[Aro]The Secret Worth Keeping[Kitten]

[Lala Kitty]

Plot Synopsis:
Dear Miss Mina Solowen,
I love you.
Sincerely,
Jack
Mina's life turned upside down when she received that letter. Ever since she had it in her possession, prostitutes all over the Whitechapel area have turned up dead in the alleys. Frighteningly, the serial killer is being referred to a Jack the Ripper. It seems far-fetched, but the man who sent her the love letter had a very resembling hand writing. Could a serial killer be in love with her?

Mina sighed as she stood in front of the police station, her secret admirer's letter clutched tightly in her hands. She should give this letter to officials, she knew it... but something kept her from marching up to the police now & turning in this letter. If her secret admirer was Jack the Ripper, she was in constant danger.

The young woman took a small step toward the police station, then & turned right around, heading home to her father. Mina was chickening out, she knew it, but something had a vice grip on her, keeping her from turning in the simple message... it was her first love letter. Though the content was a mere three words, they were the three sole words that girls spent hours primping & bettering their appearances for. Not even her recently deceased fiance, Matthew, put forward much effort to woo her. After all, he'd assumed that he'd marry her when he got back from his travels & they'd spend their lives together according to their parents' wishes.

Sadly, Matthew's fate was with intertwined with a crashed ship & a death at sea. At the age of 19, Mina, the attractive but above-marrying-age woman was certain that she would probably die alone in her father's estate. Her pretty brown eyes, youthfully wavy hair, & utterly feminine appearance couldn't cover up the fact that men with marriage in mind wanted young girls between 14 to 16 years of age. After all, there was no telling when a sickness or ailment could take a birthing woman's life, & it was the belief that the younger the mother, the more likely they were to survive the process of pregnancy.

I love you. The words resonated through through Mina's mind as she blushed lightly, hurrying through the roads. Matthew had never told Mina that he loved her once, not even in his letters she received in his travels. But pushing that confusing notion aside, Mina began to hasten her trip home. It was getting dark now & her father wanted her home earlier than the sun went down. Looking around the emptying street for the billionth time, Mina made sure she wasn't being followed & then went inside. Her father came in & kissed her forehead with a smile.

"I am glad you returned safe, my dear Mina," Kale Solowen murmured as she was then shooed to the dining room. He ordered a servant to lock the front door several times & then joined her. The family of two enjoyed a quiet meal together & Mina excused herself after, locking her room. She had to reply to the letter sent to her, she had to see if her admirer was truly the infamous Jack the Ripper. & there was only way to find out.

Pulling out a fresh piece of parchment, Mina set up her quill & ink before she began to write in her small & feminine penmanship:

Dear Mr. Jack....

[Aro]

Lucius stood in his bathroom, his hands tightly clutching the edges of a copper washbasin. The water no longer the colorless liquid it once was, now tainted with a deep red color as it slowly filled the entire basin. "No, no, no." He sucked in slow shallow breaths between his teeth refusing to look up at the person that would stare back at him in the mirror's clear reflection, he preferred the muddled waters reflection as he was sure that is what he truly looked like to everyone.

He brought his hands up to his face and trying to hide it as he slowly looked up at the mirror. "How could you do it?" He asked the reflection, barely able to see his mouth moving because of his hands, his eyes wide with fear afraid to think of what he had done, or rather what Jack had done.

"How could I do it?" The reflection answered moving it's hands away from it's face revealing a small smile before chuckling. "It was easy! All I had to do was get a piece of paper, a quill and ink, and write how I felt!" The reflection's smile vanished and was replaced by a scowl as the reflection scoffed and turned it's back to Lucius. "You could've written your name on that note," The reflection looked over it's shoulder at Lucius. "If you wouldn't have been afraid to do it."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about!" Lucius screamed at the reflection as he grabbed the edge of the mirror. "The note is the least of my problems right now," He looked back down at the basin full of red water. "Why did you have to kill that girl tonight?" His body shook as he gripped the edge of the mirror so tight his knuckles turned white. "There was no reason to kill her...or the one the night before...or the one before that." He backed away from the mirror and leaned against the wall behind him, looking up at the ceiling. "Why am I always the one that has to clean up after your mess?" He took several deep breaths trying to calm down. "You know they've given you a name now?"

Lucius looked back at the reflection to see it staring back at him, the rage still burning in it's eyes. Jack the Ripper. The refelction chuckled again as a small smile spread across it's lips before he broke out laughing. I actually kinda like it. The reflection said in between sporadic bursts of laughter as Lucius slid down the wall, wrapping his arms around his knees rocking abck and forth a bit.

