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: A very special thank you to Juanita for her editorial skills!

Once inside the apartment, with the front door shut and their panting breaths punctuating the silence in rapid intervals, Torie suddenly felt shy. Even though hormones raced through her body, standing on the brink of what was about to happen made Torie freeze in her tracks. The tumbler of the deadbolt lock clicked shut behind Hellboy. Electricity crackled through the air between them.

And yet neither one of them closed the distance to resume their kissing.

Torie swallowed hard and balled her hands into fists to stop them from fidgeting. Her gaze raked down the length of Hellboy and she could feel the heat and weight of his stare. Without even looking, Torie knew that her white sports bra was nearly transparent because of how much she sweat during her run. And with the combination of the cool room and her own passion, Torie could feel that she was putting on quite a show. But except for the obvious physical reaction tenting his shorts, Torie was beginning to wonder if she had imagined everything that happened in the gym and on the way back to Hellboy's place.

No, no. Didn't imagine it. I mean, look. It's obvious what's on his mind – even if he's not acting on it. And your chest is heaving like some romance novel heroine. Why is Sam stuck to that door like Velcro? Well don't blame him, you're not doing anything either. But I'm dying here! Just shove him up against the damn wall! But… the reason I suggested a shower was so that I could get the best of many worlds. Water. Soap. Steam. Is it that he's afraid of hurting me? Why can't I ask? Why can't I tell him that any pain I feel will help exorcise all the pain that was inflicted by the stupid Spriggans? Is it because I stopped here and didn't drag him into the bathroom by the waistband of his shorts? Does he think that I've changed my mind? Has he changed his mind?

Or…?

Or is it because we're just shy idiots?

Despite her apprehension, Torie's blood was on fire and she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin. So she kept up her false front of bravado by winking at Hellboy, then turning around and marching into the bathroom. If she couldn't approach him, she sure as hell could retreat from him. Hell, how ironic.

Knowing he could see her from the front vestibule, Torie toyed with the idea of disrobing in as provocative a manner as possible, but realized that performing a striptease might cause her to lose her balance – something she was sure would be funny, but not conducive to their plans in the shower. Instead, Torie shed her clothes in an unceremonious pile on the tile floor, although she did throw a glance over her shoulder to make sure Sam was still watching, before stepping into the massive shower and turning on the water.

Hot water rushed out of the main showerhead and Torie let it beat down on her shoulders, massaging away some of the soreness she acquired from running. Tilting her head back, she quickly dunked her head under the rushing stream. Her hair quickly plastered itself to her head and she brushed wet locks out of her eyes.

Expelling a slow sigh, Torie pressed her hands against the wall and pushed, stretching. The tactile sensation of the water on her naked skin caused something to unlock inside of Torie and she felt a sense of calm settle upon her shoulders. Maybe it was the overwhelming gratitude of being able to shut out the rest of the world for a small while, but the thought crystallized in her mind: Screw everybody else, I get to screw my boyfriend. And fuck anybody who tries to stop that.

Even Sam.

Feeling much more relaxed, Torie began to hum a nameless tune. The cavernous shower was a thing of beauty. Completely glassed in from floor to ceiling, it sported the same recycled brown and green glass tile as the rest of the bathroom. There were areas that the untrained eye wouldn't notice, but Torie saw sections that had been repaired where an angry fist went through the wall after a particularly bad day. Such patches made Torie shake her head, ever so slightly, in amusement.

But it still didn't detract from the beauty of the bathroom. Actually, it was more than that – it was a private spa, a sanctuary from the rest of the world. The interior of the glass-walled stall took Torie's breath away with its good looks and sheer practicality. Plus, the acoustics were amazing, just made for singing, what with the arched ceiling and spacious interior.

Showerheads were everywhere. Buttons and waterproof remotes controlled everything. Two benches – one with a hydrotherapy foot massager – butted against one another in a corner. Lights were on a dimmer switch. Speakers peppered the walls.

And then there was a built-in steam generator – Torie's favorite.

Although she wanted to press the button that would fill the space with steam, Torie resisted. She knew that it would help relax her angry muscles, but the mist that would fill the glassed-in enclosure would obliterate Hellboy's view of her. And while Torie wasn't one to enjoy putting on a show, she knew that she would have to do something to break the spell that was holding him back… and was willing to do just about anything to entice him.

