Mina woke to someone pounding on her door. It sounded as if whoever was out there was set on breaking it down. She looked over to her tiny bedside clock and scoffed lightly at herself for sleeping so late. Dorian moaned as the knocking on the door began to vibrate through the walls, now it sounded as if someone were slamming against the headboard of the bed.

"If that racket doesn't stop soon, I'll go out there and give them something else to harass you about." He said in a hushed voice.

She looked down at his black hair, his face now pushed into the pillow so that his back was to her, "Why don't you suffocate yourself, lover? I've already had enough of you for one day and the day hasn't even begun." She pushed herself from the bed, now pulling the curtain around the posts so that no one could see Dorian if they were to walk into the room.

As she neared the door, she settled an ebony robe around herself and piled her unruly hair up on top of her head. The voices outside were getting louder and louder.

Quickly she yanked open the door, now staring out at Tom and Skinner. They both looked a bit surprised that Mina was so underdressed, "May I help the two of you?" she hissed, her hair falling from the barrette.

"Well, love, we seem ta be missing dear Jekyll. Thought ya might av seen im." Skinner said as he leaned himself on a wall, his head arched to the side in order for his eyes to get a good view of her behind. She realized this and moved back a bit deeper into her room.

"He's in my room." She said, now clearing her throat and shutting the door a bit more, "I'll tell him you two stopped by."

She moved to shut the door, but Skinner put his booted foot in the crack, "Right love, guess ya gotta get it somewhere, but really we're not interested in yo' love life." He smiled, now looking over his shoulder at Tom, "Unless, of course, we are part of it."

Tom moved toward the door, "We gotta see him." He tried to push past Mina, but she shoved him back. He hit the wall, uttering a cry of pain as his head slammed back.

"My other room." She said hotly, "And he isn't in the type of condition for you two to see him."

Tom righted himself, eyeing Mina from under his long bangs, "We have reason to believe that he destroyed half the ship last night. Him and his Hyde."

Mina shut the door a bit more, "What proof do you have?" she looked to Skinner and was shocked to see that he wasn't there. His coat lay at her feet. She moved back quickly, shutting the door just as Tom slammed against it.

"Skinner?" she said quietly, her eyes on the bed. She could see no movement to tell of his whereabouts in the room. Her eyes fell upon the piano and from there she scanned the room.

Nothing in the room moved. She stared at the emptiness around her.

Then she heard something fall next door.

She rushed to the other room.

Jekyll lay beside the bed groaning.

"Right love, he didn't do nothing. I suppose that's why he's got all those cuts on is face." Skinner said from somewhere in the room. Mina helped Jekyll back up onto the bed.

"You're a coward if you can't show yourself." Mina said quietly as she smoothed Jekyll's hair back. He coughed a good bit, then laid himself slowly back on the pillow behind him, "A naked coward."

The door opened to the hallway and all of a sudden Tom popped into the room, "You shouldn't have let your Hyde out, good buddy." He said as he cocked his gun, "We have to take you."

Mina turned from Jekyll to eye Tom; "It's really not a good idea to get me angry, Mr. Sawyer."

Tom moved back, still a bit aroused by what Mina was wearing. He felt a bit embarrassed by this feeling. A light sweat was lingering on his forehead now and he was distinctly aware of the pounding ache in the back of his head. He should have been extremely pissed at Mina for hurting him, but he wasn't. Here he stood so wishing for her to give him another good slam, but this time he hoped for a kiss or two.

"We have to do this, Mina." He said, but he lowered the gun as she approached him.

"You don't have to use violence, Tom." She said softly, "We are all friends here, right? Let us talk this through."

Tom rested the gun on his shoe, his eyes now downcast, "I didn't know we could talk to that monster." He said softly as he looked up at her through his bangs.

"You're talking to one right now." She said calmly. Tom shrugged his shoulders.

"But you don't have a choice to control your monster, he does." Tom now raised his eyes to her eyes; "Don't you have control?"

She let a small smile slide to her full lips, "Yes, Tom, I do have control. At some point in your life you will learn that most women do. We're just better at it then you men."

Tom cleared his throat, "Yeah, well, Aunt Polly"

Skinner was now pulling Jekyll from the bed again, "We ave ta take him, Mina. It's for everyone's own good."

Mina stared at the empty space that was dragging Jekyll from the room, "You boys don't listen very well." She said softly.

In a flash her eyes lit with a wild, red fire and she slammed Skinner up against the wall. He winced and let go of Jekyll. Now she pushed her hand up to his throat, gently shifting her fangs over his chin, "Would you like a kiss, dear Skinner? And shall we make it really wet?" she kneed him in the crotch, "Because it will be the last kiss you ever get."

"Really girl," he groaned, "I don't like it so rough." And then she screeched out in pain. Backing up she realized that he had stabbed her in her stomach with a vicious looking knife, "Can't go in ta a vampires room without a few good stabs, eh?"

She was grasping at the knife and wiggling it out of her stomach. It hurt like mad as she pulled it from her skin. As she stood there reeling in pain, Tom and Skinner grabbed Jekyll up from the floor and exited. She moved out into the hallway to snatch Jekyll back from their clutches, but they were too far down the corridor.

She fell back into the room, "Bloody bastard." She hissed as she finally pulled the knife out. She threw it across the room and slammed the door shut.

She let her head fall back against the wall as she listened for the men. They were now in a room and she could hear the voice of Nemo. She would leave it alone for now. She admired Nemo too much to go against his wishes. Let him have Jekyll.

She got up, opening the robe to look at the wound. It was healing itself up. She watched for a moment as her skin stretched itself out over the gash. She could feel a deep itching sensation, but she refused to scratch at it. Gently she pulled her robe closed and ducked back into the other room.

Dorian eyed her from over his easel; "Looks like you've gone and ruined another robe by getting yourself stabbed." He said, then he went back to his painting.

She stopped in the middle of the room, her eyes rested on the coat rack, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Seems Skinner dropped it in the hallway." He said as he looked at the black coat hanging there, "Looks like you can move on to getting the gun from Tom."

Mina shook her head; "He'll know where he left it, Dorian. He'll come back to get it."

"He'll blame Tom." Dorian said without looking at Mina, "After all, I don't exist and you were in the room with them when it went missing. Tom was the only one left out in the hallway. And I surely don't think Skinner will blame Nemo. But, if he does, please invite me in for that argument. That would be priceless."

"I've got to go find out what they plan on doing to poor Jekyll." She said quickly.

"Don't forget breakfast."

"You mean lunch." She said as she eyed Lucifer, "But if you get hungry enough, why not just eat your dog?"

Dorian grinned lightly, "Really Mina, he's just a stupid animal."

The dog growled at her as it went over to sit at Dorian's feet. Dorian made a few more strokes with the brushed and eyed Mina as she left the room.

Then he looked down at the dog, "I really hope your doing something important each night when you leave this room, Basil, or I may have to kill you again."

The dog whimpered softly. Dorian raised his eyes to the canvas and grinned, "Sometimes I feel so sorry for Mina. She really is such an easy target." He slid the brush down the canvas and tilted his head, "Thanks to her, I'll soon captain this ship and own everyone aboard it."