Author: CathyJ

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: NC17 for smut, violence, mild f/f slash

Archive: Email me and we’ll talk.

Disclaimer: The characters of Riddick and Jack belong to their respective studios, writers, and producers (and anyone who has rights to them). Saundra and the others and all

Non-Pitch Black ideas/plots are my own. Respect them.

Feedback: Yes. Ganadokiller7(at)gmail(dot)com

 

 

Big ‘Evil’ Daddy

 

 

 

 

Prologue

 

 

Kyle quietly walked through the shadows in his old residence. He made Trevor and Daryl wait in the living room while he crept to Saundra’s room with his pistol.  ‘I told that bitch I’d be back. She can’t get rid of me and now I’m gonna hurt her in the worst way,’ he thought. Lucky for him, Saudy’s bedroom door was open. He’d given her the pet name because it sounded just as ridiculous as her opinions. He looked in and saw her entangled in the sheets of her double sized bed. He walked over to her, remembering she was normally a hard sleeper and positioned the barrel of the pistol at her forehead.

 

“Saudy,” he simply said. She murmured and opened her eyes. Kyle’s voice had managed to penetrate the deep sleep she had been enjoying. She gasped when her eyes adjusted.

 

“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.

 

“I’ve come for what’s mine. And if you behave, you’ll live to try and retrieve it. But then, I can assure you that you’ll fall. That’s WHEN I’ll kill you.”

 

Everything was always cat and mouse with Kyle. If someone had something he wanted, he’d take it and dangle it in front of their faces. That’s what he did with Saundra. He stole her from the only man she’d ever loved and practically handed her back on a silver platter. But that’s another story.

 

Now, Saundra was in full alert, wondering what she had that he could take. He pulled a thick roll of duct tape from his coat pocket.

 

“Don’t move.”

 

She gulped and let him bind her legs and arms then tape her mouth shut. He smiled in triumph and waved to her, walking out and across the hall. ’What do I have that he’d want?’  Then, her eyes wandered over to the baby monitor on her desk.

 

’God please no. Not my Bethy,’ she prayed.

 

Noises could be heard through the speaker. She heard Kyle cooing to the three year old tot she loved more than the air she breathed. She heard Bethy sit up and yawn, then say ‘daddy’ in a week little voice. Shuffling came and Saundra knew he was packing her clothes, diapers, wipes and training paints. Anything he may need. He never left home without some of the most foolish things, although now, nothing he was taking compared to items in the past.

 

“Say bye-bye to mommy, Bethanne.”  Saundra heard the baby sigh and then a hushed ‘byie muhmuh’ rattled in her brain.

She could picture Kyle holding her daughter, pointing at the monitor and grinning wildly as the child spoke.

 

Then, he was gone, and it was over. Saundra begin to kick and scream through the tape, and then sob. She had no idea where to begin to look for him. The last image she had of her baby came back to her memory. She’d laid her down in bed to sleep, Bethy’s eyes drooping heavily, and smiled at her pajamas. It was a little knee length cotton gown with white lace around the arms and chest and a tiny white bow in the middle of each piece of lace. The white socks she wore were too big and came up to her knees. Bethy cradled a fuzzy pink blanket in her arms and she’d done something Saundra always loved. She picked up the corner of the blanket and involuntarily rubbed it under her nose just above her pacifier, then sighed deeply at the soothing motion.

 

Saundra quit struggling in her restraints and let the image freeze in her mind. ’Oh God, someone just kill me now.’

 

 

Chapter one

 

“Two pair. Beat that you fatherless bastard.”

 

Riddick looked up from behind his cards. He shook his head at the short, fat man across from him that had been trying to bluff all night. It was always against him, too, never the other four guys sitting there.

 

“Well if that wasn’t redundant,” Riddick replied as he laid his hand on the table. Full house, kings over jacks. Nobody knew if the comment he’d made was about winning, again, or being a ‘fatherless bastard’. It was still an amusing reply, however.

 

The man sneered and the others tried to hide their laughter. He absolutely loathed the black goggles that hid his opponent’s eyes from him. He could never tell what Riddick was up to. He growled and threw the money he owed him onto the table. Without so much as another glance, he stalked out of the stuffy bar and rambled curses into the night air as he disappeared. Riddick picked up the cash and pocketed the bills.

 

“Rematch?” he asked them. The others laughed and declined, shaking his hand as they all got up and left. ’First time in a long time anyone’s willingly touched me,’ he thought. He smiled at the fact. That could mean one of two things; either they knew who he really was and didn’t want to piss him off OR, he was fading into existence.

 

Riddick moved back to Earth after getting Imam and Jack, or Jocilen, as she now wanted to be called, settled on the small, Muslim colonized planet, simply named, ‘New Mecca’. He stayed with them for about a year, making sure that they were comfortable with their home and that it was safe for him to venture out into space. Word had gotten out that the Hunter-Gratzner crashed and Riddick managed to hack into most of the merc and space police files, wiping out his personal file and that he’d even been on the ship. There were a few he couldn’t get access to but knew they were so secure that no common Joe would see them and be on his ass.

 

He ordered a beer and paid with the ‘folding’ cash, asking if the bartender would take the other money he had and transfer it over into credits in his account. It wasn’t a problem and when they’d finished, Riddick thanked him and got up to relieve his bladder. He approached the door and entered cautiously, unsure of what awaited him in that room. He peeked into the stall and saw a drunk passed out on the can. Literally, his pants were at his ankles and his rear end would probably be numb later.

 

’No fuckin’ urinals,’ he thought, annoyed.

 

On his way out of the restroom, he almost knocked over his favorite waitress, Leona. She laughed when she saw it was him and poked his side. Riddick winked and went back over to his table, checking that he had all of his things and then realized he hadn’t brought anything. Just his goggles, which were on his eyes, and his shiv, which was in the leg pocket of his cargos. He then remembered he had gone home first, from work, THEN came out for a little late night fun.

 

Working in the Pyrite mines wasn’t as cracked up as one would think it was. About three years ago, Earth had been completely drained of gold and rather than a government lab create it and spend the money to build facilities and hire top scientists to produce it, the Planetary government decided to just hire miners to dig out Pyrite, an acceptable solution. It wasn’t used for jewelry, silver and platinum took over the gold market, but it was used widely for interplanetary trades. Since Pyrite was newly discovered almost anywhere on Earth, it had no real value except to low economic countries or countries that conducted a lot of ‘space trading’. With this in mind, the Pyrite miners still got paid a nice amount for their work.

 

Riddick, being above the average man on smarts, settled in Key West, Florida, knowing the mines there paid more since basically, it was made up of nothing but islands and one could only dig so far. Even though he’d never told anyone, he was quite found of the beach, as well. He also didn’t worry about a mine running ‘dry’, he’d just move somewhere else where Pyrite was a rarity and paid well in the business. The only disadvantage, shift scheduling. He loved night or graveyard shift but day shift was hell, being that Florida was hot and humid most of the year. Also, being nocturnal made it easier for him to get around.

 

“Hey there, want some company tonight?”

 

Riddick turned to see Leona standing there, smiling hopefully. She was the only person in the bar he was nice to. He thought that it was because no other women that worked there looked as good and if he wanted a piece of ass, he’d get it easily, knowing she’d go on to brag how he’d picked her and not the other ladies, making her feel special and come back to him whenever he wanted. Either way, he didn’t care. He shook his head and turned to face her completely.

 

“No, maybe another time. I go back on graveyard shift day after tomorrow and I’ll be sleeping as much as I can. I’m wiped out anyhow, I wouldn’t be great company,” he explained.

 

“I could massage you to sleep, or…maybe, lick you….” She loved teasing him, planting ideas and images in his head, knowing he’d eventually give in. He chuckled.

 

“Ask me again next week. Maybe you’ll get lucky.” He grinned at her expression and left the bar.

 

Riddick’s eyes scanned the night streets, looking for any sign of trouble or anything unusual that he might run into. This was a habit he’d never break, being on high alert constantly. It suddenly began to pour again and he cursed, wondering why it couldn’t wait until he got home. He then felt the pinching in his lower belly and decided he’d better find an alley to piss in or he wouldn’t get home quite as fast.

 

He came to a passage between to empty buildings and entered the narrow area. It was still wide enough for a dumpster and Riddick wondered why there was so much trash lying around if the buildings were empty. He leaned in near the trash bin and unzipped his pants. His bladder thanked him and he ‘ahhhed’ when the stream of fluid left his body. ’If you shake it more than three times you’re playing with it,’ he jokingly thought to himself. He yawned and closed his pants, and that’s when he heard it.

 

A cough. A faint, whiny cough. He spun around; ready to unleash the animal in him if he had to, but nobody was there. It came again, making him squint to identify the location. He peered down the alleyway and saw a medium sized box on the ground with the flaps facing out. He watched it move when the cough came again. He pulled his shiv from his pocket and steadied his hand.

 

When Riddick neared the box, he knelt down and prepared to cut whatever would jump out at him. He grasped the top flap and pulled it up. What he saw caught him so off guard he fell on his rear and gaped in silence.

 

A child, toddler is more like it, sat inside the box, soaking wet, sniffling and clutching a blanket. Riddick blinked a few times wondering if he was seeing things. She was no more than three, with shoulder length black hair that was ratty and tangled. Her eyes were big and gray with a solemn stare radiating from the pupils. He looked at her tore pink jammies and the foot that had a sock on it, dangling about an inch off of her toes. It was dirty and the blanket in her hand matched it.

 

Riddick couldn’t move. Who the hell would let such a young child out by itself or better yet, who’d just leave it? He swallowed and looked around. There wasn’t anyone else nearby. He tried to think. He hadn’t seen her on any of the missing kids’ flyers or any reports on his vid-screen. ’Great, what do I do now?’ he wondered. As if she read his mind, the baby reached out for him, both arms pointing directly at his broad chest. He watched her pacifier move in her mouth and sighed deeply.

 

“Ah hell.”

 

 

Chapter two

 

Riddick debated for a second and decided to at least get the kid out of the rain. He couldn’t leave her there and it looked like nobody else was around, so he reached down and held out one mammoth paw to help her out of the box. The baby grasped two of his fingers and stood on wobbly, weak legs. Riddick bent down and carefully lifted her up, but held her away from his chest.

 

He noted her bottom was bare and it wasn’t very red, so he guessed that she’d been without a diaper or underpants against her sensitive skin. She didn’t look hurt nor starved, maybe just a little dehydrated, which could be solved with a little apple juice. He finally relaxed her to his upper body and flinched when her arms laced around his neck. He hadn’t expected it and the feeling was a little overwhelming since no one ever showed him that kind of affection. Her little head fell to his shoulder, snuggling against his strong collarbone.

 

“Okay, kid, let’s get outta here.”

 

They left the alleyway and began their short journey in the rain. Riddick pulled her blanket it up to her head and covered as much of her as he could. He searched the street for some type of public transportation but saw none. Not even one of those alcho-transports for the drunks. He quickened his stride and in less than ten mintues, they were home.

 

After getting inside, Riddick turned the dial on his lights, setting it for three so he wouldn’t blind himself and the girl wouldn’t be in the dark. He went to put her down and then stopped, realizing she was asleep against his chest. Afraid she’d awaken; he kept her still and sat on his couch in front of the multi-functional vid-screen. He pulled up communications from the menu with the remote and pressed TWO, calling his friend Terry.

 

Terry Jolsey was one of the first people Riddick met when he got back onto Earth. Actually Terry was a cop, and one of the few people that had given him a second chance, knowing who he was and all about his past. Riddick couldn’t understand why, maybe he was just that type of person, but he was grateful. Terry was the guy that helped him get his job in the mines, find a home that wouldn’t be so obvious for an ex-convict to live in, then helped him move in. After three signals, Terry finally picked up.

