Chapter 6

Taking Carolyn by the elbow, while Rhiannon was happily ensconced in the arms of another Necro soldier, Vaako escorted her off the cruiser and into the heart of the Basilica surrounded by the men that had accompanied him to Furya, the very men who had watched her slice a woman's throat open without batting an eye. Carolyn wondered just who the guards were for. Herself or the hordes.

Nervous, now that the time was near, Carolyn fell in behind Vaako as they turned the corner into the throne room. They had already picked up an audience on their trek here and as they entered the room a sudden silence fell over everyone alerting Riddick who had had his back to the door.

"Vaako," Riddick said lowering himself into his chair. "How nice of you to rejoin us. Would you care to explain just why my first in command ran away in the middle of the night with a word to no one?"

"My Lord, I received a urgent message that led me to believe that you had had a wife and child in need of assistance."

Riddick turned deadly serious sitting up in his chair. "And just what did you find on this wild goose chase, Vaako?"

Taking a step to the left Vaako reached back and pulled Carolyn up beside him. The hood to her cloak was covering her face and her head was down.

Riddick, experiencing a strong sense of déjà slowly straightened, getting to his feet, moving towards her.

Carolyn flipped back her hood and raising her head looked up meeting his eyes. She saw him slightly stagger before raking her up and down with his eyes. She was probably a sight from the last time he had seen her she thought.

Riddick looked at the apparition in front of him. At first he thought it was that dream bitch come to life but dismissed that idea quickly enough as he started noticing other things, like her scent for one, so strong here in a room amongst the living dead. He knew that scent. Remembered it like it was yesterday, his minds eye going back to a large bed in a cozy house, a baby girl tucked in the middle of them with news that another was on the way.

"Give me the room." He bellowed sending Necromongers scattering. "You stay." He said pointing to Vaako, even as he kept his eyes on her waiting for the room to clear. He spent the time inspecting her with his eyes. He realized he had mistaken her for the dream bitch because she was dressed in the same type of clothing her hair styled the same. However, there the similarities ended. He studied the tattoo covering the right half of her face.

He stepped closer to her. "Carolyn?" he question with a low graveled voice.

Her chin quivering slightly she nodded, unable to speak, now that she was in front of him and it began to sink in that she was actually away from that planet. Those people.

Pulling her up against him, he buried his nose in her neck taking in her scent, breathing her name "Carolyn" like a prayer just as a loud growl emanated from his throat as he bite down on her neck causing Carolyn to gasp in pain as much as desire, a half sob spilling out of her mouth. Too close. Too familiar.

A noise and a hand on her bare leg caused Carolyn to pull away from Riddick to comfort their daughter. As Carolyn knelt down, Riddick bent down on one knee next to her.

"Rhiannon?" He asked as his baby girl peeked out at him as she clung to her mother's chest.

"She thought you were hurting me. She can't abide violence of any kind."

He reached out gathering them both in his arms, kissing Rhiannon on her head before burying his face in Carolyn's hair. "Where have you been? What happened to you?"

Laying her head on his shoulder, Carolyn took in a breath overwhelmed with the emotions flooding through her. "It's a long story and it was a long trip. Can we get Rhiannon settled and talk later?"

His lips forming a tight line Riddick nodded, helping her to her feet, and motioned two guards over. He would have had to have been blind to miss the sidestep she took towards Vaako and the questioning look she gave him.

He watched as Vaako gave her a tight nod in return.

Looking back at Riddick, she put her hood up once again before picking Rhiannon up in her arms. Riddick reached out stopping Carolyn as he smoothed Rhiannons hair back away from her face before placing another kiss on her head. Brushing Carolyn's face with his palm she gave him a small smile before following the guards out.

Riddick turned back to Vaako with a glare. "Just how and where did you find her?"

Vaako walked over to a viewer in the wall and punched in a code. Instantly a man came on the screen rambling on about Riddick's wife and child, pictures of Carolyn but no child, mother and brothers.

"And you decided not to tell me this why?"

"I saw no reason to concern you with it. I only decided to investigate because of the strong resemblance the woman in this had to the woman of your memories."

"And was it all true?"

"I saw the woman claiming to be your mother, and men that could have been your brothers. There was also a young man. He referred to the woman as "Aunt Ryder."

"Has she told you anything?"

"No. She asked me if she was safe on the ship and I assured her that she was. From that moment on she stayed in her quarters, I believe she was sleeping."

"The sleep of the hunted," Riddick murmured turning away from Vaako. How many times had he slept for days on end once he was assured of safety from being hunted and chased?

Interesting.

"Go home to your wife Vaako;" Riddick said over his shoulder, "she's been getting on my nerves."

Vaako nodded and left the room.