Hi there!

It's a shorty, so I'm sorry. Things have been insane... I got another job, I got midterms and I just got totally bashed into soup at the Ministry concert... (sighs in contentment) I wanna go again! things will get easier after midterms... i hope.

Chapter Eleven

Lavinia:

The interrogation part of the morning didn't last as long as I thought it would. Frankly I had visions of those war movies where they break fingers and drown people and use electricity to get information out of POW's. This was nothing in comparison, just two guys in the room with me, and a one way mirror, and we had a semi-civilized chat. They asked questions, and even when I couldn't answer them, they didn't break anything! It was such a relief that I forgot how tired I was by the end, but once they transferred me from the interrogation room to a small dank cell, exhaustion just whacked me and I was out like a light in two seconds flat.

I don't know how long I slept for but it couldn't have been long. I was still sleepy but my brain functioned a whole hell of a lot better now. Now I had the time to question what the hell was going on. Why did I get picked up from my home like I did? Why did they keep asking about Rielle and her past, and my own? Why were they so rough with me? I didn't do anything! And now, even though I didn't have any answers for them and they even tried one of those little lie detector test thingies, I'm stuck in a cold prison cell by myself, I was hungry, cold, and I really needed to pee.

There wasn't any windows or nothing and I couldn't see a clock anywhere, but I know they picked me up around 2:30 or so, and the interrogation took maybe three hours, I didn't know, and I must have slept for at least an hour. The sun might be up by now.

Sunlight. Mmmm. It was silly really, me having been imprisoned for what, less than 12 hours, and I already missed sunlight. I'd never make it in a real jail. Plus, the general stankness of the toilets would make me barf.

I stretched back out on my rickety cot and tried not to cry. The whole ordeal wore on me, and I felt so confused. They kept asking about Rielle, they even referred to her once as Agent Cyr. Like the silly bitch was James Bond or something. I laughed at them when they asked if I had any ties to foreign governments. I told them one of my uncles was a chief of the reserve 20 years ago, and asked if that counted. They just frowned at me. Ties to foreign government, HA! Weenuks.

I decided that instead of lying around feeling sorry and confused, I better move around. Bedsores weren't very flattering. I got off my bed, did my best to straighten my jammies out, combed my hair with my fingers, and started pacing.

Back and forth, back and forth. I wondered if I would eventually wear a groove into the floor. For entertainment I sang the Oscar Meyer Wiener song at the top of my lungs. Hell, if they were going to keep me imprisoned they'd have to put up with my off key voice.

Eventually someone came. I heard stomping feet coming towards my door and had the urge to hide under my bed. I didn't though. I sat down on the edge of my bed and tried to think of pleasant things, like bashing whoever poked their head through the door with some blunt object and running like mad for the border. I could feel my heartbeat quicken as the steps got louder and louder. I curled my legs under me and tried not to hug and rock myself like I always did when I was scared.

The foot beats stopped just outside of the door, pausing a moment before cracking it open just enough to poke a head through. Again I visualized a bash-and-run but I stayed curled up on the cot like the big chicken I was.

What a relief it was to see dark red skin and horn-stubs!

"Hellboy!" I squealed, leaping in joy off the cot and into the big lug's arms.

"Hey kid!" He wrapped me up in his leather clad arms and squeezed till I couldn't' breathe. "How are you doin'?"

Trying not to blow snot on his chest I just laughed in response. How am I doing? Great, Wonderful. PERFECT! Get me the Hell (no pun intended) out of here!

He put me back down and only then did I realize that he had lifted me straight up off the floor. I landed quite ungracefully.

"Come on, sit down." He said, trying to lead me back to the cot. His eyes glowed with concern and I was very very happy he was here and not some asshole doctor. It was funny how quickly I bonded with him. I guess he really liked his kitchen staff. I could just imagine prior conversations. 'Leave my cook alone!'

"No...no. I can't. I'm to wired, I need to move." If I could I would be running circuits around the cell.

Red sat down on the cot, which creaked in protest from his weight, and I resumed my pacing. "So..."

"So?"

"So you heard they caught her?" He grumped in a baritone grumble, obviously not very happy with the news.

"Yah, they mentioned it during the three hour 'meeting' earlier."

