Chapter 7
Perfect as she was for him Riddick had still figured River would get a little irritated with his possessive nature. This was their third night together and he couldn't seem to let go of her. The bed was barely as wide as his shoulders. He was lucky that he was on the shorter side or he wouldn't fit lengthwise. As it was he had two inches to spare, not that it felt like much. The whole room reminded him of a slam. Bare walls, tiny bed, and the toilet/sink in the corner.
But even with such a tiny bed, he couldn't not sleep beside her. He had to have her in his arms. Needed it like he never had. Hell he couldn't remember the last woman he'd actually slept beside. So they'd tried spooning in one direction or the other, but they'd each nearly fallen off the edge of the mattress. He hated having her back to the door and there was no way she was sleeping between him and any intruder that might come in. He loved having her sleep on top of him but again, her back was to the door. They'd finally compromised. River would sleep with her back to the wall and he would put his back to the door. It wasn't ideal but it kept her safe and he could hold onto her the way his instincts absolutely demanded.
It was worth it though. To be absolutely sure that she was safe, that he was wrapped around her and nothing would get through him. "Husband should stop worrying," River's lips pressed to his Mark affectionately. "She is not incapable. He has yet to see her in combat. Far from helpless. Wouldn't want her if she was. When he begins training with her she will be better."
"Old habits," He admitted and cradled her as closely as he could. "Tomorrow, I'll start work on your hunting clothes. See what you'll need. Mocs first. Don't like you wearing those heavy boots unless you need them. You're so light; need something you can move in."
"Husband is very good to me," River sounded sleepy and she smelt like it too. Riddick closed his eyes but then she spoke again, "He is violent and dangerous. He has claws and teeth. Her predator. She is the same. She will never seek to alter him. He is Richard B. Riddick, escaped convict, murderer, Furyan. We cannot hide who we are. Truth will out. Like blood. Blood will out."
He tightened his arms around her and took a deep breath. She was right. He'd been playing nice, for all that he'd been put into a killing mood once or twice, he'd kept himself from spilling blood. He'd found a balance on Triumph, between the Man and the Animal. The crew had a chance to absorb the fact that he was on their ship now. They had a choice to make. Either they'd agree to let him stay, and River with him, or they'd decide he had to go. At that point...well he'd have to see how he felt.
He could always insist they set him and River back on Triumph. Or some other quiet world where he could do what he did best. He wondered idly if the slender woman he held so closely would like such a simple life. Or if she'd grow impatient or bored.
The Chinese she'd been murmuring earlier, when she'd been trying to wake him up argued against that particular notion. Even an idiot like Billy Johns Jr. would have been able to hear the desperation in her voice. Now that he wasn't trying to put his brain and body back in order after the Wrath he could actually translate it. He couldn't be completely sure but he thought there'd been something in there about mutual respect. And she'd pretty much threatened to follow him into death if he didn't wake up. She'd called him husband again, damn he liked that. Got that good hot feeling in his chest every time he heard it. And then she'd called him something else…soul mate, ideal husband.
He'd been a lot of things but he'd never been a husband, let alone an ideal one. And most mercs would claim he didn't have a soul let alone someone to be the other half of it. But River'd been telling the truth as she saw it. Near as he could tell, she didn't bother to lie. Prevaricate or twist the truth, even avoid it. But he couldn't smell lies and the lingering pungent scent they left on River at all. That was a good thing. He hated that smell even more than greed.
Silver eyes stared into the darkness as he listened to the nighttime sounds of the ship. It had been full couple of days. He'd talked more than he could remember doing for weeks at a time. Of course conversations with his wife were actually interesting. She didn't do meaningless babble or small talk. At least not with him. And she didn't seem to mind that he didn't talk much. He thought plenty, and that seemed to be enough for her.
It was sort of funny, most of the crew seemed plenty talkative, but they didn't seem to mind his short answers either. A smile tugged at his lips. Maybe they figured River talked enough for both of them.
It was an interesting dynamic the ship had going on with the crew and its oddball members. From what he could see Reynolds had a lot of loyalty from his crew. Along with that came plenty of back talk which he seemed to take in stride pretty well. He seemed more interested in keeping the ship flying than he was in minor details. But when one of those minor details was a gorgeous companion it was harder to ignore. The man was plenty interested in Inara Serra, his heart rate picked up whenever she spoke or looked at him.
