Show Me Your Eyes (Part 9)

Tater Chip Girl

Fry leveled out the skiff somewhere above the atmosphere and started cruising past the wide, rocky asteroid rings of the neighboring planet. Pounded into exhaustion by blood, death and terror, the wet, bedraggled survivors rode in silence. None of them knew what to say. But while their tongues were still, their minds were not.

Jack's gut lurched with fear as she wondered what these adults were going to do with her, where they'd dump her off for someone else to take care of. That's what they always did, right?

Imam closed his eyes and pictured the faces of his dead sons - two of them had not even received a proper burial. They would never see New Mecca. Widowed for five years now, he had no one on Earth to go back to. Everything has a purpose under Allah, he reminded himself, even pain such as this. He hoped he could make himself believe that.

Shazza was simply numb. She had nothing to worry about, really - she had some good connections, and huge bank accounts hidden away that would see to her every need.

Every need but one.

A tiny tear escaped one eye as she remembered Zeke's playful wink when he stepped into his cryotube for the flight. Now the man with whom she'd spent the last eight years of her life was only a bloodstained pile of bones somewhere beneath the sandy crust of an alien world, food for some reptilian horror. The reality of it hadn't hit yet; when it did, she intended to have a nice big bottle of her favorite whiskey on hand.

So long had their hearts been entwined, it seemed unthinkable that she could open hers to anyone else. But then, life was full of surprises, as she was being forced to admit even now, in the midst of her grief. She turned her eyes to the front of the skiff, where Fry and Riddick sat in silence.

I'm a murderer, thought Fry. These people are here now only because Owens kept me from killing them. Even Riddick.

She stiffened when she thought of him, and how he'd tried - and failed - to end her life only minutes before. What had been *his* Owens? What had kept him from simply plunging the knife into her and taking off? More importantly, how had she been so certain he wouldn't do it?

In her mind, she was suddenly on her back in the rain again with Riddick bent over her, his body rigid, his jaw clenched as though he struggled to lift a great weight instead of the knife he held motionless above her heart. She'd handed him her life - even invited him to finish her - yet here she was.

Here they *all* were.

In little less than a day, the life she'd known had been knocked over and spilled out, leaving her an empty vessel that was quickly refilling with things she never would have imagined. She'd arrived on that alien world as Docking Pilot Carolyn Fry, and left it as - what?

I don't know, she thought. But I'm his now, and he knows it. He knows I'll do anything for him, follow him anywhere. What the hell's happened to me?

Riddick looked away from the window and glanced over at Fry's thoughtful face. Where is she right now? he wondered. For that matter, where the hell am *I*?

He returned his gaze to the stars and planets, wishing he had something more to occupy him. The last thing he wanted right now was to be lost in thought, given what he had to think about. He had some hard truths of his own to face, and he was none too eager to take them on right now.

One of those truths sat right across from him.

In the last few hours, she'd effortlessly ripped him wide open and rearranged everything inside him. She was still doing it, even sitting quietly in her chair. He couldn't escape the feeling they'd been pierced and sewn together by threads of fire that plunged deep, pulling into contact with a sweet, sharp pain those things inside them that never should have touched.

Looking over at her again, he saw that she was shivering as her cooling, rain-soaked clothing clung to her body and she came down from the adrenaline rush of danger. He was feeling a bit chilly himself, so he unbuckled his harness and went to the back to find something to wrap up in. The others were way ahead of him - Shazza was wrapping Jack in a dark green blanket as Imam pulled a pillow from one of the strapped-in bundles of bedding.

Riddick found a couple of fairly nice quilted sleeping bags and pulled them out, along with some dusty-smelling pillows.

"Where are we going?" Shazza asked him.

"I dunno," he said, digging around for a blanket.

"Well, we better figure something out soon," she pressed. "What about a shipping lane, Sol-Track maybe? Someone'll find us and pick us up."

"We can't do that," said Fry, coming up behind Riddick. She was shivering harder now, and had her arms wrapped around herself. "We could run into a merc ship or a prison transport, and someone might recognize Riddick. Even if they don't, one look at his eyes will make them suspicious."

Riddick shook out a soft grey blanket, turned around and held it open for Carolyn.

"Thanks," she said through chattering teeth, stepping forward and allowing him to drape it over her.

"Well, *what* then?" asked Shazza. "We can't just drift around out here forever."

"What about New Mecca?" Imam moved to stand beside them. "It is not in a shipping lane, but transports still go there. Finding one should be an easy matter for any who do not wish to stay." His eyes went to Riddick. "It is also a good place for those who wish to start a new life."

Fry turned and went to the front, trailed by her blanket-draped companions, who huddled close behind her as she punched her search into the console. They waited as the computer ran through a series of star charts, finally stopping on one, a bright dot blinking in its center.

"Okay...that's New Mecca," said Fry, tapping the screen, then looking out the window and scanning the stars. "If I'm reading this correctly, then it should be right...about...there." She jabbed her finger at a big, shiny orb hovering on the far left side of the window, and everyone craned their necks to see.

Riddick walked up to stand at the rear of the group. "That's it. How long to get there?"

Fry looked back down at the console, holding her blanket closed with one hand as she pushed buttons with the other, plotting a test course on the nav computer. "Looks like about...four days at our current speed."

"four days..." mused Shazza, gazing out at the bright planet. "Do we have enough fuel for that?"

"We should," Fry answered. "We've got the five cells we're running now, plus seven more. We can run without lights to conserve fuel, just to be safe."

Shazza nodded. "Good idea."

Fry turned from the console to face the group. "Okay, so we're all in agreement here? New Mecca?" She looked from face to face, waiting for a response.

"No problem here," said Shazza.

Imam simply nodded.

"Yeah, sure," said Jack, swallowing hard. I hope they have nice orphanages, she thought.

"Riddick?" Fry searched his face.

"Works for me." He pulled a blanket over his shoulders, stepped past them and sat back down in the copilot's chair, pushing it as far back from the console as it would go.

Fry took her seat again and entered their new course, then leaned back and snuggled into her blanket. "You guys should try to get some sleep," she said, yawning. "I'll take first watch. Let me know when you're all settled in, and I'll kill the lights."

The others went to the back, and she and Riddick listened to a flurry of sleeping bag zippers, bedding being shaken out, and pillows being fluffed as they built a soft nest near the low, soothing rumble of the engines.

"Ready," Shazza called when they'd all bedded down, and Fry hit the switches that turned off all the interior lights, leaving them in darkness broken only by the tiny colored lights and indicators blinking on the walls and console. This darkness was cozy and embracing, unlike the lost, cavernous, exposed feeling they'd had while running about on the planet's surface with their weak little flames in the impenetrable blackness.

Fry pulled her blanket closer around herself and looked over at Riddick, who was stretched out in his chair, head tilted back, looking out the window. "You should go to sleep too," she told him. "You prob'ly need it more than any of us."

"Can't sleep," he said back, crossing his ankles and settling himself in further. "You go ahead."

She shook her head and yawned again. "I can't sleep either." Not by myself, she added silently.

Riddick continued staring out the window. "Guess you'll have company, then."

Fry dared another glance in his direction. His profile was barely visible in the shadows now that their course change had turned them away from the triple suns, but she caught occasional glints from his silvered eyes when he blinked.

If they only knew, she thought. They'd never believe the things that have happened between us. Hell, I can't believe them myself. I wonder what he's thinking right now?

I wonder what she's thinking right now, thought Riddick, and turned to look at Carolyn. She was staring right at him, but shifted her eyes away quickly when she noticed him staring back. His gut leaped with a tiny thrill, like a schoolboy who finds his secret crush turned around in her desk smiling at him.

His mind zoomed back to their time alone in the skiff, to that moment when she'd laid her hands on his shoulders with the lightest of touches, and he'd found himself on his knees like a supplicant before her. He closed his eyes and tensed with the memory, his hands unconsciously balling into fists as he gripped the edges of his blanket. Right now he wanted more than anything to get back on his knees and go to her, lay his head in her lap like a child and say Please touch me.

Fry was no longer shivering. She leaned her cheek into the softness of the grey blanket, breathing in its dry, dust-baked scent, wondering which of the long-dead settlers had last used it. Had a mother cradled her child in it? Had happy, exhausted lovers fallen asleep under it?

Predictably, this thought led her to Riddick. Every thought did, eventually. She fought the urge to get up and go to him. Probably the last thing he wants right now, she thought. But I want it. I *need* it. She shuddered, imagining his big arms engulfing her, his warm breath by her ear.

Just go - just get up and go over there, she told herself. What's he gonna do - tell you to fuck off? To her amazement, she found herself suddenly on her feet. She forced herself to remain still and pretend to look at the indicators on the console in front of her.

A series of rustling noises came from Riddick's direction as he shifted in his chair. "Change your mind?"

"Huh?" She whipped her head around, surprised to hear him speak.

He shifted again, stretching and sitting up to look at her. "If you wanna get some sleep, I'll take the watch. I laid out some sleeping bags."

"Uh...no," she answered, a bit too nervously. "Just, uh - stretching my legs." She turned back to the console, pretending to study readouts again, and heard him get up and walk over to stand beside her.

"How's it lookin'?" he asked her.

"Good," she said, swallowing hard when she realized how close he was standing. "No problems so far, looks like smooth sailing."

Riddick didn't move or speak, just stood quietly beside her. She continued staring blindly at the console, wondering how much longer she could pretend to be busy.

"You goin' to sleep?" she asked him, not knowing what else to say.

"No." His voice was a whisper now. He still didn't move. C'mon, Carolyn, he begged her silently. I'm right here. Just one step closer...

She finally dared to look up and meet his eyes. In the dark, she couldn't really see his expression, but he didn't look away, and that was enough to make her act. Still holding her blanket with both hands, she took that one step, closing the space between them, and leaned her head forward to rest lightly on his chest.

Riddick shut his eyes and took a slow, deep breath - could she feel his heart pounding? In slow motion, he opened his arms and folded her protectively into his blanket with him, almost jumping when he felt her arms slide around him. He tightened his grip on her, to keep her blanket from falling, he told himself - but he knew better.

They lost track of how long they stood there like that, hardly able to believe they were touching again. Unlike the first time they'd held each other, there was no one waiting for them now, no reason to hurry. Riddick let himself sink into the warmth of their embrace and enjoy the feel of her weight against him. This was all new to him - not just being held this way, but knowing that someone *wanted* to do it, someone who wouldn't flinch when he touched her. He leaned his head down so his cheek rested on the top of her head.

Carolyn sighed, remembering how quickly he'd broken their contact last time - she didn't want that to happen again. "Please don't let go," she whispered, her arms tightening around him.

Riddick's heart skipped a beat, and something gave way inside, flooding him with so many conflicting emotions, he didn't know which one to feel first. All he could do was hold on and try to convince himself that this was real, not some wishful dream from which he'd awake to the sight of dull metal walls and prison bars. Another seemingly timeless stretch went by before Carolyn spoke again.

"I hate to say this," she whispered against his shoulder, "but we can't stand here all night."

"This is space, Carolyn," his low voice rumbled into her hair. "It's *always* night."

She raised her head to look at him. "You know what I mean."

He gazed into her upturned face for a moment, then started carefully stepping backwards, pulling her with him towards the copilot's chair.

She shuffled along with him, holding on and trying not to trip on the ends of their blankets. "What are you doing?" she asked in a whisper.

Riddick kept going until he bumped into his chair, then let her go as he sat down, leaving her standing in front of him. She bent to pick up her blanket, and stood again to find his hand extended, reaching for her. When she took it, he pulled her over to him and onto his lap, swinging her legs up to hang over one of the armrests. She covered them with her blanket and relaxed against him, laying her head on his shoulder, loving the weight of his arms as he slid them around her.

This is really happening, she told herself, nestling into the curve of his neck. She closed her eyes and breathed him in, smiling when she felt his heart beating under her hand.

I'm in the arms of a murderer, and I've never felt safer in my life.

Nothing was said as Riddick held her, his eyes fixed on the stars, waiting patiently as her body gradually relaxed and her breathing slowed. Less than half an hour went by before he felt her her hand fall limply from his chest into her lap, her head sink a bit more heavily onto his shoulder - she was fast asleep. He listened closely for a few more minutes to make sure she was really out before he started moving, carefully getting up and trying not to let her head fall back. His blanket slid off him and landed in a crumpled heap on the seat of his chair.

He carried her to the area just behind the console chairs and lowered her gently onto one of the sleeping bags he'd thrown down on his way to the front earlier. She stirred a bit, but didn't wake up. With great care, he lifted her head and slid a pillow under it, then tucked her blanket in around her. He crouched silently beside her sleeping form, just watching her.

She looks like a kid, he thought. So peaceful...

His reached out hesitantly to touch her cheek, his big palm cupping the side of her face. He loved the softness of her skin, the feathery feel of her drying hair tickling his fingers. He took his hand away from her face and moved it down, sliding it under the blanket and searching until he bumped into her arm and drew it out to examine her hand. It seemed so fragile, the way it was swallowed up in his.

He allowed himself a little smile as he thought how deceptive that appearance was, wishing he could somehow get into her head and root around, see what she was all about. He already had a pretty good idea; but then, she'd already managed to surprise him several times in just the past few hours, so no telling what she was capable of. He brought her hand to his lips and held it there for a long time before reluctantly replacing it under the blanket and returning to the console, settling himself this time in the captain's chair.

Carolyn hadn't said how many hours her watch would be, but he guessed it wouldn't be long before one of the others was awakened by a nightmare and made their way to the front, afraid to be the only one conscious in the dark, needing some company and the sight of stars rolling past to reassure them that their ordeal was really over. He gave the console readouts a final once-over and leaned back to watch the sky and wait.

To his surprise, almost four hours passed before he heard rustling in the back of the skiff, then the sound of hesitant footsteps feeling their way through the darkness towards the front.

