Disclaimer: Guess what? I lied. Just for all you guys because you're so great. I stayed up half the night so I could get this to you before some of you have to go fantastic places like Germany. And as for others, update your own stuffs, waiting on edge of seat as it is. I hope this is a good chapter, you can never tell with those one in the morning writings.

I immediately panicked. I had never liked the idea of being plunged into darkness. Your senses turn against you so easily. Without color, perspective, you ate lost. Without your vision all other senses are thrown into disarray. I didn't appreciate feeling this.

"Stop it." I commanded of the laughter.

The laughter stopped.

The silence was worse than it's sound.

I was wheezing again in terror. And I ceased breathing when a feverish arm wrapped around my middle and a hand clamped down over my mouth.

A hot cheek pressed to mine.

"Hush." The voice whispered in my ear. Remnants of the laugh lilted the word, making me pull in a painful gasp of air through my nose. "Hush or yeh won't 'ear it."

Whatever there was to hear I was hearing ten times louder. The only problem with this was that my rapid heartbeat was drowning everything else out.

"There." The voice murmured at a time, "Much betta." The hand was removed, lazily drifting over my lips, running down my neck to massage it lanquidly, "Can yeh hear it?"

I couldn't even recognize the whispered question as coming from Abberline, only that it was a silent command that I had to follow.

"What?"

"The voices."

The voices? Oh god...........

"They tell me things......."

Oh god, oh god, oh god please...............

"They tell me yer afraid."

I tried to wiggle out of his firm embrace, but the hand on my neck traveled, resting heavily on my chest, right above my left breast.

"But tha's one thing they don't hafta tell me. Yer heart is beatin' like mad. I can feel it...........like a hare fleein' the jaws o' a fox. Wha' are yeh runnin' from?"

I struggled again growing desperate. He was drunk and dangerous and probably too far gone to know if he were to do something bad.

"Shh, shh, shh......." He commanded breathily against my ear, "Don't be 'fraid little one, litt'l mouse, litt'l gel. Don't be afraid."

Elbowing him with my free arm I leapt away, heading for what I could only guess was the door. That being a big problem, I ended up tripping over more bottles, jamming my hip against what I recognized to be the bed when I was tackled from the side (I couldn't tell which, the utter blackness had me disoriented and skittish so I couldn't tell my left from my right, my front from my back) to the bed.

I barely had time to cry out as my face was pressed into the sheets, Abberline on top of me.

"Quiet, pet, hush. It will all be alrigh'............it will be fione, don't yeh fret..........shh....." Abberline's soothing but not quite there voice, breathed on the exposure of my back despite it's hotness, sent a chill rippling through me, the sound pressing me deeper into the mattress even as Abberline's body covering me had the same effect.

I spat out the corner of a sheet enough to manage to roar, "Get off of me, you moronic drunken SLOB!!"

He uttered another gluttoral laugh, sending me cringing under him.

"What is wrong with you!?!" I shouted, trying to dislodge him.

I was forced onto my back. The laughter was gone from his voice when next he spoke.

"She dares ta ask tha'?! Ta ask such o' thing?! After all tha' she knows?! Doesn't she know wha' we see at nigh', wha' rapes our eyes when we sleep?!" It was as if I wasn't there, as if he weren't talking to me, but to his inner demons, those voices. It seemed the Inspector had a Gollum/split murderous personality disorder up his sleeve as well as a drinking problem. He may not have been aware of me but his uncontrollable anger was more than sufficient to assume it was directed at me.

"How can she ask such a thing?! When she's seen the blood. The blood o' those poor girls! How can she............but she'll make the blood flow again! We know it! The traitorous bitch!!"

I hissed a shout of pain as something in the dark hit me across the face, sending me off the bed upon impact.

My jaw had been disconnected, that much was certain or at least it felt that way. I could taste the coppery metallic taste of blood. Clutching my mouth with an unsteady hand I scrambled to find a wall. That would be a start.

A tremulous quiet settled over the room. I tried to keep just as silent as I could practically hear Abberline listening for me. Praying, I felt softly along the walls as I shuffled against it, hoping no other horrible bottles would betray my presence.

Abberline began to speak again, his voice rough and husky, "She'll betray us. We've seen it. We've fuckin' seen it! Traitor! Backstabber!"

