Author's Notes: Sorry about all the typos in the last chapter. I was a bit rushed trying to get it posted before I got booted off of the computer. At any rate, I think I've got all the problems people have pointed out and hopefully I won't be that careless again anytime soon. Just a quick reminder that this story is rated M. So please enjoy and review. I write faster with lots of reviews. Ok, I admit it. I'm a review junkie. Please feed my addiction.

Selma shuts the bedroom door with a sigh and heads for the bathroom. It's so good to be home again and back in their bedroom that the exhaustive day she's been through just doesn't seem so tiring.

"A wimp am I?" growls a voice behind her.

She knew that he was lying in wait for her before she even opened the door. She chuckles softly but doesn't turn around.

"Breastfeeding is a perfectly natural thing to do," Selma replies, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. "You used to love to watch me feed Maggie when I breastfed her. I can't believe that you get so skittish when she feeds her babies."

"Because she's my little girl," Rupert quietly grumbles in her ear as he steps up behind her. "I'm still getting used to the idea that she's an adult now. Heck, I'm still having problems with the idea that I'm a grandfather."

"So much has changed," she agrees with a sigh.

"And some things have remained the same," he purrs as his arms snake around her waist, pulling her closer and his lips find her ear.

"How long has it been?" she moans as her head tilts to the side while she reaches behind her to find that his clothes are long gone and something hard is poking her in the small of her back.

"Too long," he snarls just before he starts to nibble his way down her neck and his hands wander north.

"Not since we were on the island," she whimpers as her hands rub up and down his legs and hips.

"Been almost a week," he hisses into her ear, causing goose bumps to form and her nipples to get hard.

He tugs her blouse out of her pants and then pulls it over her head. As soon as her top is gone, she turns and faces her naked and fully aroused husband. Lips meet in a passionate, all consuming kiss that drives out all rational thoughts. The only thing they have now is a need to be with each other and short of the house falling down around their ears; nothing is going to stop them. In a matter of moments the rest of Selma's clothes are strewn about the room and the two of them are on the bed reacquainting themselves with the feel of each other's bodies.

After what seems like an eternity, the meeting is finally over and Abe heads back upstairs. As he reaches the top of the stairs and enters the hallway, he sees Selma exit Maggie's room and then disappears into her own. He starts to pull off his gloves as he makes the short walk to his wife's room.

He quietly slips into the low lit room and shuts the door behind him. Maggie jumps and only barely manages to contain a scream with her hand over her mouth. Abe stands and stares at her as she's almost completely undressed with the exception being her panties and bra. After she realizes who it is, her hand drops from her mouth to her chest covering her wildly beating heart as she glares at him.

"You nearly scared me to death," she hisses reproachfully.

"Good thing I didn't," he quietly replies as he walks up to her, eyeing her body like it is a feast and he is a starving man. "I'd hate to have to ravage a dead body."

"Is that all you ever think about?" she teasingly asks as she turns back towards the dresser she's standing in front of.

"Only when you're around," he chuckles as he stalks towards her, barely even aware of the twins sleeping peacefully in their crib.

"I need to talk to you about tomorrow," she says as he reaches up and undoes her bra for her.

"It can wait," he growls as she lets the bra drop to the ground.

She starts to reach for her sleeping bra but stops as he reaches around her and takes a breast in each hand. A groan resonates through his chest as he caresses the soft warm skin. She's not doing much better as he fondles the sensitive orbs and her legs now seem to be made out of pudding.

"I really need to talk to you," she pants as she grabs hold of the dresser to keep from collapsing.

"Is it a matter of life and death?" he asks just before he starts gently dropping kisses on the strap marks on her shoulders that the bra made.

"No," she whimpers as she leans against him for support.

"Then it will wait," he growls right before he latches onto her neck.

