Abe and Hellboy were both perched precariously on the branches of an evergreen. Abe, being lighter and nimble was able to move through the trees without making much of a sound. On the other hand, Red had crashed through the woods, until they were very close to Taya. Now they both watched silently, trying to hear what the pair were saying.

Abe realised they were very close and he hoped with all his heart that this was because of the cold night and not because of...anything else. Something was wrong, he knew that from her body language but couldn't hear a word they were muttering to each other, their voices drowned out by the light breeze.

Red was having fun, counting the pebbles he had collected along the way. For him, this was target practise; he didn't quite understand how worried his friend was. Abe understood this completely though, Red was never very good at getting to grips with Blue's emotions and this was no different.

"They were holding hands," he said, watching her shake her head at something he had said to her. She looked upset. Red glanced up from his row of stones, a surprised expression on his face like he had forgotten that Abe was there. The Fish-Man had not moved his transfixed glare from the sitting couple, a feel of dread sweeping over him when Nuke put his arm around Taya's now quivering shoulders. Without replying to Abe's statement, Red crept forwards on the branch, making it bend under his weight. Blue got his balance again, now staring at Red worriedly.

"That would be my queue!" he grinned almost cheerily and razed his hand, ready to throw the pebble he held there. Abe was about to tell him to stop, but changed his mind after what happened next. Abe felt his heart fall to the floor. They were kissing. Even Red had paused, frozen in a throwing pose, watching Abe for some guidance of what to do.

"Get him," Blue swallowed, nodding and adding quickly "Don't miss." Hellboy grunted, a serious expression now taking over his features as he concentrated. He tossed the rock. His aim was true.

What was happening? Taya couldn't even think anymore, she was lost in something that tasted like a memory. A kiss. When did that happen? Why was she crying? These lips...they were so familiar, so rough and forceful, consuming and demanding. There was a hand on her leg too, one that gave her the chilling sensation of her past. His tong invaded her mouth.

Copper.

With a muffled cry, she pushed him away. At that very moment, something collided with his head. Confused, she tried to gather thoughts. Now she felt frightened and alone, in the dark, drunk, with a man whose taste filled her with terror. It was him, there was no mistaking her memory of that feeling. Blindly, she ran.

Let me out, said a voice in her head, let me help you.

No! Not now, I don't need you now! She cried back at it, trying to convince herself of the same thing, though it was very close to a lie. She could hardly walk in a straight line, little own run in one. Her heels sunk into the soft mud of the earth and she fell, landing awkwardly and twisting an ankle. The pain didn't mean much to her and she picked herself up, scrambling for freedom. Desperately, she discarded her shoes and pressed on, not sure of her direction. She could hear him panting behind her, grunts of pain escaping his lips every now and again.

"Why are you running Taya? What's the matter?" The fake innocence in his voice was sickening. He was getting closer and closer to her, practically on her heals. In fact, she felt a hand brush across her back in an attempt to grab her. She sped up, the branches of the wood snagging on her dress and tarring at her hair. Her bare feet were now bleeding and cut, getting worse with every step she took. She fell.

He's going to get you. Let me help.

Nuke practically fell on top of her. Squirming beneath him, she tried to hit him, but he held her arms down at her wrists, pinning them to the ground and using his weight to hold her there. She opened her terrified eyes, to meet his. Blood from a small wound trickled down the side of his forehead. Some hope sparked in her body then, someone must have throne something at him. Despite herself she smiled.

"What's the matter Taya?" he asked, again his tone of voice being the very definition of innocence.

Let me help.

"I know who you are, you fucking pervert!" she screeched, trying again to throw him off her and ignore the animal as it pried open the door of its cage. Very soon, it would be too late to close that door again and she didn't know what she'd do to him. With another wave of effort, his grip on her tightened.

"What do you mean?" he asked, and the question made her laugh hysterically.

"You bastard!" She hissed, the claws on her hands extending, "You think you're lucky enough to get me twice, do you?" A drop of his blood fell and she knew, when it hit her lip and dripped into her mouth, that the animal would wait no longer. But now that fear had subsided to anger and the longing for revenge...she couldn't care less if she ripped this man into a thousand tiny pieces and bathed in his stinking blood. She didn't care about consequences, didn't care if she was branded a monster. She wanted to be rid of this fear, rid of this memory and she would do anything to accomplish her goal.

