Riddick prowled the streets and cursed everything and everyone. The air was hot and heavy from the recent rain and Riddick wondered if it was going to rain again. As he walked down the paved sidewalk, Riddick saw an old jazz hole.

He ducked inside and was greeted by the smell of cigar smoke and spilled liquor. There were about 4 waitresses serving the late night patrons and an old wrinkled black man playing on the piano that was crammed on the small stage.

A waitress with long chestnut brown who Riddick knew was struggling with a large tray of empty shot glasses and as it was about to slip out of her grasp, Riddick caught it. She smiled up at him. "Thanks a lot, my boss would have killed me" "Well, we can't have that can we?"

The girl smiled and slipped behind the bar and began to mop up some spilled drinks. "Let me get you something to drink, what would you like?" Riddick shrugged and sat on the bar chairs with blue vinyl covering. "Anything, as long as it's strong" She smiled and pulled a bottle of something that was misty gold and poured it into a clean glass.

"So what have you done?" The girl asked as she started to clean up. "Huh?" She smiled "To make her pissed off" Riddick was about to deny it but gave up. "Nothing" You couldn't lie to bartenders, they had special powers. "What happened?" Riddick looked up at her.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now" She nodded and pushed a few stray curls behind her ears that showed off ruby earrings that glowed like blood. "So you love her, she loves you, you have two children, but ya'll continue to get into fights like this. You're a mess Richie" "Thanks a lot Maya, it's not like you and Justin don't get in fights" Maya smiled widely. "No, I slap him and it's finished before we have a huge fight"

Riddick laughed softly and with a flick of his wrist, finished the drink and set the glass on the table with a clink. Maya took the glass off the counter and suddenly griped her flat tummy. "Are you alright?" Riddick asked standing up, prepared for anything expect for what Maya was about to tell him.

"Sure. I'm going to have a baby Rich" Riddick's eyes widened. "Well, are you sure it's yours?" Maya laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Even though that didn't come out right, yes, I'm sure that Justin and I are going to have a baby" Riddick smiled and kissed her cheeks. "Maya is going to be a mother," Riddick said in amazement.

With a smug smile, Riddick sat back in the chair and eyed her. "Pregnancy looks good on you Maya" Maya laughed, "I think the drink had gone to your head. I told Justin, he's delighted. "He better be, or I'd punch him hard in the fucking face and knock out some of those perfect white teeth he's so proud of"

Maya smiled, but noticed the sad cloudiness in his eyes. "You're a complicated man Richard," She said softly as she pulled up a stool on the other side of the bar and rested her face on her balled fists. "Meaning?" "Well, meaning even when you are trying to hate Jackie, who is your wife, you love her more then anything and want to grovel at her feet, but you have to keep up your bad-ass appearance, and don't tell me I'm wrong" Riddick was about to do just that, his mouth was open and he was prepared to tell Maya she was fucking crazy, but the look in her smoky blue eyes stopped him.

Instead he rocked back and forth on the chair legs and said "Tell me more" Maya leaned back and tossed the mucky rag in her hands to keep busy. "When you love someone, you don't love them simply. You give everything you got, and if the person doesn't do the same, you give up. But Richard, Jackie loves you like that as well, and you don't know how to handle it" Riddick nodded slowly. "Go on" Looking a little embarrassed, Maya looked down at her hands and said. "That's all I got"

"I do love her, I love the children, and I could even try to learn to almost tolerate Mark. The fact is Maya, you're right, and I hate to admit to that. I need her, she's just," He paused and sighed sadly. "Everything I need in my life to survive" Maya looked at him with sympathy and kissed both of his cheeks. "You really shouldn't be having this conversation with your sister, go home to your wife"