Van Helsing stared at Anna in disbelief. It couldn't be her. He had watched her die, saw the life depart from her body. How could she be walking in front of him? Maybe it was a cruel trick God was playing to make him think Anna had come back to him. Could it actually be her? Perhaps God had taken mercy upon him and sent back the only woman he had ever loved. Gabriel decided that the only way to find out is to talk to the woman standing before him.
"Anna?" he asked.
"Van Helsing, where am I?" Anna asked in her Romanian accent.
"This is a monastery. Anna is that really you?" he asked once again.
"Of course it is me. Who else would it be?" she asked.
"Anna, you died weeks ago. I saw your body burning on the pyre by the sea as Carl read the prayers to send your soul to Heaven. When I looked up in the sky, I saw your face in the Heavens with your family," Gabriel rambled.
"I died? How? I don't remember dying or being burned by the sea. What happened Van Helsing?" she asked, confused.
"When we battled Dracula," he began, but was interrupted by Anna.
"Yes, I remember that," she said.
"Well, in order to kill him I had to turn into a Werewolf. I sent you can Carl to find the cure that Dracula kept hidden in his castle," he said.
"I remember that as well," she said.
Van Helsing continued, "In order to prevent full transformation, the cure had to be injected into me before the twelfth stroke of midnight. You ran at me and I hit you, it snapped your neck, but you injected me with the cure. You died instantly."
"Then how am I standing here right now if I died?" she asked.
"I prayed to God that you be sent back to me because I couldn't live without you. I'm guessing he answered my prayer," he replied.
"You prayed for me to be sent back?" she asked.
"Yes, because I lo…I lov…I love you Anna," he stuttered.
"You love me, Van Helsing? I thought you didn't love anybody. Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked, smiling at him.
"There is something about you that I can't explain. Every time I see you or when someone says your name, my heart races," he said.
"In that case, I have a confession to make. I love you. Since the moment you first walked into Transylvania, I knew there was something different about you. You never lied to me about what you were doing there. Even after Velkan was changed into a Werewolf, you showed some compassion for my feelings until I realized that there was no hope for Velkan. You rescued me from the Count at the Masquerade Ball. All that time and I never realized that you loved me. Until we were in Dracula's castle, I never even knew that you cared for me, much less love me. I love you Van Helsing," Anna replied.
"Gabriel," he said, "my name is Gabriel Van Helsing. Call me Gabriel if you would prefer it over just Van Helsing."
"Alright, Gabriel," she said.
They embraced and kissed. Gabriel had dreamed of this moment since her death, when they would be reunited. When they pulled apart, she smiled at him. He picked her up and swung around in a circle. Anna laughed in happiness to be with the one she loved. This moment was full of joy for both Anna and Gabriel as they were together again. Though she did not remember dying, she knew how it affected Gabriel. To see him so happy made her heart melt. However, that moment alone was short lived as Carl barged into the room once more.
"Van Helsing, I'm sorry to bother you again, but we need to talk about your serious lack of…" Carl began to say, but stopped when he saw Anna standing before him. "What in…what…you…and her…and…now what in the hell is going on here? I seriously need to lay off the drinking," he said as he turned to leave the room, but Van Helsing stopped him.
"Carl, you're not hallucinating. Anna is real, she right here," Gabriel said.
"Van Helsing, you need to stop dreaming and wake up to reality. Anna is gone, she's dead and there is nothing you can do to change that."
"Carl, I'm not dead. I'm standing right in front of you," Anna said.
"Man, I really need to lay off the drinks. I thought I just heard Anna speaking," Carl said shaking his head in disbelief.
Van Helsing walked up to Carl and hit him in the back of the head. Carl was unaware of why he did that, but muttered something in Latin under his breath. In his reality, Anna was just a hallucination or figment of his imagination as wall as Van Helsing's. This disbelief continued until Anna walked up to him and hit him on the side of his head like Van Helsing.
"Idiot," she said, her Romanian accent clear as day, "I'm right here in front of you. No, I'm not dead and no I'm not gone."
"Anna?" he asked. "Can it be true?"
"Of course it can be true. Miracles can happen," she replied.
Carl rubbed his eyes to be sure they weren't playing tricks on him. When he opened them again, she was still there standing beside Van Helsing. Nothing had changed. She was the same Anna that she was weeks ago before they battled Dracula. This had to be Anna because Van Helsing was no longer depressed, but smiling. He hadn't cracked a smile since Anna was alive, so this was a reality and not a dream.
"My God, Anna how can this be so?" Carl asked.
"Apparently, Van Helsing prayed that I be returned to life here on Earth," she replied slyly as she pushed on Gabriel's arm.
"WHAT? Van Helsing prayed? God, I couldn't get this man to pray if my life depended on it and he dropped to his knees for a girl?" Carl asked in disbelief.
"So I prayed. Call the Pope if you must. It's not that big of a deal," muttered Van Helsing, as he turned around, obviously blushing.
"I must say that I am proud of you. Obviously, Anna is precious to you so you ask God to bring her back," Carl said in praise of his friend.
"It's not that big of a deal. Besides, I think he owed it to me for all the work I've done in his name all of my life. Never once did I ask for something in return. Now I did because it was important to me. I think of it as fair payment for risking my life going after these creatures of the night. Wouldn't you agree, Carl?" Van Helsing asked.
"You know I can't answer that question. I am a man of the cloth and sworn to serve the Lord all of my life," replied Carl.
"Oh, come on. You and I both know you've done your fair share of cursing and other things not worthy of the cloth," Van Helsing said, winking at Carl.
"Um, I have no earthly clue on what you speak of," Carl replied, his face turning beat red in shame.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Or shall I remind you of that girl in Transylvania?" whispered Van Helsing.
"You knew about her?" Carl asked.
"I know everything, remember?" replied Gabriel with a smirk on his face.
Yes, this was just like old times. Gabriel Van Helsing was himself once more. Picking on Carl and being a general smart elect. All seemed to be perfect and well once more. That is until all hell broke loose.
A/N: To answer Ardina's question, I got my title from the word itself. It means tranquility or peaceful. This story is dedicated to a friend who died a month ago in a tragic accident. Writing this story brings me peace. Also, Van Helsing needed peace in his life and Anna brought it to him. (I have heard of the movie, on of my best friends loves it.)