Obligatory Disclaimer: Dark Horse and Mr. Mignola own all, save for my own original characters. A special thank you to Guillermo del Toro for bringing this wonderful character to my attention.

Torie hesitated a moment before she followed Hellboy as he stepped out of the elevator, trying to quickly absorb her surroundings. The corridor they stepped into was far from the institutional government décor she was expecting. There were no harsh lights. No boring colors. No sterile environs. Rather, there were various sized display cases that lined the walls, housing a myriad of objects that seemed to have no rhyme of reason for their location or grouping.

When Torie stopped to look at a case, she also noticed that the walls, which were painted a relaxing blue, were sponge painted by hand, a process that must have taken forever. But in the elevator ride up, Hellboy told her that they were in the "apartment complex" building, although he felt it was more designed like a nursing home than anything else.

In the case, a sword, broken in multiple pieces, reflected her image back at her. The placard by it read: Broken During the Exuberance Following the Death of King Alsi. Her mind reeled and Torie felt a little dizzy. Having Hellboy as a friend was sometimes hard enough to fathom, but actually seeing where he lived and worked was more than a little overwhelming.

"The sword of Glatsmoor. Used to kill the king of the trolls in the land of, well, Glatsmoor… which lays–. Tell you what, after we eat, I'll give you a tour. Show you all the sights. But let's get some food into your belly before all that; you might find yourself a bit overwhelmed otherwise."

Torie broke her gaze away from the case and weakly smiled up at her friend, hoping her anxiety didn't show on her face. Forcing her smile to be more cheerful, she said, "That would be great. But, before we go any further, I need to find a restroom."

Hellboy bit back a comment about women always having to go to the bathroom and, instead, said, "Second door there on the right. When you're finished, turn to the right, take the first corridor to the right and that'll lead you to the rec room slash kitchen where we'll be eating. You can't miss it. I'll let Kate know we're here."

Wetting her lips nervously, Torie nodded her head in understanding, but recited his directions back to be sure. "Right, right, straight. Got it. I'll be right there." Torie made a beeline for the ladies' room and was relieved to find herself in surroundings that were not foreign to her.

She went over to the sink and wet a paper towel, laying the moist paper across the back of her neck before going into a stall and locking herself in. Leaning against the closed door, Torie closed her eyes, not sure why she was suffering a panic attack, but she sure didn't want Hellboy to know about it.

All I need is a minute or two to calm down. It's just got to be the magnitude of the situation. I mean, it's the freakin' Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense! Who thought I'd ever set foot in this place? It's not like I'm going over to a friend's house and then a museum. There's got to be shit in here that no one would dare think exists. But I knew that coming in. And after making friends with someone that looks like Sam, the stuff in the cases should be easy enough to swallow. Besides, you're given a rare glimpse of a reality most people don't even know exists. You gotta trust Sam. Otherwise, what's the point in being here?

After she was done giving herself a pep talk, Torie let herself out of the stall and looked at herself in the mirror. After turning her face this way and that, she noticed her color had returned to normal. Torie smirked at her reflection, thinking that she had to be the biggest goober in the world.

With a once over of her hair, Torie opened the bathroom door and slipped into the hallway, where she immediately walked into two men dressed in black suits.

"Oh geez! I'm so sorry!" Torie could feel her cheeks darken and had never wished to melt into the floor as much as she did right then.

One of the men reached under his arm and settled his hand on his hidden piece. The other just looked her over slowly and then let a lazy smile form on his lips. He replied, "No worries. At all. Are you lost? Because I might be able to help you find your way back to your sheep, Bo Peep."

Feeling slightly sullied under the weight of his gaze, Torie had to resist rolling her eyes and instead, with a pleasant smile affixed on the man, replied, "Oh no. I'm supposed to be here. I'm having lunch with Hellboy and Kate. I was just so excited to get back to them, I forgot to look where I was going. But thank you. I hope you two have a great day." With that, Torie turned on her heel and walked as quickly as she could to the hallway on the right and turned the corner just as the man who had gone for his weapon said, "She couldn't wait to get away from you fast enough! Must be Hellboy's new girlfriend everyone's talking about."

Torie furrowed her brow in confusion, but before she could even think about what the men meant by it she was suddenly in the rec room.

An open and airy room, Torie took note of the large windows and groupings of comfortable couches amongst the lavender walls. In one corner was a large plasma screen television and off the corner opposite the TV was what looked like a large kitchen and dining area. Nestled amongst the sea of sofas were Hellboy and a woman that Torie presumed to be Kate.

