Author's Note: Ack! So long since I updated this story! I had major writer's block – sorry! You know I mean it… and I seem to be struggling with this one, but I will get through it. I've got my own shit going on at the moment, and I thought that – whilst my modem is less than alive – I would have a go. I recently finished The Picture of Dorian Gray, and I highly suggest –even if you're not a Dorian fan – that you read it… very good ::smiles:: Sorry, I'll shut up now.
funyun: Yup, you got the first ticket. I'm glad you feel sorry for Joe. That was my intention. Poor guy. It definitely wasn't his day. I can't remember what I made Huck do, but he's not a big guy in my head (based on Breckin Meyer of Road Trip fame), so he's rather nimble and agile. Rolling and flipping around, taking the suckers out, you know? Funny that you think of POTC, cuz that's the inspiration soundtrack for this fiction actually. I write better with it on, heh. I love playing with Jekyll's inner demon… it's so fun. ::smiles:: Glad I can pull it off. Perhaps Tom was on the scene of that scuffle too quickly, I know, but short of… oh I don't know what I'm saying. Sorry if that wasn't right for you. Hehe, foreboding alarm… I like it. ::gives Dorian a good kick in the behind:: Good enough for you? Here's the new chapter. Sorry for the wait.
elvenmalka523: It is chilling isn't it, and I'm glad you find it exciting. Hit on both of my goals there, which is always good. I think Dorian has a knack for pushing the wrong buttons, don't you? Heh. Thank you for the compliments, sorry for the wait, and here's the update.
BloodMoonLycan: Yes, he is smarmy, heh. One royal ass-kicking coming up… sometime in the near future. Sadly, not this chapter. Here's the new chapter, and sorry for the wait.
Nimmo Gray: I'm glad you like how I brought Dorian back. Did you mean you didn't like it as in you thought it was underhanded, or because… it just didn't flow? Either way, fair enough. Thanks, here's the update. Sorry for the wait.
Sethoz: Glad you liked the chapter, Sethoz, buddy, that's comforting. It's a win-lose situation. They got Becky back, but lost Mina in the process. He is creepy, yes, I'm glad you think so. Go, LXG, save Mina! GO! Sorry for making you wait.
Capt. Cow: Yay, no more cherry! I don't like cherries ::pulls face:: Glad you liked the chapter. Sorry for the delay.
Leigh S. Durron: Evil Dorian… it's perfectly natural for him to be evil, and now I understand him better after finishing the book, so… yay! Heh, it's disconcerting when the bad guys are good looking, huh? Poor Joe, indeed. Poor guy can't get himself any slack. Thanks for the review, and sorry for making you wait.
LotRseer3350: Glad you found the chapter interesting. Not going to be so easy? You'll have to wait and see, but I'm sorry I made you wait so long. Hope you can forgive me.
Graymoon74: Dorian is a bastard, isn't he? A good smack? I shall have to let Mina know to give him one… might make more of a difference than with what Becky did. Thanks for the review, and my apologies for the wait.
drowchild: This wasn't soon, was it? Ugh, I'm sorry. Mina is a heroine down inside, we all know it. She wanted to protect her friends and her team mates. And she did whack Tom, yes. Glad you liked the bit you mentioned, wasn't sure on the flow of it, or how I made Tom act. There was always that tension between Dorian and Mina, and I can't help but play with it, hehe. Thanks for the review, here's the update, and my apologies again.
Sweetdeath04: Go easy on Mina? But, my dear reader, I am an angst-addict, savvy? You shall learn this in good time, but I always – usually – make it all better in the end – sometimes – but… that didn't help, did it? I'm now reading 'Dracula' myself actually. What I've read is very good. Sorry for the wait.
TARilus: Dependable? Dorian Gray? Well, yes, in the manner you explain, this is very true. Heh, gives smug bastards a bad name, I like that. Hyde did sort of meet Gray, but not for very long, in the ice room. But apart from that, you're right. It was – for the most part – as you said, Gray and Jekyll. Glad you think the Mina thing was dramatic. That's comforting. And you know how cool your little review taglines are! God dammit, too cool! . Sorry for making you wait.
kingleby: Heh, don't kill Dorian just yet, I still need him, as daunting as that sounds. Without him, the story ends, savvy? Heh. And yay, Tom has Becky back. Sorry for the delay.
