HAHA, ooook...sry i didn't update last night. See, i intended to...but i had a stupid moment. I uploaded the chp but then i just never posted it...so yea, i dunno what i was thinking, but w/e...it's all good. Here it is...be warned...it's sort of short, i know short chapters suck but i'm working on the next one. I have an interesting idea and we'll just have to see how it goes...heehee

Thanks to every1 for their review, i love 'em. Thank you, thank you.

The Moosey > Patience, patience, further reactions are in this chp. lol...course it's my fault that u didn't know that cuz i didn't post. doh!...

Enjoy


NOT COMING BACK

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting things moved around and packed away where they belonged. That was one thing Jack didn't like about traveling, the tedium in the beginning, but other than that she liked being in the ship. The only good thing was that all the moving around and putting away kept her busy. A few hours later, all that was left to do was strap down the crates of ship parts, which Riddick did while Jack sent some messages to friends. She told them she'd gotten a job offer from an Uncle and had to leave right away because they needed the person right away and they'd hire someone else if she didn't show. It wasn't the best story, but it didn't really matter because she'd probably never see the people again.

When she finished sending everything out, Riddick was in the kitchen making something for dinner.

"What're you making?"

"Soup. It's quick and easy, and I'm hungry."

Jack nodded and got out bowls and spoons. A few minutes later they were sitting at the small round table with bowls of steaming soup. They ate quickly and quietly and Jack checked her watch when she was done to find that, to her surprise, it was pretty late.

"I think I'm just gonna go to bed..." she said, heading down the hall to the bedroom.

"Ok, I'll be there in a little bit. I have to make sure the course is set for the night"

Jack nodded and walked down the hall and into their room. She instinctively went to the closet before remembering her things were in her bag. She dug around in it and found a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt to wear. After changing, she climbed into bed and laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Her body was tired but her mind was still in full swing, thinking about this and that while she tried to relax.

She stared hard at the ceiling and frowned at it, as though it were the cause of her problems. It wasn't though. Stupid bastards who only wanted a payday were her problem. She wished people knew the side of Riddick that she knew. The side of him that was a caring friend, not a killer. She was sure the universe would be astounded to find out that he cared about someone else and protected them. She wished they really knew him, but they never would because the only thing they ever heard about him was that he was a dangerous monster who should be thrown away in a dark slam and never thought of again.

Jack knew he wasn't a monster. A monster wouldn't have saved her as many times as Riddick had. He was always there when she needed him and had never hurt her; ever. He could easily break her in half if he wanted to, but he wouldn't. He never would, and that made him special. Most guys she'd been around in her life would take advantage of her the first chance they got...

'That's it...'

Jack's mind suddenly grasped the connection of what was bothering her when an arm wrapped around her waist. Snapping her eyes back open, she gasped in surprise and bolted up right and pushed away from whoever it was, before she registered that it was just Riddick.

"What?" He asked in surprise, sitting back up.

"Uh...nothing..." Jack ran her hand over her face and shook her head. She must've been pretty out of it to freak out that much. But then again, now wasn't the time she wanted people sneaking up on her in the dark. 'He wasn't sneaking up on you, idiot, he just thought you were asleep...now what I was I thinking a second ago...'

"You sure?" Riddick's voice broke into her thoughts and a small part of her grew frustrated and just wanted him to shut up to let her think for a minute, but she knew he was just worried, and whatever thought had come to her was gone now anyway.

"Yea, I was just thinking and you sca –uh, surprised me," Jack didn't want to say he scared. He didn't and never had.

"Ok...so you're ok?"

"Yea, fine," she nodded and laid back down on her back, desperately raking her mind for the thought.

She didn't know how long she laid there, desperately thinking, but Riddick interrupted her again.

"Gonna sleep anytime soon?"

"Dunno," she shrugged, and realized he wasn't touching her. Did he think that's what scared her? It wasn't... 'Or was it?...oh, shut up...'

Jack sighed in frustration with herself and rolled on her good side to face him. Her eyes met his and he was looking at her questioningly, and she knew he wanted in her head. He always wanted to know what was going on. She just shrugged and closed her eyes. He still wasn't touching her but she didn't do anything, unable to decide if she wanted him to or not. It didn't matter anyway, as she soon drifted to sleep.

Jack tossed and turned in her sleep, mumbling incoherent words, causing Riddick to wake up. He watched her for a minute to see if she'd stop but gently shook her awake when she didn't. She woke with a start and tried to push away from him, saying something about how she was sorry for something.

