Chapter 8: Some Unfinished Business

Disclaimer: Hellboy characters do not belong to me. However, Erica Schwarz, Volker Maynard the vampire, Luke the werewolf, Ezekiel the black werewolf, the one-eyed brown werewolf, Marie Baker, and the plot that isn't from the movie is mine.

Author's Notes: Thanks so much for the reviews! I love my reviewers! Erm, unfortunately this chapter isn't as long as you might be used to, but for the sake of my own sanity and that of my editor, I decided I should cut back on the twenty plus page chapters I've been writing. Anywhoo, the evil cliffee with Erica being attacked by a werewolf will be cleared up, and we start getting into the events that happened before the second scene in the movie(the snowy one), such as Hellboy breaking out to see Liz, which means she shows up for the first time in the story! Enjoy the chapter!

amyltrer: Thanks! I really liked the fighting scenes too. Actions scenes are some of my most favorite to write. Great to know you like I x K. I wasn't sure how people were going to take that.

The Common Wind Deity: Wow! A big review! Yeah, Richard apologizing has got to be one of the funniest parts. It's so unexpected! Unlike I x K… thanks for letting me know I wrote that part realistically!

Psycho Clowns: A new reviewer! Yay! Hmm, you've given me an idea about her family. I may just have to use it! Thanks!

musicamode: The twist was what made it so much fun! I think Richard is one of my favorites, too. The other would have to be Luke.

iluvrocknroll: Sorry about the evil cliffee, it couldn't be helped. Are you sure your grandmother's not a werewolf? Just kidding! Oh, and a big thanks for the 'kill me' stamp idea you left in a review of an earlier chapter. I put it to good use in here.

"Remember, we all stumble, everyone of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand."—Emily Kimbrough

A Warehouse Complex

Night

Hellboy jumped into space. The wind rushed by his face—he landed with a dull thud on the flat roof of another warehouse. A few meters away the black werewolf stood on all fours looking very disappointed that Hellboy hadn't fallen. A nearby skittering of claws on concrete announced Luke's successful landing on the roof. The left side of Luke's face grinned at the black werewolf, the grin made all the more horrible by the slack right side of his face. Luke's gold hoop earrings clinked together as he crouched low on all fours, gathering himself for a spring.

"You're a traitor to your own kind," the black werewolf spat, his eyes shining red. The light of the full moon played across his inky fur and lit the roof brightly.

"And glad to be one, Ezekiel," Luke replied. He threw himself at the black werewolf and the two tumbled across the roof, biting and clawing like mad as they tried to gain the upper hand.

"Hey! Red!"

Hellboy turned and saw Agent Moss standing on the roof of the warehouse Luke had just jumped from. Moss and Hellboy were separated by a gap of empty space the agent would never be able to jump.

"Stay there," Hellboy said gruffly.

A loud yelp from Luke drew his attention. Luke was laying on his side, his ears back and flat against his head in fear. The black werewolf stood over him, his eyes gleaming triumphantly as he went to tear out Luke's throat—Hellboy drew back his stone fist and punched the black werewolf square in the jaw. There was a loud crack of bone breaking and Ezekiel tumbled across the roof from the force of the blow. He got to his feet coughing loudly and then spit out two broken teeth and a mouthful of blood. The black werewolf growled with anger. His thin lips curled back to reveal his long, white teeth dripping with saliva dyed pink by his blood. He stalked towards Hellboy, his long claws clicking on the concrete roof. The look in his eyes was murderous.

"What? Are you comin' back for more, hairball?" Hellboy asked. He aimed his gun at the black werewolf as he came at him. Ezekiel's furry forehead was in the gun's sights. I'll get him right between the eyes, the demon thought. He tightened his finger on the trigger— Ezekiel abruptly changed direction and ran toward the edge of the roof and jumped. He sailed through space and landed on all fours on the roof of another warehouse—right next to a suddenly white-faced Agent Moss.

"Oh crap," Hellboy cursed.

