Title: For the Love of Sanity

Rating: R mostly for language

Genre: Drama/ a little comedy to break it up

AN: Sorry it took so long! This summer was really hectic. I am getting ready to study abroad

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the concepts or characters from PB

Part 13

Anissa rung her hands as she waited for the results of the home pregnancy test. After she finished retching her lunch into the toilet and realized that she couldn't think of the last time that she had her menstrual cycle she went to the store and got a pregnancy test. This was not good, not good at all.

She was beginning to feel something akin to love for Riddick but she wasn't ready to start a family with him or anything. He wasn't really father material at all. A baby would not be good. She glanced at the clock checking how much longer she needed to wait. Not much longer.

She got up and walked around the room a couple of times and started pulling at her hair as she waited. She didn't know how Riddick was going to react towards the idea of a baby… it kind of scared her to even think about it. In reality she truly didn't even know him, so she had no idea what his reaction would be. The couple of months that he had been living here showed him to be more than acceptable to Anissa, but the truth of the matter is, he's a murderer. Undoubtedly trying to change, but still a murderer. Then reality hit Anissa, she ran into her bathroom and with shaky hands she picked up the pregnancy test and her breath immediately left her, 'I'm gonna have a murderer's baby!'

Riddick was lying lazily on the bed with a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. He turned looking at the blond that he had started fucking… the one he let blow him at the club. He found out her name was Janice from going through her mail. She was a nursing assistant and lived thirty minutes from the club. He watched her as she slept quietly and his mind went to Anissa. He thought of her often. The strange part was that his thoughts of her didn't revolve around sex. He thought of the way she slept with her lips slightly part, soundless mumbling like she was conversing in her sleep.

'What the fuck is going on with me' he thought as he roughly got off the bed waking Janice up in the process. He began pulling his pants on as she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Where are you going?" she asked him in her annoyingly sweet voice.

"Home" he answered curtly not facing her as he pulled the black shirt over his head.

"Why… I thought we could play more" she said giggling as she crawled over to his side of the bed. He just looked at her like she was stupid and continued pulling on his boots.

"I'll bring you some batteries, play by yourself" He walked out of the door. Janice crossed her arms and pouted; she had never been rejected like that ever, but she guessed that's what she like about Riddick… she knew she'd see him again.

"I'm pregnant" Anissa sobbed over the phone to her best friend. Diana was still at work when Anissa called. Her secretary, Emma, was a bit put off by the anguish in Anissa's voice, so much that Emma saw it fit to pull Diana out of a meeting.

"Hun, relax! You're going to give yourself a heart attack" Diana was worried for her friend. Anissa was not good with life changing news.

"I can't have a baby?" fresh tears began to fall down Anissa's face.

"So you're going to get rid of it?"

"NO! it's my baby!" Anissa was so confused. She didn't know what she was feeling right now or what she was going to do, but she knew she couldn't abort the baby.

"Anissa you need to relax! Take a deep breath" Diana breathed in with Anissa.

"Exhale" both women breathed out and repeated this two more times.

"Are you feeling better?" when Diana received an affirmative she continued "Anissa, you need to talk to Ramon, and tell him the news. I don't know him at all so I have no idea what his reaction will be, but regardless of it remember that you are more than capable of raising this child with or with out him. You aren't new to this, you raised a beautiful and well- behaved child by yourself already so there is no reason you can't raise another. And who's to say you'll have to raise this baby all by yourself anyway… you don't know, Ramon might be thrilled."

In her heart Anissa knew that the odds were against her for Riddick to be thrilled about the baby, but she knew that everything that Diana was saying was true and she felt a little ashamed for panicking like she did.

"Anissa, you have friends and family who love you and a business that is doing superb so there is no need to worry, I am thrilled to the idea of a new baby… you should be too."

"Your right" Anissa said drying her eyes "I should not have panicked like I did. I am just scared you know. I just never thought that I would have another baby" especially one whose father is a wanted murderer, but she couldn't tell Diana that. "Thank you for the advice, babe, I love you."

"I love you too" the hung up the phone and Diana hurried out of the door hopping to make it back to the meeting on time.

Riddick entered the front door of the house and headed straight to the kitchen. He was pulling things out of refrigerator when he heard the faint sound to feet coming into the kitchen. He pulled out a pitcher of juice and closed the refrigerator door revealing Anissa leaning against the doorframe holding herself.

"Bakery burned down?" Riddick said in jest with a grin on his face, which quickly left him as he took in her red puffy eyes and her slightly runny nose. Her hair was disheveled; her appearance all together was un-kept, which was very unlike Anissa. He placed the pitcher on the counter and moved close to her running his hands softly through her hair.

"What's up?" He lifted the shades taking her in with his silvery orbs. Anissa melted into his gaze and wondered if she was worrying for no reason… 'I should just tell him…'

"Riddick, I…" she hesitated loosing some of her courage; she held onto the wrist of the hand that was now caressing her cheek.

"Riddick I'm, I'm pre… pregnant" She finally got it out letting out a gasp. Riddick's face remained stoic but his hands pulled from her face quickly and resumed its place at his side. He stood there and looked at her for what felt like an hour but in all reality it was only a second. That was all the time Anissa needed to asses that he was not thrilled; he backed away from her and returned to the pitcher taking a long drink almost emptying it.

"When are you gonna get rid of it?" he said with out looking at her. It felt like hot acid was burning its way through her stomach and up her esophagus. She couldn't breath as her throat constricted and tears began to blur her vision; not wanting him to see her cry she ran up the stairs without looking back.

In all of his years and all the crimes that he committed, he had never felt the grip of guilt until now. He turned to watch her reaction to his statement and his chest began to tighten making his heart beat race like he had just sprinted around the house. He ruefully watched her run up the stairs and his first impulse was to run after her. But of course he stopped himself. Old dogs and new tricks never had a very functioning relationship. He began to feel light headed as he sat down at the kitchen table. 'A baby' he thought bewildered. From the look on her face he could tell that she had every intention to have this baby.

'A baby' He wasn't father material. Hell he didn't even have one… or a mother… the only kids he had ever been around were Bri and Jack and that was only for minutes in a day. His first impulse was to get up, leave, and not look back. It was his usual method for dealing with problems…' Yeah but regret and guilt had never been apart of those problems." His conscious spoke to him loud and clear; in his heart he didn't want to leave. Life here was good. Better than it had ever been for him in his entire life. Was fear of becoming a father worth loosing all this?

He quickly got up from the table and made his way up the stairs. He quietly pushed Anissa's slightly ajar door open and entered. She was sitting on the edge of the bed sobbing into her right hand as her left hand steadied her on the edge of the bed. Riddick sat next to her, grabbing her left hand and interlacing their fingers. At that moment, without the intrusion of words, she understood all that he meant as he held her hand while she cried.