Everyone gathered around the cutting torch trying to stay as much within the circle of light as they could. Johns and Caroline started arguing immediately when Caroline suggested they run for it, with as much light as they could. It was a pretty entertaining argument to say the least until Johns used Jack to hide his own fear. Jo sidled up next to Jack and put her arm around her.

"Don't worry kid. We're gonna make it" Jo hoped she was being honest, the look in Jack's eyes betrayed the fact she didn't believe her. Jo was so engrossed in comforting Jack that she had only half heard what was going on between Johns and Caroline, but when Johns jumped up and Riddick jumped forward; Johns put the shotgun to his head Jo nearly felt her heart leap out of her chest and barely contained herself from jumping up and throwing herself in front of Riddick, fortunately she just managed to look startled like everyone else. Then she heard a faint tapping noise and could see where Riddick had a shiv laying right next to John's groin ready to take out what little manhood he had. Jo quickly hid the smirk on her face when Johns was forced to sit; Riddick noticed it though and gave a little smirk of his own right back to her. This was turning out to be such a pleasant adventure.

So it came down to Caroline's plan, they were going to grab as much light as they could and then haul ass back to the settlement and get everyone piled on the skiff. It sounded easy enough, if you didn't consider the hundreds; possibly thousands, of carnivorous creatures waiting to eat them whole. And to add on top of all of that… Riddick was the one that was going to lead them.

Jo had complete faith in Riddick to get her to the skiff, or so she hoped, but she wasn't sure about the rest. It was no rumor that Riddick didn't trust people and would never go out of his way to help anyone. He never had been a hero; Riddick was a loner and it took a really long time to get even somewhat on his good side, and if you were on his bad side… well you might as well put a shiv to your throat and end it yourself.

Jo had been lucky as a child to have made it on to his good side before he had such a lack of distrust. It also helped out that Jo had given him shelter countless times when the old drunken owner of the orphanage would beat the shit out of him. She never knew how Riddick survived; maybe he just had a knack for escape. He had been made into what he was today by the way he grew up; he wasn't always like this either he'd once had aspirations about going into the military. It wasn't til that old sonuvabitch put his hands on one too many kids and Riddick had finally been of a size he could do something about it that he'd finally snapped. Jo had seen him that night, he'd come to her house like he did so many times before, he told her what happened, and she had convinced him to tell the police the truth. Whole lotta good that did, they just said it would have been reported sooner if it were true the old codger beat the kids, so they said Riddick was just a another delinquent youth, he was sentenced to a life in prison. Jo would never forget the look in Riddick's eyes as the police took him away. It wasn't accusing or angry, it was sad like he was upset that he was never gonna see her again. That look is the reason Jo helped Riddick escape the first time. Riddick could easily get out of any chains, but getting out of the prison was more difficult, that's why Jo got into stripping. One night she managed to meet the right person, a prison transport driver, who for a price and a little extra would forge up transportation documents to take Riddick out, then he'd let him go his merry way using the old "knock-me-out" trick. Finally Jo relayed the plans to Riddick during one of their visitation days, unfortunately when Riddick had asked how she'd managed this she'd told him… everything. So when the time came for the old "knock-me-out" Riddick put a shiv through the mans throat, and thus became the notorious killer he is today. There was only one major fight Riddick and Jo had ever had and it was over the choices they'd made then. Jo felt if she'd just told Riddick to run on the first night everything would be okay, Riddick felt that if he'd just kept a cool head things would've been fine. Jo never shook the feeling of failing him and she knew that no matter what happened in the next few hours she would get Riddick out of here alive and somehow Johns had to die here.

Finally when everyone had agreed to the ridiculous idea, they headed back outside into the pitch black to grab whatever light they could and to get the power cells, which they would have to drag behind them. Oh yea, great fuckin' plan Jo thought as she climbed out of the ship in the middle of the group, but there was really no other choice. They came up to the other part of the ship and Caroline had Riddick check first to see if any creatures were lurking about.

Riddick stared into the wreckage. "Looks clear"

Johns walked up first holding his big gun out, when suddenly a creature flew out and soared over head. It seemed much bigger than the small ones they had seen earlier. Everyone dove out of the way.

"You said clear" Johns yelled from where he was laying on his back.

"I said looks clear"

"Well what does it look like now?"

"Looks clear" Riddick shrugged.

Sick bastard Jo climbed on board with everyone else to try and find anything that put off any kind of light. Johns found her nearly by herself and pulled her close to him.

"Look I want you to stay close, we may end up having to cut some people off if we're gonna make it, you understand"

"Yea… yea I got it"

"Good girl" and he gave her butt a pat. She almost wrapped the cables she had pulled out around his neck.

