He moved further along the wide balcony. Many of the homes around him had the exact same terrace, including the one across the way. This had been an excellent choice to watch her from. The building in which he had taken up sentry was currently abandoned, making entry simple and guarding effortless. And the fact that she kept her drapes drawn and window open made it all the easier. But the choice he had made to come here hadn't been so easy. Though, it was one that he had to make.

The room was dark, but no matter to him. He waited patiently for some sign of life, hoping that his source was correct and she was home. It was still light out - late in the hour, but still light – so the possibility of her going to bed now was unlikely. She was most likely eating dinner. But her getting ready for bed soon was all too probable.

A silence fell over the small cluster of buildings that surrounded him. Even better for him, his hearing would become even more alert to pick up odd sounds. He kneeled and peered at her window once more. Suddenly, something on the street below him caught his attention. An excited, rather drunk couple made their way along the alleys of the village. They stopped briefly at the door to her home and pounded loudly on it. Light soon flooded over them as the door opened. But she didn't step out. Instead, he heard some mumbled apology from the couple and a faint whisper of her voice over the laughter of the man and woman. She closed the door and the couple kept walking, well staggering was more like it, to where he supposed they lived. He laughed quietly to himself and followed their retreating figures, just to make sure there would be no more disturbances in his plan. And by the time he looked back to her window, the lights had flickered on.

There wasn't much as far as electricity on this world – most of it was stored for use of the beacons – so he watched as she nonchalantly lit a dozen or so candles. They didn't bother his eyes too much, the flames were a dull yellow and orange, but the candles themselves did. Each and every one of them was black…an inky, impenetrable black that didn't glow at all in the soft light from the flames. This fact made him wonder if she still thought about it, if she still remembered that time not too long ago. But maybe it had been long enough for her to forget…Maybe.

A faint jingle of too many metal bracelets filled his ears. Then her moving figure filled his eyes. Abruptly, he wished that he was blind. Too much time had passed…too much. She had grown up. Fast. Her hair was long and thick, the color of dark ebony – unlike the last time he had seen her with flat, shoulder length dull brown hair. The color of her skin had changed as well, but perhaps it was from the soft lighting. It glowed a warm caramel and was the perfect color to match –

What the hell are you thinking? He stopped and shook himself of the trance he held fallen into. This was not good. She was no longer the ragged girl who had never seemed to really grow up. She was now very much a woman and it would make things…complicated. He found himself drawn to her again…but for different reasons. It wasn't just her wit and cutting skill that attracted him. Now it was her beauty, the sophistication that she carried herself with, like she had seen too much too soon. But then again, she had seen a lot….maybe too much.

He spent the next hour or so uncomfortable with these new feelings and waiting for her to go to bed. It was an interesting time, but finally the lights went out.

One

She slept soundly. The first time in a long time, if she really thought about it. But now she wasn't on edge, and she could thank Sri and Detrik for that. Their surprising appearance at her front door had caught her off guard and allowed her to forget…for at least a little while. Her mind drifted into a lull of unconsciousness and wandered to nothing in particular and yet everything at once. Then, without warning, her thoughts shifted to a small but significant piece of her past. The same piece that she had hoped to forget tonight. The focus on it was hard and so sharp that she felt herself wince in sleep. Something was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself from sleep.

A dead plant. A black everlasting that harbored death and mortality. A man that possessed that same death-dealing as the darkness, only in human form. A man who everyone thought had exhibited leadership when all he really wanted was to be left alone. A man who was where he wanted to be. Who did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it and could be right behind you and you wouldn't even know it until-

Her eyes shot open. Something had awoken her. What was it? A movement? A sound? A creak?Her mind told her….or something-someone-else…

The hand that she had wedged between her head and pillow was quickly beneath the cushion. It slid silently over the smooth, sharpened blade that she always kept there. She just never had any use for it…until now. Her other hand was positioned behind her back and was of no use to her. She suddenly hated the way she slept. Keeping her breath as even as possible, she tried not to cause alarm. But it wasn't as hard as trying to keep her heart from beating its way out of her ribcage. It had been a while since anything had really shaken her up. About damned time. Only now she wasn't in control…and that worried her. Once her hand firmly gripped the shiv, her body froze. Slowly, she readied herself for and attack. One... Two...Thr-

Whoever was behind her must have read her mind, or else he was one number ahead in his own countdown. As she reached three, a crushing grip wretched her useless arm up her back and grasped the other at the wrist before she could even move it from beneath the pillow. With some effort, the intruder pulled her hand from under the cushion, blade in a death grip. Her face was forced half into the pillow due to the strain put on the arm behind her.She could feel hot breath on her neck…he was leaning over her…too close for her own comfort. They stayed motionless for a short eternity.

"Release it," a low growl finally commanded. It wasn't a suggestion. She half expected a clap of thunder to sound in the distance, but then again, she always thought his voice would. It was resonant enough to begin the process.

She did nothing.

"Do it!" he spoke through clenched teeth, trying to keep his cool,but became a little rougher. She grimaced in pain as her fingertips inched further and further toward the nape of her neck. Not too much longer till it snapped.

With much reluctance, she dropped the blade above the pillow where he had forced her hand. A small, almost inaudible sound escaped his lips. He hadn't wanted to fight her. As he could well remember, very few came out alive after a fight that involved her, either directly or indirectly. And he was one of the few, "That's a good girl." He mocked, testing her tolerance, her strength. Maybe he wouldn't be that lucky tonight…

Maybe…

In one cat-like, almost liquid, movement, she slipped her body around to face him. In this quickly calculated process, she dislocated her shoulder that had been pinned underneath her and the arm that was attached toit was ripped free of his grasp. She quickly reclaimed the dropped shiv and swung it around with her body. She moved to slide it across his throat when she felt a blade at her own. She swore in a language she thought she had forgotten.

"Such language…but not this time, sweetheart," and as she looked up, there was that all-knowing, pompous, smug grin on his face that she would just as well liked to cut off. Again, she dropped the blade. And upon doing so, she saw something she never imagined she would see. A quick flash of emotion passed over his features and then was gone. He was concerned, guilty, apologetic even, but only for a moment. He had seen what she did to free herself from him and he actually cared. But as she followed his gaze to her shoulder, it began to throb.

"Here…let me-" she jerked away at his attempt to help.

"I don't need your help. I can do it myself," she dug into the air pocket in her shoulder and bit her bottom lip as she forced the joint back into its socket. It hurt like a bitch, but she wasabout to show him pain, so she did my best to cover it. "After all, I did learn from the best," an appreciating but small smile began to form on his lips. "But that was a long time ago," and the smile that hadbegun to formed turned to a stone line. Her expression mirrored his, "What do you want, Riddick?"

"No pleasantries with you, is there Bradley?" he tossed the shiv to the foot of the bed.

"I thought we had already gotten past those…Oh, and by the way, Erika Bradley is dead. Along with Jack," those few words got the reaction she desired most from him, genuine surprise.

"Jack is…?" he had tried to sound indifferent, but it only half-worked. It was his expression that betrayed him. She didn't say anything for a moment, trying to feel him out, wondering if he really cared.

"Oh, come on, Riddick. You didn't honestly think that after what happened on that merc ship that she could that easily?"she propped herself up on her elbows, aware of the fact that she only wore a simple white tank top. The pain in her shoulder had all but disappeared.

"Well, then what happened to her? And who the hell are you?" he folded massive arms across an even more massive chest. Something passing outside the window caused his eyes to glint sharply in the moonlight.

"What the hell do you think she did? She followed in your footsteps…and a bit too literally for anyone's liking. She never forgave you when you left-"

"Yeah, Imam said the same thing. But he didn't say she as dead."

"-she even hated you for a while. And after that, not even I could stop here. She became…something else, and then she disappeared," she shifted unconsciously into a sitting position.

"And where did she go?"

"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you."

"Why-!" he left out an exasperated sigh and his ears turned bright red. He was furious, but hid it quickly. "Damn you, Bra-" he didn't even know what to call her…She laughed within herself for being able to fluster such an uncaring man. But at the same time she felt an angry heat rising with in herself.

"You don't get it, do you Riddick? When you left, you didn't just leave her. You left-!" She stopped herself before she could say it. "Nevermind. Why did you come here?" She was still angry.

His anger had subsided, "I need you help." It was replaced with something she didn't recognize in him. Something softer. But she couldn't believe him.

"You've never needed any-"

"I need it now."

She was flabbergasted, "Need what, exactly? My skills, talents, abilities? Why! So you can use them to your advantage yet again and then just toss me to the side when you're done with me? Well, let me tell you something,"she had risen from the bed onto her knees and was now eye level with him. "I don't like being used. By anyone. And especially not by conniving, exploiting bastards like-!"

"Hey!" Riddick had taken a firm hold on each of her wrist and shook her silent. "I'm sorry, alright! But it's not like I could have just…not with…" he swore under his breath and then looked his quarry square in the eye. "What more do you want from me?" The grip on her wrists disappeared and she slumped back into a sitting position. It was even harder for him than it had been back then. Harder now that she had grown up. That is, grown up even more than she already was. "Look," he continued, softly now. "I need you help, now more than ever. I'm sorry for…what happened. But it's not like I can just go back and change it. I need you."

Her head snapped up, "Me? But wh-?" Her thoughts raced with a thousand different emotions, confusion, denial, contemplation. But what about where you are? What about the life you established for yourself after so many years of pain? "No. I can't. I can't help you," she was firm, grounded in her decision.

"Why not? What's here that's keeping you from leaving?" his wide arm span swept the length of the nearly empty room. He looked as skeptical as she felt.

"I finally have a life. A life without the law breathing down my neck. Without having to run every time I get comfortable. I have a home, now. Responsibilities. A place where I can-"

"Hide?"

"I have nothing to hide, dammit!"she slammed her fists into the bed, stubborn and unwilling to believe him. She had everything to hide, especially from him, and he knew it.

"What about Bradley?" Before he had even begun his question, his body was hovering over hers, emphasizing his demand. She was pushed back into the bed and pinned beneath him.

"She's gone."

"The hell she is! She's still there, I can see her," his gaze pierced hers.

"Bradley was confused, indecisive. I'm not."

"And just who are you?"

"It's Kerrigan. And she's got nothing to hide from," she tried to push herself up.

"What about me?"

…Kerrigan was shocked. His words had literally knocked her flat on the bed once again. What did he-? Oh, shut up Kerri. You know exactly what he meant. Yeah, she knew it, and she hated it.

"What about you?" She tried to sound as nonchalant as him. She even lifted a knee to try and seem more casual, to no avail.

"Don't play coy with me, Kerrigan," her name rolled off his tongue like sweet nectar. He moved closer to her, arms at either side of her head, propping him up. "What are you trying to hide in staying here? What are you trying to hide from me, huh? What feelings?" He was close. So close that she could almost…

"Riddick, I-" his mouth captured hers in a light, teasing kiss. His warm, silky tongue slowly pried her lips apart and sank into her mouth. For a moment, he was exploring…reestablishing contact. Suddenly, the kiss became much deeper, much more penetrating. He remembered…but neither of them had really forgotten an instant of what it was like. The tastes, the smells, the savoring…her body shivered. Was he doing this just to use her again? Did she really care? After several agonizing moments of memories, he slowly pulled away.

"That's not fair," she whispered breathlessly.

"What? That you have feelings for me?" his mouth still lingered closely over hers.

"No. That you know about them and are using them to your advantage," that cut into him, but instead of the reaction she was expecting, Kerrigan got a small grin.

"Sweetheart, I'm using myself in the same way that you think I'm using you. Besides, it's not my fault that-" he cut off abruptly. His attention averted, body frozen, the blade that he had flung carelessly was magically in his hand once again. She didn't have to see what had caused his stillness to know what it was. And she wasn't worried.

"Riddick-"

"Shut up."

"It's-"

"Shut up."

"-my cat…" he relaxed slightly, but when he turned toward her, his eyes had narrowed to thin slits of cynicism.

"Your cat?" the blade lowered but he was still ready to throw it if necessary. "How could you know it's your cat? Its pitch-"

"Because she's right over there," damn they were good at interrupting each other. Kerrigan pointed to the glossy black feline that had leapt onto a pedestal in the far corner of the room. The cat had knocked over a pillar candle and now sat poised, staring at Riddick's back. The candle had made little if no sound whatsoever as it bounced off the thick carpet, but it had been enough for Riddick. God he was paranoid…

"Where-?" he spun around in the direction she had indicated in search for this cat sheclaimed toown. His quick movements, however spooked the feline and she went sprinting off into the night via an open window. Riddick caught sight of only her thick tail.

"She's fast. Faster than you in fact…" a smile came to her face. He'd want to know….

"How did you know it was over there? I couldn't even see it until it moved."

Aha…

"Pheroma is a she. And I knew where she was because I could see her," she wouldn't say anymore, waiting for that to sink in.

Finally…"Wait, what! You could see it –er- her? How?" he was demanding an answer, not just asking a question. Riddick had spent the better part of a year having to take care of two people that he hadn't really wanted to. He knew everything about them within the first day and didn't like it when things he knew changed. If something happened to them – to Kerrigan or Jack – he demanded to know right away…Like when Jack got that tattoo…and now was no exception. Only this time around, she wasn't about to obey him. This time around, she was a grown woman who didn't have to spill her life's endeavors at the snap of someone's fingers. This time around she was going to make him sweat. But only for a little while.

"You'd be surprised what else they'll do for an extra 10 Kools."

-------------

It was Riddick's turn to be shocked. His hands dropped to his side and fisted. His expression became very serious. The air around them filled with a tangible friction, "Show me your eyes Kerrigan."

"You'd have to come a lot closer for that," she pick a stand of wavy hair from her shoulder and wrapped it slowly around her finger.

"Oh, really?" he mocked, remembering a stranger time.

"Yeah, really," she replied, hoping to make him remember and sat up, waiting for him to move.

And he did, slowly, apprehensively. He placed on hand on the pillow next to her and leaned forward. His eyes searched hers, looking for some sort of sign that showed her acute night vision. Nothing happened for a full minute. Kerrigan wanted to draw it out, to make him tense. And just as she could sense his frustration and him pulling away, she flicked away the external lenses that covered her extrasensory irises.

Riddick didn't jump back, but he flinched. It was enough to satisfy her. All she wanted was some sort of shock that exposed him emotions. And she got it.

"Kerrigan, how-? Where-?" he looked almost worried, the hard lines of his face obscuring lines of concern. She smiled, but he was not amused. The look on his face turned hard and stern. So she returned it, along with a piercing statement.

"I've only been here for eighteen months. Why don't you just try and imagine where I've been in and out of for the other forty-two."

"Oh, God," a slightly trembling hand went up to him furrowed brow. She had hit just the right nerve…but his reaction still puzzled her. Why did he care?

"Hate Him even more?" her gaze sank to her folded hands in her lap.

He smiled, but it was bitter and frightening, "You think this is funny?"

"No, I don't. But what was I supposed to do Riddick?" She looked up to find him staring at her. Something about his gaze bothered her. There was something she couldn't put her finger on. Something very primative,"Becoming a little more like you was the only way I could stay one step ahead of everyone else."

"You shouldn't have-"

"I had no other choice! Being just Erika Bradley wasn't enough to survive in this universe. So I had to change. I changed from weak to strong. And I like it."

"You sure as hell do," for once, they agreed on something. "I can tell. But you don't see just how much you've evolved. Not only are you strong and faster," he sat on the edge of the bed. "Now, you're also more cunning, smart…and beautiful," he pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen before her face.

As he did so, Kerrigan's movements stilled. She looked up at him, amazed, disbelieving. He grinned slightly, knowing that she didn't want to really believe him. But oh, how he wished she would. So he tried a different tactic. If actions spoke louder than words, then hopefully this would work.

Her mind was still in a jumble when he bent over and lightly kissed her lips. Then he pulled away to see her reaction. Her eyes were locked on his. She suddenly had so many questions, wanted so many answers and needed a helluva lot of reassurance. But before she could get a single word out of her mouth, he was laying her back onto the bed and pulling back the covers. The duvet reached her waist and stopped. Riddick's eyes were fixed on bare thighs beneath the blanket. The whole incident took only a few seconds before he continued, his mind made up for him.

Two

It must have been six-thirty in the morning. There was no dawn, no grayness covering the land before her, no sun rays creeping slowly over the far off mountain ridge. But there wouldn't be for another few hours. It was pitch black outside, but no matter. Day started much later for the rest of mankind on this planet.

But not for me. Not ever. Not today. Not after……

Kerrigan had awoken at around six and spent the next half hour or so tossing and turning before finally slipping silently from the bed. And she found herself on the balcony before she remembered consciously making the decision to go out there. But then again, she hardly ever made simple decisions for herself anymore. A darker side of her soul decided. It didn't want her pacing around the room, making noise and waking Riddick up. It knew that she wasn't ready to deal with that yet.

Good God, what the hell was she thinking? You weren't…To let him back into her life…And your bed…

She called myself a hundred different kinds of fool and shook her head at her own stupidity.

He's going to use you again, Kerrigan. You know this…Not this time. Not after what he told her before they-…before he…But how can you believe him? After what he did…People can change…Right. Kerrigan, people –animals- like him don't change…Shut up. Just this once…If I have to tell you I told you so…

"Don't worry, you won't," she whispered into the quite night.

"I won't what?" his rumbling voice came out of no where. As low as it was, as unsurprising as it was…it still penetrated her. It penetrated every part of her, always had. She didn't jump when he spoke, instead she cursed herself again, but this time for having thought aloud.

"You're up early…" She looked over a bare shoulder at his approaching figure and then quickly looked away…He wasn't wearing much.

"I could say the same for you," even in the dark he was still beautiful. Powerful, towering and intimidating to anyone else. But not toKerrigan. She was about to speak when he lightly touched her shoulder. It was gentle, more of a caress than anything. He turned her to face him and her breath caught sharply inher throat.

He wore no goggles, no shirt, and no pants. A thin, black sheet was all that concealed him from the crisp night. It was wrapped lightly around his narrow hips and fell to the middle of his well-shaped calves. His feet were bare. She moved further up his very masculine body. A feather-light trail of black hair formed a line that began at his navel and disappeared beneath the black material. She took in another sharp breath and remembered what was under the sheet and how it had taken her breath last night. Narrow hips broadened to an expansive chest and wide shoulders. Massive, threatening arms were outstretched to her and strong hands moved leisurely to the small of her back. His skin was smooth at some points and rough and course at others. But it made him, made the structure and textures of his body. The thick cords of his neck led up to an impressive and define jaw line. Thin, well-formed lips curved up slightly at the corners and his mirror-like eyes glowed in the moonlight.

"Like what you see?" she couldn't help but nod slowly as he pulled her body to his. "I like what I see…I like it very, very much." And there was a lot to see.

She had done the same as him, with the sheet, but it was wrapped snugly over her upper torso. Her bare arms and shoulders were exposed to the night air, but it was more pleasant than cold. Feet bare like his, she turned in his arms and leaned against his solid frame. But before she could do so, he held her away from him and traced the ink markings that lined the left side of her back…from the tip of her shoulder all the way to her hips.

"When?"

"The first time I went in."

"Kerrigan."

"C'mon, Riddick. It's been five years, I had to do something to pass the time."

"That isn't funny."

"I know," he let her slip into his embrace. The feel of his bare flesh against hers…it was tantalizing and unnerving at the same time.

"What do they mean?"

"Nothing. And everything. A past I can't remember and a future I don't want. But most of all a present that I can't escape," she shruggedher shoulders.

"Ah. So they kind of just came to you?"

"While I was sleeping. I saw the symbols, knew they meant something and didn't want them to go away. So I made sure they didn't," they were silent for a while, just watching the night slip past, not wanting to talk about what needed to be talked about, and avoiding each others stares; Kerrigan because she knew what was in his and Riddick because he didn't know what was in hers. So much had changed. Too much had happened. Not enough had been said. And now they were paying the consequences.

They could both sense a certain lightness in the sky, a subtle change in color, which caused them to move. Riddick slowly turned around and faced the large window leading back into the bedroom. She turned in his arms and had to strain her neck to look up at him. A frown had embedded itself into his brow. He was thinking about what to say, as was she. Knowing that light would eventually come, she licked her lips and asked the question.

"When do we leave?"

He let out a heavy sigh, "As soon you can get ready, I guess." He still looked uncertain, not really wanting to tell her what was on his mind.

She separated myself from him and entered the bedroom. Last night, lying in his arms, she had made the decision. No matter what he needed her for, she was going to help. No matter where it took her, what happened to her or who she had to kill. Granted, this was a life that she had long ago left behind, but it was a life that Kerrigan now realized she craved. Every day she would imagine something happening to the world around her that would require her to become what she was. Every time she found myself daydreaming, it was about the things she had done in that other life. How could I have denied it for so long? Even Imam said there was still an energy about her that was screaming to get out.

"It's your eyes that betray you, Bradley."

"My eyes?"

"Yes. Anyone who looks into them for more than a few seconds can realized how badly you want release. But it is only those that really know you that understand you live for chaos, that you feed on it…"

"I don't feed on it!" She was angry that he could make such an assumption. How hard had she tried to fit in? Couldn't he see how good she was being?

He laughed softly, reading her thoughts, "My child, your ferocity it a part of you, a part that will never disappear. No matter what you do to try and hide it."

That conversation with Imam had disturbed her. Did I really thrive on disorder? A deeper part of her held fast to that need. And it was that aspect that swayed her to make the decision that she did. She was going to follow Riddick where ever he took her and help him do his bidding. Not because he was manipulative or because he was forcing her to. It was the raw fact that she wanted to go, that she was anticipating some sort of mayhem that she could finally let herself soak into after all these months of hiding, of predictability. Of safety. She needed the havoc to come. Slowly, Kerrigan realized that she was bored with her life here. Nothing was holding her back.

Riddick was still on the balcony as she entered the bedroom and let the sheet slide from her body. She headed to the bathroom when she heard him follow her in. Not now, she thought to herself. The shower was her only sanctuary. Small and only enough room for one, it was the only place she could be alone. But it didn't help. All she could think of was the night before. The things he said to her, the way he….Don't start, Kerri. You know where this is going to lead…Yeah, she knew it, but there was nothing she could do to block the memories of the previous night.

-----------

God, what the hell am I getting myself into! Riddick cursed himself a hundred times over. He watched longingly as she walked away from him and stripped herself. When he tried to go after her, she had sensed him and locked herself in the bathroom.

"Fuck," he swore worse than he had in a long time. But then again, he hadn't been this conflicted in a very long time. He ran a hand over his hairless head and tried to banish her from his thoughts…. No use. He tore the sheet from his waist and grabbed his pants from the floor. Sensations from the night before flooded into his mind as Riddick closed his eyes and remembered how Kerrigan had stripped him and climbed onto him…Oh, God.

He swore again. Frustrated with his thoughts, Riddick pounded downstairs. He headed for the kitchen for something to eat. Anything to get his mind off her.