Wow just wow. You guys have no idea how amazed I am, by how many people actually support this story! I mean, seriously, I'm at nearly a hundred followers. A hundred. That is just-

Thank you, just, thank you.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I admit I was quite amused by one of the comments about Shazza. Poor girl. You've just lost your boyfriend and people are more concerned about you kicking the living daylights out of Riddick. Hahaha, seriously, I'm always so happy and appreciative of everyones' reviews. Thank you.

This chapter is much longer than any of my other chapters. Apologizes for how long the chapter was but...well, I got inspired to really play around with Riddick's character.

Speaking of Riddick. Why? Why are you so difficult to write for Riddick! :(

Urgh, hopefully I got his character down right...

Warning, this chapter has strong swearing. If strong swearing offends you, please do not read this chapter!

Happy Reading!


The first thing I wanted to do was to run to Riddick.

The second thing I wanted to do was to slap myself for being stupid.

Anxiously I paced back and forth, my feet thudding against the metal floor with every step that I took, my lip pressed tight against my teeth as I restlessly moved. My mind was in turmoil, my brain trying to beat itself silly from the chaotic emotions that were being warred against it. Every few moments I would pause, my eyes automatically moving towards the metal staircase that led down into the lower level of the ship.

Riddick was down there. Riddick was down there in the lower level, chained up once more.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but it only made me more agitated with worry. Riddick was down there-that was the only thing I could focus on. Riddick was down there, in the lower level, unable to move, unable to…overwhelm me with his closeness, with his presence. If there ever was a time to talk to him-

No, what was I thinking? What was I thinking? Of course I couldn't just go down there and start…interrogating Riddick, to start demanding answers from him. I mean…it wasn't like we alone. The other survivors, they would surely notice my absence which most certainly would lead to questions-questions I didn't need. Questions that could get me chained up alongside Riddick.

No, I really couldn't just…

The sound of another set of footsteps brought me out of my brooding. Startled, I looked up only to see Carolyn walking towards the stairwell, a determined expression upon her face. At her presence, I felt another wave of anxiety go through me, the resolute look in her gaze only serving to remind me why I was so hell bent on keeping my strained marriage a secret.

I didn't bother to question what Carolyn was doing, already knowing the reason behind the young Captain's purposeful stride. She was going to talk to Riddick-she was going to try and interrogate Riddick into confessing that he had killed Zeke, that the only monster on this planet was him. It was a futile mission; Riddick hadn't killed Zeke and he most certainly wouldn't lie and say that he had. Then again, I also knew that Carolyn wouldn't believe him, not unless she had a reason to. After all, she had just spent twenty minutes with the other survivors who, after Johns had chained up Riddick again (I had made sure to kick the bit into an area where the merc wouldn't see it), had furiously debated among themselves on whether or not they should leave Riddick behind to die.

Imam, the ever faithful servant of God (to which I was immensely grateful for) had angrily argued that it wouldn't be right, that it would be going against his teachings to allow another human being to die. Naturally, Johns had been against this-sure he wanted his payday but, like most people, the merc also didn't want to end up with a shiv in his back after "the bastard turned on us" (as he lovingly liked to put it). Carolyn had been divided, wanting to leave Riddick behind but at the same time not entirely sure if it was wise to hastily decide on something so important without "hearing his side of the story first." Of course, Paris had wanted Riddick to be left behind (the pampered man was only concerned about saving his own neck) while Jack and Imam's boys hadn't been allowed to say anything, understandable considering that they were just kids and it wouldn't have been right to force them to make such a decision. And Shazza…

Shazza hadn't said a thing. Not a word. Her expression, as everyone talked about leaving Riddick behind, had been stormy. Pain and stunned anger had been very evident in her face while everyone talked about the man she believed to have killed Zeke. I didn't blame her. After all, from the words that Zeke and I had exchanged, the two prospectors had been very close to one another. To suddenly lose someone that you've held so dear to your heart…no, to a slightly lesser extent, I knew exactly how Shazza was feeling.

Zeke…I felt sorry for the prospector. He had been a nice guy-hardworking, determined, admirable. It wasn't fair for him to be killed in such a way. He had done nothing wrong yet he had been killed, without a doubt quite painfully, by something whose existence was still unknown to everyone else…

…that being said, of course I had tried telling everyone else about the…gray creature but they had just dismissed me, claiming that I was still scared from my encounter with Riddick and was simply imagining things.

But I wasn't imagining things. There was some gray creature, lying in wait underground, and it had killed Zeke-it had been about to kill me. And, if it hadn't been for Riddick, I would have died.

Riddick had saved my life.

Carolyn looked at me in surprise, startled to find me near the stairwell. "Marty? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" I gave her a nervous look, her presence wanted as much as it was unwanted. Slowly, I took another deep breath, trying to steady my nerves as I began to speak.

"It's…it's about Riddick." I explained, anxiously looking at her. At my words, a startled look passed over her face before she quickly reined it in with a slightly guarded expression.

