A/N: Disclaimer: I own nothing
The room was dark, the curtains drawn and the only source of light was from a fireplace that sat on the far wall. It cast a red-orange glow on the room. He stood five feet from the door, hands behind his back as he stood and waited.
He didn't have to wait long as his attention was once again drawn to the fireplace, or rather the love seat in front of it. From here he could see the white hair that seemed to be covered in ice and the deathly pale hand that reached for the wine glass on his right.
"Have you found her yet?" His voice was just how he looked, ice cold and it sent an involuntary shiver down his spine.
He held back a sigh, "No sir, Yao cannot track down anything relating to her. We believe that either she's dead or…" One hand came to his scarf, nervously fiddling with it, "We think Gilbert might have found her already."
The man's shoulders stiffened but he didn't turn, "That's impossible. I would have known. The curse would have told be if she was dead and if he was able to get to her."
He sighed once again but this time into his scarf, "No we don't think that either. He has his 'brother' and the witch helping him, they might have found the proximity of where she is and has blocked it from Yao." The witch that Gilbert's brother dragged around with him was good, he was much younger than Yao but he at times seemed to know a lot more than the Asian.
The man turned and he couldn't help a shiver as white eyes stared back at him, "I want her found, and this time I want Gilbert killed. Find them both and bring them to me."
He stared at the man who gave him the order. He bowed before leaving the room, his hands shaking as he walked away. It has been three hundred years since this curse started and he had a feeling that it would finally end.
He stopped and looked back at the closed door. He didn't have a feeling, he knew. And when it was over he'd be the first to drive his fist through that bastard's chest.
He looked up into amused, rust colored eyes and for some reason felt screwed. It was then he then realized he'd been staring for at least a minute now, "Um...thank you...I wasn't really paying attention I guess…"
Gilbert smirked and looked back at the street he had just saved him from, "You should be more careful then. Those cars obviously were not paying attention to you. I am glad I saw you when I did or you would be lying in the street."
He highly doubted it, even if he was distracted he trusted his instincts enough to get him out of the way in time, but...He sighed, "Maybe…" He looked around then back at the albino, "The only interesting place around here is the library...I didn't take you as a person who read."
He couldn't help but smile slightly at the frown he was given, "I was actually catching up on some reading I've been neglecting."
He held back a comment that could have given away his knowledge of the albino. Instead he saw the crosswalk clear and headed toward it, "Well you have surprised me again. It was nice to run into you, see you next week?"
He felt more than saw Gilbert walk behind him and he silently cursed, "I was actually just heading there. You don't mind if I join you?" The albino's voice was dripping with amusement and all he could do was hold in a sigh and continue walking, ignoring the man's question.
The library was comfortingly quiet, the sound of turning pages echoing through the large room and the stray silent whisper. He was surprised when the albino walked away from him and towards the librarian's desk.
He took that as an opportunity to escape the man's side, he missed the rust colored eyes following his path. He moved to the nearest computer and began his search. First he searched for books.
Typing in the name Gilbert Beilschmidt. He blinked in surprise in what showed up. There were over twenty books that even mentioned his name, not to mention the newspapers the library had in it's archives. He looked at where the books were and smirked at the few that were in the fiction section of the library. He decided to start with the newspapers, if they were on the same subject they would be together so he'd have an easier time finding them than books written by different authors.
He looked over the information again before heading for the archives. The librarian sitting by the door only waved him on with a buzz of the door unlocking. He smiled and walked in, looking around the large and dusty room.
On the wall next to the door was a map of the large room, little notes telling the people who came in where everything was based on the dates they were published. He decided to start with the more recent; September of 1945.
He found it in the back of a dusty shelf that looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. He held it delicately, afraid it would turn into dust in his hands. The company who printed it was an old French newspaper printing place that closed in the early 90's because of the sudden decreasing interest in newspapers.
Looking it over his eyes widened in surprise. On the front page was Gilbert, the photo was in black and white, not surprising considering the year, but it was easy to see the man was an albino, his hair and skin the same color. He looked over the slicked back hair, the nazi military uniform, and his serious expression.
It was odd, knowing that the man who stood in front of him not ten minutes ago was in a newspaper from seventy years ago still looked no older than twenty five. He looked at the photo next to it and frowned at the sight of Ludwig, the man he had met not thirty minutes ago. He looked as Gilbert did, hair slicked back, Nazi military uniform, and a serious frown. Then he noticed the insignias on their shoulders. The best way for him to describe it was Ludwig supported a silver swirl with gold trimmings and silver X to pin it in place, Gilbert however had a full gold swirl with a silver X to pin it to his shoulders. General field marshals, they controlled the army itself and only took direct orders from, probably, Adolf Hitler himself.
