Flashback: Christine Jekyll

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Earnest was calmly reading on his comfortable sofa, with only the sound of a clock to keep him company. The furniture was all in a dark wood, with golden decorations, and a handmade red carpet occupied most of the floor. Everything around him was still was still kinda new to him. Jekyll had bought that estate for him and his wife just a few weeks before. They got married not long ago, and they both were still in the process of getting used to that new exciting life as a couple.

Jekyll placed the book he was reading on his lap, and closed his eyes as he started to fall in the arms Morpheus.
Suddenly, the door opened wide.
"Uh-hi honey!" Earnest stuttered.
"Hello my dear!" Was the energic response.

His wife, Christine, an extrovert and wealthy woman with long golden hair, put down the bag he was carrying, full of fresh groceries. She went up to her husband, and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.
"I bought something for you!" She announced happily, then she rushed back to the bag she put down, and grabbed a tiny package. Earnest stood up, looking with curiosity at the little gift Christine put in his hands.
"What is it?" Asked he uncertain. Christine grinned. "Open it~!"
Jekyll was far from reassured, after seeing her smiling like that, but he opened it anyway.

Earnest stared at the objects in his hands and sighed desperately.
"Darling... we talked about this..." he murmured, tilting his head and forcing a smile on his face, while he moved his gaze from the tiny pair of shoes he was holding, to his wife's face.
"We still don't have  child that can fit those shoes, so we clearly haven't talked about it enough!" She replied smiling with supplicant eyes.
Jekyll put down the gift from his wife, and looked at her with an expression that was somewhere between unconditional love and utter concern.
"Dear..." he muttered sweetly. "You know what I think about having a child. We're married from just a few weeks... and having a kid is a huge responsibility... and... we're still very young... especially you... what if something goes wrong? What if you don't... you..."
Earnest's gentle smile vanished, and his reassuring voice broke. "...I don't even want to think at such a possibility..." he turned around and took a few steps away from her. His movements were suddenly feverish and betrayed his inner fear. Earnest just couldn't bring himself to look at Christine, after having that bloodcurdling thought.

All of a sudden, a soft hand gently caressed its way to Jekyll's cheek. Another hand followed the former, and after a few moments Earnest found himself in the delicate embrace of Christine. She placed her chin on his shoulder and began talking to him with a voice that resembled the purr of a cat.
"Amor mío, yo no quiero dejarte jamás... yo-"
"Darling," interrupted Earnest, letting out a brief and sad laugh. "I don't understand Spanish..."
Christine huffed, irritate because of that interruption. "Alright, let's see if you understand this: I'm not planning on leaving you alone. I don't ever want to leave you. You're everything I could dream of and more, and I would fight just to spend another day with you. I want to build my future with you... have kids... see them grow up... with you always by my side, amorcito."
Jekyll put his hands on hers, and slightly tilted his head toward hers.
"...okay then..." he whispered. "...We will have a child."
Christine jumped in surprise. "¿¡Qué?! W-what did you say?!"
Earnest smiled kindly. "I said yes, I... I want to have a child."
Christine laughed, cried tears of joy, raised her hands in victory, hugged Jekyll and kissed him in pure, enthusiastic joy.
Then, with a quick movement, she grabbed him by the tie. "Muy bien," she purred, looking straight into his eyes. "¡Hagámoslo! ¿Qué estamos esperando?" And Christine forcibly dragged him to their bedroom.
"W-wait!!" He stuttered, becoming as red as a tomato. "You meant n-now?!"

Days, weeks, months passed and a new member of the family finally arrived. For a long time time Christine and Earnest debated on the name to give him:
"Henry!"
"Fredric..?"
"Henry!"
"William..?"
"Henry!"
"George..?"
"Henry!!"
In the end, they decided to call him Henry.
Henry had the brown hair and gentleness of his father, and the red eyes and enthusiasm of his mother. He loved his parents deeply, but most of all, he loved playing with them. Always.
And when I say always I literally mean always.

"Mamá! Papà!" A small Henry, of only 3 years old, jumping up and down on his parents bed.
"Henry please... it's 2 am..." pleaded Christine while yawning.
"Why do you complain?" Murmured Earnest smiling. "After all, you wanted a child."
"¡Cállate!" She grunted, hitting him on the face with a pillow.
"Cállate! Cállate!" Chuckled Henry, as he began pocking his father with his tiny hands, mimicking his mother.

The lives of both Earnest and Christine deeply changed, but despite this, they were still the young, loving couple that pronounced that faithful "I do." at the altar time ago: they still spent most evenings walking alongside each other, had romantic dinners, and loved to make sweet surprises to each other. The arrival of Henry hadn't changed their love for each other, if not for the best.

One morning Earnest and Christine were in their dining room. Jekyll was playing with Henry, who was about 5 years old, and Christine was preparing the breakfast for them.
"Can it be?" She said incredulous. "We have finished all our brioches?" Without wasting a second, she put on her scarf and her shoes.
"Where are you going?" Earnest asked, as he and Henry turned around to face her.
Christine rushed back to the kitchen. "I'm gonna buy something yummy for my little cutie!" She mused, tickling Henry and making him chuckle.
"We'll come too" Earnest said, but Christine stopped him.
"You two stay here, I'll be back in no time!"
"Oh, okay then. We'll be waiting for you." Jekyll mused, giving a quick kiss to Christine, who then went to the door.
She waved happily first to her husband, then to her little son, who waved back energetically;
Christine then left the house.

Earnest sat down at the small table in the room, and leaned back on his chair.
Henry ran to his bedroom, and grabbed a little teddy bear, with which he started playing in the dining room, next to his father.

So they waited.
And they waited.
And they waited.
And they waited.

"Papà," murmured Henry, who had from a long time stopped to play, and started staring at the clock. "where is mamá?"
Earnest was unwillingly tapping with his foot; his elbows were resting on the table; his hands where crossed in front of his face and his eyes were bouncing from the clock, to his son, to the door, and then back to the clock. He tried to block the dark thoughts that threatened to overcome his head, but he couldn't deny that something felt terribly amis.

He stood up, and looked down at Henry. His green desperate orbs met the red concerned iris of his son. For a moment, his legs seemed not to be able to support him, and he felt as if he was going to faint.
"Henry, put on your shoes, we... we must go to the police."

Earnest should have gone to the police way sooner.

That, was the last time he saw the face, or heard the voice, of Christine Jekyll.

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