Dominic took the newspaper. He opened it up and threw it on the table. 'Three Girls Attacked in Brutal Rape'. "God damn you, Jack. Just when you think he cannot get any worse, he gets worse. Killing people, raping women, he is just mad, I do not know how I could believe he would change at all, just look at him, he is a vicious hell-bent evil bastard. Matthew has either died or has no control over him. God knows how many people have seen his face, his face being the last thing they have ever seen""What is it?" Isaac asked. Dominic pointed to the headline. Isaac shook his head; his stomach turning as he asked "is this what he does every day without any remorse or hesitation?"

"He tries to, yes. He is brutal, son, truly disgusting and brutal. He has no heart or mind, he cares very little about humanity and all he wants is to have his fair share of what he calls fun and I call a sickness"

"I see what you mean. Doesn't he feel anything?"

"He does, he just doesn't care. He can't control himself, Matthew... if he's in there has lost control over his Hyde"

"What hope is there for me?"

"He is one bad egg in a row of good ones. I can control Hyde, father controlled him. My grandfather could not but listen to me; you can learn to control him. You are already fighting him back; son or he would have let himself loose on the public"

"I think he kissed Katie"

"Oh, right. Did she slap you for it?"

"No... she hugged me... it was strange"

"What are we talking about here, this kiss or the hug?"

"I liked her, I mean I still do but Hyde... won't he always be a threat?"

"Sure he will, he's a Hyde and that's not what you want to hear, I know but I can't tell you anything else"

"How did you manage with Olivia?"

"I told her the truth, I told her what she would be facing and I gave her the choice, to leave or to stay and she chose to stay with me and to look out for me. I admit, it took a long time before Hyde trusted her but eventually he trusted her, loved her and I loved her and we made it work. Sure it wasn't easy, children, the potential dangers, risks of them being like me... a Hyde. Although it was dangerous we did it, we had to try and we had you... even though... I lost you, I didn't want to but I did eventually, eventually I lost you. I never wanted to give you up and if I could've, I would've protected you, my son"

"I know you would've. I know you, I do not know how but I know you and when I was younger, I felt you sometimes... I cannot explain it but I felt you... I think"

"I kept myself close but kept my distance, I had to for your safety"

"How do I change, into Hyde?"

"Why do you want to?"

"Because I know I have to protect myself, from Jack and from The Shadow Team"

"Believe it or not, I do not know exactly how, Strong amounts of 'negative' emotions can make you Hyde, sometimes injuries can... it all depends unfortunately"

"Can I or not?"

"I told you what I know. I change because I want to, because I can force it on, it's part of being Hyde and being experienced as a Hyde"

"You had the change forced on you but now you can change easily?"

Dominic rolled his eyes. His head turned violently as his eyes blackened, he looked up at Isaac. "It is all a matter of control, not an easy thing to do but still sometimes I can't help but burst out at a moment or two's notice but even some control is better than none"

"But how do you do it?!"

Damien grabbed Isaac's head. He looked into his eyes and asked "are you sure you want this? Are you sure you want to change?"

"I want to do this, I want to let him out so I can actually bond with him" Isaac explained.

"You don't bond easily with a Hyde, besides he'll be ready to come out soon, I can hear him inside"

"How do you do that? How do you communicate with a Hyde like that?"

"You mean Hyde to Hyde? Telepathic communication, it means I can read another Hyde's mind if I focus and they don't block me"

"That explains a lot. So you can't get a fix on Matthew?"

"Jack Hyde, Matthew Jekyll. No, I can't help him, can't fix onto his mind because believe me that mind's too dark to even get inside. I can't enter it and keep myself in it, that mind is so horrible... horribly dark"

"Coming from you, the Hyde?"

"I am one Hyde, not a complete monster either. I tried to save myself, I tried to cure you before you were born and look what happened to you, son"

Isaac bit his lip. The wonder came because of him, because of the monster with a name. Jekyll, the man, Hyde the monster and yet Hyde did not seem too much like a monster. He was a monster sure but he didn't seem too much like a monster, more man than monster, more human than a killer. How could he fight back? How could he do it? How did he make himself seem like a human even though he was no human? How did he manage to pretend to be a human and do it so well? Did he know what he was, what he was actually like? Did he remember anything and know what he was doing? Did Jekyll remember what Hyde did, what he was like, really like?

"What? Do you have a question for me?"

"You both call me son but which one of you is my father? Is Jekyll or Hyde?"

"Or both of us or have you forgotten? We are two men in one body, one overpowered body"

"So both of you are my father, neither of you will claim sole responsibility?"

"No, neither of us can... I'm sorry if you're disappointed but... that's life, that's us. We are both your father, do you understand?"

