Hellboy: Destiny & Heartstrings
Chapter 7: A Tug on Heartstrings
A.N: I don't own Hellboy. He is owned by Darkhorse and Mike Mignola. And as always Love it, Share it, Follow it, Fave it and Review it! I'm serious guys I need a little more imput than just 'update soon.' It's great to know you love my fic, but constructive criticism helps.
"You killed us!"
Screams of agony.
"It's your fault!"
Gasps of pain.
"How could you do this to us?!"
Cries of terror.
"Jane!"
Jane thrashed wildly, beating against something that held her in place. Her eyes were screwed shut as she let out a soft scream, her voice failing her.
"Jane! Calm down! Wake up!"
'Hellboy...' she thought, and slowly stopped her aimless struggling. She opened her green eyes as a blush worked its way up her face.
"Well...this is certainly an embarrassing situation..." Jane bit her bottom lip. How was she going to get herself out of this one? She lay on top of the solid rock that was Hellboy, her body pressed against him, her legs resting between his. Hellboy's right arm wrapped her waist securely, and his golden eyes staring into hers, made her feel that she was melting. She couldn't move. He was much stronger than her, and Hellboy seemed determined to keep her there. Jane felt paralyzed under his amber gaze as he slowly raised his left hand to her cheek. She stiffened, unsure of what to do. She had been on only a few dates in her life, and none had ever led to anything serious. She couldn't think now of how to act, what to say. It was because of her ability, her guilt, that she had never allowed herself to be in a situation like this. Was she so out of touch socially, as to be unaware if there was a type of code or behavioural protocol she should act upon?
"You're as cold as ice," he noted, sitting them both up. "Are you feelin' ok?"
Jane was about to nod, when more shouts of terror ripped through her mind, more cries of pain. Images of Ronald's dead, dull eyes ran wild in her head, repeating over and over and over. It was too much. Jane felt that her brain was about to explode.
She screamed and clutched her head, fingers winding and ripping through her ebony strands. She screamed loud and long until her lungs were burning, and barely registered Hellboy holding her, talking, trying to calm her down. She realized she was shaking, and violently, at that. What was happening to her? Where was this coming from?
Jane had no idea that her eyes were glowing, changing colors. Hellboy watched in unexpected confusion, not the oddest transformation he'd ever seen, but the only one ever happening to a girl in his arms. No wonder she hadn't freaked out when they first met. He saw her eyes go from a pale and eerie green to a hellish red, matching his own skin. And when she had finally screamed her voice into hoarse whispers, her eyes glowed black as coal. Hellboy tried his best to comfort Jane. It looked like she was having some sort of psychic episode, but he was just denying the inevitable. More screams tried to escape her throat as a black aura began to form at her fingertips, spreading to envelope both hands.
"Jane, hey, it's okay. Take a deep breath. C'mon, Jane. Ya gotta calm down." He tried soothing, but she still clawed at her hair. What was going through her head? Oh, what he would give to be telepathic, right now.
"Mom….Dad…G-Gabby….Zeke…S-sorry..." Jane croaked before going limp against him. Hellboy's eyes widened and he began to shake her slightly. Damn, this he did not see coming.
"Jane? C'mon, Jane, don't do this to me," Hellboy sighed, his arms holding her protectively. He pulled his communicator from his coat pocket and quickly pressed numbers. He waited.
"Myers? Listen, I need a favor."
John Myers wasn't sure what he was expecting when Hellboy called him out of the blue asking for help. But he wasn't at all expecting his charge to come out of a rundown apartment building with a young unconscious woman in his arms. The seven foot demon without a word to John, opened the door to the back and set the strange woman in the back seat.
The human agent was surprised by the tenderness Hellboy displayed for the girl. He even took off his coat to cover her when she began to shiver, and brushed a few stray ebony strands from the girl's face before shutting the door and joining John in the front seat.
John arched a brow, looking at the demon curiously. "So….who is she?"
Hellboy shifted slightly, looking out the tinted windows. "A friend."
"A friend? Is that where you've been disappearing off to?" John asked as he started the car and began the drive to the Bureau.
"She needs help."
"What kind of help?" John questioned further, getting a glare from his charge.
"The kind we offer." John went silent, wondering what could be wrong with the girl lying on the back seat.
"So, possession?"
"Not sure," Hellboy answered, surprising the young agent
"Wait, how do you not know?"
"Never seen anythin' like it." Hellboy responded, "But I know weird when I see it."
A groan from the back seat made the big demon turn around to check on the girl.
"Hellboy…" She murmured softly, her voice raspy. The poor girl was still shaking like a leaf. Her pale hand stretched out from under Hellboy's coat reaching for him.
"Hey sleepin' beauty." He smirked though his voice was low and soothing. Or at least as soothing as Hellboy's voice could get. He grabbed her small hand and squeezed it lightly. "Go on and rest up. Working yourself up like that must've tired ya out."
She mumbled something unintelligent before curling up in the large coat once again. Hellboy let go of her hand before turning back to the front.