"Can't get back to sleep," Shazza whispered, moving to sit down in the vacant copilot's chair. "Mind some company?"

"Nope."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence before she cleared her throat and spoke again.

"Um...sorry 'bout your head," she whispered, tapping her own in the spot where she'd kicked Riddick and knocked him unconscious after Zeke disappeared. "I, um..." She cleared her throat again. "I thought you - well...you know..." She blushed in the dark as she struggled with her apology. It was hard to find words for such a weird situation. Riddick had been described to her as a cold and heartless animal with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, so he'd been the logical suspect when Zeke was killed. It turned out he hadn't done it, of course. And after all that, he'd saved her life. He was a tough one to figure out. Had he really changed? Was he really the monster Johns had claimed he was?

Riddick just continued staring out the window, giving no sign that he'd heard her.

"Y'know," she continued, "You can go on and get some rest if you like. I'll stay up here." She shuddered, trying not to think about the nightmare that had awakened her. "Can't sleep anyway."

He thought about that for a moment - might not be a bad idea. He was really starting to feel the strain of the past few hours, and the adrenaline that had kept him awake had long since faded. Besides, he wanted to find out what it felt like to fall asleep with Carolyn next to him.

He got up and walked over to stand beside Shazza's chair. "Just keep an eye on this stuff," he said, touching various indicators on the console as Shazza sat forward to look. Her heart raced as he leaned over her.

"Here's our course. This dot shows where we are. Blinks green if we're on course, red if we go off." He moved his finger down. "Fuel indicator. If it gets below this mark, we need to change out a cell." Now he showed her a screen off to the side with several readouts running on it. "Life support, hull integrity, stuff like that. Anything goes wrong, it'll start flashing."

Shazza nodded. "Got it. So if anything happens -"

"Wake me up, and I'll deal with it." He stepped back to the sleeping bag beside Carolyn and sat down to take off his boots, allowing himself a heavy sigh of relief as he slipped into his sleeping bag. God, it felt good to lie down and relax, even wearing damp, sticky clothes. Knowing that none of these people would hurt him really helped. Maybe he'd get some decent sleep for a change.

He spread his blanket on top of the sleeping bag, then turned to lie on his side and look at Carolyn. The last thing he remembered before he drifted off was his hand closing around hers under the covers, and thinking groggily how nice it would be to do this every night in a real house, in a real bed, and not have to worry about mercs bursting through the door to take him away.

He was asleep before he could remind himself that, for people like him, such things were luxuries.

He woke up the first time sweating, his hands twisting the fabric of the sleeping bag, ears drowning in the thunder of his pounding heart. Not even resting in Carolyn's comforting presence had stopped the dreams, as he'd hoped, but he knew it wasn't a failing on her part. It was Riddick himself, that side of him that never really slept, that guarded him ceaselessly against - well, everything. Even the things he wanted.

*Especially* those.

The dream faded quickly, but left a dark, nasty residue in his mind. He knew from experience it would last well into his waking hours, even if he couldn't remember what he'd dreamed about. He wanted to get up and watch the stars again, but Shazza was still awake - he could hear her sniffling and shifting in her chair. She'd obviously been crying, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with that right now. He loosened his grip on the sleeping bag and stretched out, trying to relax enough to go back to sleep.

Carolyn still breathed peacefully beside him, deep in her own dream cycle - he wished his were this quiet. He moved closer and carefully laid an arm over her, gradually relaxing it so its weight wouldn't wake her. With a sleepy little noise, she turned on her side to face away from him. He held his arm up until she lay still, then gently lowered it again.

Riddick found himself wishing he'd taken the time to zip these two sleeping bags together so he and Carolyn could touch as they had before. He scooted closer to wrap his arm around her, glad no one could see him. If she woke up, he could always pretend to be asleep and unaware of what he was doing. His face was right behind her head now - he buried his nose in her hair, breathing her in, pressing his lips into the back of her head as he closed his eyes and pretended they were alone together somewhere, safe and happy, and not on some nameless stolen skiff in the middle of space fleeing a dead planet.

Jesus, Riddick, he chided himself. You know better - this'll never work, no fuckin' way.

Still, he didn't let go of her, and it wasn't long before he started drifting off, soothed by Carolyn's warm scent and the rhythm of her breathing.

Maybe the dreams wouldn't come back this time.

Show Me Your Eyes (Part 10)

The next time he woke up, things were very different.

Riddick crept towards consciousness, gradually becoming aware of low voices somewhere above his head, and the soothing press of warm bodies against him. He waited until he was fully awake to open his eyes to the skiff's dark interior. No dream residue clogged his mind, so he guessed he'd slept well this time. Carolyn's deep, regular breaths puffed warmly against his shoulder where her lips touched his skin. Still a bit groggy, he realized he was now lying on his back, and wondered why he felt *two* bodies next to him instead of one.

Just imagining things, he thought with a yawn, but when he tried to lift his arms and stretch, he found one of them curled around someone on the other side of him. He froze, and panic welled up in him for a split second before he forced himself to calm down and think logically - he was on a tiny skiff with four other people. He knew where Carolyn was, and the two voices he heard up front belonged to Shazza and Imam.

It was Jack's head on his shoulder, her arm flung out over his chest.

What the hell's *she* doin' over here?

Riddick lay quietly, still holding onto her, trying to decide how he felt about it. She'd most likely awakened, found herself alone in the back of the skiff, and come to him for comfort, like a frightened young child crawling into bed with its parents. Now *there* was a weird concept - the idea that anyone found his presence comforting was simply beyond him. But here she was, clinging to him and slumbering peacefully at his side. He wasn't sure what he should do now. No one had awakened him, so the skiff must be okay. And both the chairs up front were occupied, which meant there was nowhere for him to sit.

Might as well stay put.

The truth was, he simply enjoyed lying here like this. He loved knowing that he made them feel safe.

What he couldn't quite admit, and kept shoving to the back of his mind, was that they made *him* feel safe, too. They weren't afraid of him - none of them were. As far back as he could remember, the fear he evoked had been his biggest advantage, and had saved his ass more times than he could count. Now these four people had come along and thrown everything out of whack.

Shazza had even *apologized* to him, for chrissake. Twice. No one ever apologized to him unless they were trying to worm their way out of a good ass-kicking. And Imam - well, he was a holy man, so of course he treated Riddick with kindness. He was like that with everyone - it was his job.

A movement beside him interrupted Riddick's train of thought - Jack was waking up. The arm she'd draped over him stretched out, then relaxed onto his chest again as she rolled closer, seeking out his warmth. He held still, not wanting her to know he was awake too, but she felt the tension in his body, heard the change in his breathing.

Jack spoke up in a sleepy whisper. "I didn't wanna be by myself." She strained to see his expression in the dim glow from the tiny colored lights on the walls. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Go back to sleep," Riddick whispered back after a moment. He couldn't think of anything else to say.

His arm tightened around her involuntarily, and Jack let out a relieved sigh, closing her eyes and relaxing against him. Underneath the thick aroma of her menses, she still exuded the innocent fragrance of childhood, rousing Riddick's protective instincts. He felt a quick flash of anger at the alien creature that had attacked Jack on the planet, remembering with satisfaction the meaty sound of its eviscerated body hitting the ground after he'd finished it off.

Then he remembered *why* he'd done it - to keep the others from killing him, so he could make it off that fucking rock. Nothing noble about it at all. And after saving Jack, he'd shut her up in a cave to die with with Imam and Shazza while he took off with Carolyn. He'd almost killed *her*, too, when she demanded that he go back for the others. What had stopped him?

Riddick turned his head towards Carolyn. She was shivering - her covers had slipped down and bunched around her waist as she slept. He carefully worked his arm out of her grasp and pulled her blanket back up around her shoulders. Awakened by his activity, she stretched and blinked as she looked around and tried to get her bearings.

"Where are we?" she yawned.

"On the skiff."

"I *know* that," she groaned. "Where in *space* are we?"

"I dunno."

Carolyn rolled closer and snuggled sleepily into him, drawing her blanket more tightly around her. "I'm so tired..." She yawned again. "How long have we been sleeping?"

"I dunno," Riddick said again. He let his arm settle around her and concentrated on the rise and fall of her body as she breathed. She was already drifting off again.

"Do you know *anything*?" she mumbled drowsily against his skin.

He had no answer.

"You've been to New Mecca before, haven't you?" Shazza leaned towards Imam, whose shadowy figure sat across from her in the copilot's chair.

He leaned in too so he could speak softly as he answered her. "Yes, I've been there twice. I accompanied groups of pilgrims as a guide before my sons were old enough to go."

"So where's the best place for us to land? I dunno anything about this bloody planet." She blanched a bit, suddenly remembering that the planet in question was considered a holy place by this man and his people. "Pardon me French," she whispered, blushing.

Imam smiled forgivingly and ignored her slip. "There is much to consider," he mused, casting his eyes downward in thought. "Naturally, Mr. Riddick will not want to call attention to himself. And Jack..." He sat in silence for a moment before he continued. "We don't know if she has a family waiting for her. I think she may have run away from home - if indeed she has one."

Shazza shrugged and lifted her hands. "So what do we do, then?"

Imam sighed and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Mecca City is the planet's capital, and most of the population lives there. However..." He looked out the window at the stars. "There are several smaller settlements outside the city. One of those might be a wise choice for our landing."

"Well, how many are there?" asked Shazza. "Which one should we go to?"

Imam pursed his lips in thought, considering. "There is one in particular that may serve our needs. It is called Little Bangalore."

"Yeah..." Shazza breathed, her face brightening a little. "I think I've heard of it. East Indian settlement. Good place to get certain things you can't get elsewhere, *if* you know what I mean..." She gave a sly wink.

Imam nodded. "Yes, I have also heard that. He gave her a knowing look, "It is said to be a safe place for those without proper identification."

"But d'you know exactly where it is?" she prodded. "Can you find it from the air?"

"I think so. I know that Little Bangalore is about twelve kilometers outside Mecca City, to the northwest. I heard a city resident give such directions once. It should be easy to find the city and then calculate from there the location of where we want to go."

"Right." Shazza leaned over the console and checked the trip timer, then sat up and jerked her head towards the three people asleep behind them. "Think we should wake 'em up now and tell 'em the plan?"

"No, no, no..." Imam whispered, holding up a hand. "Let them rest. Sleep has been hard enough to come by without having it taken from us."

No shit, thought Shazza, turning her eyes back to the passing stars. She shuddered and pulled her blanket tighter, shaking off the nightmare images that threatened to invade her mind again.

Riddick lay silently gazing up at the dark ceiling, listening to the breathing on either side of him as Jack and Carolyn lapsed back into unconsciousness. Imam and Shazza still talked quietly up front, their voices low enough that he couldn't make out the words.

Prob'ly decidin' what to do with me once they land.

He found it rather ironic that he'd begun this journey as a chained and dangerous convict on his way to the worst possible place a criminal could go, and now here he lay with two trusting people tumbled limply against him like rag dolls, secure in his embrace. These same arms had broken more bones than Riddick cared to remember, slammed countless bodies against walls and prison bars - but never had they cradled another human being this way.

A deep intake of of breath filled his head with the mingled scents of the two sleeping females.

No fear. No fear at all.

He could snap their tender necks without a sound right now - they'd never wake up - then kill the other two just as easily and take over the skiff. The bodies could be jettisoned right when he hit the atmosphere, burning up completely before they had the chance to hit the ground. Even if they did, there wouldn't be enough left of them for anyone to identify, and they'd never be traced back to him. He'd be home free, on his own again.

No one would ever know, he thought.

No one. Only me.

It was a long time before he slept again.

She held his hand and smiled up at him in the sunlight. Her dress was beautiful, a silky flow of pearl-studded white fabric. Tendrils of gleaming hair blew into her eyes, and he brushed them off her face as he leaned over to give her a tender kiss. When he straightened up, he looked down and found he was wearing a brilliant white suit and shoes.

I don't have a suit, he thought, and looked back up at Carolyn. A spot of deep red had bloomed on the front of her dress, right over her heart, and it was growing as he watched. Looked like ink or something, but it was so, so red...almost black. She didn't seem to notice, and kept holding his hand and smiling up at him.

"Hey," he said, pointing at her chest. "Somethin' on your dress."

The spot grew larger. It was spreading with frightening speed, but Carolyn just kept smiling away in the sunlight, as if nothing unusual were happening.

Oh, shit - it's blood! his alarmed brain shouted at him.

"Carolyn! You're bleeding!" he yelled, pointing again. He tried to move towards her and press his hand against the wound, but his feet seemed to be stuck to the ground. All he could do was stand there, yelling and pointing. Goddamn, she was so beautiful it was heartbreaking. Beautiful, except for that huge black-red stain that now covered the entire front of her ankle-length dress, all the way to the hem.

Then, just like that, her eyes went blank, and she toppled backwards into the mud and sprawled there like a dropped marionette as the rain poured down on her. Her pretty white dress was getting dirty, and now there was a big knife sticking up out of her chest.

His knife.

"NO! I DIDN'T DO IT!" Riddick screamed down at her. "YOU'RE NOT DEAD! I DIDN'T KILL YOU!"

Carolyn's eyes came to life for one final, horrible moment. "Told you to ghost me, motherfucker," she said with an angelic smile.

Then the ground disappeared, and she fell away from him, still smiling, her dress bursting into flame as she hit the atmosphere. Soon she'd be nothing but a pearl-encrusted cinder.

Riddick's eyes flew open. He was sitting up in the dark, breathing hard, his hands balled into fists, dimly aware of movement on either side of him.

Whoa...ooooookaaaaaaay...enough o' *that* shit. Riddick jumped up, forgetting he was zipped inside a sleeping bag, and came crashing right back down.

Carolyn's sleepy voice piped up from his left. "Whassamatter?"

