A/N: Second half of the BPRD unique team's disciplinary hearing. Their counsellor Radner spins his legal web to snarl the prosecution's case, while convincing adjudicators to make concessions to Hellboy's unusual demands...M for loving, too. Please read and review.

Being the last guest of the afternoon's well fed company to leave the couple's quarters, Josh Radner declared to Red and Liz that he was raring to spend this evening in framing the following day's strategy and closing argument. Waiting outside, Parrish apologetically activated the locking mechanisms of the ponderous door to seal his friends in.

Liz unzipped her jacket down to her still-trim waist, and rubbed at the back of her neck.

Hellboy stewed, "I don't want this stress on you. How many times do they have to hear the same thing?"

"Until we all convince them. And we'll do it, too." Liz reached up to stroke his shoulders. "I'm not as stressed as you think, but maybe - you are?"

Collecting his thoughts to answer, he drifted a far off gaze as he slid his hands down her sleeves and drew her to him, with a purely revealing whisper. "You're my world...Liz.."

They stood together embracing without a word, until Red angled her around to face the oddest bed ever customized for the box of a pickup truck.

"Let's head over there," he purred behind her ear.

He heard the smile framing her whisper. "And take our life back."

Dropping into the depth of pillows, Liz took hold of his shirt and firmly tugged him on top of her.

"If you get any stronger.." he smirked jovially, but she wound her arms around his back and silenced him with a melting kiss, her parted lips courting his need and desire. They swiftly peeled off clothing, caressing and tasting each other's newly bared skin. When she grazed kisses over his ribcage, electric peaks coursed along his spine. He slipped gentle fingers through her hair.

"Wait.." he whispered, "Come back.."

But her lips continued to fondle lower down his ridged abdomen as he felt his arousal lift to touch her shoulder.

"Can we slow down?" He raised her to his chest, carrying her on a roll to his side.

Liz gave him a mildly incredulous smile. "Really? Want to talk some more?"

He unfurled his tail and let the tip prowl her leg as he fondly fathomed her dark eyes, glinting with mischief.

"I just...don't want it to be over..fast."

"Start again, then," she demurred, leaning to plant light kisses across his forehead. He lay back, eyes closed as her affectionate lips softly trailed over his face, bringing him to peaceful contentment. How long he had lived without this...all that was bitter and harsh drained out of him with the tender press of her body, her small hands soothing at his temples. When she cradled his head to her breasts, it flashed into his mind that she could be scraped by the hard edges of his horns. But Liz was unconcerned with that. She bent to his lips as he gathered her against him, the fingers of his flesh hand splayed high on her back. Through her enjoyment of feeling so adored in return, Liz was well aware of his engorged length pressed between them. She ground in some enticing wiggles, then stretched up to share an impatient whisper.

"Delaying will never work...you'll just have to give it to me."

"Mmm."

He slowly backed away from the embrace to kneel over her. Gliding her fingers along the corded muscles of his flanks, she shifted upward and closer, waves of tingles racing up the backs of her thighs. Her legs hugged his waist briefly, then teased along his sides, her sultry dilated pupils gleaming with invitation. As her creamy heat tightly enclosed his first rigid inches, he panted shallow breaths.

"Babe..."

"Only sweet pain.." she murmured, reaching up to caress his face. He needed to know that.

The way she looked at him, the sound of her – fired the heady lust smouldering in his narrowed eyes. He stroked gradually, deeper into her until it was safe to thrust. She gave herself over to his rhythm, lying completely relaxed as his hand slid beneath to steady her pelvis. She looked to her left, to where his stone fist was planted in the mattress. Her fingers wandered up its solid, channeled surface, coming to rest on his biceps. His arousal answered her elastic grip on him, so hot and silky as he moved them both through ever higher sensation. Liz helplessly closed her eyes, matching his sighing breaths. The firm power of his arm felt no less than his impaling, exciting column of flesh. Again she watched her mate, so absorbed in the ultimate fusion of their bodies in love. She relived the wonder of their first time, and of how not long after, they had incredibly proven fertile together.

