Author's note: I've finally finished my exams and am now back to updating. But after this chapter, I'm afraid I won't be able to update for five more days as I am going to camp. A big thanks to my reviewers and feedback and comments are very greatly appreciated. I know the story seems geared towards a relationship between Jekyll and Joan, but don't worry, it would not be the same lovey-dovey kind. It's going to be different, so please be patient for it to develop!

Chapter 5

Jekyll slumped down and shivered. The tattered remains of his clothes flapped miserably in the silent cool breeze. Although it was cold, great sweat drops still ran down the sides of his face and onto the floor. He had not realised that it was so cold. Mina, in the process of tying up her hair again, froze. Tom asked, concerned, "What happened, Jekyll? Are you feeling unwell again? Was it Hy-" He broke off quickly as Mina glared at him. "I-I mean, was it a- a bad headache?" He finished rather lamely.

"N-no, I am fine," Jekyll said, trying to sound reassuring. "It was just the c-cold."

"Are you sure? You didn't exactly sound very sick just now... Who were you saying 'shut up' to?" Joan asked curiously, kneeling beside him.

Jekyll looked at her, wondering what on earth he should tell her.

Mina quickly cut in with an explanation. "You must forgive the doctor. He suffers slightly from feelings of disorientation and confusion from time to time." Jekyll closed his eyes in silent protest as Hyde laughed in his head.

Joan stared at Mina coolly. "If you don't recall, I asked him, not you. I do believe that he is quite capable of answering without your help."

The vampire glared at her furiously. 

Turning her back as rudely as she could on Mina, Joan faced Jekyll again. "Well? What happened?"

Opening his eyes, Jekyll looked at Mina's face from behind Joan. He gulped slightly.

"N-n-nothing. It's just as Mina had said. I'm sorry," the doctor lied awkwardly. Shivering again, he sneezed.

Joan knelt beside him. "I'd better check your temperature. You sound as though you've got a pretty bad cold."  She felt his head for signs of a fever. Jekyll tried to jerk away, but did not have the energy to do so. Her hand was soft and delicate, bearing no traces of hard human labour. Its cool touch felt very pleasant against his burning forehead. "Henry, you name's Henry right? Your head is quite hot, I think you've got a fever. Thank goodness I've stocked up on panadols at home… I'll get you one."  She looked at an interesting round gadget with numbers perched on her wrist. "My god, time has really passed so fast! I hadn't realised it was evening already. You must freezing! The evening wind in this place is quite cold. Come, I had better get you all to my house."

"One moment there," Skinner's cheeky voice said. "What about me? I have no clothes on! Aren't I in an even worst state than poor Jekyll here? All right, he's clothes are in shreds, I'll give him that, but overall he's still more clothed than me! Don't I deserve more attention? I wouldn't mind you feeling MY forehead…" Mina rolled her eyes in a very unlady-like manner while Tom snorted with laughter. Jekyll, on the other hand, was feeling much too cold and sick to say anything. What he really wanted was a hot cup of tea and a meal. A nice soft bed would not be too bad either. Jekyll found himself longing for his comfy bed in the Nautilus. Hyde snorted in disgust in his head. You are an even worse mama's boy than I thought. The doctor ignored him.  

Joan laughed. "Maybe, but I get the distinct impression that you are much more used to this kind of cold than Henry here is. He's sick, and you don't sound as though you're dying, so I'm afraid you're just gonna have to wait." She stood up and stretched out a hand towards Jekyll.

He looked up at her bewildered. He had never seen a woman extend a hand to a man before. "Miss Joan?"

Joan rolled her eyes. "Are all you people from the past that thick? Why do you think I'm extending my hand for? To hit you? Come on, take my hand. I'm going to pull you up." Jekyll looked at her for a moment in trepidation, and then tentatively reached out and took her hand. Mina shook her head disapprovingly from behind Joan's back.

Grabbing the doctor's hand with a force unbecoming of a lady, she yanked. Jekyll's eyes opened wide as she pulled him to his feet.

"Luv, from what you have just done, I must say I've come to two conclusions. One, you are quite strong for a gal. The second, is that Jekyll must be a pathetically light man." Skinner chuckled as Jekyll's pale face flushed slightly.

Joan smiled. "Hey, if I am not strong after all the bloody physical education my insane teacher back at college made me do, I'd be the one who is pathetic, not him!" Grinning, although he had absolutely no idea what Joan was talking about, Tom stepped towards them and offered to support Jekyll while Joan led the way. She agreed.

***

"And this is my humble home," Joan announced, throwing open the door leading to the house. "Sorry it's so messy, but I share it with my sister and brother. They are very messy pigs. But you need not worry about them. My sister has just gone off to Australia to study for a degree and won't be back for a couple of months. My brother is in a boarding school at the moment. And so, I've got the whole house to myself." Flicking on a light switch, she blinked for a few moments to let her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness.