John could only feel shocked at the display he had just witnessed. He had never seen that side of Hellboy before, not even with Liz
"Not a word boy scout." Hellboy scowled causing John to tense. He lifted one hand up in surrender before the they continued their trip to the B.P.R.D.
"What do you mean, this isn't the first time?" Hellboy snapped as he trailed behind Tom Manning, leaving Jane in the care of the B.P.R.D's top scientists.
"This isn't the first incident the Bureau has encountered with Jane Lee," Manning repeated in exasperation, "and I doubt it will be the last."
As Hellboy's eyes narrowed, Abe interceded, hoping to prevent a fight between the two.
"What he means is, Jane has...quite a record here," the Icthyo Sapien told him, holding up a manila folder.
"Then how come I've never heard of it?" Hellboy snapped, still more than a little upset.
"Her first visit occurred the year you arrived. And before today, it was also her last," Abe explained. "We've been...quietly following her."
"She's worse than Agent Sherman ever was," Manning grumbled.
Both nonhuman agents glared. After a brief moment Abe sighed, and handed Jane's file to Hellboy. He shuffled impatiently through the papers
"Whoa, whoa, wait a sec! She was born in 1940? She's older than I am!" Hellboy exclaimed.
"One of the wondrous effects of biokinesis. She is able to slow her own ageing process, and her first recorded incident was-"
"In 1945 I saw….what happened in 1943?"
"The death of her family. Her parents: Emmanuel and Lillian Lee along with her brother and sister: Ezekiel and Gabriella were found…or what was left, was found by a mailman August 15th. Jane was the only survivor." Abraham explained, but Hellboy's attention had turned inside, to his own questions.
Jane had said something about 'Gabby and Zeke'. Had memories of her family triggered her powers to go out of control? Or was something or someone else at play? Someone who had been paying him late night visits?
"Did her family ever have a history of this?"
"Not on her father's side, and her siblings seemed relatively normal," Manning cut in.
"What about the mother?" Hellboy asked continuing to flip though the file.
"No record of her. Lillian was a foster child, found in a box beside a dumpster."
"Hmmm…." Hellboy pondered. He closed up the file and shoved it back to Manning
"Where are you going?" Manning hollered after him, but Hellboy didn't even glance back.
"Going to see Jane."
Jane couldn't tell where she was when she woke, only knew she was in pain. Her throat burned, her head pounded, and every single muscle in her body was beyond sore. She groaned, sitting up to look around the blank white room, like the ones in mental wards.
Panic started to seep into Jane's soul, and she looked frantically for a door or window. She saw only one large one-way window, and a door that looked like it belonged on Alcatraz. She doubted she could leave of her own accord. She attempted to stand, but her muscles screamed in protest.
Jane fell to her knees and winced in pain. If she wanted to do anything requiring movement, she would have to use a little biokinesis. The young woman took a deep breath and relaxed, focusing her energy on stopping the ache throughout her body. Focusing her energy on stopping the ache throughout her body.
It took only a few moments to relieve the pain in her muscles. She sighed, the sting in her throat easing ever so slightly, and called out a timid, "Hello?"
Hellboy wasn't anywhere to be seen, and for some reason it made Jane uneasy. There was something about the demon's presence that gave her peace. Jane nervously bit her bottom lip and attempted to stand again.
"Hellboy?" there was no response, and she headed to test the door. She frowned, finding it locked up well and tight. What was she going to do? She turned to the large tinted window, knowing someone was most likely watching her from the other side. She stepped towards it and tapped the glass hoping for something to happen.
Just as she did so, Jane turned to the sound of the door opening, and to the sight of three men in suits. The first to enter was the youngest. The second looked the age of mid-thirties and appeared to have an odd hairstyle – implants? The third man, bald, seemed about fifty years old. He stepped in front of the younger men, and held a large manila folder. Jane noted the guns on their belts, and backed away slowly.
'This is bad….' Jane thought as her back met a cushioned wall.
"Jane Lee." The bald one spoke, "My name is Dr. Manning, Director of the B.P.R.D. We have some things to discuss."
Jane shook her head, her brows furrowing. She had met this organization before. he had even kept the business card, but had never wanted to join them, no matter how many times she'd been 'invited'. They had tried to fix her, and she didn't need fixing.
"N-no," she rasped. Jane placed a hand on her throat, her vocal cords still slightly burning, but she continued to speak. "I've done this dance before, long before you were head of the B.P.R.D. You know my answer, now let me go."
"You don't have a choice." Manning told her making Jane narrow her green eyes. "Your powers are out of control."
"Says who?" Jane frowned as she glared at the men before her. It would be so easy to escape, but in order to do that she would have to cross some sort of line with her biokinesis.
"Me." A voice off to her left caught Jane's attention and she looked to see Hellboy, standing in the doorway.
Suddenly, every memory from the night before, made Jane's heart freeze. She had lost control. She had lost her grip on her biokinesis, and could've killed him. If her mind had wandered to Hellboy – God! What was she thinking? She was a monster, demon spawn! She should have just locked herself up and thrown away the key. If she had hurt him...she wasn't sure she could live with it. It was one thing to kill strangers...but someone she cared about?
