Tying Up Loose Ends

Jack awoke again startled, shaking, and sweating heavily. The blood! The death! Where was the blood? She'd killed him hadn't she? With her own two hands she ended Riddick's life. Jack forced herself to look over at Riddick. He wasn't dead, there was no blood, no shiv, no death. He was safely asleep. Jack felt the lurching feeling of her stomach trying to empty itself. Jack jumped from the bed and ran to the bathroom.

The bile came up in droves over and over until she was empty and left dry heaving. She felt unfamiliar hands on her neck lifting her hair...Riddick. She wanted to cry.

"Leave me alone!" Jack's voice was tired and hoarse.

"Jack, you're-"

"Get the fuck away from me!" Jack yelled.

Riddick left the room. Jack wiped her face as she fell to the floor, it's cold calm a welcomed sensation on her scorched skin. What a dream...no, a nightmare. What did all of this mean? She still knew what it meant...Riddick was too close. She needed to create distance, to block him out. Her instincts were always right, she knew she had to heed this warning.

Jack couldn't help to feel upset by the sudden wake-up call. Things had been so great, so right since they'd decided that they were to be together 'forever'. Jack was...dare she say it, almost happy. Things were almost as if nothing had happened in their past, as if Jack had never shipped away, Riddick had never had to run from the law, things were good. That's exactly why she knew it was wrong. The fact was things did happen. Jack shook her head. How'd she ever let such a weakness form? The image of Riddick slitting her throat dared Jack to go back to being 'almost happy'...

Almost and never again.

From now on it was only business. Jack knew it was time to stop giving into her fancies and take control of her life again. To think she'd almost been on the verge of giving it all up and for what? A cock? A little caring?

Weakness.

Jack didn't know exactly what the sinister warning was heeding her to be careful of but she'd listen. She was prepared now for whatever was to come.

Riddick knew something was wrong. He could smell the fear while she was sleeping. She grunted and moaned...probably stuck on the planet again. He could nearly taste her discomfort in the air when she awoke, sitting straight up in the bed. He could feel it when she tensed at his touch. What happened? Things had been amazing lately. There was no fighting, no confusion, everything was smooth sailing. He hadn't done anything wrong to spark her sudden change in mood...

Does she know?

There's no way she could. He'd been so careful, so quiet. The future was coming so soon. Too soon. He couldn't stand to go through it. He had to, it was in the game plan. He couldn't give up now, not after he'd put in so much effort and time-not to mention blood, sweat and nearly tears. He hated the future. Wanted to stop it dead in its tracks. Why now? Why here? Why her?

Riddick tried to block it all out. It was what it was. He'd have to do what was in him to do...it never failed. The future was just that: the future. It'd come soon enough but right now he needed Jack...his whole being screamed for her. He wanted everything to be okay again but no matter what he tried, the future still loomed close by.

Let things fall as they must.

Riddick was prepared for the future...come what may.

"So Moran is hiding close to here" Mandol's skilled finger pointing to a coordinate on a map.

"Are we sure? I'm not sending my troops on a wild goose chase." Captain Bortelli warned.

Jack had been listening to the same babble for the last hour and a half. The simple fact was that she was ready to kick ass. Jack never cared much for logistics and things of that nature. Risk calculation was never a factor to her. She was too good and the soldiers she fought next to were too good to get hurt or killed...for the most part. Only the simple things mattered: who, what, where...answer that and she was already on her way to lay the place to waste. Some called it a downfall, Jack had always thought of it as one of her strengths. No attachments always equals no worries. It was time for all this bullshit talking to be over with, she was ready to fight.

"Sir, our last recon was two days ago and as of then the Moran camp didn't have any signs of knowing our attack is coming." Mandol stated quickly.

"What the fuck! Can't we just forget this bullshit?! Let's just go blow this motherfucker up!" Jack interrupted suddenly.

"Sergeant Major! You will kindly shut your mouth!" Captain Bortelli disciplined.

Jack jumped to her feet, "The fuck I will! Maybe you forget but this is the guy who caused me to have a hole blown through me! This is the guy that has reeked havoc over tons of planets. Apparently that's unimportant. I don't know about you but I know I owe him one to say the least. Let's move already!"

Riddick chimed in, "Jack! This aint just about you! There's other people's lives at stake."

At an unhuman speed Jack grabbed the back of Riddick's head, with a loud thud his face was on the table. He stilled tried to talk shit. "Get the fuck off me or I'll knock you out."

Jack smiled lifting his face just slightly and slamming it back down onto the table, her other fist coming into the air. She swung it but it never connected. Riddick looked up, she'd stop just centimeters from his jaw...that was his warning.

