Disclaimer: I still do not own anything VH related. Gah! That's the last time I get to write that!
A/N: Well, here it is guys, my final chapter, the last chapter of Andrea's story. Quite sad, don't you think? I think so, but maybe I'm a little biased…Anyway, I hope you all like it and don't think it's corny or anything. I tried my hardest to make it good, but I'm not sure. Huge thanks go out to all of you who review and who've stuck with me from the beginning. I LOVE YOU ALL:) Just to prove how much, here are some final PR's:
BW-girl: No problem, of course I couldn't end the story there! I still had to tie up some loose ends, lol. Yeah, VH didn't cry per se…but I'm sure he was crying inside…at least, he should've been. :)
Countess Alana: Hey, girl! You've been with me from the beginning, and I love you for it! Yes, you MUST update soon, Cassidy's story is not over yet, lol! Hope you enjoy this final chappie, and I'll email you if I think of ideas for you, ok? Luv ya'!
Nienna Saralonde: Well, I am so glad you've enjoyed reading my stories, and I'm even happier that you finally reviewed! I love reviews! Oh, and thanks so much for your encouraging words; they meant a lot. GLORIOUS ENCOURAGEMENT! Lol, I was really worried about the ending, and it's great that you approved of it. :) Thanks for reading, and be sure to review this final chapter for me, ok? Please:)
Lady Kathrin: Hey, you've stuck with me all the way, thanks! I know, I loved writing Drac/Andrea scenes, but I'd intended for it to end like that. It's sad, I agree, but I'm slowly getting over it, and hopefully you will too, lol. Thanks for your wonderful compliments and I hope you like this final chapter!
Manson: Good! Sleep is good, lol. Hope you like this last one!
Remember: This isn't enough space here, nor enough words in the English language to tell you how awesome you are, and how bad I felt when I read your review! But I've told you all about that already, lol. Thanks so much for your reviews and support, I LOVE YOU! Lol, I'm so glad you're not mad, and I can't wait for your next review:) Thanks for sticking with me! You ROCK!
Pixie: Lol, you are priceless. Love ya'! And make sure you read this chapter too:)
HottDarkPrincess: Well, I think you just sent me my first ever flame. I'm so sorry I upset you so much! Holy cow, I had no idea you'd flip out so much! Just be patient and read this last chappie, ok? Hopefully this will fix everything for you. If you're still pissed, well, I can't apologize enough, but there isn't much else I can do. This is how my fic is gonna end, and that's it. Forgive me!
Fortune Zyne: Ha, probably your longest review yet, lol! Quite a shocker, no? Don't worry, it all ends well, I swear. Just read and review for me please-and-thank-you:)
And that's about all I have to say for now. So, once again, thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, and here, without further ado, (wow this sentence had a lot of commas…) I give you, THE FINAL CHAPTER! Dun, dun dun…lol. Enjoy!
Chapter 25
Van Helsing, Carl, Lydia, Fiona, and Sylvia sat around in the living room of Lydia's apartment. No one said anything, just glanced around at each other or at the floor glumly. Sylvia finally broke the silence. "I...I just can't believe she's really gone." She reached over to the table and picked up the picture of the four of them, smiling sadly. She passed it to Lydia next to her, and both their eyes started to water.
"So, I guess you'll have to leave now, right?" Fiona asked, sounding depressed, looking over at Carl and Van Helsing. "We'll never see you again?"
Carl nodded slowly, sighing. Van Helsing seemed too preoccupied with his own thoughts to respond. His eyes were glazed over, and he held his hat in his hands. "I have a feeling after we leave, we won't be able to return to the future again." Carl said softly. Sylvia and Lydia looked up, wiping their eyes.
"But, we'll miss you." Lydia pleaded. "Our lives will seem so empty! And I can't stay here all alone! Oh, God!" She put her hand to her mouth and choked back a sob at the very thought of living here without the constant reassurance of another's presence. Sylvia put her arm around her.
"It'll be okay." she whispered comfortingly.
