Author's Note: Many thanks to my reviewer, Elwyndra! I hope you'll like the way my story will develop! I promise to do my best! To everyone else who is reading the story (if anyone else is reading the story lol), please be kind and review:)

Summary: This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll get to learn something about who he really is, and explore his relationship with her a bit more deeply.

Warning: The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p

Disclaimer: Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…

A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments

Chapter 4

The journey had started under good signs, or at least there weren't any bad ones. The three travelers chose to cross the Carpathians as fast as possible, because it wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world to set camp in the woods while it was still winter. Moreover, those mountains could never be considered safe, and they seemed to even now hold something of their former horror, when Dracula was well alive and his evil servants haunted the Carpathian forests.

Thanks to their Transylvanian horses, it didn't take them too long to reach Hungary. The sun would set in a couple of hours, and the travelers were rather tired, so they decided to stop in the first town they reached.

Actually, it looked more of a village than a town, and the inn was not hard at all to find. Some of the local people would look at the strangers with suspicious eyes, others in awe, and others would simply ignore them.

"These people don't look exceptionally friendly…", Carl started, "but it's much better compared to our arrival in Transylv-"

"Carl..! Hold your tongue for once, can't you, dammit?!", Gabriel scolded him, thinking that Carl had just insulted Anna.

"Let him be Gabriel… He's not wrong anyway. Your welcoming to Transylvania wasn't the best you could expect", Anna commented.

"I never hope for a warm welcome, and I never get one. Damn, how could I, since I'm the most wanted man in Europe?"

"I can make out some irritation in your attitude today, Van Helsing… You have been rather abrupt since you woke up, and you already cursed twice in a minute now!"

"The monk here is not me", Gabriel snapped, but kept his voice calm.

"Actually I'm just a friar. I can-"

"Yes, I know, you can curse all you want. But don't get on my nerves now, will you?"

"Alright, alright… You're probably not in the mood…"

"Hey, stop it now, that's enough. Let's go to the inn and see if there are any rooms for us", Anna interrupted the men's silly quarrel and led the way towards the old inn.

The receptionist was an old woman who didn't show any special interest in the newcomers. Gabriel couldn't sense anything unpleasant about her; therefore he decided to trust her, at least for starters.

"We need two rooms, one double- and one single-bedded. And close to each other, if possible", he required in a manner that revealed he wasn't willing to receive "no" as an answer.

"Let me see what I can give you… By the way, where do you come from? You don't seem to be from here", she asked them rather indifferently.

"No we're not. So what can you give us?". It was Anna's turn to speak.

"Exactly what you asked for, madam… Here are the keys. How long are you planning to stay?"

"Just tonight. Thanks… Oh and something else, please. I guess you also offer food here?", Anna asked politely.

"We do, but not at this hour. There is a tavern only a few streets from here, if you want to have something to eat. Enjoy your stay", the woman told them and got back to her business, apparently not willing to speak with them any longer. She was cleverer than she looked, and in spite of her sixty-five years her brain was still sharp.

The three of them climbed the stairs to the first floor where their rooms awaited them. True to her word, she had given them rooms that were right next to each other.

"Alright, let's leave our things and find ourselves some food then", said Anna, who seemed to be rather cheerful tonight.

The men nodded in agreement and then they all entered their rooms. They weren't very big or luxurious, but they were better than nothing, and after having slept out in the cold, a warm bed looked like heaven to the three travelers.

Some time later, they found themselves enjoying a nice meal in the tavern that the receptionist had told them about. It wasn't too crowded and not heavily lit. All in all, it seemed to be a good place to eat and relax, and it was just what Gabriel, Anna and Carl wanted.

"Do you trust her? I mean this woman, at the inn…", Anna asked, obviously addressing her question to Gabriel.

"I don't sense something evil in her… She just isn't the friendliest person on earth. Still, we should always be cautious. Let's see if for once the whole world won't go against us!", Gabriel said and laughed with bitter irony.

The two others said nothing, only looked at Gabriel and then turned their eyes elsewhere. After some time's silence, Carl spoke.

"Ehm, Van Helsing…", he started in a very low voice. "Have you noticed…those men over there? They-"

"Yes I know, Carl. Act as if you have no idea."

"Do you think… Do you think they have recognized you?"

"I can't be sure, but I think they have not. The light is dim, and I still have this hat on my head. But they look suspicious. I'm keeping an eye on them."

"What's going on? Where are they?", Anna asked in confusion but didn't move from her place at all, knowing that if she did so she would attract far too much attention.

"You have your back on them, and don't turn. I don't think they're dangerous. Hey, don't worry..."

"I don't want anything bad to happen", she told him.

"Yes, let's hope nothing will happen… And we're leaving tomorrow, thank God!", Carl said in relief.

"Look, I think we should go as soon as possible", Gabriel stated.

"What if they follow us?", Anna worried.

"They better not, for their own good", the hunter replied, his voice strong and stable. Something inside him, maybe his experience or perhaps his instinct, was telling him to move fast, and that they weren't going to be alone tonight. "And now, if you are ready, we should be going", he said and lowered his hat so that it would hide his eyes from the others, while he could see everything.

"If we weren't in such a state now, I'd tell you that you turn me on when you do that…" Anna whispered to Gabriel's ear, but he didn't respond; it was no time for sweet lovers' words.

Soon afterwards, they stood and left the tavern. Gabriel set up a quick pace.

"Van Helsing, I cannot catch up with you! Why do we have to rush, anyway?"

"Keep quiet. And move", he replied coldly. He really wasn't in the mood today, Carl thought.

There was no light in the streets, which were rather narrow and dusty.

"Why does it always look worse at night…", Carl whispered to himself and kept following the couple.

"Oh I can't wait to get into-", Anna started but Gabriel interrupted her.

"Shh!", he silenced her. "We are being followed. Quickly, turn here", he urged them.

A few moments later, and as they were waiting, with their backs on the wall and holding their breaths, hidden well by the darkness, footsteps were heard. And they were approaching them.