TITLE: The seduction of Carolyn
AUTHOR: Kes
FANDOM: Pitch Black
PAIRING: Riddick/Fry
RATING: NC-17 for graphical sexual situations, bit roughness and murder.
DISCLAIMER: The Characters of Pitch Black are copyright to USA Films. There is no infringment intended by the use of them in this story. I claim none of those characters.
SUMMARY: The Seduction of Caroline - This is pretty much what the title says, it starts from the scene in Pitch Black with Carolyn and Riddick in the ship... alone. Read to find out what happens next. But it also contains violence - a murder. There is a reason why it's stored in the wicked section.
Chapter one
"Don't waste my time. We're not going to turn on each other no matter how hard you try." Carolyn moved to sit and found her arms grabbed tightly by his hands, forcing her to remain where she was. "I could scream." She glanced carefully to the right. She could feel him behind her, his breath tickling on the back of her neck.
"By then it'd be too late."
His voice was a caress and she licked her lips. He moved her arms back up to the panel, placed her hands on the edge. The touch of his hands on her sides, hot through the cloth of her vest, made her draw a shaking breath.
"But tell me truthfully, Carolyn," Now his mouth was at her ear, lips brushing softly, "do you really want to scream?"
She opened her mouth to speak, lips moving but no sound coming out. Riddick fascinated her, aroused her, and he knew it. He knew she both wanted and feared him. Breathlessly, Carolyn gripped the panel above her head as Riddick's hands slid around to cup her breasts.
*This can't be happening.*
Her head tilted back a little. His hands were kneading her, drawing her against him. Her back touched his firmly muscled chest.
"You like that." Riddick nibbled at the slim line of her neck, slowly unzipping her vest and parting it, slipping his hands inside it. Would she scream? Or would she give in?
Callused thumbs brushed nipples sensitive from months of not feeling a man's touch. They sprang to attention, hard as pebbles. Carolyn gulped, arching against him.
"So Carolyn," One hand slid down her belly and under the waist of her pants, "how long has it been for you? Hmm?" He nibbled on the other side of her neck. "How long since you've had a man between your legs?"
Her knees wobbled as his fingers parted her, stroking softly. A strangled noise left her throat and Carolyn let herself lean against him, her head resting on his shoulder, completely acquiescent to whatever he wanted to do to her. What would it hurt?
"I mean a real man, baby, not that Nav officer who kept you from following your instincts. Owens. That was his name."
She swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. How had he known?
Then, Carolyn remembered that Riddick had been chained just around the corner while she'd ended Greg's pain. He must have heard her mumblings.
"Hmm? How long Carolyn?"
His fingers dipped inside her and she pressed against them, sliding down him slightly to try and force them further inside her. Her body felt warm, tingly, and oh so alive. "Months." Her whisper was low, but he heard it.
"Was it you who avoided him? Did you hate it with him Carolyn? Were you wishing he'd fuck you harder and longer? Or was it him? Did he think you were cold because you just laid there? Or was it the other way around; were you too wild for him? Were you only a convenient port away from home?"
A tear slipped down her face. How did he know? How?
"Follow your instincts, baby. What are they telling you?"
Her hands dropped, one covering his at her breast, pressing his harder against her. The other curled around his forearm, lightly caressing, feeling the flex of his muscles as he pleasured her.
"Wouldn't you rather have something else inside you?"
Carolyn closed her eyes briefly, then nodded, not trusting her voice. Let go. Enjoy this.
"I thought so."
If he doesn't kill you, you'll know what it's like to fuck a killer.
She tried to turn, to see him, but he withdrew his hands from her and kept her in place.
"No, no, no...stay there."
Her pants were drawn down her legs and Carolyn found herself bent over the pilot's chair, Riddick's hand between her shoulder blades, forcing her to stay there. She clutched the chair, heard the zipper on his pants and felt the head of his penis against her. She waited, barely breathing, straining to push back against him.
He rubbed the head against her, then roughly pressed his entry home, sliding deep inside her. Carolyn let out a cry of discomfort. Even slick with arousal, he was big, filling and stretching her. Riddick pounded into her and Carolyn pushed her hips to meet him, her pleasure building.
It had never been like that with Greg. He'd treated her like some fucking porcelain doll and never been the least bit rough with her.
*This is what I've wanted.*
Carolyn came with a moan, eyes closing and body flushing. A few thrusts later, Riddick grunted, juices spurting deep within her heated body. Almost immediately, his hand slid down her back and he withdrew from her, refastening his pants. Shakily, Carolyn pushed herself up and put her clothes back in order.
