Beer cans are spectacular. Well they could be. It depended on the circumstances. After emptying ten of them into your stomach for instance; that's when they are amazing.

I questioned the shape with a frown. Why would they make it a cylinder? It was so rectangular. Why not make it a cube or a sphere or a triangle? It would be cool if it was a triangle. Wait, no, triangles are two-dimensional. It would be a pyramid. Pyramids are three-dimensional. Yeah, a pyramid shaped beer can. A giggle escaped my lips. The eleventh can stopped the giggle.

The can shined really brightly under the hanging light bulb that illuminated the dark room. My knuckles caught my attention. They were white as they held the can; super white. Paper was white. What an interesting invention: paper. People wrote on paper and could draw on paper. But it was two-dimensional. The only three-dimensional type of paper was origami.

I wondered if origami could be made out of beer cans. Beer cans were made out of metal, right? I guessed so. I thought they were made out of aluminum. That was a metal. Metal was conductive. I could electrocute it. I squeezed the eleventh can until it crunched and became misshapen.

"What do you think you are doing?" I stared at the twelfth alcoholic beverage. "You can talk?! Do you think origami can be made out of aluminum?" I asked the shiny shape that was not a pyramid.

"Aluminum? Origami? What in the world had you put those two thoughts together?" The can asked. I didn't giggle even though I found this situation humorous. It was talking. The can didn't answer my question. I didn't feel like asking it again.

"Well, you see beer can, I'm kind of in a situation that would be very hard to explain to a cylinder of aluminum." I whispered in a raspy voice. I heard the chair beside me move and glanced away from the can to see what made the noise. A small man sat in the chair. He looked funny when he turned and looked at me.

"I'm certainly not a cylinder of aluminum my dear. You don't handle your liquor very well do you? And yet you've downed way more than the normal humans' consumption. Impressive. Why not pass me a pint or two and tell me about your troubles, friend?" I blinked. He was blue, no wait that was just his suit that was blue. The voice belonged to my beer can and it made my head spin as I tried to figure out who was really talking to me.

The short man in the blue breathed out heavily. "You really are drunk my friend. I have something to take the edge off of that. I've made it as a temporary remedy for my curse. But you don't understand that so swallow some of this and then we'll talk." I was handed a small bottle. It had an interesting shape but I stopped myself before I could forget my pyramid idea and drank the contents of the bottle.

Where was I?

Who was I?

Wait, I know that one. I'm Rai.

Where was I? The place looked old. It looked like something a cat would cough up and it smelt like it too.

I stared at what lay in front of me. An old wooden bar with about a dozen empty beer cans sat before me.

My head was going to kill me later if my liver didn't fail before then.

I remembered the man and this time when I turned to him I realized just how drunk I had been. The 'man' wasn't human. His blue suit was actually green and his spiked bleach hair did nothing to hide the long pointed ears that came out of the sides of the man's head. He didn't look any older than me. I shook my head hard and then regretted it. The man's hand found mine and helped keep me steady before I could fall out of my seat.

"What the hell was that?" I breathed as I placed a hand on my forehead. I became more and more sober with each passing minute.

"At least now you can talk sensibly." The man said with a laugh. "Now, how about that drink?" He asked.

I lifted an eyebrow and glanced around the bar.

"Where's the bar tender? Where's anybody?"

"You really don't know where you are, do you? This isn't your typical bar, sweet heart. This is Chumley's. You want a drink then you need to ask the boss. He's a friendly ghost but still, a ghost."

I stared at him in confusion. "Chumley's isn't open. It never reopened." I explained. He laughed at me and suddenly a glass in front of me shattered. I screamed in surprise and then watched as a new cup was lifted from the back counter and placed in front of my neighbor.

He grinned at me with a mouth full of chipped yellow teeth. I forced a smile and leaned away from him.

"So what are you? And what was that about a curse." I said, staring at my neighbor curiously and suspiciously.

"You remembered that did you? You've already noticed that I'm not human. I'm a Clurichaun: a leprechaun that has been cursed with being permanently drunk. That flask that I gave you was filled with a remedy I discovered that can hold off the curse."

"Right…" I said slowly. "So that's why you have the green suit." This comment seemed to frustrate him.

