A/N-- And the madness continues... but there's more plot development in this chappie! Let me give some M&M's to my reviewers:
Japanesegirl01- (1st review) Who isn't in love with Dracula?! Too bad he's not in this one, eh? I hope you'll still like it... And why is it such a big deal that I'm 13?! LOL. There's lots of good, young writers on this site! Thanks for the luck on becoming a famous author!
(2nd review) I'm happy to see you liking the exposition... I figured yall deserve some nice romance, eh? And who said the enemy would be revealed this early...? --innocent look--
Irish Anor- (1st review) Hello! huggles I really like how the prologue came out, too. I'm happy I finally got my butt moving on this too... I'm really excited about the plot. It shall be fun... I hope you enjoy it!
(2nd review)Yea, that part was pretty funny... that whole chapter was meant to be some shameless, fluffy fun. We'll see how this one turns out --gulps--
marrokinhas- Yup, the sequel is finally up!! And that was a painful cliffie, no? Hence the reason I had so much fun writing it.... And MAYBE, MAYBE, you'll hear her answer. Just cuz I love you.
KillerKitty16- Hehehe, I do so love writing cliffies... I loved your reaction and your review!!
Ragweed- LOL, you flatter me too much. I can't wait for that next chapter of your awesome story!
HyperCaz- I'm glad you found this story at last! I was wondering if you had forgotten about me... LOL. And the only reason Carl is still dead is that if bring him back to life someone else has to die (i.e. Van Helsing or Anna) cuz I'm obsessed the theme in writing/movies about there being casualties in war. I was actually happy that Stephen Sommers put that in the movie and I want to uphold it.
Hollysgirl- I'm so happy to see so many of my reviewers again! I had a little too much fun with that chapter... couldn't you tell? Don't worry, I'm a hopeless romantic too:-)
Anthem82- Glad to hear you say that!
I'd just like to say that I love my reviewers. But that doesn't mean I'm above messin' with your heads. --big, evil grin--
Chapter 2:
Dreams Come True and New Nightmares
He had clambered into the armoire around midday, while the two tired Hunters were still sleeping. It had been work to remain silent the whole day, but he had all the time in the world. For those not of the living, time is always exceedingly kind and generous. But that doesn't mean that patience is as well, and he had begun to grow impatient while waiting for all the romance to stop. After all, his nature demanded he pick the perfect point of entrance...
"Anna Valerious, will you marry me?"
That was it. That was the sounding bell. That was the signal he had been waiting for. His time had come.
The doors of the armoire were flung open; one connected with the man's head, the other with the woman's. Both fell down and away from each other with the force, shrieking each other's names. He stepped in-between them to keep them from reaching each other, and it worked. They both withdrew at the cold always surrounding him. But then he stumbled, staggered by some invisible force, and landed flat on the woman, his face mere inches from hers. She had a look of utmost shock and anger on her face when she realized who it was. He was suddenly very glad that he was dead, otherwise they would probably have a good deal of fun giving him a very slow and painful death, knowing them. And he did know them quite well. His bright mind searched for some cutting, witty remark to say.
"If I were still alive this would be a most compromising position." Carl squeaked, his face still inches from Anna's.
Alright, so the truth was there was no daring plan, no waiting for the opportune moment. Carl had been so shocked that Van Helsing had finally got up off his lazy arse and asked Anna to marry him that he had fallen into the doors and sent all three of them sprawling. But hey, being dead could get quite boring. He needed to amuse himself somehow.
"Carl!" Van Helsing shouted angrily.
"Sorry, sorry! It was an accident, I swear!" The ghostly Friar yelped, leaping to his feet.
"An accident? Why don't I believe you?" He said crossly, crossing his arms to match the statement.
"Oh, but you should believe me! Why would I ruin the moment I've been awaiting expectantly for a year?" This typical remark earned him a smack upside the head from the Hunter. Or, at least, an attempted smack. Naturally, the hand went straight through his head and Gabriel jerked it back, hissing at the cold spreading through his arm.
"I can't believe you did that!" Carl whined, rubbing that back of his head fitfully.
"It's not like you can feel it!" Van Helsing quipped.
"But it's the thought that counts!" His friend shot back, arms akimbo.
"That only counts for gifts!" Gabriel cried.
"Both of you knock it off!" Anna cried in exasperation, pulling herself to her feet.
"He started it!" They both grumbled.
"Actually it was Mr. Van Helsing who started it." Anna said calmly, smirking at the look of obvious hurt and confusion on the corporeal man's face.
"Me?"
"Yes, you." She said playfully. Her voice and face grew softer then. "You started it by giving me what I always wanted." She bent slowly to pick up the dropped ring and, strangely, handed it back to Van Helsing.
"B-but why are you giving it back?" The Monster Hunter asked with uncharacteristic nervousness. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest.
