Old fanfiction account is old. Hello again, all you people who browse the fanfiction archives. This is GuenVanHelsing, reporting for duty, sah!

This is for SpeedDemon315, for her Van Helsing contest... prompt... thingy. Sorry this is so late! (And short. And fail.)

Short, AU fic set in semi-modern times, featuring several characters from the Van Helsing movie. None of the characters are mine, Dracula went to Maui for vacation so he won't be here, and I'd really appreciate some feedback.

Thank you for reading!

Sometimes, all it took was one simple drink to change everything.

"Just one, mate!" insisted Carl, forcing the bottle of absinthe into his friend's hand. "Just one! It's not that bad, honest! It's just one little glass."

"That's all it takes," grumbled the other man, pushing the bottle across the bar back to Carl. "No, thanks. Drinking is bad for you."

"Aww, c'mon," said Velkan. "It's not that bad. And after a while, the weird fuzzy feeling goes away. Just drink it!"

"No!"

Carl poured some of the greenish liquid into a shot glass and slid it over to his friend. "Just a wee bit?"

"I said no." His friend glowered at him, unhappy about the alcohol, the drinking, the pub. He hadn't wanted to come out that night, especially since it was his birthday.

"Come one," wheedled Carl. "It'll be fine! It's just one little glass. Drink it, and I'll stop bothering you."

Velkan nodded vigorously. "It's really good," he said encouragingly.

"If that'll make you shut up…" Gabriel took the glass, and downed it.

Half an hour later, Gabriel was regretting the drink. He wasn't a big drinker, and although he could handle a decent amount of alcohol, he did have a limit. It seemed that he had pushed his, as Carl had refilled that little glass at least seven times during the night. Now the clock struck twelve, the party was still going strong, and the entertainment really began.

"And tonight, by special request, Ms. Valerious's rendition of 'Quando Viene Dicembre'," called Top Hat from further up the bar. He motioned to Jinette, who nodded and changed the page of his sheet music. The piano began to play, and the voices still speaking lowered in respectful silence.

"Festa e balli, fantasia," breathed the beautiful, accented voice, "è il ricordo di sempre, ed un canto vola via, quando viena dicembre…"

Gabriel couldn't speak Italian to save his life. He hated not understanding when someone was speaking, or singing. It bothered him to no end. But tonight, with absinthe churning in his blood, the thick Transylvanian accent changed the words into something he could feel. He didn't have to know what they meant, for deep down in his heart, he knew.

"Sembre come un attimo, dei cavalla s'impennano, torna quella melodia, che il tempo portò via."

Sometimes you don't have to know someone to understand them. Sometimes you don't have to know a language to understand its meaning. Sometimes, in the oddest of circumstances, two people will meet, that are meant to be.

"Sembre come un attimo…"

Gabriel was standing, not hearing Carl, or Velkan, speaking to him, pulling at his sleeves, trying to get his attention, a response from his unresponsive self.

"Dei cavalla s'impennano…"

He moved between chairs, and tables, and people, not noticing or caring whether he bumped into something, or someone. Some people complained, but he didn't hear them.

"Sento quella melodia, nella memoria mia…"

He was in front of the stage, just standing there, watching her sing. Watching, and listening. And feeling.

"Forse un giorno tornerò, il mio cuore lo sente…"

Somehow, he was on the stage, in front of her. Right there, that moment, the entire world fell away.

"Il ricordo di sempre, ed allora capirò …"

Her big, soulful brown eyes stared up at him, questioning, wondering, as she reached the end of her song.

"Ed un canto vola via… Quando viena dicembre."

Gabriel leaned down, and kissed her.

Sometimes, all it took was one simple drink to change everything.

"Just one, love!" said Anna, waving the cup in his face. Beer sloshed over the side of the glass in a frothy, bubbly mess. "It's not that bad, honest!"

Gabriel smiled and took the glass.