The early morning hours saw no change in Hellboy's condition, and all Kate could do was continue to wait. Sitting pretzel-style in a plastic chair with his coat still wrapped around her, she could only think about him. With her brows furrowed and lines of worry adorning her features, she watched Abe perform a multitude of tasks with highly technical-looking devices all of which were supposed to monitor Hellboy's condition. John stood vigil behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder. Near the door, Professor Broom and Manning were speaking heatedly in hushed tones. Hellboy remained oblivious to all, lying unconscious on the cold, metal table with his mouth slightly open and his eyes closed as he slept. Kate wondered if that was how he looked when he normally slept. He looked peaceful enough to fool her into forgetting just how seriously he was hurt, but only for a moment.
John shifted behind her. "How's your head?" he whispered.
Kate reached up and touched the bandage that was wrapped around the top of her head and winced when she applied pressure to the injury. "I'll be alright," she said, looking up to meet his eyes. "Is there some sort of award for 'second concussion' around here?"
Myers chuckled and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "He'll be okay, you know," he said. Kate nodded, but was not consoled.
The conversation between Manning and Professor Broom had now grown loud enough for Myers and Kate to hear. "This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last," Manning was saying. "If you can't find a way to tighten the leash on that monstrosity, I'll have to shut this operation down. What are we supposed to say when people are murdered, houses are destroyed, and someone saw a big, red monkey enter the house before the crime was committed? I can't keep coming up with lies, Trevor, and the government is worried that the public is becoming suspicious. Frankly, I don't blame them. That's exactly what's happening because it's getting harder and harder to keep this all a secret. And why? Because of him." He pointed to Hellboy. Broom sighed and leaned on his cane, watching as Manning stormed out of the room.
"Can you believe that?" whispered Kate. "I mean, really. How can he just talk about him like he's some sort of—"
"Freak?" said John. Kate didn't respond. Broom had crossed the room and was now speaking with Abe.
"Why can't Broom stand up to him?" asked Kate.
John leaned down next to her chair. "Manning could shut down the Bureau if he wants to. And we know people still need us. All we can do is go on trying to please Manning and, at the same time, try to get done what we need to get done. It's a tough situation, but we can't let him shut us down."
They were silent as they watched Broom and Abe discussing Hellboy. Kate sighed and removed her glasses to look at them. One of the agents who had arrived at the scene had picked them up and returned them to her. They hadn't managed to survive the brawl; the lenses were cracked down the middle and the frame was nearly snapped in half. Returning them to her face, Kate noted wryly that they were barely holding together across the bridge of her nose. Somehow, this seemed funnier than it was, and Kate found herself suppressing a fit of giggles. John noticed the change in her demeanor and laid a hand on top of her own.
"You okay?" he questioned, looking worried.
An unavoidable smile crept into her features as she addressed him. "Fine."
It was becoming harder to hold back her laughter and she rose from her chair, intent on leaving the solemnity of the current setting. Once in the next room, Kate took a moment to observe the empty space, identical to the room she had just left. She paced for a moment, looking down at the empty metal table where Hellboy was laying in the next room. It was then in her solitude that she succumbed, her wry mirth beginning in chuckles and quickly progressing toward booming laughter. She placed a hand on her forehead and laughed, pacing all the while.
Someone placed a hand on shoulder from behind and she soon found herself facing Abe, his almond eyes searching her beneath the surface. She couldn't speak. Her laughter was so great that it caused her to shake. "Kate," Abe said tentatively.
The sound of her name being spoken alarmed her and she quickly put a hand over her mouth, silencing herself. Her shoulders still shook, but she was no longer laughing.
"I think I need new glasses," she said simply, touching the broken frame. Abe sighed, but did not speak. Nothing needed to be said.
"I'm ready to go back now," she concluded, her voice weak.
Abe stared at her intently for a moment before nodding and leading her back to where Hellboy lay, looking just as he had when she left. Myers had gone. "Manning wanted to see him," explained Abe as soon as Kate had noticed his absence. Kate placed a hand lightly on Abe's elbow and smiled weakly.
Professor Broom was sitting at Hellboy's side, staring down at him. Joining him, Kate followed his gaze to Hellboy's face.
"Will he be alright, Professor?" she asked quietly.
Broom tore his gaze from Hellboy to look at her. "I imagine so," he said. He sounded hoarse, but otherwise he seemed his usual self. Kate wondered how he was able to keep himself composed.
