Not too late to punish you

Utterson thinks about what to do with Hyde

Note: Is it normal to die of embarrassment everytime you do something for a new fandom?? lol

Upon arriving home, Utterson opened Lanyon's letter, which described in great detail what had happened. Jekyll asking for help, the drug... 

His identity. 

Utterson was baffled. There was no way that someone like Edward Hyde, the man wanted all throughout London, could be, or ever have been, the noble and gentle Henry Jekyll. He simply couldn't see it. 

But the other letter, Jekyll's, confirmed it. Hyde was the product of an experiment, Hyde was the product of all those hidden impulses, all the vices, all the horrors, and years of suppression, all contained within a single person. 

Utterson didn't know how to react, but he knew he would never see Jekyll in the same way again. 

He never would. 

But that didn't lessen the pity he felt for Jekyll. Yes, Hyde was a horrible person, but his friend was still inside him. And he wanted him back. 

So he returned to that familiar mansion, belonging to Dr. Jekyll, but this time, entering through the laboratory. And there they were, Poole trying to coax Hyde into saying something, and the other man quieter than a tree. It was like talking to a brick wall. 

Utterson entered, his footsteps announcing his arrival. Hyde looked at him, and finally spoke: 

"And how are you going to handle this case, lawyer?" Hyde smiled, knowing perfectly well what Utterson knew now. 

"Don't be so condescending with me. I remind you that all of London is looking for you." Utterson roared in a cold voice. 

"Tch..." And with that, Hyde fell silent. For a few minutes. Until Utterson spoke again. 

"Poole, you can go now." 

"Are you sure, sir?" he asked. 

"Yes, I'll take care of him. Oh, and don't tell anyone about this alright?" 

"Yes, sir." 

Then Poole left the room, leaving Hyde and Utterson alone. 

"Well, as I said, I won't tell anyone else about the note so as not to ruin Jekyll's reputation, especially since he's still alive. Somewhere...inside you..." Hyde began to laugh loudly. Utterson just stared at him, silent. Soon, Hyde stopped laughing. 

"Why not?" he asked. 

"Why would I? He's my friend." 

"Don't you feel betrayed?" he asked. "You know, he should have told you, since you're one of his best friends, especially the last one he has left." 

Utterson thought. Yes, he felt betrayed. Jekyll could have told him; they were best friends, weren't they? It really didn't feel like they were anymore...he could have helped him, why? Why didn't he tell him until now, when it was already too late? He could have helped him quit drugs, helped him restrain himself, helped him control Hyde, he could have… 

“Doesn't it anger you?” Hyde interrupted his thoughts. 

Utterson took a moment to answer, but in all honesty, he did: 

“Yes, it frustrates me.” 

“Well then, why don't you expose him? Why don't you show all of London who Dr. Henry Jekyll really is? They would thank you for years. Millennia for exposing someone so horrible!” 

“Because he's my friend, and I can't hate him enough to do that just because he didn't tell me this.” 

Hyde rolled his eyes. 

“'Because he's my friend.' Do you even know if he thought the same of you?” Hyde challenged him. “Do you know what he really thought of you?” 

The lawyer felt his heart sink. 

“Jekyll lied, lies, and will lie. He’s a great liar. The greatest liar you could ever know. And doesn’t the fact of my existence prove it? The fact that I exist, and you didn’t even know it, shows he’s a liar. When he was calm, telling you he trusted me, he lied. He lied, lies, and will lie. How do you know he thought of you as a friend? I’m part of him, and I can’t express how much I hate you.” 

Utterson couldn’t say anything. Even if he wanted to, he opened his mouth and nothing came out. 

Hyde smiled. 

“Do you know why he hated me?” Utterson managed to ask. 

“Well, for many reasons.” Hyde began to think. Utterson just stared at him, miserable. 

“Can’t you name even one?” he muttered. “Did he hate me that much?” 

"Yep!" Hyde replied. "So, you hate him now?" 

Utterson thought. This didn't make him hate him. This only broke his heart. 

"Are you kidding me?" Hyde began to get irritated. "HE HATES YOU! HE HATES YOU, UTTERSON! HOW DO I HAVE TO PUT IT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND IT?! HE HATES YOU! SO WHY DON'T YOU EXPOSE HIM?! HOW CAN YOU NOT HATE SOMEONE WHO HATES YOU TOO?" 

And suddenly, Utterson realized something. 