"Next time I will kill you for challenging me. Know your place boy!"

The rest of the meeting went on without a hitch.

Riddick closed the door behind them as they entered the house, "Jack I wanted to apolo-"

His sentence was quickly interrupted with a quick right hook from Jack. He'd known she'd been fuming but he didn't realize she was she was that pissed. Riddick was prepared to let it go this time, he'd stepped out of line at the meeting and he knew it.

"Are you trying to ruin me?! Is that what you're doing?" Jack screamed, stepping toe-to-toe with Riddick.

"Jack chill the fuck out! I was trying to help you out. You were about to stick your fucking foot in your mouth."

Jack turned her back to him, shaking her head. Riddick watched her body tense-she was about to strike. "I don't need your fucking protection!"

With that Jack wheeled around punching Riddick square in the lip and then again in the gut. Riddick was going to let it go, he tried-he really did but...all bets were off. He returned the violence with full force; sending a nasty punch to Jack's jaw. Much to his satisfaction he watched as her lip tore open and the blood began to trickle down her chin. Jack reached up touching her lip to confirm what she already knew, slowly she licked the blood from her hand. The smell of her blood filled the room, he wanted to taste it too.

Jack's mood suddenly changed from enraged to one that was sexually charged. Her eyes lit up like red flames. Riddick saw how she licked her hand, the way she accepted her wound and embraced it, tasting it as if she were a dangerous animal getting its long awaited taste for blood. Jack leapt forward, catching Riddick off-guard; suddenly she was clawing his clothing off.

Jack was hell bent on ending Riddick at that very moment-until he slapped her. In a fraction of a second all the anger and need for death turned into lust, desire, and the baser instinct to fuck. She didn't know what triggered it but there her desire was screaming for her to abide, and so she would. No emotion, no feeling, no recognition of attachment to Riddick laid within her mind...all she wanted was self-gratification, all she wanted was blind sexual bliss. All she wanted was a good, hard fuck. She knew Riddick would give it.

Jack shoved Riddick roughly against the far wall, her hands going to the waistband of his shirt. She was going to have her way with him-oh yes she would. The shirt came off, followed quickly by the pants Riddick wore, Jack took a moment to marvel at the fact that he was ready and waiting for her. She allowed a smirk to cross her hollow face only for a moment as she quickly peeled her clothing away. In a lightening fast movement she had Riddick on the floor, panting.

Riddick broke the sexually charge silence, "Jack...slow down-"

"Shut up Riddick! Just shut the fuck up and enjoy, baby. I know you want it."

Jack mounted Riddick and without any notice at all she dropped her body down onto Riddick's cock, her silky depths taking him all the way in.

"Oh, Jack" Riddick began to moan.

Jack couldn't hear him as she rode hard and fast, she didn't care what Riddick said or did...this wasn't about him, this was all her. Jack didn't want to feel anything except what was happening at the moment, there were no ulterior motives just her absolute need to fuck-she hoped emotionlessly and wholly until she was satisfied. Riddick's hands were on her hips but she quickly pinned them above his head. She was using him and it was the single most wonderful sensation she'd felt in so long. She wouldn't last much longer she knew and she could sense Riddick getting close as well; She watched as he moaned and growled each time she pushed back on his cock but she didn't care for him it was only important that she reach her own release. Jack threw her head back moving faster, moving deeper, harder, screaming her pleasure. Jack undulated her pelvis, riding Riddick feverishly until she could feel the heat begin to creep through her body and with a building warning, the throws of her orgasm came thrashing through her consciousness. Jack continued to ride Riddick until the throws of her passion subsided, finally collapsing against Riddick's heaving chest. There was no thought, no sense, no movement...Jack was fulfilled.

Riddick grabbed her by the hips, shoved her forward a couple of times and came inside her. Bruises were on her thighs and sweat pooled. She didn't notice.

Jack's world was shattered. There was nothing. She was floating above the world, above all that brought her down. So this is ecstasy? Jack settled in on Riddick's chest, breathing in their communally spent energy. The air nearly tingle. Bliss. That had been amazing. She'd never experienced such feelings, such emotions. Where had that come from? She was supposed to have fought him and instead she'd jumped him. It was great, that's all that mattered.

Jack tried her hardest to nestle her head even closer to Riddick, she inhaled his masculine scent with each breath...it was beautiful. I could get use to this. Jack closed her eyes in her contentment, a brutal scene flickered before her eyes.

Riddick slitting her throat. Blood spilling everywhere. It hurt. The warning.

