Disclaimer: Blah , blah, blah...I don't own Hellboy...Blah, blah, blah...Mike Mignola does...Blah.

May 25, 2005- 8:03 a.m.

Ruby was fitting in quite well at the B.P.R.D. Her sunny personality and naiveté made everyone around her feel a little bit happier and her surprising strength, both physical and mental, meant she was an asset to the special unit of the B.P.R.D.

Even Hellboy had warmed up to her after he had gotten to know her, mostly due to Liz and Kate pushing him too. Although she was still annoying as hell to him, he had to admit she was kind of fun do be around. Sometimes anyway.

No one really knew about Abe's relationship with her though. Most people thought he had a crush on her or that she had one on him, but that was all anyone ever guessed. No one knew that the peeking glances at one another and the "accidental" brushing of hands were really small gestures of their true affections and that when Abe went to the library to swim in his tank and read, a curly haired rainbow colored woman was there waiting for him.

No one except Hellboy, of course.

"So you and the techni-color nightmare are an item now, huh?"

Abe nearly choked on the rotten egg he had been eating. He had been in the kitchen eating his usual meal when HB sat next to him and stated what Abe thought no one knew. Hellboy patted his friend's back with his left, non-stone, hand.

"So, I'm taking that as a "yes"?"

Abe wiped his mouth of rotten egg debris, "Yes. How did you know?"

"Please, I've been a paranormal investigator for years. I pick up on subtly."

"Uh huh," Abe wasn't buying it, "Really, how did you find out?"

Hellboy was caught, "You need to tell your girlfriend to be more careful about where she leaves her diary." He shoved a forkful of hot noodles in his mouth.

"You read her journal?"

"She left it out on the table in the library. I didn't know it was hers until I started reading it."

"How much did you read?" Abe could feel the blood rushing from his face, he didn't know what was in her journal but he knew that she wrote down her entire days events because she didn't want to forget them and she was a very thorough person.

"Whole thing, I didn't mean to really but she's actually a pretty good writer. Mundane crap is like a completely new thing to this girl and she makes it seem that way when she writes it. If she wasn't a freak like the rest of us she could've been a famous writer."

"I'll be sure to tell her that." This was great, Hellboy read Ruby's diary and now he knew everything about their relationship. He didn't know which he was madder about, the fact that Hellboy knew or the fact that he had gotten to read her whole diary when she wouldn't let him even peek at a sentence when she was writing. Her theory was that since he could read her thoughts, he didn't need to read her diary.

"Yeah, you do that. Thought that you two might hook up eventually, but I guess you were already together when I thought it. Roger is going to be crushed when he finds out."

Abe looked up from his plate, "Why? They're good friends."

"I think he was hoping from more from her, you know. He's always going on about how nice she is and pretty. Makes me wanna puke. I think she's his first crush or something. It's kind of funny seeing him follow her like a puppy dog though."

Roger was…interested? In Ruby? Abe's Ruby? Abe liked Roger, but he couldn't help feeling jealous that someone else wanted Ruby.

"Does she know?"

"Please, are you kidding me? You should know her better than anyone should; she's oblivious to the world around her. She's like a little kid, barely notices what's going on in front of her face," Hellboy realized he was talking about his best friend's girlfriend in not so friendly terms, "Sorry," another forkful of noodles.

"No, I know she can be naïve at times. She really doesn't notice what's going on around her because her heads filled with too many sounds. Her mind is pretty jumbled, but I think that's what attracts me to her.

I can see what others are thinking; know their histories without really trying. People are careful with what and how they think. Thoughts are organized by importance and when too many things are going on at once in their heads, people stress out or shut down. Ruby's thoughts are different. There's no order in them and millions of things are going on at once. She doesn't focus on one thing, she focuses on everything and because of it I can't properly see what's in her thoughts."

Hellboy looked at his friend, "You two are weird."

"Not any more weird than you and Liz."

