A/N: This is to all of my fans out there, thank you all for hanging in there with me, and thank you for all of the lovely reviews. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: If it has already been put in a book, movie, TV show, or anime, or anything else that I might have forgotten, then I don't own it.

From three star systems and a galaxy away, Zoe's father gathered troops from his fleet and half of the armada the Crowned Prince of Xion laid at his disposal to retrieve his daughter. The Prince's only stipulation was that he be allowed to accompany him on his quest.

Zoe's father also put out a call for his boys. He knew that if all else failed, Zoe would come home to please her older brothers. He also knew that Bartlemy would go in after her if he had to and bring her back hog-tied in the name of her safety.

When they heard that their youngest sister was in trouble, they left their respective kingdoms to aid in her safe return. It took each a couple of days to answer their father's request, but they showed up non-the-less. By the time the Prince of Xion and half of his armada arrived, Riddick's ship's wrap signature had been identified along with a trajectory for them to follow.

With all of the ships and men assembled there was an entire armada all looking for her and ready to blow anything that stood in their way to pieces.

They set out four days after her capture and found a fresh wrap signature of Riddick's a week out. They hadn't found the ship until the night before, but only on long range scanners, and didn't come within firing range until the next morning during their discoveries.

A small shuttle set out from the rest of the armada early that morning off towards the target ship carrying only the King, his two sons, and the Prince of Xion. All were hoping to simply show up and take her off of the ship without incident, but Aragorn, Zoe's older brother, knew better. He knew how miserable she had always been, and he wasn't expecting a fast retrieval, let alone, a retrieval at all. But he wasn't expecting what he would find when he arrived on the ship.
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Shortly after his confession of his feelings for Jack, Riddick fell back to sleep with Zoe wrapped in his arms and on his chest. Zoe felt him drift off and easily escaped his grasp, and made her way to the holobay and programmed in her favorite place.
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Riddick woke some time later to empty arms. He didn't think, he only acted. He shot out of the bed and ran around the ship searching for any signs of struggle, any signs of her. when he found nothing, he panicked more.

'Where could she be? Is she hurt? Is she gone? How did she leave without my knowing? Was she taken? How did they get passed the alarms without tripping any, and get her away from me without waking me?'

About the third question in he past by the holobay, where she was sprawled out on the floor, for the fifth time. He finally realized, after his ranting, that the holobay was being used. He all but ran in there and found himself faced with jungle like he's never seen before.

Not that Riddick could actually see the different colors, just the hues of pink and purple, but there were all shades of green on the plants ranging from the deepest hunter green to the brightest emerald green. The grass was lush and soft, like air pillows for your feet. The shrubs and bushes were thick, and the vines from the trees made it hard to walk through unless you knew a path. And the trees were so high and full that they blocked out the sun, but didn't make the air cling to your very being.

He had to use his shivs to cut his own path, since he didn't get to come in where the path was.

As he hacked his way through the vines and branches he began to call out for Zoe, but to no avail. When he made it to a clearing in the dense jungle, he found her laying, unconscious on the ground at what looked like a Japanese shrine.

When he got her in his arms, Zoe began to stir.

"Zoe, where are we?" He still hadn't managed to erase the nervousness or confusion from either his face, eyes, or voice.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were asleep." She hadn't heard him, and she could barely register that he was even here.

"I woke up a few minutes ago and found you here. Where are we?"

"Zealion," she said dreamily.

"Why did you program your home world? I thought you didn't want to go back."

"I only programmed the jungle behind the palace where my mother's shrine is. I needed to talk to her," anticipating his next question, but not the one after.

"Why do you need a copy of her shrine to talk to her?"

"She has to have a holy place to be able to enter the living realm."

"So what did you need to talk to her about?" trying to sidestep the issue and take her word for it.

"You. My father. His plans for me."

He couldn't help but blush a little at the mention that she needed advise about him, but he was more interested in her last comment. "What are your father's plans for you?"

"What any king would have planned for his daughter. He plans to marry me off so he can gain more power until the day he dies, then that power will transfer to my husband."

"Why not your brothers?"

"Because they all have their own kingdoms to rule over."

Riddick gave her one of his 'what the hell are you talking about' confused looks as he said, "You're going to have to explain this a little further."

"All of my brothers and sisters are married off and reside on the planet their spouse originates. By some miracle to my father, he managed to betroth all of the older ones to only children. Therefore, since those children already stood to inherit their parent's kingdoms, my brothers went to live on their wives planets to rule, and my sisters did what they would have done whether or not their husbands stood to inherit their parent's kingdoms."

"OK. But what's the situation with you? Don't betrothals usually commence once the two are old enough to wed?"

"Yes, if you were betrothed from birth. But, since I was never betrothed to anyone, I didn't have to follow the same rituals as the rest of my siblings. My mother made my father promise not to betroth me to anyone since I would be the youngest.

"I was to be given my choice of suitors and allowed to pick. But, I've gone through all of my choices already, so my father has decided that he'll pick for me, and I get no say in the matter."

"Why is he all of a sudden so worried who'll you'll end up marrying?"

