Chapter 3: Cold Protection
Van watched silently as his angel practically threw herself out into the snow covered garden.
The hunter simply stood there observing Sierra's abnormal behavior as she darted into the greenhouse on the other side of the gardens. He did not move to stop her, even as his heart told him he should.
The war hero was feeling utterly conflicted inside and he was trying desperately to understand what had just occurred. In roughly the year he had known her, Van had never known Sierra to be jealous or upset about anything like this. It was completely out of character for her and he struggled to make sense of it.
"..."
Van stood at the window watching the pale yellow lights from the greenhouse flicker as a strange feeling of rejection and suspicion rose to the forefront of his emotions.
"Ah Van Helsing, what are you doing out here?"
The soldier didn't look away from the moving silhouette within the greenhouse as the shadow of a violin made its appearance.
"Saint Germain, what do you want?"
The count was mildly surprised by the hunter's hauntedly-cold voice and he paused. "Was that not Lady Sierra that just disappeared into the courtyard? Hmm, that is strange indeed."
Van ground his teeth and turned to face the count. "What you want with me Saint Germain?"
Saint shrugged and put his faint smile back on as the hunter's cold temperament snapped at him. "I am going to guess that the lady is probably distressed? Perhaps it is not unrelated to what our Mrs. Cardia announced as a small surprise during supper?"
Van crossed his arms and scowled at the count in frustration. "I figured that much, what I can't figure out is why she looks so happy and then looks like she is going to cry."
Out of the shadows, a pair of eerily yellow eyes floated out of the darkness behind Saint with a pointed grin. "Ah, I believe I can help answer that question."
The two men redirected their attention to the newcomer as the oldest nyx stepped out of the shadows with a hungry smile. "Our lady is probably just a bit...upset that she isn't human as well."
The hunter felt his sense of danger triggering, but he was unable to say exactly why.
Van narrowed his gaze sharply, honing in on the smirking redhead, "Tch. Why would she upset about that?"
The nyx grasp the count's arm with a sinister smile. "For all the blessings the higher clans have, childbearing is not one of them. You are perhaps aware that they are a dying race? Have you ever thought about why that is?"
Van huffed and refused to answer while Saint displayed a genuine interest to what the nyx was proposing.
"Pure blooded angels are a rarity even among our kind anymore. That is in part because of the stubborn traditions, but even then they would probably still be a dying race. You human's probably sealed their fates during the subrace genocides."
Somehow, the yellow eyes were radiating malice and hatred, but Keres continued on after a short silence.
When the Nyx continued some of the light died in her eyes and she spoke much more softly. "From a medical standpoint it's simple enough - the purebloods are so dependent on being loved that they have trouble even conceiving children. It's a natural defense mechanism to ensure that they don't end up pregnant after every tryst."
The two gentlemen shifted uneasily on hearing this news, one much more so than the other. The hunter's steely gaze blazed in the faint light but his face was completely devoid of any and all emotion, while the count hid his own emotions behind a politely cold smile.
"I see, that would explain why our normally cheerful angel had such a heart crushing smile on during dinner. I know of some animals that have that...particular defense mechanism but to think…"
Van glare was lethal enough to stop the count from finishing his sentence. The hunter growled, his temperament clearly getting the better of him now. "I am going after her. If it's really for such a stupid…"
The redhead grinned wider as the hunter went to leave, obviously enjoying toying with him. "She obviously hasn't disclosed her recent actives to you then."
The glare Van shot at the Nyx almost made her blood freeze. "What do you mean? I am not in the mood to play any more games."
Saint Germain raised his eyebrows at the raw hostility in the hunter's voice. The count half expected to see frost issuing from the hunter's mouth as his tone easily could have sent lesser men running for cover.
The nyx shifted uneasily on the count's arm, positioning herself slightly behind him on reflex. "I highly doubt my queen would be that depressed about her childbearing capabilities, rather I suspect that it might have something to do with the conclave's decision. She is having a very difficult time convincing them to accept her right to choose her partners at all. The group...seems rather decisive that she only choose other purebloods for her...ah husband."
The vampire hunter's voice became absolutely frigid and Saint was dead certain that he was going to see frost shards start to appear at any minute. "What did you just say?"
The hunter's words were dagger sharp but the nyx was enjoying tormenting her audience too much to heed the warning. "Lady Sierra is probably overwhelmingly concerned about what her own future holds."
Saint's pale skin looked almost ghostly as he smiled in the dark hallway, still composed and polite, while the vampire hunter next to him looked like he could barely contain his rage and shock.
Van couldn't stop the wild beating of his heart as Keres easily disclosed the information that Sierra had found so difficult to disclose to him. "I swear if you are lying to me, so help me I will hunt you down…"
The vampire hunter wasted no more time and he ran out the garden door after his angel.
