A/n Wow, that is a record for me for reviews!! Thanks so much you guys:
TurtleGirl: I'm glad you like the plot! I'm not so sure that they're in character, but if you think so!
pippinthehobbit(): Don't worry, I just had get all that explanation stuff out!! Every is slowing down greatly starting on this chapter!
HyperCaz: I'm glad you think I hooked this one! I got your review early this morning, it really gave me a boost!
Lani(): Thanks for the tip, and don't worry about the typo! It just proves you're human (as opposed to vampire... and I really have my doubts about some people... LOL)
Mythers: Thanks for the encouragement!
Duce-Gemini: Wow, I was really thinking Gabriel was really OOC, but I guess if two of you think that... thanks!
Feedbackgirl: I'm very happy with this beginning, I'm glad you think so too!
Marah Valin: Wow, I haven't heard from you since my LXG days! Thanks for the review!
Without further adieu, here is chapter three! I can't remember if they said EXACTLY the circumstances in which Van Helsing and Dracula fought, so I'm going to be making a great deal of this up. Also, I'm not sure if they celebrated Christmas the same way we do, but I only use it for one simile so try not to kill me if I'm wrong! (oh, and this isn't a Carl/Van Helsing, since this chapter might throw that into question... eheheh....)
Chapter Three:
Much Confusion
If Gabriel Van Helsing thought his life in the 1800's was Hell, he would have been at a loss as to what to call his newfound existence. Every inch of his body was painted in a fresh coat of pain. He was swallowed up with an inexplicable feeling of utter depression. He had absolutely no desire or will to do so much as to open his eyes.
Carl, however, was filled with a kind of morbid excitement. Had it worked? Were they dead? Like a child waiting skittishly to go down for presents on Christmas, he hovered anxiously in-between the decision to either open his eyes or remain in the delicious state of exciting waiting and wondering. In the end, he decided to open his eyes.
He was lying on his back, gazing up at the marbled heavens. The ground beneath him was bare, and as he turned his gaze, he could see that they were in a thicket. Judging by the sprigs of green in the bushes, it was spring.
Springtime? Then why am I so cold...? As the Friar sat up and happened to glance down at himself, his entire lack of clothing made itself apparent as the cause for his chill. Carl felt his stomach drop as he slowly turned his head to look over at Van Helsing. He barely suppressed a yelp as he turned away again quickly. The Hunter was attired similarly to the Friar: in nothing at all. Apparently, their transportation had deprived them of their clothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he examined Van Helsing again: he was breathing, but not awake. Carl began to panic. What if something was wrong with him? What if he was hurt internally or in a coma? Van Helsing was around five feet away from the smaller man, and he couldn't awaken him without moving any closer, which would involve looking at him. And he wasn't sure that God would look upon that as a good thing. Briefly he considered going in search of clothes, but he had no idea where they were and didn't want to leave Van Helsing alone. Praying that no awkward questions would be asked, Carl decided to try and wake him up.
Slowly he edged closer. Closing his eyes, he reached out and tapped Van Helsing tentatively. The monster slayer did nothing. Carl tried nudging him, eyes still closed. Still there was no response. Several other methods were tried, all very logical: first a poke and a nudge, then a nudge and a poke. In gradual steps, the nudges and pokes grew more severe and in increasingly bizarre patterns; but there was still no response. Beginning to truly panic, Carl grabbed Van Helsing by his muscular shoulder and shook him violently.
"Van Helsing? Are you alright?" Carl shouted in a voice more panicked than he intended.
Van Helsing sat bolt upright with a shout of surprise, then fell down trying to back away when he realized that neither he nor Carl had clothes on. Carl, startled by the abrupt movement from his friend, yelped and jumped back, then promptly threw himself back on the ground to avoid any more embarrassment. At that time, both men realized that there was a large, leafy bush at either end of the clearing, and chose to run to opposite ones and hide behind them.
"What did you do Carl?" Van Helsing shouted from behind his hiding place.
"I just woke up and thought something was wrong with you so I woke you up!" Carl shouted back meekly.
"Well something is wrong with both of us... we don't have clothes!" Van Helsing retorted.
"It's not my fault!" Carl cried back indignantly.