 

“What?” he asked in a yawning fit. Riddick laughed.

 

“Not sleeping were you?”

 

“Oh no, I don’t work on shift schedule like you, man. I tend to keep a steady day to day work week.”

 

“I see. Didn’t mean to wake you but, I got a slight problem,” Riddick explained.

 

“What’s that pink thing over your shoulder? Ohhhhh, you’ve left the female species behind?” Terry joked.

 

“No I figured there wasn’t enough men for the both of us.” The two of them cracked up.

 

“Seriously though, Riddick, pink’s not your color. What’s up?”

 

Riddick didn’t speak; instead, he lifted the blanket and revealed the baby to Terry’s wondering mind. He blinked in response and then grinned.

 

“Cute. Who’s is she?”

 

“I don’t know. That’s where you come in. I was c’min home from Slippery’s when I stopped to take a piss in the alleyway. I heard someone coughing and for a second, those old ghosts came back, you know what I mean?” Terry nodded.

 

“Always a merc around.”

 

“So I walked down the alley and saw this box shake when the cough came again. She was inside. Nobody else was around and I didn’t see any sign of anyone hiding out in the buildings. Fire escapes where still bolted up, no pale, flickering candle light in the windows. I don’t think she was there very long,” Riddick said.

 

“All right. I’ll go ahead and come on down. I’ll call up Sheila, see if she’ll come too. Have her check the poor kid out.”

 

“Thanks a lot, man.”

 

An hour later, a soft knock on the door ripped Riddick from his thoughts. He stood and checked his ‘peep-hole’ and saw Terry and Terry’s ex-wife standing on his porch. He unlocked all fifty or so dead bolts on his door and let them in.

 

“She’s sleeping?” Sheila asked.

 

“Yeah, over an hour now.”

 

“Well we need to wake her, if she has a head injury-“

 

Riddick cut her off. “I didn’t even think. She looked okay, though.”

 

“S’alright, let’s just double check.”

 

They moved to the living room and reluctantly, Riddick pulled the child from her sleep. She opened her eyes and looked at him, then Sheila, then Terry. The doctor smiled and pulled a few instruments from her bag. She spoke gently to the baby and felt her head and then checked her pupils. Her nose, throat, and ears came next, all coming back with positive results. Sheila checked the child’s heart and lungs, squinting at the noises she heard.

 

“She sounds a little wheezy. Possibly asthma, or just a virus. I’ll go out and get some medical samples from my transport, some she can take if it is just a virus that won’t give her a reaction IF she does have asthma. Actually, I think I may have a health scanner out there, too, lemmie go check.”

 

Terry and Riddick watched her exit the house and they looked at one another.

 

“I know, I know, I don’t know why I divorced her either,” Terry said. Riddick chuckled and shook his head.

 

“Do you think Sheila would stay with her for a little bit? I think we should go check out the place I found her at, see if there’s any trace of how she got there and why someone would leave her.”

 

“Sounds okay,” Terry agreed.

 

Sheila returned, smiling happily with the scanner in her hand. She sat down and motioned for Riddick to put the baby on the cushion.

 

“She has to be away from you, I don’t wanna run a scan and pick up something that’s wrong with YOU and you NOT know about it and treat HER for it.” Riddick chuckled at her tone and set the baby next to him, then stood.

 

After a complete scan, Sheila came to the conclusion that the baby was recovering from the flu and suffering from very mild dehydration, as Riddick had predicted. She agreed to stay with the child while the men went back to the alley and tried to find a clue about her. Riddick looked at the baby. He suddenly felt the need to explain he’d be right back.

 

“Hey, kid. Don’t freak Sheila out, I’ll be back. Gonna see if I can find your mom or dad,” he told her. She looked up at him and smiled behind her pacifier. She crawled over to the spot he had been previously sitting in and curled up into one of the pillows.

 

Riddick and Terry left, leaving Sheila to wonder what to do now that she knew the girl was okay. ’See if she can talk,’ she thought.

 

“What’s your name, baby?” Sheila smiled at her, hoping she wasn’t scared to talk. The baby pulled out her pacifier.

 

“Beffy,” she hoarsely replied. Sheila beamed.

 

“Betsy?” The baby shook her head.

 

“BeFFY,” she said again, stressing the last syllable. Sheila thought a second.

 

“Oh! Bethy?” The baby nodded and clapped.

 

“Well, Bethy. I’m Sheila.”

 

 

Chapter three

 

“God damn it smells in here,” Terry said. He covered his nose and slung the flashlight around in the damp, dark building.

 

They had completely gone over the first building, covering the three stories easily between them. The alley didn’t provide anything, either, so now they stood on the second floor of the second building.

 

“Dead animals,” Riddick thought out loud.

 

“Let’s hope.”

 

They covered everything on that floor. Closets, large sized boxes, desks, even a rotting wooden chest in the back corner. They found nothing. That’s when Riddick happened to look up. He looked at the large airshaft and noticed the grate had been pried open.

 

“Hey, Terry. Look at this,” he said. Terry shined the upward then held it on the grate. The scratches from where it had been forced open were now visible.

 

“I really don’t wanna open that,” he said.

 

Riddick pulled the chest in from the back and tested his weight on it. It felt secure enough for him to stand on it long enough to open the grate and peer inside. Whoever took it off didn’t replace very tightly. He tossed it to the floor and choked on the smell, now twice as bad. He coughed and took a deep breath, holding it, and then looked in.

 

’Fuckin’ terrific,’ he thought. He jumped down from the chest and coughed some more.

 

“Dead guy. Probably a day at most. Not decomposing but he’s probably got full rigormortis goin’ on,” he told Terry.

 

“This is gonna be a long ass night.”

 

They called the cops and within half an hour the place was swarming with investigators and coroner’s office workers. Forensics and scientists had flood lights set up on generators and swept the place for anything that could’ve been missed in the dark. A detective came over to Terry and Riddick.

 

“Okay so tell me how you found the guy,” he said.

 

“I bought a dog yesterday and he’s already run away. Thought I’d check the buildings to see if he was here. Terry was bored and came along for the hell of it,” Riddick said. The detective scribbled that down.

 

“What made you decide to look in here?”

 

“Well it HAS been raining ninety percent of the day,” he answered. By now the guy’s partner had come over.

 

“So you were looking for your dog in an airshaft,” the partner said in a smart ass tone.

 

“No. The smell was awful in here. I happened to look up when I stood under a spot were it was stronger. I noticed the freshly made scratches in the grate. When I stood on the chest to get a better look, the smell was twice as intense,” Riddick explained. He held back the urge to reach out and crush the guy’s larynx.

 

“How’d you see the scratches in this darkness?” the first one asked. Terry waved the four hundred watt flashlight at him.

 

“For detectives, you two aren’t very observant,” Riddick said. Terry chuckled. Neither of them knew these two guys and Terry knew almost everyone on the force, including all detectives and special units. The first detective took down their information and said they could leave. On the way back, Terry teased Riddick about the name he used.

 

“What made you pick the name Jason Hutson anyhow?”

 

“It’s such an obvious and common name that nobody would think a convict would use it,” he said. Terry shook his head.

 

“Yeah I guess most people overlook the obvious. Where the hell did you think up the dog story?”

 

“I’m good on my toes.”

 

Riddick had to be. He’d taught himself how to think quicker than a hacker with a gun to his head and a whore blowing him at the same time. Now he found himself wondering about the baby. Where would she go? What if that guy was her dad or the guy who took care of her? He’d have to find some way to see if her mother was around. Hell, she could be anywhere in the galaxy, though.

 

“You can’t let a home get her. You know what those places are like, especially now-a-days,” Terry said. Riddick nodded.

 

“I don’t know the first thing about takin’ care of a kid. It was hard enough trying to help Imam with Jack. And there was two of us lookin’ out for her,” he said.

 

Terry looked over to the east and saw the early dawn approaching. They reached the house but stopped on the porch.

 

“She’s better of with you than she is in some home.” Riddick lifted an eyebrow at that.

 

“C’mon, Riddick. You never give yourself any credit. You’ve been back on Earth a year now and you’re as civil as I am,” Terry said.

 

“Until another merc unexpectedly introduces me to the weapon of their choice.” Terry shook his head.

 

“It’ll be fine. If you get nervous, like someone IS after you, then you got Sheila and me. Her mother’s probably looking for her right now.”

 

*****UNIVERSAL TRANSPORT 16809*****

 

Saundra became restless in her quarters. She needed out but the ship she was on tried to keep people from wondering around “at night”. She was so close to the colony of Vegga on Jupiter, where she was told Kyle and Bethy were last seen, she could almost smell the rings. After Kyle left, somehow she found the strength to roll out of bed and get to her com unit. She got a hold of her housing community security patrol and when they realized exactly WHY she was mumbling, they rushed to her aide.

 

They told her a silver van with yellow pinstripe was the last vehicle out of the community. She knew immediately who was helping Kyle. Trevor Ronalds and she had always been friends, even after all the crap Kyle gave her, and she was lost as to why he’d help him in such a scheme. It took her about a month to find him, but when she told him what happened, Trevor felt so guilty he spilt his guts about Kyle and what had happened. Her mind thought back to that night.

 

“I swear, Saun, I didn’t know! He told me that you knew he was coming for the baby and that it would be late! I never saw a pistol in his hand! Oh my God, what’ve I done,” Trevor babbled. He broke down from the guilt and did everything he could to help her.

 

He emptied his savings so she’d have money to search for them and arranged for a meeting with a buddy of his on Jupiter to get her some help. Kyle had said he’d gotten a long-term custody settlement so he could take Bethanne on a vacation with him to Jupiter. He went straight from Klentex 212, they’re home planet, directly there. It was a short trip, maybe two weeks on a space transport. Trevor explained that he didn’t know what Kyle intended after he got there. Saundra thanked him and had no problem taking his money, noting there was enough to get her to the sun and back without a shortage.

 

Now, pacing about in her quarters, she looked over her credit account from her home bank. The computer screen showed an abundance of wealth and she pondered why she’d taken such a cheap trip. ’Cryo-sleep freaks you out is why. The more expensive travel ships use it,’ she thought quickly. A knock at her door brought her back from her thoughts. She looked out and saw one of the security guards there.

 

“Hello Ms. Turner, I heard noises in your quarters and wanted to make sure everything was fine,” he explained. She smiled thankfully at him.

 

“Yeah that’s just me. I can’t sleep, anxious to get to Jupiter,” she replied.

 

“Well if it makes you feel better, my time report from the captain came in about ten minutes ago and it said that we should be docking in about four hours. Made better time than we expected due to clear skies. No meteor showers or anything of that nature. Try to get some sleep, if you like, I’ll come get you as soon as we dock,” he said. She thanked him quietly and shut the door before he could see the tears of joy build around the rims of her eyes.

 

’I’m almost there, Beth, I’m coming.’

 

 

Chapter Four

 

Riddick couldn’t understand why Beth had taken such a liking to him. Any other kid probably would’ve screamed their head off when they saw him like that. When Riddick and Terry had returned, Sheila and the baby were watching cartoons on the vid-screen. Sheila took Riddick into the next room and told him the girl’s name and explained to him that if he kept her until they could figure out what happened, he’d have to be VERY careful about the things he did with her. He’d have to watch what she ate incase of food allergies and then gave him a little info on medical allergies.

