Title: Chapter 1: Does anyone care about Doctor Henry Jekyll?
Fandom: LXG
Rating: R
Summary: The League decides what to do about Hyde. Skinner doesn't agree.
Warnings: will develop into some mild slash in the future. There will also be graphic descriptions of violence, casualties and graphic talk of sexual crimes in the future too. It's going to be a very dark fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own LXG. I just like angst and Jekyll/Hyde seem to attract it as much as … well, Doctor Stephen Maturin. Actually, since I've started this chapter I got distracted with writing a Nip/Tuck fanfic which has quite a bit of angst for Doctor Troy. What is it with Doctors, huh?
AN: I'm sorry I wrote the prologue in two parts. After the first part I realised I needed to explain more and also needed to bridge a gap and reach a kind of conclusion before I could move onto the first chapter. oh and because my exposition skills are so poor, feel free to ask me anything if it's not clear and I'll usually explain it in the next chapter. I plan on explaining a lot of things in the next chapter, but not all. I must keep up some sense of mystery, you know?
One final point of interest: the reader has absolutely no idea of the direction the writer will take the fanfic in. I could torture you for longer, but I'm not good at torture (unless the characters are fictional.) Even then I'm bad at that. When I write a deathfic I tend to write a secret ending only I know which gives them a 'get out of death free' card. So I must stress: This is NOT a deathfic! Nobody dies! Well… no MAJOR characters, anyway.
I best get on with the chapter now or my author's note will be longer than the chapter. Err…
Chapter One: Does Anyone Care about Doctor Henry Jekyll?
The League was gathered together in The Great Hall onboard the Nautilus. Hyde had been locked in the bedroom of the man whose body he occupied. Crewmembers acted as guards, and had been posted outside the doors of the bedroom. The League thought they could talk freely, unaware that the man of their discussions was watching them. The makeshift guards were still at their posts though, oblivious. Hyde listened, and what he heard put a cruel smirk on Jekyll's face.
"Why does anything have to change?" Tom Sawyer naively asked.
"Edward Hyde is evil!" Skinner insisted, and although he was stating a well-known fact, it was as if the League didn't believe him. Or maybe they didn't care.
"We need him." Sawyer was speaking for the rest of the League, even though he was just a kid, nothing special. But nobody else was objecting. Nobody apart from Rodney Skinner.
"Nemo, are you willing to let that monster roam free onboard your ship?" If that monster had the face of evil he knew Nemo would have said 'no' instantly. But it didn't. It had the face of the kind, gentle-hearted, beautiful Doctor Jekyll.
"There isn't much damage he can do onboard this ship." Mina replied sharply. "If he kills us: he kills himself. We shall watch him of course. And we shall store his formula, only giving it to him when we need his body for missions. We will make sure he can't make any more formula than we allow. He isn't as strong as…"
"I could disagree!" Skinner interrupted, an invisible hand rubbing his invisible neck and wincing at the invisible bruises. He could still clearly feel Henry's grip on his neck. Henry's. Skinner shook away his thoughts, as he had to make sure Hyde couldn't do that to anyone else.
"Where's he going to stay?" asked the elderly Quatermain, who was bored of this conversation and wanted to return to his room to polish his hunting rifle.
"I see no problem with him having the late Doctor Jekyll's room." Mina declared and the group agreed. Skinner didn't though; he felt quite the opposite.
"He isn't Henry!" Skinner shouted. The rest of the League stared at him as if he was mad.
"We know he isn't Henry: Doctor Jekyll is dead." Mina's voice was clam, solid and more than a little patronising. For the second time that night, Skinner learnt how words could hurt him far more than being strangled almost to the point of death could. Skinner shook his head softly, unable to speak.
"Look, Skinner man," Skinner glared at Sawyer. Not that Sawyer could see. "We fight bad guys. It's what we do. Danger comes with the job. Death too. We're just lucky we didn't lose anyone more important."
"What!" Skinner could feel the anger rise in him until it reached boiling point. But he couldn't hurt Sawyer. Wouldn't. That would make him no worse than Hyde. Henry wouldn't want Skinner to stoop that low. So Skinner didn't.
