Thanks for all your reviews! Thank YOU, Sonderra Lewis, for advising me!
This one's for you!
Carl's POV:
A year. 12 months. 365 days. 8760 hours. 525600 minutes. 31536000 seconds. Time seems to pass really fast when one is unaware. As I ponder on the mysteries of Life, I watch as Iilana slumbers in the bed in a room we share together. (A/N: GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!!! ) Don't get any ideas. I am at the window, watching the pouring rain outside. That is the only bed in the room. I wonder whose idea was it to check into this inn-Thank God personally. I try to rein in my unclean thoughts of Anna and Van Helsing alone in the same room together-with a bed.
I smack my head and scold myself to have purer thoughts. Back to Time passing. As I said earlier, Time seems to pass really fast when one is unaware. And what a year it has been. Gabriel practically blamed himself for Anna's death-and so did I. Should I have gone instead of her-at least they would be together. Seeing Gabriel become more cool, more distanced- dead inside...it made the guilt in me shred my nerves into bloody pieces. I remembered the night I apologised to Gabriel for her death-just weeks before Iilana came into my life-like an angel falling out of the sky- literally- I said that if only I had gone-she would live. Gabriel had slapped me –HARD. He told me to snap out of it. That was rich, coming from Sir Brooding Monster Slayer himself.
"Carl, if you had died-I would have lost a brother. That would have hurt me more. Yes, I miss Anna-but I have moved on. Everything I do now-is for her."
With that, he left me to my thoughts. I laughed quietly despite the throbbing pain in my face. Good old Gabriel was back to normal. To me at least.
The cardinal did not approve of course, of such feelings. I doubt he would be entertained by the recently-ressurected Anna and Gabriel's stronger passions should they survive this-which I'm certain they will- and choose to return to Rome. I wish I could talk to someone about this but...who?
"Idiot...what about Iilana?"
a voice of reason tells me. True... but I doubt I have the (black ) heart to wake her now. Lightning flashes. I shriek in fear. I HATE thunderstorms. Oh shoot..Iilana's waking up...I try to soothe her back to sleep...And then-its not my fault, I swear- she clung onto me like a vine-more like a security pillow actually-and went back to sleep. Actually.. its not so bad...Oh well...there are worse ways to spend the night I presume...And I doze off, despite the pain...
Gabriel's POV:
Fantastic. Wonderful. Amazing. If only that pompous rooster in a red dress (meaning the Cardinal) could see me right now. I am sitting on a chair watching Anna rest. She looks so lovely as she sleeps. My heart is practically singing with praises ever since she came back. God, I've never felt like this before. I remember the first time I saw her picture in Rome. She looked beautiful and –dangerous. She looked like a fighter made out of silk and steel, a rose among the thorns. She had a sharp wit and a stout heart. She was my match, my equal. And I'll never forget the look in her eyes as I broke her neck after she injected the antidote into me. Her eyes were cold and...soulless, like dark tunnels. And poor Carl-he felt it was his fault she died. The Cardinal's biting disapproval upon my arrival did not make me feel any better at all. A moan from Anna yanks me out of my silent reverie,
"Gabriel-
I gently take her hand and chafe it gently. Kissing it, I whisper the words of an old song. She goes back to sleep, her expression peaceful. Sleep does not take me yet-I am by nature a night owl. Curious by nature, I decide to check on Carl and Iilana. There is a partition seperating their room from ours. I use it-and to say I am shocked by what I see-is a understatement in itself. Carl is in bed with Iliana.
"Carl?"
Both awake. Iilana screams and rolls off the bed. Carl just grins like an idiot and stammers,
"Hello, Helsing."
"What were you doing in my bed, Carl?"
"You grabbed me-
"What is all this tulmut?"
Great. Anna is awake. Her mouth is wide open in shock at the scene before her. Can't blame her really.
"Carl, you're a monk-
"FRIAR! IT IS A BIG DIFFERENCE! AND I SWEAR, SHE HUGGED ME AND WOULDN'T LET GO!"
