People are really starting to like this story! :3 Makes me happy! I currently have a Torchwood Fanfic that I'm working on simultaneously but I've already uploaded two chapters for that story, might as well catch up with this one! :D Hope you guys like the ideas I have coming for Abe and this little egg!

~ScarlettGlascov

Uncle Red is starting to act like dad's dead now...It's been months, almost a year. I don't know how much longer I can go on, living my normal life, knowing...well, rather NOT knowing what exactly happened to him. If I could just have closure, Then I'd be okay. I just... I feel so cold inside.

Abe took his time going back home. He had a lot to think about. Hellboy didn't know what he was feeling. Sure he's a father now, but he doesn't know how he feels because...Hellboy had Liz. Abe has no one. Abe lives alone since Nualla died. To bring a whole new life into his world would just be...strange.

Abe arrived at his home on the shore. He was close enough to the water here, and he had a big enough home to study and do all the work he wanted. Sure he still helped people from time to time, but at the moment, things had gotten stale. He'd practically read all the books in his library, and collected all the artifacts he wanted. Or at least the ones of common culture. Artifacts humans were familiar with, such as those of Egyptian nature and Aztec. The ones he really wanted were lost to the B.P.R.D. A collection of artifacts he was still fighting over. How he came across this egg, or rather Hellboy did was a mystery to him. Perhaps...Some one wanted him to hatch it? They were a great race of creatures lost to their own battles.

He turned his mind away from the Daoine for a moment, the Daoine an Domhain, and focused on the younger Daoine in his arms. The little creature could possibly bring him joy. It could be the thing that kept his life lively again. He began to think of different habitats he could put it in. How the creature would react to the outside world after all these years. For now though, his goal was to see if he could hatch it.

. . . . .

Abe had spent weeks on creating a nest similar to those in his book's pictures, and the descriptions in journals of fishermen who've met the Daoine. He set up a red seaweed nest with round stones and dried grasses like those from the Red-weed tribe. If the tales were true, this is the egg of King Herikal. The last Maistr of the Daoine. The young Daoine should be treated like she or he was from that same tribe. Abe might have trouble being a good Nest mother, but he would try to be the best Father he could.

After weeks of waiting for the egg to even show changes on the inside, Abe was beginning to wonder if it would be dormant forever. He knew there was life on the inside, but was it possible for the life to survive on the outside? Abe ran his hand over the surface of the stone egg and sighed gently. If anything, it was a beautiful centerpiece. After giving up for the fourth night that week, he began to ready himself for bed by taking off his breathing tubes, and ready himself for his water tank.

"I wish..." He started turning back to the egg. He was ready for bed, but still thought about that damn egg. He couldn't believe men and women waited nine months for them to have their children. Abe wanted to see this creature now. He wanted it to at least show progress! "...I wish you were hear now" He whispered. Running his webbed hand across it's surface one more time.

When Abe turned his back, the egg twitched to the left a little. He wasn't the only one excited.

. . . . .

A full year has passed since Abe obtained the egg. It hasn't showed any progress of changing, but Abe has continued to watch it every night. Tracking down it's progress as much as he could. Hellboy and Liz would stop by his nephews every now and then to see where he was with this egg hatching business. Hellboy would tease him every now and again, calling him a 'mother hen' Like today...

It was Thanksgiving, and Abe's turn to cook and host dinner. Those who were showing up today? Hellboy, Liz, Their twins, along with other agents at the B.P.R.D that wanted to show up. Usually though, it was just Hellboy and his family. Maybe Professor Krause would show up this year, even if he didn't eat anything, it was nice to have family and friends for dinner. Hellboy's job was taking care of the twins while Liz and Abe cooked, and chatted.

"How's the egg business going Abe?" Liza smiled mixing together the gravy mix.

"Horrible...It's been a full year now, and it hasn't moved at all! I've prepared it's conditions like all the journals have said too, but there must be something missing...something I haven't done yet" Abe said unhappily, opening the can of cranberry sauce.

"Maybe it's gonna take some more time? You know Hellboy and I waited two more weeks for the boys to be born...I know it's been a year, but maybe it's just taking a little longer because of the conditions it was in before..." Liz said rubbing his shoulder, comforting her long time friend.

"I..guess that's a possibility...I just..." He sighed gently, turning his back to her "I have a ton of work and studying to do for this race of creatures!"

"Don't mix family and work together, Abe" Liz said stuffing her hands in her pockets, making Abe turn around "You're officially excited to be a father...You see Hellboy and I have a family and you want that too, don't kid yourself. But don't study that baby so much you don't have a chance to be happy with it..."

Liz hugged his arm and Abe nodded softly, a smile on his face "I guess you're right" He said a bit hesitantly.

Liz smiled and nodded "Of course I am! When will you two figure that out?" She slapped his arm a little while going to wash some dishes "Now, do you want a boy or a girl?"

"What?"

