(A/N) Hey there, guys! So, I hope you're as excited about this chapter as I am! It's a LONG one too!
Okay guys, I told you last time that I would be posting a Challenge in this chapter, and I have! My Challenge is this: I have put a hint about a character in this chapter... or is it two characters? A character is not who they appear to be! Can you guess who? At the end of this chapter I'll tell you what your prize will be if you guess correctly!
ENJOY!
~*~*~
Memory sat at the indoor pool looking at the clear, chlorine water as if looking out over the horizon at a beach. Her pants were rolled up to her knees and her legs dipped delicately in the water as she let her mind wander over everything Liz and Hellboy had said and what Abe had told her. She sighed heavily to herself as she watched her legs make ripples in the water when she moved them.
Stopping suddenly when she heard the door open, she tensed and turned only to see Siren come into the pool room looking very irritable.
"Sigh," Memory cooed softly, trying to placate the Water Charmer.
Stopping suddenly, Siren looked over at her, and her whole face softened. She made her way over to the Desiree, and flopped down beside her in a rush of movement.
"Why are you in here?" Siren asked softly, taking her boots and socks off.
Memory watched as she began rolling up her pants legs, and didn't begin to speak until her friend's legs were immersed in the water.
"Abe tried to talk to me… he… he asked me if I regretted meeting him…. And then it started on about how we feel about each other, and… I just couldn't bear it." Memory sighed, her eyes pained as she looked away from her friend and toward the other end of the pool once more.
Siren smiled at her long time friend, and sighed.
"I guess me and you have a lot in common… we can't take it when guys try to get us to like them." She laughed.
Memory glanced over at her in confusion before asking softly, "Did something happen?"
Siren grinned slightly, but it never reached her eyes.
"Voltaire wants me to give him a chance…. But I don't know if I can do that." She whispered, looking down at the water, still smiling slightly.
Memory kept her gaze away from her friend, her eyes taking a dazed look as she searched her powers.
"You're desires have changed…." Memory muttered.
Looking at her expectantly, Siren scowled when she realized she had gotten her hopes up for something she knew was utter crap.
"I don't want him, Mem." Siren hissed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Memory simply smiled and wrapped her friend into her arms.
"Desires never lie, Sigh. And I can tell you two things about all of this." Memory began, looking her friend in the eye.
Memory's eyes held understanding and a glint of happiness in their depths; Siren couldn't help but smile back.
"Okay, okay, what can you tell me?" She laughed, shaking her head slightly.
Smiling, Memory took Siren's hand in hers and squeezed them lightly before letting them go and looking back out over the pool.
"The only two things I can tell you are these: I can feel Voltaire's desires now… and they all have to do with you. And, your desires are torn between protecting me and wanting him." She replied, smiling a tad smugly toward her.
Siren huffed before crossing her arms over her chest.
"So what is it, Sigh? Why don't you wanna give him a chance?" Memory asked softly, her hand lying lightly on the young Water Charmer's.
Siren heaved a heavy sigh and moved her legs in the water, watching as ripples flowed outward into the middle of the pool and disperse.
"I'm worried about you… if he's lying and I get close to him, he could hurt you." She muttered, keeping her eyes on the water.
"You're so full of crap." Memory sighed.
She turned and glared at her, but ultimately said nothing.
"You're afraid that if you get close to him and he turns out to be a lying bastard, he'll hurt you more than you think he could. Don't pull me into that, Siren Lenora Peace, 'cause I'm sure as hell not gonna hold you back from a guy that cares about you…. Not like any of those guys from school or in our town." Memory ranted, glaring forcefully at her friend.
Siren stood up to her glare with one of her very own.
"Memory Elizabeth Black, how dare you even think that I would lie to you?! I have done nothing but care about you these last… I don't even remember how many years! I just wanna make sure you're safe! So what if I don't wanna go out with a guy that's totally handsome and infuriatingly charming?! I just don't wanna, and you can't make me!" Siren yelled.
Memory's face softened as she looked at Siren's face; her cheeks were flushed with anger, her eyes sparkling with determination.
"You just called him charming and handsome." Memory pointed out in a sing-song tone, grinning widely.
Siren blushed slightly, but her eyes never losing their glare as she turned her head away. Memory glanced toward the door to see Voltaire inching his way in, but when he saw her looking, he began to back out. Memory quickly shook her head slightly, taking great care making sure Siren didn't notice, and he inched his way in fully, but never closed the door.