"No, you two are weirder."

"Who cares?" Abe sucked down the last of his eggs and left the kitchen, Ruby would be waiting for him in the library by now.

Munich, Germany- April 23, 1942

"It is done," the metal face showed no emotion, "She is with child."

"Can you be sure?" his master did not like the chance that woman might not conceive.

"Yes, the child will be born sometime in late January or early February."

"Good. This child shall be the messenger and must be born into our world before we usher the Ogdru Jahad."

"Yes Master."

In an apartment miles from the doctor and the master, there was a woman looking out her window. She pined for the one that had come from the sky and filled her heart with such love and joy. In her hand, she clutched the red stone on the golden chain he had given her before he left on golden wings.

"For our child, never allow her to take it off."

May 25, 2005- 8:30 a.m.

Ruby was kneeling on the floor looking over some rather large books when Abe walked into the library. Map books. He looked over her shoulder, Sweden.

"May I ask what your current fascination with Sweden is all about?"

Ruby jumped a little, she hadn't heard him walk up behind her.

"I think I was born there. Here," she pointed at a tiny area with no name of any town or province, "I don't know why but I know it was here."

"Hmmm…it would explain why you speak Swedish in your sleep."

Ruby looked up at him, "I don't know a word of Swedish, and you're crazy."

"When you were first brought here, you talked in your sleep. It was almost all in Swedish. I barley speak any myself but I know it when I hear it. You still do it. You can't shut up even when you're sleeping."

A paperback book flew into the back of Abe's head; there was no one in the room but the two of them.

"That hurt," he rubbed the back of his head trying to sound as pathetic as possible to gain some sympathy from the young woman.

"Good," so much for sympathy, "Think you'll live?"

"Yeah," he kissed the top of her curly head, "Think I'm going to make a full recovery."

"Damn," she sat up and willed the large map book back into its spot on the bookshelf, "Next time I'll get you with hardcover."

Abe laughed, she was so cute when she pretended to be angry.

"Nothing too thin either, something like War & Peace or maybe an anthology of something. Those are usually pretty heavy and life-threatening," she stood at her full height and faced Abe.

"Then you'll have no one to beat up one," Abe wrapped his arms around her waist.

"There's still Hellboy and Roger," she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Roger. Roger who was not so secretly pining after Ruby. Roger, the homunculus who wanted Ruby.

"What's wrong? Are you jealous?" Ruby smiled at the thought.

Abe said nothing.

"You are! How sweet! You're jealous that Roger likes me!"

She knew?

"What…How did you know that…?"

"Because of what he feels around me…it's how you feel around me only a lot weaker."

"I don't…are you telling me you know what people are feeling?"

"Of course. That's how I know you love me. It's just like what Liz feels when she looks at Hellboy or whenever Hellboy sees Liz. It's like…calm, you know? Why? Can't everyone do that?"

She was empathic.

"No, Ruby. Not everyone can do that. That's something only you can do."

"Oh," she looked down at the ground.

"If you can feel everyone's feelings than why did you run away in the alley?"

"What alley?"

"The alley you ran from us in, remember? You hit your head and we took you back here, back to the medical bay."

"I remember the medical bay…and then Sweden…then I remember the night we kissed."

"You were running the streets in New York, twisting billboards and things. Do you remember any of that?"

"No…I…I don't think I've ever been to New York…wait…there was a hospital once…they tried to take my necklace I think…I must have gotten it back…then I saw you. I can't…"

She couldn't remember. The entire chase after her, she had forgotten it already.

"Ruby? Do you remember throwing Hellboy? Do you remember when we went to Sweden?"

"I…can't. Abe, I can't remember it all…all I remember now is…there's gaps…Manning told me I threw Hellboy…I don't remember doing it…I'm a freak aren't I?"

Abe laughed and kissed her forehead, "In case you haven't noticed, quite a few of us here are total freaks. You're just a little freakier."