"What about Riddick?" Carolyn asked, her voice cautious as she addressed me. I bit my lip, wondering how to word what I wanted to say, how to explain my words in a way that wouldn't draw suspicion. In the end, however, I decided to go with the truth.

I took another deep breath, forcing myself to look Carolyn in the eye as I spoke. "Riddick didn't kill Zeke."

The young Captain shook her head at my words. "Marty, you're still scared-"

"No I'm not." I snapped, cutting her off impatiently. Suddenly irritated, I looked at her, wondering what I had to say to make her realize that I was completely lucid. "I'm not scared. I'm...I'm not imagining things!" Carolyn shook her head again, not believing me in the slightest.

"Marty-"

"He saved my life." I insisted, my voice determined and resolute, my gaze unwavering as I continued. "Riddick saved my life."

My words had the intended effect; Carolyn looked at me in shock, her expression bordering between surprise and disbelief as her mind, no doubt, tried to process the information she was hearing-the information that I was forcing her to not overlook. My eyes never leaving her face, I watched as the other woman opened her mouth, her lips trying to force her voice to work, only to end up closing it when no words would form.

My tone was absolute and unflinching as I repeated my words. "Riddick saved my life."

For a few minutes, we simply stared at one another, eyes locked, my unmoving expression a complete contrast to Carolyn's bewildered face. Finally, without a word, Carolyn turned around and descended upon the stairs, her footsteps heavy as she clanged down the steps.

Listening to Carolyn as she walked down to the lower level, I let out a breath of air, suddenly wondering if what I had said was right, given my circumstances. I mean…could I trust Carolyn? Could I trust Carolyn to consider my words, to actually take my words into consideration when talking to Riddick? Or had I just dug myself into a bigger hole than the one I was already in? I bit my lip, worrying the flesh as I stared at the staircase again.

I…I could go check up on them-there was probably a column, or something along those lines, that I could hide behind to eavesdrop on Carolyn while she talked to Riddick. I'm sure she wouldn't notice, not unless I did something really idiotic. And it wasn't like I had to stay when she finished talking with Riddick. I could…I could just quietly slip out once she was done and, if by chance she didn't believe either my or Riddick's words…well…I could…help…Riddick…but only if Carolyn still wanted him dead. Otherwise…otherwise I was leaving him there. No talking to him, no interaction, nothing like that at all, just…I was just going down there to make sure that Carolyn wouldn't do anything…rash.

…or I could stay here. I could stay here, hoping that my words had resonated with Carolyn and that she would believe Riddick when he would (as I'm pretty sure he would) tell her that he hadn't killed Zeke. I could stay here, avoiding the chance of any extra suspicion, and pray that Carolyn was as reasonable as I was hoping her to be. After all, my luck had been pretty good for me so far. Well, aside from the ship crashing…and getting stranded on a hellish planet…while trying to avoid the merc who was after my husband…whose relationship with me I was still trying to keep a secret from everyone else-

You know what, there was absolutely no harm in being cautious and keeping an eye on Carolyn and Riddick.

Not allowing myself another second of thought, where I might change my mind, I headed to the stairs and starting walking down to the ship's lower level. My feet thudded softly as I descended down the steps, taking extra-precaution to go slowly in order to keep any noise I made to a minimum. I was halfway down when Carolyn's voice suddenly cut through the air.

"So where's the body?" I heard Carolyn ask, her tone demanding as it was questioning. I slowed down, trying to muffle my footsteps as I waited to hear Riddick's answer.

He didn't say anything; a few seconds of silence passed before Carolyn spoke again. "Well, do you want to tell me about the sounds?" Again, he said nothing, his voice non-existent as the determined woman interrogated him. Carolyn gave an impatient sigh, her tone slightly annoyed as she continued to question Riddick. "Look, you told Johns you heard something." I finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Riddick and Carolyn both coming into view as I stepped onto the metal floor. Like before, Riddick was chained up, with shackles once more on his wrists, only this time Johns had put more thought into imprisoning my husband. Now, instead of his chains being wrapped around the object behind him, each chain had been attached to a pipe on either side of Riddick, so that his arms weren't able to come together. Interestingly enough, Johns had been decent enough to chain Riddick in an area where he could sit; my husband was sitting on a broken column, looking unbothered despite the predicament he was in.

He wasn't looking at Carolyn; his back was straight as he sat, his arms hanging on either side with the chains suspending them slightly midair, while his head was downcast with the shadows of the room hiding just enough of his face to make him seem…unreadable. Carolyn however was standing, her whole body tense with impatience and irritation, as she looked down at Riddick. The scene before me, Riddick sitting down, ignoring the young Captain, while she tried to…tower over him, it almost made me laugh. I mean, Carolyn was a small woman (I was slightly taller than her) and Riddick was, well…Riddick. For her to try and appear intimidating before him…no, just no-it didn't work.