"So what if I did? I mean… yeah… he's kinda cute and all… but… but…." Siren's eyebrows furrowed as she kept her eyes trained on the floor in front of both of them, and away from her childhood friend, red covering her cheeks.
"Sigh, you can't let me be your excuse anymore…. I don't wanna hold you back… and that's exactly what you're making me do…. You can still protect me… but, how about letting him protect you for a while too?" Memory smiled.
She looked up imploringly into the Desiree's eyes. "Mem, why does it have to be so hard; why can't he be a major ass-face like those kids at school?" Siren cried, clutching onto Memory's arms like a lifeline.
"Well, for one, because I'm a bit older than all of those hormone driven teenagers." Voltaire began, watching closely as Siren's head whipped around and she stared at him in shock.
Memory began to get up, but Siren turned her head and grasped her arms pleadingly.
"I'll be right outside if you need anything, Sigh, he just needs the chance to talk to you in private for a few moments." Memory cooed softly, placing a hand softly on hers.
Reluctantly, she watched as Memory stood and made her way to the door, nodding to Voltaire as she passed him.
As Memory closed the door, Voltaire walked toward Siren, but stopped short and sat on a bench far enough away from the water to give Siren her space.
"And two… because those children don't understand you or your gifts… I, at least, have an idea about them and about you." He finished, waiting until she at least looked towards him.
She stayed at the edge of the pool for quite a while before she slowly picked her legs up out of the water and drew them under her to sit Indian-style, her back to the water, and the thighs of her pants getting wet due to her recently submerged feet.
"Why should I believe you?" She asked quietly, not looking him in the eyes.
His eyes softened at her tone; such a tender and unbearably vulnerable voice.
"I don't know… all I have is my word; I know that won't do much good right now, but it's all I have… well… that, and a promise." He offered.
She blinked a few times slowly before looking up at him with her large green eyes, waiting on him to continue.
"I promise you, Siren, that I will never hurt you or Memory. Even if you don't believe me now… can't you at least give me a bit of a chance?" He asked, his voice tired and his eyes sadly looking into hers.
Siren turned away from his gaze, her eyes closed as she took a deep breath.
"If I say no… will you let me walk out of here?" She asked quietly.
Voltaire hung his head, his eyes looking at his hands that hung between his legs.
"It's all up to you, Siren… you can walk out of here and never look back…. Or you can stay here and we can… talk." He offered.
Siren thought for a minute.
"No." She answered simply, standing.
Voltaire visibly flinched at her words, and she suddenly regretted the harsh tone that she didn't realize donned her voice. She rolled her eyes silently before walking up to him and standing just in front of him.
"I mean… no… not here…. How about we talk… in the Library." She corrected herself softly.
He quickly looked up at her to see her smiling awkwardly, not really knowing if it was convincing or not.
Grinning, he stood, knocking her legs out from under her with one arm and catching her top half with his other arm and pulled her close to his chest.
"Glad to hear it, Green Eyes!" He chuckled merrily.
She groaned and buried her face in her hand as he began walking out of the room with her in his arms.
Though she never caught the look of anxiousness and grim satisfaction he gave to the mirror-like surface the water now took on, nor did she happen to see the flash across the glass face of liquid, Siren couldn't help but feel slightly safe.
~*~*~
Abe could hear Memory speaking to Siren inside, he noticed quickly how she pressed her friend about her problem; never really lingering on the conversation the two of them had just minutes before hand.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Abe turned to see Voltaire walk up; his eyes holding a distant look to them as he searched for, he could only guess, Siren.
"Both are here." Abe offered.
Voltaire offered a small smile as he stood on the other side of the door frame to listen just as Abe was doing.
"Did you have trouble with Memory?" Voltaire whispered, his eyes on the crack in the door where he watched Siren.
Abe sighed and ran a hand over his head.
"Yes… it seems she does not believe she is destined for anything but pain and solitude." He replied just as softly.
Voltaire let out a humorless chuckle.
"They were destined to be friends then…." Voltaire murmured.
Abe nodded absentmindedly.
"At least you might have a chance; Memory's trying to push her into following her desires." Abe motioned to the door.
Voltaire smiled lightly.
