Rupert and Selma continue to stare for some time as Abe stands there stoically staring right back at them. When the couple finally starts getting certain body parts to function, all they can do is open and close their mouths and blink.
"He's…he's…he's…," Selma stutters when she's finally able to get her vocal cords to work again.
"Blue, Mom," Maggie fills in for her. "It's ok. He knows that."
"He has…has…," Rupert tries to say, just as flustered as his wife.
"Stripes and scales, Daddy," Maggie responds. "He knows that, too."
"But how...?" Selma asks in bewilderment, looking first at the twins, then Maggie, then Abe and finally back at the twins.
"If I have to explain that to you, it would explain why I'm an only child," Maggie snickers.
"Now listen here, young lady," Rupert starts to reprimand.
"Perhaps we should sit down," Abe suggests with a graceful wave of his hand. "Then you can ask me any questions you have."
Rupert and Selma both jump at the sound of Abe's voice and turn back towards him, staring again. With gentle hands, Maggie guides the still shell shocked couple towards the couch and encourages them to sit down, taking a seat herself once they are comfortable. While this is being done, Abe quickly dons his gear and then takes a seat next to his wife on the love seat.
Rupert and Selma continue to watch Abe in bafflement as he carefully pulls out Maggie's necklace that she had hidden inside her top. He delicately undoes the clasp, pulls it away from her and then slides the rings that were hanging on it into his open hand. After putting the necklace down on the coffee table, he puts the rings back where they belong on her left hand. Maggie smiles up at him and he gently kisses her before picking the necklace back up and putting it back around her neck.
"It…it really was a real Kiss that you two shared," Selma states in an awed voice.
"Yes, Mom, it was real," Maggie smiles at her mother as she leans against Abe.
"But I don't understand," Rupert says, bewildered. "He's not human."
"Certain events have revealed that I may have been human once," Abe replies quietly as Maggie gets a very sad look on her face.
Abe pulls her closer to him and she pushes her face into the foam neoprene covering his chest while her parents watch. The twins seem to pick up on their mother's distress and start to fuss. Despite the best efforts of the grandparents, they are inconsolable until they are handed over to their parents and only after some gentle rocking and cooing do they quiet down.
"Sensitive little guys, aren't they?" Selma observes as first Dylan and then Morgan drop off to sleep.
"Dylan is telepathic," Abe explains quietly, mindful of the slumbering daughter in his arms. "When either one of them is upset, the other is as well. Occasionally, he picks up on the moods around him, especially his mother's."
"How did he become a telepath?" Rupert inquires.
"He got it from me," Abe explains.
"So you weren't lying when you said he could read your mind," Selma softly chuckles at her daughter.
"No, I wasn't," Maggie smiles back.
"If you're a telepath, then that means…," Rupert's voice trails off as he becomes a bit nervous.
"I can read minds, but I won't without permission," Abe assures his father-in-law.
"What about Morgan?" Selma asks, breaking the rather tense mood. "Does she have a special ability?"
"We haven't been able to determine anything yet," Abe answers.
"Are they Mages?" Rupert questions.
"Yes, they both are Mages," Maggie replies. "Morgan has a little more power than Dylan, so that might be her special gift instead of telepathy."
"So, how did you two meet?" Rupert asks, returning to protective father mode.
"Well, that's a bit of a long story," Maggie stalls.
"We're not going anywhere," Rupert responds, eyes narrowing at his daughter and crossing his arms over his narrow chest.
"Well, to make a long story short, there was a strange earthquake not far from where I was living," Maggie slowly explains. "I went to investigate it with my horse since there was something very wrong about the earthquake. We got attacked by a couple of creatures protecting the epicenter, so we ran and we ended up at the place where Abe works."
"And where, exactly, do you work?" Rupert inquires, turning his penetrating stare from Maggie to Abe.
"I work for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense," Abe replies.
