Hi everyone!!! Sorry, this review will not be in pirate talk, but I think you'll live. lol Anyway, since you all reviewed me so freaking soon! I bet that means you want an early update, right? Well, you can't have it. This is just a figment of your imagination. You can just click off this screen and act as if it never happened… Kidding! But of course you knew that already. :D

So, I saw At World's End in a pre-showing the other night and as much as I would love to talk about everything I liked and hated about it, I'm not going to spill it for those of you who haven't seen it. All I'm going to say is that, I personally liked it better than the second (of course not as good as the first)… but the ending seemed… unfair. Yeah. That's the word I'm going to use. Well, look at it this way: it opens a door for one character pairing for fanfiction, and nearly slams the door for another. Heh heh. Oh oh! And if you HAVEN'T seen the movie, make sure you stay after the credits.

Okay, here is the chapter… enjoy it!

000000000000000

At the head of a long table, Dracula reclined in a sturdy chair; his long fingers rhythmically strummed the dark wood and his bright gaze rested unfocused on a wall.

It was dinnertime and he was thinking over the success of that morning for it couldn't have gone any better in his eyes; the entire day his step had carried a confident enthusiasm. And yet, where his mind should have lingered on his success, it strayed to the pair of striking caramel-brown eyes he had looked into the night before. Today, Sophia had gone from an ordinary peasant to becoming one of the most entitled women in the country and he couldn't help but wonder how she would undertake her transformation, both visually and mentally. What would she look like? How would she act?

Curiosity was eating away at him, which was why he had sent a request for her presence over dinner. He had only been waiting a few minutes when the low groan of door hinges reached his ears and he turned in the direction of the sound.

Sophia entered, carrying herself with poise and grace; however the high color in her cheeks betrayed her unease. Her eyes connected with his and she inhaled sharply, not expecting him to be there waiting.

He stood and took in her apparent change, her glistening honey curls, to her light eyes, soft lips and fair radiant skin, to the pale-pink silk dress that clung to her curves in just the right places then fell to the floor elegantly – all this he noticed in the seconds before Sophia dropped into a curtsy.

With hesitance, she rose, her eyes falling on him again as he moved closer. She felt as if her stomach had suddenly turned over as a chill ran up her spine so strongly that she had to hold back the shudder it created. He was different then she recalled; his expression wasn't nearly as stern but simply formal, his eyes were an especially intense shade of blue in the dim light, and those stubborn strands of black silk that fell to his cheekbones and jaw merely accented his already striking face even more.

Both had changed in appearance to one another and it took a second for it to sink in… but to each it felt like a second too long.

"Good evening," Dracula said, recovering gracefully from the awkward silence before offering his hand, palm upward, to Sophia.

She gave him a small, nervous smile and placed her hand in his, which he lifted to his lips then kissed her knuckles, lingering for more than just a traditional act of respect. Something about the way he did made Sophia weak in the knees.

When he lowered her hand from his lips, he didn't let go of it but rather led her to the chair beside his where she sat and he did the same, their eyes locked the entire time, not from attraction but instead to measure each other, almost as if doing so would give away subtle hints of their personalities.

"You look beautiful," he said, forcing a light color to Sophia's cheeks, silently encouraging him on. "I've seen many queens, princesses and the like throughout most of the civilized world, but no amount of perfume, soap, fine clothing and jewelry could make them as beautiful as you are right now."

Sophia blushed a darker crimson then looked down at her hands in her lap, still not speaking a word. His comments sounded flattering to say the least but she knew they were a sugarcoated poison. He was a charmer – she knew that from the stories but she also knew that he was ruthless and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, not allowing anything or anyone to stand in his way. She had to play cautiously around him for she didn't want to lead him on anymore than she already unintentionally had. The goal was simple: get by without becoming familiar with his bed that night.