"Because I want you to put it on my finger yourself." Anna smiled coyly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "And so I could do this." So saying, she flung her arms around Van Helsing's neck and kissed him full on the mouth, grinning wildly all the while.
Needless to say, Van Helsing was all too happy to return the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her closer, giving her entrance when it was requested and then deepening it on his own. It was dangerous territory; they could've lost themselves and remained there happily forever. But there whole life was full of danger, and this was the best kind. Wild, passionate, adrenaline-packed, fierce, and intoxicating.
"Oh really, I'm standing right here!" Carl sniffed. With twin eye rolls, the two broke off the kiss and looked to their friend.
"We thought you wanted this, Carl." Anna purred. Gabriel's response was to run one hand lightly up and down her back and kiss the top of her head, grinning fiendishly all the while.
"Not while I'm looking!" The Friar cried, appalled.
"Then go!" Both cried at once. Muttering, Carl disappeared out the door.
"Well, was that a yes?" Van Helsing asked a little timidly, looking down at the perfection in his arms. That Transylvanian mystery and gypsy beauty before him had not been stained by death or hardship, and while he knew she was as beautiful as a spring blossom yet hard as the steel of a sword, he would protect her always and fiercely. Because such perfection deserved to grace the world for as long as possible. Little did he know that she was held in the arms of her whole world, and was content with gracing his sight and his sight alone.
"What do you think?" She asked with a wry smile, eyebrow cocked.
"Honestly, even I know that that was a-" Mumbled an all-too familiar voice.
"Now Carl!" Both shouted. They were satisfied when they saw Carl walk back in the room, stand in the moonlight leaking through the open window, smile goofily, and then disappear entirely.
"I'm guessing, no, hoping, no wishing, no praying..." He trailed off. "That that was a yes."
"And it was." Anna smiled once more. "I will marry you, Gabriel Van Helsing." They were both laughing quietly, hardly daring to believe this moment had finally come, as Van Helsing slipped the ring onto her finger and then they kissed just once more, very softly and tenderly, and then stood back from each other.
Van Helsing whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too." Anna replied in the same tone.
Gabriel left the room, but as long as he was in it he kept his eyes on her. He was almost afraid she'd disappear if he didn't. But once he was out in the hall he was filled with giddiness, excitement. He lived his life on the brink of death, but nothing had been as harrowing as asking her to marry him. And nothing could be as rewarding as hearing her say yes. Getting whacked on the head with the door of an armoire was a small price to pay in return. He reveled in every step on the way to his room, knowing that it was a short walk and taking his time to bask in the happiness he felt. He had done the right thing, he was sure of it. But at the same time, he was eager to get to bed, where he knew good dreams were waiting.
He was walking. Yes, walking, that's what it was. The forest was dense all around him, dense and quiet. He was quiet too. His footsteps made no sound as he walked. That was the odd thing... all the silence. It wasn't natural. That, he assumed, was why he was there. To bring back the natural and the good to the forest.
Night was close around the trees, its black restless and shifting, jealously guarding the sights of the world from him. The stars were faint and dim, and the moon but a sickly sliver. It mirrored the road he walked on; thin and dying, fading away into the night. The world seemed just as restless as the night, he could feel it in his blood. They were mirroring each other, almost cutting into each other. The worldly and the ethereal were perilously close tonight, leaving gaps in the fabric of the universe. Magic was humming through the air. It would be soon now, impulse told him.
He grew worried. He was no longer walking. He was running. But still he made no sound, and the forest grew closer around him. The sickened sickle moon was swinging just above him, aligning with the curl in the path. Anna stood there, caught in the eclipse of two worlds. This was not the beautiful kind, though. The moon-dark was coming, the time of dark magic and happenings stranger than those of the full moon. He tried to call out, but his voice was gone. She was being sucked into the rift between worlds, he had to reach her and save her...
But he was too late. A white shape flew before him, knocked him to the ground. Still all was silent, even though he knew from the ache in his chest that his heart was pounding hard and fast. He struggled to get up. Blood trickled down his stomach. He saw someone standing behind Anna, someone rather small. They had dark hair, streaked all through with what looked like ribbons of light. They had their hands on Anna's shoulders... were they saving her or damning her...?
All flashed suddenly to a brilliant white. But he was not out of the dream's grip yet.
The first thing he saw after the brilliant white was black velvet hung all through with diamonds. It was the night sky, he realized with a jolt. The moon was just beginning to wane, only a sliver of darkness encroached upon its silver. His gaze turned downward. Anna was at his side. Anna! She was looking at something in the distance, and suddenly she cried out, although he couldn't hear the words. He saw it too now, a woman lying on the ground, bleeding and hurt. A vampire was just flying away, briefly hiding the moon as it did so. They knelt at the side of the woman, Anna lifted her up and began to bandage her wounds. She was a little thing, with dark hair and pale skin.