"I'm sorry, just surprised. I didn't think you'd be... so human when I properly saw you, I'm sorry"

Damien rolled his eyes. He sat down and asked "did you think I would expect you to... not freak out about me? I know what I am and I think I accepted it. This is me, this is my fate and I suppose I understood that when I decided to get to know you. Now I'm going to give you a choice, it's completely yours I promise you. I don't mind which one you choose, if you even choose but who do you want to get to know, Jekyll or Hyde? Same body, two men and two different experiences leaving you with one choice and one alone"

"I want to know both of you; I want to know your lives. I need to know your strengths and weaknesses before I turn or I'm damned. Please will you both teach me what you can?"

"What you're asking is simple. We're strong when we change, build up strength, enough strength to get into a rage and throw people around like dolls. If you're not careful, you can easily kill those who you're meant to save, people like your friends, family as Jack found out. One thing you have to remember is that not every Hyde is the same, we were born from the same line but don't think we're all equal, a lot of us are merely monsters, both of us... we can be nightmares or dreams. A Hyde can be a gift or a curse and there are those of us who just become Hyde, those who stay as Jekyll but that is difficult to do, believe me. Hyde never stops, he never silences himself and he always commands to be set free... believe me, he'd know... I can be very, very cruel, still I suppose there is hope for me, where Matthew is concerned, I'd give up right now and walk away"

"Do you know if he's still in there?"

"No I don't, won't pretend I know either but Jack is dangerous. There is nothing good about Jack, boy, not even one little thing. Jack is a monster. He makes me look and feel like some kind of hero. I am not a hero, just like I know Matthew isn't there anymore. Matthew died when he murdered my father, destroyed him. You know I had to bury him? I had to bury him on his birthday all because of Jack. You want to know about Jack? There is nothing left of him but a monster, there's no good in his heart or mind, he just enjoys being the monster and letting that monster loose to do what he pleases when he pleases"

"And you don't?"

"I know my limits; I know when to say no and when I have to steer clear of the people and the temptations"

"Can you actually do that, forever?"

"I hope so. Just watch the people and what'll happen to those around you if you don't behave"

"And that works?"

"No, I just thought I'd do it for fun because being sat there while I'm bored out of my brains is all too fun, isn't it?" Damien replied sarcastically. 

"I just need to understand" Isaac admitted.

"There's not much to understand, Matthew was a boy then became a monster"

"Why, what made him change into Hyde so early? Dominic won't tell me!"

"Do you really want to open that can of worms, son? Once you open it, you can't close it, it's not something you can easily do... believe me"

"Tell me anyway" Isaac ordered.

"It was a long time ago. He was stupid, being an idiot, running around the laboratory without a good reason. He was warned by father, ordered to stay out but he was stupid, childish and refused to listen to father as usual. He was in a mood, wanting to unlock himself so he could fly the nest and be his own person... the irony there cannot be ignored"

"What made him?"

"God, young people have no patience. Jack was born when Matthew was fixated on power. He thought his blood and our father's blood would make him stronger and yes, he was right but it made Hyde stronger, much, much stronger. Father couldn't stop him from forcing me out before I was ready to break free"

"So he became all powerful?"

"He was introduced to his Hyde by using potions he shouldn't touched then tried to enhance himself with the family's blood and all he became was a monster, the blood made Hyde stronger, not Jekyll and yet what did he care? He wanted power; he wanted to be worshipped as a god forever. He was and is a monster and you were born... perfect, made perfect. With your blood and my blood, he'll be unstoppable, even the black syringe won't kill him, just put him down"

"Is that why you both came back? Did you come back to save me or yourselves?"

"We both came back for you because neither of us want him to force Hyde to appear. We do not want you to feel forced into anything and Jack would do it, he would pull Hyde out into the open and take his blood. You, the Hyde that has all three bloodlines within you, you would make him invincible and if that happens, he will truly be a god"

"What can we do to stop him?"

"He needs you to become Hyde to get your blood... to make himself invincible. After that, well... we know he's got no problems with killing family members, I doubt killing either of us shall be a problem, he seems to enjoy plots to kill... murder is his fascination, spilling as much blood as possible, making a mess and forcing me and father to clean it all up, to stop the papers from being filled with the tales of monsters, of evil, disturbing men. Most of the time we kept names and crimes out of the papers but sometimes we merely failed" Damien admitted.

Damien lay down on the sofa. He shook his head, changing no doubt from Damien to Dominic. Dominic looked at Isaac, his eyes bright, beautiful. "Don't worry about it; I won't let Jack make you a Hyde against your will"

Isaac still stood there wondering. He rushed into the laboratory as asked "what can we use in here to stop him? Is there anything?"