"Ow!" On his right, Jack jerked back the arm Riddick had landed on. "What are you *doing*?" she whined, irritated at being so abruptly awakened.

"Shut up!" he hissed. His fingers flew desperately up and down the edge of the sleeping bag, finally finding the zipper loop and liberating himself from the thick fabric, this time crawling out to make sure he wouldn't fall again.

"What's goin' on?" Carolyn was awake now. "Riddick? You okay?" She sat up and squinted at his vague, shadowy form as it moved towards the back of the skiff.

Riddick stopped crawling and sat down to collect himself. "Yeah, fine. Goin' to the back for a while," he answered, getting up and moving to the rear of the skiff. That was the darkest part, so the others would be less likely to see him freaking out.

Just a dream, just a dream, he kept telling himself. Get your shit together, Riddick. Just a dream.

He knelt on the bedding that was spread out by the engines, gripping the bars above the flight bench to steady himself and leaning his forehead one on of them. The cool metal felt good on his skin, woke him up a bit. He usually didn't remember his dreams. Why did it have to be this one?

Riddick hoped they would shut up and leave him alone now. He needed to make his head stop spinning, make that horrible image of Carolyn's bloody, flaming body go away.

"Hey." He jumped at the soft voice beside him in the dark. "You okay?" Carolyn laid a gentle hand on his arm.

"Yeah," he muttered, his head still resting on the support bar. God, how he wanted her in his arms right now, just to know she was really here and not a corpse falling through some nightmare sky.

Carolyn's hand stroked his arm. "Bad dream?"

"No." Riddick kept his voice low, not wanting to attract attention.

"Riddick - " she began, and his hand whipped up to grab her wrist, squeezing hard.

"Leave...me...alone." He spoke through clenched teeth, shaking her arm to emphasize each word. She didn't answer this time, just knelt beside him as he gripped her wrist. For some reason, he couldn't make himself let go.

They stayed like that for what seemed a long time before Carolyn made the first move, leaning in as she slipped her other hand around the arm that held hers. When her forehead touched the side of his face, she felt Riddick's grip tighten on her. She squeezed his arm in response, and was suddenly reminded of their brief conversation just before entering the dark canyon when they made their run to the settlement.

Riddick didn't push her away, or release her. He found Carolyn's closeness soothing, but it was having another, quite unexpected effect as well - in spite of his distress, he was becoming aroused. He tried to dismiss it, but the longer they touched, the more persistent the idea that he had to have her right here, right now.

Gee, thanks, he silently growled at his body. Great timing. No way she'll let me bang her with all these people around. This is nuts.

He let go of her wrist, meaning to back away, but instead found his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her face to face with him. She let out a surprised gasp when she bumped into his erection. Riddick grabbed her ass and ground himself hard into her, making her suck in another breath. Glancing past her to the front of the skiff, he saw that Jack had apparently gone back to sleep. She'd probably wake up again if he didn't get back soon. Imam and Shazza now sat quietly in the console chairs, watching the stars. If anything was going to happen, it had to happen quickly.

I must be outta my mind, he thought. But what have I got to lose?

Riddick pressed his mouth to Carolyn's ear so he could whisper to her. "Well," he said. "Whaddaya think?"

She took a moment to answer. "I think you're feeling better," she said a bit hesitantly, surprised by his sudden change of demeanor.

"I'm workin' on it." Oh, this was *unbelievable*. The thought of screwing her just a few feet from the others was making him painfully hard. He let go of her and opened his pants, letting them fall down around his knees, then slid his hands inside her waistband and starting pushing it down.

Carolyn grabbed his hands and stopped him. "Let me do it." She finished what he'd started, then sat back quietly on top of the rumpled bedding and slid one leg out of her pants after pulling off her still-damp boot. She wanted to be able to get dressed fast if necessary. When she was done, Riddick pushed her onto her back and positioned himself above her.

"No screaming this time," he cautioned.

Carolyn smiled wickedly as she opened her legs and braced her feet on the flight bench's support bars. "You have to get me ready first," she whispered back, and pushed down firmly on his shoulders.

He knew what that meant, and this time he didn't hesitate. In a flash his face was between her legs, and he took a deep breath, filling his head with her overpowering musk - it made him think of a wild animal in heat. He surrounded her clitoris with his lips as he had last time, remembering that she'd liked that the most. Carolyn gasped and tensed under him as he began his gentle suckling. When he glanced up, he noted with relief that she'd jammed the heel of her hand into her mouth to muffle her noises.

Once again, Carolyn found the phrase I can't believe I'm doing this repeating in her head, but the more Riddick's tongue teased her, the less she cared about anyone discovering them. Riddick sure as hell knew what he was doing - under these conditions, it wouldn't take her long to reach climax. She could feel the little warning tingles starting already.

"What the bloody hell is he up to?" Shazza turned around and peered into the back of the skiff. She knew Riddick was there, but she couldn't see him or hear him. Looking down, she noticed that Carolyn was no longer lying beside Jack, who had huddled into her blanket and gone back to sleep.

Imam turned and followed her gaze, also noting Carolyn's absence. "Our bedding is still laid out," he said quietly. "Perhaps they wanted to be alone together, and went back to sleep."

Shazza shrugged, took another look at Jack and turned back around. "Lucky bastards. At least someone around here can sleep. I know I bloody well can't."

Imam faced front again and settled into his chair, nodding in agreement.

Carolyn shook uncontrollably now, and her free hand tore frantically at the sleeping bag beneath her. Riddick was glad for the low rumble of the engines, which would conceal all but the loudest noises. Gripping her hips firmly, he sucked a little harder and sped up the flicking motion of his tongue - he knew it wouldn't be long now - and was rewarded with a sudden stiffening of Carolyn's body as she gave herself over to her fast-approaching orgasm.

When it finally hit, she forced herself to hold her breath so she'd stay quiet, pushing her hand even harder into her mouth as her loins caught fire, sending luscious waves of heat rushing through her. She barely felt Riddick's fingers digging into her flesh as he held her down. At last the spasms tapered off, and she opened her eyes to a darkness swimming with shimmering spots. Her heart hammered in her throat as she blinked and gasped for air.

Riddick moved himself over her once more, easily sliding into her wetness. His eyes lingered on Carolyn's glowing face as he relived the feel of her hands on his shoulders, fearlessly pressing him downward to pleasure her. As he'd done the first time, he held himself inside her and slowly rotated his hips, hoping to make things last a little longer, but it was too late - he already felt the tightening inside that meant he was too close to back down.

The hell with it, he thought, and let his desire take over. He plunged helplessly in and out of her, gritting his teeth and trying hard not to make any sounds that might be heard over the engines. Then, with a sharp upward jab, he let go. His body convulsed as he blindly gripped Carolyn's shoulders and buried his face in the curve of her neck. She wrapped her legs around him and met him thrust for thrust, keeping up her movement until she could no longer feel him pulsing inside her.

Riddick let his weight settle on her and started breathing again, gulping in the cool air as he recovered. Carolyn relaxed too, sliding her legs down onto his and resting her hands on his heaving back.

"Think they...heard us?" she panted.

He raised his head and looked - nothing had changed. "No," he panted back, and dropped his head onto the padded fabric of the sleeping bag beside Carolyn's.

"Better...get dressed," she breathed into his ear, shoving at his chest.

He rolled off her and flopped onto his back, lying still for a moment before he raised his hips and pulled up his pants.

Carolyn pushed herself into a sitting position, bracing herself with her hands to keep from falling over. "Goddamn..." She reached down and fumbled awkwardly for her empty pant leg, trying unsuccessfully to jam her foot into it. "Shit." She tried again, but fell over sideways and landed on Riddick's stomach, making him grunt. He pushed Carolyn back up, rising to sit beside her.

"Gimme that." He reached over and threaded her pant leg onto her foot, then pulled it up to her knee. "Lie down." He turned so he was kneeling over her and pulled her pants the rest of the way up. To his amazement, he found that his erection wasn't going down.

You just got *laid*, he told his stubborn organ. Give it a rest.

What was so damn exciting, anyway? He was putting her clothes *on*, not taking them off. Come to think of it, he'd never dressed a woman before, not even partially. A crazy thought came hurtling out of nowhere and shot across his mind - what would it be like to pull her pants up with his teeth? Riddick shook his head and stretched out beside Carolyn again. That kind of thinking would not help the situation in *his* pants.

They lay side by side in the dark with their arms touching, listening to the soothing vibration of the engines as they waited for their breathing to slow down. Carolyn thought about how eagerly Riddick complied with her demands, and how much that excited her. She'd never been afraid to tell her lovers what she wanted, but domination had never been a part of her sex life. She'd tried it with a guy once, a long time ago, and it had all seemed so artificial, what with the ridiculous costumes, whips and role-playing. She'd had to force herself not to laugh out loud. It was like acting in a cheesy porn movie.

But with Riddick, it was real. This hulking, badass killer had gotten on his knees for her and given her what she wanted, even after telling her in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't. "I don't get on my knees for *anybody*" were his exact words, if she recalled correctly. Looking back, Carolyn couldn't imagine where she'd found the balls to talk to him the way she had. And that knife-licking thing...where the hell had *that* come from? All she knew for sure was that she'd wanted him so badly that nothing else mattered, and that had made her brave - maybe *too* brave - but look how well it had turned out.

This time, he hadn't even argued with her - he'd done what she told him immediately, even though it meant he had to wait to get what he wanted. But it wasn't really his compliance that excited her; it was knowing that he *liked* being told what to do, knowing that it turned him on. That made her wonder what else he would do for her if she asked, how far he would go. She suddenly realized she was horny again.

Oh my god, she thought. I can't believe this. I've just had the most incredible sex, and already I want more. Carolyn smiled to herself as she remembered a similar saying about Chinese food. Oh well. Riddick was probably ready to go back to sleep, anyway. In the meantime, she'd entertain herself thinking up interesting things they could do to each other once they reached New Mecca.

She had to admit, the thought of Richard Riddick under her control was exciting, very exciting indeed.

Show Me Your Eyes (Part 11)

The survivors fell quickly into a rhythm of sorts, rationing out sips of water from the abandoned settlement's well along with tiny portions from the salvaged Hunter-G food packets every few hours. Once they tasted the dried, flavorless stuff, it was a pretty sure bet they wouldn't run out - no one would eat any more of it than they had to.

Riddick and Carolyn spent a good deal of the next day running tests and checking indicators. Although she'd run every diagnostic time allowed before takeoff, she had no real idea if the craft would actually make it to New Mecca, or anywhere else, for that matter. Maybe I was wrong to avoid the shipping lanes, Carolyn thought as she watched another hull integrity test finish. Well, too late to worry about it now. All I can do is try to keep this crate running and hope to god it doesn't spring a leak.

The only sure thing was the power cells. If a ship the size of the Hunter-G had only needed twelve for a deep-space run, then the five cells powering the skiff now should be able to take them as far as they needed to go, with enough extra for deorbit burn.

An hour or so before, Jack had awakened and started pumping Imam for information about New Mecca. He was clearly relieved when Carolyn called him to the front, where she and Riddick were studying charts and planning their approach and landing.

"You gettin' the third degree back there?" she grinned when he stepped down to stand between the console chairs.

Imam nodded and smiled. "She does has many questions."

The skiff's navigational database was well over twenty years old, and Little Bangalore wasn't in it. All they had to go on was its position in relation to Mecca City, based on Imam's sketchy information.

"We wait til Mecca City's on the night side," said Riddick. "We hit the atmosphere on the day side so we don't put on a light show, then swing around here and approach the city from the northwest." He traced the route on the nav screen with his forefinger as the others watched. "If we come in low, we should have no trouble finding our target - just look for lights in the right spot."

Carolyn nodded. "So we just land outside the settlement, or what? Imam?" She looked up at the holy man, who stood between the console chairs. "You ever actually been to Little Bangalore?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I know it is surrounded by flat grasslands, so landing a skiff this size should not be a problem."

"We should give it a name," Jack interrupted. "We can't just call it 'the skiff' all the time." Carolyn snickered as Imam and Shazza cast brief, amused glances in the girl's direction.

"No, I'm serious," Jack persisted. "I mean, what if someone asks our ship is called? We can't just say, 'the skiff'. That's stupid. A ship oughtta have a name."

"Why don't *you* name it, then?" said Shazza from her seat on the flight bench behind Carolyn, who was in the copilot's chair.

"We should all think of names and then vote on 'em," Jack replied eagerly. "Ummm..." She took the seat opposite Shazza and thought for a moment. "Ok, I've got one - how 'bout 'Salvation', 'cause it saved us from those...things..." Jack hugged herself, shaking off the image of the creature that had attacked her on the planet.

"Mmmm..." Shazza slouched in her seat and rested her ankle on her knee. "Sounds a bit too religious to me. No offense..." She touched Imam's arm apologetically.

"None taken." Imam smiled down at her before turning his attention back to the console.

"Ok, Shazza - your turn." Jack leaned forward and squinted at her in the gloom. "You think of one."

Shazza leaned her head back against the wall and blew out a breath. "Crikey...let's see..."

"What about 'Hello Mecca'?" Carolyn offered. "That's what I said when I first saw it."

Jack tugged at Imam's robes. "Your turn, Imam."

He stroked his chin in thought for a few seconds. "Ah, I have it." He raised a finger in the air. "The 'al-Haytham'."

"What does *that* mean?" Jack frowned.

"He was an Arab physicist who lived many centuries ago," Imam answered. "He is considered one of the greatest in the history of our people."

"Oh..." Jack looked confused for a second, then brightened up. "Okay, Riddick," she said, reaching up front to tap him on the shoulder. "You think of one now."

Riddick wasn't in the mood. "I don't care, call it whatever you want," he mumbled distractedly.

"Oh, c'mon, Riddick - just think of something." Jack shook his shoulder.