The dream flashed suddenly, and reopened on the image of he, Anna and Car crouched around the woman in the bedroom of an inn, Anna and himself working furiously to stem the bleeding. Then suddenly Anna and Carl were gone and he was sitting alone at her side, as though waiting for something. She sat up and looked him in the eye; he couldn't accurately tell their color, but they were bright and piercing. They shook hands.
There was another brilliant flash of light; he had returned to the moment when Anna stood on the curved path underneath the sickle moon. He tried to get to his feet and run to save her, but a vampire held him down, its claws digging into his shoulders. Without warning, there was only dust falling down on him and something rushed past him; a dark figure. The figure ran to Anna's side and seized her by the shoulders. They became almost impossible to see as light threatened to engulf them both... but it didn't. The figure jerked back hard on Anna's shoulders and they tumbled away from the light and Van Helsing was able to rush to Anna's side. She wrapped her arms around him, kissed him weakly but with a smile. He could hear the sound of church bells...
Then the dream seemed to rewind at a screaming pace, coming back to the image of he and Anna fighting to control the bleeding on the unconscious woman. This time, they both sat back and shook their heads sadly, covering the woman's face with a sheet. Slowly, it all faded to inky darkness and remained there for a tantalizing moment. Then the colors came draining back in like blood dripping down a wall. It revealed Anna, still standing on the brink of what seemed to be the Apocalypse, but there was no figure. Van Helsing tried to stand up but was held back by the claws a vampire, who sneered in his face and then forced him to watch Anna be sucked into the light and gave him the benefit of hearing one sound:
Her terrified scream.
Black circled in around his mind, suffocating him. A voice sounded in that endless night.
CHOOSE WISELY, HUNTER. The voice was strange, multifaceted. He could swear he knew it well, but at the same time it was entirely foreign. It was both male and female, frenzied in pitch and a flat monotone. He grappled mentally with the riddle it presented for several minutes before succumbing and lapsing into dreamless slumber.
The light was harsh and unforgiving in its waking up of Gabriel Van Helsing, as was the floor. He started suddenly, falling out of bed and landing on the floor, then sat up, breathing harshly. He could hardly recall why he was so frightened, until the vicious nightmare caught up with him and slammed back into his mind at full force. In instants he was on his feet, cursing the brightness of the light and searching in vain for his shirt. He barely had it over his head when he was bolting towards the door and flinging it open. Anna. He needed to find her.
Van Helsing found her sooner than he might've expected, dashing out into the hall only to run straight into her. They both yelled and jumped back, reaching instinctively for the weapons they always had on their person, and then sighed in unison when they recognized each other.
"I was just coming to get you." Anna laughed shortly.
"Same with me." He stated a little shakily, running one hand through his hair.
"So, which of us wants to dare the kitchen today. No, don't answer that. The one adventure we've had together that I'm the most afraid of repeating is the time you attempted to make me dinner. When we're married Gabriel, I don't ever, ever want you to cook for me." Anna said fervently.
"Ah, so it wasn't a dream. We really are engaged." Van Helsing said with a quiet smile.
"I was coming to confirm that for myself just now." She replied with a similar expression.
"I did have a... Well, I don't know what to call it." He left off there, his hand absently stroking the slight stubble on his face.
"You're not making sense. Was it just a nightmare? Is something wrong?" Anna asked suspiciously.
"A nightmare. That's what it was. Sorry," He laughed shortly. "I just woke up. I guess I just sort of forgot the word nightmare."
"Alright then." Anna said dismissively. He would tell her when he was ready... But what of the Wavewriter? You had to force him to tell you about that... "I trust you. Remember that." She said to him on impulse.
"I should hope that you trust me!" Van Helsing laughed. "Marriage wouldn't be such a good idea if you didn't!" Anna joined him in his laughter and, arm-in-arm, they went into the hallway. It was one moments when he wished time would just slow down or stop entirely; the journey down the hall and to the tower library was all too quickly over.
He opened the door almost cautiously and stepped inside, Anna going immediately over to her favorite chair and sitting down. But Van Helsing lingered doorway a moment, looking around the room carefully.
"Something isn't right." He said quietly. Anna looked back at him, frowning, and then held very still. She rose carefully to her feet, eyes roving to the ceiling and then back down Gabriel, who motioned for her to be quiet. Their muscles grew taut and their breathing slowed until it was hardly there at all. And so they stood, waiting...
"You know, it's really now that funny anymore." He sighed after a moment, sidestepping deftly to the left. Carl's silvery form shot right past him, landing flat on his face. "What's the use of being a ghost if you can't even haunt people properly?"
"For your information, I scare everyone but you! So you're the one who doesn't know how to be properly haunted!" Carl grumbled, standing.
"So nice of you to join us, Carl." Anna smiled sarcastically as she sat down again.
"Actually, I wasn't expecting you to be here. I thought you'd be out already."
"What makes you say that?"
"If you haven't noticed, vampire activity has been on the rise lately. They're growing more and more brazen... and much stronger."
