Author's Note: Well, finally, another update from me. These seem to be taking longer and longer, don't they? O.o I am trying, I promise. Everything is happening at once, and it ain't all positive, so… yeah. You don't want to hear that. Shout out time…
LotRseer3350: Mina is being silly. 'Nuff said, I believe, heh. The swordfight is not in the next few chapters, so hopefully that will give you an idea of the delay you can expect.
Mrs. Mina Harker: Yup, long chapter. Sadly, this one isn't so lengthy. Eternal Midnight should be coming soon, I should think… not long now anyway. I know about the times, and I really am sorry.
Capt. Cow: Hehe, smiling is good. Yes it is. Thank you for the compliment. Ack, no more cherries, please!
Sethoz: Uh oh… Sethoz hasn't got any fingers left! O.O Call an ambulance! Wait, maybe she can regenerate them…? Aww, your poor sister, heh. Thank you. Glad you loved it. And as for the book thing… not tellin' XP
Nimmo Gray: I've been reading… books and magazines, heh. And if you want to know the answer to the question about the fight, then you should probably read the trailer ::nods:: Not hurt Dorian…? You do realise that's asking a lot, right…? Heh.
TARilus: Thanks. Glad you liked the training. I really liked how Dorian used fencing techniques in the film though, despite Nemo being the better swordsman. But it is true that his immortality kicked in to help him, of course.
Graymoon74: Mina's gone nuts… simple as that. Hehe. Glad you find Becky awesome! It's a relief that someone is pleased with how I'm using her. Heh. Someone has to put Dorian in his place, right? So why not Becky? Well… she tries anyway.
BloodMoonLycan: Hehe, Tom vs. Dorian… everyone wants it. Good, good. Ooh, banners! Yay! Thanks!
funyun: Yup, you got the first ticket. Glad you liked the chapter. Ack, Dorian really having his way would have been awful! O.O Glad I didn't write that. I probably would have been murdered. Joe is a dork, yes… but he couldn't help it, bless 'im. Curse Mina for being heroic, 'eh? ::shakes head:: Can't teach vampires sometimes.
elvenmalka523: I'm glad you enjoy the story, and I thank you for your compliments.
Xaviere Jade: Hi there, and welcome to the story. And yeah, you can't please everyone unfortunately, especially not with canon couples out of movies or TV… 'tis a sad truth. Thanks for the review!
And now, on with the show that is Ghosts of Old…
Joe, Huck and Skinner moved with practised stealth and caution through the upper levels of Melmoth House, the former two with pistols aimed at the ready, eyes darting around at the slightest sound or movement, and with the invisible thief prepared to offer assistance should anything happen. Skinner wished he had brought a coat of some kind, and he wasn't even sure if he had gotten all the paint off his face… he was pretty sure he hadn't, in his haste.
Regardless of this fact, they pressed on, desperate to find Becky Thatcher safe and sound. Especially since her life was now under threat again after Joe Harper's retaliation regarding Dorian's sly attempt at irritation amongst the League. His gloating remarks certainly hadn't gone down well with Joe, that was for sure. Skinner – as he was sure everyone did – wished Joe hadn't reacted so fervently, but what was done was done, and they just needed to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible, and with as little bloodshed as they could manage.
And knowing Gray… that's going to be difficult, he thought to himself, mentally scowling at the new and 'improved' look of the immortal. What had happened for his appearance to change so? Why was he different? Unable to fathom such things, Skinner kept his eyes peeled for any danger, and turned to look over his shoulder, letting out a gasp at the man sneaking up on them. Ducking into the shadows – and as he did so, giving Huck a helpful tap on the shoulder – Skinner waited to see what would occur, ready to lend a hand if need be.
Huck tilted his head slightly to acknowledge the touch, and craned his neck subtlely to glance behind him, trying not to give away what he was really doing. Skinner watched the discreet change of grip on the pistols the shorter of the two Americans held, and then observed – with slight awe – how Huck twisted his body, lowered himself halfway to the ground, and proceeded to let off two shots into the man behind them, before Joe had even finished turning to look. The blue eyes of Agent Harper widened slightly, and then he grinned down at Huck, who stood, and readied his guns again, turning to go back the way they had been originally headed.
"Thanks, Skinner," he said into the shadows.
"Any time," Skinner replied, and emerged, following behind them on the way to find Becky. He tried to listen out for any audible signs of Becky Thatcher's whereabouts, but all he could hear was the breathing of the two Americans in front of him, as well as his own. He kept looking around him to see if he could find any more sneaky snipers trying to come up behind or around them out of shadow… and found himself wondering how Nemo and Jekyll were doing.