Anything that might have resembled a coherent thought is long gone as he turns her around and claims her lips with his own. In very short order his gear is strewn across the floor with her clothes with the exception being the respirator that's lying on top of the dresser in its multitude of components and her panties are heaven knows where. Soon they are on the bed exploring the other's body with hands and lips completely driven by need and want.

Liz and Hellboy step onto the top landing with a sleeping Trevor in Red's arms as the door to Maggie's room clicks shut. Liz quietly shows Red the room they've been given and they enter in silence. After laying Trevor in the portable crib, Hellboy takes a look around the room as he shrugs out of his duster and tosses it onto the dresser. Liz simply collects some things from her bag and heads back out of the room.

When she returns several minutes later, she's wearing a bathrobe, her face looks freshly washed and her ebony hair has been brushed to a shimmering sheen. Hellboy is sitting on the bed with his back against the middle of the headboard wearing only his black shorts. He quietly watches her as she crosses the room, tail slightly twitching and observers her putting the items she's carrying back in her bag.

She can practically feel his smoldering stare as she pretends not to notice. She finally turns and faces those glowing amber eyes that are all but burning twin holes in her. He crooks a large stone finger at her and with a smirk on her face she sashays over to the bed. His tail comes up and undoes the tie around her waist.

After the robe falls open and shows him only a small portion of the tantalizing little number she's wearing, he pushes robe out of the way with his prehensile appendage. She lets the material fall to the floor and the sound of something between a growl and a groan fills the room. Her smirk turns into a fully fledged grin as she crawls up next to him on the bed.

Not satisfied with her speed, he reaches out and pulls her to him, landing her in his lap. Without a word, his lips come crashing down on hers as his left hand plays with a quickly hardening nipple through the thin material covering her. She lets out a small whimper and in short order, clothing is a distant memory.

It's been a long day for everyone and Guillermo is about dead on his feet. Manning, the great big wind bag, kept the poor librarian after the meeting to go over some of the finer details with him. With an exhausted sigh, Guillermo puts his foot on the first step of the staircase and stops dead in his tracks.

He can 'feel' five hearts beating wildly and he knows there's no way he's going to be able to get to sleep with all the 'activities' going on up there. With a groan, he turns, leaning heavily on his cane and starts to head for the kitchen. Before he can get more than a couple painful steps, Susan passes him as she heads up the stairs.

"How sensitive is your hearing?" he quietly asks.

"My hearing is just fine, thank you," she tartly answers, stopping about half way up the staircase. "Why do you ask?"

"You might want to wait then," he replies. "It's probably a little noisy up there right now."

"I don't hear the children crying," she responds, looking back up the stairs.

"Listen more closely," he suggests.

After a few seconds, she turns bright red and beats a hasty retreat back down the stairs looking very flustered.

"Care to join me for some warm milk?" he inquires as he once again slowly starts for the kitchen.

"Sounds lovely," she replies as she tries to keep a grip on her composure.

They walk together in companionable silence until they get to the kitchen. Once there, he drags out a small sauce pan from the cupboard and fills it about half way with milk he retrieves from the fridge. She digs out a couple of mugs and sets them on the counter. Several minutes later, the milk is warm and Guillermo pours it into the mugs. He hands her a mug and they stand there in the kitchen dwelling in their own thoughts.

"Do you miss him?" he asks out of the blue.

"Who?" she counter questions.

"Your late husband," he clarifies.

"With every breath," she sighs sadly, staring into her half empty mug. "You miss your wife?"

"With every heartbeat," he responds with equal sadness.

"So, how did you know…um…they were…uh," she tries to ask.

"I could feel their heartbeats going a mile a minute," he smirks into his cup just before taking another sip.

"So, um, who…" she attempts the next question.

"I believe all six of them, though I only 'felt' five heartbeats," he replies. "Even when Abe's standing next to me I can't 'feel' him. It's a bit aggravating really. He sneaks up on me all the time back home. Drives Maggie to distraction too."

"She should listen for him then," she states. "That respirator he wears makes an awful racket with all that gurgling and hissing it does."

