Chapter 18 – Visibility
Jekyll walked down the winding corridors of the Nautilus, carrying a few vials of the visibility potion. It was strange, a few days ago he was so appalled and disgusted with Skinner that he couldn't wait to get rid of him. Now, after he had been so kind to Bet the other day, Jekyll couldn't help feeling quite sad that Skinner would be leaving after taking the potion. He was extremely annoying, but he did have a heart, somewhere under that long black coat. He did know right from wrong; he just had a few problems deciding which to follow.
He reached Skinner's room and knocked on the door. There was a loud shuffling from inside, and Skinner poked his cream covered face around the door.
"Jekyll?" he inquired. He looked very nervous.
"I've brought the potion for you to take." Jekyll told him, indicating the vials in his hand. Skinner's face dropped.
"Ah, well," he began. "You see. There's the slight possibility that I may have changed my mind."
"Changed your mind!" Jekyll raised his voice. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I've recently come to the conclusion that if I were to become visible again, I would just be your everyday common petty thief." Skinner explained in a rushed and guilty manner. "And, you of all people know that I'm anything but an everyday common petty thief. Besides, being invisible is part of me, now. I couldn't bear to let it go, actually, now I think about it…" Jekyll raised his hand.
"Do you mean," he began slowly and softly, accelerating to a shout. "Do you mean to say that you have put me through all of that for nothing!"
"Well," Skinner replied. "It wasn't for nothing. You have your Bet now." Jekyll was about to explode at Skinner, but that remark made him stop himself. 'Don't be too 'ard on 'im, it's not 'is fault'. Bet's words echoed around his head. Why did she have to say that to him? Giving a loud sigh, he smiled weakly at Skinner. Trust him to be able to mess everything up.
"You're terrible." Jekyll told him. "And I won't ever forgive you for this."
"That's more like it, Jekyll!" Skinner smiled at him, enthusiastically. There was a short silence. Jekyll wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't be angry with Skinner. He was right, if this hadn't have happened he wouldn't have met Bet. And he wouldn't have achieved his amazing breakthrough in deciphering the antidote. It wasn't all that bad.
Skinner looked impatiently at Jekyll, who was just standing there.
"Now," he said to Jekyll. "Is there a chance you come back a bit later, maybe?" Skinner was acting very suspiciously. Jekyll frowned.
"Are you alright, Skinner?" he asked, curiously. A cheeky smile spread across Skinner's face.
"Yes," he replied, quickly. "Never better, thank you." Jekyll leant towards Skinner, trying to look over his head into the room.
"Erm," he mumbled. "Is there a chance I could come in?" Skinner walked out of the room and shut the door rapidly behind him. He was wearing a bathrobe.
"No, no!" Skinner told him. "That won't be necessary. Could you come back tomorrow maybe?" Jekyll squinted at him. Skinner was up to something, and he was going to find out what was going on.
"What are you up to Skinner?" Jekyll asked politely. Skinner's eyes widened.
"Me? Up to something?" He smirked at Jekyll. "You've got the wrong person doctor."
"I doubt that!" Jekyll replied. Skinner put a hand to his chest.
"Ouch, Jekyll" he said. "That really hurt." Jekyll frowned at him. Why should it bother him what Skinner was doing anyway? Whatever it was, he was sure that he wouldn't approve. "Can I go back now?"
"Alright," Jekyll replied, slowly. He turned away, and Skinner opened the door to go back into his room.
A loud, female giggle came through the door. Instantly, both Jekyll and Skinner turned back to face each other. Jekyll eyes widened, and Skinner looked a little sheepish.
"Have you got a girl in there?" Jekyll asked, trying to hide the snigger that was trying to burst from his lips. Skinner opened his mouth to reply.
"Rodney?" the female voice came from the door. "Hurry up, will you." Skinner closed his mouth. Jekyll rolled his eyes, and began to turn to walk away.
"Yeah, hurry up, Rodney." a second female voice came from the door. Jekyll spun back to face Skinner, who grinned widely at him. Jekyll's mouth fell open.
"Erm," Skinner began. "I'll see you tomorrow, eh, Jekyll?" Grinning once more, he gave Jekyll a hearty pat on the shoulder and walked back into his room, closing the door behind him.
Jekyll just stood there, slack jawed and frozen to the spot. Some people will never change, he thought. After a moment, he shook his head and walked back along the corridor.
He returned to his room. Taking a deep breath, he smelt the atmosphere of the room. There was an unusual peace, one that he had never experienced in the room before. He turned to sit on his bed, but spotted the box of vials on it. He reached towards the box and opened it. It needed refilling desperately. There were only a few full vials left. He needed to make some more of the formula. He closed the box, and turned to replace it in its usual hiding place, when he noticed a white object on the floor. Bending down he picked it up. It was Bet's glove. He thought for a moment.
Jekyll grabbed the chair from his desk. Climbing onto the chair, he lifted the box and placed it in the chest on top of the wardrobe. He locked the padlock and, stepping down from the chair, placed the key in the drawer of his desk. Smiling, Dr Henry Jekyll sat down at his desk, opened his scientific journal and continued to work on his own cure once more.
THE END
Well, it's all over! Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic; they were all appreciated! I hope you enjoyed it, because I had lots of fun writing it!
Look out for the sequel that I promised myself that I would never write. It will be an action/adventure entitled "The Ambiance Emerald".
Thank you to you, the reader, as there would be little point in writing these fics if there was no one to read them!