"Is that true?"
Anna asks Iilana.
"Well..I DO have a habit of having a security pillow around-
"Told You So!"
Butted in Carl.
"Then why didn't you wake her up?"
"Well..she looked so sweet and I-
"Do I detect the makings of a beautiful never-dying love?"
remarked Gabriel sacarstically.
"Leave Carl alone Gabriel. That's rich , coming from you."
"Excuse me?"
My voice turns sharp, so sharp that if words could kill, Carl will be a dead man in seconds. I wish.
"First comes love, then come marriage-
"Then come Gabriel and Anna with a baby carriage!"
I sincerely wish I could get some weapons to kill two people, namely Iilana and Carl.. I am officially in a homicidal mood. Anna is trying hard not to laugh. She tries to hold me back as I charge towards them both-I was never famous for long-suffering patience.
"RUN YOU TWO!"
Anna yells.
And off they go.
CARL'S POV:
If there's one thing to know about Gabriel , its that he is never one with a sense of humour. And, he has currently offically placed us both on his "To-Kill" list. We stop outside the inn, panting.
"I'm sorry,"
I pant to Iilana.
"For what?"
she asks, in between gasping for fresh air. We are getting soaked to the skin in the rain but frankly I don't give a damn.
"Just now?"
She laughs.
"Sorry I overreacted just now, Carl-
"Its alright."
Silence falls. And still falls the rain.
"Personally, do you think Anna and Gabriel-
"Yes."
"Really?"
"After all, when we first saw her at the village square, there they were- wrestling with each other , practically flirting on the job!"
I know Gabriel is going to kill me for saying that. But I don't care now. Not when SHE is with me. Her hair sticks to her face and to her neck. So do her clothes. She looks beautiful all the same. Then,
"Iilana?"
"Yes Carl?"
"When I first saw you in Rome-I was...entranced. Then, I got to know you better-then I realised I..never knew I was looking for love-until I found you. You are beautiful, strong and have a good heart- I-I love you, Iilana-
I take her hand-only to jerk away from her. The pain...the pain...
"Carl-I'm sorry-
"Its not your fault."
I tell her. Taking her hand, I fight down the pain rushing through me-and pull her into a true kiss, Cold and Rain be damned. We kiss for what seems like an eternity-I wish it so. The clapping that follows ensures we stop.
Iilana's POV:
Of all the things to end up in bed with me-Carl! I wonder how Anna is going to cool Gabriel down from our jokes earlier. They were only jokes for crying out loud! Sincerely, they're a compatible couple I tell you: Attractive, brooding, fighters, e.t.c...I could go on. The rain drenches Carl and me both. He looks so child-like with his hair plastered to his face-and so very sweet. To hear his declaration of love for ME-Its amazing and-exhilarating? And his lips against mine-I feel the pain in his soul due to Erik's mark on me- it is indefinable. I kiss him back. Nothing will stop this love , come what may....
Gabriel's POV:
Anna must have supernatural strength to hold me down like that. Seriously, those two must have a death wish to talk like that...
I shake my head and let myself cool down. Anna finally lets me go.
"That's Iilana for you,"
she tells me wryly. I shake my head. Honestly....
"Sorry I woke you-
"Its alright, Gabriel. Come now, its late. Let's rest."
"Anna-
"What?'
I clear my throat.
"There is only one bed-
"I know I can trust you Gabriel-CAN I?"
"Yes. Night."
Blowing out the candles, I remove my shoes-and decide to call the two jesters to come on up. As much as I'm upset, I don't have the (black) heart to let them catch their deaths of colds-YET. When I open the window, I feel- speechless.
"Anna?"
"What?"
"Come to the window."
I whisper. She cups her mouth in shock.
Both Carl and Iilana were kissing in the rain.
I yell at the lovebirds to quit it and get some sleep. They blush and run back in at once. Rolling my eyes, I close the window and fall asleep beside Anna. We are both too tired after a long voyage. Tomorrow, we leave for Anna's village.
