A/N: new chappie! enjoy!

Chapter 4: Challenge

Vaako dragged his struggling wife down the hall from the throne room by her arm to their chamber.

"Here we are again, Dame Vaako," he ground out, not looking away from his path as he stopped at their door and shoved it open to nearly throw Dame Vaako inside it. He stepped into the room and slammed the door behind him as she spun around to face him. "Here we are…again."

"Yes, here we are," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and lifting a mocking brow. "And why, exactly, are we here now?"

Without a word he marched toward her, gripped her throat and started backing her toward the wall behind her. Dame Vaako gripped at his hand as she choked, her eyes wide as she tried pulling his hand away when her back slammed against the wall. Their eyes were locked with his burning gaze as his hand stayed clamped around her throat and her feet slowly came off the floor. Vaako's other hand went to his belt and slid his knife from its sheath to bring it to her neck, just below his thumb.

"How does it feel, 'my dear' to have a blade to your neck?" he ground out, mockingly. "Does the feeling of cold steel against your skin give you some sort of high that you feel you must share it with the rest of us?"

Dame Vaako only choked out inaudible words, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water and Vaako scoffed before becoming serious again and lowering the knife from her throat. He pulled her toward him so that their faces were inches apart, her eyes wide and starting to flutter shut as he set her feet on the ground again.

"If you even think of going near that harem room again, I will kill you," he growled. "And if Riddick catches you there, I'm sure he'll do the job for me if I am unable."

Vaako finally let her go, shoving her against the wall again as he did and she grunted before sliding to the floor, coughing and wheezing for breath as she held her neck.

"I am tired of you throwing tantrums every time you don't get your way," he growled out at her in a low voice, towering over her as she looked up at him, still coughing. "You are a spoiled, power-hungry bitch that deserves nothing because she does nothing. If you were not my wife or a man, I would have killed you some time ago. You will not control me any longer."

He stepped closer and knelt down to glare into her eyes which were watery from coughing and choking.

"And if I decide to have a mistress, I will have a mistress," he murmured through clenched teeth. "There is not a damn thing you can do about that."

He slowly stood, sheathed his knife and turned to head out the door, but was stopped in his tracks.

"You want to ruin me, don't you?" she screamed and coughed again as Vaako turned, lifting a brow at her.

"Ruin you?" he echoed. "My dear, you've ruined yourself. I have done nothing. You are lucky that Riddick has not decided to cleanse you for your devious mind."

"If you take a mistress, I will be expected to do something about it," she hissed. "I will keep what I kill."

"You will not have the opportunity," he replied and turned to walk out the door, shutting it behind him.

"Vaako!"

He jolted to attention when Riddick boomed his name and marched up to him.

"Follow me," he ordered, passing in front of him and Vaako nodded, obeying the command.

"I've assembled everyone in the throne room, Riddick," Vaako explained.

"Good," he nodded, not looking at him. "Let's get this shit over with, then."

They marched into the throne room, Riddick marching straight to the throne and Vaako stopping just beside it.

"Whoever knows their home planet, step over here," Riddick ordered the crowd, pointing to his right.

Everyone glanced around at each other for a moment before hesitantly doing what they were told, only a sixth of the crowd moving to Riddick's right as Vaako stood in his spot, gazing around at the crowd. Riddick turned his silver gaze to him as he lowered his arm.

"That means you too, Vaako," he amended, causing Vaako to look at him with a slight frown, but he nodded as he met Riddick's gaze.

The Necromonger Commander stepped around the throne, crossing in front of Riddick and stood to his right, his hands behind his back, his head held high. His gaze flicked to the shuffling crowd only for a moment as he noticed a few of the harem women step toward Riddick's right, and he spotted Lenore. She kept her gaze down, unlike the others, an unnatural tameness about her. He'd never known her to be tame at all, and he never knew she had it in her to act as such.

"Alright," Riddick nodded. "All of you who don't know, forgot, or are unsure of where you came from, head to the Quasi-dead chamber while I deal with the rest of these guys."

He waved them off as wide-eyed glances were exchanged among them, and only one was brave enough to step ahead of the crowd to stand before him.

"Lord Marshal," he called, sending Riddick's burning glare at him and he shrunk back only slightly before asking, "What exactly is the purpose of this?"

