Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Black, Riddick, or Harry Potter. I do however, own all of the HP books kin various incarnations, and have seen all of the movies for both series… so I do know what I'm doing, though they come and go as they please.

A/N: Holy crap, 3 chapters in one night? Unbelievable, but true. This is shaping up to be 2, maybe 3 more chapters in the making, with a sequel in the works that will continue through CoR and possibly beyond, but completely disregarding Dark Fury, since I can't acquire that one. Goddess bless and keep you all.

Warnings: WILL BE SLASH. Also, Riddick is not as soft as you'd think (I changed it finally because I realized that it really does sound rude the other way) around Harry, and Harry is slightly OOC, though after having lived so long, don't you think you'd have changed a bit, too? Mature themes, violence, swearing, and some sex scenes (clearly marked, as the violence will be, for the squicked or faint of heart). Oh yeah, it's also slightly AU as to Riddick's history, being that he was in Ursa Minor before working for the Company.

Pairing: Harry/Riddick

Summary: If you could live forever, what would you live for? The question was asked of Harry when he was younger, much younger, and he might have found the answer. Question is, can he protect those he loves? And how will his relationship with the convict Riddick change the events that take place?

Chapter 4

Harry watched as Rick methodically patched the wings with 'help' from the kids, all of whom thought he was the greatest thing since the ion drive. He was surprisingly patient with them, at least surprising to anyone who hadn't lived day-in and day-out with the man for years, who didn't know that the man had a soft spot for children that even encompassed his thirst for justice. Harry just leaned against a building, still peeved by the display Rick had given in the ship, but understanding what had happened. He was heartened when Carolyn went looking for Johns.

He heard their conversation, the righteous anger in her words, and winced in partial sympathy at his rejoinder as she was leaving. The older boys had left Ali and Jack to their 'helping' and had been poking about for usable things, but they had seen what he already knew: the ringed planet was rising in the east, and every moment the light was going just a bit dimmer.

Everyone scrambled to the sand cat, leaping onto it as fast as they could. He himself calmly climbed in, standing behind Paris when the other man opined that they should just leave Rick because 'he'd do the same to us.' He was delighted to smell urine when Rick landed on the back of the vehicle just as Paris finished his sentence, and nearly laughed when the man that reminded him of a skinny Peter Pettigrew (not that those memories were very sharp anymore, after so many millennia) backtracked and tried to pull himself out of a very deep hole he'd dug for himself.

Johns was the last to arrive, after Shezza had started moving, and Rick pulled him up into the back with a smile. Orion was curious as to what plans Rick had for the blonde, but not enough to pry. Paris ran over to the cargo hold when they got there, sniveling about needing some things from it, and hoping they 'wouldn't leave without me, would you?' Harry immediately joined in with the group grabbing the cells, magicking two of them lighter so he could carry them to the sled. Rick carried two of his own, and Johns was left looking like an idiot, Orion's favorite look on that man.

When they went to take off, it was already too late; there wasn't enough sun for the cat to move with, and Harry really couldn't risk using obvious magic this early in the game; and a game it was, because it was he, Rick, and Kyra against the world. It would be nice to be able to save the others (excepting Johns, of course) as well, but realistically, when it came right down to it, he would save his family first, and all others last. It was a version of Rick's 'only for me' motto, and he knew Rick would follow him in the change.

"What the hell are those things?" Johns asked as he stepped away from the useless vehicle. Rick just stood watching them, a naked kind of admiration on his face that Harry hadn't seen before. Though, Harry had to admit, his face must look much the same, for he could see what Rick did. They were amazing, sinuous creatures, and their cries were hauntingly beautiful in his ears. He was unaware that when he spoke, rick spoke in perfect unison.

"Beautiful." Their aerial acrobatics were simply stunning, and oh how he yearned to fly with them, if only for a few moments, to learn their movements. He knew Rick felt the same, but for an entirely different reason. Rick probably wanted to study their movements so that he could figure out a tactical advantage, while Harry simply wanted to be among them, to share their sheer joy at no longer being forced underground, at having the freedom they'd craved for so long.

He was shocked out of his awed musings by Rick, who drew him into a deep kiss. He responded without thinking, moaning into the hard mouth possessing his. He would have gone farther, but Paris's screams jolted them from their moment.

"PEOPLE!" he screamed, pointing at the mass of flying creatures. "Just a suggestion, but perhaps you should FLEE!" It was as if his words had galvanized them all, Rick pushing him towards 'Jack' and taking up the rear behind Shezza in order to catch stragglers. At this point it was still possible for all of them to get out of this alive, as long as no one panicked overmuch.

