"So I guess this is goodbye then."

Anna's Romanian accent cut through the air like a knife. Practically the whole of Transylvania had turned up to watch Van Helsing and Carl leave, to return to Rome. Carl, having already said his goodbyes to Anna, stood by the carriage that Rome had sent, driven by another friar older than Carl. Anna stood on the steps of the well in the centre of the village, much like she had the first time she had seen him, the irony of it, she thought, the place I first saw him will now become the place I will last see him. Gabriel stood beside her, one step below her, but he still towered over her by a good few inches, making her look like a scared little girl to the rest of the villagers.

"I guess so." He muttered.

He hadn't wanted to leave. It broke his heart to have to go back to Rome and leave her. She had miraculously survived his unwilling attack as a werewolf, but it had made her physically weakened, confined to her bed for a fortnight. But Gabriel had been there by her side through the whole procedure, getting her through the pain. They had spent another two weeks together after that, once she had fully recovered, just wandering the village and the woods, now that it was free from threats such as vampires and werewolves. Carl, however, received a cable from Rome a few days ago, stating that the Cardinal wanted him to return immediately, and that there was a carriage coming to collect them both already.

Anna had cried when Gabriel had told her this, but she didn't do it when he was around. She understood he needed to return. After all, it was as he had said 'his job, his life, his curse' and all that wasn't going to change because of her, he probably wasn't allowed to fall in love.

The village was silent except for their occasional comments. The friar on top of the carriage was getting impatient waiting for Gabriel to say goodbye already, but Carl explained everything briefly to him and he soon shut up. Anna needed to break the silence before it broke her heart. She moved her gaze from the stony ground to the tall handsome man before her.

"I'll never forget the time we had together." She promised, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over her proud figure, which Gabriel had notice, now consisted of pale cheeks, and sagging shoulders.

"Neither will I." He didn't know what to say to make the pain disappear. How could he make this easier for the both of them? "Anna, you know I have to do this, there is no other way." She nodded, looking deep into his eyes. "And you know I will always love you, don't you?" She nodded and brought a hand to her face to wipe a stray tear away as she whispered "I love you too."

Time was always against them, Gabriel didn't want to be travelling through the forest bordering Rome at night, as it held its own monsters and secrets, both him and Anna needed this. He moves up a step and gathered her in his arms, a final hug. Within a few moments he could feel her tears dampening his clothes against his chest, and he smoothed her hair under his chin. "I don't want you to go." She wept, despite the proud authority she was trying to uphold.

She had always been seen as incapable as falling in love. She remembered seeing her brother, Velkan, with his favourite lady, Karla, and questioning his antics with her, and how he would tell her that one day, a handsome man would break her icy fortress and capture her heart. You were right brother, she whispered in her mind, he has captured it, and I will not let him return it.

"I don't want to go either," He admitted.

"Will you come back?"

It was a question that had been running through everyone's mind for the past few days. Gabriel glanced over at Carl, looking for an answer, but the friar shook his head sorrowfully. He wasn't going back. "I'm sorry Anna." He said, near to tears himself. How he wanted her to stop crying, to pick her up, carry her across the village to her home and just lay with her on her bed, soothing her tears.

He pulled away and said one final time "I love you, Anna, never forget that." And then he turned his back on the only woman he had ever loved, walking towards the carriage and climbing in beside Carl. As the carriage started moving he watched out of the small window as Anna buried her face in her hands and villagers cleared a path for her as she ran blindly to her home.

His heart was tearing at the sight. He wished the pain would go away, but no matter what he thought about to distract himself, everything led back to her. He sighed as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the cushioned seats. He was vaguely aware of Carl's comforting voice, "You did the right thing Van Helsing" but it didn't matter. He would never forgive himself for what he just did. Dracula had taken her whole family, but then he showed up and had someone again, she had fallen in love with him and he had loved her back, but then he had just left her, alone again.