"I was going to do a little research on that today. Make sure that it doesn't coincide with any special dates or prophecies. Later we can probably go out and see if we can catch any, maybe see if they're acting under one ruler or something. But I had hoped that we could do a little wedding planning as well." Anna turned her beaming gaze onto Van Helsing for a moment before standing and looking through the many books.
"Sounds like she's got your whole life planned." Carl remarked.
"No Carl, that would be you." Anna mumbled as she continued to search.
"It was a full moon last night." Van Helsing brought up suddenly. He had been deep in thought since Anna had mentioned special dates and prophecies.
"Oh that's right, it was. Reports of werewolf attacks will be pouring in, I'm sure." Carl said.
"Werewolf numbers have been on the rise too. Maybe a vampire clan is on the rise and they're using werewolves to do their bidding again." Anna replied absently, plucking a book off the shelf and paging through it thoughtfully.
"That's not what I meant." Van Helsing said.
"Well, the full moon has many meanings. It's a potent time for spells too." Carl agreed.
"Spells." The Hunter wheeled to face the Friar quickly. "What sort of spells?"
"Oh, all kinds. It's even rumored that in specific places on the earth you can travel to new worlds during the time of the full moon." Carl continued slowly.
"Can it happen during the other phases of the moon too?" He interrogated.
"Yes... why are you asking?" He asked, confused.
"Excuse me," The three companions turned to face Anita, their one and only servant. She was a middle-aged woman who kept an eye on the house while they were gone, and she now stood in the doorway of the library. "There's a very tired young man waiting at the door to speak with you. He looks distraught."
"We'll be right down." Anna assured her, book marking the page she was on and setting the book down. "Here's the first report of werewolves, I'll bet." The others followed her out of the room and down to the front door. A young, distraught man was there indeed, both he and his horse on the verge of collapse. "How can we help you?" Anna asked quietly, searching him for signs of injury. "Are you alright? Do you want to come in?"
"No time for that. My village, it was attacked last night." He panted.
"By a werewolf?" She asked.
"No, by a whole flock of vampires!" He cried wildly. "There must've been six or seven of them, killing and carrying us off like helpless sheep! We thought that we were all done for, we had no defense. And then a strange woman came out of the inn and fought with them. She killed two and then ran out of the village, drawing the rest with her. But we have seen neither hide nor hair of her since." He barely paused for breath. "You must come back with me and defend us from them tonight. Our homes and farms were wrecked, our families are scattered. We would not survive another night."
"We'll co-" She began.
"Wait, Anna." Van Helsing cried, his hand on her arm in a tight grip. His face was stricken with worry. "Come inside with me. There's something I need to tell Anna."
"Why can't we go and help them?" Anna expostulated the second Gabriel closed the door behind them. They had left Anita and the young man in the entrance hall.
"Because I had a dream last night." Van Helsing began calmly.
"A dream?" She seethed.
"Yes, a dream!" He cried back. He launched into a narrative of all he had seen in his dream; every detail was perfectly and exquisitely carved into his memory. It had none of the haziness a normal dream or nightmare usually leaves. Someone wanted him to remember it...
"And because of that I don't think you should go. I can handle this myself, but if you stay here then you don't even have a chance of ending up in that forest and getting killed."
"But if the woman he mentioned is the woman who is meant to save me, then all we have to do is go there and save her and everything will be okay!" Anna shot back. "And besides, you said it was sickle moon. It was a full moon last night."
"Still, I won't take any chances." He cried fervently. "Not with your life."
"Gabriel, other lives are entangled in this! Innocent lives, that woman's life, the lives of the villagers! And you said that in the dream I was the one who found her. She'll die if I'm not there to point her out!" Anna cried.
"I can find her on my own! I was doing this by myself long before I met you!" He retorted angrily.
"But together we learned the importance of not changing Fate." Her voice and eyes grew soft with inner pain. Van Helsing sighed and stepped closer to her, cupping her cheek in one hand.
"Anna, I love you. I'd let the whole rest of the world end around us before I lost you again." He whispered.
"I know. But this is our life. This is what has been handed to us. We have to take what we're given and make the best of it." Anna whispered back. She leaned in to kiss him tenderly. "And right now we've been given a mission to protect that village and find this mystery woman."
"I guess wedding plans will have to wait." He sighed again. She nodded, kissed him once more, and then they went back outside. The young man leapt eagerly to his feet, his eyes pleading. "We're in." Gabriel said after taking a deep breath. "And we leave now."
Later, as the hooves of his Transylvanian steed pounded the ground, he knew that there was no turning back. What would be, would be.
A/N-- I know the beginning was a bit OOC for all of them... but it was entirely too much fun anyways!! this whole chapter was such a bitch to write. It was refusing to come out right... But I guess that's just because I needed to do a lot of dialogue and junk, like the second to last chapter of Ripples in Time. Anyways, next chapter will be soo much better cuz I get to bring in a new OC and develop the plot a little more and hopefully get some action. REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY!
