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.

A/N: If it's not one thing, it's another. Sorry again for yet another delay. First it was my laptop and now it's my job. Some mysterious odor has appeared in my workplace that has made me violently ill. Officially word is that there is no mysterious odor, so nothing will be done to get rid of it. So all my free time has gone into finding new work. Not there yet, but I hope I'm getting close.

But I have gotten a new chapter in amongst all the web searching for employment. So thanks for your patience and thank you so much for stopping by!

Torie stared at the newspapers, fanned in an arc across the table before her, and felt her heart grow very heavy in her chest. It was like a leaden wait was placed inside her rib cage. Until her would-be murders were caught, she was dead to the world. Dead in a way that forced her to underground. And headlines from around the world carried the news of her demise.

Rubbing her hands across her face, Torie fought against the tightening of her throat and the burning in her eyes. She had asked to see the papers. She had insisted on a mirror to look at her angry wounds. She had demanded that she see the footage that had been taken of the incident, via a gas station surveillance system and a nearby ATM – which showed people in hoodies and jeans wearing oversized sunglasses.

She had brought this all onto herself.

Folding her arms on the table and resting her head on her forearms, Torie suddenly felt like her head was too heavy for her to hold up without help. So she gave in and let it descend to the cradle of her arms. And there, Torie was able to close her eyes and block out the newspapers screaming Humanitarian Killed By Those She Tried To Help and Helping Homeless Hurt Humanitarian. She was able to block out the hospital bed, with the machines and utilitarian furniture surrounding it – one of the chairs she was actually sitting in – which made a hospital room anything but welcoming.

But she wasn't able to block out the faces of those who shot her as they stood over her, laughing and taunting, until one of them whispered "ours, not yours" before they all ran off.

"Hey you."

The words were low and husky, wrapping around Torie like a warm blanket on a rainy afternoon. Torie sat up straight and turned around, shooting Hellboy a smile over her shoulder. She was so glad that he appeared when he did to pull her from her thoughts. Torie gave a hurried motion for Hellboy to enter the room, wincing slightly from the effort. "Hey yourself."

Making his way into the hospital room, Hellboy noted that Torie was wearing cotton, elastic-waisted work out pants and a lightweight hoodie. Clothing that didn't require her to move a lot when undressing and redressing. Normally, his mind would have gone right to the gutter, but at that moment, Hellboy saw it as a sad commentary on the events of the past week.

He also noted that the smile never quite reached Torie's eyes.

"You know, you wouldn't hurt so much if you would take the full dose of pain medication," he half-teased, half-chastised as he slipped into the room. Hellboy planted a kiss on the top of Torie's head as he made his way over to the empty hospital bed. He hated the damn room, but was glad that Torie was not only well enough to be out of bed and dressed, but that she would be able to leave that afternoon. So many things could have gone wrong with her recovery that Hellboy counted her departure from the hospital as a major victory.

Despite Torie's unwillingness to take her pain meds.

Torie sighed and shook her head. "Dulls the mind as well as the pain. Would rather be alert and hurting than zombie-like. Besides, the pain? It doesn't bother me that much."

Hellboy opted against stating the obvious – that Torie was lying – and instead decided to change the subject. "Whacha doin'?" He desperately tried to keep his voice light and playful rather than concerned. Hellboy hated the thought of Torie reading anything pertaining to her supposed death, but the woman was nigh on unstoppable when she got an idea in her head. As much as Hellboy protested the night before, it fell on deaf ears.

Torie arched an eyebrow and looked back at the pile of newspapers before her. "It looks like the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

The waver in her voice did him in. Sinking onto the empty hospital bed, Hellboy couldn't help but admonish, "I told you not to look at those damn papers. They're gonna be more detrimental to your healing than anything else." Seeing that a retort was about to burst from Torie's lips – lips that he dreamt about way too much of late – Hellboy softened his tone and asked, "You doin' okay with this? I mean, I wouldn't be." He mentally willed her to push away the table, get up from the recliner and sit next to him on the bed.

Pursing her lips in thought before coming up with an answer, Torie shrugged her shoulders. "As okay as one can be knowing they're dead. You?" Her voice was even, rather than fake playful… for which she was grateful. Her voice had wavered before and while she didn't want to pretend that all was right with the world, Torie was adamant that her voice reflect none of the anxiety that was swirling in her gut.

