"What are the two of you doing?" Mina asked as she swooped into Jekyll's room at half past eight. She looked unbelievably radiant even though she was dressed in a drab out fit that seemed to match the brown carpet at her feet. For a moment she stood in the doorway, her hands in the pockets of her pants as her eyes shifted from one man to the other; "Are you looking for his watch?" She asked softly, her eyes now searching the room.

"Nah." Tom said easily, "I bet he has that on him. We're doing a job for Nemo."

She now placed her glasses on her nose and stared down at Tom, who was seated on the floor, his hands buried under Jekyll's mattress. The muscles in his neck were straining against his skin as he stretched further toward the middle of the bed. Mina noticed a thin vein throbbing at his temple. She stared at it for a moment, giving it a thought. She did wonder how he would taste.

She settled on sweet. She had had his type before and they were always tantalizing to the tongue. Being young did have its advantages. But that was long ago and she would never stumble upon that type of trouble again.

She now looked to Skinner.

He was busy stretching himself out on the bed, his hat being thrown over to Jekyll's desk as he pulled an overstuffed pillow underneath his head.

"Do you mind?" Tom said in an annoyed huff as he slammed a fist into Skinner's leg.

Skinner laughed, but moved himself a bit further away from where Tom was digging around.

"I'll ask again." Mina said as she walked over to the post of the bed, now leaning herself there, "What are the two of you up to?"

" Searching for Hyde." Skinner said as he placed his hands under his head, "Have ya seen him?"

"Where there is Jekyll, there is Hyde." She said, her eyes shifting to Tom again, "I doubt Hyde is in there."

"Just need the bottles." Tom said with a soft smile and an easy shrug of his shoulders, "Then we can release poor Jekyll."

"Poor Jekyll?" Skinner said as he raised himself up on his elbows, "He could 'ave killed all of us last night."

"But he didn't." Tom said, his eyes going to Mina who was still staring at Skinner."

Skinner now looked to Mina; his demeanor changing from the cold, hard stare she was giving him.

"No hard feelings about the knife, right love?" He said as he brushed some unseen lint off his black, burly sweater, "Why don't we toss Tom from the room and you and I can take a stab at something a bit more interesting."

Mina eyed Tom; "I rather like having Tom in the room."

Tom grinned lightly up at Mina and then went back to pushing and prodding at the mattress.

"I can't understand why yo' mad. I mean, I am sure you've been stabbed many times so I would think that by now you would be used to it." He playfully pushed down part of the mattress that poor Tom was trying to push up; "You women are a strange lot."

"I'll have you know, Skinner, that I really don't enjoy being stabbed." She said icily.

"At least I didn't stab ya in the back." He said, "Right Tom, I let 'er off pretty easy? Tom here wanted to go in there with stakes raised and torches burning."

Tom glared at Skinner from under his long bangs as he dropped the mattress. Now he buried his arms in one of Jekyll's trunks, "I think I got something." He said as soon as he had reached the bottom of the trunk with his hands.

Skinner lurched from the bed only to be met by a glaring Mina who slammed him down into the sheets, "It you ever stab me again I will rip your heart out and feed it to you."

Skinner stared up at her through his tinted glasses, "Right love." He said softly, "I was only trying to protect you."

She slid her hands down his arms, grasping his wrists, her mouth very close to his mouth, "I don't need protection, love." She said softly, her eyes roving his white face. He pushed up against her, but she bared her fangs, "I could kill you with just one bite."

Skinner breathed her in, "But cha' wouldn't."

Tom was moving excitedly behind them, "I really found something."

Mina was still staring down at Skinner, "Whatever you found, Mr. Sawyer, I pray you put it back."

"Right love, I get it." Skinner said with a slight tremble to his voice as she nicked his chin with her fang. Blood gently seeped from the small cut.

"Are you sure?" she said as she licked the wound.

"Yeah." He said softly as his face paint began to mix with his blood in an oily pink design on his chin, "But ya do know that the invisibility potion does run through my veins day and night."

She pulled back from him, her lips still wet with his blood.

"Picture yourself invisible." He said as a smile curved his lips.

Tom had stopped his shuffling around in the trunk and now he was leaned over the bed, "Is that blood?" he asked as he eyed Mina's chin. Then he was stumbling back, "Um…maybe I should…"

She turned on him, slamming him to the wall by the door, "Why, Tom, do you want a taste?"

Tom's eyes were wide, his heart hammered so hard in his chest that he was sure he would faint, "No." he stammered, but wasn't he dreaming of this moment just this morning.

He shot a dazed look at Skinner, but the invisible man was now no where to be seen.

She slid her mouth up to his. He could smell the blood on her lips. "Oh dear, Mr. Sawyer, your heart is pounding so hard in your chest?" she said against his lips, "You men are all so very lonely, aren't you?" she could feel him trembling beneath her touch. Slowly she brought her lips to Tom's and then, with no warning, she bit onto the corner of his mouth.

He was panicking a bit as she began to draw blood into her mouth. Would he become a vampire?

He whimpered with pain, but felt the absolute pleasure of having her so close to him. Why was this turning him on so much?

Finally she released him and let him shrink to the floor, "Now I have a taste of both of you." She said as she moved back toward the trunk, "I would advise you both to leave. I haven't had my dinner yet and it seems to be about that time."

Skinner took his hat and stood, "Alright, you win." He said easily enough, "But that doesn't mean that we won't be back."

Tom was still nursing his wounded lip, "That really hurt." He was saying mostly to himself, but his eyes glanced at Mina a few times.

"Imagine how it feels to have someone bite into your neck." She said softly as she eyed Tom.

"Yeah." He said in a whisper as he sucked at his own lip, "You weren't thinking of doing any of that tonight, were you?"

She seated herself on the trunk, her body now leaned back on her hands as she watched Tom still standing in the doorway shivering with terror and delight.

"Why Tom, judging from the way your heart was pounding, I would think that you might enjoy a more intimate bite the next time we meet." She said softly and then added, "I'll bring the wine, you bring the blood."

He put his hand through his hair, "Not my kind of evening." He said nervously as Skinner nudged past him.

"Yes, well, it wasn't mine either until it was made to be mine." She eyed Skinner as he turned in the doorway, his hand on Tom's shoulder to pull him to leave, "Of course I felt nothing of Skinner. I guess his emotions are invisible too."

Skinner pulled Tom from the room, "Really love, you're a bit to freaky for me."

Mina raised an eyebrow, "But I thought freaky was your forte."

"Not anymore." He said. Tom stumbled from out of Mina's stare as Skinner pulled him out of the room.

The door shut behind them.

When she was sure they were totally gone she slid off the trunk to her knees and looked inside.

She had to move a few things aside as she brushed her hand along the bottom of the trunk. It felt as if there was another box down there. She lifted all the contents out of the inside and then, leaning deep into the darkness, she pulled out the object.

It wasn't a box.

It was a painting.

Slowly, her mouth dropped open and a chill ran down her spine.