It's a little after midnight as Abe closes the door separating Maggie's house from the BPRD. The hidden tunnel that runs between the two places is nearly half a mile long and he remembers how she used to complain about it when she was nearly six months pregnant. But to talk to her every night, he'd walk a lot farther than that to hear the sweet sound of her voice.
He sets the lock and changes the code once more to make sure he's not disturbed. Granted, Manning could just send men around topside to the front door of the house, but they'd still have to get past the gate. Besides, he and Manning had a talk and it was agreed that having these very private phone conversations should not be conducted on phones that are recorded for security reasons. But it's not Manning that Abe is worried about getting in. Hellboy and Guillermo have been ribbing him incessantly ever since he started coming up here for these late night calls, not that a lock door would stop Guillermo from getting in, but at least it will slow down Hellboy.
Without turning on any lights, Abe makes his way up the pitch black basement stairs until he reaches the door. Placing a bare hand on the wood, he determines that the house is empty except for the cat. He quietly opens the door and lets himself into the house proper.
Still leaving the lights off, he walks into the house not needing the extra illumination. He turns and heads for the stairs and as he passes the kitchen, he preens a little at the thought that he actually was able to get her home ready for her arrival. The most arduous and daunting task was cleaning out the refrigerator that had been ignored for the last three months. He's not sure he would have even finished it if Liz hadn't taken pity upon him and helped him out by telling him what should be tossed and what should stay. The scrubbing she refused to help with while muttering something about Hellboy and the small fridge in his room.
He climbs the stairs to the second floor silently, keeping his mind open for the cat who for some perverse reason likes to try and trip him on the steps. As if on cue, Wizard comes down the stairs as silently as a breeze. Abe simply stops and waits for the animal to pass. As if disgusted that he wasn't able to trip his mistress's husband yet again, Wizard flips his fluffy tail at Abe as he passes the merman and continues on his way to his food bowl in the kitchen.
Abe simply smiles at the small furry beast and finishes ascending the steps. He makes a quick stop at the linen closet to get another hand towel to use, making a mental note to try and figure out the clothes washer since this is the last of the towels he prefers to use. Wash cloths are too small for the clean up job and bath towels are just overkill.
Abe continues down the hall and stops outside of the nursery. He looks in on the room that his children will soon be sleeping in. He tries to imagine them in their crib, being rocked in the glider rocker in the corner, even having their diapers changed on the dresser/changing table. With a sad hum, he turns away from the kid's room and heads to the master bedroom.
Once there, he strips off everything but his goggles and his respirator exposing himself to the cool night air. He lies down near the nightstand that the phone sits on, dropping the towel on it as he does so and waits. He knows he's going to have to wait for at least an hour, but he doesn't want to chance missing her call, so he always arrives early.
He decides to pass the time thinking of what he's accomplished the past several days instead of reading like he normally does. He thinks about his experiments and their results briefly, but it's not something to exercise his brain for an hour. He ponders for a while what he can analyze for an hour and then his mind wanders to what started this whole mess.
He remembers his research into Langdon Everett Caul, the scientist and occult investigator who disappeared shortly before Abraham Lincoln's assassination. He inherited a fortune, coming from a long line of sailors that if one searched back far enough, it is entirely likely that pirates would be found in his ancestry. Despite the fortune, he often sailed and a captain that he frequently sailed under was one Elihu Cavendish.
Caul settled in a small costal town in Rhode Island where he had a house built to his strict specifications. He married a local girl, Edith Howard who was already a bit unstable mentally. A month after Caul disappeared she threw herself into the ocean with several people witnessing the event. She was presumed dead though her body was never found. The house still stands, but he's not sure he wants to visit it or not, so he's decided to wait until after Maggie returns before discussing it with her.
Perhaps the strangest thing that he dug up was a picture of Caul taken about a year before he disappeared and his birth certificate. According to the certificate, Caul would have been around seventy at the time of his disappearance, but the picture is of a man who at best was in his mid-thirties to early forties. If the man in that picture was seventy years old then he's a monkey's…Ok, so that's not the best comparison since Liz and Hellboy are telling Trevor that he's 'Uncle' Abe.
With a groan, he turns and looks at the clock. His heart starts racing as he notes that it's approaching two o'clock in the morning. He gets up and starts pacing the room, the dresser no longer affecting him since he can now block it out. He worries as he takes his pacing out to the hall and tries to wear a hole through the marble floor.
