A/N: Last chapter for the night. I hope you enjoy, I promise to post more on Wednesday. Let me know how you like the off script stuff.

I do not own Pitch Black, Dark Fury, Chronicles of Riddick, or Riddick, nor do I own their characters or the story lines. I own only Rehtaeh and any new characters that I may add, and any plot changes that may happen within.

I really hope you enjoy the story! :D

Chapter 25

*Rehtaeh*

They took off some paneling at the rear of the ship, which shared a similar look to the exterior panels. He had her dent and burn them up to the point that it looked like they had run into something. When she was done they moved it into the airlock and waited until they were close to an asteroid belt. As they passed the space rocks, she hit the button and jettisoned the panel and a bit of stray insulation that she had found in a repair kit in a storage locker. He pulled the ship to a spinning stop and made it look as though they had been knocked off course, stopped mid flight for several hours before changing course. If Toombs was any bit a tracker he would notice the trail, it was clear enough.

While they made their way to the port Riddick started teaching her the instrumentation in the ship. They spent hours just going over the different systems and how to work them and what sequences required which protocols. It was the type of thing that was usually learned in a class and in simulation vessels. She learned it all in real time. He wasn't happy unless she could recite from memory what buttons, switches and levers had to be triggered for each test or maneuver that he taught her, without looking at the panel. She had to tell him the exact sequence required for start up, hull testing, main drive testing, and power limit testing and so on. Luckily for her she learned fast, and by the time they reached the port two days later, she had memorized every possible exercise by the book, using the proper names and technical instrument formulas. He still wouldn't let her touch the actual controls, but at least she understood the mechanics of the ship. Finally she felt she would be helpful when or if something happened.

Riddick had to make it look like the ship was limping along which meant he had to stay at the controls and manually stall the ship a few times to make it look like they were in trouble. Rehtaeh called in to port to report their arrival, keeping Riddick's voice off the airwaves. The last thing they needed was another incident like the Kublai Khan. Once they reached the transfer station they had to make it look as though they were getting repairs made. They stopped in at a repair shop and bought what they needed to repair the interior paneling. He made arrangements for a team of experts to bolster their weaponry, and repair some of the damage the ship had taken from the Mercs and Cons right before take-off.

"Get dressed, Rehtaeh, we're going into town. We need supplies." Riddick told her as he came back from talking to the ship mechanic.

"What?" Rehtaeh was fresh from the shower, she had pulled on her underwear and her pajama shirt over top as Riddick came up the stairs. She tried to ignore him as she tried to dry the water out of her hair with her towel.

"You heard me, get dressed we're going into town."He growled at her as he came up into the loft, he leaned against the wall as he watched her rummage through her bag to grab her hair brush. She roughly pulled the brush through the wet snarls in her hair before pulling it back into a thick knot at the nape of her neck.

"I get why we are fixing the ship, but why should we risk being seen in town? I thought the point was to ditch him, not draw him to us." She was trying her damnedest to ignore him and his shirtless form. For two days she had been trying to avoid him and his muscular chest and abs. It was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life.

"We need supplies, Rehtaeh, since you refuse to go into Cryo, we only have enough food to last us another couple of days." Riddick reminded her as he started to stalk towards her. She had avoided him so perfectly for the past two days and now he was standing between her and the only exit from the loft.

"I am not comfortable with Cryo Riddick." Rehtaeh growled as she pulled her jeans on under her pajama shirt.

"I get it, stop explaining."He walked towards her slowly, she felt as though the room was growing smaller and smaller.

"So we stop for food and supplies, and advertise that we are here together?" Rehtaeh asked incredulously. She stood and glared at him, she was being directly hostile on purpose. She wasn't interest in playing games today and he had that playful smirk on his face that made her stomach tighten. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of staying under the radar?"

"Toombs is already on our trail. So we set a trap. He wants both of us, why go for one bounty when he can get both." He told her. She could feel his eyes on her as she sat on the bed and pulled on her socks and boots, lacing them up tight and placing both blades into their scabbards inside. He hadn't made his move yet. It was like he was waiting for something, but she wondered what. "He'll follow our trail anywhere we lead. So buy a lot. The bigger the bill the better, so whatever you buy don't go cheap."