With that he walked away and headed to collect the rest of the power cells. Suddenly Riddick materialized out of no where in front of her, it startled Jo and she tried to keep from shrieking out loud.

"I swear Riddick if you pop out of the darkness at me one more time, I'm going to hurt you… and. I. Mean. It." She said through clenched teeth.

Riddick gave a small chuckle "I'd like to see you try, and I mean that. I'd really like it"

"What do you want?"

"Follow my lead; it's gonna be hell out there, unless you think Johns has a better chance at protecting you."

Jo looked up and gave him the most incredulous are-you-serious stare ever.

"Alright princess, don't get so defensive, just making sure you still trust me" Riddick went to walk away, but Jo grabbed his arm quickly then let it go.

"Riddick. You know that I will always trust you, and I know that you're the only one who can get me out. But if you could also try to save the kid too, he's grown on me."

"You mean she"

"Yea fine she" It didn't surprise her that Riddick had also figured out Jack's secret. "If it comes down to me or the kid, take the kid"

Riddick scoffed at her. "You can't really…"

"I mean it Riddick, I don't want that kid hurt!"

Riddick sighed and ran a hand over his head. "Fine I'll try, but no guarantees. The kids bleeding, they'll be going after her"

Jo gasped and looked around behind her to try and find Jack, thinking that suddenly a creature had come while she was gone and snatched her away. Jo felt a hand on her shoulder turn her towards the interior of the ship where Jack was collecting lights with everyone else. She turned back and nodded at Riddick, who leaned out of the shadows for just a second to lay a kiss on her cheek then again he was gone.

"Creepy bastard" Jo said to herself when she thought he had moved on.

"Heard that" the shadows called to her.

With a grunt and a sigh Jo stomped off to help Jack with lights and stay as close to the little boy/girl as much as possible. This was going to be the longest trek they'd ever endured.

When Riddick had seen Johns tap Jo's butt he had known then and there that no matter what happened Johns was not making it off this planet alive, he was lucky he even made it a second past that little gesture. Only the thought of Jo being in the crossfire had stopped Riddick from making a move. He was going to do whatever it took, to get Jo off this planet; he'd spent so long without her. Everyday since he first went to her house after he'd killed the orphanage owner he'd loved her and he was just now admitting it to himself. He'd gone to her not with regret, or remorse about what he'd done but he had been filled with an overwhelming dread that she'd hate him for what he'd done that she'd be disgusted with him. He'd sat in her room for hours with his head in his hands before telling her what he'd done and when he expected her to tell him to leave and never come back she'd come over and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She told him everything would be ok, she convinced him to go to the police in the morning. Riddick had known that the police wouldn't believe him but he didn't want to see her hope for him or for the world to fade so he went along with it. They'd lost their virginities to each other that night; it was the night before both of them would have to forcefully grow up and accept the world they lived in. The next morning Riddick had gone to the cops and as he expected they incarcerated him on the spot. As they led him out of the court room, he'd watched Jo's face she had been crying and screaming, trying to push past the guards to get to him. He was never angry with her, he had been sad because he knew that he had gotten to see bliss and now it was crumbling around him and so was her perfect view of the world. When she first came to visit him in prison she'd told him how she'd moved out, her parents had seen Riddick's imprisonment as a good thing; they had never liked him being around their daughter. She'd gotten into a huge fight and then cut all ties to them, but she had started stripping to make ends meet and hoping to meet the right person to help Riddick escape. He had told her numerous times not to help him and to get out of that profession. She persisted though and finally found the right guy, she'd told him everything about how she'd gotten the guy to help, and it had made Riddick's blood boil. He agreed to the escape partly because he hated prison and wanted to be free even if it meant running and hiding, but also because he knew he was going to kill again. Jo had promised herself as a means of payment for the transporters help, and Riddick wasn't going to allow that to happen so he killed him. He'd met up with her and they had a huge fight about it and everything that had happened, they parted hating each other. So Riddick had run and kept on killing if he had to, finally after he'd had his eyes shined and he'd escaped the double max prison he went back to see her. He had planned on just going into the strip club she was still working at and watching from afar. Apparently though several of the people he had once been friends with also worked at the club, one his old friends who had now become a drag queen spotted him and let Jo know he was there. Later a napkin came by with an address on it and a note that said You better show. So he had gone to her apartment after she'd left. When he finally saw her face to face he'd expected her to hit him to yell at him and throw him out of her life again. But again she surprised him by running and leaping into his arms, they spent the night having sex and apologizing for everything. That's when their little trysts began; Riddick still had to run but every few months or so he would show back up just for a night to be with her.

He'd always told himself that they were just friends and it was just because they had a history that was the reason he always came back, but as Riddick watched her now he knew his own life depended on her getting off this planet with him.