The First Mate and her husband were an odd couple, she so stern and he so amused by everything. But Riddick had gotten a look at the pilot's face when River had been recoiling from her brother. The Captain might be more obvious about it but Wash was just as protective of River as he was. He might act as if he'd never had a serious thought in his head but his eyes had gone from laughter to quiet anger in seconds. Riddick would be willing to bet it was the harder side of the pilot as much as his humor that had gotten his wife's attention.
The wife...now she was interesting. If she wasn't married and he hadn't seen River, well, he might have made a play for her. That was a woman who could obviously take care of herself, not one to speak without reason and she smelt of loyalty. The major plus was that she was curvy, strong and looked as if she wouldn't break with a little rough handling. Those eyes though, he'd be willing to be that those dark eyes saw everything and revealed very little. She'd known his name, taken in his grip on River and relaxed, all in moments. She saw things the same as her Captain did, she just hid them differently.
Those two had a bond that went way back. He'd be willing to bet his best shiv that the two of them had been through the war together. The long dark coats, the military bearing she still had and the discipline that reverberated off the two of them. They had the air of two people who'd been through hell together; who could count on each other for anything. He wondered how her marriage had affected that bond and if her husband ever resented the other man in her life.
They didn't give the impression of being sexual partners though. There wasn't any type of awareness of that kind, not on either of their parts. In fact they seemed to treat each other as if they were genderless, unless they could tease each other about their gender. The way Zoe Washburne had called all hands to witness her Captain's marriage announcement certainly spoke to a very old and tolerant friendship on both their parts. Sex would have interfered with that, would have created a very different kind of tension.
Tension was a good way to describe the gunhand though. He wasn't military, wasn't anything organized ever if Riddick had to make a guess. Cobb was probably from some Rim planet, uneducated after middle school, most likely because work was more important. He moved like a man who knew his body well, spent time honing and perfecting it, and used it just like a tool. It was something that was very wise in its own way, for a man who used violence as a way to make a living physicality was very important.
Cobb was interesting though. He might talk bluntly, insultingly, but River hadn't said he'd ever hurt her or tried to sell her out. And if money was his only motivator Cobb wouldn't have hesitated to try the second. But the man was tense, worried and always watching. He had bright eyes, like the pilot's though a shade or so darker, and those eyes never stopped moving. They'd gone from River to Riddick, to the officers, lingered on the mechanic, snapped to the doctor and then gone back to River again.
River woke slightly and rubbed her cheek against his chest, "Jayne worries, worries for us all. Job to protect us. Kaylee got shot. Feels like he failed. Angry with Simon."
Riddick looked down at her thoughtfully, "Why's that?"
"Undercover Fed. Tried to take Simon. Twitchy. Shot Kaylee," River sighed sadly a bit more awake now and Riddick brushed his mouth over her forehead. "Alliance ship, closing in, Simon said run. Cap'n wouldn't. Jayne had to watch. Simon bargained over Kaylee's belly wound. Ship ran. Simon fixed Kaylee. Jayne watched, worried the whole time. He waited for the sunshine to come out from behind the clouds. Wanted to kill Simon. Our fault Kaylee got hurt."
"He blame you?" The Furyan wondered if that was the reason Cobb was so rude about River.
"Thought I was crazy. Sees that Kaylee loves me. Rude because he doesn't know how to react. Always knew I was odd, felt that I was dangerous. No way to say it without sounding ready for a Bughouse himself," River giggled tiredly. "If the Academy had found Jayne they would have tried to make another Reader out of him. Sound instincts, gets feelings, flashes like me. Learned to listen to them."
"That's interesting," Riddick chuckled. No wonder the gunhand and River didn't get along. In some ways it seemed they were too much alike. As she'd said, two physical, competitive people, who were completely different in their background and then weren't sure how to deal with each other.
"Think he's sweet on Kaylee too," His wife's soft voice murmured. "Kaylee got a little crush on Simon, handsome doctor, polite and refined, nice to her. Then Simon bargained over her wound like she was nothing to him, like she was a piece in a game. Jayne wants to kill Simon some days. Days when he says things that make Kaylee's smiles go sad."