Liz turned towards him "We already have enough boys...please say girl"

Abe chuckled and shook his head "I actually would enjoy a boy...but would enjoy the company of this child...either way" He sighed contently.

She smiled at him "And to think...a year ago you didn't want it"

"Oh hush" Abe waved her off with a chuckle.

"WHEN'S THE FOOD GONNA BE READY!?" Hellboy shouted from the living room.

"You can wait!" Liz shouted back, then turned to Abe "I have an idea...Move the egg in the dinning room with us, or in view of the table...maybe that little guy will pop out if it see's what it's missing?"

Abe laughed softly "I doubt it, but sure...why not?"

. . .

As the family sat down at the table, the twin boys in their high chairs, sitting on either side of their father. Hellboy at one end, Abe at the other. Liz in the middle. The family had sat down, ready to eat for evening. Already starting off on his turkey leg, Hellboy began to tease Abe about his little egg experiment again.

"What're you gonna name it?...Shelly!?" He laughed with his mouth full.

"You should know by now that I will choose a much better name then a pun like that...However, now that you've mentioned it..." Abe started off "It's it's a boy I'd like to name it perhaps something after a Roman god, and for a girl...maybe something after a Greek goddess...I'm not very sure"

Liz smiled spoon feeding the twin that was closest to her "I think that's a good idea..."

"What like Neptune and Aphrodite?" Hellboy asked confused.

"No, something more unheard of and less cliche..."

"Dadd...aaaa..." Desmond and Dante were the names of the boys. Dante had red skin and horns like his father. Yellow eyes and everything, but he could also light himself on fire every now and then. Desmond lit himself on fire more than his brother, and looked more like his mother, with normal skin and everything. Except for the flames, Desmond also had yellow eyes, and they were both just now learning how to talk.

"Ooo! Ooo!" Exclaimed Hellboy "Say Daddy! Say Daddy!" Thankfully though, neither of them had a stone hand.

Abe watched as Liz and Hellboy encouraged Dante to speak while Desmond watched with awe and laughter. He suddenly felt that pain of being alone, and desperately wanted that little egg to hatch. As if magically...As if his want was so great, Abe began to hear noises coming from the living room.

"Abe do you hear that?" Liz asked sitting up.

Abe did in fact hear that, and jumped up as fast as he could, rushing to the other room. This was it! He was sure of it, the egg was finally hatching and he would be a father at last. When Abe arrived at the scene he noticed the thick pieces of shell cracked nearly down the middle...but empty.

His heart sank.

A year of waiting, for an empty egg. Or perhaps the child had died earlier on and it just...ceased to be. Disappointment was an understatement in his eyes. All he wanted at that moment, was the child to be real. Maybe he tried too hard? Maybe it was foolish to even think he could be allowed happiness after Nualla. Hellboy and Liz arrived at the scene, their boys in their hands. Excited to see the coming of their baby Nephew or Niece. Though they knew by his silence, nothing was there.

Just as Abe turned to face his brother and Liz, a sudden sound of a child's crying interrupted his depression. Abe gasped and rushed over to the other side of the table the egg was laying on. The egg had hatched and a baby girl was born from it! Though she had rolled over and off the table. Though the egg shell she was in had broken her fall, she was still distraught and scared. Abe gently picked up the little creature in his arms as it cried and cried. She was perfect.

"Well!? Is it okay?" Hellboy asked fairly concerned for Abe and the child.

"She's...perfect!" Abe exclaimed happily.

"She?"

"She! It's a girl! It's a beautiful baby girl...and her name's...Her name's..." Abe paused then smiled "Nerina...Nerina lily Sapien"

"Nerina?" Liz asked confused.

"Another name for a sea nymph...Oh she's beautiful!" He smiled and chuckled softly holding the babe close to his chest.

She looked like a Daoine. Light blue skin with dark blue blotches like a frog. She had perfect ice blue eyes like glaciers and already, rows of sharp teeth. Her hair was light then her skin and faded at the top of he roots, with a dark blue tint. She stared up at Abe as if he was her caretaker, as if she trusted him and it made him nearly fall over with glee. Her dark blue blotches began to shift into stripes before his eyes like a chameleon.

"What's wrong with her?" Hellboy asked confused

"She's...She's changing her skin to resemble mine...she's excepting me as her caretaker, her parent!" He exclaimed excitedly "She's excepting me as her father! The Daoine do this at an early age...just never this early!" He paused for a moment, while rubbing Nerina's head with his thumb "Oh my goodness...I'm a father!" He looked down at her "I'm her father..."

He rubbed her temple and kissed the top of her head gently "I promise to always be your father...I promise to always be there for you. I'll never let you be alone again...I promise"

I wish he had kept that...promise.

WHATAAATTTTT...For those who haven't guessed yet, the little note at every chapter is Nerina talking. I thought it would be a cool way to introduce her personality earlier on.

Hope you guys liked this chapter, this was and is my favorite so far! Hope it's yours too!

-ScarlettGlascov