Author's Note: Thanks to the wayback machine I was able to find this fic, which I had totally forgotten about. Found on my PTL family member Belladonna's old PTL website. Originally posted July 28, 2002. Please read and review.
Present day San Francisco
"Ah, so nice of you to join us, Nick. I hope we didn't pull you away from anything dire," Derek said sarcastically to the ex-Navy seal, who was just entering the conference room, with someone else close on his heels. Rachel and Philip, who sat at the table with Derek, both stifled a giggle as Alex walked in right behind Nick.
"Sorry we're late, we were…" Nick started only to have Alex quickly cut him off.
"Jogging!" Alex said in a hoarse shriek as everyone, including Nick, eyed her suspiciously. "What?" Alex asked as she glared back at them.
"Nothing, let's move on to more pressing matters," Derek said clearing his throat. "I've been in contact most of the morning with a friend of mine at the S.F.P.D."
"Wait, you've got an informant at the police dept?" Nick probed as he sat at the table, while Alex took the seat on the other side of the table. He leaned in and planted his elbows atop the table.
"Well, yes at times Charles has given me classified information to help in a case we were investigating, but like I said he is also a good friend, and this time he's seeking the help of the Legacy. Unofficially, of course."
"The San Fran Police, asking for our help, that's a switch, usually they're telling us to stay out of it," Nick said with a pleased look on his face. Derek simply arched his brow and nodded to this truth.
"Well it seems this time, the case falls along our line of expertise."
"Meaning what exactly?" Rachel asked.
"Something supernatural no doubt," Alex stated with a slight roll of the eyes.
"I glad to see the enthusiasm you all seem to have," Derek said causing Philip to chuckle a bit, which perplexed everyone to stare at him.
"I think we've just become accustomed to the work we do," Philip began explaining. "Now, it just seems…"
"Kind of boring," Nick supplied with a grin.
"More like the norm," Rachel said. "When you hand me a case folder, even before I open it, I wonder, will it be witchcraft, a demon, a ghost…"
"Yeah, and after you've seen a monster throw Nick against a wall a hundred so time, it loses its humor," Alex added with a wink and a smile thrown to Nick.
"If you ever thought it was humorous, that is," Nick said throwing a playful glare with a smile back at Alex, who chuckled along with both Philip and Rachel.
"I see, well would it interest you if I told you this may involve time travel; a being from the past has now emerged in this time, and here in San Francisco?" Derek said as he slid a folder to each of them.
"Well, that would definitely be something new," Alex concurred as they each opened theirs and began to read, while Derek sat silently, waiting.
"Whoa!" Nick was the first to react.
"Are you suggesting that this is…" Rachel began as she cast disbelieving eyes onto Derek, who in turn nodded his head.
"Jack the Ripper? Now that is interesting," Philip said as he continued to read the report.
"Have there been any killings?" Alex asked reading over hers thoroughly.
"Yes, three so far, and they are in an exact manner that Jack's victims were killed in," Derek answered.
"And the police are sure that this isn't a copycat killer?" Philip asked.
"Yes, there were things that were originally left out of the newspapers and textbooks involving Jack's killings style, things that only Jack himself would know, things that have been done to these latest victims. But there is a change, this time it seems he's not biased," Derek said as he stood. "Two of the victims were men."
"Well it's twenty for a blow and fifty for a fuck, and I don't negotiate on the prices. You either Take it or go find some fresh fish who'll sell it for anything, but I can tell you none of them will be as good as me, baby," The scantily dressed woman said as she walked down the alleyway. She stopped once she reached an adjoining alleyway, which led to a dead end. She moved halfway down the dead-end alley, before turning her full attention to her 'date'. "So, you want to fuck me or what?" She asked with a hint of impatience in her voice as she now leaned against the wall.
"Actually, I want to gut you," A hoarse male voice replied, causing the woman's eye to widen with fear and wonderment. She didn't get a reply out before the metal burned into her flesh. She gripped the gaping wound in her neck as she crumbled to the ground. Still very conscious she stared up at her attacker with now pleading eyes, which spoke what her cut vocal cords no longer could. It would be two long, painful hours before she would find her peace…in death.
