Elizabeth pushed a wheel barrow through the streets, a sheet covering the dead body quashed down in side of it. Ahead of her, Victor acted as if they were a separate party.
Now it was closing of four in the morning but Victor knew the sun wouldn't be up for another couple of hours, he had time yet. He didn't talk to the girl, he didn't acknowledge her in the slightest, all he wanted to do was get back to the apartment, get the body down to the lab, lock up and then spend another sleepless night tossing and turning.
"Here," Victor said quietly and without turning, the squeak of the wheel barrow was the only indicator that she was behind him.
Hurriedly, his eyes darting around from the frame of the door, to the lock, to the streets, he unlocked the door of the warehouse. The door swung open and Elizabeth took a small step towards the opening, she didn't bother letting her eyes adjust to the light, she simply didn't care enough. Instead, she tipped the wheel barrow vertically and let the mass of tissue slide out into a heap.
"Careful!" Victor gasped, rushing to the side of the dead girl as if she still had a pulse. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.
Victor pulled the body deeper inside the warehouse and then stepped back outside, closing the door behind him as he kept his eyes fixed on Elizabeth.
Elizabeth smiled at the sight of his widened eyes. The man had an innocent face and so it saddened her to see him ferrying dead bodies to and from his home. Briefly, she wondered about his motives but deemed him too clean, too intelligent and quietly attractive to be fucking them.
"And where is it I can reach you, Miss Hare?" Victor asked, his hands still clasped around the handle of the door.
Elizabeth froze, accidentally letting her wheel barrow clatter to the floor.
"Miss Hare?" He asked again, slower this time.
Elizabeth began to back away, she was shaking her head, "Actually, I think this'll be it..."
"Wait!" Victor crept forward, "As you can see I am no...expert...in this field,"
"You'll learn," She hissed before turning as if to leave.
"Ma'am, I'll pay you double!" Victor knew he couldn't possibly pay her that much, he was struggling finically as it was but it made her pause momentarily. "All I ask for is an address at which I can reach you."
"That's a very generous offer Doctor but I can't accept," She gently massaged her shoulder and let out a tremendous sigh, "Now, if you'll excuse me,"
And with that she was gone, she had swept away into the night with the satchel of silver spoons slung over her shoulder.
"Wai- Damn it!" Victor chastised himself for the missed opportunity; he allowed himself a brief moment of frustration before disappearing inside to begin his work.
It hadn't worked. The body had begun decomposing as soon as Elizabeth had put it in the wheel barrow and by the time Victor had got to working on it...an arm dropped off.
Additionally, Sir Malcolm had summoned him on the account of another one of Miss Ives' fits, he was needed to issue a continual sedative and to treat some minor possibly infected bites and scratches. It was ideally a situation that could wait. Ethan, also mostly incompetent, could deal with this.
Victor wrapped his coat around himself, cutting out the sting of the wind that seeped into his arms. There were one thousand stenches that filled the air that morning, fish, meat, shit, sick. Victor fought back a retch as he strolled down the cobbled streets, his doctor's bag clutched tightly in his shaking palms.
"You thieving whore!" Victor flinched away from the sound of a crack on the cobbles. "I'll fucking cut your hands off you little witch!"
Down the alley way he could hear multiple slaps against the ground and it will not surprise you to discover that the next voice Victor heard was too familiar.
It was a scream, "Get away from me! Help!"
Elizabeth didn't know why she was crying for help, if anyone did come to assist her she would most likely be sent to court and hanged for her crime, though she had only stolen a pair of shoes.
Victor's eyes widened at the sound of her voice, he had become paralysed, though flinched as each strike hit the ground, or worse, skin. Finally, he came to his senses and dropped his doctor's bag, running into the alley.
A tall gentleman had removed the belt from his breeches and was flinging to down against the tight ball at his feet.
"You think you can walk in here and steal my boots whilst I sleep? You depraved, vagrant, bitch!"
Elizabeth screamed again, her hands umbrella-d above her head, there were deep red welts all over her arms and her thighs where her dressed had risen up to reveal her bloomers.
"Hey, hey, hey," Victor said, his hands outstretched peacefully.
"Don't hey me, nancy boy," The man turned the belt on him but Victor simply crossed his arms, "This whore's a thief and a harlot, she has stolen from me!"
"Take them! Here!" Elizabeth flung the leather boots at him and reverted to her ball, "Just stop, please!"
"That's not good enough!" The man rose his belt again but Victor stepped it, catching it in his hand. He winced.
"Sir, do you believe that beating this young woman is going to duplicate an unlimited supply of said boots?" Victor quipped.
The brute, large and filthy cocked an eyebrow, "Clearly not boy,"
"Then, now, since you have had your fun," Still looking at the man, he extended his hand back towards Elizabeth, who gingerly took it; Victor helped her to her feet, she was trembling. "Would you be so chivalrous as to return to your drinking?"
A golden coin was flipped through the air towards the man who greedily snatched it up. By the time the man looked up after scrambling to catch it, Victor and Elizabeth were gone.
"You didn't have to pay him," The fragile girl muttered as Victor dragged her through the streets.
"I didn't," Victor laughed jovially, "The coin was fake, hence why we're walking so fast,"
Elizabeth smiled letting herself be taken away by the doctor when she abruptly saw where she was, the same place she had been four days ago. Victor felt her hand wrench away from his own and when he turned she was melting into the crowd.
"Wait!" He said, catching the shoulder of her dress and whipping her back round to face him, "A thank you would be appreciated,"
Elizabeth sighed, running her hand over the welts on her arms, "Thank you,"
After a pause, still gripping her shoulder, Victor spoke, "You don't have anywhere to go...do you?"
She opened her mouth as if to speak but quickly closed it again, her eyes fell to the floor in embarrassment.
"Come, let me tend to those welts,"