The Things We Leave Behind, N-17, ch. 13 [PB/COR/AU]

Title: The Things We Leave Behind
Author: Ratatosk.
Chapter: 13/?
Fandom: Pitch Black/COR.
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Harsh language, rape, ambiguous sexual situations, violence, intense themes.
Orientation: het. Mostly.
Pairing: Riddick/Jack.
Summary: Riddick leaves Jack on New Mecca. She grows up healthy and sane. Wackiness ensues.
Disclaimer: Standard, except I’m evoking a creative commands license on anything I did create.
Archive: go ahead. Just shoot me an email.

Chapter 13. Riding in Shiny Space Chariots.

The drop shuttle was comfortable enough; sixteen plush seats and a small restroom. Jack was the only passenger. She watched The Owens dwindle in the distance for an eternity. Finally, she pulled out her console, plugged it into the nexus. Messages began down loading. And they kept down loading. She watched them scroll down the screen for a very long time. Most from people she’d never heard of.

Finally, she called Angela Hyperion. Angela’s personal assistant put her right through. “Jack,” Angela said, her voice slightly choked. “My god. I was so glad to get your message. Are you okay?”

How the hell do I answer that? “Nothing broke that won’t mend,” she said finally. “What –what’s going on here?”

Angela’s lips quirked. “Have you been getting your messages?”

“Not really. I’ve – I’ve mostly been in cryo.”

“Okay. Well. We got the removal order quashed. Your citizenship went through. You’ll have to take the oath to make that official; I will set that up for this afternoon. Unless you have other plans.” Jack snorted. “And Abu has adopted you.”

“Great.” Jack was surprised at the bitterness in her voice. “Can we get that undone?”

Angela scrutinized her. “Because he handed you over to those people?” Jack shrugged, feeling her face twist. “Oh, Jack.” The compassion in Angela’s voice made Jack’s eyes hurt. “I will help you as much as I can. But Abu’s – I question his choices, but I know he’s not your enemy. He loves you, and he was devastated by,” she paused, seeming to check herself,” by losing you.”

There was a message in that pause, but Jack didn’t care. “Then why the fuck did he call my family? They hated me. The things they did to my--” she stopped abruptly, unsure of what she was going to say.

“You’ll have to ask him,” Angela said, softly. “But if I was your family, I would have wanted to know what happened to you. For what it’s worth, I do not think Abu understood the political situation. And that’s not his fault.”

There was an awkward silence. Angela broke it. “While you were gone, he got his appointment to the House of Commons. Rumor has it he’s on the short list for being kicked upstairs.”

Jack shrugged again, rubbing her eyes again. “Whatever.”

“You’re bruised,” Angela said. “Is there anything I need to know?”

Jack stared down at her wrists. There were indeed bruises blossoming on the skin. “They might come after me. I kinda escaped from . . . I kinda escaped.”

“I know,” Angela said, all business. “The people who took you tried to force the carrier to give you back. Fortunately, the shipping line values its port of call here, so we were able to prevent that. Abu was very helpful there.”

“Huh?”

“There has been quite a court battle about your custody. Fortunately, we were able to show that your family on Mercer were paid off to sign the extradition request. The courts here were not impressed by that. Especially when facing such a well respected grieving foster father and a natural family who seemed slightly panicked at the idea of you actually being returned to them.” Angela scrutinized her. “Are you alright, Jack?”

“Since when do mercs go to court?”

Angela’s lips twitched. “When it suits them. They were hired to do a job, you know.”

A few things slipped into place. “By someone who paid off my father’s family.”

Angela’s eyes were steady. “Yes.”

“Who?”

Angela shrugged. “They have thus far declined to identify their employer. But I have been making inquiries.”

“So I might still be in danger.”

“Jack, we forget it here in Helios, but life is dangerous. As far as I know, there’s no safer place to be.”

And there it is. Helion Prime. All gold and shiny in the sky. Still smaller than my fist. Shining so bright it hurts. I shield my eyes from it.

I feel stupid. All I gotta do is turn up the glare control. I clench my first around it and look away.

These fuckers are so trusting. They let me land, they let me leave the space port, they let me wander the city streets at night.

I’m a good boy. Cause no trouble. Go where I’m goin’.

Abu’s house.

Where I left her.

It’s dark and quiet. I slip into the back yard, stroll up that old oak. It’s bigger than I remember. Time has passed. But it’s just as easy to climb. The bark under my hands feels so right.

I’m right below her window.

There’s a part of me raging that this is flat out the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I should not be here. I should not care. I should not want.

I should not move these bars.

Fuck that. I put these bars in. They’re mine to take out.

Yeah. ‘Cause that’d be smart.

I pull up the last few feet and stare in. The light’s all weird. Takes me a second. Then I see her. All grown up. All grown up and on her back and smelling like sex. With some asshole on top of her.

