammed her head into the wall repeatedly, she needed that voice, that face, those eyes out of her brain. " I HATE YOU AND I LO-"

"Tell me Jack, why do you hate me?" Riddick asked calmly from the door frame, cutting her off.

Her breath hitched, a new flood of tears rose and came forth. She wanted to run to him but all she could manage was to hold her arms out to him, her bloody, needing arms. If Jack were sane she would've seen her dependence in Riddick clearly in that moment but she wasn't and she didn't care.

Riddick came to her side, kneeling and taking her heaving body in his arms.

-------

Riddick looked down at the woman that now lay quietly in his arms. To the untrained eye she'd appear to be sleeping but he knew better. She'd been a wreck when he returned, he could hardly believe his eyes. For a moment he was elated, happy to see he, too, had hurt her. It was odd to see the mighty amazon Jack had become look so damn helpless so, well, weak. It disgusted him.

Riddick watched as her chest rose and fell, glad she had herself back in check. Tears streamed down her face for an eternity but finally it had subsided. He sighed. He truly was going soft, twice in one day now he'd returned to the hand that smacked him down.

He'd really planned to leave Jack earlier but then he found her laying outside and knew he couldn't do it. Everything in him screamed to leave her; let her die. He wished he could've been so carefree, instead he took her inside and licked her wounds. Finally he came to his senses and left. He'd managed to get pretty far too, but the further he went the heavier his body felt...he knew he had to turn back and he did.

Fool me once... Riddick thought absently.

Jack stirred slightly and then opened her eyes. Silver met with silver. Jack couldn't help but marvel at the power held inside him. He was stronger then she could ever be. Riddick was strong enough to take a beating and still care, strong enough to take the worst abuse and not break. Instead he simply pulled her into his embrace and let her work her demons out. Why?

"Riddick, what are we doing?" Jack was the first to break the silence.

"Well, looks to me like we're sitting on the floor...still."

"You know what I mean! Stop being a smart ass."

"I don't know what you mean Jack, why don't you explain it to me?" Riddick wasn't about to let her get off the chain that easily. She'd said a lot of awful things to him and he wanted to make her squirm.

Jack sighed heavily, "Why are we here together, like this? You should've left me. I tried to leave you! And yet somehow here we are still holding on. What are we doing?"

Riddick thought for a moment and shrugged. He was still angry. He really just wanted to leave her. She was right, he should've.

Jack sat up, taking Riddick's hands in her own. "I was horrible to you. I said the worst things ever imaginable and here you sit; my rock, mighty and strong. You're right, I'm terrified Riddick. And I don't know why or of what but I am."

Riddick wanted to let down his guard but he just couldn't, not after what she'd already said. "Well don't be." was all he could manage.

"Look, I'm sorry. Can we just not deal with what happened? At least not yet. Can we just finish this mission and then we'll figure out where all this puts us? I just can't deal with it. I can't deal with you." Jack knew this was a pivotal moment but what could she do? There were things more important than she or Riddick at the moment. Eyes on the prize always Jackie, she reminded herself.

Jack didn't know what was happening to her but all of a sudden she was being pulled to Riddick's mouth. She couldn't stop. She was like a pebble caught in a planet's gravitation pull, no matter how hard she tried she would crash into him. And she did.

Riddick was surprised as their lips met but quickly let down his resistance, no matter what he did he still couldn't break her hold of him. Her lips felt like fire. It was a gentle kiss, without any demands but it set his body ablaze. He knew then he'd never be able to leave her. Damn her.

Jack broke the kiss, thoroughly surprised by her actions. Her breath came in heaving gulps. She got to her feet, trying to center her reeling mind. "Uh, sorry. So we're okay then Riddick?"

"Yeah, Jack. We're okay." Riddick responded, absently touching his lips.

Jack practically ran from the room. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be going. He was supposed to be gone. She was suppose to be stronger. She felt weak...weak in the knees. Riddick broke her down entirely. When the mission was over, Jack would be absolute. There would be no turning back. Riddick would have to go. But until then, it didn't hurt to let herself care just a little.

-Author's Note-

Hi! Another chapter just for all of you. Loves it. I hope you do. To be honest though, I'm not sure anyone is enjoying this at all. I'm a little discouraged to say the least. I only got two reviews for the last chapter and I, personally, thought it was pretty impressive. Is anyone still with me? I'm putting it all on the line here with very minimal feedback. Hate it? Let me know. Love it? Let me know. That's all I ask. I'm not going to threaten to write no longer if I don't receive reviews because in the end I'm doing this for me but it is disheartening nonetheless. Anyways, read and review. I appreciate it lots! Thanks again to Ariel to whom I owe the world. You make me awesome! Enjoy. Sorry for the rant. I'll post again soon.