Don't kill me, I come bearing gifts, I swear:

Mavis woke up briefly.

She felt the coldness of the concrete floor against her face, while faint voices on the background taunted her, escaping her comprehension. She felt her wrists on fire, the damage done by the silver still fresh on her skin, and soft whimper was all she could let out before the pain from the torture knocked her unconscious again.

"You are… special, Mr. Marlow. And I'm not just talking about being leverage against that demon bitch. Your mind… let's just say that Dracula bastard has used your mind as a toy. I want to see what he did…"

"Fuck you! And don't you ever talk about her like that again, or I'll make you pay for it!" Johnathan snapped, angry. He was aggressive towards 'Summers', despite his precarious position, and he was very angry at the fact that the bastard had dared to lay a finger on Mavis. He had dared to hurt her! He would pay for that, for sure. A blow landed across his cheek, only angering him even more.

"That's quite enough of that, Mr. Marlow. I'm trying to play nice with you, but, if you keep behaving like this, I'm going to have to take some extreme measures, and you are not gonna like that. So, play ball with us, or else."

Johnathan had no choice. He knew that, if he refused, the bastard in front of him would hurt the vampire girl. More to the point, the bastard knew something about which he wanted to know more: there was something wrong with him. There was a reason why he couldn't remember, and if pretending to help was going to get him answers, then maybe he could play dumb for a while.

"We are ready, Mr. Van Helsing" Nerdy called from his computer (Johnathan had given up on calling him 'computer guy'. 'Nerdy' was easier to remember), which was receiving data from the strange device they had fixed to his head. Quite honestly, it was all very dreadful, and it was getting the best out of his nerves.

"Good. Now, Mr. Marlow, I don't have the need to hurt you, I just want to know what that monster did to your brain. Who knows, maybe I can do you a favor and undo it. Maybe I can break the spell that his so-called 'daughter' casted on you. Wouldn't you like that? To be free once again?"

The bastard had the power to dissuade; Johnny had to give him that. He was also a blind fanatic, and that made him dangerous. Johnathan had to thread carefully with this guy.

"Fine. You can mess around with my head as much as you want, but you don't lay a finger on her again. If you even look at her in a funny way, I'm done cooperating. How does that sound to you?" Negotiation wasn't one of Johnathan's strongest abilities (jumping of roof to dangle from ropes, busting somebody's head open, or generally getting himself into trouble without even trying, those were his strongest abilities), and it was obvious to anyone that he was dealing from a position of weakness. Still, he had something that Van Helsing wanted, so the old guy had to behave as well.

"Very well, your terms are reasonable, Mr. Marlow. Now, be a good boy and keep your part of the deal"

"Are you sure this is the right place?" the Count whispered, his winged form perched on Daniel's shoulder to be able to have a conversation.

"Let's just say our source had a lot of incentive to not lie to us" Daniel muttered just clear enough for the vampire to understand. The olden Count just looked at him sideways and sighed.

"I had forgotten how cruel you humans get to be when you set your sights on it. I don't suppose we can ask your… 'source', as you call it, for more information if we don't find anything"

"Not really. It's kind of hard to talk when you are no longer breathing, Count. And don't lecture me on it; the bastard was involved in my brother's disappearance."

If someone could understand the desire for revenge, it was him. However, there was a line he hadn't crossed all those years ago, and he expected someone like Johnny's brother to understand the consequences of killing someone in rage. He stopped pondering about it and rather threw himself into the air, making himself useful to the six-men group bellow him. The group was well into the third hour of their walk, sweeping the area on foot, while the Lord of the Shadows helped them by turning into his winged form and covering more ground on his own. Their will to find the people they were looking for was strong, but as time wore down they began wondering if they were anywhere near their objective.

"There! I see something!" the group suddenly heard above them, the Count landing in his human form a few meters ahead of them. The bulwarked forms hurried their pace to meet him up and find out what he was talking about. The reason became apparent really quick. It was an old, decrepit castle, conveniently located in the middle of friggin nowhere and with what they considered to be "inconspicuous" security (ten guys aimlessly walking around the structure). It was so obvious that it seemed suspicious.

"It has to be a trap. Nobody is stupid enough to be this obvious." Daniel hushed, while the rest of the armed squad, including his brother Robert, nodded in agreement.

"What do we do then? If we silence even one of those guards they'll probably have a way to call out to the rest" the Count interjected, looking for a way inside the castle that didn't involve raising the alarm.

"We'll have to deal with them sooner or later, Count. I say we engage them, either eliminate or at the very least drive their attention away, while you and the Count slip inside and find Johnny and the girl" Robert suggested to Daniel. While Daniel wasn't one to question the ability of the people that worked for him (hell, Johnathan had helped screen and select them), their plan was a serious 'hail Mary' that he doubted would work unless he and the Count found out a way to slip past the bulk of the combat stealthily.

It was dark. He could see himself just fine, but there just wasn't anything else to see. He was in a void, and he didn't like it one bit.