Carolyn gave another sigh, an annoyed look on her face when Riddick still refused to speak. "That's fine. You don't want to talk to me, that's your choice. But just so you know," she looked at him, her gaze resolute as she spoke. "There's a debate right now as to whether we should just leave you here to die."

I froze as she said those words, my earlier misgivings suddenly coming back to me with full force as I stared at the Captain. She wouldn't…I mean she couldn't possibly-wait, why was she turning around-

Suddenly realizing that I still had yet to find a place to hide and upon seeing that Carolyn was about to turn, so that her body would be facing my direction, an unwelcome celebration of panicking fireworks began being set off within my chest. My mind, fuelled by this panic, began racing as I tried to come up with various excuses that could help me escape, already knowing that an intense interrogation would follow once Carolyn saw me.

It was at that moment, with the grace of Lady Luck making me mentally fall and kiss her feet, Riddick decided to speak.

"You mean the whispers?" Riddick asked, his voice a low yet powerful rumble as he, almost lazily, questioned the blonde woman. Immediately, Carolyn turned her attention back to him, her features startled as she looked at Riddick with surprise.

Her voice was slightly suspicious as she looked, somewhat guardedly, at Riddick. "What whispers?" For a few seconds he didn't say anything. Instead, with my eyes riveted to his face, I watched as he lifted his gaze, just enough so Carolyn wouldn't notice where he was looking, so that his silver orbs were focused on me. Once again I found myself freezing, his unexpected action leaving me stunned as I realized that he knew I was here. He knew, yet how-

I didn't bother questioning it any further; realizing that I was doing little more than gaping at him, (causing me to lose precious time that I could be using to find cover) I frantically looked around searching for some place hide. As luck would have it, to my left there was a column, just big enough to cover me. I didn't waste any time; my eyes half focused on the blonde woman, I ducked behind the column, making sure I wasn't seen.

Peeking from behind the column, I saw Riddick lower his eyes so that his gaze was once again on the floor. His expression was a mask of indifference.

"The ones telling me to go for the sweet spot just to the left of the spine," Riddick answered, his voice a low baritone-intense, deep and slightly mocking. His eyes were locked onto the ground, the angle of his face once more hiding the silver brilliance of his gaze. "Fourth lumbar down…the abdominal aorta." His words were ushered with nonchalance, as if he were discussing the weather or the score of some football game. I couldn't help but shiver, unconsciously hypnotized by his voice, as he spoke of things in…as he spoke in a way I would have believed to be impossible of him, five years ago.

There was a moment of silence, broken only by our breathing, as Riddick paused in his speech-as if he were deliberately taunting Carolyn by not speaking. I could almost hear the smile in his voice with his next words.

"It's a metallic taste, human blood." He purred, a twisted sense of amusement coating his tone. "Copperish. If you cut it with peppermint schnapps, that goes-"

"Do you want to shock me with the truth now?" Carolyn snapped, her voice anything but impressed as she cut him off. I saw Riddick smirk, the corners of his mouth twitching up at the woman's words.

His voice was sardonically amused as he answered her question. "All you people are so scared of me…most days I take that as a compliment. But it ain't me you got to worry about now." He clarified, closing his eyes, almost mockingly, as he finished speaking. Carolyn didn't say anything, a look of unease on her face, utterly unnerved by the man's words. For few seconds, with Carolyn studying Riddick's lowered face, there was silence. Finally, with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, she spoke.

"Show me your eyes, Riddick." The young woman ordered, trying to look determined (failing somewhat) as she stared at the man before her. Again, with a few more seconds passing, Riddick didn't say anything as his lips formed into another smirk. Then, in a voice that could only be summed up as tantalizingly menacing, he broke the silence.

"You'd have to come a lot closer than that."

I felt my breath catch in my throat, completely and utterly entrapped by the spell of Riddick's words, as I wondered what Carolyn was going to do; biting my lip, I anxiously watched as another look of uncertainty crossed the blonde woman's face, no doubt wondering at whether she could trust Riddick…that or she was debating on whether Johns had actually chained up my husband properly this time.

Eyes nervously on Riddick, she took a small step towards him, her whole body agitated as he gave another rumble.

"Closer." He encouraged, his voice a low and dangerous purr. I watched as Carolyn rubbed her hand against her pants, her nervousness showing with every move she made, as she hesitantly took another step towards him. Riddick was still smirking as he continued to press her on.

"Closer."

She swallowed, before taking another step towards Riddick, now within his reach should he choose-

She jumped back when Riddick suddenly sprung up, the chains on his wrists the only thing holding him back as he lunged for Carolyn (the unexpectedness of his sudden move causing me to gasp in surprise), his restraints preventing him from doing more than lean towards the shocked woman-whose features were pulled into a mixture of fear and bewildered fascination as she looked up at Riddick (who, now standing, towered over the Captain) as his silver, pupil-less, eyes flashed at her-

"Where the hell can I get eyes like that?"