Returning to the hearing grind, their resolve remained strong as ever.

Again, the prosecutor raised the thorny issue of exclusion of witnesses. Now that only he and Liz were left to testify, Red's refusal was blistering. Brennan called a sidebar with the counsellors.

Hellboy was up like a ramrod before anyone else could speak. "I won't tell you again." He looked at Brennan and Barber as if to root his words between their eyes. "She stays by me."

Brennan considered his adamant statement and honestly hadn't expected him to react with any less conviction since she'd had time to observe him from afar. She regarded the couple with concealed amazement at the vivid contrast between them. The demon was certainly a bruiser, with an aura of energy and menace virtually crackling around him. Agent Sherman, petite, sedate and cleared-eyed at his side, wore a bright, significant ring of belonging. She gained an understanding of Hellboy's bitterness, of his apparent deepest fear and grim suspicion that the Bureau could engineer his woman's disappearance should he not keep tight vigil.

"Mr. Barber has the right to request the exclusion, but Agent Sherman has respectfully prepared a solution which may satisfy," offered Radner, sotto voce. He passed to Barber a pair of ear protectors attached to a headband, standard equipment borrowed from the Bureau firearms range, and motioned for him to try them on. Brennan nodded in turn.

"If Mr. Barber is unable to hear my currently louder than normal speaking voice while wearing these noise cancelling protectors," Radner suggested crisply to Brennan, "then neither will Agent Sherman be able to hear Agent Hellboy's testimony."

The protectors passed muster as the three main panel members also satisfied themselves of the efficacy, and Barber wisely reversed his stand.

He looked drily at Radner before the counsels split off to resume their duties.

Wearing the set of dense rubber earmuffs, Liz accompanied her mate to the witness podium and seated herself to his left. Red stared down Manning's mild frown of annoyance.

All business, Radner and Hellboy regarded each other as the lawyer stood to begin his examination.

"You're known as the world's greatest paranormal investigator," Radner opened.

The demon didn't feel like spending any time talking through his past exploits for the BPRD, but Radner persisted. He'd spent hours the previous night in condensing his chosen large number of Bureau reports into brief summaries. Hellboy gave short answers to confirm his role in each, until Brennan declared that the panel fully accepted proof of the demon's long-standing qualifications and prowess, to the relief of all.

"I conclude presentation of pertinent past Bureau reports, then, at the month of April, 1984." Radner pushed aside the stack of files.

"Agent Hellboy, have you any response to your alleged misuse of government property, and to the additional allegations?"

"I knew we had no permission to use that plane. I went along, no argument."

"What was your condition at the time?"

"I had a spear point through my chest. I could walk a little distance, leaning on Liz. Nothing much else."

"But subsequently, you recovered?"

"That's right."

"How did that occur?"

"I only know I went down and out. When I came to, I was back."

"I would ask you to describe the Golden Army, and your involvement with it."

"Those mechanical soldiers had magic-powered internal works," Hellboy began, "and were all exactly alike. They targeted from their big dome heads. Just one of their arms was the size of my body. They hit like wrecking balls. I saw thousands, but only as many as could fit in the gear-hall stomped up to kill us. Nuada gave the order. They were rough on us. Johann and I," his breath hissed at the memory, "- tore some apart. But they didn't stay wrecked. By themselves, it only took a minute to restore back to new, again. They were going to go on forever. If they ever got out of that chamber, they were going to win Nuada's war on humanity, no question. Sorry, no time then for photos. It hit me to challenge Nuada for the control – clean, in and out. We knocked each other around. I made him give up, took the crown, and the army was mine. When Liz melted the crown, the soldiers folded up and shut down cold."

"Is that the end of the Golden Army threat?"

"The crown is gone. That power is finished."

"Would you consider that Prince Nuada might ever have been our ally on the world stage?"

"Never. Just the opposite. The world's worst hater, from all he said and did."

"Following the challenge fight, what was Nuada's condition?"

