„Hey, Jackie," the bartender waved Jack over as she was passing him. „Got a message for you. Said from a friend you knew a year ago," he said carelessly. He imagined Riddick had been yet another stupid fan, like there had been so many others.

Jack eyebrows rose high as she heard it. This could mean only one thing! Can it be…? Hastily she grabbed the note and looked it over. With a rather eloquent handwriting there stood: Let's review the situation and shit, Jack.

Riddick, Jack thought with anxiety. Those were the exact words she had told him a year ago! He's here! Jack looked around frantically, but couldn't find Riddick. Jack couldn't understand why to pass a note and then disappear. Guess he still has to watch his back. But she accepted the given little time with gratitude and hurried off to talk to Trevor.

He was at his usual table with theirs friends. Trevor saw her coming and stood up. On her high heels Jack was almost as tall as Trevor. She smiled and whispered to his ear. "Can we talk? In private?"

Trevor put his arm around her and nodded happily. Riddick watched them from distance. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he saw how they were together. Lovers, friends. So comfortable, so natural. Riddick hated Trevor from the first moment, but now he had to admit that maybe he was just a victim here. Wouldn't Riddick be just as daft schoolboy-like fool if he had a chance to be with Jack?

Jack led Trevor to the workers restroom. Thankfully it was empty. "Let's sit," Jack suggested and plopped down on the couch.

"What's the matter, honey?" Trevor asked worriedly. He had sensed that something was disturbing Jack. She seemed nervous.

Jack licked her lips. "I know it's… weird, but I've got to talk to you. It's important."

"Ok," Trevor nodded. He was confused. "What about?"

"About us," Jack put it simply. She didn't know how to say it any other way. "About how you feel about me and about the future."

Trevor stared at her. What had brought this up? "You've never wanted to talk about this before," he tried to say.

Jack smiled and took his hand in hers. "Yeah. Well, it's really important now."

Trevor though about it for a sec. "Are you in trouble, Jackie?" he asked concerned.

Jack laughed hastily. And it sounded so fake. "No, no trouble at all. I've just got to know. You are a nice guy and now there are some things I've got to figure out. Fast. I had to talk to you about it all, because … There are some very important things going on, things that might change my life. I … Do you love me?" Jack finally asked.

"You know I do. You are the best thing in my life. What things, Jackie? Are you leaving?" he asked worriedly.

Jack smiled sadly. She wished he hadn't said that he loved her. Why can't things ever be clear and simple?

Trevor saw that Jack wasn't going to answer; he could feel her slipping away. So he rapidly continued: "I love everything about you. Even the things you hide from me about you. Like your old life. I don't care if you're in trouble. I love you now and always! You can rely on me, Jackie, you can trust me. If it's something … criminal, then we can escape. I'd do that for you. Leave my practice and we'll build a new life far away from here. We'll …" he said, but Jack cut him off.

"No, Trevor. It's not like that! But it's really nice to hear you'd do all that for me," Jack said and there almost were tears in her eyes. Jack could hear herself talking through Trevor's mouth. That's exactly how she would have once begged Riddick if he wanted to leave her behind. Jack didn't want to be the Riddick in this situation. How had she deserved to find such an incredible man? She, who had stolen since she could remember, killed more than she could remember and lied to Trevor about everything?

There was a quiet moment. Neither of them knew what to do next. Trevor was still confused; Jack didn't know how to make things easy and happy again. It was her goddamned birthday and here she was talking about such serious stuff.

So Jack tried to turn it all into a joke. "Uh, sorry. I just got to thinking about it. I'm now 19, big girl, and I was just worried if my life's going in the right direction."

Trevor smiled a little. "I'm not going to waste my breath asking if you love me back. I know you'd just say something vague and back out. I can understand that and give you all the time you need. But now I still want to know something. Are you happy with me, with where I want to take things one day when you're ready for it?" he asked quietly, the hope in his voice shining through very clearly.

Jack took a long breath as she looked at Trevor. "Yeah. I am. That goes for the both parts of your question."

