Fiona hissed.

Riddick ignored her pain. The knife had left a nasty cut. The flesh was raw, breathing in the fresh air and making everything hurt even more. The edges were an inch apart, her insides showing nicely through the angry cut.

"I'm useless." She grumbled, looking over at the cut. He had cleaned up around the edging, trying to stay away from the tender inside. She bit down and bared it, but the pain was taking away what little energy she had left. She wanted to sleep, curl up right there in the sand and put in a full nights sleep before moving.

"It needs to be completely cleaned out and cauterized." He pulled his goggles from his eyes, handing them to her. "Bite down on these."

She maneuvered the goggles into her mouth, eyes leering at the huge gouge. He didn't hesitate, didn't count out. He didn't give her time to think about it, didn't spare a moment between her bite and the light. He cleaned out the dust from her wound quickly, lined up gunpowder from a bullet and set it ablaze. She let out an ethereal moan from deep inside that resonated in the silence. Her teeth chewed into the durable plastic of his eye protection, the taste of his sweat invading her mouth.

Everyone else was around the skull and down the ribcage, huddled together, preparing for the canyon. The holy man had dropped by to pray but one look from Riddick had directed him on his way back around.

Fiona felt the tears stride their way down her cheeks. She gasped, arm aching triumphantly. Riddick waited no time. He had vanished into the dark a while ago, returning with a bloodied piece of cloth, and he used that to bandage her. She didn't think much of it as he wrapped her arm quickly and tightly in Johns' left behind shirt. Then he was holding her, stopping her from jerking off, trying to keep her steady. She could feel the faint coming on, the faded darkness just in arms reach.

"It'll stop hurting soon enough."

She pulled his goggles out of her mouth, shakily placing them on her leg. She whipped what tears she could from her eyes, leg bouncing from the surge of adrenaline in her system. "We're not all you Riddick."

"I'm only human."

Fiona scoffed at his response. "I'm ready to get off this planet."

"I don't think you're useless." His voice was low. He ran his hand over the makeshift bandage, squeezing down on it to make sure it remained tight. When he saw her tears, eyes squinted shut, he stopped, leaving his warm hand there, hoping to help sooth the pain.

"I didn't think you thought much of me period." She pulled away from his touch, grunting as the muscle in her arm pulled and reminded her almost instantly of the amount of pain she would be in for the rest of the night.

Riddick took his goggles from her leg, placing them off to the side. With complete silence he slid his hands up her thighs, pulling her towards him. He knelt in front of her, drawing her close, diminishing the gap between them to mere inches. She could feel his warmth, his abdomen pressed to hers. His hands didn't stop at her thighs; rather they slid up her sides, fingers dancing over the exposed skin before settling on her waist. She felt a shiver run its course through her body, the pain in her arm subsiding momentarily.

He had never touched her like this. In the years that they had been running, evading all evils at costs, he had never touched her like this.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was shaky. Riddick had dipped his head, presses his lips delicately to her neck. His lips trailed along her dirty skin, leaving a ghost trail that lead over her chin and back down to her throat. She tried to swallow down the feeling inside but it only swelled, growing and growing deep inside her middle. In all the years that she had been alive this feeling was something new. It blanked out all the pain, all the exhaustion, and it only intensified every little cell in her body to him.

"What does it feel like?" His voice was gravel. She could feel his words on her skin, the letters tipping over her collarbone and dipping down over her chest. His lips made feather soft work of kissing every inch, leaving the phantom feeling of their longing behind.

"Riddick." She pulled back so she could look into his eyes, staring into the glowing orbs that beckoned her closer.

"I'm proud of you." His trace of a voice was low key, his eyes wandering all over her face, glancing down from time to time to scan the rest of her body. She thought that maybe she would blush if this had happened years ago, but all the men she ran into these days looked at her like this. It didn't feel the same though, didn't feel the same at all. His eyes weren't looking at a fresh cut, waiting to be diced up and put to work. His eyes weren't waiting for something, demanding something from her, controlling her every move.

His eyes set fire to her skin.

She could feel him drinking her in, pulling every cell into his memory and storing what she was deep inside his mind to think about in the future.

"Come again?"

"Quit being modest. He deserved it."

"I thought you were going to string me up and drag me behind the sled." Her honesty stung, she could see that. His grip grew tighter on her hips and he returned his eyes to her.

"Too much muscle, they wouldn't enjoy feasting on you." He reached up and ran a thumb over her lips. "Besides, I'm not done with you yet." His grin said he was joking but she wasn't quite sure. She didn't get to see this side of him often. They were always on the run, always fighting to hide, to be alone, to survive. He never had time to let the wall down, never had time to drop his guard. On the rare occasion she would wake up in the middle of the night on some distant strange planet, or in the back compartment of a stolen ship; she would wake up in his arms, his warmth keeping her safe, eyes shut, slumber calling out to him too.

She never spoke of those moments. She didn't think he'd enjoy knowing little old her had woken up in his arms while he slumbered.

"I need you to stay strong." He brushed his thumb under her chin, looking down at her lips before returning his eyes to hers. "We're almost out but I need you to stay strong."

"Always."

Her words were enough.

He tipped forward ever so slightly, his lips pressing to hers. They were chapped, dehydrated, scruffy, but she didn't care. Her body flooded with a new sense of hope as he placed his open palm on the back of her head and pulled her closer. He explored her mouth, tongue pushing into corners and edges. He took in the data from the inside out and she moaned when his other hand slipped under her shirt and caressed her stomach. Rough fingers on delicate skin her body was exploding.

"Bruises." He pulled back, fearful.

"Yes and no." She licked her sore lips, grinning up at him.

He had meant the world to her since the beginning of their time. He had been her savior, soon became her friend, and now he was a lifeline. She couldn't define the relationship she had with him but what she could confess was that she would die for him. She was paralyzed with this feeling, his fingers making light work of dusting over her bruises softly, dipping lower and lower, brushing over the edge of her jeans. As his fingers dipped even lower the air caught in her lungs, his fingers gracing just between her thighs.

She hadn't been aroused in a long time. Some sleepless nights in the past had found her hiding in a corner, running her own fingers over herself to get the feeling over with so she could sleep, but the majority of them were surrounded by fear.

"Maybe later huh?" His lips dipped back down to kiss her pulse, a grin on her skin as she whimpered and bucked her hips up towards his fingers.

"Maybe later."

He retracted his hold on her, eyes returning to focus on the situation. She tried to gather herself, her body trembling.

"They'll be waiting, come on."