Let me begin by saying a big THANK YOU to all of you lovely reviewers out there. You make my job soo easy : ) Sorry if my portrayal of Van Helsing has hurt some sensibilities. I have to throw some humor in there, and trust me Hugh Jackman can take it.

Before we begin this next installment of my version on how the movie should have ended, I must beg a question of you. Shall we keep this rated PG-13, or would you Dracula lovers prefer we kick this up to an R? I'll let the reviewers decide...

XX

The sound of wailing disturbed a flock of seagulls fighting over the remains of some long dead fish. It was still several hours until dawn, but already the beach was alive with movement. Nearby, two forms - one hulking and large, the other short and stocky - walked along the sea line, heading resolutely towards the sleeping city. It was from the larger of these two forms that the sounds of sobbing came.

Carl was dismayed to find his master, Gabriel Van Helsing - monster slayer extraordinaire - sobbing like a giant man-baby. He patted Gabriel on the back, trying to console him.

"Don't cry, Master. It's not all that bad."

"Not all that bad?!" Gabriel honked his nose really hard on the trailing hem of Carl's robe. "I've just lost the monster and the girl in the space of an hour and you're telling me it's not all that bad?! I'd hate to see it get worse."

Carl grimaced, looking at his now snotty vestments. "At least we still have the horses. If we hurry we can probably beat the Count's boat back to Transylvania."

"Even if we left right now, it will still take us two days to reach Anna's castle. And, we still don't have a clue on where Dracula's castle is!" He sniffled, shaking his head sadly. "Oh what kind of here am I? Just think of poor Anna. All alone, left in the clutches of that insidious vampire. Forced to submit to his every whim. Helpless to fight back his evil desires. Even now, she's probably tied up on his bed wearing only black leather scanties and a ball gag."

He glanced over at Carl who had turned an odd shade of pink. "What the devil are you smiling at," Gabriel demanded.

Carl blushed furiously. "Sorry, sorry. I just love it when you talk like that."

Gabriel smacked the back of his head, his mouth forming into a disgusted frown. "Well stop that. We must think of Anna now. We have only so much time left before I fully turn into a werewolf, and that much chest hair is never attractive."

Suddenly fired up, ready to fight the good fight, Van Helsing raised himself to his full height, holding his head high. "Come Carl. We might not be able to save her purity, but we can at least look sexy while doing it. To the horses!"

XX

Anna slowly opened her eyes allowing herself time to come fully awake. Once, when she was young, she had snuck a bottle of wine from her father's prized cellar. She had felt much the same the next morning as she did now - groggy, slow, and a bit queasy. Trying to clear her mind, she blinked several times. Where was she? How had she come to this place? She remembered that she was falling from a great height. Someone caught her, carried her...

"Dracula," she whispered, eyes flying wide open. Everything came flying back to her now - the ballroom, Van Helsing's attempted rescue, her own fall out of the window. If that bastard vampire didn't stop clouding her mind, she would... She would what, her mind questioned bitterly. Her family had tried for years to kill Dracula. She herself had been closer to him than anyone ever before, and what good came of it? Nothing. How could she kill something immortal? The thought of Van Helsing brought an unexpected sense of sadness to her. She could only pray that he himself had survived the fall.

Anna carefully sat up, taking in her surroundings. She lay on top of a large bed, still neatly made underneath her. Someone had removed her scarlet ball gown, leaving her wearing only a thin cotton chemise. She supposed she was lucky to even be wearing that. Anna tried not to think about who was the one to do the undressing. She didn't really think she wanted to know the answer.

Laying at the foot of the bed was what looked like her normal clothes - tight black pants, a flowing gypsy shirt, her leather corset. Beside these were her boots. She scanned the odd room to make sure it was empty. Seeing no one, she jumped out of the bed, quickly changing clothes.

Once she was dressed, she quietly began searching the room. It was furnished with rich, antique furniture - a low sitting settee, a curved armoire, even a vanity, all the necessary components of a normal bedroom. But this bedroom was anything but normal. To begin with, it didn't have four nice, standard walls. Instead, it had one giant wall that curved half way around the room. The rest opened up into a wide ledge that appeared to lead only one direction - straight down. Steeling herself, Anna walked towards the ledge. Looking down, a dizzying sense of vertigo swept over her. She was at least fifty feet up in the air. The room itself seemed to be scooped out of the very wall. Below her, the rock wall was sheer without even the slightest suggestion of handholds. There was no way up, no way down. Unless the devil gave you wings, that is.