Using the strength from her changing limbs, the energy that small drop of blood provided fuelling her now advanced senses and power, she rolled over. Now she was on top of him, a dangerous smile playing across her face. She gave a cry of pain as the transformation took place but was ever satisfied by the shocked and horrified noises that came from the man trapped below her paws. It was over within seconds and she was the lion like creature, pure anger raging down on the now helpless Nuke. She pressed one hand to his throat and flexed her claws into his flesh. She would do this slowly, let him know exactly what she thought of him. Sadistic though it may be, she was enjoying seeing him wriggle for freedom as her claws found the soft spots of his body.

Then, he tried to run and like any predator, she chased. He was hers again with one powerful pounce...and she heard the bones crack as she knocked him to the floor with a growl of victory. The man was now as limp as a forgotten rag doll. Dead, the only thing he deserved to be. Lost for a moment as she tasted the blood on his still warm body, she didn't notice the two people behind her, until a twig snapped loudly. Instinctively, she turned and attacked, landing on one of the two heavily.

She stopped her fierce, throaty growl and menacing snarl when she saw Abe lying beneath her. He looked more surprised than anything...maybe a little scared. Red, who had never seen her like this before was about to attack the blood coated creature, until she backed off of Abe. Gently, she nudged his body with a now crimson muzzle, urging him to get to his feat. Unsteadily he did so and the three stood in silence .

"Is that...is that Taya?" Asked Hellboy, looking at Abe but pointing to the monster. Blue nodded,

"It is," he said quietly, unsure of what to think. Red now looked back at the cat-girl.

"She killed him," Stated the Demon, like it explained everything. Taya's ears flattened and she looked away from both of them. She wasn't ashamed of what she had done, but she couldn't help but feel a little pained by the way Abe was looking at her.

"She did."

Again, the quiet of the night took them over. Then it began to rain, the noise willing the silence away. Taya sat her huge body down in defeat, crisp leaves crunching as she did so. The cooling water began to wash away the blood that stained her, the blood that neither Hellboy or Abe could tear their eyes off. A thankful wave of refreshment took over her body and she turned her closed eyes to the sky, picturing the stars that hid behind its grey clouds. Without realising it, she changed back into her human form.

"It was him," she suddenly said, taking her piercing gaze to Blue. "He was the one that made me afraid of the night." That was all Abe needed to know. Any doubt that passed through his mind left, then and there. His death had reason...self defence, though she may have taken things too far, he didn't care. She was safe and she was the Taya he knew, the one that was amazing and brilliant to him.

He crouched beside her, leaving a very confused Red watching the pair. Blue quickly took off his tuxedo, having obviously been wearing his wet suit below it. He passed it to her without a word and turned himself around as she got changed. After a few seconds, Red did the same. He nudged Abe,

"You want to tell me what's going on?" He said. Blue shook his head,

"I'm sorry Hellboy, you'll have to ask her yourself, it's not my place to tell you," he felt very overwhelmed at the moment, not wishing to go into the depressing matter of Taya's past, since it pained him in some way too. Funnily enough, something inside him was...happy she had done this. He wondered how it had happened though, how the agent had had chance to violate her. Bothe him and she had always thought it was her 'friends' that had done it, neither of them even expecting or contemplating anything else. A chilling thought passed through his mind. The agents were supposed to be the good guys.

"Okay," Red shrugged, "But that mess is going to take some explaining...and not just to the rest of us, Manning's not going to take this lightly." Hellboy was very right, the boss already disliked the cat-girl and this would be a perfect excuse to lock her up. But he only worried momentarily, something inside him knowing he wouldn't ever let that happen. She was not innocent here, he knew that but she did what she did to protect herself...and who knows? Maybe other woman had fallen victim to this man. She had stopped a criminal.

Blue jumped as a cold had met his. He blinked at Taya – the still quite blood stained woman that was wearing clothes that were far too big for her and who's hair now clung to her head in matted clumps. She looked back at him, her cyan eyes filled with a new courage.

"I'm tired," she told him and he nodded.

"We'll go back now then, and you can rest."

Hand in hand, they walked back to the BPRD, slowly, taking in the cleansing rain and saying nothing at all. Hellboy walked back a head of them, telling them that he'd ensure the way to her room was clear and get someone to...clean up the mess she had created in the woods. Troubles would come in the morning, if they even left her alone for that long but she would gladly face them then. She felt new and strong. And she knew that part of what she felt was because of the man at her side, the one that had not questioned her actions, the one that had been there, the one she would happily say she loved. But never aloud. Never to him. Not yet.