"How will it be okay!" Fiona exploded finally, standing up, tears streaming down her face. "Andrea is gone forever and it's all my fault! How can I live with that guilt haunting me for the rest of my life?"
"It's not your fault, Fiona." Sylvia said gently. "You can't blame yourself for things out of your control." Fiona shook her head and collapsed back down onto the sofa, biting her lip. Suddenly, Van Helsing raised his head.
"What was that?" he asked hoarsely.
"What was what?" Sylvia asked, glancing at him in concern.
"That noise. Upstairs...didn't you hear it?" Sylvia shook her head, and Lydia stood slowly.
"Well, no one should be up there...now that..." Her voice trailed of as she walked slowly to the stairs, the others trailing along behind her. Hesitantly, she climbed the stairs and walked down the short hall. She glanced into her room and the bathroom as she walked by, but both were dark and empty. Lydia came to a stop outside the last room, straining her ears for any noise behind the closed door. As if afraid it would burn her hand, Lydia reached out, grabbed the doorknob, and slowly turned.
I yawned and blinked a few times, rubbing the last bit of sleep from my eyes. Stretching, I sat up and looked around the room that felt so familiar to me, and yet it also felt like I hadn't seen it in years. So much had happened since I had last been there. I threw the covers off and got out of bed, wincing as the floor creaked slightly under my weight. I sighed contentedly and walked softly around my bed to my dresser. But before I had a chance to pick out anything, or even open the drawer, I heard my door open quietly behind me. I turned around and smiled broadly at Lydia's shocked face. "Sorry I slept so late." I said, yawning again and covering my mouth with my hand.
Lydia stood speechless for a moment, just staring at me. Then she found her voice. "ANDREA! Oh, my God, you're here, you're alive! I can't believe it...guys, she's here, Andrea's back!" There was a stampede of footsteps as my friends all burst into my room and tackled me in a gigantic hug.
"Oh, Andrea, we thought you'd died; we thought we were never going to see you again!" Sylvia exclaimed, all of us crying and laughing at the same time.
"Don't worry, I'm here now. Everything's ok. Guys, we won! We did it!" I shouted, suddenly realizing that Dracula was gone forever and everything was as it should be. Even Carl came over and hugged me. I grinned at his slightly embarrassed look.
"You really had us worried there for a minute." he said, rather breathlessly.
"Yeah, well, I didn't know what was going to happen either." I said, but my attention was instantly diverted when I caught sight of Van Helsing standing in the doorway watching me, a look of unspeakable joy on his face. I broke away from the others and ran to him. "Gabriel!" I cried. He enveloped me in his arms and caught my lips in a searing kiss. When we finally broke apart, I buried my face in his chest and held him as tightly as I could.
"I'm sorry; I'm so sorry, for everything." I mumbled against his chest. "Can you forgive me?"
"Andrea, of course I can forgive you, I already have. I love you." Van Helsing responded, kissing the top of my head. I looked up at him and smiled happily. Van Helsing sighed. "I thought I'd lost you." he whispered, holding me closer. "I couldn't go through that again."
"And I thought I'd lost you." I responded, but his last comment made me think of Anna. I paused and took stock of myself. I felt different...more like myself and less like I had someone else inside of me.
"Yes," Van Helsing said, reading my thoughts, "the Anna inside you is gone; I cannot sense her in you anymore." I felt relieved, free even, and also a little crestfallen. I assumed that Van Helsing only loved Anna, and that even though I hadn't lost him, it was because I'd never really had him to begin with. I pulled away, but Van Helsing reached out and held me back.
"Wait, where are you going? I want you always by my side; I won't lose you again. Andrea, I love you for who you are, and nothing will ever change that. You know that, don't you?" My only response was to leap back into his arms and kiss him furiously; it felt really good to be truly loved.
We finally pulled apart when Carl cleared his throat rather loudly, and looked embarrassedly at the others. "Well, I'm glad everything's...good between you two..." Carl began awkwardly, "but, Van Helsing, when do we go home? Not that I'm not having a great time here..." His voice trailed off and he glanced furtively at Sylvia, who pretended not to notice, but smiled anyway.
