Disclaimer: I don't own Tom Sawyer, Mina Harker, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Captain Nemo, Skinner or anything else I have used in this chapter, with the exception of things that belong to me. =) Thanks as always to my wonderful Beta; Silver Bow. Apologies to the delay in this part. I'm in awe with the amount of reviews for the last part, you guys are the best! Now, on with the Shout Outs!

Graymoon74:- A very good guess Graymoon. Tom? In trouble? In one of my stories? Don't be silly. ;)

funyun:- You have lots of questions about the Dream Girl don't you... don't worry, she will finally be explained in the next part. I promise. You will know who she is, what she's doing and if Tom knows her. Cross my heart. And yes, Tom falling was not in anyone's master plan... except my own. ::Evil Laugh:: And yes, Tom probably would have been faster, but he's just be stabbed, he's not going to be thinking clearly now is he?

Hoshii-chan:- ::giggles:: I know, I'm evil...

freedomfighter82:- Eeep. Just take deep calming breaths... in... out... in... out. There, better? Probably not but oh well. You'll just going to have to... trust me.

Clez:- ::Blushes and mumbles looking away:: Aww... so kind of you to say that Clezy!

LotRseer3350:- It's not bad to stab him? Whoa, why did no one tell me that before? And please, don't threaten me again with sharp objects... ::Bottom lip wobbles and gives you a full blast of puppy dog eyes:: I like not having holes in my body.

Kayma:- Does that mean you like it?

Lyn:- Why thank you.

Niani:- Yep, carry on reading! Please.

Angharad:- Who would have thought it, an evil cliffhanger from me... and thank you, glad you love it!

Silent Bob 546:- Just when you think you've seen the last of the bad guys they come back for a final swan song. As for Tom, did he die... well, read on my friend, read on.

Steffi-333:- ::Hands you a tissue:: There, there. Demented mind? Aww, that's so sweet of you! So, just keep on trusting me... ::innocent smile:: you can trust me...

TARilus:- You've right, it wouldn't be fair to kill Tom off after making him suffer so... but am I fair? ::muses on this:: Tricky. Very tricky. Anyway, thanks for the compliments!

Naitriab:- Yes, that's true, you're not are you... oh well. Killing everyone would be more simple but it would also probably result in my own death...

Silversnow:- ...::gasps on popcorn:: That was genius! You are very evil! I like it! Now, antidote please... otherwise I won't be able to post the last three parts now will I?

LostAngel2:- Thank you, thank you, wait no longer!

The Bodyguard.

Part Twenty-Seven: The Sixth

A fairly normal looking young woman was standing there. Her blond hair hung limply down her back, bright blue eyes staring in disbelief at the empty space where Tom had been a moment before. Her pale and smooth hand was reached out as if she had tried to grab at him.

"No..." She whispered, drawing her hand back and shaking her head slightly, dislodging a few strands of her hair as she did so. Her simple white dress billowed around her slim form, the pale yellow sash tied at her waist showing off her body contours. She closed her eyes and frowned. Mina took a slow step towards her, the female's body alert, ready to move at the slightest hint of danger. She scanned the newcomer, her eyes taking in every detail of the young woman, from the dark long eyelashes to the the Dagger of the Well in the sash to the shoes on her feet.

Wait... the Dagger?

Mina growled loudly, attracting the young woman's attention as she opened her eyes and smiled faintly at the female vampire, nodding slightly as she did so.

"That's right Mrs. Harker. I am indeed the new guardian of the Well... but what gave me away?" She asked with interest. Jekyll's hand went to his coat, his fingers gripping tightly around a spare vial of his potion. Nemo tensed visibly, standing next to Skinner who was groaning and slowly coming round. Mina rushed forward, her fingers like talons, grabbing at the girl tightly, to prevent her from moving away. The young woman simple raised an eyebrow and looked at her, before looking down at the Dagger in her sash. A look of understanding dawned in her eyes and she made a tiny sound which sounded rather like 'oh'.

It was impossible to tell if this woman was scared of Mina and the fact that she knew how to kill her. Her face, at least, showed no fear, and as she was already dead she didn't have a heartbeat to give her away. Mina growled and lifted the girl by her neck, chocking her slightly even though it would cause her no harm.

A look of irritation flashed on the girl's face and she suddenly grabbed at Mina, wrenching the hand away from her own neck and pushing Mina away.

"I assume you want to know about this Dagger I have with me." She said coolly. Mina's eyes flashed a deep red, showing that she was in no mood for tricks. "Very well." The young woman pulled the Dagger from her belt and turned it so the hilt was facing Mina. "There is an inscription on it, placed there by me."

Despite herself, Mina leant forward, peering at the hilt and mouthing the words to herself. The girl looked over her shoulder at the rest of the League.