 

She left him a list of things that could give him problems, and her scanner, and then suggested giving her a bath and later try to shop for her and get some clothes and other necessities. Riddick never felt so helpless or vulnerable in his life. He never had to take care of a kid, not even baby-sit for the women he’d see when he was out of Slam. They probably, secretly, didn’t want him alone with their child. Sheila explained that most of it would come naturally, just do for her as he would himself. Feed her, bath her, and clothe her, nothing too hard about that. When they left, his head turned to the girl, standing on the couch, watching him.

 

“So…you wanna take a bath?” he asked. Beth nodded.

 

Riddick walked to his bathroom and began running the water for her bath. He noticed steam rising from the faucet and check the temperature. He yanked his arm back at the hotness.

 

“That can’t be good for a kid,” he said aloud.

 

He adjusted it until the warmth was soothing, not scolding, and let the tub fill. He went back to Beth and removed her scraggly clothes. She giggled when the fabric snagged her pacifier and yanked it out of her mouth. This made Riddick smile.

 

“Funny, huh?” She smiled and clapped at him. He pulled the sock off of her foot and picked her and the fuzzy blanket up, and then went to the bathroom.

 

He turned off the water and set her in it, examining the scene before him. The water was almost shoulder deep on her. She looked up at him, her eyes twinkling brightly.

 

“I think that’s a little deep for you,” he told her. He leaned over to the drain and pulled the stopper out, watching her as she ran her hands through the water making ripples.

 

Eventually, the two of them lived through bath time, Riddick soaking wet, Beth still rubbing soap out of her eyes from where she’d squirm, and now they were in the bedroom. He rummaged around in his dresser drawers and pulled out the smallest t-shirt he could find. It was still a thousand times bigger than she was, but he felt better now that she was clothed.

He watched Beth pull on the shirt, peeking down the neck, and they both laughed when it swallowed one of her arms whole.

 

“I know it’s big but ladies aren’t suppose to walk around nude,” he said to her.

 

“Kay,” she replied.

 

Riddick was taken back. Her sweet, yet hoarse little voice was music to his ears. What got him even more was that she understood. He knew she was old enough to catch the simplicities of his statement, but he wouldn’t have guessed she knew what ‘nude’ had meant. After a few minutes, he found a comb (amazingly) and sat her down on his leg to try and rid her hair of the tangles. He fought with a few rat’s nests, but nothing too bad. He even did it gently enough to keep her from screaming her head off.

 

“This is why I shave my head,” he told her, pulling the last small tangle out. He leaned back and admired his work. He was about to stand and take her in the kitchen when he felt something warm and wet soak his leg. He looked down and saw the fabric of his pants growing darker and cling to his leg.

 

Riddick picked Beth up from his lap and looked at the back of her shirt. It was also wet. He groaned. She began laughing and kicking her legs in the air as he held her there, examining the pee she excreted all over them both.

 

“FWYYYY!” she squealed while up in the air, still kicking her feet. Riddick set her down on the carpet.

 

“Think that’s funny?” he asked. She grinned at him then pulled the humongous shirt off her tiny body.

 

“Okay. You go in there while I change and I’ll get you a new shirt,” he said. He watched her tear out of the bedroom and kicked his shoes off.

 

He slipped his pants off, glad he had her leave since he was ‘flying free’ and dug around looking for another pair of pants. He shoved the drawer closed and stood. He didn’t even hear Beth come back because he was too busy concentrating on pants and a moment later, her voice startled him.

 

“Wiggit pee pee,” Beth said in an almost impressed tone of voice. Riddick jumped and covered himself with his pants, blushing that the girl saw him naked.

 

“What are you doin’? You’re only about three years old you don’t need to see that!” he said in an embarrassed voice. She laughed at him.

 

“Daddy got one,” she told him. He looked at her like she’d grown a ‘pee pee’ herself. Then he understood. She was only making simple observations.

 

’Her dad probably changed in front of her and had a small cock,’ he thought. He laughed at that.

 

“I see,” he replied quickly yanking on his pants. He saw her blanket on his bed and understood why she came wandering back in. He tossed it to her. She smiled gratefully and left. He picked up the shirt he found and walked towards the living room. He stopped in his tracks.

 

’She called me Wiggit. Meaning, Riddick. How’d she know my name?’ he asked himself.

 

“Must’ve heard Terry or Sheila say it,” he finished aloud. He left the bedroom and went to see where she’d gone.

 

’Gotta remember to wear underwear, too.’ He laughed at the thought and continued through the house.

 

 

Chapter five

 

Saundra stepped onto the docking station walk and looked around for a directional post. She needed to find an eatery called ‘Quirkey’s’. She had to meet Trevor’s friend in twenty minutes. According to one of the station guards, Quirkey’s was just a few minutes walk from where they were. Gathering her things, and some stuff she brought for Beth, she moved through the crowd easily and without drawing a lot of attention to herself. The ‘bubble’ as they were commonly called, was quite cool in spite of the glaring sun above that beat down into the man created atmosphere. Saundra often wondered what they used to cut the glare from the protective shield that kept people from bursting.

 

Several minutes later, she was sitting comfortably in one of the soft suede chairs of the eatery. This place was nice and seemed like it had a friendly vibe about it. She noticed the people were either of middle or upper class but they had no problem socializing. After ordering an iced tea, (a rare and expensive find on Jupiter) a tall, well built man came up to her.

 

 

“Saundra Turner?” She eyed him suspiciously, then nodded.

 

“Denick Fijho,” he said. Saundra made a face at him, causing the guy to laugh.

 

“Trevor’s friend from the Wailing Wars,” he explained.

 

“OH! I’m so sorry, I was…expecting…” Denick smiled.

 

“Someone who looked more human?” She nodded.

 

Denick was a good seven feet tall and at least three hundred pounds. He wasn’t fat, just very big boned and covered with muscles; only they didn’t bulge out from his clothing. He was half human, half Jupitian. His hair was an ebony color with deep blue tints and the very end reached his waist, but the sides seemed layered, stopping just below his ribs. His eyes were multi-hued, and seemed to glow. Saundra could make out deep blues and greens, a little bit of red and orange in them as well. His skin was dark, not really in the pigment but it seemed like a tan that highlighted his skin and shimmered in deep bronze.

 

Then there were his fangs, and his tongue. The fangs weren’t vicious, or long even, just noticeable, and there for survival. Full blooded Jupitians were more nocturnal and predator like, hunting like wild game in the deserts of Jupiter. His tongue was split, much like a snake, with two separate sets of nerves in the ends, helping one side to move without the other even twitching. It also acted like a serpent tongue, helping seek out smell and movement; even though Denick clearly had a nose and ears leading into the internal ear, which sensed movement.

 

“He told me your daughter’s been taken. He sent me a bunch of things on this…Kyle Jergensen. No where did any of it say he’s the father,” Denick explained.

 

“He’s not,” Saundra confessed in a wistful sigh. “I think that’s why he took her, to hurt me the way I had him when he found out. I was pregnant when I met Kyle and when he tricked me into being with him and fooled Bethanne’s father, making him think I was a raunchy whore who came to his bed every night. I never got to tell him about her. I’ve seen him once since then but when he saw me, he disappeared. He’s good at that.”

 

Denick nodded. “You think maybe he took her to sell Bethanne back to her real father?”

 

“I highly doubt it. Kyle’s family was the wealthiest on all of Klentex. I guess that’s how he got the help to fool me and my fiancé,” she said.

 

“Well. I was able to find the hotel Kyle stayed at while he was here. I took his picture and asked the manager if he’d been there, telling him he’s wanted for kidnapping and I was hired to bring him in. I didn’t ask any questions, though, I thought maybe you’d wanna be there for that part.”

 

“Yes I’d like that. How’d you get him to believe you?” The curiosity was evident in her tone.

 

“I just showed him my mercenary badge.”

 

******BACK ON EARTH******

 

Riddick peeled his eyelids open and groaned at the mid-afternoon sunshine. Even with the dark curtains blocking the window, it still hurt his eyes. He looked at the spot next to him on the bed, noticing Bethy wasn’t there. He put his hand on the towels and noticed if she’d wet the bed, it had long since dried. He glanced around the room.

 

“Ah, shit,” he mumbled.

 

The room had been tore apart. Clothes were pulled out of his dresser, magazines were thrown about, some ripped to pieces, various items that were on the dresser were now on the floor. Riddick got up and rubbed his head, struggling to find his goggles. He found them and slipped them on just as she came bounding into the bedroom in his t-shirt.

 

“Wiggit wead it coo me,” she said happily, holding up a magazine. He took it from her and gawked.

 

‘Honey’s with huge hooters’.

 

“Uh, I don’t think you should be looking at this,” he said. She laughed and left the room again. Riddick quickly flipped to page 89 and smiled at the brunette on the page with humongous breasts playing with herself.

 

“Ah, Jada. Where are you when I need you?” he asked the photo. A moment later, he tossed the smut over his shoulder and went to check on the baby.

 

He found her on the couch thumbing through books he owned on different survival techniques. He looked around his home. His muscles began to ache just thinking about cleaning up the mess. He scratched his head and looked at her, bouncing up and down on the coushins.

 

“Hungwy,” she told him.

 

“You want some food?”

 

“Uh huh.”

 

Riddick went to his fridge. He hung his head when he opened it and it was empty. A long string of curse words flew through his mind. He shut it and a knock on his door jolted him upright. Bethy stopped bouncing and watched intently as Riddick warily moved to the door. He peered out then unlocked the long line of bolts.

 

“Hi! How’s it going?” Sheila asked.

 

Riddick stepped back and let her in, motioning to the mess beyond. She laughed and then quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

 

“Hi Shewa!” Bethy yelled. The woman visibly beamed.

 

“Hi honey! How are you?”

 

“Wiggit gave me a bafe!”

 

“Well that was very nice of him wasn’t it,” Sheila said. She turned and noticed for the first time Riddick was bare chested and almost gasped at his form. She’d never seen him like that. She clutched the diaper bag she’d been holding with different things in it for Bethy.

 

“She’s hungry and I’m outta food,” Riddick said. Sheila blinked.

 

“Oh. Oh well, I brought some things for her. Diapers, training pants, a few outfits, a pair of shoes…hopefully this all fits,” she babbled breathlessly. She thrust the pink diaper bag with tiny embroidered rosebuds and daisies all over it.

 

“You don’t expect me to actually carry that around do you?” he asked with a hint of ‘you gotta be kiddin’ me’ in his voice.

 

“Yes, you have to have something. Oh and then there’s this…”

 

Sheila disappeared onto the porch for a second then returned with a folded umbrella stroller in her left hand. She opened it and Riddick noted that the seat and back matched the diaper bag.

 

“Yes, you have to push it. It doesn’t come with a mini-engine,” she told him. She went over to Beth and put a diaper on her and dressed her. When she wobbled over to Riddick, he looked up at Sheila like she was nuts.

 

“The dress and the hat match the bag and stroller! When I push her down the street, people are just gonna see me with a pink bag and empty stroller! They’re gonna think I’m a crazy fairy!” he whined loudly.

 

“Oh you big baby.”

 

Sheila changed Bethy into a white dress with a pink ribbon trailing down from the neck and left the hat, saying it was just to cute. After ten more minutes of ogling Riddick’s delicious body, Sheila left so they could go out to eat. Riddick rummaged around in the diaper bag, wondering what he should take and leave. He took out a toothbrush, baby tooth cleaner, any clothing, a few small toys, and dish and tot size utensils. He took diapers, wipes, a sippy cup, baby powder and diaper rash cream. Satisfied, he strapped Bethy into the stroller and went to the bedroom to slip on a shirt and boots.

 

Soon, they were walking down the street to the local dinner. Riddick and Bethy were getting all kinds of looks from all kinds of women. Beautiful women would go ‘awww’ and coo at them and gush at the sight, and others would look at him funny and Riddick thought maybe they assumed he molested the poor kid.