"Will you be alright, Dr. Hayward?" The question startled her.
"It's just a concussion," she replied dismissively.
Broom watched her over the top of his glasses and if Kate hadn't known better, she'd have thought he could read her as easily and accurately as Abe could.
Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers, willing away thoughts of what had happened at Gold's house. "I'll live," she said, placing her hands on her hips. She felt the cool leather of Hellboy's jacket against her palms and shivered. "Is agent Gold really—"
"Yes, doctor, he's dead." His blunt response surprised her until she understood that Broom had guaranteed Gold's safety only a few nights ago.
Kate hesitated . "I don't think any of us understood exactly what we were up against," she said.
Broom gave a curt nod in response.
Kate watched Hellboy's chest rise and fall as he slept. "I wish I could have done something."
Broom chuckled and rested his hand on top of hers. "My dear, Hellboy is quite capable of taking care of himself. There's nothing you could have done. If this had happened to you, doctor, it would have been unlikely you would have survived." He smiled up at her. "I'm glad you're well," he said, patting her hand lightly.
Kate smiled sadly as Broom returned to his post watching over Hellboy. "Professor, get some rest. Abe and I can stay with Hellboy." She told herself that it was the least she could do for Professor Broom since she had not been able to help Hellboy, but something compelled her to stay for other reasons.
Broom looked as though he was about to protest when he seemed to think better of it. Rising from his chair with a groan, he took his cane in his right hand and went to the door, pausing to look back at Hellboy once more before he left the room.
Kate plopped down in the chair where Broom had been sitting. "So, what do you think?" she asked, watching Abe expectantly.
Abe glanced at her over his shoulder. "I can't say when he will wake, but he seems to be doing better than he was a couple of hours ago."
Nodding, Kate leaned back in her chair. Pulling Hellboy's jacket more closely around her, she settled in for a long night of waiting.
XxXxX
Kate was desperately fighting off the urge to succumb to sleep hours later. Abe had left to go examine Gold's living room where the fight had taken place, leaving Kate straining for vigilance in a state of exhaustion.
Sighing, she shifted in her seat and chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. She'd been running the scene at Gold's house over in her head ever since Abe left. Ystehogol had some relationship to Broom; clearly there was something he wanted from him. But, if he had been in contact with Broom before, why was it he didn't seem to know about Hellboy? There had been no recognition when they were in the same room together, and it would have been logical to think that Ystehogol had, at some point, penetrated Broom's mind and would have seen Hellboy. Why didn't he recognize him? The answer, Kate concluded, would likely have to come from Broom himself, that is, if he could remember his experiences in the Arctic.
The urge to rest was becoming more powerful, and Kate was just beginning to nod off when a voice startled her.
"Not sleeping on the job, are you?"
Heart racing, Kate recognized Hellboy's gruff voice instantly and stared at him with wide eyes. Hellboy was fully awake and attempting to sit up, groaning as he moved.
"You're okay?" she asked stupidly, shocked to see him suddenly conscious.
Hellboy chuckled and then winced, clutching his side. "Yeah," he breathed, trying not to look pained, "I'm fine."
There was a pause before Kate could react, and finally regaining her senses, she slapped him on the shoulder.
"Ow!"
"What's wrong with you?" asked Kate, giving him an indignant look.
Hellboy stared at her in alarm. "Me? What's wrong with you?"
"I told you not to try and fight him! Why didn't you listen to me?"
Now irritated, Hellboy drew himself up slightly to intimidate her. "Hey, I saved both our asses, didn't I?"
"You were lucky—we were lucky."
The seriousness in her tone rendered Hellboy silent, and his expression softened as he watched her fuming. Uncomfortable under Hellboy's scrutiny, Kate looked at the floor.
"Sorry," she mumbled, fingering a pocket on Hellboy's jacket.
Hellboy glanced at her hand and felt a strange fluttering sensation at the sight of her still wearing his jacket.
He sighed. "How long was I out?"
Visibly relaxing at the change of subject, Kate slumped back in her chair. "I don't know. At least eight hours, I think. Wasn't looking so good."
She glanced at Hellboy who was listening to her with a cocky smile.
"Hey, nothing's gonna beat me any time soon."
Kate allowed herself a small smile and rolled her eyes. "But you believe me now, right? That he's a bigger threat than you thought, and that it'll take more than brawn to win against him," she chided.
Hellboy mumbled incoherently just as Abe walked into the room.