Jack's eyes snapped open. Dumb ass! Jack rolled herself off of Riddick's prone body, sitting up beside him. She'd come back to her senses, her momentary lapse of judgement would later be punished but now she had to end it.

"Riddick?" How Jack wanted him...how was she going to do this? She couldn't. The image of Riddick again dared her to back down. "I need to tell you something."

Riddick sat up, his hand slowly caressing Jack's bare back, running a finger up her spine.

Jack inhaled sharply, here goes nothing... "Riddick I'm going to tell you something and after all is said and done there is to be no discussion about it. I don't want to hear your opinion I just need you to understand and accept what I have to say."

"What is it Jack?" The anxiousness in his tone surprised both of them.

Jack swallowed, this was even harder than she could've ever imagined. "You should know its for the best and this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Riddick, I think... no, I know it's time for you to leave. You're everything I promised myself I'd never give into. I'd really love for it to work, for us to work and maybe 5 years ago it would have but it just can't at this point. I just..."

Jack inhaled again, tears were threatening to fall but she refused for Riddick to see. She had to maintain her state of mind or she'd never get through this...she was starting to doubt if it was possible.

"You used to be everything that made me happy and joyous but now you're my destruction. You're my weakness, Riddick. You stay around and it'll be the end of me. I just, I can't do that to myself. Call me selfish. I call it self preservation. You looked out for yourself and I have to look out for myself. So, this the end Riddick...I need you to go. I need you to leave."

Jack couldn't even look him in the eyes any longer, she couldn't stand to be in the room with him. She pushed herself to her feet and walked in her room closing the door behind her. She had to get out of the house. Hopefully she'd gotten the point across, she'd stayed strong but how much longer that would last she had no idea. Jack quickly dressed, this was too much. She'd let Riddick in way deeper than she should have ever allowed. She'd slept in the metaphorical lion's den, now she had to claw her way out. Proof was how she'd reasoned with him, the old Jack would have told him to get the fuck out and been done with. The old Jack would have knocked him out and gone to have a beer. Jack wanted to scream, she needed to drown him out, get rid of all of their history and she knew just how to do it...she had to get to the bar and quick. Maybe the old Jack wasn't so far gone...after all she was on the way to redeeming her life before Riddick. She could do this and she would.

Jack was almost home free when the bedroom door opened. She hoped he was only in the room to pack but she doubted it. 'Just go away.' she willed him-she was never that lucky.

"Jack, I got something to say and you're going to listen." Riddick's voice was determined.

Great.

Jack walked to the bed and put on her boots. Stay strong. Remember your weakness. Seek and destroy. Jack rummaged through the closet "There's nothing to be said, Riddick. There's nothing to do. Its gotten too personal. Its way out of hand. I can't be like this. Its just not how things work." With that she threw Riddick duffle bag on the bed. "It's time. Move."

Jack tried to keep her voice as deadpan as possible, if it altered even in the slightest Riddick would see the truth.

"I'm not going anywhere. You don't end this, Jack!" Riddick challenged.

"Yes I do! As a matter of a fact, as far as I'm concerned, you're already gone!"

Jack tried to walk out the door but was quickly stopped by Riddick's body standing in her way. It hurt her so badly to see Riddick fighting so hard for her but the battle was futile- her mind had already been made up.

Jack swung her fist at Riddick as hard as she could and even at her nearly un-human speed her fist abruptly came to a stop; Riddick had caught it. Jack threw her other fist but Riddick caught it as well. Quickly Riddick spun her around so that her back was firmly pressed to his chest.

"Take it back! You don't mean what you said!" Riddick argued.

"Fuck you! Yes I did!"

"Shut the fuck up! You're a fucking liar! You're too damned afraid of your feelings, you fuckin pussy!"

Jack was livid. She exploded in a flurry of missed kicks and punches. He would die, she would kill and not just in her dreams. Jack broke free of Riddick and without any warning back handed him, punched him in the gut and kneed him in the groin. Riddick promptly retaliated, Jack received a backhand to the jaw and a punch to the throat.

Jack felt nothing. She was too far gone to realize the damage being caused. Jack swung a roundhouse kick catching Riddick in the back of the knees causing them to buckle. Jack caught him by the throat in mid-air. She raised him up, picking Riddick off the floor. Her hand was so tight around Riddick's throat it was beginning to restrict his breathing, the beast that was Jack spoke...

"I am going to kill you in the un-Godly, horrific way humanly possible. I want you to suffer Riddick, I want you to die. You're a no good, sorry ass excuse of a man. You're pathetic! You're weak! You're all I despise and I will kill you!!!" She'd said it, Jack swore never to call Riddick weak again and she did it; but Jack was no longer around, something awful resided inside her.