 

Riddick fought to get Bethy in the door, seeing as how it wanted to close on them and finally a cute blonde waitress hurried over to help him.

 

“Aw, you poor guy. You’re gonna hurt you and this adorable little girl,” she said. She held the door for him and flashed him a sweet smile when he looked up at her. Riddick gave her a small smirk and then went on his way to find a table.

 

He got Beth in a highchair and plopped down exhausted just from what little bit of energy all this took. Beth happily accepted the crackers he offered her until the ordered and gnawed quietly on the end of one, observing the people in the diner. A minute later, the waitress came over to take they’re order.

 

“Coke, apple juice, grilled cheese, and a very big meatball sandwich on a sub bun,” Riddick told her. She looked at him, not even given a chance to speak, then wrote the order on her pad. He watched her saunter off and groan in frustration.

Any other time, he would’ve sweet talked a woman like this into the bathroom for a blow job by now.

 

Time went by quickly for them, and by the end of the meal, Riddick was stuffed and Bethy managed to choke down four bites before she announced she was done. He wondered if he should sit there until the sandwich was gone, but then decided they could get a doggie bag and go food shopping.

 

“So’s that all sir?” the blonde asked. Riddick nodded.

 

“Yeah we need to go. I gotta go buy this one some food for home,” he explained.

 

“Well, I’m no mom, but I’ve helped take care of my nieces and nephews and if you like, I could give you a hand. You look very overwhelmed. She’s not yours is she, I mean, if you don’t mind me butting in,” the waitress said. Riddick smiled.

 

“No she isn’t. I just, um, I’m just watching her for a friend who’s on vacation,” he stammered.

 

“Oh I see. Well if you don’t need any help then-“

 

“No, no, no, that would be very helpful. They kinda, forgot to leave a list of what she likes so I mean…” Riddick shrugged.

 

“Okay. I’m done here in an hour. I can meet you as soon as I’m done.”

 

“That’s great. I think we’ll be at Quick Pay. I really need to get her some other stuff too.”

 

They talked a minute more, letting Beth finish her juice and Lori, the waitress, told him the meal was on her. Riddick grinned proudly to himself, noting he was better than ever with the opposite sex, all thanks to the baby.

 

‘Lori. Tsk, you’d think a hot chick like that would be named, Bambi, or Bubbles or something,’ he thought to himself.

 

“Wiggit weady?”

 

‘Maybe, Kandi. I bet she tastes like candy.’

 

“Wiggit?”

 

‘Mmmmm.’

 

A piece of broken cracker hit Riddick in the face and broke his thoughts of Lori. He stared in amazement at the child. She grinned at him.

 

“I’m weady,” she told him. He shook his head and chuckled, getting her in her stroller and they were on their way.

 

 

Chapter six

 

After two hours of shopping, Riddick finally was able to sit down and breathe on his couch in peace. He looked over the Beth asleep in her stroller and let his head fall back. It was almost five pm but he didn’t have the heart not to let her nap. All the excitement of shopping wore her out. Lori helped Riddick pick out tons of food, some toys, a few pairs of pajama’s(and it wasn’t easy for Riddick to think of something to tell her as to WHY he needed to buy the baby some clothes), all kinds baby care needs, and several types of medicine. By then, Lori was very suspicious of what was going on but didn’t push it.

 

She promised she’d be back later than night to check on them, even though Riddick insisted she didn’t have to, but he knew damn well the real reason she wanted to come back. And that was fine with him. He got up and went into the bedroom so he could use the com vid-screen to talk to someone about Beth at the police station. He knew a guy there he could trust not to turn him into Children’s Resources Center for keeping her. After a few moments of waiting, a desk secretary finally answered.

 

“KWPD, how may I direct your call?”

 

“Anthony Pagina, please.”

 

The secretary looked through her book a second.

 

“Okay, sir, one moment.”

 

She put him on hold and the KWPD badge appeared on the screen with a short ‘thank you’ message. Shortly after, Anthony’s face appeared.

 

“Oh hey Jase, didn’t expect to be hearing from you,” he said. Riddick chuckled.

 

“Yeah I figured after that bachelor party you had I wouldn’t see you EVER again.” They laughed, remembering when Anthony’s fiancé had found the video of that night.

 

“I got off pretty easy for what I did. So what’s up? Some hot bitch sexually harass you?”

 

“Ha ha. No actually, uh…last night after I left Slippery’s, I took a piss in this alley-“

 

“Hey hey this ain’t the clinic I don’t need to know what’s burning on you,” Anthony said. Riddick flipped him a bird before continuing.

 

“Like I was saying, when I was done, I heard this noise and went down the alley, and I found a kid.”

 

“Found a kid?” Anthony asked.

 

“Yeah she was, in this box, all alone…and there haven’t been any reports on missing kids on my news screen and I haven’t seen any pictures of her up on the city bulletins.” Anthony bit his lip in thought.

 

“Have you told anyone else?”

 

“Yeah just Terry and Sheila.”

 

“Oh detective Jolsey from the 33rd?”

 

“Yeah and his ex. You know that body they found out here?” Riddick asked. Anthony nodded.

 

“Terry and I found him. I’m afraid the guy might’ve been linked to her somehow,” he explained. Anthony groaned.

 

“If he was, and CRC finds out he had her with him…you know they’re gonna try and find her.”

 

“Yeah I was kinda hopin’ maybe you could keep me up to date on the investigation. Discreetly, of course,” Riddick said.

 

“All right, I don’t blame you. Fuckin’ homes for kids are shit anymore. Worse than the crackwhore parents that abandon them,” Anthony scoffed.

 

“See if there’s anything and let me know. Thanks, man.”

 

“No problem.”

 

The conversation ended there and Riddick sighed. He rubbed his forehead wondering what in the hell he was going to do if CRC found out about Beth.

 

’Hopefully, she’s got a mother who’s looking for her.’

 

He switched the screen over to INTERGALACTIC SCAN to see if maybe anyone’s put out a message on a missing child. There was nothing. He did a few nearby planetary scans but came up empty with them too. He thought a second.

He decided to check a few local spaceports for any passenger lists. How far back to go was what was paining him.

 

’Let’s try…two months to start,’ he thought.

 

A scan from three of the closest stations came up, but none with any small children listed. He tried the state of Florida. Ten families with kids under age five popped up. He narrowed the search to female kids and four stayed on the screen.

 

Lyndsey B. Coleman, and female child, age 4

    Mr.& Mrs. Steven H. Holly, and 2 female children, ages 1 and 9

    Mr.&Mrs. Roland P. Bekfort, and 3 female children, ages 2,7, and 16

    Dr.&Mrs. Kyle M. Jergensen , and female child, age 3

 

’Why aren’t the kids’ names listed? Must be a law against listing minors,’ Riddick thought.

 

He printed out the list and switched the unit off. He studied the names and realized almost anyone of these families could be missing a child, noting the ages. At least it was a start. He could have Anthony or Terry do a search on where the families landed and where they were heading. Riddick picked up a pen and marked off the Holly family. There was no way Bethy was only a year old, she was way to advanced in her speech and thinking skills. He faxed this list to the only two sources he had, with a short explanation and prayed they’d find something soon.

 

*****JUPITER*****

 

Saundra and Denick spent an hour talking to the manager of the hotel Kyle was seen at. He said he remembered the man and that yes, he did have a small child with him. When Saundra showed the manager a picture of Bethanne, he was positive that this was the baby. He said they stayed less than a week and he booked a flight out to Berryl, a newly inhabited planet almost exactly like Earth. He knew this because Kyle was asking about the planet and finally decided that’s where he’d go for a while. The two thanked the manager and left the hotel.

 

“So, our next move would be to go back to the docking station and see about all flights out to Berryl the past month and a half. Hopefully my merc status can help get us a passenger list as well,” Denick said.

 

“Why wouldn’t it? I mean, if you told them this guy was a criminal and all.”

 

“Sometimes information like that requires proof.”

 

“Bounty papers, from a prison or Intergalactic police,” Saundra said. Denick nodded.

 

“Unfortunately. But let’s see what we can get and if that kind of crap is required, we might be able to find a good forager,” he said reassuringly.

 

They wandered over to the ticket purchasing counter and Denick explained to the clerk who they were and what the situation was. The clerk told them she could only tell them how many flights left to Berryl and the stops in between.

 

“I can’t give you flight numbers or passenger lists. If you had your papers there wouldn’t be a problem at all,” she explained apologetically.

 

“Please. This man kidnapped my daughter. Isn’t there ANYthing else you can do?” Saundra asked, teary eyed and desperate.

 

The clerk’s heart broke. She knew what it was like to lose a daughter; her daughter was killed in a flight mission training session. She was about to look up the passenger’s name to give them the flight number when her boss walked up.

 

“Hello, Angie, is there a problem here?” he asked.

 

“No sir. These nice people are on the trail of a criminal but don’t have their bounty papers. So, I’m just gonna right down the office fax number for them so they can fax it over and I can fax them their info back,” she said, smiling.

 

“Okay that works for me,” he said. He didn’t leave right away so when he wasn’t looking, the clerk jotted down the flight number of Kyle’s flight and gave it to Denick.

 

“Here ya go. This is the fax NUMBER for the office about the FLIGHT you were asking about.” She winked at them and then left the counter.

 

Denick eyed the paper and opened it, showing it to Saundra. The number 09878-xut was scribbled down. They both immediately knew it was the flight number and couldn’t keep from smiling widely. They left, in search of a nearby computer unit with capable search abilities.

 

 

Chapter seven

 

Riddick watched Beth gulp down a bite of mashed potatoes and then pick up a piece of hot dog, preparing to pop it into her mouth. He moved his eyes away, thinking about the man they found in the airshaft. There still wasn’t a lot on him in the news but he knew if anything would come to light, Anthony would let him know. Terry called him that afternoon, just before Beth awoke, and said he hadn’t heard anything from his end. There wasn’t much he could do since he found the body off duty. They could only hope those asshole detectives would help them out if they asked nicely. (Yeah, right.)

 

He looked at the clock. Eight-thirty. Lori would be here at nine. There was no way Beth would be sleeping by the time she got there, but after she said she was finished eating, Riddick decided to get her ready for bed, just in case. He took her into the bathroom and washed her face, hands and feet. She wasn’t as dirty as last night so he guessed she could take a bath in the morning. He helped her brush her teeth and when she playfully spit toothpaste at him, he wished he’d worn his goggles to shield his eyes because it burned worse than he would’ve guessed.

 

When that was done, they went to the bedroom and he changed the sheets and quickly flipped the mattress. He still wasn’t sure if she had wet the bed. Now, with diapers, he didn’t have to worry so much about it. He plopped her down on the bed and lifted the tiny t-shirt he’d found at the store to her head and pulled it onto her head. Beth wiggled and whined when it wouldn’t go down over her head.

 

“Hold still a second,” he told her. He yanked the ends of the shirt but only managed to get it under her chin and the back was still on her head.

 

“Wiggit, I kuck,” she stated.

 

“I see that. Wait…” he reached behind her and pulled her hair from the ponytail and the shirt loosened from her skull, allowing him to pull it down.

 

“There.”  He reached over and picked up a pair of socks for her feet. Beth fell down to her back and kicked her feet up at him.

 

“Piggys, piggys, piggys,” she said over and over quickly. He fought to put the socks on while she kicked and giggled and he looked around for a distraction to make her stop.

 

He found her blanket on the floor next to his feet and tossed it on her head. She stopped moving and reached up to pull it off. Moving quickly, he slipped the socks on and sighed.

