Author's Note: Thank you all who read and reviewed the last chapter! I was kind of afraid that I might have gone too far… So, thanks again!

Jack remained sitting in the bathroom. She could hear how Riddick walked away and how the door to the cockpit was closed a little louder than necessary. Usually Riddick made no noise, so slamming the door was odd. Most likely he did it to let Jack know that he kept his word. Then again – maybe it's a trick and he is now waiting right outside for me to come out? Jack thought.

Finally, after finding all the courage left in this situation, she crawled to the door and opened it. She tried to be as quiet as possible when opening the lock and pushing the door open only a little bit. The pile of clothes was right there as Riddick had promised. Jack pulled them in in a hurry and locked the bathroom door again.

On top of the clothes was her towel. She grabbed it and hurriedly dried herself. Jack hesitated to take off her clothes, but did so anyway to dry herself completely. She wrapped her hair in the towel as it was damp too. She didn't want to look at her body. Jack felt like it belonged to someone else, someone weak and bad. But she couldn't help to notice that Riddick's teeth had left few small bruises on her breasts and little bigger ones were on her arms and hips. Jack wanted to cry again.

Riddick had chosen her new underwear, socks, jeans, a t-shirt and a sport's jacket. He must have known that Jack was freezing, since usually she didn't dress so warm on the relatively hot ship. Jack pulled on all the clothes and felt a lot better. Partly because she started to warm up, partly for being so completely covered.

Jack had to think about what she was going to do next. Definitely not going to the cockpit. Having a chat with Riddick was so not the option. Jack wondered whether she should stay put or make a run for the dojo. Riddick hadn't been in the main room, so he couldn't see and therefore attack Jack when there wasn't a door between them. And the bathroom wasn't the best idea, where to stay at. At some point Riddick must use the toilet too and that would mean she had to move at some point anyway. No way would I want to be around, when he takes his dick out again, Jack thought.

Her mind made UP, Jack went to open the door again. Quickly, she examined the main room. Riddick wasn't there. Her mattress was indeed gone. In the speed of light Jack run to her duffel bags. On top of one was her gun, right where she had left it. Jack grabbed it and ran the gun in hand and her finger on the trigger, to the dojo. She got in and closed the door as a heavy breath of relief filled the otherwise quiet room.

Jack's bed was placed to the opposite wall from the door. Jack had to wonder with astonishment, how come Riddick had suddenly found such understanding and compassion to put her mattress as far from the door as possible. Maybe he has done this before, Jack thought dryly. That psycho fuck!

But she got over it immediately and started to work. Since dojo's door didn't have a lock on it, Jack had to barricade it. Inch by inch she managed to haul a heavy cupboard with the digital music-centre built in it, in front of the door. That done, Jack stepped to the bed and sat. Fiddling with the gun, she couldn't help to think about what had really happened.

In just one day, Jack had already killed two men, barely managed to escape a planet M Kappa, gotten herself a gun, had two huge arguments with Riddick, one of them ending with her being almost raped. Talk about keeping yourself busy! she commented bitterly. All but the rape was nothing new to Jack. But the almost-rape… Jack tried to relive all the both of them had said or done to see where she had gone wrong. How had she deserved it…

But nothing made sense anymore. Jack's head hurt and her body ached from where Riddick had grabbed her too strong. Every now and then a tear would find its way down her cheek, but she didn't want to cry no more. Jack didn't want to cry because she refused to be the victim. If my 14 years before Riddick couldn't break me, than one day with him won't either, she decided.

Riddick sat in the cockpit. Usually it was something he liked to do, something he felt comfortable with. Now, he seemed to have this unfamiliar feeling within him. Just under the skin and he couldn't make it disappear. Riddick's head was lowered to his chest, hands folded. Riddick had mastered the skill to hide his emotions to the point he didn't feel anymore. Feelings were a distraction and he didn't need them. He was so good at controlling his heart and mind, yet now he was crushed by them. Riddick didn't know how to make things ok again. Part of him wanted to go and shake Jack to make her see how truly sorry he was for hurting her. But at the same time he knew it wasn't the solution he needed. He was responsible for screwing things up and hated himself for that.