"Doc seems to inspire killing thoughts in a lot of folks," Riddick observed. River sighed sadly and nodded against his chest. "Go back to sleep little wife," He admonished gently. "You've had a hard day."
"He has too. My zhàng fu (husband) must rest," She reminded him.
"Yeah, in a little bit," Riddick agreed. He watched as she drifted off to sleep and considered the mechanic. From what little he'd seen she was a genius with machines. He got the feeling that if you gave her the right parts she could fix anything. On a boat like this that was more important than piloting, guns or cargo. Without the engine the ship was on the drift. That alone would make her the most important person on the boat to a lot of people.
Then you had to add in the fact that Kaylee was a nice girl. She was a cheerful, sexual, pretty little curvy package with a blunt way of speaking and the willingness to verbally smack down her captain in front of witnesses. He could have sworn he heard her calling the Captain a horrible old tyrant in Chinese at least once. And she was innocent in a way that no one on the ship was anymore.
Yeah, Riddick could see why Cobb would worry for her and why he'd be sweet on her. Kaylee was the type who'd always see the good in people. Cobb would always see the worst. And they'd both be right and wrong at the same time. They'd balance each other. But that wasn't any of his concern, not until one of them did something that screwed up his or River's place on the boat.
The Companion... now she wasn't nearly as interesting as she pretended to be. The woman was gorgeous in a way that demanded eyes on her. The only thing that made her remotely appealing in his eyes was her obvious affection for Kaylee, River and the rest of the crew. She was educated, mannered and as a Companion she was trained to be manipulative and observant. Chances were she knew what most of the crew would do even before they did it. She was perfumed, powdered, painted and curled and the only thing that was genuine about her was the affection she showed the younger girls and the scent of infection he'd caught off her skin when she'd passed him in the cargo bay. There was something wrong with her.
Riddick frowned, he didn't particularly care what was wrong with the Core woman, but River might. So he set the issue aside and mentally resolved to wait and see what happened. The Shepherd was another issue entirely.
He and Cobb seemed to have a strange sort of camaraderie. Riddick had heard Book and the gunhand talk regularly over the last couple days. Jayne seemed to actually respect the man of the cloth, unusual for a gunhand but at the same time, Book didn't seem to look down on Cobb the way a Shepherd usually might. Mutual respect was a good way to describe the relationship.
The Furyan wondered if Cobb had any idea of the Shepherd's past. It wasn't just any old Shepherd who would recognized Riddick's name and never betray any shock at the sight of him sitting across the table. He was practiced at hiding his knowledge and feelings and he was also an accomplished liar from the old smoky scents of deception that clung to him still. Military or government training, the smell of deep-rooted secrets and those eyes... Riddick recognized those eyes. Derrial Book was a killer, a man with the worst kind of past. He'd lost himself somewhere along the way and turned to God to find it. Riddick wondered if it worked or if religion was just a numbing bandage over that type of wound. The man had faith. Only time would tell if that faith would remain unshakable or if it would break now that the Shepherd was out in the 'Verse with all of the past and present temptations.
That was something he'd have to look into. Shepherd Derrial Book was a man of the Bible, of shadows and the dark kind of knowledge Riddick knew too well. Someone to keep a good careful eye on.
That might be why Cobb was friendly with him. If he was anything like River, then Cobb would know there was something off about the preacher. A friendship was the wisest way to keep a close eye on the man. And a very good way to make Book think twice if he ever was to slip into his old ways. Even a hardened killer might hesitate to kill someone who's become a friend in a new life. Hesitation could save or cost lives, depending on who was doing the hesitating.
Riddick looked down at his once again sleeping wife and pulled the quilts further up around them both. Her brother was nothing but trouble. He could handle a lot of grief from the boy if there was any smell of affection coming off him along with the words of worry and anger. But the only thing he got from the Core man was possession and insult and anger. River should be the most important, loved woman in his life. But there wasn't anything that Simon had done or said that gave the Furyan the impression that the Doctor loved or valued his sister as anything more than a piece of property. Maybe the boy did love his sister and that scent was being drowned out by everything else. But it wasn't right how possessive he was of his little sister. In the wrong light it could be downright creepy.
