Author's Note: Uneven, slightly one-side and possibly confusing. I love Mammon. He's so melodramatic. Enjoy. P.S, I have no idea where the title of this chapter came from.

Chapter Six: Cross and Counter

"How long have you been dying?" Moshe's voice was cool and unobtrusive but it still stopped Gabriel in his tracks. He turned, staring at her in the darkness. She looked like Death itself. Her eyes were staring into his with infinite patience he had seen in Vampire eyes for time without memory.

He felt tired staring into her eyes. Like all those centuries upon centuries that suddenly felt heavy on his shoulders.

Gabriel licked his lips and tried to bring strength to his voice even though it was futile. He had meant to refute her, to call her a liar but was only able to mutter. "How did you know?"

Moshe smiled, revealing polished white fangs that cut through his memory and reminded him that the woman before him was not the child-warrior who had doted on him years before. "It's something in the gait," She told him. "Something in the heaviness of the footfall, and the smell..." She was closing in the distance between them and before he knew it, Moshe had her cold hand on his shoulder. The burden seemed to lighten under her touch. "But mostly, it's in the despair that's in your eyes."

"Despair?"

"It wasn't there before." She titled her head. "I wonder why it is now."

Gabriel let his shoulders sag and he caught her hand as if fell from his shoulder. He felt her cold fingers entwine with his. Had this been years ago, he would caught her breath catch in excitement and feel the small pleasure of knowing he had caused her happy. As it was now, Moshe's body gave no hint to her excitement. Death had taken so many of the small details out of the equation.

"I'm dying." He told her. Not really realizing that this had been the first time he had admitted it aloud. "But it's a cruel…slow death. I suffered no wound, I suffered from no infirmary. Instead, it's just…a waning." He touched his chest, as if surprised at the fact his heart still beat underneath. "Like, I'm slowing down, wasting away and it's like my body won't let me." His eyes closed, forbidding his mind to think. "What if…"

"What are you thinking, Gabriel?" Moshe asked, slowly. Her grip tightened. Her concern, sincere. He found himself longing to believe her. He felt so alone, suddenly. He wanted comfort. He wanted company. He wanted Anna.

"Pacelli tells me I lived this long for a reason. Before him, Jinette told me the same thing. Before him, Imam Jabari and on and on…they all said that everything I lost was for some greater good, to repay something…I didn't understand then, but I wanted too. I wanted to believe them. I knew if I just followed their orders, I would pay it back. I would…make it better."

"And you have, haven't you?" Moshe attempted. "Surely whatever you did, whatever passed to give this burden was repaid years ago, with the blood of your lost… "

"I don't think so." Gabriel murmured. He found his hand over hers; brushing a silver ring he wore since before he could remember. A ring that had once belonged to the man he was now going to damn. "I think…" He looked over at her, searching her eyes for understanding. All he met was the simple blank mask that was a Vampire's right. He found himself speaking before he ever had thought about it. "He trusts me."

"Who?"
"Dracula. I look at him and all I see is the reason Anna was killed, I see an abomination, a son of whatever dark forces challenge us. I see the man who knew my past, and flaunted it. I see the one who tried to make me a slave…but it's not him." Gabriel shuttered in fear. "I'm looking at those eyes. And it's him but there's something else…"

Moshe pulled her hand back. Waiting.

"I know that man." He told her, although he struggled with each word. He could not afford to feel this way, he knew. "I know the poor fool who waits for me to return with you. I know him, and I…care for him."

"What are you saying Gabriel?"

"I don't know. But it's like…I remembering him. Not full pictures but more like sensations, whispers of emotions…"

"What do you feel then?"

Gabriel looked away, the beach was coming up. Vladislaus was waiting for his fate with simple childlike trust in a friendship Gabriel could not remember but Vlad clung to like life itself. There waiting with him was Karl who could never forgive him. Gabriel felt weak again.

"Despair." He whispered.

But Moshe didn't catch it. Her eyes were scanning the beach, narrowing in wariness, as he hands curled like she was expecting claws to erupt from her skin. Gabriel saw this, and reached for his guns. In the years that passed, Gabriel had never grown tired of his Karl-developed arsenal: a gas-powered cross bow and two six shooters. He had, however, upgraded to include more automatic firepower and classic small blades.

He pulled the six-shooters first. He could get better aim with those.

Moshe turned and smiled at him: a pure dark smile. A hungry smile. "Try to remember," She hissed. "I am not your enemy." With that, she howled. A terrific, terrifying battle cry before throwing herself into the melee.

Gabriel cursed, and holstered one of the guns to follow suit.

Mammon swung about just in time to dodge Moshe's well placed attack. The Vampire hissed and bared her teeth at him. Normally Mammon would have just smiled, and jumped into an altercation with her. But it was not his time to start the war. They were only to aggravate the soldiers. Instead, he chuckled, blowing her a kiss.

"Yes," He assured her, "I'm sure you're very frightening."

"You have no idea." She countered, throwing her weight into him.