"I'm busy," he snapped in what he hoped was a forbidding tone as he tried to concentrate on double-checking his calculations.

Carolyn was trying hard not to laugh at the scowl on his face. "Oh, c'mon, Riddick," she said, imitating Jack. "Just one little name. It's not like we're in a hurry here."

"Yeah," added Jack, bumping the back of Riddick's chair repeatedly.

Riddick shot Carolyn a stern look, annoyed at the interruption. "Fine," he growled, looking back down at the console. "Call the damn thing 'Bob'. And stop hitting my chair."

Carolyn doubled over with laughter.

"Bob?" said Jack. "That's a stupid name for a ship."

"Well, it's all you're gettin', so deal with it." Riddick was once again studying the map of New Mecca's continents.

Jack turned back to Shazza. "You never picked a name."

"I dunno..." Shazza said slowly, grinning at Riddick. "Bob's got sort of a nice ring to it."

"But *no one* names a ship 'Bob'." Jack flopped back against the wall and heaved a big sigh. "Have you *ever* heard of a ship named 'Bob'? *I* haven't. It's just..." She threw up her hands. "It's *stupid*."

Imam pressed his lips together in a suppressed smile and watched Riddick work as Carolyn held her hand over her face, laughing helplessly.

"C'mon, you guys," Jack whined. "Be serious. This ship saved our *lives*. We should give it a serious name."

"I vote for 'Bob'", Carolyn giggled, raising her hand. "All in favor?"

"Aye," said Shazza. "Bob it is."

"I abstain." Imam raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "The rest of you can decide."

"This sucks." Jack sighed again and looked past Carolyn and out the window. "You guys are no help," she added petulantly, kicking the back of Riddick's chair.

"Go to your room."

Carolyn gasped in mock surprise and stared at Riddick. "Was that a *joke*?" She closed her eyes and pressed the back of her hand dramatically to her forehead. "Somebody catch me, I'm gonna faint."

Riddick shook his head and tried unsuccessfully to look threatening. Disarmed by her laughter, he finally melted and grinned back, his eyes meeting hers for a second or two in the multi-colored glow from the console's displays. It was the first time she'd seen him really smile, and the transformation was stunning - he almost looked like a different person.

Wow, thought Carolyn. Definitely gotta make *that* happen again.

The intake of food and water eventually made it necessary to set up a makeshift bathroom, which turned out to be a large, tilt-out supply bin at the rear of the skiff, emptied of its contents. One of the thinner blankets, cut into manageable pieces with Riddick's knife, served as toilet paper. The skiff's temperature was kept just cold enough to control the waste odor, and just warm enough to keep their breath from condensing on the walls and equipment. A blanket was hung to close off the "toilet area" and keep the smell from invading the rest of the craft.

Jack was quickly establishing herself as the resident comedian. "Too bad we can't just shit through a hole and watch the frozen turd races," she quipped on her first trip to the bin. Even Riddick had to smile at that one. Later on, she made a running gag out of asking toilet users things like, "Mind if I shower first?" or "Can that wait? I need to fix my hair."

By unspoken agreement, Riddick and Carolyn were treated as a couple - and if Riddick noticed, he did nothing to discourage it. No one argued when they took over the rear of the skiff, and they were left alone unless someone needed to squeeze past them and use the bin.

There wasn't a lot to do when they weren't on watch (which they always did together), and sleep didn't always come easily. Much of their "off-duty" time was spent lying silently side by side, wrapped in their tight cocoon of blankets and sleeping bags as they listened to the low rumble of the skiff's engines pushing them closer and closer to New Mecca. Sometimes they'd talk quietly, the conversation more often than not centering around their lives.

Their lives Before, that is. Before the horror that had brought them all together on this tiny craft.

Riddick's tone was matter-of-fact when Carolyn asked about his birth. "Some drunk found me in a liquor store dumpster a few hours after I was born and got the cashier on duty to fish me out." She could tell he was was used to this story - used to hearing it, and used to telling it. It was old hat.

Carolyn frowned in the darkness. "So your mother just gave birth to you and then threw you away..."

"Pretty much." The slightest hint of pain entered his voice. "They told me later the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck. Never knew if I came out like that, or she tried to strangle me. Guess it doesn't matter either way."

"They never found her?"

"Nope."

"So who named you?"

"The cashier," Riddick answered with a little laugh. "Some kid named Richard Barrados. The drunk who found me was named Riddick, so they just combined 'em."

Carolyn smiled. "So *that's* what the 'B.' stands for. I thought it would be something like Brian or... Bob, maybe?" She pressed her face into Riddick's arm and snorted with suppressed laughter. "Richard Bob Riddick... now that has a nice ring to it."

Riddick went silent for a moment. "That's not funny."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"I'm not."

Before Riddick could stop her, Carolyn reached over and laid her hand on his cheek. "Uh-huh." She could feel the big, goofy grin he was wearing. "I knew it."

With enormous effort, Riddick straightened out his features and pasted a serious expression on his face before pushing her hand away. "Knock it off, Carolyn."

"Whatever you say, Dicky Bob."

Riddick gave up the fight and started shaking with laughter. "That's *really* not funny."

"So why are you laughing?"

"Shut up and go to sleep." Riddick was starting to feel like a kid on a sleepover, telling lame jokes and giggling in the dark. He could just picture Imam and Shazza leaving the console to come back here and lecture them sternly ("Why can't you two be good and go to sleep like Jack?").

Good thing they can't hear us from up there, thought Riddick. This is stupid. What's next - ghost stories? Lighting farts?

That got him started again, which in turn did the same to Carolyn. His arm was soon wet with her tears of laughter.

It was good twenty minutes or so before they stopped setting each other off and calmed down enough to go to sleep. As Riddick finally nodded off, pleasantly exhausted and out of breath, a brief stab of fear rushed through him as he realized that he hadn't felt this good in years.

The rest of their journey passed without incident, other than Jack waking up with a nightmare now and then. If the others dreamed, they said nothing about it. The inside of the skiff brightened as they approached New Mecca's solar system, and Riddick started wearing his goggles again when he sat up front. The temperature was lowered to compensate for the sun's increasing warmth and to keep the waste bin from stinking. For the most part, it worked, but Riddick and Carolyn still moved their bedding closer to the front to escape the bit of odor that did manage to creep out.

"I wonder why we haven't seen any other ships," Carolyn mused as she sat on watch with Riddick. It was the their fourth day on the skiff, and they were just now passing the outermost of New Mecca's three moons. What she could see of their surfaces looked bare. "You'd think they'd have an outpost on at least *one* of these moons."

Riddick glanced down at the console, then back out the window. "I'm more worried about that space dock."

"What space dock?" Carolyn leaned forward and squinted. "Where?"

"You can't see it right now." He raised his hand and pointed. "I've been watching it. It's in geosync orbit, about to go night side."

"Is it on the same side as Mecca City?"

"Yeah. Right over it." Riddick sat back and rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. No moon bases - that was good. All they had to do now was avoid crossing paths with a transport and make it to the night side without being detected by the dock authorities.

Carolyn leaned over to look at their map of the planet. "Same plan, right? Go in day side?"

"Yep." Riddick sat up and buckled himself in, then turned around to address the rest of the group. "You might wanna strap yourselves in. I'm about to punch it here."

Behind them, Shazza, Imam and Jack secured themselves in the empty flight bench seats next to bundles of bedding and extra power cells.

"God, I hate this part," Shazza mumbled.

"What part?" Jack swung her feet and fiddled with the yellow support bars on either side of her.

"Bloody re-entry, that's what." Shazza closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'd give me left arm for a bloody cryotube right now."

"Is it scary?" Jack prodded.

Shazza glared hard at the girl, her anxiety obvious. "You've never been awake for it, have you?"

Jack shook her head.

"Well, you'll bloody well wish you weren't, believe me."

"Everything will be fine," said Imam from beside Shazza. "I'm sure Mr. Riddick will try to make it as painless as possible."

She snorted. "If he's got any mercy at all, he'll bloody knock me out first."

"That can be arranged," Riddick's voice boomed from the front.

Jack snickered, and Imam gave Shazza's knee a comforting pat. "I will be here with you. Just close your eyes, and it will pass quickly."

"Everyone ready?" Carolyn called from her chair, shooting a quick look towards the back.

"Yes, we're ready." Imam grabbed the support bars and held on.

"Bloody hell..." Shazza leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

Across from her, Jack bounced eagerly in her harness. "Man, this is gonna be better than the TurboTwist!"

Imam gave her a quizzical look. "What is the TurboTwist?"

"You mean you never heard of it?" Jack rolled her eyes and bounced some more." It's *only* the best ride at Disneyland. It goes two hundred miles an hour, and the highest loop is half a mile." Jack's arms swooped through the air as she mimicked the ride's motion. "And it's got all these really cool spirals - "

"I really don't need to hear this," Shazza interrupted. "This ride's quite enough, thank you."

"Here we go!" Riddick yelled, and pulled back hard on the ignition handle.

The skiff leaped forward as if shoved by a giant hand. Riddick and Carolyn fell back, molded into their chairs by the g-force. The others were mashed uncomfortably against the metal support bars.

In minutes they had shot past the other two moons and started curving towards the day side of New Mecca. As they dipped towards the atmosphere, Riddick let up on the ignition a little, slowing the craft and aiming its nose downward.

"Lift the nose, you're coming in too hard!" Carolyn yelled at Riddick, who ignored her. "Hey!" she yelled again. "Lift the - "

"Shut up!" he yelled back. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Are you nuts? Look at our angle of descent, we'll never pull out of it at this speed!" Carolyn gripped the sides of her chair and swallowed hard.

"Whooooo-ooooooo!!!" Jack whooped from her seat. "This is great!"

Shazza squeezed her eyes shut and wished fervently for unconsciousness. Beside her, Imam breathed deeply and said a silent prayer.

Riddick lowered the ignition handle almost all the way and hit the forward thrusters. The craft simultaneously slowed down, lifted its nose and hit the atmosphere, bouncing and booming around them as flames enveloped the front.

Jack was speechless, her mouth hanging open in awe as she craned her neck towards the front to watch the fiery display.

Carolyn tightened her harness again and looked nervously over at Riddick. His face wore a look of intense concentration as his left hand hovered over the thruster switches, which he flicked off in quick succession just as the skiff broke through the atmosphere with a final lurch and sailed into the bright skies over New Mecca.

With a shaky sigh of relief, Carolyn sagged back into her chair and watched as Riddick banked sharply, leveled out the craft and took it in a big, graceful arc towards the setting sun. "Jesus Christ!" she breathed after a moment. "What do you think this is, the fucking Indy 500? You even scared *me*!"

He leaned back and regarded her smugly. "We're here, aren't we?"

Carolyn rolled her eyes and turned to look into the back. "You guys okay back there?"

"We're fine," Imam answered with a concerned glance at Shazza's drawn face. "You can open your eyes now," he said softly, giving her arm a little squeeze.

"In a minute," she croaked. "I don't feel so good."

"She's gonna puke!" Jack hissed at Imam. "Quick, get a blanket or something!"

Using one of his feet, Imam teased a blanket up off the floor so he could grab it and hand it to Shazza, who snatched it up and held it under her mouth just in time to catch the meager contents of her stomach. Attempting to comfort her, Imam patted her on the shoulder, but swiftly withdrew his hand at Shazza's growled, "Don't bloody *touch* me!"

Up front, Riddick zoomed the nav screen in on the continent where Mecca City was located as Carolyn leaned over to watch. "I'm setting a proximity alarm," he explained as he tapped the programming buttons. "It'll sound off when we're twenty kilometers outside the city so we can start keeping an eye out for Little Bangalore. Imam says it's twelve k's out, so that'll give us plenty of time to spot it." By the time he finished, they'd slipped into the gloomy beginnings of the night side, and Riddick removed his goggles with obvious relief.

Carolyn squinted out into the semi-darkness. "Shouldn't we turn on the headbeams?"

"Don't need 'em," Riddick yawned, rubbing his eyes. Fatigue showed plainly on his face and in the way he held his body. It seemed odd to Carolyn now that anyone else looking at him would see a notorious killer and danger to society where she saw only an exhausted man at the end of a long and painful journey.

Until now, Carolyn had purposely shoved to the back of her mind any serious thoughts of what might happen between them once they reached New Mecca. So here we are, she thought. What now? Will he stay? Or will he take the skiff and keep on running? She dropped her head into her hand and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Hell, I don't even know what *I'm* gonna do next. I've got no business worrying about his choices. All I know is -

She snapped her head up and stared out into the night - real night this time, not the vast blackness of outer space - and dared herself to complete her thought.

All I know is...

Her eyes moved back to Riddick and lingered on the angles of his face lit by the soft colored glow from the console.

I don't want to be without him. Ever.

Show Me Your Eyes (Part 12)

Little Bangalore was not at all what they'd expected. For one thing, it was big; hearing it described as a "settlement" had called to mind the image of a tiny, isolated village with little or no technology, but what they saw below them looked more like a small city. Its streets were well-lit and full of people, so spotting it from the air was not a problem.

Riddick landed the skiff in a field a few hundred meters from the outer edge. From the look of things, it was common practice here. A fairly large ship was parked nearby and surrounded by a number of people drinking and dancing happily to odd-sounding music. Next to it, more people sat at food-laden tables under a spacious and brightly-lit open-sided white tent.

Rows of other craft could be seen trailing off in both directions along the settlement's perimeter, some of them also blaring music. Others had bright little kiosks full of food or merchandise set up beside them. People of all races and colors milled about, moving to and from town and circulating among the various craft. Laughing children with painted faces, some of them wearing hats topped by small blinking lights, wove through the crowd chasing each other. Obviously, the survivors had arrived in the middle of a full-scale celebration.