"Maggie said you're in pest removal," Selma tells him. "I take it the pests are something a normal exterminator wouldn't be able to handle."
"That is correct," Abe responds with a small smile.
"Who Kissed whom?" Rupert inquires, still glaring at the younger couple.
"I Kissed Maggie," Abe answers calmly.
"So, how long did you two know each other before you Kissed?" Rupert growls, eyes barely slits now.
Maggie mumbles an answer that a normal person wouldn't be able to hear and attempts to disappear into the love seat.
"SEVEN HOURS?" Rupert roars, coming out of his seat and starting to lunge towards Abe.
Rupert's forward momentum is suddenly halted as his legs suddenly refuse to work and the angry man turns on his wife.
"Let me go, Selma!" Rupert shouts as he stands in mid-stride, barely maintaining his balance.
"No," Selma calmly tells him. "Not until you calm down."
"That THING Kissed our daughter and all you can do is calmly sit there and do nothing?" Rupert yells.
"What you have me do, Rupert?" Selma asks. "Fillet him, serve him for dinner and then tell Maggie to get over it and find someone new? You know Mages marry for life and they never remarry. I suggest you calm down and accept things for what they are."
"But look at him!" Rupert desperately shouts.
"I have, love," Selma replies in the same soft voice. "I see a kind man who loves and cherishes our daughter. Isn't that we always said we wanted for her? Someone who would love her and care of her? Now I will agree that he's quite different and if I hadn't seen him with my own eyes I'm not sure I would believe that he wasn't the figment of someone's overactive imagination, but that doesn't make what they have any less real than what we have."
"But…but…," Rupert stutters, his anger finally starting to lose steam.
"As Maggie said, she's married with children," Selma reminds him. "It's a little late to be getting out the rocking chair and shotgun. Please, Rupert, don't make the mistake my father did and drive our daughter away. We only just got her back; I couldn't stand to lose her again."
At the sound of his wife's pleading voice and one look at her begging eyes, Rupert's head and shoulders droop in defeat. The instant they do, he can feel his legs come back under his control again. With a resigned sigh, he drops back down into his seat next to his wife. Selma takes the arm closest to her and wraps it around her shoulders as she leans into him. He gives her a sad smile and kisses her before looking back up at his son-in-law.
"I'm sorry, Abe," Rupert says.
"Apology accepted," Abe replies. "Perhaps it's time to tell you about myself."
"Please do," Selma encourages.
For the next several minutes Abe tells them his rather interesting life history including what little he knows about his previous life and a brief description of his abilities. When he's done, Selma and Rupert stare at him amazement.
"You certainly picked yourself a very unique husband," Selma says to Maggie after a drawn out silence.
"She never was one for the ordinary," says an amused voice from the door.
Heads snap around to the newcomer and a couple pair of eyes grow very wide.
"Guillermo!" Rupert and Selma happily shout.
They jump up off of the couch and rush to greet their old friend. Hugs and handshakes are exchanged between the men and hugs and kisses are exchanged between Guillermo and Selma.
"As much as I would love to stay here and get caught up, I've been sent here to see if you're ready for Red yet," Guillermo tells them.
"Let me check," Maggie replies. "Mom, Dad, do you have any further questions for Abe?"
"I can't think of any right now," Selma admits.
"Me either," Rupert agrees.
"Good, then I'll let Manning know," Guillermo responds as he turns to go. "It's a good thing too; Red was starting to get antsy."
With that, Guillermo exits the room and Selma and Rupert return to their seats.
"So, who and or what is Red?" Rupert asks.
"Red is one of Abe's coworkers," Maggie starts to explain. "We thought it best if you were introduced to him after you met Abe."
"What, is this guy a red fish guy or something?" Rupert jokingly asks.
"Hardly," replies a deep baritone voice from the door.
Rupert and Selma spin around in their seats and their eyes practically fall out of their heads and their mouths both hang open at the sight of a nearly six and half foot red demon coming into the room. In his arms is Trevor and right behind him is Liz. They step fully into the room as John follows them in, briefly checks the room over and leaves, shutting the door behind him.