"First of all, stop calling me Lord Marshal, all of you," he snapped. "Second of all, this is in case you don't have anywhere to go when I tear this whole damn religion down, got it?"

More glances of disbelief were exchanged and Vaako was able to catch Lenore's gaze only for a moment before she looked away again.

"Come on, people!" Riddick barked, making them all jump and shoot their gazes to him. "Move your asses!"

The crowd eventually started heading toward the Quasi-dead chamber as Riddick turned to Vaako and nodded. He gestured, without a word, that the small crowd left move to the center of the room. Lenore stepped forward without hesitation, but some of the others glanced at each other wearily before moving forward. Once in front of Riddick he looked over them and pointed to Lenore, gesturing with a wave of his hand that she step forward. Without looking from the floor, her hands clutched in front of her, she obeyed and took a few steps forward.

"Where are you from?" he demanded.

Lenore's amber gaze flicked to Vaako for a split second before she turned it back to the floor and replied, "A planet in the Canther System called Methos."

"Anyone else from there?" he addressed the crowd but most of them only shook their heads as Lenore glanced around, unsure of what to do.

"I am," Vaako called, causing everyone's gaze to turn to him, including Lenore's.

"Alright," Riddick nodded, then jabbed his thumb in his direction as he looked back at her and said, "Go stand with him then."

Lenore shot a wide-eyed gaze of surprise at him before swallowing and casting her gaze down again as she hesitantly stepped toward the two men. Vaako remained as stoic as ever as she stepped to his left, his green-hazel eyes following her the whole way before she turned to face the crowd as Riddick addressed them as he'd done her. She glanced at him for a split second, neither hearing what Riddick was telling the people he ordered to come forward.

"I'm surprised you confessed," she admitted in a hushed tone so as not to disturb Riddick's questioning.

"I wouldn't have if there were some of our kinsman to stand with you," he replied in the same tone. "I couldn't allow you to stand alone."

"How very kind of you," she smirked, looking up at him and he looked at her with a raised brow of intrigue at her mockery.

She gave a verysmall and quiet chuckle before turning to face ahead again, shifting her hands so that she held them behind her back. Vaako glanced at her once more before stepping a little closer so that their arms were nearly touching and he lowered his hand to tap hers as it stayed clutched behind her back. She glanced at him before lowering her hand as well and allowing him to grasp it, keeping their hands hidden between them. Lenore smiled when he began stroking his thumb over her palm, a comforting gesture he'd often made before they'd become Necromongers, and one she thought he'd forgotten.

"Hey, Vaako," Riddick called, making the two jump and they both realized the small crowd that had been in front of them was now split into even smaller groups. "Where's that bitch you call your wife?"

"I am here."

All eyes shot to the hall to Riddick's left where Dame Vaako emerged, anger burning in her brown, charcoal lined eyes, the click of her heels also reflecting her anger. She stopped in front of Riddick as they all watched her, and Vaako's grip tightened on Lenore's hand

"I am here to call out my husband's mistress," she explained, her head held high as the others around her began murmuring in disbelief.

"Mistress, huh?" Riddick nearly grunted, sitting in the throne behind him. "And who would that be?"

Dame Vaako's burning gaze turned to Lenore who instinctively inched a little closer to Vaako as he still held onto her hand, both their gazes locked on the other woman.

"That one, there," Dame Vaako replied in a hallow tone as she gracefully nodded toward Lenore who swallowed.

"I don' think so," Riddick smirked, sitting back as Dame Vaako's gaze shot to him. "That's one of the harem girls. You think your husband is that stupid to take what's mine? Even if this whole damn religion is gonna be buried soon, those girls are still mine until I say otherwise."

Vaako swallowed this time. He wasn't sure if Riddick knew of their secret rendezvous' or if he was just protecting them, but either way, Vaako was glad Riddick was denying it.

"Well, since the Faith is still established, I invoke the right to keep what I kill," Dame Vaako replied.

At that moment, Damon Vaako didn't care whether or not Riddick, Dame Vaako, or anyone else knew of their relationship as he pulled her completely behind him and lifted his arms to either side of her, ready to protect her.

"Damon-?"

"Hush," he whispered, not taking his gaze off of his wife as she held her head up a bit more, a smirk of triumph over her lips and he felt Lenore's hands come up to rest on his shoulders as she buried her face into his back.