Cheers,
Cecily Marla Smith
Jekyll walked down the winding corridors of the Nautilus, carrying a few vials of the visibility potion. It was strange, a few days ago he was so appalled and disgusted with Skinner that he couldn't wait to get rid of him. Now, after he had been so kind to Bet the other day, Jekyll couldn't help feeling quite sad that Skinner would be leaving after taking the potion. He was extremely annoying, but he did have a heart, somewhere under that long black coat. He did know right from wrong; he just had a few problems deciding which to follow.
He reached Skinner's room and knocked on the door. There was a loud shuffling from inside, and Skinner poked his cream covered face around the door.
"Jekyll?" he inquired. He looked very nervous.
"I've brought the potion for you to take." Jekyll told him, indicating the vials in his hand. Skinner's face dropped.
"Ah, well," he began. "You see. There's the slight possibility that I may have changed my mind."
"Changed your mind!" Jekyll raised his voice. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I've recently come to the conclusion that if I were to become visible again, I would just be your everyday common petty thief." Skinner explained in a rushed and guilty manner. "And, you of all people know that I'm anything but an everyday common petty thief. Besides, being invisible is part of me, now. I couldn't bear to let it go, actually, now I think about it…" Jekyll raised his hand.
"Do you mean," he began slowly and softly, accelerating to a shout. "Do you mean to say that you have put me through all of that for nothing!"
"Well," Skinner replied. "It wasn't for nothing. You have your Bet now." Jekyll was about to explode at Skinner, but that remark made him stop himself. 'Don't be too 'ard on 'im, it's not 'is fault'. Bet's words echoed around his head. Why did she have to say that to him? Giving a loud sigh, he smiled weakly at Skinner. Trust him to be able to mess everything up.
"You're terrible." Jekyll told him. "And I won't ever forgive you for this."
"That's more like it, Jekyll!" Skinner smiled at him, enthusiastically. There was a short silence. Jekyll wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't be angry with Skinner. He was right, if this hadn't have happened he wouldn't have met Bet. And he wouldn't have achieved his amazing breakthrough in deciphering the antidote. It wasn't all that bad.
Skinner looked impatiently at Jekyll, who was just standing there.
"Now," he said to Jekyll. "Is there a chance you come back a bit later, maybe?" Skinner was acting very suspiciously. Jekyll frowned.
"Are you alright, Skinner?" he asked, curiously. A cheeky smile spread across Skinner's face.
"Yes," he replied, quickly. "Never better, thank you." Jekyll leant towards Skinner, trying to look over his head into the room.
"Erm," he mumbled. "Is there a chance I could come in?" Skinner walked out of the room and shut the door rapidly behind him. He was wearing a bathrobe.
"No, no!" Skinner told him. "That won't be necessary. Could you come back tomorrow maybe?" Jekyll squinted at him. Skinner was up to something, and he was going to find out what was going on.
"What are you up to Skinner?" Jekyll asked politely. Skinner's eyes widened.
"Me? Up to something?" He smirked at Jekyll. "You've got the wrong person doctor."
"I doubt that!" Jekyll replied. Skinner put a hand to his chest.
"Ouch, Jekyll" he said. "That really hurt." Jekyll frowned at him. Why should it bother him what Skinner was doing anyway? Whatever it was, he was sure that he wouldn't approve. "Can I go back now?"
"Alright," Jekyll replied, slowly. He turned away, and Skinner opened the door to go back into his room.
A loud, female giggle came through the door. Instantly, both Jekyll and Skinner turned back to face each other. Jekyll eyes widened, and Skinner looked a little sheepish.
"Have you got a girl in there?" Jekyll asked, trying to hide the snigger that was trying to burst from his lips. Skinner opened his mouth to reply.
"Rodney?" the female voice came from the door. "Hurry up, will you." Skinner closed his mouth. Jekyll rolled his eyes, and began to turn to walk away.
"Yeah, hurry up, Rodney." a second female voice came from the door. Jekyll spun back to face Skinner, who grinned widely at him. Jekyll's mouth fell open.
"Erm," Skinner began. "I'll see you tomorrow, eh, Jekyll?" Grinning once more, he gave Jekyll a hearty pat on the shoulder and walked back into his room, closing the door behind him.
Jekyll just stood there, slack jawed and frozen to the spot. Some people will never change, he thought. After a moment, he shook his head and walked back along the corridor.
He returned to his room. Taking a deep breath, he smelt the atmosphere of the room. There was an unusual peace, one that he had never experienced in the room before. He turned to sit on his bed, but spotted the box of vials on it. He reached towards the box and opened it. It needed refilling desperately. There were only a few full vials left. He needed to make some more of the formula. He closed the box, and turned to replace it in its usual hiding place, when he noticed a white object on the floor. Bending down he picked it up. It was Bet's glove. He thought for a moment.
Jekyll grabbed the chair from his desk. Climbing onto the chair, he lifted the box and placed it in the chest on top of the wardrobe. He locked the padlock and, stepping down from the chair, placed the key in the drawer of his desk. Smiling, Dr Henry Jekyll sat down at his desk, opened his scientific journal and continued to work on his own cure once more.
THE END
Well, it's all over! Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic; they were all appreciated! I hope you enjoyed it, because I had lots of fun writing it!
Look out for the sequel that I promised myself that I would never write. It will be an action/adventure entitled "The Ambiance Emerald".
Thank you to you, the reader, as there would be little point in writing these fics if there was no one to read them!
Cheers,
Cecily Marla Smith