A/N: Here's another chapter... Hope you enjoy!

Company Arrives.

The three women spent quite a while talking about where to go shopping the next day, looking through the ads that scrolled over one of the news feeds on the vidscreen. Jackie had never been shopping before and was looking forward to the experience. Carolyn was quiet but willing to go along with the other two even if she had little funds to waste on new clothes. It had been a long time since she had any frivolous funds, thanks to the company's ideas about repayment for licensing among other things. Still, she remembered how much she enjoyed going on shopping trips with her ex-lovers even if she had little money to spend so this trip should be fun so long as they avoided getting into trouble.

Meanwhile, the men were looking on the computer station where the system's news text-reels were displaying. The classifieds were their main focus, as Riddick wanted to find a ship as quickly as possible. Ad after ad scrolled by as the two of them scanned for something designed for longer-range travel. Most of the ships they were reading about had all the promise of, well frankly, shit, as far as Riddick was concerned. The locals here seemed to be focused on short-range, flashy, two-seaters with fuel cells that barely put off enough thrust to clear the nebula. He was attempting to avoid grinding his teeth together in annoyance. It wasn't until Imam switched over to the Helion Prime news feeds that ships meant for system-to system travel began to display. Riddick forced himself to relax. The implications were that most of the interstellar commerce traveled through the prime planet in the system. Imam looked over at him as he let out a slow, controlled, breath through his nose. There were more ads, but none for Helion Five. They heard Jack yawn rather loudly from the region of the bed, "Hey, Imam. Maybe we should settle in for the night?"

Abu looked at the women who were all showing signs of needing sleep; "Yes that would be advisable. Perhaps tomorrow we can continue with this while you three purchase some clothing and luggage for all of us. I'll sign a draft for you, Lujjan. And you, too, Carolyn."

"Oh, no, Imam. I couldn't possibly take your money --" Fry started to protest.

"Nonsense. You are family to me, after what we have been through together." Fry at least had the tact to look sheepish at the tone Imam was using. "Go on, get some rest." She smiled and hugged him before leaving the room.

"Thank you," she whispered. The holy man hugged her back and smiled at her.

"Well, then. Good Night, Abu. Lujjan," Riddick said as he drew Jackie back into their room and closed the joining door.

Jackie's face split into a jaw-cracking yawn as she moved toward the bed. Silence followed her for a long moment. Puzzled she turned to look back at the large man still standing by the door. She raised an eyebrow, "Riddick? Somethin' wrong?"

"Um, yeah, Jack. We have to set ground rules." He looked uncomfortable.

She still looked puzzled, "Okay. I've got no problems following your rules. Let me hear 'um." She sat on the edge of the bed and waited.

He slowly moved across the room, nerves sparking in tension that only he seemed to feel. Why was this so hard? It was not like he hadn't taught others to fight before. Of course, this was slightly different. None of the others he'd taught had wormed their way so far under his armor. He cleared his throat and stood in front of the young woman with her golden gaze. Better to just plunge into this, perhaps, "You are going to have to learn how to defend yourself. I'll teach you but promise me that you won't go behind my back." He towered over her with all seriousness.

His first words made her feel a wild joy. He was offering to teach her what he knew about fighting. That was good, right? Then his buried fear that she would betray him sank in. The joy fizzled into white-hot rage. "What? Do you think that I'd betray you?" Jackie found herself suddenly on her feet, her face in his, anger pumping through her blood. "I'd give my fucking life for you. I've killed for you! How dare you even think that I'd turn. How dare you!" At some point her fists began to move on their own, striking out with strength she didn't realize she had.

Her fire took him by surprise. Her attack startled him. He put his hands up to block the blows, "Woah, Jackie! Just a second… Jackie! Fucking stop, right now." He caught her arms up, "Stop. Listen to me. I have to be sure you're with me on this. I have to know whose side you're on. Okay? Take it easy."

"Take it easy? Fuck you! What do I have to do to make you believe me? Defending your ass wasn't enough? What the fuck do you want from me?" She tried to kick at him with her nearly bare feet and succeeded in hitting him on the shin with one of the soft sandals. He was getting the impression now that he'd really pissed her off. It hadn't been his intention. He lifted her off her feet and threw her down onto the bed.

He watched her bounce, the other flip-flop hanging off the toes of her off foot. The dress she wore hid little as it molded itself to her figure. Part of him wanted to become distracted by the lines of her legs, the curves of her hips, and the rage tinged softness of her lips. He pushed it aside, "Maybe I should leave you here."

The words stunned her like a slap across the face. She deflated, the color draining from her like she'd seen a ghost. "But you promised, Riddick. You said you wouldn't."

