Chapter 3

"I'm so sorry. That was terribly rude of me."

"No harm done."

"Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?" she asked

Riddick shrugged. "Well since I get the impression a bath really isn't in my future..."

"Please, sit back down." Carolyn indicated with a snort before moving to the kitchen. It was darker now and Riddick removed his goggles placing them on the table next to him.

Carolyn joined him just a few moments later handing him a mug. "I know you said that the light hurt your eyes. Would you be able to leave those off if I lit a few candles?"

"As long as they're behind me or shadowed by something across the room."

"I think I understand," Carolyn replied standing on a tall step stool to light a candle in the living room window, making her way into the kitchen to light a few more covering them with colored glass. "How's that?"

"It's fine."

Carolyn smiled picking her mug back up while sitting in the chair next to the couch separated by the table that he had laid his goggles on.

"What is this place?"

"We don't know. It wasn't on any of our star charts when we crash landed. There's no one here that we're aware of and you're the first person we've seen. It's evidently the trash dump for someone as all of those snow-covered mountains you see are actually made of debris. There are some real mountains a ways out. That's where we get our wood, along with some native plants and animals."

And everything clicked in Riddick's head. He knew exactly how he had ended up on a planet with no way off. "You said you crashed?"

"Yes. Almost two years ago now. We were on our way to Rigel 7 when that piece of crap, transport ship decided to fall out of the sky. A lot of people were killed. Those of us that survived dug in and built this settlement. Not that it was a stretch by any means. That's what we were going to do anyway. Had all the tools and gear, animals and seeds. Just had to learn to adapt everything to a colder climate."

"And that incident earlier? With Jimmy and the missus?"

"Oh, you'll find out about that soon enough." Carolyn said wearily holding out her hand for his empty cup. "I have an early morning though."

Riddick got to his feet as well. "Goodnight, Carolyn." He said stopping near the doorway to his bed.

She turned from the sink to look at him. "Goodnight, Riddick, and thank you."

"For what?"

"For the company, the conversation, calling me Carolyn."

Riddick held her eye for a moment more before making his way to bed.

The next morning Carolyn was at the table feeding Grayson his breakfast when Riddick appeared next to her much to the boys delight, clapping his hands with a squeal causing Carolyn to sigh in frustration, giving up on him eating anything else. "He likes you." She said throwing a smile in his direction, her mouth falling open as she took in Riddick standing in her kitchen with out a shirt on.

Cleaning the toddler up, she lifted him out of his seat, placing him on his feet. Riddick watched in amusement as she climbed into a parka style coat before retrieving Grayson to do the same with him as the red in her face finally receded to a healthy pink and she began to babble.

"Breakfast is on the back of the stove. Helen will be here in a few minutes to pick up Grayson and then I'll be off for the day, Greenhouse duty in the morning and then teaching in the afternoon. Marty will be stopping by to get you in a little while, so maybe I'll see you at lunch." She said as a knock sounded at the door. "That'll be Helen now."

"Hello Helen," Carolyn said opening the door inviting the woman inside.

"Widow Fry." Helen answered, her eyes flicking back and forth between Carolyn and a shirtless Riddick.

Picking Grayson up from where he had gravitated back to Riddick's side, Carolyn carried him to the door, giving him a kiss before handing him over. Not happy with this turn of events, he began crying, reaching out to his mother as Helen bounced him on her hip.

Riddick picked up his plate and took a seat at the table as he watched the drama unfold between the two women and the child. Finally soothing the boy, Carolyn waved goodbye, shutting the door after them. Slipping on her own boots and pulling on gloves and a scarf, she gave a shirtless Riddick one last look before heading out herself.

Cleaning up after his breakfast, Riddick dressed and wandered around the room looking at photos and other trinkets throughout the house, opening the door when he heard a knock.

A huge bear of a man hauled himself into the house, a large unmoving animal in his arms. "Heard from Jimmy you were up and about!" he said in a booming voice that was as large as the rest of him, sticking a hand out in Riddick's direction. "Names Marty Shinebaum!"

"Riddick."

The man fingered his chin for a moment. "Riddick...Wasn't there a killer fellow by the name of Riddick running loose not so long ago?"

"Wouldn't know anything about that."

"Well never mind about that anyway, knew you were a big fellow so brought you this here coat to use." He said shaking out the dead animal he had carried in.

Riddick arched a brow looking between the coat and the man.

"Never known anybody to wear goggles in the daytime."

"Childhood injury." Riddick lied. "They're extremely sensitive to light now.

The man nodded jovially. "Well I figured you'd be wanting to get cleaned up right proper like, so if you're up to it we'll trek on over to the bath house. Got some clean clothes and some heavy-duty boots waiting on you."

"Well that's mighty generous of you, Marty," Riddick said as he let the man help him into the coat.

Emerging from the bath house, Riddick felt the overwhelming need to kill something. The men that he just met were every bit as gossipy as any woman and he would lay major bets that every wife in the settlement would have a report of his anatomy within the hour.

And no wonder Carolyn had said what she did last night. These people would just as soon string her up as look at her, but their "sense of decency" just wouldn't allow it. So instead they made her an outcast. Little did they know he was a kindred spirit. Riddick allowed himself to be led as Marty took him on a tour of the settlement before heading to lunch in the main hall.

When the bell sounded for lunch, Carolyn patiently stood in line waiting to wash up before picking Grayson up from the daycare and joining everyone in the main hall. It was the one meal that was always shared. Several of the older women made lunch for the settlement because if you were well, you worked and having lunch ready cut down on the time away from your job. Carolyn thanked Cerella as she picked up her now full tray while balancing Grayson on her hip, taking advantage of a nearby empty table. She set the tray down before beginning to drag a high chair over only to have it taken out of her hands by Riddick.

"Let me."

Carolyn looked at him like she was waiting for the punch line before giving him a small smile. "Thank you." She said in the sudden silence of the room.

He carried the high chair to the table she had picked out, his tray waiting on him across the table from hers.

Placing the chair at the end of the table, he waited until she had the child settled before taking his own seat, having to refrain from rolling his eyes at his own behavior.

But, while he was stuck here, he might as well stake his claim. What they were doing to this woman was wrong and he didn't mind being the one to pour salt deep into the wound. He walked her to the school after lunch and even offered to drop the boy back off at the daycare. He had volunteered to work in the machine shop starting next week but for now had nothing but free time on his hands.

Using that free time he skirted around the settlement and as soon as he was out of sight made a beeline to the settlers abandoned ship.

Finding his way in, he made his way into the cockpit and spent the next several hours cobbling together a rudimentary distress beacon. Someone would have to be pretty damn close to pick up the signal, but it was there.