back - ao3 link - words: 5,086 - publish date: 08 Aug 2025
It had been three months since Dr. Jekyll's disappearance. Three months since anybody had last seen him. Three months since Mr. Utterson had last seen him.
Since he disappeared, his supposed assistant and heir to his wealth, Mr. Hyde, had taken place in Jekyll's manor. He didn't even own the place yet, but had already made himself at home.
Almost everyone had been avoiding him like the plague since Jekyll's disappearance, most having taken an instant dislike toward the man. The once often guest filled rooms left empty, barren, no longer as lively as they had been for many years.
It made sense to him, really. This Edward Hyde was the sole heir to Jekyll's fortune, why wouldn't he want to try and inherit it sooner? Take his wealth for himself? Utterson had tried to warn Jekyll, tell him that nothing good would come from this man, but now he wouldn't even get to tell him ‘I told you so.'
Despite his personal grievances, he was currently on his way to begin assisting Mr. Hyde with his inheritance, as he had promised Jekyll not too long ago, as much as it displeasured him.
While he has only had very few previous interactions with the man, he held a strong loathing towards him. Maybe it was because he had taken Jekyll's place so easily, his long time friend replaced by... that man.
Walking along the familiar path to Jekyll's manor, he arrived, standing in front of the impressive facade. Raising his fist to the door, he hesitated for a moment before knocking.
There were a few seconds of silence before Utterson heard some shuffling behind the door, which creaked open to show a (very small) Mr. Hyde peering out the crack. His eyes lit up with recognition before fully opening the door.
"Mr. Utterson, good to see you." He smiled.
Utterson grunted, looking away from the man. "I'm here to discuss Dr. Jekyll's will," he stated.
His smile faltered a bit. "Ah, yes, of course. Come in." He pushed the door open, standing out of the way while the other made his way inside.
Utterson silently followed behind Hyde, leading him to a room he knew all too well. The house seemed starkly empty compared to how it once was. Maybe it was the lack of the servants around, or maybe just the lack of Jekyll's presence.
"Can I get you anything? Some tea?" Hyde piped up, glancing back.
"No, thank you."
Hyde hummed, turning his head away.
They reached the lounge, which was completely unchanged by Hyde during his stay here for the past few months. He expected that it would have been altered by now, but alas, it was exactly how he remembered it. It almost made it hurt more. Hyde took a seat in Jekyll's much too large chair, sinking into its pillows a bit. Utterson continued to stand.
"So," Hyde asked, "the will, you said?"
Utterson nodded, beginning a long awaited explanation of what he would need to do.
Their conversation went on for a bit, discussions about what Hyde was inheriting (which he already seemed to know everything about. He must have known about the will, only contributing to Utterson's suspicions.), and other legal businesses.
Every time Utterson attempted to bring up Hyde's relationship with Jekyll, he refused to elaborate beyond ‘associate' or ‘assistant,' no matter how much he tried.
"Mr, Hyde, do you think you could tell me why is it that Jekyll left everything of his to you?" Utterson asked.
Hyde tensed up, looking away. "I don't know. I was just his assistant."
"Well why would he leave everything to you without a reason? I sure can't think of any." His voice got a bit louder than intended, coming off pretty harsh.
Hyde almost seemed to shrink back in his seat, away from him. "I don't know," he quietly mumbled out.
Utterson, realizing he wasn't going to get him to say anything right now, sat back down(he didn't notice he'd started standing again) with a heavy sigh, and continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.
He seemed uncomfortable when the topic was brought up, more so than he usually was, just more evidence that it was his fault that Jekyll was missing. After all, why would a murderer want to talk about their victim?
Thinking about the fact that Jekyll could be dead gave him an uneasy feeling, which is why he had still been telling himself that it was still possible that he was alive, despite how unlikely. He had to be.
Ignoring that, everything went fine. Utterson was able to explain what he needed to, Hyde told him most of what he asked, everything was fine, all went well.