"It says: It was made by the dead for those who are dead. The living can not command it or brake the sixth with it." She fell silent then.

"That does not that tell us why you have this Dagger when it was last in Agent Sawyer's chest." Mina warned.

"Actually, it does. Sometimes to see an answer standing in front of you, you have to look for it." The guardian said cryptically. Mina's eyes narrowed.

"The sixth?" Skinner asked groggily. "The sixth what?" The thief was leaning on Nemo's arm, using his to support his weight.

"Why, the sixth law of God." The guardian said, as if surprised that Skinner would need to ask.

"Do you mean an Egyptian God?" Nemo asked. The young woman shook her head. "You mean the Christian God?" He asked and she nodded. Now that the Indian had chance to have a good look at her, there was something very Victorian in the way she stood and spoke, even if her clothes were far older. He guessed that she was a recent addition to the Well, possibly one of the souls Big had placed there.

"Thou Shall Not Kill..." Mina breathed, hope springing in her eyes for a second. The guardian smiled at her.

"That is correct. This Dagger is not meant for human use. You, Mrs. Harker could use if because you are half dead. Sawyer could use it when the spirits of the Well inhabited his body because he was dead. Mr. Big however, while he was dying, he was not dead. The wound inflicted by him was already vanishing. The only reason it took so long was because my body had not yet been propally formed so I could not claim my weapon."

"You mean... you mean, Agent Sawyer had not really receive a fatal stab wound to the chest?" Mina asked. The young woman, not much more than a girl shook her head. She turned and walked to the side of the platform, rising her hand up as she did so. There was a hissing sound and sand sprung up by the edge, leaping upwards to form a twisting sand staircase, that wound around, down and along the sheer side of the platform.

"You must hurry." The young woman said. "Because even though I do control the Dagger, I can not control the power of gravity and he fell a long way... one last thing." She hesitated and looked towards the quiet Well. Sound rumbled out of it, filling the air with words.

"The Dead can not leave here, the living can not stay.

If the living remain, they will become the lingering dead,

Ever wakeful, un-sleeping, until the end of the world."

The words echoed around the cavern, coming from everywhere and yet at the same time nowhere. The guardian spun back to face the League, worry on her face.

"Go!" She snapped. Mina stared at her for a second then gave her a jerky nod and turned, running for the sand steps. Dr. Jekyll followed a few paces behind her, looking over his shoulder every few seconds. Not to be outdone Skinner staggered towards the stairway as well, Nemo supporting him.

The four moved down the winding stair, Mina almost flying down it. She didn't know if she could trust this guardian – after all, the last two they had encountered had not really helped them – but there had been something in the way she had whispered the 'no', that had struck a cord with Mina. It had sounded as if she had really been upset over Tom's fall.

It seemed like an eternity, but really, was not much longer than a minute before she found her feet touching hard stone instead of sand. Looking upwards, she could make out three black specks that were the rest of the League. Though she looked hard for a long moment, she was unable to make out the top, the wall face just faded away into the darkness. Shaking her head, Mina looked back down and ran along the wall front, her heels making a light tapping sound as she did so. Rounding a curve, she almost fell over the still forms of Agent Sawyer and Mr. Big.

The Colonel had hit the ground first, his eyes – now forever unseeing – staring glassily upwards. The once clear blue orbs were now a dull, cloudy color with his whole head at an impossible angle. He seemed a mass of limbs, arms and legs flung outwards in odd and grotesque shapes. Tom Sawyer had landed on top of Big, the dead man cushioning his land slightly.

Tom lay on his side, a thin trickle of blood running down the side of his face, coming from his hair line, where there was a jagged gash, sand mixed in the blood as if he had hit his head while falling. His eyes were closed, as if sleeping, his chest rising and falling lightly. Tom's skin was drained of color, the whiteness a stark contrast to the black clothes he was dressed in.

Mina dropped lightly down beside Tom, untangling his body from Big's cooling corpse while checking him over for any fresh injuries. Apart from some bruising on his ribs and the head injure, there appeared to be nothing new. The old wounds though – caused by his tormentor Smith – were still visible, the ugly wounds only starting to heal. This floor was completely dark, with Mina only able to see because of her vampire blood. So it was that Jekyll didn't see her crouched there until he had fallen over her.

"Dr. Jekyll." Mina said, grabbing the man as he fell to stop him landing on either Tom or Big. "I have found Agent Sawyer, he is alive, but hurt."

Skinner and Nemo came limping towards them as a faint greenish light started to grow on the bottom floor, first lighting up the faces of the League then slowly spreading to touch on the darker clothing then moving across the ground. Mina and Jekyll fussed over the still Tom, not caring about the location of such light. Skinner on the other hand was staring round him in shock. Even Nemo took an intake of breath as he witnessed the scene around them.