Hellboy's back was to Torie, so the young woman put her index finger to her lips to indicate that Kate should keep quiet about her presence. Slowly tip toeing across the carpet, Torie then wrapped her arms around Hellboy in a big bear hug from behind and said, "You mean, you actually let your guard down? Who knew?"

Kate's laughter mixed with Torie's as Hellboy grumbled, "I knew you were there all along!"

Pressing her cheek against his, Torie hugged him again before disentangling her arms from around her friend. Stepping around the couch Hellboy was seated upon, Torie extended her right arm towards Kate. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Sam, I mean Hellboy, thinks the world of you. And I'm sorry for my rather immature behavior. Although I could go ahead and blame Hellboy, saying that he's rubbed off on me or is a bad influence, but I get the feeling that he wouldn't appreciate that… judging by the dirty look he's giving me."

Torie took the moment to quickly assess Kate. Very attractive woman, probably in her mid to late-40's but with smooth skin and no gray in her blonde hair, it was difficult to confirm. Her blonde hair was cut into a practical chin-length bob, she had kind blue eyes, and her lips seemed ready to curve into a smile at any moment. Torie also took note that Kate was slightly taller than her own five foot seven frame.

And that she looked vaguely familiar.

Kate smiled gently and stood to accept the handshake. "The way Hellboy talks about you, I feel like we've already met. And believe me, watching someone surprise Hellboy with their presence is a rare treat indeed." Kate appraised the younger woman before her. Although she couldn't swear it, Kate knew she had met the young woman before, although she could not quite place where. It'll come to me when I least expect it. "Please sit. We haven't even figured out what we'll be eating so maybe you can help us figure what to order from the kitchen."

As soon as Kate spoke, Torie flashed back to their previous meeting. Crap. This is going to get awkward.

Hoping that she appeared nonchalant, Torie sank into the sofa next to Hellboy and leaned back, sinking into the cushions. "I hope you two weren't waiting long. I kinda got lost on the way back here."

Kate shook her head, her air swinging slightly, making Torie think of a shampoo commercial. "Oh no, not at all. I was just telling Hellboy about the new semester at the University and the two new classes I'm teaching. Which, of course, means I don't get to work with the Bureau as often as I'd like," Kate said.

"Or as often as I'd like!" Hellboy griped. Both women chuckled as he crossed his arms across his chest in a mock pout.

After a bit of idle small talk, the trio placed their orders with the kitchen and made their way from the couches to the dining area. While waiting for their courses to arrive, Kate turned to Torie and asked, "So, since it's the one thing Hellboy didn't tell me about you, what is it that you do for a living?"

Quickly breaking Kate's gaze, Torie took a sip from her glass of ice water. Torie was very aware of Dr. Kate Corrigan and her reputation in folklore. Torie was also very aware that the woman was Director of Field Operations for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Why didn't I put two and two together? The two of them had actually both spoken at the same conference in Edinburgh two years ago. It was time to 'fess up.

Torie took a deep breath before blurting out, "Uhm, actually, Dr. Corrigan, we've met before. You might not remember because it was only in passing, but it was at the Edinburgh symposium two years back." Trying not to visibly wince, Torie looked at Kate through her lashes as she took another sip of water.

A look of confusion washed over the older woman's face as she furrowed her brow before the proverbial light bulb clicked on. "Victoria James! Oh my goodness! I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner! And your nickname threw me off. Do you know that your lecture on Pandora, Eve, Lilith and the other 'first women' was something I was just discussing with a colleague at the University the other day?"

Hellboy shook his head slightly, as if trying to shake loose some cobwebs inside his cranium. The conversation had spun into a direction that was beyond his comprehension and he suddenly felt like he was treading water in a tidal wave. What on earth were these two women talking about? Torie worked at a woman's shelter. What was all this about Eve and whatnot? A lecture? In Scotland? And he hadn't told Torie that Kate held a doctorate, let alone Kate's last name.

"Uhm, excuse me ladies. Care to explain what I'm missing? Because I'm very confused."

Torie sighed heavily and turned towards her friend. This was not how she wanted to explain things, but no use crying over spilt milk. "Uhm… well… Sam, I have a huge confession to make. I've sort of played down what I do for a living. Maybe more so than you did, truth be known. I'm actually on a sabbatical from what I usually do and decided that instead of goofing off or writing a book or whatever that people do when they go on sabbatical, I would put my knowledge to good use for a good cause. Which is how I ended up Programs Director at a woman's shelter in Connecticut."

Now Hellboy was even more confused. "So, if working at a woman's shelter isn't what you normally do… then are you going to clue me in on what you did before going on this sabbatical?"

