Death comes in packs.
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
A/N: School has started so the chapters will come a little bit slower, but they will still come! I'd like to think the site: oh and Elf-locks are really bad knots in your hair.
Chapter six, Landing
"We are coming into port." Nemo said, he was standing at the helm, the exotic blue of his outfit, mixed well with the ocean background. He had his arms crossed behind his back and looked militaristic. "We should be unloaded within the hour."
"That doesn't matter there's still all that way to go until we reach Tipperary, we still have to go through Water Ford, and then stop someplace and ask around for recent activity."
"Patience is a virtue." He said not turning around.
"Well I've never been virtues." She mumbled under her breath.
He turned an inch, "Pardon?"
"Nothing, I think I know a place to stop just eight miles outside of Tipperary, the remains of Moor Abbey, on the farm of Mr. James Quirke." She thought, "Yes that would work there is a pub near there called the Homestead, people are in and out form Tipperary and everywhere else you can think of. Most of them will be drunk enough to give us any information we could want."
"Yes, but could we trust the word of a drunken man?" His voice was full of weary skepticism, she could tell he had raised an eyebrow eyen though he hadn't turned around.
"If you can't trust a drunk Irishmen then who can you trust?" She shrugged, "I'm going to get my bag, I'll be back in a moment with the precise coordinates for our trek, mon capiton." She saluted and stepped out.
She could hear Nemo's gruff chuckle once he thought she was out of earshot. That man never let any hint of emotion show, when there were others around. Though she couldn't really fault him for it.
She hummed a simple tune as she strolled lazily down the decorated corridor. She passed Tom as he bustled down the hallway, Skinner in tow. "What's he done now?" She asked.
"For once nothing." Skinner said smiling, "We were just on our way to see the ol' caption."
"He's at the helm, I'm going to get my bag. I'll be joining you all shortly." She did a most lady like bow and walked off humming. Soon she came upon Jekyll.
"Hello Henry." She said cheerily. "Everyone else is at the helm, that is I assume Mina's on her way there."
"Yes, I was just now going there." he said not making eye contacts.
She walked a bit closer, off set by the fact that he seemed so fascinated with the floor. "Here now, what is the matter, Henry? Or have you fallen madly in love with Nemo's superb flooring?"
A blush began to creep up the nervous mans neck. She tried her best not to smile. "N-no, it's not that. I mean it is good flooring and all." He began to mutter away inaudible about flooring he'd seen on the ship to France.
"Henry." She said trying to interrupt his nervous banter. He continued on like he hadn't heard her. "Henry." She said more forcefully and he looked up.
"Yes?" He asked and reached into his pocket, she couldn't see it but she knew he was fiddling with his watch.
"What is the matter?"
"Nothing." he said.
"Come on now, you don't expect me to believe that?"
"I don't know wh--"
"Tell me what's the matter. Or do I have to force it out of you?"
He gulped his large Adam's apple bobbing. "I--its just that............that you've---you've seen Hyde now and, well..............." He couldn't seem to get the words out at first, "You must think I'm a monster." He said softly and looked away not wanting her to see the shame on his face.
She took a moment to register what he had said, and began to laugh. She soon found she couldn't stop, she threw her head back and laughed so hard she had tears coming to her eyes. Then she doubled over and hiccupped. The doctor watched all this startled. He'd been prepared for almost anything, at least he though he had been. "He--Henry!" She managed through the last few laughs. "I don't think you are a monster!"
"You--you don't?" He asked skeptically.
"Of course not!" she took a step forward. "Why would you ever think that?" she asked genuinely concerned. She knew that he had low self-esteem but to think, that he thought that she would ever have such an absurd notion. He looked uncomfortable and didn't seem to want to answer. She shook her head disdainfully. "I would never think that. You're a good man. Hyde may be a bit," She waved her hand in the air looking for the right word, "off." she decided was the right word, then continued, "But no worse than I am."
"No." he began.
"Yes, I am. So is the man who did this to me. Neither you nor Hyde, and I know you can hear me, Hyde. Will ever do anything to make you anymore of a monster than I am." She sidled up to him and put one arm over his shoulder. "Don't think on it, alright? We have a saying in Ireland, 'Sing as if no one is listening, dance as if no one is watching and live each day as if it were you last.'" She turned to face him and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek that stopped the man in his tracks. "Go on, I'll see you in a moment."
