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The Akeh	By : Keen Category: G through L > Hellboy Views: 10083 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Hellboy, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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�� Tamara woke and
blinkingly looked at the clock at her bedside. It was two fifteen a.m. She had
cried herself to sleep and managed to sleep the entire day away.
�� The Professor tried to
console her some but it was useless. Mortified would not be the word to
describe what she felt when she looked down and saw her hands laced with Abe�s.
It felt as if all those weeks of training were for nought. She was still as
weak as ever and what was worse, two people had to suffer as a result. Tamara
wasn�t even aware she had tossed Clay aside like a pile of in-the-way books
until she reached the room and looked at her bruised fingers. How would she
ever apologise to him, or Abe, whom she already had difficultly looking in the
eye out of shame borne from their last encounter.
�� �He liked it,� the
voice cackled, ��just like you did.�
�� Tamara balled her hands
into fists and relaxed. She practiced her breathing techniques to silence the
voice and when it was sufficiently gone, she moved to answer the other desire
of her body, hunger. The growling of her stomach almost drowned out her inner
thoughts.
�� Sitting up knocked the
crumpled tissues to the floor. Sweeping them into the waste basket, Tamara
pushed on her gloves and opened the door to her room. She expected to see a
tray of food, but knew the Professor would not take it so easy on her. He
wanted her to move about, despite what had happened, so he would have her walk
to the cafeteria. Tamara contemplated defying him but her stomach protested
vocally at the idea. She could only stand the churning in her belly a moment
before it compelled her to move toward the dining hall. Fortunately that had
been one of their stops on their informal and short lived tour of the complex.
�� The cafeteria was
empty, of food and people, but hopping over the silver serving bar, Tamara
moved to the refrigerators in the back. She was taken back to see just how much
food they had squirreled away in the giant appliances. It was as if they were
feeding an entire zoo of giant beasts, but then again, she wouldn�t put it past
the B.P.R.D. to be doing just that. Sniffing saran-wrapped dishes and foil
encased sides, she finally settled on tearing a corner off an oversized ham
sandwich and taking a pair oranges.
��
Peeling her last orange, she finished her meal
in the hall striding along the glass display cases with the golden and silver
reliquary. Moving on from the spear of Longius,
she crouched down to inspect a few ancient Chinese fetishes when she saw
something move out of the corner of her eye. A shadowy figure hid at the hall�s
end. At first she dismissed it as a figment of her imagination, something to
possibly accompany the voice in her head, but the voice never hid from her,
this thing did. She pushed the last piece of orange in her mouth and chewed a
moment before she spoke.
�� I know you are there,�
she said, staring at the glass. �Might as well show yourself.�
�� As soon as Abe moved
into view, Tamara bolted to stand upright, moving briskly for the exit. He ran
after her, his hand out.
�� I apologise, I did not
know how you would react to seeing me if you�d yell or run, like you are now��
�� Tamara kept going,
breezing down the hall. She was fully intent on going back to the safety of her
room, but a problem presented itself at the elevator. She pressed the button
furiously, but it would no come no quicker and Abraham stood behind her now.
Keeping her head forward, Tamara resolved to pretend he was not there.
She bounced anxiously in place, rubbing her suddenly sweaty fingertips against
her palm wishing him away but he stayed. Quiet and a safe distance away, but
there nonetheless. Probably waiting for an explanation for why you are being
so rude to him, her mind added.
�� As uncomfortable as it
was, Abe decided to wait until the elevator came. The woman was frazzled. Once
she was on the elevator, it was a straight ride up to her room, but until then
he would make sure no one else agitated her. Fortunately the lift was quick
coming. The doors of the elevator opened and Abe took a step backward.
�� Just as he started to
turn, he was surprised to hear her call out to him. �It�s nothing personal,�
she offered, not wanting him to leave with the wrong impression. �I just worry
what I might do. I don�t like what I do.� She sighed, pressing her hand to her
head.
�� I understand,� he
nodded. She started to walk inside the lift and Abe thought quickly, searching
for something pleasant to leave her with if only so that the end of this
meeting wouldn�t be one she�d want to readily forget as well. �I just wanted to
thank you. Your idea of cutting off the waterways has stopped the
resurrections.�
�� Good,� she nodded.
There was warmth in her voice again, he imagined her to be smiling. �I am glad
to be of some help.�
�� I wonder if anything
in Ancient Egyptian mythology could help us with destroying the current
zombies,� he pressed, taking a step forward.
�� Tamara started to move
back to the elevator but his question halted her cold as he hoped it would. Abe
should have let her go, he needed to, but he couldn�t bring himself to be
quiet. He genuinely liked talking with her, unlike Hellboy, she actually
listened to what he said and ruminated over it.
�� His heart fluttered to
see her turn, her finger raised. �There was the story of headless undead attack on the city of Hierakonpolis .�
�� The tomb with the claw
marks on the wall? I thought that was superstition.�
�� I did too until I came
here,� she said looking at the display case with all its oddities. She moved
where Abe did, back to the office library with the wall of books and his
glittering ceiling to floor tank. �Anyway, the body they found inside was
neatly decapitated. The edges severed so neatly, the bone only sliced through
once. That kind of accuracy is almost impossible to do to ones� self, but if
someone lopped off the head and threw the headless corpse inside��
�� It would still not
explain the scratches.� Abe set his breathing apparatus on the table and moved
to the bookcases. His fingers danced along the spines as he searched for a
book. Tamara followed behind him. �Zombies die�again�if you destroy the brain.�
�� But the brain is still
intact,� she pointed out, �it is just removed from the corporal body.�
�� True, but that is not
how Zombies work.�
�� How do you know? It�s
not like they have a manual�oh.� Abe slid a book from the case and handed it to
her. The leather bound book with gold
emboss read libri
de mortuus tergum ingredior. �The
book of the living dead. I�ll be damned,� she chuckled.
