Author's note: Hi all! I was well inspired today, and I hope this will show through the chapter! Mind that there is a sex scene. What? My wicked Muse (and my twisted mind) commanded me to write it down! The fanfic is rated M after all for this very reason ;p Okay anyway, the solution of the riddle is starting to reveal itself! Hope you enjoy the chapter, and good reading:)

I publicly thank my reviewers AnnaVanHelsing1887 and Elwyndra, and to all the REST that read the story but DON'T give me reviews, you better change your minds quickly because I might change mine and don't post another chapter until I get reviews from you people! Would you let me do something so unfair to my faithful readers?

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 follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her.

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: No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I also don't own the lyrics displayed in this chapter for they belong to Nightwish (song: Ever Dream, album: Highest Hopes-The Best of Nightwish). I only own my own characters and plot.

A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments

Chapter 14

"Hey, doctor, calm down and tell us what you mean. Did you really manage to figure out the first line of the riddle?", Gabriel asked Robert in a voice full of anticipation and hope.

"Yes, Mr. Van Helsing, I think I did. Let me show you", he replied and moved to the table where he placed the paper he was holding. The others came beside him quickly. "See?", he said and pointed to a scribbled note on the paper. "The first line is nothing more than your name, Mr. Van Helsing! It was a simple anagram…", he explained to them.

"An anagram? How did you find out, Dr. Williams?", father Nicholaus asked in astonishment.

"The power of observation, my friends, the power of observation! You can check the letters in the phrase "I shall bring avenge" for they are exactly the same forming your name, Mr. Van Helsing. And it would seem that the mistake this phrase contains is explained now", the doctor continued.

"Yes… the letters of Gabriel's name should be fitting to the message and its meaning…", Anna commented thoughtfully.

"This is awesome! How haven't I figured that myself?", Carl wondered.

"I must say I'm amazed… And thank you, Dr. Williams, for your help. Your suggestion about the first line makes sense; it addresses the riddle clearly to me, which connects to the fact that the riddle had appeared in front of me, and… and heavens give me the role of an avenger, maybe? An avenger against evil?", Gabriel said.

"You said it yourself, Van Helsing", the friar told him.

"Ah, it's good that we now know the meaning of the first line, but this still leaves us with nothing as it is. I mean, we all knew Gabriel is some kind of an avenger, since he fights evil, didn't we? This first line reveals nothing we don't know…", Anna remarked.

"I have the feeling that the next lines will reveal more things, Anna", he told her and looked at her lovingly. He had obviously regained his hopes of discovering who he was after the success with the first line of the riddle. "But we were on our way to our rooms, weren't we? We better leave the rest of the riddle for tomorrow… I have started feeling somewhat tired myself", Gabriel concluded.

"Well, you are right… We should not stay up all night long", the Englishman agreed and then wished goodnight to the rest and retired. Soon the others did the same, and everybody went up to their rooms to take some rest after this very trying day.

Gabriel and Anna were pleased to have some privacy again after all these days. Both of them felt happy for they now knew the beginning of the solution to the riddle, and they would certainly continue their trying to solve it to the end with all their hearts.

"It seems Dr. Williams is a clever man…", Anna commented while untying her corset.

"Yes indeed… Thanks to him, we made a start", Gabriel responded as he undressed and got into the bed, pulling the covers up. There was also a divan in the room that could be used as a bed, but the two lovers preferred to share the narrow bed. "Come here now, my love…", he invited her longingly.

Anna wore a simple nightgown that reached just above her knees, leaving her shins to Gabriel's lustful gaze. The princess smiled to the hunter, and then she hid her body under the covers, and lay down with her back against his chest. Gabriel slid his arm around her waist, holding her close.

"Mmm…", Anna murmured in drowsy delight and placed her delicate hand upon his strong one.

Gabriel placed a soft kiss on her neck and breathed in her scent. Feeling her tempting body against his, her beautiful back against his chest and the curve of her butt against his groin, made him forget his fatigue and grow hot with desire. He slowly pressed his body a bit harder against hers, in an attempt to arouse the same desire in her. Anna's response was another sweet murmur, and she caressed her lover's hand softly. Gabriel withdrew his hand from her waist, after enjoying her light caress, and he placed it on the curve of her hip where he began to slowly stroke her by moving his hand from her waist to her upper thigh and vice versa.

"Anna… I've missed you…", he started in a deep and seductive voice and nibbled on her earlobe a bit.

"Mmm… Gabriel… I… I can feel you…", she responded and pressed her butt against his hardening manhood.

Gabriel let out a growl as he felt her pressing against him, and then he moved his hand up her right side until he reached her breasts. Through the soft material, he let his hand fondle with the soft flesh, cupping her right breast and squeezing it gently while teasing the nipple until it grew hard. He moved his hand between her breasts, and the feeling of her hot skin made the hunter even hungrier to make love to her. Anna was letting Gabriel take the initiatives and at his every touch she shivered and gave out moans of pleasure.

"Anna… I want you… I want you so much…", he told her lustfully and lowered his face to kiss her neck and shoulder. His hand left her breasts and went back to her hips, and it began to slowly pull her nightgown up, as he instinctively pressed his hard penis against her firm round butt. Anna moaned again, louder this time, and parted her legs somewhat, in response to his feverish passion.