I stop thinking. The bars melt away and I’m in the room, I’m breaking that asshole’s neck, I’m flinging his dead body off of her. She starts to scream, but I don’t let her. My mouth hard on hers. My hands are on that grown up body, and it’s fucking sweet. I can’t think. My dick is out and I’m fucking her. She’s fighting me, and I can’t think why, she’s so wet and warm and tight. She goes for my eyes and I finally grab her hands, tell her to relax. She freezes. Says my name like it’s a question, and I cum, hard. Lay there panting.

“Riddick?” she says, again, sounding so much like a hurt little girl I jerk back, feeling hot and prickly. Jerk all the way back outside.

No, not back outside. I’m still outside.

I’m still outside, staring through bars at an empty bed.

She’s not there. If she’s fucking some guy, it ain’t in here.

Wacky.

I take a deep breath. Touch here, and here, and here. The bars slide away. I slip in. The bars slide back. I pad over to the bed. Neatly made. I lean over, breathe it in.

Her bed. I know it. I’ve slept in it. I can smell her in it. But she hasn’t slept in here in a long time. And if she’s fucked anyone in there, I can’t smell it.

I sit, heavily, on that soft bed. Run my hand over my own head. Shocked at the hair. Why the fuck didn’t I shave? Poor kid might not even have recognized me, no wonder she freaked out. Or if I’d just kept my mouth shut --

No. I didn’t do it. It wasn’t her. It wasn’t me.

I prowl around the room. Looking for something. Looking for some hint. But the room is tight. Gives away nothing.

I slip down the stairs. Peer into my old room. It’s full of shelves of things I don’t wanna look at. I keep going. Search the house. Only one room is occupied. Abu’s. The door opens for me without a sound. Nice. Bed. Abu, on his back, snoring. A woman next to him in a nighty so white it hurts.

I glare at Abu, wishing him awake. Don’t wanna deal with the woman. But she’s the one who sits up, all ice queen. “There you are,” she says, bein’ all obvious. And the wackiness keeps on coming. She smiles at me like she’s glad to see me. Somehow, we’re in the kitchen, sitting at the last table Jack and I ate together. There’s a fancy teapot and fancy tea cups. Tea ain’t bad.

She’s still smiling that happy-to-see-me-smile. “Are you ready to wake up?”

I consider that. Take another sip of that tea. Think about adding sugar. Finally, I shrug. “Sleepin’ pretty good these days. Sleepin’ the sleep of the righteous man.”

Abu butts in. Guess he woke up. Or something. “We need you. She needs you.”

I frown at him. Fucker. I told him to make sure she didn’t need me. If she does, it’s on his fucking head. “She needs me to stay the fuck away from her.” My face feels hot. Pissin’ me off.

White Lady’s lips twitch like that’s funny. I finger the shiv in my pocket. There’s something round and hard I don’t remember putting there. She doesn’t give me time to think about it. “If the universe was a better place, perhaps. But there are teeth in that darkness.” Her voice makes it clear she’s used to getting what she wants.

I shrug, fingering the heavy thing.

“I can give you the girl,” she says. My fist clenches in my pocket. “But you have to do something for me.”

And I believe her. I really do. And I want her. I really do. I miss her so much it hurts. And my cock is way too fuckin’ interested.

But I’m a big boy. I shake my head, force my hand to relax. “Lady, you don’t fuckin’ know me. Besides, if I wanted the kid, I woulda kept her.”

“You want her,” she says. And somehow, we’re in a fancy car, and she’s driving. I’m sitting in the passenger seat, watchin’ the world go by. I lean back, eyein’ the controls sideways. I’m not above killin’ the driver, but you gotta be careful.

Thing’s got a rear view mirror that almost makes my fucking heart stop. Jack’s in the back seat, with Abu. She’s reading something. Like it’s no big deal we’re together.

I crane around in my seat so much it kinda hurts. It’s really her. “Hey, kid,” I say. My voice cracks slightly.

She looks up and rolls her eyes at me, then deliberately looks down at the console on her lap. “You know I gotta get through this.” But she gives me a grin, like she likes me, and something inside me unclenches for the first time since I was behind those damn bars. I exhale at last, turn back in my seat.

I slot my eyes towards White Lady. “See?” I say. “She’s busy. Doin’ what I want her to do.” More than I wanna fuck her, yeah. A whole lot more than I wanna fuck her up.

“Becoming who she is,” our lady driver says softly. “Very noble of you. And when she becomes?”

Blah blah blah. I just stare at Jack in the mirror. “I’ll make you a deal,” White Lady says. “I’ll give you what you want. I’ll make sure she grows up hale and happy before it happens. But you have to do something for me.”

I don’t mean to say it, but I do. “What?”

“Become who you are,” she says. “Do what you were born to do.”

I grunt. Jack snorts. I keep my mouth shut. But I know what the deal’s gonna be. I give Jack one last hard look in the mirror and force myself back to that sleep of the just. I ain’t listening today. Not today.