Trevor leaned in for a kiss and Jack was more than happy to meet him half way. His lips felt warm and tender. She could sometimes still feel Riddick's rough lips on hers as he almost raped her. Trevor was nothing like that. Tender more than anything else. Respectful. Jack had never imagined falling for Trevor's type. So utterly different from the old Jack. Such a good guy!

Jack broke the kiss, but stayed close to Trevor. "I've got to go back soon. Crowd's getting restless," she said regretfully. Jack knew Riddick would be there, watching her. And she didn't want that – that her old life comes back to hunt her. But at the same time she knew that even just one hello from Riddick would make her melt. Jack hated herself for being so wavering.

"Sure," Trevor hummed as he kissed Jack's dark hair. She had dyed some reddish stripes in it. Trevor loved her hair. Said it made her look completely wild and irresistible. Not that he had to nor could resist Jack.

"Be at your table?" Jack asked sweetly as they got up and moved to the door.

"As always," Trevor replied and Jack smiled again.

Riddick had kept his eye on the door. He had wanted to sneak in to hear what the lovebirds had to talk about. What Jack had wanted to say to the geeky guy after she had gotten his message. He hoped it had been goodbye. As the couple excited the restroom, he knew it hadn't been it. Trevor's hand was on her hip as if he owned her. Riddick gritted his teeth.

Riddick watched like a hawk as they moved to their table. Jack took a sip from her boyfriends drink. Looked like red wine. Who the hell drinks red wine these days? With a final smile to the geeky guy, Jack climbed up the stage.

"This one is for an old friend," Jack said introducing the slow song that had already started. She took the mike and sang.

You have been my friend for so long.

Through my tears and laughs and songs

you taught me to become strong,

when all this went down wrong.

Riddick knew it was about him, about them. Jack didn't look at anyone particular, but Riddick knew she was singing it for him. He had to smile a bit. A song just for him.

Many days now without you.

Nightmares pushing through.

Everything's old, everything's new.

What to do, I haven't got a clue.

Riddick didn't like the message Jack was sending him. Has she really changed that much? Doesn't she want him here?

Oh, shiny eyes, shiny eyes. You.

The only thing for long I knew

You're coming back for me,

For a girl, for a friend true.

I don't know you, don't know me.

Tonight upstairs I'll see you through.

In few hours you'll be too

So uncomfortably confused.

I'm all that already, Riddick thought grimly. All those mixed signals made his head hurt. One moment she sang how important Riddick was to her, and the other about how everything's changed. So which one is it, Jack? he thought angrily.

But the song ended and Riddick's questions were meant to remain unanswered for the time being. He took his drink and finished it. He was going to snoop around the Jack's mentioned room upstairs.

Trevor across the floor didn't feel that good either. He could sense the change in his Jackie. She had never talked about her life before The Torch. Now, this song didn't seem nothing like the Jackie Trevor knew. Something bad was going on. And Trevor was going to make sure it wouldn't harm his girlfriend. No old friend was going to come between them. Ever.

Jack unlocked the door to her flat and pushed it open. It had been a rough night. Not because of the fans, Jack liked them. But because of the two men in her life. Riddick and Trevor.

Jack went in and kicked off her high heels. Her feet hurt. All she wanted at this moment was to go to the shower, to have some quiet time to think about all the things running wild in her life. But she knew she didn't have time for that. Riddick.

Her 6th sense about him warned her that Riddick was in her flat. She could feel his presence. Jack wasn't up for a fight about him violating her privacy. Riddick wouldn't know the word anyway.

"Richard B. Riddick," Jack said into the darkness.

A shadow moved in one corner, but she still couldn't see him completely. "Jackie Cheche," Riddick replied. He sounded just as cool and distant as Jack.

Jack didn't know how to handle this now. She had imagined how it would be to see Riddick again, but right now none of her practiced welcomes seemed to fit. It was Riddick. Can't be prepared for Riddick.

"Back a little early, aren't we?" she asked, but regretted it immediately. It sounded as if she didn't want him here. To tell the truth, Jack didn't know herself either what the hell she wanted. Where had all her confidence and determination gone to?

