Disclaimer: Okay, I do not own Van Helsing, it's characters, etc. If anyone honestly thought that I did, they are not very bright. Also, this story is the sequel to my "Stranger in a Familiar Story" and you kinda need to read it to understand this one.

The Dance

Deep brown eyes bore into mine as though they were attempting to find something hidden deep within me. I felt a pair of chilled arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to his even colder body. And I suddenly began to feel tired. Oh, so tired.

'Just sleep,' cooed Dracula in his smooth Transylvanian voice. 'Everything will be all right. You are safe now.'

I knew that something was wrong, very wrong, and I desperately needed to look away, but something firmly held my gaze to his.

'Erica,' called a familiar voice behind me. My heart leapt as I recognized Van Helsing's voice. I attempted to look back at him but I was unable to do so.

'Let me go,' I begged. 'Please. I am of no use to you dead.'

'I will not allow you to die, darling. You will become immortal, my bride.' I took in a deep breath and cried out, 'Van Helsing.'

Dracula began to laugh as he tipped me over and cradled me in his arms.

'No one can save you now, my dear,' he whispered and bit into my neck. I cried out in pain as my blood was surrendered to Dracula's appetite. Soon, my surroundings became darker and fuzzy as another face appeared and began to sharpen to create another familiar image. Anna.

'Why hadn't you warned me?' she demanded, 'you purposefully killed me. You murderer!'

I woke up, my heart racing as I gazed around my sunlit room. I put my hand to my neck as I got up and walked over to my mirror. My pale reflection cast extremely dark shadows underneath my eyes. I tilted my head to the side and looked at my neck were two divots remained in my skin. One of the several mementos from my trip to Transylvania six months before.

Had it only been six months since I had dressed as Anna Valerious for Halloween and jumped out of that swing into Transylvania?

I signed and picked up the ring from my dresser. The very same ring that Van Helsing had given me that night. I put this ring on and glanced at the closet where the dress, jewels, coat, and Anna's hunting costume were in a box up on the shelf. I had had too many nightmares from that night. And I had hoped that maybe, just maybe, if these tokens were out of sight, these dreams, just like the one I had just had, would disappear, but they didn't.

After I had returned from Transylvania, I watched the movie "Van Helsing" once again for any sign of me in it. But I saw none. I also had jumped out of the same swing again, and when I landed, I remained in the park. Don't ask me why I had done it. I suppose I just wanted to go back to Transylvania and see Van Helsing again.

I never told my friends about that night, in fact, they still don't know what had happened and they've never questioned about it. Because, after I had lost the swinging contest to Courtney, we headed for the Halloween dance.

'Erica,' called Marie through my closed door, 'get up. Time to eat lunch.'

'Coming,' I called back as I headed to my closet to grab a shirt. I glanced up at the box and sighed before grabbing a large flannel button-up shirt.

That night, at the dance, I had attempted to act as normal as I possibly could. I'm not quite sure whether or not it worked because after the dance, Marie had conned me into going out with her and her boyfriend, James. Derek, James' best friend, tagged along and we began talking.

We got to know each other quite well and became friends. And a month ago, he asked me to prom. Marie made me say yes and I'm going to prom with her, James, and Derek.

I quickly button up my shirt, put on a pair of blue jeans, and went to the kitchen to eat some lunch. As I began to eat, Marie said, 'Erica, can I do your hair and make-up, please?'

'I don't know…'

'Please,' she batted her eyes innocently, 'I know exactly what to do.'

'I suppose, but hair only.' She frowned but agreed. We finished lunch and I took a quick shower so that my hair could dry some while I was waiting for Marie to finish taking hers. When she got out, she sat me down, plugged in three different curling irons and began to brush out my hair. After half an hour, she finally had my hair curled and put it into a tail. She put a gold headband on me and took three chains of golden rhinestones and draped them around my tail and attached them to the ends of my headband.

With my hair finished, she began on hers and I began to paint my nails with clear polish. Once my nails had dried, I put on make-up (au-natural, of course) and put on my red prom dress. My dress was a halter top with a low neckline and a very low back. On the back, a red ribbon crisscrossed up to my shoulder blades, where it tied. On the front was a lovely red and gold beadwork that looked like roses with golden leaves.

I was ready a little earlier than Marie, but she was ready by the time our dates arrived. At 6, the doorbell rang and I answered it to see James and Derek. James and Derek both had shaggy blonde hair. James had dark brown eyes and was about six foot tall and Derek was only an inch taller than me and he had pale blue eyes. But both were athletically built.

'Hey, James,' said Marie as she came up behind me and planted a kiss on his cheek. She had a typical black and pastel blue gown with a princess style to it. She quickly adjusted James' pastel tie. I looked at Derek and noticed that both his vest and tie were white.

