Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait for this chapter, but I had major writer's block on this story. But I got it written, and let me tell you, it was intense! This chapter was a challenge to write in and of itself.

Thanks goes out to those of you who have taken the time to read the story and add it to your favorites. And special thanks goes to those of you who left reviews: dionne dance, linalove, grandy, guest, and Makrciana. You are awesome and deserve hugs! I have to especially thank dionne dance for getting my butt in gear to get this chapter out. This is the chap you've been waiting for, ma'am, plus some :3

Without futher ado, enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own From Hell. Nope, just a DVD copy and my OC. I wish I did, in a way...

WARNING: This chapter contains a love scene. It is towards the end. This is why I have bumped up the rating to M. If you don't fancy anything like that, then don't read. You have been warned.


Chapter Six

I have nothing left
And all I feel is this cruel wanting
We've been falling for all this time
And now, I'm lost in paradise

~Lost in Paradise by Evanescence

The police force in Cambridge was still looking for the killer. So far, they had found nothing suggesting anyone was at fault. Any of George's friends were questioned. No one had been with him at the time of his death.

George's murderer and the murder weapon were nowhere to be found. It was as if they had disappeared.

Upon finding his will, a notary was summoned to convey its contents to Lucy and the Godley's. Lucy was to be given any money that he had kept saved up, and his wish was to be buried in London, where their parents would have been buried. The body was to be transported after it had been fully examined.

George Miller's funeral took place three weeks later. There was a small service held, in which very little people attended. The Godley's, Lucy, Frederick, a few of George's friends from Cambridge, and Constable Withers were among those who attended.

Lucy remained silent throughout the entire service. Having lost all of her family in the same year was taking a toll on her. She had hardly gotten any sleep, and what sleep she got was full of nightmares. She had insisted on doing the chores, but Helen Godley would notice how easily worn out she would get and make her go lie down. For the past three weeks, most of Lucy's time was spent either sitting outside on the balcony, lying in bed, or in front of the piano in her room.

Frederick had been there for most of it. Whenever he wasn't at the office trying to help solve George's murder, he would sit with her or take her to the park, and they would talk about what they remembered about George. He tried his best to make her feel better, but he could tell that no matter what, she wasn't going to recover that easily. Despite George's constant teasing, the two were very close.

During the funeral, he noticed how Lucy had avoided Withers like the plague. It confused him beyond all reason.

Does Lucy know Withers? he wondered.

It didn't take long to find out. After the casket had been laid down six feet under, Withers had carefully approached the two of them.

"Lucy," he said sincerely. "I'm so sorry about George. And I'm also sorry about—"

Lucy's head snapped towards him, her green eyes reflecting the storm of rage she was feeling towards him. "Don't talk to me, Jeremiah," she spat.

Frederick gave her a puzzled look. "Lucy?"

Her response was grabbing him by the hand and dragging him away.

"Lucy, please!" Withers begged. "Please allow me to explain!"

"Explain what?" she asked, turning on him. "Why I thought that I could trust you? I've been played for a fool once, and I'm not about to let that happen again."

"You never gave me the chance."

Lucy's body was trembling due to her rising anger. She turned towards Frederick and asked, through gritted teeth, "Will you please take me away from here?"

The inspector nodded. "Where would you like to go?"

"Your house."

Frederick's eyes widened. Surprised, he said, "Yes. Let's go."

The two of them started to walk off, but Withers wasn't done yet. "Lucy!" he exclaimed. He took a step closer to her and grabbed a hold of her arm.

Lucy was having none of that. She ripped her arm away as if he had burned her, and turned on him. She raised her hand and brought it across his cheek as hard as she could.

"Do not touch me," she said.

Withers remained where he was, frozen in place.

With that, Lucy and Frederick left the cemetery and hopped into a carriage, and headed for his home.

Peter, who had witnessed the ordeal, walked up to Withers and glared at him.

"You've got a lot of explainin' to do," the sergeant growled.

xxx

Frederick poured Lucy a cup of tea, hoping that would sooth her. As she took the cup from him, he noticed how she gripped onto the tea cup tightly; so tightly, that here knuckles had turned white.

"Calm down, Luce," he said. "No need to strangle it. It's done you no harm."

Lucy looked at him and then down at the tea cup. "Oh," she said, loosening her grip. "I'm sorry."

Frederick smiled. "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to the cup."

Lucy couldn't hold back the laugh that was threatening to escape. Even in circumstances like this, he always knew how to cheer her up.

"That's the Lucy I know," he said as he sat down across from her.