"Yeah, cause I seem like a scrooge to you?" Rehtaeh glanced up at him from where she sat on the bed. He stepped in between her legs and she had to arch her neck in order to look him in the eyes. She reached out and put her hands on his legs just above his knees. Keeping steady pressure she pushed her hands up from knee to thigh to hip. She stopped just before she touched his flesh above his waist band.

"Well other than that fancy lingerie you like, your clothes have all been rather worn out."He placed his hands over hers and pulled her to her feet, her body pressed tightly against his. Her hands moved to rest lightly on his chest. She felt his fingers on her hips, his thumbs pressing into her hip bones.

"Well yeah, when I bought them I had just been disowned. I bought them on my own coin, I couldn't exactly afford much." Rehtaeh told him, she watched as her fingers brushed up to his collarbone, and the mass of muscle in his shoulders. "Let's just say my first shopping trip on my own dime was an eye opening experience."

"So the dignitary's daughter got disowned." Riddick moved his hands under her shirt, finding the soft vulnerable flesh underneath. Her breath caught in her throat, damn it what was he up to?

"Yeah that wasn't in the files. Father wanted people to think that he was more supportive of my path than he actually was." He pushed her shirt up slowly, his hands brushing her sides, her ribs. He ran his fingers along the underside of her bra, then traced up the back of the straps to her shoulders. She couldn't stop the soft moan that passed her lips. She met his eyes and whispered, "What are you up to Riddick?"

He ignored her question as he pulled her shirt up, stripping it off of her. He tossed it onto the bed and reached up unknotting her hair, pulling it back down to fall around her shoulders. He pulled her head to the left baring her throat to his exploring lips. "What else wasn't in the files?

"A lot Riddick, a lot was left out." He nipped at the chord in her neck and she hummed softly.

He turned away from her suddenly picking up her shirt and walking swiftly to the steep staircase from the loft. "I think I'll borrow this. You had better find something to wear if you're coming with me, cause there is no way in hell you are wearing that in public."

"Riddick!" Rehtaeh yelled in frustration at his retreating back. "You're an ass you know that?"

"You love my ass." He called back up to her. She could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Can't argue with that logic." Rehtaeh grumbled under her breath, wondering what the hell she was going to wear. He had taken her only shirt. She didn't blame him. Antonia and Junner were obviously intending to go into cryo for the duration of their trip because there was not a stitch of spare clothing on the ship. She looked at the red dress folded neatly on the floor and decided that it would suffice for a shirt, but she would have to wear a sports bra underneath for modesty. She changed her clothes and looked in the mirror, making adjustments and clasping the collar and cuffs into place. She was wearing jeans so she pulled the tight hem of the dress up to her waist and let it sit in a ruche fashion on her hips. Overall it looked pretty good, it would look better with a silk camisole underneath. Maybe she could find one when they went shopping.

She twisted her long silver blonde locks into a low nautilus bun at the back of her neck. Her finishing touch was as always her dark sunglasses. She wondered for a moment if they still had the light altering glass that they had used in her time. Transitional lenses would go a long way to helping her out, she wouldn't have to constantly remove and replace her glasses wherever she went. She would look into that once they reached New Mecca.

She opened her pack, pulled out her purse, wallet and the ID cards that Tiller had left for her, arranging her wallet with everything she might possibly need in town. She took only her business account UD card and left the other two hidden in the secret pocket in her pack, just in case someone snooped while they were gone. Once she figured she had everything she needed she went down the steep stairs to meet Riddick.

"You think they'll be okay while we are gone?" Rehtaeh asked Riddick as she checked on Jack, Suleiman, and Imam deep within their cryo sleep.

"Yeah, I set up a security detail to watch the ship while we are in town. If you get your ass out of there I will lock up the main living areas, since the repair guys only need access to the Air lock and Engine bays." Riddick called to her as he impatiently waited by the ramp. "Move it woman. They'll be fine."

"Whatever you say." She rolled her eyes as she passed through the air lock and onto the dock floor. He hadn't even looked at her when she had passed by, he was too busy punching commands into the ships security system. He was wearing her shirt. The black fabric was stretched to its limit across his muscular shoulders and over his strong arms, the way it was structured was perfect for a man of his physique. It looked sexier than hell on him, and knowing that it was her shirt made it all the more seductive and intimate. Her toes were curling in her boots just looking at him.