Carl's POV:
A year. 12 months. 365 days. 8760 hours. 525600 minutes. 31536000 seconds. Time seems to pass really fast when one is unaware. As I ponder on the mysteries of Life, I watch as Iilana slumbers in the bed in a room we share together. (A/N: GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!!! ) Don't get any ideas. I am at the window, watching the pouring rain outside. That is the only bed in the room. I wonder whose idea was it to check into this inn-Thank God personally. I try to rein in my unclean thoughts of Anna and Van Helsing alone in the same room together-with a bed.
I smack my head and scold myself to have purer thoughts. Back to Time passing. As I said earlier, Time seems to pass really fast when one is unaware. And what a year it has been. Gabriel practically blamed himself for Anna's death-and so did I. Should I have gone instead of her-at least they would be together. Seeing Gabriel become more cool, more distanced- dead inside...it made the guilt in me shred my nerves into bloody pieces. I remembered the night I apologised to Gabriel for her death-just weeks before Iilana came into my life-like an angel falling out of the sky- literally- I said that if only I had gone-she would live. Gabriel had slapped me –HARD. He told me to snap out of it. That was rich, coming from Sir Brooding Monster Slayer himself.
"Carl, if you had died-I would have lost a brother. That would have hurt me more. Yes, I miss Anna-but I have moved on. Everything I do now-is for her."
With that, he left me to my thoughts. I laughed quietly despite the throbbing pain in my face. Good old Gabriel was back to normal. To me at least.
The cardinal did not approve of course, of such feelings. I doubt he would be entertained by the recently-ressurected Anna and Gabriel's stronger passions should they survive this-which I'm certain they will- and choose to return to Rome. I wish I could talk to someone about this but...who?
"Idiot...what about Iilana?"
a voice of reason tells me. True... but I doubt I have the (black ) heart to wake her now. Lightning flashes. I shriek in fear. I HATE thunderstorms. Oh shoot..Iilana's waking up...I try to soothe her back to sleep...And then-its not my fault, I swear- she clung onto me like a vine-more like a security pillow actually-and went back to sleep. Actually.. its not so bad...Oh well...there are worse ways to spend the night I presume...And I doze off, despite the pain...
Gabriel's POV:
Fantastic. Wonderful. Amazing. If only that pompous rooster in a red dress (meaning the Cardinal) could see me right now. I am sitting on a chair watching Anna rest. She looks so lovely as she sleeps. My heart is practically singing with praises ever since she came back. God, I've never felt like this before. I remember the first time I saw her picture in Rome. She looked beautiful and –dangerous. She looked like a fighter made out of silk and steel, a rose among the thorns. She had a sharp wit and a stout heart. She was my match, my equal. And I'll never forget the look in her eyes as I broke her neck after she injected the antidote into me. Her eyes were cold and...soulless, like dark tunnels. And poor Carl-he felt it was his fault she died. The Cardinal's biting disapproval upon my arrival did not make me feel any better at all. A moan from Anna yanks me out of my silent reverie,
"Gabriel-
I gently take her hand and chafe it gently. Kissing it, I whisper the words of an old song. She goes back to sleep, her expression peaceful. Sleep does not take me yet-I am by nature a night owl. Curious by nature, I decide to check on Carl and Iilana. There is a partition seperating their room from ours. I use it-and to say I am shocked by what I see-is a understatement in itself. Carl is in bed with Iliana.
"Carl?"
Both awake. Iilana screams and rolls off the bed. Carl just grins like an idiot and stammers,
"Hello, Helsing."
"What were you doing in my bed, Carl?"
"You grabbed me-
"What is all this tulmut?"
Great. Anna is awake. Her mouth is wide open in shock at the scene before her. Can't blame her really.
"Carl, you're a monk-
"FRIAR! IT IS A BIG DIFFERENCE! AND I SWEAR, SHE HUGGED ME AND WOULDN'T LET GO!"