And without any further inexcusable or unbearable delay or ado, here in Chapter Fifteen of Ghosts of Old…
Becky sat at Joe's bedside, watching him sleep, and frowning. He had been hurt trying to help her, and naturally, she felt guilty for that. Why wouldn't she? It was a perfectly natural reaction, and one she was most definitely succumbing to. Tom and Huck had assured her it was not her fault, but she had ignored them both.
Sighing lightly, she reached out, and took a hand in hers, saying, "Sorry, Joe." She had hurt him more than once. This recent injury – though it was far from fatal, he would definitely be feeling it for a while – and the wounding of his heart when she had cast him aside in favour of Tom Sawyer, whom she had felt passionately about since childhood.
She leaned forward in her chair slightly, and wondered what would happen next. Would they go after Gray? Would they try to save Mrs. Harker? What were they to do? She knew, in her heart, she wished to help the woman who had given herself over in trade for her, but… she was frightened, and wanted nothing more than to curl up in Tom's arms, or go back to Missouri.
Everything was so much simpler in Missouri. Why did things have to get so complicated?
Watching Joe sleep, she pondered the situation, wondering if they had gotten into more than they had bargained for… which was obvious, but… did she really want any of this? The danger, the threat, the peril, and the jeopardy to those she loved. She had almost lost Huck before, and was in no hurry to go through that agony again.
He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow as he heard the noises upon passing, and advanced on the doors, closed though they were, and pressed an ear to the wood, trying to identify the noises from within. If possible, his brow furrowed even further, and he muttered a confused, "What the…?"
It wasn't that he had never heard noises of the kind before, it was just the timing and the exact particulars about them that Huckleberry Finn didn't understand. Though it was muffled, and not exactly pinpointed, he thought he recognised the noises and the slight voice details from inside.
Hesitantly at first, he reached down to the handle, and opened the door, poking his head in. He quirked a brow with intrigue, curiosity, and even concern, before pushing inside, and watching with a cocked head.
From watching the blade specialists in the Service in their sparring and training, Huck could identify and recognise the movements and determination in his friend's form, and what it was he was doing. Tom was going through motions with a sword in his hands… though Huck was swarmed with confusion. Tom Sawyer was a marksman… not a swordfighter. What was he doing… and why?
Tom spun, and thrust out with the sword, before freezing, obviously worn due to the heaving of his chest, before he turned his dishevelled head to regard the shorter agent, asking, "Huck… what're you doing here?"
Huck tilted his head the other way, saying, "Watchin' you… what are you doing?"
Tom – seemingly subconsciously – twirled the sword around with a deft flick of the wrist, panting just audibly now, and Huck noticed that the sleeves on his shirt were messy, rolled up even further than normal, if that was possible. His waistcoat and pistols had been removed as well, and Huck thought he could see evidence of perspiration on his friend's form. "What does it look like I'm doin'?"
Huck crossed his arms over his chest, and relaxed against the wall a little to regard Tom curiously, and replied, "Well, it looks to me that you might be training with a sword… but that don't make sense to me. See, the way I understand it, at least, how I used to understand it… you're a gunfighter, Tom… what're you doin' with a sword?"
Tom's somewhat narrowed eyes turned to Huck as he moved to replace the weapon on the wall rack, speaking as he did so, "Just furthering my skills, Huck, that's all."
Huck bit on his bottom lip pensively, eyes down turned as he thought, mind skipping back to the encounter with the immortal and the whole exchange at the house down the docks from them at this very moment. "Correct me if I'm wrong… but ain't Dorian Gray a swordfighter?" It was a stab in the dark, but Huck had a hunch. His hunches quite often turned out to have some basis in reality… at least, that was how it had been in the past. He hoped he hadn't lost his touch.
Tom stopped, facing away from Huck, and that was when the younger man thought he might have hit home on the subject. Tom couldn't seriously be entertaining the idea, could he?
"What about it?" Tom inquired, eyes still avoiding looking to his companion as he donned his waistcoat again, although it was distractedly that he did so, his movements slow, drawn out, almost as if he were lost in his own thoughts.
