A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I know you hate me now because I made
Skinner visible. Thanks for the descriptions, they were really helpful to
me even though I didn't use them (no offense meant, mind). My twist might
not be that twisted, but hey. It's a twist, right?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
CHAPTER 10
INFIRMARY NAUTILUS LONDON DOCKS
The League members crowded around the unconscious form of Skinner as Mina explained her findings. She had put the shattered bottle's last remaining contents through a series of unrelenting tests, hoping to find out what had caused Skinner to become visible again.
"So, basically, what you're saying," Tom said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Is that it's a kinda catalyst for reversing the process that made Skinner invisible in the first place."
"Yes," Mina nodded. "I believe that it is the antidote, or something very much like."
"What did that poor bugger to himself?" Allan muttered to himself. Tom heard it and nodded, just as a moan came from behind the curtain that separated them from Skinner's bed.
Jekyll pulled aside the white curtain and they saw the very visible form of Skinner, clad in a loose, formless white garment most likely seen in a hospital. His shoulder-length, messy red hair lay limply on the pillow, wet from his sweating due to his fever.
He had pale skin and freckles on the boyish face. Mina hadn't seen his eyes yet, but she reckoned that they were blue. Well, she would have to see for herself.
She was getting sincerely worried that he wouldn't pull through. His fever had skyrocketed a few minutes ago and she dared not give him anything. They had to rely on him and his will to live if he was to pull through.
A groan escaped Skinner once again, and he began to stir, much to Jekyll's astonishment and relief.
"Ow," was the first thing the formerly invisible man said as he woke up, opening his eyes and squinting in the light. "Was I kidnapped and tortured?"
Despite himself, Allan chuckled softly.
"I didn't know you were a redhead, Skinner," Tom remarked. Skinner gave a weak smile and let Jekyll help him sit up. Before he could answer, though, he gave a sneeze and he disappeared, leaving only the clothes he was wearing, held up by some invisible force.
Another sneeze, and Skinner reappeared.
"Whoa," Tom said, not knowing what to say.
"Fascinating," Nemo said to himself.
"Did he just turn invisible again?" Jekyll asked Mina. She nodded.
Dorian, for once, looked interested. "This is certainly unusual," he drawled, leaning against the frame that kept the curtain up.
"I didn't know I could do that," Skinner said, holding a hand up and examining it in the light.
"Skinner, you owe us an explanation," Nemo said, eyes narrowed in either relief or anger.
"Er...right," Skinner flinched. He explained about the antidote, the factory, John and he message. He did leave out his real reason for taking the antidote, though.
"And why did you do it?" Allan asked.
"Well, Allan," Skinner was indignant. "When you're invisible, its bloody hard to spend your money!"
Jekyll let out a small laugh.
"Is this John Seward the owner of the Carfax Asylum near London?" Mina asked, meaning to look up her old friend. It had been so long since they'd seen each other; ever since Jonathan died...the men she had fought with against Dracula had lost touch.
"Former owner," Skinner corrected. "After some scandal or suchlike he sold it to somebody and moved up here to help Griffin."
"The original man who developed the serum," Nemo offered. "And who died while experimenting."
Skinner flinched visibly. "Yeah. That Jack Griffin (#1). Unfortunate loss, though. That man, he was a great drinking buddy. Why, once, when we -"
"Skinner, shut up," Mina, Allan and Dorian said in unison.
Skinner gave another one of his adorable indignant looks. Jekyll smiled; Skinner looked like a disgruntled six-year-old with pale skin, a smattering of freckles, and flaming red hair that looked as if he had just gotten out of bed. His eyes were a brilliant purple-green, probably due to the effects of the antidote.
"This is the first time I've seen purple eyes," Dorian remarked.
"Jealous, are you?" Skinner grinned, showing a full set of almost- perfect teeth. "Afraid of the competition?"
"For?" Dorian had that look on his face again; the one that had contempt and boredom mixed in, pretending he didn't know what Skinner was talking about.
"Mina, of course!" Skinner said, glancing at her. "Now that I'm visible again, you've got one more man to try and beat for her fair heart."
