Author's Note: Another chapter for your reading pleasure – please read, review, and enjoy…

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but the story is all mine.

Riddick opened his eyes and saw grey light seeping in through the ship's big front window. Moving slowly, still half asleep, he flipped a switch to open the com channel so he could request clearance. A blast of static filled the bridge – Tower was up.

Backwater little planets like Mangate didn't have automated control towers. Riddick had to use the radio. Flipping on the mic, he waited for a second – listening for any sign that Kyra was awake. Nothing.

"Tower," Riddick said. "Jack's Darkness to Tower."

"Tower here." The voice on the other end sounded sleepy.

"Request clearance for takeoff."

"'Request clearance'? At this hour?" There was a laugh. "You're clear, Jack's Darkness. Go ahead. Just be sure to count us down."

"Thanks." Turning off the mic and closing the com channel, Riddick keyed in instructions to run a flight check and stood. He stretched and crept to the cabin.

"I heard." Kyra was standing in the doorway, watching him. He nodded and continued down the hall toward the galley. She followed him – her bare feet making almost no sound. She sat at the table and he could feel her eyes watching him as he moved around the room. They were both silent as Riddick made coffee and pulled some fresh fruit out of the cooling unit. When he sat down across from Kyra, she took a deep breath.

"Okay. This is awkward." Riddick raised an eyebrow as he started peeling an orange. Sighing, she wrapped her long, delicate fingers around her coffee mug and watched his hands work. "This is really awkward," she repeated after a while. "And I don't do awkward."

"Well?" He paused, glancing into Kyra's eyes before separating the orange sections.

"Well what?"

"How do we fix it?" Popping a bite of fruit into his mouth, he waited.

"I don't know." There was a loud beep from the bridge, and she sighed. Prelim flight checks were done. "And I think it'll have to wait." Pushing herself up from the table, she moved silently down the corridor and settled herself in the co-pilot's chair. Riddick followed, biting into another orange section as he secured himself in his seat.

Flipping open the com channel and turning on the mic, he picked up the handset and spoke. "Jack's Darkness counting down, Tower."

"You're still good. Green across the board."

"Thanks. I'm out." He closed the channel and maneuvered the ship out of the spaceport. Kyra shut her eyes as he set the com systems for takeoff – she was staring at his hands, imaging how they'd felt on her body…Stop that. Instead, she let her mind drift to other things, refusing to think about the man sitting next to her. Refusing to think at all, until she could look out the front windows and see nothing but stars.

Riddick was almost hyper-aware of Kyra's warm body in the seat on his right as he guided Jack's Darkness out of the atmosphere and away from the major shipping lanes. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slightly strained. He glanced at her as he set the autopilot. She was nervous. Of what? Unfastening his safety harness, he stood and stretched. He suddenly felt Kyra's gaze on him and he turned to face her. "Still awkward?" he asked.

"Very." She hadn't moved. He shrugged.

"I'll leave it up to you, kid." Turning on his heel, he sauntered into the bathroom and closed the door. Kyra heard the lock snap into place just before the water started. So he was still locking her out? Interesting.

Releasing her harness, she went to the cabin and attempted to put the room in some sort of order. They had really gone at it, last night, hadn't they? Blushing, Kyra inhaled Riddick's smell as she folded the sheet they'd left on the floor. She was preoccupied with cleaning the room, half humming – half singing to herself when she heard the water shut off. Starting, she quickly finished picking up and sprawled out on the bed, pretending to read a book.

Riddick stepped into the cabin, holding a towel around his waist and carrying an armload of laundry. He could feel Kyra's eyes on him as he tossed his dirty clothes in the makeshift hamper and pulled clean ones out of the cabinet. She was watching him over the top of her book. He glanced in her direction, but she looked away – down at the open page. Awkward. Grinning, Riddick dressed quickly and left.

Kyra watched him go, blushing as her eyes made a quick sweep of his backside. This sucked. Why was this so difficult? It wasn't as if she'd never dealt with the "morning after" routine before…

Taking a deep breath, she closed her book. It was time to do something about this. She stood, leaving the cabin and striding down the hall to the galley.