Tears were begining to form at the corner or Lucius's eyes as there was a gentle rap on the door and a woman's voice pierced the silence. "Master Lucius?" It was the maid his father employed. "Is everything all right in there? You've been inside for quite some time and it sounded like you were talking to someone."

Lucius took a deep breath and wiped the tears away from his eyes. "Yes, Elizabeth. everything is fine." He could see the reflection smirking at him as Lucius lied once again. "I was just reminding myself that I have to visit my Uncle tomorrow, he'll be needing help getting a few things from some merchants."

"Yes, Master Lucius, I remember your Uncle's letter asking you to help." He could see the doorknob turn slightly as Elizabeth tried to enter the room. "If that will be all I'll begin cleaning up the trash here in your study."

"No," He quickly stood up. "No, I'll take care of my mess, just don't worry about my study."

"Yes, Master Lucius." Elizabeth said as she turned away from the door, her footsteps clicking against the wooden floors descending away from where he was.

"Don't want her to see all your letters to Mina?" The reflection asked as Lucius stepped towards the door.

"No, I'm just tired of talking to you." Lucius snapped back. He looked at his hand on the doorknob still picturing the blood on his hand that he had washed off bringing back a quick image of the young woman Jack had killed using his hands. He bit his lip nearly drawing blood as he left the bathroom and the reflection inside, taking a seat behind the oak desk in the room grabbing one of the many crumpled letters that littered the room and desktop only able to see a few of the scratches he had made on the paper.

I love you.
Sincerely, Lucius
Jack
Lucius

As he pushed the paper away he could hear a chuckle in the back of his mind. "She'll never really love you now." The voice whispered to him before silence filled the room, and his mind, again.

[Lala Kitty]

For what seemed like the millionth time, Mina studied her letter to "Jack". As much as she'd tried to sound bolder & more confident than she was, no matter how many times she read it, Mina was disgusted to realize that she sounded like a timid mouse, no matter what she wrote. Surely the man who claimed to be her admirer would be put off. Which was confusing to Mina, & made her wrack her brain for several hours. Why did she want to be pleasing to a total stranger? Was it because he was the only person to show any interest in marrying an old maid such as herself?

Dear Mr. Jack...

Honestly, the rest of the letter just melded together to Mina. She thanked him for his confession, told him that his words meant a great thing to her, & asked if he would care to ever meet her in person. It was meant to be forward, but her penmanship & words made the bold approach sound like an incredibly false pretense. The mood of her letter totally defeated the purpose of her intent.

Mina sighed aloud in the studio half of her room & looked around. Mina would bet her life that no one in the world knew that she was an artist by hobby, unless they entered her bedroom. It was rather large, thanks to her father's need to please her, & was parted by a curious curtain that split down the middle of the room.

No one really knew that on the other side of this curtain was Mina's studio. Very few maids bothered to go into it, for it was messy & Mina refused to let anyone straighten out her organized mess. Sketches littered the floor & walls, paintings crowded around an easel in the corner, & little spatters of ink, charcoal, & pastels were everywhere. Yet, Mina was happy when she could lock herself away in her own little world, so Master Solowen kept his worries to himself. Idly, Mina wondered if her admirer would like the artisan side of her as well.

A pink blush settled on the young woman's cheeks & she stood up from her desk, crossing the curtain to go back into her bedroom. She'd received her letter from a boy at her window, so maybe if she left the note tied up somewhere out there, he'd come back to take it. With great courage, Mina pulled on a modest robe & then headed to her window. She opened the old thing with great difficulty & then slowly crawled out of her window & onto one of the levels of the roof. Now, where could she put this thing?

With her mind distracted, Mina barely had time to register her hand slipping with a tile until she fell forward onto her face & chest. The woman let out a grunt of pain, shocked again when little grubby hands grabbed her arm to pull her from sliding off of the roof. Looking up, she saw the boy who delivered her the letter a few days ago & let out a soft sigh of relief. The boy helped Mina up to the window sill & gave the woman a goofy smile.

"G' evenin', Miss," the boy greeted her, "Is somethin' the matter?" Mina shook her head & took a few more moments to calm herself before she reached into the pocket of her robe & pulled out her letter to Jack. The kid's eyes widened but he took the pretty folded paper, even topped with what he considered to be an adorable ribbon wrapped about it.