After spending an hour burning off pent up energy, he returns to her bedroom too tired and depressed to return to his tank, though he knows he should. He lies back down on the bed, curls up in a ball and begins to keen full out, not caring that the cat is now hiding under the couch downstairs trying to escape the sudden noise or the feeling of his skin drying out. The knowledge that there will be no phone call again tonight is almost more than he can take emotionally.
After a while, the keening slowly fades and eventually it stops. Wizard cautiously crawls out from under the furniture some time later and carefully makes his way upstairs. When he gets to Maggie's bedroom he jumps on the bed and encounters new and strange smells. After a few tentative sniffs, he decides it's safe and starts to wash himself. After thoroughly grooming himself, he curls up and goes to sleep.
Several hours later, it takes nearly an hour to get the twins changed, fed and settled down back to sleep. Fortunately, they're still on California time so they think it's still dark outside. When she's finally done, Maggie grabs the baby monitor and then quietly closes the door to the nursery. She makes the short trip to her bedroom, shoos the cat out of the bed, closes that door, strips most of her clothes off and then slides into bed to enjoy her surprise.
He dreams of her. He dreams of her pressed against his back, her bare skin warming his own. A soft hand gently caresses his arm, chest, abs, hip and thigh. He can feel his blood rushing down to his groin and it doesn't hurt. He knows that something isn't right, but he can't remember why and as nails drag up his thigh before that hand carefully grips his manhood, he doesn't care. The hand, so warm and soft and gentle, strokes him to full hardness and he moans with the need for more.
"Well, at least a part of you is happy to see me," an amused voice quietly states.
Both sets of eyelids fly open at the sound of her voice and his heart starts to race. At first he thinks it's just his imagination getting the better of him until that hand takes a firmer hold of him. He lets out a cry of joy just before he does a maneuver that more than likely breaks the laws of physics.
She squeaks in surprise as she suddenly finds herself pinned to the mattress with a very aroused husband on top of her. His lips claim hers as his hands begin to explore her body, touching and caressing everything they can reach. When he encounters her bra, he lets out a low growl as he starts to grope for the fastening.
"Want just you," he snarls as he wrestles with the thing.
She shifts slightly so he can get better access to it and just as he finally gets the miserable thing to release, she gives out a whimper of pain. He looks down and sees a couple red welts starting to form as a drop of blood begins to bead on her side from where he scratched her. He leans down and very gently licks the twin wounds, getting very horny in the process. She gasps in surprise at first and then moans with need as for some strange reason she's now extremely aroused.
"Need you," she pants.
"Gladly," he replies as his lips work their way around her body to her breasts.
He licks the first little pink bud and she arches her back off of the bed as she gasps again. Smiling to himself, he continues to torment her as he moves to the next nipple. He continues to lave attention on that sweet little spot, enjoying the taste of her milk as she squirms around underneath him, whimpering.
"Now!" she demands while she grabs him and tries to pull him into position.
"As you wish," he whispers just before he slides into her.
"Ohgodyes," she moans.
She wraps herself around him in an embrace only lovers know. He wants this to last, he wants it to last for days if possible, but before he can stop himself he's pushing them both over the edge screaming. Memories flood their minds as they lay there trembling and she basks in them, feeling like she's truly returned home.
Several minutes pass as they just hold each other, not willing to part. But eventually, he pulls away from her and she whimpers at the loss. He settles down next to her and she immediately cuddles up to him with her head on his chest but only after she bonks her head against a piece of hard plastic.
"I guess we were in a hurry," she chuckles as she taps his respirator with a nail. "I didn't even get a chance to get it off of you."
"Wouldn't have been in such a hurry if you'd come home with me," he says and instantly regrets it as he feels her try to pull away but he holds onto her. "I'm sorry. That was very thoughtless of me. Please forgive me."
She grumbles a bit, but stops trying to get away and settles back down next to him. After a little squirming around, they're both comfortable once more and he purrs with happiness. She smiles as she closes her eyes and lets her thoughts wander.
"Why did you analyze your spit?" she asks, clear out of the blue.
He laughs at first, surprised that she picked that memory out.
"I wanted to know why my licking your nipples eased your pain while the topical ointments were unable to do the same," he answers. "I found that my saliva has anesthetic properties to it. That's why it eased your pain."
"What about bacteria?" she questions.
