It was late in the evening, and Mina Harker was making her way slowly to the study, a steaming bowl of stew in one hand, the gas lamp in the other. Her features held the strain of the weary, but there was a triumphant defiance to her stormy grey eyes. She had done it. She had succeeded in completing her father's research. She had deserved her rest. Settling into the high-backed leather chair, she sighed, letting her mind wander. As a child, she had often done this very thing, letting her mind drift to many different places, to places of legend. Slowly, ever so slowly, her eyes began to close. It was true, she was exhausted… but she still had so much to do! Nevertheless, her eyes slipped shut and she was left in peace. Until that was, she heard a crash from one of the upstairs corridors.

Gabriel Van Helsing and Carl had left the Vatican almost a week past, traveling over the sea to come to Romania, guarded by the forbidding Carpathian Mountains. Now, Gabriel feared it had all been for naught. He whirled about on his heel soundlessly, dragging Carl up from where he stooped, picking up the pieces of a shattered vase. His eyes widened slightly under the brimmed hat he wore as the soft footsteps came slowly up the staircase, muffled by the many layers of dust that lay there, the passage of years marked. In a single, swift motion he (with Carl in tow) disappeared into the shadows. He watched unnoticed as a girl of no more than twenty appeared at the top of the staircase. Her dark curls caught his attention, but her eyes were different. Different than… He shook his head as she walked past and silently slipped behind her, motioning for Carl to wait in the shadows. Suddenly, one of his arms snaked its way around her waist, and another reached to cover her mouth. "Don't scream. It will make my job much easier." He hissed, his voice cold in the house's desolate solitude.

(Sorry for the short chapter! Please read and respond! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all!)