"Mom, Dad, I'd like to introduce you to Hellboy, his wife Liz and their son, Trevor," Maggie introduces. "Hellboy, Liz, I'd like you to meet my parents, Rupert and Selma Cavendish."
If the look on Rupert and Selma's faces was worth a million bucks when they met Abe, their expressions now are priceless. Eyes are the size of dinner plates and jaws hang in the vicinity of bellybuttons. Maggie can hardly manage to control her giggles and Abe's barely contained snickers aren't helping.
"Hey, how's it goin'?" Hellboy grunts as Trevor squirms to be let down so he can explore.
"Hi," Liz mumbles as pushes her hair behind her ear and slightly blushes.
Hellboy puts Trevor down and proceeds to follow him around the room. Rupert and Selma continue to watch Hellboy in stunned amazement as he gently opens little fingers that have found the cord to the lamp on one of the tables.
"Watch out for his other…," Liz starts to warn as Trevor reaches up and grabs his father's sideburn with is free hand.
"OW!" Hellboy yells in surprise, jumping at the sudden shock of pain and knocking the lamp he was trying to save over.
"…hand," Liz finishes, trying not to laugh, though Trevor seems to have no problem doing just that.
"Thanks," Hellboy grumbles as he stands up with the child in his arms and tries to dislodge his son's fingers from his facial hair.
Liz goes over to her husband, still trying to contain the chuckles, and helps him with grabby little fingers as the hand that used to have the cord now seeks more facial hair. Fully snickering now, Abe reaches over and rights the lamp that luckily fell onto the couch and not onto the floor. Even Rupert and Selma's shock induced trance seems to be broken as they too try to hide their merriment behind their hands.
John sticks his head into the room to see what the yelling was about. After seeing that it's Trevor and Hellboy again, he just shakes his head. With a smile on his face, he steps back out and quietly shuts the door.
"So, Liz, how did you get involved with the Bureau of Paranormal…um?" Rupert asks after he regains her composure.
"Research and Defense," Liz fills in with another shy smile. "We usually just call it the bureau or the BPRD. I came to live there when I was eleven after my parents died."
"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss," Selma says sadly. "But why would you go there after your parents died? Wouldn't you go to a relative or a foster home?"
"I was in a foster home until Prof. Broom convinced me to go live at the bureau," Liz answers.
"But why?" Rupert inquires, still confused.
"Because of this," Liz replies as she lifts her hand up.
Before Selma or Rupert can blink, Liz's hand is engulfed in fire. The Fire Mage idly watches as the blue flames lick around her fingers. Trevor starts giggling again and grabs his mother's hand, laughing as the flames seem to tickle his face and hands.
"Oh, wow," Selma gasps. "I've never met a Fire Mage before. It's a pleasure meeting you."
"Thanks," Liz responds, blushing again as she puts the fire out. "It's nice meeting you, too."
"So I'm guessing your story must be as interesting as Abe's," Rupert states as he turns his attention towards Hellboy.
"You could say that," Hellboy smirks.
After settling on the floor with his back to the arm of the overstuffed chair that Liz takes a seat in and his son caged by his legs, Hellboy tells his story. When he's done, several moments pass by as Rupert and Selma absorb this new information. The others wait patiently for the older couple to say something while Hellboy holds his now sleeping son in his arms.
"Wow," Rupert whispers after what seems to be an eternity. "That's quite the story."
Before he can say more, the door opens again and Manning walks in. John does a quick check of the room again before closing the door once more. Manning steps into the middle of the room, realizes that the only place left to sit is either on the floor or on the couch next to Rupert and Selma, so he remains standing.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish, I'm Dr. Tom Manning," Manning introduces himself. "I'm the director of the BPRD. As I'm sure you've figured out, the BPRD is a secret organization and Hellboy, Liz, Abe and their children are part of it. As such, if you try to tell anyone outside of your family, especially the media, about them, the US government will disavow any knowledge of them and will discredit you in the process. Is that understood?"
