Title: Remembering

Fandom: Hellboy

Spoilers: Hellboy 2

Warning/Rating: PG (13?) No warnings. There is very mild Nuada/Nuala but nothing worse than the move.

Summery: While waiting for Abraham to deliver the crown piece Nuada and Nuala have a talk.

AN: Sara (bittybe2000) isn't the biggest fan of this, she has a huge squick about this sort of thing but she let me use her journal to post it. Thanks Sara I'll write you a cutesy Doctor Who fic soon. Also no beta so all mistakes are mine, as usual.

"Do you remember when we were children and in the middle of the night and I would crawl into bed with you?" Nuala asked her brother.

Nuada turned from contemplating the Golden Army, a faint smile curving his lips up. "Yes. Your feet were always so cold."

She smiled, though their link she could feel his wistful longing of a simpler time. When they were children, who knew nothing of war or deceit or pain. All they knew was that all they had needed was each other. Nuada's tutors had often joked that to find him, all they had to do was find Nuala. Likewise for Nuala's tutors.

"I felt so safe with you." She said searched his face for any semblance of the young boy he had been. "No one could harm me so long as I was with you."

Nuada touched her cheek, careful not to touch the wound on her cheek. "As it is now. I will let no one harm you." His eyes darkened with warning. "Nor will I allow any to come between us."

"Time has come between us, brother. Time and your own hated. You speak of greed burning a hole in the hearts of humans that will never be filled, but what of your heart, brother? It burns with hatred that won't be quenched." She reached out to cup his cheek in her palm. He leaned into her touch. "There was a time that all your heart needed was me."

Nuada grasped her hand, pressing a reverent kiss on her palm. "And there was a time when I alone possessed your heart."

Pulling her hand out of his grasp she thought of Abraham with his kind eyes and gentle matter. She had known better than to feel anything for another. Nuada never liked when she had shown affection to anyone but him. But Abraham was so like Nuada had been like before he had tasted the bitterness of war. She hadn't been able to resist his warm heart. A heart that had long wished for a kindred spirit to see past the flesh into the heart. It had resonated so much with Nuala's own longing to share such a connection once again.

"You left me." She said simply.

She opened her heart to him; let him feel the full existent of her pain. The one being she had loved above all others had abandoned her. She hadn't known how to exist without him. They were two bodies of one soul. And though she had felt every blade, every blow, every broken bone he had suffered though the war she hadn't known what pain was until he had left her. He had left and taken something vital from her.

There was a tiny piece of her that hated him for that.

Nuala was surprised to see tears on her brother's cheeks. Knowing that she had tears on her own face she dabbed at his cheek. When he did likewise she was taken back to a time when they had been children even by human standards and she had fallen and skinned her knee. Nuada, had run to her, answering tears in his eyes. They had ignored everyone, comforting each other and wiping their tears away.

"You hate me." Nuada whispered sounding hurt to his core. He eliminated the small space between them so he could touch his forehead against her own, his eyes closed, tears coursing down his cheeks. "My sister, the other half of my soul, hates me."

Nuala wrapped her arms around him, his armour digging into her skin, but she ignored the mild discomfort. Because despite the years, despite their different opinions, despite the fact that he had killed their father, Nuada was other half of her soul and she still loved him more than any other.

"You will always be first in my heart, my brother. Nothing could ever change that. No other will ever take my heart from you. Not even your own actions."

Nuada held her tightly.

Just like that they were as they had been. Nuada was physically stronger; Nuala had gone to him when she needed protection from her nightmares. But emotionally it was Nuala who was stronger. When Nuada had needed comfort from the pressure of being a prince he had gone to her.

When Nuada pulled back he brushed his lips gently across her cheek, just above the wound he had inflicted and Nuala felt the apology in it. He regretted his harsh action, spurred by jealousy and the fear that another male held her affection. Like her he had floundered for such a long time without her. She had been his touchstone, the light in the never ending darkness. Before Wink he had been without any companionship for centuries.

He had missed her just as much as she had missed him.

"We must get ready." Nuada said, pulling back reluctantly.

Nuala searched his face for the vulnerability he had just shown but all she saw was the hard, resolved warrior ready to do whatever it took to save his people. Willing to commit genocide.

"Brother,"

Nuada caressed her cheek gently. "No, sister. Not even you can dissuade me from this. Do not try."

"And if Abraham doesn't come? What will you do?"

"He will come. I saw into his heart as you did." The bitterness was back.

Nuala refused to be ashamed that she had reached out to another being.

Her brother led her into the chambers beyond where the Golden Army were kept, into the rooms that had made up their home in the darkest hour of their world. Unlike the rest of the fortress it was pristine, almost as if no time had passed at all.

Her chambers were just as she remembered them. All shades of blue and gold and she smiled when she realized that even when she decorated her room she had done so with thoughts to Nuada's favourite colours. Nuala wasn't even sure of blue was her favourite colour or she simply had adapted to his. Perhaps it is what first drew her to Abraham, his lovely blue skin.

"Prepare yourself, sister."

Nuada went to the door that joined their rooms before closing the doors behind him.

Alone, Nuala didn't bother trying to escape. Nuada would be able to find her easily. Instead she moved to the wardrobe were her dresses had been stored, all looking new. There were dozens of blue gowns of every imaginable shade. Instead she picked a cream gown with a red underskirt. She sat before a mirror to brush her hair.

Like thousands of times before the brush was taken from her hands and strong hands smoothed her hair as he pulled the brush though at a steady, soothing pace.

"I missed this most of all."

Nuala met his gaze in her mirror. She was slightly amused, although not surprised to see that he was wearing formal dress that closely mirrored her own.

"When the humans are gone I will not leave you again, my sister."

She regarded him solemnly. "And will I have a choice, my brother?"

Nuada didn't answer her as he continued to brush her hair. But then he didn't have to answer. She was his one weakness, his one vulnerability. The only reason he had not taken her with him was that he had confidence that their father and the guards could guard her almost as well as he could.

Both of them were aware when the others arrived. As Nuada leaned to place her brush back on the small table he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"Do not interfere sister. I would not have you harmed."

Nuala said nothing, but as she rose she slipped the knife that Nuada himself had given to her into her sleeve.

Nuala wasn't sure how she wanted this to end. Either her brother would win and the world would be bathed in death and blood or the other half of her soul would be gone, taking her with him because she knew as well as she knew the comforting weight of the sharp dagger up her sleeve that the only way to stop her brother was death.

In that tiny piece of her heart that hated her brother for all he had done she knew that she would do anything to she had to to stop her brother.