Japanesegirl01- (1st review) Who isn't in love with Dracula?! Too bad he's not in this one, eh? I hope you'll still like it... And why is it such a big deal that I'm 13?! LOL. There's lots of good, young writers on this site! Thanks for the luck on becoming a famous author!
(2nd review) I'm happy to see you liking the exposition... I figured yall deserve some nice romance, eh? And who said the enemy would be revealed this early...? --innocent look--
Irish Anor- (1st review) Hello! huggles I really like how the prologue came out, too. I'm happy I finally got my butt moving on this too... I'm really excited about the plot. It shall be fun... I hope you enjoy it!
(2nd review)Yea, that part was pretty funny... that whole chapter was meant to be some shameless, fluffy fun. We'll see how this one turns out --gulps--
marrokinhas- Yup, the sequel is finally up!! And that was a painful cliffie, no? Hence the reason I had so much fun writing it.... And MAYBE, MAYBE, you'll hear her answer. Just cuz I love you.
KillerKitty16- Hehehe, I do so love writing cliffies... I loved your reaction and your review!!
Ragweed- LOL, you flatter me too much. I can't wait for that next chapter of your awesome story!
HyperCaz- I'm glad you found this story at last! I was wondering if you had forgotten about me... LOL. And the only reason Carl is still dead is that if bring him back to life someone else has to die (i.e. Van Helsing or Anna) cuz I'm obsessed the theme in writing/movies about there being casualties in war. I was actually happy that Stephen Sommers put that in the movie and I want to uphold it.
Hollysgirl- I'm so happy to see so many of my reviewers again! I had a little too much fun with that chapter... couldn't you tell? Don't worry, I'm a hopeless romantic too:-)
Anthem82- Glad to hear you say that!
I'd just like to say that I love my reviewers. But that doesn't mean I'm above messin' with your heads. --big, evil grin--
Chapter 2:
Dreams Come True and New Nightmares
He had clambered into the armoire around midday, while the two tired Hunters were still sleeping. It had been work to remain silent the whole day, but he had all the time in the world. For those not of the living, time is always exceedingly kind and generous. But that doesn't mean that patience is as well, and he had begun to grow impatient while waiting for all the romance to stop. After all, his nature demanded he pick the perfect point of entrance...
"Anna Valerious, will you marry me?"
That was it. That was the sounding bell. That was the signal he had been waiting for. His time had come.
The doors of the armoire were flung open; one connected with the man's head, the other with the woman's. Both fell down and away from each other with the force, shrieking each other's names. He stepped in-between them to keep them from reaching each other, and it worked. They both withdrew at the cold always surrounding him. But then he stumbled, staggered by some invisible force, and landed flat on the woman, his face mere inches from hers. She had a look of utmost shock and anger on her face when she realized who it was. He was suddenly very glad that he was dead, otherwise they would probably have a good deal of fun giving him a very slow and painful death, knowing them. And he did know them quite well. His bright mind searched for some cutting, witty remark to say.
"If I were still alive this would be a most compromising position." Carl squeaked, his face still inches from Anna's.
Alright, so the truth was there was no daring plan, no waiting for the opportune moment. Carl had been so shocked that Van Helsing had finally got up off his lazy arse and asked Anna to marry him that he had fallen into the doors and sent all three of them sprawling. But hey, being dead could get quite boring. He needed to amuse himself somehow.
"Carl!" Van Helsing shouted angrily.
"Sorry, sorry! It was an accident, I swear!" The ghostly Friar yelped, leaping to his feet.
"An accident? Why don't I believe you?" He said crossly, crossing his arms to match the statement.
"Oh, but you should believe me! Why would I ruin the moment I've been awaiting expectantly for a year?" This typical remark earned him a smack upside the head from the Hunter. Or, at least, an attempted smack. Naturally, the hand went straight through his head and Gabriel jerked it back, hissing at the cold spreading through his arm.
"I can't believe you did that!" Carl whined, rubbing that back of his head fitfully.
"It's not like you can feel it!" Van Helsing quipped.
"But it's the thought that counts!" His friend shot back, arms akimbo.
"That only counts for gifts!" Gabriel cried.
"Both of you knock it off!" Anna cried in exasperation, pulling herself to her feet.
"He started it!" They both grumbled.
"Actually it was Mr. Van Helsing who started it." Anna said calmly, smirking at the look of obvious hurt and confusion on the corporeal man's face.
"Me?"
"Yes, you." She said playfully. Her voice and face grew softer then. "You started it by giving me what I always wanted." She bent slowly to pick up the dropped ring and, strangely, handed it back to Van Helsing.
"B-but why are you giving it back?" The Monster Hunter asked with uncharacteristic nervousness. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest.
"Because I want you to put it on my finger yourself." Anna smiled coyly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "And so I could do this." So saying, she flung her arms around Van Helsing's neck and kissed him full on the mouth, grinning wildly all the while.
