Duplicitous Love (EnglandXReaderX2P!England) Ch 3

   It had been nearly a month. Arthur hadn't heard anything from his twisted double since the incident with the looking glass; until that morning. He purchased a newspaper, like he always had in the past, and went back into his house to read it while he ate breakfast. When he opened it up, tea spewed from his mouth. The headline proclaimed: "Murder at White Chapel!" An all too familiar voice began giggling from a nearby mirror. Arthur rushed over to it and was greeted with his doppleganger's toothy grin. Evil Arthur, speckled with blood, was reading the paper as well, only all the words reversed.
    "I just love the nickname the bobbies gave me!" he exclaimed, pointing to part of the article, "'Jack the Ripper', it's got a nice ring to it!"
    "You!? How did you get out?" demanded Arthur.
    "It's like I said before, old chap," 'Jack' explained, "I'll find ways to get out and have a little fun without your formula."
    Arthur ignored him and read the article for himself: "The woman identified as Mary Ann Nichols found dead at White Chapel. Police believe she was murdered at 02:30. She was last seen with an unidentified male wearing a black cloak. Her murderer is known only by the nickname given to him by officials: 'Jack the Ripper'. Odd designs were carved into the corpse's flesh and a few organs were removed from the body 'with the precision of a surgeon'."
    "Why did you kill her?" he screamed at the mirror.
    "She was a prostitute of a lower class." shrugged Jack, "Who would miss her?"
    "Her friends and family would, you wanker!"
    "Tsk, tsk." Jack frowned, wagging a bloodstained finger at Arthur, "Language, old chap! You wouldn't talk to ______ like that, would you?"
    "Do you want me to break this looking glass too?" snapped Arthur.
    "Of course not."
    "Then 'Jack'," barked Arthur, "you'd better listen to me and listen to me well: If you harm ______, I'll find a way to permanently get rid of you. Understand?"
    "I make no promises, old chap." was the reply, "However, I've taken a liking to her myself."
    "What!?"
    "Yes, she's beautiful and she has the voice of an angel. Oh, how I'd love to give her one of my special cupcakes and carve my name into that flawless skin of hers!"
    "You're mad!" snorted Arthur.
    Jack only cackled in response and vanished from the mirror. You knocked on the door and waited for Arthur to invite you in. He opened the door and escorted you into his home.
    "You look absolutely radiant today, ______."
    "Thank you, Arthur." you smiled, brushing some of your (h/c) strands away from your (e/c) eyes.
    "Did you see this morning's paper?" he asked.
    "Unfortunately, yes." you sighed, "I'm convinced that it's the same man that I saw a while back."
    "I think you might be right." replied Arthur, turning pale at the thought of you realizing that he was to blame.
    He pulled out a chair for you at the table and retrieved some food. You noticed the tea on the floor and frowned. Arthur's brow furrowed; his emerald eyes followed your own gaze down to the wet floor. Blushing wildly, he got up to clean the mess he made. All the while, he heard Jack laughing in his head.
    That was a nice shot, old chap! he said, I'd say it flew a good two or three meters away from you.
    Shut up Jack. Arthur countered, I wouldn't have spit out my Earl Grey if you hadn't killed that woman!
    True, but your reaction was quite entertaining.
    Just leave me alone! snapped Arthur.
    Jack fell silent as Arthur mopped up the last of the tea. He sat down back in his chair and continued eating his breakfast.
    Did you violate her corpse too!? asked Arthur.
    Of course not, old chap. I felt that she was suffering, so I put her out of her misery.
    You could have helped her in a different way.
     You watched Arthur with curious eyes as he seemed to silently argue with himself. When he finally looked up, you averted your eyes. He raised an eyebrow in confusion at your action.
    "Is something troubling you, love?"
    "Well, you've been acting strange this morning, Arthur." you replied, "Are you sure that your formula worked correctly?"
    "Yes, I'm sure." Arthur lied, "I'm still a little shocked by the newspaper, that's all."
    "Alright." you took a small bite out of your food.
    When both of you finished eating, you went down to the lab and got to work on your experiment. The two of you worked in silence for a while, until Arthur broke the silence.
    "I hope that horrid Jack the Ripper doesn't get you."
    You froze; you knew he meant it, but it was still an odd thing to start a conversation with. Especially considering the attack you witnessed and the slaughter reported in the paper indicated that Jack the Ripper targeted women. You shook your head to clear your mind and responded to his statement.
    "If he does, you'll be there to save me, right?"
    Arthur's eyes showed a hint of doubt. He wrapped his arms around your form, embracing you. Perplexed by his actions, you stood there, unable to move. Eventually you timidly hugged him back, smiling. Arthur released you for a moment, looking deep into your (e/c) orbs. He smiled softly, almost as if he were asking for permission to go further. You nodded and he placed his lips onto yours. Uttering a soft moan of pleasure, you heard a strange noise coming from behind him. In your field of vision, you noticed that your experiment was boiling over and rushed to turn the heat down, breaking the kiss. As you reached for the burner, the experiment exploded, filling the lab with smoke.
    "______!?" Arthur exclaimed, waving some smoke out of the way, "Are you alright?"
    "Well, I'm still alive." you replied as the smoke cleared, "Do I have any cuts or bruises?"
    Arthur's eyes grew wide, "Um, no, but....your hair..."
    "What? What's wrong with it?"
    You rushed over to the mirror and gasped. The chemicals from your experiment reacted with the carotin in your hair, turning your (h/c) locks silver. You stood there, frozen in shock. If it hadn't been for the looking glass you were standing in front of, you wouldn't have noticed Arthur walk behind you and place his hand on your back.
    "I'm sure it'll wear off." Arthur said trying, to comfort you, "I-if it's any consolation, I like how it looks now."
    "Huh?"
    "I think your hair looks lovely." Arthur repeated, "It reminds me of the moon's pale glow on a cold winter's night."
    "You don't mind?"
    "Of course not, I think you look beautiful no matter what."
    You smiled, fiddling with a lock of your silver hair, "I guess I can learn to love it."
    Arthur smiled back, until his anathema's voice echoed through his mind, Very smooth, I thought we'd lost her.
    "We" didn't almost loose her, I almost lost her. snapped Arthur, Besides, she'll never love you.
    Never say "never", old chap.
To be continued...