"On his feet. All there, and pissed off at me."

"And the princess?"

"She stayed back at the rear entry, high up and away from the fighting."

"At that point, with the most imminent threat eliminated, what duties remained for you?"

"Nothing, except to keep my team safe. The royals could have just gone home in good condition."

Radner intoned yet again, "Your witness."

The prosecutor cleared his throat and faced the demon.

"Agent Hellboy, where is that army now?"

"Right where we left it."

"Is it possible to return to the scene?"

"Mister, there are ways and means in paranormal dimensions that you just can't put your hand on, twice. No guarantees, lots of ugly surprises, weird physics. I say no."

"And you're expert in this."

"None better."

"You've said that you came into possession of the genuine Bethmooran crown."

"That's right."

"The complete crown?"

"Took it right off Nuada's head."

"The fully empowered crown."

"Nuada had the army awake and under his command." Hellboy's eyes flared with irritation. "What more do you want?!"

"It was Prince Nuada's conviction that his final crown piece was being withheld by-"

"You're putting it like anything he said was golden. His play was to kill off everyone who isn't elf race. Yeah, we found that piece of the crown. He had it!"

"Did you have a hand in the deaths of Prince Nuada and Princess Nuala?"

"I saw the princess standing half the room away, alone and quiet, maybe in shock, taking her long blade out of her own chest wound. Nobody wanted that. It was her action that gave Nuada the same fatal wound. He went to fall, and I caught him. He spent his last words trying to turn me off of staying on your side. They were both dead a minute later, and turned to stone."

Hellboy disregarded the prosecutor and addressed Brennan directly.

"I have a lot more at stake than keeping this job. The Bureau had all the right creds when my father was in charge. Do whatever you have to. I don't care. You're done playing your scam on me. I'll take my lady and get lost. You'll never have to see us again."

"Mr. Radner," Brennan called out, "control your witness."

Seeing his counsellor nod, tight-lipped, Red returned to neutral.

Johann Krauss and Abe Sapien had also assumed aspects of defiance.

Brennan then felt it prudent to call a half hour recess.

The reconvening opened with Liz' testimony.

"On the night after the street battle, I met Princess Nuala when she was taken under the protection of the Bureau. She was relieved, in a way, to be with us. Later in the night, I was alone in my room here. I heard an internal emergency alarm. I needed to find Red, and followed a group of our agents rushing to the library. I saw him speared in the chest by Prince Nuada, and it turned out that there was nothing we could medically do to treat him for it. Nuada treated his sister like a hostage. He held out a threat against the princess, which I couldn't understand, and said that Red would die unless we found and brought him the missing crown piece. I had never actually seen it. And then Nuada and Nuala vanished into the air."

"By 'Red', you're referring to Agent Hellboy?"

"Yes."

"Continue, Agent Sherman."

"Our forensics squad found a clue to Nuada's destination, a map of a region of Ireland. I was left with no choice except to try to take Red there, after Manning and Krauss let me know that the Bureau was doing nothing to save his life. I needed Abe, and he wanted to help. When Dr. Krauss came around to our side, I was glad to have him."

"Obviously, Agent Hellboy was saved from death. How?"

"It's often part of our experience and duty to go where we're led, by signs, by intuition," Liz answered. "You may believe it or not, but a being appeared to me who claimed to exert control over life and death. In the course of our work, we meet supernatural creatures that you could never imagine. Its appearance was ambiguous, but I'll call it a female."

"Could the being have been called here today?"

"It was her brand of magic that healed Red's wound. And after, I saw her simply fade to nothing. She can't be pinned down. She apparently shows up where and when, according to her choice. You really wouldn't want that frightening personage here."

"Did she give a reason?"

"None. We take favours if and when they come. Sometimes, we get no explanation."

Hellboy listened sombrely. That fateful day, he had heard much of the skeletal being's pronouncements to Liz as he lay collapsed at the edge of death. In a scant moment of lifting his eyelids, he'd seen Death's standing form. She'd given them the greatest gift, but at the worst possible price.