"You know, if I were any other Lord, whatcha-ma-call-it, I would gladly let you do whatever the hell you just said, but since I'm not, you're shit outta luck," Riddick replied, making Dame Vaako shoot a wide-eyed gaze of disbelief as him and Vaako gave a silent sigh of relief. "And since I'm the leader of this little operation, you have to do what I say."

He stood and marched toward her, but she stood her ground as Riddick stopped an inch away from her, and her eyes were wide as he did.

"Do you know where you came from before you became a Necro?" he demanded, his shining gaze burning into her brown one as she swallowed.

"No," she breathed, her wide eyes scanning over her face and he pointed her in the direction she needed to go.

"Quasi-dead chamber," he ordered and she straightened, opening her mouth to argue but she quickly closed it again, her eyes drifting toward Vaako and Lenore.

It's not over, Vaako thought as he saw the look in his wife's eye before she turned and nearly strutted toward the chamber. It won't be over until one of them is dead.

"The rest of you clear out!" Riddick boomed. "We'll be heading out soon. We'll stop at each system as we pass it and drop you off. You don't wanna be there, then pick the place you wanna go to and write it down for me or whatever. Now get out."

Everyone looked around at each other before shuffling away. Vaako and Lenore were about to do the same once everyone was gone, but…

"You two stop right there," Riddick ground out, making the couple freeze as Lenore now stood next to Vaako and the Furyan turned to march toward them.

Vaako pulled Lenore behind him again, but Riddick shoved him effortlessly away, making Lenore gasp before Riddick pinned her to the wall, his hands gripping hers. Vaako charged Riddick and tackled him around the waist, causing the larger man to let go of Lenore as they were both sent to the ground behind the Lord Marshal's throne. Vaako straddled Riddick's knees, gripped the collar of his armor and reared back a fist to punch him but he was stopped.

"Damon! Don't!"

He froze, glaring at Riddick who only glared back with his animalistic shined eyes and after another moment, the commander lowered his fist, shoved him away by his collar and slowly stood, breathing heavily from the attack as Lenore hurried to his side and gripped his arm to pull him away. Riddick only smirked and stood, neither man taking their gaze off the other.

"You've really got somethin' for her, don't ya, Mr. Mohawk?" he smirked, and Vaako's glare only burned hotter. "Don't worry. I won't tell Dame Bitch. I like seeing her pissed. It makes me happy."

"I honestly didn't believe you knew the word, Riddick," Vaako shot back, making Riddick give out a bark of laughter.

"Startin' to bite back a little, huh?" Riddick continued smirking. "I like it. Keep it up."

With that, he turned and headed out, calling, "Let's get this Freak Show on the road, Vaako. Head us toward the next planet you guys wrecked."

The couple watched him walk away before Lenore turned Vaako to face her and gripped his arms.

"Are you mad?" she hissed, making him frown at her. "He could have killed you!"

"If he had hurt you he would have succeeded before I even attacked!" Vaako hissed, and Lenore turned her gaze away as he sighed, trying to calm himself. "Speaking of which, did he hurt you at all?"

"No," she murmured, lowering her hands from his arms and turning to hug them to herself. "I'm not even sure what his goal was."

"To get me riled," Vaako blurted, shooting Lenore's gaze to him. "And it worked."

Lenore smiled sweetly as he only stood silent again and she quickly glanced around to make sure they were alone before stepping close and slipping her arms around his chest, her head resting upon it to hear his heartbeat quickening.

"I'm flattered," she murmured as his arms rested around her.

"Don't be," he retorted. "It was a reflex."

Lenore pursed her lips and slapped her hand on his back, making him chuckle slightly before he pulled her a little closer.

"We'll need to tell Riddick we want to go somewhere else," he reminded her and she nodded before they both pulled away.

"You can tell him," she advised. "You're closer as a commander."

"Where will go?"

"Pick the destination, Damon," Lenore smiled. "It doesn't matter to me where we go, as long as I'm with you."

Vaako gave a smirk before quickly glancing around and leaning toward her to press his lips to hers, tenderly. A second later he pulled away and they slid from each other's arms as Vaako headed after Riddick, and Lenore headed for the harem chamber.

A/N: reviews?