"Come on!" Luke yelled over his shoulder as he leapt off the roof. His leap carried him in an arc that Hellboy knew would be too short to bridge the gap. Luke was less than a meter from his destination when Hellboy saw the werewolf fall straight down, his paws wind-milling crazily and clawing at the air—Luke grabbed the edge of a window ledge as he plummeted and dug his claws in, stopping his fall with a sound a hundred times worse than nails being dragged over a chalkboard. The scruffy werewolf's back legs scrabbled at the wall for a foothold, tearing long trenches in the cinderblock wall.

He'll be fine, Hellboy thought, watching as Luke began climbing up the vertical surface. Hellboy backed up a few steps and took a running jump. Thankfully he reached the other side and his boots hit the concrete roof, transferring the force of the landing into his feet. He winced.

BAM!

The sound of the gunshot shattered the night air. Unfortunately Agent Moss had missed. The black werewolf snarled and reared up on his back legs, towering over the Agent. Moss's already white face went even paler as the werewolf's shadow fell over him— Ezekiel threw himself on the Agent, knocking him down on the roof, and swiped a huge front paw across Moss's chest. Moss shrieked as the creature's curved claws tore through his jacket and into his skin.

Hellboy hissed in frustration as he tried to get a clear shot at the black werewolf. It was moving too much. And with his aim he knew he'd miss. To hell with this! Hellboy thought as he ran towards the struggling agent and the werewolf.

Agent Moss fumbled desperately with his handgun as the werewolf's jaws snapped open, sending a blast of reeking hot air into Moss's face. The Agent pulled the trigger—the werewolf reared back, howling in pain as the silver bullet tore into his back leg—a flying blur of brownish fur struck Ezekiel full force in the side, pushing him away from Agent Moss. It was Luke.

The black werewolf struggled to his feet. His back leg was bleeding profusely and he held it slightly off the ground. The sickening smell of silver reacting with the werewolf's blood filled the air. Maddened by pain Ezekiel crouched low to the ground, his red eyes fixed on Luke as he prepared to attack—

"Hey! Hairball!" Hellboy shouted.

Ezekiel's head swiveled to face him. Hellboy grinned as the black werewolf darted a look back at Luke. Ezekiel was standing between them. He was trapped, and the look on the werewolf's face clearly displayed that he knew it. In the sudden silence they could hear Agent Moss groaning in the background as he rolled over on his side and tried to sit up. Hellboy raised his huge gun.

"Say goodbye, hairball," he said.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ezekiel replied, staring down the barrel of the huge weapon.

Hellboy's finger tightened on the trigger. Ezekiel grinned knowingly at him. The red demon studied the werewolf with narrowed eyes.

"And why not?" Hellboy asked.

"Look down there," the werewolf said, his red eyes gleaming evilly. He pointed with one long claw over the edge of the roof.

Below them Erica was shooting over her shoulder as she ran away from the brown werewolf that was chasing her. No biggie. She and Abe can deal, Hellboy thought. He scanned the ground, expecting to see Abe in hot pursuit of the brown werewolf. But the fish man wasn't anywhere in sight.

That's not a good sign, he thought. He looked at Ezekiel and then down at the ground, torn between finishing off the black werewolf and helping his friends.

"Hellboy!" Luke yelled.

Hellboy turned his head just in time to see the gigantic black werewolf come flying straight towards him, his lethal claws fully extended and his mouth open in a ferocious snarl.

"Whoa!" the demon yelled. He threw himself flat on the roof and the black werewolf sailed over him, growling with frustration. Ezekiel landed on all fours, his nails gouging long channels across the concrete roof as he brought himself to a stop a few inches from the edge. Ezekiel looked back at Hellboy and smiled craftily. Then he leaned over the edge of the roof and started to climb down.

"I don't think so!" Hellboy yelled. He grabbed the werewolf's tail with his right hand.