"Can you take that to the man who sent me a letter through you?" Mina asked, tucking her feet under her robe in an attempt to be more modest, "I would be ever so grateful." Mina was so intent on speaking to the boy that the sight of something in her peripheral vision made her jump in shock. She could have sworn that for a moment, the shape of a man appeared beside her neighbor's house, but when Mina looked, no one was there.

"Don' worry, Miss!" the boy suddenly announced as he tucked the letter into his dirty coat pocket, "I'll make sure he gets it!" Mina nodded gratefully, shocked when he didn't ask for a fee. Didn't street urchins usually do EVERYTHING only for a fee.

"Don't you want any pay?" she asked curiously. The boy looked fearful for a moment & then shook his head, as if totally dismissing the idea.

"It's not needed, Miss," the boy said, "The gent who sent the letter feeds me when he can. & besides, I don' think it be a good idea t' charge his woman for anything. He ain't th' type t' take kindly to bein' swindled." Mina didn't dare correct the boy over his comment about being her admirer's woman & climbed back into her room as the messenger jumped to the next roof & took off running into the night. She wondered to herself if he would really bring her admirer the letter & left her window half open to climb into bed. She was so tired, & the cool autumn wind blowing in helped lull her to sleep.

[Aro]

"Can't we leave?" The voice in Lucius' mind returned after a few hours of peace, and Lucius could just picture the owner of the voice pacing back and forth in his mind. He could tell from the tone of the voice that it's owner was exasperated "I'm tired of being cooped up in this tiny room with you just pining over those pointless letters to Mina." Lucius could practically hear the smirk in the voice as he spoke of the letters. "After all, it's my words that she's reading right now. My words, Lucius, not yours!" Luciuc rested his elbows on top of the desk as he rubbed his temples trying to just will the voice away, a fact that made the voice chuckle. "She's reading the words of Jack the Ripper." The voice whispered to him before going silent again.

"You have no name." Lucius spoke aloud, no worries about being overheard with his parents away for the next few days and Elizabeth busy with the rest of the house he was free, or at least as free as he could be knowing the truth about himself. "The only one of us with a name is me, and my name is Lucius Theodore Jackson." He moved one of his hands to another crumpled piece of paper on his desk and looked at it for a moment.

It was just like many of the other pieces of paper, they all started off 'Dear Miss Mina Solowen', after that however each letter was different but all written with the same intent. Some letters coveyed his apologies about the loss of her fiance, some trying to explain how he even knew her, most of them were just the simple words 'I love you', and there were even a few that the voice had written which Lucius would immediately throw into the furnace as soon as he found them. The ending of each letter was the problem, nearly everytime he would go to write his name the voice seemed to take over and the two would fight for control. Lucius or Jack, a nickname given to him by his Uncle that the voice seemed to adopt as his own even before there ever was a Jack the ripper.

He looked at signature on the end of the letter in his hand and could tell that the voice had been winning that day. Several of Lucius' signatures had been blotted out with ink and replaced with just four simple letter that Lucius had some to loathe. "You still think I don't have a name? The evidence is as clear as day right there on that piece of paper." He could picture the voice just leaning over his shoulder reading the same letter, pointing to each of the Jacks on the page.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Lucius yelled at the empty room, crumpling the letter in his hand. Lucius got his wish, for now, as the voice went silent again and he was alone in the room once more.

He gave a soft sigh of relief as there was a knock at the study's door and Elizabeth stuck her head into the room. "Master Lucius, you have a visitor, it's that young boy again."

"Thank you, Elizabeth." "Thank you, Elizabeth." Lucius could hear the mocking tone of the voice after he spoke and it made him just want to scream but he kept his composure in front of Elizabeth. "Please send him in and fix him something to eat before he leaves the house."

Elizabeth nodded and opened the door wider to let the boy walk in before shutting the door and leaving Lucius with the boy. "Evenin' sir." The boy said said as he crossed the room, taking off his hat and holding it in front of his chest, as he came to a stop in front of the desk. "I brought you somethin' from that woman you was havin' me watch." He said as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a neatly folded slip of paper with a ribbon tied around it and placed it on the desk in front of him.

"Mina." "Mina!" Lucius could just hear the excitement coming from the voice. It was the first time he had heard the voice that excited, without a knife in hand that is. "Quick, fool, open the damn letter." Lucius tried to ignore the voice and pulled open a drawer on the right side of the desk. "I think this deserves a little more than what Elizabeth is fixing you, don't you agree?" Lucius asked looking up at the boy as pulled out his wallet from the drawer and handed the boy a few bills. "Now a meal and a few pounds sounds like a good haul for today." Lucius said as he closed the drawer and focused his attention back onto the letter.