Riddick had to do something, she had the upper hand and that wasn't allowed. His shiv, where was it? If he could just reach the nightstand behind him without Jack knowing it'd all be over. Riddick pretended to struggle, flailing his limbs dramatically. Jack didn't even see Riddick's shiv come down and slice her wrist but the pain lanced through her white hot. She let go of him instantly and gazed down at her wound. Riddick regained his composure, he too had lost all sense of himself. This was to be a clash of titans-one or both would fall...

Jack stared at Riddick, and Riddick stared back...both seeing death in the other's eyes. They were squaring off for a battle that no one was going to win.

Jack, always the aggressor attacked first.

Punch. Punch. Kick.

Blocked. All blocked.

Riddick returned. Kick, leg sweep, punch.

Jack dodged and dance her way past her assailant, blood red filled her vision-it's beauty almost blinding. Through the red she saw clearly how Riddick would die, how she would murder him.

Jack ran at Riddick tackling him to the bed, his shiv falling from his grasp. Jack quickly snapped it up and held it to his throat. Time to die.

Just as Jack was about to drag the silver across his throat Riddick shoved her off him and sent her slamming into the wall. Jack came sailing back at him with a vengeance the knife aimed dead at Riddick's heart. He ducked and rolled from the bed seconds before the shiv went into the mattress, sending a snow storm of feathers into the air.

Jack looked like an angel. Even in his current state of madness Riddick recognized her beauty and grace. Beauty deserved another punch to the face.

Jack pulled the blade out of the bed just before she took a kick to the head, which sent her flying to the floor.

Only even more infuriated Jack charged Riddick full on smashing right into his chest. There was a flash of silver as Jack made a quick turn within his grasp, slicing clear across Riddick's chest. In her wake she left a streak of blood. Riddick gazed down only faintly aware he was wounded. Without hesitation his fist was careening through the air and landing square on Jack's nose, her head being knocked backward. Riddick took advantage of the blow, he ran at her full speed knocking her into the wall. Jack tried to counter with another strike of her shiv but Riddick slammed her hand into the wall causing her to release the weapon.

Jack kneed Riddick in the stomach to distract him so she could get away. Riddick barely flinched. He brought his forearm in and firmly pressed it into Jack's throat. The roles had been reversed.

"You don't want me! Say it! You worthless bitch, admit it!" Riddick yelled in her face fiercely.

If she played this right Jack could turn the tables, she tried to calm herself...she could do this. Give a look of reluctance...there you go. "I, I..can't" Jack fumbled.

Suddenly, Jack freed her arm and grabbed the back of Riddick head and crashed it into her own, she heard his nose crack and watched in fascination as blood oozed forth. Jack used Riddick's momentary weakness to try to move away. Riddick quickly recovered by kicking Jack hard, back into the wall. A mirror from above came down in pieces, shredding Jack's face. Riddick smiled in satisfaction, death gleaming in his eyes.Riddick needed and wanted to watch Jack bleed, he could feel himself letting go of the last of his sanity...when that was gone her death would be inevitable. Blood oozed from a gash in her cheek and he tasted it. His hand wrapped itself around Jack's neck.

Squeeze Riddick, squeeze...

Riddick's grip tightened around Jack's throat. Jack suddenly realized Riddick was trying to end her...it's not so bad. I could die by Riddick's hand. Who greater to die by? Her world was shrinking, she wanted to give up, it'd be so easy. Jack watched the beast before her, its silver eyes dancing with bloodlust. He was a masterpiece. Jack drank him in, watching the moonlight play across his taut muscles. It was mesmerizing the way the delicate light graced his features. This could be Heaven, she mused. The feral animal was speaking to her but she heard nothing, her world was becoming fuzzy. What a glorious death.

Riddick watched with some confusion at the peace and serenity in Jack's eyes as he strangled her. He wanted her dead but something inside him struggled, screaming something he couldn't make out. It didn't mater, death beckoned.

"Riddick! Please don't hurt me!" Jack squealed. She'd surprised even herself at the sincerity in her voice.

Riddick stopped. Jack was back! He pulled back realizing what he'd nearly done.

"Jack..." he reached for her, pulling her into his apologetic embrace.

Just then Riddick felt a sharp sting in his side, Jack had stabbed him. He looked down to confirm; there was a large chunk of glass in the area in question, nothing fatal but enough for him to definitely feel it. He looked at Jack, was being lowered to the ground. Jack's face was pure stone, there was no recognition of Riddick at all. He was on his back now, Jack's mouth by his ear.