The werewolf howled in pain as the stone hand crushed his tail and dragged him away from the edge. Hellboy punched left and right, feeling his stone fist sink deep into the werewolf's body. Two blows to the werewolf's jaws left them hanging slack and dripping with blood. The black werewolf whimpered and a strangled howl gurgled from his throat as he pawed at his broken jaws. Luke threw himself into the melee, tearing and biting at the black werewolf's neck and back. Ezekiel fought for his life, his red eyes now shining with fear and desperation. Claws raked across Hellboy's arms, ripping through his red skin—the red demon threw Ezekiel to the ground and slammed a boot down on the werewolf's side, caving in a section of his ribs and pinning him to the ground.

"Luke! Move!" Hellboy yelled as he brought his huge gun up so it was aimed directly at the black werewolf's head. Luke let go of his hold on Ezekiel's neck and backed away with blood dripping down his chin. Hellboy looked down at Ezekiel. The werewolf's red eyes were wide open and his ears lay flat against his head.

"You have so got to die," Hellboy said.

BAM!

The black werewolf's eyes rolled back in his head as his body twitched and then went limp. A pool of dark steaming blood began spreading across the roof as it drained from Ezekiel's heart. The nauseating stench of silver and werewolf blood was thick in the cold autumn air.

Hellboy lowered his gun and stomped over to Agent Moss. The Agent was sitting up and leaning against a low barrier around that side of the roof. One of his hands was held tightly against his chest.

"You alright Moss?"

The Agent forced a smile and nodded slightly. Hellboy could see the Agent's bloody chest through the rips in his clothes. The red demon couldn't help but grin a little at the Agent.

"First vampy and now this. I swear you have a huge 'try-to-kill-me' stamp on your forehead with all the trouble you get into—"

The screech of tires alerted Hellboy to someone's arrival on the scene. From his vantage point on the roof he could see two shiny black cars pulling up outside the wall that surrounded the warehouse complex. A few agents piled out of the cars and headed toward the gates before the vehicles were fully stopped.

"I called for back up," Moss explained.

Hellboy nodded. "Stay here. I'm gonna help Erica and Abe. Hey, Luke!"

The werewolf looked up from sniffing at Ezekiel's ruined body, which was slowly transforming back into a gaunt looking human man. Luke looked disgusted.

"Yeah?"

"Come on. Blue's gonna need us."

XXXXX

Erica crouched on a narrow windowsill. She pressed her back against the window as she reloaded her gun with silver bullets. Good thing Abe told me to bring extras, she thought. Her chest heaved as she breathed heavily. She had just managed to get away from the werewolf by squeezing through the small gap between the wall of a warehouse and a stack of metal shipping containers. With the assistance of a rainspout she had climbed up to the window ledge that went around the second story of the building. That was where she was hiding now.

Below her she heard the soft tread of paw pads and the sound of loud sniffing. She drew her body as far back on the ledge as she could.

Damn. It's too bad I never learned how Kroenen scaled vertical surfaces, she thought, I could have gotten up here faster if I hadn't had to look for a way up.

Below her she could hear the werewolf hunting for her and mumbling to himself.

"Stupid human," the werewolf muttered, "I'm gonna kill her for stabbing me like that. Completely uncalled for. All I wanted to do was tear her limb from limb."

Erica put her gun under her trench coat to muffle the sound of her cocking her weapon. There was a soft metallic click and she held her breath, silently praying the werewolf hadn't heard it. Below her the sound of muttering continued unabated as the werewolf tried to pick up her scent. She breathed out slowly in relief and tried to bring her pounding heart under control. She risked a glance over the edge of the windowsill and saw the werewolf walking on all fours and drawing closer, licking absentmindedly at the human blood that stained his muzzle. I'm not going to let him find me, she decided. She glanced at the rainspout and the beginnings of a plan popped into her head. It wasn't a good plan, but it was better than nothing. Below her she heard the werewolf stumble.

"Ow! My arm! Stupid wound! These nightly killing sprees really take it out of me," the werewolf mumbled, as if expecting to get a reaction of sympathy or pity from some higher power.

"Good. That makes my job easier," Erica said.