"That wasn't very appropriate Keres, surely you could have divulged that bit of information with a bit more grace?" Saint Germain spoke quietly as the nyx just shrugged.
"If she wasn't going to tell him soon, I think things were going to get much worse for her."
Saint chuckled maliciously, knowing that the knowledge could have been imparted in a much less hostile, provocative manner. "Haha, I see. You were feeding off our fear, were you not?"
Keres gave an evil cackle that matched the count's own.
The nyx cheerfully started to walk off down the hall feeling elated. "I did thoroughly enjoy the meal thank you. Though, Saint...you may want to work on burying those emotions back up. They will only get you in trouble further if you continue this way."
The count was behind the nyx in seconds, the blade of his knife pressed almost caressingly to the soft flesh of the woman's neck. "Do not mistake me for helplessness even if I am now aging, daughter of night."
The snowlight reflected the cold metal as the nyx looked up at the count with a mildly surprised face. "Aww, how sweet, you did wind up losing your immortality then. Was it for the angel? Or..."
The yellow eyes darted to the light from the party room.
Saint refused to answer the question as he seethed the blade. "Do not make the mistake of feeding off me again nyx."
The red haired doctor stared back at the count with a mischievous grin and purred. "But I do enjoy it so."
Van hurried back out into the cold without a second thought.
All his instincts were screaming that he needed to be with Sierra, and he needed it now. He needed to know what was going on.
The hunter's strong steps where hellbent on speed, even if it was a quick walk to the green house. The soldier wasted no time at all crossing the snow covered garden and quickly stopped outside the greenhouse door.
The hunter held up his hand to knock and stopped.
Was this really any of his business?
The soft music was auditable only from a few feet away, but the angel's distressed voice made him stop.
Van listened in as the angel's heated voice spoke to the plants and kitten within.
"Puck, I just don't know what to tell him...they are so obstinate and trying!"
The solider waited as the wet and heavy snowflakes fell all around him. A couple of faint music notes drifted out of the greenhouse only served to increase the hauntingly peaceful atmosphere.
"Even after Van has clearly proven he's devoted and capable of protecting me, the conclave just won't let it rest. They keep saying that the circus was just a excuse for them to gauge his abilities, but Gabriel keeps going on about how he is unsuitable because he is human. He keeps using that poor excuse for a match to sway the others simply because he managed to shoot him! Of course he is being completely insufferable! That conniving bastard conveniently won't acknowledge the fact that he was disqualified before he shot Van and that they flat drugged us to aid him! All this underhanded dealing is just an attempt to separate my dependency on Van..."
There was a brief silence as the violin's music came to a halt and the hunter could clearly hear the tears and passion behind the angel's pleas.
"I just want to be done this! All of these politics and games…blood purity….its like I am just some doll to be passed around until I produce heirs! They assume I should put the well-being of our race before my own desires! Like I can just turn them off at the drop of a hat or like some common mare before stallions. Its disgusting the way some of them look at me and I don't know how much longer I can withstand these disgusting displays and assemblies."
The angel's unguarded and emotional confession had the hunter deeply troubled. It wasn't just that she had just been hiding her injuries at this point, she hadn't told him about any of this either. The hunter gritted his teeth and looked down at the snow covered ground feeling torn as there was a crash from inside the green house.
"Aww I just re-potted those tulips Puck! Please stop playing with the bulbs..."
The angle's silhouette disappeared and there was a sound of muffled cleaning along with a protesting mew. As Sierra cleaned, Van rested his forehead against the door frame, his hand still firmly on the door handle.
"I just want to keep my little family safe...I want it to stay like it is...well...not quite possible I guess..."
The hunter shut his eyes and smiled slightly as he heard the excitement climb in the angel's voice and she chattered to the kitten. Sierra's voice was raising and it took on more excited tones.
"I guess our family is going to be getting a little bigger now. I forgot to tell you all that Cardia and Lupin are having a baby! It's such good news and I am so happy for them! They are so blessed after everything that's happened I really truly am so happy for them..."
The hunter heard the tears start back up and he was hard pressed to know if they were happy ones or upset ones anymore. Van watched the tops of his boots growing whiter with snowfall feeling utterly torn. The hunter couldn't fault her for wanting to keep her family safe...after all he had very similar desires, but there wasn't anything he could do if she didn't open up to him.
The music started back up with a mournful tone. Sierra's voice cracked as her feelings crept into her voice "But it has me thinking more about my future. Will I have a family again? I love Van and I am so scared of losing him that I am terrified. I am deeply worried that the conclave is going to try something underhanded again to separate us...No! No! I won't even consider it! I'll...I'll just have to tell him what's wrong...I-I can't hide this any longer not when everyone is in town and at risk...I owe it to them to let them know what's going on. I never meant to put anyone in danger..."