Riddick didn't sleep at all this night. All the thoughts wouldn't let him relax. He figured it must be the same with Jack. He got up to go talk to her again. During the night, he had listened how Jack beat the crap out of the bunch bag. He had tried to talk to her then, but she replied only with silence. Riddick wasn't going to let this go without a fight. Riddick wanted the old Jack back.

He knocked on the dojo's door. There was no answer. He hadn't expected one anyway. "Jack?" he asked quietly. His sharpened senses picked up the sound of Jack standing up from her bed. "Jack, it's morning. Could you come out? Please?"

Jack listened. Last night's pain had turned to anger by now. Jack kept it at bay. She didn't need to repeat the night's events to remember how superior Riddick was compared to her.

"Riddick waited. "Are you hungry? We could have breakfast together," Riddick offered. He would have given everything for an opportunity to see Jack again and tell her face to face how sorry he was. That Jack doesn't need to be afraid of him. Riddick knew how she felt. The ship was thick with the intense smell of fear.

There was still no response. "Or I could bring you a breakfast here," he said softly.

Jack didn't agree or disagree. There was only the silence. Riddick sighed loudly and went to prepare the food.

Jack paced around the dojo. She had so many things she wanted to tell him. Jack wanted to hurt Riddick just as much he had hurt her. But how do I do it? What would hurt him?

Riddick was chopping sausages for the omelet, when he heard the dojo's door opening. He abruptly stopped what he was doing, to hear where Jack was going. She was coming to him. Just as Jack stepped into the kitchen, Riddick turned to look at her.

"Put the knife down," Jack asked without fear or anger. Riddick did so, but kept looking at her. Jack's face was still a little swollen and eyes red from crying and from lack of sleep. She had her gun in hand, pointed down, but the safety was off, Riddick noticed. He didn't blame her.

Jack didn't sit and Riddick thought better than to go too close to her. She might find it threatening and either blow his balls of or hide in the dojo again. Riddick didn't like either of the options.

He started: "Jack, listen. I am so sorry for what I did to you."

Jack listened, but her face was unreadable. She had made up her mind. "Don't bother, Riddick. I don't care anymore."

For a moment Riddick didn't understand if this ´I don't care meant that his been forgiven or that Jack didn't give a damn about what he had to say. To be sure, he asked: "Am I forgiven?"

Jack laughed hoarsely. "Forgiven? I can never forgive and forget, Riddick!" she told him, disdain dripping from her voice. Before Riddick could say anything else, she added: "I'm gonna go away as soon as we land. I never want to see you again."

Riddick could see the determination in her stance. A new pang of pain made him look at the floor. "Please, don't. Jack, we can work this all out. I'll never come close to you again!" he tried one more time. He just had to win his Jack back. Somehow.

Jack shook her head. "No, no we can't."

Riddick never thought he could come to this. That he would plea and beg! That he could get so hurt. Now, he was willing to do whatever it takes to turn things around. "We can, Jack! It will be worth it. I'll be good to you! We can go to bars all you want; and I'll buy you everything you want! – clothes, recorder, anything at all!" he asked again.

Jack watched him. Riddick looked and sounded sorry; she had to give him that. But it was too late. "Once I would have been happy to hear you say this. Now it only hurts me more," she told him without any signs of emotion. "I'm going to go away. There's nothing I need from you."

Riddick watched as she turned to go. Just before she left the kitchen, Jack told him over her shoulder: "I repeat myself, Riddick – I never want to see you again. Because I hate you."

And with that, she was gone. Riddick had a suspicion that he was on verge of tears, making his vision fuzzy. In surrender he sat to one barstool and hid his head to his palms. Riddick's world just shattered to pieces.

The two next days passed in silence. Whenever Jack came out of the dojo (always with her new best friend, the silver gun) and Riddick was there to talk to her, she only raised her open palm in his direction. As if saying ´talk to the hand, because the face ain't listening. Riddick gave up and let her be in peace.

The minutes dragged on and on, hours felt like years. Both of them didn't know what to do, both of them were unhappy. Riddick would sit in the cockpit and dully stare at the stars. Jack would sit in the dojo and look at the wall with blind eyes.