�� Abe moved to help her
find a relevant chapter about dispatching with the reanimated. His hands neared
hers but Tamara pulled the book toward her chest, stepping back, her hands
clasped over the spine.
�� I think I should stay
out of arms length,� she said with a nervous laugh. �We don�t want a repeat of
yesterday, right?�
�� Right. Of course��
�� Abe watched her take a
seat and gripped the bookcase. He took two more volumes down in each hand and
then a deep breath before sitting across from her. It made his stomach ratchet
to see her smile but it was fleeting. She returned her attention to the book in
front of her and Abe remembered why they were here, looking through the pages
of his books as well.
�� The two studied in
comfortable silence until Hellboy returned. He, Abe and Liz had all been out in
the field that night, visiting local witches and clairvoyants who had their
fingers on the pulse of the paranormal world drumming up information for their
case and everyone but Hellboy, as usual, managed to return without a scratch.
Tamara sat up straight in her seat, alarmed at the sight of him.
�� It looks like you fell
through a cactus patch,� she said looking at the scratches and gashes across
his chest. �What happened?�
�� The Daughters of Sight. Well�one of �em.� Hellboy grit pulling out a chair. He sat down and
sulked in the seat, spreading out his legs wide and clasping his hands behind
his head. �Those are some really sensitive broads. I just asked them a
question.�
�� Tell Dr. Knight the
question you asked Alyra,�
Abe prompted.
�� I just asked her if
something was stuck in her ass,� he snorted, pulling a cigar from his pocket.
�� And if it died there.�
Abe finished.
�� Hey, that�s a lie! I
didn�t say that. That witch read my mind.�
�� Which is why we call her a �Daughter of Sight�. She
is one of the most powerful psychics and tarot readers in New York . You really should have known better.�
�� Hellboy sat back with a
wince, the chair touching a particularly raw wound, �Don�t forget telekinetic,�
he growled. It upset the demon that he got his ass whipped, but it upset him
even more that the busty woman did not leave her seat to do so. �I hate
psychics�present company excluded, of course.� He said nodding to Abe who shook
his head.
�� Only when I let you
have your way,� the merman corrected. �And don�t finish your thoughts.�
�� Y�mean
like now, Brother Blue?� Hellboy growled, scooting over a little.
�� Tamara watched them
bicker back and forth a moment before posing the question: �So did you take
them in?�
�� No. The Daughters of
Sight are our allies,� Abe added with an amused snort.
�� With friends like
that�� Tamara chuckled.
�� Hellboy watched Abe
snort again and sneered. �You two egg heads already have inside jokes?�
�� Tamara sighed, �It�s an
old saying, Hell-man. �With friends like these, who needs enemies?�
�� It�s Hellboy,
Tammy�and I get it. I just don�t think it�s that funny.� He said curtly.
Tamara, unfazed, went back to reading and Hellboy sat back in his seat again.
Truth was he didn�t get it until she said it but even then, it really wasn�t
all that funny. �What are you two working on?�
�� Releasing Larrioux�s Zombies�without blowing
their heads off,� Abe said, pre-empting his friend�s response.
�� Hellboy groaned, �Then
what is the point, Blue? Why are you trying to take the fun out of this for
me?�
�� Because even if we kill the Zombies the souls still belong to Larrioux.�
�� A technicality,� he
shrugged. �Why do you always have to be so logical about this stuff?�
�Because
if I don�t, you certainly won�t be the one to bring it to the table.�
�Damn straight. After they�re dead, it never
matters.� Hellboy took his lighter to his cigar and tilted his head, dragging
the smoke between his lips and out through his nose. Another drag and he blew
the fragrant smoke out his mouth, making delicate rings. He watched them float
upward and then his eyes settled on Tamara.
�� She looked away,
pretending to be preoccupied with her book, but he caught her red handed. He
leaned across the table, his muscled shoulders hunched about his thick neck.
�� What�s so interesting,
Tammy?�
�� �His chest�� the
voice rippled from somewhere far away. �His
arms.
That strong back. I bet he
could hold you up for hours while he fucked you��
�� Your marks, I was
looking at your marks...they are interesting. Kinda...� Tamara brought her hands under the table,
pumping her fists, struggling to even her breathing. Abe could see she was
becoming visibly agitated but Hellboy, as usual, would not leave well enough
alone.
�� He stood, the cigar
hanging from his mouth, and pulled at the leather waistband at his hips.
Striding to where she sat, he flexed his arm, teasingly. The attentions of a
pretty girl, possessed or no, was one thing Hellboy
could not resist.
�� What�s so interesting
about them?�
�� Tamara�s hands opened,
her mouth suddenly dried. Seeing her lean closer to the male and her pupils
dilate, Abe protested straight away, �Red I don�t think this is a good idea��
�� Hellboy held up his
hand, �The good doctor might know something about them. I don�t know and I was
born with �em.� He bent
down and offered her a proper and up-close look.
�� It could be early
Sumerian, said to be the first language.�
�� Hellboy smiled at Abe
as she moved closer, an �I told you so� gesture. His harmless flirting hadn�t
unravelled the woman; she was still in charge of her faculties. Tamara stood
and ran her hands reverently over his chest, grazing over the wounds and
swirling depressions there. He was pretty proud of himself for a moment but his
amusement fizzled as her hand slipped past his washboard stomach.
