A/N: Here we go, I'm typing this chapter right after I finished the last one so now I can update on time for this week too! Yay! I hope you guys enjoy how this is going so far, especially because it's my first time outside of Devil May Cry's archives… yeah I might have a minor obsession with that series… if you have a playstation or xbox I recommend you play them (old ones, not the shitty reboot). Anywho, free advertising for Capcom aside, I'll start that chapter now.

Disclaimer: To be honest I don't really know how the rights to Dracula go… so… yeah

Drakire: don't worry! I'll keep going! Thanks for the review!

A Laugh to Remember

The rest of Vlad's night passed in a blissful blur, he texted with Mina for a while, a feature on his phone that he was still becoming accustomed to. He knew that if he could still blush he would've been when she first messaged him telling him that he'd accidentally given her his grocery list. He'd been in such a hurry to give her a number that he hadn't looked at the paper he'd written it on. Sure it was an embarrassment but he could tell that she was amused by the whole scenario. Not that he could blame her, he would be too if he were in her shoes. He sat back in his chair, the book in his lap all but forgotten as he went over the memories again and again. He had found his love again and she had smiled and welcomed his presence, instead of being guarded and wary as she had been in the last life upon finding out his identity. He'd forgotten how much he loved her laugh, ah her laugh… it was something that he burned into his memory once again, it was beautiful and full of life, it brought back memories of days spent on horseback, out for a picnic, of playful chases and of silly comments made about some of Transylvania's nobles. He remembered the bliss of their wedding day and when she had told him that she was expecting his first child. The vampire smiled at these memories, he was determined in this life not to mess things up again, not to be her downfall once more, this life would be filled with many more smiles and laughter than he'd ever been able to provide before, he was determined to make it so.

The smile slipped slightly from his face, as he had not been unaware of the monster lurking behind them in the market place, he had disappeared shortly after they left the main streets of town but still his presence unnerved Vlad. It wasn't the first time the man had shown up, he seemed to get a kick out of showing up just long enough to remind the other vampire of his existence and then disappear, just to keep Vlad's stress levels up. He knew he'd show up and speak with him, he generally did, reminding the former prince of his promise and that someday he'd come to collect. It was something that Vlad wished would happen so that he could be free of his shackles, he didn't regret the promise, it had kept his country together in a time of need, he had wished it had gone down differently but failed to see how that really could've happened.

He'd gone over the contract again and again in his mind but couldn't find a loophole, just as he'd gone over the battles that took place afterward again and again but didn't see many alternatives to what had happened, there were a few lives here and there he felt he could've saved, and perhaps he should've known that Mehmed would use a decoy but the Sultan would've found another way to trick him, the man was as clever as a serpent.

Vlad shook his head, trying to rid it of the memories but it didn't make much difference at this point, ridding of them made him think of Mina which made him think of his current state of being, which of course, led his mind right back to the past and the moment he had accepted the old vampire's blood. He closed his eyes, the memory becoming as clear as day.

He remembered the thick cloying taste as he swallowed the blood that would alter the course of his fate forever. The sound of the shudder the old vampire gave when he did. The effects he began feeling were immediate, he wanted to choke on the substance, and he began to feel weak, dizzy…

"What now…?" he managed after tossing the broken skull to the side.

"Now… you die." The monster said walking away from him and at that moment Vlad was sure that he'd been tricked, that the monster was simply going to devour him and that his kingdom was doomed. He slipped and fell, feeling his body convulse and darkness overwhelmed his mind.

He remembered the strange vision that had plagued his dream, at the time he hadn't understood it but now knew that it was a glimpse into his future, if only he had known, he would've paid more heed to the warnings it gave. The next thing he knew he was waking up in the creek the flowed away from the mountain, feeling things he never thought possible and now took as a part of everyday life. Vlad shook his head and opened his eyes, how young and foolish he'd been back then, but then again, not many got the opportunity to live for as long as he had…

"Nor will many others." The voice came from his balcony and Vlad shot to his feet, fangs bared at the man who had made him into the monster he was today.

A/N: Dun Dun Duuuunnnnn! I like cliffhangers :3 A lot… they're my friend :3 anywho, thanks so much for reading and following me on this adventure!

Till next time,

-Winged Element