She walked to the main exit of the city port, there was a waiting room but all the seats were taken by passengers waiting for a luxury liner that was not yet ready to board passengers. She found a small section of wall near the main lobby and leaned her back against the wall, propping one of her feet on the wall behind her waited for him to be finished. Several men turned to leer in her direction and she pointedly ignored them, she also noticed several envious and some snobbish looks from several of the female passengers. She disregarded them as well.

Instead she started making a mental list of the things that she needed. Manicure kit, her nails were getting too long and rough, they needed filing and cleaning. She needed some body lotion, sunscreen, and some proper soap. The crap they had in the dispenser on the ship was slowly destroying her skin. It was beginning to feel like sand paper. She needed some deodorant, and some better gym equipment. The gear they had on the ship was crap and she really needed a punching bag. She also needed to replace her hand wraps, the last pair had gone into the disposal unit on the Kublai Khan.

A few of the men were cajoling one of their buddies to try approach her and she felt him start to hedge towards her, trying to gain his courage. She remained wary but went back to her list making for their shopping trip. The man was about three feet away when Riddick joined her. He leaned right into her, nuzzling her neck, a jolt of pure awareness curled through her. Her response was immediate, it didn't seem to matter that they were standing in the lobby of a busy transport terminal. She arched up into his body and wrapped her arms up around his neck intimately. She sighed softly, her voice husky with want, "Damn it Riddick, we're in public."

"If I had known that you were going to wear that, I would have never let you leave the ship." He whispered roughly in her ear. His hands pulled her possessively against him, and she was certain she was going to turn into a puddle on the floor. He pulled up just enough to look down at her, goggles meeting glasses as they looked at each other. A wry smirk lifted his lip as he said loud enough for their captive audience, "You ready to go, Sexy?"

"Hmm. Anytime, anywhere, as long as I'm with you, Babe." Her voice was playful. She raised her eye brow silently asking him what the hell he was playing at this time. His raised to match hers as he silently indicated that they held the entire lobby population in their thrall. She pulled back, and fixed his collar. "Nice shirt."

"I thought you might like it." He returned with a chuckle. She slipped under his arm and walked away towards the main lobby doors, not stopping until she reached the portal. It slid open automatically and she sauntered through. He was right on her heels as she went through the doors.

There was an open air market not far from the main port, which housed several little shops for tourist, preposterously priced goods for people who were only there for an hour or two. Rehtaeh ignored these, not one of them had anything she either needed or liked. Instead she led the way deeper into the community and headed into the town shops where the locals looked at them with a grain of surprise. Riddick stayed by her side, and looked around warily while trying to blend in. She smiled at the locals and got directions to their largest Department Store, where she would most likely be able to get all the items on her list in a single stop. She was looking for one that had the best quality for the best price.

An older gentleman escorted her to the doors of a massive store that housed everything from foodstuffs to ship supplies, clothes and everything in between. She flirted with the old man as Riddick glowered at him as he walked behind. When they reached the door, she allowed the gentleman to kiss her hand as he bid her goodbye. Then the old coot turned to Riddick and told him, "You treat this one right and she'll look after you right till the end. She reminds me of my dear Marta. Which reminds me, I have to pick up some flowers, Marta loves red roses."

They both turned to watch the man walk back the way they came. She wanted to look up at Riddick, but she knew if she did, she would start to cry. Shaking off the feeling of foreboding Rehtaeh turned briskly into the entrance of the Foreign Market. She went directly to the customer service counter and requested to speak to a manager. It took only minutes before an older woman greeted them, giving her an odd look at the clothing she was wearing. She smiled up at Riddick and he smirked at her.

He gave the woman a bullshit story about being on route to their honeymoon destination when they hit an asteroid belt. He told her there was a fire in the ship, which totaled all of their supplies. Thankfully it was Riddick telling the lie since she was getting antsy just listening to the story. In the end the woman just thought that Rehtaeh was flustered by their string of bad luck.

"So how can I be of help to the pair of you?" She asked with a note of concern.