He could hear and feel the flock getting closer, and he picked up the two youngest children and sprinted to Paris with them, leaving the others to run themselves. And then it was just Shezza and Rick running, and the flock was coming so close.

"DOWN!" he roared, his voice amplified by a clutching fear and slight magical upgrade. Shezza dove for a small lowered area in the path, and Rick followed, barely rolling out of the way in time to miss getting clipped by one of the creatures. Harry felt the fear move through his veins, turning them to ice, and all he could do was watch. When the flock had seemingly passed, Shezza looked around and started to push herself to her feet. Rick stayed down, and Harry watched with horrified fascination as the flock circled 'round to make another pass.

"NO! STAY DOWN!" 'Jack' screamed, fighting to free herself from Harry's hold. Shezza began to run, and he could smell the fear on her even from here, and the desperate hope as safety came closer. All around him, Harry could hear the others whimpering, whispering 'No' and 'Don't'. Only 'Jack' was vocal about it, continuously screaming for the woman to get back down.

But it was too late. Harry watched Rick roll quickly onto his back as the flock flew lower on the second pass, and helplessly watched the woman torn in half by the creatures, her lower body falling only to be snatched up while her top half was carried off, still screaming. Harry turned Jack to face him and pulled her closer. She buried her face in his chest, but didn't cry, and he knew she would be in shock for awhile. He sent a small wave of calming magic into her, and her harsh screams subsided into pained whimpers and mutterings of 'should've stayed down, if she'd just stayed down.' He murmured nonsense words into her ear even as he watched Riddick make the run, safe now that the flock had gotten a meal, and clutched at the bigger man, feeling the tears welling on his cheeks.

"Don't you ever, EVER do that again, Richard," he whispered harshly, digging his hand into Rick's arm. Carolyn pulled Jack away from him and she went without much protest. He let her go only because if he didn't, he feared he would crack. Rick pulled him into an embrace for a moment.

"I can't promise anything, Orion," Rick rumbled into his ear before nuzzling his neck and turning as the strange, echoing calls sounded again. Harry could hear plainly the calls that food was to be had, and Rick carefully pulled his goggles up on his forehead. Harry turned with him to watch the spires crumbling as thousands of the creatures escaped the confines of their underground worlds into the freedom of the skies. Again, that fierce ache, the pull to fly with them tugged at him, and it wasn't until Johns spoke that he realized they weren't alone.

"What is it now, Riddick?" Harry realized that the merc didn't know that he himself could see just as well as Riddick's shined eyes.

"Like I said," Rick said with a fierce grin. "Ain't me you gotta worry about." The others had already gone inside, so they followed. Well, Rick dragged him inside, because he couldn't tear himself away from the sheer beauty the creatures were in flight.

"We've gotta step up the game love," he said plainly just before they joined the others, making sure Johns could hear him. "This won't do at all." In his mind he told Rick how scared he was, not of the night, or the creatures, but of the sway the sight of them flying and the sound of their voices had over him. Rick replied simply by touching his arm briefly. That was enough; it said that he wasn't in this alone, and Rick would be there to help, to call him back, just as he'd been doing all along.

Harry joined the others, since he didn't want the secret of his perfect night vision to get out. Not even normal enhancements could give him that and leave his eyes looking perfectly normal. That would be a secret best kept for when it would be most advantageous. Rick wandered along behind them, unwilling to be in so much light when he didn't need to. The others were searching for various lights, but Harry was frozen by the calls that echoed throughout the ruined ship. They were seductive, and he started to back away from the group. Rick propelled him forward with a gentle push and a not-so-gentle mental nudge. He pulled himself together quietly and quickly, even as everyone else fearfully scuttled into a hold room. He couldn't bring himself to enter, because he felt at least two of them inside, and the closer they were, the harder they were to resist.

"Come on, Orion, we'll be safe inside," Carolyn said, touching his arm. He jumped violently; all of his concentration was being used to resist the siren's call, and he hadn't even felt her approach, nor heard Rick's growl of warning.

"No, I can't go in there."

"Why not?" Paris asked loudly, and Harry turned on him.

"Because they're in there, you sniveling arse-wipe!" he hissed, not realizing that he was sounding more and more like the creatures he was trying so desperately to avoid. "I can feel them, and they are waiting in there for us. Do you really want to close yourself in a room with them? Especially with only a few flashlights and a cutting torch?" He picked said torch up off the floor where it had been dropped by Rick and handed it to Carolyn, who lit it quickly.

