A/N: new chappie! enjoy!

Chapter 7: Trust

Lunch: Protein waffles and water. A hearty meal when you're dining in hell.

"Here," Riddick grunted, tossing his waffles at her and she jumped as she caught them.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" she wondered and he only shrugged.

"Ain't hungry," he replied. "'Sides Toombs was right."

"About what?" Deirdra wondered, chuckling at the thought of Riddick admitting Toombs had been right about anything.

"People who eat those are pussies," he explained and Deirdra gave a snort as she tore at her waffles to shove small pieces in her mouth.

"Well, since I have one already I might as well eat them all, is that it?" she smirked and he scoffed. "As I thought."

"Riddick?"

The two looked to their door to see Xenos looking around frantically then at Riddick.

"Doctor, get in, quick," Deirdra urged, standing and pulling him into the cell as Riddick glared at him from behind his goggles. She sat Xenos next to her as she sat on the bed with Riddick so that she was between the two men.

"What is it you had for us?" Deirdra asked, cutting to the chase. Riddick looked at her with a set jaw. This wasn't a social call. This had to be an interrogation and she was handling it like it was just light conversation!

"I've been here for a year and a half," Xenos began. "I've been watching the guards and cameras closely. I know shift changes and camera switch offs by heart. I've been planning escape for a long time. But now that you're here, Mr. Riddick, I'm sure you'll get us out of here."

"Us?" Riddick snarled but Deirdra raised a hand to calm him as she still looked at Xenos who stared back at Riddick in panic. Riddick shot his gaze at Deirdra and gritted his teeth at her telling him what to do…even if it was silently.

"And that's what you want for giving us that information," Deirdra assumed. "You want us to take you with when we escape?"

Xenos glanced at Riddick and nodded hesitantly at Deirdra. She nodded in return and looked over at Riddick who was still seething.

"Let him come," she requested gently.

"Well, we don't have a damn choice do we?" he growled. "We don't let him come he won't tell us what we need to know!"

"If you have a good reason why I can't go with you, I'll give you the information anyway," Xenos assured them. "But I need one good reason."

"Didn't I tell you can't trust anyone?" he reminded her and she glared at him.

"Riddick, it's the least we can do for his information," Deirdra insisted.

"Tell me your answer later, if you want," Xenos requested. "I'll give you what I know now."

Riddick and Deirdra snapped their attention to him as he stood and sat himself next to Riddick and leaned toward him to speak low.

"The guards don't bother coming out at night," he began. "They probably figure they don't need to watch the inmates sleep. But, there are cameras. Not so difficult to take them out for you two, I'm sure. But, staying out of their sight is gonna be tough."

"We could take them out earlier on," Deirdra suggested.

"They'd notice it in the control room," Xenos replied. "They'd sound the alarm and you'd be in the hole before you could even think of getting to the control room."

"Where is the control room," Riddick asked irritably.

"Did you see that door we passed when we went to get our meals?"

Riddick and Deirdra nodded.

"That's it," he continued. "Getting passed the camera turns will be tricky. They have a pretty wide peripheral. You'd have to duck under them at each turn, and quick. You'd have to duck low enough to the ground too or the other cameras will spot you, then you're done for."

"That's a lot of maneuvering around," Deirdra grumbled and Riddick turned to her.

"It's either maneuver or stay here," he snapped. "Which would you prefer?"

Deirdra glared at him and stuck her tongue out at him. He shook his head then turned back to Xenos.

"Your best bet is to make your move at night," Xenos suggested.

"No shit," Riddick replied sarcastically and stood to start pacing as Deirdra frowned at him in wonder at his attitude. He was usually a pain in the ass, but this was a bit much.

"Back to your cells, dogs!" a guard shouted from one of the lower levels. Xenos glanced nervously at the entrance then stood with Deirdra.

"We'll talk after dinner," she assured him.

"There is no dinner here," Xenos explained and Deirdra sighed but nodded in understanding. Xenos nodded, knowing they'd come for him if they were going to bring him along. He headed out of the cell and headed for his own and Deirdra turned to Riddick who only continued pacing against the wall, his hands behind his back.

"Well, you could have been a bit nicer about that," she said, her hands on her hips.

"I told you," he growled, still pacing. "I don't trust him."

"That's the jealousy part of you talking," she smirked and he stopped as she approached him. She lifted his goggles onto his forehead to look into his eyes which stared back at her.

"I don't trust him," he repeated and Deirdra said nothing as she stared deeply into his eyes, her hands placing themselves on his shoulders.

"You don't," she breathed, seeing the truth in his eyes. "Why not?"

"You should no better then to try to figure out why I think or do things," he couldn't help but smirk.

"I do," she murmured. "But I had to ask." She stood up on tiptoes and kissed him, but pulled away before he could deepen it to look into his eyes again. "What are we gonna do?"

"We're not takin' that mooch of a doctor if that's what you mean," he retorted and Deirdra shoved away from him with a sigh as the cell door began to close. "Why do you care so much about him?"

"I don't, honestly," she replied turning back to him. "But he was nice enough to tell us about the guards and cameras. It's the least we can do to repay him."

"Who says we have to repay him?" Riddick retorted.

