Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I made up. Fair enough.
,.-´¨¯¨·-.¸-( (&) )-,.-´¨¯¨·-.¸
"I don't understand," she said, her voice shaking.
"The Devil has obviously decided I must return. He has sent monsters- terrible monsters- after me. They are here." The Count's voice was smooth, but there was a look of wild fear in those black eyes. "Lucia, you must leave here."
She made her mind up in a split-second. "I will not leave you to fight alone," she said firmly. "I will not lose you."
"Lucia, this is not your fight! You cannot stay." Vladislaus shook his head, and gave her a gentle push towards the door.
"I'm staying!" she snapped, stepping out of his arms and walking around him. "So I suggest you give me my clothes and weapons or else I'll be fighting unarmed."
Vladislaus smiled softly. He waved his hand, and she sighed as her clothes and weapons appeared on her body. Adrenaline pumped through her, her heart racing as she heard thudding on the stairs. Vladislaus stepped towards her, and she closed her eyes as his lips met with her own. It was the most amazing kiss she had ever had; passion and love flooded through her. Then, something happened which would change everything.
Vladislaus stepped back suddenly, a look of utter horror on his face. He opened his mouth widely... and took a deep breath.
Then he doubled up coughing painfully, gasping, chest heaving with his new-found need to breathe. Lucia reached out and grabbed his face, pulling it up so that he was looking at her. His eyes were streaming.
"It's okay," she whispered, utterly confused. Vampires did not need to breathe. "Just... slowly, okay?"
The Count's breathing slowed gradually, until he was respiring at a normal rate. He straightened up and stared, aghast, at Lucia. He caught her hand and pressed her trembling fingers to his wrist.
There was a pulse.
"What's happening?" Lucia asked. "You're a vampire! You don't breathe, you don't have a heartbeat!"
"You have awoken my heart," Vladislaus said slowly. "You have made me feel again, Lucia. I... I love you."
Lucia could not hide her confusion. Vampire's could not feel... could they? How could Vladislaus love her? But then, vampires could not breathe either. Perhaps Vladislaus was not an ordinary vampire. "I love you too," she admitted quietly.
He pressed his now warm fingers to her cheek, and they both turned to see the monsters pouring down the stairs. Vampires; not like Vladislaus, horrible twisted grey ones, with small wings and huge fangs and expressions of evil. There were at least fifty of them coming down into the hall. Lucia pulled out her pistols and gave Dracula a reassuring grin as he changed into his own bat-like form.
She began firing, silver bullets slamming into the chests of the vampires at the front. Several dropped to the floor and turned to dust. Vladislaus had flown into the midst of them and black blood was flowing everywhere as he snapped at them. Lucia ran forward, pulling out her stake. She reached the first vampire and stabbed his heart before he even had a chance to acknowledge her. A second one lunged at her, only to be kicked in the mouth by an extremely strong Lucia, then staked.
One landed behind her, and she turned to stake it in the heart, only to feel arms around her waist lift her into the air. A single vampire was carrying her into the air, grinning evilly at her as she twisted painfully to stake him. He gave a terrible shriek as he became nothingness, and Lucia dropped through the air, panicking as she realised how high up she was.
She caught on to the huge candle holder which hung from the ceiling, body hanging from it as her knuckles grew white. The vampires, now about half as many as there had originally been, were starting to notice the Hunter hanging from the ceiling, and one flew up towards her.
She let go of the holder with one hand, groaning with the effort of holding herself up with one hand, and grabbed a pistol. She cocked it and shot at the nearing vampire, who screamed and disintegrated. Lucia swung her legs up carefully, heaving herself up onto the ornate candle holder and sitting there. She pulled out her other pistol and opened fire on the vampires below, watching in interest as Vlad took some out.
There was more rumbling upstairs, and Lucia realised with a scared jolt that there would be more monsters. She needed to get down from here, but falling from this height would prove fatal.
A vampire flew up towards her. Lucia smiled as a plan entered her mind, and tucked her pistols back into the holsters. She shifted herself so that she was squated down.
As she had predicted, the vampire did not go straight for her, wanting to tease her. Instead, he flew straight under the candle holder.
She jumped from her perch and landed on his back, digging her knees into his hips, gripping onto his neck with her hand. The vampire could not stay in the air with her weight on him, however he did not fall, just swoop down smoothly, clearly confused.
Lucia felt a cool blast of air hit her face as they streaked down, and she couldn't help but laugh; this was fun. She grabbed her stake in the other hand and swung it under the vampire, spearing his heart. He turned to dust just as they reached the floor, and Lucia got to her feet smoothly.
"Lucia!"
She turned sharply to see she was standing in front of the door. It was open again, and Gabriel was standing in the doorway, his lip cut but otherwise apparently unharmed. She felt a pang of guilt; in her haste to help Vladislaus, she had forgotten that Gabriel and his little friend were fighting gargoyles.
"Gabriel," she gasped. "Hello."
"Lucia, we must leave," Gabriel ordered. He looked worried.
"I will not leave Vladislaus to fight alone," Lucia replied calmly. "I'm not coming with you, Van Helsing."
He looked very shocked. He nodded. "Miss Craft, I didn't want to do this," he said, pulling out his pistol and pointing it at her.
"Don't bloody threaten me!" Lucia shouted, irritated. She turned back to the fight in time to see a large vampire descending on her. She ducked, and heard Van Helsing's pistol go off. The vampire became dust as Gabriel took advantage of her sudden weak state to gather her up in his arms and carry her out.
"Gabriel! Put me down!" she exclaimed, wriggling as the cold early morning air hit her face. "I have to go back inside!"
"No, you don't," Gabriel said coolly, carrying her down to a small wooden cart. It was attached to two black horses, and the friar was sitting in it already. Gabriel dumped her in the cart, heaved himself into it, grabbed the reins, and set them off.
"Van Helsing," Lucia began as they sped into the trees which went down to the village. She sighed, chewed her lip, and gave up, curling into a little ball in the corner of the cart. She would probably never see Vladislaus again. He could not fight the monsters alone. Tears stung her eyes, and she sniffed.
"Carl, take these," Van Helsing said suddenly, and the friar took the reins. Gabriel crawled down beside Lucia, and gently turned her face so their eyes were meeting. "I'm sorry, Miss Craft-"
"Oh, cut the 'Miss Craft' rubbish," Lucia snapped, turning away. "We both know we're soulmates."
"Lucia... this is strange. I love you, and I want what's best for you. His fight is not your fight."
"You... love me?" She was confused. Her head literally hurt. She wanted to sleep. "I love you too." Then she rolled back into her ball and closed her eyes. Van Helsing hesitated a moment, then lay down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Branches scraped the sides of the cart as they sped through the thick trees. The peacefulness was halted by Carl's strangled cry of, "Van Helsing!"
Gabriel and Lucia both sat bolt upright in time to see two brown arms snatch Carl from the cart and lift him up into the air. As the horses thundered to a stop, the Hunters looked up to see Vladislaus' bat form hovering above the cart, clutching Carl.
"Vladislaus!" exclaimed Lucia, relief flooding through her. "How-?"
"I made a pact with Hell!" Vladislaus announced. Gabriel motioned as though to shoot the vampire, but Lucia caught his wrist and shook her head. "Lucia, you're coming back with me. Goodbye, Gabriel."
And then Lucia found herself in the vampire's arms once more, flying back towards the castle.
TBC.