"I'll have to suggest that to her," he chuckles.

"Think they're done yet?" she inquires.

"Almost," he replies a few seconds later, another smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Selma hangs onto the headboard for dear life as Rupert holds onto her hips and takes her from behind. The room is filled with the sounds of grunts, whimpers, panting and human flesh slapping together. She can feel the pressure building, and just when she's sure she's about to explode, he gives a primal growl as he gives one final, powerful thrust which sends her over the top.

Several seconds later, they collapse onto the bed in an exhaustive heap. A couple minutes pass before they're able to move themselves into more comfortable positions. They revel in the soft bed, comfortable sheets and warm covers, sighing at the feeling of such bliss.

"You know, I'd forgotten how good it feels not to have sand in everything," he mummers sleepily.

"Tell me about," she chuckles, barely able to keep her eyes open, not that she's trying all that hard.

"So, did you ask Maggie?" he mutters into her hair as he pulls her closer.

"Yes," she yawns.

"And…?"

Watching Liz ride him is almost more than Hellboy can take. Her head is thrown back as the creamy white skin gleams with a thin layer of perspiration. His left hand plays with the already taut nipple as the right supports her back. She holds onto his shoulders as she continues to slide herself along his turgid length. A few more thrusts and she can feel herself flying over the edge into euphoria with him right behind her. Something short of a miracle keeps them from yelling out their release.

She collapses onto his broad chest, panting with the exertion. A short time later, he rearranges them so that they're lying down. Then he manages to grab the comforter and pull it over them, not wanting her to get cold. He can feel sleep starting to pull him under just as the first set of loud footsteps pass their door.

Maggie lies on her back trying not to make too much noise as Abe slowly tortures her with his mouth and tongue, adding an occasional nip to just to make her gasp. He kisses his way around one of her delectable breasts, savoring the treat that's been hidden from him for so long. He's been avoiding touching the areola and nipple up to now. But judging from the little whimpers and moans that she's making, he better do it soon before she jumps him.

With a great deal of care, he gently kisses around the areola and she whimpers once more, squirming underneath him. He lifts his head and looks at her with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She stares back at with eyes dark with passion as her hands pull on him, trying to get him in a better position. He starts to poise himself; ready to take her to the highest heights when something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye.

He looks down at the breast he had been previously kissing and sees a single pearly drop on the tip of her nipple. Curiosity gets the better of him and he dips his head back down and gently licks the droplet off of her. She gasps and arches her back while a shiver runs down his spine. He wants more of the sweet fluid so he starts to lave the tight pink bud, stimulating it to get more milk, he can't stop himself. He continues until he feels her nails starting to dig into his flesh.

"Abe, please," she begs with a hiss.

He knows that he's pushed her nearly too far and that she's starting to get frustrated and angry. He gently kisses her which she returns with a fierce hunger. Without even realizing what he's doing, he slides into her and within a few thrust, sends her flying over the precipice.

He waits for her to catch her breath before he slowly starts moving again. The heat of her body delightfully burns him and the small whimpers and grunts she makes excite him beyond words. He quickly picks up the pace and all too soon they're both stepping off the edge into a delightful oblivion.

As the memories flood their minds, Abe takes a sudden unnecessary breath in surprise. He quickly pulls away from her eliciting a cry of loss and confusion from her as he jerks himself out of her reach. He sits at the end of the bed for a few seconds as she looks at him with hurt and confusion written across her face. When sad understanding takes over he launches himself out of the bed and into the bathroom.

With great difficulty, she tries to follow him. Her legs aren't quite ready to work yet, so she half staggers half stumbles towards the bathroom. When she gets there, she leans against the doorframe, still not quite stable enough to stand on her own. He's cleaning himself up with a hand towel since he left her before he was done.

"Abe," she starts. "I tried to tell…"

"You said you'd come back with me," he snarls, cutting her off.

"I will go back, but I need to stay here for now," she tries to explain.