A terrible cry echoed through the cavern, resounding off the cavern walls. Anna swallowed hard, willing her heart to beat normally. She had never heard anything like that terrible cry in all her life. Still, she knew what made that sound. Dracula had awakened.

She would not let him see her fear. Swallowing back her surging emotions, Anna folded her arms, primly sitting down on the settee facing the open landing. She wasn't afraid of what the vampire might do to her - not precisely. What Anna feared more than anything was letting her family down. They had sacrificed too much for her to die like a fly in Dracula's web.

She waited, her body tense. Her ears strained to hear a distant noise. It was faint at first, but the sound of approaching footsteps was unmistakable. There was only one man would could walk up a sheer vertical wall. It came as no surprise when Dracula stepped onto the ledge, hands clasped behind his back. He looked resplendent as always, his dark cloak swirling around his shoulders. A small smile played at his sensuous mouth, his eyes focused in deep contemplation.

"There have been only two humans I have ever known who's heart did not race with my approach - Van Helsing and yourself. With Van Helsing, I attribute this primarily to stupidity." He approached her, hands still clasped behind his back. His intense gaze was difficult to bear, but Anna refused to look away. She rose from the settee to stand eye to eye. "What keeps your heart free from fear, kislány?"

"Even a wild animal has the sense to kill it's prey, vampire." She practically spit the word at him. "Did you bring me here to taunt me?"

He tilted his head back, laughing softly. The dark, rich timbre of his voice wove it's magic in her mind. Anna pushed it away, strengthening the protective walls in her mind. She turned her head away, refusing to look at him now, ignoring the way the faint candlelight brought out the tawny gold in his deep brown eyes.

"Taunt you? No, I think not my dear, but I see your legendary temper is not without some merit. You are perhaps somewhat cross because you have not yet eaten." He took another step closer, offering his hand. "Come. I've gathered for you something to eat. It's been over two hundred years since I've prepared my last meal. Hopefully I still remember what women find desirable."

She raised her lips in a disgusted sneer. "I'll eat nothing your hands have touched."

Faster than she would have ever thought possible, Dracula moved. Standing behind her now, his arms encircled her body, holding her against him. Anna stiffened in his arms. She tensed as he lowered his lips, grazing the tender skin.

"All creatures must feed, kislány, even the undead." His mouth opened slightly, pressed against her skin. She could feel the faintest pressure on her neck from his teeth. Anna held her breath, waiting for the pain that never came.

"Especially the undead," he whispered. She closed her eyes, fighting the urge to lean against his solid form. It would be so easy to give in. Pushing those dangers thoughts forcefully out of her mind, she struggled to keep her defenses in place.

Holding her carefully against him, Dracula lifted them both off the ground. The vertigo she had experienced before was nothing compared to the dizziness she felt now. Carrying her pressed against him, he floated gently down tot he floor below. Once their feet touched the solid ground, he released her. Anna quickly turned to move away, her eyes instantly picking up on her surroundings. They were standing in a cavernous hallway. Rooms, staircases, corridors all branched off leading further into the gloomy castle. Glancing up, she could see the strange bedroom where he had kept her. Considering it's height, it would make a most effective prison.

"Come Anna," he murmured, moving down a hallway to the right. He did not wait for her to follow. For a moment, she considered bolting, but where would she run? Even if she did know the way out, Dracula would never let her escape.

"Damn it," she whispered vehemently. Left with no other viable option, she followed.

XX

The dining room was not aptly named. It should have been called a dining hall. An enormous wooden table that could easily seat as many as a hundred guests stretched from one end of the room to the other. Numerous candelabra were lit, the fire from their candles set the crystal goblets ablaze in a mesmerizing rainbow of light. Walking to the head of the table, Dracula pulled out one of the heavy wooden chairs directly to the right. With a grand gesture, he motioned for her to sit.

"I'm not hungry, she announced, then blushed furiously when her stomach suddenly decided to growl. The tempting aroma of baked bread must have been too hard to resist. Cursing her body's weakness, she sat down at the place he had prepared for her. A plate arranged with cold meats, warm breads, and to her surprise fresh fruits was set before her. A child of Romania, she had never before seen such opulent fair, Gypsy Princess or not.

