disclaimer: the characters belong to their respective owners. the only thing i own is the story and Ana.
Fugue, pt. I
"Mina, there you are! Where on earth have you been?" She slightly cringed at the loudness of his tone, looking into the worried stare of her friend's fiancé.
She didn't need to be a vampire to know that this was not going to end well.
"Sorry, Arthur, I was visiting my aunt in London for the past few days… I apologize to have worried everyone." She looked down apologetically. Arthur the vampire killer, Arthur the bloke who'd staked his fiancé after she arose from the grave...
"Is everything all right, Herr Holmwood?" Both acquaintances looked up to see a lanky man with blondish brown hair at the doorway of the living room, blue eyes regarding the situation curiously.
"Oh, Dr. Van Hellsing. I didn't hear you come in." Arthur turned to address him as the vampire hunter stepped into the room to get a better look at the woman he'd been interrogating. "This is Mina Murray, the girl I mentioned that was engaged to Jonathan Harker." He informed.
Van Hellsing studied the girl for a moment before nodding, noting there was something different about her compared to what Seward and Holmwood had told him. "Ah yes, she is as lovely as you said she was. I am Dr. Abraham Van Hellsing." He offered a small smile to the girl.
Ana didn't know whether to feel relief that Hellsing did indeed live or to feel anger at what he would do to Vlad in the near future; she offered a shy smile in return. "It's a pleasure to meet you, then, Herr Van Hellsing."
He would probably shit a brick if he knew she was with a vampire… no, a vampire king.
"Tell me, Miss Mina, have you seen anything strange as of late? Even when dearest Lucy was alive?" Before you staked her, she added with a mental grimace.
She blinked, feigning innocence, looking into his blue eyes. "No, nothing I can recall. Why do you ask, sir?" She lied, knowing what he did all ready.
That was one thing she remembered from that damn book.
His thick brow folded slightly in a concerned look, earning a brief raised brow from her. "Forgive me for sounding blunt, my dear, but it appears Lucy had been enchanted by… how do you say? A creature not of this world. A monster, I suppose you could say. I believe the creature that enchanted her poor heart was responsible for her untimely demise." He expected her to look horrified, but strangely, she looked calm, even stoic.
Curious.
"A blood-drinking monster, you could say? I heard on the wind about how she'd died, the poor thing." She played along, playing the part of a concerned friend, absently lowering her gaze to the crucifix around his neck.
Silver.
"Yes, actually… Very astute of you. How, if I may ask, did you come up with such a conclusion?" He arched both brows, finding her to be beyond the point of curious but possibly knowing more than he had pegged she did.
Ana shrugged, looking up at him. "I had a hunch." She answered simply, meeting his blue stare.
Was it possible…? No.
Great, now she had to keep Van Hellsing from getting to Vlad… Since when did she start living the book? This was turning into such a headache.
"Hm. Herr Holmwood, you failed to mention Miss Mina would be so sharp." Van Hellsing said over his shoulder, making the quieted Arthur blink.
Arthur glanced at the girl in question and then shrugged, chuckling sheepishly. "I had no idea myself, honestly. Mina, why don't you go rest up? You look tired." He suggested, perking her ears.
She nodded, dipping her head in a slightly courteous nod to the vampire hunter. "Excuse me, Herr Van Hellsing." She said, turning away to slip out of the room and make her way down the corridor.
::::::::d-b::::::::
Closing the door once she was in her room, she locked it to be sure, slumping against the wood with a sigh.
"Damn it, this is so complicated…" She cursed under her breath, resting her back against the door.
"Those humans didn't heckle you, did they?" A voice asked, making her jump, before she looked into her room to see his form lounging on her small couch she had by the dresser, his lanky legs stretched out on the floor, his arms crossed over his chest as he regarded her with curious crimson eyes.
Ana mentally cursed his bad timing. "Not yet." She shook her head, sparing the door a look before peeling herself away to near him. "How long have you been here?" She asked. And when did you learn to not knock?
Vlad's mouth formed into a thin line at her answer, shifting his posture, sitting forward, elbows on his knees. "Not long, just a few minutes. I didn't need to use a door, either." He replied.
She nodded slightly, vainly hoping he hadn't spooked anyone while sneaking his way into her room. "This isn't such a good time to be here, Vlad…" She briefly explained about Van Hellsing and Arthur and the other two men, Seward and Morris, that were also present… and accomplices of Van Hellsing in regards to vampire slaying.
He flashed his fangs in bitter amusement. "So the hunting party is here for my head." He drawled coldly, tone not intended for her, his crimson eyes staring past her at a memory she couldn't see.
Ana folded her arms, looking down at the charcoal color of his coat. "I won't let them hurt you." She promised, perking his ears.
"Don't be foolish, Ana…" Vlad began sharply; he didn't want to see her hurt, let alone staked like he would soon be, fangs bared at the thought.
"I don't want you to die, not at their hands. Vlad, please believe me." She glared stubbornly at his crimson eyes that had brightened, the glare faltering just a little as the prickling of tears in the back of her eyes began to sting and slowly burn.
He grimaced, looking away with a slight growl at her misty brown eyes. "I believe you, but I don't want you to die either. You are mine, my confident queen, and the last thing I want is for a band of hapless humans to lay a hand on you." He stated sternly, his tone stiff, the mere idea of seeing her blood be shed, her innocent virgin blood, sending a bristle down his spine.
He would rather be staked than let her be hurt or worse because of him.
