Hellboy strode over to Abe and helped him off the ground.

Hellboy, "Nice goin' Blue you saved my girl, our girl." He patted him on the back, "Are you ok?"

Abe, "Yes Red. Mind you, have you forgotten that water is my primary habitat?"

He nodded, "Right, right."

Quickly their attention was averted to Liz and Sahara. Breaking away from her friend's hug Sahara literally scrambled to her feet and broke into a frantic run.

Liz, "Sara where are you going?"

Sahara, "I need to find Oasis!"

She dashed into the woods with her friends looking on after. Running through the entrance to the thick of the woods she stopped and perked her ears as well as put her nose to the air. She heard the whispering breeze and the hum of the day's buzz.

Sahara, "Oasis? Come out boy, I'm alright, we're all safe. Let me know you made it."

Walking forward a bit her foot just passed a tree root and it was then Oasis emerged from a small hollowed out hole in the trunk; flinging himself onto his mother.

Sahara, "Oh Oasis! You made it!"

He began to lick her fur 'dry' from the water that had soaked her.

She laughed, "I on the other hand almost didn't. Come, let's go rejoin the group."

Planting him on her shoulder, she made her way back to the trio.

Walking through the entrance from the wood Sahara emerged to find her friends still gathered around where she had left them. Smiling she approached them.

Abe, "There you are. And there's Oasis!"

Coming closer Oasis perked up and ran down Sahara's arm and up Abe's.

Abe, "I haven't seen in him a little while. How are ya buddy?"

Her eye's squinted from the delight. Turning her attention she saw Liz and Hellboy approaching.

Sahara, "So how did you guys get out? By the looks of your lower halves you got out before the entire Base became submerged."

Liz, "We were on our way back from breakfast and heard the pipes break. Then Abe came running at us. So we went for the exit that you too previously tumbled through and jarred it open so at least some water could come out."

She nodded her head in agreement to their statement.

Hellboy, "But Kitten are you sure you're ok? I mean you looked kinda half drowned when ya came out."

She nodded, "Yeah I'm alright, fortunately Abe saved me in the nick of time, again." She turned to him with a smile.

Abe, "Indeed fortunate, for if I were just a few seconds late you would've inhaled a stream of water and my technique would prove ineffective."

Right before Sahara asked, 'What technique?' did Manning come storming around the corner.

Manning, "Oh good you're all out alive."

Hellboy stepped forward, "Yeah all four-" Looking back to oasis, "Five, heads are accounted for."

Liz, "Agent Manning what happen?"

Manning, "A flooding occurred."

Helboy, "No sh-"

Liz, "Hellboy!"

Hellboy grimaced, "What told ya sherlock? Maybe the water leaking out everywhere!"

Abe, "How extensive is the damage?"

Manning, "Just a typical basement flooding is all."

Liz, "Basement flooding? If you count a whole sector of the base filled with hundred of souls a simple basement flooding, then yeah, nothing so serious as that!"

"And here to think I thought you cared for a moment Mr. Manning", Hellboy added sarcastically.

Sahara shook her head, "So where will we be staying for the immediate future?"

Manning, "We'll have to scavenge some other rooms on the other floors of the Bureau. I assure you there is enough room, you may just be floors apart from one another."

Sahara and Abe thought, 'Great, just what I need.'

Hellboy, "Just along as you find a good enough living space to support my cats; then everything will be just peachy."

Manning scowled at this.

…

A couple hours had elapsed in where each and every agent that were previously situated down in the flooded base was relocated to their temporary quarters. Hellboy and Liz were fortunate to have the same room together only a floor up from Base 51. Though Abe had to reside in an aquatic tank amidst an aquarium of fish five floors above 51. And Sahara had a solo room near the very top of the base that held the regular accommodations. A bed and plush carpeted flooring, no compact sand or hollowed out cave made of bedrock.

Her ears drooped and back hunched as Oasis scurried out from the crook of her neck. Looking to him she said,

"And to think they say luxury is better."

Moving forward to inspect her new home Oasis flew onto the bed; spinning around a few times he flicked his tail looking at his mom.

Sahara, "Yeah you can take the bed. To be frank the floor will be soft enough!"

He gave a small leap in the air then fell right down and curled up in sleep.

Sahara, "I don't blame ya brother."

Agreeing with what he was doing she dropped on all fours and prowled over to the spot near the foot of the bed. Her limbs were already becoming stiff and sore from churning against the water and her dried fur didn't help. Though she was so spent from the exertion that she didn't bother to get a shower; instead she curled up like Oasis and drifted right off to sleep as well.

Her dreams weren't so coherent and smooth like normal. Bits and pieces of fragments of memories and images flew by. But the one scene that kept rewinding and playing clearly was the scene in where Abe came out of know where within the flooded Base and 'kissed' her. Flash of this and that then the scene.

The golden plains of Africa. Clear blue skies with tiny puff clouds over looking those golden plains. A lone Saharan Acacia tree overlooking a sheer rocky cliff. The scene with Abe. The team gearing up for a mission in Africa. Her first ever battle with the Impundulu. Finding Oasis. The scene with Abe. The pain of loving Abe. The scene with Abe. The joy of loving Abe. The scene with Abe.