"My wife is allergic to cryo meds, so we need to have enough supply to get us to Aguerra Prime. I have made a list of the supplies we need to get us there. Unfortunately our reservations at the resort are fixed. We need to be back on route within the next three hours if we are going to make it in time." Riddick told her smoothly. His list included an assortment of foods, cleansers, sundries as well as an assortment of gear and equipment. "If there is any way we can get this list filled while we buy clothes and personal supplies, it would help us make our deadline."

Looking at the list, the manager assured him that the items could be gathered and sent directly. Rehtaeh held her breath hoping there was some way the woman could help them out. Little did Rehtaeh know that the look on her face was one of hopelessness and sorrow. The woman took her hands in her own and smiled down at Rehtaeh. She tried her damnedest not to flinch away from the cold contact. "It is going to be just fine, sweetheart. We will get you all set up and back on the road before your deadline. I can have our personal shoppers take care of your list, while you two take care of your personal requirements."

Riddick moved off to find suitable clothing for himself, Imam and Suleiman. She was shopping for herself and Jack. Other than Rehtaeh, not one of them had any clean clothing to their names. Even then, her clothes were in such a state of disrepair that they were becoming unusable. She remembered the list she made while waiting for Riddick and went in search of those items first. Piling what she found into a cart for the personal shopper who was following her around. When her cart was full and she was ready to look for clothes the attendant took the cart and let her head to the clothing department alone.

Buying for Jack was relatively easy; she was about the same height as Rehtaeh herself was, so she figured that if it fit her it would fit the girl. Jack seemed to be a cargos and t-shirt kind of girl, and she seemed to prefer the clothes a bit baggy, so that was what she got for her. She also got the girl a couple tanks and shorts as well as undergarments and socks.

Then Rehtaeh looked for things for herself. She found a pair of black leggings that fit nice as well as a couple new pairs of jeans. She replaced her T-shirts as well as her black and red tank tops and found a long sleeved black shirt that hugged her curves beautifully. At first she didn't bother looking for underwear for herself. She had plenty and had been washing it by hand; besides she was picky when it came to her underwear, and this stuff was not going to cut it. Until her eye fell on one singular set of high end lingerie, it was made of the softest black satin, with red lace trim. It was a multi piece trousseau. It consisted of a teddy, a corset, a baby-doll, bra, thong, boy-cut shorts, and bikini cut panties, along with garters and stockings. The final piece was a long red negligee with black lace and trim. She tried her damnedest to talk herself out of even trying it on for proper fit when she caught Riddick staring at her from the men's department.

His face was a hard mask, there was no way for her to know at this distance what he was feeling or thinking. She looked away with a blush. She was standing in the middle of the lingerie department with the object of her lust staring at her. What came over her she had no idea, but she gave the assistant her sizing and had the whole set taken to the change room to try on. It fit like a glove, like it had been custom made for her. The lady that ran the department was adamant that she buy it, for her honeymoon. 'Damn Riddick for telling them that,' she thought and her rubber arm was twisted.

That was also the moment when the other ladies in the women's section were pulled into help. They all heard that she was looking for a new wardrobe, and suddenly she was being ordered to try on dresses in every shape and style. Hoping to break their spirits and slow them down she flat out refused anything that was not red, black or grey. It didn't work, they all saw this as a challenge and there was suddenly a competition to find THE dress. There were dresses abounding in the ladies section, Rehtaeh groaned in distress, hating the attention and the coldness that went with it. She tried on dress after dress, hating every single one of them. Too frilly, too lacey, too masculine, too boxy, too frumpy, even the ladies didn't like anything that she was trying on. She had gone through every dress in the entire store, or so they had promised her, when one more was thrown over the door.

She groaned inwardly and sighed as she pulled it on, and tied the back of the dress tight. As she stepped out of the change room in the corseted strapless number, all of the ladies stopped and stared. She turned to the mirror to see what the fuss was about. The top portion of the dress was a deep steel grey silk over-bust corset with silver lace over lay, cut in a mild sweetheart top. The front of the corset was longer in the front than it was in the back allowing for greater comfort and a greater exaggeration of curves. The bottom of the dress was layered sheer black silk, under a steel grey lace overlay with silver accents that fell gracefully to the knee. One of the women came back with a pair of bright red satin stiletto heels, long red lace gloves and a black ribbon choker with a blood red jewel that hung just inside the hollow of her throat.