'Hi, Derek,' I said, adding an awkward smile.

'You look beautiful,' he replied.

'You look really handsome,' I said in turn.

'Kids!' called my mom from the living room, 'outside for pictures.'

I frowned. Stinking Parents and their pictures.

'Let's go,' said Marie, taking James' arm and leading the way.

Derek offered his arm to me and I took it.

We finally got to the restaurant at seven and ate a quick meal to get to the Grand
March on time. Since we were the last to arrive, we were the last to go through the March. I stood with Derek and watched two of the most preppy and annoying classmates be crowned king and queen and they danced. I was pulled off to the side this time to get pictures with my best friends Kait, Courtney, Jen, and their dates. After the royalty's dance, the parents left and I joined my friends on the dance floor for a couple of fast songs.

Once the first slow song came on, I found Derek and we danced (okay, it was honestly him putting his arms around my waist, mine around his neck, and we waddled in circles). As we danced, I gazed up into his eyes, barely noticing that the entire room had disappeared and my classmates had faded. When I looked away, I found, to my horror that I was in Dracula's castle at his ball, and vampires in elegant dress danced around us. When I looked back at Derek, I found that he had changed into Dracula.

I felt his grip tighten on me and he pressed me closer to his body.

'Erica,' he whispered, 'you cannot believe how long I have waited for this moment.'

I released him and stepped back, attempting to get out of his arms. But they lingered around me, so I quickly brushed them off.

'Erica, what's wrong?' Derek asked. I quickly glanced around and saw that everything was back to normal and that I was still in the high school gym at prom.

'I'll be right back,' I promised as I felt my cheeks burn as they blushed. My head began to feel light as I hurried across the dance floor to the hall where the girls' locker room and bathroom were. I passed the bathroom, knowing that all the girls would be in there, primping themselves for their dates. But the locker room would be empty because they lacked sufficient mirrors.

I sat on the nearest bench in the locker room and buried my face into my hands.

'It was only a hallucination, not real. Dracula is dead, you saw Van Helsing kill him, yourself.'

'Erica?' I froze as my heart began to race at the familiar voice. I slowly lifted my head to see a very familiar face.

'Carl, what are you doing here?'

'Looking for you,' he replied. He glanced around the room, 'do you live here?'

'No, Carl. This is a girl's locker room, where girls get ready for gym and sports.'

'You play sports in that attire?' I noticed that his eyes were wandering lower than my face, so I quickly placed my right hand over my low neckline.

'No.'

'I see that you are still wearing Van Helsing's ring,' he observed. My eyes flickered down. I had forgotten that I had put it on.

'Yeah, what of it?' I glanced around the room. 'Where is he?' My chest felt much lighter and my heart leapt at the thought of seeing him again.

'Well, that would be why I am here.'

'I thought that it was to find me.'

'Yes, because Van Helsing is missing.' My heart dropped to my feet.

'Missing? How? When?'

'During a mission in London almost a week ago.'

'So, you are saying that I get to return to your time period?' He nodded. I jumped up and walked up to him and prodded him in the arm. He frowned at me as I smiled. I was sincerely glad to feel actual flesh and cloth beneath my fingertips. It mean that this was all real, not a dream.

'This isn't a dream,' I explained.

'Of course not. Now, we must hurry for they are very impatient.' He hurried to the lockers where he began to dig into his pocket.

'"They"? Who are "they"?'

'The Order.'

'You told them about me?'

'You very well couldn't think that I could lie to them when Van Helsing returned without his ring and speaking about a stranger who knew about his story.' I paused.

'He talked about me?' My heart lifted again.

'Complained about you really,' said Carl. He noticed that my face had a far off look to it and he added, 'don't get any ideas. You know very well that he is an angel in human form. He cannot love a mortal.'

'If he is an angel, then why can't he save himself?' Carl sighed in frustration.

'Because he is trapped within the limitations of a mortal body. And if he dies, our world would be overrun by demonic creatures.'

'Okay, okay, I get the point,' I said hurriedly. 'Now, how do we get back?'

'By this,' he said, producing a small glass vial filled with an orange liquid. He threw it at the wall of lockers. A wall of opaque silver smoke ascended from the liquid and when it had disappeared, nothing had changed.

'Nothing happened,' I commented, raising an eyebrow.

'You just walk into the wall and it will take you to the Vatican,' he explained.

'Are you sure?'

'Positive.' I nodded and began to walk to it when Carl stopped me.

'You are not going dressed as that, are you?'

'What else do you currently propose that I wear?' I asked.

'I don't know. Something modest, perhaps?' he suggested.

'It is either this or naked. Now, come on.' I walked to the locker and pressed my hand against it and it went through it. I took in a deep breath and took a step forward, plunging myself into a wall of dull gray.