�� Tamara�s hand pushed
into his pants and Hellboy shoved away from the table. �Alright that�s enough,�
he chuckled. He gulped audibly when she continued to move forward. �Tammy, game over!�
�� This is not a game,
Red!� Abe pulled his friend backward and stood between the two.
�� Tamara rose from her
chair, pulling her gloves off slowly with her teeth. Standing, she smoothed
back her hair, her hands trailing down the long column of her neck over her
shoulders and breasts. She stared wantonly at Hellboy while her fingers twisted
her nipples through her shirt. The hungry and dark look made his stomach
tighten. Hellboy patted Abe on the shoulder and backed away, �I�ll get the
Professor and Nurse Lennick.�
�� You do that,� Abe said
bitterly, holding his arms at his sides, blocking the woman from following.
�� Tamara took a quick
step and he moved with her, all the while shouting her name to return her to
her senses. It seemed like she could not see him at all, her eyes focused over
his shoulder to the retreating demon, until Abe was right up on her. As her
suddenly black eyes lifted to him, a wry smile on her lips, Abe realised her
far away attention had been a ploy. She pretended to ignore him until he was so
focused on gaining her attention he forgot about staying out of arms reach.
�� Her hands slid over his
sides, nails digging into his slick skin, pulling him close against her chest.
Abe was frozen stiff to feel her nipples, incredibly hard and jutting stiffly
from her breasts, drag along his body. His hands smoothed over her arms,
caressing the heated skin. Tamara smiled as he took her hands in his and
laughed evilly when he roughly twisted them behind her back.
�� Abe shackled her hands
and pushed her back against the table to help keep them that way. Pressed
between the edge of mahogany and the man, Tamara twisted, brushing her breasts
against him tauntingly.
�� I think we�ve done
this before,� she smiled, reclining back. She sat up on the table enough to
lift her leg and curl it around him. Her calve smoothed against his sides and
drew him closer, grinding her lap against him.
�� Abe gripped her hands
harder feeling her rock against his thigh. �And the ending will be no
different,� he told himself. �The staff will come and restrain you before you
do something you really do not want to do.�
�� I want to and you definitely
want to.� Tamara raised the leg between his, rubbing her knee into his crotch.
�� Abe lowered his head
with a gasp; his hands trembled to still hold her wrists. If she kept on like
this, he was liable to spurt and she would know. She would feel the warm liquid
seep through his pants and spread over her leg. How would he face her then?
�� Tamara yelped. Abe
pushed her knee roughly out the way, wedging his slender body between her
thighs. Wrenching her up from the table, he forced her to sit up and stare him
in the face. He grabbed the nape of her neck with one hand and shook her with
force, shaking her black hair in her face as he ordered her to take control. It
didn�t happen instantaneously. She fought against him, twisting and writhing to
break the intense eye-lock, but eventually she stilled. He took a relieved
breath when she noticeably lazed in his arms. Her pupils contracted, allowing
more of the honey coloured iris to dominate her suddenly weary eyes.
�� Abe released her neck
and Tamara�s head fell on his shoulder, her hand slid
from his waist and hid her face. Abe didn�t move as she silently cried against
him, spotting his skin with her tears. He wanted to lay a reassuring arm around
her and raised his hand to do so�but he slowly set it back down at his side. He
could not chance it. The slight, well meaning touch could whip her into frenzy
again but he very much wanted to. He felt utterly useless with the woman heaped
against him in tears and he staring blankly at the
wall behind her.
�� When the worst of it
seemed over, he handed her the discarded set of gloves from the table. Tamara
slowly pushed them up her arm, sniffing. �What�s going to happen to me?� she
whimpered. �Is this going to get worse? It feels like it�s getting worse.�
�� I do not know,� Tamara
started to cry harder and Abe took her gloved hands. �But no matter what, we
will be here to help you through it�I will be here.�
�� There was a long moment
of silence and Abe thought he had made it worse in trying to console her.
Slowly he let his hands fall away and Tamara surprised him, gripping them
tighter, refusing to let them go.
�� If I could stand it, I
would hug you right now, Blue Guy. Thank you.�
�� If you could stand it,
I would allow it,� he said to himself. Tamara�s eyes looked over his shoulder.
The office door opened and the Professor and the clinic staff stood in its
archway, Hellboy pointing inside. Steadying the woman with his hand, Abe helped
her down and Tamara silently leapt down from the table and moved to meet them,
holding her arms out to be shackled, leaving Abe once again, rooting his arms
in the table to hold himself up, breathing raggedly.

Six-months later�

�� Tamara hefted another pile of manila folders onto the
small coffee table and reclined in the couch seat with legs crossed. The
absolute last case file pertaining to the Larrioux
case lay in her lap, the last chance to find anything useful against the
currently on-the-lamb Voodun Priestess. Obsessing
about this and other smaller cases over the past year and half left her little
other time to obsess about her persisting condition so she willingly indulged. Almost willingly.
�� Opening the file she let out an exasperated sigh and
another as she flipped the first page away and looked at the neatly typed page.
She did it again and Abe swam toward the glass of his tank watching her angrily
whip through page after page.
�� I think it�s time for a break,� he announced, not that
she heard him. She stared at the pages critically still until he heavily tapped
on the glass. Tamara looked up as if surprised to find him there and Abe
motioned with one hand to the books in front of him. �Turn the pages please?�
�� She clamped the file under her arm and moved down the
steps. �Getting on your nerves too?� she smirked.
�� Not at all,� he shook his head. �I was just worried how
much longer that file could hold up to such strenuous
investigation.�
�� Tamara read between his neatly put thoughts. �More like
you wanted me to stop before you snapped my neck.�
�� Abe didn�t deny it one bit, �It would defeat the purpose
of relaxing wouldn�t it?�
�� I don�t see how you can with Larrioux
still conjuring her spirits somewhere.�
�� I have not a care in the world when I am in here,� he
said rolling in the water.