"Just the black syringe and that's all I have left, years old just placed into new needles. Why, what are you planning?"

"What if we could separate the two of them? What if we could separate Matthew and Jack? We could force Jack out of Matthew's body, force him out and kill him without hurting Matthew, we could try it"

"What you are suggesting... it just isn't possible. Father tried with his own, he tried and all he did was make Jack, Matthew for a little while. Don't you understand? You cannot take Hyde away, Hyde will not leave. He will only break your body, repeated"

"So there is no way to do it? There is no way to force Hyde out?"

"No, even if there was, he wouldn't be killed easily, son. I'm sorry but what you're suggesting just isn't possible, my son" Dominic explained.

"Why can't we be two people in two bodies? Why must we continue to fight off Hyde? Can't we live a normal life like everyone else?!"

"Because we are not normal so therefore we don't get much normality. We get some peace, some love and some humanity and it is up to us to keep it or misuse it. We die, every day we age and die, it is up to us to decide if we want to continue our line or end it with us. In the end it is up to us to decide where we are and who we are. We are not monsters unless we make ourselves monsters, unless we allow ourselves to make and create monsters for ourselves. If we are truly evil monsters then surely society has no hope anymore, just look around you, do you see how it blackens as we blacken, son? We are part of this world whether we want to be or not, we will always be part of this world and the monsters who circle it, do you understand?"

"Yes but surely there is a way to separate us both, make us two people in two bodies rather than one body housing two men constantly at war with each other?"

"I told you, there isn't a way that is safe to do it, it is merely dangerous, very dangerous"

"Why?"

"Because within us, Hyde is contained, if he gets his own body, we'd be allowing him to do whatever he wanted, rape, kidnap, murder... anything he wanted to do, he'd do it, all of it. I'm sorry but I cannot help you separate them both... it is too dangerous"

"I understand, I'm sorry but I just thought... I suppose... I hoped that I could... separate the two of us, become one man, stay as Isaac and live a... normal life, a good, decent life"

It was not the answer Isaac wanted to hear, he was curious and yet could not even attempt to hide such a thing. How strange it seemed, being him, being what he was and yet still being curious about what he was. Could he change it? Apparently not, apparently it was stuck like he was. He felt like he was in some world of fantasy, a world he was going mad in... going to go mad in. It was as if hell had paid him a visit, broken him and kicked him only to rebuild him, fix him for all time. It was as if he was not meant to live a normal life, like life did not give him that luxury, as if it just would not help him. Was he going to see his face when he faced a mirror? Was he going to be the same with Katie or would she too look at him differently? Would she look at him as though he was something from a horror film or as her boyfriend, love interest?

"I cannot offer you something I don't have the luxury of owning... I'm sorry"

"I understand that. Just tell me the truth, what makes you and Matthew different? Were you in different states before you... turned?"

"The difference is in the personality, not the Hyde itself. You can have a good personality and keep Hyde at bay or a ruthless one Hyde likes the look of"

"So there is nothing we can do to stop Matthew? Was Matthew always just... horrible?"

"I suppose so, yes" Dominic confessed. 

Dominic sat in his seat. His mind taking him back to a time he'd long forgotten... tried to forget.

Dominic as a five year old threw the covers off him. He shivered from fright as he hurried, barefoot in his pyjamas. He swung his door open, hurrying into his brother's room. He opened the door open a crack, looking for his brother, Matthew. Matthew was curled up fast asleep, no doubt dreaming dreams of love and beauty.

Dominic climbed onto his bed, shaking Matthew. Matthew stretched sleepily, his eyes fixing on Dominic's as he asked "what is the matter?"

"Matthew, I'm scared" Dominic whispered. Matthew rolled his eyes and let him up, wrapping him up as they slept side by side, back to back. 

"Father, are you ok?" Isaac asked as he shook Dominic.

"I'm fine, sorry, I guess I am... worried about you"

Isaac hugged him gently, hoping he was ok. He wrapped his arms around him. "Go, I'm fine, go if you want to, I'll be fine"

"Are you sure, you look like hell"

"I'm fine and I'll be fine" Dominic promised.

