#i could be getting the details wrong about what a hyde is but whatever thats the feel i got from it

[chibikittens]

cant believe im posting this on the website that loves wednesday eep

[galaxy-parchment]

Vampire AU

1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6  : 7 : 8 : 9 : 10 : 11 (you are here) : 12 : 13 : 14 : 15 (coming soon)

I swear every time I write a chapter I’m like ‘oh yeah thats long enough’ and then I check the word count and it’s actually a really short chapter. When this finally gets posted to A/O3 I might just merge some chapters because this is turning out to have way more chapters than I expected.

Frankenstein was babbling about her misadventures as a disgraced hermit proudly as the lodgers were huddled up in front of her with their legs crossed as if they were children enthusiastically listen to their grandfather regale his exciting tales of war.

“For two long months I wandered that godforsaken forest, surviving on nothing but rain water and lizard guts! Tormented day and night by my own personal demon!” She regaled, gesturing to Creature, who was uncomfortably huddled up beside her bed and reluctantly listening to the woman tell her exaggerated stories.

Henry stepped through the crowd with a large case held carefully in his hands as he shooed off the lodgers so that he could treat Frankenstein, who was anything but happy to see him and seemed to be deciding whether or not to slap him across the face again.

He gingerly placed his chemistry kit on a nearby table as Frankenstein’s face remained annoyed and mistrusting. She gave a heavy huff of breath and turned away from him.

“I thought I told you to leave me alone” she said, struggling through coughs between her words.

“Regardless of either of our feelings I’m afraid I’m going to have to treat you, or your ‘personal demon’ over there may have something to say about it” he half-joked, Creature making no move to deny his statement. “besides, what sort of an alchemist would I be if I couldn’t cure someone as esteemed as yourself?” he said, holding up a flask from his chemistry kit.

“I have no doubt that you will kill me with your amateur skills!” Frankenstein retorted, glaring at him.

Jekyll continued to engage in intellectual banter while he mixed the ingredients to the antidote. Frankenstein was becoming increasingly alarmed at his deep knowledge of alchemy but refused to show any hint of weakness. As he finished the medicine, there was a pregnant pause, though Frankenstein was simply waiting for Jekyll to finish up and finally leave. He held the mixture up in front of his eyes and peered into it, checking that it was completed, then lowered it down in front of him before looking at Frankenstein more seriously than he had before.

“I must admit, I have a favour to ask of you…” he said firmly.

Frankenstein chuckled, “Ah! So you admit that your skills are inferior!”

Jekyll sighed, “No… it’s something different… I noticed that you seem to have become quite popular among the lodgers, I don’t think I need to explain why.”

“Yes? I know this.” Frankenstein answered, raising an eyebrow.

“I was hoping you’d look out for any strange behaviour that I may be missing, since they’ve been acting far more comfortable with you than have been with me recently.”

“Perhaps they are seeing through your lies. This is your own fault, I am simply revealing the truth to them!”

“This isn’t about me, it’s about keeping everybody safe!” Jekyll said, the anger is his voice was clear though stifled.

“What sort of strange behaviour then, Doctor? Signs of showing free will? Signs of the spark of creativity breaking away from the chains of London aristocracy?”

“No! I mean if they’re acting suspicious in any way, you know, if anyone has been acting like…” he stopped short, circling his hand through the air absently, unsure of whether to continue. This was an awful idea, why did he even consider asking her to do this.

“Like what? I cannot look for something if I do not know what I am looking for,” she insisted.

“Can I trust you to keep quiet? At least to the lodgers?”

She pondered for a moment and looked up at Creature, who simply nodded. She turned back to him with a curious grin on her face, “Very well, we will keep a secret.” Jekyll was silent for what felt like an eternity, but snapped himself back into reality and straightened his back out of the slight slouch it had sunk into.

“I think one of the lodgers is a vampire, you’re really the only one I can trust at this point since you couldn’t possibly be the vampire” He said quickly, forcing it out of himself before he could make up a lie and avoid the problem.