"Shit changes, Jackie. You are acting like a brat. I don't want a brat. I want the woman I thought you were becoming." He watched her face become hard. "Now are you going to listen to me?" Jackie was hurt that he'd even think it was possible for her to betray him. She was angered and stunned that he'd go back on his word. But he seemed to offer her another chance. She nodded. "Fine. Don't cross me. I will hurt you if you do. There's a limit to how much I'll put up with. Do what I ask you to do, understand? If I tell you to do something there's gonna be a damn good reason for it, and I might not have time to tell you what it is." She nodded again. "And I'm only going to tell you this once. So you better be listening." He leaned in over her and planted his hands to either side of her; meeting her golden eyes with his shimmering silver orbs as the bed shifted and the goggles came off. Jackie shook from the intense look in his eyes, not knowing what it was that she was seeing, only that it was a strong, powerful, emotion. "You are very special, Jack. I don't deserve you." Her eyes filled with tears and her lip quivered. He slid his hands onto her arms and took her hands, "But I need you, babe."

It was as close at he could get to admitting that she was his weak spot, as close as he'd ever get to stating that Chillingsworth was right, and perhaps as close as he'd come to saying that he loved her. Jackie searched his eyes. "I -- " she started and stopped. There were no words that fit how she felt. Nothing seemed to match. The swirl of emotions rose in her soul, anger, fear, desire, and something deeper, older than time itself. He was holding her hands, staring into the depth of her being. How could he not see that she felt so much more than simple need? Why, suddenly, did this become difficult? Frustration built up as the seconds passed with him waiting patiently for her to continue.

She kissed him. Fuck words. She'd show him how she felt. Sensation exploded between them as their mouths met. Passion fueled by his need of her seemed to pale as she sought to make him understand the feelings she had no name for. But for all the emotion invested in the kiss there were no tongues involved. Instead the connection forged in that instant transcended mere physical contact. The touch of their lips led to him letting go of her hands but not her. Then the kiss ended and Jackie was aware of the link between them stretching not breaking. His scent surrounded her. She felt like she was floating. Then she realized that he was holding her tightly with a gentleness she was unaware he was capable of. She'd never hand him hug her like this before, lifting her off the bed slightly and enveloping her in his strength softened by his emotions. She curled her arms around his neck. "I'll never leave you, never. I couldn't even if you pushed me away. I'd follow you, to the ends of the universe, Riddick," she whispered into his neck as the tears began to fall. "Don't make this harder than it already is."

He slowly settled them both down on the bed and still holding her he drifted off to sleep. Jackie stayed there, curled against him, awake but crying, for much longer than she slept. The gulf between them was made of his holding back. There was nothing she could do to force it closed. She could see the chasm in her mind as clearly as she could see his eyes in the darkness. It hurt so badly. She was so close to understanding him, and yet so far away. What was he waiting for? It had to be painful for him too. She leaned back and traced her fingers over his face. There were so many questions in her head all relating to how he was acting. She tried to force her tears back as she followed the line of his brow with her fingers. What would she do if he did leave her here? Would she crumple under the grief? Would she let him go? Could she? She knew it would kill her, to just stay here. She'd have to try to follow him. Her fingers moved over his cheekbone and back to his ear. It was so confusing. How could he be sleeping with the way she felt right now? It was as if her heart had been torn out, squeezed dry, and put back in. Finally she tucked herself back into his embrace and closed her eyes.

She must have finally fallen asleep. "Get up, Jackie." Riddick woke her on a military schedule. Before breakfast they exercised and he began teaching her how to fight. He quickly went over the basics of using an opponent's mass and force against them. Something was tickling his senses in the way that spoke of a lack of time. Even here they were not safe. He showed her the required moves, allowing her to feel out his weak spots for a few moments. "Ready?" he asked her. Jackie just nodded as she centered herself for what she figured was going to be a beating. True to form, his lesson was harsh. The trick she noticed was to be always ready to bend, to roll before being thrown, to make herself small against his onslaught. That worked for a while. Then he changed his tactic and she was forced to exploit the weak areas to make him go down. It was more risky because when she misjudged he managed to knock the wind out of her. "Get up," his manner was just as brisk as the first day he made her do pull-ups. "Keep moving. Never let the enemy know you are hurting."