She turned around and walked down the rest of the way to her room, not looking over her shoulder. If she had she would have seen the Jekyll hadn't moved, and he was watching her disbelievingly as she continued down the hallway. Hyde didn't even have anything to put in.
**A few hours later.**
"I'm not sure this is the best mode of transportation." Sara said as she was jostled into Skinner when the 'automobile' jumped as it hit more mounds and bumps in the road.
"Maybe not." Nemo said, "But it is the fastest."
He was right Sara could see the fog race by, and the trees flashes, as they zoomed into the night. She was slightly afraid to be in this contraption. Truth be told she had a slight case of claustrophobia, and the air they were breathing was damp, stale and unpleasant. Sara resigned to the fate of being scrambled like an egg. She rested her head against the slit like window of Nemo's creation as best she could.
She would much rather be walking in the dew soaked landscape of Water Ford. She wasn't tactically familiar with this area, she'd been through it once, but after her first sweep across the Emerald Isle she'd mostly stayed in Tipperary.
She had, however, been to the Homestead frequently, when a trail went cold, or she got lost completely. It was a prime spot really, if HE wanted to leave, he'd have to pass close enough to the farmland so that the temptation for a fresh kill would be too much, even for someone of his age.
None of the farmers ever thought the disappearance of cattle was ever attributed to their own error. Bless them, even if they were a bit inclined to bigotry now and again. Her back stiffened ever so slightly as the shadows of the past crept into her mind's eye. Then she realized something,
"Make sure you park this far enough so that it is not in plain view of the pub." Nemo had no need to be told this twice. He was aware of Ireland's superstitious people. "There is a sparse wooded area near by, if memory serves. You should have enough room to park there." She looked down at the red leather seat she was sitting on as the car bumped over a pothole, and decided that she would never get use to this dreadful thing. She sniffed the air and said disdainfully, "The air has turned stale, it is getting harder and harder to breath."
"That can be fixed." His voice said from the front.
Oddly enough Sawyer flipped a switch and the roof lifted suddenly from over their heads. Sara yelped and looked up thinking the roof was going to fly off completely. She heard Skinner beside her laugh heartily at her reaction. She scowled at him.
Then she felt the air rushing past her face, like a cool hand rubbing a cool, damp cloth across her face. The night raced by, sights, sounds, smells, everything. Maybe she had misjudged this wonderful thing. She leaned an elbow over the side, and rested her head in the nest her arms had created. "That's better." She sighed contentedly. "Thank you."
Skinner held tight to his hat when the roof was removed, and Mina was trying her bets to keep her dark auburn hair in its proper place. Sara herself didn't care much, this felt wonderful anyway you looked at it. Her own brown hair whipped her face, it stung a little, but it was quickly lost in the ecstasy of the air that flew by.
Nemo himself was pleased that the roof worked just as well when his creation was running, just as it did when it was not.
Tom was pleased that he'd remembered where the switch was. He had discovered it quite by accident the first time he'd driven this thing. Was it really all that long ago, he asked himself. Yes, that's right I remember, Allan couldn't drive this, I remember. Then he looked forward and thought about how many times he'd had a chance to drive it since them, he didn't say anything for a long time.
Mina was getting rather uncomfortable trying to keep her hair in place, and was slouched down in the seat, muttering darkly. Sara smiled a little at this, Mina was always such a high class, polite, Victorian lady. Sara had been raised by the land, for the land. She did try to act all prim and proper. Her mother had always been scolding her saying, 'Just because you are an animal, doesn't mean you have to act like one.'" She always said it in good humor, and it had always made her smile.
She felt a pang somewhere in her abdomen. She missed her mother, her brother and her home. Sara rubbed her eyes forcefully into her arm, now was not the time for worrying about that.
It had after all been twelve years, why couldn't she forget it? Sara recalled the day she left home. The night before she had hugged her mothers a little longer. By any ones standards she was a woman now, and that meant she had to take care of her own business. So she had left a note for her mother, vowing to return the moment she'd lifted the curse she'd been living with, and then left in the night. She wondered now if she had done the right thing, maybe she had and maybe she hadn't, she'd never know. Then she felt something squeeze her shoulder, she looked behind her and saw that Skinner was smiling sadly at her.