"And the court has heard that you witnessed the subsequent confrontation with the Golden Army. Please describe that."

"Hellboy and Dr. Krauss were forced to face the huge mechanical soldiers. Even vastly outnumbered, they did well at first, but the destroyed mechanisms could regenerate themselves within minutes. There could have been no winning against them through brute force and firearms. But our agents did win."

"How did that come about?"

"Hellboy's status as a royal of – another dimension, is what saved us. It gave him the right to challenge Nuada for command of the army. As soon as he spoke it, the soldiers froze."

"What happened then?"

"A spear fight between Hellboy and Nuada. At the end, Nuada was uninjured but down, and Hellboy removed his crown. All the while, they were having a conversation. Hellboy let him go and walked toward me. When Nuada stood up, he followed, then looked struck by something. Then I saw that Nuada was holding up a long, slim dagger. The princess had been standing alone, a distance away throughout everything, and I saw her begin to fall. Abraham went to attend to her. Nuada went weak from the wound in his chest. Hellboy supported him until Nuada tried to make his walk in the direction of his sister. He was very sad, didn't get far. As he fell to his knees, he turned to stone. And the same happened to the princess, in death."

"What became of the army?"

"Every soldier folded up, compacted into individual big cones."

"And the fate of the Bethmooran crown?"

Liz formed her friendly blue flames, limited to her hands. "Like this," she explained, "I irretrievably melted the entire crown. No one will ever possess it again."

Red grinned at the reactions to her demonstration.

"Agent Sherman, might you not have contributed your skills, and melted down those soldiers as you did the crown?"

"That much force would have incinerated every living thing in the chamber, with the exception of myself and Hellboy. But it would have weakened him for a short time, and left him alone. My exertion would have seen me passed out after, a liability to him. It wasn't our intention to kill the elven royals."

"Your witness."

Barber stood. "On the matter of the third crown piece, Agent Sherman. What did it look like?"

"It was gold, ornate, about the size of my palm. Its place was at the forehead."

"Had you seen it previously?"

"Yes, in Nuada's hand as he assembled his crown. He was taunting us."

"Why, in your opinion, would he go to such lengths to claim that someone attached to the BPRD was withholding it from him?"

"He's always been hostile to us. It's possible that he hoped we would come to rescue the princess, who opposed his mission, and have our team on his killing ground."

"No more questions of Agent Sherman. The prosecution rests."

"The defence rests," pronounced Radner.

"Mr. Barber, you may present your argument."

"Chair Brennan, the defendants created a situation whereby they placed not only themselves and international alliances in jeopardy, but potentially damaged the reputation of the FBI, and by extension, the operations of the BPRD. Each defendant has admitted to commission of all offences charged. The prosecution has proven its case."

"Mr. Radner?"

"The defence argument will be more extensive," Radner responded, unfazed. "To which international alliances does the prosecution refer? Under oath, each defendant has given testimony credible in being presented entirely from their individual points of view. The court has heard nothing duplicated by rote, among any of the four. All have presented Prince Nuada as a self declared antagonist, whose mission was to annihilate the entirety of the human race! The army he chose to raise was not from among the ranks of his own people, but mindless, mechanical killing machines. Non-negotiable. Prosecution has not, and could not, offer rebuttal to the mitigating circumstances. It can only seek to punish." He pointed to his clients, dispensing with his previous decorous delivery. "Here is your, and the world's greatest paranormal investigator, along with your most unique and effective team. Now, do you harbour any concerns that Agent Hellboy would ever dishonourably sell his talents to the benefit of the other side, whomever, whatever, wherever that may be? How far would you be prepared to go to prevent that? Do you deem it strategically wise to drive such a powerful, capable, formidable being to a certain point of desperation, and out of the fold?" Here he paused for two beats, to arch a brow mildly at Brennan. "You've heard that the FBI can't fiscally abandon Agent Hellboy, though he's free to physically abandon the Service. And the one certain way in which the defendants could damage BPRD operations, is by not making their abilities available. Their actions in going to Ireland and engaging the Golden Army were vital and necessary to them as individuals, just as those actions happened to result in the best possible outcome for preservation of the human race, on this planet which is our only home!"

