Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to my newest chapter. My delay in updates has been due to my work on my new online store. I have found in recent months that I wanted to do something alongside writing, in order to continue my pursuit as an author and writer. Due to this I am working on a number of things at once. But I do stress that I am NOT going on hiatus and have some new fanfic plans that I want to get off the ground. But I do have to also spread my time into working on my novel and working on any orders and/or new items for my Etsy store.

Regardless, thankyou to the reviewers who have stayed; I am admittedly disappointed to have seemingly lost some of my reviewers from my previous absence from writing. But losing my sister was something I could never help and it has taken me a very long time to recover. I just hope that with time I will regain all that I have lost in a time that was very damaging to my life with regards to my work on here and off of Fanfiction.

I hope you all enjoy and please do review, thankyou!

A dreamless sleep was something that had eluded Belle for a long time until that night…the night Abe never left. She went to sleep feeling contented and safe, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. They had danced around the subject of their feelings for so long, the only moments they had shared being so innocent…so chaste. Yet now they had embarked on something completely new. So why did Belle lie awake, feeling the fast pace of her heartbeat as she rested her hand over her chest and closed her eyes. Why did she feel so afraid? Like she had endangered Abe just by giving in to her strong feelings for him?

As Abe slept somewhat peacefully beside her; without the aid of his apparatus, Belle opened her violet eyes and turned to look at him, careful not to disturb the merman. Watching him silently as she controlled her breathing; she looked on and smiled at the way slight movement skimmed across his gills. As he breathed in the oxygen that his body had learnt to tolerate; Belle wondered how many years it had taken him to adapt to breathing out of water in the way that humans and mammals could. Moving slowly, Belle settled with her head on Abe's chest, closing her eyes again and allowing her other senses to take over. Breathing in the refreshing scents of his body; a soft aquatic musk surrounded his sleeping form as his heart continued to beat steadily, the scent soothing Belle into a slumber. She had seldom slept without being haunted by the secrets she now knew. Wondering when her enemies would strike again, to prevent Belle from living out her legacy…a life she had been unaware of for nineteen years of her life and one which she knew, she would have to face up too.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Staring at the ceiling with clouded eyes; Liz could hear a voice whispering in her mind. Fire…Always fire. As she watched the ceiling darken; flames began to char the surface as the heat bore down upon her. Feeling the sweat roll down the side of her face, Liz felt her breathing constricting, her chest rising and falling with less and less oxygen in entering her airways. She was paralyzed, restrained to the bed by invisible chains. Hearing a dull creak as the ceiling shifted, the room crumbled to ash around her, figures rising up through the smoke as they burned. Her children; screaming, crying as their mother watched on in horror.

'No…no, no,'

As her eyes shifted to see Hellboy, his broad and strong body succumbing to the fierce element, he looked at her with all light gone from his eyes.

It was torture; her limbs were locked, all she could do was watch her family perish and beg for it to stop.

'No please, Red, make it stop. Please…let it be me instead. Red…please, I need you,' she sobbed, 'I love you Red, please don't die…Red! RED!'

Bolting upright in bed; Liz's screams had awoken Hellboy with a start, his confusion and instant defensive stance evaporating as he realised Liz was having a bad nightmare. Jumping to her aid as she began to panic, Hellboy took her around the waist and pulled her into his lap. 'It's okay Liz, breathe, it was just a bad dream,' he assured her, taking hold of her arms and making her look at him as she began to get a hold of her breathing. 'I'm here to protect you…just breathe…' he soothed, Liz understanding where she was as she steadied her breathing and lowered herself onto his bare chest. Putting his arms around her, Liz shook quietly as she began to cry into his chest.

'Liz…?' Hellboy remarked in silent surprise. Liz rarely showed such raw emotion and that in itself was enough to worry him.

'Wanna talk about it?' Hellboy offered, knowing Liz's reluctance to open up about the past that still haunted her. But this time, she repented.

'It's fire, everywhere I look I'm surrounded by fire and I can't escape it. The worst part is. It's my fault. I know I can't control what I create…no matter how hard I try.'

'Liz; you haven't had an episode since 2007. It's been five years babe. You have been in control. I know you're scared, but babe, you got me. I'll always protect you…just don't let this affect you. Because I'll always be here to keep you safe, even if it's only from your nightmares…'

'But what if I can't protect our babies? What if I'm more of a danger to them than the monsters we see every day?' she sobbed, Hellboy being utterly appalled by the suggestion.

'Liz, they are perfectly safe with you. You're a great Mum and no harm is ever gonna come to our kids.'