She succeeded in pushing him off balance. Mammon fell into the water, and a second later, she was on him, pushing him under water. Water began to fill Mammon's lungs, making him choke- more out of habit then actual need. He smiled. He liked her. But he was getting bored.

He pushed himself up, slamming Moshe back. She stumbled, and glared up at him, amazed that he could throw her off like a rag doll. "You're not human," She stammered. "Nor Jinn!" He had caused her to bleed; no creature she had faced in her reborn life had ever succeeded in that attempt.

"No." He allowed, crossing to her. He offered his hand to her.

"What are you?" She hissed, reaching up to take his hand, then grabbing it firmly and throwing him down. Mammon jerked free, and kicked her firmly in the jaw.

"I am Cursed." He told her. "And you cannot defeat me, no one born of humanity can."

"The hell I can't." She stood again and kicked him but the blow went wild. She was getting fatigued and the sun was about to appear soon. He didn't want her to die, but she wasn't going to accept a defeat.

Foolish woman, he thought and a tremor of pure hatred came from his gut to his throat and blinded him. How come humans never accepted that some battles could not be won! Behind him, Macha was thriving on the battle between her, Gabriel and Vladislaus. War was her domain, she loved it. He cared he nothing for the lost that was left in his wake.

And he was beginning to feel sick.

"See? I told you, you cannot win! What do you think to accomplish from this?" He demanded, angry now. He could feel the dawn coming. And if he felt it, the Vampire must have as well. He wondered briefly for a moment why she wasn't retreating yet and then, understood grimly why she hadn't. His magic was working on her: she was greedy for revenge, for this victory. He had riled her and nothing short of complete victory was satisfy her hunger.

"Listen to me, girl…dawn is coming." He told her. "Run and hide in your shadows!"

She wasn't listening. She jumped up again, and attacked. She would keep attacking him until the Sun came to kiss her skin. He was so disgusted that for a moment, he was tempted to remain their till her demise was certain. But to do so would be to leave the Knights helpless.

And it would render Lazarus' plans useless.

He turned and caught sight of the others. Macha was standing, feet apart in front of Karl. Gabriel had fallen back, reloading his guns even though the bullets merely passed through Macha like air. Vladislaus had taken up a place dangerously close to Macha and was doing his best in hand-to-hand combat with her.

His strength was coming from pure desperation: fed from the fear for the priest's safety and the hunger that gleamed from his eyes. Mammon could see part of the man who had once been his Master-and Macha's- gleaming from behind the human veneer. He half-expected for Vladislaus' true nature, the hell beast, to burst forth at any moment. But whatever anger that might have spurned the creature to action was kept firmly in check, by the fear.

Fear for Karl's safely and perhaps the priest's opinion of him.

Mammon almost laughed aloud. How very human.

Reaching out, quick to end this game, Mammon grabbed Moshe by her hair and ripped her to her feet. She screamed again, and he made sure this time it caught their attention.

"Macha!" He called. "It's time we finished this!"

Vladislaus spun about, catching sight of Moshe. He frowned, stepping back and pushing away from Macha to stare at the woman. A shadow of recognition passed over his face, as he whispered one name.

"Verona?"

Mammon tightened his grip around Moshe's neck and for a moment, seriously considered breaking it. Macha met his eyes and smiled. Their work was done.

"Why summon your bride in the company of her murderers, Count?" Mammon demanded for theatrics. "Or did they not tell you that? Did they neglect to mention, when they pulled you from hell, that it is Gabriel's hand that put you there! Did they tell you, they were why you died! Why you were damned!"

He threw Moshe towards them. Gabriel jumped ahead, catching the Vampire as she stumbled. He was on his knees now, staring up at Mammon mutely. Karl had stood, erect now and shocked into a similar silence.

Only Vladislaus seemed unmoved. He stood firmly in his place, with the waves crashing around his legs, and the sky turning purple around him. He was meeting Mammon's dark eyes with resignation and the only slightest hint of acceptance. Mammon kept his face towards Vlad's till the last, even as Macha pulled him away and disappeared with him: leaving the smallest whisper on the air: like gunpowder and ozone.

No one spoke for a long time.

Karl was first to look at the horizon, then to Moshe and Gabriel. "Dawn is here. We should get her inside."

"Yes," Moshe mumbled, pulling closer to Gabriel for comfort. "I need to rest."

"I'll…" Gabriel began but Karl rose a hand to silence him. Gabriel swallowed down his words and began to guide Moshe away. Karl waited till it was just him and Vlad. He had meant to find words of comfort, of pleading and assurance that would mend what the creature had said but before he could Vlad's clear voice broke the silence.

"Is it true?" Vlad asked. He was still staring at the ocean, where the two had disappeared. "What the blind man said, it is true?"

He could lie. He could stop this before it happened. Karl swallowed. "Yes, it's true."

Vlad's composure never faltered but when he turned, the darkness that had scared Karl earlier had taken root. "Tell me." Vlad whispered. "Tell me everything."