"Hellboy..." Jane sighed with relief that he was still alive and went to him, passing and ignoring the other three agents. Now it made sense. Paranormal exterminator. B.P.R.D. agent. They were one and the same thing.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Hellboy asked as she came up close. Jane looked away, ashamed. He must have been upset that she hadn't told him earlier.
"I…I didn't think it was important…" She answered in a timid voice, wringing her hands together nervously.
"Not important? Jane-"
"I didn't want you to treat me any different." Jane frowned looking away from him. "Every time I told someone or someone figured it out….everything changed and I…I didn't want that to happen again." She missed the smile that played on his lips, but felt his thumb and fingers lifting her chin..
"Hey, look at me." The biokinetic looked up sadly waiting for rejection until the demon spoke again, "Jane, do I look like I've got much room to judge?" He asked rhetorically and a sad smile graced Jane's lips.
"You should stay here," suggested the 'hair implant' agent, "just until we can figure out what caused your little episode, and how stable your powers are."
Jane turned to him, visibly tense. She didn't like being at the B.P.R.D. During her few visits in her younger years, too many scientists had poked wires into her brain, asked her too many questions, and run too many tests. She wasn't looking forward to that.
Her fist clenched and she was about to protest when she felt Hellboy grab her hand. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Stay."
She could have fought it, refused. But she didn't want to. It could have been the tone of his voice, or the pure fact that he'd asked her to stay, but she reluctantly nodded. The smile that lit up Hellboy's face was well worth it, and Jane leaned against him, content in the moment.
The youngest agent nodded before taking out a cell phone and called someone to make 'arrangements' for her stay. Jane sighed before looking at Hellboy curiously.
"How long am I going to be here? I gotta make sure I have someone looking after the cats, and call in for a leave of absence at work."
"Don't worry about it. I got it covered." He told her, his stone hand resting on her shoulder.
"Alright. I'll trust you….but next time we decide to meet up, let's stay at my place." Jane joked getting the demon behind her to chuckle.
"No arguments here."
Jane stood in the blank and bland room provided by the agent who Hellboy often referred to as 'boy scout'. She had yet to learn his name, or any other agents name since she mainly stuck to Hellboy's side.
Hellboy said that a small team of agents had gone to her apartment to bring back some of her things, and Jane realized that he really did have it all covered. Dr. Manning had called Jane's employers at the cleaning agency and diner, and told them to give her a few months' leave with pay. Apparently, he was very persuasive.
Jane's new room had white walls and white tile floors, and a single twin sized bed with a side table off to the left. It looked more like a prison cell than a guest room.
"Look who I found." Hellboy's voice made Jane turn and her face lit up like the fourth of July. Hellboy held Maggie in one arm and the still unnamed kitten in the other. Jane ran over to them and plucked Maggie from Hellboy's arms.
"Oh my God, thank you!" Jane grinned, and cuddled and cooed lovingly to her cat. Hellboy waved off Jane's thanks as he set the kitten on the floor.
"I told you I got it covered."
"That you did." Jane laughed, "I'll never doubt you again."
Jane then set Maggie on the floor to play with the eagerly waiting kitten.
"What about Tubby?" Jane asked and just as she spoke the gray Persian meandered into the room before plopping on the floor and licking his front paw.
Jane laughed as she turned back to Hellboy, but then her mood fell to slightly sullen before she spoke again.
"I want to…..apologize." She looked down at the floor, "I shouldn't have kept my biokinesis from you."
"Hey, it's fine-"
"No it's not." Jane frowned. "I could've killed you….because my powers got out of control."
"Trust me, you wouldn't have hurt me."
"How do you know?" Jane asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. She was more angry at herself than at him. "How do you know I wouldn't have use my power to give you a heart attack or stroke!?"
He simply grinned and replied, "Like a pretty girl once told me, 'I get feeling when something bad is going to happen and with you I don't feel like anything bad will happen, just good.'" He had quoted her exactly, word for word.
Jane wondered at him in disbelief, trying to process what he had just said. The first thing going through her mind was that that he had called her pretty, and the second, was that he trusted her so easily. Her heart fluttered in her chest and her eyes shined. Without a second thought Jane embraced him, stunning him briefly before he hugged her back.
They soon softened their hold, to just stare at each other. Like always, they were hypnotized by each other's gaze, until the mewing of the kitten caught their attention. Jane backed away, a blush blooming on her cheeks as she picked up the baby feline.
"You know….I think I picked out a name for her," Jane told him as Hellboy scratched the cat's head.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Fluffy."
"Thought you didn't like that name," Hellboy recalled with a smirk.
"Well….it grew on me." Jane shrugged before a loud voice on an intercom called for Hellboy to meet in the conference room. He gave her an apologetic look and opened his to speak to but Jane cut him off.
"Go, I get it. The never ending work of a paranormal exterminator." She told him with a grin.
"Alright, and hey if you ever need anything, I'm just down the hall." And with that he gave her one last hug before leaving. Jane watched him leave, an odd feeling where her heart was. It stayed there long after he left, and no matter how many times Jane tried her biokinesis couldn't get rid of the discomfort.
It was as if, someone was pulling on her heartstrings….