Riddick didn't answer. He simply watched as Jack moved through her dark apartment, took off her jewelry and pulled her hair up. It seemed like she had done this often enough. Jack had her own rhythm now. And you ain't a part of it no longer, buddy, Riddick told himself.

Finally Jack found enough courage in her to turn back to the dark shadow. She had tried to win some time going through her routine of getting ready for a shower, but still her mind was blank. She couldn't ignore Riddick no longer.

"Lights 10 percent," Jack ordered as she took a seat on her couch. The dim light lit up immediately. Riddick was right there, standing near her. He looked just as strong and dynamic as ever. As if not a day had passed since they parted their ways. His eyes shone, his head and face was shaved as usual. Riddick wore casual black cargos and a t-shirt under his worn leather jacket.

Riddick didn't need the light; he already knew how Jack looked like. Beautiful.

"Been a while," Jack started.

Riddick nodded and stepped closer. Somehow this confident Jack made him feel like a total loser. Clearly she had moved on and Riddick had been a total fucker imagining her to be happy to see him again. Hoping that this time around everything would be jolly and happy-go-lucky. The biggest fucker of all. It didn't matter that he could smell her nervousness, it was probably just because she didn't know how to get him out fast enough. Jack must think it's such a waste of time, Riddick thought.

"Still a big talker I see," Jack said trying to lift the mood. It felt like death row right now. "How 'bout a drink?" she offered. Jack sure needed one. The stronger the better. "Still on whiskey?" she asked.

"Sure," Riddick agreed, pleased to find that Jack remembered his favorite drink. He took the glass from Jack and sat across the small coffee table.

The uncomfortable silence settled in. "Nice place," Riddick offered.

Jack smiled. "Yeah. Davis – the manager of The Torch – allowed me to make it a little more like me," she said. "Like the paintjob and… curtains," she finished. God, she felt stupid discussing interior design with a mass murderer.

Riddick nodded while looking around. He couldn't see the colors, so he didn't give a damn about the paintjob. He just wanted to be polite. Fuck, when did he – Richard B. Riddick start caring about being polite?

The silence was back. Neither of them knew how to pick up the subject both of them wanted to talk about. Riddick was first to cave in. "So who's the dork you were kissing down there?"

Jack's mouth hanged open. She was sure her jaw had touched the floor when Riddick had asked that. Shit!

"Trevor is my boyfriend. A very nice man, a doctor," Jack explained with a warning in her tone. She wasn't going to stand him making rude comments about Trevor.

"A doctor," Riddick commented while nodding. Perfect bachelor, he commented silently. His behavior seemed a little mocking to Jack, but she didn't want to start a fight within the first two minutes Riddick had been back. Riddick poured another glass for himself and leaned back again.

He didn't particularly want to talk about Trevor, but he needed to know. "You've been together long?"

Jack shrugged. "About five months now. We met when I caught a little cold and Davis feared I might loose my voice and sent me to a doctor."

Both of them found unreal interest in the walls as they stared at them avoiding any eye contact whatsoever. Jack sighed and tried to return the favor for keeping the conversation up. "And what have you been up to?"

"Same old, same old," he casually stated. And it really was the truth. Nothing had changed in the order of his life, except for the heart of Riddick himself. Now it needed another person. Jack. It was definitely something new to Riddick.

"You're staying at Mortimer Nova?" Jack asked again.

"No," Riddick sighed. "Had to leave the old ship behind. Now it's Blue Laser, a stolen merc ship. Piece of shit really. I'm staying at the hotel across the street," Riddick told her.

"Hmm, and I thought Mortimer hadn't been much," Jack commented with a wry smile. The conversation still didn't feel comfortable, but it was getting there. "And you're staying for how long?"

Riddick locked eyes with her. She looked gorgeous, he had to admit. Across the coffee table there was a woman he had missed more than he thought possible. And now this woman asked for how long he planned to stay. Clearly she didn't plan on taking off with him. Riddick was lost in the sea on new emotions. There was only one clear thought he could voice.

"Until you agree to come with me," Riddick told Jack.