Problem was, she didn't need to. Her unspoken thoughts were well known to Abe, who found it hard to ignore that hand that was in his and the thoughts she was unintentionally transmitting to him. Was that true? Of course it was! He wanted to tell her now, that he felt the same, but didn't. Why was she holding back her feelings from him anyway? Was she scared of rejection? Didn't she know that he...he wanted to be with her more than anything, to let her fix his heart, teach him how to love and make him complete? She must...so why?

"Abe?" her voice surprised him. He blinked.

"Yes, Taya?"

"Stop reading my mind," she was smiling, but he could tell she was serious. Looking at the floor, he blushed,

"How did you know?"

"I just do," she said simply. They were in a corridor and as promised, it was deserted. They made their way to her small room, hurrying now just encase someone like Manning decided to show up. Taya placed her index finger on the small scanner at the left hand side of the door and it slid open. Dragging Abe with her, she flung herself into the room and waited for the door to close before she breathed a slight sigh of relief. Abe had never been in her room before and was quite surprised by what he saw – it was full of books, stacked in uneven looking piles that balanced on the edges of desks and overflowing shelves. He remembered her telling him that she didn't really like reading at one point, but that seemed to have changed. Noticing him eyeing the mess of her room, she rubbed the back of her neck,

"Yeh, research and stuff..." she explained, giving him a weak smile. She let go of his hand and threw back the crumpled sheets of her bed, obviously looking for something. "Ah!" she exclaimed after a few moments of throwing random objects away from her sleeping area. She held a remote triumphantly in her right hand and with a flick, the TV at the opposite side of the room burst into life. "Will you wait here for me Blue?" she asked, handing him the device. He saw her sway slightly.

"Your still intoxicated?" he questioned, laughter dancing in his night blue eyes. She turned on her heels and walked into what looked like a small bathroom.

"Only a little," she replied. The door closed and the sound of the shower greeted him seconds later. Abe stood, feeling strangely awkward. Another quick glance around the room told him two things – She was a very unorganised woman...and she really liked weapons. But, he thought as he wandered up to a katana that was mounted on her wall, it seemed it was not just the mindlessly huge ones that Red had an obsession with. No, she liked the historical ones, the ones that needed real skill to be wielded. He noticed schematics too, ones of her own designs it seemed, scattered all over the place.

When he had fed his curiosity enough, he sat himself on the edge of her bed and tried to watch the television, which he found quite difficult. He especially disliked the adverts. But, it seemed that TV was very good at making you forget very important things and his mind never wondered to what troubles might meet them in the morning.

Taya made sure the water was hot, so the blood was practically burned away from her body. She may be acting calm, but her mind was in turmoil. Just when she thought that maybe life had given her a chance, a new threat came crashing around the corner. This thing that shared her existence was bloodthirsty and she knew it was stronger than the last time it had emerged. Her body didn't even ache that much, which in her eyes was a very bad thing, it meant that it was getting used to changing. When this had first happened, one of the reasons she had spent so long in the medical room (Besides her lack of will to get on with life,) was the fact her bones had been put through so much trauma that came with the transformation.

The water fell, and she shut her mind to everything but its falling and waited for it to calm her nerves and drawn her pain. Several minutes later and at last Taya could feel hope again, as she let her mind reassure her of one thing – one person was there, had been there and forever would be there. Somewhere just next door sat Abe. That in itself was enough for her. The air outside the shower was so steamy, she could hardly see her hands in front of her face. Quickly, she wrapped a towel around her lithe body and rubbed her hair semi-dry with another. She left Abe's tux discarded on the bathroom floor, making a mental note to wash it tomorrow. If she wasn't locked up.

Her small living quarters were startlingly cold compared to the hot atmosphere of the bathroom. A small but awakening chill flew over her skin and she smiled to herself. Without thinking about it, Abe automatically smiled as well. She looked allot better not covered in blood, he thought to himself. He watched her make her way to her little dressing-table to brush her hair. While she did this, she hummed a tune to herself, one he couldn't place. It was pleasant and calming, reflecting nothing of their night.

"Abe?" she said without turning around.

"Yes?" he replied, tilting his head at her.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" At this request, Abe was left opened mouthed and unable to muster an answerer. He wasn't even sure what she meant by this.

"Taya, I...I don't know if-"

"Because," she cut him off, "Because I need someone with me tomorrow, when they come for me – and they will come. I don't think I'll be able to handle that on my own," it was an honest fact that she would fight for her freedom, but she really didn't want to, not when she knew that voice in her head would take over. For some reason she knew that Abe would be able to stop her from hurting anyone. Blue didn't need to give her request anymore thought.