Radner stepped from behind his table with a sheaf of papers and made clear his intention to go about the room to personally effect the distribution.

"I have, for everyone's reference, copies of the Bill of Rights amendments to our blessed Constitution."

"Mr. Radner," spoke up the Brennan, "that won't be necessary."

"Noted." Radner replied, but with an obsequious grin, he flourished a copy to the prosecutor. "The F.B.I.," he went on, "claims to operate faithfully within the bounds of the Constitution. I'm going to address several relevant points of non-compliance with respect to the investigation perpetrated upon the defendants. The defendants by their willing testimonies, most obviously assisted the prosecution's case, satisfying the standard of preponderance of the evidence, and to what end? You may argue that they, with the exception of Agent Sherman are not 'persons' to be accorded protection, yet whatever definition you choose to apply, were they not different from the general run of field agents, they would not be employed, housed and compensated for their unique talents, by the F.B.I. It is because of what the organization requires of them, that they find themselves here."

The special agents hung on his every word and gesture. Under the table, Liz was holding Abe's hand, and resisting the impulse to lean her weary head on Red's shoulder.

"The court has heard Dr. Manning testify as to how and why he chose to place the defendants under arrest, to seize them without warrant, contrary to the provisions of the Fourth Amendment of The Bill of Rights, which reads thus, 'The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.' Short, but powerful. Upon issuing his orders to this BPRD headquarters location, Dr. Manning failed to transfer his probable cause to any sworn operative to request that arrest warrants be sought in his absence. Given that the defendants were willingly on return to this country, their arrests were unreasonable. Then, their subsequent locked down confinement to quarters may seem not relatively harsh, but it served to suspend the defendants' normal freedoms and caused emotional distress, plus in the case of Agent Sapien, physical deterioration." Radner paused for a short perusal of the panel, and a signal from the stenographer that he had caught up. "And second, on the matter of Dr. Manning arbitrarily ordering searches of the defendants' private residences, as he's admitted to, the same Fourth Amendment violation applies. No search warrants describing the object crown piece were obtained, to legally enable the defendants' residences to be entered and searched by any agent of our government. Despite local efforts, the crown piece was not recovered." Radner strolled to his table to refresh his throat with a glass of water. "Third -" he continued, "the defendants have the right to be secure in their homes without being spied upon or listened to by the State, unless warrants to install and operate audio and visual surveillance have been properly obtained as delineated in the Fourth Amendment. Again, according to Dr. Manning, he ordered agents to enter the said residences without legal authority, to mount such equipment as the court has viewed, within the said three residences, for the purpose of monitoring the defendants to collect and record evidence. At this point, I count twelve violations of the defendants' rights, which will form grounds to appeal. I could go on.."

"Mr. Radner," Brennan interjected, "you've made yourself quite clear."

"In light of these many violations of the defendants' rights, defence moves for the dismissal of all charges."

Brennan solemnly nodded. "The Office will take your motion under consideration, Mr. Radner. What I will order immediately, is discontinuation of all defendants' confinement to quarters."

Barber saw no point in trying to bolster his summation, and declined. Brennan adjourned the proceedings for the last time, delegated the care of documents to her assistants, and strode out. Radner leaned over his clients' table, whispering, as the various other room occupants were finally able to stand, stretch and move about their duties of gathering all that would be taken back to Washington. Manning had scooted his chair close up to monopolize Barber, who was nodding gamely as the anxious director bombarded him in hushed tones.

"I'll see you outside. I've put a rush on something, but it could take a little time," said Radner, glancing back at the reporter.

Gladly, the team and security squad exited to the corridor, now empty of unfamiliar agents.

"It's good to be fired off this detail," Parrish joked. "If you don't mind, Red, we're going to throw back a Jack and head off home."

"Have one for me," saluted the smiling demon.