�� Tamara watched him whip the bubbles about him with envy. �I
would join you but�I really shouldn�t even bring it up,� she mumbled, nervously
twisting her fingers in her hair. Even with her head down, Abe could see she
was terribly embarrassed about the incident still. It was his own fault for
asking her to join him for a swim but it couldn�t be helped now.
�� Abe watched her push away from the glass. He sailed
quietly beside her as she walked. �So before you were shredding the files with
your bare hands, did you find anything new in them?�
�� Maybe,� she shrugged. Tamara slowly walked between the quartet of podiums that faced the tank, carefully turning
the pages to each one. �Before she became a Priestess she lived a normal human
life. Her father and mother both where butchers, so it would not be a stretch
to assume daughter followed in the family career would it?�
�� And how would that help us find her?�
�� People have a tendency to return to what is familiar to
them. Familiarity gives them some sense of control. If we could figure out
where her family worked back in 1912, we might find her hiding spot.�
�� You don�t agree with Manning�s assessment that she has
left the country,� Abe asked.
�� Tamara rolled her eyes. Even the rookie Agents agreed
that the woman wouldn�t risk that. Security being what it was she could not go
in a plane, so a ship would be her next choice and the idea of Larrioux, and all her medallions and paraphernalia sitting
in the centre of the Atlantic like a floating
target, was ridiculous. At the very least a few storms would have materialised from nothing, baffling meteorologists around
the world and providing her with cover but there had been none. Yet Manning
persisted with the idea, leaving it up to other agencies similar to the BPRD
outside the America
to burn through their funding to follow up on any leads.
�� You should add your voice to multitude if you do not
agree, Dr. Knight.� Abe encouraged.
�� It won�t matter. He doesn�t listen to reason if it
affects his bottom line. Besides I doubt it could get through his thick
skull...�
�� Abe chuckled seeing her flip one of the books pages ire,
sometimes the Director had that affect on him as well.� He is essentially a
good man. He tries to do the right thing��
�� But when push comes to shove he�ll cling to his job
description rather than reach his hand out to help others.�
�� He is a great Director.�
�� He�s a great Tool, too.�
�� Tamara felt the mark on her arm wriggle and writhe as she
made her hand into a fist. It spread a warm tingle up through her arm, one that
gently fizzled away as she heard Abe�s laughter. She blinked and looked to the
tank, stunned to realise how deeply she had been
breathing and that her nails, through the layer of the gloves, indented the
skin of her palm.
�� Abe completely oblivious continued to chuckle as he
spoke, �Perhaps this will help you relax.� He sprinted to the back of the tank
and opened a panel there. Abe pulled the jack to his headphones and Tamara
inched closer toward the tank, hearing a faint warbling emanating from it.
�� She pressed her cheek against the cool of the glass and
after a moment, a smile spread across her face. �Beethoven�s
Moonlight Sonata�second movement?�
�� I am impressed,� Abe nodded with an amused sound. �Do
you know who�s playing?�
�� Not at all,� she replied glibly, slumping against the
glass. Tamara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Abe stood over her,
watching her expression bloom into something of sublime serenity as the music
swelled. She hugged her body with her gloved arms and smiled, reddening her
soft cheeks. �Who ever it is,� she sighed. �It�s beautiful.�
�� Yes,� Abe�s finger tips squeaked against the glass,
running through the silken black hair he longed to touch. Could
not touch. He caught himself lingering too long, staring at the curve of
her neck and pushed away, �Yes Wilhem Kempff has a gift for pouring life into every note.�
�� He stretched his arms out and sailed backward, turning in
the water, riding on his back, sailing quietly around the expanse rolling along
with the melody. If only it were as easy to forget his thoughts as it were to
flit through the water around him. Or as
easy as it was for Hellboy and The Professor to pick a
fight, he grumbled to himself. There was crinkling in his forehead as the
angry and messy thoughts bombarded him. He stilled in the water, facing the
door head on as it swung open and Father and son ambled through.
�� It�s the World Series, Pop! And it�s happening right
here! I gotta
see this!�
�� There are nearly half a billion people all over this
globe who will not have the opportunity to see it live either. You will be one
of them.�
�� The Professor looked at the books in his hands, reading
the spine and shelving it in the appropriate place in the cases that ran
against the wall. Hellboy ungracefully ambled behind him, his hands out in
pleading. �Pop, please. I can make sure I�m not seen. Manning won�t even��
�� Out of the question.� The
Professor turned to face his son. �I have already crossed with the Director too
many times about this. You are not to leave the compound unless under proper
escort�and that is final.�
�� He slammed the books in his shaking hands on the table
and strode away leaving Hellboy to scratch his jaw with his stone fingers.
Clay, after seeing the Professor leave in a huff ventured inside, putting his
hands on his hips.
�� What did he say?�
�� What do you think?� Hellboy grit angrily.
�� Clay sighed. He knew it was a long shot, but he was
hoping the demon would get his way, especially since he seemed so excited about
it. Hellboy and he talked sports from time to time, but Clay never saw him so
excited over a game or devastated one of the Professor�s refusals.
�� So we�ll make a night of it. Beer, wings, a few of
these�� Clay moved toward Hellboy, digging into his coat pocket. He stood
beside him, his back to the pair of onlookers at the tank�but Abe, by virtue of
being Abe, knew what he tried to hide. Tamara looked up and he made a smoking
motion that explained everything.
�� Cigars,� she mouthed. Abe nodded and shared in her
amused but kept laughter.
