Hey, i'm back with another installment. thanks to the great reviews, you guys rock! As for the whumping, i need to explain. Whacking someone means that they die (or i kill them in a fit of fury) but whumping means that i only dent them, a little.

Chapter 9 -Waking and plans

"Not quite," she said and smiled. "You are in the place between life and death, where few have ever been and not crossed over. You were brought here so that I can pass on a message."

Moving towards her, he reached out to hold her, and was confused when she moved back. "I don't understand, a message from whom?"

"That I cannot say, it is not yet time for you to know." She sighed and looked up, tears in her eyes. "There are so many things that I wanted to say to you, even now I only have a short time and I must pass this message on before you are pulled back into the living world." She brought her hand up to almost touch his face. "I have missed you, even with my family around me. The message I have been sent to give you is very important; do not forget it. You must trust your instincts for when all seems to be lost there is still a way. You have the power inside you to save both your friends and the strength to stop the evil, but know this; all is not as it seems and what you see may not be what it is."

"I have heard part of this before, the being of the crossways told me to trust my instincts," he murmured as he reached his hand up to hers.

"Even here we cannot touch Gabriel, and I have lingered too long. I must go or you will be pulled into the spirit world with me and there is still much that you have to do. Remember what I have told you, it will save all." Turning, she walked away, fading into the blackness.

"Anna, wait!" he called after he, searching the darkness, feeling it pull on him. Eyes drooping he felt himself falling down an endless chasm and knew no more.

Carl always hated the waiting part, when nothing more could be done. It had already been hours since they had treated the poison in his friend's system and there had been no change. Tyris had already returned and pronounced that there was nothing more that she could do. The poison had been neutralised and they simply had to wait for him to decide to return to the waking world. He also wanted to know why Tarja had been starting at Van Helsing as if he had grown a second head, he looked exactly the same as he had done before.

He was still puzzling over this when Van Helsing began to stir, letting out a mumbled curse and a groan. "Did anybody catch the number of that Gargoyle?"

Carl, looking totally non-plussed at the comment but relieved that he was awake said the first thing that came to his suddenly blank mind, "What?"

Opening bleary eyes, Van Helsing was greeted with the somewhat haggard appearance of his long-suffering friar. Realising that he was not where he had been the last time he could remember anything, he ignored Carl's question and observed his surroundings, and his lack of weapons and clothes. "Where are my weapons and clothes, and where am I?" Priorities were very important; weapons always came first, followed by clothes. Sitting up, he winced at the pain lancing through his side.

"Your weapons are here," Carl answered, patting the pile of weapons sat on his discarded coat. "And your coat is here too, although I'm afraid we had to cut the shirt off. I'm sure we can find you one that fits though." Placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder he gently pushed the hunter back down on the bed. "You need to rest."

"Where am I? The last thing I remember is being in the chamber where I stopped Cade from trying to kill Tarja. Where is everyone?" Placing a hand over his eyes, he felt the throbbing pain in his side ease and began to relax.

"You passed out from the slash that Cade gave you. It was a poisoned blade and we needed to treat it as quickly as possible. You're in Tarja's chambers; we managed to treat the wound and the bleeding. You've been out for over twelve hours." Carl gave him the information and carefully checked to see if the bandages were holding from the sudden movements of the now conscious hunter. "Kellan took Tyris away to rest after she helped to heal the damage that the poison had done and Tarja is helping with the wounded upstairs."

"Find me some clothes, I need to speak with Tarja," he said, beginning to rise again. "I want to know what the being of the crossroads told her, and did she know that I'm called Gabriel."

"That is what Dracula called you if I remember correctly, perhaps it was your name before you lost your memory, there was an angel called Gabriel, and she did call you the left hand of God," Carl surmised. The two of them had discussed this in great detail, and they had decided not to mention it to the Cardinal, or anyone else for that matter. "I can understand why you need to talk to her, but you need to rest! Moving too much too soon could make the wound re-open-"

"Carl's right, moving too much now will cause you to start bleeding again, resting, even for a couple of hours will help." Tarja was stood at the door, with a pile of clothes in her hands and Cecaise behind her. "We do need to talk, but I think you will be more comfortable with some more clothes on and a drink before we do that." Walking in, she handed Carl the clothes. "There's a new shirt, and some clean pants. Carl has most likely already told you, but we had to cut the other one off. There wasn't time to wrestle you out of it. I will be back in a few minutes with some food and something for you to drink," she said smiling at the sudden growling of Van Helsing's stomach from the mention of food, and left.

