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

Graduation Day

The wind was blowing her hair in her face and into her mouth.   "Dammit! I should have put it up like Danielle said."

Her wavy hair now fell down to the middle of her back and usually was braided or in a ponytail at least, but today she had elected to leave it down.

"Kyra!"

Her head whipped around to find the faces that were calling her name and waved back once she spotted them in the crowd. She had done it.  She had graduated! It still seemed surreal to her though, especially given the way her life had gone until she returned to Iman.  The wind suddenly kicked up and she had to hold onto her mortar board to keep it from flying off her head. Not exactly easy considering she was also trying to hold her diploma and keep her gown from blowing up at the same time.

Grinning and not caring whether it was dignified or not, she ran to them -  Iman, Lajjun, Ziza, Grant and Danielle.  Her face fell a bit not seeing Grant and Danielle's four month old twins, Sam and Celine, but she understood, too.  She simply wanted her entire family with her on this special day and that's exactly how she felt about the three children.  She couldn't have loved them any differently than she did her own two brothers. 

Danielle was the first to get to her and gave her a huge hug. "Oh Kyra! I just can't tell you how proud we are of you."

Iman grinned at her. "You've done well child, incredibly well."

"Thank you. I just can't believe I have this in my hand now. Seven years ago, even four years ago I wouldn't have imagined it."

Grant took her diploma from her hands and opened it for the rest of them. "You'll have to hang it up in your first office. Let's go celebrate!"

Later that afternoon, Grant and Danielle were about to leave Iman's house after her party, but she stopped them before they could get out the door. "Hey. Can I talk to you guys? Somewhere private?"

These two people had come to mean the world to her. Iman and Lajjun were great, but Grant and Danielle had been more like her parents were before her father had died. She decided that she wanted them to know about her – all about her. They deserved to know who and what she really was.

Sensing something serious, Grant put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "Sure, let's go to the gym. We have the babysitter until tonight."

It had taken Kyra years to gather the courage and less than an hour to tell them about her past. Danielle had tears in her eyes practically the entire time, but Kyra had been oblivious to them.  She had been too afraid to look either in the eyes as she told them her story, fearing rejection.  It wasn't until Danielle wrapped her arms around her and then cradled her face in her hands that she knew for sure how they both felt about her.

"I knew you were a strong young woman, but I had no idea. I just cannot believe everything that you've gone through. Yet you're still here and look what you've done!"

Grant spoke next. "Now I understand why you were so angry. That Janus creep aside, Riddick really did a number on you didn't he?"

"First, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you two. Iman and Lajjun have given me a home and stability, but you two? You've been like parents to me that I haven't had since I was a child."  She took a steadying breath before continuing.   "About Riddick?  Yes, he did a number on me when he left. He'd been gone around six months by the time I followed Jarrod here to kick his ass.  Everything I felt for him was still raw, hurting.  Both from him and from what Janus had done as well. It still hurts...that he left me. Even after four years, it hurts and when I think about it too much I still get upset because I feel like he could've at least come back for me after I gave him his freedom and a new identity. I've accepted what he did though. I know he wanted to do right by me and he did. I have a future now and I get it that this wouldn't be my situation had I stayed with him."

Grant paused before asking her this question, knowing she might choose to not answer. "I have to ask, but don't deck me.  If he came back today and offered to take you with him. Would you go?"

She cringed because she hesitated. "God, Grant what a question," she laughed, but felt nothing like laughing in truth.  "If he came back today...I would want him to see how well I've done. I know he would be happy for me because that's what he wanted me for me, to make a life for myself." She paused. "If he asked me to go with him?" She closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them not looking at either of them. "Part of me wants nothing to do with him and is still bitter. Part of me would like to at least let him see me and then have him be on his way. Then the last part of me would not hesitate to pack my bags and leave with him, as horrible as that sounds. I know it's difficult to hear that from me knowing everything that he's done in his past. But he wasn't like that with me, and I hope you can understand. We had a special connection between us and I still feel it. I loved him for who he was. I accepted him for who he was. Pretty pathetic huh?"

Danielle took her hands. "You're right. We haven't had your experiences and we don't know him at all, so it is difficult for us to completely understand your feelings. But we know you and I don't think you're pathetic at all to feel that you're still connected to him. We just don't want it to prevent you from finding love and happiness with someone else when the time comes."

"I've learned that I have a lot more love in me than I thought. I don't keep my eyes closed to possibilities. I promise you both that I'll never let him or anyone drag me in a direction I don't want to go. I love my life and I don't plan on letting anyone take this away from me. Including him."

_______________________________________ _

Riddick

Leaving his last cargo and with no particular destination, Riddick sat down to watch a movie from his collection.  The opening credits were playing when he realized something was missing from the film – Jack's biting commentary.  This was one of his favorite movies, which she so happened to dislike and never failed to make smart ass comments about it every time she passed into the room while it was playing.  It usually ended up with him attacking her to get her shut up, too.  The movie simply didn't hold the same appeal that it once did, so he turned it off.

"Time gets away.  Shit! She'll be nineteen soon."

The temptation to go back and see her had always been there, but the closer it came to her turning nineteen, the more difficult it had become for him to resist. He had been thinking about it great deal lately, too.  Remembering how she looked the night of her fourteenth birthday?  What a shock that had been. A good shock, but nothing he had expected. He had been imagining more and more what she had turned out to look like, too.  Iman kept him filled in on a lot, but even that wasn't enough because he knew Iman held back some information to respect her wishes. 

"Probably got that same short hair.  Hell, couldn't see her in anything else. Bet long hair on her would be nice though, too. That mouth probably hasn't slowed down any.  Shit, she's probably still a stick-skinny runt."

He grinned thinking about how many times she had gotten the better of him. Jack had been a significant part of his life and of him. He still believed what he did was best for her, but things had not been the same.  Since he left her, he did whatever he could to keep his mind off her.  But from the day she turned eighteen and the closer it got to her nineteenth birthday, his thoughts went to her almost daily.  Thoughts he didn't try to block anymore.  Why?  Because he didn't need to worry about being alone with her – hurting her.  It went deeper than that, too, but it wasn't anything he was ready to acknowledge just yet.

Kicked back in the captain's chair with his feet propped up, he was drinking a beer and looking back through some old pictures of the two of them.

"What would you want to do with me Jack if you saw me? Kiss me on the head like you used to do or just plain kick my ass?" He looked over his itinerary for his next few runs. "Hell with it. Never gonna know sittin' here wonderin'. I must be fuckin' crazy."