One elegant brow lifted from Mina as Skinner flashed her a cheeky smile.
"We need to keep him here so we can conduct some tests," Jekyll told Nemo. "We're not entirely sure if he's stable."
"Whaat?!" Skinner exclaimed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
THE JEKYLL RESIDENCE
"This is so itchy," Skinner complained as he scratched his arm through the shirt he had borrowed from Tom. He and Jekyll had not been able to get a hansom from the docks to Jekyll's house, and had to walk. Skinner didn't mind, until Jekyll had handed him shoes. He had gone 'What, shoes too?!'. "How does Tom wear these kind of things?"
"He rolls the sleeves up," Jekyll pointed out as they reached the front door of Jekyll's house. "Maybe because of that?"
"Humph." Skinner scratched his elbow as he fidgeted. "Seriously, I need to get used to wearing pants. It itches down there."
Jekyll's expression changed from its usual placidness to a appalled look as Skinner mentioned his nether regions (#2). "Er...."
It was midday, and as usual, it had just rained. The sunlight now peeked through the clouds, the sky barely visible behind them. The streets smelled like fresh grass, but Skinner believed it was just him. The incident outside Buckingham Palace had been splashed all over the headlines of every paper in London and beyond, but the gloomy mood that the city had been in the past few days had lifted with the clearing of the air.
Skinner laughed. He scratched his nose. "Well, it feels good to be able to see myself in the mirror again."
"Your eye color is certainly unusual," Jekyll said.
"I know." Skinner loved his eyes. Originally, they had been a bright sparking blue. "How many people have purple eyes?"
"...but not too noticeable," Jekyll finished. Skinner grinned just as they walked up the steps to Jekyll's home.
"I'll try to keep from sneezing," Skinner told his friend. "I have no idea how your wife would handle it if I disappeared in front of her." Jekyll nodded as he put the key in the lock and turned it, opening the door for Skinner to enter.
"Please, do come in."
"Thank you," Skinner said. As he stepped into the small but comfy house, the delicious smell of a roasting chicken filled his nostrils. "Is that me or is that roast?"
Jekyll looked over his shoulder as he closed and locked the door behind him. "Marie's at it again. She enjoys cooking."
"She cooks roast?" Skinner inhaled deeply. "It smells great! What's her recipe?"
"A Sanders' secret," Marie smiled as she walked out of the kitchen to greet her husband and their visitor. "Family recipe. I didn't know you could cook," she added. Skinner gave Jekyll a glance. *Oh, boy, Jekyll has great taste. Either that or he was plain lucky to have such an understanding wife. Maybe I SHOULD disappear in front of her; if she can handle Hyde, I shouldn't be a problem.* Skinner thought. Marie was beautiful; her eyes the color of warm chocolate twinkled with love for Jekyll and her sand-colored hair was down in long waves. Her pale pink frock was simple yet elegant, and she bore the air of a dedicated wife and would one day make a great mother.
"So did I," Jekyll said, surprised.
"Well, er..." Skinner pulled at his collar nervously. "Let's just say I did it to impress a certain woman a long time ago."
"Someone special?" Marie asked as she led the way to the lounge.
"My sister, actually," Skinner smiled at the memory (#3). "Er...She challenged me to cook something that wouldn't taste like it was made of rotten fish. She made me learn how to cook; more like a torture camp, if you ask me."
"What makes you say that?" Marie asked, curious. She pushed open the door to the brightly-lit dining room.
"Well, she - whoops!" Skinner's foot had hit the edge of the table. The whole handsome table shook and a plate had fallen off and nearly shattered on the floor if Skinner hadn't been fast enough to catch it. "Sorry 'bout that, ma'am." He handed the hand-made plate back to her.
"Please, call me Marie, Mr. Skinner," she smiled and put the plate back on the table. "Henry, would you help me with the roast?"
"Alright," Jekyll said. "Skinner, make yourself at home. After lunch, we'll go to the tailors to get you some clothes."
