Summary: Awkward morning after is awkward... Misunderstandings abound.

Notes: Oh look, the rating went up. Not explicit, but there are themes and innuendo of a sexual nature. Be aware that I'm more active on AO3. I almost forgot that I still had an ff account.


Consciousness slowly returned. He was enveloped all in red, like thick crimson velvet curtains. No, that was not quite right. Curtains, even velvet ones, were not typically wet nor did they have a distinct metallic smell.

Blood.

Henry awoke with a start and a strangled gasp. His gaze flew over his surroundings as he struggled to get his bearings. He was in the woods. Flecks and patches of sunlight streamed through the treetops, dappling the grass and bushes around him. He could hear the birds singing as they went about their morning routine. He noticed his tie hanging from a branch above him; his waistcoat appeared to have been tossed aside over by a bush. Indeed, all of his garments were strewn about haphazardly over the nearby forest landscape, and all were in rather poor and tattered condition. He remembered vaguely that he had followed after Mina, that she needed to feed. He had offered himself to her. His hand raised to his throat where only a dull soreness remained. No torn skin. Had he dreamt the whole thing? Had he suddenly taken to sleepwalking as a side effect of his waking battle with Hyde? But that did not necessarily explain the state of his clothing. What happened?

Hyde chuckled darkly in response, only allowing brief glimpses of memory to seep into Henry's mind: a woman crying out; teeth and nails digging into flesh; and blood. So much blood.

"No! Mina!" Henry searched for her frantically and found her form laying not far off. He crawled over next to her all too still body, his hands trembling as he reached out to examine her. There were no bruising or lacerations that he could see, though her face was smeared with blood. Her neck did not appear to be broken, and there were no signs indicating that Hyde might have strangled her.

Dear god, he had transformed without the elixir. He did not think he had imbibed it frequently enough for it to be permanently in his blood. But if it was in his blood… If he had unintentionally poisoned her, he would never forgive himself. What had he done?

Terrified of the truth, he wracked his brain for answers, but either the scenario was too horrible to recall, or Hyde refused to let him relive the events. All he could see was Mina in the forest, lost in a thick red haze. "Oh, no…" He choked back a sob, pressing balled fists against his eye sockets.

Exhausted as she was, the sound alarmed Mina, and she bolted upright, shoving the person beside her away before realizing who it was. She could hear the despair in his voice; he was as ashamed of the night's events as she was. As she blinked against the dim, verdant light of the forest, memories swam around her brain. She had abused a friend in order to placate her bloodlust, committing a crime she had long ago sworn to abstain from. Mina remembered watching helplessly as her dear childhood friend Lucy wasted away as the demon known as Dracula fed on her to make himself stronger, and how he then manipulated and used Mina once poor Lucy became a demon herself.

But the worst crime she had committed the night before had been the action she had unwittingly taken pleasure in. No, she would not think about that now. Mina stood up and turned her back to the doctor as she collected herself and attempted to smooth out her clothing as best as she could.

The might with which Mina had shoved Henry now felt like a nudge compared to the force of him realizing that she was alive. He was at once overjoyed and simultaneously plummeting to new depths of despair and self-loathing. Of course she lived; one could not kill a vampire so easily. But she did not acknowledge him, which meant he – no, Hyde – had committed terrible atrocities against her, as he had feared. He dared to look upon her silhouette as she collected her hair into a loose bun and fixed a hat demurely on her head. Henry followed the cue and gathered enough strength to collect his clothing and make himself as presentable as possible, while Mina took out a handkerchief to clean away the dried and cracking blood smeared on her face.

"We should return to town," he murmured with a quaking voice. "The train leaves at noon."

She inclined her head in affirmation, inwardly cringing at what she heard as revulsion in his tone. Mina was astonished that he still seemed willing to accompany her. "Doctor Jekyll, what occurred last night… it won't happen again," she assured him in a formal tone. She would do better to keep her bloodlust in check and to keep him at a safer distance.

Her stern voice stung sharper than if she had slapped him. Henry felt it as a promise, that if he could not keep Hyde on a short leash, Mina would no longer suffer his presence. "Of course, Madam Harker, " he assured her just as formally, eyes cast dutifully downward, and led the way back.

They had managed to sneak back into town in awkward silence without drawing too much attention to themselves. Mina looked fit to be seen in proper society, but the doctor looked a right mess and was eager to get back to the inn where he had stored their luggage. When he emerged, looking the very picture of a proper English gentleman though feeling far from it, he joined Mrs. Harker, who had waited for him outside the building, under her black parasol which shielded her fair skin from the late morning sun. They were just in time to board the train before it left the provincial station.

They exchanged very few words as they finally resettled into their seats and successfully avoided eye contact by hiding behind reading material: Mina returned to her book, and Henry studied a newspaper he picked up before they left the station. But the quiet was far from companionable.

There was a time when Henry would have given anything for this kind of silence, for Hyde's depraved ranting and cajoling in his head to finally cease, but this felt beyond unsettling. Hyde loomed ever present in his mind, but the monster guarded his thoughts like a dragon protecting its hoard. Henry needed to know what Hyde had done, what had happened to Mina to cause her to revile him so, after they had found a common understanding of each other and a plan to support one another. But Hyde only taunted him with flashes of the same haunting and grotesque images: blood and teeth and claws. It sent a shiver through him that he would be ashamed to admit felt not entirely unpleasant. Every time Henry tried to probe him for further information, he could feel Hyde curl tighter in on himself, with a soft snarl of, Mine.

He couldn't remember how many times he had just scanned the same line of print without comprehending its meaning. The clattering of the tracks below and the rhythmic drone of the train engine was maddening. He rubbed his eyes with a frustrated huff and tried to refocus.