"Yes," Rupert and Selma answer in unison, stunned.
"Good," Manning nods. "Now shortly, you'll be reunited with your families. The Cavendish side already knows about Hellboy, Liz, Abe and the kids, but the Steele side does not. As such, I would appreciate you not discussing with either families about what has gone on in this room. After you have been reunited, first Abe and his kids will be introduced to the rest of the family and after that, Hellboy, Liz and their kid will make their entrance. The only reason for this is that at some point the US government may be in need of people with the special abilities your families possess. Is that agreed?"
"Are we going to have to sign anything?" Rupert asks.
"No, this will be strictly off the record since technically the BPRD, Hellboy, Abe nor their kids exist," Manning answers. "We will only call on your families for help only if the need arises, and so far, we have never had a need for that many Mages before, so it's very unlikely that we'll ever need that type of help. But are we agreed to my previously stated conditions?"
"I guess so," Selma replies hesitantly. "When do we go see our families?"
"As soon as you're done in here," Manning responds. "Just let Agent Myers know when you're ready and we'll get everything in position for your entrance."
"Ok," Rupert says, still bewildered by all that's gone on in the last hour.
"Good, it was nice meeting both of you," Manning nods again just before he leaves.
They sit in silence after the door closes behind the director for several moments.
"That man is a right pompous ass," Rupert states to no one.
"Daddy!" Maggie gasps in shock. "Don't let Grandmother hear you talk like that."
"Is she still taking her hand to the back of people's heads?" Rupert questions.
"Every chance she gets," Maggie chuckles. "Even Ron's gotten whacked on occasion, though she usually can only reach his shoulder unless he's sitting down at the time."
"You'd think she'd mellow with age," Rupert snickers.
"Not likely," Maggie snorts.
"Speaking of aging, I'm not getting any younger and our families are waiting for us," Selma points out.
"You're right, love," Rupert concedes as he kisses her on top of her head. "Shall we go face the horde that calls itself our family?"
"I suppose we better," Selma quietly chuckles.
"I'll meet you two out there in a little bit," Maggie tells them. "The twins are starting to wake and I want to feed them before I go out."
"Do you mind if we wait then?" Selma asks. "I'd rather go out with you."
"That's fine by me if you don't mind waiting," Maggie replies as Abe hands her the nursing pillow.
"We don't mind at all, honey," Selma assures her daughter as Maggie starts to prepare to breastfeed the babies.
"Um, I think I need to go use the restroom," Rupert suddenly states as he quickly gets up and exits the room.
"I guess he's still not used to the idea that you're all grown up now," Selma smirks. "But that's ok, he'll get used to it."
"I hope so," Maggie sighs as she gets the first baby latched on.
Hellboy has a sudden great interest in watching his son sleep while Maggie settles back with the twins firmly attached to her breasts. With a soft smile playing across her lips, she watches her little ones feed. Abe settles down beside her and takes up the vigil with her. When the babies are finally done and are being burped, Rupert returns to the room.
"That was some bathroom break, dear," Selma observes. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, thanks," Rupert replies a little uneasily.
When he finally gets the courage up to look at his daughter, he visibly relaxes. The prospect of his little girl burping one of her children doesn't seem to be as disturbing to him as watching her feed them. Once the gas has been release and diapers changed, Maggie goes and waits with her parents by the door. A minute later, John sticks his head in the door.
"They're ready for you now," John tells them with one of his shy smiles.
"Thanks, John," Maggie smiles. "You're an angel."
John blushes profusely as she and her parents walk past him. Maggie leads them through the family room and out the back door. They step into a walkway that along the sides and top are covered by a white canvas. They take the few steps necessary to clear the walkway and step into a giant tent where their family awaits.