She smiled.

"Now, care to tell me how you Withers?"

Lucy's smiled faltered and took a deep breath. "It's a long story, Fred."

Frederick gave her a soft smile. "I've got all the time in the world."

"Well," Lucy started, albeit a bit hesitant. "It actually happened after you had left. Withers' family had moved to the country, close to our cottage. He and George had become friends."

"He lived in the country?"

"Yes."

The inspector quirked an eyebrow. "I thought he had always lived in Whitechapel."

"I suspect that's what he had told you?"

Frederick nodded.

Lucy sighed. "It wouldn't be the first lie he has told."

"What do you mean?"

"Fred, Withers and I…we had…"

Frederick became worried. "What is it, Luce?"

Lucy looked up at him and then back at her tea. Taking a deep breath, she said, "We had courted, Fred."

His eyebrows disappeared in the tuft of hair that always seemed to fall in front of his face. "What?"

"It was while he was living in the country. After a few weeks of establishing a friendship with George and I, he asked my father for permission to court me, which he accepted. I was okay with it. After a month, he asked for my hand in marriage."

"And you accepted?" Frederick seemed upset at the thought.

Lucy shook her head. "I didn't have much of a choice, Frederick. He asked me in front of Papa."

He nodded in understanding. "I see."

"We were to be married that summer. Over time, I had come to accept what was going to happen. I thought that maybe...I could learn to love Jeremiah. That was until two weeks before the wedding."

"What happened?"

"I went into town with Mama and George to get my dress and the bouquet. The two of them went to the tailor's while I went to the florist. I had seen Withers go into an alleyway, and I had followed him. I should have realized what alleyway it was sooner."

Frederick noticed just how pale Lucy had become. "Lucy, which alley?"

"Courtesans' Alley."

I knew it, he thought.

"I," she muttered, taking another deep breath. "I had caught him in the act. We got into it afterwards, and I called the wedding off. A few weeks later, George left for Cambridge and Withers came here."

"How long ago was this?"

"Five years ago."

That's around the time when he joined the force, Frederick thought.

"That sounds about right," he told her. "I'm sorry, Lucy."

She took a sip of her tea and waved it off. "What's done is done. At least I caught him then instead of later on."

Frederick reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. "If it means anything, I think you did the right thing."

"Really?"

"Yes, love. No one should treat you like that."

Lucy smiled at the sincerity in his voice. Even after all these years, he still cared about her. He still had her best interests at heart.

"And how should I be treated?" she asked him with a small smile.

His dark chocolate eyes locked with hers, getting lost in their forests. "Like you're the only woman in the world."

She was surprised by his bold statement. She was flattered, but she knew there was something else behind that statement.

Lucy cleared her throat and then asked, "Do you mind if I use the guest bedroom? I need to lie down."

"Yes, o' course."

She gave him a soft smile and got up. She neared the walkway connecting the kitchen to the parlor when she turned to face him. "Thank you, Fred."

"You're welcome, Luce," he said with a smile.

"I think, if I could have done it all over again…if you had stayed in Oxford, I would have liked to have been courted by you." With that, she turned and walked down the hall.

It was Frederick's turn to be surprised. It had been bold, but between the two of them, they had always been completely honest with each other. There wasn't a secret kept between them.

And he wasn't about to start now.

Frederick quickly got up from his seat and rushed down the hallway. Lucy was just about to open the door to the guest bedroom when she heard his footsteps.

"Fred?" she began to ask. "What is—?"

The inspector grabbed her by the arms gently, and pulled closer to him. She was cut off by his lips crushing onto hers.

The action caught her off guard. She was frozen in place, but the feel of his lips against hers caused her to melt. Soon, her eyes fluttered shut and she reciprocated the kiss.

Feeling her lips moving against his, he groaned into the kiss. He licked her bottom lip, begging for entrance. Lucy parted her lips to allow his tongue to enter. Their tongues fought for dominance, dancing a fierce tango. He won, and deepened the kiss. As it grew more passionate, he pushed her against the nearest wall. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and keeping herself balanced. The fingers of her right hand got tangled into his brown locks, effectively pushing his lips harder into hers and bringing him closer. Frederick's hand rover her form, one ending up in her raven hair, the other on her hip.

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss for a breath, but quickly latched onto her skin. He kissed along her jaw line and down her neck to her pulse spot. His hand left her hair and traveled down her side to her thigh. He bunched up her skirts and pulled her thigh up to his hip. His fingers brushed the soft skin there, causing her body to shudder and her to sigh with pleasure. Realizing that he was trying to closer, Lucy lifted her other leg and latched it to his other hip. She gasped as she felt his arousal against her thigh.