Unseen from over the top of his newspaper, Mina winced at the good doctor's obvious discomfort. It was cruel of her to keep him on as a traveling companion after violating his friendship. She failed to fight off the memories; the pleasure and the pain had been exquisite, a feat few mortals could accomplish. But that had been Hyde, not Jekyll, and her dear friend had acted so ashamed so far this morning, so repulsed by their actions that he could hardly bear to look at her. To say she felt guilty for enjoying what had transpired was an understatement. Dr. Jekyll had always clearly tried to be a good and decent man, and in one night she had managed to completely ruin his valiant efforts.

With a steadying breath, she began, "I feel you should know…" She paused a moment, choosing to direct her gaze out the window, keeping Jekyll respectfully in her periphery. "I release you from any obligation you might feel to continue on with me. I can make the rest of the journey well enough on my own." She kept her tone even, but resolved. As much as she had enjoyed his company and their time together, it was selfish to expect him to forgive her.

He couldn't fight the automatic flinch at her words. He couldn't even bother to fold the paper properly, but simply let it fall to rest in his lap. She was dismissing him. There would be no chance for redemption or forgiveness. He had unwittingly gone too far. Henry sat in stunned silence, trying to swallow the lump of dread in his throat. Her expression was unreadable, but she still refused to look at him.

Say something, you fool, Hyde hissed.

Henry would have been more startled by him breaking the silence, but adrenaline was already coursing through his bloodstream, causing him to tremble.

Words began to tumble from his mouth in a panicked frenzy, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. I don't know what he did to you - what I allowed him to do to you. I don't know how I was able to transform without the elixir, but god, Mina, I am so sorry. I will do whatever necessary to make this right. I will go, if that's what you wish, but I can't leave knowing how much you despise me." When it was over, he sat in defeat, tearing his pleading gaze from her face to stare at the floor at her pristine boots.

She thought he might respond with civil relief, at the very most; she certainly did not expect this. Her focus shifted to him immediately after he began his confession and pleading, and it took her entirely off guard. It pained her to witness the sorrow in his eyes, to see him resigned and shamed like a dog just beaten by its master. She reached for him, clutching his hand almost desperately. "No, my dear doctor. I don't despise you. I should be asking your forgiveness." He jerked away as if her touch burned, but he didn't pull away entirely, and he at least finally met her eyes. "I used you in the vilest of ways. I am the one who is sorry."

His head swam. None of this made sense. He - Hyde - had hurt her, and it was his fault that Hyde got loose. What could she possibly mean? Hyde had no desire to help clarify, so Henry finally asked, "What happened last night?"

The notion that he had no idea what transpired had never crossed her mind. But if he truly had no memory of the events, Mina felt reluctant to tell him all. She withdrew from him then with unwillingness. "Perhaps it's better if you don't know," she offered.

"No, Mina, you don't understand." He crumpled the forgotten newspaper and tossed it aside. "I may not remember, but Hyde does. And he guards this knowledge like a jealous lover, when normally he relishes torturing me, making me relive his crimes." Just then, he noticed an odd flush bloom in Mina's porcelain cheeks as she turned her attention back to the window. He didn't think vampires were capable of blushing. Why would she… "Oh. Oh no… Mina, did he violate you? Oh god, I'll never forgive myself."

"No, Henry, he didn't violate me. I…" she stammered as the fresh blood she had drank from Hyde the night before burned in her cheeks. She took a deep but mostly unnecessary breath, steeling herself for what she would say next. He deserved to know the truth, if only to know that he wasn't the one to blame. "I wanted it. I enjoyed it. Or at least, the demon in me did." She watched him closely now, analyzing his reactions. His eyes had widened, but his breathing was at least calmer. "We engaged in… violent, perverse delights, and by the end of the night, he and I lay spent and satiated on the forest floor. I thought you knew, and I thought you hated me for it. Now that you know… will you accept my offer? Will you leave?"

He understood the individual words she said, but the way she strung them together just made no sense. There was at least one part he did comprehend: she was offering him an out. Taking in her serene yet flustered appearance, he chided himself for forcing her into such an uncomfortable situation, making her divulge information she clearly wanted to keep to herself. "Y- you want me to go," he finally said, realizing that it was the best course for everyone. He wasn't just a nuisance, he was a danger. To both of them. And he was a fool to think otherwise.

He looked lost, set adrift, and she couldn't stand it. Mina reached across to him once more in an attempt to help ground him. "No, Henry," she said gently. "I've grown accustomed to your company. But I know you desire to be good and decent, and I fear that I would only be a hinderance or at the very least, an unwelcome reminder. I want to help you. And if that means we part ways, then so be it." She squeezed his hand once and then released him, sitting back against her seat.

Her touch had not been warm, but he felt cool in its absence all the same. Henry wanted it back. And whatever had transpired last night has managed to silence Hyde. He wanted more of that too. "I once thought I could be content in my isolation," he began, consciously breathing slowly. "But after my time with the League, chaotic as it was, and now with you…" His eyes met hers. "Where you go, I shall follow, if you'll have me."

Mina allowed herself a small smile at this. "If you can forgive me for being so reckless and putting you in danger and destroying your gentlemanly efforts?"

"Already done." He could forgive that and more if it meant not losing her.

In the back of his mind, Hyde continued to purr in contentment.


Notes:
Well, there you have it: the chapter that took me three years to write. Oh my god, I'm so sorry, you guys. I'm the worst. This isn't quite the end though. There are still a few kinks (pun intended) to work out before I consider this little story done, although I intend for it to be only one more chapter. I promise that I don't anticipate this final chapter to take another three years. Jeez, again, I'm really sorry. I hope it was worth it, at least?