Opening it up and beginning to read silently, disheartened by the 'Dear Mr. Jack' which caused the voice to laugh. "I told you Lucius! She loves me more than she'll ever love you." Lucius ignored him and continued reading. No where in the letter was the sentence claiming that Mina did indeed love Jack and that caused Lucius to smirk, but was quickly wiped away when he saw that she wanted to meet. "Just give her an address for tomorrow night."

Lucius was a little reluctant to do so but he did want to meet Mina as well. He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote an address on it folded the paper and sealed it. "Give her this letter and you'll get another meal and another 5 pounds." Lucius said as he handed the boy the letter then let him leave the room to eat his meal.

"Looks like I'll be getting to meet Mina tomorrow." The voice said holding back a chuckle. "And afterwards who knows where the streets will lead. Right, Lucius?"

"No," Lucius leaned back in the chair still holding the letter in his hand. "We'll be meeting Mina, and then we'll be back at home. I refuse to let you hurt another one."

Lucius' defiance caused the voice to break out laughing. "You and I both know that you can't really stop me, Lucius, and besides we're Jack the Ripper."

[Lala Kitty]

A squeal of surprise left Mina's lips as a child landed before her bedroom window, seeming at home when jumping on the roof tiles. His grubby hands reached into his pockets for a crisp, rolled parchment, which he shoved before her with a huge grin. Mina put down her sketching pad & opened her large window. The old thing stuck stubbornly & she sat back down at the window seat as the monkey of a messenger handed her his letter & tipped his hat.

"Wait!" Mina said quickly as he began to hop off, "Do I not owe you a postal fee?" The boy shook his head with an impish grin; something like fear flickered in his eyes as he backed up a bit more.

"I been paid already, Miss," he explained, "& ya' don' need to keep askin'; I'd let you know if I required money." The boy trailed off & jumped to the other roof, taking off before Mina could ask more. What did the sender look like? she wanted to ask, What did he sound like? Mina sighed in disappointment & curled on her window seat, devouring the letter as quickly as he eyes could move. He wanted to meet her.

Dear goodness, what was she to do? If the man who claimed to love Mina where Jack the Ripper, she was dead. Far beyond death. Mina swallowed a lump in her throat & looked out at the sky, weighing her options. She should go to the police now. She should beg them to protect her from whoever was obviously pursuing her. But she couldn't & she knew that already. She was too ensnared in this "Jack's" trap to escape the taunting grip of uncertainty he had on her.

Looking over the letter again, Mina bit her lip nervously. Jack wanted to meet her in the middle of the night at address she knew nothing of. It would be an understandable arrangement if he were particularly wealthy or aristocratic, but what if he was just a freak wanting to get her alone? So many bad things were happening in the streets as of late....

Once again, Mina was startled by the monkey boy as he appeared before her window. It was late & she was barely sitting up in bed before the child silently made his way into Mina's room, holding her reply. His eyes were wide in a state of fear as he gave Mina the note, pulling out a long red sash from his pocket.

"E' wants you t' wear it, or he'll refuse your presence, Ma'am," the messenger boy murmured as he placed the silk cloth in her hand. Mina clutched it & watched him sneak off with a bit of confusion in her mind. She was scared of Jack now. & excited. & terrified. & amazed. She just didn't know what she felt actually, she just knew that tomorrow night was probably the only chance she would get to meet her admirer, & there was no way that she wasn't going.

[Aro]

"You're just like me," Lucius finally spoke. After his little messenger left he remained in his study, moving from his chair to in front of the window to stare out into the street. "You wouldn't refuse her presence." As he continued to speak to no one he mindlessly drummed his fingers on the wall around the window as he pressed his forehead against the cool glass.

We are nothing alike you spineless worm. The reflection moved away from the window and kept his back turn to Lucius. You claim we're just alike and yet you refuse that I even exhist. The reflection looked over it's shoulder back at the window. "You refuse to call me by my name when the rest of the world knows who I am."

"I refuse you exhist because you are nothing more than a figment of my imagination!" Lucius said beginning to raise his voice. "I refuse to call you by any name because you have no name!" Lucius spun away form the window as if to confront someone but he was simply met by an empty room.

"That's where you're wrong, Lucius." The voice said as Lucius turned back to stare out the window again. "You know my name. You know the things I've done. You know everything about me, and I know everything about you." Lucius looked up away from the street to stare at his own reflection in the mirror. "My name is Jack. I am the reason that people are no longer in the streets of Whitechapel." Lucius' reflection became the appearance of the voice once again and 'Jack' looked back at him. "I am Jack the Ripper. I have killed and I will keep killing."