The instant they step into the very large and tastefully decorated tent a thunderous roar of clapping and cheering fills the room. Rupert and Selma stand stunned at all the unfamiliar faces staring back at them. But what really has them shocked is all the faces they do recognize and how they've aged.
Susan and Peg step forward and take their children by the hand and lead them to the first table filled with family both familiar and unfamiliar. After the sixth table, names and faces begin to run together, but that's ok. Thanks to an idea that Sharon had, everyone is wearing a name badge with his or her name on it, whether they are on the Steele or Cavendish side of the family, their relation to Selma or Rupert and the name of their spouse if there is one.
It takes over an hour to get the nearly eighty introductions completed and by the time they are done, everyone is famished and Rupert and Selma are on the verge of collapsing. Maggie takes them over to the head table where they'll be sitting. Selma and Rupert notice that there are four place settings at the table. Once everyone has taken their seats, Manning walks in.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Dr. Tom Manning, director of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense," Manning announces. "This evening you will be introduced to some rather…unique individuals. Like the abilities that some of you possess, their existence must remain a secret from the outside world. Are there any questions?"
"Do we have to wait for dinner until after the questions are asked and answered?" someone calls from the back.
"Yes," Manning answers.
"In that case, there are no questions," another voice calls out.
Laughter ripples through the room and Manning actually smiles. Maggie nearly dies from shock at that sight. Manning then catches her eye and he nods to her. Maggie stands up and joins him.
"Ok, as some of you might have heard, I'm married and I gave birth to twins nearly six weeks ago," Maggie states loudly. "The reason the majority of you haven't met them is because they are some of the unique individuals you'll meet tonight. That said I would like to introduce everyone to my husband Abe and our children Dylan and Morgan."
With that, Abe walks in with the twins in his arms and there is a collective gasp from about half of the people in the room. Susan and Peg go to meet him and immediately relieve him of the twins. They quickly show the babies to people around the room and explain which one is which as Maggie and Abe take their seats with her parents. After everyone has had a chance to see the babies, Manning reclaims everyone's attention.
"I would like everyone to meet Liz Sherman-Broom, the bureau's resident Fire Mage," Manning introduces as Liz shyly walks into the room. "Her husband and child are the last of the unique individuals you'll meet tonight. I must once again reemphasize that none of you tell anyone of his existence."
"For god's sake, Manning, just bring the big guy out and be done with," Ron gripes from his seat near the front of the room. "We're starving here."
More laughter fills the room until a large red figure steps through the doorway. While people had gasped at the sight of Abe, there is stunned silence at the sight of Hellboy and his son. It's one of those times when a pin dropped would surely be heard. After a few seconds, the quiet is shattered by the squeal of a happy little girl who squirms out of her father's lap and goes running over to Red and promptly puts her arms up to be held.
"Hey, squirt," an amused Hellboy chuckles as he leans down and lifts the little girl up into is his spare arm.
"Twevor puppy," Vicki giggles as she points at the red baby and Trevor smiles back at the happy girl.
"That's right, kid," Hellboy laughs. "That's Trevor."
"Ohmygod, Hellboy is real," someone stage whispers from the middle of the room.
"Last time I checked, at any rate," Hellboy smirks at the unknown whisperer. "You can all grill Maggie later about how she got mixed up with us. Right now I'm starved."
More laughter ensues as Hellboy returns Vicki to her parents and then takes his seat next to Liz who's sitting at a table with Guillermo and Dr. Hodson. A low murmur fills the room as people talk quietly amongst themselves. Fortunately, a few moments later, agents start filing into the room carrying large platters that servers at restaurants use filled with several plates each. Salad is served first to everyone with the exception being Hellboy who's simply given a very large bowl of chili.
