Hollysgirl- Cathy: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!! --snatching M&M's--- mine... all mine..... Oh, and thanks for the compliments. But there's no way in hell I'm telling you about that necklace.
Me: Yet, my dear. Yet.
Cathy: Whatever.
Me: Oh, and I'm glad you like the Irish 'watchamacallits!' Lady Sirinial- Everyone seems to be very intrigued by Cathy! And I had never thought of Carl as being like Skinner... but now that you mention it, it's true! Skinner and Carl rock! Here's the update!
Irish Anor- ROFLMAO! I asked my friend pretty much the same thing when she first said the word glomp. A glomp is a hard, violent, but loving hug. Usually involves running and jumping on someone.
My god do your reviews crack me up! You know, one I had a dream I was married to Boromir.... and why is abbreviated such a long word? )
Cathy is wearing a black spaghetti strap tank top, black cargo pant, black combat boots and a black floor length trench coat. Or did you mean the pendant?
IRISH PEOPLE ROCK! Not that I'm Irish... but they do all the same.
Anthem82- I'm glad the claddaghs were a success!
kydasam- Me: I just loved getting your review! So kind and funny.
Cathy: Yea, well, you might've liked the idea of sitting in on those two lovebirds, but I was tryin' to sleep!!! And if you ever, EVER try to pat me on the head... I will personally make sure that the hand that touches my head is severed as neatly as possible and sent to Australia.
Me: eyeroll Try to forgive my dear Catherine.
This chapter is dedicated, with utmost fondness, to my good friend Anna. She went way out of her way to get me the Van Helsing soundtrack, and I'm eternally grateful! Also, I recently finished my slash fic and now I should have more time to devote to this! Of course, there's always the novel nagging to be written... oi!
Chapter Six:
To Catch a Murderer...
"Not that way!" Anna shouted.
Van Helsing practically fell onto his face as he pivoted mid-sprint and ducked to avoid several hundred pounds of leaping fur, claws, and teeth. There was the sharp, distinctive crack of a pistol being fired and the hard thump of a body hitting the ground. It was only after these sounds had subsided that he straightened from his crouch.
"That was your fault." He grumbled.
"You went the wrong way!" Anna cried, waving the pistol before settling her hands on her hips.
"It was your plan!"
"You didn't follow it, so I can't be held accountable." She shot back with a decided air, shoving the pistol back into its holster, where it had scarcely begun to get cozy when Van Helsing snatched it out again and fired one more shot into the werewolf's heart just as it was starting to jump up again.
"Monsters have a nasty tendency of trying to attack us just when we think they're dead." He sighed, nonchalantly tossing it back to Anna.
Saying the word like that put a bitter taste in his mouth; he had discovered not long after he and Anna had begun hunting together that he did not enjoy killing werewolves. It was a curse that only came round once a month, and some of them still tried to live normal lives apart from that time. Theycould be normal, if they just found a way to control their beasts, if they could just lock themselves up during the full moon.
He sucked in his breath and sent the thoughts packing. No time for that now.
"So it's back to town?" Anna asked, hands rested on her hilt as they began to walk back to where they had left their horses. It was a considerable distance, given the fact that they hadn't wanted the animals to go mad with fear at the sight of a werewolf.
"Yes. You know, that's one of the truly lovely things about Transylvania, all the tiny little towns strewn throughout the wilderness." He relayed amicably.
"Don't make fun of us." She said with a faint smile, bumping into him purposefully.
"I'm not. It's actually quite handy." He said. She nodded slowly and they continued on until they had found their horses.
"And we'll stay the night?"
"It's really a matter of whether we'll sleep through the whole night. Where there's a werewolf, there's either a den of them or a vampire."
"Wonderful." A sigh breezed out from Anna's lips. As they were both feeling tired, there was no more conversation until they reached the horses.
"Hello." A crossbow and a pistol were drawn at the one, innocent word; however, it only seemed to amuse Cathy.
"How did you find us?" Anna cried, putting her pistol away.
"You guys are quite the celebrity couple." Cathy said with a shrug. When all she got was raised eyebrows and confused looks, she crossed her arms and said "I asked."
"You certainly got here quickly. How are your wounds?" The gypsy princess asked.