"And what are we looking for exactly?" Nick questioned as he looked up at the computer screen.
"This is a high-security Legacy database. In here are logs of all the items we keep as well as accounts of items that we know exist but we don't possess, some are cursed, enchanted, housing spirits. Derek wants us to find anything that can cause time travel, hoping this will explain the how it might be possible for Jack the Ripper to be here, now," Alex explained from her seat beside Nick. "And from the looks of it, this is gonna take all night."
"Really, so, we're gonna be stuck in here, alone, all night?" Nick said keeping his eyes up on the screen. Alex slowly turned to stare at him, grinning slightly.
"Yes, probably."
"I can think of worst ways to spend my nights," Nick said now turning to her and wiggling his brow.
"Nope," Alex spoke out in protest as he rolled her chair back a bit. Nick simply rolled his closer. "Nick, we have to work."
"And we'll work," Nick said continuing his approach.
"This is not working."
"No, but, we will work…eventually," Nick said as he stopped his chair directly in front of Alex's. "After one kiss," He gave a sly smile. Alex narrowed her eyes at him.
"What is it with you and kissing, we had a few work-related kisses, which he had to do in order to keep our cover on the last case we worked together," Alex emphasized. "And now it's all you want to do," Alex said.
"Not all I want to do, but all you'll allow me to do," Nick corrected. "And yeah our kisses started out as cover during our last case, but I thought the dozen so others we've shared since that case has been closed, meant something."
"They meant something to you?" Alex asked, dying to know.
"Didn't they to you?" Nick countered, answering with a question.
"She asked you first, Nick," Philip said stunning the two already occupying the room.
"Philip, hey!" Alex said moving her chair further away from Nick's, leaving Nick to look after her. "We were just uhm… doing research on the Ripper case."
"Yeah, I could see that's what you two were doing, that and kissing?" Philip said with a knowing smile as he leaned against a nearby terminal. Neither Nick nor Alex answered. "Hey guys, I think it's great, you two are seeing each other."
"What! Who said we were seeing each other, we just kissed…a…lot of…times, but that's all," Alex defended, causing both Nick and Philip to chuckle at her wide-eyed expression, looking as if she had just been caught making out by her father.
"What I mean is, it's nice that in all this madness there's something so normal as a guy liking a girl and a girl liking a boy, and both trying to hide it."
"I'm not trying to hide it," Nick mumbled loudly enough that they both could hear as he focused back onto his computer. Alex glared at him briefly before rolling her eyes back to Philip.
"So, what have you guys found?" Philip asked.
"Nothing yet," Alex said as she now focused back on the screen too. "But we just started so, ask again later."
"I'm still not too sure about this whole time travel theory myself," Nick said as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. "I mean why would Jack the Ripper travel through time, and here of all places. Why not stay in England?"
"He grew tired of it, maybe?" Philip answered. "Wanted a change of scenery," Alex wrinkled her nose to that thought.
"Or maybe the police were on his trail," Nick added as he began to embrace the idea somewhat.
"No, I don't think so. They had no idea where to even begin to look for him. The Constable at that time had no true description of him; each kill was somewhat different. The tracks were covered well. No, he grew tired of England, I think. Wanted to come to a new world, a bigger world," Philip said.
"Man, someone's done their homework," Nick said with a smirk and Philip chuckled at him.
"Yes, I actually did my thesis on him in college. I wanted to explore his mindset. What would make a seemingly sane man do such a thing? By what little was profiled about him. He was wealthy, in high society, and very likely a doctor. Why would a man who had such advantages and great potential kill and do it with such a passion?"
"You don't need to researched and write a long report about that. I can tell you why, our man Jack was a nut case," Nick stated. "Only an insane man could do what he did to those women. I mean his second victim, Annie Chapman, he displayed her like artwork, cutting out her intestines and placing them on her shoulders. Also cutting out part of her vagina, what was that about?"
"Some theorize he had 'mommy' issues. That his mother was abusive to him and some even go as far as to say she was a prostitute herself," Alex said.
"I never believed that," Philip said quickly. "If that were true, he would have killed his own mother."
