A/N: Hellboy, Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien and Johann Krauss won't back down from the legal establishment, and with the help of BPRD colleagues, throw some wrenches into the grinding wheels of 'justice'. (Please read, and would love reviews!)

...

Hellboy sat alone at the dining table with his cup of coffee, respectfully quiet. He touched the softly gleaming black metal of the slim round choker that Liz had removed and placed on the table. The neck circlet was cleanly simple and smooth, with its cross symbol attached below center front. This was the one and only ornament she ever wore, and he pictured how the darkness of it stood out in stark contrast against the pale skin of her throat.

Liz had asked Red not to speak to her while she performed her series of yoga poses – but he could observe, as always. It more than contented him to watch her leotard clad, lithe little physique as she began with a period of stretching to warm her muscles. Then, absorbed in perfecting her balance, she stood on one one leg and bent her other to press the arch of her foot into her upper thigh. Firmly planted, Liz laced her fingers together and raised her arms overhead, reaching high with her pointed index fingers. As he watched her prolonged hold of the pose, Red admired in silence. She next transitioned repeatedly through the positions of the Sun Salutations with alternate leg lunges, then front down onto the floor for the Cobra stretch, and up on all fours to pose the Downward Dog – he could watch her all day. Liz hadn't insisted that he join her. He'd decided that he could never do these, himself. Too bulked up.

He left the table to sneak up to her with soundless steps as she angled head down in the final Dog, and quietly lowered himself to the floor by her side. With her hair swung over her field of vision, it took a second for her to discover him lying there, giving her a devious little grin. The tip of his tail gently waved and curled between them, mirroring his playful mood.

"Red...what are you doing?"

"Namaste," he whispered, his stone fingers lifting aside her curtain of hair. "Want to show you something."

Coming down from the pose, she sat on the floor and scanned Red from his horns to his boots. Nothing different there.

"Well?" She looked at him expectantly as he extended his left fist. Slowly, he straightened his fingers before her curious eyes.

An eccentric, wide ring gleamed on the tip of his small finger. She stared, examined, and gave him a look of calm regard.

"It's red." Concealing her suspicion of what it could mean, she waited for explanation.

"Red gold."

"Very red."

"Liz." He pulled himself up to sit facing her, and forged ahead, honestly serious. "Take it." He raised his hand to her in offering. "Wear it for me?"

Liz plucked the band from his fingertip, turned it around to study the continuous four strand braided design, then read inside, an inscription - 'My true love'. When she coolly looked back at him with no change, no acceptance in her eyes, his heart dropped. He nearly flinched when she took his wrist, placed the ring on his palm, and covered it with her own.

"Lover..." Her fond tone carried a touch of reprimand. "Do it right!"

He picked up the little band, his fingers slightly trembling. Cradling her left hand on his stone palm, he slid the ring onto his love's heart finger, and her gaze of pleasure assured him that it was truly home. Relieved, he pulled her into a smothering embrace.

"I've been keeping it a lot of years, for you."

"I love it," she purred against the rapid pulse of his throat. "And now, it's mine."

"Then – I'll ask.." He hesitated with the weight of his request. "Want me for your husband?"

"I think our kids would be mad at me, if I didn't."

"Aw, great!" He gave a small shrug, realizing his fumble. "I said it sort of backwards, but you know..."

"I know. Backwards, forwards, I know." She slipped her arms up around his neck, drawing him to the soft allure of her lips. As her eyes closed, she felt the first light touch of his mouth, his hand raising to cup her cheek, and the absolute, eager caress of his lips in loving union.

...

Just after five in the morning, Johann Krauss stopped before the locked room reserved for him and his fellow agents' hearing, to be called to order this day. The double doors were hung with a large block lettered laminated sign, denoting a function within of "The Office of Professional Responsibility" above the lines, "Federal Bureau of Investigation" and "U.S. Department of Justice". Added below was a separate sign warning, "No Unauthorized Admittance".

Johann was then on his way to another office to meet with his recently arrived assigned internal advocate. Locating his destination, he found that door also signed with the temporary shingle of one Senior Special Agent Joshua A. Radner. In this case, Johann could look through a half window at the occupant, who rose from his desk chair, and impatiently waved him in. Radner stood to one side as Johann walked past him, then switched the vertical window blinds closed. He returned to the paper-covered desk and jerkily pulled out a second chair for his guest.