"Of course, Taya," Abe stood up and placed a still gloved hand in her shoulder. She put her brush down and lay her fingers on top of his.

"Thanks Blue, I owe you...well, more than one I suppose," she let herself laugh before getting to her feet and rummaging through her draws beside her bed. "Gimmy a sec, I'll just get some PJ's on," she disappeared back into the bathroom, remerging seconds later in a plain, baby-blue nightie. Abe chuckled,

"We match," he said, gesturing to the colour of his skin and her choice of clothing.

"We do," she agreed, without letting her eyes leave his. He got the impression she wasn't just referring to her PJ's. He blushed.

Quickly, Taya changed the subject, suddenly realising what she'd just said. "I think a movie is in order," she announced, making her way to a small pile of DVD's. It wasn't only clothes she managed to come home with after her and Liz's epic shopping trip. "What kind of stuff you like? Horror, action...romance?" she gave him a sly smile. Abe coughed, then, using his wonderfully elaborate hand gestures her spoke,

"I'm not too keen on action films, but I can deal with most others," he told her.

"Well, that narrows it down, I only have two none action movies. Pick - A or B?" Abe, being indecisive at the best of times, took a very long moment to decide.

"B?" he said.

"10,000 BC it is then," she confirmed, slipping the disk into the DVD player. It didn't seem right to either of them to be doing something so insignificant after what had just happened, but neither of them could care less. It was a strange feeling, but they pushed it to the back of their minds.

Switching off the lights, Taya crawled into bed. Abe was still standing beside her dressing-table, giving her an almost worried look. She smiled, patting the space next to her. Carefully he approached, looking at her one last time when he reached the side of her bed, silently asking her permission. She nodded and he lay down beside her. The movie started and Abe tried to concentrate on that but he was far too aware of Taya's eyes on him.

"What is it?" he finally asked.

"Aren't you uncomfortable in your full wet suit?" She paused, "Not that I want you to take clothes off or anything...I just...yeh..."

"Your right," he said, before getting up once more and taking off the top half of his suit, leaving him in his normal knee length shorts. Again he settled beside her.

"How long can you go without water?" she questioned, never taking her eyes off the screen and snuggling herself into his side. The front of her body was pressed into him and her left arm rested on his chest, leaving her head lying softly on his shoulder. Her hair was still cool and wet and smelt like flowers.

"Long enough," feeling brave, he put his hand on the small of her back. They both relaxed completely at this action, feeling safer than either of them had ever felt before. Taya lost interest in the TV, having seen the film before and found herself looking at the patterns of his body...again. Then, she brought her hand up – the one that had previously been on his chest – and began to trace these patterns, amazed by the feel of his soft, smooth skin and captivated by the beauty of it. Wherever her delicate finger touched, left the strangest of feelings in its wake, tickling and soothing.

"You," she said, without stopping what she was doing, "Are the most amazing...Guy type thing I have ever met. You're so...I don't know," she gave a happy sight, "But don't ever stop being it." Abe felt his heart quicken at her words.

"So long as you never stop being perfect," Blue knew his words had gone unheard, as her breathing deepened in sleep, but he didn't care, because he had said it.

Very soon, Taya slipped off into a deeper slumber, still resting her tired body against Abe's, who held her as close as he could. The TV didn't register in his mind, nothing able to pierce this perfect moment of serenity. He knew that he would not be able to sleep tonight, but he didn't want to...didn't want to miss a moment of her. He spent the hours of darkness playing with her hair and feeling his heart slip into time with hers, knowing that would never change. Even his breathing matched her rhythm perfectly.

And Abe knew that this is what love felt like. And he never wanted to lose this feeling. Ever.

A/N: Well then, I think I just advanced one level in the hopeless romantic scale. Oh well, I can deal with that ^^ I'm not sure I like this chapter, even though I did kill Nuke!! *Cheers* Now we all know he's a total...word I shouldn't let your innocent eyes read :3 Sorry to anyone whose interested in the main plot type thing, next chapter, (though I think I said that like what...three chapters back?) will have far more in it. And again, big thanks to Peya Luna, who seems to know the plot before I've even wrote it! Lol IzzydaWolfeGrrl, CloudeGirl9, and LoveCliche2449 (Who was the lovely person who gave me the idea that Nuke should be our...Evil man for the chapter lawl,) You guys rock my socks!! Thanks for following the story! Big hearts to reviewers!!!