Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I made up. Fair enough.

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All was dark as Lucia stood on the balcony in the empty town hall, looking down into the abandoned dance floor. Her heavy hair was hanging around her face, arms crossed before her. She was quiet and alert, waiting for something to happen.

Then, it did happen.

Light filled the place, and Lucia flinched against it, weakened. Slow music, played in minor, started up, and she cocked her head, a small smile on her blood red lips. He appeared in the hall below her then, dressed from head to foot in black, smiling up at her. He held a hand up to her.

"Come to me, my Queen," he said.

She walked to the stairs and climbed down them, clutching her black skirts in her hands as she went. She reached the floor, and closed the space between herself and Dracula quickly and silently, pressing her lips into his. They kissed for a moment, until he pulled back silently to cup her face in his hands. He chuckled.

"What's funny?" she asked in a whisper, awed by his closeness.

"Just how things turn out," he replied softly, trailing his lips along her jawline. "I love you. Together, we rule the night."

He smiled, then slowly unfastened the collar of his shirt, revealing the pale throat and pounding vein. She felt desire stir up inside of her as he offered it to her. Sharp fangs slid down before she could think about it. She rested her mouth against his neck, nibbling it first, before latching onto the vein. Hot, black blood poured into her mouth, and she sighed in contentment, closing her eyes.

Then the taste changed. Lucia opened her eyes to find that she was standing in a dark, cold street in Vaseria, draining a figure in her arms. She leapt back, shocked, and stared at the small girl who fell dead into the slushy leftover of the snow. A scream rose in her throat as she ran from the street, hot blood running down her chin. She could not forget the small girl she had just killed.

Somehow, she found herself in the Danewoods' shop. There was Lydia, dressed in white, eyes shining as she stared at Lucia.

"Mamma! She's here! The one!"

Then Frances appeared from nowhere, and they were stripping her, revealing her pale, slim body. They forced her into the dress she had worn to the ball, insisting she looked beautiful, just like an angel. They finally finished, and pushed her in front of the mirror.

She stood, still, shocked, staring into the mirror, hair hanging over one shoulder, eyes wet with tears.

There was nobody in the mirror.

Lucia had no reflection.

When Lucia woke up, her shoulders were shaking with grief. Burning tears rolled down her face. She forced herself to calm down, and sat up, scanning the chambers she found herself in. It was obviously a room in the Count's castle, but it was one she had not seen before. It was larger than the previous room, yet the only furniture in here was a large bed, the one she was lying on. It was made up in black satin. A mirror hung on the wall at the other side of the room.

She was dressed in the ballgown, her hair loose and tangled. Her lip felt swollen, the side of her face bruised. The window in here was large and clean, and the golden light which poured in revealed to Lucia that it was morning. She thought of last night. Vladislaus had betrayed her. She had almost died because of him.

She thought of her dream. It had been so frightening, the prospect of eternal damnation. She remembered the look on the face of the dead girl and almost felt like crying again. She would never kill anyone. She had to think of what she was going to do now.

The mirror tempted her. She had to see if she was a monster yet. Shaking, she rose to her feet and crossed to the mirror, gasping as she saw her reflection. It looked pale and partially transparent. It was fading, just like her innocence.

"Lucia," came a soft voice from by the door. She spun angrily to see Vladislaus standing there, looking beautifully impassive.

"You are a bastard," she said slowly, balling her hands into fists as she glared at him. "You said you loved me!"

"I do love you," he said, looking sad now, chewing his lip. "I know I've hurt you, but please let me explain..."

"How can you explain betraying me?" she shouted. "How can you explain almost causing my death?"

"You were not meant to go back in there," he murmured, apparently trying to stay calm. "I wasn't counting on your skills as a Hunter. I underestimated you. I can only apologise."

"You would have gladly killed the man I love!" she shrieked.

He was angry too now. Eyes glowing, he screamed, "And I'd kill him right now if I could!"

Lucia shrank back automatically from his temper, now scared. "But I love him," she whispered.

He sighed, trying to keep from another outburst. He crossed over to her and stroked her cheek gently. "But you love me more. You long for me, my touch, my love. I can sense it, because it's what keeps me alive. You belong with me."

"That isn't true and you know it. Gabriel is my soulmate. My happy ending would be with him. But you've made me so I can't live with him. I can't be with him because of what I am- a monster. It's your fault I can't have a happy ending," she said bluntly, moving away from Vladislaus.

"There is more than one route to happiness," he replied, watching her wander towards the bed.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "There will be no happy ending to this, Vladislaus," she whispered. "None of us- me, you, or Gabriel- can have what we want."

"You can't be with Gabriel anymore, Lucia, you're right," he said coldly, making her heart ache. "So you why don't you join me? I know you want to."

He was right, and she knew it. Did she really have a choice? She could not live amongst normal people anymore. She shook her head. "No. I could not live with you."

He appeared in front of her suddenly, making her jump. His expression was one of dark amusement. "You could not live with me? Could you die with me?"

Struggling to find language harsh enough to reply to this sick remark, Lucia stepped back. "You are such an evil man. I wish I hated you. God, how I wish I hated you."

She ran from the room, tears rolling down her face. She needed to be away from him. Her legs carried her down to the garden, and she collapsed against a hedge, sobbing. She was truly damned now. She would not be going to Heaven now. Her soul was damned. She was destined to eternity in Hell.

Still, she could not stay on the Earth. She was going to end up killing someone. It would be wrong for her to try to stay alive. She had to try and stop Vladislaus, then deal with the problem of her own taints.

She looked up at the blue-grey sky and smiled grimly. This was a near-impossible task, especially as she was slipping into darkness. She was losing control of her feelings, her actions. Her time on earth was coming to a close, she could sense it.

Her grim smile changed to one of pure amusement as she thought of her plan.

She might as well go out on a high.

TBC.