That desperation in Hyde's voice... 

"Fine, I'll expose him," Utterson decreed, not before grabbing the knife with which Hyde had previously attempted suicide and cutting the rope that bound him. "Come on, you’re telling the police about this." 

"What?" Hyde laughed. "You... You're kidding me, aren't you?" 

"No. You're going to the police, and you're going to tell them what the letter said. You're Henry Jekyll. You committed all the crimes, and you have to go to jail." 

Hyde just stared at the door, wanting to escape. 

"You didn't think your plan through very well, did you?" Utterson was the one smiling now. Hyde sighed, looking at him, irritated. 

"Go to hell..." Hyde snapped. 

"Don't treat me like that, remember I'm the line between your freedom and prison," Utterson said. "You're quite bold, trying to manipulate me. And on top of that, you didn't even think things through. You really just do bad things for the thrill of it..." 

"I can't control it, it's just so much fun!" Hyde laughed. "Besides, I don't know if you realize that if I'm untied, I can escape." 

"And I don't know if you realize that I'm much taller than you, and that Poole, Bradshaw, and someone else are there to catch you if you try." 

"Tch..." 

"You're very audacious, aren't you? I didn't know Jekyll could be like this." 

Hyde shuddered; he was uncomfortable, but he quickly hid it. But not quickly enough for Utterson not to notice. He merely made a mental note of it; he wasn't going to point it out. He wanted to know more about Jekyll's other side, and pointing it out would only make it more likely to go into hiding. 

So, Utterson pondered, looking at Hyde. 

He couldn't take him to prison, not yet. He wanted to speak with Jekyll first, before condemning him. He had so many questions, and he needed answers. But he should also start thinking about the sentence he would receive... 

And he couldn't let Hyde go free, no, he was a being who couldn't control his darkest impulses. The moment he let him go, he would probably kill someone else. 

Or perhaps... 

Hyde seemed to have already realized that if he left, he would be arrested. The note said that Hyde loved life above all else, but to attempt suicide... something must have happened. Because someone who loved his life wouldn't try to do that... 

"Hyde?" the lawyer called, and the other man looked at him in response. 

"You... You recognize that all of London is looking for you, and that if you go out, they won't hesitate to either kill you or call the police, right?" 

"Yes, I recognize that," Hyde replied. "I recognize that even if I wanted to, even if Jekyll isn’t here to stop me, if I go out I'm a dead man. There's not much I can do..." 

"Is... Is that why you were going to commit suicide?" Utterson asked. "To avoid going to prison?" 

Hyde didn't answer. But even though he said nothing, his gaze spoke volumes. 

Utterson sighed: 

"Look, you won't go to prison. Not yet. I want to... talk to Jekyll first. But I won't let you go free for all this time either. Besides, it's not like you could go out without someone screaming and calling the police... what's more, if the others see you in this house, you're going straight to prison." 

"I know." 

"I'm going to tell Poole to tell the others it was a false alarm, and that it was, indeed Jekyll." 

"They'll think you're crazy." 

"Yes, they will." 

"Are you seriously going to go to such lengths just to protect Jekyll's reputation?" Hyde questioned. 

"Do you want to go to prison?" He fell silent again. "First, I want Jekyll back. Then we'll see what sentence to give them, because you're both guilty of the murder," Utterson explained. Then he left and called Poole, who came quickly. 

"Yes, sir?" 

"I'm taking Hyde. You, keep looking for the drugs Jekyll asked for, and bring them to us." 

"Isn't it better to take him to jail?" Poole asked. 

"Yes, it is, but I have... hope that I can convince him to tell me where Jekyll is. He didn't kill him, we already know that. So maybe you know where he is, don't you, Hyde?" Utterson tried to lie to appear normal. He looked at Hyde, signaling him to play along. (That is, if he didn't want to go to jail.) 

"Yes, I know where he is," Hyde replied, smiling. 

"He might be manipulating you..." Poole pressed. 

"I'll be fine, I promise. I won't let him manipulate me. You just bring the drug, Alright? Don't ask any questions. I read Jekyll's letter; I know what I'm doing. Until he comes back, we won't hand him over to the police. So don't say anything about Hyde having been here." 

"Well..." Poole nodded and left. 

"This doesn't mean you won't go to jail later, okay?" 

"Yes, I understand." Hyde was calmer than Utterson had expected. But it was better this way, wasn't it?