A/N

This chapter … the text in Italic … is for everybody who wonders how they passed time between 'Defiant' and 'Still Defiant'.

XIII.

Riddick had decided that Ronson would go back his own ship, even if that meant that he and Sam would reach Furya much later. It didn't really matter and they couldn't forego that ship; they already didn't have enough of them. He would imprison that little bastard until they arrived; sooner or later he'd die anyways. That is if he was able to not kill him on the spot to satisfy his thirst for revenge and to give those an example thinking about something like betrayal. But that would mean breaking his own rules and he wanted to avoid that; Furya was home and he intended to live there someday.

He had tried to hail Furya countless times but each time the computer told him that it wasn't possible. He ran scan after scan and all he learned was that it wasn't the Defiant's fault; he had to reduce his travel time at all costs.

Hope had shown him how to manipulate the core to give a 110 in case of an emergency but she also had warned him that it wouldn't be gentle neither to the core nor to the warp nacelles and it would stress the hull integrity to its boundaries. But if that wasn't an emergency than what would qualify as one? As long as the long range com didn't work he couldn't warn her; he didn't want to imagine what could happen, he had to have faith that she was able to protect herself. After all that boy wasn't a real treat for her … he was nothing compared to Simmons; his only advantage was that she didn't know him being the enemy. But she was clever; most likely she had figured it out herself by now. And she wasn't alone there; he knew that Carlos and Tyr would watch over her although he hadn't asked them to. Not to forget Pooh; she had wrapped that hound around her finger. Like him.

He stood up and went to the engine room to check on the core: He was antsy, he had to keep himself busy and so afterwards he started to rummage through the ship. He rearranged the crates with the spare parts for the ship and the backpack from Sinus fell into his hands. There was still something in it and he opened it to have a look. A framed picture of two laughing women appeared … his beautiful Hope and that other woman, Rhonda. What a bitch ...

… They were on their way to pick up a Furyan in the Medrow sector when they had that malfunction in the life support systems; the atmospheric controls didn't work and they would have run out of fresh air before Hope was done with the repairs. They were near a planet and they managed to land before the situation got critical but Hope had decided that she would have to check the whole system before they could take off again. The problem turned out to be minor but it took her three days to recalibrate everything and after that he thought she would be happy about a day off the ship. A while ago she had cursed her boots pinching her and it was a good opportunity to get her a new pair.

They went through the little town like two 'normal' people; they were that far away from everywhere that he didn't suspect to get recognized and their fake IDs were great. He wore the special contact lens she had made for him but just used when absolutely necessary; although they filtered the light better than his goggles he didn't like them coz they applied too much pressure on his hyper sensitive eyes but they made his disguise just perfect. He had to admit that he enjoyed that day; it felt so damn good to act like a normal couple, even more seeing her joy about a day spent like everybody else did. It didn't take long to buy new boots and then she found that little antique book store. He just raised a brow at the sight of it, causing her to laugh.

"I just can't help it! Books seem to have a special gravity to me. Lots of tiny black holes drawing me towards them." she joked. "Do we have time to have a look?"

And of course he obliged. Who could resist that smile, those eyes? He definitely couldn't. She had left everything behind on Sinus and hadn't complained once; she more than deserved a few new books. He draw her to him and wrapped his arms around her. "I may even carry them for you if you are a good girl" he whispered and kissed her right below her ear; her smile and the way she molded against him promised him the special kind of thank you he'd gladly die for.

She had looked like a kid in a cookie store when she caught sight of the shelves cramped with uncountable old books and she instantly started to rummage through them. He had a look himself after making sure that the shop was empty except for them and the old, white haired man napping behind the register and looking himself possibly older than his own books, but kept a watchful eye on the door.

He wasn't overly alarmed when that woman entered the store but he stayed behind a shelf and made sure that he didn't lose sight of her. He was more than surprised when he heard simultaneously shrieks: "Hope!" "Rhonda!" 'Shit!'

At first the two women talked at the same time and that fast they were hardly to understand. Hope had told him about a Rhonda, her best friend on Sinus. He couldn't help it but he didn't like that woman; she had something false on her. He stayed behind the shelf, ready to take action if necessary and listened:

"Hope, my god, you are alive! I can't believe it! I thought that bastard had killed you! I've been so worried! How did you escape? Where is he? He isn't near, is he? I can't believe that I've found you!

They hugged each other and Hope didn't seem to hear the undertone in that woman's voice … but he did; and he didn't like it at all.

"Oh, Ronda, I'm so glad to see you. You look great. What are you doing here that far from Sinus?"

'Well done, babe, don't give away any information.'

"I've been to that symposium with Carl and then I came here for some holiday. It's been a tough time after you left and I needed some downtime." She paused or a moment, studied Hope's face. "Come on now, let's go, I'll take you home." and tried to yank Hope out of the store.

"Rhonda, wait! I'm fine! I didn't run from him, I'm with him on my own will."

That caused Rhonda to stop and stare at her. "Hope, come on. You don't know what you are saying; you've been way too long under his sway. They know how manipulative he is, the word 'Stockholm syndrome' felt more than once. You are completely off the hook when you come back. The worst that could happen to you is some counseling. Hope, I know you want to go back, that's no life you are leading. Always on the run. And look at your clothes and your hair ... you look like shit."

Riddick had to restrain himself to stay hidden and to not choke that woman. How dare she say something like that? Hope was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen!

"Rhonda, Stockholm isn't working with me; I volunteered to help him, he didn't even ask for help."