"Feelin' homesick luv?" He asked, he'd taken off his hat and was sitting on it to keep it from blowing away.
"Yes, it's been a long, long time since I saw my mother, or my brother. I miss them so much." She looked back out into the night.
"How long exactly?" Mina asked curiously.
"Twelve years. I told my mother I wouldn't return until this curse had been lifted, and soon it will be." She didn't say she'd left home, just leaving a note, somehow it felt like she'd been too weak to say a proper good by. "Then, I can return. I bet Thomas has got a family by now. He was always so handsome and clever, I'm suppose the only reason he wasn't is because I was there. Bad blood you know. But now that I'm gone who knows." She shrugged her shoulders. She knew she was the reason none of the girls would have a thing to do with her charming brother.
"Forgive me," Mina began blinking, "is Thomas your brother?"
"Yes, Tom reminds me of him quite a bit, but a different accent." She smiled, "And the famous Ireland carrot red hair." She smiled. "It was so curly when we were little, it used to get leaves strung in it, he'd have the worst elf-locks anyone had ever seen."
"Was he your older brother?" Tom asked turning around when she mentioned his name.
"Yes," She thought a moment. "Let me see he'd be thirty-five now."
Everyone looked at her, "Heh heh, 'suse me Sara but you never did disclose your age to us."
"I'm thirty, why does it matter?"
"No not a bit, just wonderin'" He said and began to twiddle his thumbs.
Sara thought on her appearance for a moment. "Ah yes, I don't look that old to I."
"Twenty-five." Skinner blurted out suddenly. "Just sayin', I'm wonderin' if all the woman who join the league are gonna be this ageless." He turned to face Mina. "You gals have all the luck."
"What are you talkin' Skinner, no one can even see you." Tom said.
"Too right, and I intend to keep it that way." He stiffened in his seat.
"Excuse me." Nemo's sharp voice cut into the would be argument like a knife, "We have arrived."
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
A/N: School has started so the chapters will come a little bit slower, but they will still come! I'd like to think the site: oh and Elf-locks are really bad knots in your hair.
Chapter six, Landing
"We are coming into port." Nemo said, he was standing at the helm, the exotic blue of his outfit, mixed well with the ocean background. He had his arms crossed behind his back and looked militaristic. "We should be unloaded within the hour."
"That doesn't matter there's still all that way to go until we reach Tipperary, we still have to go through Water Ford, and then stop someplace and ask around for recent activity."
"Patience is a virtue." He said not turning around.
"Well I've never been virtues." She mumbled under her breath.
He turned an inch, "Pardon?"
"Nothing, I think I know a place to stop just eight miles outside of Tipperary, the remains of Moor Abbey, on the farm of Mr. James Quirke." She thought, "Yes that would work there is a pub near there called the Homestead, people are in and out form Tipperary and everywhere else you can think of. Most of them will be drunk enough to give us any information we could want."
"Yes, but could we trust the word of a drunken man?" His voice was full of weary skepticism, she could tell he had raised an eyebrow eyen though he hadn't turned around.
"If you can't trust a drunk Irishmen then who can you trust?" She shrugged, "I'm going to get my bag, I'll be back in a moment with the precise coordinates for our trek, mon capiton." She saluted and stepped out.
She could hear Nemo's gruff chuckle once he thought she was out of earshot. That man never let any hint of emotion show, when there were others around. Though she couldn't really fault him for it.
She hummed a simple tune as she strolled lazily down the decorated corridor. She passed Tom as he bustled down the hallway, Skinner in tow. "What's he done now?" She asked.
"For once nothing." Skinner said smiling, "We were just on our way to see the ol' caption."
"He's at the helm, I'm going to get my bag. I'll be joining you all shortly." She did a most lady like bow and walked off humming. Soon she came upon Jekyll.
"Hello Henry." She said cheerily. "Everyone else is at the helm, that is I assume Mina's on her way there."
"Yes, I was just now going there." he said not making eye contacts.