He was just mumbling one frightening comment after another now as I gulped back a sob. Don't lose it now, girl. Just find the door. Find the door and get out.

No sooner had I thought that then I found it. I clutched at the knob and must have made some sound of desperate relief. Abberline was upon me.

"Stop it! STOP it!!" I cried, beating at him, scratching and clawing for release, "Just stop it, Abberline!"

"Don't yeh think I've tried to?!" He moaned hoarsely, "Don't yeh think I've tried ta prevent it all from 'appenin'?" But the screams, Mary............all the screams...........I couldn't........I wasn't able ta........." His voice was broken now and his hands gently took my face between them, his forehead pressed to my own, his mouth softly working inches from my own, "Don't yeh think I've tried, Mary?"

I gasped as his lips connected slightly with mine. Drawing back he kissed me again. I stood stiff like a block of wood, my hands pressed against the door. Sighing, he pressed closer, the pressure of his lips becoming more persistent and demanding.

Someone was banging on the door.

Shuddering back to life, with a grunt I pushed him from me, turned and opened the door.

Half the staff waited beyond it. Abberline stood blinking in the door way.

"Miss?" I'm sure that was Ellie.

I stared at the floor, "Mr. Cox, please fetch Sergent Godley immediately. It is an emergency."

"Yes, mum."

"Ellie, get the strongest staff we have able. Make sure the Inspector stays subdued."

"Yes, mam."

I dimly remember her ordering some boys by the name of Stephan and Kyle to handle Abberline.

"Miss?"

"Hmmn?"

"Are........are yeh alrigh'?"

"Yes........yes of course, Ellie."

"Miss?"

"Yes, Ellie?"

"Where are ye goin'?"

"To throw these out."

"What, miss?"

"There shall be no more alcohol under this roof."

I was in the process of pouring whatever was in the bottles down the kitchen sink when the Sergent arrived. Wiping my hands on my dress I went to meet him.

"Wha' is it?! Was 'appened?!" He asked frantically coming forward.

How could I explain what had happened. Abberline went mad? He hurt me? He scared me?

"Godley........." I began my voice cracking, "Abberline..........."

"Lass, come a bit closer. Wha's tha' on yeh face?"

"Abberline is..........."

"Jesus Christ, child. Did.........did he do tha'?"

"Abberline is very ill, Godley and he needs your help. I was wondering if you could watch him for the night."

"Well, yes, o' course, lass, but......but......holy god.......he did tha', didn't he?"

I didn't want to talk about anything that had happened in that room.

"Abberline needs you now, Sergent."

"Yes, Miss," He was still stumbling, "but wha' about yeh?"

"I'm going to bed."

I left him there in the hall and I went to bed. I never wanted to wake again.

I knocked at Abberline's door the next morning. The man who opened it could hardly be recognized as Abberline. He was weather beaten, sallow skinned, and his red rimmed eyes showed just how much sleep he had gotten the night before.

"Sarah........." He uttered, his expression furrowed as if trying to see me clearly.

"We need to talk."

He opened the door to let me in, showing Godley already up, making tea.

I turned back to Abberline as he closed the door. Turning himself, his eyes seemed to focus, then narrowed. He began to walk slowly to me.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" I asked him.

"Wha' the 'ell is tha'......." He whispered stepping closer, gently taking my chin in his hand, tilting my head up.

"Do you remember anything from last......." I repeated.

"Shut up." He said quietly, turning my head to the right. He hissed, "My god, Sarah..........how?"

I brushed his hand off, "Do. You. Remember?"

His eyes were raking over my face with barely veiled disbelief and horror. He lowered his hand slowly, "I......."

I glared coldly and unflinchingly at him.

"No." His hand clenched. The second time he said it like a prayer, "No." Like salvation was in that word, like his conviction would make it so. He shook his head angrily.

"Here's how it goes." I said calmly, "There will be no more drinking.........ever. No more drugs, nothing. Do you understand me?"

Abberline nodded, eyes on the floor.

"And if you ever lay a finger on me in anger again, I swear to god.........."

His head shot up.

"I swear to god...........I'll kill you. No one hurts me and gets away with it. No one."

He nodded.

He understood.

With no other words to give him, I left.