Marie laughed as Skinner gave a loud groan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
DEEP IN THE CITY STREETS OUTSIDE BUCKINGHAM PALACE
"Well, boy," Allan smiled as they reached the last leg of their tour of London. "I guess you don't need to be introduced to the Palace, do you?"
Tom grinned and shook his head. "Nope. I had a great view of it two days ago."
"In a battle."
"With Matilda," Tom added. "You haven't changed, you know."
"Me? Well...Allan Quatermain is dead. Cyrus Dale is all that's left." Allan stuffed his hands into his pockets for no reason at all. "Allan died in Mongolia."
There was a silence as the two stopped opposite the Palace gates and watched the change of guard. The people who had clean up after them had done a remarkably good job in such a short time, making it look as if nothing had happened. The only reminder there was was the few scratches, some deep, some not, into the cobblestones.
"No, he didn't," Tom said. He looked at Allan, giving a look that Allan knew was too mature for his age; another reminder that Tom had grown into a man. *And a pretty fine one at that.* Allan thought. "Allan Quatermain didn't die; not in memory, not in spirit."
"You've grown up, boy, become a leader," Allan smiled after he paused, tousling the top of Tom's head as he would a young child's. "And you need a haircut."
"I know," Tom smiled. "And thanks."
"You learned from the best, didn't you?" Allan teased. Both of them laughed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
NAUTILUS MINA'S CABIN LONDON DOCKS
"I don't have a place to stay," Dorian said to Mina as he watched her pack.
"And you want to stay at my house?" she asked him coolly. She folded one of her two bowler hats and put it inside her bag.
"That was the idea, yes," Dorian tilted his head slightly. "So, will you let me, until I find one for myself?"
Mina stopped and asked a question on a totally different topic, the same topic that brought him back. "Why did you do it?"
Dorian sighed and turned around, walking away from Mina until he faced the wall where his portrait hung, covered by a piece of heavy cloth. "As I told you before, Mina." Dorian turned to face her. "I wanted to face my demons. Undo the flaws of my character."
"And so you come and help us fight Maddox?" she asked. He inclined his head slightly.
"I am not without traits," he admitted, smirking. She humphed and went back to folding her shirt.
"Don't flatter yourself."
"Do I?" he asked as he came up behind her, lightly touching her arm. She stopped again, secretly savoring his touch. When he had died by her hand...she had been devastated; she was still in love with Dorian Gray. "Or do I speak the truth, Mina dear?"
"Dorian..." she turned to face him. She was pleasantly surprised when he took her mouth into his after cupping her chin lightly. She lost her breath for a while, but got it again when the immortal parted their lips. He didn't let go of her chin, though, and keep his face near, so near that she could feel his warmth breath, his hair forming a comforting curtain.
"I love you," he whispered. "I never stopped loving you.'
"Dorian..." somehow, she remembered to breathe. "I..."
"Just tell me you love me, Mina," he whispered. "Please."
"I love you."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
NAUTILUS LONDON DOCKS
Since most of the crew was still on shore leave, Nemo decided to take a walk around his Lady. Hands clasped behind his back, he walked with sure and steady footing even in the engine room.
*My lady,* he thought proudly. *And my trustworthy crew.*
Still, there were those who were missed dearly, either died in the line of duty or suchlike. As he reached the bridge once more, where he started in the first place, he noticed a spot on the gleaming white walls that was empty.
*I wonder why I didn't think of it in the first place.*
For the first time in many years, Nemo gave a small, tiny, minuscule smile to himself. *It would be best.*
With that, he pivoted on his heel and went out to main London to make arrangements for a gold plate to be engraved in honor of the men lost in the many years that the Sword of the Ocean had been at sea; they deserved to be honored for their unfaltering loyalty and courage.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
DEEP IN THE CITY
"Jekyll, you have got to be joking," Skinner said as he and Jekyll waved down a hansom outside the tailor's. "How am I going to wear all those clothes?"
"One day at a time," Jekyll answered. Skinner snorted as the hansom pulled up.
"Brilliant answer," the red-head said dryly, getting into the cab. "Absolutely brilliant."
Skinner leaned back into the seat, stretching. "I still think walking around in my coat is good enough. But Mina had to rip it apart."