"You know, Blue Man… one thing that might help that I've kind of noticed… Memory doesn't believe she disserves to be happy because of all of the past Desiree's… it all is going to depend on your desires and if she can be selfish for once." Voltaire told him, looking him straight in the eyes.
Abe seemed to digest the information for a few minutes before sighing.
"I've missed Princess Nuala for so long… but when I heard the hurt in Memory's voice knowing she had to give up trying to get to know me except as a friend… it made me look at her in such a different light. Then when she told me that she only wanted me to be happy… yet I heard in her mind the internal conflict between simply acting on her selfishness and having simply good intentions, I couldn't help but wonder." Abe confided in him.
Voltaire nodded, listening intently.
"Yes… yes, I've missed Princess Nuala deeply… but having Memory here… I just feel a desperate need to protect her…. What I feel for the Princess now… I don't know if I can describe it, but it isn't the same as before; before I was new to the whole experience. But know I know what to think and what it all means. I care for Princess Nuala, but not as much as I did before… and on a different level." Abe finished.
Voltaire smiled slightly at him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Good, Blue One, now you just have to get Memory to understand that." He winked at Abe.
"… I just wanna make sure you're safe! So what if I don't wanna go out with a guy that's totally handsome and infuriatingly charming?! I just don't wanna, and you can't make me!" Siren yelled.
Voltaire stared at the door in hushed fascination.
"Go in there… talk to her." Abe urged.
Gulping visibly, Voltaire nodded absentmindedly and began trying to inch inside the door. Abe watched as he seemed to stop for a minute and begin to inch back out, but that didn't last long as he got inside the door and waited to say something.
"Well, for one, because I'm a bit older than all of those hormone driven teenagers." He heard Voltaire say.
He waited a few minutes before hearing Memory whisper something to Siren and saw her begin walking toward the door.
Looking around suddenly, Abe began backing up, away from the door as she walked out.
She looked up, surprise written in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Abe," She whispered.
"Memory," He whispered back.
They looked at each other for a few minutes before Memory realized Voltaire had begun talking to Siren, so she turned away to close the door softly.
"Memory… I… I don't know where to begin." He told her truthfully.
She looked up at him and smiled sadly.
"It's alright, Abe… don't worry about anything; I understand." She whispered softly.
With that, Memory turned back to face the door, thinking the conversation was over, but it wasn't. Abe reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.
"No, Memory, you don't…. I wanted Princess Nuala back with everything I had, the only thing that ever kept my mind off of her was when we went on missions. Then you came into our lives and… when I learned what you were, yes, I admit, I had thought of using your powers for my own selfish reasons." Memory looked away from him, hurt crossing her features, but he wouldn't let her look away for long; he lifted his hand and cupped her chin lightly, turning it back to him.
"But then, when she came back… I was so happy… but not being around you anymore made me distant." She looked up at him then, a tiny light of hope shining in her eyes. "Memory… I'm not going to deny I have feelings for the princess… because I do; after all, she was the one that brought out these kinds of feelings in me first. But… as time passes, I realize that I feel for her only slightly more than I feel for Liz…. I feel the need to protect her and care for her, yes… but when she smiles my heart doesn't beat faster, when she walks into a room I don't have to try to take my eyes off of her…." He whispered softly.
Memory held tears in her eyes; tears of frustration and happiness all at the same time.
"Why, Abe? Why? I can't do this… yes, I have feelings for you, but I'm not supposed to… I can't be selfish… I just… I can't!" She whispered, trying once more to turn away from him, but he pulled her to him and she began to cry on his chest.
"Why do you believe you cannot be selfish, Memory?" He asked softly, not truly understanding.
Memory held her hands on Abe's chest, her head fitting under his chin comfortably and she took a shuttering breath to try to steady herself.
"The Master's Wife… she wanted everything that the Genie would give her… she was never satisfied…. I don't want to become like her; I don't want to become someone who's heart is as black as coal… whose very existence thrives on using others and gaining material things… if I did that, I'd never be able to live with myself." She whispered, burying her face into his chest despite what she was saying.
Abe stood there for a few moments, letting Memory catch her breath and letting things calm down within her.
"How in the world do you think you will become like her, Memory, by simply letting me in?" He asked, holding her close.