"Fine. I've always been a quick healer."
"As fast as you walk, I assume." She continued dryly.
"Yup." She grinned. "So, can we start walking back towards the town?"
"We just battled a werewolf." Anna deadpanned. "We aren't walking anywhere. We're riding." Cathy glanced at the sky and then warily at the horses.
"You can walk or you can ride." The princess prompted. "Your choice." Cathy gulped.
"I am never, never, never, never, ever doing that again." Cathy said fervently, clinging to the nearest building for support. Van Helsing laughed heartily at how white her knuckles were turning from the pressure she put on the wall.
"Try not to break that wall."
"I'm tying not to break your neck. I know you went that fast on purpose." She growled at the Hunter, her eyes flashing. She was so angry, so terrified, that he could swear those gold eyes were either going to change color or jump out at him.
"I merely wanted to get to the town in time to get some sleep." He said nonchalantly, Anna approaching him from behind.
"I have to agree. Aren't you at least happy at how fast you got here?"
"That, my dear Anna, is precisely why I am unhappy." Cathy brooded, withdrawing into her cloak. When Van Helsing spared her a glance, he noticed that she also had her trench coat and regular clothes underneath, and that the cloak itself was at least an inch thick.
"Aren't you hot under all that?" There was no response.
They stepped into the smoky, dimly lit pub carefully; as always, there were mistrustful eyes upon them. This time, however, they seemed more focused on Cathy then on the other two Hunters. Anna and Van Helsing they knew, and even grudgingly accepted on the occasion, but this girl was new. If she noticed the stares, and Van Helsing somehow knew she did, she did nothing about them. Keeping her head down, she calmly approached the bartender and took a seat.
"Got any vodka?" There was the faintest wryness in her voice; he wanted to say it was bitterness, but he was hesitant to do so. There was certainly memory there, though. The bartender wouldn't respond, so she tossed her head so that her hood was dislodged and he could get a clear look at her face.
"No." He responded dispassionately, turning instead to Anna and Van Helsing.
"We just want a room for three for the night." He said. He was reaching into his coat for money when a sudden commotion at his side caught his attention.
"You." The man on Cathy's other side was snarling. "You miserable little-" He made to grab her by the collar, but she jumped quickly off the barstool and to the side, hands up in a defensive posture.
"Hey, I'm not looking for trouble." She said.
"No, only bloodshed! You slaughtered my brother!" The man accused, shoving himself away from the bar. Cathy still kept her hands up, palms open, the universal sign for 'I don't want to fight.' And still, she said nothing against his claim.
The other patrons began to back up, giving them room, as the man came in swinging. Cathy stepped to the outside of the man's strike and seized his wrist. In one lightening flick of her own wrist, he was bent over nearly screaming. She had latched onto his wrist and twisted it, then shoved his arm back towards his shoulder but kept his elbow straight. She was in a strong, wide stance, and her open hand was pressed against his elbow.
"Do you know how much pressure it takes to dislocate or break an elbow?" She asked, her voice breathless and deadly. "'cause I can tell you right now with leverage like this I can cut the number in half." As if to illustrate this, she applied a little more pressure to his elbow and he collapsed all the way to the ground, held up only by her. Wordless, she released him and made for the door of the bar. The crowd that had been gathering parted to let her through. Her cloak billowed behind her like a black omen.
"Cathy!" Van Helsing called.
"Leave her, Gabriel." Anna laid a hand on his chest. "I don't think she's the kind of person you approach like that." Van Helsing gave Anna a measuring glance, then carefully dislodged her hold on his shoulder and walked slowly out of the bar.
He saw Cathy immediately; she was on the roof of the building, one leg bent, the other straight, staring off into space. She seemed completely unfazed by how high up she was and oblivious to Van Helsing. As he began to walk the perimeter of the building, trying to determine how she got up to where she was, she spoke.
"There's a ladder on the side."
The said ladder was quickly located and righted again. Soon, he was sitting beside her. For a moment they just sat there, Van Helsing's breath forming silver puffs in the air but hers hardly seeming to be there at all, and listened to the sounds below them.
"She killed my brother! Slaughtered him! She's a murderer!"
"Easy, easy..."