"Uh... Mina.... Jekyll..." Skinner whispered. The two didn't hear him and he cleared his throat before trying again. "Mina, Jekyll, there is something you really need to see." Mina looked up in frustration, to find that Skinner's attention was fixed on the space leading away from the wall.

"What?" She asked. Her eyes followed Skinner's and her mouth dropped open slightly. "Oh my..." The faint green light was coming from ghostly forms of people long since dead. They stood in silent ranks, empty eye sockets fixed on the tiny group of breathing souls. As one, the lines of ghosts stepped forward, the forms stretching as far as the eye could see. Nervously Skinner looked at them, as they stared silently back, waiting for... something.

Mina lifted Tom from the ground and held his unconscious form in her arms, a quiet growl rumbling in the back of her throat as she glared at the ghostly people, her arms holding the young spy in a protective manner.

The thing that the ghosts were waited for was reveled as the crunching sound of bone's moving sounded behind Mina. The body of Mr. Big was moving, twisting, the sightless eyes turning to look at the group who instinctively tightened in a group around Mina and Tom, protecting the unconscious American. The words from the Well came to Dr. Jekyll as he watched the dead body stand on it's feet, the head still hanging at it's impossible angle.

... the lingering dead, ever wakeful, un-sleeping, until the end of the world...

The body moved towards the tight knit group, the green specters on the other side doing the same. The growl in Mina's throat rose dramatically as she snarled, trying to warn them to keep back, but the dead moved closer, ignoring the vampire. Skinner glanced to the expressionless ranks of ghostly people. He could see through each line, to see another behind them and a another line behind that one. The people stretched back as far as he could see, filling the black expanse with there otherworldly presence.

Nemo settled into a fighting position, his sword in his hands as he waited for them to come within his fighting range. Even if their enemies had been normal humans it would have been pretty bad odds to start with, but with one of their own down, another looking as if he might collapse at any minute and the fact that their enemies were already dead, it seemed as if there chances were even slimmer.

"We are here for the boy..." A thousand voices hissed, each mouth moving as one.

"That is enough!" A angry female voice cried out and the next second the new guardian of the Well had appeared next to the League, her eyes blazing with cold fury, her hands pointed palm upwards. Big's body froze in its lumbering walk towards them as the young woman stood in front of him. Then she turned slowly, her eyes still blazing to glare at the ranks of the dead.

"You released him and withdrew any claims on his soul. Agent Sawyer is not yours to take, so leave him be." She said calmly. The spirits stopped in their march, standing silently a few meters away from them. Skinner held his breath as the seconds ticked painfully by and then, without another word, the ghostly forms faded away. The guardian turned back to Big's dead body, anger on her face.

"As for you, you will also leave him." She snapped. Big's body turned away and shuffled off into the darkness. The new guardian watched him go, not relaxing until the stumbling body had been completely swallowed up by the dark.

"I am sorry for that, the dead do not suffer the living lightly." She said simply. Mina regarded the young woman cursorily.

"Why do you?" Mina asked with interest. Bright baby blue eyes looked at her, honesty shining in them.

"For Agent Sawyer's sake only." She answered. There was a low rumbling sound and the girl closed her eyes and sighed before pointing to the right.

"If you head that way, you will come across an open door, that leads to the outside. You must run, because if he wakes inside, he will not be your friend anymore, he will be one of the dead." The guardian said. The rumbling increased in volume and a slight shaking began.

"Thank you." Mina said quietly, turning and running full speed to the right, Tom still being carried in her arms. The shaking became increasing more violent as Nemo and Skinner took off after her, the Indian giving the young woman a bow of respect. Jekyll paused for a moment, watching the girl as she stood there before sighing and running after the rest of the League.

The young woman stared after them, the shaking dislodging large stones, making them crash to the ground. She closed her eyes, a lone tear trickling down her face as more of the cavern began to collapse around her.

"Hurry..."

Mina threw Tom over her shoulder as she ran, to increase her speed. Nimbly she dodged the rocks as they smashed down in front of her, she headed blinding in the direction she had been pointed. A pinprick of light burned on her retina as she ran. Slowly the pinprick became larger and larger until it almost filled her whole vision. A light breeze blew on her face as she neared the light, the air bringing sand and dust with it.

Pushing herself forward she ran under the arch way, suddenly finding herself in the open, on a sandy hill overlooking the Nautilus. Confused, Mina turned back to face the other's as they charged outside. Jekyll was the last to arrive and as he did so the arch fell, sending a wild fury of sand roaring up, the heavy stones completely sealing the entrance. When the sand settled, there was no sign of any opening in the sandy dune. Ignoring the strangeness for now, the team hurried towards their home, painfully aware that time had almost run out for Tom.

TBC...

Only three parts left! ::Sniff:: I can't believe it's almost over... please leave a review!

Sethoz