"Absolutely not! Green happens to be my favorite color. It has nothing to do with those ridiculous stereotypes! Before you ask, I'm not Irish either. I'm an educated, proper man who was born here in America. My parents came from England and neither they nor I have the ability to overcome the power of time. I happen to be only twenty seven years old. I do not have a pot of gold and if I did I would not be here speaking to the likes of you. As my conclusion I would also like to note that rainbows are not magical, they are pure works of science and I have no business with them. Is that clear?!"

He jabbed a finger at me in a threatening manner as he finished his rant. I pushed his hand aside and apologized. He settled down and focused on his drink.

"You are not a normal human." He said after a few minutes of silence. I glanced at him slightly surprised.

"Why else would I reveal my race and the bar tender's presence? So, what are you?"

What he said made enough sense. I suddenly realized that I had barely reacted to either of those things. I was use to the paranormal by now. I also realized that I didn't know how to answer his question.

What was I suppose to say? A soldier? An Agent? A screw up? A murderer? My heart skipped a beat when I thought of the last one. I leaned my cheek on my hand as I rested on the bar.

"I work for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. I capture and kill dangerous mythical creatures. I help and defend mythical creatures in need. I save the human race over and over and over again." I said in a bored monotone voice.

A glass of ice water settled in front of me. I couldn't see the bar tender but I guessed that he was either thanking me for something or just being nice. I smiled softly and took a sip. I turned my head to the man. He sat patiently as if waiting for me to expand upon my answer.

"Ok Mr. Ch…cucha…leprechaun, I'm a human lightning bolt; a human battery that has had military training and currently works as a field agent for the BPRD. None of that matters though. I messed up. I messed up so bad." I rubbed my tired eyes.

"My first comment is that I am a Clurichaun. My second comment is that my name is Caleb, Caleb Ruedon. My third comment is a question that may offend you but I must ask because the curiosity eats away at me." I had to smile at his way of speaking. He switched back and forth between a simple New Yorker and this unknown European character.

"My whole team got really hurt on our last mission. I shot my partner on accident and did nothing to protect the others. Who knows how any of them are doing?" I didn't make eye contact with Caleb.

"So now you are running away?" He asked.

"What? No! I just… I needed some air."

"Are you trying to force down the guilt?"

"No! I mean, yeah, I don't want to deal with the guilt, but I have to face it. I just need a clear head in order to process everything."

"You need a clear head so you decided to get drunk?"

"….Yeah" I had a defensive reply but it stuck in my throat as I realized how stupid I sounded.

"So now here we are." Caleb said, going back to his drink again. I stared at the ice in my glass of water. Caleb drummed his fingers on the bar's surface in order to draw my attention.

"If you are that worried about them why don't you just go back?" I thought about it for a brief minute.

"Because I'm confused." I let out a sigh and rubbed my eyes. Caleb tilted his head to the side and stared at me.

"My partner, I think . . . I think I love him. I mean . . . I shot him!" I explained as if Caleb hadn't been there when I said it the first time. He nodded.

"Then apologize and tell him how you feel. Maybe he feels the same way."

"I can't!" I groaned. There was no way to explain it. Everything seemed overly complicated in my head. "He loves someone else." I whispered. Maybe it wasn't that complicated. I love him and he loves her, end of story.

I wanted to apologize though. I wanted to apologize for everything. I was sorry that I had acted pathetic and scared and that I had cried on him during the last mission. I was sorry that I always got into trouble and I was sorry that he always had to save me. I almost laughed when I thought about the pranks that we pulled on each other. I wanted to apologize for those as well. I was sorry that I had upset him when I called him Red. I was sorry for attacking Liz and hurting her and for reminding him of her a lot. I wanted to apologize because I had been annoying and because I was jealous.

I stared at the empty wine bottles sitting on the shelves behind the bar. Their different colors reflected off of the mirror behind them and through all of the colors I could see my reflection. I didn't look nearly as tired as I felt. A hand landed on my shoulder and I knew it was Caleb. He was comforting me, a complete stranger. His small act of kindness made the corners of my lips twitch upwards into a small smile.

Conversation almost died after that, almost. I listened while Caleb talked. At one point I started to drift to sleep when a noise startled me awake. I turned and watched an ancient jukebox come to life. A string of old songs played softly but Caleb paid no mind to it and continued chattering.