Startled, the werewolf looked up as she jumped from her hiding place and slid down the rainspout, holding on with one hand. The friction burned her scratched palm and she let go and fell the last few feet to the ground. Without pausing she took aim and shot at the werewolf as it bounded towards her. The sharp reports from her gun echoed loudly across the warehouse complex. Two of the three bullets made contact and buried themselves in the werewolf's muscular shoulders. But the werewolf didn't stop charging—if anything he ran faster.

"Scheiße!" Erica turned and ran.

XXXXX

Abe had finally found the way out of the maze of crates. The fish man stepped through the doors of the building and out into the moonlit night. Erica was nowhere in sight. I wonder where she is, he thought, She said she would meet me here—

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running footsteps. He recognized the sound—there was no mistaking the noise jackboots made on asphalt. Erica? He thought. No sooner did he look in the direction of the footsteps than Erica appeared around the corner of the building running at top speed.

"Blue! Shoot that thing!" she yelled at him as she ran by.

"What?" he asked.

A loud angry snarl caused him to turn around—a one-eyed werewolf came straight at him, jaws slavering and blood pouring from the wounds on his furry shoulders. Abe was nearly run over as the creature charged by him on all fours, kicking up gravel as the werewolf's claws dug into the blacktop.

Oh no, Abe thought, his heart pounding loudly. Erica ran in a circle, the werewolf following close behind her. The fish man aimed his gun at the monster and waited tensely for Erica to be out of the way so he could shoot.

Erica's feet slid across the ground as she turned sharply to the left, hoping the werewolf's mass and speed would cause him to miss the turn and slide into the wall of a warehouse. But the werewolf made the turn, tearing up the asphalt as his claws dug in to prevent him from sliding. Great, just great, she thought, feeling the monster's hot, putrid breath on her neck. She half turned as she ran and threw a silver dagger at the creature's face. As she had hoped he slowed his speed and ducked, giving her time to get further ahead. Now she had enough distance to pull off a very risky maneuver that she knew would probably get her killed. She knew she couldn't run from the werewolf much longer. Her only chance was to turn and fight. As she ran Erica brought her gun up to her shoulder and got ready to turn around and shoot. Please don't let me miss, she prayed, I'll only get one shot. Her finger tightened on the trigger—

Abe waited, feeling helpless. Erica was running straight towards him with the werewolf behind her. She was in the way, he couldn't shoot—

—Erica whirled around and came to a dead stop, swiveling her arm so the gun's muzzle was pointed directly at the onrushing werewolf. The werewolf's single green eye widened with surprise and he reared up on his back legs as he tried to stop, making his heart an easy target for her—

Abe had felt his heart stop when Erica turned to fight the werewolf, but now it soared as he saw the werewolf rear up above her. He had the chance he needed! He aimed carefully—

BANG!

Blood spurted from a bullet hole in the werewolf's skull. Erica stared up at the creature, momentarily confused. Her finger still rested on the trigger she had never pulled. What the—? Who shot it? The sound of the shot had come from behind her… Abe, she thought and smiled. She was momentarily distracted by the sight of Luke and Hellboy standing nearby. They must have shown up just as the shot went gone off, she thought.

Abe's gills fluttered as he sighed with relief. That was too close, he thought. The fish man watched as Erica, Hellboy, and Luke stared at the one-eyed werewolf as it swayed and then slumped to the ground, dead. Everyone looked at Abe and then back at the werewolf. Hellboy's mouth was hanging open a little. Abe was pleased to see that his friend looked shocked.

"Whoa. Nice," Erica said, glancing down at the neat bullet hole in the werewolf's skull. It was exactly between the eyes.

"Where did that come from, Blue?" Hellboy asked.

Abe shrugged and smiled. "I can't let you have all the fun."

"Translation: you want to be a badass sometimes," Hellboy said.

Abe considered the demon's statement and then nodded. That got laughs from everyone, even himself.

"I believe that leaves us with one werewolf each, doesn't it?" Abe said.

"Speaking of which," Erica said, rounding on Luke, "Why didn't you tell us how many there were?"

Luke shrugged, an action that sent his gold earrings jangling together. "It slipped my mind."

"Somehow I think that must not be hard to do," came Erica's scathing reply.