"How was your first day in the castle?" Dracula inquired, trying to coax her honeysweet voice past her lips. He hadn't heard it since, well, last night but all night and all day it had been dancing in his head and he yearned to hear it from her own lips extremely bad.

"It was… good," she answered quietly.

"Was your room to your standards?"

"Oh, I'm sure it is well beyond them… although I wasn't able to get much of a good look. Mary was in a hurry to show me everything," she said before giving him a small smile.

He chuckled. "Well, everything in the east wing is yours now, you can explore it freely and whenever you wish. Just remember… the north wing is mine, you are allowed to go there, of course, however my room and study are only to be entered if I give you permission or you knock and I allow you entrance. Understood?" She nodded briskly. "Good. So you enjoy the servant's company?"

"Mary? Yes, well, I suppose so. I spent the whole day with her, although she is very quiet. "

"She has always been a quiet one, but she seems to be loyal enough, I haven't had any problems from her as of yet. If you wish, she can be your personal servant… would that suit you?"

"Yes, that's fine but I don't want to think of her as a servant," Sophia answered then looked away as if in thought before giving an airy laugh, her eyes twinkling in the candle light. "Maybe if she and I were closer and we trusted each other then she would be willing to talk more…"

Dracula's crystalline blue orbs examined Sophia's facial features while she had become suddenly lost in her unselfish and caring thought. He loved the way she bit her bottom lip ever so gently and the way the color brightened in her cheeks; he couldn't help feeling a strange emotion from deep within him, wishing that she were making that beautiful face while thinking of him.

"Hopefully, she will not be the only one you get closer to and learn to trust," he remarked suggestively, wondering what her reaction would be.

Sophia's lips parted, inhaling through her mouth and she glanced over at his very serious face, understanding written in her newly dulled eyes along with a streak of fear and slight alarm.

He picked up his goblet filled with a well-aged wine and took a leisurely sip. It was at this time Sophia found the chance to break eye contact with him, which came as a huge relief to her. There was something about his eyes that unnerved her; whenever he looked at her, even just a glance, it was as if he could read every single one of her thoughts. In actuality, he was well aware of his 'gift' to make anyone and everyone crack under his gaze, however he didn't have to do anything for it to work, it just did. He found it to work especially well on woman; he figured it was because they had a more gentle nature or, frankly, they found his eyes beautiful (if he had heard it once, he had heard it a thousand times) and there was no denial on anyone's part that his eyes were different. First off, they were blue. Now it wasn't as if blue eyes had never been seen before, but it was extremely rare for even the gypsies to have them and almost unheard-of in pure-blooded Romanian families. What was even odder, was the fact that neither his father nor his mother had blue eyes or many earlier generations of his ancestors for that matter. Secondly, they were not only blue but they were a very striking hue of blue, so much so that they almost seemed unreal or unnatural but despite some very skeptical and wild claims, they were as real and as natural as they could be for they were the same eyes he had been born with.

The air in the room was thickening and becoming tense, so much so that Sophia felt as she could choke on it. However much to her relief, a door opened and in came a few servants with trays and platters of extravagant food. They set the trays on the table and then left as quickly as they had entered. It appeared everyone knew his or her places in the castle and they knew them as if they did nothing else.

"Go ahead," said Dracula, motioning with his hand to all the food.

Sophia looked over the delicious looking platters: strongly spiced chicken, hot buttered rolls, paprika dashed potatoes, roasted mutton, mixed vegetables, and many, many other wonderful foods. She didn't know where to start so she went with just picking a few choice things and putting small proportions on her plate before daintily beginning to eat, enjoying every strong, savory flavor as it hit her taste buds.

Dracula followed, putting food on his own plate but out the corner of his eye observed the way Sophia ate and handled herself, he could tell she was enjoying the food but he also noticed she appeared to have been brought up much better than he would have thought.

"Your manners seem more… refined than most peasants," he said. "I take it your mother or father taught you?"