Cathy's brilliant eyes slid closed again, and then opened. But they were distant now, focused on something Gabriel knew he could not see, no matter how hard he tried: home.
"I know it won't be any consolation, but I do know how you feel." He said softly.
Cathy shrugged.
"Back there, you didn't exactly deny what he said."
Silence.
" ...did you kill his brother?"
Silence.
"I'd understand if he was a werewolf or a vampire. Then I reallywould know how you feel. Was he?" She shrugged again, then drew her knees against her chest and rested her head on them.
"At least where I come from, they don't call us murderers. Us Vampire Hunters. They don't know we exist. We're fairy tales. But really... we're just..." She trailed off, then shook her head. "I don't know what I'm saying." Van Helsing nodded silently. "We aren't murderers." She added a minute later, her voice so soft he almost thought he was hearing things and that she hadn't spoken at all.
Her face was what many would consider impassive at the moment, her dark hair strewn with gold streaks fanned slightly by the cold wind, but like before in the manor he could sense that deep pain taking over her. He suddenly felt like he was an intruder, superfluous at that moment. A garish decoration to the scene. She took away his discomfort very quickly, standing and walking with surprising balance and confidence across the roof and back towards the ladder.
"You're right." He called after her, standing. She paused, the majority of her body already on the ladder and only her hands remaining on the roof. "We aren't murderers."
Cathy smiled, faint but sincere. He knew it was the closest he'd get to a thank you. He watched as she climbed down the ladder and disappeared around the shadow of the building. Probably going to hide somewhere around the back, find a place to sleep. He understood that she couldn't go back in there.
Gabriel remained on the roof for a little while, feeling vaguely guilty. Before it had been because he felt he was intruding on something very private, following her up here and watching at what, though he didn't know her well yet, must be her most vulnerable. Now it was because he wanted to know what she was longing for. What it was she was keeping in. What she was hiding. Now he understood how some people must feel around him.
"Van Helsing?"
"Up here." He called to Anna, waving. She waved back.
"Did you find Cathy?" She called.
"Yes. She's gone now."
"Where?"
"I didn't look. You were right... she needed to be alone."
"Well, I'm going to have to be wrong this once. She needs to be with us right now." She admitted. "I was talking to someone in the pub. We might have a lead on where that werewolf came from."
"Den or vampire?"
"Vampire. Another nest. It sounds like this one might be huge." Sighing, the Hunter located the ladder and climbed down to join his fiance.
"Leaving now?"
"Good thing we never paid for the rooms." Anna returned wryly, hands on her hips, head to one side in her classic pose.
"Cathy?" Van Helsing called. "We're leaving!"
"You can stay if you like." Anna continued for him.
"And miss the picnic?" She cried, feigning mortification as she came out from the shadow of the building with one hand over her heart. "Miss the bloodshed and witty remarks and camaraderie? Never! You're stuck with me now!"
"So that means you'll be getting back on the horse then?" Van Helsing smiled slyly. Instantly, Cathy's face paled.
"Erm..."
"Oh, don't worry." Anna said with a coy grin. "You can ride behind me this time."
Things were not going well for Cathy.
Riding behind Anna had been bad enough- they had taken enough needless right angle turns to give rise to the belief that her neck would never be the same again -but this was just bad. Too many vampires here for the three of them.
She caught the vampire's strike and drew her sword, jabbing its hilt up and instantly snapping his elbow. The action reminded her of the man in the pub, and angrily she slashed out with the sword and bared its belly with a spray of blood that she ignored. She was already covered in enough of the hot liquid. She was very used to blood.
She came around with the sword again, this time severing the dazed vampire's head in one clean slice. There was no rest, though; she had to spin and strike out with her back leg, slicing down simultaneously, to put a stop to a new attack from another male vampire.
"Do yall really like me that much?" She grunted as he too burst into ash.
"Cathy!"
Van Helsing's shout caused her to freeze and look over her shoulder, sword angled down slightly. If the air hadn't been suddenly blasted from her lungs, she would've made some caustic remark about a late warning.
She couldn't help but scream as the transformed male tackled her football style around the ribs and crashed her into a tree, then still holding onto her began to fly upwards. But she was still pressed up against the tree, so that the tree's bark scraped against her skin and branches repeatedly struck her.