"She did it so you wouldn't strangle yourself," said Jekyll after telling the driver where to go. "Where is your home?"
"I'll walk from your place," Skinner said. "I'm thinking of settling down. Get a wife, a kid, you know."
"Really?" Jekyll was surprised; Skinner wasn't exactly the role model for a father. He had trouble imagining Skinner with children.
"Yeah," Skinner said thoughtfully. "But the wife part is going to be the hard bit."
"You only ever loved Mina." It was a statement made by Jekyll.
"I guess its obvious enough, innit? But she loves that bloody immortal; I don't get what she sees in that bugger. I'm telling you, the only bloody thing that understands that woman is god. I don't think she understands herself at all!"
Jekyll's wide saucer eyes widened and then he chuckled.
"That bugger tries to kill her and yet she's in love with him," Skinner sounded incredulous. "Tell me, is Marie as puzzling as Mina?"
Jekyll shook his head. "No. Mina is a...singular...woman. That was why she was recruited into the League in the first place."
"Heh. Well, Jekyll, I swear to you this: I'm not going to give up on her until she marries that bugger!"
"You will have plenty of time to do that, I'm sure," Jekyll laughed, the first time Skinner had heard the doctor do so confidently, without the signature nervousness caused by Hyde.
"What makes you say that? Its not like the League will be called in everyday, you know."
"These are tremulous times, Skinner. I'm sure something will come up."
~THE END~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
(#1) A short note: Jack Griffin is the HG Wells' story's invisible man. I'm using him instead of Hawley Griffin, the guy in the book.
(#2) Er... you know what I'm talking about, right? If you don't, it's down there...Yup, down THERE. *nods*
(#3) Okay, so there was no sister mentioned in the movie, but it's called AU, right?
A/N: Hate me if you will; this chapter in the story of the League has closed. But then again, when one closes, another opens, right? Anyways, hope you enjoyed this final chapter, I know it probably sucks (I think Mina is totally out of character; you judge). I haven't been that good as of late, and I know it. Well, thanks for all the reviews so far; it really made my day. Watch out for a new LXG fic; I swear, I will write another one if it is the last thing I do!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
CHAPTER 10
INFIRMARY NAUTILUS LONDON DOCKS
The League members crowded around the unconscious form of Skinner as Mina explained her findings. She had put the shattered bottle's last remaining contents through a series of unrelenting tests, hoping to find out what had caused Skinner to become visible again.
"So, basically, what you're saying," Tom said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Is that it's a kinda catalyst for reversing the process that made Skinner invisible in the first place."
"Yes," Mina nodded. "I believe that it is the antidote, or something very much like."
"What did that poor bugger to himself?" Allan muttered to himself. Tom heard it and nodded, just as a moan came from behind the curtain that separated them from Skinner's bed.
Jekyll pulled aside the white curtain and they saw the very visible form of Skinner, clad in a loose, formless white garment most likely seen in a hospital. His shoulder-length, messy red hair lay limply on the pillow, wet from his sweating due to his fever.
He had pale skin and freckles on the boyish face. Mina hadn't seen his eyes yet, but she reckoned that they were blue. Well, she would have to see for herself.
She was getting sincerely worried that he wouldn't pull through. His fever had skyrocketed a few minutes ago and she dared not give him anything. They had to rely on him and his will to live if he was to pull through.
A groan escaped Skinner once again, and he began to stir, much to Jekyll's astonishment and relief.
"Ow," was the first thing the formerly invisible man said as he woke up, opening his eyes and squinting in the light. "Was I kidnapped and tortured?"
Despite himself, Allan chuckled softly.
"I didn't know you were a redhead, Skinner," Tom remarked. Skinner gave a weak smile and let Jekyll help him sit up. Before he could answer, though, he gave a sneeze and he disappeared, leaving only the clothes he was wearing, held up by some invisible force.
Another sneeze, and Skinner reappeared.
"Whoa," Tom said, not knowing what to say.
"Fascinating," Nemo said to himself.
"Did he just turn invisible again?" Jekyll asked Mina. She nodded.