"Your formula... your plan.... your fault! I don't have to be as smart as you to figure that out! Now why didn't you plan for this?" Van Helsing snapped.
"I had more important things to worry about. I didn't stop to think about what to do if the time travel made us lose our clothes!" Carl quipped.
"Don't you ever think worst case scenario when you're inventing?" Shot back the other.
"Well, I put a lot of thought into NOT GETTING US KILLED! This doesn't quite rank up with that so I'm sorry I didn't worry about it!" Carl said, poking his head out from around the bush.
"Well you're a creative man you might've thought of what to do in case thi-" Van Helsing suddenly shouted and fell out of the bush as a cloud of angry birds flew out of the surrounding bushes and trees and began to peck at the two men.
Soon covered in bleeding scratches, several moments of shouting, dirt flinging, and cawing ensued before all was quiet again. Exhausted and irritated, the two flopped back down on the ground, eyes closed.
"This Carl... is bad." Van Helsing said breathlessly.
"Gabriel? Gabriel? Gabriel!" A sudden voice called from nearby. Van Helsing's blood froze; he knew that voice. Presently, the sound of hoofbeats could be heard. Van Helsing stood up and went to the edge of the thicket, peering out. He could see a rider on a black horse, not far away. As if by instinct, he knew his name:
"Vlad! Over here!" He called without knowing what he was doing. The rider turned; yes, it was who he thought it was. The waving black hair, the face, the eyes, it was all the same. Except, as he noticed Gabriel Van Helsing, Vladislaus Dracula smiled quite happily and trotted over.
"Gabriel! Good God! You're missing for nigh an hour and now I find you standing naked in a- oh." Vlad stopped short, his eyes wide, as he noticed also naked Carl, covered in sweat, just pulling himself to his feet. "Well, then... shall I leave you-"
"No, Vlad, it's not what you think!" Van Helsing said desperately. "I... we...." He sighed. "It's complicated."
"Ever you take me for the fool, Gabriel. I believe understand what is going on..." Dracula smiled that cocky smile. "I'll tell the others that I could not find you if you wish to be-"
"No, please, just go get us some clothing! And don't tell... the others what you saw." He said pleadingly, hesitating when he said 'the others.'
"Very well, I respect your wish for secrecy. Wouldn't do to have this get out, now would it? So many young girls would be so disappointed..." Dracula smiled. "I shall return with clothes forthwith." With that, he spurred his horse and was off.
"What are you doing?" Carl hissed as soon as he was sure that Dracula couldn't hear them.
"Succeeding where you failed. Getting us clothes." Van Helsing grumbled, going back to hiding behind the bush.
"That's not what I mean! You just made friendly with Dracula!" Carl cried.
"I-I don't know! It just came over me! And somehow, it felt natural... Like I'd known him forever..." Van Helsing trailed off, obviously agitated. He could not explain it. He felt like he knew Dracula... and not just as an enemy. It was almost like... he was talking to his best friend.
There was no more conversation between the two for the twenty minutes it took Dracula to return with that same grin on his face and two pairs of clothes.
"I hope that the clothes I brought for your friend will fit. I took them from James's bag, you know how he is a slight man. Will we have the pleasure of him returning with us?" Dracula raised his eyebrows, smiling still.
"For the last time! What happened was not what you think!" Van Helsing hissed. No longer was he under any spell. This was Dracula, the vampire count who murdered without thought, who would've killed Anna...
If I hadn't gotten there first. He thought bitterly.
"How often I wish you would trust my words at face value." Dracula sighed, his face suddenly sad. The look left Van Helsing very bewildered. As Carl stumbled out of the thicket and into the open, Dracula spoke again. "I tied your horse over yonder. Your companion shall have to ride behind you." He said, gesturing to a nearby tree where a large black horse was tied. Van Helsing approached it cautiously. It's saddle was different from those he was used to, and Carl didn't seem at all happy in it either, but it served the purpose of riding behind Dracula.
"Do you know where he is taking us?" Carl shouted.
"No. He said something about companions waiting for us, that's all I know!" Gabriel shouted back.
The ride took only twenty minutes or so, and Dracula slowed as they came into a small dell.
