NOTE:

This is my first fan fic ever, so please R&R! I´m sorry for my awkward English, I´m not a native speaker.
thoughts are written in italics
Disclaimer: I don´t own Trinity Blood or it´s characters

At this time of day Westminster Abbey was all quiet and deserted. The Queen of Albion had to knock for a fairly long time until the sacristan opened. Although he could barely hide his amazement – after all it was past 11:30 p.m. - he nevertheless let her in and withdrew discreetly. After the enormous door fell shut the silence in the impressive church was almost palpable. The moonlight shone through the big windows and flooded the nave with cool white light.

Alone at last! she sighed.

The Queen walked slowly but with her characteristic grace towards the high altar, taking in the familiar smell of old damp walls and wax candles that always reminded her of her childhood in Istvan. She seldom permitted her thoughts to digress from her duties as queen of a small but now prospering kingdom. In the beginning of her reign she had had terrible nightmares every night, seeing the one whose name nobody dared to mention around her die. With his last breath he had muttered her name...However, the dreams had stopped when the doctor had prescribed her sleeping pills and during the day there was so much work to be done- after all she had to fulfill her duties as the Queen of Albion. She had to admit that maybe she wasn´t cut for being a queen but at least the work kept her from thinking of him.

As she had bravely tried to carry on with her new life months and then years went by without a single word from him. In this time the pretty girl had turned into a beautiful young woman whose sad lapis lazui-blue eyes touched the hearts of her subjects, courtiers- and suitors of course, but she kept her distance and her despair, her rage and her loneliness private. Only in some nights like this, when the moon shone bright, the bustling town Londinium went silent and the Queen of Albion put down her regalia and retired to Westminster Abbey to say her prayers, then the sense of an irrecoverable loss got out of hand.

Esther knelt down on the steps of the high altar and started to pray.

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..." Although she tried very hard to concentrate her mind wandered off. The peace and quiet confidence which she alsways had found in her prayers just wouldn´t come now. There was only sadness- and memories of Father Abel.

Even after all these years she remembered every single detail about him, his goofy smile, his faked clumsiness, the unbelievable 13 pieces of sugar for his tea, also his gentle and caring nature- and his fear that she would despise him for who or what he was.

But I never despised him, never. I was only afraid that´s why I called him a monster. And now it´s too late to apologize. If only I´d known... I could have hugged him and taken the pain away. But I didn´t understand! And he didn´t tell me... I could have thanked him for always being there for me...But I never...

It was too late now. His death had been her fault and when he was brought back to life he had turned away from her. He went away without saying good-bye. And rightly so. Or maybe not?

Not a single word, nothing, for years. I hate him for that, for leaving me like this, I HATE HIM!

Esther tried to pull herself together and once more began her prayer.

"...and forgive us our tresspasses, as we forgive those, who trespass against us..."

Forgive...can he forgive me?

She could not bear this any more. The wall of conscientuousness that Esther had built around her heart started to crumble. All at once the pain welled up so intensely that Esther started to shake uncontrollably. She bit her left hand to keep herself from crying but there was no way of holding the tears back anymore. The young woman´s petite body was convulsed with sobs.

There´s nothing I wouldn´t do to see you again, well and alive, Abel, to tell you how much I missed you and ... that ...I...

Suddenly a gust ruffled her long red hair. She startled and looked around. The huge church was illuminated only by altar candles so she could barely see anything at first. Then she realised that the main entrance stood slightly ajar. Esther wiped her tears away and rose slowly. She started to walk towards the door wishing she had brought a light with her. When she passed the quire she heard a soft noise behind her back sounding like-

My name?

Esther spun around.

„Hello? Is-is anybody there?" No reply. Esther clenched her fists.

Oh, come on, now! I´m not going to be frightened now, am I?In a church of all things!

Nevertheless Esther shivered and quickened her pace. The marble busts of those who were laid to rest here seemed to watch her out of the shadows. The candles on the side altars flickered.

„Esther…."- There was the whisper again and this time there was no doubt, it was her name! In the corner of her eye Esther saw a movement and started to run. When she reached the door at last it was slammed shut with a deafening noise. Before Esther could turn around somebody put his hands around her waist and pulled her close. She could feel his breath on the skin of her neck as a soft voice said mockingly: "Oh Esther, do you really have to go?"

Esther knew that voice only too well. „C-Cain?" Her stomach twisted as panic was building up in her. Cain laughed and ran his long cool fingers along the beautifully curved line of her neck. For a moment the panic threatened to overwhelm her but then an old instinct woke that the former resistance fighter had thought to have lost over the years. Esther let herself fall and rolled on her feet before her surprised adversary could react. She slipped through his legs and ran towards the altar. There had to be a side entrance leading to the adjacent cloister! Her own steps echoed loudly but otherwise the church remained deadly silent. When she looked behind there was nobody to be seen.

"Where is he?"

All of a sudden Esther was grabbed ruggedly around the waist and lifted up.

"No! Let go!"

She struggled desperately but to no avail as her legs tangled up in her heavy folds of her dress. As she lost one shoe she realised that Cain had become airborne.

He will take me with him!

This thought gave her new strength. Esther fought Cain tooth and nail and even managed to kick him very hard. Cain´s grip loosened momentarily but before she fell to the ground he caught her left arm. A painful jerk went through it and Esther cried out in pain.

Cain grabbed her by the soulders and turned her arund so that she was facing him. Then all of a sudden she was struck so hard across her face that her eardrum seemed to split. Her eyes filled with tears. Cain pulled her now limp body close and held her very tight in a cruel parody of an embrace. He headed determinedly for the enormous window.

"No!Help! Please help me!" Esther screemed despairingly.

Cain paused his ascension for a moment and cupped her heart-shaped face with his big hand so that Esther was forced to look him in the eyes. Smirking he asked her:

"Do you know how doves are silenced?"

Then he closed his fingers around her delicate throat and started to throttle her. The last thing Esther heard was an ear-piercing noise when the beautiful church window was shattered in thousand peaces.