"It's damned irregular!" he huffed. "Sorry, been talking to myself for the last ten minutes...just drove up here a couple of hours ago, from my own division. I have your I.D. pic here, your credentials, not much else, a disclosure brief that reads like a fifth grade class project...Dr. Johann Krauss. Sorry, want some coffee?"

"Zank you, no coffee."

"I've drank enough to float my teeth." He thrust out his hand. "Josh Radner, your counsellor. I see I have three other clients, for want of a better word, who are locked up and unavailable! Can you tell me why?" Radner released his brief grip on Johann's jointed metal glove.

"Vhat information haf you read?" Johann glanced over the files spread over Radner's desk.

"It would help if you give me a fast sketch of who they are."

"Achent Abraham Sapien," Johann began, "a telepath of superior intellect, inoffensif, physically appears as more a blue man vith features of a fish."

Radner gamely nodded at the description, keeping his caffeine-jangled neurons in check.

Johann continued, "Achent Elizabeth Sherman, a human female in behaviour und appearance. She has ze ability to command ze emission of destructive heat und fire from her body. Zhird, Achent Hellboy, more often called by ze name of 'Red', a tall, heavy half demon, an enormously strong und resilient fighter of fearsome ability. Unfortunately, zese achents haf not alvays been treated according to zeir value."

"So, they're locked up, and you're not. Why?"

"I belief, a professional courtesy, a show of favour, due to my position of service."

"And you have as many charges against you, as the rest."

"Und so it should be. I stand vith zem."

Radner gripped the back of his weary neck, steeling himself. "I need your help to get this together." He dragged the briefs towards himself across the desk. "Lord, they gave me a mountain," he droned. "But I'm good. I'm this good."

...

Readying himself outside of his tank, Abe tugged up the collar of his bodysuit, and puzzled for a moment at the space that gapped around his neck. Again this morning, he had not felt like eating a thing. Knowing he couldn't carry on this way, he took his greatest measure of comfort in the prospect of finally seeing Liz and Red after these four uncertain days and nights on his own. He looked over at his escort, into the not unkind face of Agent Bailey.

"It will be hours until lunch." Bailey tried coaxing again, "Abe, eat something before we go!"

The merman displayed his best expression of cooperation to the man who was holding out a plate of sulphurous smelling green eggs, at the full length of his arms.

"You are right," Abe sighed, taking one.

Abe knew his role today. He looked the part.

...

At eight o'clock, Johann was patiently waiting on a bench in the male agents' locker room. Josh Radner had asked to be shown to the showers after arduous hours of hearing preparation.

"What is it with you?!" Radner hollered from the stall, making small talk to keep his mind off the displeasure of his cold water shower. "Don't you ever get tired?!"

"Counsellor, I do not ever sleep!"

Radner returned to the locker room, shivering and swathed in towels. He hastily dried off, donned his pinstriped suit and tied his polished shoes.

"Awake, alert, focused," he chanted to himself before the mirror, perfecting the knot of his tie. He grabbed his armload of files from the bench. "Onward and upward, my friend!"

As Johann and Radner arrived outside the hearing room, the contained spirit identified himself to the four agents standing guard outside the double doors. As Johann proceeded inside, he heard one of them whisper behind him, "What the hell was that?"

Johann scoped out the windowless room, the simple layout of the head tables facing four others, sturdy chairs and a witness podium against a wall. He stood apart as his legal rep took the opportunity to hold a session of earnest whispering to the prosecutor, since no one else had yet arrived. Johann knew how that conversation must be going. Radner would be testily notifying the prosecutor that he had been called to his assignment on this very day, allowing no proper time to consult with his defendant agents. No matter to Johann. He concerned himself only with the expected arrival of Hellboy, Liz and Abe.

Tom Manning next entered the room and hurried by him, anxious for some minutes of his own to huddle with the prosecutor. Johann took satisfaction in observing that Manning studiously avoided looking his way.

...

Red and Liz lazed in bed for a last half hour of the early morning. Draped across his chest, she wanted to stay connected to his naked warmth, not need to break away to face this day.

"Why are they doing this to us?" Liz murmured, propping up her chin on his collarbone. "It's not worth their time and trouble."

Red's hand slid across the smoothness of her back. "Better to be in Ireland by the ocean?"

"I've thought about it. While the sun was shining, and we were feeling so high, it was the dream. And I could have made us a big campfire when it got dark and cold..."

"Back to primitive," he broke in. "Not what I'd want for my pregnant lady. Not even for one night, not now."

Liz snuggled her face deeply into the side of his neck. "Oohhh...we have to get up..."