So Torie grabbed a bar of soap and began to lather it between her hands. Too shy to turn and face her boyfriend while soaping her chest, Torie instead bent over at the waist and began to drag the bar of Irish Spring down the length of her legs. The position let her act sexy without having to make eye contact, but Torie also hoped that it made her backside act like a target – and draw Hellboy into the shower with her. Come on, Sam. She was bound and determined to lure her boyfriend into joining her, for as the seconds ticked away and became minutes, Torie's nerves began fail her. If he didn't peel himself off the front door soon, Torie didn't know what she would do.

But the sound of approaching footsteps set her mind at ease, even if it did cause her heartbeat to flutter more than slightly. Torie looked back over her shoulder as Hellboy entered the room. He was rather nonchalant as he quickly dropped his shorts onto the floor while kicking off his shoes. Allowing her gaze to dip down, Torie's breath came out in one long drawn out shudder. Swallowing hard, she had to wonder how he ever managed to fit inside her. And I was in much better shape then. This should prove to be interesting.

Suddenly embarrassed when Hellboy caught her staring, Torie looked away and began to adjust the temperature of the water, as well as the velocity pouring out of the showerhead. When the shower door opened, then closed, Torie tried to act casual, forcing her breathing to slow down, but soon her forehead was resting against the still cool tile in an attempt to keep the room from spinning. Oh my God, we're going to do this! In the shower, no less. Why didn't I just walk into his bedroom and light some candles? I must be some kind of prize idiot! I look like I got rode hard and put away wet with all these damn bruises and cuts, so why did I think that having sex under these lights was a good idea? And what took him so long to join me? Gads, I'm dying here…

Torie felt the heat of his body behind her before she felt his fingers danced long the length of her arms. Torie leaned back against Hellboy, luxuriating in the comfort of his solid, yet gentle, embrace. Looking down at his right hand as it skimmed across her skin, Torie marveled at the sheer size and texture of it before concentrating on the contrast between his crimson skin and her nearly bloodless color. So when he whispered in her ear, Torie was startled, being pulled out of her reverie.

And then she digested his words.

"I've never done this before."

The rawness in his voice pulled at Torie's heartstrings. He never stopped the continuous motion of his fingers on her arms, but the shame in his tone made her heart hurt. She pivoted, not allowing her gaze to settle anywhere other than his eyes. Her right hand cupped his cheek, her thumb dancing along the water beading on his soul patch and the tapered points of his muttonchops, as she smiled up at him.

"Is that what took you so long to get that perky ass of yours in here?"

Unable to maintain eye contact with Torie, Hellboy abruptly turned his head and focused his attention on the showerhead they were standing under. Adjusting the angle of the water, Hellboy closed his eyes as the spray hit him in the face. He sighed heavily, his massive chest rising and falling beneath Torie's left hand.

"Yeah," he whispered.

Crap.

"Plus… I was totally enjoying the view. But I must say, it's even better close up." His voice was low and husky, reminding Torie of smoky rooms, whiskey on the rocks and impromptu blues music jams. Torie involuntarily shivered.

Oh thank God!

"Sam… shhh. C'mere and just… let go. No worrying, okay? And to be honest, neither have I. I'm not even sure if it can be done, with you as tall as you are and me hurting the way that I do. But there's no right or wrong. There's no preconceived choreography. It might sound better in theory than reality, but damn if you don't have the best shower to try!" To emphasize her feigned playfulness, Torie lightly bit him in the shoulder as she dropped her left hand to the flat plain of Hellboy's stomach, then letting her fingers drift across his chest where she traced the indentations of the runic designs in his skin, something she had been itching to do for way too long.

The lightness in Torie's voice failed to alleviate Hellboy's concern, although the left side of his mouth quirked upwards into a half-hearted smile. He then stepped back, the weight of his gaze burning into Torie as he looked her all over. But instead of heavy-lidded admiration, concern made his eyes glow dark amber.

"You look like shit."

Torie resisted the urge to cover up with her arms and instead did what she would normally do if she were dressed – remove her hand from his chest and place it on her hip, with elbow jutting out for maximum effect. She then arched a brow and shot Hellboy a withering look. "If you don't know how to sweet talk a girl… Now shut up before you ruin this."

Instinctively, Hellboy wanted smack his hand against his forehead in frustration, but instead forced himself to slip his arm around Torie's waist. She watched as he forced his muscles to relax, although he couldn't unclench his jaw to save his life. Hellboy breathed in deeply… and let it out slowly. This is not the scenario I had in my head back in the gym. "No, that's not what I meant. I just don't want to hurt you."