As soon as the skiff's gangway thumped down, Shazza pushed her way past the others and fell to her hands and knees in the short grass, gagging and spitting. The others followed close behind and were immediately enveloped by hot air, loud music and the spicy aroma of cooking food.

"Oh, man...that smells so good..." Jack whispered.

"Water." Shazza's raspy voice was barely audible as rolled off her knees and sat down heavily, coughing and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I need water..."

Carolyn rushed back into the skiff and returned with a bottle. Shazza took it and rinsed out her mouth, spitting into the grass before upending the container and greedily downing the contents.

"You gonna be okay?" Carolyn crouched beside her and watched her gulp down the water.

Shazza dropped the empty bottle on the ground and managed a tight little smile. "Yeah." She burped and wiped at her mouth. "Just need to sit still for a bit, that's all."

Goggles in hand, Riddick stepped off the end of the gangway and looked around, soaking up the noisy festival atmosphere. The heat felt damn good after four days of outer space chill, and the smell of real food made his stomach growl. He knew what *he'd* be doing first.

Just then, a small group of garishly-costumed teenagers ran over and surrounded the weary travelers, yelling something in a foreign language and flinging handfuls of colored glitter into the air over their heads. Passersby laughed and clapped as the kids danced merrily around the survivors before running off, still crying out in singsong voices.

Shazza looked up, confused, as clouds of the sparkly stuff descended and settled in her hair. "What the bloody hell was *that* about?"

"Wow, neat!" Jack laughed and held out her hands to catch some of the glitter and get a closer look at it.

Imam stood still, letting the stuff coat his robes and turban as he smiled at the retreating teens.

A grin spread across Carolyn's face as she rose to her feet and watched Riddick walk over to stand beside her, waving his hand before his face to keep the flying glitter out of his eyes. She reached up to rub at his scalp, then held her glitter-coated finger up so he could see it. "You'd make a great Christmas decoration."

"Well, at least we're in style," Shazza grunted as she pushed herself up to stand beside them. "Look around."

They did, and saw that most of the celebrants bore evidence of similar glitter attacks on their hair and clothing.

"Guess we don't have to worry about fitting in." Carolyn absently brushed off her clothes as she eyed the big tent. "I wonder if that's a private party... think they'll let us eat in there?"

Imam took off in the direction of the crowded tent. "I will ask." They watched as he approached a man standing by one of the tables and held a short conversation with him, then turned and waved the rest of the group over. Riddick whacked his goggles against his leg and blew the glitter out of them before slipping them back on and following the others.

"This celebration is part of the Market Days Festival, which is held each year at this time," Imam began as they got close enough to hear him speak. "It is two weeks long, and we have arrived at the end of the first week."

"What about the food?" Jack bounced on her toes, sniffing the air and craning her neck to see what the people inside were eating.

Imam smiled down at her. "I was coming to that." He continued, looking back up at the adults."The charge is five credits per person for all the food you can eat."

Shazza peered inside the tent. "Cash or card?"

"The man told me it is cash only," Imam replied, reaching inside his robes and pulling out his wallet. "I have more than enough to pay for our food, but I do not know if I can also afford lodgings for us. Vacancies will be hard to find during the festival, and the price will probably be quite high."

"No worries," said Shazza. As the others looked on, she bent down and began slowly running her hand up and down the inside of her left thigh, feeling along the seam of her pant leg.

"What are you doing?" Carolyn tilted her head to the side, trying to get a closer look.

"Ah, there it is..." Shazza gripped something between her thumb and forefinger and pulled downward, then slid her fingers into the seam and carefully teased out a flat, neat sheaf of cash.

Riddick nodded approvingly. "Nice trick."

"That is so *cool*," Jack enthused. "How'd you do that?"

Shazza winked at her as she closed the hidden zipper and straightened up. "These are me 'secret agent' trousers. Had 'em made special." She tucked the cash into one of her regular pockets and indicated the food line inside the tent. "Let's eat."

The line led to a long self-service counter filled with bins of hot food under a clear plastic shield. Some of it looked familiar, and all of it looked and smelled very, very good. The tables were full, so they had to carry their heavily loaded plates back to the skiff and eat picnic-style on the ground. Imam and Shazza went back to the tent for drinks and returned bearing five huge lidded mugs decorated with festival logos.

"Mm, s'good," Carolyn mumbled between long sips from the straw in her mug. "What is it?"

"Pandra tea," Imam answered, taking a sip of his own drink. "It is a popular drink here, much like the iced tea of Earth."

"Has sort of a mint flavor to it," Shazza added, taking a bite of her food.

"Pandra is native to New Mecca," Imam continued. "But it shares many properties with the plant we call peppermint."

"Hey, look! Fireworks!" Jack shouted and pointed out into the darkness, where three young men were jumping and cheering as several small rockets hurtled into the sky, exploding into wide red umbrella-shaped formations.

"Well, now we know why no one stopped us from landing." Carolyn picked bits of glitter out of her food that had floated down from her hair as she ate. "With all these ships and people coming in for the festival, I guess they just didn't want to bother keeping track of them all."

"Hm." Shazza took another sip of her tea and looked appraisingly at the mug. "I dunno 'bout you lot, but this stuff is really waking me up."

"Yeah, me too," Carolyn turned to look at Riddick, who was sitting on her right. "What about you - feeling better?"

Riddick gave a brief nod and continued eating. The stuff *had* cleared his head a bit, and the food was definitely helping. He felt almost refreshed enough to start thinking about where he was going from here. But not yet.

A couple walked by, their fingers entwined, the woman's head against the man's shoulder as she smiled up at him lovingly. Without warning, the costumed teens zoomed past again, whooping and pelting the couple with glitter. The woman squealed, and her laughing companion grabbed her by the waist and swung her around in a circle as he kissed her.

That could be us.

Riddick froze in mid-chew.

Did I just think that?

Grateful for the cover of his goggles, he cut his eyes to the left to see if Carolyn had noticed his reaction. She was staring at the couple too, a wistful smile on her face. Relieved, Riddick went back to chewing his food and wondered if she was thinking the same thing.

What if she is? You gonna do somethin' about it?

Shut up, he told himself firmly. You got no business thinkin' that way. Remember what you are.

Riddick tore his gaze away from the happy couple and fixed it on his plate instead, making sure to keep his mouth full so he wouldn't have to talk.

Maybe now *was* the right time to think about what came next.

When everyone had finished eating, the conversation turned to what they should do with the rest of their evening. It was still fairly early - about seven o'clock, according to the watch of a passerby they asked.

"Well, obviously, we need to find somewhere to stay," said Shazza.

"I think that you and I should go and find lodgings." Imam patted the pocket in his robe where he kept his wallet. "We are the only ones with money. We can come back for the others when we have reserved our rooms."

"Sounds good to me. I don't think I could handle another night in that skiff," Carolyn agreed, rubbing her eyes.

Sure you could, her mind interjected, wrapped up all nice and cozy with Riddick... She shook off the thought and made herself focus on their discussion.

"We might be gone for a while." Shazza was fiddling with her hidden leg zipper again. "No telling how long it'll take to find something with all these people in town." Her probing fingers found what they were feeling for, and she opened yet another pocket just below the one that held her cash. Shazza drew out a card and held it up. "All set. Got me charge card here, so at least we don't have to worry about price."

Imam stood up and waited for Shazza to zip her pocket and join him.

"Be ready when we get back," she said, brushing glitter and bits off grass of the seat of her pants. "'Cause we're going shopping. There's no way I'm putting these filthy things back on after a shower."

Jack got up hurriedly and pulled Shazza down so she could whisper in her ear. With a smile and a nod, she put an arm around Jack's shoulders. "She's coming with us."

"Why?" Carolyn frowned. "Jack, do you really wanna do that? Why don't you stay here and rest til they get back?"

Jack looked down and blushed. "I need some stuff," she mumbled.

"Stuff?"

"*Stuff*." With a pointed look, Shazza inclined her head towards Carolyn. The two women locked eyes for a moment - then Carolyn's face brightened.

"Oh, *stuff*...right...okay." Carolyn nodded at Jack. "Gotcha. No problem, go ahead."

Imam cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. "We should go now," he said quickly, walking a bit ahead and turning to look back at them.

"Right. We're off, then." Shazza threw them a small wave and took off with Jack trotting at her side. Riddick and Carolyn watched as the three of them disappeared into the straggling line of festival goers headed towards town. The last thing they saw was Shazza's thick mantle of dark, glitter-covered hair shimmering in the half-light as she walked.

With a huge sigh, Carolyn let herself fall back onto the grass, where she lay looking up at the stars. Riddick stayed where he was, resting his arms on his drawn-up knees and watching the celebration. She almost reached over and pulled him down next to her, but thought better of it. Instead, she ran her eyes over what she could see of him from her reclining position. His skin was dusted with glitter that gave off tiny winking bursts of color in the light from the food tent. The stuff was pasted to him with a layer of sweat, defining every curve and muscle, giving even the slightest motion an almost magical quality.

"Kid needed some corks, huh?" Carolyn jumped at the sound of Riddick's voice.

"Yeah." She gave a small laugh. "You could say that." She raised her arms over her head and allowed herself a long, luxurious, catlike stretch. "I can't wait to take a shower. I bet we stink to high heaven."

Riddick snorted. "Kinda hard to tell around here."

"What do you mean?"

"You get a whiff o' these folks?" Riddick shook his head. "I'd be surprised if even half of 'em use deodorant."

"Didn't notice. Too hungry, I guess."

"Flower for your lady, sir?" A smiling young East Indian woman in a sari had stopped in front of them with a basket. "Only two credits."

"No, thanks." Riddick waved her away. "We're broke, sorry."

The young woman bowed politely and moved on.

My lady. She thinks Carolyn's my lady.

Well, isn't she?

Don't start that shit again, he warned himself. You know better.

Beside him, Carolyn closed her eyes as a thrill surged through her. Riddick hadn't said, "She's not my lady." Did that mean anything, or was she reading too much into it? I'm just tired, she thought. My mind is wandering, that's all. A good night's sleep in a real bed, and I'll be thinking straight again. Images of herself and Riddick flooded her mind - the two of them walking together, holding hands; asleep in each others' arms on a big, soft mattress; his weight on her as they made love, his lips caressing her face as he filled her over and over again -

Carolyn sat up quickly, rubbing her forehead and trying not to think about the heat and swelling between her legs. "I'm gonna go look around for a while." Pushing herself to her feet, she started walking towards a nearby kiosk. Riddick's eyes followed her, noting the enticing sway of her hips as she moved.

Several prosperous-looking young men walking past eyed her approvingly and leered as they elbowed each other, laughing. One of them was shoved by his companions in Carolyn's direction, and approached her hesitantly as she stood before a kiosk filled with party favors and drink containers.

Riddick watched as the fellow tried to strike up a conversation with her. She smiled politely and shook her head, then headed off towards another kiosk. The man followed her, still talking, as his snickering friends watched. Carolyn turned to him and said something, then continued walking. He kept up with her, apparently still trying to talk her into joining him and his friends in their revelry.

The man moved in front of her and blocked her path, reaching out and trying to lay his hands on her arms. When he grabbed her by the elbow, Carolyn jerked her arm away and shouted something. Riddick had a pretty good idea what it was, and that was enough for him. He stood up and made his way with deliberate casualness to where they were standing.

"Is there a problem here?" He moved up behind Carolyn and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You okay, babe?"

"Yeah." She nodded and leaned back against him, reaching up to lay one of her hands on his.

The young guy backed up a few steps and raised his hands. "Hey, I don't want any trouble, man. I didn't know she was yours."

Carolyn glared at him. "I *told* you I wasn't available!" she said, her voice flat and cold.

Riddick glanced over to see if the guy's friends were going to be any trouble, but they were already retreating, frantically signaling their friend to follow.

Smart move, you dumbfucks.

Carolyn's would-be suitor backed away and then turned to join his group, casting frightened glances at Riddick over his shoulder.

"Thanks." Carolyn gave Riddick's fingers a quick squeeze before lowering her hand.

"We should prob'ly stay together," he said, removing his hands from her shoulders. "Safer that way."

"Yeah, you're prob'ly right." Carolyn turned to face him, trying to hide her surprise and delight at being touched by him in public. "But the skiff's still open. What about the power cells? Someone might try to take them."

"I seriously doubt that."

"Well, screw it. I'm tired of worrying about stuff." Carolyn raked her hair back with her fingers and blew out a breath as she scanned their surroundings. "I'm just glad to be back on solid ground. Let's take a walk and see what else is going on around here."

They moved down the rows of ships, stopping at random to peruse the contents of the various kiosks. Numerous performers circulated in the crowd, stopping here and there to dazzle onlookers with their skills. One of these was a juggler who took swift bites of the fruit he was tossing. Further on, Riddick and Carolyn passed an acrobat, who was balancing one one hand in the tramped-down grass.

The sound of drums caught their attention next - it was very loud and seemed to be coming closer. In the distance, Carolyn could see a line of dancers advancing as the clapping crowd made way for them. Some of the audience members joined in, capering merrily beside the line as it moved forward. Behind the dancers marched a double line of drummers pounding out a catchy Brazilian-sounding rhythm. The entire group was dressed in sparkling costumes, all in various shades of blue. The female dancers wore tall, feathery headdresses that waved prettily as they moved in time with the drums.

Riddick and Carolyn were slowly pressed backwards by the people surrounding them as room was made for the performers to come through. She stumbled when her foot hit a large tuft of grass, and Riddick caught her by the waist to steady her. This time, he didn't remove his hands - he slid them around to rest on her stomach and pulled her right up against him. Carolyn let her arms rest on top of his, wondering if he would stop her or try to pull away. He didn't.