She sat in the pilot's chair, forcing herself to ignore the wetness at her crotch. She tried to act like she hadn't just fucked a total stranger, a psychotic convict who could well decide to murder her over the next few hours.
"I don't truly know what's gonna happen when the lights go out, Carolyn." He went on as though he hadn't fucked her. "But I do know once the dying starts, this little psycho-fuck family of ours is gonna rip itself apart." He walked away. "Ever wonder why Johns shakes like that? Ask him. Ask why your crew pal had to scream so painfully before he died."
The door opened and he walked down it, Carolyn watching him leave. She drew in a deep breath.
*What have I done?*
Shaking her head, she allowed herself to sob quietly for a moment before wiping her eyes and going to confront Johns.
Idly, she wondered if he'd be able to smell Riddick on her.
Chapter two
"Please just come with me." Carolyn begged.
"I got a better idea. Come with me."
Images flashed in Carolyn's mind, images of them together on the floor of the skiff. "You're fucking with me. I know you are." She looked up at him, searching his face.
"You know I am?" He stood. "You don't know a thing about me. I will leave you here. Step inside."
Carolyn whimpered and fell to her knees. Desperately, she tried to hold the images of Jack and Imam in her mind and all she got for her trouble were more images of Riddick between her legs. Without the others on the skiff, maybe he would fuck her again...."I can't. I can't." She was trying to convince herself, not make him change his mind.
"Sure you can. Here. I'll make it easy on you." Riddick held out his hand to her. Carolyn kept crying. "Take my hand. Come on. Come on." His voice was silky; seductive. "Look. No one's gonna blame you. Save yourself, Carolyn."
Still she sobbed. He said her voice like an intimate caress.
*Is he the devil to have such power over me?*
"Come on. Come on." Riddick went to her and put his hands on her sides helping her to her feet. "That's it. That's it."
She nearly fell twice, her knees shaky.
"Good girl."
Carolyn collapsed on the floor of the skiff, bawling because all she could think about was the possibility that Riddick might fuck her again.
*What am I doing?*
Riddick stood over the sobbing woman, holding a set of chains in one hand.
"Tell you what, Carolyn. I'll run back and if they're still alive, then I'll bring them back."
She slumped. He was telling her what he knew she wanted to hear.
*Is it wrong to believe him? If I trust him to do this, and he simply waits around the corner out of sight for twenty minutes, I won't know it, so am I responsible? Can I be blamed for what he didn't do?*
Part of her mind screamed 'yes', but the other part ignored it and accepted his silken offer. When he snapped metal about her wrists and bound her to a pipe, she looked up. She was far from any controls to the skiff.
"Riddick?"
"Sit tight, Carolyn. I'll be back soon."
He retreated out of the skiff, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
---------------------------
Riddick returned what seemed like hours later. He looked a little worse for the wear, but he could have achieved that by rubbing mud on himself. Once they were in the air and off the planet, Riddick released her.
"Don't beat yourself up, Carolyn; they were already dead by the time I got there."
"So I gathered." She rubbed her wrists. How had he been able to stand the chains for any length of time?
"What, no thank you for saving your ass?"
His fingers touched her cheek, trailed across it, thumb brushing her lips softly.
She looked into his eyes and saw approval there. Carolyn let that bother her for only a few brief seconds before pushing away her doubts about having taken his hand. This was for the best.
*That's it, Carolyn, save your ass and keep saving it. Doesn't matter how you do it, just do it. You're like him, whether you want to admit it or not.*
"Thank you, Riddick."
"You're very welcome, Carolyn."
She sat back against the wall, forcing herself to relax.
"So what do we do now?" Taking the water bottle he handed her, she drank deeply.
"We find a nice, quiet port and get to know each other better; that's what we do now, Carolyn."
"You and me? Together?"
"Sure." Riddick took the bottle from her, drank, and handed it back.
"Why?"
"Why not? I mean, fuck, Carolyn, you're exactly like me. Shit, we could be soul mates."
"You don't believe that any more than I do."
"Maybe. Maybe I just want to fuck you again a few more times."
"And then kill me when you're finished with me?"
"Oh no, Carolyn, I don't think I'm going to kill you; you're far too entertaining."
"Entertaining?"
"You're raw material, baby, and I'm willing to mold you into shape."
Her eyes dropped from his. "Riddick...."
He stood and moved silently to the front of the skiff.
"Take your time, Carolyn, I see you're not quite ready." With a last glance, he turned his attention to the stars outside.
"Riddick...."
"Rest up, baby."
"What are we going to tell whoever finds us?" Something wet fell onto the back of her hand. Tears. She was crying silent tears.