"Calm down, Skinner." Tom looked scared but that still didn't make him think before he spoke. "I just mean, it's Hyde we need. Jekyll was just extra. A nice man but he's not really part of the League. Hyde is."
"And what exactly is it that you bring to the League, Special Agent Tom Sawyer? Huh? You're not very special! Huh, boy?" he knew he shouldn't stoop to petty snide remarks about Tom but Skinner was too frustrated to care. "You're not very secret either. I know all about you. I know who your enemies are and I bet they'd pay me handsomely if I told them what I know."
"Mister Skinner!" That was rich! Sawyer was sullying the good Doctor's name and it was Skinner that Mina was scolding.
"Sorry." Skinner lied. "But he was…"
"Henry is dead, Rodney." Mina used Skinner's first name in an attempt to calm him. It didn't work. "You will have to accept that."
"No I don't! And I'm shocked that you have! We've only got Hyde's word for it and he's not exactly trustworthy!"
"You've seen the state of Jekyll's body. There was no way he could have survived that!" Tom so tactfully pointed out.
"Henry's stronger than you give him credit for. I can't believe you've given up on him already." Skinner felt sick as he realised he was alone.
"We can easily get a new Doctor. Doctor Jekyll is replaceable." Even weary old Quatermain was against Henry. "Hyde isn't. Hyde is unique."
"So is Henry!" Skinner was fighting, pleading but his pleas fell on deaf ears. In desperation he turned to the one person he had previously thought felt the same about the Doctor as he did. "Mina?"
"Henry was a good man." Mina allowed herself to admit that much. "But he wasn't a fighter. And like it or not Mister Skinner, that is our job. Henry was good man but he was plagued with insecurities. Perhaps this is for the best. Perhaps he will find some peace."
"He isn't dead! I'm sure of it." Skinner meant what he said but his voice still wavered.
"Really?" Sawyer looked just above Skinner's leather jacket in an attempt to look Skinner in the eye. "Do you really think he would let Hyde almost kill you if Henry was still in there?" Sawyer's blue eyes were serious. Skinner refused to look at them.
"Maybe he wasn't strong enough." Skinner whispered.
"Jekyll's dead. But that's alright. Hyde still lives." Tom's words angered Skinner but Skinner couldn't fight back. He was out-numbered.
"It is the beast we need. Not the man." Quatermain voiced his opinion.
"The strength of Hyde is an asset to the League." Even Nemo condemned Henry.
"So it is settled." Mina concluded. "Hyde is to stay onboard. We can keep an eye on him here. He shall stay in the late Doctor Jekyll's room. I see no reason that he shouldn't keep Doctor Jekyll's belongings, (apart from the chemistry kit of course. We shall keep that under lock and key along with his formula), at least until we find a next of kin. I don't believe he had any."
"Alright already! Can we go now?" Tom Sawyer had the audacity to voice what most of the League were thinking. Mina gave a nod. Skinner gave a frustrated growl.
"Does anyone care about Henry!" Skinner was upset, disturbed, disappointed; distressed. He received a clear answer to his question though when nobody responded. The room was empty but nobody had noticed the tall man, with copper-coloured hair, who'd watched them through clear blue eyes as they exited.
Skinner stayed in the room though. Thinking. He only moved when he saw, what he thought, was Henry at the doorway. He only glimpsed the man for a second before the silhouette disappeared. Skinner ran to Henry's bedroom. The guards assured him that Hyde had not left. Skinner wanted to see for himself.
Sure enough, the broken body of Henry Jekyll was lying on the bed, sleeping. He looked so peaceful. He looked strikingly familiar to when Skinner had found him earlier and thought he was dead, but the blood had been washed away by now.
Skinner watched Henry's chest as it breathed in and out. He watched as it rose and then fell, grateful when it rose again. The nightshirt was open ever so slightly. Skinner could partly see Henry's chest; the skin was oh-so-white against the bruises and the bloody cuts. Skinner closed his eyes and reminded himself that this was Hyde, not Henry. And that fact hurt Skinner more than he had ever thought possible. He'd been hurting a lot recently. But each wave of pain seemed to be getting stronger. How could he live without Henry?
He reluctantly left the room and staggered to his own.