The line of dancers and drummers stopped in the space that had been opened for them. While the beat continued, the dancers formed a circle and and began a rapid, swirling series of motions that carried them closer and closer to the edges of the crowd. The drums stopped abruptly, and the dancers froze in place, posing dramatically, as the audience clapped and cheered. After a moment, the drums started again, cueing the dancers to resume their movement. They pranced up and down the rows of people, selecting random audience members and coaxing them out into the open space to join them in the dance. Several children pushed to the front of the crowd and formed a comical little group, holding drinks and wiggling their skinny hips as best they could in time to the beat.

The gleeful show went on for several minutes before Riddick realized with a shock that he'd been rocking slightly in time with the drums, his body unconsciously moving along with Carolyn's. Instinctively, he looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Of course, no one was paying any attention. All eyes were riveted on the performers, and almost everyone was moving to the beat. To them, Riddick and Carolyn didn't merit even a second glance - they were merely another couple attending the festival and enjoying the show.

Just another couple...

The thought hit Riddick with a jolt. He ran the words through his mind again, just to see how it felt.

A couple. Is that really what we are?

He recalled the happy, hand-holding pair that had passed their picnic spot by the skiff earlier, and what he'd thought when he saw them: That could be us. Well, now it *was* them. Everyone here, if they bothered to look at him and Carolyn at all, saw nothing but a happy man and woman holding each other and swaying along with the rest of the audience.

As with many other things he'd experienced in the past five days, Riddick couldn't pin down exactly how he was supposed to feel about this. That fact alone was making him very uncomfortable. He wasn't one who liked to leave things hanging. There was enough uncertainty in his life already, and he sure as hell didn't need to be adding to it.

Even so, he didn't let go of Carolyn, and he didn't stop himself from moving with her to the drums.

Hell, everyone's doing it anyway, it's not like we stand out, he reasoned. It's been a rough few days, why spoil her fun?

The dancers gave a loud collective whoop, jerking Riddick out of his thoughts. They'd sent their selected audience members back into the crowd and formed a whirling circle in front of the drummers, who beat out a heart-pounding finale before raising their arms to the sky. The dancers froze in position, and the crowd whistled, stomped and clapped. After a few seconds of this, the group broke apart and arranged itself into a loose line, resuming its rhythmic march through the packed festival grounds.

"Hey," Carolyn's voice piped up over the drums as she leaned her head back onto his shoulder and looked up at him. "How long have we been gone?"

"I dunno." Riddick's eyes met hers through his goggles (for which he was still very grateful) as he studied her upturned face. For a split second, he thought he might kiss her right there in front of everyone, removing all doubt about their status as a couple. He stopped himself by quickly opening his arms and letting her go. "Maybe we should get back." He turned away, scoping out their location in reference to the skiff, and pointed. "That way."

He didn't see Carolyn's face fall as he started walking. She tried to keep up with him, but was slowed down by knots of people drifting into her path. Eventually, she managed to push through and catch up to Riddick, grabbing his arm.

"You're walking too fast," Carolyn yelled over the drums. "I'm gonna lose you in this crowd."

Riddick wordlessly gripped her hand in his and kept going, his long strides pulling her along, making her move at a half-run. Unlike her, he was able to make people move out of his way with nothing more than his intimidating appearance, so it didn't take them long to reach the skiff. When they were close enough to spot it, they saw the others waiting for them by the gangway, and Riddick quickly let go of her hand.

"Christ almighty!" Shazza cried out as they approached the skiff. She stood with her hands on her hips, her face a mix of exasperation and relief. "Where the bloody hell did you run off to?"

"We just went to look around," Carolyn answered slowly, scanning the three concerned faces before her. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Nothing, really, except we've been waiting here for fifteen minutes with no idea if you were dead or alive." Shazza threw her hands in the air. "We were about to start looking for you."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Carolyn shrugged. "We just got tired of sitting still, that's all."

Shazza tried to look fierce, but her mouth betrayed her as it twitched into a small, grudging smile. "Well...alright, then. I s'pose I can forgive you."

"We should close the skiff," said Carolyn, walking around to look into the back. "And we need to empty that waste bin, or it'll sit here cooking in this heat and stink up the whole ship." She went to the top of the gangway, stuck her head inside and quickly pulled it back out with a grunt of disgust. "Yeah, we *really* need to take care of that."

Carolyn stepped into the skiff, nose wrinkled, and found the blanket Shazza had thrown up on during re-entry. Rolling it into a ball, she quickly opened the waste bin and stuffed the blanket in as tightly as it would go. "That oughtta cover the smell long enough to get this thing to a disposal. Festivals always have a portable unit around somewhere. You guys see one?" She turned the handle that released the bin from its niche and pulled it out.

"I'll go and ask." Shazza headed back to the big food tent and spoke briefly to one of the cooks. The others watched as he led her out of the tent and pointed away from town, towards the outermost row of parked ships and kiosks. Shazza nodded and walked quickly back to the skiff with a little wave of thanks. "Over there," she said when she got back. "Past the last row of ships. There's a sliding door on the side for small stuff."

"Back in a minute." Carolyn dragged the bin down the gangway. "Heavier than I thought," she said through gritted teeth as she tried to yank it through the grass.

Riddick stepped forward and grabbed the bin, lifting it easily in one hand, and carried it off in the direction Shazza had indicated. When he got back, Carolyn was inside again, rolling up the bedding she and Riddick had shared during their flight.

"Never know when you'll need some extras," she muttered, tying everything together with the ends of a blanket. "You guys might wanna grab some too," she said to the others as she tossed her bundle down the gangway. "We can take it and get it washed."

While Jack and Imam gathered and rolled up more bedding, Carolyn sought out a small panel on the outside of the skiff, just in front of the engines. It popped open when she struck it with her fist, revealing a keypad and a small display screen.

Shazza had come over to watch. "What's that for?" she asked, leaning over Carolyn's shoulder to get a closer look.

"It locks the skiff. This is the only way to open it from the outside." Carolyn frowned and bit her lip. "If we're lucky, they never changed the factory-issued code. They usually don't unless the ship's used for high-security stuff."

Carolyn frowned at the keyboard some more, then started punching buttons. "Let's try...9-9-9-9..." she mumbled as she entered the numbers. The words INVALID CODE flashed in red on the little screen. "Damn. Okay, how about...0-0-0-0..." The screen went blank, then flashed CODE ACCEPTED in green letters. Underneath, a line of text scrolled by, telling her to "Press the # key three times to program a new locking code."

"Bingo!" Carolyn turned to find the others, including Jack and Imam, gathered behind her. "I'm using my birth date so I won't forget it," she said. "Watch the screen and memorize the numbers, okay? After this they'll be masked when you enter them." She punched them in and left them on the screen until everyone had seen them, then confirmed the code change. "You guys need anything else from in there?" The others shook their heads. "Ok, then - I'm closing up." She hit the red button under the keypad, and the gangway lifted off the ground.

"Right." Shazza jerked her head towards town. "Let's kick on, then. I hired a runner, it's over there." She pointed towards a group of vehicles parked just outside the edge of town. "Sorry 'bout the long walk, but it's pedestrians only on festival grounds."

"Let's hurry!" Jack tugged insistently on Shazza's arm. "I wanna take a shower."

"Everybody grab something," Carolyn yelled above the festival noises, hefting her own bundle of bedding onto her shoulder. "We're still going shopping, right?" she asked Shazza as the others picked up the remaining loads.

"Yeah. Going straight there, then to the motel." Shazza took out her charge card and waved it at them. "And you've all got free run, just grab whatever you need. I've got plenty of credits on this thing."

"Really? I can buy whatever I want?" Jack grinned eagerly as she trotted along beside Shazza.

Shazza grinned back and rubbed the girl's stubbly head. "That's right, anything you want. But remember," she added, raising a warning finger. "All our stuff has to fit in that thing with us when we check out, so nothing too big."

"Okay." Jack seemed happy with that and fell silent, no doubt making a mental list of potential purchases.

Riddick trudged along a few meters behind the women with his bundle, his mind busily turning over options. He was pretty sure he could get something for the skiff - someone might want it for parts, if nothing else. The extra power cells would fetch a nice price from the right buyer; combined with the skiff money, it'd probably buy him passage on a transport and leave him a little pocket cash.

In the meantime, he knew which side his bread was buttered on, and he meant to take full advantage of it.

I can stick it out a little longer, Riddick thought as he walked. Let Shazza pick up the tab for a few little necessaries, shower and change at the motel, and I'm outta here, no problem.

Imam, who had remained silent, fell in next to Riddick and cleared his throat politely. "We obtained two rooms," he said, keeping his voice low. "One for the women, one for the men. However..." He drew a key card from his robes and held it out to Riddick, who slowly took it after a few seconds of hesitation. "During our search, I paid a visit to a local mosque and made inquiries. It seems there is an old Muslim who lives nearby, a widower like myself. His children are grown and gone, and he would welcome my company. He has invited me into his home for as long as I would like to stay. You will have the room to yourself."

Riddick stared at the card for a moment, then slipped it into his pocket. He knew why Imam had done this, and realized that a room was not *all* he would have to himself.

Stick to the plan, he reminded himself firmly. He knew none of these people would turn him in. That fact guaranteed him the time he needed to get his hands on some cash and get the hell off this planet, and the sooner the better.

But then there was Carolyn...

His stomach tightened with anticipation at the thought of getting her alone in a private room with a real bed. A whole night, lying naked next to her - he could have her whenever he wanted, just by reaching for her. All he had to do to make that happen was stay with the group until morning. Riddick watched as Carolyn walked ahead of him, her butt looking as good as ever in her form-fitting pants. He'd watched her the same way back on the planet as he'd dragged a makeshift sled full of supplies through the hot sand to the deserted settlement. Back when he'd been planning how to catch her alone and have a little fun while he could.

As it turned out, he'd had a hell of a lot more than just fun. Their time alone in the skiff had been... Not for the first time, Riddick found himself oddly frightened when he tried to put an accurate label on what had happened between him and Carolyn. What was still happening, really - even now he felt as though she were pulling him along by an invisible cord, and he had no choice but to follow.

No, that wasn't it. He *did* have a choice, just as he had in the skiff, when he'd chosen to give himself up to her instead of taking what he wanted.

Just as he chose to follow her now.

What the hell, he thought. Why pass up a free lay and a good night's sleep? I could use both right about now.

"Right, here we are." Shazza walked up to a plain white runner and slid the key card into the driver's door. "It's not as nice as a car, but at least we'll all fit." She slid behind the wheel and punched a button to unlock the other three doors, then another to pop open the trunk. "Nice big boot for our stuff as well."

"Boot?" asked Jack, plopping down in the front passenger seat. "What do you mean?"

Shazza pushed the ignition button and started the runner's engine as Riddick slammed the trunk lid over the deposited bundles of bedding. "Oh, yeah, I forgot - you Yanks call it a 'trunk'".

"Oh..." Jack settled herself in and turned to look into the back seat, where the other three adults were now shifting into position and closing the doors. Riddick had taken a window seat so he wouldn't have people on both sides of him. The seat was just big enough to hold them, but small enough that they pressed against each other. His knees almost touched the back of Jack's seat.

"You couldn't find anything bigger?" he asked Shazza.

"On short notice during a festival week? Are you daft?" Shazza snorted and shook her head. "It was either this thing or one of the two-seaters they had left on the lot." She buckled her seat belt and poked Jack, indicating that she should do the same, then threw the runner into reverse and backed out of the row of vehicles.

Getting through the busy downtown area of Little Bangalore was slow and frustrating. They found themselves stuck in a long line of cars, trucks, runners and vans that were all trying to do the same thing. Huge, colorful banners proclaiming "The Little Bangalore Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to Market Days!" were suspended over the streets, along with numerous strings of colored lights.

Groups of strolling celebrants wove casually and fearlessly through the crawling traffic. Some of them drummed on the hoods and tops of the vehicles as they passed, yelling "Happy Market Days!" and other phrases in various foreign languages. An excited Jack leaned out of her open window, taking everything in.

"Imam, what are they saying?" she yelled into the back.

"I don't understand all of it, only English and Arabic," he answered, leaning forward to make himself heard over the noise.

"What are they saying in Arabic, then?"

"Happy Market Days."

"Oh..."

"I almost forgot," said Shazza. "The bloke I hired this from said we should keep our windows up around here, so we won't get - "

Her words were interrupted by a burst of glitter through Jack's window. The costumed teen who'd thrown it ran off, whooping gaily, in search of more victims.

"...hit with glitter..." Shazza finished as Jack sat back, her eyes big with surprise.

Imam and Carolyn burst into laughter. "Perhaps you should close your window now," Imam chuckled from his seat behind Shazza.

"Little late for that," Carolyn giggled as Shazza grinned and hit the window button on the center console, watching Jack wipe at her face and shake glitter off her shirt onto the floorboard.

Riddick allowed himself a small smile as he studied Carolyn's face. He liked the way her nose wrinkled up when she laughed, the feel of her arm pressed against his. And her scent, after five days without a shower, was almost more than he could bear - every nerve in his body was alive with desire. It was all he could do not pull her onto his lap and have her right there in the runner.

Down, boy, Riddick told his impatient organ. He could feel it swelling against the fabric of his pants. You'll get what you want, don't worry. He moved his eyes from Carolyn's face to her chest and was pleased to find her rigid nipples showing through the fabric of her shirt. He inhaled deeply, savoring the unmistakable smell of her arousal. Oh yeah, you'll definitely be gettin' somethin' tonight.

He looked up to find Carolyn's eyes fixed on his face, her own desire evident - to him, at least - in her expression, in the way she held her mouth. Riddick quickly scanned the others; Jack and Shazza were talking about shopping, and Imam's attention was focused outside his own window.

Slowly, Riddick leaned over to press his lips against Carolyn's ear and whisper. "Imam gave me the room."

Carolyn's heart jumped into her throat. She went very still and forced herself to look straight ahead as the full meaning of Riddick's words hit her.

