Kate awoke the next night refreshed, as if she had finally slept after weeks of nothing. Even the sadness was gone, replaced now by relief. There was no more need to fear the Van Helsing family.
She sat up and ran her hands through her hair, feeling the tangles release as she did. She pulled her hands back and looked at them to see that they were glowing.
She blinked in shock before remembering that she now possessed the power of the Ancients. Amelia had given this to her. She had done this without thinking. It made her wonder what else she could do.
She stood and looked at the nightgown Mavis had loaned her. She took a deep breath before closing her eyes and imagined the gown she couldn't wear outside of the bedroom into a dress she could.
Moments later she opened her eyes and found that the nightgown had transformed in a black dress in the style of a summer sun dress. It was sleeveless and formfitting to the waist. She smiled, filled with joy for the first time in a long time, before turning back to her sneakers. Attempting the same trick, she closed her eyes and when she opened them the sneakers had transformed into a pair of dark sandals.
She smiled wider before quickly putting them on her feet and walking to the large window, throwing the curtains back.
The sun had just set leaving a purple hue in the sky. She looked up and saw the first twinkling stars beginning to appear. She felt at peace as she took a deep breath, the crisp mountain air filling her lungs. It really was beautiful here in Transylvania. She wanted to stay here forever.
She turned back and started towards the door when a glint of gold in the corner of her eye stopped her in her tracks. She looked over to the side table where she had sat the golden ring the night before. She picked up the ring and stared at it.
To most, the ring would be nothing more than a pretty accessory. To Kate, it was a reminder that her love would not be returned, never be returned.
Martha's ring was a reminder that Dracula had already zinged. She knew that he would not return her feelings. She also knew that Martha was gone, for some reason asking Amelia to save her.
Her hand wrapped around the ring and she took a deep breath. She looked around the room once again, this time her heart sinking. She wouldn't be able to stay here because she couldn't remain with him, loving him, knowing that he would never love her back. Dracula would never love her. She would have to leave this place.
However, she would first need to return the ring.
She walked out of the room, her mission clear.
She passed a few monsters and humans who were staying at the hotel, a few giving her a second glance, although she didn't know why. Could they tell that she was a former Van Helsing? What was it they were thinking about her that they kept staring at her? She didn't dwell on it.
She turned to walk down to the lobby and froze in shock.
No blood. No bodies. Nothing.
She walked down the stairs, her eyes fluttering around the room and trying to find any hint of the massacre she had committed the night before, even a speck of blood upon the carpets. There was nothing.
"Wow," she said standing in the center of the lobby. "Housekeeping must have worked overtime."
"That is what they are paid for."
Kate froze at the sound of that voice. She turned, her eyes wide, as she looked up at Dracula. "Count..."
His eyes seemed to flicker at the sound of his title, but he still smiled. "You must be hungry."
Kate blinked, suddenly aware that she was hungry, before nodding. "I could eat," she replied, as if unsure how to interact with him.
They walked together to the restaurant, which at this time of the evening was filled with mostly humans.
With new eyes, Kate looked around the room. Before she learned the truth about Dracula, this room had always been full of just humans at just a glance. Her Van Helsing sense had indicating something more, her eyes only saw humans. Now, with the advanced abilities of the Ancients flowing through her, she could see the monsters from the humans. Right now, there was no monsters in the room except Dracula.
She followed Dracula through the room to a small table next to the wall. He pulled out her chair and she calmly sat down, although her heart was pounding in her chest.
As Dracula took a seat across from her, Kate didn't know how what to say to him. She had no idea what he was thinking or what he was wanting to discuss with her. Was he upset about Martha? How could he not be. He had to be devastated, but she had no idea how to speak with him about it.
Instead, she reached over and placed the ring on the table next to him.
"Martha's ring," she said softly. "I forgot to return it to you yesterday."
Dracula slowly picked up the ring and held it in his hands, almost staring at it. Kate felt her heart tug at the sight. His zing was really gone now.
"I wish I could bring her back."
She hadn't realized she had spoken until Dracula responded, "She made the choice to go."
Kate's eyes widened. "What?"
Dracula wrapped the ring in his fist and looked at Kate, his blue eyes soft. "She made the choice. Amelia said that she could save one of you since you died wearing Martha's ring. Because of that your souls were still connected. Martha chose to save you."