A few hours had passed, their conversation wrapping up. Utterson pushed himself out of his chair and gathered up his things, ready to leave, and hopefully never return.
Hyde walked with him to the door, standing in the doorway before Utterson left.
"Goodbye, Utterson," Hyde said.
Utterson was tempted to ignore him and be on his way, but was stopped for a moment when Hyde spoke up.
"Will I see you again?"
He was slightly stunned by the concept. Why would Hyde want to see him again? Didn't they both harbor a dislike for each other? He stood there in silence trying to make sense of this.
"Utterson?"
He could use this opportunity to try and learn more about him, to try and find out more about what happened to Jekyll. Maybe he could even get Hyde to tell him.
"I may come by again, if I find the time," he said.
Hyde's face lit up, smiling at him. It was almost unnerving. Almost. "Well, have a good day, Utterson."
"You as well, Mr. Hyde." Utterson nodded in his direction before walking away toward his own home. What an odd man.
A few days had passed since their last interaction, Utterson still pondering what Hyde was all about. He still didn't know why Mr. Hyde would want to see him again, especially after how he was like last time.
He still planned to use this to try and find something against Hyde, of course, but even then he really had no idea. Did Hyde want something similar with him? Did he have some other motivation?
Utterson rambled down the foggy London streets towards Jekyll's manor once again, for the second time that week. Maybe he would get some answers, and explanations for everything, however unlikely.
He arrived at Jekyll's door, staring it down. He remembered the many times he had come here to meet with Jekyll himself, for them to either converse or simply sit in a comfortable silence. He missed that. Too bad he would never have it again.
Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he knocked on the door and awaited an answer. Hopefully Hyde was home at this time. It was a bit late after all, but Mr. Hyde struck him as the man to prefer the darker hours.
As he was about to knock again before the door was pulled open by Hyde. "Mr. Utterson! Good afternoon!" He beamed.
"Good to see you again, Mr. Hyde," Utterson spoke, even if that was somewhat untrue.
"Come in, come in." Hyde smiled, moving out of the doorway so Utterson could enter. "Would you like some tea?"
Utterson took off his jacket, putting it on the all too familiar coat hanger by the door. "That would be nice, thank you."
Hyde shuffled away before Utterson could say anything else, leaving him alone by the entrance. He sighed and decided to head to the other room to wait for the strange man.
He collapsed into his chair, noticing that the fireplace was already lit, illuminating the room. He glanced around, everything the same as it always was. Unchanged as before. Every chair unmoved, every painting still hung. Utterson could even pretend that Jekyll was still there with him, sitting across from him, engaging in passing conversation.
Dragging him out of his thoughts, Hyde had returned with tea in hand. He handed one cup to Utterson, and took one to Jekyll's seat across the room, sinking into the cushions. He wondered why he sat in that chair, despite it not fitting him at all.
Taking a sip of his tea, he expected some kind of generic tea that was often given by other hosts he had met with, but was pleasantly surprised when he tasted a sweet, familiar flavor. How did Hyde know how he preferred his tea...?
Hyde glanced over his cup at Utterson, staring at him silently. Utterson, taking notice of the two eyes upon him, looked back questionably.
They sat in silence for a few moments longer before Utterson spoke up.
"How have you been, Mr. Hyde?" A regular formality in an attempt to break the silence, though Hyde still seemed surprised by the question, as if he hadn't been asked it before.
He fidgeted with his cup, running his finger along the edge, staring into the liquid. "Fine. I've been fine." He seemed to focus on the tea as if it were the most interesting thing in the room, before appearing to remember that Utterson was still there. "How about you?"
"I've been alright," he quipped his usual response for the question. They were left with an awkward, quiet tension between them, neither sure what or if they should say.
Utterson looked away. Might as well use this time to try and get some information out of him. "Why did you invite me over, Mr. Hyde?" He asked, coming off a bit more accusative than intended, "I can't seem to think up a reason."