Startled, I whirled to my right only to find myself reeling back in shock when I saw Jack on the staircase, his face absolutely fascinated as he looked at Riddick.

Riddick didn't miss a beat; not taking his eyes off Carolyn's suddenly upset face, he answered the boy with a calm, yet amused, tone.

"Got to kill a few people." My husband replied, his face a calm mask of indifference as he stared at Carolyn. At his words, I felt something akin to the sharp sting of a paper cut pierce my heart, my chest suddenly tight as I was reminded, once more, of how much the man before me had changed.

Jack tried to keep the excitement out of his voice, trying to play it cool as he spoke. "Okay, I can do it." He said, in I way that, I suppose, was to make us believe that the idea, of killing someone, didn't seem all that…unacceptable to him. Understandably, I was not thrilled by his response.

At Jack's answer, Riddick's face flitted into another smirk, his tone now slightly amused as he continued to humour the teenager. "Then you got to get sent to a slam where they say you'll never see daylight again. You dig up a doctor and pay him menthol Kools…" he paused, no doubt for dramatic effect, before continuing. "…to do a surgical shine job on your eyeballs-"

"So you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark?" Jack asked excitedly, unable to stop himself from interrupting my husband.

Riddick finally turned around, his eyes slightly playful as he grinned at Jack. "Exactly."

"Leave!" Carolyn suddenly shouted, the harshness of her voice, as it echoed throughout the room, making me wince. At her order, Jack frowned, no doubt wanting to continue his conversation with Riddick. The boy's less than pleased expression seemed to affect Carolyn; I watched as the blonde woman turned around, her tone gentler as she repeated her order to the teenager in a quiet voice. "Leave."

For few seconds, Jack simply stared at Carolyn, his expression defiant as he looked at the blonde woman. Finally, his eyes narrowed with suppressed rebellion, he turned around and walked up the stairs towards the upper level.

I watched Jack as he climbed the stairs; I felt sorry for the boy, truly I did, but, despite the efforts I was going through to keep Riddick alive, I had to agree with Carolyn. I mean, Jack was just a boy-a boy who still had a lot of growing up to do. The last thing he needed, during a time when he could easily be influenced, was having his head filled up with less than acceptable ideas-ideas that could land him in situations where he would end up getting killed or…worse.

Riddick watched Jack disappear up the steps before turning to look at Carolyn again.

"Cute kid." Riddick smirked, his words causing Carolyn to frown. Unbothered by Carolyn's less than stellar expression, he sat back down, his silver eyes flashing as he looked up at the displeased woman. "Did I kill a few people? Sure. Did I kill Zeke? No." Pausing, he tilted his head, his voice calm as he continued.

"You've got the wrong killer."

Carolyn shook her head. "He's not in the hole. We looked."

"Look deeper." Riddick retorted, his voice an emotionless rumble as he looked at Carolyn. His eyes were unreadable; the silver orbs glowed brightly as he moved his head back, their ethereal gaze the only thing to be seen as the shadows hid his face once more.

Minutes passed as Carolyn stared at Riddick, her face entirely uneasy as her eyes searched the man before her-no doubt trying to find some hidden motive behind Riddick's words. Then, as if realizing how futile her scrutinizing was, she turned around and began to make her way towards the stairs.

She had just planted her foot onto the first step when Riddick's voice brought her to a halt.

"What did she say?"

The woman froze, his unexpected question drawing her to a stop. Startled, she turned to look at Riddick, a look of bewilderment on her face.

"What?" Carolyn asked, her voice baffled-as if she was unsure that she had heard Riddick right.

"The woman…the one helping Zeke…what did she say?" Riddick asked, his tone almost emotionless as he questioned the blonde woman. At his unforeseen question, I felt my face become just as-if not more-surprised as Carolyn, who was suddenly looking at Riddick like he had just spouted horns.

Her face still dumbfounded, the tone of her voice was suspicious as she looked at him. "Why do you care?" I stared at Riddick, wanting to know the exact same thing as I eyed my expressionless husband.

His voice was carefully indifferent as he replied. "I don't. I'm simply…curious." Curious about what, I couldn't help but wonder as I continued to look at Riddick, wondering what he was trying to accomplish. Was he actually interested in what I had said to Carolyn-did he actually care? Or was he just trying to see if…I had sold him out? Was this some sort of twisted test to see if he could still trust me?

For a minute, Carolyn looked at Riddick, no doubt wondering what Riddick was trying to gain from asking such a question. Then, hesitating slightly, she answered Riddick.

"She said you saved her life." Carolyn replied, her eyes critical as she gauged Riddick's reaction to her words. To his credit (or discredit) Riddick's expression didn't change, his eyes lowering as he returned his gaze to stare once more at the ground.

"Huh…interesting." Riddick murmured, his voice almost…thoughtful. Carolyn eyed him guardedly, her tone cautious as she looked at him.