Dorian, for once, looked interested. "This is certainly unusual," he drawled, leaning against the frame that kept the curtain up.
"I didn't know I could do that," Skinner said, holding a hand up and examining it in the light.
"Skinner, you owe us an explanation," Nemo said, eyes narrowed in either relief or anger.
"Er...right," Skinner flinched. He explained about the antidote, the factory, John and he message. He did leave out his real reason for taking the antidote, though.
"And why did you do it?" Allan asked.
"Well, Allan," Skinner was indignant. "When you're invisible, its bloody hard to spend your money!"
Jekyll let out a small laugh.
"Is this John Seward the owner of the Carfax Asylum near London?" Mina asked, meaning to look up her old friend. It had been so long since they'd seen each other; ever since Jonathan died...the men she had fought with against Dracula had lost touch.
"Former owner," Skinner corrected. "After some scandal or suchlike he sold it to somebody and moved up here to help Griffin."
"The original man who developed the serum," Nemo offered. "And who died while experimenting."
Skinner flinched visibly. "Yeah. That Jack Griffin (#1). Unfortunate loss, though. That man, he was a great drinking buddy. Why, once, when we -"
"Skinner, shut up," Mina, Allan and Dorian said in unison.
Skinner gave another one of his adorable indignant looks. Jekyll smiled; Skinner looked like a disgruntled six-year-old with pale skin, a smattering of freckles, and flaming red hair that looked as if he had just gotten out of bed. His eyes were a brilliant purple-green, probably due to the effects of the antidote.
"This is the first time I've seen purple eyes," Dorian remarked.
"Jealous, are you?" Skinner grinned, showing a full set of almost- perfect teeth. "Afraid of the competition?"
"For?" Dorian had that look on his face again; the one that had contempt and boredom mixed in, pretending he didn't know what Skinner was talking about.
"Mina, of course!" Skinner said, glancing at her. "Now that I'm visible again, you've got one more man to try and beat for her fair heart."
One elegant brow lifted from Mina as Skinner flashed her a cheeky smile.
"We need to keep him here so we can conduct some tests," Jekyll told Nemo. "We're not entirely sure if he's stable."
"Whaat?!" Skinner exclaimed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
THE JEKYLL RESIDENCE
"This is so itchy," Skinner complained as he scratched his arm through the shirt he had borrowed from Tom. He and Jekyll had not been able to get a hansom from the docks to Jekyll's house, and had to walk. Skinner didn't mind, until Jekyll had handed him shoes. He had gone 'What, shoes too?!'. "How does Tom wear these kind of things?"
"He rolls the sleeves up," Jekyll pointed out as they reached the front door of Jekyll's house. "Maybe because of that?"
"Humph." Skinner scratched his elbow as he fidgeted. "Seriously, I need to get used to wearing pants. It itches down there."
Jekyll's expression changed from its usual placidness to a appalled look as Skinner mentioned his nether regions (#2). "Er...."
It was midday, and as usual, it had just rained. The sunlight now peeked through the clouds, the sky barely visible behind them. The streets smelled like fresh grass, but Skinner believed it was just him. The incident outside Buckingham Palace had been splashed all over the headlines of every paper in London and beyond, but the gloomy mood that the city had been in the past few days had lifted with the clearing of the air.
Skinner laughed. He scratched his nose. "Well, it feels good to be able to see myself in the mirror again."
"Your eye color is certainly unusual," Jekyll said.
"I know." Skinner loved his eyes. Originally, they had been a bright sparking blue. "How many people have purple eyes?"
"...but not too noticeable," Jekyll finished. Skinner grinned just as they walked up the steps to Jekyll's home.
"I'll try to keep from sneezing," Skinner told his friend. "I have no idea how your wife would handle it if I disappeared in front of her." Jekyll nodded as he put the key in the lock and turned it, opening the door for Skinner to enter.
"Please, do come in."
"Thank you," Skinner said. As he stepped into the small but comfy house, the delicious smell of a roasting chicken filled his nostrils. "Is that me or is that roast?"
Jekyll looked over his shoulder as he closed and locked the door behind him. "Marie's at it again. She enjoys cooking."