"Gabriel my love… you make me crave for your touch… don't prolong this too much please!", she begged him and spread her legs even more.

Gabriel pulled her nightgown to her waist, and let his hand roam hungrily from her thigh to her breasts, sending waves of shivering pleasure through Anna's body and making the hot spot between her legs wetter and more inviting. Then he removed her underwear and placed his fingers at her entrance. Anna moaned in pleasure and excitement, and she lifted her butt towards him so as to give him better access to her hot and wet passion. After teasing the sensitive folds and throbbing bud for a while, Gabriel decided that it was time to get rid of his sleeping pants and move on to the main course. And so he did, and now he held Anna's right thigh as he urged her to spread her legs more so that it would be more convenient for her to take him inside her. Anna not only spread her legs more but when she felt the tip of his penis in her entrance, she got to her knees, impatient for him to fill her up. Gabriel on his side got very excited by her response, and thrust inside her forcefully at once, now him being on his knees too and holding Anna by her hips. His powerful thrust made Anna cry out in pleasure and growing passion. Gabriel let out a growl and started thrusting in and out of her hard, the softness of the previous times they had made love being absent now and having been replaced by a wild passion. At a moment and as he was nearing his orgasm, Gabriel's thrusts became violently strong, and Anna cried out. But it was not a cry of pleasure.

"Ahh!... Gabriel, Gabriel stop!", she begged him, but he was very close to his orgasm to stop and he ignored her completely, continuing thrusting into her with increasing force. Just as he reached his ejaculation, Anna cried again and released herself from the grasp of his hands causing him to spill his sperm on the bed. Then she immediately grabbed a blanket and ran over to the divan in front of the eyes of a dumbfounded Gabriel.

"Anna…?", he muttered. "Anna why did you do this?"

"Me? You ask me? Ask yourself!", she yelled to him angrily and covered herself with the blanket. She was glad to still wear her nightgown. Then she brought her knees to her chest and lowered her head.

"Anna… What did I do? Speak to me, please!"

"You hurt me!", she shouted with tears in her eyes. "I begged you to stop but you only cared about your own satisfaction! Is this your respect for me? You are so selfish, and you're a liar!", she burst out and then started crying, her shoulders shaking under her sobs. Gabriel was shocked.

"Anna, my love, please look at me…", he started softly and approached her.

"Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you!"

"Please… I'm sorry. Come to the bed now… Please, Anna!", Gabriel begged her once more and knelt next to the divan. He tried to caress her hair but Anna pushed his hand away.

"I told you to leave me alone! You go to the bed! I will stay here! Go away! Go away!"

Gabriel didn't insist any more. He got back on his feet, and after pulling off the dirty sheet and throwing it on a chair he got into the bed and covered himself with the remaining blanket. He saw that he had hurt Anna, and now he was hurt as well, and it was all his fault. He had regretted succumbing to his passion completely and ignoring Anna's cries of pain, and now she had called him selfish and a liar. She was right, wasn't she? Or was she overreacting? Gabriel wasn't able to think clearly, and he pressed his mind to try and think… Much time he spent awake, carefully listening to Anna's silent sobs until she fell asleep, tired and hurt as she was. Gabriel's heart was aching; she had shunned him away and refused to talk to him. These thoughts troubled the hunter and kept him from sleeping for many hours. When finally exhaustion took over him it was almost dawn; he fell asleep while a tear was drying on his cheekbone.

A few minutes after Gabriel had fallen asleep, Anna heard a voice calling her. Was she dreaming or was it real?

"Anna… Anna… Wake up", the voice told her.

Anna slowly opened her eyes and turned her face to the direction the voice was coming from. What she saw was amazing. A wonderful blue light had entered the small room and its rays radiated all over the place, making everything else practically invisible; it was only the princess and the bright light in front of her. Anna stared in wonder and in awe as a young woman slowly appeared from the deep in the bright center of the light. The woman had long, ebony black hair and she wore the long robes of an ancient Egyptian priestess.

"You…! You are… you are the Dark Witch!", Anna exclaimed breathlessly.

"My name is Isetnofret, Anna. Listen to me carefully for I have little time", the priestess required and Anna complied with her request. "Vandul, the demon who attacked you in the sea, is trying, and unfortunately succeeding in forging an evil alliance against you and Gabriel. I am battling him, but I am afraid my power is not enough to hold him back for much longer. You have to solve the riddle and go to Rome as soon as possible, if you wish to be saved from his wrath and menace."

"Why are you telling me this? Why are you helping us?"

"Because you saved me. Gabriel saved me. He gave me back my soul that I had lost so carelessly thousands of years ago… And I am helping you because you have a sacred love for each other, a love that comes only once in a thousand lifetimes… I too had loved once, but he was taken from me violently. I lost my mind and I became a priestess of the darkness, wishing to enjoy an undying youth. This I paid with my soul and I would be damned to the eternity, had it not been for Gabriel who saved me. You do not know who the man that you have by your side is, Anna. And you do not realize the love he has for you."