Turning around to the League, Joan motioned for them to follow. Instead, she was greeted with blank and stunned stares and no one moved an inch forward. "Well, what's wrong?" she asked impatiently.

"What was that?" asked Tom in amazement. "That was really brilliant!"

"What was what?"

"That light thingy! Wow, that is really advanced technology! In our day we only had lamps that had to be brightened manually! This lighting is even more sophisticated than the Captain's!"

Joan stared at him for a moment. Then her face relaxed. "Oh, I get it. I had forgotten that the whole lot of you came from the past. Well, if I were you, I wouldn't be surprised. After all, this IS the twenty-first century."

She held the door open for them. The League trooped in cautiously, casting uneasy looks at the television, furniture and telephone as though they were about to attack them. Even though he was feeling sick and queasy, Jekyll could not help looking around with curiousity at his surroundings from Tom's shoulder. His scientist mind longed to touch the futuristic gadgets, dismantle them, and figure out how to work them.

"All right people. I'm gonna bring Henry to my room to change. Please wait here for a while." She motioned towards the sofa. "Come on, Henry. My brother has a couple of clothes that I think can fit you. You're both around the same size, except that you're slightly taller and thinner. We must get you out of those rags." Joan came forward and tried to put her arm around Jekyll to support him. The doctor quickly and nervously dodged to one side, although that little bit of exertion nearly caused him to vomit. "That's a-all right, Madam-I mean Miss J-Joan. I c-can walk myself. You need-needn't b-bother." He was stuttering worst than ever, his face furiously red. It seemed that women in this era were much more liberal than they were a century ago.

Joan stared at him, confused. "You're sure? Man, you really look sick. I'll get you some medicine after you've changed." Jekyll nodded dumbly, inching slightly away from her. She shrugged, strode forward, and motioned for Jekyll to follow. Just as he was about to walk, the lights suddenly went out.
"What the-"

"SAWYER!" Mina shouted angrily. "Stop that!"

The lights came on again. Tom was fiddling with the light switch, his face glowing. "Isn't this grand! I wonder what my aunt Polly would say if she saw this! The light turns off when I press the switch, and comes on when I press it again! It's just like witchcraft!" He looked just like a child who had been given a new toy. Jekyll hid a smile while Mina shook her head disapprovingly.

Joan walked back up to Tom, trying desperately to conceal her giggles. "Er… you think that's the only thing cool?  I've got something else that is sure to interest you more." She moved to the front of a huge black contraption in front of the sofas. "This is a television… er…. A box that shows…um…moving pictures. Anyway," she added, noticing the blank looks on the League's faces. "I'm sure you'll find this amusing."

She pressed a button on the television.

The screen instantly lit up, and the entire league stared at it in awe.

Tom recovered first. "This is brilliant!" he shouted, detaching himself from the light switch and plonking down before the television. "There are moving people here! Amazing!" Joan gave him the remote control. "You can change the channels too, if you want," she offered, "all you have to do is just press the buttons with numbers on them."

As Tom busied himself with the television, Joan turned and walked back to Jekyll. He was looking at the television set with a very odd, almost hungry look to his eyes.

You're pathetic. Why can't you ever stop thinking about experimenting with all these newfangled rubbish? You ought to be thinking about how to get prostitutes…

Just because you are a pervert doesn't mean that I am one too, Hyde. And besides, this is NOT the time to go looking for sex.

You are not a pervert, Jekyll? I wonder who it was then, who visited the prostitutes in France due to his inability to get a decent girl? And who it was, who stood outside the room watching Mina with those shameless thoughts? And…

Hyde, I'm warning you…

"A bee in your bonnet, Henry?"

"What?" Jekyll's head snapped up.

"You looked as though you were very preoccupied with something. Anything wrong?" Joan asked curiously.

"Oh, n-nothing. It's just a mild headache."

Joan nodded, although she looked slightly unconvinced. "All right, if you're sure. Follow me then."

***

Mina looked at the pair from out of the corner of her eye. "Skinner?" She hissed softly.

"Yes?" came the cockney accent.

 "I want you to follow those two without revealing yourself unless forced to. Make sure that Joan does not go anywhere or communicate with anyone after she gives Jekyll his clothes. The doctor seems to have become more agitated and nervous after the trip in the Time Machine. He might let slip something vital if Joan decides to ask him for information, and I want you to be sure he wouldn't. Can I trust you on that?"

"Luv, by this time you ought to know that you can trust me with anything dealing with spying and secrency."

He threw her an invisible roguish wink before going after Jekyll and Joan.

Mina sighed.