The rest closed the room up again, and moved on to another room, one that Harry confirmed was safe and did not contain the creatures. Once inside, they realized they were in the room with Paris's things, and the man made the suggestion that alcohol worked rather well for light, if the proof was high enough. Harry was happy that there were none of the creatures in this room, but he held Jack to him all the same, and she clung to him, both of them knowing that the other was the only thing keeping them sane. Rick stayed close by, a hand on each of their shoulders, unseen by the others, who were too busy strategizing to notice.

"You're saying you can get us there in the dark?" Johns finally exploded, his remark aimed at Carolyn.

"No," she answered. "No, I can't. But he can." With that she looked to Rick, who had already removed his hands. Harry clutched Jack to him harder, and started murmuring to her in Spanish, her native tongue.

"It's all right, sweetheart, Papa's got you, I'll keep you safe, I promise." Her shaking stopped and she looked up at him in wonder, her dark eyes shining with hope and unshed tears.

"You're really my dad?" she whispered, one tear starting to fall as he nodded, pulling her close again. Rick moved closer to the circle of light, and almost immediately, Johns had his gun jammed under the larger man's chin. Harry snorted out a soft laugh as Rick merely lifted the goggles off his face with one hand, and a slightly metallic tapping could be heard, too soft to be one of the creatures. Rick's 'grooming appliance' was steadily tapping right where the femoral artery met the groin. Johns looked down, and then back up, finally understanding the smile Rick had on his face. He removed the gun and sat back down, and Rick put the shiv away somewhere, before looking at the others in the circle.

Sulieman offered to take her so that Harry could join in with the adults on the planning process, and Jack went to him only after being promised that she wasn't being left, repeatedly, in Spanish. Once she was away, he joined the discussion, which had turned to how to carry the cells; each one weighed 35 Kilos after all, and that wasn't a light load, nearly 80 lbs. each. He knew he could lighten them, but not without telling them what he was. The same was true for the sand cat, which he could get running with a thought, and he was hesitant to reveal this, the most important of his many secrets. But he could feel and hear them getting closer, and he had to act.

"I have a suggestion," he said quietly, talking under Imam, who was saying something about weight ratios when dragging something. "Two of them, actually. Either we can lighten the cells, or get the sand cat working."

"And how do you propose doing either of those things?" Johns said snidely. Harry turned on him, and allowed his eyes, just for a moment, to show all of the weight and pain of millennia before closing them off again. Johns jumped, startled, and Harry turned back to the rest of the room, holding a hand out, palm up. Rick looked at him with naked shock, mouth fallen open. He knew exactly what that gesture meant, and what Harry was about to do.

"Rick, love, you might want to cover your eyes; this will be bright." As he watched Rick pull the goggles down and go so far as to cover the lenses with his shirt, he spoke to the others. "I would shield my eyes, were I you; looking directly at it could destroy them." With that, he closed his eyes, and without so much as a true thought, brought a ball of pure sunlight to life in his palm. When he opened his eyes, everyone was looking at him in fascinated horror, all except for the children, who were looking at him with undisguised awe.

His eyes swept over all of them for a moment before he extinguished the light, but he wasn't expecting another light to spring up from elsewhere. Jack was holding a tiny ball of light, no bigger than a fingernail, in her palm, and the sweat on her face showed how hard it was for her to maintain it. He hadn't expected her to be magical; none of his other children had been, even when he'd gotten them off of a witch.

"Jack, darling, you can let go of it now, sweetheart. Yours won't be needed tonight, Gods willing." The light went out and Jack slumped against Sulieman, exhausted but still awake. "That was very good, darling, but using it like that is quite taxing, especially if you have no training."

"What the FUCK was that?" Johns said fearfully, and Harry turned back to the rest of them, who were looking at him in shock now. Imam was kneeling now, and he rather thought the kneeling was to him, as if he were an emissary of God Himself, come to save them.

"Short version, it was sunlight. As to how I learned to make it, that story would take rather longer, and involves a plant, a dog, a clever little girl and a very evil old man. Two evil old men, actually. But that story is for another day. Long story short, I'm a Wizard. This is not a power granted by a deity, but something ingrained in my very genome. I believed I was the last; Jack here proved me wrong." He felt Rick come up behind him as the noises from the creatures got louder and his control began to fray. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get this whole thing figured out before they get here, as I won't be any use to you at all once they do."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked. Harry looked at her, saw the stark terror in her eyes, the fear that he would leave her alone in this place.