Finally the morning came, when they would land. Jack had already gotten her things ready. Bags packed, guitar brought back up from the cargo hold, her bed dragged back to the main room and made up, bathroom cleaned. Now all the stuff waited by the ramp. Every time Riddick passed them, he had to look away. It hurt too damn much to think about the inevitable.

"Strap in," Riddick called out. Jack came and did as asked. She felt weird being so close to him in the co-pilot's seat, but there was no way to avoid this. So she sat and kept her eyes focused on the window straight ahead.

But Riddick didn't start the landing just yet. He didn't look at Jack as he said: "Padja is a planet in war. It's dangerous. After this deal I could drop you off to some better place, where you can have a decent life. If you still want to go."

"No, I can take care of myself. I'm a big rock star, remember?"

Riddick wanted to talk her out of this. But as he looked at her, he saw there was no point in trying.

Sighing, he started to land.

Jack stood up from her co-pilot's seat and went to open the ramp. She didn't want to say anything to Riddick. Who would want to say a polite goodbye to a man who has broken her heart and thrown her life apart?

She lifted her guitar to her back and took a bag in each hand. The ramp was open now and Jack could see the Tower from where she was. My new life is waiting, she told to herself sadly.

Riddick stood behind her. "At least let me give you credits, so you could have a good start," he told her desperately.

Jack didn't turn around. It would hurt much more, knowing it will be the last time she sees him. "No, I don't want anything." With that she stepped out into the sun. Jack took a heavy breath. A breath of freedom and yet – defeat. The air had never tasted so bitter.

Jack finally found a motel good enough and got a room. There were bombed buildings everywhere in the city. She thought for a second if turning down Riddick's offer to take her to some other planet, had been her brightest idea. But her pride wouldn't let her go back, even if she wanted to. And what Jack wanted the most, was to stay away from Riddick; she could never live with him again.

It was almost nightfall when Jack suddenly remembered, that she had left her iron chest with her diary and notebook with lyrics, to Riddick's ship. She was shocked. How could I forget that? Riddick would most likely dump my shit to space, where the chest will no doubt collide with some meteor and explode. With that, her every chance to prove that she indeed was Jack LaRock, would be lost!

Although Jack had many doubts about her sanity as she raced back to the port, she ran non-stop through the city to get to Mortimer Nova ASAP. Jack hoped that Riddick would still be there or if not, that he hadn't changed the ship's codes. It was dark by the time she reached her destination. She was out of breath as well as covered in sweat.

Riddick was in the city on a ´business meeting. The man, who he was talking to, Mr. Cohen Pillar, was in the middle of filling Riddick in on the reasons for the war. "… so therefore M Kappa is responsible for killing half of our people! We want justice! The galaxy has to hear, what my people have gone through! They have to pay, but the Empire's Government won't even hear us! As a result – we had to take matters in out own hands," he finally ended his passionate, but for Riddick's taste unbelievably long and boring monologue.

"That's nice. So, How much do you offer for the guns?" Riddick asked neutrally. He didn't give a flying fuck for the man's reasons. Riddick preferred to mind his own business as long as he gets his credits and no-one wants to fuck him sideways.

Cohen Pillar looked at Riddick with disapproval. But – business is business. "I have to see them before I can commit to anything, Mr. McLark," he said.

Behind his goggles, Riddick glared at the man. But all he showed out was a sharp nod as he turned. He knew Pillar would fallow him to the port. And Riddick was right. Two of them reached Mortimer Nova in a short time. Riddick knew there were Pillar's men hiding all around them. But Pillar was a powerful man in a middle of a war; naturally he needed protection from men like Riddick.

Riddick opened the cargo hold and let Pillar in. After examining the weapons, he agreed to buy them. They had a short debate over the price, but finally they shook hands. Riddick opened the doors again to start loading the boxes to Pillar's vehicle.

"Actually, Mr. McLark, I just got a better idea. Wouldn't the Empire listen to us if we captured its greatest enemy? Let's say an escaped convict, mass murderer?" Pillar said and he sounded so damn clever to himself.

As he had said that, the first tranquilizer dart was shot to Riddick's back.