Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Van Helsing or anything affiliated with it. Jeez, this is getting redundant.
A/N: OMG, to all my readers, I am SOOOO SORRY I haven't updated in like forever (well it feels like forever), but I was on vacation visiting my family. Please forgive me for keeping you waiting! I felt truly awful about not being able to update till now. Anyway, all of your reviews are so wonderful! Thanks to all of you who did!
Christine Marquez: I'm sorry. But I really have to disagree with you; I thought Richard Roxburgh was great! But that's just me. Hope you like this chappie better than Rox's acting! Btw, I noticed that I've been accidentally calling you ChristinA and for that I apologize. I just noticed, lol. You should've said something!
Audrey: Thank you! Ur review was awesome! I'm so glad you like Drac and Andrea's personalities. I'll keep posting as long as you keep up the lovely positive comments, lol.
Rhea: Yeah, I guess you could say that she's definitely smart, lol. Sorry if you got lost. Andrea is gonna be paired up with Van Helsing eventually. At least, that's the plan, lol. Hope u like this chappie too!
SpiritKitsune88: YAY, a new reviewer! I'm so happy u like it so far! Here's another one for ya'!
Nienna Saralonde: YAY, another new reviewer! Thanks for the compliment! It was sort of my intention, but they won't end up together. Sorry if that was a spoiler for you, lol, and keep R&Ring please and thank you!
Lady Kathrin: I'm a Drac freak too, and don't worry, there's lots more of him!
Luthien Anwamane: Glad u liked the bio lesson. Don't get lost, did you? I've been to that sight before, but I don't remember what my name was, lol. Sorry to keep you waiting, and I hope you love this chappie too!
Once again, sorry to everyone for the long wait, and thanks so much for all the reviews. But enough talk…on with the chappie!
1I woke up to a pounding headache. As I sat up, the headache slowly subsided, and I was able to look around the room. How long had I been asleep? I had no idea, and there was no way to tell. I stood shakily and walked to the door. I tried the handle, then rattled it angrily, but it wouldn't budge. I turned back into my prison of a room, and strode over to one of the windows. I reached out and parted the thick curtains to reveal......a solid wall! I was staring at the thick blocks of stone that made up all the other walls. I walked to the next window, and the next, and each time I opened the curtains, I came to a solid wall, not the glass I was expecting. I had by now opened all four sets of curtains, and was contemplating ripping them all down in frustration.
However, I managed to take a deep breath, relax, and take another look around. I studied the room itself for a moment, and noticed that it was entirely circular, with no corners at all, which meant that I was probably in a tower. The lack of windows was surprising and strange, but I wasn't too perturbed. I mean, if Dracula wanted to hang curtains and pretend there were windows, I wasn't going to stop him. At the thought of Dracula, a wave of anger came. How dare he practically drug me (well, it had the same effect) and lock me in a room in some tower in God knows where! Actually, I wondered if God did know where this castle was. The literal interpretation of the phrase made me smile wryly. Considering my current situation, I doubted it.
Dracula's words from last night came drifting to the top of my mind. "This will be your room. I furnished it myself." I looked at the furniture and snorted. I'll say you did. All the furniture matched, and it was made of a deep red chestnut wood, with black oak trim. The sheets on the bed were a cream color, and the cover was a rich purple, with crimson and gold edging. There were several candles illuminating the room, as well as the lighted chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the dresser had a brush and comb resting on it. I opened the armoire and looked at its contents. It was filled with beautiful evening dresses of all makes, colors, and styles. Some had voluminous skirts, while others were slim and elegant. They were blue, red, black, emerald green, purple, some covered in sequins and glittering diamonds, others with ruffles or detailed embroideries. All of them had a corset built in. This must be the style, I thought. How uncomfortable.
I closed the armoire and opened the dresser drawers. More casual clothes were there, but the top drawer had gorgeous earrings, necklaces, and other accessories to match the dresses in the armoire. I took advantage of the clean clothes and pulled out a pair of tight navy blue pants and an off-white fitted top with long sleeves that flared open at the ends. The top had red stitching with intricate designs. I changed quickly and looked at myself in the full length mirror I had noticed on the inside of one of the armoire doors. I guess I'm going patriotic, I thought smirking, looking at my red, white, and blue outfit. Strange how everything fit me perfectly........ I sighed and thought longingly of home and my own bed. Then I quickly shoved my homesick feelings aside and glanced at my hair. The curls had become a tangled knot. I grabbed the brush and worked at untangling the mess. I few minutes (and curses) later, I had managed to organize my numerous curls into individual ringlets, and though proud of my accomplishment as I studied my reflection, I had no one to appreciate it. The thought of my solitary imprisonment got me angry all over again and I sat down on the bed in a huff.
"Aw, why so upset, my Andrea?" Dracula's voice sounding from above frightened me, and I jumped. Then I looked up to see Dracula standing high above me on the ceiling of my room.
"Vladislaus Dragulia!" I shouted, furious. "How dare you do lock me up in here! How long have I been in this damn room anyway?! That was a hell of a dirty trick you played." I craned my neck to look up at him, the anger plain on my face.
