Rising Shadows

"Em, wake up. Emily."

Emily jerked, startled, and raised her head from her work bench. She blinked blearily at Finnigan. He was watching her with a concerned frown.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "You've never fallen asleep while you were working."

"I'm fine," Emily yawned.

"Are you sure?" he pressed. "Maybe you're ill."

"Who's ill?" Percy came through the front door, lugging a box of parts Emily had asked him to pick up from Lionel.

"Emily," Finnigan replied before she could say anything. "I came in to find her sleeping."

"I'm fine," Emily said again as Percy set the box down and came to feel her forehead. She swatted his hand away.

"Would you two stop fussing over me?" she grumbled.

"Is this because of your nightmare last night?" Percy asked. "How long have you been having trouble sleeping?"

"Oh bullocks," Emily groaned. "I'm fine, you giant mother hen. Quit worrying."

She stood up and kissed Percy in hopes of distracting him. She'd also just missed kissing him.

"I'm still here, you know," Finnigan said, making a face. "I just wanted to come by and let you know that you two are invited to dinner at your parents' house tonight. Everyone's coming and I imagine your mother and sisters-in-law will be hounding you with wedding talk. Teddy sent me to deliver the message, probably so he could avoid seeing the two of you behaving in such a manner."

"Thank you, Finn. We'll be there," Emily said, sticking her tongue out at him. "If you don't want to see our behavior you can always close your eyes. Or leave."

Percy chuckled while Finn marched out muttering about how no one respected him. When he was gone, Emily boosted herself up onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Percy's neck.

"Shall we get back to behaving in an improper manner, then?" she teased, tugging his face down to hers. Her brilliant plan worked for a while, but Percy wasn't letting it go just yet.

"Emily, why are you having trouble sleeping?" he asked, finally untangling himself from her arms. She sighed and flopped back into her chair.

"It's really nothing, Percy. I've just been having some bad dreams lately that's all."

"What are they about?" Percy knelt in front of her and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "You seemed terrified last night."

"They're...dreams," Emily said lamely. "There's a man chasing me. I'm sure it's just everything that's been going on. Now that you're home I don't need to be anxious anymore and I'm sure they'll stop."

She gave Percy a bright, reassuring smile even though she didn't believe herself that the dreams would stop. In fact they were growing steadily worse. What unnerved her the most was that she saw a different girl's face in every dream. But she was so relieved and happy to have Percy back and have life getting back to normal that she didn't want to put a damper on it all by telling him about her brutal nightmares. So she shooed him away and put him to work so he'd stop watching her with that worried little crinkle between his eyes.

As she was finishing sketching the design she'd been working on when she fell asleep, she heard a scratching and a faint mewling noise at the door. When she opened it, a gray tabby streaked inside and jumped on her desk, scattering papers everywhere.

"Caesar!" she exclaimed. She hurried to the desk and stroked the top of the cat's silky head. His green eyes were glued to Percy and he looked most put out.

"There you are," Percy said. He came over to scratch Caesar's chin but the tabby promptly flattened his ears and stalked away, tail twitching.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be, huh?" Percy muttered. "I didn't abandon you, you know. I was in prison for your information."

Caesar's response was to start cleaning his face with his back still turned and Emily smothered a giggle.

"Poor Caesar."

"Well he didn't die in my absence, so we have to assume he's fine," Percy said. "Ruddy cat."

"We should probably get ready for dinner," Emily said.

"Do I have to go? Your brothers hate me."

"They're going to be your brothers too, soon enough. You're not getting out of this Percival."

He grimaced. "Fine. I'll get cleaned up and see you there."

Emily couldn't resist giving him a last lingering kiss, which meant she and Nora had to work extra fast getting her ready so she'd make it to her parents' house on time. She found a jittery Percy fiddling with his cuff links on their front porch. He looked relieved to see her.

"My family isn't that frightening," Emily laughed.

"Not to you, maybe. I'm the big lumbering man who keeps getting caught kissing their daughter and sister."

"My father likes you," Emily assured him. "And we're going to be married in a few short months. They're just going to have to get used to the idea of you kissing me."

"Try telling them that," Percy mumbled. Emily smoothed his lapel and gave him a quick kiss before knocking on the door. Mrs. Browne opened it and beamed.

"Miss Emily, how wonderful to see you. And you too, Mr. Everett. I was pleased to hear they'd let you out of jail."

"Erm. Thank you."

Emily ushered him inside and they went to join the rest of Emily's family, who greeted them with warm smiles and hugs. Although Henry and Teddy reserved their hugs for Emily, offering Percy awkward handshakes instead. They all stayed gathered in the parlor while they waited for dinner to be done; Emily sprawled on the floor playing with the children while Percy talked to her father.

"I'm exceedingly glad you're home where you belong," Bartimus said. "I don't want Emily roving about the streets alone right now, given what's happening, and I know with you at least she's protected."

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked, climbing to her feet with a frown. "What's happening?"

"You haven't heard?" Finn asked. He swiped a newspaper off of the fireplace mantel and handed it to her. "London is being stalked by a serial killer," he said, keeping his voice low so the little ones wouldn't overhear. "The papers have dubbed him The Dollmaker, because he ties ribbons in his victims' hair and around their necks. And he...carves smiles into their faces after he kills them."

Finn shuddered but Emily's eyes were glued to the newspaper in her hand. It said that a fourth girl had been found strangled, her body left near the docks where it would be easily seen in the morning; hair like the three girls before her. The police had identified two of the girls and there were expertly drawn sketches of them in the paper. Millicent Kempwell, and Ann Baker. The news of a serial killer plaguing London's streets was horrifying enough, but it was the sight of the girls' faces and the details of their deaths that made Emily's heart stop and her blood turn to ice.

She knew those faces. She had seen Ann in her first nightmare, and she had seen Millicent the night of Georgina Hale's party, during the seance. Emily grew dizzy and lost her grip on the paper. It fluttered to the ground as all color drained from her face.

"Emily?" Finnigan said uncertainly. "Are you all right, Em?"

The fire that had been crackling merrily in the fireplace abruptly went out, casting the room into shadow and there were a few startled shouts. Emily felt a chill slither over her and a pair of ghostly white hands brushed along her bare arms. Goosebumps erupted on her skin.

"Help us," a voice hissed in her ear. "Help us."

Bartimus got the fire going again and the hands faded. Emily swayed on her feet, feeling tears on her face that she hadn't even realized she'd been shedding. Then she promptly collapsed on the floor.