The hunter couldn't bear to eavesdrop any further. The hunter pressed the knob and pulled the door open roughly. "Sierra?"
I froze as Van's low voice called out to me and a gust of cold air made me shutter.
I hurried to dry my tears as I turned to face the door. "V-van? Oh my god, Van Helsing! How long have you been standing out there?!"
I rushed to the doorway to see the hunter standing forlornly halfway in the greenhouse, halfway still stuck out in the cold. The man was soaking wet from the falling snow and he was looking at me with such mournful eyes that I felt my own heart breaking. I stepped back holding the door open, feeling like I was looking in a mirror.
Van hesitated briefly as he saw me struggling to dry my tears and then I was caught up in his arms. The hunter almost crushed me in his embrace as he whispered. "I have been out there for long enough. Why are you hiding this from me?!"
I heard his voice break as he shook, but I couldn't tell if it was with cold or because he was that upset.
His touch was ice cold and I began to panic. "You're so cold! We need to-"
I thought quickly about the blanket I had on the sofa over in the next room, but the way the hunter was holding me promised that he wasn't going to let me go any time soon.
"I won't leave you regardless of what happens. I'll stay by your side as long as you want me to be, but you need to tell me these things! I'll do whatever you ask of me, so please stop crying." Van's voice was broken with passion and I stopped trying to move.
Softly I brushed my hand up to his cold, frozen, locks. "You heard that...dearest? I think it's time I spoke with you...spoke with everyone actually. I have been putting it off for a while now, but I don't think I am in a position to hide this any longer. Tera has been sending my warning letters that something bad is going to happen soon, and I don't know what I can do to stop it anymore."
There was a small protest from the shelving next to us and a soft pawing at our side.
The hunter was nearly breathless with worry and he shuttered again. I softly tried to lead Van into the next room over.
"The other room is warmer, come on let's get you warmed up and…"
"No." Van's voice was sharp and decisive. "You keep hiding things and I'm not going to let you go until I hear what's troubling you."
A water droplet from Van's unthawing locks dripped down and landed on my nose. I wrinkled my nose the sudden, cold sensation, and promptly sneezed.
"Could we please, dearest?" I asked softly and I felt the hunter tense against me.
Without any more words, the hunter swept me up into his arms and he began carrying me into the next room.
Van brought me into the next room over and we were hit with a wall of heat. The kitten followed along behind us while the hunter seemed to be holding onto me for dear life.
All I wanted was sink into him and just enjoy the moment. It had been a long time since Van had held me this close and it reminded me so much of the many times he had held be before...how many times he had saved me in the past.
Softly, gently, the hunter set me down on the sofa and I turned to grab the blanket from behind us. When I turned back around, I discovered the hunter kneeling in front of me looking confused and miserable.
Promptly I felt my eyes fill up with tears. I was causing Van to make that face. It was my fault. I had no right to shed any tears for this...I had to be strong.
I took a deep breath and brought the blanket around us and covered us both in a little tent.
"Van…" My voice started out as a soft barely there whisper as the hunter took my hand and held it in his. "I have been concealing some ..things from you for a while now. Important things that I probably shouldn't be. I don't spend most of my days here at home anymore. I have been…summoned."
The confusion was just growing in the hunter's eyes and I was pretty sure he wanted to ask me questions, but I continued onward, not giving him any time to ask or even ponder what I was saying.
Now that I had started my confession, the floodgates of raw emotion I had been holding back was threatening to overwhelm me.
"My summons are from the other clans. As the only representative of the Azrael clan I am obligated to attend and represent my family. Van...things are looking very dire for my people. Reports are coming from across the globe that our eldest are dying off but reported births across all the clans are almost non-existent. The other clans are furious with Victoria for the subrace genocides, saying that she has damned us all to extinction. The other clan leaders are not satisfied with me just renouncing my support of the English crown, they want me to relocate to Norway with the remainder of Micheal's clan. Several of them have even made proposals for my hand, and it is getting more difficult to persuade them to leave me alone."
There were a lot of emotions that flew across the hunter's face as I poured out all my pended up troubles.
"Tera says that she was sent to evaluate us during the Night Circus, and she was favorably impressed by your performance. So I an understanding in her clan, and I have Raphael's complete support, but I am failing to garner enough support to sway the any of the other clans right now. I have been working to try to delay a vote until I could win over another clan, but I have not been making much progress recently. Even with Delly speaking on our behalf, having these two conclaves running at the same time is exhausting and debilitating to both our causes. So some of them are trying to wrap up my 'disobedience' quickly, by force if they must. It hasn't got that fair yet, but there have been..certain threats that are gaining support. I don't know what to do anymore..."