Me and Riddick, together. Alone. In our own room. Holy shit. How did that happen?

Riddick sat up and inhaled again, almost laughing aloud with delight at the heady perfume of her hormones running wild. It got even better when he slid his hand down just above their pressed-together thighs and let his little finger brush her leg through the thin fabric of her pants. Goddamn, it was like holding paper over fire. The way things were going, he was surprised the whole vehicle didn't just burst into flame.

It was great fun, messing with her like this. There was one more thing he wanted to try. He waited until Carolyn looked at him again and let his tongue flick out the same way it had the first time she'd touched him. Riddick had to bite his lip to keep from grinning when Carolyn let out a tiny gasp and jerked her head around to face front again.

I gotta knock this shit off, he thought, or I won't be able to walk when we get to the store.

In the shadowy depths of his consciousness, far from the little sexual games he was playing with Carolyn, he knew what really going on here.

He knew what excited him more than her scent, more than her alert nipples, more than the look of desire on her face.

He knew that, once they were alone together, he would close the door behind him and spend the night with a woman unlike any other he'd been with.

A woman who knew who and what he was, knew what he was capable of, and was unafraid.

A woman who wanted him, wanted *all* of him.

A woman who would give herself to him without reservation.

Even deeper within lay an even deeper reason, the one he hid even from himself:

That his greatest desire was to say to her what he'd never said to anyone -

Take me, do what you want with me, I'm yours.

I trust you.

I need you.

But, as is the nature of all deeply hidden things, it remained deeply hidden, biding its time.

As the runner continued its frustratingly slow, stop-and-start journey through the crowded center of Little Bangalore, Riddick looked out the window and, in an effort to calm his persistent erection, tried to calculate the potential black-market value of an obsolete skiff.

Show Me Your Eyes (Part 13)

"Caaarolyyyn...hellooo..." Jack's voice snapped her back into the present.

"What?" Carolyn's voice was distant and dreamy. With great effort, she focused on Jack's glitter-dusted face hovering before her.

"Are you still in outer space?" Jack laughed. "I *said*, what kind of clothes are you gonna buy?"

"Uh...I dunno. Depends on what they have, I guess." Carolyn cast a quick look at Riddick, who was now staring out his window.

"I'm getting lots of clean socks," Jack said emphatically. "I hate having dirty feet. I can't wait to get these nasty old shoes off. I'm gonna throw 'em away and get new ones."

"It's prob'ly best for you to keep dressing as a boy for a little while," said Shazza. "So don't get any female clothing just yet. We can always buy you some later."

Jack shrugged. "That's ok. I never wore dresses much anyway."

"I used to, a long time ago," Shazza smiled over at Jack. "But only because me parents made me."

"I think you look great the way you are," Jack smiled back.

"Thanks."

Jack sat up suddenly, her eyes brightening. "Can you get me pair of secret agent pants too?"

Shazza laughed and shook her head. "They don't sell 'em in stores, love. I had mine made special, just for me. I can look into it, though."

"Really? Cool!"

"I will not require anything from the store." Imam had leaned forward to address Shazza. "You may leave me at the mosque I visited earlier. I have much prayer to make up for."

"You sure? You don't need fresh clothes or anything like that?" Shazza watched Imam's face in the rear view mirror.

"No, thank you. My needs are few, and my host can easily provide for them."

"Alright, if you say so. The mosque it is, then." Shazza leaned back into her seat and gave the steering wheel a hard whack. "Can't these bloody idiots move any faster?"

"Can you point the cooler back here? I'm a little warm." Carolyn scooped her hair up and fanned the back of her neck.

"Sorry, love, 'course I can." Shazza adjusted the stream of cool air to point between the front seats. "Better?"

"Much. Thanks." Carolyn closed her eyes and held her face in front of the airstream, sighing with relief. "Mind if I pick up a wood sander at the store? I think I'll need one to get all this dirt off me."

Shazza laughed. "You and me both."

Riddick, still locked in mental combat with his hard-on, was suddenly assaulted by images of himself running soapy hands all over Carolyn's nude body.

Not now, dammit, he told his eager hormones. Later. I promise. Now calm the fuck down, for chrissake.

The Anderson Brothers Super Multi-Mart (With four convenient locations in Mecca City!) was crowded with Market Days tourists. Shazza had to park a good ways from the entrance, but no one seemed to mind - especially Jack.

"Whoa, there, pardner!" Carolyn grabbed the back of the girl's shirt when she started walking ahead of the group. "Wait for us."

Once inside, Shazza brought out her charge card and and inserted it into the slots of four shopping carts, rolling one to each person. "Anyone used one of these before?"

"I have." Carolyn was rolling hers back and forth and looking down at the wheels. "Mine kinda pulls to the right."

Jack and Riddick shook their heads.

"Right, then. Here's how it works. See that strip all the way round the top of the cart?" Shazza pointed at hers. "That's a sensor. Everything in the store has a special tag on it, and the cart sensor reads the tags and records everything you put in. See the little readout on the handle?"

The others looked and nodded.

"That shows your total purchases," Shazza went on. "Put something in, it adds it to the total. Take something out, it subtracts it. Got it?"

More nods from the others.

"What happens if *I* get in the cart?" asked Jack. "Will it record me?"

Shazza laughed. "Dunno. Never tried it." She held up her charge card before slipping it back into her pocket. "I used this to activate 'em, so whatever you put in gets charged to me."

"Let's go!" Jack gripped the handle of her cart and bounced eagerly.

Carolyn let go of her cart and headed towards a large sign that said LADIES. "Somebody watch that for me, ok? I gotta pee and wash my hands."

"Why dontcha use water instead?" Jack called after her with a grin.

Carolyn turned and rolled her eyes at Jack, then disappeared into the bathroom.

"Here you go." Shazza parked Carolyn's cart beside Riddick. "You take care 'o that. I'm going shopping."

"Me, too." Jack lined up behind Shazza, and the two of them took off together, leaving Riddick standing alone near the entrance with the two empty shopping carts. He rolled them closer to the bathroom and waited.

After a few minutes, Carolyn emerged, looking a bit more relaxed. She'd slicked her hair back with water, and her arms were clean. "Your turn. I'll watch these."

He didn't bother trying to rinse off the glitter. There'd be time for that at the motel. Riddick relieved himself (with some difficulty and a great deal of concentration) and washed his hands, stopping to look in the mirror before he left the mens' room.

One more night and you're outta here, pal, he told his reflection. Just one more night...

Carolyn's cart was almost full. So far, she'd gotten toiletries, socks, three pairs of shoes and a duffel bag to carry it all. Now she was in the women's clothing section. Riddick had taken off when he came out of the bathroom, and she hadn't seen him since.

She stood before a rack full of silky little nightgowns, wondering if she should buy one. There was no mistaking Riddick's intentions - Carolyn knew exactly what they'd be doing tonight in that room. Would it really matter what she wore? She ran her hand along the hanging gowns, enjoying the satiny feel of the fabric on her hand.

What the hell, she thought. I hardly ever get to wear stuff like this. I deserve a little treat. Besides, Shazza said we could get whatever we wanted.

Carolyn selected a pretty thigh-length burgundy gown and took it off the rack. It was the kind she liked, with spaghetti straps and just a touch of lace on the top. For good measure, she took a dark blue one as well and laid both of them carefully on top of her other purchases. The cart's sensor beeped as it added the gowns to her total.

She rolled her cart over to the underwear shelves and grabbed some panties, then moved on to the bras. Carolyn rarely wore either one, but she figured it couldn't hurt to have a few on hand.

"Nice gowns." Shazza appeared, rolling her cart around a rack of jumpsuits. "They look comfy."

"Yeah." Carolyn blushed and looked down, fiddling with her hair.

"Got everything you need?"

Carolyn frowned and looked around. "Not yet. I need some pants and t-shirts."

"I'll take you, I was just there." Shazza turned her cart around and signaled for Carolyn to follow her. "You oughtta get some dresses, too. You'd look pretty in a dress."

"I dunno..." Carolyn answered from behind Shazza. "I should stick to practical stuff. Where would I wear a dress, anyway?"

"Oh, c'mon," Shazza cajoled. "Live a little. Get yourself something nice. How often d'you get a chance like this?"

Carolyn grinned at Shazza's back. "Never."

"Here we are." Shazza stopped at a bin full of colorful t-shirts. "What size?"

"Um, medium, I guess..." Carolyn pawed through the bin, checking tags. Five of the shirts ended up in her cart before Shazza led her to the pants racks, where she picked out three pairs of jeans and two pairs of loose cotton pants.

"I'm too dirty to try these on," Carolyn said as the two women headed towards the front of the store. "I'll just bring 'em back and exchange 'em if they don't fit."

"Hang on, where d'you think *you're* going, young lady?" Shazza grabbed Carolyn's cart and stopped it. "Dresses are that way." She pointed to their left.

"No, it's ok, I don't need..."

"I insist." Shazza turned her cart into Carolyn's path. "We're not leaving til you have at least one dress."

Carolyn threw up her hands in defeat. "Ok, if you say so."

"I do." Shazza winked at her and rolled her cart towards the dress racks.

"You have to get one too," Carolyn called from behind her. "It's only fair."

"I don't wear dresses." Shazza stopped by a rack and started flipping through the merchandise. "What size are you?"

"I mean it," Carolyn persisted. "If you don't get one, I don't get one."

Shazza looked at the ceiling and gave a rather comical growl of frustration. "Fine. You pick one out for me, then. Now what's your size?"

"What's *yours*?"

Shazza heaved an exasperated sigh. "Seven standard. Now tell me yours."

"Six standard. What color do you like?"

"I don't care, whatever you think'll look good." Shazza pulled out a long, pretty dark blue dress made of a soft, woven cotton-like material. "Here we are - six standard. You'll look bloody great in this color."

Carolyn held up a long black one. "Here's yours. You like black, right?"

"Black's fine." Shazza laid the blue dress in Carolyn's cart and the black one in hers. "Well, I'm done. How 'bout you?"

"Hell, yes," Carolyn said emphatically. "I'm ready for a shower and a soft bed and a *very* long nap."

"That makes two of us." Shazza reach down and pushed aside the top layer of merchandise in her cart. "Got a little helper, too. Take a look."

Carolyn leaned over and saw that Shazza had picked up a huge bottle of whiskey and three small tumblers. "Ah..."

"You're welcome to some if you like." Shazza covered up the bottle again. "There's more than enough to go round."

"Hey, have you guys seen Riddick anywhere?" Jack and her full cart appeared between two clothing racks.

"Sh! Don't say his name!" Carolyn hissed. "Someone might hear."

"Sorry," Jack whispered, looking sheepish. "I can't find him."

"If you're through shopping, we can go up front and wait for him," said Shazza, turning her cart towards the store entrance.

"Yeah, I'm done." Jack fell in behind her, followed by Carolyn.

When the three of them reached the front, Shazza checked the totals on their carts and hit the "process transaction" button on each handle to finalize their purchases. "This deactivates all the tags on your stuff," she explained to Jack. "If you left without doing this, alarms would go off."

After packing their purchases into the duffel bags they'd bought, Carolyn and Shazza sat on a bench to wait for Riddick, while Jack settled on the floor beside her bag and occupied herself with a handheld video game she'd bought.

"God, I hope he shows up soon," Shazza sighed, leaning back and closing her eyes. "I need a bloody drink."

Riddick wandered the crowded aisles, methodically selecting what he needed and tossing it into his cart as he checked it off his mental list: razor, soap, first aid kit, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, duffel bag, socks, underwear... It kept his mind busy, kept him from thinking about Carolyn, and how he'd soon be alone with her in a dark, quiet motel room. Just the two of them, and nowhere to hide.

When he reached the men's clothing section, some shirts caught his eye. He took a long-sleeved black one off the rack and rubbed the silky material between his finger and thumb. This would feel good against his skin, and the fabric would drape nicely over his large frame, tightening seductively against his muscles when he moved. He remembered the admiring glances of women when he'd worn similar shirts in the past.

Carolyn would like this on me, he thought.

Riddick put the shirt back quickly and gripped the handle of his cart. Can't be thinkin' like that. Gotta stick with the plan. He moved to the bin full of t-shirts near the pants rack and tossed three extra-larges into his cart. Three pairs of jeans followed. No point in gettin' fancy, he reasoned. I'm leavin' anyway. He brought the cart back around to the underwear shelves and grabbed a package of black tank tops, completing his shopping trip. His boots had removable liners he could wash, so he hadn't bought any shoes. Didn't seem to be worth the trouble. The others were waiting for him up front when he got there. Shazza hit the button on his cart handle as she'd done with the others, then waited as he loaded up his duffel bag before they headed back to the runner.

The back seat was much more comfortable now that Imam wasn't here, but Riddick found himself wanting to pull Carolyn closer to him, or move closer to her. He missed the feel of her skin against his. His mind kept wandering back to that silky black shirt he'd almost bought, picturing Carolyn as she slowly unbuttoned it and slid it sensuously over his shoulders and down his arms to drop on the floor before she -

"Riddick!" His head snapped up at the sound of his name. Shazza was talking to him. "I've got a nice big bottle of whiskey if you want some later."

He grunted in response and went back to looking out the window, his stomach fluttering with anticipation and - fear? What the hell was he afraid of? He'd been alone with lots of women in motel rooms. Why should this time make him so nervous?

But she's not just *any* woman, is she?

Is she?

Riddick shifted in his seat and rubbed the top of his head, as if trying to massage the offending thoughts from his brain. "How much further?" he asked Shazza, more to keep his mind busy than anything else.

"Um...I'd say 'bout another three kilometers, if I don't manage to get us lost." Shazza cast a quick look back at him. "Can't wait to get in that shower, eh?"

"Yeah."