"You didn't, did you?" The blonde woman questioned, her voice uncertain as she watched Riddick. He didn't bother looking up, his voice slightly mocking, as he answered her.

"Of course not." He replied, the falseness of his words causing me to stare at him in shock. Liar…liar-of course he had saved my life! What else could you call pulling me away (quite literally) from the jaws of death? I certainly wouldn't call it anything else!

Carolyn stared at Riddick some more, her expression still wary as she, I assumed, processed my husband's words-her mind, no doubt, trying to test the truth behind his claims. For a few more seconds she continued to look at Riddick, a soft…tense silence descending upon the room as neither one spoke. Finally, her eyes now hardened with caution, she turned around and walked up the stairs.

I listened to Carolyn climb the stairs, her footsteps getting dimmer and dimmer until I could no longer hear her. Listening as she headed to the upper level, I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding, finally allowing myself to relax as the Captain distanced herself from Riddick. Surely, she would believe Riddick. At least, hopefully, she would actually try to see if his words were true and go down to check the hole-

My eyes widened when I suddenly realized that Riddick had just told Carolyn to go down into the hole to check for the monster that had killed Zeke.

Suddenly I wasn't relaxed. Suddenly I was worried. Riddick had just told Carolyn to go find the monster that had killed Zeke. As in go down into a hole, away from the rest of the survivors who could help her if she got into trouble, and search for a creature that would most likely tear her to shreds.

I stared at the stairs, biting my lip; Carolyn wouldn't actually-but then again, she was trying to see if Riddick had been telling the truth. After all, half the group wanted Riddick dead. The last thing Carolyn wanted was having the death of an innocent man on her hands…even if that meant going down into a dark, cramped, hole in search of a man-eating monster.

The sight of the stairs also brought to my attention another problem that I now faced-a problem that involved a certain, silver eyed, dangerous, man who just so happened to be my husband…

I peeked from behind the column; Riddick had returned to original position, his head lowered, and his eyes downcast, as he sat with his arms raised and slightly stretched out to his sides. Like before, the shadows hid his face, concealing his expression with a thin veil of darkness.

I bit my lip, deliberating on whether I could make it up the stairs without him noticing. To be honest, I was entirely doubtful that I could succeed, especially considering that I still had yet to figure out how he had realized I was here in the first place. I could run, I suppose, just make a mad dash for the stairs and pray that my legs were fast enough to carry me over the steps. Or I could stay, just stay and walk up to him. I could stay and finally ask the questions that I so desperately wanted to be answered.

Cowardice, in the end, was what won over; I couldn't do it, I couldn't talk to Riddick, not yet anyways. I needed time…I still needed more time, to mentally prepare myself, to steel my emotions, so that I wouldn't come undone into an emotional wreck when I started talking to him. Five years…I had five years of anger, of fear, of grief, of sadness that I needed to tell him. Five years of pain. Riddick had really caused me a lot of pain.

No, I couldn't talk to him now.

Slowly, my steps carefully small, I began to inch my ways towards the stairs, praying that my feet didn't make a sound. Closer and closer I got to the stairs, my eyes half guardedly on Riddick. Finally, with my breath entirely trapped within my chest, I reached the steps and began to slowly climb up-

"Marty."

I froze, Riddick's voice causing me to freeze as he called out my name-the gruff rumble of his voice unnervingly calm, loud and clear. For a few seconds there was silence, pure silence, as I suddenly found myself caught in the midst of an internal crossfire; I debated, suddenly wondering whether I should go down, to head towards Riddick, or whether this was the perfect opportunity for me to test my recently discovered skill in running.

"Marty."

His voice was louder this time, more commanding, firmer and leaving no room for argument. I continued to hesitate, worrying my lip between my teeth as I looked back to where I knew Riddick was.

"Martha."

Feeling a mixed sense of dread and trepidation awash through me, I climbed back down the stairs and stepped onto the floor, my steps sounding unusually loud, as I walked towards Riddick.

He was looking up; his eyes, no longer on the floor, were staring straight at me as I urged my feet onwards. Hesitantly, I brought myself closer and closer towards him till I found myself standing before Riddick, in the exact same spot Carolyn had been moments before.

I forced myself to breathe; looking at Riddick, I had to remind myself not to become captivated by the handsome man before me as his eyes, undeniably more beautiful than the first time we met, held my gaze with their ethereal glow. I couldn't help it-I already had a hard enough time as it was, becoming transfixed by Riddick, when his eyes had been golden brown. But this…no, I had to stay focused-I had to not let Riddick get the better of me. I had to be focused-I had to be brave. Otherwise I would never be able to ask the hundreds, the thousands, of questions that were begging to be released from my mouth.

Still looking at Riddick, I bit my lip as the silver glow of my husband's eyes glowed eerily while he watched me, studying me, as he waited for me to make the first move. His eyes…just looking at his eyes, I couldn't help but wonder…I mean, I could have asked him a million questions. I had a million questions that I wanted to ask. Yet, with his gaze locked onto my face, only one suddenly stood out on an absolute-need-to-be-asked basis.

