Victoria was laid on the bed in the chamber Anna had been locked in, her hand on her stomach. Anna had spent an hour or so trying to find an escape, but it was pointless. Vampires who were due to attend the Halloween ball the following evening surrounded the Summer Palace they were locked in. Victoria had been far too relaxed considering the circumstances and it was unnerving for Anna. She had been resting on the bed the entire time, her hand on her stomach as she felt her babe kick.

"There has to be a way out of here," Anna complained, knowing that there probably wasn't, but she longed for there to be. "How can we get out of here?"

"I will find a way," Victoria said, moving to sit up, swinging her legs over the bed and standing up, feeling a pain in her back. Her bump was continuously growing and Victoria was doing her best not to complain, but her back was in constant pain and her feet were always throbbing.

Moving to the door, Victoria banged on it, well aware that Vlad had his minions guarding the room. Anna glowered and rushed towards Victoria, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her backwards.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at her and Victoria nodded once.

"Trust me," she urged Anna.

"I do," Anna said, "but sometimes I wish I knew what you were thinking."

"As do I," Victoria muttered as the door opened wide to reveal Aleera stood there. Her eyes were wide and her fangs bared as she looked at the two women in the room.

Victoria couldn't deny that she was beyond beautiful. She had a fair complexion and long, curled hair, no wisp seemingly out of place. Her eyes were enchanting and her figure was envious. Victoria felt even more envious when she thought about her baby bump.

"You knocked?" she asked from them.

"I need to see Vlad."

"The Master is entertaining his guests," Aleera said in a sultry voice.

"Then I shall go to him."

Victoria began to move from the room and Anna almost snapped at her to stay where she was. But Victoria was always determined. She moved down the corridor and Aleera followed her, slamming the door on Anna's face and locking it before catching up with Victoria. She grabbed hold of the human by the arm, stopping her from moving any further. The hallways was intricately decorated and Victoria could not deny that she felt some kind of memory about the place.

"You will go nowhere," Aleera said.

"I am going to see him," Victoria said. "I suggest you release me before I truly create a scene. Is that what you want? You want him to come here and ask what is happening? Do you want him to see you handling me like this?"

Aleera instantly recoiled from Victoria, jumping backwards and looking to the woman. Nodding sternly, Victoria moved to the staircase and began to walk down the steps. Aleera followed her, grinding her teeth together. She knew that the girl was right. Vlad might not be on the best terms with her, but she was still the one who held his affections. She was still the one he adored. She always would be.

Victoria headed towards the noise, moving through the open doors into the ballroom. There was a gathering of around fifty vampires and Victoria held her head high. The chatting instantly stopped as soon as her footsteps entered the ballroom. All eyes turned to her as she remained stood by the doorway. It was another moment before the crowd of people parted and she saw him walking towards her.

One arm was wrapped around his own waist while the other held his chin, his fingers drumming on the bottom of it. He stood in front of the crowd as Victoria remained before him and his lips arched upwards slightly. Stepping forwards once more, he held his arm out, extending it towards her.

"Ladies and gentleman, may I present my date for tomorrow evening's dance," he said.

Victoria arched a brow as claps from the crowd echoed around the room. She kept her gaze on him, trying to remain calm and controlled. She wondered what he was doing as she stepped forwards and took his hand that he still held out to her. The vampires around her seemed to go back to their own conversations as Vlad led Victoria towards the back of the room, his hand held in the air with hers like a gentleman.

"I thought that there was no us?" Victoria asked of him as he poured her a drink and she looked to it, wondering exactly what it was.

"It is freshly squeezed oranges," Vlad informed her, seeing her questioning gaze. "Did you think that I would serve you blood?"

"I suspect you save that for those who enjoy it," Victoria responded, sipping on the orange and taking her hand from his. "But you still did not answer my question."

"Just as you do not answer any of mine," Vlad spoke. "Regardless, you are trapped here, my love. I suspect it only makes sense you attend the ball with me tomorrow instead of being locked away."

"And if I would rather be locked away?" she enquired of him.

"Then you wound me more than you already have done," he responded and there was a raw honesty to his tone that she didn't entirely enjoy hearing. "Regardless, I have had a dress made especially for you. Although I must ask why you took my hand and did not cause a scene as you usually do?"

Victoria shrugged. "What would that have achieved?" she enquired from him. "I wanted to talk with you, not start a fight. Besides, I am not naïve enough to cause chaos in front of a group of vampires."

Vlad's lips quirked upwards. He nodded. "Very wise," he commented to her. "And what is it you wish to discuss?"

"Tomorrow evening, coincidentally," she answered him. "The exchange that is due to happen includes Anna and this creature you speak of, but I do not think that it should happen during the Ball. I think it should be done somewhere less public."

Vlad looked intrigued. "And why do you think that?" he wondered of her.

"Because I think that Van Helsing will not wish to trade," was all that Victoria offered, "and I think that, if he does not give you what you want, then you will kill him."

"Very perceptive," Vlad said to her. "I already anticipate that Gabriel will not wish to trade, but he has no say in the matter."

"Exactly," Victoria said with haste. "And if he does not wish to trade then what do you think he will do? He will come for Anna and the creature will be nowhere to be seen. If that happens, I doubt he will be able to beat a roomful of almost fifty vampires."