He practically threw the book he had been holding, and watched with mild satisfaction and shock as it succeeded in knocking a man over the head, toppling them to the floor long enough for Nemo to deliver a conscious-stealing kick to their face, downing them indefinitely. The sword flashed menacingly in the light when it came to his mutinous crew, and they were soon backing down from the superior talents and fighting skills of their former superior. Henry just couldn't comprehend why the men – even with the promise of money for doing so – would betray the man they had devoted their lives to.
Dorian Gray truly was a bastard, in all meanings of the word. He was a horrible, sadistic, vile man who only served to make Edward that much more eager to come out of Henry and seek bloody, messy revenge on the immortal for causing so much trouble in the first place. Henry tried to push down the urges, but found his hand reaching inside his jacket before he could really stop himself, clasping shakily around the vial of elixir he kept in the inner pocket.
As he removed his hand, clasping the vial, fingers latched tightly but not painfully around his wrist, stopping him from removing the stopper. "Doctor… there is no need to release Mr. Hyde within such hazardous conditions. The ground may not support his weight, and the fight is over… we are victorious."
Henry turned his timid eyes upon the relenting, surrendering forms of the still living forms of the mutinous crew, and the few helpers Dorian Gray must have hired from outside sources. Henry sighed, and pushed the vial back into his jacket, trying to stem the stream of curses from Edward inside his mind at having to be contained once again.
"I don't care what the man says, just let me the bloody hell out, so I can get that bastard Gray! He deserves to watch his own limbs being torn off, dammit!"
Hyde's bellowing did nothing to help the headache swelling in Henry's temples, and he wondered how the others were fairing, even as he looked over the banister at a slight crash down on the lower level. "Agent Sawyer!" he called, stunned to see the young man practically staggering out of the room where they had followed Gray. "What happened?"
"Mina…" he mumbled quietly, glancing around him, his Winchester held roughly in one hand. "I lost Mina… she… she took off."
Literally? Henry foolishly found himself wondering, much to the momentary amusement of Edward, and then realised the slang behind the sentence. "… Why?"
Sawyer closed his eyes, giving a low groan as he shook his head, before looking back up at Henry, who was starting to concern himself with the condition of the American below. "She must think that she'll be saving us if she sacrifices herself to Gray," he called up, obviously angry, from the sound of his voice. There was an edge to it that only worried the doctor further, and he made a point of rushing for the nearest stairs, heading down them carefully but briskly. Nemo remained above, to keep an eye on the surrendering attackers.
"What happened, Tom? You look awful."
"Thanks," was his immediate sarcastic reply, and then the American continued seriously, "Mina hit me… she landed a hit on me before I knew what was going on, said she was sorry, and then… ran. I lost sight of her. She went after Gray, I know it, that son of a bitch."
Though there was something in the green eyes that led Henry to believe Agent Sawyer had relented from telling something further about the situation, the doctor only persisted in asking his next question out of habit, "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Tom insisted, and waved a hand. "Where're the others? Did they come back yet?"
Henry shook his head. "Not yet. I heard a few shots a little while ago, but since then… nothing."
That was when they heard the screaming, and Tom's head snapped in the direction it had originated at once, and he cried out, "Becky!"
The ambush had been so quick that none of them had realised until it was too late. Huck, Joe and Skinner had walked to a room with a locked door, which they had proceeded to… well, kick down. Huck and Skinner had headed in, to comfort the distressed Becky, who was sat huddled in the corner, frightened and rather in a state of distress from the looks of things, whilst Joe had held back, for some unknown reason. Perhaps he was just overwhelmed with relief at seeing Becky alive and well… perhaps – as Huck suspected – it was because he was still fighting emotions for her.
No one had been prepared for it, and by the time they had seen what was going on, Joe had already yelled out, and when Huck had turned, guns drawn, his friend had been swarmed by about half a dozen large men. Joe tried defiantly and courageously to throw and fight them off anyway he could, but he just wasn't strong enough, as Huck knew. Joe was built for speed, if anything, not a physical fight.
"Joe!" Huck yelled, and burst forward to help, even as Becky screamed, scrambling to her feet, only to be grabbed and held back by Skinner.
"No!" he told her sternly. "Stay here; let Finn handle it!"
Oh, fantastic, Huck thought, sarcastically, and somewhat pessimistically, and slammed into the nearest ambusher, smashing him right off, and subsequently, to the ground… only problem being that Huck went with him, not allowing the man a retaliation by lashing out with a quick boot action, and catching him in the jaw, throwing his head to the side, and his consciousness fled him.