"The truth, only I'm not Riddick and you're not Fry. We're simply two of the passengers and we don't know anything. Got it?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "Close your mouth and get some rest. You're gonna need it."
----------------------------
After awhile, Carolyn moved to sit in the seat beside him. She strapped herself in and watched the stars.
*It's too late for regrets. It's over. You let him fuck you, then you took his hand and left two people depending on you to die. It's too late for an attack of conscience.*
Riddick turned his head and looked at her, then moved into the back.
Carolyn tuned him out.
*You're a real piece of work, aren't you?*
She kept seeing Imam and Jack's faces, them trusting her to return with more light.
*You didn't though, did you whore? All you could think of when he held out his hand and suggested you come with him was exactly that: coming with him. You kept thinking about him between your legs.*
"Carolyn."
She turned her head. He was wearing different clothes. It dawned on her that his cuts were cleaned.
"What?"
"Come back here."
With fingers so cold they were nearly numb, she undid the straps and stood. Riddick took her arms, bringing her around the seat. He loomed above her, solid intimidating muscle. She looked up at him. "What?"
"Get undressed."
Her body enthusiastically responded to the suggestion, nipples perking to attention, but Carolyn shook her head stubbornly. "No."
Riddick smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "What was that, bitch?"
Wiping her hands on her thighs, she again shook her head. "I said no."
"That's what I thought you said." He reached for her.
Thirty seconds or maybe a minute later,
her clothes were in a pile on the floor beside her.
"Don't you ever defy me, Carolyn."
She watched him kneel and dip a cloth in a bucket of water. He drew it over her as though she were a child, washing her. "I can do it myself."
"I know you can. You can do lots of things, Carolyn, but right now you're going to stand still for me."
He was too close, hands lingering on her. She was torn between wanting him and wanting to push him away. Carolyn blinked several times. "Riddick..."
"Shh..."
She remained still, breathing shallowly, eyes fixing on a spot on the wall above his right shoulder. He rinsed the cloth, squeezed it out and drew it over her shoulders. A drop of water trickled down her chest and onto one breast. The drop slowed at her nipple and he brushed his thumb over it, wiping the drop away.
"Sweet." He murmured, sliding his fingers along the full curve that firmed under his touch.
Carolyn pressed her hands to the wall behind her to keep from touching him like she ached to.
*I won't give in!*
Riddick stepped closer, the cloth sliding along her back. His arms encircled her, chest hard against her bare breasts. He pressed her hips to him, one large hand on her rear. Riddick saw the trembling of her mouth and decided to press the issue just a little.
His mouth took hers roughly, tongue ravaging, ripping apart the weak defenses she'd been building against him. Carolyn resisted for only a second before twining her tongue with his, her hands catching his shirt and clutching at it. When he stepped back, she nearly fell forward, so greatly had she been leaning to him.
His chuckle made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"Eagerness in a woman. I like that." He rinsed the cloth. "Spread your legs."
She did and he slid the cloth up her legs.
Riddick breathed in that sweat, sex smell on her and was instantly hard from the memory it brought. He touched the triangle of curls between her legs with the cloth, washing that scent away.
Carolyn trembled, waiting, wanting him to do more, but all he did was wash her.
*Whore. Look at you. You can't wait to have him fucking you again. Forget resisting him; it's not even an option at this point. Look at yourself. You can't even keep your legs closed. He touches you and you're ready for him.*
Riddick dropped the cloth in the bucket and handed her a folded pile of clothes. "Get dressed, Carolyn. We'll fuck later."
She took the clothes. He walked to the front, leaving her standing naked and aroused.
-------------------------------
There were several packets of food in one storage container, a little stale, but edible. Riddick handed her one packet.
"Eat up, Carolyn. Enjoy it, we only have enough for two meals a day, eight days max. Plenty of water though. We'll be hydrated at least."
Slowly, Carolyn opened the packet, her stomach rebelling at the thought of ingesting the glop. She ate it anyway, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
*Jack should be here. She should be eating this, not me. She should be here, alive, and I let him leave them....No, he said they were dead when he got there.*
Riddick set his finished packet aside while she still had half of hers left. "You can have the pillow and blanket." He tossed them to her. "Sleep."
I can't."
"Sure you can. Lie down, close your eyes, and sleep. It's easy, Carolyn." Getting up, he moved to her and crouched down. "Lie down, baby, and close your eyes. Put your head on that pillow and the blanket over you and sleep."
Carolyn handed him her half-eaten food packet, unable to meet his eyes. "I can't. Don't you understand that, Riddick? Every time I close my eyes, I see them!"