He was an interesting person. I didn't interrupt with questions or comments. I simply watched him and nodded now and then. He made me laugh. His laugh was deep and reminded me of my father and this made me smile. I wondered why he came here alone. His personality was warm and friendly. There must be plenty of other people that he would rather spend his time with. But I said nothing and just let him speak.

I didn't notice that the room had a clock until I heard a loud bang against the far wall and spotted the clock hanging. It was three in the morning. The sound startled Caleb. The bar tender tapped the counter with an empty glass and I watched as Caleb's surprise turned into frustration and finally into fear.

"What is it? What was that?" I asked glancing back and forth between the wall and Caleb.

"The Ornias Brothers…" He replied, as if that was explanation enough. Before I asked who the Ornias Brothers were Caleb jumped from his seat, drink forgotten, and climbed over the bar. I stared at the edge of the bar top waiting for his head to reappear.

"Caleb?" I asked, standing from my seat. His head rose slightly as he peeked over the wooden surface. His bright eyes stared across the room and then flashed towards me.

"They weren't supposed to be wandering the streets anymore. I heard their uncle had punished them severely the last time they caused trouble. They were rumored to be in Canada. So then why are they back?!" Caleb's voice had become a strained whisper. He sounded like he was talking to himself but at least I was able to figure out what was going on.

"Listen kid. If they see you, you're going to be in some serious trouble. They aren't a fan of humans and they defiantly don't like the BPRD. They have this grudge against your agents, especially now that their adoptive uncle has been taken into custody." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"They're uncle?" I raised an eyebrow at him and his hostile reaction to these Ornias brothers.

"He ran the abandoned circus grounds outside the limits of the city."

Shit. My heart nearly stopped.

There was a sharp noise from the back of the room. The back door connected with the adjacent wall. Caleb squeaked in a very non-manly way. I was left to think of the fast solution to this problem. I lifted myself over to the other side of the bar and stuffed Caleb's head down.

The air was filled with loud, obnoxious laughter.

"I'm telling you man, he's not going to serve you anything." A loud, young voice presented itself.

"Yeah it's not like you can do anything about it either Myk." A second voice said, sounding a little older.

There was a third voice that didn't say anything but offered a rude grunt.

When they came into view I immediately knew what Caleb had meant by 'adoptive uncle'. They looked nothing like the old man I had met. They looked fairly human with some features that reminded me of trolls. They were huge and my hand unconsciously landed on my waist. I cursed when I didn't find my gun. But I found something else that could be just as useful. I was still wearing my BPRD belt. By now Clay, as over protective as he was, had probably noticed that I was gone. The light flickered to life when I pressed the button on my locator. Someone would notice an active signal in the middle of the city. Wouldn't they?

I lost my train of thought when I heard the loud whistles. They had spotted me as well.

"Well I guess we don't have to worry about old man Chumley." One of them commented as he took a seat in front of the counter. His eyes trailed over my figure and I resisted the urge to hit him.

Those eyes were fascinating. I found myself staring into them, a stupefied look on my face. The outer edge, the sclera, was black. The only contrast to separate it from the black pupil was a white ring acting as the cornea. I heard a small chuckle and realized the man was laughing at me.

"Look guys, she's lost in my eyes." I blushed and shook my head when one of the others laughed at me as well.

"She's human." The third man said harshly, as if that was his excuse for not laughing along with the others.

"Yeah I guess you're right." The man before me said. He reached a hand towards me in an attempt to grab my neck. I stepped out of reach with a growled: "Back off!" and made my electricity visible to emphasize my threat.

The man before me whistled again. "Apparently she's not." He said to his serious brother. This seemed to be enough convincing for the uptight brother and he sat to the right of his sibling. The younger brother sat to the left of the first man. I trailed my eyes across each of them, ending with the young brother. He flashed a large toothy grin at me.

"Hi, I'm Ja-kub." He said flirtatiously, pronouncing the 'J' with a Russian accent. He appeared to be about 18 or 19 but acted as though he had been in bars all his life when he asked for a glass of beer. When I didn't move his older brother's gave me a suspicious look.

"You are the bartender miss. I suggest you get all of us a drink or I'm not sure I can guarantee your safety. My brother Mykail is pretty tense tonight and there's no telling when he will snap." The middle brother said motioning towards the largest and scariest of the three brothers.