Red's face went stony as if he was trying very hard not to start bellowing. My uncle's got that look a lot when I was a kid. "What?" He better not be mad at me, I didn't do anything. If there was any better time for a beer and a smoke, I haven't heard about it yet.

"Nothin'. Sit down, you're making me dizzy."

"Fine, fine." I sat on the cot next to him, but the nervous energy still ran through me and I tapped my socked feet in a staccato beat on the cold floor.

Red just sat there and stewed and despite that his presence calmed me, like having a breathing brick wall between me and danger. After a minute my feet slowed their tapping and my heartbeat stabilized.

"So do you have any clue what Rielle is?" Red burst impatiently.

"Don't you think I would have said something if I did?"

He shrugged. "I don't know you too good," He hesitated, "But no. If you knew you wouldn't say anything."

I almost killed him, but realized at the last microsecond before I popped him in the jaw that he was right. I wouldn't talk; I wouldn't betray my best friend no matter what. It just wasn't in me. You don't betray family. Damned insight! Red was smarter than he looked. I still felt the need to defend myself as I really didn't know anything.

"Yah, well, I have no fucking idea what's happening, but whatever it is, Ellie didn't do it."

"Didn't do what?"

"Whatever had you military guys swarm my apartment at two AM with guns drawn."

Red sighed. "I didn't have any part in it. That was all Tanner."

Tanner, that prick. I thought as I rubbed my sore chin in remembrance from when the soldiers pounded me into the floor.

"You know what's funny? Red grinned sadistically, huge white teeth gleaming. Just that expression cheered me up and made me glad he was my friend. "I heard Ellie popped him in the nose, broke it, and he screamed like a girl."

"She would." I laughed. "She never took shit from no one."

"Whereas you do?" Hellboy turned to sit cross-legged against the wall facing me. My confused face prompted him to point out some of the bruises. I poked at the tender one on my right check.

"Hey, I took a bite out of one of em', some weenuk named Parker." I stated, again in self defence. He looked surprised.

"You cannibal, you!" He chuckled and lit a cigar. The thick smoke billowed in a misshapen halo around his head, setting off my giggles. Hellboy was a living breathing oxymoron and I loved it.

"You do realize there's no ventilation in this room, right?" I complained once the smoke got a little too thick. Red hopped quite nimbly for a big guy off the cot, causing me to fly a little, and opened my cell door.

"Good enough?"

"They won't freak cause the door's open? Me being a dangerous criminal and all..." I ended sarcastically. Red smirked and flipped his tail.

"Nah, they don't consider you all that dangerous. And even if you were, you couldn't get past me anyway, so..." He let the sentence dangle and once again I wanted to stomp that big ego. No wonder Ellie liked him, he egged people on. Being around him was like being around a big male Rielle, and I found it comforting.

"Red?"

"Yah?"

"Thanks." I said simply, there were no words. And even though I wasn't sure he knew what I was thanking him for he nodded and accepted. "Can I have a drag?" I pointed at his cigar.

He sat back on the bed with me and handed it over. It tasted nice, and Red looked happy I liked it, although I must have looked ridiculous with that fat cigar hanging out of my little mouth. It took me a moment to realize how perverted it probably looked and giggled to myself. Red just shook his head at me.

"You're both nuts."

"It's Ellie's fault, she's the bad influence." I realized what I said after I said it. Red also seemed to hear it, the implication that Ellie was evil or something. I hated just thinking about it.

More footsteps sounded and both Red and I looked at the door to see who it could be. The sound was so much lighter than Red's, I had to laugh a little, now that there was something for comparison I'd always know if it was him.

"Why the hell is the door open?" We heard from just outside.

Red leaned over and punched me lightly with the stone hand. Mischievous bugger. With a grin, he bellowed, "Help! She's got me all tied up! Oh! The Pain!"

"Quit it, they'll shoot me!" I whispered harshly, giving him a dirty look. Men and their warped sense of humour!

"No they won't." He whispered back, but seeing my wide eyed puppy look he retracted his bellowed statement. "Just kidding guys, she only spanked me."

I smacked him for that one. "Red!"

He hopped off the bed with another evil grin and a surprisingly girlish giggle. I wish I could have recorded that.

The soldiers poked their wary heads in the doorway and shied from the plumes of smoke emitting from between my teeth. "What's up, boys?"