"Why?" he growls.

"Come on, Abe, they're my parents," she snaps back as some small part in the back of her mind picks up the twins becoming distressed. "They just got back. What am I supposed to do? Hand them the keys to the house and say, 'thanks for coming home, see you later'?"

"You told me you were coming back with me," he reiterates as he turns his back on her and drops down onto the lid of the toilet.

"I will go back, but not for a few days," she points out, still not quite acknowledging the sounds of whimpering coming from the crib. "What kind of daughter would I be if I just left them right after they get home?"

"What kind of wife are you being right now?" he mutters under his breath.

A gasp followed by a strangled sob tells him that he hadn't been as quiet as he hoped. By the time he turns around, the bathrobe that hangs on a hook next to the door and Maggie are gone. He growls deep in his throat, finishes wiping himself off, throws down the towel and goes in search of his shorts.

When he hears the whimpering of the babies, he forgets his clothes and goes to quiet them. Belatedly, he realizes it was his and Maggie's fight that woke them and caused them such distress. He gently strokes their heads and sends them soothing thoughts. After a couple minutes they calm down enough to go back to sleep. Once they do, Abe goes in search of his gear.

"I think it might be safe to go to bed now," Guillermo announces as he puts his mug in the dishwasher.

"That's a relief," Susan sighs. "I am just plumb dead on my feet. What a day it's been. I'm surprised that any of them had the energy to…um…"

"Do the horizontal mambo?" he teasingly asks. "Set the quilts to quiverin'?"

"Guillermo Chavez, you have a right filthy mind," she reprimands. "Do you know that?"

"Thank you," he laughs as he heads for the door.

No sooner do they enter the hallway then they flatten themselves against the wall as Maggie comes tearing through wearing nothing more than a bathrobe that she's barely holding together. She's obviously crying and completely unaware of anything or anyone around her. Guillermo and Susan continue to stand with their backs to the wall as several moments later they hear a door slam shut.

"She's just sealed the house off," he announces in surprise as he looks the way Maggie went.

"Where's Abe?" Susan asks, looking back the way she had come. "I can't hear anyone else coming."

"I don't know," he admits. "Why don't you go look for him? I'll see if I can get the doors opened. I'm sure the agents that are patrolling outside won't appreciate not being able to get to a bathroom."

"I wonder what he did this time," she grumbles to herself as she heads upstairs.

With much groaning and grumbling, Susan drags herself to the top of the stairs and then hauls her old bones down the hallway, past her room to Maggie's room. The door is ajar and she can hear someone moving around in there. She opens the door and gets more than she bargained for. Abe has his back to the door and he shorts are about half way on.

"Oh, merciful heavens," she gasps just before she turns around, slams the door shut behind her and immediately marches back down stairs.

Their first clue that something is wrong isn't the voices coming from Maggie's room or the sound of whimpering babies. It's when Rupert hears his mother come the closest to swearing that she ever does and the slamming of a door that they have an inkling that something's going on. Rupert gets up and quickly dresses while Selma takes a bit more time. Considering that she has to find some of the articles of clothing, she manages to get dressed fairly quickly. By the time they do get out the door, Abe is dressed and half way down the hall, headed for the stairs.

"Abe, what's going on?" Selma asks.

Abe turns and looks at the approaching couple, turns a deeper shade of blue, turns on his heel and quickly walks away from them.

"What was that all about?" Rupert wonders, baffled by their son-in-law's behavior.

"Don't know," a deep voice rumbles from just behind them. "But Maggie went charging down the hall a little while ago. Then Grandma came up here and started slamming doors"

Rupert and Selma turn around to look at Hellboy who's taking up most of the doorway of his and Liz's room and wearing only shorts. Liz slips past him wearing only a robe and looking very worn out.

"Is there anyone watching the twins?" Liz inquires.

"I doubt it," Selma replies. "I have a feeling Abe and Maggie have had a fight. And I'm afraid it's my fault."

