open_flame | Who will forgive whom?

Current Location: Gray & Sons, Queens NY

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Who will forgive whom? - Tag graylikeme

What would happen if Liz's yearly distraction mission on the anniversary of the day she killed her family was to try to recruit a watchmaker from Queens to the BPRD?

Featuring the illustrious and amazing graylikeme in the role of Gabriel Gray.

I don’t need to check the calendar. I know what day it is. The worst day of the year. Everyone at the Bureau has been walking on eggshells like they do every year. Don’t mention it. Don’t upset her. Give her an easy mission to make her feel useful and better about herself.

Right.

I grab the file off my bed and read though it slowly. Queens….great. Still, it beats the hell out of sitting around here all day with my thoughts. I don’t want that, even though it’s what they don’t want as well. For once, the powers that be of the BPRD and I agree on something. If I don’t get out of this place and get my mind off what I did in Kansas, I will…do something I’ll regret. Or maybe...I wouldn’t regret it. Been thinking about it enough lately, but I never have the guts to even touch that big gun in the bottom of my dresser. It took a lot of cash and time to find a shop to sell me one without a background check. All that time and energy, and I can’t even work up the courage to pick it up, put it to my head and pull the trigger.

The plane ride is quick. At first I entertain the idea of it just dropping out of the sky, like planes do sometimes. That would make it easy. I wouldn’t even have to lift a finger to end my life. Of course, I don’t want to take the pilot with me, and I can hear Manning bitching in my head about how much it would cost to replace the plane. It’s the little one, not the big jet. I could have driven, but…I guess Manning could spare the puddle jumper before one of the cars. They never want to leave me ALL alone today. Guess they’re not so stupid after all. At least the pilot won’t be following me to Queens. Sad eyes work pretty well to get what you want sometimes.

I distract myself from the thoughts of the day my family died by reading the file over. Gabriel Gray, a watchmaker. He’s been talking to that Chandra Suresh. They say Suresh is a complete wack-job. Lovely. He probably another one of those that thinks we’re to be studied, researched. Like we’re some sort of wonderful evolution that means everything’s going to be OK. Sparkles and rainbows and sunshine and gifts from God and all that bullshit.

It’s not a gift. It’s a curse. We’re not special. We’re…freaks.

Still, this Gabriel has something new. Something the Bureau hasn’t seen before, and Manning wants him. Or wants his power on the payroll, more accurately. Intuitive aptitude. He can see how anything works. Would be a nice skill to have around the Bureau. Maybe he can fix that damn drippy shower finally.

I take a cab to the shop in Queens. Gray & Sons. It looks like an ordinary watch shop. But I know better than most that things are not always what they seem. I step out of the cab, the bits of the watch we had Red smash in an envelope. Like anyone could actually fix this, but we need a cover. Something to get him talking about what he could do and hopefully convince him to come with me back to BPRD. We could use some new blood that doesn’t get killed or quit in less than a month.

I put on that great fake smile I’ve perfected and push the door to the shop open. “Hello?” It looks spotless, like my room. A place for everything and everything in its place. The gently ticking of the array of clocks on the wall is almost soothing, like a meditation or a song. Maybe I should get a clock.

“Mr. Gray?” I move a little farther back in the shop. He’s supposed to be here. Maybe be went out for lunch or something? “Come out come out where ever you are.”

I throw caution to the wind and push back to the rear of the shop. Hopefully he won’t mind that I…

FUCK! My hand is up with a small fireball in an instant, a flick of my wrist spinning it towards the rope tied around the mans neck. He hits the ground with loud thud as I drop the envelope and rush over to him, grabbing his head to make him look at me as he gasps from air. The rope is still circling his neck, those eyes filled with an all to familiar look of pain and regret. We’re both pulling at it, trying to get his airflow back to him. A rope? Never thought of trying it that way. I wonder if it hurts less than a bullet. If the rope was a little longer your neck would probably just snap before you even had time to suffocate..

Do your job, Lizzie!

