A/N: I'm such a sucker for reviews. I just got chapter 4 done tonight and I was going to wait a few days before I posted these, but I'm loving my reviews so much I couldn't keep this to myself. So, big thanks for the reviews. toothpick99's review of ch. 2 gave me a good, much appreciated laugh after a hard day at work. And Succubus, your review hit the nail on the head with the characters. I'm glad to know that I'm getting clear characterization across.

Reading back over this for the bazillionth time, I feel like it moves a little too quickly, but I didn't want to drag some of this stuff out (like Hellboy's fight with the elemental), because you HAVE seen the movie. I'm not writing a novelization of the film, here. So I try to make that straight-from-the-film stuff brief.

"Out of darkness I command
This desolation land
Eclipse shines above
Like a shadow of your love"
- The 69 Eyes, "Shadow of Your Love"

III. Shadow

Vanja didn't really know what to think about this new agent. She wasn't as pigheaded as Red, but she wasn't as impressed as Abe. She supposed she was willing to give him a chance. Standing around the table with the others, staring down at one of Nuada's dead 'tooth fairies,' Vanja was curious about Krauss, and she tried to let that curiosity be in the forefront of her mind. She was ill-at-ease around the others, especially Abe, and was of course trying to not let her mood seem too strange. She tried to keep an inconspicuous distance from the empath as the night wore on.

Before she knew it, she found herself coming full circle. Within a short couple of hours, she was back in the troll market, albeit in very different company. The four split up, the men all following their own leads in their own way. Vanja wandered. Took in the sights, the sounds. It was impressive, even if it was not the prettiest place to be. She tried not to let her feet take her right back to Nuada. She kept her mind focused on the others, but mainly on Red. Abe would know when she was reading his thoughts, so she didn't focus too much on him, just kept him on her mental radar, as would be a normal thing to do anyway. And Krauss, she could barely get a reading on him anyway, at least not in the way that she would with someone who wasn't…a ghost, or whatever he was. But Red, he was unassuming. Not stupid, just not very observational. She doubted that he even knew it when she was reading his mind. So, when he killed Wink, Nuada's troll accomplice, Vanja was competing with those strange two-headed creatures to get down to Nuada's dwelling.

"Vanja? Vanja, where -" Abe's voice.

Vanja shut off the communicator. She watched one of the little creatures speak to Nuada in its strange language.

From the way the shadows played on his face, she could see his jaw clenched in anger. It wasn't difficult to figure out what the small messenger had told him.

"I'm sorry," Vanja offered sincerely, seating herself behind Nuada and draping an arm over his shoulder.

"No matter," he told her, his voice cold, covering up the emotion. He took her hand in his and turned to look at her. "At least they've given me a reason."

"A reason for what?" she asked, concerned, but unable to resist sliding her fingers through his hair and brushing them against his cheek.

"This," he showed her a golden egg-shaped object which bore intricate designs.

"And what is that?" she asked, intrigued, excited, and frightened all at once.

He smiled, leaned close enough that his forehead touched hers slightly, whispered, "you'll see."

Vanja returned the smile. The two gravitated into a brief kiss, Nuada pulling away first.

"Hurry back," he whispered, his voice sounding playful, almost excited. "They'll get suspicious. And, I wouldn't want you to miss this."

Vanja smiled and rose slowly, her hands trailing over his shoulders. She ascended the small stairs briskly, and turned her radio back on.

"Sorry, Abe. I lost you for a minute. Where are you?"

"We need to get out of here. Meet us outside."

"Let's hope I can find my way back," Vanja replied jokingly.

She caught up with the others, making a show of it as she ran to join them, as if it really had been difficult to find her way back. Her entrance interrupted the escalation of a verbal spar between Red and Krauss.

"Are you okay?" Abe asked with as much curiosity in his voice as concern. Vanja couldn't tell if he sensed the excitement Nuada stirred in her, or if the question was simply a reference to the temporary communication failure.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

Vanja turned to Nuala, giving a small nod. "Your Highness."

Nuala returned the nod, not seeming surprised at all that Vanja knew who she was. Whether it was because Nuala understood that Vanja was a vampire and a telepath, or if Nuala knew about her because Nuada knew about her, Vanja couldn't be sure.

"You."

Everyone turned at the sound of the strong, commanding voice. Only two recognized it.

"You will pay for what happened to my friend down there," Nuada threatened.

Vanja tried to stifle the excitement that rose within her at his words. Tried to prevent herself from thinking how good it felt. Like the old days. Nuada was her freedom, she knew that. So why did she feel so terrible when she thought of betraying Red…Abe…Liz…? She tried to reign in her emotions, knowing that Abe was bound to be picking up on them.

"Yeah, right. Ya' take checks?" Red quipped back, drawing his gun.

"Demon. Born from a womb of shadows, sent to destroy their world, and still you believe you belong?" Nuada questioned, with only a small bit of the intrigue that would creep into his voice when he questioned Vanja.