Patting the space next to him, Hellboy grinned at Torie. "I'll be better when we can get back to being boring. And short of that, I'll be better if you would stop looking at those articles. You know where I stand on that."

Pulling her hoodie off her shoulder, Torie looked at the angry wound beginning to scar over. She then looked at her… boyfriend. Crap. Are we ever going to get to actually go out on a date? Pulling the material back up, Torie stood and made her way over to Hellboy. Standing in front of him, she smiled ruefully. "Boring… Boring is good. I miss boring. I miss you, too."

Not knowing where he could touch her so as not hurt her, Hellboy rested his left hand on Torie's hip and rubbed his thumb along her hipbone. He couldn't look her in the eyes and keep up his charade of playfulness, so Hellboy bumped his boots against Torie's shoes. "Hey, you ready to bust outta this joint?"

Torie smiled wanly, not sure of anything at that moment, but nodded her head in the affirmative in an attempt to cover up her self-doubt. Her hands cupped both sides of his head as she rested her cheek against his forehead, her lips resting against his horn stump. "And then some. So none of your fellow agents know that I'm alive? I mean, the FBI does, but they haven't told anyone in the Bureau?"

The way she bent over him put the neckline of her hoodie at perfect vantage level for Hellboy. Don't even think about unzipping the jacket. Don't even think about unzipping the jacket. Don't even think about unzipping the jacket. He closed his eyes so he could focus on answering Torie's question. "Nope. Well, except for Manning. But if you ask me, he don't count."

Torie chose to ignore Hellboy's attempt at humor and shoved him lightly against his shoulder. She knew that it was like trying to move a brick wall, but he had to know she meant business. "And how long is that going to last? You're gonna have to go on assignment sometime. I mean, when you're gone, who feeds your cats? I'm gonna get found! And then all this will be for naught!"

Squelching the urge to sigh in frustration, Hellboy rolled his shoulders and popped his neck by pressing on first one side of his jaw, then the other. He knew Torie didn't like flying without a net, but she hated when other people made decisions for her even more. So what Hellboy was about to say was going to be met with absolute hostility – if he was lucky. If not, it would be much worse. "Hey, we'll get this all wrapped up within a week or two. Don't worry too much – that'll keep you from healing properly."

Crossing her arms, Torie silently regarded Hellboy, her irritation filling the room with a tangible pressure. After several long moments, she spit out, "What do we do if they are never caught? I'm not staying indoors all of my life!"

Ah, the tough part of the exam he was hoping to gloss over a bunch of BS before getting to the multiple choice part of the test. Hellboy never did well with open-ended essay questions. "Well, they thought they would make an appearance at your burial. Your death was orchestrated on the hopes that whoever did it would show up to make sure the deed was done. But, since they didn't… I'm goin' after 'em." Visibly wincing, he braced for the verbal onslaught.

Hellboy didn't have to wait long.

"What?! No! No fucking way! I'm going to have you risking your life over… this! No… uh uh. And besides, I want you around to take care of me! Cal me selfish, but I figured that while I was down and out, you and I could catch up on some together time!"

The anger in her eyes warmed Hellboy's heart. The last few days, Torie had seemed so listless and mopey. This was the gal he had fallen for. Her hands were balled into fists so fight that he knew he would see half-moon fingernail marks on her palms later. Her freckles weren't as visible as they had been earlier, since her irritation brought much needed color to her cheeks.

But that still didn't mean Hellboy was going to abide by her wishes.

"Listen, doll, I can out-stubborn you. I've been doing it a lot longer than you have, so I have a lot more practice. So there ain't gonna be no changin' my mind on this one. Monica will be staying with you while I'm gone. When she went to your apartment, she retrieved Lance… and placed a homing device on the totem. Your apartment was broken into less than two days later – and now the totem is out of the country. Early yesterday morning, it was taken from a warehouse downtown. Tomorrow, I'm hopping a plane to follow it."

So Monica was in on it, too?

"I take it she's going to be my babysitter while you're gone?"

Hellboy pressed his lips together until a white line formed, wanting nothing more than to try and joke, but knowing it would backfire if he did. He opted for the simple truth.

"The Bureau knows of her connection to you… And the Bureau thinks you're dead. So as a way of helping her cope, she'll visit me from time to time… And she'll watch my cats when I'm away." Hellboy and Monica had talked about this very topic for hours while Torie lay unconscious. Other agents had outside pet caregivers, so although it would be unusual for Hellboy to participate in the practice, it was not unprecedented.