"It seems my saliva has some antiseptic properties to it as well," he replies. "It also has a third element to it that I haven't been able to figure out what it does."
"Some how I don't think Hellboy's going to let you lick his wounds clean," she chuckles.
"That's fine, I wouldn't do it anyways," he purrs. "You're the only one I want to lick."
A shiver runs down her spine and shoots a hot bolt of electricity to her groin and she moans. He snickers as he moves so that he can find her ear and starts nibbling on it as his hand finds her breast. She squirms around beside him, not sure if she's trying to get closer or farther away from him.
A low soft keen causes her to suddenly stop moving as every nerve in her body feels like its singing. Her heart is pounding against her rib cage and she can't seem to breathe as her body cries with need. Mindful of his nails, he slips his hand between her legs and relieves her of the pressure that's built up there.
She screams her completion as she arches completely off of the bed, collapsing several seconds later. She lays there whimpering, panting and trembling from the intensity of the experience. He pulls her limp form into his arms, carefully examining her. Her heart is beating abnormally fast, her breathing is fast and shallow and her skin is cold and clammy.
He quickly wraps her in the comforter on the bed and holds her close as he carefully monitors her body. Several minutes pass before she's calmed down enough to even look up at him. She gazes at him with a look that's part accusing, part sadness and a lot of confusion and it about kills him inside.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I didn't realize that keening would affect you like that."
"It wasn't like that when we talked on the phone," she states quietly.
"Red, stated that he could feel the keening as well as hear it," Abe muses. "The vibration must also have an effect on your central nervous system as well as the sound. Hmm, I'll have to look into that more."
"Not on me you're not," she growls.
"No, not on you," he affirms with a gentle smile as he settles her closer to him. "Sleep now. You're exhausted."
"And who's fault is that?" she jokingly grumbles as she relaxes into him and closes her eyes.
He only chuckles in response as he kisses the top of her head. He gently strokes her hair as her breathing becomes slow and even. With a soft purr, he starts to drift off to dreamland with her. Just as sleep starts to claim him, the sound of rustling sheets and a little whimper wakes him and Maggie lets out a groan and a sigh.
"I'll get her," he offers as he starts to disentangle himself from her.
"Thanks," she mumbles as she rearranges herself and attempts to get a little bit more rest.
He quickly gets dressed, leaves and heads down the hall. He enters the nursery just as Morgan's whimpers start getting more persistent. He talks quietly as he lifts his daughter and is surprised how much she's changed in the few days they've been apart.
After changing her diaper he heads down to the kitchen. He opens the fridge and finds that there's no expressed milk waiting for him. Curious to why this is and the fact that Morgan's now crying for food, he heads back upstairs.
When he opens the door to the master bedroom, he finds Maggie already waiting for them. He hands Morgan over and watches in fascination as Maggie latches her on while lying down and then she presses the heel of her hand into the nipple of the other breast. He climbs back into bed with them and settles down behind Maggie, replacing the pillow she was using as a back support.
"Why are you trying to push your nipple back?" he asks in curiosity.
"If I don't, I'll leak all over her," she groggily answers.
"Ah," he replies as he slides his hand over hers. "Let me help."
With a sigh of relief, she slides her hand out from under his and lets him stop the flow of her milk let down. In a few moments she's dozing while their daughter is slurping away. He happily watches over them a feeling of contentment fills him, something he hasn't felt in almost a week.
About twenty minutes later, Morgan turns away from the breast and Maggie lets out a hiss since the sweet little dear didn't release the suction before pulling off. A second later, Dylan can be heard making noises and Abe more than willingly goes to get him. A few minutes later the boys return and there is a swapping of the babies just before Maggie rolls over and starts to feed Dylan.
Abe takes Morgan and returns to the nursery with her. Once there he burps her, changes her clothes and diaper and then settles down in the glider. He happily rocks his daughter as he quietly sings to her, completely unaware of time passing by.
"Is there anything I can do better than you?" Maggie asks, startling Abe out of his little world.
"What do you mean?" he inquires as he cocks his head to the side.
"You cook better than me, you handle scared animals better than I do, you read faster than I do and now you sing better than I do," she gripes from where she's standing wearing only a bathrobe and holding their son. "Who ever heard of a singing fish?"
"You make beautiful babies better than I do," he suggests hopefully.
"We both made the babies," she points out as she steps into the room. "I was just the incubator."