�� Hellboy turned more fully seeing the tightly wrapped bars
of tobacco and Clay nodded encouragingly. �Maybe we�ll have a bit of time to
play a game of cards after the Yanks lose?� he edged, hoping to get a rise out
of him.
�� After they lose?� Hellboy
echoed, his arms folding.
�� Clay matched his stance, unafraid. �Yea.�
�� Hellboy let his hand fall from his jaw and gave a wry
smile to the Agent. �I�ll definitely take you up on that game of cards. Seems like your judgment is already impaired.�
�� Impaired�� Clay smiled, �Big word for you, innit?�
�� Big words for a big fellla,�
Hellboy grunted, drawing in a deep breath and putting his fists on his hips.
His chest suddenly looked twice as big as it did before, causing Tamara to push
away from the glass and stand.
�� Clay crossed his arms, puffing out his own chest, �Sounds
like a challenge.�
�� It is.� Hellboy nodded.
�� Fine. I�ll go round up Willis
and Liz and we�ll��
�� Liz is going to the game, Clay.�
�� Oh.� The pieces
suddenly fell into place in Agent�s mind, why Hellboy was so anxious to go and
utterly devastated when he was refused. Clay watched Hellboy sullenly step away
toward the doors and then noticed the movement at the room�s back. �Dr.
Knight!� he boomed, making her pause with foot in the air, shoulders hunched
and wince on her soft features. She set her foot down and turned in place, sad
that she couldn�t slip away unseen. �You feel like playing a few rounds of
poker?�
�� Tamara shook her head, �You�d be better off asking, Abe.�
�� Hellboy raised a heavy brow, �You forget he�s a psychic,
Tammy?�
�� Makes bluffing kinda�impossible.� Clay chuckled.
�� He can�t even sit in the room because he does that thing
with his gills.� Hellboy added.
�� What thing?� Tamara�s gaze slid to the tank where Abe
shamefacedly looked away, his arms hiding his neck. The gills there tended to
stick out when he was excited or distressed.
�� It�s not important. He�s not allowed.� Hellboy grunted.
�� Abe let his arms drop and gave an exasperated sound. �I
told you I was sorry!�
�� Yeah, well �sorry� won�t bring my case of Baby Ruth�s
back will it, Buddy Blue?�
�� Lets hope not,� Clay grinned,
patting his belly, remembering the sweet win. �Anyway, how
�bout it Doc?�
�� Tamara shook her head again, �I don�t know how to play.�
�� Liz was helping you with the basics right?� Tamara
nodded reluctantly and Hellboy clapped his hands together as if shutting the
book on the argument. �Great! You�re good to go.�
�� Tamara shook her head �no� again. �I think I�ll stay here
with Abe. There will be no one to turn the pages if I go since the Professor
�well, you know.�
�� Hellboy sighed and looked at the tank. �Blue. Please.
Tell her you can walk out of the fish bowl when you feel like it.�
�� I think she is quite aware of that, she is just being
considerate. Something you might what to try every once and a while.�
�� Whatever. Just tell her.�
�� Abe felt the pressure as Hellboy came to stare at him,
hands on hips. The impressive size of his friend did nothing to shake him, it was knowing he didn�t want to send Tamara away and the
sudden anger he felt at hearing Hellboy and Clay pushing him to. They pleaded
with their eyes and their thoughts and when a response wasn�t quick enough in coming their internal questions grew almost as loud. Why doesn�t he just say it�s
ok? Doesn�t he trust us? I�m a good guy�I can�t speak for Red, but I
am. Sure she�s hot, but we�ll�Clay will make me behave. I wonder if Abe likes it when she�?�
�� I will manage, Dr. Knight.� Abe said quickly, halting Hellboy�s thoughts. �You can go.�
�� Tamara moved to the glass spoke so softly only he could
hear. �What if I don�t want to go?�
�� Abe tilted his head in confusion and Tamara motioned up.
She excused herself before briskly hopping up the steps to the tank�s hatch.
Abe was already there, bobbing with the false current.
�� I�m worried something
might happen,� she said bending her body over the edge.
�� You have not had a relapse in several months.�
�� But if I did, I wouldn�t want it to happen� with them.�
Abe was visibly taken aback and Tamara hurried to explain her meaning. �Not
that I would want it to happen with you. That�s not fair to you, I know, but�I
trust you. I feel safe with you.�
�� You shouldn�t
he thought, staring at the swell of her breasts. Abe pushed away from the tank�s edge and swam freely in the
rectangular opening. �Then it is best you learn to trust others as well. I am
not the only one who has your best interests at heart.�
�� Tamara opened her mouth. She wanted to tell him there was
something else, something more that made her feel at ease with him, but the
point suddenly seemed moot. He ordered her to leave. If he could have touched
her now she gathered it would only be to push her down the steps she came.
�� Go, Dr. Knight. It could help take your mind off this,�
he said motioning to the papers under her arm. �And that�s what you want right?�
�� Tamara was slow to respond but she did, nodding once,
�Right. But I just don�t think�� she raised her head to look in his eyes and
Abe was gone, nothing but bubbles swirling in the space where he had been. She
caught a glimpse of him as she descended down the staircase, swimming just as
blissfully as he had before she started wracking her brain with paperwork. Just as peacefully as he did
before I came.
�� Tamara moved faster down the steps and met Clay and
Hellboy with a smile. �Alright, guys, lead the way, but remember,� she warned
with a finger raised, �I gave you fair warning I don�t know what I�m doing.�
�� Don�t worry Tammy�we�ll take good care of you.� Hellboy
grinned.
�� So I�m told,� she said looking over her shoulder. Clay
and Hellboy moved ahead of her out the door while she paused to glance back to
the tank. She felt like she should have said something to Abe but what? And
what did she owe him�or he her�except a polite wave?
