Chapter Three:

"Listen to me, Kate—Angelique—whatever your name is," Jekyll said, stumbling over his words. "You must stop all this madness. Nothing will come of it, I assure you. Yes, it is wonderful to live, but if you continue to hurt people, you will be hunted down like a dog and you will be miserable. Do you understand me?"

She laughed. "The name's Pryde, Dr. Jekyll," she said, holding out her hand. "Ana Pryde. Angelique's not here."

But something stole over her. She fell against the wall. Gasping horribly, Angelique's voice issued from Ana's mouth, "Henry—help me… Please." She held her head in her hands.

"Angelique?" he asked, crossing to her and taking the shoulder in hand. "What can I do?"

"She… She's controlling me," Angelique struggled. "Help me stop her—Please…" She pulled away from him violently and slammed into the hall tree.

"Angelique!" he said, moving to catch her. "Are you all right?"

But when she looked up in to Jekyll's eyes, Angelique was gone and Ana Pryde had returned. "So sorry about that, Dr. Jekyll," she said. "She likes to pretend she can control me sometimes. So, you were saying?"

"I'm sorry about this," he said, turning her away from him. Ignoring her protestations ("What are you doing? Stop it!"), he pressed certain pressure points on her head and neck. She passed into unconsciousness and slumped against him. He carefully picked her up and carried her to the bedroom where he gently deposited her on the bed and tied her tightly and securely to it.

He returned to the front door; the rest of the League was waiting. "It's not Kate," he said soberly. "But she's very sick. The formula had had a very negative effect on her body. I need to stay until the rest of it has passed out of her system."

Nemo nodded. "Very well," he said. "We shall continue our search for Miss Bennet. You may remain here and we will return within the week. Come." He walked away with the others following him.

Mina remained behind. "Are you certain this is wise?" she asked him quietly, as he descended the steps to her side. "I'm not questioning your judgement, I simply thought it would be better for us to find her if you were by my side."

"Jekyll tucked some of her hair behind her ear and lightly kissed her. "I have to stay," he replied softly. "If I don't, she may die from this. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you return." Faint screaming issued from the house. "It appears the formula's run its course. Good luck. I love you." He kissed her again and dashed into the house.

When she woke up, Angelique had regained control of her own body. She was tied to her bed and someone was gently dabbing her face with a damp cloth. It was Dr. Jekyll. "Oh, thank God, Henry," she whispered when he smiled at her. Tears came to her eyes and she allowed them to fall. "I don't know what to do; I'm scared."

He took her hand. Her tiny wrist was rubbed raw by the cords binding her to the bed. He wanted to release her, but she was unstable with the formula running through her veins still. "Why did you drink it, then?" he asked her softly.

She shook her head. "I didn't want to, Henry," she said. "But the Devil made me do it." Jekyll gave her a sceptical look. "I'm serious, Henry. When an Angel Falls, they become servants of the Devil. He can make them—"

She stopped talking suddenly as though she had lost her breath. A sinister snickering filled the room. A man appeared next to Angelique with his hand covering her mouth. "Yes, she would be talking, wouldn't she?" he said. "Don't be afraid, Dr. Jekyll. You're not my servant. Yet. For now, watch over this one. She may be prone to lying now that she's under the influence of your delightful formula. Good day." He disappeared and Angelique gasped for breath.

"Was that the Devil?" Jekyll asked. She nodded. "So he did make you drink it. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been so keen to shut you up so quickly." She nodded again and coughed quietly. "This will be an interesting little experiment we'll have to go through, Angelique. I'm not sure how the formula changes an Angel, Fallen or not, so we'll both have to wait and see. Hopefully, you won't change back into Ana Pryde anymore."

"I should bloody well hope so," she said. "If you compare her to me, me with all the nasty things I've done, and her and all the nasty things she's done already, I'm a completely pure Angel compared to her Demon-like self. It's like comparing God to Satan."

"Are you sure?"

"I was a good Angel before I Fell," she said. "I only killed when God instructed me to, and only when I absolutely had to. But, I had a Forced Fall, which wasn't my fault. Ana Pryde is almost the daughter of the Devil. She's that evil."

Jekyll sighed and nodded. "We have a problem if she rises again, then."

"I'd say so."

…