Disclaimer: I would assume that by now you know the drill…
A/N: Hi again all you great people out there! Sorry you've all been anxiously awaiting this chapter for so long, but I DO have a life you know, lol. :) Jk, actually, I'm pretty sure I don't have a life, but oh well. Then you wouldn't have this wonderful fic to read, right? Anywho, thanks to all who reviewed!
Vanity is my name: This must seem weird…to have a personal response for 'myself', but as you all know, I (Gem) am not vanity so I'm sure you're not confused. Pix, thanks for your review, and sorry I didn't get it before I posted chappie 2. You know your support means a lot to me!
Charlie Quill: I'm so glad to hear that I have your approval, lol. Seriously, I'm glad you reviewed, and that you're back for the sequel. Enjoy this chappie!
Fox of the Nova: Well, Ms. Exicted, it's relieving to know that you don't mind whether the chappies are long or not. Takes the pressure off my back, lol. Though I do try to make them longer rather than shorter…anyway, enjoy!
Luthien Anwamane: Yes, you must wait for Vlad; I'm so terribly sorry…you know how it pains me to tell you, lol. But he's coming up soon…chappie 4 or 5 I think, so it shouldn't be too long. Thanks for your review and it's nice to know you don't care about chapter length…it just makes my job easier. :) Hope you like this chappie!
Fortune Zyne: You're back for the sequel, yay! I'm glad you like it so far...in my opinion, it only gets better, lol. Hope you enjoy this one as well!
Christine Marquez: Woo hoo, another chapter, lol. Sorry for the slightly long update wait, but here I am updating now, so for the moment, everything's fine. Enjoy!
Etherealfire: You mean you've been reading all along and you haven't been reviewing! Jk jk, I'm glad you like it. Of course, it wouldn't be any fun if Drac was easy to kill, lol. Hope you like this chappie, and review! Lol
Okay, I'm done. This chappie's kinda short, but we meet Lydia, so there is some plot progression, I swear! Really! Anywho, I hope you like it. :)
Chapter 3
"Do you live here alone, Andrea?" Carl asked me. We were back in the kitchen so Carl could investigate all the 21st Century technology I had lying around. He thought everything was absolutely amazing, and even Van Helsing recognized some of the things I'd told him about and seemed interested. After explaining to Carl briefly how everything worked, and reclosing the fridge door, microwave door, dishwasher door, and cupboards he left open in his rush to see everything, I was getting tired. Lydia was still working, thank God, and I turned to Carl to answer his question.
"No, I live here with my friend Lydia. We work in that building right over there, see?" I pointed out the window. "Carl, you should see my lab. You think a blender's amazing? You have no idea. Lydia's still working right now, but that brings up a good point. I don't when she'll be home, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea that she sees you. I haven't exactly told her about my little travel to the past and I don't know what she'd think. But she could be back any minute and I have no idea what I'm going to do with you guys. How can I hide two people from the past from my best friend?" I sat down at the table and sighed.
"I've been thinking about this too." Van Helsing said, sitting next to me. "Do you trust her?"
"Lydia? There's no question; I would trust her with my life. She's my closest friend."
"Then I think you should tell her. She may be able to help."
"Maybe you're right. It would certainly be easier than keeping you two from her. I just don't know how she'll react. She may think I'm crazy."
"But you have us as proof." Carl interrupted, sitting down on my other side. "And Dracula's ring. That's enough to convince me."
I smiled at him. "I guess you're right. I'll just have to trust that Lydia will believe me. I think she will. And we need all the help we can get." Glad that a decision had been reached, I got comfortable in my chair and waited for Lydia to finish up her testing and come home. Boy, was she in for a shock.
A little while later, I finally heard the key jangle in the lock as Lydia returned from the lab. I met her at the door. "Hey." I said, "You're up late. What were you working on so diligently?"
"I could say the same to you. I thought you'd be asleep by now. You didn't have to stay up waiting for me you know. I was just finishing up some basic DNA coding." I nodded.
"Yeah, I know I didn't have to wait up for you, but there's something I need to talk to you about. Now don't freak out." I said as we walked into the kitchen. Lydia caught sight of two men in strange clothes sitting at our table.
"Who– Is that...no way. It can't be." She turned to me and gestured to Van Helsing and Carl. "Explain. Now." I took a deep breath to reply, but noticed Van Helsing and Carl looking very strangely at Lydia. Actually, Carl looked terrified.
"What?" I asked them, confused.
"Marishka..." they both just whispered in response. Van Helsing seemed ready to attack any minute.
"Relax guys, it's not Marishka. It's only Lydia. I forgot to tell you that she looks like Marishka, but she's totally different! Calm down." Van Helsing and Carl slowly relaxed. Lydia turned to me.
"What is going on here? These two aren't really Van Helsing and Carl, are they?"
"It's a long story." I replied, steering her toward a chair. "You'd better sit down." I sat down next to her and sighed. "Okay, here's the thing..."
After about an hour of talking, explaining everything from my first adventure in the past to why Van Helsing and Carl were here now, I was thoroughly exhausted. I showed her Dracula's ring, and after that she believed me wholeheartedly.
"So let me get this straight. The fictional characters from a fictional movie really exist? And you traveled to the past and fought Dracula because you're Anna's reincarnation? And now they're here! Oh my God, Andrea, how could you not tell me this! This is so freakin' unbelievable! I told you you looked exactly like Anna." Lydia had a tendency to get a little ditzy when she got excited. She took a deep breath and looked at Van Helsing and Carl. "This is so cool! I can't believe I'm sitting here with Van Helsing and Carl! Oh!" She gasped. "You know what we should do? We should watch the movie! We have it right here on DVD! Oh, Andrea come on, imagine their reactions!"
"I am." I replied, "And I'm not sure if that's such a good idea."
"A movie?" Van Helsing asked. "Andrea described that to me. Yes, I want to see it. And Carl never tires of new things, right Carl?" Carl nodded in agreement.
"I'm curious as well." he said.
"Oh, alright. What harm could it do? It's a fun movie anyway."
"Yes!" Lydia cried, and rushed to the TV to turn it on. "I love this movie! Wait till you guys see it!" She popped it in and we all went into the living room and sat on couches around the TV. Carl spent a few minutes obsessing about how comfortable they were, and I positioned myself so I could see the movie and Van Helsing's reactions. It started with the black and white scene at Castle Frankenstein. I knew the movie by heart; Lydia and I could practically recite every line, but I wondered how strange it must seem to Van Helsing and Carl.
As soon as it cut to the scene with Van Helsing in Paris, he turned to me and started talking. I paused the movie so we wouldn't miss anything and turned back to Van Helsing.
"Wait, you can just stop it in the middle!" Carl's excited cries were cut off by Van Helsing.
"I wish we'd known that bit at the time!"he shouted, referring to the black and white scene at the beginning. " That little exchange between Dracula and Dr. Frankenstein just gave away all the answers! Do you know how much easier a time we would've had if I had known that Dracula needed the Frankenstein monster for his machine from the beginning? It would have saved us so much trouble!" I smiled at Van Helsing. He made a good point.
Lydia just shrugged. "Well, yeah, but then the storyline would be much more boring and too easy. It's just theatrics. Keep watching."
I unpaused the movie and we continued. I really did like the movie, but it was so different for me now. Everything had changed since my last adventure. It was still fun, but it all took on a whole new meaning for me...
So, what'd you think? I can't find anything that works to separate chappies from what I write, so I figured I'd try italics. Okay, I'm gonna leave you for now…review and tell me what you thought! Byes!
Gem