'You can't guarantee what's going to happen Red…'

'No, I can't,' he agreed, Liz looking up at him as he met her gaze with his golden eyes blazing. 'But what I can promise you is that whatever happens; I will protect us. I went to somewhere between life and death to bring you back to me once and I'd do it again. I'm not gonna let anything to my family, I'm not scared of the future. If anyone wants to try and destroy us, then I'll be right there to give 'em hell.'

Smiling weakly at his statement, all that Liz could do was pat his chest lightly and say 'you better be…' confidence coming back into her voice as she looked at him.

'Nothin's taking me away from you babe. I'll move heaven and earth to stay by your side.'

Looking upon her body as it visibly relaxed, the tension fading, Hellboy waited for Liz to fall asleep before settling down again, knowing that Liz would be okay wrapped safely in his arms.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Later that morning, Belle awoke again to her cell phone flashing vibrantly on the bedside table. Answering the call with a tired and flustered voice, she found herself greeted by a seemingly embarrassed caller.

'I am very sorry Miss. Lucivia I hope I haven't woken you?'

'No, no, please don't apologise,' she responded, running a hand through her unusually unkempt hair. 'Is this in relation to my new car?'

'Yes Miss. Lucivia, we are able to deliver it today if you wish?'

'I'd rather collect it if you don't mind. I'll have a friend bring me to you, would this afternoon be alright?'

'Certainly Miss. Lucivia,' the voice responded enthusiastically. 'Shall we say two thirty?'

'That sounds perfect; I'll see you then, thank you.' Putting her phone back on the bedside table, Belle turned to see Abe awake and watching her somewhat intently. 'I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb you,' she began, Abe dismissing it and asking her if she would lie with him.

Smiling as she did so; Belle looked up into his blue eyes and took his hands as she felt the nerves radiate from him.

'What is it?' she asked softly as a thought crossed her mind. 'Do you regret staying here…'

'No…not at all…I was just afraid…afraid of waking up to find it were all a dream. That you wouldn't be here beside me…It is not the first time that I have had such a dream,' he admitted shyly. Putting her palm tenderly against his cheek, Belle rested her forehead against his. 'I'm glad that you're here…' he responded, his eyes falling upon the pendant that hung from her neck as he posed another question.

'Where does this take us?'

'Where do you want it to take us?' she responded, a smile touching her lips as she watched Abe knowing that she had seen him completely, that they had shared something so beautiful and so intimate.

'To a place where we are together…I know that I appear confident sometimes. Yet even now; I remain so naïve that I am left with the task of learning about these new feelings from the many books in my possession, or the advice from a big red monkey, which leaves me facing two different perspectives on the end of an exceedingly wide spectrum.'

Raising an eyebrow at the thought, Belle couldn't help but giggle.

Thinking over the idea of Hellboy giving Abe relationship advice was something that seemed so odd to consider. She couldn't help but think of what it would be like for someone like Abe to ask Hellboy such undoubtedly awkward questions; to only face a very open and, no doubt, graphic interpretation of things. Abraham was; at best, a gentleman with a world of knowledge that failed him in understanding love. Hellboy on the other hand was a hot-blooded and, for the most part relaxed alpha male, who had experienced every high and low there was to experience with love and relationships, even the more unconventional.

'It doesn't matter, we can take each day as it comes,' she replied softly, placing a hand on his and feeling the dryness of his skin, the realisation concerning her as she looked into his eyes.

'I'll be fine; I've just never spent this long without having even the help of an apparatus. Or, more to the point, never an entire night's sleep,' he admitted sheepishly, Belle insisting that he go and get back in his tank for a while. 'But are you certain you'll be alright?'

'I'll take a shower and have some breakfast,' she nodded, getting out of bed after leaving him with a chaste kiss on the lips…her thoughts from earlier that morning continuing to play on her mind.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

'Mornin' Tinks, you're up early,' Hellboy said gruffly, Belle looking to see him easily supporting the twins with one arm.

'Morning,' Belle responded brightly, 'can I get you a coffee?' she offered, gesturing to her cup.

'Yeah, make it milky with twelve sugars, I'm gonna need it today.'

'Long night?'

'Yeah, Liz is getting nightmares again and with the kids waking us up as well, I ain't got a solid night's sleep for weeks,' he said wearily, 'but they're worth it.'

Watching the way Hellboy fussed over his children, Belle could see how much he doted on his family. 'Go and sit down Red, I'll get the babies formula,'

'You sure?'

'Yeah, I can handle it,' she smiled, Hellboy clasping his free arm around her and pulling her into his chest. 'You're an angel Tinks,'

'So I've been told,' Belle answered more despondently, Hellboy seeing how much the statement bothered her. There was so much she didn't understand about it and that scared Belle more than anything else. But he waited until the children were fed and settled before bringing the subject up.