The other tensed up, not certain how to answer that question. He drummed his fingers on the armrest, trying to come up with something.
"I... uhm" he struggled. Clearing his throat, he continued, "No one really comes around here anymore. You're the only person who I've seen recently," Hyde quietly admitted.
That... wasn't what Utterson had expected. He didn't seem like he was lying, from what he could tell. Was he really just lonely? No other reasons? That didn't sit right with him. He was so sure of some ulterior motive, that Hyde wanted something from him, but he really just wanted company?
"Oh," Utterson muttered. He was now the one stunted on a response.
The previous silence continued on once again, neither sure what was to happen from now. Utterson decided that maybe directly pressing Hyde for any more information wasn't the best plan from here on out. He'll try to stick to more subtle actions.
The sound of the fireplace crackling filled the room. This was... not a situation either fancied being in at the moment. Utterson had started considering just up and leaving, escaping this awkward situation behind, just before the other piped up.
"Have you, uh, been working on anything recently?" Hyde spoke, trying to continue whatever conversation they had going.
Utterson, who was attempting to make this as least awkward as possible, started to tell the man about his recent work. He didn't expect him to understand, but he might as well.
Their conversation continued... smoothly, as much as it could. He may have misjudged Hyde slightly, though he could never be sure. At least his company wasn't intolerable, if he were to come back here at a later date.
Eventually, after some time had passed (how long had it been? He did think that he was able to stand being around that man for very long), Utterson prepared himself to leave. He said his goodbyes to Hyde, starting on the familiar walk back to his home. It was nearly dark out by now, the streets illuminated by the setting sunlight and the dim streetlamps.
He would have much to think about later, but for now he just enjoyed the walk home.
During the past few months after their first meetings, Utterson had been occasionally visiting Mr. Hyde. He usually came by in the evenings, once a week, liking to keep some form of schedule. After all this time around the man, he had become accustomed to his odd presence, it being somewhat routine at this point.
As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown somewhat... fond of the man. The time he had spent with him wasn't unpleasant, if he could say that, and he'd even caught himself enjoying Hyde's company at times. Maybe it was just that he reminded him of Jekyll in some ways...
Not that he was a replacement for Jekyll, of course not- he just found himself often having a sense of familiarity around him. It may have just been due to the manor, which still remained unchanged, being associated with Jekyll in the first place. Yes, it must have just been that.
He hadn't yet managed to get any information about Jekyll's disappearance out of him, as Hyde always shut down the topic. He was hoping that he would at least get something, but from what he could see now, Hyde might not even have any involvement in it, though he couldn't rule anything out just yet.
He had tried some other less... direct approaches, such as more general questions like what his work was, why he moved in, and more of the sort, but still to now avail.
It was surprising that he hadn't given up yet, that he still visited even though it was seemingly pointless. Maybe he felt bad. Maybe he was only returning because he knew that Hyde never saw anyone else. Maybe it wasn't just for his own gain at this point.
Not that it mattered. He was already on his way towards the manor for his weekly meeting with Hyde. It was a gloomy day out, the sky coated in gray, yet pleasant nonetheless.
His shoes clacked against the pavement, nearly unnoticeable with the sounds of the busy streets that afternoon. Utterson navigated his way through the crowd, arriving upon the doorstep of his destination.
Knocking on the door, he awaited for an answer that would soon come, which was proved correct as Mr. Hyde pulled open the door with a grin (a grin that was once unsettling to Utterson, though now he had become acquainted with it) and invited him in, as he had done many times before.
Soon they had settled in the lounge, making small talk over a cup of tea. It was a comfortable scene, the familiar environment leaving him with in more ease than he should have been in around this man. The light from the fireplace filled the room as the two of them entered a lively conversation.