"She cooks roast?" Skinner inhaled deeply. "It smells great! What's her recipe?"
"A Sanders' secret," Marie smiled as she walked out of the kitchen to greet her husband and their visitor. "Family recipe. I didn't know you could cook," she added. Skinner gave Jekyll a glance. *Oh, boy, Jekyll has great taste. Either that or he was plain lucky to have such an understanding wife. Maybe I SHOULD disappear in front of her; if she can handle Hyde, I shouldn't be a problem.* Skinner thought. Marie was beautiful; her eyes the color of warm chocolate twinkled with love for Jekyll and her sand-colored hair was down in long waves. Her pale pink frock was simple yet elegant, and she bore the air of a dedicated wife and would one day make a great mother.
"So did I," Jekyll said, surprised.
"Well, er..." Skinner pulled at his collar nervously. "Let's just say I did it to impress a certain woman a long time ago."
"Someone special?" Marie asked as she led the way to the lounge.
"My sister, actually," Skinner smiled at the memory (#3). "Er...She challenged me to cook something that wouldn't taste like it was made of rotten fish. She made me learn how to cook; more like a torture camp, if you ask me."
"What makes you say that?" Marie asked, curious. She pushed open the door to the brightly-lit dining room.
"Well, she - whoops!" Skinner's foot had hit the edge of the table. The whole handsome table shook and a plate had fallen off and nearly shattered on the floor if Skinner hadn't been fast enough to catch it. "Sorry 'bout that, ma'am." He handed the hand-made plate back to her.
"Please, call me Marie, Mr. Skinner," she smiled and put the plate back on the table. "Henry, would you help me with the roast?"
"Alright," Jekyll said. "Skinner, make yourself at home. After lunch, we'll go to the tailors to get you some clothes."
Marie laughed as Skinner gave a loud groan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
DEEP IN THE CITY STREETS OUTSIDE BUCKINGHAM PALACE
"Well, boy," Allan smiled as they reached the last leg of their tour of London. "I guess you don't need to be introduced to the Palace, do you?"
Tom grinned and shook his head. "Nope. I had a great view of it two days ago."
"In a battle."
"With Matilda," Tom added. "You haven't changed, you know."
"Me? Well...Allan Quatermain is dead. Cyrus Dale is all that's left." Allan stuffed his hands into his pockets for no reason at all. "Allan died in Mongolia."
There was a silence as the two stopped opposite the Palace gates and watched the change of guard. The people who had clean up after them had done a remarkably good job in such a short time, making it look as if nothing had happened. The only reminder there was was the few scratches, some deep, some not, into the cobblestones.
"No, he didn't," Tom said. He looked at Allan, giving a look that Allan knew was too mature for his age; another reminder that Tom had grown into a man. *And a pretty fine one at that.* Allan thought. "Allan Quatermain didn't die; not in memory, not in spirit."
"You've grown up, boy, become a leader," Allan smiled after he paused, tousling the top of Tom's head as he would a young child's. "And you need a haircut."
"I know," Tom smiled. "And thanks."
"You learned from the best, didn't you?" Allan teased. Both of them laughed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
NAUTILUS MINA'S CABIN LONDON DOCKS
"I don't have a place to stay," Dorian said to Mina as he watched her pack.
"And you want to stay at my house?" she asked him coolly. She folded one of her two bowler hats and put it inside her bag.
"That was the idea, yes," Dorian tilted his head slightly. "So, will you let me, until I find one for myself?"
Mina stopped and asked a question on a totally different topic, the same topic that brought him back. "Why did you do it?"
Dorian sighed and turned around, walking away from Mina until he faced the wall where his portrait hung, covered by a piece of heavy cloth. "As I told you before, Mina." Dorian turned to face her. "I wanted to face my demons. Undo the flaws of my character."
"And so you come and help us fight Maddox?" she asked. He inclined his head slightly.
"I am not without traits," he admitted, smirking. She humphed and went back to folding her shirt.
"Don't flatter yourself."