"Because my father heard of another only child Prince who stands to inherit lots of money, power, and land, so long as he marries. My father is power hungry and struck a deal with him over my twentieth birthday that would allow him to rule over both planets until he is no longer able to rule. After that, and I manage to produce an heir to the Prince's thrown, I will reside back on my home world and rule while he stays on his planet and raises our sons and I raise our daughters."

She began crying by the end of her explanation and Riddick claimed her even tighter in his arms than he had her before. "Please don't let him find me? Don't let him take me back."

Riddick looked down at this beautiful, pleading woman in his arms, he looked deeply into her eyes, and his mind was made up. he lowered his head and captured her lips in a toe curling, passionate kiss that completely quelled her sobs, and caused a soft moan to escape her lips. "You're not going anywhere you don't want to go ever again. As long as you want me too, I'll protect you from anyone who wants to hurt you." And with that one kiss, he went from informal kidnapper, to full time body guard and hopeful boyfriend.

A small smile graced her lips, "How does from now until forever sound?"

He couldn't answer, all he could do was kiss her in response.

Riddick would have carried her out of the holobay, but she insisted on walking out herself. When they made it to the main corridor, Zoe would have rather been anywhere but there.

Waiting for her and her newly proclaimed bodyguard was her oldest brother, Aragorn.

"Zoe! What are you doing holding his hand? Are you alright? Has he hurt you?"

"Aragorn, I can explain. He hasn't hurt me, in fact he's been a better gentleman than most of those suitors that father presented. I love him and I don't want to go back to father and his plans for me."

"You what!" both men exclaimed. Riddick with hope of truth and his own love showing through, and Aragorn with shock, confusion, and yet an understanding of his youngest sister that only he had, and had expected of her.

"Do you really?" Riddick's eyes never left her's, searching for the truth he hoped for.

"Yes. I've known since the first night when you made me dinner, even after the way I acted before. I just didn't think you would return the sentiment."

"I love you too. I think I felt it when you stood up to me on the first day when I came to the room. And, after getting to know you all of this time, I've confirmed that feeling time and time again. I love you, and I would do anything to keep you safe and happy."

"That's all well and good, but we're taking her back home now." Aragorn hated to do it, but he interrupted their profession of love.

"What do you mean by 'we're here' to take you home?" She gave him an almost evil glare.

"Dad, Bartlemy, and your Prince have come with me to get you. And while I wouldn't hesitate to leave you here with him, seeing as you love eachother, and he seems to be doing some good on your temper and wild temperament, they won't leave you here, no matter how happy you are. Now, let's go. If we leave now, and he let's you go, he won't be in any danger."

As he said this, he made his way down the corridor and got her away from Riddick without her noticing. But, when Aragorn mentioned that Riddick could be in danger, Zoe disappeared from her brother's side and ran back to Riddick.

"No! Riddick don't let them take me away! I don't wanna go." Zoe jumped back into his open arms and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Riddick just held her close, almost like he were protecting his mate.

Aragorn's face dropped, he went from hopeful to depressed in that instant. He knew that there was no way he would be able to pry her away from her newly sworn protector and keeper of her heart, without help.

He didn't want to, but he had too… He called for help from the other three.

Almost as fast as lightening, Bartlemy and her father were on the ship, standing on either side of Aragorn.

Riddick saw them and held her tighter. "If she doesn't wish to leave, then I won't let you take her. I love her and will protect her with the last breathe in my body if I must. Now leave her alone and get off of my ship!" He spoke in little more than a possessive animalistic growl by the end.

You would think that after hearing that, Zoe's father would be touched enough to leave the kids alone and let her have her own life, but he is a power hungry bastard. So, instead, he stepped forward to make his presence known.

"Either release my daughter to my custody and live another day, or I will retrieve her by force and then blow you and your ship out of existence. You have ten seconds to comply." He had a matter of fact, lordly arrogance to his voice and a flat, bored tone at the base. Zoe knew he meant business.

Riddick could smell Zoe's fear begin to bubble up. He tilted her head back and looked deeply into her eyes. "I'll follow your lead, no matter what you decide."

Zoe wanted to stay where she was, in Riddick's arms and on his ship, but she had to protect him. It was something her mother had told her.
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"You already know that you were meant for the Furian Prince, but this Riddick you've been telling me about seems like he could be a close second. If you don't manage to find one of the Furian Royal House, then I would sanction your marriage to him. But, only if he truly loves you," her mother, Avalon, said to her daughter.

"I don't know how he feels about me, but I think I'm falling for him."

"Just realize that once you've openly professed your love for him, you can never take it back, and you will be bound to protect his life as if he were the Prince you seek, even if he never returns your love."

"I understand."
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She backed out of Riddick's arms and ran to her brother Aragorn, passed her father and other brother.

"Wise of you to let her go, convict," he stated completely oblivious to what had really happened, or his daughter's feelings for this man.

With that, they were gone, and Riddick was alone, again.

A/N: I know this bit of Riddick was extremely sappy, but when I wrote this chapter, it sounded like it would be really good for the chapter. I apologize to all of you who hate the way I made Riddick in this chapter, but I never really could write a badass Riddick for very long, or very well. I'll understand if you quit reading the story from now on, but I would hope that you would give me a chance to redeem myself in your eyes. Thank you for sticking with me, and please be patient with my Riddick for this stroy. I hope I can get him back to the bad boy version before the story is over with.