�� Tam-may! Let�s go!�
�� Hellboy�s bellowing snapped her
from her thoughts. Tamara slid from the doorway and into the hall, anxiously
pulling at her gloves as she moved.
�� Abe, still in the office, in his own way mimicked her
nervousness, swimming lap after lap, gaining speed at each pass until he was
simply a blur cutting the water. When his body gave out he came to a pitiful
slumping rest in the centre, threading the fragile ruffles of his throat, angry
that he pushed so hard for her to leave and angry that he could not follow.
�� Damn gills,� he snorted before starting his laps anew.

�� Hellboy was surprised
to see Liz saunter into his room during the second inning. For reasons she did
not explain, she chose to stay in and watch the game with the rest of the
�usual suspects.� Tamara had her suspicions that she changed her mind when she
realised Hellboy could not go as well, but Liz maintained the reason�the one
she refused to discuss�was not that. Still Tamara caught her smiling
absentmindedly at the male as he rattled the room with his booming and rolling
laughter. The only point when Liz did manage to tear her eyes away was toward
the end. When the game was over and the food nearly gone, the ritual game of
cards began and almost everyone had their attentions on their cards. Almost everyone�
�� Sitting at a small
table with the other agents and Tamara, Hellboy set his cards down as he stared
off into space, reminiscing. �Back in 1956, when the agency was just starting
to grow, I lived on a military base in Nevada .
I would sneak off and visit the soldiers in their barracks. They had been to
Vegas, played with some of the best and they taught me how to play.�
�� Clay snickered quietly
as Agent Willis mockingly mouthed along with his hand to Hellboy�s long winded speech. Somehow an explanation
to Tamara�s question about what constituted a �flush� in poker became nostalgic
rambling. No seemed to care save Liz, who sat with hands under her chin,
smiling softly as the Hellboy relieved his childhood memory by memory. Tamara
only seemed mildly interested, glancing over as he spoke intermittently but
Clay and Willis plainly and obviously were bored.
�� They snickered and made
crude gestures as Hellboy rambled until the male turned in his seat. All their
snorts and chuckles drew Liz�s attention and thusly Hellboy�s as he noticed the absence of her focus on
him. Clay laughed out loud when hulking demon unexpectedly turned to glare at
an unsuspecting Willis. With Hellboy�s
gravely growl, his talking hand withered into his lap and the Agent gave a
nervous chuckle before resuming studying his cards.
�� Hellboy cleared his
throat. �As I was saying�back in those days, we lived in�� Clay groaned loudly, �Red, did you invite us
here to play or to bore us to death? Some of us don�t have an extended lifetime
to waste.�
�� Nonchalantly, the demon
rocked back in his seat. Clay hissed under his breath as he spread his cards in
a neat fan. Willis tossed his cards into the centre with disgust and Clay did
the same with a groan.
�� Tamara looked up as
Willis and Clay left the table, taking her attention away from her hand.
�Wait�what just happened?�
�� Your �flush,� Doc�
Clay replied wearily, shrugging on his blazer. �He won the game.�
�� Hellboy started to
greedily scrape the sticks of gum into his lap when Liz waved a forbidding
finger. She stood behind Tamara and saw her hand�all spades, an ace, a king, a
queen, a jack and a ten. She flipped the cards for Hellboy to see and he
audibly ground his teeth.
�� Willis smirked, seeing Hellboy�s tail thrash wildly, �No
way.�
�� Yes, way.� Liz patted the demon on his broad
shoulders but he would not ease. For once he was going to get one over on Clay
and a novice, someone who didn�t even know the hand they held was a winning
one, beat him. What was worse, Clay saw fit to gloat that fact.
�� I guess I still hold
the record then, Red?� he said with pomp.
�� For now,� Hellboy grit. �Next time, it�ll be a
different story.�
�� Really?� Clay pulled of his coat and sat down again,
�Let�s see you back up that mouth.�
�� Gladly.�
�� Willis sat down,
helping Liz and Tamara gather the cards and clean off the table while Clay and
Hellboy engaged in a staring contest. Neither one broke eye contact until Liz
let out a shout. They both turned and were floored, as was Willis, to see
Tamara kissing Liz.
�� That is the hottest
thing I have ever seen,� Hellboy murmured watching Tamara mount the woman�s
lap. Clay nodded wordlessly in agreement.
�� Tamara�s hands held the
woman�s face; her lips crushed passionately against hers. She slipped from her
seat to straddle the bewildered woman. Her knee pressed between her legs and
Liz shouted. She managed to twist her head some to petition for help from
Hellboy.
�� Are you going to help
me or not?� she gasped. Tamara captured her lips again, muffling her words and
pushing her back into the seat. Hands grabbed her breasts and Liz couldn�t help
but arch off her seat, jarred by the forceful caress.
�� And stop this show? No way.� He snorted, only half
serious.
�� Liz tore her mouth away
with a snarl, �Help me, dammit!�
�� I�m comin�, I�m comin�� Hellboy stood and reached across the table,
lifting Tamara with little to do by her arm. Liz gaspingly fell forward in her
seat, a hand across her chest to still her racing heart.
�� Clay watched Hellboy
tussle with Tamara who now sagged with her back against his chest; her head
nestled against his neck. �What happened?�
�� It�s my fault. I
reached into her lap when she dropped a card.�
�� Wills� jaw dropped.
�Are you serious? She just learned not to go bonkers when you brush up against
her.�
�� Does it look like
she�s lying?� Hellboy shouted.