He stared down at the photos, mute shock on his face as he slowly started to read the article.
BEILSCHMIDT BROTHERS GO MISSING: SUSPICION OF AMERICAN MILITARY HELP
With the roundup of the Nazi generals and higher ups two faces were absent from the UN courts. General Field Marshals Gilbert Beilschmidt and Ludwig Beilschmidt, brothers that had worked directly with Adolf Hitler himself have been reported missing. There are many different eye witness accounts, two stand out and spread suspicion for the American military, mostly the CIA. The first is that General Ludwig Beilschmidt was killed in the final battle in Berlin while Gilbert was arrested and taken to a prison in Britain. There are no other leads for this theory but many say this is what happened, the other, however, is the cause for worry. Some say that at the battle in Berlin Generals Gilbert and Ludwig Beilschmidt's groups were the only ones left. Each one lead a party of at least sixty men and fought like there were two hundred. It ended when GIlbert Beilschmidt fell, some say he was shot while others say he did just that; fell. Ludwig Beilschmidt had rushed to his side as the American troops closed in. Some say it was easy to see the conversation happening between the Nazi General Field Marshal and the American Senior General. Some say the German was able to manipulate the General into believing that the two brothers had family held hostage and they had no choice while others say he hypnotized the man to get the two to safety. It was after this incident that the two most wanted Germans disappeared and a day after the American General was found dead in one of the UN meeting rooms. Gilbert Beilschmidt is still considered alive as no body was found and the two brothers are at large.
He stopped reading and put the newspaper away with a frown. It was obvious that the article was written based off of speculation so there wasn't that much he could believe. He decided to leave the archives then, the others were probably similar, speculation and rumors he wouldn't believe unless there was hard proof.
He moved back into the library and began to look for books. He remembered a few were in the myth and folklore section of the library. Moving through the aisles he found one and couldn't help but smirk. European Folklore: The Truth Behind the Myths. A fitting title for such a subject. He pulled the book off the shelf and looked for the author of the second book he remembered.
It took him longer to find that one than the first and when he did he frowned at the title. It's Not Speculation!: Journal of American President George Washington. George Washington? Not many books had the United States of America's first president's name on it and the Americans rarely mass produce books like this about their president's, especially in other languages.
He moved to a sitting area, these two would be enough for now. He sat down and grabbed the first one, European Folklore: The Truth Behind the Myths. Reading the small summary it was about the tall tales of Europe, ranging from shoemaking elves to demons walking in human skin. He opened it to the index and scanned over the contents; Witches, Black Magic, Dark Elves, Werewolves, Vampires, Law of the World in the Shadows, and Creatures That Humans Couldn't Ignore. He decided to start with Vampires, yes he knew plenty about them, at least how to kill one but it was always nice to know someone else's outlook; even if 80% of it was absolute bullshit.
Turning to the page he scanned about what he already knew, the tall tales of them burning in sunlight was false, that myth was made by a vampire so it would be easier to take humans unawares and have an easy meal. Vampires could live for centuries but weren't immortal, the only thing was that they really couldn't die from blood loss, wounds like that healed too quickly but a good chop of the head or blast to the heart put them on the ground faster than a normal sword fight. Vampires had super speed and strength, easily ten times more than the average human but individuals could also have special gifts, depending on if they were turned or born from a pureblood or not, and a human survived the transformation into a vampire.
He skipped that section, this person obviously knew what they were talking about so he turned to Creatures That Humans Couldn't Ignore. He read about a werewolf that was at large in England, he apparently had a taste for prostitutes, why it never said. There was another about a Russian demon who could control the shadows and supposedly worked for a creature that worked that the God Hades. He raised an eyebrow at that, there were rumors that the Gods of old existed, but that's all they were, rumors.
He flipped that page and his eyes widened in surprise the more he read. They never taught him this...the book claimed that the second world war was another creature war between the vampires and multiple Associations around the world. Hitler was the leader of a large cult and the millions of people he murdered either worked for the Associations or were associated with them. Some believed that Hitler could control the mind of any creature he came into contact with, but this was quickly proven wrong when his power supposedly shifted. The German had made the mistake of taking in a small Clan, maybe only ten but they were strong and they could destroy the earth around them with a smallest thought. Or so the rumors say.
