Chapter 25

Thank you for reading and Enjoy.

Elizabeth entered the house a short time later and went straight for her room. She set the black bag on a desk nearby and fell to her knees next to the bed. She dug her fingernails into her hair as flashes of the fight she just went through pass through her head once again.

That wasn't me, she thought in anguish, what the Hell happened?

Her thoughts were cut short when a moan escaped from Victor's throat. Elizabeth's head shot up and looked to her husband. His eyes slowly opened, he looked around the room before landing on her.

"How long have I been out?" he asked in a pained voice.

Elizabeth let out a relieved sigh, "Only a day."

He smiled and tried to sit up. Elizabeth watched as he didn't get far before falling back onto the bed.

"Take it easy," she explained, pressing her hand against his uninjured shoulder. "You're still healing from your wound."

"Usually, an arrow wound wouldn't take this long to heal."

"It wasn't an ordinary arrow." She stood and walked over to the desk. Using a cloth to provide protection, she lifted the arrow from where it rested. "Wood arrow, silver tipped, and cleaned with Holy Water. As a precaution so Vampires can't pull it out, there's a cross next to the feathers. The trade mark of a perfectly built Van Helsing Arrow."

Victor's eyes followed her as she placed the arrow back down and walked back to him. She knelt down beside him and rested her hands on his. Her eyes showed anger.

"We've been betrayed by my own family," She bit her lower lip.

He rested his free had on hers. "We can't be certain about that."

"Why else would that arrow be there?"

"Someone could have copied the design. Don't jump to conclusions just yet," his thumb stroked her hand. "I don't think a family as tight knit as yours would betray you just because of our past."

Her hand tightened on his for a moment. Her mind seemed to wander from the subject as she finally had to get something off her chest.

"You almost scared me to death for a moment back there." She said with a slight smile.

He cocked an eyebrow at her words.

"Wait, that's not right."

He laughed hard, then grimaced at the pain, "Well, that's something I have to cross off of the lists of cures."

Her smile grew broader, "Anyway, when you came back to the house with that arrow, I was afraid that if you didn't make it through the day, I would have woken up to a pile of dust on my old bed. During that time, I realized how much you truly meant to me."

His face was natural to the news, she searched his eyes to see any hint of emotion, but found none. She bowed her head as he turned his eyes up to the ceiling.

"Well that's simply unheard of," his words startled her. Her gaze went to his, this time met with true compassion and happiness. "A Van Helsing falling for a Dracula? How is that even possible?"

Elizabeth's eyes searched over his features for several long seconds, but when he smiled at her, her heart lightened.

"You're one to talk," she smiled, "Mr. 'I'm willing to die for her.'"

His smile was weak, but it warmed Elizabeth to the core. She stood up and began to walk out of the room when his hand grabbed hers and held her back. His thumb stroked the bare ring finger as he glanced from it to her.

She let out a sorrowful sigh, "The night we were running from our home, after going to Tori's place, you had us wait under a fabric overhead in the rain. I was feeling un easy and depressed from Tori rejecting us that I began to fiddle with the ring."

"I remember."

Elizabeth nodded, "Well, when the Hunter's found us and you grabbed me and began to run, the wedding band came off and fell. I didn't see where it landed, and I tried to reach it, but I knew that it wasn't worth it if it meant our deaths. It still doesn't mean it didn't hurt when I lost it."

Victor stayed silent, but his thumb continued to stroke her hand as she stood there. Eventually, she turned back to him with a smile, changing the subject.

"You've been a while without blood, I'm going to get you a cup," she said.

Victor sat up, soon regretting the action. "You went back to the house?"

"What? No," She was quick to explain, "I went to the donation center, where you get your blood every month."

His eyebrows knit together, "You knew where it was?"

"The address was on the bag. I'm going to get a cup, just wait here for a bit."

Elizabeth walked out to the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cupboards. She returned back to the room to find her husband sitting on the side of the bed. His hand rubbed his shoulder as he tried to get the pain to dissipate.

"You'll heal faster when you actually drink. Without the nutrition, your body slows down." She walked over to the black bag on the desk and opened it.

The bag and several smaller transparent bags of the donated red liquid. Grabbing one, she opened it and poured part of the blood into the cup. She closed the bag and held out the mug to Victor. He reached out and took it from her, pressing the rim to his lips.

After gulping down the substance, he looked back to her. "You should drink some too."

"I'll have some after I know you've had enough."

"Still looking after others over yourself. Elizabeth, you won't stay healthy if you don't get any either. Drink."

Her posture slackened and she held out her hand. Victor placed the cup in her palm and she refilled it with the rest of the blood from the bag. Drinking the blood, she kept her eyes on Victor. Her eyes were sarcastic in saying 'see-I'm-drinking-it.'

Victor chuckled for a bit as she finished the drink and placed the mug on the desk. Sitting down next to him on the bed, her head rested on his shoulder and his hand rested on hers.

"We need to tell Dad that he shouldn't participate in this war. It would send a statement to all Vampires and Hunters that we want it over." Elizabeth stated, "And we should probably do the same with your father."

"After that, we can find a more permanent safe haven. Though it might mean fighting through the middle of the battle field," Victor agreed.

She nodded. Silence filled the room after that as they stayed in the comforting position. Victor lifted his and rested it on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. For once in her life everything felt like it was where it should be.