"What do you mean? Who is Gabriel? And the riddle, do you know the solution to it?"

"I do, but I am not allowed to reveal it to you for it is your God's will that you solve the riddle on your own. But you must hurry. The demon's allies will attack in disguise, and they will attack soon. Only in Rome you will be safe."

"Please, give me a clue to it if you really want to help us! Please, Isetnofret, please!"

"The Blood on the Cross", the ancient priestess said, and then she disappeared in the same miraculous way she had appeared.

The blue light faded away and everything in the room looked again as they did before Isetnofret's appearance. Anna's eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light that was coming through the small window. It was dawn, and this was the light of the sun. Anna found herself standing in the middle of the room, facing the small window. She was still wearing her nightgown, and her blanket was tossed away, as she quickly got up at the calling of Isetnofret. So it wasn't a dream, Anna thought. It was a vision, and it was as real as her own flesh and beating heart.

Keeping everything the priestess had told her in her mind, Anna turned to the bed and looked at Gabriel's sleeping figure. The blanket was carelessly pulled up to his waist, and he was slightly turned to her side, one arm reaching further then the narrow mattress, while the other was resting on his stomach. His face was turned to her, with a few random strands of his hair on it. His breathing was quiet and he looked peaceful, but as Anna approached him she noticed that he had a rather sad look on his face. She carefully sat on the edge of the bed, and with a feathery move of her delicate fingers she removed the hair strands from his face. Anna admired his features; she could have never imagined that a man could be as handsome as Gabriel was. Then she suddenly noticed a dry tear on his cheekbone, and her heart broke. She realized that Gabriel was not selfish and a liar, as she had called him a few hours ago, because the tear on his cheek was proof of his sincere, and now broken, heart. Anna had hurt him by pushing him away, by refusing to speak to him, and now she knew it. Tears emerged to her eyes, and they were tears of regret. This time she didn't try to fight them back as she usually did, but let them run down her cheeks freely… While silently crying, she reached with her hand and softly traced Gabriel's cheekbone with her fingers, until she reached his lips. There upon she placed a butterfly kiss. Then, as if she was driven by an unearthly force, she closed her eyes and started singing a song she had never sung before, a song that was completely unknown to her; a song that was inspired to her by that divine power.

Ever felt away with me
Just once that all I need
Entwined in finding you one day

Ever felt away without me
My love, it lies so deep
Ever dream of me

Would you do it with me
Heal the scars and change the stars
Would you do it for me
Turn loose the heaven within

I'd take you away
Castaway on a lonely day
Bosom for a teary cheek
My song can but borrow your grace

As she was singing, the sunlight of the dawn glowed blue and surrounded Anna. Gabriel, roused by the melodic singing, opened his eyes to the wondrous sight and held his breath until her song was finished.

"Anna… You look and sing like an angel…", he told her and smiled to her warmly.

"Gabriel?", Anna gasped and opened her eyes at once, trying to wipe away her tears.

"My love, were you crying? Why… Why… You shouldn't cry for someone who isn't worth it…", he told her quietly as he sat up and took her hands in his. Then he leaned in and kissed her wet eyes softly.

"You cried for me", she told him and placed her hand on the dry tear on his cheek. "And I wasn't worth it. So let me cry for you…", she said with a sob in her throat.

"Shh… Come here… Come in my hug", he invited her warmly.

"I love you!", she cried and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry… Please forgive me!"

"I love you too, my dearest and only princess, but there is nothing to forgive… You should forgive my… my selfishness", he said and lowered his eyes.

"She was right… I don't know who you are. I don't realize how much you love me…", she sighed and nested her head on his chest.

"Who… Who was right?", he asked her.

"Isetnofret."

"Isetnofret?". Gabriel was completely confused now.

"The ancient Egyptian priestess, the witch you killed in Hungary. She visited me just before I woke you up with my song, and she spoke to me. Gabriel, she is helping us!"

In the next few minutes Anna narrated to her lover the whole incident with the priestess, and she told him everything using the exact words Isetnofret herself had used.

"As it seems, our time is limited…", Gabriel commented after Anna was finished with the narration. "And she gave us a clue for the riddle. The Blood on the Cross… Apparently, it refers to Jesus… I think Carl and father Nicholaus will be able to help us with that."

"But we should wait for them to wake up, though I think we won't need to wait for long…"

"Yes indeed… Oh, damn!"

"What?"

"I'll have to give explanations about that… dirty sheet as well!", he said humorously and pointed over to the chair where he had thrown the sheet, and they both laughed.

"Well, I wish this was the only thing we should have to worry about…", Anna said bitterly, and then placed a soft kiss on Gabriel's right shoulder.

"Yeah… By the way, where did you learn that song? It's wonderful."

"Oh, I don't know… It was like a divine power was guiding me, and inspired the song into me. I felt very strangely…"

"There was a blue light glowing around you while you were singing."

"A blue light?... Isetnofret!"

"Isetnofret… I think she's watching over you."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. I just… feel it. Well, it seems you have found your guarding angel!"

"I don't need another guarding angel. I already have one, and I'm deeply in love with him."