Sorry I haven't updated for a while. Here is the next chapter for your pleasure.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I made up. Fair enough.
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Lucia wondered what she should do with Deanna's body. She could hardly carry it around, yet it seemed wrong to leave it here. Finally, she decided to send someone else down to get it later. Lucia patted the lifeless girl on the cheek, chewing her lip.
She stood up shakily, and walked quickly back up. She was trembling. Her mind was set entirely on killing Dracula, no matter what it would take. But right now, she needed Gabriel, and the reassurance only he could offer her. She would find him.
"Gabriel!" she shouted, as she headed down a long, wide corridor, completely empty and deserted. She clutched her flaming torch in one hand, and her pistol in the other. "Gabriel?"
She heard a small scuffling noise behind her. She spun quickly, but the way appeared empty. She grew tense, tightening her grip on the pistol and cocking it. Something was here with her. There was a tap on the floor behind her, and she turned back around, some of her hair falling in her face as her wide eyes swept the nothingness.
"Gabriel?" she whispered, her voice a dry croak. It was not Gabriel lurking in the shadows, she knew that. Her eyes burned, and she chewed her lip.
She felt something trail along her neck. Wasting no time, she lifted the burning torch above her head and set fire to whoever it was behind her. She leapt forward, and spun around, backing off as she saw the flaming female vampire become ashes, her pained screams filling the corridor. A victory smile danced on Lucia's face, until her torch suddenly went out, plunging her into semi-darkness. Then, she felt someone grab both of her arms from behind and tug them painfully upwards, holding them there.
She cried out in pain, dropping her pistol and the torch. She knew who had a hold of her. How could she not? "Let go of me," she whimpered.
Dracula's voice was coldly amused as he whispered harshly into her ear. "I thought you liked me to touch you, my beautiful, beautiful traitor."
A tear rolled down her cheek. "I cannot submit to a lifetime of evil," she said through clenched teeth. "I have seen more pain in the past days than I have in my entire life, and it is all your fault."
He threw her from him then, and she landed hard on her front with a muffled shout and a loud bang. She could taste more blood, her own blood, the blood which could kill the monster behind her. She did not move.
"You know nothing," Vladislaus snarled. "You'd like to believe you're all innocent, wouldn't you? But you aren't, my sweet, and I shall show you that. All of the pain I have caused... is your fault."
Something broke inside of her. She rolled over onto her back, her hair hanging messily. Disgusted, she glared at Vladislaus, taking the clip out of her tresses. "I am not willing to accept responsibility."
He smirked, crossing over to her, and kneeling down beside her. "As if you have a choice," he sighed in mock concern. His expression turned sour. "Such a shame you had to side with Van Helsing, really. I truly love you."
She knew she had to kill him, but if she tried anything now, he would quickly overpower her. Perhaps it would be better to keep him talking for now. Yes. Put off the moment when she actually had to wipe him from the earth. Fingers shaking, she wiped her mouth. "You know I love you. I just can't condone what you do."
For a moment, he looked like he might cry. "Lucia, I do this... for you." Then, he became impassive once more. "Gabriel Van Helsing will die for what he has done to you."
"And what has he done to me exactly?"
"He has touched you," Vladislaus sighed. Lucia blushed. The vampire continued, "I could let that go. I really could. But he has influenced you more deeply than just that. It is because of him you cannot be allowed to live."
A long silence followed his words. Lucia was crying silently, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She had never heard such emotive words. She closed her eyes, and cocked her head onto her shoulder. She was aching.
Then, another voice broke into the moment. "Lucia!" As Maximo's Spanish accent echoed around the hall, Dracula vanished suddenly.
"Maximo," Lucia whispered, sitting up and picking up her dropped pistol. Maximo pulled her to her feet. He was holding a torch himself, and sporting a deep gash on his chin.
He surveyed her in the torchlight, clutching on to her arm. "Are you alright? What did he do to you? Are you crying, Lucia?" She pulled away from him.
"I'm fine," she said, wiping her face with her hand. "Really."
"Liar," Maximo said softly, cocking his head. "Lucia, have you seen Deanna? I'm really worried about her..."
Lucia could not look at him. A sharp, guilty pang in her heart, she sighed. "I'm so sorry, Maximo," she whispered, tears rolling down her face. "There was nothing... I could do. She was dying... and she... she..." Lucia found she could not continue, and shook her head.
A spasm of anguish flittered over Maximo's face. "No..." A single tear rolled down his tanned cheek. "My love, oh my love." He muttered something in Spanish.
"She told me to tell you she loved you all along." Lucia's words seemed to send Maximo over the edge of grief, and he began to sob, resting his curly head on Lucia's shoulder. She resisted the urge to join in the tears and instead chewed her lip, burying her fingers in his curls.
"We must go on," Maximo said finally, looking up at her and wiping his eyes. "You will kill Dracula, won't you? Can you bring yourself to do it?"
There was an earnest glint in his eyes, a certain desperation in his face. She flashed him a reassuring, winning smile. She could not let him down. "I can. And I shall, my friend." They started running then, heading down the hallway. They were going to find Dracula.