"There is only one thing wrong with that dress." A low silky voice said from a seat just outside her fitting room. Her heart stopped and she looked up at Riddick. He stood and stalked toward her. She felt like a small rabbit cornered by the wolf. She could only stare at him, standing over her in her black pinstriped shirt, with the top two buttons undone looking sexy as hell. He didn't touch her. He just reached behind her and pulled the knot out of her hair causing the moonlit waves to cascade down her back. He threaded his fingers into the spun silver blonde of her hair and pulled her head back, lifting her face to his. He kissed her roughly, nipping at her bottom lip. "Leave your hair down, Rehtaeh."

The women around them sighed in happiness and Rehtaeh blushed maddeningly. She stepped away from Riddick, her heart pounding. One look at him and she knew that he had been the one to pick the dress for her. It was equally his taste as well as her own. There was a thick ominous edge to his voice as Riddick turned away and looked at the store manager who had reappeared when he had. "Wrap it up and include it in the order. I will be waiting for you outside Rehtaeh."

She changed as quickly as she could and handed the dress and the accessories to the store manager. The woman led her through the store to the cashier desk to pay for their purchases when a long black wool jacket with red lace accents caught her eye. She tried it on looked in the mirror and instantly fell in love. Finally Rehtaeh met the manager back at the counter and used her business UD card for the payment and returned to the ship.

The total cost of the items made a huge impression on the manager and staff, and the locals would talk about it for several days. This was exactly what Riddick wanted. He wanted Toombs to know exactly who had been here and when. She joined him outside after the manager assured her that all of their purchases would be delivered to their ship within the hour. He looked at her in her jeans and the revealing red dress and grabbed her hand pulling her through the village back to their ship, not saying a word. He just pulled her along quickly until they were back at the safety of their space craft.

The moments she stepped into the airlock she was spun and crushed up against the newly repaired wall. He unclasped the collar and the cuffs and dropped them carelessly on the floor of the airlock. Pushing against him, she tried to slow him down but it was to no end. He stopped her with an earth shattering kiss that she felt from the roots of her hair down to the curl of her toes. He brushed away her hands and unceremoniously tugged and pulled the red dress up over her head. He dropped it on the floor with the collar and cuffs. Wearing only her sports bra and her jeans and boots, she suddenly felt terribly naked and self conscious. His hands were working the button and fly of her jeans when she put her hands over his in an attempt to stop him. She glared defiantly up at him as he stood there staring down at her he took in her half naked body.

A snarl on his lips, a feral growl in his throat, he snapped, "You flaunt yourself at me with those shorts and gym top. Then avoid me for days on end. The most expensive item you buy in town is a set of fancy underwear. I can barely control myself around you as it is. I want to be inside of you, I want to make you mine."

"Riddick, I-," She started to tell him that she wasn't avoiding him, but stopped the lie. She had been desperately trying to avoid him. She kept wavering between allowing a relationship involving him, fulfilling her darkest desires, or walking away and keeping her emotional sanity intact when he left them in New Mecca. It was time she made up her mind, the only problem, they had company and she was half naked. "I want you too, but-."

He captured her mouth in a kiss cutting off her protest and when she tried to break away, he angled in for a deeper kiss. Her heart was racing, her need for him trumped everything else as she opened up and tangled her tongue with his. Her hands found their way back up to his shoulders and neck holding him to her. He hummed in appreciation, his clever fingers opened the button and fly of her jeans, one hand pushed down seeking her heated center. She yelped in surprise and sudden burning need. He was going to make her lose her mind. There was a knock and a throat cleared and Riddick growled in frustration. He raised his head and looked over his shoulder at intruder standing on the ramp.

"Sorry sir, the Security Forces Mechanic is here to inspect the work done on the weapons systems. He needs access to the bridge, to run the tests." The person was thankfully hidden from view, by Riddick's broad shoulders. She leaned her forehead against his chest and bit back a moan as his deft fingers cupped her intimately. He removed his hand, tilted her face back up to his and kissed her hard.

"We are not done, Rehtaeh, as soon as we finish our business with Toombs, I am taking what I want." Riddick growled at her. He unbuttoned his shirt, shrugged it off and handed it to her. She pulled it around her quickly, covering her body, the familiar fabric of her nightshirt enveloped her with his scent.