Hell Hath No Fury

A/N Goddess Foxfeather is a wondermous uberbeta… *glomp * Readers/Reviewers: I had a cunning plan… I really did… it just sort of didn’t work out… *sigh * So, here’s an update, lol.

“He said he’s going where?” Hellboy’s brows crept up. “You sure he didn’t mean Nebraska? People get ‘em confused sometimes.”

Kitty vented an almost silent puff of air in frustration. “I’m sure, and I don’t think he meant Nebraska or any other red state.” She fought the urge to stomp her foot and instead marashalled her best argument. “You’re from there! Talk him out of it!”

Hellboy sighed and stubbed out the tag end of his cigar—Logan’s, really, but who’s counting—and laid a red hand on Kitty’s shoulder. “Look, kid, I ain’t a tour guide. Besides, he’s talkin’ out of his head. He needs rest, lots of it, and he’ll snap out of it.” He gave her an almost paternal pat on the shoulder and reached for the back up cigar stashed in his breast pocket.

“He’ll….oooooooh!” She did stomp her foot then, directly on top of his. He barely flinched but she was undeterred. “He’s not just going to snap out of it! You weren’t there—you didn’t see his face when he said it!” She closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to maintain the fragile hold on her temper. “Whatever’s wrong with him, he’s convinced he needs to literally go to Hell. I talked to Liz… I know about what happened, I know you’re really a demon and not a mutant.” Her voice dropped to a near whisper and she leaned forward slightly, “Frankly, it scares the bejeezus out of me but right now, you’re the only one he’ll talk to about this. He’s convinced you hold some secret that’ll get him into Hell, something he can do or say that’ll do it.”

He groaned, a long suffering sound, and dropped his hands to his side. “Look, I can’t promise anything but I’ll see what he has to say. This kid’s as much a mystery to me as he is to you. No one wants to go to Hell… no one in their right mind anyway.” He produced the second cigar and a lighter. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, this is my private time.”

Kitty was still fuming silently when Liz found her an hour later. “Said no, huh?” the pyrokinetic asked as she dropped to sit beside her on the bench near Storm’s greenhouse.

“He said,” Kitty lowered her voice in a poor imitation of the demon, “he’d ‘see what he has to say’…” She snorted. “Sounds like a cop out to me.” Kitty shoved a stray curl behind her ear and glanced up at Liz. “Is it?”

Liz sighed. “With him… hard to tell. He means well but…” She shrugged and stared up at the steel gray sky, threatening snow but not quite delivering on the promise, “He’s got what you’d call socialization issues.”

Kitty harrumphed in agreement. “That’s an understatement.” She licked her lips and tightened her fingers into fists inside her pink and purple mittens. “Liz… he’s really a demon… does that mean… Are there angels and stuff too? If he’s from Hell, there must be Heaven, right? And God?” She flushed slightly and stared at her knees. “Sorry…”

Liz laughed softly and leaned briefly on Kitty’s arm in a sort of half-hug. “It’s okay. I wonder that a lot myself. Hellboy is…special. He’s nothing like any demon I’d ever imagined….” She sighed, a long and loud sound in the frosty afternoon. “If he said he’s going to see what Kurt has to say, he’ll do it. He’s got a soft spot for lost causes.” She smiled again, a distant look in her eyes. “He won’t let someone go on hurting if he can help them.”

Kitty studied Liz openly now. “You’re in love with him,” she said suddenly. “Ooooh… Scott’s going to be so disappointed!” She giggled at Liz’s mildly embarrassed expression, the soft sound of mirth becoming outright laughter as Scott rounded the corner of the house, heading from the garage towards the greenhouse. “Break it to him gently,” Kitty snickered.

“Oh, hush you,” Liz muttered. “Hey, Scott,” she added in a distinctly different tone. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been looking for you two. Kurt’s asking for Kitty…he’s really upset about something and nearest we can figure, she’s the only one he trusts right now…Aside from your…er…friend…” He glanced at Liz and blushed himself.

Kitty was on her feet, already hurrying towards the house. “Where is he? What’s he doing?” she asked over her shoulder as Liz and Scott jogged to catch up.

“He’s still in his room but he’s hiding… we can’t see him but we can hear him moving around… He’s hung the bedspreads over the windows and broken the overhead light.”

Kitty stopped at the back door and took a breath. “Liz, please go get Hellboy.”

“Kitty,” Scott laid a hand on her wrist. “You’re not going in there by yourself with that…person… You don’t know what he can do, really!”

Kitty frowned and looked sharply at his hand where he held her. “I don’t see you rushing in, Fearless Leader.”

Scott blushed furiously under Liz’s scrutiny as Kitty strode through the door without opening it. “She’s…um…”

“She’s right,” Liz said tartly, striding past him.

“Well…hell.”