Dracula chuckled. "You slept through most of the day. Night has just fallen, as you can see." He gestured towards the windows.
"No, I can't! If you haven't noticed, there are no–" I stopped and looked over. The four windows were there, glass and all. I walked up to one and touched the glass. It was freezing, and one look outside told me why. The castle was in a barren ice wasteland. I turned back to Dracula, still on the ceiling. One look in his eyes, and my anger began to slowly drain away. "Like I said earlier, power over matter." I shook my head and smiled derisively. "And I guess we can add gravity-defying to the list." I added, looking up at him again. "Damn it, do you have to stay up there? Either you come down, or help me come up!" I demanded, tired of straining my neck.
Dracula smiled again, and dropped, flipping in mid-air to land softly and lightly on his feet. "Show off." I mumbled. Dracula heard me and smiled wider, amused at my discomfiture.
"You look lovely." he said, stepping towards me. He stopped about a foot away, closed his eyes, and breathed slowly and deeply. I watched warily, as his gloved hands began to tap out a steady, familiar rhythm. "Your heartbeat." he whispered, his eyes still closed, "so slow, so calm." He opened his eyes. "Intoxicating." He reached out and pulled me close, running his hand up my shoulder, stopping where the blood pulsed in my neck. I was practically frozen with terror, leaning back slightly and supported by his other arm, my eyes wide and my hands on his shoulders for balance. "I could take you now." Dracula whispered quietly, almost to himself, wild fire in his eyes. "Just one brief moment of pain." He clenched my neck for a second, but quickly released his grip as I gasped reflexively and tightened my grip on his shoulders. Then he seemed to take command of himself once more, and the wild look vanished from his eyes. He looked down at me and frowned slightly.
"What's this? I see fear in your eyes. You of all people should not fear me. Don't be afraid." he crooned softly, still holding me. "Never be afraid."
"Vladislaus......" I whispered, and, as the terror and anxiety I had pent up inside was released, I clung to him, shuddering. I was lost in a sea of emotion, and Dracula was the only steady and solid rock amidst the waves of fear, loneliness, and confusion I was feeling. The last few days had caught up with me, and I was tired of feeling constantly behind and off-balance in my new surroundings. I squeezed my eyes shut, and tried to concentrate on steadying my haggard breathing. Dracula's hand was running through my hair soothingly, his other hand resting at the base of my spine. I stood there for a minute, listening to Dracula's hollow breathing match my own. Then I pulled away, and turned around, trying to compose myself.
"Didn't you like any of them?" Dracula asked, opening the armoire.
"What? Oh, well they are nice, but I'm not really a dress person." I said, turning around to see what he was referring to.
"Too bad," Dracula commented, "I believe you would look stunning, especially in this." He pulled out a dark red dress with a corset top and a wide, full skirt. It glittered with sequins and had black and gold trimming.
"Red isn't really my color," I responded. I had by now fully collected myself, and was wondering where all this was leading.
"I prefer to call it crimson, and I rather think it is your color."
"Even if it were, why would I wear it? It's not like there's a special occasion for it."
"But of course there is!" Dracula returned, pretending to be shocked. "You see, tomorrow night, I've decided to throw a ball and invite a few......friends."
"A ball? You mean like a party? Here?!"
"Yes, why not? And I would be...so.....unhappy, if you didn't wear something nice."
"What if I don't feel like going?" I asked boldly.
"Oh, I think you do feel like going." Dracula stated, staring right into my eyes.
I looked away quickly and said dryly, "You seem to know a lot about what I like to do and wear." Dracula smiled. A dangerous smile, with wrath and anger just underneath. He advanced towards me, the dress still in his hands. I tensed, unsure of what he would do.
"My Andrea," he said sweetly, then, as his voice changed to a lethal whisper, "You would do well to stop your game. I trust you will give me no more trouble in this matter. Wear it." He thrust the dress into my arms and brushed past me. At the door he turned and bowed. "Until tomorrow night."
"Wait!" I said, having regained my voice. "You're not going to lock me in here again, are you?" Dracula paused and thought.
"I suppose not. You are my.......my guest, and should feel as such. So, feel free to explore my home."
"You trust me not to leave?" I asked incredulously.
"Have you looked outside?" Dracula asked, partly sarcastic and partly annoyed at the location of his castle. "I think you would have a hard time getting anywhere. And it is chilly outside."
I sighed and glanced out the window. "You make a point." I grudgingly agreed. " And did you have to do that heartbeat thing? It really freaks people out. I mean, it's bad enough that you can hear my heart, but do you have to tell me that you can hear it? That's like telling someone that you spy on them. I'm better off not knowing. Just because you don't have a heart doesn't mean you need to tell me what mine sounds like." Dracula just smiled evilly once again, and left the room. I sat down wearily on the bed, laying the dress down beside me. It really wasn't all that bad a color...... I shook my head and reclined back onto the pillow getting comfortable. I was only planning on resting my eyes but.....I was..... so tired.....
So that's it for now! Sorry for the slight cliffie-ish thing, but I'm sure you'll forgive me, lol. Sorry again for the long wait and Review please!
Gem