Ones Who Bump Back ~ A Hellboy Fanfic (Abe Sapien x OC)

Chapter 15: Welcome Home

I sat at my desk, flicking my pencil, as I stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of me. It was odd, as usually I could think of something to write or draw in a matter of seconds. However, this time, there was nothing coming to me.

My mind was so clouded with grief and worry that I could think of nothing else but the mission. It didn't help that only an hour after the incident we had with Manning, Clay had succumbed to his injuries. With the number of stab wounds he had, everyone was surprised that he made it back to H.Q. alive, but his death was inevitable. Thankfully, though, Abe was still recovering steadily, but was still unconscious. He seemed to be taking his sweet ass time, as he usually wakes up soon after he blacks out. That's what had me worried about him still.

I pushed the bare piece of paper aside. It hardly seemed to phase me at the thought of barely enjoying one of the things I loved doing the most. I sighed, putting my head in my hands, letting my ears fall against the back of my head, my tail resting itself upon my lap.

I could just feel my lids begin the shut when I heard a knock at my door. I eyed it cautiously, not entirely sure who it may be. Perhaps the professor came to ask what happened on the mission personally, if Red had denied speaking to him, or John coming to talk to me about how he convinced Liz to come back, or maybe Hellboy came back to invite me to his room to watch all the bad reruns on TV and drink beer for the evening. I smirked at the thought of it somehow being Manning coming to apologize about his behavior earlier. 

As I focused in on the presence, another series of knocks came. I could feel the fiery warmth it sent me, and how troubled their mind was. My eyes shot open as I hurried to the door, seeing it was Liz. I looked deeply into her hazel eyes for a moment, "Liz? What are you doing here? You hardly ever come to my room by yourself."

Liz looked down at the ground, not really sure on how to respond at first, "I know, but I just want to see how you're doing. It feels like forever, you know?"

As I let her inside, closing my door behind us, I smiled gently, "Not really, I did see you with Red not long ago when he hurt his arm, remember?"

Liz sat down on the couch, motioning for me to sit beside her. I was rather amazed at how she trusted me being so close to her, as it was only yesterday that she burnt an entire building down. "Yeah, I know. You were with Professor Broom and Myers, but it has been over a week since we actually got to talk."

"Yeah. If I remember correctly, the last time I really got to say something to you was when you slammed the library door in my face on your way out of here," I tried to joke, which was somewhat successful, as I got a small grin from her. I knew that she wasn't much for small talk, so I tilted my head, "You know that I know you came here for more than just knowing how I'm doing. What is it?"

"What's been going on since I left? Red briefly told me how you, he, and Abe have been doing and about Sammael. But, from what I heard around here, lots has happened since then. Didn't I just hear that Clay died?"

I sighed, "Yeah, he did. We went back to New York to find Sammael's eggs and destroy them. However, things went south quickly. Quarry, Moss, and Abe were looking near the tracks while Red, Clay, and I chased after a guy in a mask who was down there with us."

Liz stared at me with saddened eyes, "Well, what was with that guy? Does he have something to do with Sammael?"

"I'm afraid so. When the professor saw that thing when we brought it back here, he told us that the guy in the mask was one of the three people who freed Sammael and hopes to bring the Ogdru Jahad to Earth. So yeah, we're screwed."

"Ogdru Jahad? Red never told me that part," gasped Liz.

"Yeah, so apparently Grigori Rasputin, the Russian mystic who's come back to life twice now, and two of his sidekicks from Professor Broom's past are trying to bring about the apocalypse."

Liz's brow ticked up as she heard the name of Rasputin, staring at me cautiously, "Wait, do you mean that Rasputin?"

I noticed her worried expression and how she looked around the room, before pressing a finger to the small scar located on her forehead. I remember her telling me about how she had gotten it. It was the day that her family died. Kids had thrown rocks at her, striking her in the head, which is what caused her to have her mental breakdown. She has never forgotten that day, forever burned into her memory until the day she dies. I cleared my throat to catch her attention, "Is something wrong?"

Very silently she spoke, "Last night, I heard a voice. It was faint, but it seemed to be telling me to do something for them. Then, all of a sudden, I was trapped in a dream, having to relive my past and I couldn't wake up. When I finally opened my eyes, everything around me was smothered in flames, and the walls around me were caving in."

"That's when you burned down the hospital I'm guessing? How exactly did John convince you to come back? I thought you said you were leaving forever."

Liz looked towards the door, but her eyes went back to my calm expression, "I did, but I felt like I just had to come back. I missed all of you. However, I think, for now, I'm only staying for the weekend. John seemed to understand me, you know?" I smiled, remembering the feeling of John's kind soul, "He made me realize that, unlike out there, the bureau never really held me back in being who I am. I always got to do what I wanted to do, never really having a schedule of being somewhere or having to do something. I usually felt free here despite being kept underground for the majority of my life. You're my family, and John reminded me of that. Besides, I think Red is thrilled to see me back."

Liz finally smiled, as she saw the grin on my face. She not only looked happy, but I could feel it well up inside her, for the first time in a long time, and it was pleasant to see. However, something was still bothering her.

"What happened back there with Manning? I wouldn't be surprised if Red got pissed at him for something little."

"Not exactly. Red and I had a heart-to-heart moment, you know? It  was wonderful as we've been fighting nonstop for these past few days. I could feel that Red was returning to be the brother I knew long ago; selfless and caring," I smiled fondly. However, it soon faded, "Then, here comes Manning complaining to us about how the other agents were killed and how we weren't doing anything right. He acts like he knows everything although he's never been on a mission to see what it's like fighting monsters, and yet, he expects us to listen to everything he says just because he's going to be our boss. So, he says that we're only valuable because we're freaks ourselves and that eventually we'll be the only ones left to save mankind from. He looks at us and fears us with his life, wanting to lock us all up because in his eyes, we're a threat to society."

Liz stared at me with shock as she listened. Finally, she saw the whole picture, "And I'm guessing that when he said that, Hellboy wasn't too pleased."

I laughed, "Yep. I doubt Manning will try anything like that again."

Liz chuckled and got up, heading towards the door, but stopped to look at me as she opened it, "Thanks for talking to me, Vivian. I'm sorry if what I've done recently made you kind of hate me."

"Hate you? Let me guess, Red exaggerated all the things I've said about you since you left?" I smiled, and Liz nodded, slowly. I rested my hand on her shoulder, "While you may have left very suddenly, which definitely upset me, I could never hate you. You're like a sister to me."

She went up to hug me, glad that I was someone she could talk to, who could relate to her. I gently squeezed her tighter, before pulling away, "Thank you again. I'm going to finish unpacking my stuff in my room if that's alright."

I nodded, "Of course. Welcome back, Liz."

I closed the door behind her as she headed down the hall. I pulled out my pencil and paper, and once I came up with some ideas of mine, I let my hand draw seemingly on its own. I felt pride in that moment, realizing that despite what had happened, I still have some happiness in my life, as well as being able to share it with others, such as Red and Liz. Sure, I've made a few mistakes here and there, but we're all still together and they need me as much as I need them. I know that no matter what, we'll be a family. 

However, deep down I could feel that our family bond wouldn't be able to stop the trouble that was coming towards us. That's one thing that I feared most: that our enemies were aware of our relationships and were going to use that against us.