The situation only intensified – and not in the positive way – when Joe let out a horrific wail that caused Huck's innards to freeze with fear. He stopped, like a frightened, cornered animal, and looked to his friend, who had been overpowered by the remaining men. He was lying mostly on his side, covering his head, and with… a knife, sticking out of his upper left leg, up to the hilt.
With a savage yell, Huck threw himself upon the next attacker, and laid into them with vicious punches to the gut, chest and face… anywhere he could land a blow. He was so busy pummelling the man he had pinned, that he only recognised the gunfire on the third powerful shot, which blasted the penultimate man into the room, and away from the wounded Joe. The man slumped to the floor, a gunshot wound in his chest, bleeding madly; a fatal blow.
Tom collapsed at Joe's side, along with Jekyll, who immediately looked to the knife, and touched the grip of the weapon tentatively. The medically trained eyes of the doctor scanned the injury as Tom spoke quietly to Joe, telling him to keep still, and that everything would be fine. The wound was far from fatal, but the blonde American was always – and had always been – concerned for the well being of fellow agents.
Becky came rushing to their side, with Skinner not far behind, close to Huck, who was panting heavily from the exertion of battling the attackers. The man he had last pounced upon had been struck into unconsciousness, and now Huck's fist was somewhat sore. It wasn't that he was an unhealthy individual, but so soon after being permitted back into service… this was a lot to take in.
"The blade has penetrated right up to the hilt," Jekyll reported grimly. "I need to get him back to the Nautilus immediately to remove it and treat the wound successfully." He glanced to the others, and landed his eyes on Tom. "What will we do about Mrs. Harker?"
Nemo was the one to respond to this, interjecting before Tom could force the answer through his open mouth; "We will abandon this place for now. I wish to stay here no longer, and if Mrs. Harker has truly fled from us and to Gray, then she is beyond our grasp for the time being. We will find her again," he added before Tom could protest. "But for now… we must return to the Nautilus."
With that, Nemo, Jekyll and Skinner carefully helped Joe off the ground, avoiding further injury by keeping him properly balanced and assisted. Tom stood from the ground, and then clearly felt someone touch his arm. Huck watched as his best friend turned, and then seemed to remember what they had come for, throwing his arms around her and pulling her close, almost dropping his rifle. Huck stepped forward and pulled it free, smiling at the affection.
Tom closed his eyes and buried his face in Becky's shoulder, breathing out a sigh of relief as he muttered, "Thank god you're all right."
Huck stayed with them whilst they embraced, hands positioned appropriately and readily on the Winchester – so comfortable and familiar in his grasp – should anyone attempt an ambush again…
It was out in the misty dark of the alley beside Melmoth House that she found him, leaning against the brick and stone walls of the building running alongside him, twirling the beautiful, silver adorned cane in one hand, the other smoothing down the trim of his formal jacket. He was irritably handsome as he propped himself gracefully upright, perhaps more dashing and charming in appearance than she had ever seen him, his face free of the 'smug' moustache and beard that she had so grown to despise. Now he was youthful, perhaps more than ever, and… almost flawless.
On his left cheek, she could see a gash, and for a long time as she stood there in the evening air, staring at him, she simply remained silent, unable to fathom the reasons behind why this simple cut had not been disintegrated. Why had it not fallen away into ash? Why did it remain?
And then she saw it… leaning carefully against the wall just behind him was the covered frame of the large portrait that they had returned to him, along with the vampire herself. Then it hit her, and she started forward intently, muttering, "The painting."
The cocking of guns made her freeze in place, refusing to move as she cast her keen blue eyes about her, making out the figures of gunmen positioned stealthily in the shadows.
"Dear Mina… surely you didn't think I left all my workers to perish in that old house… did you?" He smiled, a cocky, mocking expression that she just wanted to slash right off his features.
But his cheek… she had remembered gashing that side of his portrait with the record he had sent her, and then she recalled the burning question. "The recording…"
"Beautiful wasn't it?" Dorian drawled, tilting his head to allow newly-mahogany locks to topple around perfectly chiselled features, his brown eyes cutting through the shadows like the sharp edge of the sword concealed within the cane he held. "Of course… the music was not my only gift to you, dear Mina. I had a close friend of mine plant a subliminal message beneath the first layer… in order to draw out your more… primal instincts." He chuckled quietly, and lowered his gaze as Mina Harker snarled angrily, drawing the attention of the marksmen once more. "But it was not my intention to have you harm yourself of course… but simply to remind you…"
In the subsequent, hovering silence, her mind started to run, and she could take it no longer. "Remind me of what?"
"To remind you… that I know you… I know everything you are, and how to control you." His smile had fallen somewhat, and he was left appearing quite devious and even eerie in the moonlight. "You are mine, Mina… and I will show you that once again."