In the front passenger seat, Jack was still playing her video game. Riddick made himself concentrate on its tiny electronic noises and Jack's exclamations as she worked her way through the game's many virtual obstacles.

Too bad life ain't a video game, he mused silently. I'd kick its fuckin' ass.

Half an hour later, Shazza finally managed to free them from the traffic-clogged main street of Little Bangalore with a sharp left turn onto a side street and a muttered, "Sod this!" She made one stop to ask directions, and a few minutes later their destination appeared before them, its sign flashing a bright welcome to the Seashell Travellers' Inn and Cafe.

"Funny name for something that's nowhere near the coast," said Carolyn as they rolled slowly into the parking lot.

The white one-story building was L-shaped, with a pale green awning running its length, overhanging the doors to the rooms. The main office was on the left at one end of the L as they entered the lot. An even bigger awning extended from the side of the building facing the street, next to the office, shielding a large, unlit rectangular patio slab and three small round tables with chairs. Lines of people moved up and down the sidewalk just a couple of meters from the edge of the patio. Nestled into the corner of the L was the tiny Seashell Cafe, which was open, but empty except for a tired-looking cashier and a bored waiter. A giant seashell outlined in pink light rose from the roof right over the entrance.

"Which room am I staying in?" Jack had put down her game and was undoing her seatbelt.

Shazza pulled the runner up in front of the room next to the office and pointed at the door. "This one."

Jack was out of the vehicle almost before it stopped moving. "Wow," she said, running her eyes over the seat and floorboard on her side. "That was a lotta glitter! Come look at this."

Riddick glanced at it as he got out. Carolyn leaned forward from the back seat and looked. "Boy, he really gotcha, didn't he?"

Shazza hit the trunk button and got out. "Right, let's get our stinky arses into those showers." She came around to the back and lifted her duffel bag full of purchases out of the trunk, careful not to bump it and break her whiskey bottle.

Riddick took his out too, and moved out of the way to let Carolyn and Jack retrieve theirs before closing the trunk lid.

"Where's our - the, uh..." Carolyn looked up shyly at Riddick and cleared her throat. "Which room is it?" she asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that they were sharing one.

Riddick pulled out the key card Imam had given him and looked at the number printed on it, then scanned the room doors. "There." He pointed to a door at the end of the L farthest from the office. "Number fourteen."

Carolyn swallowed hard and headed for the room. All she could think of was getting in there, away from Jack and Shazza. She imagined she could feel them leering behind her back and thinking about what she and Riddick would be doing once they were alone. Even though Johns was long gone, Carolyn still felt the sting of his public revelation about what she'd done with Riddick in the skiff.

But why would they care now? she asked herself. Why, after the way Riddick's helped us? I'm making a big deal out of nothing. It's not their business what we do, anyway.

Carolyn stopped in front of room fourteen and waited until Riddick arrived and slid the key card into the slot.

"See you in the morning, or whenever we wake up," Shazza called from her door.

"G'night," Carolyn called back with a little wave, and followed Riddick into their room.

"Lights," she said without thinking, and the room brightened immediately. Then she remembered Riddick's eyes. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry..."

"Not a problem." Riddick dropped his duffel bag on one of the chairs by the tiny table near the window and sat down heavily on the bed. With a tired sigh, he leaned forward and let his head fall into his hands, rubbing his glitter-coated scalp.

Carolyn sat down beside him, setting her bag next to her on the bed. "You wanna shower first?" she said after a long, awkward silence.

"No, you go ahead." Riddick flopped back onto the bedspread and put his arm over his eyes. "I'm gonna rest for a while."

"Okay." She picked up her bag and took it with her to the bathroom. "Lights." She was pleased to find a nice corner shower stall and a good supply of towels. They looked a bit thin, but this wasn't the time to be picky. "You have to pee or anything?" she called out the door to Riddick.

"Nope."

Carolyn started to close the door, but stopped when Riddick spoke again. "Toss me one o' those big towels, willya?"

"Sure." She grabbed one and threw it onto the bed. Riddick didn't move to pick it up. Carolyn retreated into the bathroom again, closing the door behind her, and stood there for a moment, uncertain what to do next. The sight of her duffel bag on the floor reminded her that she was in here to get clean, not stand around like a dope thinking about the man on the bed outside. She unzipped the bag and started arranging her toiletries on the counter.

When the bathroom door closed for the last time, Riddick took his arm off his face and looked around. The room was pretty typical - big bed, tiny table, coupla chairs, vidscreen and remote, wallcomm. One wall contained several big built-in drawers and a long mirror. He got up and closed the curtains as tight as they'd go, then turned off the lights. Stepping back to the bed, he tapped the base of the little lamp on the nightstand until it was set on low, then draped the towel over the lampshade. The resulting glow was enough for Carolyn to see by, but dim enough not to hurt his unprotected eyes.

With a sigh of relief, Riddick removed his goggles and laid them on the nightstand by the lamp. It felt good to finally have the pressure off his face. He rubbed his eyes hard and blinked a few times, adjusting to the light. He could hear Carolyn making noise in the bathroom - sounded like she was unpacking her stuff. After a moment, the shower came on, followed shortly after by the loud click of the stall door closing.

Riddick moved to the bathroom door and stood silently before it, listening to the sounds of Carolyn's shower. He smiled when she let out a relieved groan as the water hit her. It was easy to imagine her standing with her face in the spray, letting it pound down her hair and rinse the grime from her skin. Once again, his mind presented him with the image of his soapy hands running all over her, and he felt his erection grow. His hand came up to rest lightly on the door, as if to push it open.

She wouldn't stop me, he thought. I could get in that stall with her right now.

But Riddick stayed where he was, just listening. He didn't move until he heard Carolyn turn off the water and open the stall. Quickly and carefully, he made his way back to the bed and lay down with his arm over his eyes, as he'd been before, and waited.

The big, rough towel felt good on Carolyn's skin. She rubbed hard, glad to be free of the dirt, sweat and glitter. With a corner of the towel, she wiped the steam off the mirror so she could see herself. As she turned her head from side to side, tiny flashes winked out here and there in her hair - apparently, she hadn't been able to wash out all the glitter. Oh well, didn't matter. At least she was clean now. Maybe combing would get the rest of it out.

Carolyn picked up the comb she'd bought and ran it absently through her wet hair as her mind went back to Riddick. There was no escaping the fact that things were very different now. On the skiff, they'd been thrown together in a tiny space with no choice but to interact with each other. Their relationship, such as it was, had been forged under extreme circumstances. Now, back in the regular world of people and jobs and everyday business to be taken care of, she wondered if it stood a chance.

With a start, Carolyn realized she'd stopped combing and was staring blindly into the mirror with the comb poised in her uplifted hand. She leaned closer and examined her face; the eyes in the mirror were full of fear - fear of losing Riddick. Fear that he would choose not to stay with her, now that he could easily get away. For all she knew, he might not even be out there waiting for her right now. Maybe he'd taken off and jumped a transport headed for some distant outpost, some lawless, anonymous place where he'd never be found.

Please be there, she begged him silently. Please be there when I open the door.

She rushed to finish combing her hair, then quickly slipped into a t-shirt and a pair of the loose, comfortable pants she'd bought. "Please, please be there," she whispered as she turned around to open the door.

Riddick was there, lying in the same position as when she'd left him. He'd turned off the overhead lights and dimmed the bedside lamp with the towel he'd asked for earlier, giving the room a cozy , pleasant glow. Romantic, even. Carolyn found herself wishing she'd put on one of her new gowns instead of the t-shirt and pants. "I'm done," she called softly, not wanting to startle him if he was sleeping. "You can have the bathroom now."

Riddick pulled his arm off his face and let if flop onto the bed beside him, turning his head in Carolyn's direction. He lay still, just looking at her, as if he were too tired to move, his eyes glinting in the dim glow of the lamp and the light spilling from the open bathroom doorway.

Carolyn reached back into the bathroom and brought out her duffel bag of clothing. "Lights, twenty percent," she told the bathroom sensors before she walked into the bedroom and dropped her bag on the remaining empty chair. Riddick's eyes followed her as she moved, then disappeared again as he laid his hands over them and rubbed hard.

"I got a pair of bathing gloves at the store," she said, seating herself on the edge of the bed. "They're in the shower stall if you wanna use 'em."

"Bathing gloves? Never heard of 'em." Riddick sat up and yawned, leaning his elbows on his knees.

Carolyn was tempted to reach over and rub his back; instead, she clasped her hands tightly in her lap and continued speaking. "They're made of this rough synthetic material, feels really good on your skin, kinda like getting a massage all over."

Riddick chased away a fleeting image of Carolyn rubbing him down with those gloves.

"They do a hell of a job scrubbing the dirt off, too," she continued. "They feel thin, but they hold a lot of soap."

I don't believe this, she thought. I'm sitting here blabbering about a stupid pair of bathing gloves. *Bathing gloves*, for fuck's sake. And to Riddick, of all people. I need to shut up now.

"Anyway..." she went on, twisting her hands together in her lap. "Um...I know you have your own stuff, but you can use whatever you want in there."

Shut up, Carolyn, she told herself firmly. You sound like an idiot. Shut up right now.

"Thanks," said Riddick, pushing himself up off the bed. He picked up his duffel bag and headed for the bathroom, turning to look back at her just before he went in. "I'm sure your shampoo'll do wonders for my hair."

Touché, Carolyn thought, shaking her head and smiling as the bathroom door shut behind him. She stared at the floor and waited tensely until the shower started running, then jumped up and fished a pair of new thong sandals out of her duffel bag. Sliding them on, she slipped outside, closing the door quietly behind her, and made her way across the parking lot to Jack and Shazza's room.

Riddick couldn't help but smile when he saw the various bottles, jars, packets and tubes covering the counter. Women, he thought, shaking his head and setting his bag down on the floor. Carry the whole damn store everywhere they go.

The shower stall was no different. Riddick examined the row of products lining the built-in shelf - shampoo, body shampoo, conditioner, shaving gel, facial scrub... He chuckled as he set his bar of soap in its little niche and stuck his head under the warm spray. Glad *I* don't need all that shit.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed a wet pair of gloves draped over the short handhold bar on the shower wall. Curious, he picked them up and felt them. Couldn't hurt to try them out - after all, she'd said he could use them. Riddick teased the stretchy things onto his big hands and worked up a good lather between them with his bar of soap, then started scrubbing his glitter-covered arms.

Damn, she was right, he thought. This feels gooooood...

Jack opened the door when Carolyn knocked. She was clean and glitter-free now, and had changed into a long white nightshirt with a big flower on the front. The girl's face was troubled, and looked as though she'd been crying.

"Hey..." Carolyn stepped into the room and closed the door. She put an arm around Jack's shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Jack sniffed and wiped away a tear. "It's Shazza. Listen." She pointed towards the bathroom.

Carolyn walked to the bathroom door and realized that she could hear sobbing over the sounds of the running shower. She turned back to look at Jack and noticed Shazza's whiskey bottle and the glasses she'd bought sitting on the table. The whiskey had been opened, and one of the glasses still had a few drops in the bottom.

"What happened?" Carolyn picked up the used glass and sniffed it.

"I dunno," Jack sniffled. "She was drinking when I got out of the shower, and then she went in there and started crying like that."

Carolyn wrinkled her nose at the sharp whiskey smell and set down the glass. "How much did she drink?"

"I dunno," Jack said again, sitting down heavily on the bed. "A lot, I think. Look at the bottle."

Carolyn looked. There was a lot left in the big bottle, but Shazza had made a noticeable dent in the liquid. "Damn...well, she said she needed a drink. I guess she wasn't kidding."

Jack cast a forlorn look at the bathroom door and sniffed again. "Can I stay with you and Riddick tonight?"

"Uh..." Carolyn could feel herself blushing, and was glad Jack didn't notice. "I don't think it's such a good idea for Shazza to be alone right now." She sat down on the bed next to Jack and laid a comforting arm over her shoulders. "She'll be okay. She just needs some sleep. We've all been through a lot, and this is just how she handles it. Just give her some time, that's all."

Jack looked at the floor and sighed. "I hope she goes to sleep fast. I hate listening to people cry."

"Me too." Carolyn gave Jack a squeeze and got up. "I think I could use a drink myself." She uncapped the whiskey, filled one of the clean glasses halfway and drank it quickly. "Agh, that's nasty!" she grimaced. "I hate whiskey."

"So why'd you drink it?"

"Nothing else to drink." Carolyn poured more, filling up the glass this time. She hesitated, then filled up the remaining clean glass as well and closed the bottle. "Riddick might want some too." Carefully lifting the two full glasses, she moved towards the door. "Can you get that for me?" She gestured with her head for Jack to open it.

The girl got up wordlessly and turned the handle, holding the door as Carolyn stepped out.

"Hey, Jack?" Carolyn stopped and turned around when she was all the way outside. "Don't worry about Shazza. I know it's kinda scary to see her like that, but she really will be okay. She's strong. She just needs a friend right now."

Jack nodded sadly.

"Just...be here. That's all you need to do. She'll be okay as long as she knows she's not alone." Carolyn gave Jack a small, tight smile and turned to go.

"Ok." Jack watched her go, and shut the door when Carolyn was halfway across the parking lot. Shazza's weeping was still audible, a heart-rending sound, especially coming from a tough lady like her. Jack picked up the glass Shazza had drunk from and smelled it, as Carolyn had done. Damn, she thought, making a face and quickly setting down the glass. How can they *drink* that shit?

She flopped down face-first on the bed and closed her eyes. What's gonna happen to me? she wondered silently. How long before they stick me in some orphanage and take off? Her exhausted mind swam with these questions and others as she lay there and waited for the crying in the bathroom to stop. By the time Shazza calmed down and turned off the shower, Jack was fast asleep.

Chapter 1-4   Chapter 5-8   Chapter 14-18