"Tom, you can't seriously be thinkin' about goin' up against him…"
Their eyes met then, and Huck saw the determination and fire in his friend's gaze, recognising it from their experiences together. It had intensified since the older man's childhood, but Huck knew it well enough to place it in an instant.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Tom… you're my best friend, you always have been, but think about it for a minute, all right? Dorian Gray… he's dangerous, you said so yourself. Is it really worth risking your life to go after Mina? You said so back at the house, she willingly went to him, didn't she?"
"Yes, to protect us," Tom retaliated, and Huck internally winced. He hated confrontations with Tom. They were rare, but they happened.
"Well then respect her decision, Tom… please. Becky only just got you back, and I know for a fact she can't lose you again… neither can I."
Huck hated to do that to Tom; put that pressure on him, but if it was the only thing that might influence his friend enough into a decision, then he hoped it would help. Though he felt guilty for doing it, he wanted to protect Tom. He was strong, yes, but in a fight with Gray… he'd be killed, for sure.
Tom turned his gaze away again, and looked back to Huck after a moment, wherein a sigh was heard, low and quiet, but deafening in the otherwise silent room. "I have to help her, Huck… Mina… she's a friend."
Huck pushed off from the wall, lightly, and advanced on his blonde companion. "Tom… you'd never lie to me, right?"
"Of course I wouldn't."
"Good… Mina Harker… what does she mean to you?" He cocked his head, lifting his eyebrows. "Don't look at me like that, Tom Sawyer… I know you; you're tryin' to avoid the question. Just answer me… think about it first, but tell me what you really feel for her." Sighing lightly, Huck continued, "I've seen the two of you together… and I've seen you and Becky together, both in the past, and recently. Now, don't get me wrong, the two of you are… sweet together, pretty damn good actually, when you're not fightin' or makin' each other cry, but… when you're with Mrs. Harker, I see somethin' in you that I thought you lost a long time ago."
Seriously, eyes locked with the younger man, Tom asked, "And what is it that you see, Huck?"
Huck set his jaw, and squared his shoulders, knowing for a fact – as he always had – that he was a good few inches shorter than Tom, before he answered confidently, "I see content, Tom… you haven't been content in a long time, but when you're with Mrs. Harker, there's a peace in you that… well… you need to hold onto it, okay?"
"What're you sayin', Huck?"
"I'm saying…" Huck heaved in a deep breath, uncrossing his arms and laying one hand on Tom Sawyer's arm in a supportive, brotherly fashion, "that you need to have a serious talk with yourself… and figure out which of these two women you need to let down, and which one to… spend the rest of your life with."
Offering a lopsided and heartfelt smile, Huck turned slowly, and walked from the room, running his hands through his tousled brown hair once he was out of the door, hoping he had helped to sort some of Tom's confusion for him. Huck had always partially prided himself on being a decent judge of character, but… he just hoped something he'd said had meant something to his friend.
When he started to regain his grip on consciousness, the first thing he became aware of was the gentle grip on his left hand, fingers curled in his as he lay there, slowly opening his eyes, and looking in that direction. When his gaze landed on the origin of the contact, he smiled wanly, slightly groggy still, and sighed. Though his leg obviously pained him, he barely felt it for the wonderful distraction at his side.
Becky had obviously fallen asleep, with her hand curled in Joe's, and the agent could see the gentle rise and fall as she breathed rhythmically. She looked so peaceful; face rested on her other hand carefully, her blonde locks tumbling innocently around her cheeks and shoulders. She looked harmless, yes, but from times in the past where he had made her angry or upset, well… he remembered the stinging in his cheek from those incidents, and knew better than to irritate her intentionally. She was stronger than she looked, and he supposed that worked in the woman's advantage.
She's so beautiful, he thought to himself, and turned his eyes away, the jealousy burning in him again. Tom Sawyer didn't realise how lucky he was, to have Becky. Joe had had her once, but… he knew better than to hold out hope of ever having her again. Her heart belonged to someone else, and he had to – no matter how much he hated it – respect that. But regardless of how hard he tried, he couldn't stem his feelings for her. He knew just how beautiful she was, and not just in the physical sense either.
Sighing, he lay back against his covers and pillows, and just settled for watching her sleep, reminiscing on times when they had been together, and – for a time, or so he thought, at least – in love.
A/N2: God, I know that was a short update, but I just had to give you something to show I hadn't given up on this story. I'm just getting stuck on it, so I thought I'd let you know it is still very much alive, and will still progress… don't give up on me yet!