She finished swallowing a bite of food before answering, "It was my father. His father taught him and his father before that, and it went back until, well, I don't know when, but once he married my mother he taught her what he knew and then they taught me and my sister. It was always important to him that Alina and I had as much of a 'proper' upbringing as possible… I can read too."

He cocked a brow. "Read?"

She nodded then tried to explain herself more, "Well, a little. He didn't have much to teach us with, usually he would make us read words written in the dirt, seeing as how books were too expensive for us and paper was hard to come by."

"So I take it you can also write?"

"Yes, much better than I can read… but I do neither well."

"It is a start though. Do you enjoy reading?"

"I guess so…"

"Hm, well one day I must show you the library," he said. "Maybe we shall work on your reading and writing skills, watering and pruning them to perfection."

"That would be nice," she said softly then continued to eat.

He gave her a few minutes before posing another question, "Can you dance?"

She looked up from her plate and to him, shaking her head. "No."

"That is perfectly alright. Another thing we can work on," he said with no outward show but inside he was thrilled with her response; the quicker he could get her onto the dance floor, the quicker he could get her between the sheets.

"There is a lot I have to work on," she mumbled half to herself.

"Not so much 'work,' as fine tuning," he said, "but you will be under a many scrutinizing gaze now and you must know how to carry yourself, especially since that you do not come from a highly regarded background, however I imagine you will be a quick learner."

Sophia didn't say anything; she just ate, feeling far from comforted by his words.

From then on, the both of them were silent as they finished their meal, Dracula eating comfortable and normally in his own dinner hall and Sophia eating small proportions carefully and delicately. Somehow, they managed to finish around the same time.

Reclining in his chair, Dracula took a sip of his wine before speaking to Sophia who was finishing her very last bite of food, "You must be exhausted."

She nodded then dabbed her mouth with her napkin and set it on the table, a sign she was 'done'.

With that, he rose, to which she did the same out of respect, and then he walked over beside her and offered his arm. "Come then, I'll walk you to your room," he said.

Sophia linked her right with his and they left the dinning hall, leaving the leftover food and the spoiled dishes. Their walk seemed to take forever, Sophia's heart pounding with fear and anticipation of what would happen once they reached her room. She had thought things were going her way but now this was happening! Horrible scenarios played out in her head and she wasn't sure what she could or would do to stop him if things took a turn for the worst. Whether she could talk him out of it, beg him not to, or even bargain with him if need be. And then she also wondered if he would dare try to force her if she just burst into panicked tears. She honestly felt like she could throw up, and especially since she had just finished eating, that was not a good thing. Just when it felt as if they would never stop walking, they arrived at the door that led to her room.

"Well," he said, letting go of her arm and she nervously turned to face him. "I enjoyed your company at dinner."

She smiled and gave him a nod but that was all she managed before he unexpectedly lifted her chin with his index finger and thumb, and placed a firm kiss on her slightly parted lips. It lasted only a second but it literally took her breath away.

"Goodnight, my dear Sophia," he said, before turning and suddenly leaving her.

She stood there blinking, a sense of relief and astonishment pulsating through her veins… and on her lips. She wasn't sure what to think of that ending to one of the worst days of her life.

000000000000000

And there you go. Dracula is trying to be a gentleman and Sophia wants nothing to do with him. Haha. They are so funny. But don't get too comfy with them like this. Dracula still has interior motives (um, duh) and Sophia is still very naïve. Although, I totally agree with everyone who has said they would trade places with Sophia in a heartbeat. I totally would. lol

Pirate forever: Thanks! I'm flattered that you're enjoying it! Sophia is in for a lot… and that's all I'm going to say. You'll have to read. lol Let me know what you think, mk?

Liz: I hope you liked this update! Thanks so much for reviewing! I do love all my reviews, and even more the people who do them. So, yeah, you are awesome:) I'd love to hear from you again!

Gimme gimme gimme reviews!... Pretty pwease?