�� Tamara twisted in his
arms, grinding her bottom against him. He tried to turn her or handle her in
such a way she could not, but Tamara was determined and seemingly endlessly
flexible. When Hellboy felt himself grow aroused by her writhing, he had had enough.
�� Liz stood, confused, as
Hellboy hoisted the woman like a sack over his shoulder. �What are you doing?!�
she shouted.
�� Taking her to Abe. He might be able to talk some
damn sense into her.� Clay nodded in agreement and started to clear a path, opening
the door and radioing the others they would soon be on the move.
�� Liz was not so sure
that was a good idea. �She might attack him too. We really should take her
downstairs.�
�� So Manning can add
another strike against her?� Hellboy raised a thick brow. �You said it
yourself�it was your fault.�
�� But Abe�� Liz
protested. After their last encounter Abe was so frazzled by whatever Tamara
did to him he did not leave the Professor�s office for a week. Even to this
day, he still would not talk about it and that worried the woman. �I don�t
think it�s a good idea, Red.�
�� He�s in his tank, Liz.
He�ll be better off than us. Safer too,� he said, turning his head as Tamara�s kicking
foot sailed by it.

�� Abe swam listlessly in
his tank, darting from wall to wall, when a thumping echoed through the office.
Beyond the glass of his tank, he knew Hellboy had thundered inside.
�� Picking up his
emotional frequency, Abe let out a sigh in a column of bubbles. �Not again,� he
groaned. His friend radiated arousal and frustration, two things he often found
himself overloaded with after a trying bout of miscommunication with Liz. Not
that Abe could say he no longer understood the demon�s difficulties grappling
with wanton emotions.
�� Moving to the exit
hatch, Abe dried himself with a heavy towel as he moved down the winding steps,
buffing his skin dry.
�� Red, you are really
going to have to write her a letter, a text message, anything and just her how
you feel�oh.� Abe froze in step. Hellboy shrugged Tamara off his shoulder like
so much weight and pushed her forward. �What hap�?�
�� She frenched Liz and started to give
me one helluva lap dance
when I tried to stop her, so she�s all yours, pal.� Hellboy backed away in a
hurry, wanting to put some immediate distance between he and Tamara, but she
seemed to be focused solely on Abe now. �Clay�s on the other side, holler if
you need something.�
�� The doors shut and Abe
took a sharp breath in. Tamara lazed against them, her arms behind her back,
her head resting against the etched slabs of metal. She stood with one foot
against the door, her knee poking out under the white frill of her skirt,
twisting with childlike charm but with anything but innocence swimming in her
eyes.
�� She pushed off the door
suddenly and Abe twisted the towel in his hands to stay in place, the muscles
in his chest tensing with the motion. He couldn�t afford to let her know she
affected him in the slightest, even if she did.
�� Tamara strode forward
slowly, swishing the white skirt she wore about her shapely hips. The tight
turtleneck top hugged the curves of her chest and sides he longed to forget.
When only a few feet stood between them, Abe shouted in his sternest voice for
her stop, not that she listened.
�� Tamara edged closer,
smoothing her hands over her sides, a smile curling her soft lips. �Don�t be
this way, Abe. We both can have what we want now. No one will be coming through
that door unless you call them.�
�� Abe looked down at her now; she was not an arms space away from him. �One more step
and I will call them.�
�� Don�t you want me?�
she asked, laying a hand on his chest. It took all his strength not to shudder
at the soft touch. He took a deep breath and looked down at her, speaking
evenly.
�� Focus, Dr. Knight.
Concentrate on my voice�� Abe took her hand from his chest and the other,
squeezing them tightly, his thumb rubbing her mark. �Tamara, I need you
concentrate.�
�� Unlike the last time,
he did not shout. His head rested against hers, face downcast, eyes shut. Abe
simply held her against him by her hands, letting Tamara nuzzle his neck and
chest, while he whispered the commands in her ear. Exercising control himself,
he hoped, would lend her the strength to do the same.
�� She pressed a kiss
against his chin and Abe challengingly batted her head with his, forcing her to
look up. As their eyes met, he could feel whatever warped her recede, making
her body limp and pliant in his arms. Abe lifted her slightly by her shoulders
and walked her backward to a smoking chair. She was coming around and he knew
it would be utterly humiliating for her to wake in his arms.

�� Tamara blinkingly
reached for the cup of tea handed to her. It only registered that it was Abe
that did it or that she was in the Professor�s office after she took a sip.
Glancing over to the seated agent, she didn�t bother asking what happened. The
overwhelming silence and Abe�s expression spoke volumes.
�� Carefully she set down
the cup and brought her legs to her chest, woefully shaking her head. �It�s
tiresome living this way.�
�� Not knowing what happens
in between these blackouts?� Abe asked. He felt strange that he couldn�t
automatically glean her meaning from her thoughts and had to ask the question,
but talking, like it did with most, seemed to relax her some.
�� She nodded, her arms
unfolding from atop her knees. �Eventually I remember. I wish I didn�t....�
�� Abe looked away,
suddenly feeling uncomfortable himself. �Would like to go back to your room?
Clay is outside, waiting to escort you.�
�� It surprised him when
she shook her head �no.� �I don�t think I could bear to look him or the others
in the eye right now.� Tamara got a flash at the mention of his name. In the
elevator ride over, she goosed him and Willis good, grabbing their crotches
with intent. She flopped onto her side with a wail remembering what she did to
Liz. �I miss my old life!� she screamed into the cushions. Twisting on her
side, she stared off into space and chuckled out of frustration. �And to think,
I used to actually wish something would happen to stir things up,� she
laughed.