The leader of this strange group was a vampire by the name of Gilbert Beilschmidt, a name that only those of old whispered about in fear or utter disbelief. From what information could be gathered this man was turned after the Second War and presumed dead when they couldn't find a body. From there his life is vague, not many are alive to tell the tale of him before him and his Clan suddenly disappeared before the discovery of the Americas. Some say he was put under a curse, to sleep until he was needed to shed blood. Most believe this because he has been seen in almost every major war since but he is mostly known for his part in the second world war. He became the General that took direct 'orders' from Hitler himself. It is said this way but others say he disregarded the man's orders near the end, trying to save the, quote, 'stupidity of the younger generations.' That is why some say the last battle was the fiercest in the entire war. There is little known about his followers or the amount of them, but there are whispers that this vampire's growing power makes even the Gods tremble in fear of his influence.
He stopped reading. He closed the book and set it on the desk and sat silently. The book claimed a lot of things, but saying that the second world war, known by almost every single person on the planet, was a war between vampires and advanced humans. He pushed the book away from him with a snort, it was written pretty well but it was in the mythology section for a reason.
He looked at the second one and frowned, now a journal from the first American president interested him more. He picked up the book and flipped through the first few pages, no index so he'd have to skim. He flipped to the first page and stopped dead. He quickly flipped through before returning to the beginning. This book was handwritten, sure it was in a newer cover but the pages themselves and the writing on them were a lot older. This only mildly surprised him, it was the sketch that adorned the first page of the journal.
It was the sketch of a snarling wolf's head, the eyes by themselves promised certain death. The background was shaded into the shape of a rough triangle and what looked like claws curled dangerously towards the head. The insignia of the Hunter Association. Rarely seen nowadays as they don't put their mark on anything anymore or not anything that can get into the America's. European's tended to be more secretive and didn't want others to know of their problems, he himself barely remembered the meaning behind the insignia and he was surprised an American could sketch it to perfect detail.
How George Washington knew about this was beyond him, the only thing he could think of was if Washington was a Hunter himself.
His head snapped up at the sound of low growling. He quickly looked around him, seeing no one he stood and followed the animalistic sound. His hand rested under his sweatshirt at his back, fingering the butt of his gun.
As he got closer he began to recognize words, "You have a lot of nerve being the deep in my territory blood sucker." He silently cursed, the owner of the library was the beta of his pack, extremely territorial when pushed.
"I'm disappointed that it took me being three feet away from you to know what I was...Is your nose too far up your ass to even recognize a threat?" Gilbert. He recognized the man's voice and was surprised at the ease he spoke French to the highly hostile werewolf.
The growl got louder, "One more word and I'll rip your head off vampire. Now get out before I make you." He had rounded the shelf slowly, frowning at the scene before him.
A buff brunette was hunched at the sight of Gilbert, his shoulders tense and lip curled into a growl and his brown eyes were constantly flashing amber. This wolf was ready to burst out of his skin any minute.
Gilbert had his back to him and the man's shoulders were relaxed, but his feet were spread a little more than shoulder length apart and knees slightly bent; he was ready for a fight.
He decided to end this before it went anywhere, "Is everything alright? I heard some growling...is there a dog in here?" He put on a worried face, "I'm sorry but I'm allergic to dogs…."
Gilbert barked in laughter as the wolf straightened and sputtered at his comment. Gilbert turned and his eyes flashed with an unknown emotion, irritation maybe? The albino walked towards him, "No, there was just a...misunderstanding."
As the albino passed he gave the wolf a warning look who in turn gave him one of rage and dark promise. He turned his back on the wolf and followed Gilbert. Catching up to him he frowned at the man, "Well you sure have a way of making friends..."
Gilbert shook his head, "I just attract them I guess."
He followed the man out of the library before finally processing the look the wolf had given him.
He was most likely going to tell Alfred that a vampire was hanging around him and he hadn't breathed a word to the blonde about it.
A/N: Well here's the next chapter! Sorry it's a bit late, finals are this week and I was scrambling to get stuff done this weekend...But I hope you guys like it! A new character hinted at? Who knows! Thanks for the new favorites and reviews! It keep me writing when I know people like my work! I should also say the the insignia wasn't my idea, it was a drawing I saw on DeviantArt by GleamingScythe.
Until next time my lovelies!
NatureLuvMaple