"Vlad…" She hurriedly wiped the gathering tears away, looking down at her lap. "You're a fool, you know that? A reckless fool…" She sniffed.
How the hell was it that the women he'd had in the past, the women he'd loved, not touch him like this one did?
He stroked her left cheek, meeting her brown eyes that were slightly puffy, his crimson eyes somber and soft. "I meant what I said: you are mine, Ana, and I refuse to let you die for me." He stated quietly.
She shivered and slid her eyes closed, holding his hand to her cheek, opening her eyes a little before leaning forward to press her lips against his, fingers curling in the fabric of his coat lapel.
Vlad voiced a soft groan at her kiss, her stubbornness and confidence screaming in the simple gesture; he reciprocated greedily, the want surmounting again as it had each time he was around her, his fangs nipping at her bottom lip gingerly between kisses, his tongue sliding against hers as he asked to proceed.
Kissing him harder, Ana complied, her hands lifting to tug at strands of his dark hair as he took control, some small part of her surfacing and making her fight his siege, their tongues squabbling for dominance.
He inwardly chuckled at how she ceased to amaze, backing down to release her tingling lips of his, his kisses trailing down the left side of her neck, making his human squeak and then mewl, her back arching in his grasp, fingers yanking slightly on his hair as she bared her throat willingly.
"V-Vlad please…" She panted slightly, begging for him to bite and make her a vampire.
"Do you want death, then? Death to this world, to the light of day?" Vlad asked against her skin, his voice soft, fingers squeezing on her mid-back.
She nodded, recalling the first day she'd awoken as Mina, the sunlight she hadn't seen in so long, running her fingers through his mane of hair. "I want it." She answered in the same tone.
Again that shiver that touched his heart; so willing. "Don't let go, not once." He ordered gently, feeling her nod again, his fangs lengthening as he bit down, hearing her soft moan in his ears; she clung to him as he drank, feeling her fingers claw at his shoulders.
It had been so long since she'd been blooded; Henri, her old maker, had changed her that night in Paris, but his bite hadn't caused such feelings inside her as Vlad's did. Everything was becoming dark, reminiscent of the dream she'd had the first morning she'd awoken as a human, but she held fast to him, to the slow pulse of his unbeating heart now beating as he took her blood.
Raking a thumbnail over the vein in his right wrist, he pressed it to her lips, a hum in his chest. "Drink, Ana." He urged softly, watching her muster what strength she had left to take his wrist and drink as he requested.
Henri's blood didn't taste this sweet, either; it was like blue fire raced through her veins, replenishing the blood he'd taken, sending her humanity she had tossed aside once down in flames, killing it with no remorse.
And then he pulled away, allowing the fire to burn inside, holding his wrist gingerly even as she dug her nails into him, her eyes shut tight.
Vlad watched in slight amazement as her countenance changed; the dark brown color in her hair shifted to an ink black as the length of her now-wild hair grew to end at her waistline, her skin paling a degree, her fangs growing; she pulled away reluctantly, opening her eyes slowly to reveal the chocolate color was gone and replaced with a cold silver.
Ana looked at him, registering his crimson eyes, the shaggy black hair draped down his back in a mane, and she felt tears well, tears of relief, of happiness. "Vlad, it's you!" She whispered, smiling even though the tears fell slowly down her cheeks.
He marveled at the being he'd created, the monster she had become, taking her face in his hands gently. "You look beautiful." He smiled slowly, brushing the tears away, running his fingers through her wild hair.
She was back and she was with him… That's all that mattered.
::::::::d-b::::::::
"You want me to do what?" She demanded, rounding on him even though he had her bags packed, her ticket in hand.
He was insane to suggest such a thing!
But he was calm even though she was angered, a side she rarely showed but it was a side he found attractive. "You're boarding a train to Paris tonight. Most likely the humans know it was me who killed Lucy, and now you too… They'll come for my head soon. I feel it."
The past week or two had been lovely; she'd made up the lie that she was visiting her aunt in London again if only to be with him, to let him teach her on what not to do in regards to her new occupation as his first official Draculina, or to simply roam the nights on the hunt for a poor soul.
But somehow it got shot to hell; things like that happened around him often, for as long as he could remember…
"That's all the more reason for me to stay! Vlad, I don't want to leave you… I'm not leaving you! I won't." Ana declined with anger blazing in her silver eyes, the stubborn tears beginning to form again.
Vlad exhaled as he neared her, noting her defiant stance, the tilt in her chin pointed upward; she was making it hard for him to let her go. "You don't have a choice, Ana. Besides, I wouldn't wish a staking on you, not because those humans threaten me. I want you to live… That's why I'm sending you away." He embraced her, letting her cling to him, her nails digging into his back.
She buried her cheek into his chest, closing her eyes. "But I love you." She croaked.
"And I you. I couldn't and refuse to bear the pain of seeing those bastards drive a stake through your heart. Please, Ana, do this for me." Take my heart with you, he silently added, knowing she could hear him full-well; the connection between them was strongest seeing as she was his first fledgling, his confident queen of the night.
Ana nodded slightly, sniffling. "I'll find you, somehow or some way… I will see you again." She whispered.
Vlad squeezed tight on her hips, kissing her temple, sliding his eyes closed.
Until we meet again, I'll lock up my heart and keep yours in its place.
apparently this is the end... NOT. pfah, it's not over just yet, duckies. stay tuned for the next chapter! xD