Surroundings seemed returned to normal. Liz decided to jog to the canteen to bring back whatever appealed to her.

"Josh was dazzling," she offered to the men.

"Mighty sharp," Hellboy agreed.

"I'm so very relieved," sighed Abe, "I want nothing more than to drift in my tank, and not think at all."

"Soon, mein freund, soon." Johann assured, 'But ve vill get no decision today."

When Radner finally emerged from the hearing room, his good mood was open to read.

"From my hand, to yours," he said, distributing. "Hard and audio copies of the entire tribunal transcript. Keep them safe. By tomorrow, you should receive the rest of the records I motioned for."

With Red and Liz walking just ahead, Radner strolled between Johann and Abe.

"Mr. Radner," Abe broached, "I thank you without reserve for your skillful defence, but I have no wish whatever, to file an appeal."

"I assure all of you, that will never come to pass. Expect the Office to dither over decisions for a couple of months due to other files, but I promise, you have nothing to worry about beyond letters of censure, or yawning through an on-line ethics compliance lecture. You all did give full admissions, so the organization may reserve the smug privilege of throwing a little something at you."

There, the merman and the ectoplasmic spirit parted company. Abe, understandably fatigued by the weight of his personal suspense during the proceedings, begged off to rest. Johann claimed the need to attend to some maintenance of his own, sincerely thanked Radner and took his leave. It just didn't seem right to Hellboy, to walk off and leave that man standing alone after all he'd done for them. Of any establishment guy he'd met for some time, Josh Radner was worth a closer look.

The lawyer accepted Red's friendly invitation. "Sure! If you're not sick of the sight of my face..."

Trading segments of their histories in the now free, relaxed setting of the couple's home, they and their guest found plenty of humour to relieve the tensions of the past days.

"Now that it's all over, Josh, you look so tired," Liz sympathized.

"I can't recommend it, but a cold shower works wonders," he chuckled. "Like anything worth doing, the tedium is all in the preparation. Once I got swinging in my arena, it was a breeze."

"You make the courtroom sound so easy."

"I was practically raised in them, to satisfy the expectations of my parents. And I have to give credit to that wife of mine - patient, supportive."

"If I'd ever needed a mouthpiece before now," Hellboy said, "I might have heard of you."

"I sure enough heard of you," Radner grinned. "Not to compare reputations."

"Meaning – you're the demon of the legal branch?" Liz beamed.

"Catchy! I'll print it on my cards."

"Glad to help."

"Uh – Red, Liz – have you ever had much freedom with the Bureau?"

Liz shrugged. "Whenever I wanted to leave, I did. Lots of times."

"Opposite that," Red replied, "I was never supposed to leave the HQ's, unless I was on a job."

"That's no life for any man." Radner looked grimly reflective. "But you did sometimes break out."

"Out of respect for my father, I mostly stayed put. But when I'd get on my last, stir-crazy nerve, I didn't care."

"Well, you two – if you're so inclined, you can live and work here as you are, or go wherever you like."

"I'm not alone, now," Hellboy answered, with quiet pride. "Liz and I will be staying here for awhile."

"On every level, it's been a highlight, meeting you," Josh smiled as he carefully set down his glass, emptied of scotch. "And thanks for your company. Time to crash in my room. My mouth and brain have been running so much, I needed this break."

"Some brain," Red complimented.

"and some mouth," followed Liz, gratefully.

Radner stood up and drew on his suit jacket. "I'm away home, first thing in the morning." His tie, he decided, was better left loose. He extended his right hand, and quirked his brow as it was swallowed up by the demon's red stone fingers. Liz stepped up to grip his other hand.

"Confidentiality maintained... Geez, I miss my kids!" His professional penetrating gaze searched their faces, waiting for confirming smiles to emerge.

"All right, so I blinked first," Red chuckled, acknowledging the subtle hint.

Taking a last, sweeping look around the demon's quarters, the counsellor headed for the door. He said no goodbye to the unique couple - only crinkled his eye in a shrewd, knowing wink.