"We gonna talk all night? 'Cause I'm really sleepy," Red replied with his natural apathetic arrogance.

Nuada's expression held arrogance of his own. He pulled out the golden egg he had shown Vanja earlier. Vanja had to physically hold back her smile of curiosity. She bit her lip.

"No, brother, no!" Nuala cried suddenly, peaking Vanja's interest even more.

What was Nuada about to unleash, what was so terrible that it had his sister begging and Nuada himself making sure that Vanja would see it? Surprisingly, Vanja felt no worry. Maybe it was because she knew HB could handle it, no matter what it was. At this point it wasn't about whether Nuada or Red would win this round, but simply about what the fight would be.

The gold object Nuada held opened, revealing what looked like a large green seed. Vanja furrowed her brow as she watched. Red made a curious sound. Nuada brought the seed-like vessel close to his lips and whispered to it.

"Kill him."

Then he released it, the mysterious object flying past them, then, as if of its own volition, jumping away from them. Vanja couldn't hold back her laugh. What was this? Obviously, Red had a similar reaction.

"It's just a jumping bean!" he complained.

"It's going for water!" Nuala exclaimed, "hurry!"

She turned to Abe, who chased after it, attempting unsuccessfully to catch it. The others stared after it, watching the street as the ground shook and chaos began to engulf the area. Vanja turned back to Nuada. He stared back at her with a soft, loving expression. So soft it was almost sorrowful. He gave her a beautiful smile, then turned and disappeared into the darkness, back underground.

The huge green figure of the forest god erupted from below the street. Vanja was surprised and intrigued by its elegance and immediately regretful that it was treated as just another enemy. Red was soon in action, fighting the elemental, which was surprisingly and sadly easy to defeat. Vanja watched the battle from the ground, standing back with the others and generally keeping out of the line of fire.

When Nuada appeared on the roof of the building where Red was precariously keeping his ground, Vanja pulled the conversation from Red's mind. And she had to wonder if Nuada had let this poor creature die just to prove a point. Whether it was his intention or not, he certainly did make a point. And the reactions of civilians to HB's heroics only reinforced that point.

Seeing the carnage of foliage spilt by the elemental, Vanja was saddened, but more than anything, it reminded her of the dream Nuada had given her. In sharp contrast with the bright gash of forest green, seeping over the dark city streets, the cold metal and concrete of the cityscape was made even uglier than usual. Vanja felt heartsick. She just wanted to get out of here. Back to Nuada. Hell, even going back to HQ would be better than staying out here, forced to witness a scene that just epitomized all the reasons why the humans should not have this world. Strangely enough, she didn't blame Red for killing the creature. She didn't even blame Nuada for perhaps knowingly sending the elemental to its death. In a logic that might have made Nuada proud of his work on her, she had hate only for the humans.

Back at the BPRD, Vanja stayed around only long enough to make an appearance, let everyone see her, and wish everyone her own version of a "good night," as she made the pretense of leaving for her apartment. There was only a little less than an hour to sunrise, after all.

Of course she didn't go home. She went straight back to Nuada. Rushing down the narrow, steep stairway and into the dank, Spartan dwelling, Vanja was surprised to see Nuada, spear in hand, practicing. Or maybe it wasn't really practice, per se. She stopped immediately where she stood, as if hitting an invisible wall. And she watched him. His movements were graceful and so fast that sometimes the only way she kept her eyes on him was because of the striking contrast of his pale, shirtless torso and long white hair to the darkness. He eventually slowed to a stop, his spear retracting to the size of a knife, his breathing deliciously laborious. Vanja bit at the inside of her lip and inhaled a breath of her own, watching him stand there in the darkness, his perfectly muscled chest heaving from exertion. Nuada looked up at her with a smirk.

"Letting off some steam?" she offered.

"Something like that," he confessed, putting away his weapon.

Vanja still stood at the foot of the stairs, and Nuada rested his arm on the wall next to her, placing his body close to hers. Vanja smiled. She could feel the heat coming off of him. She loved feeling that exertion-induced body heat. It was the best. It reminded her of very old days. Nights spent in battle and in love. War and sex. It colored her vampiric life over and over again. Needless to say, the 21st century was dreadfully boring in comparison. Now she had her warrior. She once again had a battle to join.

Nuada watched her intently. She wondered if he could read her thoughts. His face held an expression of slight curiosity, so she thought maybe he couldn't. Slowly, he reached out a couple fingers to play with her hair. He leaned slightly closer and his other hand found its way to her waist.

"When will you be mine?" he whispered, his nose brushing lightly against hers as he bowed his head slightly.

If she were human, she may not have heard him at all. But her vampiric senses picked up his words loud and clear. There was a kind of pain in his voice. His words were a plea, not a question. She remembered earlier that night. What she had thought about playing hard to get. How could that have only been a few hours ago? Somewhere, suddenly her relationship with Nuada had changed. She wanted him more than anything. And she did not want to play hard to get. She didn't want to let down the others, though. She felt bad about avoiding Abe. For being too brief with the others. Weren't they her friends?