“ Are you alright?” I try not to sound panicked myself. This is NOT what this was supposed to be. Who the FUCK sends a suicidal girl to go talk to a suicidal man and offer him a fucking job? Fucking Manning! He could maybe have them do a tiny bit more research. We know the guy likes tea, but we didn’t know he wanted to off himself?

He’s gasping for air, looking at me like I’m some kind of devil…or angel. “Hey, come on. Say something.” What’s he thinking? God I wish Abe was here.

His eyes gloss over with wetness, his face twisted up in pain as he leans in closer to me. I don’t know what to do or say or even think. Does he want…a hug? Would a hug even help? Hugs are supposed to help right?

“Forgive me.” He wheezes as I pull him close to my chest, without really meaning to.

Forgive him? For what?

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"Red...." My voice is so whiny I shouldn't be surprised when Red laughs at me. "Just...take Fuzzbutt and wait outside would you?" I beg as I flick my hand towards the door. The big guy looks almost hurt. "Please?" I give him those big puppy dog eyes I know will make him putty in my hands.

"Alright, fine." Hellboy nods to Gabriel and stomps out of the room. I can tell he's waiting outside the door because the thundering footsteps stop much sooner than they should. He probably has his big nosy head pressed against the door to hear everything we're saying. Oh well.

"I am SO sorry, Gabriel." I rush over and grab for Gabriel's hand as Abe shrugs and begins replacing the books on the pedestals. "I thought Hellboy was still on a mission I should have warned you about him." I look at him with pleading eyes. I hope he doesn't quit over this. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened.

"He's... that's his name?" I feel a little weak in the knees, but I'm not about to sink into a chair. I can do this. I can. She acted normal with him, she even ordered him to go and he did, so... so it's fine. It has to be fine.

"I'm... well, maybe you should have warned me about him, but... I wouldn't have believed you anyway." Breathe Gabriel, breathe. "Who... how... Why is he here? He actually works here?"

When he's not chasing cats. For some reason that's funny, almost as funny as Liz whining at the demon or him munching on chocolate.

I nod as I try to think of an acceptable excuse. I don't have one. "We call him Red, for obvious reasons. He was in Japan or someplace, but he must have gotten back a few days early." I sigh and walk over to him.

"He's sort of the reason we're all here, in a way." I sit down in one of Broom's big overstuffed chairs and motion for Gabriel to do the same. This is the kind of story you need to be sitting down for.

"During World War II, the Nazis tried to unleash a power that would destroy the world. The Bureau stopped them but not before Red can though from...the other side."

I look around the room, at all the books and artifacts before I continue. "Professor Broom decided to keep him and raise him like his son. So, here he is. Our countries best kept secret. Sort of."

"The professor sounds like an interesting person." I say it weakly, pondering just how interesting he has to be, given that he raised a demon. All these books, this place, this job, all of this wouldn't be here without him. I glance over at Abe, who seems to have gone back to reading, and back to Liz again. "Alright, so..." My nerves are fine, for someone who's survived survived certain death and met two unlikely creatures in a day. It's my mind that's reeling a bit.

I'm going to accept it and move on, for now. "So any chances of a peanut-butter sandwich and milk in a place like this? Something... normal?"

I'm starved, I'm exhausted and the world has proven to be a lot more complicated than I thought.

"I'll ask more about what you said later, but if I don't get something to eat soon, I'll probably munch down the rubix cube next." And that won't be the strangest thing ever seen in this place.

"You'll meet him soon. I promise, he's normal. Just a regular guy."

"We've got a kitchen yeah." I smile and realize that We haven't eaten. I usually don't today, with so much on my mind. Honestly, today is the best anniversary of me blowing up a city block I've had ever. I haven't even cried yet.

"We could do sandwiches or, " I stop and look at Abe. "What day is it?" It's hard to tell what Abe is thinking, but the way his head is tilted lets me know he's shocked I asked that. "Not the date, I know what date it is. What day of the week?" I smile a little to hide the fact that now I am thinking about that day.