Riddick was at the stove plate, pouring himself a cup of coffee and looking over some charts he had spread out on the counter. He looked completely relaxed. Growling low in her throat, she pulled him around to face her. Then she shoved him against the counter and claimed his lips with hers.

The kiss was heated, demanding a response. Well this was unexpected. But Riddick wasn't one to turn down a perfect opportunity. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his body. Grinding his hips against hers, he felt her moan into his mouth. One of his hands started to slip around to cup her breast as the other slid under her shirt and traced intricate patterns on the small of her back.

Suddenly, Kyra pulled away. She opened her eyes and looked up at him for a moment. Then she turned and walked down the hall to the bathroom.

"Still awkward?" he called after her. He heard her laughing as the door hissed shut behind her. Leaning back against the counter, he waited, unconsciously listening for the sound of the lock snapping into place. Nothing. Interesting. The water started as Riddick turned back to his coffee and sipped, contemplating one of the charts he'd spread next to the stove plate. As appealing as a wet, naked Kyra might be, he needed to get a course plotted; they could only float in space for so long without being noticed. And right now, being noticed could get them killed. Taking another drink of coffee, he made a few marks on the chart. He could hear Kyra singing to herself as she showered and he smiled.

--

"Who's got the drugs tonight? I just don't want to remember my day." Singing softly as she stripped off her clothes, Kyra practically jumped under the hot spray of the shower. She hit the chorus and started to work soap into her hair. "Everybody has already heard this song, but nobody ever believes." Breathing deep, she absorbed the scent of fresh apples. She'd discovered the scented soap on Helion Prime, before she took off, and she'd fallen in love with it. It was so good to be able to actually use it again. Smiling, she started in on the next verse as she leaned her head back and let the spray rinse her hair. She knew Riddick could hear her as she showered. For some reason, it didn't bother her. Raising her voice, she belted out the last chorus just loud enough for it to echo in the tiny bathroom. "It's the same old scenario so you pass out to dream – and the American dream is about apathy. Everybody has already heard this song, but nobody ever believes…"

Kyra stood still under the pounding spray for a few seconds after she finished rinsing off, just enjoying the warmth of the water. Far too often lately, she'd been forced to take cold showers – or no showers at all. Funny how one can go without the necessities of life, provided you have the little luxuries, isn't that what Paris said? She laughed up into the spray. Showers – especially warm showers – were certainly a "little luxury". Finally, she reached behind her and shut off the water. The humid air wrapped her in a warm cloak as she stepped out into the main part of the bathroom. Wrapping a towel around her damp body, she twisted her heavy, wet curls up on top of her head, gathered her dirty clothes in her arms, and opened the door.

Steam billowed out into the hall as she crossed to the cabin. The door closed behind her as she dropped her clothes and the towel on the floor and moved to the cabinet. Pulling out a clean shirt and pants, Kyra dressed. She left her dirty clothes and damp towel on the floor – she'd take care of them later. Right now, her stomach was growling.

Riddick was still studying the nav charts and sipping coffee when Kyra sauntered into the galley. Glancing up at her, he raised a brow and hummed a few bars of some song. She blushed slightly when she recognized the tune – the one she'd been singing in the shower; she knew he'd heard, but it was still embarrassing. Growling low in the back of her throat, she opened the cooling unit and pulled an apple out of a drawer. She looked over at Riddick, taking a defiant bite of the fruit, then tried to peer around him at the course he was plotting.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked, after swallowing her bite of apple. He just grunted and made a few more marks on the chart. "Oh, I've heard it's nice there – at the right time of year." She noted the smile curling up the corners of his mouth and took another bite of fruit.

Riddick made one last mark on the nav chart and moved his coffee cup off the curling upper edge. The paper rolled up on itself as he turned to face Kyra. He took the apple out of her hand and bit into it. Savoring the taste, he tossed the fruit back to her, grabbed his charts, and left the galley, headed toward the bridge.