"Don't make me slap you, Carolyn."
"I'm going to see them for the rest of my life...."
"They were dead, I told you."
"You never went back."
"Hmm. Did you go with me? I think
not. Do you want me to draw you a picture of what was left? I'm a pretty
decent artist, but you might not want the rest of your dinner after
seeing it."
"You were fucking with me, like you did with all of us!" She
drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"If I was fucking with you, Carolyn,
you'd feel me doing it. You have no reason to feel guilty."
His fingers were in her hair, turning her face up, forcing her to meet
his eyes.
"No one can blame you. Cry if you want, it won't bring them back. Get it out of your system. There was nothing you could have done, Carolyn." He leaned in close for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. Releasing her, he spread the blanket out and set the pillow at one end. "Come here."
"Why?"
"I'll help you get to sleep."
His voice was silky and Carolyn shook her head. "No."
Riddick reached out and pulled her to him, laying her on the make-shift bed. "When I tell you to come here, you come here."
"Let me up."
"No. You want to see something besides them, Carolyn, then hold still."
"What are you--"
"Shut up."
Her mouth went dry, but she laid still beside him, eyes wide and breath uneven. In the tiny skiff, with him half over her, Carolyn felt very small and petite. He rested on one forearm, staring down at her, his eyes gleaming silvery in the low light. Riddick's hand trailed down her body, from her throat all the way to her thighs and back up. It occurred to her that he could strangle her with only one hand.
"Relax, Carolyn. I'm not going to hurt you."
She remained still, hands clenched into useless fists at her sides.
Riddick bent his head and touched his mouth to hers, lingering long enough to feel the trembling of her soft lips against his. Deft fingers undid the fastening to her shirt and pushed the fabric aside, baring her.
Carolyn shifted nervously, thighs rubbing together as she drew her knees up slightly.
"R-riddick..." She whispered. How was it that she could be so afraid of him, yet aroused at the same time?
"Not a word, baby." His tongue
traced a path over her breasts, flicking her nipples gently.
Carolyn pressed her back hard to the blanket, willing her body not to
respond. It was a futile effort, for Riddick excited her like no man
she'd ever met, and he knew it. From the moment she'd seen him, chained
and body all tight muscle, she'd been drawn to him. The chains hadn't
necessarily meant anything, or the warning on the cryo-tube; cops and
mercs tended to take the rough approach with every offender. For all
she'd known upon first site, he could have been a jumper, a man who
ran rather than serve in the military, but no, Johns had informed her
of Riddick's status as a murderer. It hadn't made her want him any less.
She closed her eyes, remembering those moments earlier in the day where
he'd taken her roughly, just like she'd wanted.
He moved down her body, taking her pants down her legs. His tongue trailed across her belly, touching her belly button, dipping in lovingly, then licking lower.
With a moan, Carolyn tried to open her legs further, urging him to touch her, but he hadn't taken her pants completely off and they were bunched at her ankles, restraining her movements. She bucked her hips in frustration.
His breath was hot against her, fingers parting her. Riddick put his mouth on her, his tongue busy flicking at the tiny nub of flesh, gauging her arousal, deliberately pushing her higher. Carolyn ignored everything but the feeling, setting aside the deaths on the planet and even her fear, everything that wasn't relevant to the physical feeling Riddick was stoking. She wiggled against his mouth and hands. A moan escaped her.
She was making noises in the back of her throat. Riddick gave one last caress to her, then dragged her pants back up her legs. He licked his lips, savoring that last taste of her.
It took Carolyn a moment to realize that he'd quit touching her, but by then he'd put the set of chains back around her wrists and chained her to a pipe. There was enough room for her to sleep semi-comfortably. Her eyes turned to him. "Bastard!"
"Something wrong, Carolyn?" He sat back on his haunches with a smile.
Her body was uncomfortably warm, her arousal almost painful in her belly. Carolyn screamed and began thrashing, pulling on the pipe and kicking at him. Her feet were merely a frustratingly two inches from connecting with his body. "Son of a whore!" He let her scream and rail at him, using every epithet she could think of, and when she lay back limply, exhausted, Riddick chuckled.
"Think about it this way, Carolyn: you certainly won't be thinking of anything else now."
"Bastard." She whimpered.
"It's a promise for later, baby. When you're ready to consider all the fun we can have together, then we'll take care of you." Riddick fastened her shirt and returned to the pilots seat. "Go to sleep."
It was a long time before the aching want in her body retreated enough for her to drift off.
Chapter three
The skiff was quiet.