"No more talk now." He said in a hushed, almost afraid voice. "Keep a wary eye."
"I don't see what's wrong with this dell. Quite nice actually." Carl mused after a moment of silence.
"SHH." Van Helsing whispered harshly. Carl rolled his eyes, unseen, and felt comfortable enough to remove one arm from around Van Helsing's waist and pluck at his clothing.
"God forgive me for wearing such opulent garb." He said, crossing himself.
"You already curse and rut. Why not at least dress well?" Van Helsing said in a low, sardonic voice.
"I'd prefer it if you called it the usage of an extended vocabulary and making love." The Friar squeaked indignantly.
"Well according to your rules you're going to have fun explaining the difference to Satan." Van Helsing continued in the same tone. Carl could be such a hypocrite sometimes: a holy man and a scientist.
"Do you really think I'm going to go to Hell?" He asked in a small, miserable voice.'
"I think we're already in it." Van Helsing whispered bitterly. At that time they broke free of the woods, and there lay a magnificent castle of stone. Windows, polished to perfection and some of stained glass, glimmered with evening light. That same light glowed over the stone statues of gargoyles and dragons that adorned the turrets and walls. A fountain, surrounded by a garden, stood guard in front of the massive doors that led inside. A huge stable was adjoined. "Whose castle is this?" He called out to Dracula.
"Last I checked, it was yours." Smiled the other sarcastically. After a moment of awed silence, Carl licked his lips and spoke.
"If this is Hell, I'm going to continue to be a very naughty friar." Carl said in a reverent voice. There were a few more moments of silence, then Dracula spoke again.
"Come, let us put our horses in the stables. Our friends and our dinners are waiting inside." He said, goading his horse into a trot. Van Helsing could do nothing but follow. In his time of fighting evil, he had almost always known what he was fighting and how to defeat it. Now, walking up to the castle that was supposed to be his and supposedly had friends inside, he felt more in the dark than he had ever been before.
A/n- I'm so sorry for the long chapters! I didn't expect that one to come out so long! Anyway, I know I'm probably going to have a glaring number of historical inaccuracies in these upcoming chapters, but please don't yell at me for them! Anyways, continue to review!
TurtleGirl: I'm glad you like the plot! I'm not so sure that they're in character, but if you think so!
pippinthehobbit(): Don't worry, I just had get all that explanation stuff out!! Every is slowing down greatly starting on this chapter!
HyperCaz: I'm glad you think I hooked this one! I got your review early this morning, it really gave me a boost!
Lani(): Thanks for the tip, and don't worry about the typo! It just proves you're human (as opposed to vampire... and I really have my doubts about some people... LOL)
Mythers: Thanks for the encouragement!
Duce-Gemini: Wow, I was really thinking Gabriel was really OOC, but I guess if two of you think that... thanks!
Feedbackgirl: I'm very happy with this beginning, I'm glad you think so too!
Marah Valin: Wow, I haven't heard from you since my LXG days! Thanks for the review!
Without further adieu, here is chapter three! I can't remember if they said EXACTLY the circumstances in which Van Helsing and Dracula fought, so I'm going to be making a great deal of this up. Also, I'm not sure if they celebrated Christmas the same way we do, but I only use it for one simile so try not to kill me if I'm wrong! (oh, and this isn't a Carl/Van Helsing, since this chapter might throw that into question... eheheh....)
Chapter Three:
Much Confusion
If Gabriel Van Helsing thought his life in the 1800's was Hell, he would have been at a loss as to what to call his newfound existence. Every inch of his body was painted in a fresh coat of pain. He was swallowed up with an inexplicable feeling of utter depression. He had absolutely no desire or will to do so much as to open his eyes.
Carl, however, was filled with a kind of morbid excitement. Had it worked? Were they dead? Like a child waiting skittishly to go down for presents on Christmas, he hovered anxiously in-between the decision to either open his eyes or remain in the delicious state of exciting waiting and wondering. In the end, he decided to open his eyes.
He was lying on his back, gazing up at the marbled heavens. The ground beneath him was bare, and as he turned his gaze, he could see that they were in a thicket. Judging by the sprigs of green in the bushes, it was spring.