Not that he wasn't possessive himself, the murderer mused with a smirk. And he'd never let her go. It just wasn't possible anymore. But he'd married River. Married her and bound himself to her. It went beyond any other connection he'd ever had in his life. He was pretty sure if something happened to her...the bond between them would be broken. The though of it was enough to send a shudder of rage and fear over his body. If something happened to her... the Animal and the Wrath would be unstoppable.
Her fingers slid over his chest and rested on his Mark. Heat slid through him, the heady scent of her hair and affection filling his nose. He would never let anything hurt her. He was her husband. It was his place, his duty and right to protect her. His wife.
The Furyan sighed and tried to remember the last time he'd actually felt this content. Memories flowed through his mind but he was still searching when he finally succumbed to sleep.
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The person who knocked at the door at least had the sense to do that. They also had the sense to stay outside until Riddick had his wife decently covered and had pulled on a pair of pants. "Yeah," He leaned against the doorjamb and regarded the First Mate tiredly. She was almost as tall as he was.
"River still asleep?" Zoe asked quietly.
"Yeah," Riddick sighed. Midway through the night River had woken with a nightmare and of course that had woken him. He'd had River distracted and sleepy when her brother had woken up. The man did not know how to shut his mouth and River's ability to hear his thoughts hadn't helped her get to sleep. "If her brother wakes her up again I might kill him."
To her credit the First Mate didn't react to that comment. "Well we all agreed that you'd do well as a co-pilot and gun hand, if you can stand to take orders," Zoe told him. "Jayne knows the ship so he'd be senior to you for a while until you learned everything. But we don't expect that to last more'n a month. An' Jayne might mouth off about bein' in charge but he isn't much for responsibility beyond chores."
"I can follow orders, mostly. Unless they're stupid," Riddick admitted. He'd been on his own a long time. Understanding the command structure didn't always mean he agreed with it.
"You got a problem with an order, come up with a reasonable alternative and tell me or Mal," Zoe shrugged. "But orders are usually for good reason."
"We'll see how it goes," The Furyan nodded slowly. "I know how to take orders. I just don't follow them to my death anymore."
"No one around here does really," She agreed with a quick upward tug of her lips. The smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Sorta the point of not being in the military anymore."
"Yeah, that's how I saw it," Riddick hadn't ever liked the idea of following orders as an escape from responsibility. That was how too many other people thought. Like the idea that they didn't question something stupid, inhuman or wrong was somehow morally superior.
"Lemme show you the bunk you an' River'll be in," The First Mate offered. "You can start movin' your stuff in."
"Sounds good," Riddick took a look over his shoulder at River who had gone back to sleep hugging the pillow. "Let's make it quick though." After the nightmare he didn't want her waking up without him.
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The room wasn't bad. Definitely larger than the passenger dorm. Riddick nodded and climbed the ladder. He especially liked the hatch for the door since it put anyone entering at a disadvantage as they climbed down. There was a narrow door next to the ladder that led to a hallway and the other bunks. There was also a head at the end of the hall under the upper deck stairs. It was a nice setup and typically for a Firefly the crew deck was arranged to make the most of the small space. Kaylee was leaving her bunk as he exited the one that would be his and River's and smiled at him. "Hi Rick," She greeted him happily. "You an' River gonna move today?"
"Think so," He nodded. "It's a good bunk."
Kaylee had a little frown on her face and she looked at her bunk, "Mine's a little bigger, 'cause I was here 'fore Jayne an' all. Why don't you an' me switch? I don' need the space an' you an' River will."
Zoe had been leaning against the wall and Riddick caught a flicker of surprise in her expression before she regained her stoic face. "Kaylee if that's what you want, you know Mal won't care. So long as he knows where everyone is."
"It's real nice of you Kaylee, but I dunno that it's a good idea." Riddick liked the thought of more space, but he didn't need it. He wasn't a giant.
"Well if you're sure," Kaylee grinned at him. "I'm gonna start breakfast. You change your mind after you're crewy an' all for months on end just lemme know." She strode happily towards the galley.
