Stalking Jack the Ripper Oneshots

I Cannot Wait

Whirl-churn. Whirl-churn.

The sound echoed in my head, over and over again.

Whirl-churn. Whirl-churn.

I was suddenly back home, gazing at my brother with tears in my eyes—begging for what had become my reality to all be false.

Whirl-churn. Whirl-churn.

My brother, my lovely older brother, Nathaniel, was Jack the Ripper. A killer.

Whirl-churn. Whirl-churn.

Staring at his cold dead body, my father kneeling by his side, I cupped my hands over my mouth, muffling a sob.

My innocent brother who had helped teach me to read, who wiped my tears when I had tripped and fallen in the garden, who ran around the house with me, who loved me, was a murderer.

A cold blooded killer.

And now he was dead.

Nathaniel was no more than a cold, limp body on the floor.

Dead.

"Wadsworth?"

The feeling of firm hands gripping my arms snapped me back to reality.

I blinked rapidly, attempting to clear the vision from my memory before focusing my gaze on Thomas who stood before me, hands holding my upper arms.

"Audrey Rose, are you alright?" Thomas spoke again, moving one of his hands to cup my cheek, brushing his thumb across my skin.

I could not speak, could not breathe as tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I clenched my hands into fists to prevent them from shaking.

Thomas understood, nodding once in confirmation before turning towards Uncle Jonathan.
"Audrey Rose isn't feeling very well, Dr. Wadsworth, it appears as though she may have caught a cold. If you can handle this yourself, I will escort her back to her chambers," Thomas explained.

Jonathan nodded. "Of course, Thomas. Please make sure she returns back to the hotel safely. You may stay with her if you wish, I can take care of this victim on my own."

Uncle turned his attention towards me, speaking, "do inform me when you begin to feel better, my niece. Your intelligence and assistance are crucial to this case if we wish to solve it."

I could only manage a short bow of my head in comprehension, any more vigorous movement having the potential to make me vomit. Thomas's hand rested on my lower back, guiding me away from the scene of the crime. I dared one last glance at the corpse, the victim's features all too familiar.

The same silky, blond hair perfectly combed back from his face, his bright, emerald eyes, clear complexion, everything. The cadaver could have been a mirror image of my late brother.

A soft sob escaped past my throat and Thomas only ushered me away faster, whispering in my ear, "it is alright, Audrey Rose, we are in New York, far, far away from England. Focus on my voice, I am here, love. I am right here."

I took a deep breath, mumbling, "keep talking, please. Distract me."

Thomas continued, "when I first fell in love with you, I had sent many letters to Daciana explaining my vast feelings for you. At the time, I did not realize those feelings were love, on the contrary, I thought I was growing ill."

By the time Thomas had finished speaking, his sweet story calming me greatly, we had reached the hotel. He lead me up to my chambers in silence, my breath finally returning to its regular, steady pace. Thomas held the door open as I walked into my chambers, murmuring a quick, "thank you," for his kind act of chivalry.

He watched me from the doorway as I walked over to my large bed, resting my cane against the wall beside it and crawling on top of the covers. I gripped one of the pillows to my chest, burying my face into it.

After minutes of silence, Thomas spoke from the doorway, "I can stay if you would like. Or if you would prefer some time alone just tell me so and I will leave immediately."

I peeked up from my pillow, raising my arm out towards him, reaching for him.

"Stay," I murmured softly.

The ghost of a smile graced Thomas lips then pushing off of the doorframe—the door shutting behind him—as he crossed the distance between us. He hesitantly sat on the edge of the bed beside me, his back towards me. Thomas turned slightly in order to look down at me, his fingers moving to brush my hair out of my face before tracing my cheekbone and jaw. He repeated the action, starting at my temple and working his way down the side of me face, across my cheekbone then along my jaw, gentle touches of his fingertips.

The feeling of Thomas's fingers on my skin was both a distraction and a means of comfort, calming my anxious body into a state of relative peace.

"Is this alright?" Thomas asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

I nodded lightly. "Yes, this is more than alright. Thank you."

"Do you wish to talk about it?" he asked tentatively.

In response, I took ahold of Thomas's hand, gently pulling it away from my face to my lips, brushing a faint kiss across his knuckles. "He looked just like Nathaniel, Thomas. Exactly like my brother. And seeing him lying there dead...it brought me back to Nathaniel all over again."

Thomas's tongue ran across his lips, dry from the cold January weather outside. He spoke, "I know, Wadsworth." He paused, regaining his thoughts before continuing, "you are not weak, Audrey Rose. Being reminded of what happened to Jack the Ripper those few months ago is not your fault, and it is certainly not something to be ashamed of. You are so incredibly strong."

A tear slipped down my cheek at his words, Thomas then wiping it away with his thumb. When he noticed I made no move to speak, he added, "what would you like me to do, my love? I am wholeheartedly at your bidding."

I met his gaze, staring intently into his brown eyes, the small flecks of gold shining in the light coming from the window. In his eyes, I only saw love. So much love, it nearly caused my heart to burst from my chest. Moments had passed when I finally answered, "I want you to hold me. I want to be in your arms."

The corner of Thomas's lips curled upwards—though only slightly—before shifting his body onto the bed, lowering himself beside me. Nearly a foot of distance laid between our bodies, however, my heart still raced. This might have possibly been the most scandalous act I had ever committed with Thomas, but I found that I didn't care. All I cared about was the man before me, the man who I loved with my entire heart.

"Hello, Wadsworth," Thomas whispered.

I couldn't help the grin that formed on my lips as I spoke, equally as quiet, "hello, Cresswell."

After moments of tranquil anticipation without so much as breathing passed, Thomas finally wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. I melted into the feeling of him, his warm body flush against my own, my face pressed against his neck, smelling the strong scent of his cologne that reminded me of home. Wherever Thomas was would always be home to me.

I sighed, burying myself deeper into him, Thomas only holding me closer.

Quite some time had passed, consisting of Thomas's soft fingers traveling across my body, when he said, "once we are married, we will get to do this all the time, whenever we would like."

I smiled, pulling back slightly only to look up at him. "Once we are married I will get to wake up every morning like this, in your arms, you holding me close."

Thomas hummed in response, nuzzling his face into my hair. "I cannot wait."

Stuffing my face back into the warm skin of his neck, placing a soft kiss to his skin, I murmured, "neither can I."

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Word Count: 1332