"I'd just be using you to protect me! Just like I use Siren…. I'm already paying the price for all of this by asking for your help! I'm being so selfish…." She whispered, more to herself than to him.
Gripping her shoulders tightly, but not painfully, he pulled her back and looked into her eyes. His eyes were determined, yet soft all at the same time.
"It is not selfishness if you ask for protection and we want to protect you. Siren understands this better than anyone; that's why every time you try to get her to leave she never does…. Because she cares for you and doesn't want to let you get hurt. Why can't I care about you? Why can't Hellboy, Liz, Johann, or Voltaire? Why can't we protect you because we want to? Is that still selfishness on your part? No, it's selfishness on ours." He told her, holding her gaze with his own; willing his point to be understood.
She looked away from his face, her body trembling like a leaf beneath his hands.
"What do you want from me, Abraham?" She whispered.
Looking a bit shocked, he simply pulled her back to him and hugged her close.
"I want… I… well… I want… you." He answered thoughtfully.
She stiffened in his arms, foreboding feelings sweeping into her stomach as she registered what he was saying.
"But… Princess Nuala…." She muttered, trying to grasp at what was happening around her.
"I care about her… but, my feelings for you and how much I seem to care about you… are so much more…." He replied softly, rubbing her back lightly as he soothed her.
She pushed back from him and stared at him with wide eyes.
"But I saw you kiss her!" She accused, trying to get a grasp on things.
Abe looked away, ashamed by what she said as the truth.
"Yes… yes I did kiss her… but that was when I truly knew for certain that it was you I wanted…. When you kissed me in the garden after giving me that white tulip… it was unlike anything I had ever experienced; I felt as if I were floating on air. Yet when I kissed her… nothing." He tried to explain.
Memory looked at him, her eyes imploring.
"Please… please, Abe… don't make me…." She whispered.
He simply shook his head, his gaze still keeping hers.
"I will never make you do anything, Memory… I simply ask you. Nothing more and nothing less." He replied, his voice and his eyes holding nothing but honesty in their depths.
Memory broke away from him and leaned against the wall, her head down.
"I was the one that told you first how I felt… I just kinda hoped you wouldn't be able to feel the same; that I'd have an excuse…." She whispered.
Abe walked up to her and smiled.
"What do you want, Memory? For once, be selfish." He whispered, placing a hand softly on her shoulder.
Looking up at him, she was silent for a long while before smiling a watery smile.
"I want… you." She whispered.
Smiling, he drew her close to him and, with her arms around his neck, she hugged him tightly.
~*~*~
Nuala stood around the corner, her hands balled into fists as she shook with rage, her eyes glaring ahead of her before she turned and stormed off down the hallway, brushing passed Johann with her angry gait with not even an 'excuse me' to cover her tracks.
Johann watched the angry princess leave and walked to the end of the hallway to see Abe holding Memory quietly.
Musing softly to himself, he stopped when a metallic surface caught his gaze. He seemed to chuckle darkly to himself and turned away from the reflective surface only slightly as he watched the scene between the Desiree and icthyo sapien with morbid curiosity.
"Johann," Liz called out softly.
Shaking himself lightly, Johann turned toward Liz's voice to see she and Hellboy coming toward him.
"What's with the princess?" Hellboy asked, pointing his stone thumb behind him.
Johann shrugged slightly.
"I vould only guess zat it has somezing to do with zat." He answered, motioning toward the end of the hall.
Liz and Hellboy walked to the edge of the hall and looked down the way to see Abe and Memory in an embrace.
"Way to go, Brother Blue!" Red shouted down the hall.
Both Abe and Memory turned to look at him; Memory blushed a deep crimson where as Abe's cheeks took on a bit of a darker blue hue and he smiled.
Johann let Liz and Hellboy make their way down the hall as Voltaire came out carrying Siren, his eyes on the reflective surface he had seen before.
~*~*~
(A/N) So, guys, what do you think? Siren's finally gonna give Voltaire a chance!! Whoo hooo!!!! And, Abe finally confessed to Memory!! YAY!!!
Okay, now, for the prize if you get it right: You can choose between a special scene of any of the characters in any kind of scene you want (romantic, lemon, action, death, whatever) and it will be for your eyes only! Or, you can give me the bio for a character of your own design and have me put him/her in my story doing whatever you want them to do (within reason).
Please, only two guesses per person, if you will! Thank you!!!