"Did you really get a shine job?"

At my unforeseen question, he gave me a surprised look, too startled by my unexpected words to keep his neutral expression from slipping. Understandable, considering that, should our situations be reversed, I would have been expecting something undeniably more…to the point, so to speak. After all, we hadn't seen each other in five years-with our last, proper, talk ending just minutes before I watched him being handcuffed and taken away by three Company men…

Riddick had reigned in his expression, his face now wary as he regarded me, somewhat guardedly. His tone was cautious as he answered me. "Yes."

I stared at him, wondering what I was trying to accomplish as I continued my useless questioning. "Why?" He continued to look at me, his eyes unreadable as he carefully considered my question.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." He finally answered, his tone somewhat sardonic, as he gave me a dry smile. At his words I blinked, his sarcasm causing me to wonder if there was some inside joke I was missing out on.

Tense silence descended upon us as we stared at one another, my brain unable to supply any intelligent response to his words that didn't involve me mumbling an awkward, 'Oh', as we waited for the other to speak, to start the conversation of angry words and accusing questions-as I waited for Riddick to say something that would set off the angry words and accusing questions that I knew I had stored somewhere in brain...somewhere…

Unable to take the tension any longer, I bit my lip as I nervously pushed back a lock of my hair behind my ear, wondering what I should say to start the conversation-

"Where's your ring?" Riddick suddenly asked, the suddenness of his words causing me to freeze. Startled, I looked at him, wondering what he was talking about only to realize that his gaze was locked onto my hand, my left hand, which was still in the midst of pushing back my hair. My very visible left hand which was looking quite naked without the gold band that was supposed to be on my ring finger.

The sight of my bare finger made me freeze; my eyes widened as I stared at my hand, a mixture of guilt and shame swirling through me as I suddenly realized how this must look to Riddick. My ring-my wedding ring was no longer on my hand; the ring that Riddick had gotten me, that Riddick had actually taken the time to go out shopping for (Riddick who normally couldn't be bothered with such things), that he had put onto my finger, that he had gotten married to me with…it was gone.

My wedding ring was gone.

I looked up at Riddick, my eyes large and fearful, my mouth slightly open as I tried to explain-as I tried to come up with the words that could aptly describe the past few years which had forced me to give up my ring. Yet, as I stared into Riddick's eyes, only thoughts of shame moved through my brain. For how could I explain? How could I explain to Riddick that horrors that I had to face after he left? How could I explain to him the war that had overtaken the planet that I had been living on-that I had moved to, at Tina's insistence, after he had left me? How could I explain the struggle to survive, the fear of walking onto the streets during the day and the night, the slave traders that had used the war as an opportunity to make some profit? How could I explain to Riddick…why I had to sell my ring?

I couldn't tell him-call it shame, call it guilt-perhaps even a twisted sense of pride; I just could not tell him. My voice was a strained whisper as I finally gave Riddick my answer.

"I…I…um…lost it." I mumbled, unable to say anymore as I nervously waited for his reaction. He looked at me, his expression carefully blank as he regarded my sudden agitation.

"You lost it." Riddick stated, his voice dry, flat, and slightly…irked? At his tone, I bit my lip, knowing fully well how…weak my excuse sounded.

My throat was dry as I tried to explain. "I-it's not what you think. There were…there were complications-"

"I'm sure there were." Riddick said, cutting me off with a sarcastic smile-sarcasm which suddenly made me angry, very angry, given that I absolutely had no reason to be explaining myself to Riddick. I mean…he had been the one who had left-he was the one who had abandoned me! Not the other way around! Honestly…what was I doing? There was no reason for me to feel guilty; I had done nothing wrong!

"I…" I started, only to stop when I realized that I was still trying to justify myself to Riddick. Biting my lip again, I took a deep breath before fixing my husband with a hard and stern look. "I don't have to explain myself to you!" At my words, Riddick tilted his head, his expression slowly morphing into a look of sardonic amusement.

"No?" He questioned, one eyebrow rising ever so slightly as he looked at me. I'm not going to deny it; the fact that it looked like-that it sounded like-he was…taunting me only enflamed my angry feelings.

My voice was unconsciously loud as I glared at him. "NO! I don't! I don't have to explain anything to you! Not anymore!"

He stared at me. "Is that so-"

"Yes! It's exactly "so!" I snapped, loudly cutting him off as I finally found my nerve to…to…to finally speak. Riddick fell silent, his eyes unreadable as he regarded my angry expression with an almost calculative wariness. For a few seconds he said nothing. Then, his gaze never leaving my face, he finally spoke.

