I stand there with my mouth hanging open and my heart going about a mile a minute. As I try and remind my lungs how to work I notice the banner on the wall across the library. "Happy Birthday Abe and Maggie" it says.
I feel a very warm hand in the small of my back that pushes me into the room. I turn and see Hellboy pushing Abe and me. I'm lucky that I got his left hand. I turn back to the room and see various medical staff, agents, Liz, and Uncle, but the big surprise for me is Grandmother, Sharon and Vicki are also here.
I step away from Hellboy and go and great my family and friends. By the time all the hugs and kisses are distributed, I somehow end up with Vicki in my arms. She's gotten so big it's hard to believe that she's just over ten months old now. I sit down in an over stuffed chair in a corner and start to play with her in my lap.
"She's beautiful," Abe says as he sits on the arm of the chair.
"She's the reason Grandmother and Sharon found out about you," I tell him.
"Oh?"
"They noticed me getting maternal when I held her," I tell him. "It seems that Mages don't have the urge to have babies until after they find love. Wish I knew that before I held her for the first time. I might have been able to hide it better."
He quietly chuckles as Grandmother comes over to us.
"As the guests of honor you two need to go out and mingle with your well wishers," Grandmother demands as she takes Vicki off my lap. "You may not hide in the corner hogging the baby. Now go on you two. Shoo."
She turns and walks off. Abe stands and holds out his hand to me. I take it and we rejoin the party. I pass by Sharon and Liz; they're talking about pregnancy and babies. Hellboy is standing behind Liz and running his left hand over her growing belly. I realize that there really is a big teddy bear behind that tough guy exterior. I see Uncle has cornered Manning and John and is probably getting a run down on the missions we went on.
A short time later, the food is brought out. Platter after platter is carried in and arranged on tables set up for this purpose.
"Good heavens," Grandmother says from beside me. "There's enough food here to feed a small army."
"Or one very big red guy," I tell her as Hellboy heads for the tables.
After dinner, an incredible cake is brought out. Covered with a dark chocolate ganache, it's decorated with little green chocolate eggs. The candles are lit by Liz and everyone sings "Happy Birthday" with varying degrees of success. I can feel my face warm up and I see Abe turn a darker shade of blue as the song comes to a close. We lean over to blow out the candles.
Before we get a chance to exhale, a breeze blows over the candles, blowing them out and knocking a few of them over spilling some melted wax onto the ganache. I look in the direction that the breeze came from and see Sharon holding Vicki. Vicki is laughing and clapping her hands and Sharon has a stunned look on her face. I start laughing. I can hear Abe chuckling beside me.
"You are in so much trouble," I finally manage to gasp out.
"I didn't do it," Sharon retorts.
"I know you didn't," I snigger. Pointing at Vicki, I continue, "She did it."
"But…but…she's only a baby," she protests.
"Like I said, you're in so much trouble," I laugh.
I start helping Abe pull candles out of the cake and licking the bottom of them all the while still chuckling. Sharon just stands there staring at her daughter who's bouncing up and down in her mother's arms squealing with joy. I can see Grandmother and Uncle off to the side with smiles on their faces.
The cake is finally sliced and served. After everyone has eaten, things start to wind down. The evening finally finds Grandmother, Sharon, Uncle, Vicki, Hellboy, Liz, Abe and me in the little back corner of the library.
Hellboy is sitting on the floor next to the chair that Liz is curled up in. He's holding a sleeping Vicki and the look on his face is priceless. A flash of light and a whirring sound tells me that Liz didn't forget her camera. Hellboy just looks at her with a goofy smile on his face.
"I want a daughter," he says.
"Before you left you wanted a son," Liz reminds him.
"Yeah, well, now I want a girl," he replies.
"We get what we get, and either way, we'll be happy as long as the baby is healthy," she tells him.
"I could find out for you," Abe offers from his seat next to me on the couch, starting to pull a glove off.