Torie stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his collarbone. It was time to get down to business. They were naked. They were in the shower. Why were they still talking? "Whatever you hurt, I'm more than willing to let you kiss and make better." She began placing kisses along the lines of his chest.

The feel of Torie's tongue dancing along his skin caused Hellboy to close his eyes in bliss and forget how to breathe. Watching Torie under the shower spray from the safety of his front entryway gave Hellboy enough fodder for nights when she was away and he was feeling… frisky. But the conversation they just had put a damper on his enthusiasm. However, with Torie's lips dragging along the length of his shoulder, Hellboy now felt a twinge stirring and immediately felt himself brushing the inside of Torie's thighs. "Oooohhhh… I think that might just work."

"Ya think?" Torie quirked a brow and smiled mischievously. "Let's just take it slow and see what happens. Fair?" Torie's arms wrapped around the back of Hellboy's neck, where they not-so-gently tried to persuade him into bending down so that she might kiss him properly – on the lips.

But he resisted, if only to be ornery. Hellboy's lips curved into an impish grin as reached behind Torie, his left hard pressed several buttons on the wall. Soon, the lights dimmed, low music began to play and steam began to fill the space. He then brushed his lips against Torie's neck, feeling very smug that he had queued up some of the best seduction music for their shower, albeit unintentionally. After Waits, Green was da man and Hellboy liked to rotate them out of his bathroom MP3 player.

Torie thought she would be mildly irked that Hellboy was playing music, but instead she cocked her head, which coincidentally gave Hellboy better access to her neck, and listened to the song. The lyrics, combined with the sensation of Hellboy's lips on her skin, made Torie's lips curve into a grin. She asked, "Al Green?"

Hellboy had abandoned Torie's neck and was painstakingly blazing a trail over her collarbone when he paused to answer her question. "Way sexier than Tom Waits, I promise." Looking up at Torie, he winked before devouring her neck once more. His tail curled around her calf, then slid up her leg, following the curve of her backside.

Sucking in her breath in an inverted hiss, Torie closed her eyes. Her hips took on a mind of their own and surged forward, bumping against Hellboy's. "I so doubt that."

Allowing his mouth to land just behind Torie's ear, Hellboy whispered, "Hey, you're naked already, ain't ya?" The leer in his voice was tangible.

Feeling a tightness in the very core of her being that was almost too much to bear, Torie had sudden urge to throw Hellboy up against the wall again, but knowing that she probably lacked the body strength and certainly the dexterity on a wet floor, Torie instead turned her head and nipped Hellboy's bottom lip before muttering, "So funny you are. Now didn't I tell you to shut up once already?"

With that, Torie ghosted her lips across Hellboy's, her tongue dancing along the seam of his mouth. She smiled, feeling the electricity between them crackle as the desperation for release and urgency washed over her. Torie knew that once he granted access to her probing tongue, she would be completely undone and all self control would evaporate.

She wasn't wrong.

There was nothing slow about their lovemaking. As soon as they allowed themselves to touch, it was as if two magnets – held apart but so, so close – snapped together. Limbs entwined as noses bumped when lips crushed together. Guttural moans rumbled in their chests as he entered her at last. Their bodies surged together on waves of passion. The sound of wet skin pounding against wet skin echoed in the chamber. When Torie would mew in pain, neither slowed down their assault on the other… they only shifted.

They took each other every imaginable way. Collapsing on one of the benches, Torie straddled Hellboy, grinding against him as he drove up into her. Bracing her hands on the never-ending expanse of his chest, they soon found a rhythm that had both of them groaning. Faster and faster they went, with more and more force, until Torie thrashed her way to a climax. As Torie tensed and let forth an avalanche of moans, Hellboy felt his own release trigger and his bellows shook the glass doors.

After they both slowly came down from their euphoric rush, Torie crawled up along Hellboy's side as he lay sprawled on the shower floor. He had managed to turn off Al Green and the showerheads before collapsing, but steam still misted around them in a warm and comforting fog.

Torie interrupted the silence first. "I think I'm going to walk funny for a week," she teased, her eyes twinkling and a smile dimpling her cheek. She then slowly peppered his chest with gentle, chaste kisses.

A chuckle rumbled in Hellboy's chest, sending shivers up and down Torie's spine. His laugh was deep and full and reminded Torie lazy Sunday mornings when her mom would make pancakes and her dad would ask for help with the New York Times crossword puzzle.