She walked a bit closer, off set by the fact that he seemed so fascinated with the floor. "Here now, what is the matter, Henry? Or have you fallen madly in love with Nemo's superb flooring?"
A blush began to creep up the nervous mans neck. She tried her best not to smile. "N-no, it's not that. I mean it is good flooring and all." He began to mutter away inaudible about flooring he'd seen on the ship to France.
"Henry." She said trying to interrupt his nervous banter. He continued on like he hadn't heard her. "Henry." She said more forcefully and he looked up.
"Yes?" He asked and reached into his pocket, she couldn't see it but she knew he was fiddling with his watch.
"What is the matter?"
"Nothing." he said.
"Come on now, you don't expect me to believe that?"
"I don't know wh--"
"Tell me what's the matter. Or do I have to force it out of you?"
He gulped his large Adam's apple bobbing. "I--its just that............that you've---you've seen Hyde now and, well..............." He couldn't seem to get the words out at first, "You must think I'm a monster." He said softly and looked away not wanting her to see the shame on his face.
She took a moment to register what he had said, and began to laugh. She soon found she couldn't stop, she threw her head back and laughed so hard she had tears coming to her eyes. Then she doubled over and hiccupped. The doctor watched all this startled. He'd been prepared for almost anything, at least he though he had been. "He--Henry!" She managed through the last few laughs. "I don't think you are a monster!"
"You--you don't?" He asked skeptically.
"Of course not!" she took a step forward. "Why would you ever think that?" she asked genuinely concerned. She knew that he had low self-esteem but to think, that he thought that she would ever have such an absurd notion. He looked uncomfortable and didn't seem to want to answer. She shook her head disdainfully. "I would never think that. You're a good man. Hyde may be a bit," She waved her hand in the air looking for the right word, "off." she decided was the right word, then continued, "But no worse than I am."
"No." he began.
"Yes, I am. So is the man who did this to me. Neither you nor Hyde, and I know you can hear me, Hyde. Will ever do anything to make you anymore of a monster than I am." She sidled up to him and put one arm over his shoulder. "Don't think on it, alright? We have a saying in Ireland, 'Sing as if no one is listening, dance as if no one is watching and live each day as if it were you last.'" She turned to face him and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek that stopped the man in his tracks. "Go on, I'll see you in a moment."
She turned around and walked down the rest of the way to her room, not looking over her shoulder. If she had she would have seen the Jekyll hadn't moved, and he was watching her disbelievingly as she continued down the hallway. Hyde didn't even have anything to put in.
**A few hours later.**
"I'm not sure this is the best mode of transportation." Sara said as she was jostled into Skinner when the 'automobile' jumped as it hit more mounds and bumps in the road.
"Maybe not." Nemo said, "But it is the fastest."
He was right Sara could see the fog race by, and the trees flashes, as they zoomed into the night. She was slightly afraid to be in this contraption. Truth be told she had a slight case of claustrophobia, and the air they were breathing was damp, stale and unpleasant. Sara resigned to the fate of being scrambled like an egg. She rested her head against the slit like window of Nemo's creation as best she could.
She would much rather be walking in the dew soaked landscape of Water Ford. She wasn't tactically familiar with this area, she'd been through it once, but after her first sweep across the Emerald Isle she'd mostly stayed in Tipperary.
She had, however, been to the Homestead frequently, when a trail went cold, or she got lost completely. It was a prime spot really, if HE wanted to leave, he'd have to pass close enough to the farmland so that the temptation for a fresh kill would be too much, even for someone of his age.
None of the farmers ever thought the disappearance of cattle was ever attributed to their own error. Bless them, even if they were a bit inclined to bigotry now and again. Her back stiffened ever so slightly as the shadows of the past crept into her mind's eye. Then she realized something,
"Make sure you park this far enough so that it is not in plain view of the pub." Nemo had no need to be told this twice. He was aware of Ireland's superstitious people. "There is a sparse wooded area near by, if memory serves. You should have enough room to park there." She looked down at the red leather seat she was sitting on as the car bumped over a pothole, and decided that she would never get use to this dreadful thing. She sniffed the air and said disdainfully, "The air has turned stale, it is getting harder and harder to breath."
"That can be fixed." His voice said from the front.