She nodded as she caught her breath as covertly as possible. They circled and she mentally prepared again for his movement forward. She sent him tumbling a couple of times before he caught her making an error. This time he jarred her to the floor with a blow that could have killed her. Although the fear rose in her being she forced it back and down. 'Fuck you… I've made my choice and you can't chase me off that easy!' she picked herself up off the floor yet again, fully aware of the bruise the landing created on her tailbone. She tightened her jaw and resumed her position. "Good --" his voice rumbled in approval. He knew he was provoking her darkness… making it rise up and target him. It was a dangerous game but one that had to be played. He needed to know if her animal side could be tapped into and molded into a useful form. Jackie learned fast… faster than he thought possible. Finally he told her, "Hit the shower. I'll have breakfast waiting."

Jackie gratefully let him give her an one-armed hug and graced him with a warm, if tired, smile before heading to the bathroom. A shower sounded perfect. She wasted little time stripping and climbing into the spray of warm water. Although she couldn't feel them yet the bruises from his knocking her to the floor several times to illustrate what she was doing wrong were already beginning to color. She'd be sore later. For now, she ignored them and swiftly washed, rinsed and redressed. Jackie walked out, "All done. You want to shower before we eat?" Riddick nodded. He heard Jackie answer the door and take the food from room service while he was in the bathroom. Something about it set off alarms.

He emerged to inspect the tray. There was nothing wrong with the food, so he chalked up his nerves to the delivery boy. "Jack, I want you to be careful. Buy stuff that is tough and functional. Don't bother with skirts and heels. And try to find me a pair of dark wrap-around sunglasses." He handed her a plate of food.

"Boots, pants, tops, underwear?" She asked as she took the offered lean breakfast.

He nodded and started to eat. After a moment he added, "Backpack or duffel. Something roomy but easy to squeeze down small when empty. Maybe some knives? But no guns, got it?"

Jackie started, "Why no guns? Can they be tracked or something?"

"Um, yeah. They can be. There are ways to figure out all kinds of things from a bullet wound."

"It is not like we're going on a killing spree, is it?" She was looking at him with a piece of toast poised halfway to her mouth. He raised his gaze to hers, smiled wickedly, and shook his head. "That's a relief. I need to look at your old boots and pants for size." They finished with the food, all the while both thinking about how nice it was going to be to have new clothes. Riddick was relishing the fact that the duds wouldn't be prison issue for once.

"Hey, on the pants, look for something nice and sturdy. Built to last a while, you know. With pockets," he gave her a kind of pleading expression. He really wanted something with cargo pockets, like the pair of pants she'd been wearing before Johns buried her in mud. "I'd like black."

She laughed. "I know. I noticed a surplus supply store was having a sale," She was digging under the bed for his old boots at the moment. "I was thinking that they might have some really good deals on military grade boots and pants. If all I can find is green then I'll have to dye them later." Her head came up over the edge of the bed and she smiled at him. Within moments she had the information she needed.

The knock at the door prompted him to say, "Go have fun, Jack."

She kissed his cheek, "I'll try." Then she bounced out the door and down the hall with Lujjan and Carolyn. He watched until she reached the elevator before closing the door and knocking on the connecting passage to Imam's room. The pair of them settled down to business. The agenda for the day consisted of checking the remaining news feeds. Riddick still had no intention of going to Helion Prime if he could help it, but they had no luck finding a ship on Helion 5. There were too many options on Helion Prime to count however. It took hours to even start narrowing down the choices.

Riddick was rubbing his face with his hands when the vidphone rang. He moved away from the line of sight before Imam answered it. Someone from the Company was on the other end. The sandy haired individual began a conversation with the holy man that Riddick tuned out off rather on purpose. He noticed it was nearly noon. Imam finished the call and turned to his friend, "I am being asked to return to the spaceport. The Company is asking questions about the cutter."

"Tell them the truth about the Kubla Kahn. Jack hacked the database to reflect that we were captured and held illegally. The cutter is from there, and we 'borrowed' it to escape from Chillingsworth's idea of a good time. Tell them about the illegal gladiatorial pit."

"The truth us likely the best way. Of course if the records on Chillingsworth's ship show that they picked up Marcus Smyth so much the better for you," Imam replied thoughtfully.

Riddick nodded, "Don't worry about that, Jack took care of it. Riddick never survived the crash."

Imam nodded and left. Riddick shut off the computer in the holy man's room and returned to his own. Time began to crawl by. He couldn't rest. The feelings of agitation swirled through him as he fought the urge to scope out the hotel. He finally turned on the vidscreen and watched the news. Everything seemed fine but his nerves until the channel made an odd jerk in the middle of a story. He narrowed his eyes before moving to the window. Perching himself there he begin to go over plans for escape as he waited for Jack to return, his ears telling him that there was something wrong with the news feed as he listened to yesterday's broadcast replay. He hoped she came back soon. He hoped she came back. Butterflies built up in his chest with each minute that passed.