"Well, it's about time, Red," he said as he made his way over to check the machines Hellboy was still hooked up to. "There was no need for you to take all night about it. We've been waiting quite a long time." His eyes sparkled as he turned to look at his old friend.
"I was just enjoying everyone worrying about me, that's all," said Hellboy, winking at him.
Kate stifled a chuckle.
"Everything looks good," said Abe, shifting his attention from the machines to Kate, "no need to worry."
Kate felt her cheeks grow warm and stole a glance at Hellboy who looked curious.
Clearing her throat, she hesitated before she spoke. "We were lucky, I guess, that you had your locator belt on you. Otherwise, who knows how long we would have been there."
Abe perked up. "How is it you two managed to fight off Ystehogol?"
Kate remembered the struggle; she remembered Ystehogol backing away from Hellboy, their forms blurry. It hadn't occurred to her to ask exactly how they had been able to get away.
"Hellboy?" she questioned, looking at him quizzically.
Hellboy smirked. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small pendant, dangling from a chain. The pendant appeared to be a miniature model of a Saint.
"Amulet. Wards off demons and dark entities," he explained, handing it to Kate.
Kate stared at the pendant in her hand and then gazed at Hellboy in amazement. "This?"
Hellboy nodded.
"That was…smart," said Kate.
Hellboy graced her with a Cheshire grin. "So, you're saying I'm capable of both brawn and brain?"
Kate silently handed the amulet back to him. "What I still don't understand," she said, fingering her hair not covered by the bandage, "is why Ystehogol couldn't read me. You're a good teacher Abe, but I don't think I've gotten good enough to be able to block that kind of force, and especially not face to face."
They were silent, each trying to solve how the feat had been accomplished.
It was Hellboy who spoke first.
"I think I know. Kate, you remember that day when we investigated the library, and I slipped that gun into your bag before we went in?"
How could she forget? She still had the gun lying at the bottom of her bag; she was terrified to touch it.
She nodded.
"That wasn't all I slipped in there."
Confused, Kate reached around her for the bag. Never far from her, it was resting underneath her chair, and she pulled it onto her lap, rummaging through the hodgepodge of items inside. Suddenly, her hand rested on something unfamiliar, and she pulled out what resembled a test tube; it was a glass cylinder attached to a chain. Inside the cylinder was a small bone.
"Bone from Saint Dionysius. Gave it to you for protection."
Kate stared at the reliquary. It all made sense.
"Abe, that's why Ystehogol could only leave me a warning that day in the library. That's why he couldn't get the information he wanted from me when he attacked me that night in the hallway, or when we were at Gold's house last night. That's why I've survived each time. It wasn't me, it was this."
Kate grasped the reliquary tightly in her hand. She raised her eyes to Hellboy. "Thank you." It was spoken gravely.
Her small hand found his. Hellboy, unable to speak, merely nodded.
"Abe," said Kate, and her hand left Hellboy's.
Abe, who was looking fixedly at Hellboy, jerked his head toward Kate.
"I think he's after Broom. He asked me about him. It seemed really important to him. I wonder if…" She paused, putting together the pieces.
All of Ystehogol's victims had been B.P.R.D. agents; they'd be the only ones who would know about Professor Broom's whereabouts. Ystehogol must have searched for anyone with memories of Broom and found all of the retired agents.
She looked at Abe who nodded. "I think that's exactly it, Kate."
"What?" asked Hellboy, looking back and forth between the two of them.
"But, couldn't he just have contacted Broom himself? Why go through those agents to get to him?" Kate questioned.
"It seems it would be safe to say that Ystehogol, for whatever reason, cannot make a connection to Broom himself. That will have to be determined as we learn more about this Arctic excursion and what happened between the Professor and Ystehogol."
Kate felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Broom still couldn't remember enough to tell them what had happened to him. How were they supposed to figure everything out with so much information missing?
"Wait a minute, wait," said Hellboy, holding up his hands between Kate and Abe. "The retired agents? That's who you're talking about?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Keep up, will you?"
In an attempt to look angry, Hellboy directed a glare at her which was more comical than serious, and fell silent.
"If Ystehogol wanted Broom that badly though, wouldn't he already be here? I mean, those agents would all know the location of the B.P.R.D. and he'd know how to get here by now," said Kate.
Abe shook his head, but it was Hellboy who answered. "The Bureau moved. Twenty years ago we were over in Newark. We moved to Trenton later."