"There will be a hundred come tomorrow evening."

"Even worse," Victoria said and Vlad watched her drink her orange again.

"Why are you so invested in this?" he enquired, folding his arms over his chest. "I had thought that you did not wish for me to gain control of the creature. How has your mind been changed?"

"I do not want to see Anna hurt," Victoria replied. "If Gabriel tries to rescue her then there is a chance she will be injured…or even worse…because of his foolish plan. I have seen too many people I care for die because of his doing."

Vlad met her eyes then and both of them knew exactly what she was speaking of. They would never forget. Vlad could not help but nod tightly at hearing her. He thought back to the moment he had held her in his arms, her body limp and her heartbeat non-existent. Gabriel had seen to it that she had been taken from him. He would not let him near her again, despite the fact that they were struggling to accept that they should be together.

"Tell him to meet you somewhere where no one can get hurt…not Anna…not you…no one," Victoria urged of him. "Please."

Vlad let out a low whistle and shook his head. "Unfortunately the plan has been put into place, my love," he said to her. "I know what Gabriel will try to do. He will leave the monster somewhere and come here to try and rescue Anna."

"But there must be a way," Victoria continued to push before she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Moving a hand to it, she bent slightly and Vlad instantly moved towards her.

She winced visibly, the glass she was holding falling from her fingertips and down to the floor. She remained bent slightly, both hands holding her stomach as she groaned in pain. Vlad moved his hands to take hold of hers, holding them tightly as he heard her begin to pant loudly for breath.

"What is it?" Vlad demanded from her, voice pleading as she looked to him, her eyes wide and watering as she shook her head, feeling the urge to sob as she struggled to remain on her feet, the urge of falling to her knees taking hold of her. "Victoria, talk to me."

"I do not know," she managed to bite out, her eyes wet. "It is the babe…it is not due for…for ages…I…"

"I need to take you to the chamber," Vlad said to her. "You need a doctor."

"Preferably a human one," she managed to demand as Vlad took hold of her by the waist, hauling her into his arms. She didn't complain as he carried her back through the crowd, knowing full well that he was being watched as he rushed towards her chamber, snapping at Igor to find a doctor.

Moving up the staircase, he kicked open the door to the room he had given Victoria, moving her gently onto the bed and seeing her thrash her head around, her hands still holding onto her stomach. Vlad had no idea what to do as he saw her begin to sob and yell in pain, her thighs seeming to part as he moved to kneel by the bed, his hand going to her hair, stroking it from her forehead as sweat ran down her skin. She opened her eyes and looked over to him and he saw the fear.

"It will be fine," he assured her, but she shook her head.

"No," she said with laboured breaths. "This is too soon. Vlad, this is too soon."

"A doctor will be here soon," he promised her, his hand soothingly stroking her cheek as his eyes remained set on hers. "Try not to panic, my love. Try not to worry."

"It hurts," Victoria said and she realised she sounded like a moaning little child as she continued to watch him. "Where has it come from?"

"I do not know," Vlad said, his fingers moving through her hair as he continued to stroke her cheek. "All I know is that I will keep you safe. I will keep you here."

Victoria let out a yell of pain, fear coursing through her veins as she threw her head back, her scream increasing as Vlad contemplated how useless he felt. He was an eternal creature, yet there he stood, completely useless to do anything to help the only woman he had truly loved. Looking down on her, Vlad chewed down on his tongue before moving to kiss her on the forehead, his lips lingering there.

"Have you been having stomach aches before now?" Vlad wondered, trying his best to be of some use.

She managed to shrug her shoulders. "I thought it was just cramps," she responded. "I just thought they were stomach pains."

"Master!"

Vlad moved from Victoria as soon as he heard Igor shout for him. Pulling the door open, he saw him stood there with a man holding onto a bag which, Vlad assumed, was full of medical supplies. He could tell the man was human and Vlad wondered just how much persuasion he had taken to come to them. He looked slightly apprehensive, yet Vlad had no reason to kill him so long as he kept Victoria safe.

"She has been having pains in her stomach," Vlad informed the doctor as he wandered into the room and the doctor moved to the bed and stood by it.

"How long have they been going on for?" the doctor enquired.

"I don't know," Victoria whimpered as the doctor moved to her legs, hiking her skirts up to her waist without asking her if that was fine. He pulled on her undergarments, tugging them down her legs before looking to Vlad.

"I need you to loosen this gown on her," he demanded.

Vlad nodded and moved to help her sit up slowly, his hands untying the laces of her dress and watching it loosen around her body. The doctor looked between her thighs before glancing to Vlad.

"It might be best if you wait outside," he declared and Vlad was about to ask why before he smelt it.

He smelt the strong smell of blood.

Looking to Victoria, he inhaled a sharp breath as she continued to sob loudly and openly. She looked to him and he looked back to her, wondering if she knew what was happening. He already had an indication, but he did not want to be correct.

"I want Anna," Victoria said to him. "Please."

He nodded once at her and stood up, grateful to have left the room. He closed the door behind him before closing his own eyes and letting out a shaky breath. Turning his head over his shoulder as she yelled loudly, Vlad vowed there and then that he would make another deal with the devil if he had to save her from the brink of death once more.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!