"Why would them fighting have anything to do with you?" Hellboy asks as he leans against the door frame.

"I asked Maggie to stay here for a few days," Selma tells him. "She said yes."

"Oh, boy," Liz moans. "Abe was talking about Maggie coming back with us tomorrow. After all they've been through; he was looking forward to things getting back to normal."

"Normal?" Rupert asks with an eyebrow quirked higher than the other.

"Well, as normal as our lives ever get around the bureau," Liz smiles. "Red, please put Trevor in Maggie's room. I'll watch the kids while all of you go and look for Maggie."

"How hard can she be to find?" Hellboy questions. "It's not like this place is the maze that the bureau is."

"Maggie's not in the house," Liz answers. "There's one less warm body in the house than there should be."

"Liz is right," Selma confirms a few seconds later. "Maggie's not in the house and to top it off, she's sealed the house up. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to break her hold. I'd better get down there and see what's happening."

With that, Selma quickly heads downstairs with Rupert right behind her.

After a bit of searching, Susan finds Guillermo standing inside the atrium scowling at the door that leads out.

"She's sealed it something good this time," he grumbles. "Used to be a time where she could only seal off one door and with a little effort either Selma or I could break her hold. But not now. What did Abe have to say?"

"Um, nothing," she replies a little too quickly.

"You're heart rate just went through the roof," he points out as he twists his head around to look at her. "What happened?"

"He…well…um…uh," she stammers.

"She walked in on me while I was getting dressed," Abe states flatly coming up behind Susan who turns an incredible shade of red. "I can't get the back door open. Can you help me open it?"

"No," Guillermo answers, turning fully around and narrowing his eyes at the merman as Susan attempts to discreetly put some distance between her and Abe. "What happened up there?"

"That is between Maggie and myself," Abe replies with very little inflection in his voice.

"Well, considering whatever it is that happened caused Maggie to seal off the entire house, I'd say it's everybody's business now," Guillermo retorts.

"We had a disagreement," Abe growls, turning a darker shade of blue again and crossing his arms across his chest.

"And if it's what I think it is, I'm afraid that would be my fault," Selma states as she and Rupert step into the room and Abe moves away from them. "I asked Maggie to stay for a few days. I'm sorry, Abe. I didn't know you had your heart so set on her going home with you."

"Fine, just get me out of here," Abe growls back, not looking Selma in the eye. "I want to go for a swim."

Psychic or not, Abe never sees it coming. One moment he's standing, the next thing he knows is he's lying on his back staring at the glass ceiling above him and the back of his knees are in great pain. Of course, everything from his backside to his head isn't doing so great either since that's what hit the floor first. Guillermo is glaring down at him as the others look on in shock and surprise.

"Was that really necessary?" Abe asks barely containing his anger as he carefully gets off the tiled floor.

"It was the knees or your head," Guillermo retorts. "Since I don't think Maggie would forgive me if I did permanent damage to you, I went for the knees. Now, Selma, dear, between the two of us, we might be able to get this door open and find your very distraught daughter."

"Hopefully before she catches her death cold," Susan adds.

"I know it's not a summer's night and being this close to the ocean it can get pretty cold, but she should be fine as long as she's dressed properly," Selma states.

Guillermo and Susan stare at Selma.

"She is wearing clothing, isn't she?" Selma inquires worriedly.

"Technically, yes, she's wearing clothing," Guillermo replies.

"It's just not a whole lot," Susan puts in. "She was only wearing a robe when she went rushing past Guillermo and me, and from the looks of it, that's all she was wearing."

"Come on, Guillermo, we've got work to do," Selma orders as she walks up to the door.

"Mother, do you know where Maggie keeps the flashlights?" Rupert asks Susan. "We're going to need them."

"I think I saw some in the kitchen," Susan answers. "I'll go check."

"I'll come with you," Rupert offers.

