Panting heavily, Riddick rested his head against her chest as they stayed locked together under the pour of water. He steadied his breath, bringing his heartbeat to a slow pace and brought his lips to hers. Tenderly he embraced her soft lips in a gentle kiss while his member slid slowly from her secret.

She kissed him back with the same gentle manner and let out a very soft whimper as he pulled out of her. Jack didn't want to lose that connection, he had made her whole. And for the first time in all her life, she felt as though she had belonged.

And she did… She belonged to Riddick.

Every inch of their bodies felt like they had been thrown into a wild fire and brought back by the hands of the gods. Riddick placed her on her feet and took a bar of soup in his hands.

His hands made quick work of washing her clean, then he washed himself. They stood under the rain of warmth and rinsed off.

He stepped out, grabbed a large towel and wrapped her in it. Riddick dried her trembling body quickly, then himself, and helped her put another feminine need on her still clean panties. He slipped them up her legs, over her thighs, and finally put them in place.

"Hold on to me." Riddick said in a soft tone and placed her in his arms. She was nearly asleep when he laid her out under the sheets of the bed and made his way next to her. Wrapping his arms about her exhausted form he kissed her shoulders and curled up behind her.

'I never thought I'd be lying next to someone… Someone like her.' He thought to himself and listened to the soft beating of her heart. 'What have I done? This is Jack… How could I have let this happen?' Riddick clenched his eyes shut and tried to force his sleepless mind into dreams… But his thoughts only fought back.

'This will change everything. Why didn't you think with your head and not your dick? How could you have been so fucking stupid! You do realize that now she'll be harder to let go if you have to leave her. What happens if you get captured or killed? Shit what happens if she gets captured or killed, or worse? Brilliant move asshole, now you've got more shit to deal with.'

Jack shifted lightly, pushing her back closer against his inviting warmth. She knew he was fighting with himself, she could sense it in his touch. Jack wasn't asleep, she couldn't sleep even if she wanted to. The memory of the shower, and his body connected with hers… It was too precious not to replay over and over in her thoughts. But something else was lingering in the darkest reaches of her mind…

'Why did you do it? Why did you let him get that close to you? Now you're fucked if something goes wrong. This only makes things harder on you when you leave him. Oh you forgot did you? Well sorry princess, but you don't belong here, and you know that.'

She clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath, trying to push her animal away from her mind. 'Don't ignore me. I've been the only one here with you all these years, Not Him. What do you think is going to happen when that trigger in the back of your head goes off? You think you'll be able to control it? Tough luck sister, but that ain't going to happen. You will kill everything and everyone around you. You'll be a mindless animal. Just like me.'

A low growl whispered from her lips as she tried to force the wicked truth from her mind. How was she going to stop this from happening? Those bastards had created a trigger in her brain… To go off when she was faced with an enemy. It would unleash the true demon they had placed in her inner depths. And there was nothing Jack or anyone else could do about it… Unless…

"You ok?" Riddick's deep purr pulled her from her thoughts and brought her back to the present. Could she tell him? No…

Jack shifted once more, turning her body to face him, "Yea I'm ok." She murmured softly and gently ran her hand down his magnificent chest. "You?"

A small smile etched across the fullness of his lips, "Of course." A part of him believed it, while the other part of him was in doubt. Scared of what future they may or may Not have.

A beautiful smile dawned on her angelic features, almost igniting the darkness with a glow not even the heavens could create. She was happy here, at this very moment. After those terrible nights of wondering if she'd ever see his face again… The dreams that seemed so real…

She remembered the very last dream she had with him in it… They were finally free and heading away from a planet filled with talking dinosaurs. It was her birthday, he had made her breakfast… And he found out she waspregnant… What a wonderful dream…

A sigh escaped her lips as her free hand danced over her flat stomach, almost sad that it was never real. But relieved at the same time; they couldn't have a child now, or ever. It wouldn't be right to the child or to them. The life they lived, would only create another more ruthless killer.

Riddick and Jack stayed close throughout the night, until the alarm went off to indicate the next day. None had slept, only fell into a dreamless haze of comfort. Neither one wanted it to end, but with a heavy heart and an empty stomach, they got up and went about their day.

Not much was said between them, as if they were both fighting their own hidden battles. Debating whether to speak on it or not caused a heavy fog of indecision and tension in the air. Jack would walk about while Riddick found himself gazing at her. He couldn't take his eyes from her, how beautiful she was in his luminescent gaze, how strong she had become.

Jack would turn at the sensation of being watched and would catch him looking at her. He would give a sly smile and return his attention to something he was doing.

'Why do you care Jack? He LEFT YOU remember? He left you to Die. Like everyone else in your life. Did Imam stop you when you took off to find Riddick? NO! Who was there when you were drugged and raped of your abilities? Me. Who was the one who kept you alive by giving you hopeful dreams. Me. Not Riddick, Not Imam. ME. So get your fucking priorities straight.'

It hurt to hear those words come from the animal within, it hurt because it was the darkest truth. It had been the only one with her, this entire time. It was the only one that never abandoned her, never left her behind. It became a part of her when she left that shit whole of a planet. It had chased the Hammer Heads away from her dreams. From those nightmares that lasted for months after Riddick left her to her fate.

Riddick canted his head at her as she stopped in her tracks, growled something under her breath and clenched her hands into tight, angry fists.

'What could be going through that beautiful mind? Could she be thinking the same? No, not Jack. She's always been the sun to my moon, the day to my night. Or maybe I don't know her like I once did. Maybe they did more to her then I'll ever realize.' He thought to himself in silent contemplation and watched as she trotted off in a not so quiet way. Something was definitely up… But What?

Jack made her way to the Dojo and ran straight into the punching bag. Fists and feet came flying at all angles, slamming into the padding with such a force it caused the chains that it hung from to sing with an angry tune.

This had caught Riddick's curiosity, causing him to get up and walk over. He found himself standing at the doorway, just watching with a curious brow.

She was using every ounce of her strength to pound into the defenseless punching bag. It was huge compared to most, this was His Dojo after all. None the less, she didn't hold back. Jack continued to land blow after powerful blow until blood began to ooze from her cracked knuckles.

A low menacing growl echoed from her distorted lips as she took the brutalized punching bag in both hands, pulled it back and screamed as she managed to bend the chains, breaking them. With one powerful throw she tossed the punching bag across the room and watched as it slammed against the wall with a booming crash.

Riddick clapped his hands lightly and stepped into the room as she just stood there panting. "Now that's my idea of a good work out." He chimed with a proud smile on his face.

Jack turned her enraged gaze at him and huffed, "Shut up Riddick."

A loud thunderous laugh bellowed from his mighty lungs and wrapped them with a harmonious tune. "Too sexy." He chuckled causing a her to shake her head and laugh.

-End Chapter Ten-