'So what do you know about this whole Angel of Life thing?' he questioned as they sat with a hot drink in hand, Belle looking at Hellboy with concern in her amethyst eyes.

'Not as much as I'd like. King Nereus gave me some information, but other than that, it's all been research that Abe and I have looked into. But it's deciphering fact from myth. We have no idea what is works of fiction or guess work. I know my apparent heritage is tied to this-' she noted indicating the pendant that hung around her neck. 'But it scares me Red…The Angel of Life is supposed to keep the world in balance. To stop the demons that Rasputin wants to unleash upon it. But does that make the Angel of Death an enemy or an ally? How can I uphold the responsibility of someone who probably had this role for centuries?' she remarked in uncertainty, her eyes studying Hellboy's expression as she spoke. Oddly to her, he seemed calm and almost amused.

'Belle, coming from someone who's been there, no one can make you do this if you don't want. Hell, I'm meant to start the apocalypse. Yet you haven't seen me bow down to some outdated Russian mystic with a big ego. He's bargained with the wrong people and he thinks he's invincible. But you don't have to be anything you don't want to be. Just because life seems to have planned out your fate, doesn't mean anything other than what you make it. You can choose to let fate force you into the path that's intended for you. Or you can choose to say no. It's your life Tinks,' he emphasised. 'As for the Angel of Death bit, I doubt you'd want him as a friend. He ain't exactly the most saintly looking angel you've ever seen. Compared to you, the Angel of Death is a creepy looking sack of bones that looks as though he's had better days. But he saved my life and healed an injury that was supposed to be inoperable. So maybe he's a good guy, or maybe he only did it because he wants to see the apocalypse happen. I can't tell you…'

As they sat in some silence, Belle felt uneasy at the prospect of the Angel of Death. If Belle was the one to give life, why wouldn't he be the one to take it? But more importantly, why did Rasputin want her under his control so badly.

'Real question is, how he thinks he's gonna contain something that powerful…' Hellboy remarked, mimicking her thoughts, though a darker one crossed her mind.

'He's done it before,' she uttered, the images that flashed across her eyes haunting her.

'That Raphael guy…?'

'Yes,' she nodded, 'he was so damaged…so scared. I don't want that to happen to me or anyone around me. I don't want him to hurt people to get to me. It's not right…it's not fair of me…we know the lengths he'd go too. They wouldn't hesitate to kill us all.'

'Simple answer to that, we kill them first,' he responded flippantly.

'I'm serious Red…'

'So am I, I have plenty of reason to want this bastard dead. He's caused hell for a lot of people. He doesn't deserve to live.'

'It's dangerous. What if something happens…happens to Abe? What would I do if I knew he was killed because of me?'

Putting her cup on the coffee table, Belle cupped her hands over her mouth and breathed in deeply. Her biggest fear was clear to Hellboy as he rose and came to be at her side, his hand resting on her shoulder as she looked to him.

'What if he dies because of me? All because I let him in when I'm some kind of bad omen?'

'Bad omen? Tinks you're looking at the king of bad omens an' Liz is still with me,' he tried to assure her, his smile weakening as he saw the tears spill over and down her reddening cheeks.

'Hey…' he soothed, 'come on Tinks, you're not a bad omen. Ya the most innocent woman I've ever come across. But what gets me is the way that you're also as strong as you are. You don't give up, you rarely show how scared you feel and you hold it together. You're a more than capable woman and that's your biggest strength. Your enemies don't expect you to be strong, they think you'll break. That's your advantage. But you have to realise right now that Abe is never going to give up on you. No matter how much you push him, he will push you to be closer. Because if the situation was reversed; you'd do the same for him. So let him in, let us in. Let us help you beat this. Be a team. Don't make my mistakes and realise it too late.'

Looking into his eyes, Belle considered what he said, her eyes moving away from his and back again a few times before she straightened and met his gaze. Wiping the tears from her eyes she put one hand on Hellboy's and one on her necklace. 'You're right,' she deduced, realising what she had to do at that moment as she quickly excused herself from the room, her skirt billowing behind her as she walked down the hallway, running into Abe as she did so.

'Belle-' he began, his expression flitting from one of concern to surprise as she kissed him, her arms around his neck as Abe's found their way around her waist. Breaking away to look into his curious eyes, Belle smiled at him brightly, love adorning her features as she uttered the words that she had yearned to say. 'I love you too.'

As opposed to my more traditional endings of a chapter; this time all I have is a list of thanks to a couple of very important people who have reminded me that I cannot let this dream disappear. My Fiancé Dan and one of my closest friends Hailey. Thank you for reminding me how important it is not to let go of something I know I was made to do.

A new chapter will follow soon.

Thank you to all who take the time to read this!

Goodnight!

~x-xMasqueradeAngelx-x