They leave Selma and Guillermo standing side by side in front of the door staring at it and Abe off to the side watching them. After about five minutes and much muttering between the two of them, they are finally able to release Maggie's hold on just the door. With a sigh of relief from the two Earth Mages, Guillermo reaches out and opens the door just as Rupert and Susan return with a couple flashlights and the throw from the back of the couch in the family room draped over Rupert's shoulder.

"Thank goodness," Susan sighs as Rupert moves closer to the door. "We could only find two flashlights."

"That's plenty," Selma smiles as she takes the one from Susan. "Why don't you and Guillermo go on up to bed? Rupert and I will go look for Maggie."

"We'll get something warm for her to eat," Susan offers. "She must be just about frozen about now. Besides, how are we to sleep knowing that she's out there?"

"Could you get a warm bath started for her too, please?" Selma asks.

"I'll go ask Liz," Susan responds. "She can always heat it up again if the water gets cold."

"Handy to have a Fire Mage around," Selma smiles before turning towards the door.

She stops short as her husband is blocking the door and glaring at Abe who's obviously been trying to get out.

"Are you going somewhere?" Rupert snarls.

"I intend to go for a swim," Abe answers, not backing down from his father-in-law.

"You can do that after you help us find Maggie," Selma suggests as she links one of her arms through one of Abe's.

"No," Abe firmly states as he pulls away from Selma.

"Suit yourself," Selma responds as she shrugs and turns towards the door. "It's only your marriage you're damaging. Nothing important."

With that, she walks out the door with Rupert at her side. Abe steps outside and stands there. He's angry about the whole bloody situation. The fact that Maggie didn't tell him has him pretty steamed and that she even entertained the idea of staying behind has got his scales rubbed the wrong way. But despite how mad he is at her, he's also worried about her. What in the world possessed her to come out here with nothing more than a robe on?

But he knows the answer to that. He basically said that she's horrible wife. So now he can go swim in the ocean and wallow in self pity or he can go find his wife and try to set things right with her. He just stands there unable to make up his mind as anger and worry wage war in his head and heart. Before he can make a decision, Hellboy walks past him with the flashlight he keeps in duster in hand. A moment later, John follows him out with his own flashlight, keeping an eye on his charge.

"Where are you going?" Abe asks.

"I'm going to help bring your wife back," Hellboy rumbles without stopping.

"Why?" Abe inquires, starting to follow his large red friend. "They can bring her back on their own. Let them. She'd rather be with them anyways."

"You hit your head or something?" Hellboy growls, glaring at Abe over his shoulder. "Have you taken a good look at them lately? They're skinny as twigs and twice as likely to break."

"They'll manage," Abe snarls, still trailing after the demon, John behind him.

"Uh-huh, you keep telling yourself that," Hellboy states with a shrug. "I'm sure that'll bring you great comfort tomorrow morning when she doesn't come downstairs to say goodbye to you because she's too sick to get up. Or worse."

"She'll be fine," Abe responds, trying to convince himself that it's true more than Hellboy.

"Right, not like she's out here in next to nothing," Hellboy hotly replies. "After all she's a rational woman, she'll come in all sunshine and buttercups even though her husband said something to send her off the deep end once we explain to her that she needs to come in and get warm. I'm sure she'll see reason."

"Where are we going?" Abe grumbles, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know where you're going, but me and my shadow are headed for a grove of oak trees up ahead," Hellboy answers, jerking his thumb over his shoulder indicating John.

"Why there?" Abe questions.

"Guillermo said that when Maggie was upset as a child she went to one of two places, either the barn to sit in her horse's stall or to the oak trees," John tells Abe when Hellboy doesn't answer. "Depending on how upset she is depends on where she goes. If she's just peeved, she heads for the barn. If she's royally ticked off, she heads for the trees."

"And he thinks that she headed for the trees," Abe replies.

"It stands to reason," John responds. "She's in her childhood home so she's likely to go to her childhood haunts. Besides, he said that he 'checked' the barn and it's empty of everything but birds and mice. That leaves the trees."