Carolyn lay still for a long while before finally opening her eyes. She let out a startled gasp to see Riddick sitting calmly beside her, staring at her without his goggles on.
"You never answered my questions, Carolyn."
She licked her lips, saw his eyes follow the movement and moved her wrists. The chains were gone she realized suddenly and she pushed up to sit against the wall, rubbing her tender wrists. There was a dark bruise forming on one where the chain had rubbed, a harsh mark on her pale skin. "What questions were those?"
"You remember."
"D-don't play games, Riddick. What questions?"
A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Tell me about your relationship with the Nav officer."
"Greg?"
"Was there another Nav officer you were fucking?"
*Why does he wants to know?*
"I'm curious, Carolyn. Indulge me."
"Why should I?"
"I'll give you the real particulars of my escape and capture. That's what you're curious about, isn't it? You want the truth."
She swallowed hard. Her mouth was dry and he wanted her to talk? "Water."
He pointed at her and she noticed there was a bottle of water on the floor to her right. Carolyn drank thirstily. "What were your questions exactly?"
"Did you hate it with him?"
"Honestly?"
"Only if you want honesty from me."
"Yes. I did hate it. I hated that I had to screw someone to get my posting." He didn't look surprised. "I did have a choice, though: Greg or Captain Mitchell."
*This is Riddick, Caro. He knows the system.*
"Did you want it harder; hotter?"
"Always. He treated me like I was a porcelain doll that would break."
"Which one of you did the avoiding?"
"Me. I did what I had to. I was ambitious, yes, but really had no desire to sleep my way to the top."
"Of course not." His face betrayed no emotion, but there was mockery on his voice.
"He got me the position with Alliance, helped me negotiate my contract..." She broke off.
"Stupid."
"Women don't usually get piloting positions of any kind, Riddick." She took another drink. "What about you?"
"I killed a few guards and took off. You would have too after awhile in the Slam. It makes better killers out of men who are killers already. Johns found me with a couple whores. I was distracted; not a usual occurrence with me. He caught me at a really unfortunate time."
He quite speaking and Carolyn cleared her throat.
*He didn't really tell me anything.*
"What now?"
"We land and get personal."
"Land? So soon?" Her first waking thought had been a musing on if he'd take care of the tension still tightening her body.
"Space station ahead. I took us off the shipping lane. It's a rough station, secluded, but it'll give us time."
*For what exactly?*
The expression in his eyes was one Carolyn couldn't quite figure out.
Riddick slipped his goggles back on and went to the front of the skiff.
Carolyn consciously ignored the memories from the planet. None of it mattered. None at all.
*It would be better to forget I ever had a conscience.*
----------------------------------
Riddick gave their names as Johns and Badd, and soon they were alone in guest quarters.
"What shall we do first, Carolyn? Eat?" He touched his tongue to the corner of his mouth. "Shower? Or would you rather get down and dirty first?"
"I-I'm hungry..." His hands were on her hips, pressing her against him and she placed her hands on his arms, warring with herself over whether the hunger for food was more important than the other hunger within her.
"Yeah, I could eat you all up."
"I meant..."
"I know what you meant."
"I want food." Her voice came out petulant.
"What's stopping you?"
"You are." She shoved at him. "Get out of the way!" He didn't move, looking at her expectantly, and Carolyn felt all of her anger well up inside her. Her hand lashed out, slapping him sharply across the face.
Time suspended and she waited for him to hurt her, but Riddick began to laugh, taking a step backwards, one arm stretching out in invitation for her to go ahead. As she walked past him, he smacked her hard on the rear.
"There's that fire I've been waiting for, baby. Channel that anger. Let it out."
Carolyn balled her hands into fists.
*I'm changing. And I don't really care....*
"Don't be afraid to follow your instincts."
She was taken back to their moment on the skiff, when she'd been doing the sys check. Instincts were good. Right?
"The past is the past." Riddick looked through the cupboards. "But we can discuss this later. Food first."
"You always promise, Riddick. When are you going to follow through?" He grasped her chin roughly and Carolyn gasped.
"When I see you're ready. Not a moment sooner."
-------------------------------------
Wherever Riddick went during the day didn't concern her. Carolyn spent all of her time sleeping and eating and reading...and working on making a shiv. It was her first lesson Riddick insisted. She had to perfect the art of shiv making as a matter of self-preservation. If she could make a shiv, she could make a weapon anywhere. She found herself wanting to please him just so he'd decide she was ready for him.
*How bizarre is that?*
She was standing at the window, admiring her finished shiv, when Riddick's arms went around her, drawing her back against his chest. "I didn't hear you come in."