"She meant it you know," Zoe murmured. "She adores River. Says its like having a sister."
Riddick began to reply when he heard a choked cry, his name cut off abruptly from the lower deck. "River," He raced for the stairs, ignored the discomfort of bare feet on the metal grates and hard textured steel decking. He could smell her, terror was filling her scent. She was struggling, he could hear her, trying to talk, her hands and feet kicking.
He was dimly aware of Zoe chasing him, even as he unsheathed the shiv from his belt and readied it in his hand. The lights of the infirmary were painfully bright but it was the sight of his wife, strapped to the table and still struggling that hurt the most. Her brother was readying her arm for an injection and Riddick didn't even bother to announce himself.
Cat-footed he rushed up behind the doctor and sliced through his side, threw him to the floor and used his shiv on the straps holding his woman down. River was drugged, tears streaking her cheeks and her head lolling over as she tried to struggle.
"I gotcha, it's me, it's Riddick," Riddick muttered in her ear. "I got you River." He ignored the bleeding doctor and carried his wife out of the bright box of a room. There was a couch nearby and Riddick gently set her down on it. She was stark naked. The son of a bitch hadn't even let her get dressed. Just drugged her and dragged her into the infirmary. He pulled the knit throw off the back of the couch and covered her with it, checking her arms for needle marks or punctures.
Her arms were clean and he was checking her legs when the rest of the crew arrived. Kaylee came up to him silently and crouched near River's head, smoothing strands of dark hair away from his wife's face. "Simon uses a pressure injector a lot," The mechanic whispered. "He probably used a smoother. I know where he keeps it. I could look an' see what he loaded it with."
"Yeah," Riddick nodded. "Do that?" He took his gaze off his wife for a moment, "Uh, thanks?" He nodded at the dorm he and River shared. "Would you grab something for her to wear too?"
"Don't worry," Kaylee nodded obviously glad to be doing something. He didn't bother to watch her go. Jayne had come up behind him.
"Get out from behind me," Riddick snarled. He really hated people behind him. Too many times they'd been holding a knife aimed for his back. Jayne came around to the foot of the couch amiably enough while Wash stood beside him.
"Mal an' Zoe are workin' on the doc," Jayne told him. "Looks like a scrape. Figured if you were gonna kill someone you'd do a better job of it."
"Wasn't trying to kill him," Riddick grunted. "Wanted him away from my wife." He tucked River's feet under the throw and gently lifted her up to check her neck and back. A red mark that wasn't from his mouth marred the nape of her neck and he growled furiously. "Found where he dosed her."
"It's a smoother," Kaylee handed him the pressure syringe. "Jayne, you an' Wash turn your backs." She scolded the men who were watching anxiously. When they'd obeyed her Kaylee produced a childish looking nightgown, "I figured this would cover the most and it's loose so she'd be comfortable." The mechanic explained as she began to help him dress River. For someone who worked primarily with machines she was very gentle.
Riddick forced himself to take a deep breath and then another. He had no idea what Simon had planned on injecting her with. He didn't know what the man would have done. But there was no way he was ever leaving his wife in a room that didn't have a locking door again.
"Kaylee," He began in as calm a voice as he could manage. "Will you pack up River's things and move them up into the crew bunk? I'll owe you a favor."
"Aw, you don' owe me nothin'. Happy to do it," Kaylee patted his shoulder. "Jayne c'mon an' gimme a hand." She looked at Riddick, "Why don't we move your things too. Ain't like you got much."
Riddick nodded absently. "Thanks. Just be careful of her dress."
"Gotcha," Kaylee nodded. "Hey, you never said what River gave you as a wedding present."
He turned and looked at the cheerful mechanic, "She married me." How could he explain it? Did he even want to? Inara had said it last night, River was a gift. For a man like him, a murderer, escaped convict, more than half Animal and the last of his race River was priceless. She had seen past all his masks and facades and decided she liked and wanted him anyway. She'd embraced him, trusted him and given him her body. She'd promised to bear him children, to be his, always. He could give her jewels every day for the rest of her life and it wouldn't be enough to equal what she'd given him.
"That's so shiny," Kaylee seemed to understand at least some of what he hadn't said. She beamed at him and began to drag Jayne away.
