Jekyll had recovered himself a few days later and decided to clean up his laboratory. He was engaged in this, glum and depressed, when a knock sounded on his door.

"Come in," he said, sighing.

"Jekyll, are you all right?" asked Erik, entering.

"I'm fine, Erik," retorted Jekyll. "My life's work has been in vain, but I'm fine."

"You'll recover, Jekyll," said Erik, confidently. "You failed, but you can start anew. There's always another chance."

"I suppose," sighed Jekyll. "I suppose it's just another failure, and makes the solution closer to hand."

"Precisely," replied Erik.

Jekyll nodded. "Thank you, Erik. What have you come here for?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to search for Dracula."

"Search for Dracula?" repeated Jekyll, confused. "Why?"

"Aren't you worried about him?" asked Erik.

"Why should I be?"

"He's been missing for three nights," replied Erik.

"Oh?" asked Jekyll, surprised. "I hadn't noticed."

"No, of course you haven't," scoffed Erik. "You've locked yourself up here. You haven't noticed anything except for your failure and self-pity. Well, if you're not coming, stay here," said Erik, making for the door.

Jekyll sighed and reluctantly followed Erik out. They traveled to the end of the hall and reached the spiral stairs which led down to the crypt. They knocked on the door, and Erik called, "Dracula? Are you in there?"

At that moment, the front door opened and Dracula strode in, chatting and laughing with several women who were clustered about him, gazing at him adoringly. Dracula caught sight of Jekyll and Erik and waved merrily.

"Good evening, gentlemen!" he cried happily. "How are you two this fine night?"

"Um, well, thank you," replied Erik, shocked by the sudden appearance of Dracula with the women. "Who…um…who are they?" he asked of the girls.

"Them?" asked Dracula, inclining his head with a smile to the women. "Oh, I've just been to a little party, and I invited them back to the house with me. Hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all," replied Jekyll, gazing at the beautiful women with a smile.

"Dracula, I think it's sick," retorted Erik. "You're doing this to make Elizabeth jealous, and she doesn't even know about it. Why don't you just go find her and tell her you love her?"

"Elizabeth?" repeated Dracula, looking confused for a moment. "Oh, Elizabeth," he said, as if remembering. "Oh yes, her. I had completely forgotten about her. Well, obviously I don't love her, obviously I don't need her, and if you see her, tell her that as well. Tell her I have found women who are much more beautiful than she, and whom I love much more."

"Go tell her yourself," retorted Erik. "You don't even know where she is. But I know why you're doing this. You're trying to replace the loss in your heart with others. Believe me, Monsieur, I know how it feels to be rejected. But if you persevere, things will work out. What you are doing now is just to hide the wound that you feel, and it's despicable."

Dracula's eyes blazed with a sudden fury. "I don't need her!" he shouted. "I've forgotten all about her! Now come, my darlings," he said to the women. "We shall entertain ourselves without this idiot spouting lies about love. As if he knows anything about it," he growled at Erik. With a glare, Dracula entered his crypt with the women following him. The door slammed shut.

Erik sighed and climbed the stairs to his room, Jekyll following him. "If only we knew where Elizabeth was," said Jekyll. "Maybe we could convince her to return."

"Return?" asked Erik. "Why should she want to return? Why would anyone wish to return to that man who has so horribly mistreated her and now pretends he has forgotten her? He is ungrateful, and she is lucky to be rid of him."

"Dracula wasn't the only one who loved her," snapped Jekyll. "Others miss her too, Erik."

Erik shrugged. "I think, Monsieur, that you do not need Elizabeth to find love. I think your heart is waiting for another, but perhaps it is just my opinion. I do not, after all, know anything about it."

Erik entered his room and Jekyll returned to his. It was not long after, however, when Jekyll heard the sound of the crypt door opening. Jekyll went down the stairs and saw the women leaving, looking put out. Jekyll entered the crypt to see Dracula seated on his sarcophagus, staring at nothing.

"Dracula?" asked Jekyll, gently. "Are you all right?"

Dracula laughed dryly. "I am all right, yes," he replied. "My heart is shattered, but I am all right."

"Why did you send the girls away?" asked Jekyll.

"Because they do not make me happy," retorted Dracula, softly. "I miss Elizabeth. Not one of them makes me feel as Elizabeth did. I have tried, Dr. Jekyll. I have tried to replace her in my heart, I have tried telling myself that I did not love her and do not need her. But it is a lie, as Erik knew and as I knew all along. I am not happy without her, and I never will be."