Luke only grinned at her with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. "It's not all my fault. You didn't ask me, did you?" he pointed out.

Erica was about to reply when the sound of voices and the roar of car engines reached their ears. Abe knew it was the BPRD's agents. He looked towards the noise and saw the glow of flashlights and car headlights playing over buildings some distance from them.

"Well, so long my freaky darlings. I'll be going now," Luke announced, "If you need any help in the future, just give me and the others a call." He looked at Erica and winked. This time it was clearly on purpose and Abe felt his gills flare inside his respirator. Luke ignored him and continued. "As for you, cutie, if you ever get lonely or bored, you can call me anytime."

"Shut up," Erica replied, glaring a little.

Undeterred, Luke chuckled and trotted off in the opposite direction of the arriving agents, his scruffy tail wagging behind him. He stopped in the shadows of a warehouse and looked over his shoulder at them.

"By the way," he called back, "You might need our help sooner than you think. Something dark is stirring. All of the werewolves can feel it. It can't mean anything good."

Without stopping to explain he ran deeper into the shadows and melted into the night.

"That was cryptic," Erica said, "I wonder what he—?"

She was interrupted by the arrival of a convoy of cars. Abe quickly closed his set of transparent eyelids as the flashing lights and glaring headlights blinded him. The air was suddenly full of the sounds of slamming car doors and loud voices as the werewolf's dead body was spotted. A moment later the siren of an ambulance joined the cacophony.

"That's probably for Moss," Hellboy muttered as the ambulance careened across the pavement towards them.

"Why? Where is he?" Erica asked. She was still holding her gun. Abe looked closer at it. A thin trickle of scarlet red stained the dark metal as blood dripped from her hand.

"On a roof," Hellboy answered, "The poor guy—"

Just then Tom Manning arrived with the clean up crews and started shouting about something, adding to the clamor. Abe sighed.

This has been one hell of a night, he thought.

XXXXX

The Garbage Truck

Night

Hellboy sat alone in a corner of the garbage truck, brooding in the silence as the truck drove along the deserted streets. His happiness at successfully completing the mission had evaporated the moment he'd gotten in the truck. Probably because there was nothing to distract him from his own thoughts. This is the second mission I've been on since the last time I saw Liz, the red demon thought. He absentmindedly scratched at the bandages covering the deep gashes on his arm. Behind him he could hear the soft sound of Erica dabbing at her bleeding hands with gauze and the bubbling sound of Abe's respirator. He knew the fish man was looking at him.

"Red, what's wrong?" Abe asked, breaking the relative silence.

"I was just thinkin' about Liz, okay?" Hellboy said over his shoulder, irritated. He knew Abe knew exactly what he was thinking about. "Thinkin' about how much help she'd have been tonight, that's all," he added for Erica's benefit. Although she probably knew what he really meant…Hellboy looked out the one way mirror that served as a window in the truck, wishing they would passBellamie Mental Hospital on the way back to the BPRD. "God I miss her," he muttered softly.

But I can fix that, he thought. He glanced behind him at Abe, who was frowning slightly at him. It was obvious he knew what Hellboy was planning to do. But Blue won't turn me in, the demon thought, he never has. He sighed. Father is going to be so mad at me. But it'll be worth it. To see her.

XXXXX

The BPRD

Night

Marie Baker was doing her rounds. She'd finished washing and polishing the floor in the lobby some hours ago and was now going around turning off the lights in the halls so only the emergency lights were on. It saved electricity. She stifled a yawn as she walked down the hall. Custodians are so underappreciated, she thought, At least they pay really well here. More than makes up for the long hours. And the weirdness.

She started down the Artifact Hall and shivered as she looked at the glass cases displaying occult artifacts. The clay golem and the mummified hand were especially creepy, and she shuddered as she passed them and then quickly hurried on. She passed a few more cases containing reliquaries, pagan altars, preserved specimens floating in jars, ceremonial daggers, and carved statuary. She briefly stopped to admire a case containing two dried roses lying side by side. One rose was so muddy she could just barely tell that its petals had once been red. The stem of the muddy rose was broken and was only hanging on by a thin piece of the plant's outer skin. The other rose was black and had a crimson ribbon tied around its stem in a bow. Marie peered at the ribbon, squinting in an effort to read the spidery script writing on the ribbon. She finally decided it wasn't written in English.