"Who's to say he didn't, granted there were no reports on an older woman being butcher, but maybe he simply disposed of her body, didn't want it found like the others."
"No, I think he was making a statement with the killings, not trying to make an example or use them to pacify some hatred he felt for his mother," Philip announced just as Rachel entered the room.
"Hey, guys."
"Good, here's a professional, let's hear her opinions on the matter of Jack," Nick said as Rachel looked to him with intrigue. "So, Rach, give us your clinical opinion, was he some criminal genius or a nut case?"
"Ahh…hmm, let's see," Rachel said as she stopped in her tracked and thought on the matter. "Where to begin? Well, first off, he was a patient man, seeing that he took the time to gut his victims and pose them. He obviously hated women…"
"Mommy issues, I see…do go on," Nick interjected as he eyed Philip with a smile at the fact that Rachel was confirming his thoughts.
"Not necessarily, he could have been jilted by a lover, or not popular with the ladies while in school. He was a man of intellect, I think, though some have branded him as having schizophrenia. I personally would love to speak with him, get inside his head," Rachel said with a sigh and a smile, as both Nick and Alex looked at her as if she had grown another head. She noticed their looks and replied. "What?"
"I personally don't want to be anywhere near him. I find him to be disgusting and vile. You can analyze it any way you want but he was a sick wacko, who should be burning in hell right now," Alex said as she stood from her seat.
"I second that motion," Nick added.
"And you Philip?" Rachel asked as she turned to him. "What's your stand on it."
"I believe that all men are good at heart, though they may stray from the path of the Lord some times."
"You honestly think he's a redeemable soul, that if he asked hard enough, he will be forgiven by God and the pearly gates will open up, and he'll be allowed into heaven?" Nick questioned.
"Yes, Nick I do. If he truly seeks forgiveness in his heart," Philip replied.
"Well, obviously he doesn't want to be redeemed since he's started killing again, at least three that we know of," Alex stated as she leaned against her terminal and folded her arms across her chest.
"I know Derek said we shouldn't consider the possibility of a copycat, but I don't think we should totally disregard it either," Philip said causing Nick to nod in agreement.
"Yeah, this guy, whoever he is could have just decided to get inventive and in doing so, mimicked something Jack did that wasn't common knowledge, completely by accident," Nick added.
"True," Alex concurred.
"So, what's the next step?" Rachel inquired just as Derek entered the room.
"There's been another killing," He said as he held up a folder.
"You had to ask?" Nick threw at Rachel as he smirked.
"It was a clean cut, first time ever that a head was completely severed," Nick commented taking a pen and picking over the body.
"Oh, God!" A female voice moaned out.
"And look at the cuts to the body, the preciseness of them, he spent a lot of time here," He added as he knelt over the body for a closer examination. "Hey, don't these kind of look like designs?" He asked his partner who was against the far wall, throwing up her breakfast
"I don't kn…OW…Aaaaggh!" There went her lunch. Nick looked to her with humor and concern.
"Well come take a look, it's not that bad."
"Sorry," Alex finally spoke as she wiped her mouth and gasped for fresh air, any air other then what she thought to be the stale fly infested air surrounding the body. "It's not every day I see things like…that," She pointed unable to bring herself to look at it again.
"She's seen demons, devils, even vampires, yet she gets queasy over a dead body," Nick mumbled as he turned his focus back to the body.
"Hey I heard that, and all those things were alive, somewhat, and there wasn't blood and guts galore," Alex defended as she once again leaned over, braced her upper body against her knees.
"How about the vampires, there was blood as I recall."
"Yeah, but I wasn't looking at it, I was drinking, that's different," Nick chuckled at this as he stood and moved to where Alex barely stood.
"We're finished here, I got all the info Derek wanted, so we can head back to the house now."
"Thank God," Alex said as she steadied herself against the wall, before taking a step. "You know I'm beginning to think you're right this is starting to look a lot like an over-enthusiastic copycat. None of the books we've been studying on Jack the Ripper ever accounted for any of his victims looking like…that."
"Yeah, and from the looks of it, this guy is even sicker then our boy Jack was. Looks like Jack the Ripper has evolved."
TBC…