On and on did this cycle continuous roll. Twitching and flickering in her sleep, these odd scenes kept their pursuit throughout her slumber.

…

Sighing a sigh of annoyance, Abe stood in the midst of his new aquatic room. His hand was to his chin and his head angled downward with his eyes slightly squinted in deep thought.

"I had the confidence but now it's completely depleted. Can't I just go up and find her and tell her now as I was about to do just hours before? I don't know…but I should know because I asked the question!"

Dropping his arm and looking up with a helpless expression, his nerves kicked into overdrive at the thought of approaching Sahara. He guessed that since he felt this way then he should surely take up a relationship with her, or should he?

Closing his eyes with his head still skyward, he issued another sigh. Coming back down he sobered up and headed out the door in another search for Sahara.

…

Only a couple of rambling conversations from unknowing agents, two wrong turns, and fifteen flights later did Abe arrive at the floor to Sahara's new quarters. He held is head in one hand as he continued on. Surely it never took him that long to locate a person. He could've just retraced her steps telepathically from her bare feet walking on the stone cold tiled floors from just a couple of hours before. He doesn't know what's up and down anymore. He had the instance to turn around and flee for he rapidly felt sick and thought that this wasn't right. Though, cursing his special ability, he sensed her sleeping and that her dreams somewhat disturbed her. So in knocking he called out her name and held his breath as he waited for her to emerge.

Dreary eyed, rubbing the sleep away, Sahara opened the door to him, "Oh, hello Abe. What brings you here?"

Abe gulped, "Uh, I was just wondering where you're room was in relation to mine and Liz and Hellboy's. Might I come in?"

Side stepping she allowed him entrance to her new abode. Looking around he quickly noticed how the arrangements weren't suited to her queer comforts.

Abe laughed as he saw Oasis all curled up in sleep in the middle of the bed, "I see that Oasis has taken the bed off your hands."

She grinned, "Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to sleep in it comfortably anyway. So the floor will do me well for the time being."

Turning to her he blinked, should he just say it or drop it completely?

Abe, "I, uh, I noticed that you were asleep before I interrupted you and that you're dreams weren't all that normal. Is everything alright?"

Yawning she almost didn't hear him, "Huh?…oh, yeah. I don't know really. Maybe it was just from the flurry of things that had just happened. Though I dreamt more of Africa than the flood(except for our kissing scene)."

Abe, "Hm, maybe it was a defense mechanism. Your brain trying to comfort you're frantic emotions."

She nodded, "Very true, very true."

Abe opened his mouth again then he thought against it.

Sahara, "What's up?"

Abe, "Do you..do you want to get something to eat? I know that swimming can rack up your hunger."

She laughed at this and agreed.

The two exited the room and went to find the lunch hall on her new floor.

…

"I can't do it Red. Nope, it's just not for me. Love isn't for me. knowledge is, and I'll just leave it to that."

Hellboy lowered his magazine with a look, "C'mon Blue, don't be that way. Just buck up and go for it. Remember act first and ask questions later."

Abe, "But I'm not like you Red. I don't hold any confidence in this regard. I feel that this whole mess is just not for me to deal with. I'm perfectly content with my knowledge and faith."

Hellboy sighed, "Poor Kitten."

Abe, "Hey I'm not trying to be a 'jerked-weed' or a 'nonsensical baboon' as you put it."

Hellboy, "I actually said that?"

Abe, "I paraphrase from time to time. Yet I don't want to harm Sahara nor do I desire our current relationship to be altered in anyway."

Getting up he said, "Hey, I can't force you to do anything Brother Blue."

He clasped his hand on Abe's upper arms, "But I hope one day you see the light and soon!"

Abe shook his head and rolled his eyes.

…

"So he came at me as I was about to pass out. And as I close my eyes I feel his lips on mine and he pries them apart, opening a passage way for both our mouths. Then I noticed this intake of air that fills my lungs, but I never took a breath. I mean how could I? This happened over and over again until we reached you guys. Weird huh?" Sahara explained to her best friend.

Liz had her arms crossed, leaning up again the wall near the door starting at Sahara in the middle of her room.

"Nope, not all weird. In fact that same instance happened to me once."

Her eyes grew wide in surprise, "Really? How? When? Where? Why?

Liz, "Ok, slow down twenty questions. It was a long time ago, right before we found you I believe. We were on a mission and I found myself sinking lower and lower under murky ocean water. I was almost unconscious as you were. My eyes were closed and I was about to basically, die. Then all of a sudden I feel a pressure on my lips and my eyes fly open to see that Abe was there 'kissing' me."

Sahara was blown away, "What does this mean?"

Liz laughed, "Don't think too into Sara. We talked about it right after and he told me, basically, that in order to save me from drowning he had to use that technique. he went on to explain that he had to burp into my mouth so I could have oxygen in my lungs. I almost threw up after that."

Sahara wrinkled her nose, "Are you kidding me?!….eh, it still was romantic as anything."

Liz, "Ew Sahara!"

They both laughed as Liz punched her on the arm and Sahara asked that convicted, "What?" in reply.

Sahara, "Besides, I don't foresee any other lady-girl coming into the team anytime soon, so why not 'sink my claws in' as they say."

She finished this with a wink at her friend who just rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smirk.