Caleb reminded me of his presence when he gripped my leg. He was worried about me, with just cause. I was worried as well.

I gulped but did as the unnamed brother said grabbing three bottles from the counter behind me. When I turned back Ja-kub was glaring at his older brothers. "Kar you're so mean sometimes. You know that?" Kar rolled his eyes.

They accepted their drinks silently and stared at me as they drank. I did the same to them. They were typical boys but there were still signs that they weren't right in the head. They all had the same eyes, black and white, and their skin was an abnormal shade of grey, giving them the appearance that reminded me of trolls. Their facial features were harsh. The smiles they offered were dark and devious. Their hair is what set them apart from one another.

Ja-kub had bright red hair that spiked in every direction that defied gravity. He seemed to like the fact that we had similar hair color because he kept glancing from my face to my hair and back again as he drank his alcohol.

Kar's hair was green and spiked as well but the spikes seemed more organized as they all came together near the front of his hair line. His frame was much bigger than Ja-kub's but it was nothing compared to Mykail.

He had a buzz cut that made it hard for me to spot the blue shade of his hair. His muscles were prominent and the glare that was focused on my face seemed to say that he could and would use them if I stepped out of line.

"Karson…" Mykail said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had appeared. "Yes?" Kar replied moving his eyes from me to his brother.

"You smell him too don't you?" Kar tilted his head to the side while Ja-kub and I watched the two men.

"That depends. Are we talking about the squirt behind the counter or that scent that's all over her?" Kar asked.

I felt the warmth and color drain from my face as I stared at the group before me. They knew Caleb was there and knew I was protecting him. These guys were huge and dangerous and I was trapped.

"I don't care for the meat behind the counter. I'm talking about that scent on her. It's the scent of the blood that we found at uncle's circus. She's covered in it." Mykail made eye contact with me and I felt my heat skip a beat. His eyes screamed murderous intent.

Blood, they smelt Hellboy's blood. I had changed clothes, showered twice, and they could still smell it. The thought made me feel sick.

I didn't react fast enough to move out of reach. Mykail held my chin and forced me to stare at him. His grip was so strong that it had me standing on the tips of my toes so that he wouldn't have the opportunity to break my neck. I placed my hands on the bar top and tried to balance myself as he nearly lifted me off my feet.

"Nice belt." Mykail commented as the belt buckle came into view over the edge of the counter. "Damn it." Ja-kub and Kar muttered, both being disappointed that they wouldn't get to have any fun with their female bar tender.

"Mind telling me where our Uncle is?" I tried to move my head but he held my jaw in place. "I don't know what you're talking about." I replied. He smiled at me for the first time and it chilled me to the bone. His hand shifted quickly so that he could grip my neck. My hands locked around his wrist.

"Stop." I pleaded as my access to air became limited.

"My brother asked you a question." Karson smirked at me. "Does it matter? Mess with me and you're going to be joining your uncle pretty soon." I growled at the beast holding my throat. Without warning my face met the wooden bar top.

"Do you have something you want to tell me now?" Mykail asked.

"Yeah. This wood may look nice but it's defiantly not high quality." I commented, lifting my injured head and spitting out some blood. Ja-kub laughed, earning him a cuff on the ear from Karson. Mykail growled like a real monster. It looked as though it didn't take much effort on his part to lift me over the counter and toss me to the ground. I landed on my face again and as I was trying to get to my hands and knees a large boot connected with my stomach.

"I take that back. If you compare the wood floor to the bar I guess the bar is a much better quality." I muttered, earning me another kick to the stomach.

I prayed Caleb would stay hidden and that they would leave him alone. I rolled onto my back and held my bruised stomach. Mykail's hand gripped my belt buckle and pulled me up. I landed on my feet and was trying to regain balance when he shoved me backwards into Karson. Two strong arms pulled me into a full nelson hold.

"Watch your mouth." Karson warned. I watched Mykail take a few steps towards the previously unnoticed set of tattered pool tables. They had obviously been dragged in long after the bar had been closed to the human population. Myk picked an old pool stick from the rack and tested its weight in his hands.

"You know, you're lucky." He began, handling the stick with care as he examined it from several angles.

