A Kid Like Her (A Riddick - Jack Romance/Adventure Story)

The End of Things As They Are

Warning: A rape scene is alluded to. No details of the act are given, but the victim deals with the effects the day after without the recall of details.

The first week after Riddick's departure she rarely left her room. She didn't take a shower, hardly uttered a word, and wouldn't come down to eat. Fearing for her health, Iman brought food trays up to her, which she reluctantly accepted, but blocked out the 'tsk' sound he made upon seeing how she had merely picked at the food.

For lack of a better description, her room had become a mausoleum. Wanting no sign of the outside world to intrude, she covered all of the windows to block the invading light. Plain and simple, she was grieving, and he knew he had to give her time, which he did without being asked. However, the father in him was growing closer to intervening on her behalf. He feared she was slowly killing herself, and that he would not allow. Riddick wouldn't have allowed it either.

Eight days later he came down to breakfast, to his shock she was already there eating. She had cleaned herself up, but in no way did she look well. He estimated that she had lost close to ten pounds off her already slim frame and was far paler than before.

"Jack."

She slowly lifted her eyes to his and he gasped seeing the deep, dark circles beneath them.

"Not yet, Iman." She left the table and went to the front door. "I'm going for a walk."

She had gotten up that morning to use the bathroom and caught her reflection in the mirror. It had scared the hell out of her. Scared her and succeeded in re-awakening the fire of anger she had all but buried.

"I will not fucking kill myself over him. But I can try to make him pay."

As she walked, her mind began formulating ideas about what she could do. Her goal? To find Riddick and make him suffer however she could, but how? Mercs, she thought. She didn't have the resources to find him, but money loving mercs did. They want him fucking bad enough...they'll use me to do it. One month and I'm outta here.

She trained herself as best she could, building back her stamina and strength. Iman had insisted that she start school, but she refused, showing him the courses she had been taking, which caused him to relent for the time being. Three things consumed her days - training, getting mercs here, and her studies. One thing consumed her nights - revenge.

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Aboard Riddick's Ship – one week after leaving Jack

Riddick was heading back to complete the deal that he had to abandon when Jack was shot. It was three in the morning and he was wide awake in his bed. He usually didn't have trouble sleeping on his ship, knowing that mercs couldn't break down his door. However, since leaving Jack, sleep had been anything but easy. Riddick got out of bed and headed for the gym thinking a little physical activity would help. On his way, he passed by her room. He had yet to go in since dropping her off, feeling as though he was violating her private space. He just stood there in front of her door, but this had not been the first time he had done so.

After several minutes he turned the doorknob and opened it. A part of him expected to see her asleep as he had countless times before. He chuckled softly as his eyes fell to the bed. "She never made it up."

He walked in and her fragrance hit him. "Shit! Still smells like her perfume." He opened her drawers, curious if she had left anything important.

"What's this?"

He picked up a small notebook that was bound with a rubber band and opened it.

"Pictures."

The faces were of two identical men and he recognized them from the video. "It's her brothers."