Lucius was beginning to cringe from the images that came flashing back into his mind. All of the prostitutes whose lives had been claimed by Jack the Ripper and what had been done to them. "Shut up! You are nothing more than my imagination." Lucius shut his eyes as tight as he could and clamped his hands down over his ears as if trying to dorwn out the voice, but to no avail.

"Oh, come now, Lucius." The voice continued. "You remember what we did to those women." Lucius still kept his eyes closed and hands over his ears trying to think of anything else besides what the Voice wanted him to remember.

"We didn't do anything." Lucius said, the sound of his own voice sounding as if he was far away. "You did all of those things! You!"

"Huh, so I do exhist?" The voice asked. It had gotten what it wanted in the first place, for Lucius to accept that Jack was real and by forcing him to remember the last several nights were just what he needed to do it. "Don't claim that we are alike when you won't do whatever it takes to go after the woman you love. You just need to remember that I'm the part of you that does what you really want to do, but are to afraid to do it." Lucius slowly opened his eyes, but kept his hands over his ears. "And the sooner you come to understand that the sooner our life can truly begin."

The voice went silent and Lucius was again alone standing in his study with his hands clamped down over his ears. "I'll never be able to live as a murderer." He mumbled. "Never. All I want is Mina."

[Lala Kitty]

Mina quickly made up her mind & stripped off her nightgown, donning on a scarlet red dress to match the blindfold she had been sent. The young woman then set about escaping her home, climbing down the old ladder beside her house. She finally jumped down & smoothed her withered appearance, putting on crisp white gloves & clutching the silk cloth in hand. She couldn't keep Jack waiting.

Clumsily, she stumbled through the dark alleys as she made her way to West Bridge. The rain had finally stopped at 1 AM, & she had the horrid feeling that Jack would be gone already. She panted weakly as she finally reached the bridge & leaned against the ledge that looked over the rushing river below. Not a single soul was in sight; she'd lost probably her only chance to meet with Jack. Crestfallen, she looked up at the cloudy sky, thickened by pollution & grime & sighed.

Two hands suddenly grabbed tightly on Mina & she screamed into a closed hand. The air suddenly reeked of alcohol & she jabbed her elbow into the person behind her & he grunted, falling onto his back. A knife scattered onto the ground & she stared at him fearfully, ready to faint at any moment. The man scrambled to stand up & he slowly advanced on Mina, who tried to back away as quickly as her billowing dress allowed.

"Stupid bitch," he growled as his eyes glistened in the darkness, "You're going to pay for that. All I wanted was to play." Mina's eyes widened in shock & disgust. He thought she looked like a prostitute? Just how drunk was he? Mina's silk gown rustled & she ducked as the man swung his blade, her face almost becoming a pincushion. He moved to swing again, but a remarkably handsome man coming from behind Mina grabbed him & shoved him back. Mina leaned against a building behind her, the dashing man tipping his hat at the scrambling drunk before he dragged her away, in the exact direction of her home.

"What exactly is the esteemed Miss Solowen doing out here?" the man asked, making Mina gasp & look up. The man who had just saved her was none other than Donovan James, a man who had been pursuing her hand for marriage. Her father had claimed she was direly sick for the past few months, & she'd just blown her cover.

"I was supposed to meet someone," Mina finally answered as Donovan helped her up the ladder she's left against the house. She found it odd that Donovan said nothing about her sneaking into her own home like a criminal, & froze completely when he reached his hand under her petticoats & held her ankle. She blushed darkly, as any lady would, & stared down at him in shock. Donovan simply smiled & handed her a box; inside was a heavy diamond ring.

"I c-cannot accept this, My Lord," Mina said weakly, & Donovan bowed with a confident smile.

"I merely wish that you consider my proposal, Miss Mina," he said, but his eyes were filled with command. Donovan James meant to make Mina all his. She watched him walk away & looked down at the box. To any other young woman, this would be the happiest moment of her life; but Mina only felt burdened. She wanted a ring from her secret admirer, not a stuck-up man that knew Mina's father was ruined the second she turned down Lord James.

"& Miss Mina!" Donovan called. Mina looked at him, trying not to yell at him to get lost. She wanted to oh-so-badly.