"So, what are you going to do if she's not there?" Abe questions, though he's not sure if he's asking Hellboy or himself.

"I'll probably have to call Manning and have him send in the rest of the agents," John replies. "He'll probably organize some type of search party. He would get her back."

"And then he'll have her committed or something so he can have control of her and the twins," Hellboy snarls.

"He wouldn't do that," Abe tries to sound sure of himself.

"Yeah, he's a real nice guy," Hellboy snaps as he picks up the pace.

Abe just stretches his legs a bit more, but manages to keep up with Hellboy just fine. John on the other hand has to nearly start jogging to keep up.

"What's with you?" Abe asks the broad back in front of him.

Hellboy stops dead in his tracks causing Abe to put on the breaks. He barely manages to stop in time. John, unfortunately, isn't so lucky and ends up slamming into Abe who then bumps into Hellboy. Hellboy spins around suddenly and gets right in Abe's face. Abe can feel Hellboy's hot breath blowing across his face and see Hellboy's eyes glowing with anger.

"I could be lying in bed right now sleeping with Liz," Hellboy spits out through gritted teeth. "But instead of that, I'm out here looking for your wife while my wife watches your kids."

"Nobody asked you to…," Abe starts.

"Your wife gets the greatest gift that the universe can give her and all you can do is moan about how unfair it is to you!" Hellboy bellows, leaning into Abe and causing the merman to take a step back.

Hellboy takes a step back and takes a deep breath, letting it out in great billowing clouds of steam. His right hand tightens into a fist; the sound of stone grating against stone fills the still night air.

"Do you have any idea what some of us would do to get what she's been given?" Hellboy growls deep in his throat. "What we would give just to have one more minute…"

Hellboy can't finish the sentence so he just turns on his heel and stalks off. Abe stares after him for several moments, blinking his nictitating membranes across his eyes several times. He turns and looks at John who simply looks back at him.

"I'm with him," John states before he turns and follows Hellboy.

Abe stands there and watches them and thinks. He thinks about when they first heard the news. He thinks about the emotional rollercoaster Maggie's been on. He thinks about all the work she's put into her parent's arrival.

He looks off the way Hellboy and John went and he can see off in the distance four lights moving around in a grove of trees and they seem to be concentrating around the base of very large oak tree. He knows that they've found Maggie, but for whatever reason, they're not coming back with her.

He thinks about his own life. He doesn't remember his parents. He has names and dates but nothing more. If his parents walked up to him right this instant he wouldn't be able to pick them out of a line up of two.

He looks back at the trees and he can see a dark form climbing the trunk of the tree. The height is right, but the build is all wrong for it to be Rupert, so it must be John. Abe continues to watch from a distance until he sees John fall out of the tree. He hears the yell of surprise and fear a second later.

Before Abe realizes what he's doing, he's running towards the small group. By the time he reaches the grove, Hellboy is helping John to his feet. Abe stops just outside the trees and watches quietly since no one seems to have noticed him coming up.

"You ok, squirt?" Hellboy asks as he makes sure John is steady before letting go.

"Yeah, I just lost my footing," John answers as he brushes himself off.

"Please, let us get her down," Selma begs the tree.

"Um, ma'am, why are you talking to the tree?" John asks.

"She's talking to the tree's dryad," Hellboy tells him. "Can't say that it's being very cooperative."

"If we don't get her down, she could become very ill," Selma continues to plead.

"Can you see the dryad?" John asks Hellboy.

"Yeah, but not very well," Hellboy replies. "It's not coming completely out of the tree."

"What's it saying?" John inquires.

"It's going on about the sapling is leaking sap," Hellboy scowls at the tree for a moment. "And a whole bunch of other stuff. Who knew a tree would be more talkative than Abe."

At the sound of his name, Abe is shocked out of his reverie. In that instant, he makes his decision. Going as silently as he can, he starts moving.