Dinner progresses fairly pleasantly though several people stare openly as Hellboy puts away enough food to feed at least five people. About mid way through the meal, several of the children finish up and start chasing each other around the tables. New friendships are made and laughter is a frequent sound to be heard in the giant tent. An occasional cry interrupts the meal as a child is hurt either physically or by some unkind word said. Hugs, kisses and soothing words salve the wounds and a few minutes later the child is back to playing with his or her playmates. Adults mingle after the meal is over and some even have the courage to come over and talk to Abe and Hellboy.
One adventurous three year old wanders over to Hellboy's table and delights in trying to catch the large red tail that seems to have a mind of its own. One of the parents to the tot comes over to remove him only to be waved off by a large stone hand. The toddler is having great fun trying to pounce on the tail only to have it move out of the way at the last second and then arch back around and tap the little one on the back eliciting loud peals of laughter from the small child. A few more children join the game after a while making it more of a challenge for Hellboy to keep his tail from getting captured and not to accidentally knock any of the kids over with the appendage. Every once and a while, he lets one of the kids 'catch' his tail, especially if it seems that one is getting frustrated or upset by the game.
As the evening wears down, people say their goodbyes to Peg, Susan, Selma, Rupert and Maggie and leave. Mostly it's the parents with small children or those who are expecting one soon are first to go, followed by the older couples and finally the couples without children yet, singles and those with pre-teens and teens. Tears, hugs and kisses are plentiful as people depart and at long last the front door is closed for the final time as the last of the guests, Steven, his wife Cathy and the youngest of their three children, Samantha, take their leave. The five of them give a collective sigh of relief as the door clicks shut and an agent walks up to them.
"Mrs. Sapien, your children are awake," Agent Stone states.
"Thank you, Agent Stone," Maggie replies as she heads for the family room. "They're probably hungry again. Could you tell Abe that I need his help, please?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but he's in a meeting right now with Dr. Manning, Hellboy and Liz," Stone responds.
"There isn't another emergency is there?" Maggie asks worriedly.
"No, ma'am, they're just going over the details of our departure tomorrow," Stone answers.
"Oh, ok," Maggie replies weakly. "Thank you, Agent Stone."
"My pleasure, ma'am," Stone nods and leaves.
Maggie picks up Dylan first and as she's trying to maneuver Morgan into her free arm, her mother picks up her granddaughter.
"Would you like me to help?" Selma asks.
"I would love help," Maggie sighs with relief and a smile.
The two women make their way upstairs with Rupert trailing along behind them. When Maggie and Selma reach Maggie's bedroom door, Rupert wishes his daughter good night and disappears through the master bedroom door.
"Wimp," Selma mutters under her breath.
"I heard that," Rupert yells back through the closed door.
The women snicker as they step into Maggie's room and Selma takes a good look around.
"It's certainly changed a lot," Selma muses. "No more pictures of kittens and horses pinned to the walls, no lacy spread on your bed."
"Abe won't admit it, but he doesn't deal well with frilly froo froo stuff," Maggie chuckles. "And as I recall, I wasn't too fond of that lace bedspread either."
"It was from your grandmother, we had to use it," Selma chuckles as she follows Maggie over to the bed.
Maggie hands her mother Dylan and then gets herself situated on the bed. Once she's ready, Maggie tells her mother what needs to be done to get the twins latched on. Once the twins are happily eating, Selma sits down on the foot of the bed and leans against the footboard.
"Is Abe leaving tomorrow?" Selma asks.
"Yes," Maggie sadly answers.
"Are you going with him?" Selma questions, not really wanting the answer.
"I told Abe I would," Maggie sighs, becoming rather depressed at where this conversation is going. "But that was before we knew about you and Dad being alive."
"Maggie, your father and I don't want to come between you and your husband, but I have to ask you something," Selma starts and only continues after Maggie nods, even though she won't look at her mother. "Would you please stay here with us? For a few days at least."
Maggie has been expecting and dreading this question for the last several hours. Hearing it being asked at last doesn't make the answer any easier. After letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Maggie gives the only answer she can.