The ride to Transylvania took two days, and Gabriel didn't rest for a moment, which was difficult for Carl, his horse, Celi, to keep up with Gabriel and Lyca. Gabriel's mind was focused on Anna, the thought of seeing her again giving hope, but that letter he received might have been written months ago.

They rode into the centre of the village and a woman with short grey hair came up to them both with a look of disbelief on her aging face. "Mr Van Helsing. Rachel Weaver has been searching for you."

"Can you take me to her?" He asked the old woman kindly. Together, followed by an out of breath Carl, they raced as quickly as they could to the Valerious Manor. Down a corridor, they were almost at Anna's room, and they were met by another old woman, but this one looked at him with pain in her grey eyes.

"Van Helsing. I thought you would never make it." Gabriel looked towards Anna's room. "You may want to prepare yourself. She's in the middle of another nightmare I'm afraid, a nasty one at that."

"Is she in there?" Rachel nodded and opened the door. Gabriel watched as she entered. He followed her and his stomach dropped at the sight.

Anna was lying in her bed, her arms lay over the quilt but she was still covered in sweat that glistened over her pale skin. Her forehead was creased and her breathing was scarily erratic. Rachel knelt beside the bed and placed her hands on the young woman's shoulders, whispering words of comforts as she began to cry out.

"Gabriel! No, no, Gabriel, come back, don't leave me again! Someone help!" Anna's voice screamed through the room, tears leaking through her unopened eyes. Her body jolted around on the bed, held still as possible by Rachel.

"Calm down, Anna, You must lay still, everything will be fine." After a few minutes of struggling, she lay still, and for a moment, Gabriel feared the worst as Rachel put a hand on Anna's forehead. He moved to sit behind Rachel, but on the edge of Anna's beside.

Anna's eyes opened slowly, revealing glistening brown orbs, clouded by nausea. "Rachel." She muttered.

"Yes, Miss, I am here. Do not worry. You had another nightmare. I brought someone here to see you Miss Anna. Someone you have missed terribly." Rachel moved from Anna's side, revealing Gabriel sitting beside her.

"Anna," He said softly, and instantly, his presence waved peace over her. She gazed at him, lost for a moment, and then sat upright as quickly as she could, throwing herself in her lovers arms, sobbing hard as his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"You came back." She said, half crying, but smiling as she pulled away and looked up at him. "You're really here." He kissed her forehead tenderly and helped her to lie back again.

"I'm so sorry Anna, I never should have left in the first place." He gathered on of her hands in his and pulled it up to his mouth as he planted a kiss on it. "I'm back now though, I'm not going anywhere." He assured.

"How did you know?" She asked weakly, simply sitting up to hug him had drained what little energy she had. Gabriel looked at Rachel, who stood in the doorway, watching the romantic scene.

"Rachel was scared she would lose you, so she searched me out and I got her letter eventually, I came immediately. When she said that no one knew what was the matter I thought the worst, I thought I was never going to see you again. And then I realised what a terrible mistake I made leaving you." He also had tears in his eyes, as he confessed what he had not told anyone in the months they had been parted.

Gabriel slowly interlaced his fingers with hers, his uncertainty still flowing in his words. "I tried to put my heart into what I did, to take the pain away, but I couldn't because it was still here with you."

Carl came in at that moment, and saw Anna's face, with a soft smile of content despite the pain and weakness she felt. He looked at Rachel. "I see she's feeling better already." He mused, with a silent laugh.

"Yes" Rachel agreed. "I think, given time, she will be fine now."

That night, Gabriel was half sitting-half lying in the centre of Anna's large bed with her in more of less the same position against him. As Rachel had written, he gave her the strength she needed to improve her condition. Carl had examined her and came to the conclusion that the reason she was so weak, was in fact, classic heartache, yet he could not explain her nightmares, which Rachel said grew more fierce every time.

Anna was muttering in her sleep, which Gabriel had been told was marking the start of another nightmare. This would be her second one that day. He thought it would be wise to try and wake her before it got to bad, and he loosened his arms, giving her the space she needed to calm down.

"Anna, baby, wake up." She frowned, and he panicked, she threw herself onto her other side and started muttering in a different language, one that he knew not of. He wondered what she was saying. He noticed that she was starting to sweat again. She let out a small whimper, which worried him even more. After trying and failing once again to wake her, he ran to the door and looked out, calling Rachel and Carl as loud as he could. They came out of the neighbouring rooms, rushing in case it was serious, which it now was.

"What's happened?" Rachel said as they followed him into the bedroom. As she saw Anna, curled up in a ball on the bed whimpering and sobbing she flew her hands to her mouth in shock "My Goodness!" Her exhalation made Gabriel realise this was her worst nightmare yet.

"She won't wake up, and she's speaking in a completely different language to last time." Gabriel said breathlessly as he went to sit back beside her. She was breathing so quickly, Gabriel feared she wasn't taking in enough air to fill the demand of her racing body. Carl ran to the side of the bed, and knelt down. Calmly, he smoothed back Anna's hair from her face, and very close to her ear, he spoke.

"Anna, I know you can hear me. It's Carl. Remember me? Good. I need you to make a signal that you can understand all of this. If you can, I want you to reach out your hand for me." Wondering what Carl was doing, Gabriel watched as Anna's left hand desperately grasped around in the air. Gabriel reached out and held it with his own. Her wet fingers clutched it loosely. "Good Anna, now can you squeeze his hand for me, please?" Carl looked over at Gabriel, who nodded as he felt her grip tighten, amazed that Anna was doing everything he said. "Well done Anna."

"What is it Carl? What's happening to her?" Gabriel asked uneasily. Carl looked up at him from Anna's terrified face.

"It seems she is trapped in her nightmare. It must be so bad that she cannot drag herself away from it. It's kind of like a coma, she can hear everything we say to her, and she can do a few basic commands, but it may be a while before she wakes up." Carl's face was sad, so he had to ask.

"How long will that be?"

"Unless we figure out what is causing them, and stop it soon, she might not wake up at all." Carl said quietly, Anna's breathing started to increase again, Gabriel held on to her hand desperately wanting to calm her. "It is possible the cause of the nightmare might consume her completely."

In the despair of the moment, none of them noticed the figure out on the balcony, gazing through the window. His black hair pulled back in a ponytail with a single gold hoop through his lower ear. He smiled at his work.

"You killed my three loves, it is time for me to kill yours."