He took the shiv, glanced at it and tossed it aside. "Nice work. Gotta get your time down though. I can make one in a couple hours. You took four days."
His criticism stung and she tried to jerk away.
"Now don't be like that, Carolyn; you were just starting to let yourself go. Why don't we work on that now?"
"Work on what?"
"You letting go, going with your instincts. You've got marvelous instincts, baby."
He traced a path up her neck with his tongue. She shivered, hands loosely curled at her thighs, eyes half-closing as her teeth caught at her lower lip. "Okay."
"Let yourself go, Carolyn. Go with your instincts."
Her head fell back onto his shoulder, turning to give him better access to her neck. The feel of his teeth on her flesh, biting just hard enough to hurt, yet not hard enough to draw blood, was exciting her. "Mmm..." Carolyn's hands slipped back to curl around his heavily muscled thighs.
"Why don't you tell me what you want?"
The robe she'd been wearing fell to the floor, his hands sliding up her belly to cup her breasts. Arching into his hands, Carolyn wiggled her hips, one hand pressing to his groin. "What do you think I want, Riddick?"
"You tell me. What do you want? What does the animal inside you want me to do to you?"
"I want to be fucked."
"Do you?"
He sounded amused. "Yes."
*Too late for regrets. Too late for anything. Go with this.*
"I want you to fuck me, Riddick, long and hard and in as many positions as you can think of."
"Let's get specific, Carolyn." He turned her head, kissing the other side of her neck.
She remembered those sys check moments.
"Shall I pleasure you, baby? Shall I use my hands and my mouth and my dick until you're screaming my name, begging for release? Is that what you want?"
"Yes!"
"Are you asking me, Carolyn?"
"Yes!"
"Say it. I want to hear you say it. All of it." He bit her earlobe, chuckling softly when she gasped and paused. "Ask me to fuck you Carolyn and don't forget to say please."
"I..." She licked her lips. By doing this, any control she had, she was giving up to him.
*Fuck it, Caro. He already has the power and he knows it. He just wants you to acknowledge it. It won't change anything.*
"Please fuck me Riddick."
"The rest of it."
"I want you to use your hands and your mouth and your dick until I'm screaming your name and begging you for release..." She closed her eyes. "Please fuck me, Riddick."
"How can I say no when a lady asks so nicely? Let's get dirty, baby."
She was whipped around and pressed to the wall, his mouth taking hers roughly. There were no tender words, no soft touches, only Riddick doing as he pleased with her body, turning her this way and that, his hands and mouth forcing responses from her. She was laid across the back of the couch, bent over chairs and finally set on top of him to finish the ride. It was everything she remembered from earlier and more, and she screamed his name over and over until, with a satisfied chuckle, he covered her mouth with one hand.
"Easy, Carolyn. This place isn't that soundproofed." Riddick rolled her onto her back, not bothering to pull out of her. He nuzzled her throat. "Don't go to sleep yet."
"Okay." Carolyn ran her hands along his shoulders and stared up at the ceiling. It was a pleasant surprise when he again began to move inside her. Sweat glue them together. It'd never been this good for her; she'd never enjoyed a man as much as she was enjoying Riddick. "Riddick..."
"Shh." He kissed her, tasted her and with every sweep of his tongue and every thrust of his hips, he made her his.
For awhile at least.
Chapter four
She had just finished breakfast and dressed, when her private world with Riddick was destroyed. Riddick had left for wherever it was that he went during the day and she was alone with the man who'd forced his way into their quarters.
He was one of those men she'd seen and ignored, the ones who reminded her of Johns with their superficial charm and their cocky attitudes. Riddick was cocky, too, but he didn't repulse her. This man was tall, outweighing her by at least fifty pounds.
"You're gonna be nice to me, aren't you, bitch?"
Carolyn felt the man's sweaty hands on her body, smelled his sour sweat and garlic-onion breath and tried to keep from retching. Her hands were useless against him, swatted aside easily as though they were flies. He was pushing her back, towards the bed she shared with Riddick, Carolyn frantically trying to remember where she'd left her shiv.
"I saw that bastard you're living here with leave. Been studying his habits. We'll be done long before he returns, don't you worry gorgeous." Even his voice reminded her of Johns.
His mouth forced onto hers, tongue shoving into her mouth and gagging her. Carolyn stretched her hands along the bed behind her, searching for something, anything to use as a weapon. Her shiv was there.
*No! I won't be raped!*
With a growl of rage, Carolyn took it up rammed it into the soft tissues of the man's stomach, jerking upwards with all of her strength. His hands went to her throat, squeezing and she twisted the knife. Blood, warm and sticky, ran from him onto her. His face was a mask of shock when he finally dropped to the floor, the light of life draining from his eyes.