"My uncle controls a lot of black magic. He could have easily hexed you like he hexed your friend." I removed my eyes from the pool stick and glared at the grey skinned man suspiciously.

"What do you mean he hexed my friend?" I asked cautiously. The beast smirked at me.

"I bet it was you that pulled the trigger, huh? Conveniently given a gun to defend yourself? Uncle came to your rescue? Well, even then a couple of bullets won't kill a demon like him. Trust me, we demon's don't go down that easily." Mykail walked back towards me, pool stick in hand.

"The hex prevents his healing. On top of that, the hex deteriorates the mind. Guilt, depression, self-hatred, they all grow until there isn't anything left to feel other than those emotions. Even if he hadn't been shot he probably would have offed himself in just a matter of days." Mykail's smile was wicked and cruel.

I felt my heart in the back of my throat and my eyes began to sting as tears tried to get past the seal of my eyelids. I wanted to scream and cry. But even more than that, I wanted to kill this demon Mykail and the old man that was his uncle.

"How do you know that your uncle was even able to hex my friend?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. Mykail made a sound that I guessed must have been a laugh. "The injury was infected as soon as cursed metal met flesh. We could smell it in his blood. Not to mention the bullet casings. That's how I can tell what kind of hex it was." He actually winked at me. I gulped as I recalled the blood again. The imagery would haunt me, more than any other tragedy I had ever experienced, for the rest of my life.

"Bastard." I whispered hatefully. Karson tightened his grip around me. A dark smile spread across my face as I thought of how in trouble he was.

My electric voltage scared him. His skin burned as he screamed in pain. I readied myself to be released but was surprised by the piercing pain that was introduced to my right shoulder and upper arm. Suddenly it was my scream that was echoing through the room. I hesitantly turned my head to find the source of the pain. He was biting me. Karson had his teeth imbedded into the top of my right arm with his arms still securely holding my arms up.

Mykail growled threateningly. "Damn it Karson! I want her alive! Exactly how are we going to get anywhere with a poisoned hostage?!" Two words stood out to me in Mykail's raving questions: hostage and poisoned.

Shit.

If I thought my arm was hurting with Karson's teeth in it I was sadly mistaken. No explanation could describe how painful it was when he let go. My arm screamed in pain and I felt as if I was going to die. My vision became blurred but never completely disappeared. I turned to the right to examine the wound and through the haze brought on by the pain I spotted an almost fluorescent green surrounding it. Every muscle in my body reacted to this "poison" and it felt like I had just been hit, head on, by a semi truck.

I saw movement through my fuzzy vision. I ducked as the pool stick flew towards me. It connected with something solid behind me and I heard the crack as the single pool stick became multiple splinters of wood.

"Damn it Ja-kub! Stay out of the way!" Mykail shouted from some far off distance.

"Shut it Myk. This little prick is my business now." Karson growled.

The all too familiar sound of a pistol being cocked sent chills down my spine. "You're mine." I heard the voice like a whisper. I moved as quickly as I could but I couldn't tell if I had been shot. My body was already in so much pain. A gunshot wound would be like a pinprick in this situation. Nevertheless, I continued to move.

"Don't kill her!" Ja-kub demanded. I wished that Karson would listen.

"Leave her alone!" Caleb, please don't!

"What is that?" I asked gruffly. I pointed towards the blinking light that had appeared on one of the computer screens.

"Sir, it appears someone activated their locater. That's strange." The agent in charge of 'said' computer flipped through a few screens.

"What is it?" I asked, taking a sip from my coffee mug.

"We don't have any active investigations going on in that area, Sir." The agent replied.

"Whose locator is it? I mean don't we have protocol on this? Isn't every locater authorized through some record?" I asked, rubbing a hand over my head and taking another drink. The agents in the room searched through some files until a young man on the other side of the room spoke up.

"Director Manning, the locator belongs to Agent Lightning." He informed. I gulped. If she activated her locator then she might be in trouble and if it was trouble to her than it was probably very serious.

"Someone get a hold of Agent Clay. Have a team put together that can offer him and Agent Lightning back up. Have a medical team put in place as well. We don't know the situation so go in ready for the worst." I ordered.

"Yes Sir." The occupants of the room replied in unison. That big red ass hole better wake up soon. His girlfriend could really use him right now.