"Jack...Jack, shhh...it's just me..." he said quietly, trying to still her hands that pushed at his arms. "Jack, come on...it's just me..."

She stopped after a moment and looked at him like she was just now seeing him. She blinked a few times and wiped at her cheek with her hand to find that a few tears had leaked from her eyes. She swallowed and sighed deeply before moving closer to him, silently asking for a hug. Riddick wrapped his arms around her and held her while she shook silently, lightly rubbing her back. He'd been expecting something like this to happen sooner or later, and, now that he thought about it, he was surprised it hadn't happened the night before.

Jack slowly began to relax in his arms, but she could still remember her dream. It made the nagging in the back of her mind as clear as day and she wondered why she hadn't realized it immediately.

She pushed back from him and rested her head on her own pillow.

"Bad dream?" Riddick asked, even though it was obvious, while wiping away a couple tears that had trickled slowly from her eyes.

"Yea..." she hesitated and sighed. She saw the connection now, so it was only fair to tell him. "...It...I think they reminded me of my dad...and his friends..."

Riddick frowned but recognition soon dawned on him. Of course it would remind her of that, the situations being somewhat similar.

"Is that stupid?"

"No," he answered quickly. "It's not stupid, but your dad can't hurt you now Jack, you know that right?"

Jack nodded half-heartedly. She did for the most part, but you never really know. "Yea..."

"No, Jack...he can't."

"Well I know he's not going to...but he could...I mean...I don't know"

"No, Jack, I mean it. He can't, unless you believe in ghosts or something," Riddick said plainly. She knew that, didn't she?

"What?"

"What do you mean, what? Your dad's somewhere where there is no coming back"

"Huh?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"Tell me what!" Jack asked anxiously, wondering exactly where this was going. Could he be saying...

"Remember when I left New Mecca for about two weeks after we'd been there for a while?"

"Yea, I thought you left"

"Yea...I went back to Old Earth and, uh, paid your dad a little visit. After all the shit he put you through after your mom died, I couldn't let him live. Found where some of his punk-ass friends were, the ones who got drunk and touched you, got rid of them too," Riddick explained levelly and carefully. All this time he just thought she knew, so now he didn't know what she'd think. Surely she wouldn't be mad.

Jack took it in and blinked a few times. All this time she'd been worried about it and letting it bother her, and the man who was responsible for it was dead.

"You're not mad are you?" Riddick asked after a few awkward moments in which Jack said nothing.

Mad? Was he insane!

"No! Hell no...I... I guess I'm just surprised..."

"All this time you were worried he couldcome back or something, huh?"

"Yea"

"See, if I'd known that I would've told you a long time ago. I thought it was just bad memories"

"Well it was, but I always wondered 'what if?'"

"Yea, sorry. But he can't hurt you now, so it's fine...and you ain't gotta worry about those mercs either"

"But the one got away..."

"Yea I know, but we're long gone now and he'll have no idea where we are, ok? He has to get over a 2-story drop and get a new crew together, so he's slowed down a little. He ain't gonna hurt you now..."

Jack nodded and shivered a little, so she pulled the covers up more, even though she wasn't shivering from the cold.

"You're ok now, I got you," Riddick said earnestly, brushing some stray hair from her face.

"Yea, I know... it's just... maybe I could've done something more, ya know? To get away..." she shrugged, suddenly feeling lame for not trying more.

"Uh-uh. Jack, you survived, alright? That's more than some people can say when mercs are after them. You did fine. There was three of them and there wasn't much else you could do but get out with your life, and you did. Mercs are fucking bastards, but even I have to admit some of 'em are pretty good. An unlucky few have gotten me, after all," He finished cockily, trying to lighten the mood just a little.

Jack nodded and snuggled closer, breathing in his scent deeply. It was a calming scent to her, and comforting. He smelled distinctly male, musky but clean. She loved how he smelled.

Jack soon relaxed, nestled comfortably in Riddick's strong, protecting arms. Sleep overcame her and this time there were no visions of mercs with a voice like her father, or of her dad's old drunk friends trying to do the same things the mercs had. Usually she liked to dream, but that night she dreamt of nothing and was glad to have a good nights rest. The fear of her past was gone and she knew it, so now she could move on and think of new things; more interesting things...


Well, there u have it. Sry i didn't get it up last night...and sry it's kindda short. Anywho, i've got an idea so i'll have to see how it starts working out...heehee, i'll post soon, i pormise

R and R