Probably German, Marie Baker thought absentmindedly, I wonder what it says. Then again, if it's in here, it's probably best not to know. She passed a case containing the Spear of Longinus and nodded respectfully. When she looked up again she noticed something very odd and somewhat frightening about the set of pneumatic doors in front of her. Big dents from an oversized fist had deformed the two-inch thick metal plates.

"Those are going to have to be replaced," she muttered, frowning, "And that damage had better not mean what I think it does." She stepped up to the dented doors. They opened slowly, the damaged mechanisms struggling, and she quickly jogged down the hall through a few more sets of doors. She went through the last set and came to an abrupt halt as she saw the stainless steel door at the end of the hall that led to Hellboy's room. Or at least, she saw what was left of it. The metal was twisted and warped; there were holes in a few places where the metal had torn under the stress of a stone fist beating at it. A small furry brown kitten peaked through one of the holes and mewed mournfully.

Hellboy was gone. Again.

Marie grimly pulled a walkie-talkie from her pocket, knowing full well that all the damage was going to mean staying even later and possibly all night, doing a heap of paperwork, and calling in a repair crew ASAP. Oh, and add an angry, grounded Hellboy to all of that, she thought.

XXXXX

Bellamie Mental Hospital

Night

Liz watched as Hellboy gingerly sat down on the stone bench beside her. As usual his body was covered in scrapes and bruises, and as usual they were obviously hurting him. The chilly autumn wind blew through the topiary garden and Liz shivered and drew her sweater closer around her. Dry leaves swirled at her feet and somewhere in the distance of the city a dog barked.

"Boy, did we have a bad night," Hellboy said, sighing.

"What happened?" Liz asked. She examined his face in the dim light from a bulb that was lighting up some of the leafless bushes.

"I don't even want to talk about it."

"Did it have anything to do with all those sirens about midnight?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

"Was it really that bad?" she asked, concerned.

"Could'a been worse. These past few days have been crazy, Liz. You know how it is around Halloween," he said. She nodded. Inside her stomach squirmed with the familiar feeling of indecision about where she belonged. She wrapped her arms around herself against the cold both inside and outside of her and she leaned against Hellboy's shoulder. The familiar scent of his brown leather trench coat filled her nose and she smiled. Hellboy continued. "I mean, we barely got back from dealin' with a vampire in Transylvania—"

"A vampire?" Liz asked, curious.

"Yeah. Turned out to be one of Erica's buddies from WWII. Name's Volker or somthin'. We sent Erica into his castle as bait. She wasn't too happy about that." Liz saw him smirk a little at the memory.

"What happened?"

"Vampy got a hold of her somehow. But I showed up just in time and I got to kick some major vampire butt."

Liz could hear the pride in his voice and smiled. She had a feeling he might not be telling the whole story, but it was good to hear about what he and the others had been doing. She felt her smile fade as she thought about everyone at the BPRD. She missed them more than she wanted to admit to herself.

"We all wished you were there. I mean, you could'a just incinerated the guy and been done with it—"

Liz interrupted him before he could convince her to go back to the BPRD. "No. No, I'm not coming back," she said quietly, looking down at her lap. She toyed with a loose thread on the cuff of her red hospital issued robe, trying to stop her fingers from straying to the rubber bands on her wrist. She knew Hellboy would flip out if he knew the doctors at Bellamie had her snapping herself with rubber bands so she didn't set the whole building on fire. "I won't," she added.

A large red hand gently tilted her chin up so she was looking Hellboy in the eyes. "You always say that," he said, "And you never mean it."

"I mean it this time," she said firmly. But even she could hear the sadness in her voice.

Hellboy frowned a little. His red flecked gold eyes studied her face with concern. "Liz—"

"Why don't you tell me about tonight?" she asked, trying desperately to change the subject, "How did you get out? You didn't break out again, did you? Manning hates that."