Wash sat on the end of the couch beyond River's feet and sighed, "I would never have figured the doc to hurt River." The pilot admitted. "Always thought he loved her beyond reason."
"Beyond reason fits pretty damn well to me," Riddick growled as he sat on the floor in front of the couch so he could watch River and the rest of the room. "My own fucking fault. I should've known he'd try to do something. He still thinks she's crazy."
"You couldn't know what he'd do," Wash was being reasonable. "We all know him better than you do and we didn't think he'd do something like this."
"I should've known," Riddick cursed to himself. "Something too good to be true happens to me...it's always with a fucking hook. She's perfect. Of course she comes with a psychotic brother."
Jayne and Kaylee emerged from River's dorm loaded down with belongings. The gun hand carrying Riddick's weapons case and his pack. Book followed them carrying the chest and the bedding from Riddick's cabin.
Inara entered the lounge from the cargo bay, her face concerned as she approached them. "What happened? Is River all right? Why are Mal and Zoe working on Simon?"
"I sliced him up when he doped my wife and strapped her down," Riddick growled. "He dosed her with this," He tossed the pressure syringe to Inara. "He was ready to inject her with something when I got there and let my shiv do the talking."
"And River hasn't woken up yet?" Inara looked at the bottle attached to the syringe. "I'm going to see what this is." She strode purposefully towards Simon's dorm. After a moment she emerged with an encyclopedia. Setting the syringe down she began to press buttons and frowned. Finally she looked up at Riddick and Wash, "He gave her a sedative. It's powerful but there shouldn't be any adverse effects. It's something that doesn't have any reactions to other drugs. That's probably why he used it, if he was planning on dosing her with something else he wouldn't want to compromise her health."
"He had a needle in his hand when I cut him," Riddick growled. "She was fucking terrified. I could smell how afraid she was. She isn't scared of me, and I'm... I promised I'd take care of her." He was ready to barge into the infirmary and finish what he'd started. "I'll fucking kill the bastard."
"But he's her brother so you didn't," Inara nodded her understanding. "I'll put these back and find out from Mal and Zoe what he was going to use on her."
Riddick busied himself with making sure his wife was adequately covered. If she didn't wake up soon he was going to go nuts. But he didn't want her dosed with something that would make her wake up. Last night she'd had a horrific dream. She'd woken up when he'd given her a little shake and called her name. And she'd cried for a full ten minutes about needles and voices and a steel chair she couldn't get out of. His impulse was to take over the ship and sail for wherever the sick fucks who'd tortured her happened to be. He wanted to make their guts into a necklace for them to wear at their hanging.
But she'd needed him, needed his body against hers so he'd stayed and held her and reminded himself that there'd be plenty of time for him to hunt those bastards down. Wash cleared his throat and the Furyan looked up to see Mal and Zoe leaving the infirmary, Inara at Zoe's side. She held a syringe in her hand, the syringe Simon had been holding when Riddick had cut him.
"What did he try to do to my wife," Riddick ignored the looks of surprise at his speech. He'd put on a little Rim twang when he'd lived on Triumph, blending in with the other folk. He'd mostly discarded it when he came onto Serenity. He'd let the last of it slip from his voice now. River knew his voice, his accent, knew what he sounded like. He'd never hidden from her. And he didn't care what the crew thought of him. All he wanted to know is how badly River would have been hurt.
"He was going to dose her with an abortificient," Inara's elegant voice was shocked and her dark eyes were stricken. "I can't find any evidence that he did a pregnancy test...but..." She shook her head and threw the needle into the disposal container.
"We been married three days and he's trying to..." Riddick suddenly didn't want Simon Tam anywhere near his wife. "That..."
"Think the word you're lookin' for is gǒu niáng yǎng de," Reynolds looked at him. "Showed a lot of restraint, not cuttin' out his liver I mean."
"He's her brother," Riddick growled. "Cutting out his liver would be too quick." He stared at the captain. "I won't kill him. But if I don't work out as crew, we'll get off the boat. Or I'll pay more for passage. I don't care. But I won't move her back into the dorms. She'd never feel safe."
