1904

It was seven O'clock on this hot July Saturday, the sun was high and unforgiving to the waking of London. Emiline sat at her dining room table with a bowl of cream wheat before her and the London Reader in her fingers. Her eyes never stopped moving as she quickly skimmed through the small lines of words that adorned every inch of the paper. Emiline sighed and turned the page before something startling caught her eye.

JACK THE RIPPER HAS RETURNED!

The bodies of local prostitutes Selene Harper, Madeline Mercer and a now identified Savannah Kuhn and two men known as the wealthy William Jones and Casper Loore were found on Tuesday morning of July 13. Savannah Kuhn was found with her lower jaw forcibly ripped downward to her breast line with Harper and Mercer who were strangled to death. Jones and Loore looked to have been bludgeoned to death. We warn you young women to stay off the streets in the dark hours.

Jack the Ripper is back on the streets of London.

Emiline placed the paper on the table and leaned back into the chair. Millions of thoughts and questions rolled through her head as the thought of Ryan's own mother being one of the victims bothered her. She sighed and stepped out of her chair and away from the table before Josephine could place a new cup of tea on the saucer. Emiline quickly stepped to the hat rack and with a disgruntled sigh, placed her sun hat on her pinned up ebony curls. Mother stepped out of the kitchen with her hands knotted in her apron.

"Emiline dear, where are you going?"

Emiline looked up to her mother. "I must find Ryan, I'm really worried."

Mother sighed. "Oh Emiline, he's eighteen years old. I'm sure he's just fine."

Emiline groaned. "Then why do I have such a bad feeling when I think of him?"

With that, Emiline pinned her hat into place and raced out the door with her Mother shaking her head and walking back into the kitchen. Every where Emiline turned there was a warning poster with 'JACK the RIPPER HAS RETURNED!' or 'Fear the evil that is Jack the Ripper.' She sighed as she passed by the gossiping group that has tea with her mother, sure enough they were talking about what has happened and what was going to happen. Police where more abundant than usual and less people started walking the streets even in the morning light.

Emiline sighed as she rounded a corner and came up to the old school house that she and Ryan attended when they were younger. Emiline turned around to the left and to the right trying to remember which way to go. She had never been to Ryan's part of London and had no earthly idea how to get there. Emiline stood still for a moment and stood rigid before running to the right. She hoped he was where she thought he was.

...

Ryan sat on the rotting wooden park bench with his finger laced together at his smirking lips and his knee bobbing up and down. He now had London in a paranoid frenzy and he was loving every minute of it. His whore mother was finally disposed of along with two others and scum who never deserved the title of 'Gentlemen'. He sighed and crossed his arms together as he leaned back onto the bench and stared at the rising sun, feeling the gentle tickle of the morning breeze.

There were still others that needed to be punished, to be cast away to the fire pits before they hurt his beloved Emiline. Remnants of the previous evening sent a shrill chill of pleasure up his veins and feeling the desire to take the life of a wicked that his cackle reached his lips and his eyes closed, a light sigh of ease left his chest. He disposed three more scum women and dismembered them to the gutters for the cleaners to find, but not after having a little fun with the disgusting sirens. For all he knew and cared about was that they basically asked for it. He reopened his eyes and stared at the passing clouds and bright blue London sky before a chilling thought rang through thoughts.

If Emiline were to find out, what would he do?

He sighed and leaned his head back with his eyes closed to think. He inhaled deeply and caught a nose full of his favorite perfume. Strawberries and lilacs ravaged his senses and he opened his eyes to only be staring into the deep hazel ones of Emiline. She smiled and giggled at his confused state and moved to sit next him with her gloved hand on his lean bicep. She continued to stare until she finally broke the ice.

"I didn't see you at all the other day. I heard about you're mothers murder."

Ryan mentally rolled with maniacal laughter at the memories of his mother screaming when he thrust his fingers into her mouth and tugged her upper jaw up and lower jaw down as her arms flailed and legs kicked while the others sat and screamed in terror.

Ryan only shrugged. "I never considered her a mother. All in all I'm glad she got what she deserved."

Emiline nodded solemnly as her hand snaked down his arm and laced with his fingers. "Now that the Ripper is back, what are we going to do?"

Ryan squeezed her hand in his and turned to her with a fire in his eyes. "You are to stay off the streets during the dark hours, do you understand me? I couldn't bear to hur-to know that you got hurt."

Emiline squinted her eyes to him then raised an eyebrow. He went from being the stern lover to a stranger who hid something. She acted as if she didn't hear his little slip and nodded to him.

"I promise."

With that she smiled her straight white smile and stood up with her hand extended. Ryan smirked and laced his fingers back with hers and they left the park to the city streets. Emiline gripped her parasol and smiled as Ryan laced his arm around her slim waist. She loved the feeling of protection she received when a man would walk past and look her up and down before Ryan glared and gripped her tighter to her side. The morning was still hot and dastardly humid for Emiline's liking but she sucked it up and kept going.

The streets were still very bare than usual but with all the Police gliding around with their beating sticks in hand, everyone felt a bit of security. All in all, Emiline only needed Ryan holding her hand to feel like nothing sinister could reach her and that's why she adored him.

"Hey! you a pretty first class Poppet!" A very scratchy voice caught Emiline's attention. She turned around to see a middle aged woman with dirty fire for hair, a torn green third class dining dress that had more stains than designs, her body was pale but covered in muck and grime and her yellow smile sent shivers up her spine. She gripped Ryan's arm tighter.

The red haired woman staggered up. "Ah yes, You a very pretty, I bet you could get any stag you want with just one glance."

Her bad grammar made Emiline scowl but when she reached up and stroked a visible piece of her visible dark curls, Ryan nearly lost it.

The red haired woman giggled at Ryan's growling. "Ah I see, you have him wrapped around you shiny little pinkie, eh? We could use someone like you since all these killin's are taking away my money earners. What do you say love, care to be a night fox?"

Emiline cringed as the woman's dirty hand curled around her great grandmothers old locket that hung around her neck and rubbed the shining silver between her dirty finger nails. Emiline spoke up before Ryan nearly killed the woman.

With the red head stroking Emiline's collar bone she spoke up. "N...no thank you. I would never stoop so low for a quick pound." Emiline slapped the woman's hand away with angry but frightened eyes as the woman laughed something scratchy.

"What ever you say deary." She turned her attention to Ryan and smiled seductively. "I hope to see you around young man, You seem talented."

"Evangeline! Come on now!"

Angeline turned toward the voice and pouted. She winked at the couple before picking up skirts to high for Emiline's liking and sauntered away with her dirty nose in the air. She turned to looked over her left shoulder and winked before disappearing into the smokey dark slums on London.

Ryan saw red towards the woman who dare to insult his Emiline. He wrapped his arms protectively around Emiline's waist and molded her body into his as they continued their walk thorough the now active streets. That woman had the audacity to look upon him as a cheap score in front of his woman no less. Seething hatred for the lower women coursed through his veins as he gripped his beautiful angel closer to his chest.

He will pay this Evangeline a visit.