 

“Damn this is hard,” he said to no one in particular. Riddick reached up to scratch his head when he caught a whiff of himself from under his arms. He made a face and stood, flipping on the vid-screen and programming it for TV. He found cartoons and looked at Beth.

 

“Okay, kid. Riddick needs a shower, he smells rotten. You…lay here,” he laid her down on the pillow with her pacifier and blanket, “and watch TV while I go clean off, okay?” She nodded to him and watched very, very old reruns of Scooby-Doo, where are you?

 

Riddick entered the bathroom and laid his clothes on the shelf above the toilet. He quickly brushed his teeth and shaved his face, telling himself the stubble on his head could wait until after work tomorrow. He groaned.

 

’What am I gonna do with her while I’m at work?’ he asked himself.

 

He decided then, that since he had vacation time coming up, he’d use a week of it to see what he could do about their situation and then if needed; he could take more time off. Liking that idea, he jumped into the scolding shower and scowered off, thinking of Lori and her voluptuous breasts. He noticed that he’d been thinking about women more than he normally had, even in Slam, and wondered what had brought on the sudden urge to constantly have one around.

 

Maybe he was lonelier than he let himself believe. Riddick had known that he always wanted a family, even after having his heart broken to pieces, and maybe having Bethy around the past couple days just made the longing stronger. Maybe he’d start looking for someone to really be serious with. Possibly Lori. She was gorgeous, smart, and would probably feel good riding him later. If all went well, then he’d consider seeing her again. Yeah, that wasn’t so bad.

 

It was exactly nine when he stepped into the bedroom to check on Beth. He saw her eyes drooping and was excited that she’d be asleep. Not just because he planned on having some raw sex, but because he’d have a few mintues to himself before and after Lori was there. He never realized how precious his privacy was. At least in Slam, he managed to run off the other bastard inmates so he could shower alone, and then he had solitary when he was a naughty boy.

 

At ten after, there was a knock on his door and Riddick trotted over to answer it, smiling to happily to himself. Normally, he wouldn’t care what he looked like, but since he was now on the hunt, he gave himself a go over to double check his clothing. Worn, dark jeans, and a plain black t-shirt. Yep, that was good enough for him. He pulled open the door and almost moaned at the sight.

 

Lori stood there, smiling brightly, wearing jean shorts and a white, sleeved bra top that buttoned up between her breasts. Her hair was pulled into a perfect ponytail and her feet had white strappy sandals on them. He didn’t really notice it before, but she was quite tan; and tall. He memorized every curve in her Coke bottle shape then moved back to her breasts again. He moved forward, lifting his arms to just reach out and grab them, but then quickly caught himself. He put his hands on the doorframe and smiled.

 

’Smooth, asshole, just run her off because you’re about to have a groping fit,’ he thought.

 

“Hi. I’m sorry I’m late, my sister stopped by and I couldn’t get rid of her,” she explained. Riddick nodded.

 

“That’s okay, I was running behind here a little bit anyhow.”

 

Riddick gained his composure and let Lori slip passed him to come in. He shut the door wondering where his bucket was so he could fill it with freezing cold water and just throw it on her. He grinned at the thought and licked his lips. They walked over to the couch and sat, still smiling at each other like morons, but silently thinking how the other looked so good grinning like an idiot.

 

“So, you wanna beer? Or, anything?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Riddick pulled two bottles from the fridge and twisted the caps off. He pulled a bag of pretzels from the cabinet and went back to the couch. Lori was sitting comfortably in the corner and accepted the beer. They were quiet for a little bit and when the silence became too akward, Lori spoke.

 

“So how long have you lived here in the keys?” He thought a moment and had to remind himself that he was playing the part of Jason, not Riddick, and had to try to act like he kept track of these things.

 

“A year. Give or take a month,” he said with a hint of a smile there.

 

“Strange, I’ve never seen you before today.”

 

“I keep to myself. And I work in the mines so I’m on different shifts. You probably have and didn’t pay any attention.”

 

“Oh no, I would’ve notice you and not forgotten,” she said. The realization of her statement caught up to her brain and she smiled, blushing slightly at the implication she gave. Riddick smirked and watched her tanned hand smooth an invisible entity over the skin on her thigh.

 

He stared, and wondered what those thighs felt like. Silk, probably. He wanted to feel them under his palms, across his shoulders, and wrapped around his waist. He didn’t realize it, but he was chewing his lip. Lori laughed softly.

 

“Is something wrong?” Riddick snapped back to attention.

 

“Oh…no, just, I was thinking I better check on Beth. She was almost asleep when you got here,” he explained, pulling himself out of the hole in his horny mind. Lori nodded and watched him rise to his full form. Riddick turned, rubbing his stubble, and went to the back of the house to his bedroom.

 

Beth lay there, snoring softly, her mouth hanging open with the pacifier threatening to fall out. He smiled at her blanket, balled up in her tiny fists and the sight of her baby toes poking out from under the sheet she’d covered herself with made him want to reach down and tickle them. He went over to the TV screen and turned the volume down so he could hear if she awoke.

 

“She’s exhausted,” Riddick said going back into the living room. Lori chuckled.

 

“She had a blast today. When does she have to go home?”

 

’Shit.’

 

“Um, a week or two. I told them to take their time,” he said laughing. Lori smiled.

 

“You don’t strike me as the babysitting type.”

 

“I’m not usually but for- Leslie and Todd…” he trailed off smiling and shrugging, his body language saying he just couldn’t resist.

 

“That’s sweet of you, Jason.” Riddick inwardly groaned. He hated that name but it was so plain he suspected nobody would make him for the wanted felon/convict he was.

 

“Do me a favor. I don’t really like my first name and people call me by my middle, Riddick. So don’t call me Jason, okay?” He removed his goggles and smiled at Lori. He could see the stunned look on her face.

 

“Uh-huh,” she replied, blinking at the beauty in his eyes.

 

“Ugh, ship crash, don’t ask…it’s a long embarrassing story,” he lied. She nodded.

 

*****JUPITER*****

 

Saundra and Denick managed to track down Kyle’s trail. He was supposed to board a ship to Berryl with stops at Mars, Earth and Venus before star jumping over to the barely known planet. Records showed that he got as far as Earth and didn’t make it to the ship for Venus. The ship landed on Berryl about a week and a half ago. Saundra knew something was wrong. Kyle NEVER went somewhere and didn’t make it to his destination on time.

 

“Saundra, he probably just missed the flight. Maybe he slept in and is waiting for another ship to go out that way,” Denick reasoned. She shrugged.

 

“Maybe. We need to get out there as soon as possible. As in yesterday.” Denick sighed. He hoped he was right.

 

They went to the west side docking station to book a flight to Earth from there. The only one leaving from the south, where Saundra docked, was in four days. The west had one leaving in the morning. They took a cab transport across town and discussed their options. All they knew was that Kyle landed somewhere in Florida and had a woman with him, posing as his wife. They wouldn’t know much else until they got to Earth.

 

“Soon as we get there, we’ll search that entire rock waste,” Denick said. Saundra smiled at him and for the first time since they met that day, she felt completely at ease near him and felt like he was there for her, not because Trevor had asked him for the help.

 

*****EARTH, 2 HOURS LATER*****

 

Riddick pulled his mouth away from Lori’s. He growled and dove for her throat. She was as sweet and clean as he expected. This was no whore, like he first thought. She was a real, working, woman with a brain. In the two hours before they pawed at each other, he learned she was in college majoring in biological science. She had several options on her plate when she graduated. It turned him on immensely to know she knew her times tables. She was only at the diner part time for her uncle Charlie, helping him while one of his full time waitress’ was on vacation. Her sister worked there the other time, filling the full time position.

 

Now, the innocent massage he offered her for her pulled muscles turned into more. He thought momentarily about how his hands swept down her arms to her hands and how he clutched them, causing Lori to turn and look up at him then kiss his lips. It turned to more of a need for them, both hungering for the attention the other could give. Lori was impressed that her comment about the men she’d gone out with in the past being amoeba’s didn’t fly over Riddick’s head. He laughed and nodded. He actually knew what she was talking about. It put a wet spot on her thong. 

 

His hot mouth on her neck made her grind her ass in his lap, pushing her breasts out, letting him look down her shirt since she was still facing away from him. He could smell the body wash she used rise from her cleavage because of the warmth from her large breasts. It was delicious. A light, fruity and flowery scent.

 

“Turn around,” Riddick said, his jaw tight and his cock throbbing.

 

Lori moved smoothly and was up on her knees now facing him. She ran her hand over and down is head and then pulled her hair out of the ponytail. She playfully rode concealed erection, purring and smiling as his hands trailed up her back. He swiftly brought them around to the front of her shirt and he pulled it open, managing not to rip the buttons off. He squeezed her breasts through the snowy lace of her bra and licked his lips as her head fell back. He rested his chin in her cleavage and opened his mouth to kiss her breastbone, moaning softly at the feel of her hands on his.

 

“Wiggit.”

 

Riddick’s eyes snapped open and he looked up at Lori who was looking toward the direction that the sweet and all to accusing voice had come from. He turned to see Beth standing there, her hands on her hips and a look on her face that made him feel like the child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

 

“Eh-um,” he stuttered and cleared his throat.

 

“Mommy says no funny bidnis when tha baby’s wake,” she told him in her best grown up mater-of-fact tone.

 

Lori put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. It was all too cute. Riddick  felt his hard on shrink almost completely away, almost.

 

“Yeah but you were asleep,” he said, whining, almost pleading with her as if that were his excuse. Beth put her pacifier back in her mouth and started towards them.

 

Lori stood up and buttoned her top. The baby walked to Riddick, arms now folded over her chest. Her eyes were glued to Lori and read ‘that’s MY Riddick’.

 

“Well, I’ll just go home, it’s past my bedtime. I’ll see you later, Riddick,” Lori stated. She bent down to give him a quick kiss but was met by four tiny fingers on her mouth. She stared down at Beth. There was that ‘look’, again. Lori stood and tried not to smile, arching her eyebrow at Riddick.

 

The look on his features was pathetic. He was almost panicked. He put his hand out to Lori, palm up, arguing with her not to go.

 

“BUT-“

 

“G’night.” He couldn’t finish. He lost this time. Beth climbed up further into his lap and Riddick moved quickly to cover the semi-wood he had with a pillow. He was actually embarrassed and didn’t want her on his lap with that there.

 

He tossed his head back and groaned, putting his arms securely around Beth.

 

“Why are you up?” he finally thought to ask.

 

She shrugged. “Bad dweam. I miss mommy.” He pulled her close. Sometime later, she was sleeping again.

 

‘Ugh, now I gotta jack-off,’ he thought. His aching balls told him so. He looked at the clock. Almost two am. He knew he couldn’t call Lori and beg her to come back. She probably had class or work. Grunting in his effort to sit up, he made it to his feet and put Beth back to bed. On his way to the bathroom, ‘Honey’s with huge hooters’ magazine in hand, Riddick was diverted back to the living room to his fax machine. He saw the paper and became excited, dropping his honeys.

 

His eyes skimmed the paper. It was a response from Terry, saying he was able to account for all the families except the single mother and the good doctor, his wife, and his child.

 

Riddick:

 

Hope this helps some. I’m looking up profiles on the families I haven’t located yet and I’m looking for pictures.

I’ll let you know in a couple of days if anything comes up. Take it easy, hang in there, man.

 

Riddick sighed, completely forgetting about his ‘problem’ with all the possible scenarios flying through his mind.

 

’I really, REALLY hope her mother’s looking for her.’

 

He flopped on the couch and fell asleep, dreaming of Lori and his honey Jade, dry humping one another.