Springtime? Then why am I so cold...? As the Friar sat up and happened to glance down at himself, his entire lack of clothing made itself apparent as the cause for his chill. Carl felt his stomach drop as he slowly turned his head to look over at Van Helsing. He barely suppressed a yelp as he turned away again quickly. The Hunter was attired similarly to the Friar: in nothing at all. Apparently, their transportation had deprived them of their clothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he examined Van Helsing again: he was breathing, but not awake. Carl began to panic. What if something was wrong with him? What if he was hurt internally or in a coma? Van Helsing was around five feet away from the smaller man, and he couldn't awaken him without moving any closer, which would involve looking at him. And he wasn't sure that God would look upon that as a good thing. Briefly he considered going in search of clothes, but he had no idea where they were and didn't want to leave Van Helsing alone. Praying that no awkward questions would be asked, Carl decided to try and wake him up.
Slowly he edged closer. Closing his eyes, he reached out and tapped Van Helsing tentatively. The monster slayer did nothing. Carl tried nudging him, eyes still closed. Still there was no response. Several other methods were tried, all very logical: first a poke and a nudge, then a nudge and a poke. In gradual steps, the nudges and pokes grew more severe and in increasingly bizarre patterns; but there was still no response. Beginning to truly panic, Carl grabbed Van Helsing by his muscular shoulder and shook him violently.
"Van Helsing? Are you alright?" Carl shouted in a voice more panicked than he intended.
Van Helsing sat bolt upright with a shout of surprise, then fell down trying to back away when he realized that neither he nor Carl had clothes on. Carl, startled by the abrupt movement from his friend, yelped and jumped back, then promptly threw himself back on the ground to avoid any more embarrassment. At that time, both men realized that there was a large, leafy bush at either end of the clearing, and chose to run to opposite ones and hide behind them.
"What did you do Carl?" Van Helsing shouted from behind his hiding place.
"I just woke up and thought something was wrong with you so I woke you up!" Carl shouted back meekly.
"Well something is wrong with both of us... we don't have clothes!" Van Helsing retorted.
"It's not my fault!" Carl cried back indignantly.
"Your formula... your plan.... your fault! I don't have to be as smart as you to figure that out! Now why didn't you plan for this?" Van Helsing snapped.
"I had more important things to worry about. I didn't stop to think about what to do if the time travel made us lose our clothes!" Carl quipped.
"Don't you ever think worst case scenario when you're inventing?" Shot back the other.
"Well, I put a lot of thought into NOT GETTING US KILLED! This doesn't quite rank up with that so I'm sorry I didn't worry about it!" Carl said, poking his head out from around the bush.
"Well you're a creative man you might've thought of what to do in case thi-" Van Helsing suddenly shouted and fell out of the bush as a cloud of angry birds flew out of the surrounding bushes and trees and began to peck at the two men.
Soon covered in bleeding scratches, several moments of shouting, dirt flinging, and cawing ensued before all was quiet again. Exhausted and irritated, the two flopped back down on the ground, eyes closed.
"This Carl... is bad." Van Helsing said breathlessly.
"Gabriel? Gabriel? Gabriel!" A sudden voice called from nearby. Van Helsing's blood froze; he knew that voice. Presently, the sound of hoofbeats could be heard. Van Helsing stood up and went to the edge of the thicket, peering out. He could see a rider on a black horse, not far away. As if by instinct, he knew his name:
"Vlad! Over here!" He called without knowing what he was doing. The rider turned; yes, it was who he thought it was. The waving black hair, the face, the eyes, it was all the same. Except, as he noticed Gabriel Van Helsing, Vladislaus Dracula smiled quite happily and trotted over.
"Gabriel! Good God! You're missing for nigh an hour and now I find you standing naked in a- oh." Vlad stopped short, his eyes wide, as he noticed also naked Carl, covered in sweat, just pulling himself to his feet. "Well, then... shall I leave you-"
"No, Vlad, it's not what you think!" Van Helsing said desperately. "I... we...." He sighed. "It's complicated."
"Ever you take me for the fool, Gabriel. I believe understand what is going on..." Dracula smiled that cocky smile. "I'll tell the others that I could not find you if you wish to be-"
"No, please, just go get us some clothing! And don't tell... the others what you saw." He said pleadingly, hesitating when he said 'the others.'