Dressed and ready for the day, the couple waited for their escort team to arrive with the breakfast delivery, and occupied themselves with a last minute detail. Searching through his duster pockets, Red had brought out the battle-torn fragments of his father's rosary. He remembered snatching them in mid-air while the robotic soldier limbs and weapons churned close around him. Nothing would make him leave it behind. Now, some quick method of temporary repair had to be devised. Seated at the table with Liz, he watched her threading dental floss through the fine chain links and tying knots until the broken lengths were joined as securely as possible. She wrapped the chain-linked beads around his left wrist, and knotted the lengths of floss to hold it in place.

"Looks less tattered, but not pretty," Liz remarked, snipping off the excess floss.

"It works, and thanks." He smiled down at her slender fingers on his wrist, and raised them to lightly kiss the ring.

They looked up toward their vault door, now in the process of being unlocked. Agent Sutton appeared first, steering the loaded food cart inside.

"Morning," he greeted. "Man, this smells good!"

"Hungry?" Red pulled the cart close to the table. "Take a load off and help yourself."

Parrish, Elder and Weller followed with the second cart. Sutton sat down to make a toast and bacon sandwich, while Liz hustled to set out plates and mugs.

Parrish closed the room against outsiders. His team wasn't supposed to be enjoying breakfast here. They weren't supposed to be enjoying anything, at all.

"Manning had us up and running at 0400," he groused, spearing sausages onto his plate and spooning up scrambled eggs. "And your internal investigations rep will be here just in time for the hearing, for all the good that will do."

"Heard anything about Abe?" asked Liz.

"He's all briefed, and slated for an escort with one of our own guys. Nobody seems to think he's dangerous. Been asking about you, too."

Hellboy looked up from his own huge plate. "No separate escorts for the duration. Liz is sticking with me."

Parrish swallowed a mouthful and lifted his mug of coffee. "Worried?"

"I'm taking a hard line with this messed-up beef. But cool."

Nothing more was needed for these men to understand, as they hurried through the unexpected bounty of breakfast with Red and Liz.

"Time," announced Weller.

The party of six exited Hellboy's quarters, saving their banter and familiarity for closed doors, and walked the route to the hearing room.

...

The group stopped a short distance from the entrance, sizing up the guard now looking their way with a forced degree of professional aplomb.

"What a bunch of stiffs!" Elder muttered under his breath, but on approach he tried a friendly, "Hi, guys! What's your field office?"

In other circumstances, someone would have answered, but officiously, two of the unknown agents stepped in front of the escort to receive the paperwork. Reading the names, one frowned.

"Agent Sherman isn't to enter until called to the session," he stated, uncomfortably averting his eyes from Hellboy, to rest on Liz.

"What're you gonna do about it?" Hellboy's question was spoken evenly and civilly, but his deep, gravelly delivery and the hard fix of his eyes as he awaited reply, backed down the guard agent.

"Nothing personal, sir, but I'll have to report it," was his cowed return. "Go on in."

Parrish and Weller entered first. The seated panel members then received their initial sight of the fabled demon agent who stood as tall as the doorway. Reaching back with his left arm, Red felt Liz' hand clasp his, and she stepped to his side. Elder and Sutton followed. Hellboy nodded his greeting to Johann. The spirit acknowledged with a subtle misty puff from his helmet valves.

Tom Manning, his eyes darting between Hellboy, his escort team, and the knot of guest agents, rushed up tight to Parrish and hissed, "I assured these people that they would be safe! Why is he not cuffed?!"

"It's going smooth, Director." Parrish continued to look straight ahead, unruffled. "Your way, would have meant hell to pay. And – don't try to get Liz away from him."

Hellboy strode to the central table facing the panel, and pulled out a chair for Liz. He slowly scanned the strangers staring his way, and saw each pair of eyes trying to hold firm under his unblinking scrutiny. He took a seat beside Liz. His escort walked up and stood close behind.

Well warned, Tom Manning made the decision to establish his managerial competence to the person in charge of the head table.

"My most trusted men," he leaned in to confide to the adjudicator, "will ensure that Agent Hellboy won't behave like an ignorant brute!"

"Dr. Manning, am I to understand that Agent Hellboy has some mental or emotional defect, some form of sociopathy?"

"No!" Manning backpedalled with haste. "Clinically, I don't believe so. He's certainly not pleased to be here-"

"And I would expect, neither are the rest."

The waiting idle continued to shuffle papers and steal glances at Hellboy, taking in details of his unearthly appearance. Manning, still simmering at the disobedience of Hellboy's guard, strode to within five feet of him. He pointed to the panel, and sternly instructed, "Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kathleen Brennan, is designated adjudicator of these proceedings, and you'll respect her as such!"