 

 

Chapter 8

 

It had been a couple of weeks and Riddick’s search for Beth’s mother or father was ongoing and seemingly endless. He felt so bad for the child he couldn’t bare to let anyone but himself take care of her. Occasionally, Lori would help, but he was her primary caretaker. He’d taken all of his vacation time and soon, it would be over. He wasn’t sure who would watch her when he had to go back to work, but he knew no daycare would take her without legal proof he was her guardian. That deflated that idea immediately.

 

Lori and her sister, Cheyanne, offered to help out. Lori was uncomfortable watching Beth, sometimes. She got this feeling from the toddler that she wasn’t well liked. During the day, Beth was good and did what she was told, but it wasn’t the same as if Riddick was watching her. She’d give Lori a hard time about certain things, as most kids do, but this was more for spite it seemed. As soon as Riddick would walk through the door from where ever he’d been, Beth would run to him, arms open wide, and hug him tightly when he picked her up. Then, she’d look over and Lori and glare at her with a look of protectiveness and possessiveness.

 

It would cause Lori to squirm. When Riddick paid any attention to Lori, Beth would find some way to draw it back to her. They hadn’t even had any real time together and they’re relationship was coming to a fast halt. Any private time was at night and in short intervals because either Lori had work or school. She told Riddick when the other waitress came back things would be better. Riddick wasn’t sure. His growing feelings for Lori were starting to scare him. He only felt this way about one other woman and she was lost to him after two years, a year before Johns had recaptured him. Things were pretty much over anyhow, her family and other men were interfering and although Riddick never once doubted her loyalty, she showed him otherwise, that he should’ve.

 

Sitting on the couch, now, Riddick shook the regret of that past relationship from his body and looked up upon hearing his fax machine beep. He watched the oncoming fax roll out of the slot and fall to the hardwood floor. He sighed, figuring it was a useless piece of information about Beth and the two missing parties that could be her family. He rose to full form and moved slowly to the sheet on the floor.

 

He picked it up and saw it was from Anthony. He read it carefully. What was written there shocked him.

 

Jason:

 

Hey buddy just thought you’d like to know that the mother and her child are now in Utah. That means only the doc and his wife are left. I did an intergalactic trace on this guy and found some pictures. I’ve never seen the little girl so I included the pictures on the back of this page. I can tell you that this Kyle jerk is the guy you found in the airshaft. He was decomposing but he was identifiable and his DNA matched the one from the body. I hope this is your girl, Jay, I’d hate to think there’s another missing kid out there to get hurt or killed. Kyle Jergensen was wanted on Klentex for kidnapping. He’s not even married, the woman he was with was part of his cover to throw people on his trail off. I highly doubt his last name is Jergensen. Check out the pictures and let me know. There’s gonna be something on the news about when you and Terry found his body. There’s still an ongoing investigation so don’t be too surprised or worried if some pigs squeal at your door tonight. (Laughing) Cya.

 

Riddick chuckled and flipped the paper over. His mouth opened slightly. He stared intently at the photos. There, staring back up at him were Beth’s eyes. He wasn’t sure where Anthony had gotten these photos, maybe from a PD on Klentex, but he was positive this was Beth’s father; and now she didn’t have one. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

 

Just then, his front door opened and Beth came running in, giggling happily. She was followed by Sheila.

 

“Hi, Wiggit!!” she hollered. She grinned and spun around, clapping, obviously happy to see him.

 

“Hey, kid,” he said smiling. He went over to her and picked her up, holding her even more tightly now that he knew her father was dead. He felt horrible, and vulnerable, and he hated feeling that helpless. He held the paper out to Sheila so she could read it.

 

When she was done, she looked up at Riddick with tears in her eyes.

 

“What are you gonna do?” she asked him.

 

“I guess call someone on Klentex and see if she’s gotta mother. All I can do.” Sheila nodded.

 

Beth wandered over to them and shook a bag at Riddick.

 

“Shewa took me shoppin’,” she told him. She handed him the bag. Riddick accepted it and took out the small box. He opened it and smiled shortly at the beautiful tiny gold hoops inside.

 

“Those are very pretty. Did you thank Sheila?” Bethy smiled.

 

“Yep!” Riddick looked at Sheila for confirmation, and she nodded back.

 

“Well, I better go. Terry’s making me dinner tonight.” Riddick smiled.

 

“Reconciliation?” he asked. Sheila laughed and began to blush.

 

“Possibly. We’ll see.”

 

“You’re good for him. He still loves you, very much. Don’t think he ever stopped,” Riddick told her.

 

“Thanks, Riddick.” Sheila leaned over and slowly, and pressed her lips to his cheek.

 

Riddick watched her stand upright once more and disappear. He sighed.

 

‘Damn women.’

 

“Wiggit??” Riddick felt a tug on the leg of his pants.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I wunna colwer,” Beth told him. He chuckled.

 

“Okay, c’mon.” He led her over to the kitchen table, grabbing a bag of crayons on the way.

 

 

***SEVERAL WEEKS LATER***

 

Saundra and Denick had been on earth for a few days. They’d been able to track down Kyle’s path just from people who seen he and the baby traveling. They were several hours away from Key West, having to take land transport because no more shuttles were going south for the rest of the night. They had landed in Orlando and rented a cozy vehicle to drive in. Saundra pulled a long strand of her Ebony colored hair. Denick snuck a peek at her. He could see they fear and turmoil in her turquoise eyes. He looked at how brown her skin had become in the few days they were there. It was as if she soaked up the sun as soon as they stepped of the deep space transport.

 

“We’ll be there soon. Try to relax,” he assured her. Saundra gave him a tightlipped smile and nodded.

 

“I just hope they haven’t left. It’s been a few months since he took her. They could be gone by the time we get there.”

 

“Even if they are, I’ll help you find them. I won’t leave until we do,” Denick said.

 

They looked at one another, briefly, and they both knew that they were falling for each other.

 

***RIDDICK’S HOME***

 

Riddick had managed to talk Sheila and Terry into keeping Beth for the night. In fact, he begged them, saying his balls would explode if he didn’t get laid soon. They laughed it off, not knowing how serious Riddick was. They all knew Beth would do good there that night, she adored Sheila and Terry, and now that they were back together, Riddick was sure Beth would be excited to see them both, all night, under one roof.

 

Now, he stood over his stove, cooking for himself and Lori, waiting for her to get there. He wiped his hands on the loose Khaki’s he wore, grumbling when a splatter of hot grease caught him on the skin just near his belly button. He never cooked topless before but would remind himself not to ever again. He looked at the meal he was preparing. Shrimp Alfred with garlic bread. He likes shrimp better than chicken in his noodles and cheesy sauce.

 

A minute later, Lori arrived, easing quietly through the porch’s screen door, smiling when she saw Riddick at the stove. She knew he heard her, he always did, but it was something to see him cooking topless.

 

“I should do that for you sometime.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Cook topless.” Riddick laughed.

 

“I don’t recommend it,” he told her.

 

She moved into the kitchen and snuggled against his back while he cooked. They loved the feel of one another. Things were getting serious very quickly, and it was surprising to Riddick how he was happy and comfortable with the new change. He expected to feel uneasy about how he let Lori get attached to him, but he enjoyed her more than he thought he ever would.

 

He stared at her now, taking in how sweet she looked. She wore dark blue, low riding jeans and a pale green tank top that ended just above her hips, showing off some of her belly. The green really brought out her tan skin. He loved it. She looked scrumptious. He couldn’t help but anticipate what the rest of the night had in store for them.

 

***SAUNDRA***

 

“Please sir, look again, are you sure?”

 

Saundra stood, soaking wet on a man’s porch, praying to God he’d seen Kyle and or her daughter. The rainstorm that started a few mintues ago had soaked her through and gave her a bad chill in her bones. The man shook his head again.

 

“I’m sorry, miss, I’ve not seen either of them,” he said sympathetically. He handed the picture she gave him back and shut his door.

 

They’d been in Key West for several hours. When they arrived, Denick and Saundra were able to grab a quick bite to eat and put up some flyers. They didn’t get many done because most merchants didn’t want anything to do with their search. Most would say, “No, no, use the bulletin board, I don’t need any trouble from that guy or anyone else. That’s what the board’s there for.” It broke Saundra’s heart that people in the small community were so cold. They’d already searched all of northern Key West and were about to start on the eastern part. Denick took the northern part of the community while Saundra took the west. They agreed to meet towards the south.

 

‘God there’s only one house left on this street! Damn it I can’t take this!’ Saundra’s desperate thoughts were making her nuts. She walked up onto the porch of the house and knocked.

 

***RIDDICK AND LORI***

 

“That was so good, Riddick,” Lori said. They’d finished their food and were now on the couch.

 

“Thanks. Glad you liked it.”

 

“What’s for dessert?” she asked, purring as she crawled into his lap.

 

Riddick intertwined his fingers in her hair and studied her with unhidden pupils. Lori stared back into the silvery glow that haunted her dreams and fantasies.

 

“Me.”

 

With that, they engaged in a loving kiss, exploring each other in a new way. But, a knock at the door jarred them.

 

“Fuck,” Riddick cursed.

 

He stood, kissing Lori’s cheek and went to the door. He looked out the peep hole and squinted at the person there.

 

Riddick opened the door and stood there, with a look of stone over his features.

 

 

***SAUNDRA***

 

‘Please someone be home!’

 

Saundra heard a muffled voice then heavy footsteps approaching.

 

‘YES!’

 

The door swung open and a huge, brazen man stood in the frame, leaving no space for anything to pass. Saundra gasped loudly. She stared at the magnificent creature before her. It was all she could do to keep from falling over.

 

‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…’ her mind wouldn’t register anything else.

 

She looked up into the harsh, silvery gaze of this man’s eyes and whispered, “Riddick.”

 

Chapter nine

 

“What are you doin’ here, Sandy?” Riddick’s gaze pierced hers as soon as she looked back up at him. She began to sob.

 

“Oh God, Riddick. I need your help!” Saundra fell into him, so glad to see a familiar face that she couldn’t even explain that her baby was missing. She sobbed and as badly as Riddick wanted to push her away, he didn’t. Something was obviously very wrong.

 

“Come inside out of the rain.”

 

He led her over to the couch and Lori stood, letting Saundra relax. She looked horrible and for some reason Lori felt the need to take pity on her. She wasn’t happy that she and Riddick had been interrupted, again, but the feeling was still there.

 

“I’ll make some coffee,” Lori said, and she disappeared into the kitchen.

 

“What the hell are you doing on Earth?” he asked.

 

“Kyle, he, God Riddick I’m gonna kill him.”

 

Riddick was confused. “Kyle who? What are talkin’ about?”

 

“He kidnapped my daughter. Well, our daughter, he took her away from me just for spite because I left him.”

 

“Oh. You finally left the bastard?” Riddick was curious as to why but then something greater hit him.

 

’Beth.’

 

His Beth. But, she wasn’t his. She belonged to Saundra and Kyle, if what Riddick was picking up on was true. He sat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Do you have a picture of her?” Saundra nodded slowly and pulled a crumpled photo from her pocket.

 

Riddick stared it. It was of Beth and Saundra, cuddling, and smiling widely. They were at some sort of park back on Klentex. He sighed.

 

“Stay here.” He stood and went to the bedroom for privacy. He dialed up Terry and Sheila, his emotions beginning to get the better of him. He knew that when he told Saundra about Beth, she’d blame him. Say he hired that Kyle bastard to take their child to hurt her because of THEIR past.

 

’Fuckin’ hell.’

 

Terry appeared on the com screen, red faced and winded on the third ring of the dial up. He panted and laughed when he saw Riddick on the other end.