I felt the tears of frustration and despair start to fall.
"You have been so busy with work that I didn't want to bother you. With Delly and the Marques's making so much progress on the subrace sanctuary, I thought I could do this by myself. I wanted to be strong for you and capable of dealing with my clan's problems on my own."
Van opened his mouth and I held a finger up to his lips to quiet him.
"I don't want to hear your protests. You haven't had a day off in months and your working yourself to the bone. You're not taking any time to recover and I can see it wearing on you!"
I felt the panic rising and my voice steadily became higher with each worry I voiced. I closed my eyes and trembled unable to bear thinking about separating myself from the man I loved and I wept. "That's why I had such a hard time with Cardia's confession! Because I want a future with you Van! I have almost lost you so many times already that I can't bare the thought of losing you anymore!"
I sniffed and burred my face into my hands. "That's why I didn't tell you! I am so sorry!"
Van had never been one for words and he certainly wasn't certain he could eloquently handle Sierra's confession, but it was so uniquely her. The hunter took no notice of the blanket as it dropped to the floor forgotten, he was to busy embracing the angel to bother.
"I wish you had come to me sooner, rather than letting it fester like this."
The woman in his arms squeaked in surprise. "Wha-"
"Hush, it's alright. I am here." The hunter murmured softly as his eyes flashed. "I am right here."
Internally the hunter was seething. Anyone who dared to threaten and distress his woman was going to pay...but right now he wanted, narry needed, all to focus all of his attention on reassuring Sierra that there was nothing to fear.
The angel gripped onto him with all of her inhuman strength as if to stop him from leaving, trembling with fear all the while.
The hunter gently pulled Sierra off the sofa and down into his lap. Van held her close, softly stroking the soft silver locks while he waited for the angel to quiet down. After some time she did and the hunter slowly pulled her arms away from him.
Van had to look her in the eye for this, his honor wouldn't let him do otherwise.
On the other side of his lenses, puffy red eyes stared up at him with an agony that he hadn't seen in a long time.
Softly, Van managed to wipe away the angel's remaining tears and he chucked lightly. It was so reminiscent of the first time he had confessed his love to her that the hunter just had to laugh. "You really are a handful aren't you. You were being so bold a few moments ago and here you are crying like a child again. Sierra, look at me. Who am I?"
The hunter stared down at the angel in his arms as she hiccuped and answered him hesitantly. "Someone precious to me?"
Van shook his head as he leaned in stressing. "Who am I, Sierra?"
It felt sadistic, but somehow befitting, to the vampire hunter as Sierra muttered his name thickly. "Abraham Van Helsing?"
"Close." The hunter whispered as he leaned down.
Van almost kissed the rosy pink lips that were still trembling with emotion as he stared at the blue-silver eyes inches away from his own. "Tch...it's ironically twisted. I have deplored these titles for so long, but if they can be used to protect you...well, I suppose I can live with them. I don't particularly mind being your knight, or backing up my skills if it comes to that."
The angel's eyes widened as Van heard a soft oh escape her lips.
"Let me protect you." The hunter whispered softly, hoping that he got his point got across.
The angel's blight blue eyes sparkled as she nodded and the hunter brought his lips crashing into hers.
Author's Note:
Ok so I didn't update this weekend - I apologize for that. I have been working on Mirabelle's and Sierra's ref sheets - cleaning them up so I can commission more art works. ^^; Haha - my guilty pleasure. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this emotionally charged - plot heavy chapter as it sets the tone for the rest of the story.
So I hope you look forward to seeing what happens next!
Chapter Summary:
So this chapter had a lot of stuff going on - mostly alluding to angel politics that Sierra has been fighting on her own without Van knowing. The other clan leaders are pressuring her to relocate for the better of the clans and pick an 'approved marriage candidate' - in order to reproduce - as birthrates for pure-blooded angels are almost non-existent this is critical issue for them- the only issue is...well sometimes its rather difficult. Sierra on the other hand was is pretty dead set on having a further with Van and she isn't letting him go - but things are turning rather quickly against her.
Sierra is feeling happy that everyone has traveled to London - but after learning that Cardia is pregnant - the angel is upset that her friends might be in danger because she isn't complying with the clan's wishes. (Normally Sierra would assume that Lupin and the gang can take care of themselves - but adding a wee babe is much to risky and she is despairing that she made a bad decision...)
Van on the other hand pretty much just got a hard taste of reality that everything is not alright in his world yet again. (Poor guy cant catch a break it seems.) While he is very ...ahh...irritated that he missed these small details and the Sierra has been hiding things - he is more focused and very...unhappy about the threats Sierra is alluding to. Right now the hunter is prioritizing what matters most to him, reassuring Sierra that she doesn't have anything to fear - but we will see what happens in the next chapter...