Needless to say, Van Helsing was all too happy to return the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her closer, giving her entrance when it was requested and then deepening it on his own. It was dangerous territory; they could've lost themselves and remained there happily forever. But there whole life was full of danger, and this was the best kind. Wild, passionate, adrenaline-packed, fierce, and intoxicating.
"Oh really, I'm standing right here!" Carl sniffed. With twin eye rolls, the two broke off the kiss and looked to their friend.
"We thought you wanted this, Carl." Anna purred. Gabriel's response was to run one hand lightly up and down her back and kiss the top of her head, grinning fiendishly all the while.
"Not while I'm looking!" The Friar cried, appalled.
"Then go!" Both cried at once. Muttering, Carl disappeared out the door.
"Well, was that a yes?" Van Helsing asked a little timidly, looking down at the perfection in his arms. That Transylvanian mystery and gypsy beauty before him had not been stained by death or hardship, and while he knew she was as beautiful as a spring blossom yet hard as the steel of a sword, he would protect her always and fiercely. Because such perfection deserved to grace the world for as long as possible. Little did he know that she was held in the arms of her whole world, and was content with gracing his sight and his sight alone.
"What do you think?" She asked with a wry smile, eyebrow cocked.
"Honestly, even I know that that was a-" Mumbled an all-too familiar voice.
"Now Carl!" Both shouted. They were satisfied when they saw Carl walk back in the room, stand in the moonlight leaking through the open window, smile goofily, and then disappear entirely.
"I'm guessing, no, hoping, no wishing, no praying..." He trailed off. "That that was a yes."
"And it was." Anna smiled once more. "I will marry you, Gabriel Van Helsing." They were both laughing quietly, hardly daring to believe this moment had finally come, as Van Helsing slipped the ring onto her finger and then they kissed just once more, very softly and tenderly, and then stood back from each other.
Van Helsing whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too." Anna replied in the same tone.
Gabriel left the room, but as long as he was in it he kept his eyes on her. He was almost afraid she'd disappear if he didn't. But once he was out in the hall he was filled with giddiness, excitement. He lived his life on the brink of death, but nothing had been as harrowing as asking her to marry him. And nothing could be as rewarding as hearing her say yes. Getting whacked on the head with the door of an armoire was a small price to pay in return. He reveled in every step on the way to his room, knowing that it was a short walk and taking his time to bask in the happiness he felt. He had done the right thing, he was sure of it. But at the same time, he was eager to get to bed, where he knew good dreams were waiting.
He was walking. Yes, walking, that's what it was. The forest was dense all around him, dense and quiet. He was quiet too. His footsteps made no sound as he walked. That was the odd thing... all the silence. It wasn't natural. That, he assumed, was why he was there. To bring back the natural and the good to the forest.
Night was close around the trees, its black restless and shifting, jealously guarding the sights of the world from him. The stars were faint and dim, and the moon but a sickly sliver. It mirrored the road he walked on; thin and dying, fading away into the night. The world seemed just as restless as the night, he could feel it in his blood. They were mirroring each other, almost cutting into each other. The worldly and the ethereal were perilously close tonight, leaving gaps in the fabric of the universe. Magic was humming through the air. It would be soon now, impulse told him.
He grew worried. He was no longer walking. He was running. But still he made no sound, and the forest grew closer around him. The sickened sickle moon was swinging just above him, aligning with the curl in the path. Anna stood there, caught in the eclipse of two worlds. This was not the beautiful kind, though. The moon-dark was coming, the time of dark magic and happenings stranger than those of the full moon. He tried to call out, but his voice was gone. She was being sucked into the rift between worlds, he had to reach her and save her...
But he was too late. A white shape flew before him, knocked him to the ground. Still all was silent, even though he knew from the ache in his chest that his heart was pounding hard and fast. He struggled to get up. Blood trickled down his stomach. He saw someone standing behind Anna, someone rather small. They had dark hair, streaked all through with what looked like ribbons of light. They had their hands on Anna's shoulders... were they saving her or damning her...?
All flashed suddenly to a brilliant white. But he was not out of the dream's grip yet.
The first thing he saw after the brilliant white was black velvet hung all through with diamonds. It was the night sky, he realized with a jolt. The moon was just beginning to wane, only a sliver of darkness encroached upon its silver. His gaze turned downward. Anna was at his side. Anna! She was looking at something in the distance, and suddenly she cried out, although he couldn't hear the words. He saw it too now, a woman lying on the ground, bleeding and hurt. A vampire was just flying away, briefly hiding the moon as it did so. They knelt at the side of the woman, Anna lifted her up and began to bandage her wounds. She was a little thing, with dark hair and pale skin.
The dream flashed suddenly, and reopened on the image of he, Anna and Car crouched around the woman in the bedroom of an inn, Anna and himself working furiously to stem the bleeding. Then suddenly Anna and Carl were gone and he was sitting alone at her side, as though waiting for something. She sat up and looked him in the eye; he couldn't accurately tell their color, but they were bright and piercing. They shook hands.