The Count seated himself next to her at the head of the table. Lifting a silver decanter, her filled her crystal goblet with a wine darker than blood. "The berries," he murmured softly, "I brought from Spain. Once, they were my favorite. Now, I can barely remember their taste."

The implacations of his words was startling. Spain, she wondered. Surely he could not be so powerful to fly there so quickly.

"I decided to fetch them for you while you slept last night. Once I knew you were to be my guest here in my castle, I had to ensure you would have whatever your heart desired."

He must have been able to pick up on her thoughts despite her desperate attempt to guard her mind, she realized. Anna sat perfectly still, her eyes trained on the empty seat across from her own. Her stomach demanded that she eat, but she refused. Stubbornness was a family trait, after all.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked softly. "It's plain you do not intend to kill me - at least not yet. So I must ask you," she turned her head, looking intently into his eyes. "Why did you bring me here, knowing that I am your enemy?"

Dracula picked up the goblet of wine, holding it out to her. "Eat, and perhaps afterwards I will show you." A lock of his raven hair had fallen free. The darkness in his hair almost matched his eyes perfectly. Those were not human eyes that watched her every movement.

"My father always warned against making deals with the devil."

This brought a small smile to his pale face. "Very sound advice," he whispered. Candlelight made the shadows dance across his pale skin. His dark eyes shone brightly. Reaching out, Anna took the goblet from his hands. Bringing it to her lips, she sipped the wine. It was fragrant and richly flavored, but strong. Much stronger than any wine she had drank before. She would have to be cautious. The last thing she needed was to drink too much tonight. The protective barriers she held her in mind were weakened enough as it was. Again, she felt the gentle probing of Dracula's mind, testing for weaknesses. He was proving to be a powerful adversary indeed in so many unexpected ways.

She saw no choice now, but to play his game - for awhile at least. If the vampire had a plan for her, she preferred to find out rather than wait. Besides, if she didn't eat something, her stomach would growl again. Selecting a perfectly round strawberry from the plate, she bit into it experimentally. The ripe fruit was better than she had hoped. It was sweet and firm, if slightly sour. Her stomach did growl again, her appetite whetted by the tantalizing bite. Despite her strong resolve, an appreciative smile spread across her lips. Giving up on struggling to remain unhungry, she picked up a roll, still warm from the oven.

Dracula watched in rapt attention as she tore it apart, eating it in small, bite size pieces. Even her slightest movement was graceful. He followed the movement of her hand as she pushed her thick curls away from her face. Fascinated, he watched her swallow, the long muscles of her neck slowly moving. His eyes focused on the artery hidden there, barely concealed by her milky white skin. He could here the blood, coursing through her veins, pumping dark red blood. Dracula's brown eyes darkened to a startling shade of black. He could smell her scent - a mixture of fragrance and something sweet, indefinably feminine.

She selected another berry from the pile, this one small and dark blue. She examined it curiously, unaware of the intensity of his gaze.

"A blueberry," he whispered. Only his years of discipline kept the excited waver out of his voice. He musn't scare her, he decided. When he finally wrapped her into his dark embrace, she must want him to drink from her as badly as he desired to.

Anna opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of an unexpected shriek.

Dracula's eyes flew open. He stood to his feet, roaring at the interruption. It was her, he silently fumed. How dare she disobey his orders. He slammed his fist into the table, rattling the long row of candelabrae.

Anna did not cringe at this sudden burst of temper. She merely continued to calmly study the small berry. "I'm sorry, was this one yours?" she murmured, knowing full well it wasn't the berry the vampire was furious about.

His eyes flew to her, brow creased in fury. "Forgive my rudeness, but there is something that needs my immediate attention. Stay inside this room, and do not leave."

Anna blinked her eyes and he was gone, moving faster than her eyes could track. All at once, the many doors leading into and out of the dining room slammed closed as one. Sighing, she popped the blueberry into her mouth. At least that was sweet....

XX

A/N:

Yes, I know this chapter was short, but hopefully it was somewhat sweet. Please, please review and respond!

Oh, and I promise that Van Helsing won't be a dork forever... Well, at least I'll TRY and promise that.

He was hot too, I must admit, but Dracula drools

Hoobooy.

And OH MY GOD, has anyone seen Troy?

Holy Moly.

Anyways, tell your ole pal Jessie whether or not you want this baby to become R. Consensus rules ; )