Hyde had started rambling about some science project he seemed passionate about, and that Utterson did not understand, but keenly listened too. It wasn't too unlike the many times he had listened to Jekyll's rambles, though his voice was much raspier, with a more rough tone. They must have had a shared interest, him and Jekyll, for them to have successfully work together. Jekyll had never worked well with others, from what he could remember...
It took him a moment to realize he was caught up in his ruminations of the past, and that Hyde had stopped talking. He was staring at him with those eyes, those eyes that could inflict fear and stare through ones being. However, they only displayed a somewhat sad countenance to Utterson.
"...is something wrong, Edward?" He spoke quietly.
This seemed to break the other man out of his trace, "no, nothing, I-" he dismissed, looking away, as if trying to avoid eye contact. "I just- uh-"
Utterson looked at him patiently, hoping to prompt him to answer.
The man seemed anxious, tapping his feet rapidly and eyes glancing around. Hyde took a deep breath before responding, "I need to ask you something."
Utterson nodded.
"Why do you- why do you still-" he stuttered, "why are you still coming around here?" Hyde shifted in his seat, "I know- or, well, I assumed- that you were only here for Jekyll- and the will and such," he laughed awkwardly, "I mean, why else would you be here? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy your company- But you still keep coming around, still keep showing up- just- why?" his voice was nearly shaking by now, his hands gesturing wildly, but he still mumbled out quietly, "why haven't you left?"
Utterson stared, stunned silent by the man's admission. He watched as he tried to pull himself back together, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to calm down, as Utterson himself struggled to process that information, let alone respond.
Hyde was sat on his much too large chair, legs to his chest, almost as if trying to appear smaller than he already was. Utterson really wasn't sure what to make of all this. He may not have a very good answer anyways, as he himself didn't know why either.
Both were left in a tense silence, Utterson trying to formulate what to say. How should one respond to that? It's not like he was the most adept in social situations, especially not ones of this matter. Best to tread lightly, he supposed.
"...I will admit that I'm not very sure of the answer myself." Hyde's head lifted at the sound of his voice. "I may have had more alternative motivations at the beginning of our meetings, however, I have begun to enjoy your company." He said cautiously. He wasn't so sure why he was being honest with him, but it was the best solution he could think of. "I have chosen to spend my time with you, even if it isn't much, as I do find that you can be pleasant to be around."
The fireplace crackled, the faint glow of moonlight through the window cast upon the ground. Edward stared disbelievingly at him, trying to understand.
"Oh," Hyde muttered, "thank you... for sticking around, that is. I appreciate it." He was looking down now, still contemplative.
The room was still very tense, this whole interaction being much more honest then anything they had previously said. Utterson sipped what was left of his tea, before breaking the silence.
"What was that you mentioned? About the... erm..." Utterson vaguely gestured, though Hyde seemed to catch on, resuming his rambles about his projects as if nothing had happened.
The rest of the night went relatively well, the two of them in a silent agreement to not bring it up. Soon the sky had become dark, and it was time for Utterson to return back to his own home. He grabbed his coat bidding Hyde adieu as he left. Maybe it was just the lighting, but Hyde's expression seemed a bit somber as he glanced back.
After their last meeting, Utterson was left with a feeling of unease. Neither of them had opened up all that much previously, and neither knew how to respond.
It had been a week since then. Utterson sat at his desk with unfinished work laid in front of him, not that he was paying attention to it. He drummed his fingers on the surface of his desk, contemplating this all. He would be heading to the manor soon. He knew that he would. But it was all still... confusing.
What was he supposed to do now? Pretend it never happened, continue their weekly meetings as normal? Maybe that would be for the best.
With a sigh, Utterson pushed himself up from his seat and started to get himself ready. He could try to mentally sort this out on his walk there.
Pulling his coat over his shoulders, he stepped out and began his short journey along the London streets. He tried to come up with something, something to say or ask Hyde about last time, but struggled to think of anything. Hopefully he would be able to once it mattered.