"Is that true?"
Anna asks Iilana.
"Well..I DO have a habit of having a security pillow around-
"Told You So!"
Butted in Carl.
"Then why didn't you wake her up?"
"Well..she looked so sweet and I-
"Do I detect the makings of a beautiful never-dying love?"
remarked Gabriel sacarstically.
"Leave Carl alone Gabriel. That's rich , coming from you."
"Excuse me?"
My voice turns sharp, so sharp that if words could kill, Carl will be a dead man in seconds. I wish.
"First comes love, then come marriage-
"Then come Gabriel and Anna with a baby carriage!"
I sincerely wish I could get some weapons to kill two people, namely Iilana and Carl.. I am officially in a homicidal mood. Anna is trying hard not to laugh. She tries to hold me back as I charge towards them both-I was never famous for long-suffering patience.
"RUN YOU TWO!"
Anna yells.
And off they go.
CARL'S POV:
If there's one thing to know about Gabriel , its that he is never one with a sense of humour. And, he has currently offically placed us both on his "To-Kill" list. We stop outside the inn, panting.
"I'm sorry,"
I pant to Iilana.
"For what?"
she asks, in between gasping for fresh air. We are getting soaked to the skin in the rain but frankly I don't give a damn.
"Just now?"
She laughs.
"Sorry I overreacted just now, Carl-
"Its alright."
Silence falls. And still falls the rain.
"Personally, do you think Anna and Gabriel-
"Yes."
"Really?"
"After all, when we first saw her at the village square, there they were- wrestling with each other , practically flirting on the job!"
I know Gabriel is going to kill me for saying that. But I don't care now. Not when SHE is with me. Her hair sticks to her face and to her neck. So do her clothes. She looks beautiful all the same. Then,
"Iilana?"
"Yes Carl?"
"When I first saw you in Rome-I was...entranced. Then, I got to know you better-then I realised I..never knew I was looking for love-until I found you. You are beautiful, strong and have a good heart- I-I love you, Iilana-
I take her hand-only to jerk away from her. The pain...the pain...
"Carl-I'm sorry-
"Its not your fault."
I tell her. Taking her hand, I fight down the pain rushing through me-and pull her into a true kiss, Cold and Rain be damned. We kiss for what seems like an eternity-I wish it so. The clapping that follows ensures we stop.
Iilana's POV:
Of all the things to end up in bed with me-Carl! I wonder how Anna is going to cool Gabriel down from our jokes earlier. They were only jokes for crying out loud! Sincerely, they're a compatible couple I tell you: Attractive, brooding, fighters, e.t.c...I could go on. The rain drenches Carl and me both. He looks so child-like with his hair plastered to his face-and so very sweet. To hear his declaration of love for ME-Its amazing and-exhilarating? And his lips against mine-I feel the pain in his soul due to Erik's mark on me- it is indefinable. I kiss him back. Nothing will stop this love , come what may....
Gabriel's POV:
Anna must have supernatural strength to hold me down like that. Seriously, those two must have a death wish to talk like that...
I shake my head and let myself cool down. Anna finally lets me go.
"That's Iilana for you,"
she tells me wryly. I shake my head. Honestly....
"Sorry I woke you-
"Its alright, Gabriel. Come now, its late. Let's rest."
"Anna-
"What?'
I clear my throat.
"There is only one bed-
"I know I can trust you Gabriel-CAN I?"
"Yes. Night."
Blowing out the candles, I remove my shoes-and decide to call the two jesters to come on up. As much as I'm upset, I don't have the (black) heart to let them catch their deaths of colds-YET. When I open the window, I feel- speechless.
"Anna?"
"What?"
"Come to the window."
I whisper. She cups her mouth in shock.
Both Carl and Iilana were kissing in the rain.
I yell at the lovebirds to quit it and get some sleep. They blush and run back in at once. Rolling my eyes, I close the window and fall asleep beside Anna. We are both too tired after a long voyage. Tomorrow, we leave for Anna's village.