Torie sighed again, trying to collect her thoughts, but this time Kate used the younger woman's hesitation to interrupt. "Your friend Torie here is not only an international humanitarian, crusading for women's rights worldwide, but she is becoming one of the world's foremost scholars on women in folklore, mythology and legends. She was nominated for the Nobel peace prize at age thirteen for a job-training program she founded and has been a champion for women worldwide ever since. I'm surprised that you haven't heard of her."

Crossing his arms over his chest and then recrossing them, Hellboy tried to figure out what to say. Wrapping his mind around what Kate just said wasn't coming too easily. Hellboy looked at Torie, who gave him a sheepish smile, and shook his head. Well if this didn't beat all!

"Folklore? Mythology? Legends? I thought you said that you had never heard of the BPRD?"

"Actually, I never said that I hadn't heard of the Bureau. I just had never heard of you."

Thankfully, their food was brought to the table just then and the awkwardness of the situation was momentarily suspended as they took inventory of their plates. All three were silent as they ate, each caught up with the situation that had just transpired.

After a few awkward moments, Torie set down her fork and tried to explain. "Sam, it wasn't like I was keeping a secret from you..." She faltered, knowing she was lying. "Actually, I suppose I was. There was a very specific reason that I ended up in Fairfield. And that was the proximity to the BPRD. Yet… once I got here, I realized that I could disappear into the crowd. It's just that I wanted to be someone else for a while. You have to realize that my parents were very public figures, too. As medical doctors who traveled all over the world, dispensing treatment to the poor and lecturing to the more well off so that they could afford to help the destitute, they were media darlings for their knack of speaking out against foreign leadership without straining relations between the United States and whatever country ended up on their radar. I grew up seeing the poorest of the poor. And the women seemed to suffer the most.

"Growing up the way I did, having what I did, made me angry when I saw how other cultures treated their women. My parents hated seeing it too, and supported my decisions to rail against what I saw. So from the time I could articulate myself, I did whatever I could to break down socio-economic barriers that cultures had installed to keep women from getting ahead. But after twenty, twenty-five, years of doing that, of never having known any other life – other than traveling the world, doing what I could to change it – I realized I was exhausted.

"So I wanted to be someone who was still doing some good for women who were without a champion, but who was a little less public. You have to understand that. I mean, come on, you're a pretty public guy yourself. After all, it's pretty impressive to be selected as Life Magazine's Man of the Year for your 50th birthday." Torie knew she was baiting him and figured that it would either royally backfire or ease the tension.

Hellboy raised an eyebrow and lowered his forkful of steak to his plate. "So you were lying when you said that you had never heard of me… That, or I see someone has been doing their homework."

"I meant what I said when I told you that I had never heard of you. Oh, I might have ghosted memories of hearing your name in passing, but my news filtering was very specific. Although I am surprised that I hadn't read up on you, truth be known, considering my how close our careers lie. But my expertise in folklore and whatnot is also very narrow. But God bless Al Gore for inventing the Internet. I Googled you after you mentioned the Bureau."

While he was slightly hurt that Torie had looked him up on the Internet, Hellboy had to admit that he was flattered and also slightly jealous that he didn't think of it himself. The realization that not once did they ever discuss any facet of her life, in any detail, previous to the time they met, came washing down on him.

Her last name is James. I should have known that. Why didn't I know that?

It then dawned on Hellboy that her name was on the business card Torie had given him the day he had frightened her while she was on the phone. Suddenly, he was itching to pull his wallet out and read the business card again.

Kate snickered softly, but quickly masked her face from amusement when Hellboy glared at her.

Hellboy ate the bite of steak and chewed, his eyes on Torie. After he swallowed, Hellboy narrowed his golden eyes and after a moment, broke into a smile. "So how long are you on this sabbatical?"

Torie nearly choked on the bit of salad she was eating. She had hoped that he wouldn't be mad, but had not expected that particular question to be the next one he asked. "I took two years off to get my bearings. I've been traveling around the world my whole life. When we met, I was about four months into it, so I guess I would say I have about a year or so to go."

Hellboy nodded his head as he cut another piece from his steak. The more time he spent with this woman, the more fascinating she turned out to be.

Kate found the dynamics between Hellboy and Torie amazing. The older woman had been friends with Hellboy since they were young and considered him to be like a brother. While their relationship was mostly professional, she knew the Hellboy had few people in his life, period, let alone people he could open up to. It just occurred to her that for the first time in a very long time, Hellboy was in a friendship outside of work; one that was created outside of his being an agent for the Bureau. When Hellboy said that he wanted the two women to meet, Kate never once considered his new friend would be someone she would consider a professional colleague.

And by the looks of it, neither had Hellboy.