Gulping in air as drowning woman might, she stared uncomprehendingly at the body and the widening circle of blood, the shiv tight in her fist.
*Did I do that?*
It seemed so surreal. This couldn't be her. It couldn't have been her hands that had murdered a man.
*There's so much blood.*
Tears ran down her face.
*Not me...someone else...*
The door slid open and Riddick entered the quarters, quickly taking in everything about the scene. A slow smile turned his lips. "Congratulations." He crouched down to study the body. "Nice work for a beginner, baby." Riddick looked up at her through his goggles. Time to really test that survival instinct. "You go get cleaned up. I'll take care of Mr. Mott here."
"I...I...I k-k-killed..."
"Get your ass moving!" He barked.
Carolyn nodded and moved like a sleepwalked into the bathroom. Emotion receded. She showered and redressed, and was combing her hair, when it dawned on her that the outer room was too quiet.
Pin-drop quiet.
Heart pounding, she returned there. Riddick was gone. She took up her cleaned shiv and slid it into a bag, along with the last of her belongings. The clothes she'd been wearing were tossed down the trash chute, which she knew would be emptied within the next ten minutes. Carolyn put her mind on auto-pilot, walking fast and calm to the docks where Riddick had procured a ship. As she stepped onto the ramp, it began to close.
Carolyn set down her bag and withdrew her shiv, moving silently to the front. Riddick was there, in the pilot's seat.
"Bout time you got your ass here."
"Am I the only one experiencing deja-vu, Riddick?"
They were cleared for take-off and Riddick piloted them from the station.
"You were going to leave me there."
*Blood.*
"Figured that out quick this time. What gave me away?"
"You said you'd take care of him."
*Blood everywhere.*
"And I did. Cleaned out his credit accounts. Haven't you learned? It's every man for himself." He swiveled the chair towards her. "I told you once that I would leave you. Did you think that just because you're a good fuck that I'd change my mind?" Riddick gestured to her hand. "If you're going to try and ghost me, do it already."
"I should."
*Garlic, sweat, onion and blood.*
Riddick nodded in agreement. "Yes, you should. But you need me, Carolyn. Now that you've killed a man, you need me more than ever. Don't make the mistake of thinking that I need you, though. I can get a good fuck from any woman."
"You're awfully sure of yourself."
"Oh, I could turn you in for that little crime you just committed."
"Killing you would take care of that."
"Do you know how to generate fake identities that measure up to real ones?"
"No."
"Then you still need me. Kill me, Carolyn, and your next fuck will be in prison."
"I won't need you for long, Riddick."
"Put the shiv away and sit down, Carolyn." He motioned to the seat beside him.
"I won't." She insisted, reluctantly setting the shiv aside.
"That's right, baby; you just keep telling yourself that."
*Blood dripping, pooling on the floor....*
Riddick watched Carolyn begin to sob; not
the regretful sobs of a little over a week earlier, but the sobs of
someone barely holding themselves together. She tried to hide those
sobs, turning her face away, and something pulled sharply in his chest.
He'd been watching her closely since leaving that planet; had seen the
pain inside her. As soon as she drifted into an exhausted sleep, he
made a decision.
-------------------------------------
Carolyn felt so groggy, her head rolling limply on the pillow. "Where am I?"
"You're at Briggs-Danver mental health facility on Hedriel IV." The young man beside her whispered.
She forced herself into consciousness. "What am I doing here?" She could hear Riddick talking....
"...thinks she's Carolyn Fry."
"That woman that was on the Hunter-Gratzner?"
"Yeah. She's become obsessed with the convict Riddick. She's had episodes before and responded well to medication, but this time, nothing is helping."
Medication? What the hell was he talking about? Vaguely, she remembered the sting of a needle in her arm not long after they'd taken off from the station. Carolyn, pushed herself to sitting. The man beside her helped her, then moved away. She saw Riddick now, beside a woman.
"Is she allergic to anything?"
"No. The last doctor who saw her suggested we put her on prytenvel to keep her calm."
Carolyn slid from the bed, legs shaking. Prytenvil was the one thing she was even slightly allergic to. "He's lying." She tried to speak, but her voice remained a whisper.
Riddick looked over at her and briefly lifted his goggles.
*He knows I'm allergic to it.*
She took a few steps, encouraged when she didn't collapse to the floor. Her brain registered exactly where she was, eyes taking in the drugged patients around her and the howling of some soul behind a locked door.
*He's committing me. He is, isn't he?*
"We'll take good care of her, Mr. Owens. Shannon will get the best care we can give. Is she violent at all?"
