Cara woke. Her senses telling her something was wrong. She eased out of the loose embrace Jack had her in and crawled over her. The girl never stirred from the bench.

The ship was larger than their original skiff and had two floors. One main floor was the piloting room with passenger seating just outside of the piloting cabin. Below was a common area with a compact kitchen, living room, and bath. If one walked beyond that there was a room that had a cot. Imam had fallen asleep on the opposite bench from Jack. Cara turned to see the pilot chair empty.

Cara rubbed at her face. She hated sleeping. She always dreamed. Always. It was like her brain couldn't shut off. In this one Jack had been a baby. Well a toddler and she had started playing with knives. Cara was somehow responsible for her and tried to stop her but Jack just threw the knives in the air like a juggler. She caught them easily with a goofy baby smile on her face. Cara crawled forward to stop her and suddenly she realized that she was a baby too. But she was just a grown up a little while ago? Cara shook it off trying to stop Jack but as she drew near as knife slipped in the air and glinted while Jack just stood there letting it fall with that big manic smile. Cara yelled but it came out a wail and the knife slammed blade first into Jack's eye. Blood rivulets slide down her face like tears and Jacks body slowly fell back. Cara ran over suddenly an adult again and gathered the girl in her arms. Jack's lower face was twisted and her teeth were bared as her head lolled to the side the big manic grin never moving. Cara cradled Jack's head and cried. Hot blood slowly seeped into her clothing but she didn't care. When she pulled back it wasn't Jack she was holding, but her mother. With a gunshot wound in the eye. That's when Cara woke with a start. The worst part about the dreaming is that she always remembered. Always.

Cara made her way down stairs and found the kitchen area slightly messy, as if someone had pilfered through it. Cara heard a grunt from the other side of the door leading to the bedroom of sorts and knocked. She didn't wait for a response sure that Riddick would never choose to give one.

She walked in on Riddick sitting on the cot, his back turned to a small mirror on the wall sewing his gun wound closed. In a fluffy white towel. As she watched beads of water ran down his skin. After the fight with Junner Riddick's body was battered and bruised. There was hardly an expanse of golden skin that wasn't bruised. Without a word Cara washed her hand thoroughly and came back, perching easily on the bed. She stitched him shut easily and saw that the front was already done. She swabbed the area clean and placed a patch of white gauze on both entrances, "If ye woke me I woulda helped." She told him. He shrugged and didn't say anything. Cara sighed and stood, "I'm taken' a shower."

She turned to leave when he caught her hand. "Come back when you're done." His voice was gruff. Cara nodded her consent and he left her slip away.

Cara couldn't keep her heart from beating so fast. She felt the stiffness in her shoulders telling her she was stressing out. The butterflies in her stomach had tiny uzzi-guns and were shooting all her other organs to ribbons. Was Riddick inviting her to bed?

She slipped off her holsters and placed them on the empty towel rack and then slipped out of the dress She looked around were to hang it and saw Riddick had hung his clothing on the back of the door. She draped hers over his and took off the slightly itchy undergarment. She spent some time taking off all the gauze pads and bandages. Her healing skin was tight and it hurt to move in some ways. She had pulled only one stitch in her arm which considering everything, was pretty impressive. Aside from the wounds she got on the dark planet she had come out of that ordeal rather unscathed. Well maybe a little more sore.

She stepped into the shower of hot water. Warm water experiences in less than a days' time of each other, Cara was getting used to this. She ran her fingers through her hair and encountered the damn diamond clip thing. She spent ten minutes untangling it from her wet hair and then another ten minutes actually cleaning herself. Cara couldn't wait till she hawked the damnable thing.

She found a towel under the sink and dried her hair the best she could and finger combed it into place. She gazed into the small mirror, the black lines around her eyes were gone, easily cleaned always by the water but her lips remain the dyed color. She worriedly poked at them and hissed when she hit the little love bite Riddick gave her. Her mind raced along the route she didn't want it to. The butterflies were back.

Should she go back in the towel? Like he did? But what if she read the situation wrong? Better safe, than sorry. It wasn't like she was a virgin, just that…well…this was Riddick. She was reaching for her dress when she hesitated. She glanced down at the bra and panties she was wearing. They covered but still said 'I'm available'. They would do… and the towel because she was a chicken shit sometimes.

Cara padded her way back to the room quietly and eased the door open. It was pitch black and the only light came from the bathroom. It slanted to show Riddick lying on his side, his lower half covered by a sheet, breathing slow a steady rhythm of sleep. Bollocks. Cara thought. She stared at him for a second. He was calm and his body relaxed for the first time since meeting him. Cara thought about it, she never saw the man sleep. She liked it. He looked peaceful, as opposed to when she slept. She had once broken a lover's nose in her sleep she thrashed so much.

