Abe Sapien and the Witch

Chapter 37

(Apologies for the late upload, I had a rather unexpected few days at the hospital but all is well now- on with the show!)

Chapter thirty-seven

His hands raised from his sides towards her as he stepped forward, his eyes wide at the sight of her standing before him. Without hesitation she ran to him, tears streaming down her cheeks with absolute joy as his arms enveloped her. "Abe..." she said, her hands reaching for his face so that she could take in every little detail of him. "I can't believe you are here..."

"My darling..." he whispered, his voice breaking with emotion. "There is nowhere I would not go to find you, no place too far...Has he hurt you?" he asked, tracing his fingers along her bottom lip which looked painful.

"Oh this, it's nothing..." she whispered, burying her head against his chest, "it's nothing now that I've got you back."

"Sorry to be a killjoy guys, but those gas cannisters are only built to last for about fifteen minutes. I think we need to get going, and fast." Red said, taking the lead with the Samaritan cocked and ready to fire.

"Yes, let's go home." Abe said, taking her hand in his before placing a gentle kiss on her fingers. He picked her up in his arms, noticing how little she weighed though he didn't have time to dwell on in. In a rushed dash back through the compound grounds, they made it out of the back gate without further interference as the gas cannisters kept the witches trapped inside.

"I vill drive!" Johann said, delighted at the chance to get behind the wheel of the dark-windowed jeep they had brought along, which was parked nearby next to a hedge. Red got into the passenger seat. Liz and Abe sat at either side of her in the back seat, like a protective shield around her.

She clung to Abes hand for the entire journey back, not caring that he still wore his gloves, just wanting to feel how close to her he was. He kept looking down at her, as if he thought she might disappear from the seat next to him, or worse again that he had somehow imagined her there in the first place.

He noticed that her facial features were more drawn, her skin was paler than usual. Under her eyes sat dark circles that did not take from how beautiful she was, though they made him feel sad and angry at the thought of her suffering at the hands of Laufey in any way.

Finally, they were back at BP headquarters where there was quite a buzz as people heard that she had been found and came running into the hallway to see her. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, and she felt a bit dizzy from all of the attention. "It's alright..." Abe whispered to her, "we're nearly at the library now. We can get some rest soon."

She nodded up at him, taking in every detail of his profile as they walked along, afraid that this was just a happy dream and that she might wake up from it at any moment. She looked every bit like a typical Halloween witch from the movies with her short hair standing up at odd ends and her dark purple cloak billowing around her. She could see her reflection in some of the glass panels of the walls as they walked, and in her discomfort she decided to concentrate only on Abe while the rest of the team spoke between themselves, elated at their success.

Once they reached the library, Red shut the double doors tight so that only the five of them were inside. She took a deep breath, glad for the relative silence of the room. "It's much quieter in here," Abe said, squeezing her hand with a gentle movement.

"Are you hungry?" asked Red, looking for the library phone so he could ask the kitchen for some food, "I'm starvin', you guys all want pizza?" Her stomach rumbled and she nodded, realising that she felt famished with the hunger.

"And a...cola, please." She added, her voice quiet and Red laughed, "Cola, you got it tiny."

"Sweetheart, would you be more comfortable out of that thick robe?" Abe asked, and she flinched back from him when he reached towards her to help her remove it. He was surprised by the look of fear on her face, and stepped closer, "Are you alright? You know I won't ever hurt you..."

"Oh, Abe, I'm so sorry...It's not that. I know you would never hurt me. It's just...with all of the excitement, we never got a chance to...well. I don't know how I can gather the words together, but there's something really important that I need to...tell you."

Everyone's attention was on her now, and she dropped her gaze down to stare at the carpeted floor. "What's the matter honey? Whatever it is, you can tell us." Liz said, smiling up at her from her seat on the sofa.

She shook her head, her face becoming an impossible shade paler as she took another half-step back. "The minute that you know, it changes everything..." she whispered, as a lone tear slipped down her cheek to sting her split lip.

"Please, sweetheart, whatever it is...you can tell me." Abe whispered, his voice full of concern as he reached a hand out to her. She took a deep breath, "It's been about what, four months since Laufey...took me?"

Abe nodded, easing a half-step closer to her with concern in his eyes. "Then...I guess that's about how far gone I am..." she whispered, opening out the front of her thick robes to reveal her once flat stomach which was now much firmer and rounder in shape.