Cecaise, who had remained behind, moved further into the room. "I have brought you your blade that you dropped when fighting the traitor Cade. I have cleaned it for you." Handing the blade to the hunter he grasped his hand. "I thank you for the intervention on behalf of all of us. If Cade had managed to stop us, and break the circle, we would have all died. We are indebted to you."

"I did what was necessary, no thanks are needed," Van Helsing replied, slowly pulling on the shirt proffered by Carl. "Besides," he said, a smirk on his face, "if anything had happened to Tarja, Nico would have never forgiven me."

Cecaise laughed. "Yes, that is true, although it is usually Nico who needs rescuing from an irate Tarja."

"Now that is something that I can picture easily." Having finished with the shirt, he began to negotiate the removal and replacement of his pants with some clean ones. By the time he had finished Tarja had returned with some soup for them all and a pitcher of hot herbal tea.

"It's not exactly tasty, but it will do," she said with a wry smile. "I'm afraid that my cooking still leaves something to be desired."

"I believe I shall take my leave of you all, as I have some things to attend to." Cecaise said and left.

They ate in companionable silence, the only sound being the diminishing rumblings of Gabriel's stomach as it was filled by the tea and soup. Upon finishing Van Helsing broke the silence to ask the question that had been burning in his head since she first arrived. "What did the guardian of the crossroads tell you, and how did you know that I am called Gabriel?"

At the question she sighed, "She told me that you were the left hand of God, the fallen angel Gabriel who had defeated Dracula. She also told me that you being sent here was not just coincidence, that there is something that only you will have the power to do and to see. What exactly that is I do not know, but I trust her." She looked up at him, "I also trust the message that she gave me to give you."

"Yes, I remember, you told me to trust my instincts," he confirmed.

"Yes, now what I want to know is if you are the left hand of God and where you went while you were unconscious," she said giving a look that said she would know if he was lying.

"What do you mean, 'where he went while he was unconscious', he never left the room?" Carl asked, thinking that the conversation had taken on an insane bend.

Tarja looked at him, giving him the clear signal of 'stay quiet'.

Looking down at the floor, the hunter took a minute to gather his thoughts before he gave her an answer. "I don't remember much before being found on the step at the Order, fighting the Romans at Masada is one of the few things that I DO remember. Fighting, always fighting. Dracula called me the left hand of God, I don't know if it is true or not." He sighed as he continued and to Carl, who knew Van Helsing's moods better than most, appeared almost as he did the day they buried Anna. "As for where I went when I was unconscious, I was in the 'place between life and death'. I met a messenger there who gave me pretty much the same message, she told me that I would have the strength to stop the evil and the power to save my friends."

"She told you?" Carl asked, realisation dawning on his face.

"Yes Carl, it was Anna Valerious, she gave me the message, and then the next thing I remember I woke up." He looked up at both of them, more than physical pain on his face. "I trust her Carl, I know that whatever we decide to do, we will be able to accomplish it."

"True enough," Tarja agreed. "Now we need to discuss plans. The being gave me information on how to stop Mercer and destroy the cross. It can only be destroyed by a weapon of power, empowered by blood, forged under both the day and the night. As for getting in the Castle, we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it." She stood and began to pace. "I know where Mercer is holding Nico. Using his black arts and the power of the cross, he has managed to open a portal to the place between life and death and has Nico trapped there, I will need to call him back before we destroy the cross, or Nico will die and be cast into the Never realm for eternity."

"In that case, haven't we got a weapon to make and a ceremony to plan?" Carl asked, ever the practical one.

Lightning flashed in the sky above the windows of the great room.

The tall figure encased in black robes stood and observed the cross. "She found my spy, and killed him did she?" the raspy voice asked of his cowering underling. "And has gained some more power? Well, she will not be able to save both the realms and her beloved husband, she will have to choose and I will enjoy watching her choose!"

Insane laughter echoed off the walls, causing the surrounding servants to cower away from the sound. "What of the witch's companions?" one of them asked, dreading the response.

"They are of no matter, they will be destroyed along with the witch, in a few days all will be set and I will have enough power to decimate all my enemies!" the insane laughter continued as the lightning flashed.

Well, that's it for this chapter, tune in next time for more fun and adventure! Oh and please review, it gives me reason to write more!

P.S.

i know this sounds wierd but i have the ending planned in my head, but i can't figure out how to get the story from here to there. it's like my muse is being the biggest pain in the- anyway, point is, can anyone give me some ideas? it may just kick my muse into working again!

Fen.