Riddick was prepared for everything to fall apart by the time the three women came back. Surprisingly enough neither Jackie or Fry were overly at ease themselves. They stopped in the hallway talking softly together before Jackie came into the room with a few bags. She tossed them down on the bed and began ripping tags off before stuffing things into a duffel bag. He looked away from the window where he was watching the parking lot. "How was your shopping trip?"

"It was fun, mostly. I got you some pants, new boots, several shirts, socks, and undies. Mostly black or dark brown. Thought you might like something besides a wife beater. Three-quarter sleeves okay?"

"Um. Yeah. Fine," his attention was focused on the lot outside. The news-feeds had cut off about a quarter hour ago before looping. He'd been watching the comings and goings ever since. The computer may have gone down too for all he knew. He sensed Jack double-checking her cash and making sure the purchases were secure. "I hope you got yourself some sensible clothes too." He paused, listening to her discomfort, "Problem, Jack?"

"I spotted a familiar face, Riddick…" He looked over at her and noticed how intensely she was watching him. He waited soundlessly for her to continue. "Mine." He reached toward her and captured her hand. She squeezed his slightly then spilled the rest of it; "Johastein is trying to say I was kidnapped. He's offering a reward." Riddick grunted and drew her into his arms. He made her look down at the parking area where some very nicely dressed men in dark suits were heading to the entrance. She shivered. "Are they Company?" They had to be, which meant someone had tipped Johanstein off. Her heart began to beat faster with the approaching danger. Only on a border world like this could the company sometimes get away with shit they wouldn't try closer to authority. Riddick tightened his grip on her for a moment as he watched the suits disappear through the door.

"Likely. Had a feeling things were too quiet."

Jackie raised an eyebrow, "So, what are we going to do?"

He let go of her. They had to move and move now. "We're not taking that flight to Helion Prime. And we're not staying here." He silently stalked over to the door and put his hand against it. "Go out onto the ledge, Jack." A plan quickly formed and he grabbed a chair to wedge under the doorknob to buy them extra time. "Do it right now. Don't make me waste time here." He moved over and swept the tags off onto the floor and spread the comforter back out before busting out the light bulbs around the room. He listened to Jack as she changed shoes.

She stood for a second and stared at him. They were tens of floors up. A fall from this height would likely kill her. She kicked off the sandals and put her new boots on. She stuffed the shoes in the bag. The screen was already off the window and nowhere in sight. The knock at the door sent her out onto the ledge. It was not overly narrow at the point where the window was. Another knock and Riddick joined her. He pointed for her to walk the length of the balcony. Jackie wasn't sure what to be more scared of, the fall potential, the folks at the door, or the look on Riddick's face. All in all, with the threat he'd made the night before, she figured it would be a good time to just do what he was telling her. They rounded a corner and found themselves at a drainpipe. It blocked the ledge but provided a way up or down. Riddick pointed up. Jackie climbed with the duffel bag slung across one shoulder and her body like a shoulder pack.

Behind them, around the corner, the manager was being forced to open the door to their room. The lock came open easy enough but the chair meant that the suits had to bust the door off the frame to get into the darkened room. The switch on the wall didn't lighten up the situation either. Aside from the clutter around the bed, the ripped undershirt in the trash, the faint crackle of thin glass underfoot in the carpet, and news being on there was no sign that anyone was in the room. The manager slipped away as soon as he could, not comfortable with the manner that the neatly dressed men displayed as they tore apart the room looking for clues as to where the young woman they were after had gone. It didn't take long for them to find the window screen under the bed.

Riddick heard the crackle as the men looking for Jackie opened the window and set off his booby trap. The electronics setup for the news had been rigged to short when the window was opened. The juice flowing through the metal frame was enough to seriously injure many adult men. Riddick figured that if he hurt half of them then Jackie's chances of making off Helion Five would be pretty good. He grinned at the sounds of agony drifting in the evening breeze. Smelled like a good-sized barbecue going on below them. Constantly scanning with his eyes, about 3 floors above theirs he spotted an open window. He silently directed Jackie to it. He was quite proud of how quickly she climbed.

She pushed the screen in and slipped into the room. The lights were off. Various items from the gift shop were scattered about. Riddick came in behind her. "Don't linger." He moved over to the door and peered out. The hallway was empty. The elevators all blinked "out of order". They would have to take the stairs. He turned back to Jackie. She moved up to him and took his hand. "Change out of that stupid dress." She pulled back with a frown. His manner told her not to argue with him. She pulled the dress off and put on pants. Riddick snatched the bag, pulled the sandals out and tossed them aside. He changed into the new pants, tank, and boots she'd bought him before tossing the bag back at her. "Keep the pocket 'puter on you at all times. Can you hack into the fire alarm?"