As he sat in front of the com panel, Riddick keyed open the autopilot settings. He worked his fingers around on the keyboard – copying his notations into the com system and entering a destination. Kyra was behind him; he could smell her; the scent of apples seemed to follow her everywhere She's really gotta stop using that scented soap. Not that he minded. Without turning, he leaned back in his chair and waited for her to speak. He left the destination screen open, sure she'd have some smartass comment about where they were going.

Kyra stood behind Riddick's chair and focused on the com screen. The planet locked in as their end point was a small, blue-green place with one yellow sun and three moons. Thodn.

Home.

Blinking rapidly, Kyra was angry to find tears building behind her eyes, and the familiar lump forming in her throat. She would not cry. Especially not over the home she'd never had. Turning on her heel, she stalked to the cabin. She had to bury the sudden bittersweet shock of nostalgia, before it overcame her. Her movements were sharp and clumsy – her hands shaking and her fingers numb. God, she hated this feeling.

Carefully, she set her apple on the night table and tore open the cabinet doors. Yanking her bag out, she dug through it, searching, oblivious to the carry-all's contents now littering the floor around her. In the bag, her fingers brushed the wooden box and she grasped it. It landed in her lap with a soft tug and a flurry of loose cigarettes, the carved faerie smiling serenely up at her.

Riddick stood in the doorway, watching Kyra's mad scramble for something in her carry-all. She'd taken off pretty fast – no smartass comment, either, his mind added. Interesting. He leaned against the doorframe and switched his concentration to her as she sat back, sprawling her long legs on either side of the small mess on the floor. Cocking his head to the side, he watched as she fingered that interesting wooden box, idly tracing the carved faerie.

Kyra knew Riddick was there. She'd heard him follow her, and she could smell him as he watched her now. She ignored him, flipping open the lid and gazing down at the homemade goggles lying amid a flurry of newspaper clippings and worn photographs. Gently, she fingered a photo of a laughing woman on a swing. Mama… She started when he spoke.

"Why do you keep that?" he asked; obviously, he hadn't made the connection between her reaction and their destination. She couldn't think of a good answer, so she shrugged.

"Memories, I suppose," she muttered finally, letting her eyes slip closed. Painful memories. Riddick nodded, keeping his eyes focused on her bent head. She wouldn't look at him. Something was wrong; where was that courage he'd seen on the planet from hell? This wasn't the same kid – maybe being in slam had fucked her up after all.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked suddenly, seeing the goggles – goggles for eyes that could see in the dark. "Why'd you get the shine?" Where the hell had that come from? Kyra opened her eyes and stared up at him through the dark. She picked up a loose cigarette off the floor and twirled it absently, unlit, across the backs of her fingers. Sighing, she thought again of Thodn; of the little girl she had been on that planet, basking in the almost constant moon glow. She wondered idly how it would all look to her now, with her shined eyes – no more colors, she thought.

Riddick just watched her and waited. Her mind was somewhere else entirely and he let her drift, knowing he had time – he would eventually get an answer.

"I didn't like being in the dark," she finally said. He raised an eyebrow and shot her a look. "They were always waiting for me in the dark," she continued. "The convicts, the guards. All of them wanted to hurt me." She looked back down at the contents of the box, fingering the edge of another faded photo showing a smiling woman. "I figured that if I was going to die, at least I'd have a fighting chance." Closing the lid, she rolled to her knees and slipped the box back into her bag. She carefully separated the loose cigarettes, putting them in a pocket before shoving everything else into her carry-all, too. Sighing softly, forcing her mind away from memories of Thodn, she stood and put her things away. She cracked her neck, and after taking a final glance at Riddick, Kyra grabbed her apple then strode out the door and down to the galley, her bare feet silent on the metal flooring.

Riddick watched her go, letting his mind linger on the image of Kyra alone and blind in the slam. He remembered that feeling all too well, and he hated knowing that she'd had to go through the same thing. It made his hands ball into fists, ready to swing at the next person to threaten her. But no…she could take care of herself now. She still had a lot to learn, yeah, but she had made it through slam all right. Relaxing, he ran a hand over he head and down his face. The stubble scratched at his callused palm and he grimaced. Need to shave. Growling, he levered himself out of the doorway and crossed the hall to the bathroom. As the door was closing behind him, he remembered that Kyra hadn't said anything about the destination he'd entered into the com systems. In fact, she'd been completely silent. Shaking his head, he filed the thought away; he'd ask her about it later.