Mal looked irked for a minute but Zoe nudged him and the Captain sighed, "I guess that's fair enough." He looked at Wash, "I'll watch the bridge, you an' Zoe, get the rest of Rick an' River's stuff, get 'em moved into the bunk."
"Don't forget their wedding present Mal," Wash said mischievously. "We'll be in Beaumonde in a day or two. It could be ready and waiting for 'em when we arrive."
The captain groaned and headed up the stairs. Riddick looked at Wash curiously, "Wedding present?"
"Cap'n bought Wash an' me the bed we got in our bunk. Nice double," Zoe commented as disappeared into the dorm hallway.
Personally Riddick doubted that would happen for he and River but he was all right with that. He'd made a surprising amount of money over the years since he'd gotten off Not Furya. He'd remembered and relearned on a lot on that planet, not in the least was his enjoyment of hunting. It wasn't like he'd gotten rich selling skins and meat but he had enough to get them a bed and find some clothes for River that fit her. He considered what she might like and was making a mental list when Zoe and Wash exited the dorms carrying the last of River's and his belongings. Zoe had found a hanger for River's dress and was carefully carrying it over her arm.
He didn't know how long he'd simply sat next to the couch and watched her sleep. He heard Simon moan in the infirmary. He watched as Zoe walked down the stairs and into the bright room. After a moment she dimmed the lights and crossed the lounge to stand at the foot of the couch. "I think you'd better have a hard talk with the doctor," She suggested. "Lights are low enough they won't hurt your eyes and I'll keep an eye on River. He's strapped down."
"You know I could kill him before you got in there to stop me?" Riddick raised an eyebrow at the tall woman and was given a shrug in return.
"If you were gonna kill him you would have when you saw him with River."
He had to admit she wasn't wrong about that. He pushed himself to his feet and rubbed his lips over River's white forehead before he left.
The doctor was looking very put out when Riddick entered the infirmary. Apparently the Captain had found another set of straps. "My wife is still asleep from the garbage you pumped into her," He stared down at the Core man. "I'll make this quick because I want to be there when she wakes up." The Furyan leaned closer, "If you ever touch my wife in any wrong fashion I'll kill you. I know what you were going to put in her. You wanted to kill any child she might be carrying. Kill my child." He growled and inhaled the fear the man below him was exuding. "The only reason you're alive is because you're her brother and I didn't know what was in that needle before. She is my wife. I'm her husband. I won't let you hurt her anymore."
He didn't bother to wait for the Doctor to respond, though the man started ranting the minute Riddick turned his back. It was nothing he hadn't heard before. He was an animal, he was a killer and not good enough for a lady like River. He was scum, worthless, stupid and deserved to die for so much as thinking on River.
The sigh that came out of his lips surprised him and Zoe too it seemed because she looked at him curiously. "You don't believe any a that garbage," She commented.
"I've been hearing it all my life," Riddick shrugged. "She's the only one didn't believe any of it. Brave enough to talk to me. Know how rare that is for me? Even folks on Triumph, ones who were used to me, they were a little…unnerved by my eyes. River likes them just fine." He smiled as he took River's hand in his and began to kiss her knuckles. Soft delicate little fingers that had curved around the hilt of a knife as easily as they did his cock.
"Room should be set up by now," Zoe told him after a moment of silently watching him kiss his wife's fingers. "Why don't you carry her up? Me an' Wash'll help you get her settled. Kaylee'll bring you somethin' to eat if she don't wake up soon."
"Yeah," Riddick was getting worried and he didn't like the feeling.
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Author's Note: So...Simon was a bad bad boy. I was really thinking that Riddick ought to kill him but at the same time...I didn't want him dead and killing Simon would almost for certain get Riddick thrown off the boat. And the last thing I wanted was Riddick getting sucked out the airlock. Plus Riddick never struck me as stupid and killing someone before you question them really isn't too bright. So...Simon is alive. Wounded but alive. Better than he deserves at this point right?
And now Riddick gets to start thinking about how to stymie Simon. He's still working that out. So we'll see how it goes huh?
Chinese Translations:
gǒu niáng yǎng de - son of a bitch
zhàng fu - husband
Quote Sources:
Truth will out - Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare