Disclaimer: I don't own Riddick or Jack just Mira and Patrick. All rights remain in the writer and creators hands.

Massive thank you to the reviews I have received:

XvampiresXwolverineXOmG: Thank you! That's very kind, I hope you enjoy the direction so far. I'm still writing it so many twists and turns to come.

Decadenceofmysoul: Thank you! :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

I promise to post again very soon!

Cheers.

AR.

When I woke it was to the gentle hum of a women singing I sat up quickly and gasped when I saw Mira standing over a pile of bodies. The crew were definitely dead. She smiled at me and snapped the captains neck once more. I cringed but said nothing. I noticed my body first, expecting to wake in pain. Although I couldn't feel the pain and soreness, pain killers were doing the trick; she hadn't however, used accelerants. She wasn't a healer and I couldn't administer to myself without risk. Natural healing it was. I stood gingerly and looked down at myself, I was a mass of cuts, blisters, bruises and broken bones. Mira looked over to me and I saw an almost feral look into her eyes. She sank her teeth into the captain and I gasped as she sucked the remaining blood from his body.

"You're a vampire?" Her eyes never left mine as she fed, finally throwing his body to the floor.

"Mmm. Scared little one?" I shook my head. "We got a bad rap years ago." Mira explained, "None of it true. I promise not to harm you."

"You won't kill me?" Again, she shook her head. "Then warn me if you need to feed and we'll sort it out from there. I assume they didn't feed you? That's why you didn't fight back?" Mira nodded and started hauling the bodies to the disposal unit on the ship. I watched dispassionately as she threw them out of the air lock. I took a moment to take my new travelling companion in, Mira at her full height was intimidating; she was maybe 6 ft, slim goddess under her dirty skin and hair. At least after feeding her colour was improving, well as best a vampires' colour could improve. "I'll set a course for us. Where do you want to be?" She looked me over and sighed, coming right up to me, it took all my strength not to flinch backwards from her.

"I wish to go home dear. However I can get there on my own. Where is it you want to be?" Her question startled me and I looked away from her face, towards the stars in front of the window. Her hand came to my chin and forced me to look into her blood red eyes. "You have anywhere to be?" I shook my head quickly, not denying my lack of direction. "I heard you say you needed money?" I shrugged and nodded; her eyes becoming disconcerting. "Lets make some." I grinned at her and nodded, subtly pulling back from her. I didn't like being touched as a rule but it was now truly disturbing. I moved towards to the cockpit and looked over the controls. Simple. Like the skiff with Riddick years ago. Mira took the co-pilot seat beside me. "You heard him say that I was worth money." I nodded once again. "If you take me to a slam, you can get paid for my bounty and then we can escape with the cash. Make you a good life and get me back to my home. How's that sound young one?" I curled my top lip back in disgust at the nick name.

"As long as you don't call me 'young one' again, sounds like an idea. Which slam will pay well for you and is easy to get out of?" I asked. Her beautiful face was hard to look away from even with the eerie feral red glow from her once human looking eyes.

"Crematoria, if we are out in half a day. They would pay a hefty price for my skin." I shrugged and set the course, putting the ship on auto pilot and hopped up from the seat. I felt restless and claustrophobic stuck in such a small space.

"Let see what food they have for you, human." I rolled my eyes at the human comment, but followed her to the kitchen area. It was mainly cheap canned food. It would sustain you but taste like shit; not that I had much of an appetite. I'd learned early on to live off small amounts of sustenance. I turned to move from the kitchen to see Mira in the entrance.

"This is uncomfortable; I will need to eat on the way there. It will not hurt but I need your blood otherwise if I get too hungry I'll kill you without knowing its even happened." I unconsciously rubbed my neck and winced when my hand came away sticky from a wound put there mere hours before.

"It won't hurt?" She shook her head. "Will I become like you?" She again shook her head. "Show me." She smiled and exposed her over developed canines, I winced. "Sure they won't hurt?"

"Mmm, little human, my saliva will kill the pain for you." I tried not to react to her casual comment. Yuck!

"Are you hungry now?" I asked nervously, her eyes flicked to my neck briefly.

"You have lost too much blood at the moment, dear." Mira explained and brought attention to my own health. I sighed.

"I know what happens after what I went though. Bite me tonight before I sleep. I need to know what to expect otherwise I won't let you near me." PTSD. I knew what it was, I knew I was susceptible to it. Hell, I still woke screaming from nightmares on occasion, monsters that I couldn't see, Riddick dead, Iman being taken. She raised her chin in understanding and nodded slowly and moved from the doorway. "I'm going to wash, you should too." She agreed and I wandered to the clean room. I quickly jumped under a chemical spray and got cleaned up. It was nothing like what New Mecca had, running water, perfumed oils. I was quickly out of the spray and drying off. I looked at my body in the mirror and thanked who ever had created the pain killers I was on. I felt nothing of what I saw, the red angry cuts into my skin were awful and deep; the burns blistered and oozing. I realised I shouldn't be moving at all to prevent further damage, especially whilst on the pain killers; I could no longer gauge what would permanently hurt me in the long run. Mira knocked on the door and I jumped, quickly scowling at myself in the mirror, hating that I reacted that way. Jack B Bad would never have reacted like that.

"You ok in there human?" I opened the door and gave her a smile. She switched places with me and quickly went to shower. I unearthed some clean clothing and quickly got dressed, not caring for the wounds. They would heal. I was lying on the bed in the main cabin when Mira came out, she looked amazing, a completely new person. Her bruising had receded and she looked younger. She smiled at me and came to the couch. "Show me your body. Humans do not heal as we do." I sighed and shook my head at her.

"I'm ok, thank you Mira. I need to rest. Bite me and get this done." I injected false confidence into my voice, her eyes flashed bright red then settled back to green. I stayed lying down and just flicked my hair from my neck, Mira stroked my skin gently and I flinched away instinctively. She was a predator and I was her prey, she bent over my body and I shivered unconsciously, her lips near my neck.

"Relax little human, you are being very brave, I promise this will not hurt." She whispered and I felt her fangs scrape over my skin. I jumped when she finally bit my neck but she was right, I felt nothing, an odd sucking feeling but nothing more. Soon she finished and flicked her tongue over the wounds apparently sealing the pin pricks. She pulled back and looked into my eyes. "You ok?" I nodded. She smiled and moved a syringe into my eye line I immediately tried to sit up. No!

"I don't want anything more in my system." She took my wrist in her hand and with a small smile on her face forced me back into a lying position. "Mira, please."

"It's to put you into a deep sleep for a few days. So your body will heal." I pulled away from her restraining hand. "Humans need to rest to heal. Enough fighting for you little human." She pulled my arm straight so quickly that she had the drugs in me before I could even comprehend what had happened. My mouth and eyes opened in fright and protest. She pushed the plunger down and I felt the drugs take my system over, my eyes slowly dropped and my breathing evened. "Brave little human." Mira muttered as she smoothed my hair back from my face and I blacked out.

It must have been days before I awoke again because when I did I was stiff and sore from lying down for so long. As soon as I realized I was awake I sat bolt upright. Mira was nowhere to be seen, just the eerie glow off the control panels that flew the ship illuminated the main area. I looked around the ship and saw the place had been cleaned up, there were no longer open bottles of alcohol or soiled clothing. I sighed and rubbed my neck, massaging the stiff muscles as I looked around some more. Mira walked into the room, flicked the lights on and smiled broadly at me upon seeing my eyes open.

"Glad to see you up and about Human. We are a couple of days from Crematoria. We need to sort out our plan." She walked to the cockpit and looked out in front, the stars were just pin pricks of light in the sky. I rolled my shoulders and gingerly swung my legs off the bed I had laid on. I felt none of the injuries although I could plainly see them on my skin. I frowned. "I dosed you with painkillers about an hour ago. I can smell when the drugs were wearing off and you would wake. You don't need to be in pain and these ones won't mess with your head." Mira continued to look straight at the stars. I sighed and stood up walking to where she sat.

"I would have been ok Mira." I commented to her. I didn't like being drugged, I liked knowing exactly what my body was doing and what it needed, the drugs blocked that. She snorted

"You're cut up quite badly, Human." I sat beside her, no point arguing with her now. "Lets talk how to get us out of the hell planet." I listened to her plan, I had to admit it sounded pretty good. I'd bring her in, take the money and just claim engine problems whilst she ran the surface to meet me. She was quick, quicker then most would expect. I would push a button to allow for her escape on my way back to the ship and that would be it. We would meet back at the ship and go from there, money in hand. Easy. At least it sounded easy.

That was days ago. We had trained and practiced for hours, making sure I was fight ready as I could be with my body still healing. The plan was flawless. We made our way to the hell planet, getting to know each other quite well Mira was a quiet person but she had a killer sense of humour and would quite often sprout one liners which would make me laugh. I dealt with her feeding needs out of necessity however we both knew it was uncomfortable, she would insist I sit for a few hours whilst she looked after my needs and force me to take the time off from training. I let her. In the end, I was tired. Finally after seven days in orbit we approached Crematoria.

"Rest up Human, I need you prepared. I will die instantly in the hot side of the planet. Be prepared to make a hasty escape." I nodded and made my way to the kitchen, taking a can of something called 'baked beans' and heating them up, humming as I did so. I ate quickly then got changed into long sleeves and tight black jeans, this was it. I needed to look the part of a bounty hunter. We were within range of Crematoria maybe an hour out. I had brushed my hair, applied minimal make up and covered any wounds that were still healing and would have been visible.

"I need to feed." I jumped at Mira's voice behind me and looked into the mirror seeing her lounging at the doorway. I smiled invitingly and threw my hair over my shoulder, feeling my heart speed up.

"Go for it." I told her. She raised an eyebrow and came up behind me; she took my waist gently and pulled my back to her front, keeping eye contact in the mirror. She brought her head to my neck and I forced down my panic. I hated being touched, I hated more that she needed this and I was to provide. I closed my eyes and she bit me gently. I felt the awful sucking around my neck but nothing more, she finished up quickly. I swayed a little as she let me go.

"Your blood is addictive. It's the adrenaline. I don't mean to frighten you, human." Mira sighed, colour coming almost instantly back to her pale cheeks. She smiled gratefully at me. "I'll bring a snack for the way home." I nodded instantly at that lifeline. Good; I didn't want to have to appear brave in front of the immortal for who knew how long it would take us to land again. "Thank you." I nodded and continued brushing my hair back from my face. Mira left the clean room and I heard the controls being fiddled with in the cockpit then the undeniable request that we identify ourselves by a foreign male voice. I jumped and hated that I did. I knew I had to deal with my reactions, at the very least keep them schooled for the next 48 hours.

"ID yourself." I ran to the microphone and quickly gave him the details of the ship and the passenger I was bringing. They immediately accepted the delivery. We were landing within 15 minutes. Mira had the hand cuffs prepared and had strapped them to her own wrists. I smiled at her reassuringly and quickly pulled a spark plug from the engine, hiding it in the kitchen before lowering the doors and walking forward confidently with Mira walking sullenly behind me. I grinned at the welcome party. Two men who were greasy and disgusting, covered in sweat.

"Hello boys. Brought you something." I nodded to Mira. They looked me up and down and I forced myself not to respond. They indicated we follow them so I made a show of dragging Mira behind me. She hissed at me in warning, startled I looked up at her confused. She subtly pointed to the keys at the mans belt. I nodded and once we were settled into the sled that would get us to the main hub of crematoria, leant forward, making a huge show of strapping Mira in and unhooking the keys from the guards belt. I sat myself down near her waist and slipped the keys into her pocket, the one we had sewn in together, hidden, if she was patted down it would seem like her tail bone. She hissed at me again, this time I didn't jump, I glared and backhanded her. As we had rehearsed this, it made the guards laugh and we were suddenly moving.

It didn't take long to broker a deal and to get Mira into Crematoria. It took longer then I was comfortable with to get the money into my hands, although flicking the switch in the control room to ensure Mira's escape in this time was made easy. My jobs done, my million in hand I was promptly put back on to the rails and sent back to my ship. I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face once I reached the inside of our ship; closing the door and flicking the locking mechanism. I had a full 20 hours before I expected to see Mira again. I quickly got acquainted with the ships taking off systems and checked levels of food and water. Deciding to stock up after being offered free reign over the crematoria stores, I left the ship and added an extra two months worth of food and four months worth of water. Greedy perhaps but I liked my showers and I was willing to put the man power into moving the storage containers on to my ship.

I finally slept fitfully after maybe six hours of stock replenishment and then the whole 'oh poor bounty hunter is trapped on Crematoria' act was broadcast back to the main control room. I woke with four hours before I expected to see Mira and put the spark plug back into the ship ensuring I was ready when Mira was. I jumped a mile high when I heard the warning call and started the ship up, dropping the doors and waiting. I knew it would be close, I looked out onto the barren currently dark wasteland and smiled when I saw Mira sprinting toward me and gasped when I saw two others behind her. We had agreed on one other for her feeding, who was the other?

"Get us moving!" Mira's shout kicked me into gear and I started to move forward from the hanger, as I did she boarded and so did the other two. "Now!" She hit the button for the doors to close and I was piloting us out of there.

I punched in the proper details and got us airborne. We were about to go into hyper drive when I felt the entire ship shake and gasped when I realised we'd been hit. Mira was suddenly beside me, looking at the damage report, she quickly programmed our destination and I calibrated to ship to take off in half hyper drive, it would mean a longer flight time but we would get there safely instead of possibly leaking fuel and running out of oxygen.

"What the hell hit us?" I heard a male voice ask and I cringed momentarily before turning to look at the new comers. Two men. I inwardly flinched. One was familiar, one was a man I had hoped to see again after years of yearning. Riddick. His goggles on, black wife beater and black pants, he looked the same, I gasped and immediately bit my lips together to keep from saying anything.

Til next time xx