The hallway stopped abruptly at a grand double doorway. It was made of black marble, with some inscription carved into it in a language Lucia did not understand. The doorknob was made of brass. There was something forbidding about the doorway. Lucia and Maximo stood silently facing it.
"Go ahead," Lucia whispered. Her eyes swept across the inscription, and she knotted her fingers in frustration at the realisation she would not understand it. "Open it."
Maximo's smile was nervous. "Ladies first?" he offered, voice shaking.
"I'm not touching that thing," Lucia shrugged, unsheathing her sword. "Maximo, stand back." She swung the sword high above her head, then brought it crashing down on doorknob, slicing messily into the brass. It clicked open, and Lucia nudged the door open with her toe, returning her sword to its place on her belt.
They stood together staring through the open doorway. They were looking at a huge hall, tiled in white, and in the very centre of the room was a huge pool. It looked deep and inviting. The water was clear and cool looking. The light in the room seemed to come from it. Lucia exhaled in confusion as Maximo whistled under his breath.
"What is this place?" Maximo asked, his eyes flickering around tensely. He drew his own sword, and his eyes fell on the door opposite them. It looked the same as the one they had just passed through.
Lucia shook her head. There was no other exit from this place. "I have no idea," she replied, licking her lips. "I definately do not like this."
They crept slowly forward, Lucia very aware of his tense breathing and his speeding heartbeat. There was that desire, that need, again. The one in the back of her throat. She shook it away, and pulled out her sword. The heavy feeling of a weapon in her hands, one she could control, gave her strength. They reached the door, and for a moment their eyes met in the strange light of the water. Then, Lucia's eyes closed.
"I don't like this place, Gabriel," Lucia's whisper was tense and excited, and her sapphire eyes found the warm brown ones of Gabriel Van Helsing, who was standing behind her.
He pressed a kiss to her earlobe. "Lady Lucia," he murmured, slipping his arms around her waist. "Would I ever put you in a dangerous situation?"
She turned suddenly, capturing his lips in a long kiss. He pulled her closer as their mouths worked together. Finally, she pulled away slightly. "Not if you wanted to live."
He smirked, trailing a hand down the front of her tight pink dress. "I want to live, trust me. I want to live with you." That prompted them to share another lingering kiss. "Open the door."
"It looks strange," Lucia said doubtfully, turning back to the door.
"Do you trust me, Lucia?"
She chewed her lip. "I do. God, I do."
"If you do, if you do trust me, my love, open the door."
"I do," Lucia whispered, and as the Lucia of her past life reached for the doorknob, so did the actual Lucia, her pale fingers covering the knob. She was surprised at how warm it felt. "I do." She pushed, and it opened smoothly, revealing a snowy balcony. It was huge, and a staircase, exposed to the cold dark weather, curved down from it.
"Oh my God," Maximo gasped, reminding Lucia that he was still standing beside her.
"There is no God in this place," Lucia replied sadly, stepping out, her boots crunching on the snow. "We cannot seek salvation here."
"Very reassuring, Lucia," came a slow, cold voice from the stairway. Lucia froze as Dracula stepped onto the balcony, eyes glittering as his hair was whipped around his face by the wind.
"Lucia!" Maximo called. "Lucia, get back in here!" His voice was desperate as he hung out of the doorway. "Come on, get away from him!"
Lucia made her mind up in a split second. Her voice was calm as she spoke, and she kept her eyes fixed on Dracula. "Maximo, go back inside. Find Gregory, take Deanna's body, and get out of here. Go back to Vaseria."
She heard the doors close, and wondered if Maximo had closed them, or if they had closed themselves. Dracula smirked, and leaned against the banister of the stairs, an eyebrow raised. He folded his arms.
"What are you waiting for?" she whispered, the wind blowing her hair. Her hand trailed slowly down to her sword. "Come and kill me, Vladislaus." This was hurting her, deep inside, but she had to. For Deanna, for Maximo, for Carl...
"I am waiting, my love, for Gabriel Van Helsing," the vampire said coldly, cocking his head. "I figured it would be a lovely treat for him to see you turned."
"I thought you were going to kill me," Lucia said shakily, tightening her grip on the sword.
Dracula shook his shiny head slowly. He looked almost human as he replied. "I could never kill you, my darling. I love you too much, you know I do."
Her anger melted slightly at his soft tone, but she forced herself to stay in the right frame of mind. It was killing her, it was like a tight constriction around her heart. "I would rather die than help you." She chose to whip out her sword then and hold it defensively.
"Don't be boring. Everyone who says that, dies." He walked forward, hands crossed behind his back, a small smile on his lips. "You cannot kill me, Lucia. Even if you had it in you, there is no way to do so."
Her mouth quirked into a grin as he reached her. "Alas, Vladislaus, the way to do so is in me, along with the will." He stopped, and looked quite confused, but any further banter, or indeed attempts to kill the other, was cut off as Gabriel Van Helsing appeared at the top of the staircase, glaring at Vladislaus and pointing a pistol at him. He shot, and Dracula groaned and spun to face him as a bullet plunged into his chest.
"Gabriel," Vladislaus whispered, inclining his head. "You have finally arrived. You were always late, weren't you?" He laughed suddenly, a heartless, cold chuckle. "I am so glad you are here to see the show, Brother."
TBC.