"So why are you here?" Riddick questioned, with a hardened edge to his voice as he stared at me. At his words, a startled look appeared on my face, his question suddenly reminding me of the reason why I had come down here in the first place-why I had meticulously planned my passage onto the same ship that had been transporting Riddick in the first place. I did have a reason for coming here, make no mistake, I did. Yet suddenly, looking at Riddick…seeing him chained up…I was…

Suddenly reality was thrust upon me; my husband was chained up because he was a criminal. My husband, who I haven't seen in five years, was chained up because he was a criminal.

I took a deep breath, suddenly not sure of what to say-well, I did know what I wanted to say, it was just…suddenly I didn't know if it made sense to say it, if it was even worth saying it. I mean…did it really matter? Would Riddick even care? I looked at him, truly looked at him, looked at the guardedness to which he regarded me, the caution that seemed to radiate from him.

Would he even object to what I had to say?

"I…" I began only to give a sigh when I realized that no, it wouldn't matter to Riddick-at least to the Riddick currently presented before me. "It doesn't matter. Not anymore. You've already answered my question." Riddick stared at me, a strange look slowly passing over his face as he watched me shake my head before giving another sigh.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"Marty-"

I shook my head furiously, my suddenly erratic emotions making me unable to stop from shouting. "NO! NO! I don't have to explain a thing to you! I don't have to explain anything! Not now, not ever-I…" I stopped talking, suddenly overwhelmed with my emotions as I realized that this really was happening. I was really talking to Riddick again. Five years of being angry…of being scared…of being sad…of being in pain…and now I was finally talking to Riddick again. Yet the man before me…he wasn't my husband-at least not the husband I had been expecting, that I had been hoping for. The man before me…he was…he wasn't Richard.

Suddenly that made me angry. Suddenly I couldn't stop the angry tone of my voice or the hard, stern, look that I gave Riddick as I continued to speak.

"I don't have to explain myself to you. You've had five years to come back and give me a reason to explain myself to you! Five years Riddick! Five years!" I shouted, anger making my voice shake as I glared at Riddick-whose eyes were suddenly stormy, chaotic even, his mouth a thin, tight, emotionless line, as he looked at me. My voice was no better than a hiss as I continued to vent at him. "But you know what?! It doesn't matter Riddick! It doesn't fucking matter anymore! What you do, what I do, whom you do what with, whom I do what with-it doesn't matter! It doesn't fucking matter! Hell, I could probably be with another man right now and it wouldn't fucking matter-"

I gave a squeak when Riddick suddenly sprung up, his tall form towering over me. Frozen, surprised by his sudden action, I was unable to move as he lowered his head, so that I suddenly found his face mere millimetres away from me, his lips just a touch away from mine. Breathe-I suddenly forgot how to breathe as his gaze locked onto mine, so that the silver glow of his luminescent eyes transfixed me with their brilliance…

"Martha," I shivered at the harsh sound of his voice, the warmth of his breath on my lips forcefully bringing up emotions that really didn't need to be mixing with the sudden agitation I was feeling. I bit my lip as I registered the look on his face. He was, without a doubt, absolutely furious. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Why the fuck are you here?"

His closeness made me unable to think. The anger in his voice had me blurting out the very first sentence that finally popped in my brain.

"I want a divorce."

I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth; almost immediately I wanted to take them back, to usher them away into the deepest crevices of my mind and forget that I had ever thought about them in the first place. Yet there was denying it; I had said those words and, most importantly, those words were the reason why I had desperately sought out Riddick in the first place.

I wanted a divorce.

Riddick stared at me, his eyes hard and unmoving, his expression devoid of any recognizable emotion. For a few minutes there was silence. Then finally, in a voice that could only be described as passively gruff, he spoke. "Where are the papers?"

It was like a match being struck-shock erupted across my face as I stared at him, his words stunning me like nothing I had ever heard before. I didn't know how to explain it; his words caused a sharp pain to slice through me, a painful pounding that was slowly festering into an aching wound. It didn't make sense-this was what I wanted. Yet…couldn't he have been more…couldn't he have sounded…

I shifted uncomfortably. "They got lost in the crash." I muttered, unable to look at him as I tried to deal with how calmly he was treating this whole…situation. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Riddick nod.

"I see." He murmured, the lack of emotion in his voice causing another burst of pain to flow within my chest. I didn't say anything, unwilling to as I tried to feel anything but…well, anything but pain.

For a few awkward minutes there was silence, neither of us saying anything as the weight of our words clung to the air. After a while, though, I got impatient and looking up I saw a strange expression on Riddick's face, one that I had only seen him express only once before.

Hurt.

"Don't you dare." I hissed angrily, not believing what I was seeing. Riddick turned his head to look at me, a look of feigned ignorance crossing his face as I spat at him. "Don't you fucking dare!"

"Don't I dare what?"

I fumed. "Don't you dare give me that look!" Riddick's face became infuriatingly neutral.

"What look?" he questioned, quite calmly, the composedness of his voice aggravating me. I glared at him.

