The Glass Scientists micro-fanfictions

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

"We should see Gabriel, it's been far too long. I miss him."

The good doctor, who had been rather contently emptying the content of a kettle into his teacup while appreciating the herbal aroma of the tea leaved, jolted all of a sudden. Unfortunately for him, this sent hot water splashing over him from the cup that he hadn't realised he'd struck until his legs were already unpleasantly hot and unpleasantly wet.

"What did you say?" Henry asked, sounding far more snappy than he'd intended to be with this. Of course he had a defense for this, as he had just spilled boiling hot water over himself and there was never anything pleasant coming from that.

If the figure that appeared both as a shadow stretching out into the room and confined within the prison of a mirror had thought to make comment on the fact that the man had merely heard the name and was left with hot, wet trousers, he chose to thankfully keep it to himself. Unfortunately himself was also the doctor's self so if he chose to think about the matter hard enough he could easily plant the thought in the other's mind without having to say a single word on the matter.

"I said, my dear, bumbling fool, that we should see Gabriel. You and he were so wonderfully close before," he stated, laying a heavy purr on the word 'close', "And if I miss him, I dare say the lack of your little lawyer at your side must be driving you positively insane, is it not?"

Hyde's words rung true, and that bothered Jekyll greatly. He did miss Utterson, the years they spent together practically inseparable, and free in each other's presence. But that had been so very long ago, and the letters that even now continued to arrive with meticulous consistency remained unanswered. Unanswered and unopened, for try as he would he could not quite bring himself to open even one, to see the concern the other man was no doubt expressing in each sealed envelope. It delighted him to receive the letters, but this was not without the guilt that came from the necessity that the concern came, nor the guilt that came from him virtually ignoring the one that he had so happily spent so many good hours with.

"I can't," came the doctor's response, his voice crisp and clear in the empty room.

"Of course you can," the other responded, "You know where he would be, approximately at the very least and so you can just pop on over, have some tea that hasn't been spilled on anyone's trousers, unless that's what you want, no judgement there, and talk like adults," a beat, "Rather than just hiding away and pretending that none of this had ever happened."

"While I would love to live a life where I may drop all my obligations and run off to see people I once cared for, Edward, I'm afraid I don't so I cannot."

"What rot!" came Hyde's response, his voice booming in an imposing sort of way that delighted him thoroughly, "'Once cared for' my goddamned left foot! Get off your arse for once and go see him so I don't have to hear any more of your blasted pining over him!"

"I do not pine!" exclaimed a scandalised sounding Henry, not realising that this being his concern practically proved the point that the other - other, self - was making.

Very pointedly trying to make a show of ignoring the resulting laughter that had come from is own brief outburst, the man set about dabbing at the tea that still dripped from the table, and was growing to an exceptionally unpleasant lukewarm on his thigh. Feighning ignorance of the hand on his shoulder that was begging for his attention even when he ignored him for less than a handful of moments. He was the only person in the room, after all, so there wasn't anyone there to be clasping at his shoulder, tugging at him much as a spoiled child would when they were denied a piece of candy or the like. The breath on his neck was merely wind coming in through a crack in the window, not a presence that he had brought into the world looming behind him like a wild, savage beast. If there were words spoken, then he didn't hear because there was nothing there for him to hear.

"Henry! Stop ignoring me! Go see Utterson! Right now!"

The kettle was once more placed over a flame. He was a tad disappointed to not be enjoying a cup at that moment, but that could be easily fixed. For a moment he considered risking a chuckle at his own clumsiness, but he felt that might be a bit too far. He didn't want to push his luck too far and challenge fate.

But when fate went by the name of Edward Hyde, everything came as a challenge. Over and over again came accusations of cowardice, whispers of scandalous hopefuls, provocations of ideas and ideal. Wearing away at the already paper thin will of a thinly veiled madman's psyche until, finally, Henry brought his hand down hard on the table.

"You know why I can't, Hyde! He saw you! He regonsised you! He recognised me!"

This hung like heavy fog in the air and the doctor chose to say no more. Right on time, the whistle of the kettle broke the suddenly growing silence.

For the second time in a matter of minutes he was pouring himself a nice cup of tea. Well, he hoped its be nice, god knows he needed it in his now agitated state. A glance out the window as the liquid cooled to a more palatable temperature let the man know that the weather was of the cheerful sort, the sun shining through a scattering of clouds.

Perhaps, if the weather persisted in this way, he might take the time to go for a nice afternoon stroll. If his path happened to pass a certain lawyer's office, then so be it.