Kate took a deep breath. "That's not fair," she replied. Then her eyes widened with a gasp. "That's what Amelia meant by 'at Martha's insistence.' I didn't take that time to think about it at the moment, but..." She sighed. "I'm so sorry, Count. A Van Helsing made you lose your wife again."
She looked down at her hands on the table, her heart heavy. Dracula had lost his wife twice because of a Van Helsing. How could life be so cruel to such a wonderful creature? It made no sense.
A hand appeared in her vision and covered hers. She followed it up to meet Dracula's eyes. He was looking at her with sad and kind eyes, but there was something else there as well, something Kate didn't recognize from him.
"Martha made the choice because I couldn't."
Kate blinked, shocked at those words. "What? What do you mean?"
Dracula took a deep breath. "Amelia told me to choose between the two of you, making it clear that the other would be gone forever. I stood there and tried to pick between you and Martha.
"I couldn't."
Kate shook her head. "I don't understand," she said firmly. "Martha was your wife, your zing! You must have chosen her immediately. There is no other answer."
Kate stood, her hands pulling away from Dracula's, her eyes flashing in confusion. "It doesn't make sense." She looked at Dracula as if not understanding anything he had said to her. "You must have chosen Martha and Amelia misunderstood. That has to be it!"
"It's not," Dracula said firmly. "I honestly could not make the choice between the two of you."
She turned, her eyes wide and almost ran out of the restaurant, her thoughts of food forgotten.
Kate's mind whirled as she moved quickly deeper into the hotel. Dracula would have chosen his wife, not Kate. There was no reason he wouldn't have been able to make the choice. But why tell her that he couldn't? It didn't make any sense. She could think of no logical explanation as to why he couldn't make that choice.
Martha was his zing! She knew that, understood that. To think anything else would just give her false hope. He had to have picked Martha, she understood that she meant nothing to him compaired to Martha.
Dracula couldn't love her, wouldn't love her. She knew that and had understood that a long time ago when she first realized her feelings for him. She had accepted that as her fate. Why wouldn't he be able to make that choice?
She stopped dead in the hallway as she more memories came back to her.
When she was bleeding to death, Dracula had been holding her hand. She had thought that she was going to die and she had admitted her feelings. She had told him that she loved him.
Was that why he was saying that he hadn't been able to chose? Was that why he felt the need to lie?
She leaned against the wall and ran her hands through her hair. He was kind, of course he would lie. He didn't want to hurt her by admitting that he would have chosen his wife. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.
Martha made the choice, not him. He would have chosen Martha for sure.
She stood and turned only to bump into a solid body. She took a step back as a pair of arms encircled her.
She looked up into Dracula's blue eyes. She hadn't sensed him a second time. It was actually one of the abilities she still wished she had right now.
"Kate," he said softly.
His arms were firm around her body, holding her close to him. She almost wished he would pull her closer, aligning their bodies against each other. He seemed to lean closer to her, his eyes almost glowing blue.
She pulled back from him, moving out of the circle of arms she wanted to stay in so desperately. As she pulled away she noticed that his eyes seemed to stop glowing. It was probably her imagination.
"Count," she said firmly. "I understand that you do not wish to hurt my feelings."
"Kate?"
"...and I realize that you may have felt obligated to try and make me feel as if this wasn't all my fault. You would have chosen your wife for sure. It's obvious."
She wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes filling with tears.
"You don't need to feel guilty about my feelings for you."
Dracula narrowed his eyes in confusion. What was she talking about?
Then, her words came back to him. He had spent so long focusing on what Martha had said to him, he had nearly forgotten that Kate had said something to him too. Something so profound that he couldn't believe he had forgotten it.
'I love you Dracula. Be happy.'
Those had been her last words before she had died. She loved him, despite knowing that he had zinged. She sacrificed her life for him. Martha hadn't seemed surprised about her feelings either, as if she had known all along. That's why she had that smile, the smile that she knew something he didn't.
"I'm leaving the hotel in the morning."
Kate's voice brought Dracula back to the present moment. Kate was turning from him, her back facing him now. Just seeing that brought pain into him that he had never felt before.
"Good night, Count."
She started to walk down the hallway. Dracula stood there and watched her leave, unsure how to follow. What would he say? He was unsure of his own feelings.
He watched as Kate turned the corner, disappearing from his sight. He stood there longer, his own mind a whirlwind.
What did he feel for Kate? Why did the thought of her leaving the hotel hurt him so deeply?