Red threw nothing but a dismissive glance his way, and turned back to Liz.

ASAC Brennan calmly folded her hands on the table, displeased at being centered out so.

"Dr. Manning," she addressed drily. "Let's not waste time on hyperbole." Her rejoinder reinforced the gravitas of her position, and the room looked on silently as she turned her gaze on the demon. "I wouldn't expect Agent Hellboy to be intimidated by scoldings." Her hand rested on several thick volumes of his file. Reading a memo before her, she noted, "Agent Elizabeth Sherman has not been summonsed to appear today. I would prefer that you, Agent Sherman, leave the room, in order that evidence not be contaminated. Your appearance, alone, is set for tomorrow."

Hellboy leaned forward in his chair, and heads snapped up as his stone fist scraped audibly over the table surface. The panel's first experience of Red's voice was his low growl of immutable certainty.

"To whom it may concern – she stays by me." The sweep of his uncompromising yellow stare further froze their attention.

Liz gave no sign of obeying the direction to move from Red's side.

"The four of us were together at all times."

"Now is not the time to speak to the facts in issue, Agent Sherman. You will all have the opportunity to be heard, if you wish to give testimony."

"Right." Hellboy dragged back his stone fingers. "Ready to go."

All looked to the sound of doors opening once more as Agent Bailey ushered Abe inside. He stood in place, anxiously locating his friends, relieved to see them together. Before he could say anything, he was carefully steered to a chair at the table beside Red and Liz. He immediately leaned closer to fill his eyes with the long denied sight of them, and faltered, jamming his side into the table top.

"Abe! You're so pale and thin!" Liz looked him up and down, taking his face between her hands.

"It has not been – a happy interval," he croaked out, his gills barely fluttering.

Red jumped to Abe's side.

"Agent Hellboy!" Manning barked. "Remain in your-"

"Nothing's in session." Red was bitingly abrupt. And correct. "Screw this!"

Hefting the merman into his arms, Red signalled Parrish with a quick lift of his chin. As Tom Manning stared helplessly, the team made for the doors and flung them outward. A startled yelp and curses issued from the outside agents as Red barrelled through and took a right down the corridor, backed by his escort.

"I see that your most trusted men are dutifully covering Agents Hellboy and Sherman." ASAC Brennan pinned Manning with her dart of sarcasm.

"Yes, they are indeed, Ma'm," assured the Director, appearing not at all sure. "And they'll be returning shortly!"

Manning cast about for salvation, and he hurried up to the unreadable ectoplasmic spirit with his urgent whispered plea. "Dr. Krauss! Please, will you find them? Talk them back? As a fellow-"

"I may haf zat ability, Dr. Manning," Johann interrupted, rising from his seat. "Excuse me." He dipped his helmet respectfully to the adjudicator, and strode for the exit, accompanied by Radner.

"In all my years, Dr. Krauss," Radner chuckled, when they were a safe distance off, "I've never seen a hearing go this way."

"It promises to be qvite entertaining, Counsellor." Johann walked briskly, his metal boot strikes echoing within the block walls.

"With this cast of characters," added the rep, "through the roof! Where are we going?"

Carrying his friend, Hellboy raced ahead through several strategic corner turns, until they reached a target steel door. There, he set Abe down and pushed home the master key slipped to him by Parrish. The escort team jogged into sight, and seven agents rushed into the concealment of the designated room. They made for the rear and side walls, where stored excess office furniture provided a motley collection of chairs, cabinets, and desks.

"Abe, are you sick?" Liz pressed, finding him a place to rest.

"Just – not quite myself, thank you."

Red stood by the locked door and counted down, "Three, two, one..." He quickly opened to a signal tapped out on the other side, smirking as Johann and Radner hurried in. The rep stood looking back and forth at all the occupants, expansively spreading his arms.

"What, no tail on us?" Radner sounded almost comically disappointed.

"Yeah, welcome to our broom closet," cracked Hellboy.

"Fellow defendants." Johann took the floor. "You haf not yet been introduced to Senior Achent Joshua Radner, our enerchetic advocate."

Radner looked about the sealed, halogen lit room, smugly satisfied. He walked up to a shabby desk and threw down his files.

"I finally get you to myself, and all in one place!" he exclaimed triumphantly. He motioned to the special talent agents to gather around him.

"I'm about to mount your vigorous defense. Now, what have you got for me?"