--

Kyra was sitting in the galley with the lights on low, a book open on the table in front of her. She'd long since finished her apple and tossed the core in the trash bin, and now she was bent over the pages, lost in some long ago world. Riddick sat down across from her and just watched her read for a while. With her chin propped on a fist, her eyes flying over the page, she was beautiful. Riddick could feel a familiar sensation building deep in the pit of his stomach. He wanted her. Closing his eyes, he waited. He knew she was aware of him – aware of his presence – even if she didn't acknowledge him.

Kyra felt his eyes on her before she looked up. She was right – Riddick was watching her, and it was making her nervous. She raised an eyebrow, unconsciously folding her hands over her book, covering the pages. "What?" she asked. Riddick just shook his head, the low light casting a soft glow on the clean-shaven surface. "You shaved," she said. Duh. He nodded.

"Yeah." He paused, a memory surfacing – Kyra, oddly silent, standing behind him on the bridge. Ask her now. "You ever been to Thodn?" he said. Better to be direct.

Kyra swallowed hard and glanced down at her fingers laced over the pages of her book. Riddick followed her eyes – her knuckles were white. "Yeah," she answered after a moment. "I been there."

So there was more to the story. Riddick waited. She would come out with it eventually. Kyra moved her hands and stared down at the type-covered pages she revealed. The answer ain't there, kid. When she finally looked back up at him, he caught sight of a shadow in her eyes.

"It was there a long time ago," she muttered. "Can we just leave it at that?" Riddick raised an eyebrow. You know we can't. Sighing, she continued. "I was born on Thodn. That's where I was running from when we-" She stopped and looked down at her book again. We? "When we" what? "It doesn't matter." Pushing herself up from the bench, she left the galley on silent feet. Riddick paused long enough to pick up the paperback she'd left on the table, then followed her.

He found Kyra in the cabin, lying in the bunk, slightly curled up on her side. Her back was to the door, but she knew he was watching. She always knew when Riddick was watching. She could hear him, smell him, sense him, feel him. She was just connected to him like that.

Kyra didn't say anything as Riddick crossed the room. She heard him drop a book – her paperback – on the night table, and felt the bed dip as he sat next to her. His hand traced a gentle caress down her side, then moved away. Kyra expected him to leave and she started when she heard the heavy thump as one of Riddick's boots hit the floor. She froze, waiting, knowing what was coming, and trying to deny how much she wanted it. He's just getting ready to go to sleep, stupid. He'll be on the floor in minute. But when he lay down behind her, pulling the light blanket over both their bodies, she couldn't lie to herself anymore. "What are you doing?" she asked, hesitantly; she had to know for sure.

Riddick could hear her heart beating faster, and he smiled. "Resting. You wear me out." Reaching out, he wrapped an arm around Kyra's slender waist and pulled her against him, her back pressing against his chest. God, she felt good, nestled close that way. He realized that he could sleep like this every night for the rest of his life. She won't put up with you for that long, a dark part of his mind taunted. Well, we'll see.

Kyra closed her eyes and tried not to shiver as Riddick's breath whispered over the back of her neck. Any thoughts she might have had fled as he pressed her close. All she could think about was how good he felt, and how safe he made her feel. Dear God, what had she gotten herself into?

--

Riddick woke to find Kyra curled up almost on top of him. Her head was nestled on his shoulder and one of her legs was tangled with his, while the other was thrown across his body in a casually possessive gesture. Feeling a slight pressure on his chest, he saw that one of her arms was draped across him as well. He smiled down at her, liking the way she fit with him. He could live with this, he decided, remembering his thoughts last night. He could live with this very easily.

Kyra sensed the change in Riddick's breathing even before she woke. Pulling herself up from a sound sleep, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was smiling down at her. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she smiled back.

"Good morning," she whispered, nestling her head back on his shoulder.