There was another brilliant flash of light; he had returned to the moment when Anna stood on the curved path underneath the sickle moon. He tried to get to his feet and run to save her, but a vampire held him down, its claws digging into his shoulders. Without warning, there was only dust falling down on him and something rushed past him; a dark figure. The figure ran to Anna's side and seized her by the shoulders. They became almost impossible to see as light threatened to engulf them both... but it didn't. The figure jerked back hard on Anna's shoulders and they tumbled away from the light and Van Helsing was able to rush to Anna's side. She wrapped her arms around him, kissed him weakly but with a smile. He could hear the sound of church bells...
Then the dream seemed to rewind at a screaming pace, coming back to the image of he and Anna fighting to control the bleeding on the unconscious woman. This time, they both sat back and shook their heads sadly, covering the woman's face with a sheet. Slowly, it all faded to inky darkness and remained there for a tantalizing moment. Then the colors came draining back in like blood dripping down a wall. It revealed Anna, still standing on the brink of what seemed to be the Apocalypse, but there was no figure. Van Helsing tried to stand up but was held back by the claws a vampire, who sneered in his face and then forced him to watch Anna be sucked into the light and gave him the benefit of hearing one sound:
Her terrified scream.
Black circled in around his mind, suffocating him. A voice sounded in that endless night.
CHOOSE WISELY, HUNTER. The voice was strange, multifaceted. He could swear he knew it well, but at the same time it was entirely foreign. It was both male and female, frenzied in pitch and a flat monotone. He grappled mentally with the riddle it presented for several minutes before succumbing and lapsing into dreamless slumber.
The light was harsh and unforgiving in its waking up of Gabriel Van Helsing, as was the floor. He started suddenly, falling out of bed and landing on the floor, then sat up, breathing harshly. He could hardly recall why he was so frightened, until the vicious nightmare caught up with him and slammed back into his mind at full force. In instants he was on his feet, cursing the brightness of the light and searching in vain for his shirt. He barely had it over his head when he was bolting towards the door and flinging it open. Anna. He needed to find her.
Van Helsing found her sooner than he might've expected, dashing out into the hall only to run straight into her. They both yelled and jumped back, reaching instinctively for the weapons they always had on their person, and then sighed in unison when they recognized each other.
"I was just coming to get you." Anna laughed shortly.
"Same with me." He stated a little shakily, running one hand through his hair.
"So, which of us wants to dare the kitchen today. No, don't answer that. The one adventure we've had together that I'm the most afraid of repeating is the time you attempted to make me dinner. When we're married Gabriel, I don't ever, ever want you to cook for me." Anna said fervently.
"Ah, so it wasn't a dream. We really are engaged." Van Helsing said with a quiet smile.
"I was coming to confirm that for myself just now." She replied with a similar expression.
"I did have a... Well, I don't know what to call it." He left off there, his hand absently stroking the slight stubble on his face.
"You're not making sense. Was it just a nightmare? Is something wrong?" Anna asked suspiciously.
"A nightmare. That's what it was. Sorry," He laughed shortly. "I just woke up. I guess I just sort of forgot the word nightmare."
"Alright then." Anna said dismissively. He would tell her when he was ready... But what of the Wavewriter? You had to force him to tell you about that... "I trust you. Remember that." She said to him on impulse.
"I should hope that you trust me!" Van Helsing laughed. "Marriage wouldn't be such a good idea if you didn't!" Anna joined him in his laughter and, arm-in-arm, they went into the hallway. It was one moments when he wished time would just slow down or stop entirely; the journey down the hall and to the tower library was all too quickly over.
He opened the door almost cautiously and stepped inside, Anna going immediately over to her favorite chair and sitting down. But Van Helsing lingered doorway a moment, looking around the room carefully.
"Something isn't right." He said quietly. Anna looked back at him, frowning, and then held very still. She rose carefully to her feet, eyes roving to the ceiling and then back down Gabriel, who motioned for her to be quiet. Their muscles grew taut and their breathing slowed until it was hardly there at all. And so they stood, waiting...
"You know, it's really now that funny anymore." He sighed after a moment, sidestepping deftly to the left. Carl's silvery form shot right past him, landing flat on his face. "What's the use of being a ghost if you can't even haunt people properly?"
"For your information, I scare everyone but you! So you're the one who doesn't know how to be properly haunted!" Carl grumbled, standing.
"So nice of you to join us, Carl." Anna smiled sarcastically as she sat down again.
"Actually, I wasn't expecting you to be here. I thought you'd be out already."
"What makes you say that?"
"If you haven't noticed, vampire activity has been on the rise lately. They're growing more and more brazen... and much stronger."