 

“Baby withdrawal already? She’s only been here two hours,” he said.

 

“Beth’s mom is here, Terry.”

 

Terry’s face fell and he held his breath. “We’ll be right there.”

 

Riddick stared at the blackness of the screen. He didn’t want to give the child up. He had never planned on getting so attached to her. He loved her like his own. But to find out that Saundra was her mother was kind of a relief for him. She was a good woman and he was sure she took care of her better than herself. He remembered the day he found out about Saundra and Kyle. He was pissed. Kyle was a loser, a liar, and a drunk. Kyle had came to him and told him, but Riddick blew it off, thinking he knew Saundra better than he did. When he asked her about it, she said it wasn’t true but Riddick couldn’t see passed the animal side.

 

He screamed at her, saying she was gonna ruin her life and he didn’t want to see her do that. He told her she was better than he was and he didn’t deserve her. It pissed Riddick off that someone he cared so much for was being taken advantage of for what seemed like sexual purposes and she had no clue. Never mind that  he was in love with her.

 

“Sorry, I’m back,” he said as he re-entered the living room. 

 

Saundra seemed a little calmer and Lori reappeared with a large mug of coffee for her. Saundra gratefully accepted it and drank it straight, no cream, no sugar.

 

“Tell me what happened,” Riddick said.

 

“It was late. About three am, few months back. Kyle and two of his friends broke in. He came into my room, put a pistol to my head, duct taped me up, went to her room-“

 

She couldn’t continue. Sobs racked her chilled body and she began to shake. She shook her head and looked at Riddick.

 

“The last thing I heard her say was bye bye. Kyle told her, ‘say bye bye to mommy, Bethanne.’ And they were gone.”

 

Lori looked at Riddick, a surprised expression on her features but he gently shook his head, signaling her not to say anything.

 

“Who’s helping you look for her? Anyone?” Riddick moved closer to Saundra, suddenly a little glad she was back in his life.

 

“Well, Trevor was one of the guys that broke in with him, but he didn’t know. That’s how I got here. He set it up so I could meet a friend of his and he’s been helping me ever since,” she replied.

 

“Who?”

 

“His name is Denick. Shit I forget his last name.” Riddick groaned.

 

“What?” both women inquired.

 

“Fuck. He’s a merc now, isn’t he?” Riddick slid his hands on his face.

 

“He is. What do you mean now?” Saundra looked at him with a puzzled expression.

 

“We fought in the Wailing wars. He hated me and I really didn’t want him watching my back so…”

 

The three of them sat in silence for a minute. A knock on the door causing Riddick’s eyes to spring open, then wander over to Saundra. Lori went to the door and opened it. Sheila, Terry, and a giggling Bethy stepped in. Riddick watched Saundra for any reaction she’d have.

 

When she saw the toddler, Saundra stood and covered her mouth to keep from losing control. Beth stopped laughing and smiled at her mom.

 

“Hi mommy!” she squealed.

 

Saundra fell to her knees and sobbed as Terry let her down from his arms. Beth ran to her mom, laughing.

 

“Whut took you sow wong to git here, mommy?” she asked Saundra.

 

“What to you mean, baby?” Saundra held Beth close and wiped the tears when she spoke.

 

“Daddy said you was guna meet us wayter.”

 

“Bethy, where IS your daddy?” Saundra got even more pissed at Kyle when Beth could only shrug.

 

“Don’t know. He was pwayin’ cods wif a man and he won his game and tha man said he was a cheeter and was guna kiwl him,” the baby explained.

 

Everyone but Saundra and Beth looked at one another. Saundra caught this immediately.

 

“What? What’s wrong?” she asked them.

 

“Kyle’s dead, Sandy, we found him, dead in an airshaft in the building near where I found her,” Riddick said, pointing to Beth.

 

“Shit. Well… hell thank God you found the baby,” she said. She stood and hugged Riddick, who was taken back, and then put one arm around her.

 

“You’ve always been the sweetest man I’ve known. The kindest. Murderer or not,” she whispered in his ear, unsure of who in the room knew his past.

 

“No problem. She’s a wonderful child, you’re very lucky. Too bad that asshole won’t be around to see,” he said.

 

Saundra sighed.

 

“Well, um, as much as I’d like to stay, I’m gonna take Bethy and go back to my motel room. I just want to be alone with her.”

 

Riddick nodded.

 

“Hey, Riddick, we’re gonna go,” Terry said.

 

“Yeah okay. Thanks for everything.”

 

Sheila gave him a quick hug and then they were out the door. Terry secretly couldn’t bear to watch the baby be taken from Riddick when he’d been such a good caregiver. A good man.

 

“Do you want to take any of her things with you?” Riddick asked Saundra.

 

“No, we’ll come get them later. I just wanna go. I’m sorry for leaving like this-“

 

“Don’t be. Go love your little girl.” Riddick bent down to Beth.

 

“I’ll see you later, okay? You and mommy need to catch up,” he said.

 

“Kay. Bye bye, Widdick,” she said. He felt the sting of his tears and gulped.

 

“Bye Bethy doll.”

 

She hugged his neck tightly and then took Saundra’s hand. They walked to the door and both of them waved to him, and then, they were gone. Not forever, at least not yet, but soon. Riddick sighed.

 

“Lori, listen. I just wanna be alone. Come back tomorrow, okay?”

 

“Okay, baby. You get some rest, I know this must be agonizing for you,” she replied. She hugged and kissed him and then moments later, Riddick was completely alone.

 

He wandered over to the couch and sat down. He thought about the time he spent with Bethy. Suddenly, he was on the floor, sobbing, wishing he’d never went into that alley to piss.

 

 

Chapter ten

 

For a week Riddick sat home, in a drunken state most of the time, and thought about Saundra and Bethanne. He didn’t go to the mines, he didn’t talk to Terry and he completely blew Lori off to be alone. He punished himself for letting the child go without a fight. But it wasn’t his place to fight for her. His heart ached constantly, unless he was under the influence.

 

It was night time, around nine o’ clock when Riddick decided to let go of the empty Spirit bottle in his possession. His fingers unwrapped from around the neck and it hit his boot and rolled across the floor, lightly banging the shelf that he kept all his reading material on. He looked at the collection of survival and anatomy books. All those years of learning and memorizing, but nobody taught him how to deal with heartache.

 

He sat back against the couch, letting his head hang to his chest, sulking. He’d never felt more sorry for himself, not even in Slam. A knock on his door jolted him back to his sense.

 

“Go away,” he slurred.

 

The door opened and Saundra poked her head in. The stench of the house was unbelievable. It smelled musty, and like liquor had been poured all over the flooring. She looked in the kitchen area and saw dirty dishes stacked in the sinks and on the cabinets. Beer bottle were standing on the dinning table, completely ignored by human hands.

 

“Riddick… oh my God, it-“ Saundra choked when she inhaled again. She knew if she gave it a minute, she would become used to the smell.

 

“What do you want, Sandy, come to rub it in about how stupid I am and leaving me was the best thing you ever did?” Riddick’s tone was loud and almost completely non-coherent.

 

“No, I came to talk to you but not about that,” she answered. She stepped in and thanked God that there wasn’t trash overflowing onto the floor.

 

“I figured you’d be gone by now,” he said.

 

“I couldn’t leave without coming to see you one more time,” she explained.

 

“Where’s the baby?”

 

“Denick’s watching her. They get along really well.”

 

Riddick shook his head. He folded himself out onto the couch, belly down, and mumbled nothings into the air. Saundra watched Riddick in his inebriated state, feeling horrible for not coming sooner; or even staying that night she showed up on his doorstep. She walked down the hall and opened a closet door, and looked for a blanket. She pulled a light wool covering from its place on one of the shelves and went back to Riddick. He was snoring. She sighed and unfolded the blanket, covering him to his shoulders.

 

She stroked his scalp and kissed his temple, silently wishing him sweet dreams before leaving.

 

Riddick woke the next morning with another pounding headache. He groaned and rolled over, his hands shooting up to his eyes to block the blinding light. He wondered who opened his curtains. He dug in his pocket for his goggles and slipped them on, giving his eyes a second to adjust. He looked around and saw his house had been cleaned. The floor had been vacuumed, furniture dusted, windows shinning, and the dishes were done. He scratched his head.

 

“Hi,” Saundra said.

 

Riddick turned around and saw her polishing the glass of a picture frame hanging from the wall.

 

“What are you doing?” he asked.

 

“Uh… cleaning?” She said this more of a question as if Riddick called it something else.

 

“Yeah but, what I mean is – shit I don’t know,” he said. The pounding in his ears was making him ill.

 

“I came by last night and you were totally trashed. So, I left, came back this morning and decided to clean up for you,” Saundra told him.

 

“What time is it?”

 

“A little after two.”

 

“Fuck,” he groaned, pulling himself to his feet.

 

“Riddick, we need to have a serious talk,” Saundra said.

 

“I’d really rather not hear about how I fucked up with you, okay?”

 

“It’s not about that. Come sit down.” She patted the back of a chair and then sat herself down in one. Riddick drug himself over to the table and plopped down.

 

“After I left Kyle, I had a lot of time to think. I knew I should’ve never went near him when we were together, it’s just… my parents thought he would be better for me than you would and they made me be around him.” She stopped to take a breath.

 

“How the fuck did they make you?” Riddick asked.

 

“They’d ambush me. Tell me to come over and visit, they were having a nice dinner and such. Then when I got there and saw Kyle, I tried to leave and my father said if I walked out he’d cut me off. He had to start helping me with my finances because I had gotten fired from the plant,” Saundra said.

 

“I remember that.”

 

She nodded to him. “Well, apparently, Kyle came up with this scheme to split us up and he wanted my father involved. He backed him completely and the bastard even bought the drugs that Kyle used to knock me out. When I was unconscious, he set it up to look like I had sex with him, knowing you’d come home and find us that way. I wasn’t able to defend myself because I was out of it.”

 

Riddick stared at her behind the goggles. “Why didn’t you tell me all of this before?”

 

“I tried but you wouldn’t listen to me. Then, when I saw you that one time about a year later, I was too scared, and as soon as you saw me, you were gone.”

 

Riddick sighed. “Sandy, I’m so sorry. You know I never apologize for anything, but, I really am this time,” he said.

 

“It’s okay. I don’t blame you, I wouldn’t have talked to me either.” Riddick reached across the table and touched his fingertip to her knuckles.

 

“Riddick… there’s more.”

 

“What?” he asked softly, wondering if what he was thinking could be true.

 

“Kyle isn’t Beth’s father,” she said.

 

“Then who is?” His breathing quickened as he waited for her to speak. The possibilities were few, but Riddick already knew the answer.

 

“You are.”

 

 

Chapter 11

 

The words streamed in Riddick’s mind like venom. He was Beth’s father? It wouldn’t register in his thoughts. How? When did they conceive her? He was thoroughly confused now. He continued to stare at Saundra; sure she had made a mistake.

 

“I – what – are you sure?” he stammered. She nodded.

 

“Yes. It was the last time we were together. At Wildfire lake. Do you remember?” A smiled crossed Sandy’s face; faint but still visible.

 

“Of course. I’ll never forget it.”

 

“After that, my dad got Kyle involved in my life. And now you know the rest of the story. I’m so sorry, Riddick. I wanted to tell you but that one time we saw each other… well I was terrified and you were gone when I looked again. I showed Bethy pictures of you and I over the years. She knew your name, that you were a friend of mine at one time, and she even said she liked how you had no hair.”

 

Riddick laughed.

 

“I always wondered why she took to me so easily.” He fiddled with the tassel on the placemat in front of him and sighed.