"I told you! You are weak! Look at you...brought down by a little girl. It's a wonder anyone's ever been afraid of you. You're just a little bitch!" Jack sneered. "Why don't I just send you back to Slam City where you can really be someone's bitch, I'm sure they'd appreciate a piece of meat like you."

Riddick searched the ground, the words Jack was speaking were the catalyst to the fire within him. His sanity was gone, there was nothing to fight his instinct any longer. His fingers grazed something hard, blunt at one end and sharp at the other...his shiv! Yes, Jack would bleed!

The hilt of the shiv hit hard on Jack's skull knocking her away. She'd lost her bearings, she had to fight back. She came at Riddick fast and hard vaguely aware of the glass beneath her ripping her knees to shreds. Riddick growled as he caught Jack, slamming her struggling body into the ground. He mounted himself atop Jack and began punching away with all his might. He reveled in the pummeled face which now only vaguely resembled Jack. Jack struggled, trying viciously to alleviate the violent onslaught but it seemed only fuel Riddick's fire further.

Riddick stilled for a moment, he needed something bigger, harder, more painful. Again he felt a pang at his side...the glass. Yes, that would work. He quickly yanked the glass from his side. An eye for an eye.

Jack was pinned to the ground beneath Riddick's weight. She tried to move but he was so fucking heavy suddenly. She'd never seen such brute force from him before. Riddick's face was pure menace, it was as if he didn't recognize her any longer. For the first time, Jack was nearly afraid of Riddick...for once she was seeing not just the animal but the demons which laid within.

Riddick raised the shard of glass above Jack's head aiming straight at her throat. All he could see, feel, taste, was blinding anger. He would kill Jack, right here. Right...NOW! The glass came careening down headed straight for destruction.

It stopped centimeters from her throat.

Riddick's eyes came back into focus...he'd almost killed her. Done away with the one thing that tied him to the human world. Almost. Riddick quickly rolled off of Jack, throwing the glass as far away as possible.

"Jack...why? What the fuck?"

"Why what you crazy motherfucker?" Jack spat. "You wanna kill me? WHY DON'T YOU FUCKIN' DO IT!?"

Riddick remained calm. "Why can't you just have me? Why can't you just give in and be...happy? Why do you hate yourself so much to throw away the wonderful life you could have?"

Another first occurred to Jack at that moment. Something had changed in Riddick's face, a look she'd never seen him express...he was sorrowful, there were tears threatening to come spilling out of Riddick's beautiful, hypnotic eyes. She was almost swayed, but almost never counted in her book.

Jack shoved him, "I can't do this Riddick! I don't fucking make love, I never want kids, I don't like fuckin' flowers. Jesus Christ, I wont smile at fuckin' puppies! I kill things, it's what I do, it's what I know! Give me enough time and I'll kill you. Why can't I have you? Why should I? I FUCKING HATE YOU RICHARD!!! Your time here is done. I will finish the mission without you. I'm out of here."

Jack stood up, fighting against the ache of her body and the sudden fatigue which she knew soon she'd have to give in to. She thought about throwing in another punch of two just to make her point clear but one look at Riddick's face and she understood it wasn't necessary. She almost wanted to cry from the expression Riddick held...he was defeated. She'd beaten him. Why wasn't she celebrating?

Jack briefly reached her hand out to touch Riddick, to console him but quickly she discouraged such an act, instead her hand fell to her side the blood from her wrist making a puddle at her feet. Jack tried her best not to limp away from Riddick, not to show her opponent she was wounded but it was too late...she'd accomplished what she'd set out to do. She'd beaten Richard B. Riddick.

As Jack exited the house a new feeling emerged inside her, bringing her down, pulling at her insides. Jack was wanting something-needing something. She could feel a hole in her chest, burning her trying to make her heed its call. What did she need so badly it stung and twisted her guts? She knew what, but that time had come and gone. There'd be no going back now. As Jack descended her front steps she slowly began the task of stitching up that hole. She wanted to lick the wound Riddick caused, sew it up. Sharp needles and thread would stop the hole from gushing, stop the emptiness that called for him. Jack began the task of filling the emptiness. She would never again be so weak again.

Author's Note

It's been another long while but I hope it was worth the wait. This chapter was definitely challenging. I worked so hard. I HAVE TO dedicate this to Ariel!! She tirelessly worked with me giving ideas and feedback, editing when it was definitely needed. Without her I don't know that I would have finished this. You are super amazing, Ariel...we truly are unstoppable!!! You are really just incredible thank you so much! Okay, enough with the gushy stuff. Enjoy, review. I'll post again soon!

-DevilWithTheAngelWingsOn