Arriving at the manor, Utterson knocked upon the door and awaited a resposd. He stood there for a few moments without a hearing anything, and knocked again, fearing that he was not heard.
He had been stood there for maybe a few minutes now, which was much longer than Hyde had taken before. Worried, he reached for he handle. Jekyll had left his front door unlocked on numerous occasions, maybe Hyde was the same way? He theory proved to be correct as Utterson turned the knob and pushed the door open with a creak.
Assuming that Hyde was just further in the house, and was unable to hear him, he decided it was best to quickly check around. He would just briefly look about the house, see if Hyde was there, and then leave. At least that's what he told himself. This could be a very good opportunity for Utterson to possibly find any information on the man. Not that he would, of course. He was much better than that.
Passing through the familiar halls, Utterson searched for the man. The building was quite, empty, more so than he though it should be, only filled with the echoing sounds of his footsteps.
He was growing increasingly worried as the time passed and Hyde was nowhere to be found. He had checked nearly every room in the building, every place he thought Hyde might be hidden, but alas, he seemed to be nowhere.
He could have just left the house for some time. It's not like he was only able to be inside of his house, he could leave anytime he wanted. But he rarely did. And he had always showed up when Utterson came to visit. Though he was probably getting much too worked up over this, overthinking it all. He still paced around the halls in spite of that.
Utterson started to think of the many times this had happened with Jekyll, not able to stop himself from noticing the similarities, those similarities being disappearing without warning at seemingly random times. He recalled memories of times when he had to drag Jekyll out of his lab after he had spent many sleepless nights in whatever his new project was. The lab. Hyde seemed to have that same interest in sciences as Jekyll did, maybe he could find him there? It was his last hope, and he quickly made his was to the door to said lab.
Once he had brought himself to the door to the secondary building, he attempted to pull at the handle. He felt relief wash over him when it came open, even if this was technically an invasion, revealing the musky theater that stood before him. There was an air of unnatural chemicals ruminating in this room, with the many different containers of ingredients scattered about.
It appeared very... not lived in, for lack of a better term. He had always assumed this portion of the building was used for storage, the lab being further inside. Strolling across the room, he walked past assorted crates and materials, focused on his goal of finding Hyde. The thought occurred to him that, perhaps, he could use this opportunity to search for answers to Jekyll's disappearance... though it was unlikely anything would be in there, anyhow.
The door to the lab creaked open as Utterson stepped in, taking a look at his surroundings. There were dusty beakers and equipment scattered about, many sheets of paper with what could be assumed were notes about whatever was being conducted in here. And no Hyde to be found. He sighed. What was he to expect? He must have left the house today. Maybe he was avoiding Utterson, but that didn't matter right now.
The lab was just as well kept as he remembered from the few times he saw it, which was not saying much considering the constant mess that seemed to plague every surface. How did he ever find anything in here?
Almost subconsciously, Utterson began to glance around the room inquisitively, possibly searching for any remnants of Jekyll. Which there were plenty of, since everything that was here was once Jekyll's. But really, he was searching for any possible evidence to his theories of Hyde's influence on Jekyll's disappearance.
There were many note scattered around, most them in that scratchy handwriting he was familiar with, even if he could just barley read it. Now that he thought about he, Hyde's handwriting was just as bad. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that these notes were just, in fact, scientific jargon that Utterson did not have any business understanding.
Utterson began to peek around a bit more, once again on his mission to find anything about Jekyll. Even just something he could have to remember Jekyll by would by nice.
Pushing stuff around on some of the desks, Utterson came across a worn leather journal. He remembered how once he asked Jekyll about this very journal, and his quick defensive reaction about it. He believed this was the journal he was using when working with Hyde. It was a stretch but... perhaps this was the key to understanding this whole mystery.
Taking a seat at one of the desks, pushing trinkets and such out of the way, Utterson began to read over the journal. The flipping of pages filled the small room as he scanned over the pages.
