Fan-fiction part three

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Author's note

If you don't know what the Pink is:

http://theeightgreatimmortals.blogspot.com/2011/03/pink.html#comments

:]

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

 "After a moment, it passed, and she glanced up to see she was no longer on the outskirts of her wood, but in the bustling city of Adelaide where she would meet Hellboy."

Joseph's house, Lizzy saw, was at the end of a street. It really had no traffic; it was close to a roundabout. That was convenient. Skulduggery steered the Bentley into the driveway. "What," Lizzy asked. "Do we do if Sanguine hasn't come? I mean, that would be fantastic, of course, but... are we just going to say 'Hey, Joe, I'm Lizzy from the United States. Sanguine attacked me last night, and Skulduggery here rescued me. Now we think Sanguine is after you.'?" Skulduggery paused, then, getting out of the car, muttered, "Something like, that, yes." Lizzy shook her head, and got out too, leaving behind her backpack but bringing the Pink.

They strode up to the door, Skulduggery raised his hand to knock, and the door opened before he could. There stood a man of about 40 with dark brown hair and gold flecked eyes. Joseph's father. "Oh, hello," he said, looking curiously at Skulduggery wearing a coat, scarf, and glasses. Skulduggery thought fast, "I'm an albino. I can't have much sunlight... anyway, we're from Joe's school, and we were in the neighborhood so we thought we'd stop by to say hi...."

"Oh... ok. Well, I'm afraid I haven't seen him since this morning. He'll probably be at the park. Or possibly the Tea Tree Plaza. Or, of course, he could have gone to the city, although probably not. But then again , maybe. Though he likes the park. So he might be there." He began to smile then frowned, "Well, actually, he probably went to-"

"Ok," Skulduggery  cut in. "Thanks for your help." The man smiled, nodded, muttered something about why had he opened the door in the first place, and closed it again. Valkyrie murmured, "Well that was a lot of help."

Lizzy pondered, "I wonder if all dads in the SP world are rather odd and funny...."

"Well," Skulduggery said, walking back to the car, "we'll try the park first."

The sun was setting when they arrived. It was much later here in Australia then back in the USA. It was an odd sensation for Lizzy to be in the early sunshine one minute, and the setting sun only a few minutes later.

Her eyes roamed the quiet, grassy land of the park. The cool, crisp air of the evening bit at her through her coat. She crossed her arms and glanced around, looking for anyone that might be Joe. She saw a couple sitting on a bench off to the left. An elderly man with his dog, was walking by from the right. A seemingly stray gray cat sauntered up to Skulduggery, tilting it's head to the side, and mewing at him.

"Awww" Skulduggery whined. "So cute!" He bent down and picked up the little kitty and baby talked it right in front of Lizzy's eyes. Valkyrie gave him a withering look. "You have got to be kidding me."

"What? This little Maine coon is so sweet! Yes, you are! You're so sweet!" She rolled her eyes.

Something about the small gray cat triggered a thought in Lizzy's mind. "Wait," she said. "What did you say that cat is?" Skulduggery looked at her. "It's a Maine coon. You can tell by the-"

"No way."

"What?"

"Mar-chu? Mar, is that you?" The little kitty tilted it's head at Lizzy, staring at her, and mewed.

"You know this cat?"

"She's.... she's not a cat. She's a shape-shifter.... But wait. No... no, that can't be her. She lives in the United States and she's not really-" The cat scrambled and clawed, jumping to the ground. She ran around in the dirt for a minute then moved back and looked up at Lizzy. In the dirt, words were sloppily written saying, "I'm Mar." Lizzy's jaw dropped. "It is you! I'm Lizzy! You're really a shape-shifter! I can't believe it! But... why can't you transform back into a human?" The little Maine coon swung her paw around in the dirt again. It said, "Beginner."

"Ahhh, " Skulduggery nodded. "She can't control it yet."

Then the cat rippled. There was no other way to describe it. It was like there was an invisible circle of water surrounding the cat and someone had thrown a pebble through it. Then it rippled uncountable more times in quick succession within only a couple seconds, and the cat was gone. In her place stood a small girl with dark crimson hair and sparkling blue eyes. "Ooo," mumbled Valkyrie. "I've never met a shape-shifter before! Unless you consider a vampire a shape-shifter..." 

"Oi! I'm nothing like a vampire!.... Wait... I didn't meow!" She looked down at herself in excitement. "Yay! I'm human again!! I mean, I liked being a cat, sure, but when your a cat and don't want to be, it can be annoying." She continued talking a mile a minute as she walked rapidly in circles and waved her arms around as she did so. "Plus, I don't know where anything is around here. I'm in Australia! Hello! How could I know anything about it! I've never been in Australia before! And that Sanguine! He hates cats! How could he not like cats? I mean I was adorable, for Heaven's sake! He stuffed me in a sack! A sack, for cryin' out loud! I wish I could  take him and just squash him into a little Sanguine pancake!" She smashed her fist into her palm a few times, growling at it.

Then she spun around to Lizzy, smiling brilliantly "And Lizzy! It's awesome to meet you! I can't believe I am, and you have a rifle case! Is that the Pink? And you're in Australia! Why are you here?  I'm here because that stinking Sanguine brought me here on his way to pick up Joseph, whoever that is, to torture me later whenever he got back to wherever it was he was going! But I escaped! Hahahaha! Thought he could capture the..." she paused, with her fist in the air, trying to think of  title for herself. "The... un-capture...able... March Pathway..., did he?" She grinned and struck a pose.

"March! I'd love to, you know, chat, but we really need to find Joseph!  Did you see-"

"Excuse me, " Lizzy paused in mid-sentence and glanced up at the newcomer. He was about 6 feet tall with dark brown hair and brilliant, gold flecked eyes. "I couldn't help but overhear your.... yelling... about a particular Sanguine. You wouldn't happen to be referring to Skulduggery Pleasant, would you?"

Lizzy stared at him. "Hellboy?"

"Ummm... yeah...?"

"Well, that was easy," muttered Skulduggery cheerily.