"Very well, I respect your wish for secrecy. Wouldn't do to have this get out, now would it? So many young girls would be so disappointed..." Dracula smiled. "I shall return with clothes forthwith." With that, he spurred his horse and was off.
"What are you doing?" Carl hissed as soon as he was sure that Dracula couldn't hear them.
"Succeeding where you failed. Getting us clothes." Van Helsing grumbled, going back to hiding behind the bush.
"That's not what I mean! You just made friendly with Dracula!" Carl cried.
"I-I don't know! It just came over me! And somehow, it felt natural... Like I'd known him forever..." Van Helsing trailed off, obviously agitated. He could not explain it. He felt like he knew Dracula... and not just as an enemy. It was almost like... he was talking to his best friend.
There was no more conversation between the two for the twenty minutes it took Dracula to return with that same grin on his face and two pairs of clothes.
"I hope that the clothes I brought for your friend will fit. I took them from James's bag, you know how he is a slight man. Will we have the pleasure of him returning with us?" Dracula raised his eyebrows, smiling still.
"For the last time! What happened was not what you think!" Van Helsing hissed. No longer was he under any spell. This was Dracula, the vampire count who murdered without thought, who would've killed Anna...
If I hadn't gotten there first. He thought bitterly.
"How often I wish you would trust my words at face value." Dracula sighed, his face suddenly sad. The look left Van Helsing very bewildered. As Carl stumbled out of the thicket and into the open, Dracula spoke again. "I tied your horse over yonder. Your companion shall have to ride behind you." He said, gesturing to a nearby tree where a large black horse was tied. Van Helsing approached it cautiously. It's saddle was different from those he was used to, and Carl didn't seem at all happy in it either, but it served the purpose of riding behind Dracula.
"Do you know where he is taking us?" Carl shouted.
"No. He said something about companions waiting for us, that's all I know!" Gabriel shouted back.
The ride took only twenty minutes or so, and Dracula slowed as they came into a small dell.
"No more talk now." He said in a hushed, almost afraid voice. "Keep a wary eye."
"I don't see what's wrong with this dell. Quite nice actually." Carl mused after a moment of silence.
"SHH." Van Helsing whispered harshly. Carl rolled his eyes, unseen, and felt comfortable enough to remove one arm from around Van Helsing's waist and pluck at his clothing.
"God forgive me for wearing such opulent garb." He said, crossing himself.
"You already curse and rut. Why not at least dress well?" Van Helsing said in a low, sardonic voice.
"I'd prefer it if you called it the usage of an extended vocabulary and making love." The Friar squeaked indignantly.
"Well according to your rules you're going to have fun explaining the difference to Satan." Van Helsing continued in the same tone. Carl could be such a hypocrite sometimes: a holy man and a scientist.
"Do you really think I'm going to go to Hell?" He asked in a small, miserable voice.'
"I think we're already in it." Van Helsing whispered bitterly. At that time they broke free of the woods, and there lay a magnificent castle of stone. Windows, polished to perfection and some of stained glass, glimmered with evening light. That same light glowed over the stone statues of gargoyles and dragons that adorned the turrets and walls. A fountain, surrounded by a garden, stood guard in front of the massive doors that led inside. A huge stable was adjoined. "Whose castle is this?" He called out to Dracula.
"Last I checked, it was yours." Smiled the other sarcastically. After a moment of awed silence, Carl licked his lips and spoke.
"If this is Hell, I'm going to continue to be a very naughty friar." Carl said in a reverent voice. There were a few more moments of silence, then Dracula spoke again.
"Come, let us put our horses in the stables. Our friends and our dinners are waiting inside." He said, goading his horse into a trot. Van Helsing could do nothing but follow. In his time of fighting evil, he had almost always known what he was fighting and how to defeat it. Now, walking up to the castle that was supposed to be his and supposedly had friends inside, he felt more in the dark than he had ever been before.
A/n- I'm so sorry for the long chapters! I didn't expect that one to come out so long! Anyway, I know I'm probably going to have a glaring number of historical inaccuracies in these upcoming chapters, but please don't yell at me for them! Anyways, continue to review!