"And I think I got rubbed raw. Geez…" An arm went behind his head, acting as a makeshift pillow. He then smiled down at Torie and gave her a shit-eating grin, followed by a wink.

The giggle that sprang past Torie's lips made Hellboy hug her tightly against his chest… until she cried out in protest. Her wounds radiated pain from their previous exertion and the current rough handling. In fact, as she was coming out of the afterglow, Torie knew that she was going to be upping her painkiller dose, despite telling the medical staff that she would be fine with just Tylenol. Maybe with Codeine.

Somewhat dejectedly, Hellboy abruptly let go of Torie. He then bit his upper lip, trying to hide his disappointment.

Seeing the frustration wash over Hellboy's features, Torie mock punched him in the arm. "Hey! That didn't mean you had to relinquish your hold on me, you goober. Just not so tight. 'Kay?"

A sigh skated past Hellboy's lips. Rather than reply and say the wrong thing, he just nodded his head and cradled Torie's body with his arm – effectively holding her without putting any weight on her. Pleased that he followed the right course of action when she burrowed closer, Hellboy let his mind drift.

Which was a very bad idea.

Instead of musing over their trip to New York to see Tom Waits, late mornings in bed, and a carriage ride through Central Park, Hellboy instead had visions of Torie's office that Monica was currently running, Torie turning down Manning's offer so she could go back to running said office and, equally disquieting, Torie accepting Manning's offer to work for the BPRD.

Fuck. I feel kinda like I'm damned if she does, damned if she doesn't. There's just no real details. Dammit Manning! But this not knowing her thoughts on the subject is just killing me.

So just ask, dumbass. Open your mouth and let the question roll out.

Hellboy wet his lips while formulating his words. There was a lot to muddle through in a short amount of time. And as loathe as he was to shatter the tranquility of the moment, sooner – rather than later – Torie was going to have to answer some questions that Manning would ask. Might as well find out what her thoughts were before he did…

"So…" Hellboy said, trying to sound nonchalant. "What are you going to tell Manning?" Crap. Fucked that one up.

Inwardly groaning her disapproval at the question, Torie bit her bottom lip in order to temper her words. She knew just what he was asking, but Torie hated that the moment was rapidly dissolving into reality, rather than the nice oasis they found on the shower floor. So she was all wide-eyed innocence when she replied, "About this? Absolutely nothing." She then gave him a big saucy wink.

Rolling his eyes, Hellboy groaned, "That's not what I mean and you know it." Was she really this dense after sex? Or was she being intentionally obtuse?

Dammit! Why didn't he take a hint? One more attempt to shut down the topic and if that didn't work, she'd just have to tell him to knock it off. "About what happened with the Spriggans? Uhm… everything."

Hellboy sighed, unsure as to whether Torie was playing dense or just didn't understand what he was asking. "I meant the offer."

Ah. That. Of course. Why didn't he get the message?

Torie sighed, then snuggled even closer into the warmth of Hellboy's body. I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this. She smiled sadly when she felt his prehensile tail snake up her calf and wrap around her thigh. He was feeling vulnerable, wanting to know what she thought about the new twist in their lives, and Torie knew that it needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later… but was at a loss as to how to do it.

Maybe… maybe I don't have to. Not just yet.

"I know. And to be quite honest, I was pretending not to know because I don't know what to do just yet. If he asks, I'll put him off until we get back. WE need to discuss the repercussions of me working for the Bureau." Torie sat up, propping herself on the heel of her palm and shook her head slightly. "So can we not deal with any of that just yet? I want to just… be, for lack of a better word, for right now. No one else in the world exists – except for you and me."

Feeling greatly relieved that Torie was just as confused as he was, Hellboy visibly relaxed. "I like the way you think. And sorry. Didn't mean to ruin the moment, but allow me to try and bring it back. Now, you know we never did try your suggestion of slow and easy," Hellboy drawled, slowly drawing Torie back into his arms.

Torie shifted so that she was almost lying directly on top of Hellboy, a smile tugging at her lips. "What are you, insatiable?"

Now it was Hellboy's turn to be all wide-eyed innocence. "What are you talking about?" But then Hellboy snickered and confessed, "It's hard not to be around you, sweetie."

Looking back over her shoulder, Torie dropped her gaze past his stomach. "Yeah, it's hard alright…" She then turned and winked at Hellboy, amusement lighting up her eyes.

"Didn't you say something about shutting up earlier?" Hellboy asked before capturing Torie's lips with his own and rolling her onto her back.