"I was going to do a little research on that today. Make sure that it doesn't coincide with any special dates or prophecies. Later we can probably go out and see if we can catch any, maybe see if they're acting under one ruler or something. But I had hoped that we could do a little wedding planning as well." Anna turned her beaming gaze onto Van Helsing for a moment before standing and looking through the many books.
"Sounds like she's got your whole life planned." Carl remarked.
"No Carl, that would be you." Anna mumbled as she continued to search.
"It was a full moon last night." Van Helsing brought up suddenly. He had been deep in thought since Anna had mentioned special dates and prophecies.
"Oh that's right, it was. Reports of werewolf attacks will be pouring in, I'm sure." Carl said.
"Werewolf numbers have been on the rise too. Maybe a vampire clan is on the rise and they're using werewolves to do their bidding again." Anna replied absently, plucking a book off the shelf and paging through it thoughtfully.
"That's not what I meant." Van Helsing said.
"Well, the full moon has many meanings. It's a potent time for spells too." Carl agreed.
"Spells." The Hunter wheeled to face the Friar quickly. "What sort of spells?"
"Oh, all kinds. It's even rumored that in specific places on the earth you can travel to new worlds during the time of the full moon." Carl continued slowly.
"Can it happen during the other phases of the moon too?" He interrogated.
"Yes... why are you asking?" He asked, confused.
"Excuse me," The three companions turned to face Anita, their one and only servant. She was a middle-aged woman who kept an eye on the house while they were gone, and she now stood in the doorway of the library. "There's a very tired young man waiting at the door to speak with you. He looks distraught."
"We'll be right down." Anna assured her, book marking the page she was on and setting the book down. "Here's the first report of werewolves, I'll bet." The others followed her out of the room and down to the front door. A young, distraught man was there indeed, both he and his horse on the verge of collapse. "How can we help you?" Anna asked quietly, searching him for signs of injury. "Are you alright? Do you want to come in?"
"No time for that. My village, it was attacked last night." He panted.
"By a werewolf?" She asked.
"No, by a whole flock of vampires!" He cried wildly. "There must've been six or seven of them, killing and carrying us off like helpless sheep! We thought that we were all done for, we had no defense. And then a strange woman came out of the inn and fought with them. She killed two and then ran out of the village, drawing the rest with her. But we have seen neither hide nor hair of her since." He barely paused for breath. "You must come back with me and defend us from them tonight. Our homes and farms were wrecked, our families are scattered. We would not survive another night."
"We'll co-" She began.
"Wait, Anna." Van Helsing cried, his hand on her arm in a tight grip. His face was stricken with worry. "Come inside with me. There's something I need to tell Anna."
"Why can't we go and help them?" Anna expostulated the second Gabriel closed the door behind them. They had left Anita and the young man in the entrance hall.
"Because I had a dream last night." Van Helsing began calmly.
"A dream?" She seethed.
"Yes, a dream!" He cried back. He launched into a narrative of all he had seen in his dream; every detail was perfectly and exquisitely carved into his memory. It had none of the haziness a normal dream or nightmare usually leaves. Someone wanted him to remember it...
"And because of that I don't think you should go. I can handle this myself, but if you stay here then you don't even have a chance of ending up in that forest and getting killed."
"But if the woman he mentioned is the woman who is meant to save me, then all we have to do is go there and save her and everything will be okay!" Anna shot back. "And besides, you said it was sickle moon. It was a full moon last night."
"Still, I won't take any chances." He cried fervently. "Not with your life."
"Gabriel, other lives are entangled in this! Innocent lives, that woman's life, the lives of the villagers! And you said that in the dream I was the one who found her. She'll die if I'm not there to point her out!" Anna cried.
"I can find her on my own! I was doing this by myself long before I met you!" He retorted angrily.
"But together we learned the importance of not changing Fate." Her voice and eyes grew soft with inner pain. Van Helsing sighed and stepped closer to her, cupping her cheek in one hand.
"Anna, I love you. I'd let the whole rest of the world end around us before I lost you again." He whispered.
"I know. But this is our life. This is what has been handed to us. We have to take what we're given and make the best of it." Anna whispered back. She leaned in to kiss him tenderly. "And right now we've been given a mission to protect that village and find this mystery woman."
"I guess wedding plans will have to wait." He sighed again. She nodded, kissed him once more, and then they went back outside. The young man leapt eagerly to his feet, his eyes pleading. "We're in." Gabriel said after taking a deep breath. "And we leave now."
Later, as the hooves of his Transylvanian steed pounded the ground, he knew that there was no turning back. What would be, would be.
A/N-- I know the beginning was a bit OOC for all of them... but it was entirely too much fun anyways!! this whole chapter was such a bitch to write. It was refusing to come out right... But I guess that's just because I needed to do a lot of dialogue and junk, like the second to last chapter of Ripples in Time. Anyways, next chapter will be soo much better cuz I get to bring in a new OC and develop the plot a little more and hopefully get some action. REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY!