Frederick pulled them away from the wall and began walking them towards his bedroom. His lips found her again as he pushed the door open and walked them towards his bed. He laid her down in the middle of the bed, her hair spreading out against the pillows, and fell in between her legs. Lucy removed her hand from his hair and pushed his jacket off with both. She wanted to feel more of his skin, so she pulled off his neck tie and vest, and then began to unbutton his shirt. When she had enough undone, she brushed her fingers against the skin of his chest until she arrived at his back.

Frederick shuddered at her touch. Wanting to feel more of her skin, he began pulling at the laces of her dress. She giggled at his struggle to get them undone and helped him. When they were loosened, he pulled the black fabric of her gown away. He then removed her underdress, shoes, and stockings, leaving her only in her white chemise. Her breathing had picked up as she watched his eyes look over her form. Her fingers managed to unbutton the rest of his shirt, which he pulled off and threw it to the ground where her clothing was laying in a pile.

Frederick leaned down and captured her lips with his. His fingers grazed her soft skin, down her arms, over her breasts, then her waist, all the way to her thighs. His lips brushed against her jaw and then down to her neck. Lucy's hands traveled up his back and to his neck, and then to his hair. He pulled away from her neck and pulled her chemise off, leaving her bare for the world. He sat there staring at her.

"Lucy," he whispered. "Open your eyes."

She hadn't even realized that she had them closed, so she did as she was requested. Frederick's breath hitched at the sight.

"Fred?" Lucy she whisper-asked.

"Beautiful," he managed to say. "Absolutely beautiful."

Lucy gave him a soft smile and pulled him down to her once again. He kissed her neck once more, and then down to her collarbone. One of his hands gently massaged her breast, causing her back to arch into his body. She moaned when she felt the fingers of his other hand brush against the skin of her inner thigh and head for her heated core. He rubbed the small bundle of nerves with the pad of his middle finger. As he continued, she felt waves of pleasure rush through her, something she had never experienced before. She moaned his name as his ministrations grew faster.

"Fred," she managed to say, her head becoming dizzy with desire.

Her hands brushed across his chest, down her stomach, and then to his belt. Frederick groaned at the feeling, and stopped rubbing her now throbbing center to help release the tension in his trousers. He managed to kick off his shoes and pull them down until he too was as bare as she was.

He kissed her lips once more before centering himself and then looking to her. He could see her desire-filled eyes full of another emotion. Fear.

"Lucy?" he asked her, worry dripping in his tone. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "It's just…I've never…"

He understood what she meant. She was untouched.

"It's alright. I'll take it easy. I promise."

"I know. I trust you."

The two smiled at each other, and in one careful movement, he was inside her.

Lucy hissed in pain, but as she grew accustomed to him, it turned into mews of pleasure. Frederick pulled back, only to enter again. His thrusts grew in speed as they adjust to each other, and as the walls of her core tightened around him, he groaned.

"Lucy," he whispered.

He pulled her legs up to his thighs, bring her closer to him. Lucy's back arched as he hit her sweet spot, screaming his name. He sped up his thrusts a little more as they continued in their love-making. After a while, both had reached their peak, and Frederick fell against her, fighting for breath. He kissed her now puffy lips and then laid his head against her bosom. They laid there for a moment, their bodies slicked with sweat.

Once his breathing had slowed, he looked up at Lucy. He pulled himself off of her and then laid next to her. He then brought her to lie against him, her head on his chest, as he pulled the covers over them.

"Are you alright, Luce?"

Lucy looked up to him, a smile on her face. "I'm fine, Fred."

He smiled back at her, and then kissed her forehead. "No," he said. "You're perfect."

She managed a small laugh. "I love you, Fred."

Frederick froze. He hadn't heard those words come out of a woman's mouth since Victoria. Not even Mary Kelley had said that to him. But as he ran the words through his mind, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of being loved again.

He looked back down to the woman in his arms. She had fallen asleep.

He kissed her forehead again, and said, "I love you, too, Lucy."

He laid his head against the pillow and wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes, and for the first time in years, he had joined her in the world of dreams.


A/N: Whew! That's the end of the chapter. Again, it was intense to write. I'm sure that means it was worth the wait, right? Right? I hope so.

Well...now would be a good time letting me know what you think. I love feedback, and feel that I definitely need it here. Loved it? Hated it? Let me know! Remember, constructive criticism only, NO FLAMES!

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~Xanthe :3