�� Hopefully, one day,
this will merely be a memory for you to draw on when you utter the adage �be
careful what you wish for.��
�� Or it�ll be carved on
my tombstone.�
�� Strive to stay
optimistic, Dr. Knight. Returning to that life you miss so much depends on it.�
�� Raleigh and my cat,
Kipper.� Tamara corrected with a whimsical smile. �I don�t miss my job,
my apartment, but I miss them. They were my life.�
�� Kipper is your pet and
Raleigh is��
Abe fished, curious.
�� My brother, but he�s
probably so busy he doesn�t even know I am gone. He�s an actor, or at least he
wants to be, so he�s always travelling, schmoozing here and there.� Tamara
looked over at him, �How did you wind up here? Who did you leave behind?�
�� I was found.� Abe,
uncomfortable with talking about himself, was ready to leave it at that but
Tamara encouragingly nodded him to continue. �I, like you, do not know how or
why I came to be as I presently am. I do not remember any other family aside
from the one the B.P.R.D. gave me.�
�� Brother Blue�� Tamara
chuckled. �Hellboy has said that so many times, I actually thought you two were
related until now.�
�� Abe gave an amused
snort, �Surely you see the error in your thinking. We look nothing alike nor do
we even share one discernable personality trait. Not a one.�
�� As I have learned
during my stay here, stranger things can and will happen.�
�� So, let me pose the
question, if the Professor was our father, Hellboy my brother, who did you
assume our mother was?�
�� She shrugged,
�Something very big, with a temper and an affinity for water?�
�� You just described
Godzilla.�
�� Tamara sat up, her eyes
hopeful. �Does he exist?� Abe shook his head no; unable to speak he was
chuckling so hard. �Damn. Just as well, I�m sure Japan is thankful.� There was a
polite chime from the watch on her wrist. Tamara looked at the time and scooted
forward in her seat, putting her feet on the floor. �I should go. You probably
want to go to sleep.�
�� I don�t sleep.� Abe
said quickly. �I would call myself an insomniac but I do not suffer fatigue or
any other ill effects that come from extended bouts of sleeplessness.�
�� Then you won�t mind if
I stay?�
�� Not at all. I�d prefer your company to my old
Rubik�s cube any time.�
�� You�re too kind,� she
snickered, putting her legs back on the seat. Abe watched her lean against the
side of the high back chair, her soft features still carrying the hint of a
smile. He asked her what she was thinking and she responded with a question. �The Kraken?�
�� What about it?�
�� Does it exist?�
�� Yes, actually. I myself have glimpsed sight of it in
the Mediterranean and off the coast of the Indian Ocean.�
�� Then that could be you
and Red�s mum. Angry, aquatic, large,� she said counting each trait off with
her fingers. �Although I don�t imagine the Professor was quite a willing
participant in the conception. I hear that thing is ugllllly�
�� It is.� Abe thought of
the mass of arms and fangs flopping to embrace the old man, and shut his eyes.
�And that is just�disturbing,� he shivered. �Let�s
talk about something else, please.�
�� Tamara, still laughing,
obliged him with a nod and they did. They talked about her past jobs in America and abroad, his cases from Lisbon to Tanzania,
and the history and mythology between them. While he swam in his tank,
she stood with her back against the glass and they talked about places they
longed to go and things they wanted to see, of which Tamara was surprised Abe,
as an Agent in the Bureau, had not already done. She paced in front of the
tank, flipping the pages of his books while she read the one in her hand until
sleep started to make her eyes ache. Dried and dressed, Abe came to sit with
the woman near the fire where they talked about their favourite music.
�� Abe played his
favourite record in the Professor�s collection and Tamara stretched out on the
red velvet seat. Puccini�s Nessun
Dorma sung in the
background and Abe, cheeks fattened by a rotten egg, turned away from the
vintage phonograph to continue gushing about his favourite opera composer but
found his companion asleep.
�� He swallowed the food
in his mouth with a gulp as he slowly approached. She looked peaceful enough,
long black lashes flanking her shut eyes, breathing even, but the way she laid
made him think she was uncomfortable somehow. Abe had the idea to move her, but
he didn�t want her to wake in his arms. He would be hard pressed to stop her if
she wanted to caress him then. He found himself having trouble restraining
himself as it were. The more she talked, the more he wished her attraction to
him was as genuine as his attraction to her had become.
�� Abe covered his
temptation in a cashmere throw and moved to the books on the Professor�s table.
The old man�s notes on her case, reports and correspondences from Manning and
other higher ups were there and coupled with the stack of bookmarked texts, the
hope of a cure for her ailment.
�� Slowly Abe eased
behind the desk, gripping its edges with trepidation. The proper procedure for
an Agent working a case with personal stake in the balance would be to walk
away and Abe, always a stickler for the rules, unyieldingly obeyed all BPRD
procedure. More often then naught, he would be there to police those who sought
to defy it. Hellboy was often the worst and repeat offender.
�� Time and time again Abe
had to tell him to walk away, not that the ill tempered demon ever listened,
especially when Liz was involved so as a result, the two would find themselves
at odds. Abe didn�t understand why he couldn�t simply follow the rules,
especially when most of the time things ended badly because of a rash,
emotionally driven decision. He could not see how the overwhelming risk was
worth the trouble, until now. Taking a seat at the desk, Abe took a long hard
look at the sleeping woman before opening the first book on top and adding his
own notes to her case file.

A/N: Survived the
long chapter? Lol. This�ll be it for a while, so I hope it�ll tide everyone
over. Thanks for reading and a big thanks to pinkhare, Keshley, Aleta Rois and GellyBelly. Especially Aleta Rois for pointing out
things I hadn�t really seen and giving me other ideas to explore in this
chapter! Happy Thanksgiving for those in the US of A and please keep the
comments coming, good, bad or otherwise!
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