 

“I never stopped loving you, Sandy,” he began. “I wanted to be with you forever and then that jack-ass fucked it all up.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” she said again. Saundra reached over and took Riddick’s hand, gently rubbing his knuckles with the tip of her finger.

 

Their eyes met and they both felt something they hadn’t for a long, long time. He pulled her hand tighter in his and urged her over to him. Saundra stood and slowly moved to Riddick’s form, her breathing now slightly erratic. She swallowed roughly and straddled his lap.

 

“Come back to Klentex with us. I’ve missed you terribly and I know Beth will. Please…” She was ready to beg him. Her fingers found the strap of the goggles over his eyes and she lifted it from his skull. Riddick’s eyes were closed, but when Saundra’s fingers caressed his cheeks, he opened them, revealing the tears he sought to keep in his sockets where they belonged.

 

“I can’t. Your dad and Kyle fucked me over good there. I’m already running from the law, if I go back, I’ll get caught for sure. And if Denick finds me here… wait – did you tell him that I was the one who had Bethy?”

 

A soft smile tugged on Saundra’s mouth. “Of course not. I’m not that careless.”

 

Riddick nodded. He studied Sandy’s face, wishing he could see her in full color, and then removed one hand from her hips. He ran it smoothly up her neck, his thumb tracing the soft lines in the skin. Her head slipped back, giving him complete access to the crevices he used to kiss and suck. He accepted with a wet, open mouth, returning to the territory that he once claimed and still had memorized.

 

Quickly, he made a trail up to her chin and then her lips, hesitating in fear, but regaining the strength to continue. He pulled her bottom lip in between his and then nibbled it for a moment, causing a short and deep moan to escape from Saundra’s throat. Riddick’s fingers intertwined in the curls that were a deep coal hue, pulling them to his liking. Their mouths fought for claim over one another and Saundra positioned herself so his very stiff cock was rubbing the cotton of her panties that hid under her skirt. This made Riddick jolt forward and grab her breasts, squeezing and fondling them. He missed them. He missed this. He missed her.

 

Lori watched from the side window, fuming with rage and jealousy. What the fuck was this bitch thinking? Messing with her man?

 Oh nuh uh honey, you’re in for it now. But Riddick sure as hell wasn’t fighting her off either. Damn it what do I do?

 

A wicked smile spread over Lori’s face. She had heard and saw everything. She now knew Riddick was running from the authorities… and she did remember that he said earlier that Denick was a merc. There’s only one motel in this shithole and Lori began walking in that direction.

 

 

Chapter 12

 

An hour later, Saundra was still on top of Riddick, giving them both a bit of pleasure they hadn’t had for quite some time. They didn’t even take off their clothes. The material was either ripped open or moved to the side for room. He watched her breasts move toward him and sink back all while she rolled her hips around on his body, bobbing up and down on his cock. He’d forgotten that trick she’d done so many times in the past. But she’d only done it with him. He was so thick that it felt best for her, and for him she was sure, when she did that.

 

He pushed the shirt positioned just above her breasts higher so he could see more as she moved. He groaned at the site of her dusky brown nipples and leaned up to take one in his mouth. Saundra gasped and quickened her roll-and-bob pace. She felt her orgasm build and prayed Riddick was close because she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold out. He felt too sweet inside of her again.

 

“Riddick – I” she whispered breathlessly.

 

He nodded.” Me too,” he grunted.

 

The knowledge of how close he was threw Saundra over her own edge and she cried out, sounding almost too animalistic for a human being. Riddick smiled and joined her in the wave of ecstasy that seemed to take over not only their bodies, but also the entire room. His face sank into her hair and he growled as the rest of his climax pumped throughout his body. They held each other tightly, waiting until they could move again.

 

About ten minutes later, they were able to look at one another, still panting, but their bones weren’t completely jellied. Saundra smiled and kissed Riddick’s nose.

 

“I’ll be right back,” she said. The urgency to empty her bladder caused her to break the fusion their bodies had. All the anticipation and excitement became too much.

 

Riddick watched her disappear and laid back onto the tile of the kitchen floor. He closed his eyes and calmed himself enough to put his ‘property’ away. And that’s when he felt it. The barrel of the gun pushed against his temple. He didn’t open his eyes right away. He just sighed and rubbed his forehead.

 

“Get up,” Denick ordered.

 

Riddick gave him a sour look and stood, putting his hands about six inches from his sides.

 

“That was all well and beautiful.”

 

“How the fuck did you get in here?” Riddick asked.

 

“Door was open. Apparently that slut had you so occupied you didn’t hear me step inside. Was she as good for you as she was for me?”

 

Riddick laughed. “I’m so sure she fucked you.”

 

“She did. Very juicy.”

 

“I know she didn’t sleep with you because you’re a piece of shit. Sandy has better taste than that, obviously.”

 

“I don’t have time for this. Just get over here so I can take your ass in,” Denick said.

 

Lori appeared a moment later, dragging an unconscious Saundra behind her. Riddick shook his head. He still wanted to kick his own ass for not hearing them enter the house.

 

“I can see why you like her, Riddick. She’s one sexy bitch.” Lori grinned and knelt down over Saundra. She grasped one breast and began to molest her in her broken state.

 

“C’mon, honey, wake up so we can give your man a show,” she said.

 

After about ten seconds, Saundra’s eyes fluttered and she reached out to pull Lori off of her. She missed and then her arm was pinned to the floor by Lori’s knee. She squirmed, feeling the other woman’s lips on her neck and chest, just above her breasts, and tried her damnedest to get away. It was no use. She was too weak from whatever Lori had done to her.

 

The two men watched as Lori continued the assault on Saundra. She now had a hand slipped between Sandy’s thighs, doing who knows what since the skirt was in the way.

 

Denick watched, smiling stupidly, as Lori made the unwanted advances. He completely forgot the task at hand and lowered his gun. Riddick just waited for the right moment.

 

“Ooo Riddick, you’ve gotten her so wet. How come you wouldn’t ever fuck me like that?”

 

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even move. He inwardly grimaced as Lori turned around and sat on Saundra’s face. He wanted to smack her as she ground herself down and Saundra’s lips. He couldn’t believe this. Lori laid down on top of Sandy and went down on her, twisting her skirt in her hands. Riddick’s eyes left the sight of Lori’s working tongue to look at Denick. He was grabbing and stroking himself, not paying the proper attention to Riddick.

 

He found his chance and took action, kicking Denick in the head. The large man groaned and fell over, dropping his gun. Riddick proceeded to pound the living hell out of him before he heard the action of the gun being worked. He stopped and stared at Lori who was pointing the gun at his chest.

 

“I don’t want to kill you, baby. In fact I still need you, even though you fucked that whore. Come with me, we’ll kill them both and get out of here.”

 

Riddick slowly stood and watched Lori lower the gun to his balls. His mind reeled and suddenly he realized nobody was with Beth.

 

“Where’s the baby, Lori?”

 

“Oh she’s in the ground transport, waiting for her new mommy and her daddy.”

 

A loud ‘thunk’ belted out into the air and Lori fell to the floor. Riddick looked up to see Saundra standing there, holding the frying pan she washed earlier, panting.

 

“I oughta kill you for lickin’ my pussy you nasty bitch,” she mumbled. Riddick looked down at Denick and saw he wasn’t breathing.

 

Shit, this is just what I need. He checked his pulse and found there wasn’t one.

 

“You must’ve broke his neck or something,” Saundra said. He nodded.

 

“C’mon, we need to get outta here and call Terry.”

 

 

Chapter 13

 

Police were swarming in the area, asking everyone around questions, hoping to find out what had happened in Riddick’s house. Terry was there, explaining how ‘Jason’ had left on vacation and he didn’t even know Lori had a key. He was sure when she awoke, she’d tell police a whole other story so he helped Riddick and Saundra gain access to a cargo ship that accepted passengers who ‘needed a lift’.

 

Terry told Riddick to lay low until things calmed down and he could get word to him that it was safe to come back if he wanted. Riddick nodded, holding an exhausted Bethanne in his arms. Soon, they were on the cargo ship, on their way to a planet called Tearyck. It was supposed to be a combination of Earth and Klentex.

 

“I’m sorry about all this. I never meant to for you to get caught up in my lifestyle,” Riddick said to Saundra. She rubbed his back.

 

“It’s okay. Wherever you are, I want to be.”

 

They stared at one another and then kissed, squashing Beth between them.

 

“Kwit it, daddy!”

 

Riddick pulled away from Saundra and stared at the toddler. She grinned up at him and laid her head back on his chest. An overwhelming sensation that Riddick couldn’t explain flooded his senses. He rested his mouth on Beth’s head, giving her tiny kisses over and over again until he was sobbing.  Saundra stroked his scalp and bit her lip to keep control. They were the family that they were meant to be. It took three years for it to happen, but if finally had.

 

**ONE YEAR LATER**

 

“Happy birfday to me! Happy birfday to me! LA LA LA!”

 

Beth sang loudly as the other children banged on the picnic table for their cake. Riddick managed to get them all served, with no help from any other parents, and then moved to check on Saundra. He watched her hand stroke the roundness of her belly while she sipped a pink-lemonade. When he reached her, he knelt on his knees and nuzzled her swollen abdomen.

 

“Feeling okay?” he asked.

 

“Yep. Almost got my wedding ring stuck when I tried to put it on though,” she said, giggling.

 

“That’s alright. Everyone knows you’re my woman,” he joked.

 

“Yeah you mark your territory real good, don’t you?” she teased, laughing while she poked her stomach.

 

“Damn straight.”

 

Riddick leaned in and kissed his wife, relishing in the sweet taste of her lips and the pink-lemonade.

 

“AHEM!”

 

They looked over to see a now, very prissy Bethanne, which is the only name she would accept to be called by, standing there, tapping her foot.

 

“Don’tchoo think you’ve done enough, dad?” she asked, tapping her mother’s pregnant form. Saundra and Riddick were astonished. Their little girl was getting smarter by the day but they never would’ve guessed she understood about pregnancy. Sure, they explained some things to her, but they didn’t give her a lesson on sex. She crossed her arms.

 

“I wunna open pwesents now, thank you,” she told them. She wandered off, her chunky healed shoes clomping against the grass. Riddick looked at Saundra.

 

“She gets that from you, ya know,” he teased. Saundra swatted at him and kissed his mouth.

 

“Go help your daughter,” she commanded. He chuckled and gave her abdomen a quick kiss and then jogged over to Bethanne. He picked her up and tossed her into the air, smiling when she laughed.

 

“Dad you’re gunna wooin my dwess and mess up my hair!” she whined between giggles.

 

“I’ll buy you a new dress and mommy can fix your hair”

 

“Okay I want the yellwow one wif’ bwue fowers! And that stuff mommy calls lace!”

 

Saundra watched through teary eyes as Riddick had to sit down at Beth’s description of the dress she wanted.

 

I’m so lucky. I have everything I could ever want. This is my life. Our life. We couldn’t be happier.

 

**EARTH**

 

The pictures of Riddick and Saundra lay spread out on the table.

 

So you’ve moved to Tearyck. Shoulda known, you’re so pussified, Riddick.

 

She lifted the cigarette to her lips and took a deep hit off the butt.

 

That’s all right. When I find you, I’ll make you mine again. And I’ll leave a bit in your mouth until you again become the bastard I read you used to be.

 

She smiled into the darkness. Her new operation was a success and she could now see everything the love of her life saw. Her eyes weren’t green, now, they were silver, dancing like pools of Mercury in her head. She sighed.

 

“So much for becoming a biologist,” she whispered as she shined her merc badge.

 

-- END --

 

 

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