"You can produce milk better than I can," he offers.
"How about something that's an actual ability instead of something my body automatically does?" she grouses. "Next you're going to say I breathe better than you do."
"You're a better house keeper than I am," he shoots back as he gracefully stands. "And you do breathe better than I do."
"Really? Then who cleaned out the fridge?" she demands while she starts to change Dylan's clothes and diaper. "You're even more graceful than I am."
"I cleaned the refrigerator with Liz's help," he responds. "Why the sudden hostility?"
"I'm sorry," she sighs sadly. "It's just I'd like to think that maybe there's something that I'm good at or maybe something we're both equally bad at."
"This is a marriage, my love, not a competition," he points out as he steps up behind her. "You're a much better horsewoman than I am."
"That's only because I've had more practice," she grumbles while she finishes changing Dylan. "I'm sure you'll be better than me with a couple lessons."
"Does it really matter?" he quietly asks as he slips an arm around her waist and pulls her against him. "All that matters to me is that I love you and all of you are now home. You make me happy like no one else can."
"I really make you happy?" she questions worriedly as she lifts the baby into her arms.
"Very," he answers as he buries his face in her hair.
"I'm sorry," she says a minute later, feeling like she's on the verge of tears. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
"You're tired and your hormones are still unbalanced," he tells her as he makes her turn around and face him. "I'll take the twins downstairs while you get some more sleep."
"Actually, all I want right now is a shower and some food," she replies as she gets lost in those incredible blue eyes.
"Then I'll take the twins and make a snack for us," he states as he takes Dylan from her.
"Thank you," she responds just before she stands on her tiptoes and gives him a kiss.
He watches her leave the room, admiring the view as she goes before heading downstairs. He puts the twins in their swings and flips the switch and gives them a gentle push to make them go. Then he heads for the kitchen to make a snack for them to share, trying to ignore the growling in his belly since he hasn't had breakfast yet.
About half an hour later, she comes downstairs and finds him pulling a baking sheet out of the oven loaded with scones and a pot of tea waiting on a tray. She gets plates and cups as he places the scones on another plate. After getting the lemon curd, whipped butter, preserves and honey onto the tray, they head for the family room where the twins are gently swinging away.
The babies are blissfully asleep again as the two of them sit down to their food. After getting themselves served, they cuddle up together on the couch and talk quietly about what they did while apart. Just as they are finishing up, the phone rings and Maggie goes to answer it.
"Hello?" she greets.
"Ah, good, Mrs. Sapien, you're home," the man on the other end of the line says. "This is Dr. Manning. Is Abe there?"
"Yes, hold on," she answers before turning and holding the phone out to her husband. "Manning wants to talk to you."
Abe stands and crosses the room in a few steps before taking the handset from her. He talks briefly with Manning before returning the phone to its cradle. She watches him as he pauses a few moments before turning around.
"There's a mission, isn't there?" she asks, already knowing the answer and hating it.
"Yes," he sadly answers before coming back over to her. "I have to go. If you need help, just call Guillermo or Liz. I'm sure one of them can help you."
"Thanks, I'll manage," she replies and tries to smile, but utterly fails.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," he tells her as he leans over and kisses her.
She walks him to the concealed door down in the basement where they say their goodbyes and she wishes him a happy birthday. She heads back upstairs to find that Morgan is waking up again. With a resigned sigh, she retrieves her daughter and takes her back upstairs to change her diaper, making a mental note to get a changing table for downstairs.
Three days later, Abe leaves the back of the garbage truck before the ramp even has time finish lowering. He quickly makes his way through the bureau, sometimes rudely brushing past other agents. His stomach is in a knot and he tells himself it's because he misses Maggie and the twins, but a nagging feeling in the back of his mind tells him it's more than that. By the time he gets past the first set of security doors, through the tunnel and the second set of doors, he's nearly in a blind panic.
When he opens the basement door, a sound reaches his tympanic membranes that sends him flying up the stairs. He runs the length of the hallway swearing the thing got longer while he was gone. He bursts into the master bedroom and sees that all hell has broken loose.
Author's notes: Ooh, a cliff hanger. Haven't done one of those in a while. Sorry for the wait, life and another story got in the way. There's at least another chapter to this story (I guess there better be, huh?) and then I might finally end this story that wasn't supposed to be more than 5 chapters long. Darn overzealous muse getting the better of me. Hope everyone enjoyed.