Kate released a slow breath and covered her face with her hands. "Oh my God…" she breathed, her voice muffled. She looked up at Abe. "That may just have saved his life. There aren't any retired agents from this location?"
"No, not yet," said Abe.
"You're forgetting," added Hellboy, "that it hasn't been any old retired agent he's targeting—it's the ones on that list who knew about the excursion."
Kate had completely forgotten.
"They all knew about that trip and why he was going."
"So, Ystehogol clearly wants to confront Broom about something related to that trip," said Kate.
Then a thought struck her. She remembered the Poe poem, 'The spirits of the dead who stood in life before thee are again in death around thee and their will shall then overshadow thee.' Threatening...
"Revenge," she whispered.
Kate stared at Abe and Hellboy, waiting for a reaction. When neither of them spoke, she sighed. "Don't you get it? He wants revenge. Something happened between Broom and Ystehogol in the Arctic. For all we know, Broom could have done something to him to make him angry, and he's trying to find him."
Hellboy watched her steadily. "No, that couldn't—"
"He warned me." Kate held eye contact with him for a few moments before he scratched the back of his neck and shrugged.
"Maybe," he responded simply.
It occurred to Kate then that Hellboy was clearly worried for Broom. The notion of Ystehogol taking revenge on Broom was not a comforting one, and Kate had been sitting there trying vigorously to convince him that Ystehogol was trying to kill his father.
Abe chose his timing tactfully. "Well, I might as well notify Professor Broom about your condition," he said abruptly.
Before he left, he placed a hand on Hellboy's shoulder. "Good to have you back, Brother Red," Abe said warmly. Hellboy nodded and watched him leave.
He now seemed thoroughly uncomfortable, and Kate wondered what had caused his change of mood. Well, aside from Abe blatantly leaving them alone together, she mused.
"Hellboy," she said softly.
Hellboy turned to look at her. His expression was oddly blank.
"I, uh…you know we'll fix this, right? Broom will be okay—"
"Yeah, I know."
Kate watched her hands in her lap. "I didn't mean to suggest that—"
"Don't worry about it."
Still focused on her lap, she heard Hellboy shift positions painfully. When she looked at him, he had raised himself up enough to be able to turn and completely face her, sitting on the metal table. His clothes were torn in places, the result of his struggle at Gold's house. His face and arms were covered in cuts. For a fleeting moment Kate thought to reach out and touch a small gash on his cheek, but the only sign of this idea coming to her was a small twitch of her hand which she tried to cover by putting her hands in the pockets of his jacket.
"I should really go find John and let him know you're awake," she whispered, rising from her chair.
She had begun to walk away when she remembered the jacket. Slipping it off and shivering when the air hit her skin, she handed the article to Hellboy. He took it gently, never taking his eyes off her, and nodded in thanks.
"Will you be okay if I leave you?" asked Kate.
Hellboy hesitated, opening his mouth and then closing it. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
Nodding, Kate went to the door. Before she could step outside, Hellboy's voice brought her to an abrupt halt.
"Just tolerable, huh?" he said with a smirk.
Kate shrugged and smiled. "You've grown on me."
With that, she left, leaving Hellboy staring at the spot where she had stood for quite some time.
A/N: A couple of things:
First of all, I'M SORRY! Yeah, it's been a long time since I've updated, and I know I'm a horrible person for that. I don't often get the time I need to sit down and work with this story, but, as I've said before, however long it takes, this story WILL be finished. That being said, I really want to thank all of you who continue to review and add this story to your favorites/alerts. Thank you for giving me the incentive to make time to write this! I really love writing these characters, and it's great to know that what goes on in my head is actually entertaining for all of you!
Alright, moving on. Kudos to those of you who caught the reference to the movies with the change of location of the Bureau. For those of you who didn't notice, in the first film the B.P.R.D. is said to be located in Newark, while the second film claims it to be in Trenton. Mind you, the building is the same, but I suppose they didn't think about it from the first film to the second. Just a fluke, I guess, but I wanted to reference that here.
Also, I know the past couple of chapters (including this one) have been fairly plot oriented and a little heavy, so thanks for sticking with me through all of this and we'll get to some lighter stuff in the next chapter, I promise.
As always, please review! It absolutely makes my day to hear from all of you! And yeah, over 20,000 hits and more than 200 reviews! Wow! I honestly never expected anyone to be that interested in this when I began, and I'm so thrilled! Thank you! You guys are amazing!
Thanks for reading!