At first, through the beginning, it just seemed like a running log of one of Jekyll's experiments. As he read through, he started to think that this was pointless, until he came across one page from about a year ago that seemed off from the rest. The handwriting was rushed, exited, and very hard to read. From what he could decipher, whatever he was working on had worked. Of course he still didn't know what had worked, specifically, but he continued.
As he read through more of the pages and entries, he started to piece everything together. The puzzle wasn't fully complete until what appeared to be the last page, and Utterson came to a realization.
...
Utterson closed the book, running his hand through his hair.
How could that make any sense? Sure, it explained a lot, but that shouldn't even be possible. Maybe he misread something, misunderstood what was written. This couldn't be right.
As he pondered over it more, he started to think of even more evidence towards it. Edward had often reminded him of his old friend, and with the will, the unchanged rooms everywhere. It all made sense, and yet it didn't at the same time.
Glancing back to that last page, to make sure he didn't misinterpret what was there, he read it over again.
August 7th, 18XX
Its not working. I have tried drinking it with twice as much, thrice as much salt, but nothing seems to happen. I must continue to try and fix this. I cannot be stuck like this.
I must try again. I'm sure it will work this time.
-EH
August 29th, 18XX
My endeavors have been proven pointless over these past few weeks, and I fear that if I continue at this rate I will be out of the salts very soon. People are becoming suspicious of my isolation.
This might be it. This could be the end of Henry Jekyll, lost to time. It's a good thing I set up that will...
-EH
Utterson still couldn't wrap his head around it. He stared blankly at the page, almost as if trying to change its contents.
He was broken out of his trance by a clicking sound from the door, being reminded that he was technically breaking and entering at the moment, though he couldn't bring himself to move, only direct his attention towards the sound.
The door was pushed open, and Utterson saw Hyde enter the lab. It took him a moment, but he soon realized that Utterson was sitting at his desk, four feet away from him.
The two held eye contact, both appearing startled by the others appearance. Hyde shut the door behind him, a quiet click filling the room.
Their staring contest was held for a few moments before Hyde's gaze drifted to the journal that laid upon the desk, eyes flicking between it and Utterson before he realized which journal that was.
In a panic, he leaped over and reached for the journal from in front of Utterson, who was startled by the sudden movement as he was shoved out of the way.
Hyde snatched the journal and ran to the other end of the room, back against the wall, clutching it to his chest. Utterson had managed to stand himself up, leaning a hand on the table and staring at Hyde.
Heavily breathing, Hyde managed to say, "Please don't tell me you read it." He gripped the journal harder. "Please."
With the way Utterson was looking at him, in that way that almost made him feel guilty, he already knew the answer.
Utterson slowly approached the other, trying not to scare him anymore than he already was. "Edward." He stared back with terrified eyes, terrified of his secrets being out in the open, known to the man in front of him.
As he got close to him, Utterson tried to make himself eye level with Hyde. He slowly reached out towards him, resting his hand in his shoulder. He could see it now, how his face was a similar shape to that of Jekyll's, and their many other similarities that came to mind.
"Edward. Hey. It's okay." His words may not have been entirely true, but it seemed to at least help slightly as Hyde briefly looked at him. His breathing seemed to stabilize more, grounded by the weight on his shoulder.
They stared at each other once again, Utterson with his earnest expression, and Hyde still looking with fear. He seemed to have calmed down a bit now.
Once he seemed to be more regulated, Gabriel looked at him as he had once looked at Jekyll before pulling him into a hug. He was startled, more pleasantly than before. He nuzzled into the others shoulder, closing his eyes. He still gripped the journal close, though enjoyed the close contact he rarely got.
They stood there, clinging on to each other, for a good few minutes, possibly longer. Gabriel had started running his hand through Edward's tangled hair, which seemed to help him relax. After he seem to have calmed down, Gabriel sighed, and quietly whispered to him, "You have a lot to explain, Edward."