"Yeah… but-?"

"Do it on a 30 second delay."

She nodded and linked the pocket computer into the hotel's network. Riddick stayed by the door, waiting and watching. Her nimble fingers made short work of finding the correct system. She triggered a cascading alarm failure, setting it to reach critical and begin blaring in 30 seconds. "Okay." Riddick got them into the hall and starting down the stairwell before the alarm went. After another minute people begin to flood the stairs all heading down and out. All they had to do was go with the massive flow of people. Of course things were never as easy as they would have wanted them to be, but the evacuation the false alarm triggered was perfect cover for them getting into the lobby, past the company suits at the door and out into the road beyond. "What about Fry, Imam and Lujjan?" Jackie asked as Riddick pulled her into a darkened side street.

"There's no time. You want to stay away from Johnastein?" Jackie nodded. "Then we'll call them when it's safe." Riddick took her hand and begun leading her further into the gathering darkness, his single goal to put plenty of night between them and the flashing lights of the emergency responders. He went low; searching for pathways that would get them off planet quickly. They wandered the night, moving silently through the back alleys as they circled back to where there were ships to be had.

Near dawn Jack noticed that they had reached the spaceport field by way of the low-cost housing district built behind it. She tugged at him, "Maybe it's not so safe to sneak in with the day coming on, Riddick." He nodded and looked for a place to wait. They ended up in an apartment building basement.

"Stay here. I'll go get some food. You got some money?" Jack smirked at him and passed him a stack of UD's. "Good girl." He kissed her forehead before slipping back out of the building the way he'd gotten them in, through a basement window. She settled down and set her mind to watching the daylight crawl across the floor changing angles as it went. Riddick wasn't gone long as they had seen some quick serve shops as they stealthily crept through the city. She heard him call, "Hey, Jacket, you there?" She moved into sight of where he was crouched. "Catch." He dropped bags of food down to her before slipping back into the basement.

"Um. Real food. Thanks." He chucked at her playful peck on the cheek. They ate in peaceful silence. "Jacket, huh?" He gave her an amused expression and bopped a finger on her nose before letting her settle down into his arms. They passed the day tucked into a darkened corner in a forgotten basement of a rundown housing project. Jack hoped that Imam and Fry were okay.

Riddick seemed to spend the time meditating, but there was no way that Jack could relax enough to follow suit. Finally as night fell, Riddick looked at her, "Babe, want me to call them?" She chewed on her lip and slowly nodded. He brushed his hand over her cheek, "Alright. I'll give them a call from the corner booth. I want to get us some water and perhaps more food. You stay here. I won't be gone long." She nodded. He kissed her forehead again before slipping back out into the night.

Truth be known, there was no way he'd risk staying here any longer than he had to. The news had splashed headlines with a picture of 'Audrey Johanstein' and an artificially aged image that was really quite close to his Jack starting with the late edition. Then the early morning broadcast had a blurry image of Jack from one of the shops. Luckily neither Lujjan nor Carolyn had been with her at the time. He really hated this. Getting back to the shops and buying water and some high calorie snacks was easy enough. Then he called the hotel and got Imam's room on the vidphone. "Mr. Smyth, how nice to see you. How is your nurse working out?" Lujjan answered the call and Abu quickly fluttered in behind her with a worried expression.

"She's fine. Better than fine, really. A great teacher. Worried about you though. How is Fry?" He answered.

"The Company called her back to the spaceport this morning for debriefing. She has not returned. I gave her a ticket to Helion Prime and told her to plead mental exhaustion due to her trials. Look me up when you can, Mr. Smyth," Imam spoke from over Lujjan's shoulder.

Riddick's face tightened at the news about Carolyn. "It's not safe here. I'll contact you again from home. Have a safe trip," with that he cut the connection. He then returned to Jack and they made their way back to the spaceport. He got them through a fence and into the outer field with surprising ease. They scurried through the tall grass until reaching the smaller hangers where the owners of private skiffs rented space. He settled Jackie down near one of the hangers and she put her back against a barrel and waited for what seemed like forever. Just when she'd given up hope that he'd come back he appeared out of the darkness. "Come on. I found a cutter that should make it to New Mecca."

"I thought you didn't want to go there, why change your mind?" Jackie got to her feet.

"We need a long range ship. There are several for sale on Helion Prime. We go where the ships are." He took her hand, "Besides those suits won't have any authority so close to the system capital. You'll be safe there."