From The Inside.

Jack sat in her bedroom cranking out sit ups for what felt like the millionth time. She was tired, dead tired. Exercise to the point of collapse was the only place she could find solace these days. She rubbed the sweat off her forehead with her shoulder and continued.

The last couple weeks had been pure hell for Jack. Every moment of every day was like nails on a chalkboard. There was a constant back and forth between she and Riddick and it was nagging at her, making her itch more than usual. They were dancing around each other, Jack was stranded in a sea of wanting and desire, simply trying to stay afloat.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into? Jack stopped her rigorous workout briefly and rubbed her temples, trying to relieve some stress. No use, until all this was over she was certain things would continue on as they had.

Jack was struggling, when you put up a fight in quicksand you only get dragged deeper. Fuck! What had happened?

Jack wanted so desperately for things between she and Riddick to be as they once were. Long ago she had created a wall to shield her from the big world; that wall was now Sergeant Major Jacquelyn Melivenski. It had started out as a front, something for her to hide behind but somewhere throughout the years it became real. Jack was the monster she created and much as she was fighting it at the moment, she loved what she was.

Jack wanted to give in and just let Riddick stay forever but she knew better than that. She couldn't allow it.

Not now and not ever.

She'd gotten the right idea so long ago when she decided to leave Riddick, it was the right thing to do. Jack let her mind wander, allowing herself to forget the ache in her muscles.

What if she hadn't left him? Would he still be with her? Probably not.

Would she be who she was today? Definitely not. She imagined she'd be some little love-struck punk that couldn't do shit for herself.

I'll never be that person.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was afraid of him, she was scared he would leave her right when she gave in.

Jack sighed. Why was she having these thoughts? She lifted her hands to her head, smacking herself, trying to put some sense into her stupid brain. She turned her body over to begin doing push-ups, exercise proved to be the only release. None of this mattered, soon the mission would be over and Riddick would be gone. End of story.

End of story...

Day after day Jack spent her moments wrapped in these inner battles. Her beast of a brain snarled at the thought of giving in but her heart's every beat ached for it. Her brain won each time; after all, what use was a heart if she were dead? So it went on like this, Jack's every free moment consumed by her turmoil to the point that she didn't see what was going on right under her nose. Soon a storm that had been brewing for quite some time would wreck havoc on Jack and her whole existence, she wouldn't even see it coming.

-----

Antonio Moran was giddy. It was unbelievable, he was fucking excited beyond all reason. The time had come, the moment was now. Sergeant Major Jacquelyn Melivenski's time in this life was about to come to an end.

Finally his inside operative had proven to be useful. At their meeting today Moran was informed of the impending battle the Black Knights were about to wage. No doubt his coveted dark angel, Jack, was at the forefront. Perfect.

She would die. She would suffer. Antonio Moran would be sure of it.

Just after just hearing of the coming invasion he'd started concocting different idea of how to torture Jack. He wanted to capture her, make her watch her troops be killed off one by one. He wanted to fuck her brains out, and kill her. He licked his lips at the thought.

Soon, so very soon she would stand before him indignant and mad as hell. He couldn't wait to watch her try viciously to save her troops, try to kill him. He'd toy with her as he wished and when he was done dispose of her. Throw her away like the fucking garbage she was.

Moran sat back contentedly, enrapt in his thoughts of death and possession.

-------

Riddick sat in quiet anticipation. They were in another briefing for the soon to come battle with Antonio Moran. He was waiting for Jack to erupt like she did last time. His expert eyes watching her tentatively, the way the muscles in her jaw clenched and unclenched. He noticed a speck in her eyelash, how she pursed her lips in thought. He examined her long and hard, taking in all of her.

Riddick was itching for the contact with her, they'd been extremely stand-offish with each other since their end-all, be-all brawl. He needed something from her, anything...even if it meant he had to challenge her to get it. While he waited for the right moment Riddick let his mind drift, thinking of what would all too soon transpire.

The end was coming fast. Within days he and Jack would be fighting for their lives against a heady force of all kinds of metal monsters. Soon they'd be fighting each other as well. He knew Jack meant to get rid of him the moment the battle was over, he just wished he wasn't giving her a very valid reason to do so.

Too fucking late for regrets now. He couldn't turn back, not after all he'd invested. Riddick would follow through as planned and fuck the consequences. It was all for her in the end any ways. To take it, or leave it, was Jack's choice.

---Author's Note---

So… another done and over with. And believe you-me this one was an absolute doozy to write! I had the worst writer's block. The spell has been broken! Yay. I can safely say to you right now that there are no more than five chapters left to this story. (maybe not even five). You will be surprised, I promise. I got a lot more feedback for the past chapter and I am so pleased. Thank you so much! Okay, let me say some very huge thank you's to the following: SG1987, celeste, FitMama, FluidDegree, NotAfraidToLive, and vinlovedroolwish. You light up my life all of you! You're all so awesome :o). As always, the hugest thanks and hugs to my dear Ariel…you help me so much. Without you I would still be back at "Jack sat in the bedroom…" can we say THANK YOU?!?!! Okay, that's it for me. I'll try to have another chapter out very soon. Enjoy!

-DevilWithTheAngelWingsOn