"I mean that they call to my blood, call me to fly with them, to hunt, and I'm trying my damndest to resist so you need to choose now. Lighten the load or start the car?"

"Lighten the load," Johns said, and Harry hated the look in his eyes, one that proved that he planned to leave one or both of them behind on this gods-forsaken chunk of rock.

"Could you do it, Harry?" Rick asked, using his real first name for the first time since he'd learned the new one. "Could you control yourself long enough to get there?"

"If I walk with my eyes and ears closed, yes," he said, sweat standing on his brow. Painstakingly, he closed off his hearing, and relaxed as the call became softer, easier to ignore. "I could do it like this. I won't be able to hear any of you, though, so you'll have to lead me."

'Run with me,' Rick said into his mind. 'I'll keep you aware of what's happening, and you can help me spot.'

"In fact, I'll run with Rick." At their dubious looks, he snorted inelegantly. "I can see at least as well as him in the dark." He consciously made his eyes look like they had the 'shine'. "Would this make it more believable?" He could hold a thousand such minor enchantments altogether for hours without tiring, so lightening the four cells and keeping his eyes silvered would be no problem.

"But how… How would we carry them?" Imam asked slowly, allowing Harry to read his lips.

"You four," he said, pointing to Carolyn, Johns, Imam, and Paris. "You each carry one, and the children stay to the center, holding the lights that I will make for them. You will be safe as long as you stay together."

And so the preparations began.

A/N2: Harry has revealed his powers... the rest of them haven't really processed the actual facts yet, and the ones that have are still in shock. The only one acting normally is Riddick, and that's because he knew about it beforehand.

And just because I have to put it out here:

/rant

Oh, and I just reread Curious Reader's review, and I wonder if your words are a veiled threat to me, though it seemed pretty damn blatant. I can honestly say what I want, and whether I'm insulting someone is none of your business unless it's you I'm insulting. If you have a problem with the way I write, or something like that, there's a better way to go about it than just telling me it's bad and not even signing in so that we could continue this in private. I know I'm not a professional writer: there are few of that breed on this site, and you know exactly who they are when you read their work. But I'd like to think I have at least a tenuous grasp on storytelling (or even retelling, if that's what you want to call it), grammar, and spelling. But to just tell me that "I've read far better stories then this," does not cut it. And yes, I pulled that, spelling and all from the review in question. Although you did apologize for the bad grammar… But I digress. You did not simply either PM me or sign in with your review, and that leaves me without the option to leave this off the page. Instead, I'm forced to air this grievance the same way you did: in public. That smacks of cowardice to me, because you know exactly what my name is on here, but I have no idea who you are. If your aim was to anger me and make me actually lose my hold on my temper, you've succeeded. Congratulations. Now if you'd like to continue this in PMs, send me one and we'll get down to the nitty gritty of what you think about my writing and whether I'm being insulting to other authors. Honestly, I haven't read a bad HP/Riddick fic. I might not have found a few of them to be my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean I insulted the author and was coward enough to do it anonymously. That's the reason I originally had them disabled, because I've had trouble with this kind of thing before. So if you want to 'man up' as it were, let's go. (And no, I'm not trying to call you a man, I'm using it as an expression, in case that seemed insulting to you. Infact, this entire rant, except for the part about actually critiquing me instead of being vague, is not meant to insult anyone, and if it does, I apologize most profusely, but it's how I feel.)

/end rant

There, glad that's out of my system. This will be the last I post tonight, and I'm pretty sure I'll regret that rant tomorrow, but right now, my ire is up and being a redhead, I can't control my words when I'm pissed, especially when I stew over it through 6 pages of actual chapter. That rant was originally at the beginning of the chapter. I think I was restrained, honestly. Any thoughts?

And honestly, flames like that should have been thrown straight into my burn bin, or onto my altar to be used as kindling, but this one is the first I have received of this nature and I am not going to let it go. Might have something to do with the proximity to a few holidays that have my blood up, but whatever. Good night.

Oh, and I figured I might as well make this an even 3,950 words, so this will truly make it so. Good night.

EDIT: I needed to fix random spelling mistakes, and so I replaced this chapter. If you notice, the rant is still here… I didn't regret it, not at all, and though I'm not sure if it was sarcasm, someone said it was awesome. Anyway, 4000 words as of… now.