I searched Van Helsing's face, wondering what he would say. This was what I had worried about from the beginning, the fact that our worlds were so different, and so very far apart. He sighed and looked at me. "It's your choice. Carl and I can't stay here, but...I can't live without you." It's my choice! Oh God, how could I possibly choose? I couldn't live without Van Helsing, either, but could I leave my friends and the entirety of my old life behind to begin a new one? I looked over at Lydia, Sylvia, and Fiona, my greatest friends in the world. They all smiled sadly at me, and I could read their answer in their eyes. I turned and smiled gratefully at the three of them. Sylvia opened her arms and embraced me, then Lydia and Fiona each gave me huge hugs.
"You don't have to ask our permission; the answer's always yes. That's what friendship is all about." Sylvia said, the others nodding in agreement.
"Of course you can go, Andrea. We'll miss you, but we understand. We always will." Lydia added.
"Guys, thank you so much. You're the best friends I could've ever had, and I love you all so much. Promise you won't forget about me?" I asked timidly, tears in my eyes.
"Forget about you! Oh my God, we could never do that, even if we tried!" Lydia exclaimed. "Don't you forget about us!"
"Yeah, don't forget about the three of us stuck in boring old Massachusetts while you're off having amazing adventures with Van Helsing, of all people!" Fiona said, pretending to pout jealously.
"Don't be ridiculous! Like I'd ever forget you three, or anything about this time. Well, I guess this is goodbye..." I hugged them all again, then looked around at my room one last time.
"Are we leaving? Right now?" Carl asked, a little confused. "Oh, well then, goodbye Lydia, Fiona, and Vylsia, uh, I mean S-sylvia. You were very helpful and it was nice to meet you, and..." His face had turned bright red and he was staring at the ground. Sylvia smiled, amused, and walked over to him. Putting a hand under his chin, she tipped his head up and kissed his cheek. Carl's eyes shot open and he froze, shocked. I couldn't help chuckling at his stunned expression. Van Helsing said his goodbyes as well, and before I knew it, Carl, Van Helsing, and I were standing together in the doorway to my room, waiting. I waved to the girls one last time, tears running down my cheeks and a smile on my face, and then it grew brighter, and there was a faint flutter of wings...
I joined the Order and accompany Van Helsing and Carl on all their missions now. Van Helsing probably wouldn't have it any other way, and neither would I. Without Anna's soul and skills inside of me, weapons felt strange and alien in my hands at first, but I learned. Van Helsing taught me all he knew, and now I rival many in the Order, even Van Helsing himself on a good day. I do miss the girls and my old life on occasion, but I've learned that the best thing is not to dwell on the past and the choices we've made. I still have two small scars on my neck as a constant reminder of my foray with the Son of the Devil, and there's still a little part of me that doesn't mind the memories. I couldn't be happier with my life; Van Helsing and I are never apart, and Carl is, well, Carl. Our next mission is in America, or the New World as some people here are still calling it. Who knows, sounds like an excellent time to explore my roots...
THE END! Well, what did you think? Be incredibly honest when you review for me! I kept worrying that this ending was kinda corny and all. Was everything believable, in a sense? Did it all mesh together well? These are important things to me, and I'm relying on YOU for feedback! Oh, and to all you lovely people out there who read my fic but don't review it (for whatever reason), PLEASE take a page out of Nienna Saralonde's book and review now! This is your last chance to tell me what you think of everything, and I'd LOVE to hear what you have to say! So share with me! Lots of reviews, people! Alrighty, that's all I have to say, I think. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this fic as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I love you all, and hopefully some of you will join me when I post my next fic, it's an HP one. Watch out for it, k? I'd tell you the title, but I don't have one as of yet…don't worry, I'll get there! Thanks again, and I guess this is goodbye. So, well…Byes for now! (starts to cry) I'll miss you all and this fic! GOODBYE:'(
Gem
P.S. Don't forget to review and tell me how much you'll miss me! Lol. :)