As Isaac left, Dominic pulled Olivia's picture from his pocket, looked at it and said "I miss you and now all I can do is look at your beautiful face and see you, see perfection in my eyes. You are perfection, my love like the child you carried for us both. I do not want to lose you but I feel I will lose you... in time I might lose you... I might forget you and I cannot handle that possibility. The possibility of losing you, of you dying and me never seeing you even in heaven... it kills me" he stroked her picture. "Please don't leave me, my love, please do not leave me. If only you knew Isaac, he is so much like you. He reminds me of you, reminds me so much of you... he has your spirit, you always were a strong, brilliant mind and he has that too and your spirit too"

Isaac walked back inside hours later. No doubt he'd been on a date with Katie, it didn't bother Dominic, as long as Isaac was happy, as long as he was happy being with her, he didn't care less. She could be older, a little younger or whatever he fancied, she could be a man and he wouldn't care as long as he was happy, as long as he could be himself with her... most of the time and she would hopefully accept his worse, accept his Hyde. To some, Hyde was a curse, for some a blessing and for some others, he was neither a blessing nor a curse, just a man, another man. For Dominic it gave him its ups and downs, his curses and pure hatred, his anger and yet it gave him the best thing ever... love, it gave him love, it gave him Olivia for as long as he had her. 

"Are you ok?" Isaac asked as Dominic wiped tears away from his cheek.

"I'll be fine, I told you" Dominic replied. He picked up the photograph and hid it in his jacket and got up as quickly as he could.

"I want you to meet Katie... if it's serious"

"Of course it's serious. Have you considered telling her?"

"I've not even changed yet!"

"Oh do relax; I am your father, not a judge, jury and an executioner. You need to calm down, son before you frighten her off"

"I... sometimes you can be so annoying"

"I know, it is a gift"

Isaac fell to the ground in agony. His father held him. "Let it happen, don't fight it, just let it happen, let the change happen"

His Hyde chuckled as he said "he had no choice, first time out the cage"

"Name yourself, son" Dominic ordered.

"My name is Caleb, Caleb Hyde. Mr Isaac Jekyll, Mr Caleb Hyde" he sighed, taking a deep breath. "You're right, he'll frighten her off, send her screaming. Should I do it instead?"

Dominic slapped him, forcing the darkness out his eyes. Isaac shook his head. "What the hell was that? Like I took a back step somehow"

"Welcome boy, give my thanks to Caleb"

"Who is Caleb?"

"Your Hyde, Caleb Hyde. Don't worry, no drugs, just old-fashioned treatment"

"Fuck this, this is so fucking painful!" Isaac yelled. Dominic handed him a glass of water. "Calm down, boy, you don't need to be frightened and the pain never lasts, it'll go soon I promise you, boy"

"How can I see Katie when I'm like this? How can I live like this with her around me? I will send her away, screaming!" Isaac yelled.

"ENOUGH!" Dominic yelled at the top of his lungs.

 Isaac turned away. He gripped the table as he left. Dominic let him go, his Hyde would not kill him and it wasn't in Isaac's nature to kill. He was a good kid, maybe lost but still a good man, not a mad monster with no life... no care in the world. He cared about Katie; he cared enough to show it, to be worried about his Hyde frightening her away.

Caleb pushed a couple of people out the way, laughing his way to the pub. He sat down at the table, watching people walk past, bored. He joined a couple of games of poker, winning every single game.

When he was bored, he had an arm wrestling match, made a small fortune, annoyed a few people but ignored every last one of them as he drank himself stupid, taking drinks from random customers, just taking them and challenging them to take it off him. He drained a few of them, throwing them onto the floor as he burst out laughing. Hyde was there, Caleb Hyde and he was going to have some fun, a lot of fun. 

He watched people's reactions, the looks of horror slapped on their faces as he laughed. He just didn't care less, as long as he wasn't kept bored, life was brilliant for him. If he was bored, life would become hell for him and those around him and of course Hyde was often bored, that was just the way Hyde was, the evil being he was. He didn't feel the need to be sorry, to feel sorry for people, remorse was not wasted on them, they didn't care anyway and all he wanted was to drink himself stupid, keep drinking and drinking and not stop until he had to, until Jekyll gained his control back. No Dominic to slap Hyde out of him, no parents alive to stop him. 

He danced on the tables with a couple of girls, drinking more and more until he stopped, until he felt Jekyll come back. He threw the glass and left as he drunkenly walked home as fast as he could without falling in the street, landing in what could be a pile of his own vomit. He managed to get to the door, watching drunkenly as Dominic handed him a bucket. 

Isaac held his head, throwing up into the bucket. "Why doesn't the condition heal the... painful hangovers?"

"Doesn't work like that, son". He handed him what look and stunk like pickle juice. Isaac took a sip of it and threw it up. "God pickles are disgusting, what kind of shit is this?"

"You're hung over, plain and simple"

 "You haven't got a nicer cure?"