Carefully Cara closed the door and eased up to the bed. "Riddick. I'm gonna sleep next to ya. Donna kill me." She said softly. She swore he grunted in his sleep, she let the towel fall and she slipped under the covers. She rolled until she was on her right side her back to him when he grabbed her from behind and dragged her non to gracefully over. He hugged her from behind and buried his face into her slightly damp hair. He didn't seem to mind it, in fact he seemed to relish in her cool skin and hair. He curled his body around hers and Cara just waited until he was comfy without moving. His left hand curled around her rib cage and his hand cupped her breast but didn't move any farther, it was just comfy there. His other arm slipped into the space under her neck and he left her use it like a pillow. One of his legs slipped possessively in-between her own and she allowed it. Then he stilled and slowly drifted off.

Cara lay there her heart pounding but she was so comfy. She body naturally relaxed against his. Cara began to feel the butterflies disappear. They hand no place in such comfort. Cara closed her eyes and slowly took in his scent. He was intoxicating to her. She wondered if she was to him as well? Cara didn't remember falling asleep.

Riddick tensed. He was slowly waking up and becoming more aware the presence in his arms. She was cool and smooth against his body, which was radiating heat as it tried to mend itself. It had been hours that she lay there and still she was a soothing balm to his tender skin. He opened his eyes and was pleased to find the cabin still dark. He examined the female in his arms and felt his lips part. Riddick's body had done what his conscious mind couldn't and held her like she was precious. And she was.

While she was strong, one of the strongest people he has met, she was still so fragile. Her wrists were ridiculously tiny, he could hold both and still have his fingers touch. Her torso was small that to be comfy his arm had to curl up and then he thought about his hand. He tried not to move but he wanted to. He could feel the textured lace bra and wanted to see her move in the way she does, preferably above him. Wanted to hold her tighter, and never let her go.

But he had seen the merc's update on Riddick's status. He now had a known accomplice with a still of Cara from the Kublai Khan. It was getting more and more dangerous to be together. Her own bounty was rather hefty, almost rivaled his own. There were no details but he didn't care, he just wanted to hold her for a little while. As if they were just two strangers for the night.

He thought about the first time they encountered each other. She hadn't known anything about him but that he was some type of criminal. He had just gotten out of the cryo locker on the Hunter Gratzner. Her first instinct had been to ask if he was alright. And then she even came in his arm range. He could have easily killed her, even bound as he was. But the way she looked, at the time she was wearing a huge men's coat that hide her figure but it had been her eyes. They were genuine. And curious about him. He had chuckled at her naïvety but had learned since then that not much held her attention for long, well not unless she can kill it. He found the way she acted charming in a way. She was playful. But smart. Similar to Riddick, always calculating the situation. He wanted her.

He growled deep in his chest and Cara murmured in her sleep. He stilled and quieted instantly. Cara slipped herself closer into his heat and he bit back a groan the way her bottom caressed a certain area. Slowly his mind ran down a road that had his blood rushing. If they were to have sex she would give as good as she got. He wanted to wake her now to test the theory but Cara's hand found his cupping her slightly and she held onto his arm curling around it. She claimed it. He felt a smile tug his face. He wouldn't mind if she claimed a bit more of him.

And so he lay. Probably the most important person to him in his arms and he didn't wake her to tell her. His mind wandered to the second most important. Jack. He remembered Imam approaching him earlier. Imam voiced his concerns for the girl and her obsession with Cara and Riddick. Riddick wasn't so worried about Cara, he could see how Cara wanted to be normal in front of Jack but just didn't know how. Riddick didn't try. His reputation had sullied that opportunity. Riddick already knew what he had to do. He needed to leave.

Again his mind jumped to Cara and when he had left her at the cave. Her screaming. Her pain. She hated being left behind. And here he was, holding her in the dark, contemplating that very scenario. They were to high-profile together. The pot was too big for both of them. Riddick would never forgive himself if Cara was captured because of him.

But he wanted her. His grip tightened on her until he heard a soft groan from her. He loosened and buried his face in her hair. Silently saying his goodbye.

That feeling, yeah the one you have right now? It's called bittersweet.

I was playing around with the idea of Riddick taking her but I have an awesome reunion planed

that's going to royaly piss Riddick off and have Cara being her mischievous self!

Teehee!

What does everyone think? And it might take a bit, like a full day for the next chapter so be patient! It is coming!