"No!" Liz states a bit forcefully. Then she softens. "I want it to be a surprise, please don't ruin it."
"As you wish," Abe says as he pulls the glove back in place.
"Well, let's hope that if you're baby is a Mage, that his or her abilities don't develop as early as Vicki's did," I put in.
"What do you mean?" asks Liz.
"Mage babies usually don't start showing signs of their abilities until around their first birthday," I tell her. "I guess Vicki is an early bloomer."
"You said 'if' the baby is a Mage," Hellboy interjects. "You think it might not be because of me?"
"No, it's not that, Red," Uncle answers. "Not every baby born to a Mage parent is a Mage. It's very rare for that to happen, but it does happen on occasion."
"Why wouldn't the baby be a Mage if Liz is one?" HB inquires.
"Elemental Magic is very picky," Uncle replies. "The baby must be healthy both mentally and physically. If there's a problem with either one, then the power will not form."
"It happens in all Families," Grandmother says quietly. "Even ours has not been immune to this, though the last non-Mage born into the family was well over a hundred and fifty years ago. The Cavendish family made its fortune commanding great sailing ships. When Elihu Cavendish was born without Mage abilities, the family still raised and loved him, but he knew that he didn't belong. As a young man he went out to seek his fortune also on the seas, but as a whaler instead of the captain of a shipping fleet. He was the first of the Cavendish's to come to this country. The family lost contact with him after that. My husband decided to see of any of that line still lived some time ago. They do not."
"So, was it a mental or physical thing that stopped him from being a Mage?" Hellboy asks.
"We believe that it was a mental imbalance," Grandmother answers. "He became obsessed with something that lies to the north, though we were never able to figure out what it was."
"Then how did Lewis become a Mage?" Hellboy asks. "I mean, come on, the woman seemed a bit whacked in the head if you ask me."
"There's nothing wrong with her mentally," Abe answers quietly. "She was in full control of her mind. She was just trying to make money for her family. Granted, it wasn't a good way and her morals leave a bit to be desired, but she is very sane."
I feel a shiver of fear run up my spine as I think about her being loose again. Abe pulls me closer to him and I gratefully lean into him.
Suddenly, Sharon stands up and carefully takes Vicki from Hellboy. He looks hurt and like he wants to protest.
"I think I'd better put Vicki to bed," Sharon says. "You might want to do the same for Liz."
I look, and it seems that Liz has fallen asleep. Her head is resting on the arm of the over stuffed chair and her dark hair is partially covering her face. With a tender look on his face, Hellboy gently brushes the hair aside with his left hand and then picks Liz up in his massive arms. He and Sharon leave together carrying their precious bundles. Grandmother rises and comes over to me.
"Happy birthday, Margaret," she says as she gives me a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in the morning. Happy birthday, Abe."
She turns and leaves. As she exits, John walks in.
"Maggie, Dr. Manning asked me to show you to your room," he says without preamble.
"Thank you, John," I reply. "Getting some sleep sounds like an excellent idea."
I gently kiss Abe goodnight and then give Uncle a quick peck on the cheek. I turn and follow John through the twisting corridors until we come to a room. I go in and find my bag waiting for me on the bed. I pull out a few things and then head for the bathroom.
Turning on the light, I look in the mirror and all but scream. I look quite the fright. My hair is coming out of its braid, I have no make up on and the dark circles under my eyes make me look like a raccoon. Not to mention that my clothes are dirty and wrinkled. I'm surprised Grandmother didn't have a heart attack at the sight of me.
I just shake my head and then strip. I take a long hot relaxing shower, giving my hair the much needed washing that it deserves. After I realize that I'm falling asleep while standing up, I get out and dry off. With my hair wrapped in towel and another towel wrapped around me, I go back into the bedroom.