"Less awkward this time?" he asked. It took Kyra a moment to realize what he meant, but finally –

"Yeah. Less awkward." She yawned and snuggled closer to the heat of Riddick's body. "You're warm," she stated. He didn't answer, just chuckled softly. She could feel the vibrations through his chest and smiled, too. She liked it when he laughed.

"I need to get up," he said, softly. Dropping a kiss in her hair, he untangled their bodies and slipped out from under the blanket. Kyra gave a quiet moan, protesting the sudden absence of Riddick's warmth. "Go back to sleep," he muttered, tucking the blanket around her slender body. She made another sleepy sound, but her eyes didn't open and Riddick knew she had dropped off. Sighing, he crept out of the room. Waking to find her pressed against him like that had turned him on. Since he wasn't sure how Kyra would react to being woken up in that particular way, he'd made a quick escape.

Running a hand over his head, Riddick swore and sat in front of the com panel. He'd thought that once would be enough to get her out of his system – obviously he was wrong. Growling, he glared at the com screens and flashing lights. He heard Kyra making sleepy sounds in the cabin and ground his teeth. Every instinct in his body was screaming for him to go to her – to take her and find some sort of release. He couldn't. He could…so easily…Dear God…

Riddick was absorbed in his thoughts and didn't hear Kyra as she crept to the bridge. She sat in the chair next to him and tilted her head to one side. Looking out the front window she pretended count the stars. She'd tried to go back to sleep after Riddick had left, but something had been missing. Riddick…her mind whispered. Shut up. No, things weren't that way between them. Yeah, they'd slept together, but that didn't make them a thing… or a couple…or whatever. Shaking her head, she turned to glance at the object of her thoughts. He was staring at the com panel, a worried frown creasing his forehead. He didn't even seem to notice her, until her stomach growled.

Kyra was hungry. Riddick could sense it. Then a gurgle from her stomach confirmed it. Standing easily, he offered his hand to help her up. She didn't need it, but she took it anyway. Interesting. Together, they made their way to the galley. He couldn't help noticing how right her small, callused hand felt, swallowed in his huge paw.

In the kitchen, Kyra put a pot on the stove-plate and started to make tea. Riddick pulled some ingredients out of a cabinet and began fixing something that smelled really good. They moved around the small room, keeping out of each other's way without even noticing it. They were back to the old ways – just like that.

Kyra smiled at the thought and took the teakettle off the heat as it began to whistle. This felt good. As she poured a mug of the steaming brew, she sensed Riddick moving around behind her and closed her eyes, breathing deep. The other night had changed things. Kyra didn't know where she stood with Riddick most of the time anyway, and after…well, things were just more difficult. Now, on top of everything, they were going to Thodn – when she'd sworn she'd never go back. But she could deal. Besides, the chances that we'll hit the spaceport in Merlow are pretty bad, so I probably don't have anything to worry about. With her mind settled, Kyra sat across from Riddick as he served up breakfast.

The kid was worried. He could see that. It was about that planet; she didn't want to go back. Dammit, was there any place in the system she wanted to go? Sighing, he wrapped his hands around the mug of tea Kyra had set at his place. He tilted his head to the side, watching her eat for a moment before he spoke.

"We have a couple weeks or so before we get to Thodn." He paused, waiting for her to glance up at him. "We'll orbit for a day or so, and put down in Merlow when I can get us set up with safe idents."

Kyra choked on the forkful of food she'd just swallowed. Merlow? Not good. "We're going to Merlow?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

Arching a brow, Riddick nodded. "Yeah," he confirmed warily. What was the problem now?

Kyra shrugged, forcing her face to stay expressionless. "I've always wanted to go there, is all," she said. Oh, you little lair. Faking a smile for Riddick's benefit, she glanced down at her food, suddenly not very hungry. "You want it?" she asked, motioning toward the plate. Waste not, want not.

"No." He paused and considered telling her she had to eat, but the scent of fear that filled the room changed his mind. "Just put it on the counter. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks." She manufactured another smile and fled the room. Riddick watched her go, sighing. Something was going on – and he needed to figure out what it was.