"Do I?" he asked as he came up behind her, lightly touching her arm. She stopped again, secretly savoring his touch. When he had died by her hand...she had been devastated; she was still in love with Dorian Gray. "Or do I speak the truth, Mina dear?"
"Dorian..." she turned to face him. She was pleasantly surprised when he took her mouth into his after cupping her chin lightly. She lost her breath for a while, but got it again when the immortal parted their lips. He didn't let go of her chin, though, and keep his face near, so near that she could feel his warmth breath, his hair forming a comforting curtain.
"I love you," he whispered. "I never stopped loving you.'
"Dorian..." somehow, she remembered to breathe. "I..."
"Just tell me you love me, Mina," he whispered. "Please."
"I love you."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
NAUTILUS LONDON DOCKS
Since most of the crew was still on shore leave, Nemo decided to take a walk around his Lady. Hands clasped behind his back, he walked with sure and steady footing even in the engine room.
*My lady,* he thought proudly. *And my trustworthy crew.*
Still, there were those who were missed dearly, either died in the line of duty or suchlike. As he reached the bridge once more, where he started in the first place, he noticed a spot on the gleaming white walls that was empty.
*I wonder why I didn't think of it in the first place.*
For the first time in many years, Nemo gave a small, tiny, minuscule smile to himself. *It would be best.*
With that, he pivoted on his heel and went out to main London to make arrangements for a gold plate to be engraved in honor of the men lost in the many years that the Sword of the Ocean had been at sea; they deserved to be honored for their unfaltering loyalty and courage.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
DEEP IN THE CITY
"Jekyll, you have got to be joking," Skinner said as he and Jekyll waved down a hansom outside the tailor's. "How am I going to wear all those clothes?"
"One day at a time," Jekyll answered. Skinner snorted as the hansom pulled up.
"Brilliant answer," the red-head said dryly, getting into the cab. "Absolutely brilliant."
Skinner leaned back into the seat, stretching. "I still think walking around in my coat is good enough. But Mina had to rip it apart."
"She did it so you wouldn't strangle yourself," said Jekyll after telling the driver where to go. "Where is your home?"
"I'll walk from your place," Skinner said. "I'm thinking of settling down. Get a wife, a kid, you know."
"Really?" Jekyll was surprised; Skinner wasn't exactly the role model for a father. He had trouble imagining Skinner with children.
"Yeah," Skinner said thoughtfully. "But the wife part is going to be the hard bit."
"You only ever loved Mina." It was a statement made by Jekyll.
"I guess its obvious enough, innit? But she loves that bloody immortal; I don't get what she sees in that bugger. I'm telling you, the only bloody thing that understands that woman is god. I don't think she understands herself at all!"
Jekyll's wide saucer eyes widened and then he chuckled.
"That bugger tries to kill her and yet she's in love with him," Skinner sounded incredulous. "Tell me, is Marie as puzzling as Mina?"
Jekyll shook his head. "No. Mina is a...singular...woman. That was why she was recruited into the League in the first place."
"Heh. Well, Jekyll, I swear to you this: I'm not going to give up on her until she marries that bugger!"
"You will have plenty of time to do that, I'm sure," Jekyll laughed, the first time Skinner had heard the doctor do so confidently, without the signature nervousness caused by Hyde.
"What makes you say that? Its not like the League will be called in everyday, you know."
"These are tremulous times, Skinner. I'm sure something will come up."
~THE END~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
(#1) A short note: Jack Griffin is the HG Wells' story's invisible man. I'm using him instead of Hawley Griffin, the guy in the book.
(#2) Er... you know what I'm talking about, right? If you don't, it's down there...Yup, down THERE. *nods*
(#3) Okay, so there was no sister mentioned in the movie, but it's called AU, right?
A/N: Hate me if you will; this chapter in the story of the League has closed. But then again, when one closes, another opens, right? Anyways, hope you enjoyed this final chapter, I know it probably sucks (I think Mina is totally out of character; you judge). I haven't been that good as of late, and I know it. Well, thanks for all the reviews so far; it really made my day. Watch out for a new LXG fic; I swear, I will write another one if it is the last thing I do!