My bag is no longer where I left it. Instead there's a bathing suit and a robe lying on the bed with a note. The note reads:
Please put these on and meet me upstairs. – Abe
I look around and discover that bag hasn't just been moved, it's gone. I look for my discarded clothing, but they've gone AWOL as well. I'm a bit tired to be playing games, but the sooner I get my bag back from Abe, the sooner I can get some sleep. I put on the bathing suit and robe and then head back to the bathroom to comb out my hair. As soon as that's done, I head back to the library.
I don't see Abe in his tank when I enter the room, so I head upstairs. The metal stairs chill my bare feet causing a cold shiver to run up my spine as I slowly make my way up the spiral staircase. I rub my arms to try and get rid of the goose bumps whileI head for the top of Abe's' tank.
I walk through the door into the shimmering half darkness. Nothing has changed since the last time was here, except that there's no black kitten sleeping on the chair. I look down into the tank and I don't see Abe, so I turn to leave. Abe is quietly shutting and locking the door.
He's wearing only his shorts and from the shiny look of his skin, I'd have to say he must have just gotten out of his tank shortly before I walked in. Why does he have to look so darn sexy?
"I could ask the same question about you," he says as he turns from the door.
"Where's my stuff?" I ask.
"You'll get it back in the morning," he answers as he walks toward me.
"I'd like it back now, please," I request, a bit irked.
"All in good time, my love, all in good time," he responds as he stops in front of me, a small smile on his lips.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"You're spending the night here tonight," he replies, slightly tilting his head to the side.
I take a look around.
"There's no bed in here," I point out. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"
"There," he says as he waves a graceful hand toward the water.
"Abe, I'll drown," I state. My stomach starts tying itself into a knot.
"No, you won't," he says as he unties my robe.
"I can't breathe underwater like Lewis," I retort. I see him flinch at the mention of her name. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right," he replies. "Trust me."
Before I can respond to him, he gently cradles my face in one hand. His other hand gently pushes my robe off as his lips claim mine. I close my eyes as the kiss deepens. The tip of his tongue gently plays along my lips. I part my lips and his tongue enters, tasting me. My tongue touches his and suddenly, I'm not so tired any more.
My hands come up and start caressing his stomach, chest and arms, running my hands up and down his torso and arms. I hear a moan coming from deep within his chest and reverberating through my lips. The hand not cradling my face starts to trace the top of my bathing suit, setting the nerves on fire in its wake. He pushes one of the straps off of my shoulder and I give a moan of my own as my breathing becomes faster.
I lower my arms as I grab his hips and pull him closer to me. The hand that was holding my face is now on my other shoulder pushing the remaining strap off. I pull my arms free of the straps and allow the suit to slip further down my body. He grabs me and starts running his hands down my back and up my sides. Our bare skin touches and all of my nerves start to tingle.
"Hey, Abe here's the…" starts Uncle as he bursts through the locked door.
The only thing that could be possible be worse than being caught half dressed with Abe by Uncle, would be if my grandmother had walked in. Of course, my grandmother can't unlock doors on a whim. I quickly cover myself with my arms and turn around; I can feel my face starting to burn with embarrassment. I pull my straps back on, and as I'm reaching for my robe, Uncle seems to recover from his shock.
"Oh, come on you two," he says in exasperation. "You know that you're not going to be able to do that until the wedding night."
"Why not?" Abe asks. I start pulling my robe back on.
"Didn't she tell you?" Uncle responds. There's a moment of silence.
"A year and a day? No she didn't," I can practically hear him growl. He comes around and faces me as I start to tie the robe closed. "You were planning on tell me about this when?"
I feel my face burn even hotter. I fight back the tears caused by embarrassment, frustration and anger. I can't bring myself to look at him.
"When the mere sight of you didn't turn my legs to Jell-O, my insides to liquid and my brain to mush," I answer him a bit more hotly then I meant to. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I'm going to bed now."
I start for the door, but before I can get more than a few steps, Abe's arm wraps itself around my waist. Before I can utter a word of protest, I'm suddenly flying through the air. I scream in fear as one of my oldest terrors comes to haunt me. Then I hit the water in the tank with no air in my lungs.