Clez – Glad you liked it!

This chapter is quite like everyone else. I guess this fic is not like any else I've written (it contains more kisses than all other combined!).

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Tom was freezing. He stood in an alleyway, shivering, and rubbing his arms in an attempt to regain some warmth in them. It was the third night out now. They had spent all those nights, trying to find the werewolves or any clues to where they were hiding. So far, they had only walked around. Skinner claimed he saw something once, but it might as well have been an unusually large cat. He began to think that the attack was just an once-in-a-lifetime event and that the werewolves didn't have anything against them. He leaned against the brick wall and put his rifle down beside him. He looked up on the stars. On cold nights, they did seem to be unusually bright. He smiled to himself when he thought about Skinner. If Tom was freezing, imagine how cold it must be to him. He sighed and wished that he was reading a book in his warm bed onboard the Nautilus.

"Cold, isn't it?" a masculine voice said. Tom immediately tore his rifle to him and looked around, trying to find the owner of the voice. There was no one and nothing there. Tom immediately thought of Skinner.

"Skinner?" he asked loudly. Memories of Moriarty's invisible man surfaced.

"No… I'm not Skinner, whoever that could be. But I would like to know your name before I give you mine." The same voice said. Tom tried to see something that could give the man away, a movement or something.

"My name is Sawyer…" he said hesitantly. He heard a laugh, almost like someone was making tiny bells ring.

"Sawyer. I like the way that sounds. So, you have given me your name, so I shall give you mine. I am Leo."

Tom felt strange, as if it was something important about his name, something he had to know.

"Could you show yourself, Leo?" he asked.

"Why, I am already as exposed as you are."

"Alright then… where are you?"

Again he heard that laugh. To his horror, something touched his hair. He looked up and met a pair of dark brown eyes. The man smiled down at him, hanging on the wall as if he was simply resting on a floor. Tom stared, not believing what he saw.

"Do you find this disturbing? If you do, I'll be glad to come down."

Tom nodded slowly and watched the man crawl down. He crawled like an odd predator, crouched down. He got down on the street and brushed his clothes off with elegant, smooth movements. Tom continued to stare, but now more out of amazement than shock. The man was so enchanting. He looked up at Tom again and smiled.

"You sound like an American." He said. Tom nodded.

"I'm from the American secret service."

The man nodded slowly.

"Secret service… Sounds very important. But then, I guess only an American agent would get the idea to go out on a cold night and stand all alone on a dark street. May I ask why you're here?"

Tom realized he was just about to tell him. He shook his head.

"Sorry, but it's a secret." He said, pained that he had to disappoint the man, but he just shrugged.

"Should've known, shouldn't I?" the man said and leaned closer to Tom. He looked at his scarf.

"That one is nice. I like how the colour contrasts to your skin. Is that wool?"

Tom looked at his brown scarf and wondered where the contrast was, but he took it off and handed it to Leo.

"I don't really know. It was a gift."

Leo examined the scarf closely.

"Well, it seems to be wool. Ugh, it reeks of garlic!" he said and tossed it over his shoulder before he looked up on Tom again. Tom wondered how he could think that it smelled garlic, Nemo's men hadn't served anything with garlic in it for days.

"You look better without it actually."

Tom felt to his surprise that he was blushing. He quickly looked away from Leo. His head was forced back towards Leo by his gentle touch on Tom's cheek. He kept his face unusually close to Tom's.

"I can't believe it, you're blushing! How sweet! I ought to talk to Americans more often."

Tom tried to reply, but only stuttered and realized that what he was going to say what actually stupid. He found himself grinning like an idiot instead. Leo leaned closer and gave Tom a light kiss on his mouth. Their lips were actually just brushing against each other, but to Tom, it was the greatest feeling he ever had. His lips were ice cold. Leo leaned back again and took a long look at Tom.

"You liked it." He said. Tom nodded and was awarded with a longer kiss. He dropped the rifle on the ground and could just stand there, enjoying the moment. Leo stopped kissing him on the mouth and continued down, the cheek, his jaw, his throat. All the time, he didn't care that Leo's breath was as cold as the grasp of death. He felt his lips against his throat. And then… something… else.

"You might feel a slight sting…" Leo murmured. Tom accepted it, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The moment was interrupted by a roar, muffled as if he heard it from a long distance. Leo was suddenly torn away from him. Tom woke up of his trance with a gasp and looked up on Hyde's imposing figure. He snorted at him.

"Idiot." He growled before he turned his attention towards Leo again. Tom looked at him and saw a red-eyed creature hissing at him, exposing his fangs. Hyde roared again and ran towards Leo, who seemed to understand that Hyde wasn't an easy enemy to tackle at all. He snarled loudly before he leapt up onto the wall and began crawling upwards like a spider. Hyde stopped underneath him and tried to reach him, but he was already far out of reach. Leo looked down at him and laughed loudly. Tom could only stand there, frozen, looking at him. He couldn't make himself shoot at this beautiful creature, even if it did try to kill him. Leo got over the edge to the roof and made a victorious half-bow towards Hyde and Tom. He turned around and disappeared. Hyde listened more closely. Wasn't that voices? He turned towards Tom.

"Shoot it! It's right up there!"

Tom knew that he should, but he shook his head. Hyde made a frustrated growl and stared at the shadows on the roof. In the matter of seconds, they heard a loud cracking noise and something came down, speeding against the ground. Hyde stepped out of the way for the shadow and watched it land on its feet.

"Bitch!" it shrieked. They could hear it was Leo's voice. Hyde immediately took a tight grip around his neck and squeezed. Leo tried to wrestle his way out of the trap, but began slicing and stabbing Hyde with long claws when it didn't work. Hyde looked at something behind Leo and grinned widely. Leo stopped fighting for only a moment and was rewarded with a sickening liquid that was forced into his mouth. He swallowed it out of reflex and coughed.

"Gaar…" he gurgled, losing the rest of the word in violent gags. Hyde dropped him carelessly on the ground and looked down on him, squirming and groaning. He slurred something before he violently threw up and collapsed on the street.

"Nasty." Skinner said and threw the empty vial over his shoulder. Something poked the unconscious vampire between his ribs.

"Makes me wish I had a stick I could poke him with."

Mina appeared out of nothing and took a criticizing look on the limp body.

"Just a beast. Mr. Hyde, will you assist me by helping our guest to the Nautilus?"

Hyde grunted, obviously unhappy with being ordered around, but he took up the vampire and flung him on his shoulder.

"Why don't you two find Remington and tell him we're done for tonight." She said to Tom and Skinner before she and Hyde vanished. Tom took up his rifle and cleared his throat, embarrassed.

"So," Skinner said. "I saw that you got yourself some loving."

"You saw it?!" Tom almost screamed. Skinner laughed and slapped Tom playfully over his shoulder.

"Of course I did! It was nice to watch you get some attention from someone, but I think you chose someone with the wrong kind of fetish…" he said and burst out into laughter again. Tom tried to push him but simply couldn't find him, so he walked away, blood red in his face and muttering to himself. Skinner came close after, still laughing.