"Like I've betrayed you!" I shouted angrily. "Like I've hurt you!" Riddick stared at me coolly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about-"

"Bullshit!" I swore. "You know exactly what I'm talking about you selfish bastard! And you have no right! No fucking right not after you-"I stopped talking, suddenly unable to say anymore. Much to his credit, Riddick said nothing, waiting, instinctively knowing I wasn't finished talking.

I could barely keep the tremble out of my voice as I started to speak again. "Five years Riddick. Five fucking years of abandonment-yes I said abandonment you prick!" I snapped when I saw an expression of disbelief pass through Riddick. Once again his face became neutral. I stared angrily at him. "I spent five years, Riddick, without you! Five years, going through newspapers, checking the news every single fucking chance that I got, hoping and praying that I received any information on you! Five years, learning of your arrests, your jail breaks, your murders-the fact that you hijacked ships! Do you have any idea what that does to you? Do have any idea you selfish bastard?!"

I didn't give him a chance to answer. "I spent five fucking years of being alone, of worrying and hoping. Five fucking long, miserable, years and you have the nerve to give me a hurt look." I stared at him searching his face. "How dare you. How dare you?" Riddick said nothing, his face becoming hard as he stared back at me.

"Answer me!" I snapped. Again, Riddick said nothing; he just looked at me with that unmovable face. Finally, his tone low and flat, he spoke.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked calmly, his eyes never leaving my gaze as he spoke. I resisted the urge to spit on his face as I glared at him.

"I want answers damn it! I want to know why! Why, Riddick? Why?!"I questioned angrily, demanding that Riddick answer me. My husband said nothing, silence the only reply he was willing to give me as we stared at one another-me with a wild, desperately angry look on my face, Riddick with his unreadable mask.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. So that's it. After all this time...that's your answer? Silence?"

Again Riddick said nothing; instead he simply closed his eyes, his whole body suddenly tense as he allowed me to shout at him. I gritted my teeth, the urge to scream in anger suddenly rising. "Riddick…do I mean anything to you?! Does the fact that we were-that we still are married mean anything to you!?" Again, silence-pure, infuriating silence, as Riddick gritted his teeth-my words finally seeming to affect him. I watched as he clenched his fists, a look of conflict starting to cross his face as he debated my words.

I felt my anger rise up again; was it really such a difficult question to answer!?

"Riddick-"

"Marty…things are different now. " Riddick murmured, his gruff voice strained with suppressed emotion as he finally gave me a reply that didn't involve silence. Yet the answer he gave me was anything but satisfying; things are different now? What the hell did he mean, 'things are different now'? What…did he no longer care for me? Or was the idea of marriage suddenly bothersome to him? I mean, I know I want a divorce…but that didn't mean I regretted my marriage to Riddick. If anything…what the hell?!

I wanted to hit him. I honestly wanted to hit Riddick-to pound his face into his head. I think I was going to do it too. The fact that I would probably break my hand, trying to smash his skull in, was the only thing that stopped me.

"Yeah…I guess things are different now. " I hissed, glaring at him. Unable and unwilling to say anything else, I turned around and began walking towards the stairs, my strides angry and purposeful as I moved away from Riddick. I was halfway across the room when my husband's voice suddenly cut through the air.

"So who is he?"

I froze; for a few seconds I stood, with my back turned to Riddick, unable to comprehend the words that had come from his mouth. Then, slowly, I turned around to stare at him.

"What?" I asked, my voice suddenly quiet with shock. Riddick gave me a dry smile.

"Who's the guy you're leaving me for?" Riddick asked, giving me a harsh look. I stared at him in bewilderment-it was as if he were speaking in tongues.

"No one." I whispered, unable to comprehend what he was asking me.

"You had five fucking years to come find me and get a divorce. Now all of a sudden you've decided that you don't want to be my wife?" He gave a bitter laugh. "So I'll ask you again. Who's the guy you've been fucking that's suddenly made you realize you'd rather have his name than mine-"

I don't think I've ever moved faster. My hand slapped Riddick across the face before my brain had a chance to realize that I had moved across the room towards him.

For a few seconds I could hardly say anything, fury shaking my very core as I glowered at Riddick. He stared up at me, his eyes and his face completely and infuriatingly emotionless as a red handprint began to appear on his cheek.

I glared at him. "I don't know how much our marriage meant to you Riddick-clearly not much. But our marriage…meant a hell of a lot to me." I searched his face. "So know this Riddick; I have never been unfaithful to you. And I certainly wasn't unfaithful to you during these past five years."

I turned around to leave, crossing the room once more, only to stop once I reached the stairs. "To answer your question, Riddick…It took me five years to decide that I wanted this divorce…because that's how long it took me to finally realize that you were never coming back." I stared up at him, unshed tears making his form blurry. "We were together, as husband and wife, for three years. Why the hell do you think it took me so long, Richard?" I didn't bother to wait for his answer. I left the room before he had a chance to see me break down and cry.