"If I were the person you wanted to meet, a little rain would never deter me," Donovan stated smugly. He then walked around the corner & was gone. Mina growled & tossed the ring box into her window angrily when she got on the top of the ladder & went inside, looking up at the sky once more. Damn it for being so fickle. After she was certain that the annoying Donovan was gone, however, Mina was ready to leave her house again. She didn't know why, but she just had to meet Jack now.

~~~~~

On Mina's second attempt, she made it to the bridge in no time, frowning confusedly when she saw no one. Jumping, startled, she remembered the sash & pulled it over her eyes. It was a bit concerning that Mina's secret admirer didn't want her to see his face, but if that's what it took, she was willing. Even if it killed her, she wanted to meet Jack.

"Hello?" Mina finally called through the darkness, supporting herself on the railing of the bridge. She tried to keep her voice calm, but Mina's excitement & fear mixed together, making her words tremble a bit as she clutched to the railing as tightly as possible.

[Aro]

His counterpart Jack had been quiet for some time and he decided to trade the solitude of his study for the comfort of his bedroom. Once inside he spent some more time staring out of his window waiting for the time to leave. As the time drew near he began to gather clothes to change into, forgoing one of his suits made for him for just a pair of simple trousers, shirt and coat. "She wants to meet me, Lucius, not you!" The voice returned yelling as Lucius began to get ready to leave his home.

"I know that she wants to meet you." Lucius snapped back. "Why do you think I'm preparing to wear these clothes. We don't want her to know just who we are, isn't that why you also had the boy give her a blindfold?" Lucius asked as he began to dress into the clothes.

"Yes," Lucius could sense the hesitation in the voice as it spoke. "That's exactly why I gave her the blindfold, so she wouldn't see us. That way she can't go running off to the police."

Lucius knew that wasn't the whole truth but it was more than he'd gotten from Jack in a long time. "Fine, then." He finished putting on the pants and shirt and pulled on the coat.

"It's going to rain tonight. Be sure to grab a hat." The voice said, it no longer seemed angry and was even possibly looking forward to seeing Mina, Lucius knew he was.

"Fine, I'll grab a hat on our way out." Lucius said looking back over his shoulder towards the window, seeing no one, but expecting to see his other self standing there staring at the dark clouds overhead. Lucius made his way over to his dresser and pulled out the top drawer, moving around the clothes inside to reveal a false bottom. Using his forefinger he found a small hole in the back corner of the drawer and lifted the bottom to reveal several items that Jack preferred to use, a few straight-edged knives as well as a few straight razors. Lucius took a deep breath and asked, "Do we have to take them tonight?"

"Why do you always ask?" Lucius could picture his other self turning form the window to stare at him dumbfounded by his question. "You know that I'd just return here to gather them after to give me control." Lucius sighed, he knew the voice was right. He had tried to save a few people from the torment of Jack before only to end up back at home cleaning the blood from his hands. He grabbed one of the straight razors and a knife with a 5inch blade inside a coarse leather sheath and placed them inside one of his coat pockets. "That's better Lucius."

Lucius slowly shook his head as he replaced the false bottom, hiding it again, pushed the drawer closed and turned towards the door. "Fine, then, Jack. Let's be off."

"Oh so now I'm Jack?" The voice asked as Lucius made his way out of the room. "Let's not forget that then, Lucius." Through the eyes of Lucius Jack could see everything as Lucius made his way down a hallway passing by the doors to the study then down the stairs that ended nearly directly in front of the large wooden door that exited the house. "Don't forget a hat." Jack reminded as Lucius placed his hand on the doorknob. Lucius seemed to hesitate but did as Jack said and grabbed a rather common looking hat and pulled it down to hide his eyes before leaving his home.

Outside it was rather cool with a slight wind blowing down the street and just like Jack had said it began to rain. A light sprinkle at first but eventually starting to rain harder as Lucius made his way through the alleyways and darkened streets to reach the destination he had promised to meet Mina, stumbling occasionally due to the fact that he knew it wasn't him that belonged in the shadows but Jack. And they were both becoming increasingly more tired at being in the others place.

Lucius stopped in the middle of one of the alleys, the rain still coming down quite hard, and spoke. "Fine, take your place. If she wants to me Jack the Ripper then she might as well meet the real one." Lucius stood still in the alleyes for just a moment before an ever so slight change occured.

"Ah, it's about time you let me out to play Lucius." Jack said as he made his way down the alley exiting into a dimly lit street not far from where they were to meet with Mina. "I suppose you're just gonna sit back like you usually do. Well I'll just wake you when we return home." Jack smiled as he kept his head down and made his way down the road, finding a nice spot to sit and wait for Mina he had a clear view of the road from wither way and was hidden away from the rain as well. "Rain will stop soon and then she'll show up."