"Christ, Hope, what's wrong with you? You could have had each man you'd have wanted and you settle for HIM? You had the perfect life and left everything behind for that scum?"

Riddick had to suppress a grin; he could sense the anger surging within Hope.

Hope didn't mind when Rhonda told her she'd look like shit; cargos, a tank top and boots were not everyone's cup of tea and surely not Rhonda's, but nobody was allowed to call Riddick scum. "I don't want any other man, I want him. And in no way he is scum!"

"You can't be serious! You have a bounty on your head; is that what you wanted for your life? Leave him, I know you can come back. They'll forgive you coz they need you. No one at Compsyn is as brilliant as you are, they didn't make any progress with the core or the cloaking device since you left. Come back. Everything will be like before. Remember how much fun we had, how much you loved your work? Remember your garden, your apartment. You even got promoted!"

Riddick had heard enough; that woman was seriously trying to talk Hope into leaving him; compared to the life she was leading now going back to that perfect life of her past really sounded tempting. He stepped around the shelf, causing Rhonda to gasp. He didn't even look at her, he was completely concentrated on Hope.

"Babe, you have to decide and better be quick; I want out of here before we are drawing attention. If you want to come with me we have to leave now."

"Hope, he is manipulating you again, he'll kill you after he's done with you. He is a killer, he has no feelings. Or did he just once tell you that he loves you?" Rhonda had seen Hope's glance at Riddick. "No! See!" She cried out in triumph.

"Babe, are you with me? Decide!"

Hope was temped to cry 'stop'. Both of them were talking at her and she felt like they would start to tear her apart at any moment.

"Rhonda, I'm sorry. I don't want to go back. Ever. I like my life the way it is. I want to stay with him." There had never been a doubt where and with whom she wanted to be.

Rhonda's face changed from worried and friendly to a mask of hate in a split second. "Do you really think I'll let you go just like that? You should rot in slam like the thug you are with and I'll make sure it will happen!"

"Rhonda, you've been my best friend! Of all people I thought you'd understand!" Hope was more than shocked about Rhonda's sudden change of behavior.

"Understand what? You abandoning me? We've never been good enough for you. You never socialized with the others. Always thought you'd be something better! I've never been your friend; I always knew you'd make it in the upper management and I knew you'd be loyal and take me with you. You've been good for my career, nothing else." Rhonda spit at Hope. "I'll celebrate the day they bring you to slam and I hope you'll die there. You have ruined everything for me. It's been a witch hunt when you left; they even suspected me to know something. You can't believe what I had to do to get them to trust me again. I'm working for Carl now and you know what a pervert he is. I hate you!"

Riddick had stepped closer to Hope. "Babe, grab your books. Let's go." His voice was low and calm and in complete contrast to his feelings.

His hand on her shoulder gave her enough strength not to break out in tears. She was surprised that he let Rhonda's behavior slide but was too beaten to ask him; she just nodded her head and went to pay for her books.

Riddick's wordless glare let Rhonda tremble. She was nearly sure he wouldn't kill her in the shop but as soon as she got out of it she was in danger. She intended to alarm the authorities the second the two of them were out of sight; she'd get that reward and the revenge.

Riddick's voice growled deep in his gorge and he knew that bitch was short of wetting her pants. "You are already dead." he whispered in her ear and turned to follow Hope out of the store.

"Babe, I want you to go back to the ship. Be aware of your surroundings and be careful. We take off as soon as I'm there."

Hope knew what he was going to do without having to tell her. "Riddick, she is my friend!"

"Babe, she never was. She informs the authorities as soon as we are out of sight and we can't take that risk. Now turn around and go to the ship, you know it has to be done."

He never had killed a woman before, hated to be forced to do it but it was too dangerous to let Rhoda get away. Less than ten minutes later that bitch was dead and he had made sure she knew what mistake it had been to hurt Hope and to threaten them; she hadn't been able to inform the authorities about them before.

The ship was ready for take off when he joined her in the cockpit. She didn't say a word and he was positive that she was angry with him for killing Rhonda; after all she'd seen her as her friend. He didn't even have the slightest remorse for ghosting that skank; he'd do it again but he had killed someone she knew and cared for and maybe for the first time she saw him as the killer he was.

He had respected her silence, her being lost in thoughts and had went to their room to give her some privacy; he was staring outside the tiny window and mulling over what she was possibly thinking. When she finally joined him he could sense her consternation and he remained with his back to her, his shoulders tense, waiting for her to talk to him.

She stepped behind him, circling his waist with her arms and resting her forehead on his back; not what he had thought she'd do but who was he to complain? They stayed there for minutes in utter silence; he didn't know what he expected her to say but in no way it was what he then heard from her.

"Riddick, I'm sorry." she whispered.

What?! She leaned with her full weight against him and he got the hint not to turn around. "Babe, I can't think of anything you've done wrong". He didn't get it; why did she apologize?

"I've got us into this mess. If I wouldn't have insisted to go into that store you wouldn't have been forced to kill her. It was my fault."

He shook his head. "That's what you've been mulling over? I thought you'd be mad with me for killing her. Hope, we really should work on our communication skills."

To feel her warm breath between his shoulder blades through the fabric of his shirt sent shivers through him; feeling her breasts pressed firmly against his back made his cock twitch.

He couldn't suppress a groan when her hands crept under his shirt, her fingertips dancing over his sides while pushing it up to his shoulders and over his head. She kissed her way up his spine in the process, nibbled the outer rim of his ear and then caressed it with her tongue. All that mattered now was to get her naked and under him … talking was completely overrated anyways.

However, as it transpired there were some skills they definitely didn't have to work on …