"He healed my leg back on Furya, too," she reminded him. "If he hadn't have done that, I'd have been gimping after you."

"Maybe I should kill him for helping you get to me so quickly back on Furya," he snapped back. "I'd told you to stay there."

"Are we really gonna go through that again?" she smirked, her hands on his hips again. "All I'm saying is, even if you don't trust him, we can get him out of here and leave him somewhere. At least we'll be getting him out of here. I wouldn't wish this place on anyone."

"What if he screws us over when we're trying to escape?" he shot back.

"I'll kill him myself," she replied, without hesitation, making Riddick's eyes widen in surprise. "Don't look so surprised. I can take care of traitors and deceivers, whether they're my friend or not."

Riddick didn't reply as she stepped in front of him again and slid her arms around his chest. She knew it shocked him, but it was true. If someone who had earned her trust, betrayed her and Riddick, she would kill them, no questions asked. He still stared at her and she couldn't help but snicker at his expression. She'd seen him shocked, but he was speechless at the moment.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd always liked to think that she wouldn't switch from defending to killing so easily, but she'd proven him wrong now. He didn't want that. He didn't want her to be like him, and what she'd just said she would do was very much like him. He gripped her arms and stared at her as she frowned in confusion at the action.

"Don't end up like me," he requested and Deirdra's frown deepened.

"What?" she wondered.

"You said that too easily," he explained. "Don't make killing so easy."

"You think it's easy for me?" she asked with a surprised expression.

"It's getting that way," he observed.

"You're always telling me not to be so soft," she reminded him. "What do you want?"

"Don't be soft, but don't make killing as easy as I make it."

"Well, you don't want much, do you? Be soft but not too soft, is that it?"

Riddick glanced up in thought then replied, "Yes."

Deirdra gave him a bored stare and shoved away from him then said, "I am who I am, Riddick. If I change, let me assure you, you'll have no influence over it. I'll end up however I choose."

"Still like talkin' back to me, do you?" he snarled, yanking her back to him and pulling her against him as he smirked, "It's still hot."

"We still haven't planned out our escape," she reminded him, seeing him lean in for a kiss.

"We'll leave tonight," he murmured, still leaning in. "How's that?"

"That soon?" she breathed, closing her eyes for the kiss.

"What, are you enjoying it here?" he wondered, sarcastically.

"No," she groaned. "Just seems kinda fast. Shouldn't we plan a little bit more before we try to get out?"

"Just follow me and we'll be fine," he replied then raised a hand to grip her arm firmly and her eyes shot open to stare into his again. "Do exactly as I tell you, understand? Don't get cute and do your own thing."

Deirdra only nodded and he wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.

Xenos sat in his cell, slumped over on his bunk as he shook his head in shame at himself, the man with him leaning on the far wall next to him.

"You told him everything about the cameras and the guards?" he asked and Xenos only nodded making him chuckle. "Good. Riddick will get out easily then. And he'll make his move tonight."

"Why do you want him to escape?" Xenos finally asked, facing the man in the shadows. He stepped forward, out of the shadows and shoved his green hair from his sapphire gaze.

"So I can ghost the asshole for killing my brother," Zain grinned evilly. "I've gotten the money for bringing him in. Now, when he escapes, I can kill him and have the money for takin' him in."

Xenos shook his head again and said, "So, you think you'll have your cake and eat it too?"

Zain glared at the man and stepped closer, but Xenos didn't move.

"I will have my cake and eat it too," he argued. "You just make sure he gets to the spot I need him in."

"There's gonna be a problem with that," Xenos said, sitting up and leaning on one knee to face Zain. "Riddick doesn't trust me. He may not even take me along."

"Well, just plant the seed in his head on where to go then," Zain smirked, heading for the cell door. "When's your next break?"

"In four hours," Xenos replied.

"Good," Zain nodded. "You talk to him then. And if he doesn't take you along, I'll take care of you."

"I don't care that much if I get out of here or not," Xenos blurted and Zain couldn't help the frown that came over his brow. "I feel like shit for deceiving that poor girl. I could care less about Riddick but her…" He trailed off in thought then resumed, "I can't let myself get away with lying to her."

"Have a thing for her, do ya?" Zain smirked, leaning on the bars behind him.

"No," Xenos admitted. "I just think of her as a good person…even if she's had to kill to get through life with Riddick."

"How righteous you are," Zain sighed, rolling his eyes. "Just get him to the place I want him if he takes you with him."

"Yes, I know," Xenos groaned. "Just get out of here before he sees you."

Zain raspberried and shook his head with a cocky smirk as he replied, "He's probably too busy screwin' that pretty little girl of his."

Xenos glared at him but he called a guard over and they opened the cell door for him to walk out. Xenos sighed once he was gone and shook his head at himself again. Why was he doing this? If he didn't care about getting out of here, why was he going through with it?

He was doing it because he thought it would just be Riddick. He didn't think Deirdra would be with him after all this time. But, he supposed it was too late now. He'd already got half-way through it, he may as well go all the way. Slumping forward and holding his face in his hand, he shook his head again.

"You're an absolute idiot, Xenos," he told himself.

A/N: ooh! bet you dint see that comin, did ya? lol! reviews?