"No... sorry, pickle juice or nothing"

"Great, I'm beginning to hate Hyde" 

Dominic rubbed Isaac's back as he threw up violently. He just sat there, looking after him and if it wasn't obvious before, he was a father then, looking after his son even though Isaac had been an idiot, let Hyde rule him, let Hyde take over and drink stupid amounts of alcohol. He struggled a little bit to sit up as Dominic cleaned vomit from around his mouth gently. Isaac hugged him once before pulling away and throwing up in the bucket again.

Dominic cleaned him up again. "If you need your clothes cleaned, I'm doing the washing later"

"Thanks... if I'm awake or... alive I will give you a bunch of things that need washing, a serious deep wash"

"Don't worry about that, I can clean everything"

"Thank you" Isaac whispered.

"For taking care of you, I don't need a thank you, just look after yourself, I don't want to see you get hurt, my son" Dominic admitted.

Isaac just lay down and slept. Dominic emptied the bucket without hesitation and sat down by him. He didn't mind nursing his hangover, first time Hyde was free and no doubt he made a mess. As his son slept off what sounded like a legendary hangover, he grabbed a paper, buying one from one of the shops. 'Two Shot Dead' reading on he read 'Two brothers found with bullets in their brains, many say execution style murder. Police warn public to be vigilant and keep an eye out for strange characters'

He walked home, flicking through it until the next morning. As his son sat up, no longer ill he shut his eyes, sleeping for a few hours. Isaac grabbed the paper, frightened as he read the headline. What if that was him? What if he did it? What if he killed those two people? Was his Hyde truly evil or was it as his father suggested it was, at least partially good, partially decent. He needed to believe he didn't do it, he needed to believe he didn't kill them, that Hyde wouldn't but he couldn't hear Caleb's voice, he couldn't hear him at all as if he was silent, ready to tell the truth or lie through his teeth. 

"Was this me?" Isaac asked as he shook with fear.

"No, son, no... I cannot believe you would do that"

Isaac cried, allowing himself to cry. "I cannot believe it... could I be capable of something like this? Could I be capable of murder?"

"No because I know what you are like"

Isaac fell to the floor in sorrow. Dominic pulled the paper away from him as he sat by him. "Do not think for one minute that you did this, that you caused this to happen, my son. I need you to listen to me, ok? Do you understand me? I need you to understand me... you would not do this, even under extreme duress, even as Hyde you could not do it. I know what you are like, I know you, my son... I know what you would do and there is no blood on your clothes"

'Could I do this? Could I shoot someone? Could I kill someone? Is this going to be my Hyde? Is this going to be what I do without so much as warning? What can I do to stop this, I cannot handle this, I refuse... this is going to make me go mad, I'll go mad with hatred and guilt... how can I do this? How can I be Hyde when all I will do is worry about what I become? What can I do when I could have the murders of two people on my conscience?'

'Oh for goodness sake, shut the hell up, I didn't kill!' a voice in his head yelled cruelly. 

'I bet you wanted to! I bet you want to kill everything good in this world that I have! I won't let you; I swear that to you, I won't! Anything you try to do, I will stop! I will stop you from hurting me, from hurting anyone! You are a monster, a nightmare and one day I will get rid of you!' Isaac thought. 

'To kill a Hyde you must kill a Jekyll, can you murder a Jekyll to get rid of the Hyde within him? Can you kill yourself to get rid of me? Am I really that much of a threat to you, Isaac Jekyll? Am I really that mad, that tormented? Will you do it or will you understand that you cannot defeat me, only work with me?!' Caleb replied.

'I WILL BE DAMNED BEFORE YOU TAKE EVERYTHING FROM ME! I WILL NEVER LET KATIE GO, I WILL NEVER STOP LOVING HER! YOU CANNOT DESTROY MY LOVE FOR HER! IF YOU EVEN TRY I WILL CAGE YOU UP LIKE A DOG, BEAT YOU UNTIL YOU ARE BLACK AND BLUE IN MY MIND! I WILL CONTROL YOU, YOU WILL NOT CONTROL ME!'

'Then I suggest we work together, stop fighting me and let me in, let me free you. How can you be blamed? You are a mere boy, sweet and innocent! How can you be blamed for all the crimes I will commit, those crimes we shall commit together, the riches we shall taste, the wines we shall taste and the women, the beautiful women begged at our feet'

'BECAUSE I SAID 'NO' HYDE AND I MEAN IT! YOU WILL NOT CONTROL ME; I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO! YOU WILL NOT RULE ME! I WILL NOT BECOME LIKE MATTHEW, THE EVIL MONSTER THAT HE IS! I WILL DIE BEFORE YOU TOUCH HER OR TOUCH ME!"

Isaac panted, managing to say "I will not let Hyde win this battle"