Hellboy stood in front of the apartment door that Angel had directed him to. He was nervous for the first time in a long while. He almost didn't come. He didn't even tell Abe yet about this woman. He brought up his regular arm and hesitated. Should he knock? Should he just text her and let her know he arrived? He shook his head; he was deluding himself.

Knock. Knock.

By the time the door opened, he realized that she didn't know what he looked like. He never thought to warn her. But it was too late. The door swung open to reveal Angel in a purple sweater dress with knee high black boots. A gold thick bracelet on her left arm. Her brown hair up in a ponytail. Her brown eyes with gold tint widened. She had a patch of white flour on her cheek. They both stared at each other in silence. Angel in stunned amazement at his appearance. Hellboy's brain short circuited at the sight of her.

Hellboy spoke first.

"Ahh…sorry. I should've warned you."

Angel shook her head, "No! I fully expected…wow."

Hellboy blushed just enough that his cheeks reddened even deeper. Her reply wasn't disgust. It was pure amazement.

Angel gave him a big smile and she stepped back. "Please come in."

Hellboy stepped over the doorway and she closed the door behind him. He looked around her apartment. The walls were filled with art. She had a large white couch with two smaller chairs. A small table sat in front of the couch. A large tv sat attached to the wall. Off to his left there was a kitchen with a small island that was currently filled with baking items. He turned to her.

"Did I interrupt you cooking?"

Angel had been watching him as he looked around her apartment. She was amazed. She had been expecting someone of a large stature but not someone like her. His voice shook her out of her reverie.

"Oh! Yes!" Angel replied as she went around Hellboy and headed to the island. She picked up a cupcake. "Would you like one?"

Hellboy wasn't expecting that. He gave her a little grin and nodded. He grabbed it from her and peeled off the cupcake liner. She watched as he took a big chunk of it and chewed it up. His eyes widened as the taste exploded in his mouth.

Speaking around the food in his mouth, "This is damn good!"

Angel laughed, "Good. It's for a birthday party a few floors down. I usually volunteer to make cakes and cookies for parties."

Hellboy gulped the rest of it down. "You're a good cook."

"Baking yes. Cooking, no." Angel replied with a smirk. "Thank you for the compliment."

Angel started to gather up the cupcakes onto a serving tray. "Unfortunately, I do have to skip down to deliver the cupcakes, but I will be back soon. Will it be okay if I go do that? I'll be back quickly, I promise."

Hellboy nodded, "Go for it. I'll be here."

Angel sighed in relief, "Great. Thank you so much." She picked up the tray and headed to the door. Hellboy followed and grabbed the door before she could. She looked up at him as he opened it for her. She blushed.

"Thank you."

"No problem," he replied. "Also...you got some flour on your cheek." Her face reddened as she swiped it off. She was too embarrassed to speak. She walked out of the apartment, and he closed the door, grinning. While he waited for her, he went around her apartment to look at the pieces of art on her walls. He admired each one and noticed they had a signature of an angel wings in the bottom right corner, and he realized they were made by her. By Angel. One art caught his eye.

This one was pencil drawn. It was an image of a woman chained to the floor. The head was down so the face couldn't be seen. White wings protruded from the woman's back. There were chains on the wings too. His breath caught when he realized this was a self-portrait of Angel. He stood staring until he heard the click of the door. He turned to see Angel walking in.

Angel had spotted him looking at her portrait when she came in. She walked over to him. They stood side by side. He looked at her.

"You're really good," he said.

She looked up and met his eyes. She gave a small smile, "Thanks."

She turned away, "So…the reason why you're here. Let me get your jacket for you." She left his side and headed to her bedroom.

He could tell she felt embarrassed. Or maybe close to it. It was a personal piece. He turned away from the art and sat down on the couch as he waited for her. Angel came back in with his coat slung over her arms.

He stood up as she got closer. He took it from her.

"You washed it?"

"I hope that's okay. It was still wet from the rain."

"Yeah, that's okay."

They stood in awkward silence.

"I know you only came for the jacket. But will you stay?" Angel blurted out. "I don't get visitors and I guess we kinda do need to talk about last night."

"Yeah, I can stay," Hellboy gave her a smile before he sat back down on the couch. Angel sat at the other end across from him, creating distance between them.

Before Angel could speak, her phone rang. She got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Oh Jason, Hi."

"Yeah, I know I was late...I'm sorry…I didn't plan-"

"Oh."

"Yeah. Bye," Angel hung up. She sighed as she put the phone back. She turned to Hellboy.

"You okay?" Hellboy asked.

She shook her head, "I just got fired." She went back to the couch and took her place.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It was my fault really. I tend to be late for shift all the time. It's a wonder why they even kept me on. I missed my shift last night. I'm, or was, a night bartender for a nightclub downtown," Angel explained.

He raised an eyebrow, "Wait, hold on. You bake, you draw, and you mix drinks? Isn't there anything you're not good at?"

Angel blushed. She never really got compliments before from anyone in her life. So, it was strange and maybe a little endearing to hear it from someone…especially a man.

"Cooking, talking on the phone, and riding a bike. I can't ride to save my life," Angel replied.

Hellboy laughed.

Their conversation kept flowing as the sun went down. They talked about everything but the elephant in the room. They avoided talk about what went down the night before and his appearance. Before they knew it, it was 12:30 am.

"I don't usually stay up this late, but I did have a good time talking. I don't really get to talk much to anyone," Angel said as she yawned.

"I've got Abe, but it's not the same as it used to be," Hellboy said.

Angel snuggled into the blanket she had pulled around her from the side of the couch. "Can I ask why?"

Hellboy looked down, hesitating, "We lost people. People that were family. It's been a rough time for us…for me."

A hand went on top of his. He looked up at her.

"I'm sorry. I know it's tough," Angel said, offering whatever comfort she could. "My mom died in childbirth. I guess you could say I killed her, but I know it's not like that. I was born with my wings, and I guess her body couldn't take it. I know it's not the same since I haven't really experienced that kind of loss."

He pulled her hand into his and they held hands in silence.

"You mentioned your wings," Hellboy said. "I assume you've had it a long time?"

She nodded, "Since birth yeah." She pulled her hand back and played with the bracelet on her arm. "Up until seven, I could use my wings at any time. My dad hated it."

She looked up at him, "He thought I was a freak. He spent those seven years trying to get rid of my wings. He traveled all over the world. I was lucky to even finish my schooling on time."

"Why would he try to get rid of it?"

"Because of my mom. I guess he really loved her. He hated me for living while she died. He became so obsessed with my wings."

He looked at her. He felt for her. "So, you can't use your wings now?"

She shook her head. She showed him the bracelet. "This thing prevents me from doing it."

He took her hand in his and with his stone hand, he touched the bracelet. The second his fingers touched it, it glowed, and Angel hissed in pain. She wretched it back out of his hand.

"What the hell just happened?" Hellboy asked incredulously.