Disclaimer: same as first chap.

A/N: Life's catching up to me. Started on the lacrosse team so working mybutt off there. Sorry I'm not gonna make it longer...I like keeping the ends open to let your mind wander.

"They're calling you up."

"What?"

"Subpoenaed you as a witness. Riddick says he knows you."

I took in a breath that singed my lungs as my heart did gymnastics behind my ribs. Maybe he recognizing me wasn't the most intelligent choice I could've made or hoped for; Damn my pride! I closed my eyes and set down my head on my forearm. This was worse than death.

"You wanna tell me why they would be calling you up? What did you do with him?" Her knuckles were white against the chair and I lifted up my head.

"We. Did. Not. Have. Sex." I was feeling a little ill, sluggish, like blood was draining from the essential organs and just pooling in the pit on my stomach.

"I'm not saying sex, Jackie, I mean something illegal." She swallowed and sat down, leaning closer. "Did you kill someone?"

"No!" I scooted myself away from the table and stood at her accusation. I didn't kill anyone...

"Then what happened? They're going to ruin you if you don't come clean."

"I didn't kill ANYONE!" Blood was searing through my veins and I knew I was flushed. But I was mad. I paused and inhaled. "He killed someone. I-I can't explain it but I saw him do it. It was dark and it was scary but I saw him do it! Crazy people kill other people. He deserves to be back with the rest of the crazy people like him!"

"But is he going to scare you? Sitting up there on that witness stand is scary..."

"I'm not twelve years old anymore," I groaned, "I'm a woman and I know who Riddick is. Nothing about him scares me."

"Except for the fact that he murders people?"

I sat down. "I saw Riddick at his worst. If anything, he'd be scared of me."

"You promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

I turned my head toward the sitting sack of black and smug across the courtroom and then looked back at the bailiff. I nodded and sat in the large chair, situated right beside the judge. I crossed my legs and took a swelling breath.

"Miss Badd, how old are you?"

"Twenty."

"How old were you when you met Mr. Riddick?"

"Twelve."

"Where did you first meet Mr. Riddick?"

"We were both passengers on a transport ship named the Hunter-Gratzner."

"What was the nature of the trip?"

"We were supposed to land in New Mecca but we got hit by something. A rogue comet, meteor shower, we didn't know. We landed somewhere on the planet T2, part of the TriSolar system on the edge of the galaxy."

"How did you and Mr. Riddick escape from this planet?"

I sighed. "We were able to re-power an abandoned skiff with the power cells from our original ship and fly to the Sol-Track shipping lanes, where we were rescued by a cargo ship."

"How many people died on your stay on this planet?"

"Objection: relevance?"

Riddick's attorney cut in before the judge could say anything, "I will make it relevant, your Honor." The judge nodded and the attorney swiveled back to me.

"Answer the question, Miss Badd."

"Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, I don't really know because a lot of people died when we crash-landed. But out of the eleven survivors, only three of us made it off the planet."

"How did those other eight perish?"

"There were...creatures who lived and hunted in the dark and they attacked and killed them."

"So, Mr. Riddick did not injure any of them? Kill any of them?"

I looked at him. His brow creased slightly and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Johns. What could I say about Johns?

I didn't like him.

I sure as hell wasn't sad he was dead.

I didn't like him.

I took in a deep breath. If I said he did, the jury would have no qualms about putting him back behind bars. But if I said no? This was a dilemma. Riddick deserved to be in jail for all the innocent people he had sliced, but what's to say they didn't deserve it? Johns was a liar, a hype, a man who gave no thought to his job and the people he was around. He had yelled at Carolyn, broken her down, and made us believe we were disposable to her. But she knew we weren't and that's what ate away at my verdict. She protected me when I had no one while Riddick had disposed of the one person who would have killed us all on that planet.

I closed my eyes. "No."

"'No, he didn't injure them' or 'No, he didn't kill them'?"

"He did neither."

"Niether."

"Yes." I said annoyed and looked at my hands.

"No further questions."

"Stay ten feet away from the prisoner at all times."

I nodded and quietly passed through the glass doors and they shut. He sat in the back of the cell, head lowered, and hands clasped together. I approached slowly and breathed heavily. He raised his eyes from my feet, then up toward my face but sat still. When I was at least ten feet away, I shifted my weight onto my right hip and crossed my arms across my chest.

"You're a funny girl, Jackie," he mumbled, sitting up and crossing his ankles as he reclined.

"Funny?"

He chuckled. "Yeah."

"Well, I just came to say that I didn't say anything about Johns because we all wanted him dead as much as you did. If you hadn't done the job, someone would have done it."

"Someone like you?"

I cleared my throat. "If I had to, I would. I'm not stupid."

"I knew you weren't." He stood and paced around his cell. "What happened to you?"

I sighed, "I got a second chance."

"With the wrong side of the law." He paused, his feet mid-gait, and I flared my nostrils.

"Just because it doesn't fit around your schedule doesn't mean it's wrong. And besides, at least I'm not stuck behind bars every second of my life."

He laughed again and continued walking around his small space, goggles still staring at me. I didn't shiver nor did I pause in my speaking. I knew Riddick's tricks. I'd just tell him to eat shit and die. He came to the bars and stuck a meaty arm out, veins popping out as he motioned me closer. I only shook my head.

The first mistake: listening to Riddick. He lived off his ability to coerce people into things, whether it is through his wit or his dick. This time it was his dick.

He tilted his head slightly, not understanding why I wasn't obeying.

"I'm not a child anymore, Riddick."

His eyes grazed up and down my figure, his tongue coming out to flick his lower lip then retreat back inside his mouth. He looked up, smiling, "I see that."

"And you seem to be getting not much older."

"Cryo-sleep does miracles, baby."

"Don't."

He stepped close to the bars. "Don't what?"

"Do what you do, Riddick. I know you. And I won't let you do this to me."

"What about Johns?"

"What about him?"

He grinned. "You lied."

"Someone had to die and at least three of us survived. No telling what Johns would have done to us," I whispered, crossing my arms across my chest.

"You saying that if I hadn't gotten rid of him someone would have one the job for me?"

"Yes," I answered, "and to answer your next question: I would."

He shook his head, laughing to himself, "You were a kid, Jackie."

"And I've seen some really fucked up things in my life. So don't judge me about it."

"I wasn't," he slowly extended his hand and ever so gently traced a trail up my arm. God, it felt good to be touched. And not in a pitiful kind of way. But this is was so very wrong. I pulled away slightly but he only continued, whispering, "I know you'd do anything for me Jackie..."

"Not anything..."

Through the cold metal bars, his lips found mine and I wanted so bad to slap him and pull away. So bad. A tongue found its way into my mouth and I almost dropped to my knees from the pull. The hand on my arm snaked its way across my breasts and up to my neck, gripping it firmly. Another hand prodded through the metal, finding the spot between my legs and dipping and twisting. My knee slammed against the bars and I gasped at the pain and pleasure and lights and sounds all at the same time. I was a stupid girl, stupid girl! I wanted to tell him to choke on shit and die, but I couldn't. Climax coming, no not now, stop...

"Time's up!" I pulled away fast at the words. Riddick just held the smile planted on his face and I let my heartbeat even out.

"Jack de Facto," he murmured, grinning and then disappearing into the shadow of the cell.

de fac·to
In reality or fact; actually.