"But… when are we going to get a chance to be... a couple? I was hoping that you and I could just lie around and figure the 'us' part of us out." The dejected look on Torie's face forced him to look away lest he cave to her wishes.

Staring at the blood pressure cuff attached to the wall behind the bed amidst all the other medical gadgets that bothered him, and feeling his own pressure rise, Hellboy said quietly, "What I'm going to be doing will ensure that we can be that couple. Until whoever did this to you is caught, there won't be any resting. For me at least." Risking a glance at her downturned mouth, he joked, "Now c'mon, you know the Canadian Mounties stole my slogan – I always get my man. Or creature."

"I just want to get my man, that's all."

Her simple words meant more to Hellboy than anything else Torie had told him. Not able to open up in a way that she needed him to because of the antiseptic smell and the forced environs, Hellboy went for his favorite defense mechanism – humor. "Not for a few weeks yet. I checked with your doctor before coming in."

"Shut up! You did not…" Torie desperately tried to fight a smile. Maybe taking the pain medicine would be worth it…

A shit-eating grin curved his lips as he wisely decided to change the subject. "I brought you a get-well present."

It was impossible to stay mad at him for long. But despite the fact that she was allowing herself to be led off-topic didn't mean that they weren't going to resume the subject later. But until then, Torie wanted a bit of fun to be brought into the hospital walls. "What? No! You so didn't need to do that!" What on earth could he have gotten me? I'm almost – but not quite – afraid to find out.

Shrugging his shoulders indifferently, Hellboy slid his left hand into his duster pocket and pulled out a white envelope. "Well, that was sort of the point. I figured you'd be bummed about missing our weekend in New York, so I thought I'd get something even better."

Smacking herself in the forehead, and then wincing from the impact, Torie muttered, "Shit! I totally forgot about the Phantom tickets. I totally fucked everything up, didn't I?"

Hellboy chuckled, low and rumbling, sending shivers down Torie's spine that ended right where the doctors told Hellboy had to be avoided for a few more weeks. "Don't even sweat it. When Monica went by your place, I had her pick them up when she got Lance. Gave 'em to Liz to use. Figured they would cover all the missed birthdays and whatnot. And she's taking Abe. Don't tell anyone, but I think they have a little 'thing' going. It all worked out."

Torie bit her lip to keep from apologizing further. Instead, she took a deep breath and then sunk onto the bed next to Hellboy, resting her head on his shoulder. "Well, thank you… for whatever it is."

"Don't thank me until you see what it is, silly." Hellboy handed the envelope to Torie.

Her movements slow, so as to not appear too eager, Torie took the offered gift, smiling shyly at Hellboy. She then pressed the envelope against her lips, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The sweet smell of his cigarettes floated up her nose and Torie smiled. This was what she wanted – the real world dissolving away and only the two of them… and their budding romance. Torie didn't even want to open the paper to see what was inside, but the look of expectation on Hellboy's face, she delved in.

"Tom. Waits. You got tickets to see… Tom. Waits. You got tickets to see Tom Waits! I get to see Tom Waits! We are going to see Tom Waits! Fuck me harder! This has got to be the best gift I've ever gotten." If Torie had the energy, she would have jumped up and down in excitement. As it was, she kissed Hellboy hard on the mouth in appreciation.

"I figured you'd like this gift even more than the original one…" he whispered against Torie's lips. "And see? I have to be back by the concert. Which isn't that far away. And although I'm not as excited as you are, although I don't think anybody could be, I was practically giddy when I bought the tickets. It's been so long since I last saw him. Thirty or so years ago. I don't think you were even born yet. But when I found out he was going on tour, I got us a box to watch from."

Torie pulled away and looked at Hellboy incredulously. "A private box?" The question was practically squealed into Hellboy's ear.

"A private box," he replied, pulling Torie back to resume their kiss. Gads, she tastes good.

A not-so-subtle cough interrupted them. Both sighed in frustration, breaking the kiss. Torie butted her forehead against Hellboy's before turning to face the intruder. His right hand stroked her cheek gently, a silent acknowledgment in understanding that their make-out session would be resumed at a later time.

As Torie glanced over her shoulder, she saw a very embarrassed male nurse stood in the doorway, a wheelchair before him.

"Ma'am? I am so sorry to bother you two, but your chariot awaits."