Vanja was sure she felt Nuada's fingers tremble in her hair, she knew she felt his breathing become suddenly, briefly, ragged. A low growl of pain and impatience escaped his lips. It wasn't threatening. It seemed to be directed inward. He was the exact portrait of a man trying not to show his agony. His fingers fell out of her hair and slid across her face to rest on her shoulder, his other hand gliding from her hip to her lower back, bringing them a little closer. His lips hovered close to her jaw. His eyes were shut tight. Vanja wished she could know what was going on behind them. Why couldn't she read his mind? It drove her crazy. But maybe at the moment, she admitted to herself, she really didn't need to. He was making his intentions fairly clear. Vanja wondered for a brief moment if he'd ever had to wait this long for anything in his life. Wondered if he'd ever spent this long courting a female. Something about Nuada told her that he got his way, and he got it quickly. She should make more of an attempt at being the exception.

"Tonight," she breathed against his lips.

Almost immediately, she regretted the word. Regretted the tone in her voice, the thoughts in her mind. She was being too impulsive. It used to be easy to be impulsive. But this was different. Nuada wanted so much more from her than anyone had before. And this time, the consequences were far too permanent to be so impulsive.

Nuada breathed deeply, as if trying to breathe in the word she spoke. Immediately his movements and expressions and the very essence of him went from pained to pleased. For a moment, seeing the utter relief he displayed, she forgot the regret. But she knew that she'd have to go back on her word. She needed more time….but, really, what was time going to give her?

He kissed her suddenly. Hard. More intensely than he had before. Vanja wrapped her arms around him, her fingers gliding over the smooth, muscular curves of his back. He pulled away first, after all, he still needed to breathe. Vanja made sure to look smug. Seeing her look, he chuckled. A genuine laugh that was musical and gorgeous.

"Today," he corrected her, his sparkling eyes playful.

Vanja directed her gaze toward the center of the large room, where a perfectly circular shaft of early-morning sunlight was filtering down like a spotlight from the street above. Nuada was the one looking smug now, as he moved away from Vanja, toward the light. He stood right in the center of the circle of light, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. His body seemed to drink in the sunlight. It was the same as the first night he came to her. The way his skin seemed to transform in the sunlight. But this was so much more dramatic. His face, chest, arms, even his hair. It was like watching a black and white film turn to color. Vanja was awestruck.

He held out his hand to her in invitation.

She was psychologically wounded a little by his knowing action, but she knew his game.

Vanja stepped forward, ignoring the hand he offered to her. Instead, she stood in the dark. She reached her hand out, laying it on his chest. The sun warmed her skin immediately, and at first it was comfortable, but the heat grew more and more intense, soon feeling more like fire than light. And she could smell the burning flesh. Vanja ripped her hand away from his body, drawing it back into the darkness, the wounded, smoldering skin hissing the way a hot object would if it were suddenly thrown into snow. Vanja gritted her teeth and stared at Nuada with momentary hatred. She was loathe to play anyone's games, even his.

"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely, this time certainly seeming to read her mind.

He held his hand out silently to her again, this time with his fingers curled into a loose fist. The outstretched arm was an offering, not an invitation. Vanja wanted to leave. To storm out. To throw a temper-tantrum. She did not take kindly to being shown her weaknesses, especially this one, toward which she was intensely bitter. But Nuada's eyes were pleading.

"I am sorry," he reinforced. "Please, Vanja."

At that moment she didn't want to take anything from him. She didn't want him to have anything to hold over her. Maybe this was it. What Nuada spoke of the night they met. That something else that motivated her. Why she never accepted gifts or titles or wealth for any extended period of time. Why she tired of her material possessions. Because it tied her down. Took away her independence.

"Let me give you this," he entreated.

Vanja still hesitated.

"For no other reason than my love for you," he whispered, under his breath as though it were a prayer to himself.

And suddenly Vanja felt tears prick behind her eyes. She hated that there was still no way for her to know what he really meant. But she couldn't stand indecisive any longer. She fell to her knees violently; with no grace whatsoever, she threw herself to the damp stone floor. She grabbed his wrist and sank her teeth into his flesh. Above her, he growled at the sudden pain, but the sound of his next intake of breath rang with pleasure. Physical or psychological, who knew?

Drinking from Nuada was incomparable to anything else Vanja had ever experienced. It was so good that she wanted very badly to stop. His blood was infinitely sweet but never overwhelmingly so, and, at the same time, it was as fresh and pure as spring water. And there was something elevated about his blood, something in it that was like the first drop of water drunk by one who was in the extreme of thirst. Something beyond the taste. It was life. So much more than she'd ever felt anyone possess.

The same way that she'd thrown herself at him, she flung herself away from him. These decisions that she had to make in split-second, violent actions. Vanja let herself lie on the wet ground, gasping for breath.

And her heart was beating.