“I thought that Hyde fellow was a vampire?” Frankenstein asked. It seemed even the presence of the great Doctor Frankenstein couldn’t deter the lodgers from their gossiping.

“I have reason to believe that there was a second vampire with him on the night that you arrived, someone familiar with the Society. I’m sure you know how serious of an issue vampires are, especially in a crowded building like this.”

Frankenstein face was riddled with alarm, but she was determined not to show weakness in front of her sworn enemy and kept a strong gaze with him.

“I suppose I can look out for anything, since I’m sure someone as inexperienced as you could not possibly be able to see fine details as a good scientist can,” she smiled, “Besides, it will be fun to watch you learn the consequences of being an untrustworthy siren that knows nothing of the personal lives of the people he seeks to scrub clean.”

“Whatever makes you feel better, then. Here, this'll suppress your cough."

“Do you really expect me to drink this? Just because I’m helping you does not mean that I’ll swallow whatever mediocre mixture you put in front of me!”

“But how will you prove me wrong?” Jekyll asked, raising it further towards her.

She glared at him, annoyed by his logic, but nonetheless held her hand out expectantly. She took a long gulp and was quiet for a moment, observing the notable lack of scratchiness in her throat that she’d been subjected to for so long.

“Bah, just because you managed to… to…” Frankenstein’s eyes drooped and she felt the need to lie back onto her pillow. Jekyll smiled sweetly and pulled the bedcovers back over her.

“I may have added a touch of Moonsoaked Howlite to help you rest. I’m sure it will help you sleep on our agreement, since I’d be best that we fix the situation before the exhibition.”

“Ah, this is not happening”

“Well you’ve already agreed to help me so I’d appreciate for you to keep to your word.”

“No, I mean your exhibition is not happening, I already explained to your lodgers how this is a trap to lure them into the sedating poppy fields of the bourgeoisie,” she yawned and welcomed the overwhelming need to rest, laying down on her pillow, “Naturally, they all agreed to quit.” Jekyll stopped and stared at her in horror.

“What?” 

Jekyll spent what felt like an eternity standing over the bed, processing the information. Creature finally shifted from where he sat and spoke up.

“That’s quite a problem you have there”

“I’ll say, how are we supposed to stay open if nobody participates in the exhibition!”

“No, I mean your vampire problem, they’re quite dangerous when left unchecked,” Creature said simply, looking at Jekyll very intently.

“Yes, they are,” he closed up his chemistry kit and lifted it off of the table. He carried it out the door as Creature dismissed him.

“Do be careful, Doctor, I’d hate to see any harm come to my creator or to yourself.”

Jekyll didn’t bother replying.

-

The Society seemed less crowded with all of the fuss over Frankenstein. Not a soul in the building was occupied with anything other than swooning over the new resident celebrity or engaging in excited chatter in their rooms to stop themselves from giving into the temptation of sneaking up to her room. The lights were all turned off in the lobby, leaving an eerie darkness that Lanyon could see through easily, watching what few movements occurred in the building pondered what to do about Hyde. No matter how he went about it, he kept on wandering back to doing something particularly horrible.

He could frame Hyde. It would be easy. Everyone knew that he was a vampire, so all he really had to do was leave a few harmless clues, maybe make a targeted if deliberately unsuccessful attack. It would certainly be low of him to scare the lodgers like that but it was definitely an effective move.

Hyde was a menace, it was justified, he just needed to scare Henry into firing him. He couldn’t possibly come to any other conclusion if he did something as heinous as attempting to attack someone. Nobody would even get hurt in the process, it was foolproof, even if it was quite the backstab. Lanyon wasn’t one for lingering on his feelings anyway.

From his silent position by one of the pillars on the ground level, he spied Luckett sneaking off with Doddle, both of them giggling like teenage courters and obviously intending to have one of the ‘sleepovers’ that were so uncomfortably common within these walls. It was as good an opportunity as any, so Lanyon sighed and pushed himself off of the pillar, determined to get to work.