"I loved her too," said Jekyll softly. "And it is paining me to do without her." There was silence and then Dracula spoke.

"I have searched for her. Everywhere. That is where I have been for the past three nights. I have gone to Purfleet, to London, to anywhere I think she could be. But I have not found her. I think I will never find her," he murmured sadly. Jekyll was quiet and Dracula continued. "It was my foolishness and selfishness that lost her to me in the first place. I do not feel strong emotions, Dr. Jekyll, I have none, but I do feel rage against myself. And pain at Elizabeth's loss. If I could see her one more time, I would tell her how sorry I am at everything I have done to hurt her. I would tell her how much I love her, how much I need her. I would tell her how worthless immortality is without her. And how worthless I am without her. I do not want anything anymore, I do not feel anything anymore. Even fresh blood holds no temptation for me anymore. It pains me that it is not her blood I am drinking."

Dracula did look older. Lines that had not been there before were on his face. He seemed thinner, and his dark eyes had sunken in a little. They were dull now, those brown eyes. He sighed heavily and then said, "Leave me, Dr. Jekyll. I appreciate your and Erik's concern on my behalf, but I will survive. I always have."

Jekyll obeyed, leaving the crypt and shutting the door behind him. He thought he heard a howling coming from the room as he climbed the stairs and entered his. He shut the door and then returned to his work, even more depressed than he had been.

Set me free, Jekyll said the voice inside him, suddenly. I want to be free now.

"I'm sorry, Hyde," replied Jekyll, firmly. "But I'm not releasing you. You've been out, had your fun, and now you're staying inside me."

Jekyll, I want to leave hissed the voice, threateningly. You're just hurting yourself by keeping me locked up. When I am released, I shall be very, very angry at you.

"I don't care, Hyde," retorted Jekyll. "Nothing you can say or do will convince me to release you."

I think I can, growled Hyde, his voice malevolent. I'll make you eat those words, Jekyll.

And the pain started. The horrible, bursting pain in his chest, in his heart, everywhere. Jekyll fell to the ground. "No!" he cried, squeezing his eyes shut. "No, no, no! I won't let you! I won't!"

He felt himself begin to change, Hyde was beginning to appear. "No!" he screamed. His stature shrank, his hands grew hairy, and his face leered into an evil grin.

Edward Hyde had been released. He cackled with glee and left his room to go downstairs and wreak his terror upon the inhabitants of Purfleet. At that moment, however, a banging on the organ from next door startled him. A woman's soprano voice soon mingled with the organ music, shrill and, to Hyde's ears, very annoying.

He growled and stormed back up the stairs to Erik's room. Throwing open the door, he saw that Erik was playing an opera piece on the organ while Christine was singing.

"Stop that racket!" roared Hyde. Christine stopped singing suddenly and Erik whirled around, glaring contemptuously at Hyde.

"This is not racket, Monsieur!" he retorted, angrily. "This is heaven! A perfect mixture of the human voice and music, what more could you ask for?"

"I want you to stop playing the damn thing," growled Hyde. "And I want the wench to stop singing. Shut her up before I do it for you."

Christine looked terrified, but Erik leapt from his seat and threw himself in front of her, staring down Hyde. "If you dare touch her I'll kill you!" hissed Erik, his yellow eyes burning.

"Then keep her silent," growled Hyde, grinning viciously. "Or I'll cut her throat. You know I will, Erik. Although it would be a shame and a waste. She's such a pretty thing," he said, grinning unpleasantly at Christine, who shuddered.

"Get out of my room," hissed Erik. "Go live in sin, Hyde. It's the only thing you're good at."

Hyde leered at Erik, and bowed mockingly. "I will, sir, thank you," he said, sarcastically. "Good day, Monsieur Phantom. Good day, love," he said, winking at Christine. And he strode out.

Christine shuddered again, and Erik embraced her. "It's all right, dearest," he said. "He's gone. He'll not trouble us again, I'll make sure of that."

"He's so horrible, Erik!" cried Christine. "I can't believe that that same man is Dr. Jekyll, good, kind, courteous Dr. Jekyll!"

"Ah, my dear, we are all composed of good and evil," murmured Erik. "And if one side dominated over the other, I daresay we would all be like Mr. Hyde."

Erik heard the door bang downstairs, and he assumed that Hyde had just left. "Come on, darling," he said. "Let us resume our music. We have no one to disturb now."

Christine nodded as Erik sat back down at the organ. The music started up again, and Christine sang, but more timidly. Mr. Hyde had that effect on people.