"Oh, of course." He nods and looks between Gabriel and me. "Thursday. Pizza day." he says before he goes back to his books again.

"You want pizza? They probably haven't ordered yet." I ask Gabriel with that same little smile.

"Oh, it's like school." I smile. "Except I think Friday was pizza day at my school." There's a lot I don't remember from there and don't want to either, but I seem to recall that pizza day was a high point of the week, especially because it meant that it was the last day before the weekend. "I'd love some, if it's no trouble. I might kill for some coffee too."

We leave Abe and the study behind, heading down some new corridors, strewn with new things to look at. I try not to pause very long, however. The stomach is pulling me into the next big room. It looks promising, since it's a dining area, mostly empty too.

That's good, I don't think I can deal with meeting more strange people on an empty stomach.

"It was Monday at mine." I laugh and wave goodbye to Abe. He's still got his head tilted in an odd way. What, I'm not allowed to be happy today? Isn't that what they all want?

I decide to skip over telling Gabriel about all the artifacts and things in the cases. Hellboy is enough to deal with for now. He can learn about all the weird crap later.

"Damn it." I grumble when I see the stack of pizza boxes at the end of the shiny counter. There's an even bigger pile of empty ones stacked up by the trash. I wonder how tall the stack of boxes in Red's room is getting. "They already got them. I guess we took a little longer than I thought meeting Abe." I frown apologetically.

"Looks like there's lots left though. What's your favorite?" I hope he doesn't like something we didn't order.

"Um, I'll eat anything as long as there's not anchovies on it, really. I'm not terribly picky when it comes to pizza." What's left in the boxes is very free of fish, thankfully. I load my plate up with several slices, sitting at one of the tables. This morning I didn't think I'd ever need to eat again and maybe that is what makes this pizza the best I've ever had. Nothing like a near death encounter to enhance the taste of food, I suppose.

I sigh happily, going through at least two slices without paying attention to much else. It makes me blush when I think that I'm probably eating like a pig though. And in front of a girl, no less.

"I was... really hungry." I use the napkin, wiping my fingers clean too.

Really, really hungry. I think I'll actually have a lot more pizza than this, but eat slower. Mom would have berated me, I know that.

"Nobody likes anchovies. Well, maybe Abe but I don't think I've ever seen him eat pizza."

I'm smiling as I watch him eat. The guy could give Red a run for his money as far as appetite goes. "Hungry?" I ask with a laugh.

I take a couple pieces myself, honestly surprised I have the stomach for much more than coffee today. Who'd have thought that today would end up alright, for me and for Gabriel considering how it started out.

We eat more of the leftover pizza together and I realize that I feel pretty comfortable with her. I don't think I could have asked for a better angel to rescue me, honestly. She's sweet and she's special, just like me. What are the odds of that? God did listen to me when I asked for some sign, some idea of what to do with myself. I'll be forever grateful for that. Maybe I can even push away the urge to have more abilities than I have.

My mind never stops working, even while we're eating, even when I push my empty plate away. "No more, I'll either explode or fall asleep with my head in the pizza. And none of those sound very pleasant."

I hear rumbling steps moments before the door goes up, but at least I'm not in shock now when Red stomps in to deal with whatever leftovers there are. I can deal with it. Too tired and too full to be bothered.

I'm laughing at Gabriel's comment when I notice HB head into the room. "Everything OK with the 'kids'?" I ask keeping my eyes on Gabriel. He seems calmer now. I'm amazed really. He's taking this all so much better than I expected. I've been thinking that all day though. Gabriel really is special.

"Yup." He stacks a few boxed on his stone right hand and pays us no mind. Or at least thats what he wants Gabriel to think. I know better. "You done with the 'distraction', Kid?" He asks as he stops by the table.

I keep my eyes fixed on Gabriel, though I'm sure my expression is less than pleased now. "Not yet." Red, you asshole.

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Who will forgive whom? - Tag graylikeme

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