Carolyn discovered she still had her shiv. It was tucked beneath her shirt. Grasping it, she rushed at the doctor and Riddick, aiming for him. The woman turned and stepped in front of him at the last moment and Carolyn struck the woman instead, the shiv catching her in the chest. Blood spurted and Carolyn found herself being dragged by two orderlies. "He's lying! Look at him! He's Riddick! Look! For Christ's sake look!"
"Prytenvil! Quick!" A doctor yelled.
Riddick laid the injured woman on the tiled floor and watched Carolyn.
A needle was jabbed into her.
"He's him...Riddick..." Her eyes widened and her body began to convulse.
Riddick blew her a kiss.
Colors swam before Carolyn's eyes.
*Thine own ass first.*
Another orderly, ushered Riddick from the hall and into an office as Carolyn lost consciousness.
------------------------------------
Riddick stood by the bedside, hand stroking Carolyn's hair. "When you wake up, baby, you won't remember me at all or the Hunter-Gratzner or anything about your life. Prytenvil causes permanent amnesia in all those allergic who are given a high dose; just like the one they gave you. Funny how they keep using it though." He ran his hand along her jaw. "You'll be Shannon Owens, abandoned by her husband, and because of the amnesia, they'll consider you cured. I'm leaving you here, Carolyn." Riddick took a deep breath. "Too bad you'll never be able to thank me for taking the nightmares from you." Bending down, he kissed her lips one last time and left the hospital with a promise to return in a week. It was a promise he had no intention of keeping.
Once the course was set and he was on his way, he went into the cabin and laid on the bed. There was no scent of her anywhere but in the front and he'd left her bag at the hospital. He didn't turn off the lights, but he did close his eyes.
And heard the screams of Jack and Imam on the planet where he'd left them. He'd spared Carolyn from that pain. There was nothing he could do for himself.
------------------------------------------
The woman sat in a rocking chair in her private room, slowly rocking, her hands resting on the swollen, pregnant curve of her belly. Her blond hair was down to her shoulders and her eyes were reflective as she stared out the window at the garden. Images trailed across the screen of her mind. She saw a crashed ship with a debris trail behind it from it's path across sandy soil. There were people, men and a woman, and a girl, her head shaved. One man....The man made love to her. Not gently, but passionately. He was beautiful. Odd, that a man could be considered beautiful, but he was. His eyes had a silvery shine and she could almost hear his voice....
She sighed.
Who were those people? Were they people she'd known, or were they just dream images. Some of the images that she saw were violent; bloody and frightening. There were these sounds in the darkness....
Nightmares, she decided. Only nightmares.
They had to be, because the doctors said she had total amnesia.
Her eyes cleared and she looked at the sky, a twinge of apprehension shooting through her at the sight of twilight on the horizon.
"Shannon?"
A nurse came into the room, petite and gray haired.
"Hi Lucy."
"Have you remembered anything?"
"No. I had a nightmare though."
"When you had your nap earlier?"
"Mmm-hmm. I dreamed about these creatures..."
"You want me to get Dr. Sheridan?"
"No." She turned her head. "It was just a dream. Dreams can't hurt me."
"We still can't locate your husband, Shannon."
"Oh." It didn't concern her. She didn't remember him, so why should it? "Could you turn on the lights? It's getting dark out there."
Lucy nodded. "Of course, Shannon. We'll be bringing your supper soon, okay?" Out of all the people in this wing, the supposedly cured ones that had been abandoned by family and friends, Shannon was the only one concerned with nightfall. She always had to have the lights on. Dr. Sheridan said it was a memory of the coma she'd been in briefly, but Lucy thought differently. Something wasn't right about Shannon Owens, but who was she to tell her opinion? She was only a nurse and one paid well enough to keep her mouth shut.
Shannon Owens could keep her secrets.
When the nurse had gone, the woman returned her attention to the now lit garden and the beautiful man in her mind. She sighed and rubbed her belly with one hand.
*Too bad he's not real.*
Her other hand slid into the pocket of her loose dress and tightened about the handle of the knife she'd fashioned when the doctors and nurses no longer actively watched her.
The knife was her protection from those things in the dark.
Maybe they were real and maybe they weren't.
*I won't be caught unprepared again.*
Her brow furrowed and she released the handle.
*Again?*
She blinked and began to rock again. The baby within her kicked, and she rubbed the spot with her hand. She was going to have a healthy boy they'd told her.
"Shh. It's okay, Richard. I'll never let anything in the dark hurt you. Ever."
Night fell.
~The End~
Written by Kes