Jack waited silently for nearly an hour before he finally saw Mina making her appearance. "Ah, Lucius, you have such fantastic taste." Jack whispered as he looked Mina over, many would say that he looked her over the same was a wolf would look at a sheep. "She even dressed up, how nice. You didn't tell her that scarlet red was my favorite color did you?" He waited for an answer but none came. "I suppose not."

Jack began to move out of his little hole when another man came staggering out of the darkness and grabbed Mina. Jack stopped where he was as he heard Mina's muffled scream and waited to see what she would do. "Well aren't you going to run to her rescue!" Lucius' voice resonated from the back of his mind.

"Just calm down you fool." Jack mumbled turning his head slightly to look at the empty space beside him as if Lucius was there. "There's no need to run to her aid. Besides I'm Jack the Ripper I don't exactly run to women's aid. That's your job." Jack focused his attention back on Mina and her would-be attacker as she elbowed the man in the ribs causing him to release her and fall to the ground. The man staggered back up onto his feet and went after Mina again only to be stopped this time by another man, one well known throughout London, Donovan James. "Oh how I'd like to stick a knife in him." Jack said as he clenched his fist and continued to watch.

Donovan made short work of the drunkard and then he and Mina went off the way she had come. "She's leaving with him! Stop them." Lucius' voice pierced the silence again causing Jack to turn his head away trying to escape the sound.

"Shut it, Lucius!" Jack snapped back. "She'll be back. I'm fairly certain Donovan paid off the man to attack Mina. It's seems like something you would do. Pay off a would-be attacker and then rush to the aid of the young woman." Jack scoffed and made his way towards the bridge walking slowly to give the drunkard time to get off the bridge. "I'm actually quite surprised you hadn't tried it before." He stopped just a few yeards from the bridge and began to wait again. The drunk already making his way back down the road stumbling off into the dark.

It wasn't to long before he saw Mina again. She seemed to know the route to the bridge quite well now and she traversed the darkness just as well as Jack. She once again walked to the center of the bridge and looked out at the river under the bridge. But still Jack made no move to advance from his hiding spot until she placed the blindfold around her eyes just like Jack had wanted.

He waited a few moments longer before making his way onto the bridge, staying silent he was only a few feet from her before she called out. "Hello?" He voice was trembling a little, from fear or excitement or both Jack couldn't tell.

Her hands clutched the railing in front of her tightly that her knuckles were nearly white as he crossed the last few feet and stood direstly behind her. "Hello, Miss Mina Solowen." Jack whispered as he leaned closer to her ear, placing his hands on hers to keep her from running from him. "I'm Jack the Ripper."

[Lala Kitty]

Mina remained perfectly still as the man behind her announced himself. Oh dear lord, her fears were confirmed he was Jack the Ripper. Not the baker, the iron smith, or the merchant. The bloody Ripper. & she had willingly walked into this trap. All too well, the young woman knew that she needed to get away, even as she felt herself swooning a bit at the feel of being blocked against the railing of the bridge.

Suddenly, Mina wiggled against Jack & almost gasped as she stumbled free; or she would have if Jack hadn't dragged her back against him & placed a hand over her mouth, the distinct feel of a blade now on her throat. Mina stayed still as stone now, taking a few moments to remind herself that he was probably incredibly skiddish; the fact that she was wearing a blindfold should have tipped her off already. Besides, if Jack the Ripper truly wanted to kill her, the blade on her neck would already be lodged deeply into her body several times over. So why wasn't she dead? Why wasn't he dragging her to an alley to gut her like a live fish?

It seemed like eternity that the two stayed on the bridge the way they were, & Mina's nerves only grew worse, & before long, her legs began to give away & she slumped into her assailant, her breathing growing a bit shallow. She could feel his heat through rough clothes & a heavy coat, hear the even breathing he let out into her long, brown curls, & smell his scent. Oddly, there was no blood or death on him, just the smell of his leather coat & a soft perfume that many gentlemen she knew wore. It was the oddest thing, but he didn't feel dangerous at all, aside for the cool metal he still kept pressed on her skin.

Finally, Jack released Mina's mouth & she felt herself begin to swoon more, her heart pounding wildly under the hand he kept pressed against her upper chest & shoulder. Surely, he knew of her great distress right now, but he said nothing to her & didn't move, just held her completely still, as if he were contemplating... maybe he was planning out how to murder her. The very idea of it sent another fearful shudder down Mina's spine & it was all she could do not to whimper & beg for her life then & there.