Oddly enough Sawyer flipped a switch and the roof lifted suddenly from over their heads. Sara yelped and looked up thinking the roof was going to fly off completely. She heard Skinner beside her laugh heartily at her reaction. She scowled at him.
Then she felt the air rushing past her face, like a cool hand rubbing a cool, damp cloth across her face. The night raced by, sights, sounds, smells, everything. Maybe she had misjudged this wonderful thing. She leaned an elbow over the side, and rested her head in the nest her arms had created. "That's better." She sighed contentedly. "Thank you."
Skinner held tight to his hat when the roof was removed, and Mina was trying her bets to keep her dark auburn hair in its proper place. Sara herself didn't care much, this felt wonderful anyway you looked at it. Her own brown hair whipped her face, it stung a little, but it was quickly lost in the ecstasy of the air that flew by.
Nemo himself was pleased that the roof worked just as well when his creation was running, just as it did when it was not.
Tom was pleased that he'd remembered where the switch was. He had discovered it quite by accident the first time he'd driven this thing. Was it really all that long ago, he asked himself. Yes, that's right I remember, Allan couldn't drive this, I remember. Then he looked forward and thought about how many times he'd had a chance to drive it since them, he didn't say anything for a long time.
Mina was getting rather uncomfortable trying to keep her hair in place, and was slouched down in the seat, muttering darkly. Sara smiled a little at this, Mina was always such a high class, polite, Victorian lady. Sara had been raised by the land, for the land. She did try to act all prim and proper. Her mother had always been scolding her saying, 'Just because you are an animal, doesn't mean you have to act like one.'" She always said it in good humor, and it had always made her smile.
She felt a pang somewhere in her abdomen. She missed her mother, her brother and her home. Sara rubbed her eyes forcefully into her arm, now was not the time for worrying about that.
It had after all been twelve years, why couldn't she forget it? Sara recalled the day she left home. The night before she had hugged her mothers a little longer. By any ones standards she was a woman now, and that meant she had to take care of her own business. So she had left a note for her mother, vowing to return the moment she'd lifted the curse she'd been living with, and then left in the night. She wondered now if she had done the right thing, maybe she had and maybe she hadn't, she'd never know. Then she felt something squeeze her shoulder, she looked behind her and saw that Skinner was smiling sadly at her.
"Feelin' homesick luv?" He asked, he'd taken off his hat and was sitting on it to keep it from blowing away.
"Yes, it's been a long, long time since I saw my mother, or my brother. I miss them so much." She looked back out into the night.
"How long exactly?" Mina asked curiously.
"Twelve years. I told my mother I wouldn't return until this curse had been lifted, and soon it will be." She didn't say she'd left home, just leaving a note, somehow it felt like she'd been too weak to say a proper good by. "Then, I can return. I bet Thomas has got a family by now. He was always so handsome and clever, I'm suppose the only reason he wasn't is because I was there. Bad blood you know. But now that I'm gone who knows." She shrugged her shoulders. She knew she was the reason none of the girls would have a thing to do with her charming brother.
"Forgive me," Mina began blinking, "is Thomas your brother?"
"Yes, Tom reminds me of him quite a bit, but a different accent." She smiled, "And the famous Ireland carrot red hair." She smiled. "It was so curly when we were little, it used to get leaves strung in it, he'd have the worst elf-locks anyone had ever seen."
"Was he your older brother?" Tom asked turning around when she mentioned his name.
"Yes," She thought a moment. "Let me see he'd be thirty-five now."
Everyone looked at her, "Heh heh, 'suse me Sara but you never did disclose your age to us."
"I'm thirty, why does it matter?"
"No not a bit, just wonderin'" He said and began to twiddle his thumbs.
Sara thought on her appearance for a moment. "Ah yes, I don't look that old to I."
"Twenty-five." Skinner blurted out suddenly. "Just sayin', I'm wonderin' if all the woman who join the league are gonna be this ageless." He turned to face Mina. "You gals have all the luck."
"What are you talkin' Skinner, no one can even see you." Tom said.
"Too right, and I intend to keep it that way." He stiffened in his seat.
"Excuse me." Nemo's sharp voice cut into the would be argument like a knife, "We have arrived."