"He hates everythin'," Hellboy said dismissively, "I broke out after I got back from finishin' off some werewolves with Abe and Erica. Clay's on medical leave so Moss was assigned to me. And he was so beat up after the mission he's in the hospital. And there was no one to watch me…it was easy. They probably don't even know I'm gone yet."

She laughed softly and smiled at him. "You're so grounded."

"I know. But it's worth it to see you again," he said softly. He smiled and wrapped his tail around her waist.

She nodded to mask the confusion inside her. She didn't know what she thought about him. She didn't know where she belonged or where she wanted to be. She hated being at the mental hospital. She wasn't crazy. But she was making progress with her pyrokinetic abilities—curse—whatever. She pushed those thoughts out of her head. She just wanted to enjoy the moment with Hellboy.

And that was exactly what she did.

XXXXX

The BPRD

Professor Broom's Study

Morning

"You're grounded," Broom informed his son. The Professor stood beside his desk, both hands clasped around the top of his cane.

"Again?" Hellboy asked, sounding resigned.

"Yes, again," Professor Broom said sternly, "Not only did you damage the building when you broke out, but someone on the street got you on film. Manning threw a fit when he found out."

"Why? He likes bein' on TV."

"Because this is the fifth time you've escaped."

"I just wanted to see her," Hellboy explained. His voice was very quiet.

Professor Broom felt his stern expression soften a little. "I know you miss Liz," he said gently, "But you have to respect her decision to leave the BPRD."

"So what to you want me to do? Never see her again?" Hellboy said. His voice was suddenly tinged with anger. His eyes were like twin burning coals.

Professor Broom didn't back down. He knew from experience how to deal with his son's anger. He was the only one Hellboy would listen to. "Of course not. You just have to be supervised—"

"Supervised? Do you have any idea what it'd be like to be supervised when you're tryin' to have a relationship with someone?"

"I know it's difficult for you. You should talk to Abe. He knows what it's like—"

"Abe wouldn't recognize love if it came up to him and slapped him in the face!" Hellboy hissed cynically, his voice raised.

"We could arrange for Liz to visit—"

That was when the storm broke.

"She won't come back! I've tried!" Hellboy said. His voice was full of frustration. "That's why I had to break out to go see her!I couldn't even sneak off to see her after the mission because of the nanny squad!"

"Those agents are there for your protection—"

"No they're not! They're there for the public's protection! So somebody doesn't have a heart attack if they see me! So people don't find out that I exist! I don't need protection!"

Broom was beginning to lose his patience. "But you do need someone with common sense because you don't have any! I have tried to give you options but you won't even listen!"

"Maybe that's because I want to do somethin' myself for once! I'm not a little kid anymore!"

"Then stop acting like one and start acting like an adult!"

"I am actin' like an adult! Just like one that wants some freedom!"

The Professor slammed the tip of his cane against the floor. "Hellboy!" he said sharply, his voice raised, "That is enough! Go to your room!"

Hellboy's eyes widened as he realized he had gone too far. Regret crossed his face but was quickly swallowed up again by a mixture of anger and frustration.

"Fine," he muttered and stomped towards the doors.

"And you can stay there until I get back!" Broom added.

Hellboy only grunted something in response. The Professor doubted his son had even heard him. He's so angry he didn't even bother to ask me what I meant by that, Professor Broom thought. He watched as Hellboy wrenched open one of the doors and went out into the hall where two agents were waiting to escort him. The door slammed shut behind him.

Broom sighed and slowly sank into a chair, already regretting his argument with Hellboy. He knew his son wouldn't believe it, but in the past Broom had had similar arguments with Manning on his son's behalf. If the Head of Special Operations had been anyone else he might have gotten somewhere, but Manning loathed the 'freaks' at the BPRD.

He certainly works in the wrong place, Broom thought.