Most definitely not going well.
When they finally cleared the trees, the vampire tossed her into the air and caught her underneath her arms, preparing to tear her throat from her neck. She was powerless to stop it.
"Gabriel!"
Now it was Van Helsing's turn to be distracted by the calling of his name. But Anna was not calling him for his own safety; she gestured to the sky and he looked up in time to see a sword coming crashing down through a tree's branches to stick straight up and down in the middle of the clearing.
Cathy's sword.
He shouted her name and took aim with his crossbow, hoping furiously that Anna could hold her own against the vampires for a while. The other woman looked to him through the branches and took his warning, bracing herself as the bolts struck her captor in the arms. His scream echoed through the night as he dropped her, but she was quicker than that. She seized the edges of his wings, forcing them to glide straight towards the ground and in-between several trees. She could feel blood trickling down her cheek for the branches they hit, but concentrated on reaching the ground in time.
Gabriel had turned back to the fight- and it was a hard one -beside Anna when he heard thewhoosh of wings behind him and the screaming of an angry vampire. But the one behind him was not letting him make an opening that would give him the chance to turn around.
As Cathy and her impromptu hang glider sailed closer and closer to the ground, she let go with one hand to snatch up her sword.
"Look out below!" She screamed in final warning, letting go of her vampire's wings and landing squarely on the back of the one behind Gabriel, at the same time slicing down and taking its head. With a burst of ash and a confused howl, it died and Cathy landed in a crouch on the ground.
Gabriel whirled in shock, having just finished off his vampire and seeing the one behind him turn to dust, Cathy remaining there. With a final burst of dust and ash, Anna's vampire was dead too. The clearing was swathed all in silence except for ragged breathing as the Princess staggered over to the Hunter and wrapped her arms around him. He leaned his head against hers and together they sunk to the ground, just holding each other for a moment.
"And I thought... the Brides were hard... they were only three... these ones...should've been harder than this..." Van Helsing managed to get out.
"These vampires were young... and male... numbers made no difference." Anna replied, her breathing a little more stable than his. He frowned at her comment about them being male- the nest was sort of like a group of bachelor vampires, not a vampiress in sight -and poked her in the ribs. Anna just laughed weakly and snuggled against him.
Van Helsing looked over at Cathy, who was still crouched facing them. He opened his mouth to thank her for saving him when suddenly her whole body tensed up and her eyes dilated. She spun around, kicking out with one foot and tripping up the supposedly dead vampire behind her.
"You're just a threat!" He snarled as he fell beside her; she scrambled to one side crab-like. "No others here-" The word 'here' was in fact mostly cut off by the flash of a sword. But it wasn't a clean cut; in only managed to go half of the way through.
While the vampire was gasping and choking and the two other Hunters were struggling to regain their feet, Cathy pulled herself slowly to hers. The gaze she fixed the sputtering vampire below her wasn't filled with contempt or disgust; it was almost an imperial look, cold, distant but somehow radiating power. The vampire looked up, and then rage and pain turned to horrified shock, and then something like reverence. He pulled himself up using her body.
"I would rather that no one else killed me..." He whispered fervently, slippery fingers clinging clumsily to her shoulders.
Remorseless, Cathy drew her sword over her back and finished the cut. She stepped out of the way to avoid ash coating her bloodied body.
For a long time she stood there, arms at her sides, legs spread apart, chest heaving as she regained her breath. Her fingers twitched limply, and her sword fell to the ground. The noise was muffled by the leaves on the forest floor. Van Helsing and Anna watched her tentatively, taking a few hesitant steps forward.
"Cathy...?" Anna dared to call out. There was no response.
Van Helsing stepped forward, reached out and touched Cathy's shoulder. In a whirl she was upon him, gold eyes flashing with rage, hands coming towards him like claws ready to cut him open, sword within her reach now as she knocked him over and into Anna, pinning the gypsy. A solid kick leaving him breathless, dizzy, and at her mercy.
A/N-- Can anyone tell I wasso too lazy to be writing full battle scenes today? :-) Well, I hope the cliffie made it worthwhile.... and review, I'm anxious to see how you took it....