"Wow, you sure do know how to make a girl feel special."

Abe looked the large stone around her neck, it was bright red and smooth and never seemed to catch the light yet always shone and was clear. He often wondered where she had gotten it but knew she couldn't tell him. She had no idea but she never took it off. At least as far as he knew, she never took it off.

"Ruby, when was the last time you took your necklace off?"

"I never take it off."

That wasn't true. He had found it in her pocket in the medical bay. She hadn't been wearing it when they found her in the alley.

"When I first saw you, you weren't wearing it. I gave it back to you when you woke up in the med bay; you said it wasn't your chain."

"I don't remember that…Abe…I…"

"Ruby, tell me exactly what you can remember."

"The first thing I remember you saying is 'Dr. Manning wanted to see you first when you woke up'."

Abe looked at Ruby, searching her thoughts. They all crashed together and muddled until about two months ago, then they suddenly became linear and clear. He looked back at the stone.

"Can I touch your necklace Ruby?"

Ruby looked back at him, puzzled, "Um…sure, do you want me to take it off?" She reached around to find the clasps.

"No," he pulled her hands down, if he was right she couldn't remove it, "Just let me touch it."

"Okay."

Abe carefully cradled the stone in his hands, the moment his fingers grazed the ruby he was suddenly had the sensation of being pulled upwards into the air. He could hear millions of voices, no that was wrong, it was only two voices. Two very different voices saying different things all at once.

"My lovely girl!"

"You are so very special to all of us."

"Hurry! Get her out of here! They're coming!"

"You have a great power, my daughter."

"Such a pretty little girl!"

"You will return to us one day."

It was all so confusing; Abe thought his head would explode.

"Excuse me sir? Are you here to help me?" a tiny hand grabbed his own.

The voices quieted and everything seemed much clearer all of a sudden, Abe looked down and saw a child. She was barely five, with a white nightgown and rainbow skin with snow-white hair pulled back with a pink ribbon. It was Ruby as a child.

"I think so. What's your name?"

"I have a lot. My uncle used to call me Sweets, that's my favorite. I want to see him again."

"Well…Sweets, where is your uncle?"

"I think he's still back home. I've been trying to tell the pretty lady that but she's confused. She's been confused for a long time, after what they did to her."

"What did who do to her? What?"

"The bad people did the bad things. I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, we don't have to. Where's home?"

"The lady knows, she showed you. That's where I want to go, I want to see my uncle again before…"

"Before what?"

"Before Daddy's sister takes him to the pretty place."

"I see. Where is your home?"

"The lady knows. She pointed to it on the map."

Abe remembered, Ruby had said she thought she might have been born in Sweden.

"Thank you, I'll make sure she sees your uncle."

The child hugged him.

"I just knew she'd find you again! You were always so nice to her when she lived in the clouds!"

"What are you talking about, Sweets?"

"Don't you remember? When the lady lived in the clouds, she would visit you in the water. When you went away, she cried and cried. She found a way to come back to you though. It just took you two awhile. Mommy and Daddy told me the story."

"Why don't you tell me the story?"

"Maybe later, right now I'm sleepy," she rubbed her clear eyes, "Just take the lady to see Uncle Hans before he goes to the pretty place."

"I will."

"Good."

Abe could feel himself being pulled out of the stone's world and back to the library. It was a rush of wind and red swirling around and away from him.

"Abe!" Ruby caught the blue fish-man in her arms as he stumbled towards her.

"I'm alright, just dizzy."

"What happened?" She helped him back onto his feet.

"How do you feel about going back to Sweden?"

AN: Okay now I've reached a fork in the road here...I can continue the story and make the sequel Johanna's story (turns out she's really freaking complicated and I can't do her justice in little falshbacks) or I can end here and pull this out to a triology. You, the reader, will decide. Just leave comments and I'll do whatever you guys say to do since this is for you guys :)