He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He felt as frustrated as his son. He truly wanted Hellboy to be able to live like a normal person, to be able to visit Liz, but with the way things were he couldn't give that to him. I will do something, though, Broom decided, I want to at least try to do something for him. Before it's too late…if it's what I think it is…

He heard the soft swish of water and instantly put up mental barriers in his mind. He opened his eyes and saw Abe swimming in the huge aquarium. The fish man hovered in front of the glass with a sympathetic look on his face.

"I heard what happened," he said simply.

The Professor sighed. "I'll talk with him later when he's calmer. Maybe after I get back."

"When you get back?"

"Yes. I'm leaving for New York tomorrow morning on important personal business," Broom said. He felt a little guilty about twisting the truth, but he wasn't ready to tell anyone—not even Abe—the truth. Or what he feared was the truth. "If it wasn't so important I wouldn't leave at such a busy time, but I have no choice. I'll be back in a few hours, though. One of the Agents is going to drive me."

Abe blinked at him and fluttered his gills, looking mystified by his words. Or by the fact that I'm not telling the whole truth. Finally Abe nodded at him. Broom was thankful that the fish man didn't try to pry the truth out of him. The Professor stood with some difficultly and leaned on his cane as he limped over to the glass aquarium. The beads of the rosary wrapped around his wrist gently clacked together as he moved. The sound was strangely comforting.

"I've arranged for one of the agents to come in occasionally and turn the pages of your books for you while I'm gone."

"Thank you," Abe replied politely, "But what about Hellboy?"

"Agent Moss has returned from the hospital. He has bandages all over his chest and a few stitches, but he'll recover. He can look after Hellboy until Clay returns. He should be back tomorrow before I am. As for the long term…I've known for some time that we needed Clay to train a replacement for himself. Last night's events, with Agent Moss' injuries and Hellboy's breakout, have thrown that into sharp relief. And Clay has requested that he be transferred to being back in the field. I have a roster of seventy or so academy graduates and I've had one man in mind for a while. I had one of our secretaries call him and offer him the job," Broom smiled at the memory, "Of course he was only informed of generalities, but I think his reaction to his first day here will be a good indicator of whether he's the right one."

"He accepted, then," Abe said.

Broom nodded. "He'll arrive after I get back. Oh, and Hellboy doesn't know yet. Don't tell him. I want it to be a surprise," Broom smiled slightly.

The doors of the study opened and Agent Moss came bursting in with an unbelievable amount of energy for someone who had been attacked by a werewolf and spent the night in the emergency room. Abe stared at the Agent with some surprise. Broom only smiled. He was just happy that Moss had survived the encounter with the werewolf. The Professor dreaded having to inform families that they had lost a member.

"I see you're feeling better," Broom said.

"Yup, practically as good as new," the agent said happily, "Who would've thought?" Moss grinned at them, pure mischief glinting in his eyes.

Abe read the man's thoughts and his eyes widened. "You're having a party in the cafeteria?" he asked.

"Yeah, why not?"

"What about Manning?" Professor Broom asked. His tone was stern but Abe saw the old man's eyes twinkling behind his round spectacles.

"Him?" Moss shrugged, "He can come if he wants. I think we all deserve a little rest and relaxation with how busy we've been. The end is finally in sight! Halloween is tomorrow! So, are you two coming?"

"I'd love to," Broom replied.

Abe thought for a moment. Why not? I don't have anything better to do. And I might actually enjoy myself. He nodded and the Agent's smiled widened. Abe could feel his own lips twitch upwards in response. The Agent's good mood was contagious.

"Great! I'll tell the others. Be there at, say, seven?" Without waiting for an answer Agent Moss rushed out the door.

Why is it no one ever seems to just come in here and sit down for a while? Abe mused as he watched the doors swing shut again.

Author's Notes: I hoped you all liked the scene with Liz, and the one with Hellboy's argument with his Father. They were mentioned in the movie, so I thought it would be cool to write about them. Cookies to anyone who can tell me which of the things in the Artifact Hall belongs to Erica! Next chapter Luke's mysterious warning is discussed and we'll finally get into the second, snow covered scene from the movie. The chapter after next (chapter ten) will be about Grigory's Resurrection! Please review!