"Mr. J-jack," she finally gasped out shakily as her knees wobbled with great effort to support her, "W-what is it... you... want....?" Mina struggled to speak, greatly held back by the blade on her throat & her increasing heart rate. If the man against her said anything, she wasn't sure, for Mina began to roll into unconsciousness, her feet sliding under her as she slumped in a dead weight against Jack.

'This is it,' she thought as she finally passed out, 'He's going to kill me, & I just let him. I'm such a fool for falling for his trap.'

[Aro]

Jack could practically feel the fear emenating off of Mina after he told her who he was. This was one of the many things he loved about any of his victims, just the fear they gave off before their impending doom. But Mina was different, he was conflicted about her feeling this way about him. No doubt these feelings of mine are tied in with Lucius.

He felt Mina move against him and it brought him out of his thoughts. Instinctivly he moved his hands off of Mina's and into his pocket for one of his blades. When she stumbled away he grabbed her again placing one arm across her shoulder and upper chest with the straight razor pressed against her throat and the other hand clamped down over her mouth to keep her from screaming. With her pressed against him he could feel any move she made, and yet she made none. No doubt afraid for her life what with the edge of a blade pressed against her neck. He had no intention of taking her life, if he did no doubt Lucius would turn himself in the moment he had control again. Dammit all. Maybe I should've let Lucius--No she didn't want to meet that fool! She wanted Jack, and this just proves even more to her that I am Jack the Ripper.

Even though it felt like hours to him seconds passed into minutes and neither moved, just simply breathing in the cool Autumn air as the sound of the river passed under them. It was quite peaceful to him, Mina however he feared it did not help to ease her fears. He could feel her legs beginning to weaken, most likely due to her nerves of actually deciding to meet with Jack the Ripper alone. It wasn't long after that she slumped into Jack and he was forced to hold her up. Her breathing had changed as well as she began to breath in quick shallow breaths and he could quickly feel the heat of her body against his own. He began to notice her smell, something he couldn't quite pinpoint, but something he knew he would never be able to forget.

"What are you doing?!?" Lucius' voice rang out in his mind. "She can hardly breath with you covering her mouth like that! And even worse you could've killed her from shock just by announcing yourself the way you did! Let go of her mouth and let her speak!" He hated to agree with Lucius but his other self was right and he removed his hand from Mina's mouth. When he did he could feel her heartbeat quicken in pace but paid little mind to it. Still the two remained silent then he felt a shudder coeing from Mina, no doubt she was thinking the worse of her situation and this only made things worse for Jack.

Finally she spoke. "Mr. J-jack," She struggled to speak, each word seemed shaky and hard for her to say as if she had never spoken them before. "W-what is it... you... want....?" He could feel her legs shaking badly beneath her and he knew that any moment now she would faint from her ordeal.

"My dear, Mina, all I want is you." Jack whispered to her although he was unsure as to whether or not he had heard her as her feet gave way under her and she became dead weight in Jack's arms nearly taking him to the ground as well. "Well damn it all." He muttered as he staggered back into a standing position, Mina still in his arm, as he replaced the straight razor back into his pocket. "Now I'm going to have to get her back home."

He sighed as he removed the blindfold, letting it go in the river below, and moved Mina onto his back and began making his way back the way Mina had came. "How is it you know where Mina lives?" Lucius' voice asked. "Were you watching her? Were you going to kill her?!?"

"Oh calm down." Jack muttered as he shifted Mina on his back. "Yes I was watching her. How could i not after having heard you reading your letter to her. Oh, Mina, how I long to hold you in my arms and call you mine." Jack said mimicking Lucius. "So of course I found her and watched her. I never planned on killing her." Jack's mind flashed back to Donovan and the drunkard from earlier. "But this will help us get rid of another of your obstacles. Donovan James." Jack smiled as his plan came into fruition as Mina's house came into view.

"You may wanna watch this bit." Jack smiled as he pulled off his hat and threw it into the street before moving to the front door. "Help, is anyone in there! Mr. Solowen! Somebody open the door! I need help out here, I found your daughter collapsed outside!" He had everything planned out. As soon as someone opens the door he would step in with Mina on his back and then explain how he saw Donovan James and an unknown man speaking to Mina on the bridge. Then he would tell of her being attacked by the two, Donovan wanting her to marry him and the unknown man simply a hired thug, only to be run off by Lucius as he was out for an evening stroll trying to clear his head.