Riddick made his way through his chambers silently. Jack was working out, for the first time since the disastrous night when the Illium attacked. He'd almost forgotten how fast, how graceful, she was. She could be a hell of a fighter some day.

Something had happened since he had left her in the med deck. The smell of her fear hung in the air. Like something had gone wrong. But the guards had not submitted any report. It was setting his teeth on edge. A pity, after some very satisfying hours with Pentheselia.

He cleared his throat. "Clean bill of health?"

She jerked, spun around. She hadn't known he was there. The look she gave him was cautious, appraising. "Yeah. Mostly." She took a drink of water. "Wanna go around?"

He stepped up, but stayed relaxed. "Mostly?"

"Yeah. They said to take things slow, just to be sure." She made a feint towards him. He blocked it gently. They slipped into an easy rhythm.

After a few minutes, she offered, gingerly, "I saw Dame Vaako again today."

That'd explain it. Didn't want her talking to that snake. He pushed a little harder. She pushed back, before flagging, slightly.

"She told me something weird." Her eyes were hooded, anxious.

He shrugged. Feigned disinterest. Let her gain some ground.

"She said that under Necromonger law, anyone of higher rank gets to . . . do anything they want to someone lower rank."

"Hm."

"She said I had no rank. That, legally, anyone could do anything to me."

"Did she." He kept his voice disinterested.

"Is she right?" Her voice cracked slightly on the last word.

"Don't worry about it."

"Why?"

"'cause you're with me."

"Yeah. About that. She said specifically that you, legally, can do anything to anyone."

He shrugged again. "Pretty much always could." He smiled. "Never cared much for whether it was legal." Made a quick move, pinned her against him for several heartbeats. Let her go. They started again, a little slower.

"Riddick, can I ask you something?"

"Won't stop you."

"I get why you left me. I even get why you brought me here. But I don't get why you act like I'm your . . . mistress. Dame Vaako told me you used to . . . exercise your rights, and you stopped when I got here. I don't understand. So many of these women are so beautiful, and I'm not even . . ." Her voice, increasingly tinged with woe and hysteria, trailed off. She took two deep breaths, seemed to get control.

"Why me?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Got a theory. Might not be good for you to know."

"I'm a big girl."

No, you're really not. You are barely grown up. If I had found you on New Mecca with some guy like me, I would have killed him.

If I found you with anyone, I probably would have killed him. But I might have tried to hide it from you if it had been someone . . . more appropriate.

He sighed. "Remember when Kyra told you your people were mighty?"

"Yeah."

"You're my people. I think. Furyan."

"You think?"

"Yeah."

"But you don't know."

"No."

"Didn't your people run enough tests on me?"

"They weren't looking for that."

"Why?"

"Necros kill Furyans, when they can. Melissa -- that doctor – is sweet. She wouldn't look for it. And anyway, the only way I know to be absolutely sure is to hand you over to the Quasi-Deads. Didn't wanna do that."

She backed away, breathing heavily. "Necros kill Furyans?"

"They try."

"Oh fuck, Riddick." They circled, one, two, three, times. "You really are a piece of work."

"Huh?"

"You tell me we're the same people, that's why we connected. And that these people were exterminated by the Necromongers. And you bring me to live in the middle of them. And you won't even let me have my knife."

He shrugged. "When I'm sure of you."

"I was always sure of you. Even those times when I hated you."

Almost without thinking, he flipped her to the ground. She tried to roll back up, but he dropped on top of her, fixing her to the mat with his knees tight around her hips, his hand on her throat. Careful not to place any real pressure. Just enough to feel the rapid susurration of her breath whispering through her windpipe. Just enough to feel her heartbeat thundering through his palm. Just enough to know if she was lying.

His voice was a purr. "When did you hate me?"

She picked at his hand, ineffectively. "I'm over it now."

"Not what I asked."

She stilled, seemed to relax. Her heartbeat thundering through his palm gave lie to that. "I don't . . . Look, you had bad choices. You did the best you could with them. I get that."

"After I left you?"

"Maybe a little. Mostly, I just missed you then."

"When those mercs grabbed you?" His voice was soft.

Her heartbeat accelerated hard. He almost regretted pushing her. "Yeah. For a while."

He shrugged. "I can understand that."

Her heartbeat started to slow. After a very long time, he leaned over, whispered into her ear. "Those times?"

She tried to buck him off. He shifted his weight to trap her more securely. She licked her lips, looked away. He managed not to tighten the grip on her throat.

"When Kyra came back. Told me I had to come with her. Took me to that school."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Because then I knew that for the rest of my life, I would always be hiding from your enemies. And there I was, locked on the top of a mountain, pretending to be someone I wasn't, learning to do jobs I could never do, because of you."

"Because of me?"

"It was a good school, Riddick. It was preparing people for power. They do background checks on those types of people. It was abundantly clear that anyone who looked hard at my past or in my head would see you. Any place that took me in was taking the risk that more mercs would try to get to you through me. And there was nothing I could do about it. Not without . . ."

She shut up abruptly.

"Without what?"

She swallowed. Tried to look away. He used his other hand to hold her face steady.

"Without betraying you," she whispered.

He settled back on his haunches, slightly.

"Any other time?"

She started to shake her head. Swallowed at the feel of his hand on her throat as she did so. "No."

"You should have."

"What?"

"Betrayed me. Had a life."

"You're an idiot."

"I'd betray you."

"Maybe I'm a better person than you are, Riddick."

He laughed, a deep belly laugh. Let go of her throat. Helped her stand up.

Then he kissed her again, deeply.