He resisted the impulse to call out to anyone. When you've seen enough young people cut down where they stand by enemy fire, just because they could not keep it quiet, you learn to not call out unless necessary. Before he began to plan his next move, his brain processed the fact that he was no longer alone. He was now in a hotel's lobby, a very busy one. And peculiar too.

Instead of the usual throngs of guests, he found himself among fly-people, gill-men, blob people… and a fucking huge spider.

"Holy sh…" he was cut off by the revolving door behind him... only to find himself face to face with a younger version of himself. Young Johnathan was there for only a few seconds, before being tackled into the revolving door by a figure that Johnathan recognized but didn't remember the name of.

"What is going on in here?" he muttered to himself, before the scene began moving at greater speed. A feeling of vertigo invaded him, only for the feeling to go away when the scene regained its usual speed. He now recognized his younger self running around the place arms flailing around and yelling at the top of his lungs. And for some reason, he knew what happened next. His disguised-self ended up flying around the place, using… a broom, of all things. Vampires, werewolves, gill-men, ghosts… so why not a broom? The out-of-control cleaning item flew around the room wildly until it careened straight at two figures that were coming down the stairs, tackling the young Mavis Dracula down the stairs. The scene froze after a while, exactly at the time when both teenagers looked up to each other's eyes. And he knew, right then and there, that the girl was the love of his life. That's why he remembered about her, even in his amnesic stupor. But why couldn't he remember her?!

He was surrounded by darkness again as soon as he thought of that question. Not like he minded, the scene distracted him, and he wanted to think about it all.

"- look just as handsome as the day we met" the familiar voice, "I can still remember it like it was yesterday. As I remember the "gig" we went to in Hawaii. And when we began travelling together. Three years don't seem like much when compared to a vampire's long life, but these years have meant everything to me. Every second we spent together is forever engraved on my mind. My life before you is only a faint memory, and I don't remember much of it for that matter. Because you saved me. I know I've never told you before, but I would have never come back if it weren't for you. It sounds cliché and unoriginal", she gives a hollow laugh, "but it comes from my heart. I love you, Paddy, for who you are, and for who you made me: a better and happier being. I'm sorry that you are now like this, this is my fault. I should have been more careful. But this is the way it is. I can't tell you everything will be wonderful and easy from here, but I can tell you that I need you, and our child will need you too. So please, wake up, big guy, I miss you"

He knew who she was talking about; he knew that those words weren't supposed to hurt, but he now remembered the heart-crushing pain he felt the first time he heard them. Not even the nastiest wound he suffered in combat hurt as much as this.

So this was why he couldn't remember. He didn't want to. Still, he wanted to know how he pulled it off. He followed himself and the person he now recognized as Count Dracula to a nearby window.

"Now you see that I cannot make the same mistake I did four years ago. She is already hurting as it is, your insistence on getting her back will only cause her a painful doubt. If you really love her, at least wait until her fiancée awakes. Then, if you want to pursue her love, I will not oppose..."

"No... I won't wait"

"Johnathan, please, she's..."

"You still owe me a favor. And i want it right now. I want you to erase my memory. Make me forget about Mavis and the Hotel"

Truth, at last. No less painful, but truth nonetheless.

"But... Johnathan, you won't know who she is, yet you will still love her. I can erase memories, not fellings. You will always feel empty and incomplete, even if you don't remember my daughter. What good can come out of that? Why do you want to live chained to a blank memory?"

"This is not for me, it's for her. If I don't remember then I'll never come back here, I won't be a menace for her and her husband. That's all I need from you."

Johnathan willed it to go away. The truth hurt, and he realized that he was probably fighting a losing battle for the vampire girl's heart. A battle he felt he'd lost to a guy that was now dead. Maybe he should really just drop it and let her be.

"You know as well as I do that that's a horrible idea, mate" a second voice chimed in, one that belonged to someone that he knew to be dead.

"W-what?! You are supposed to be…"

"Dead, yeah. I am, actually. I've been watching everything from above –never thought I would make it up there with my rap sheet- the dead man pointed out.

"In that case" Johnathan was quick to snap, "why didn't you do something? You are her husband, and you didn't do anything to stop this from happening?"

"I was her husband. 'Till death do us apart', remember? In any case, I knew you would do everything in your power to protect her. I am not dumb, mate, I knew I was no match against the love she felt for you, and if I can trust anyone to get her out of this, than that guy is certainly you. I no longer exist among the living, and I must move on sooner or later, so I only wanted to talk to you before that happened. Stop second guessing her love for you, and start thinking of a way to get her out of this."

Granted, it was the wisest advice he had ever received from someone, dead or alive.

"And one more thing. Never hurt her again just because you think you are doing her a favor. That's her decision to make."

"I'm supposed to protect her, even if that mean I have to sacrifice myself…"

"No, your job is not just to protect her, but to be there for her too. Her happiness matters just as much as her safety, kid, it's about time you realized that"

The darkness began to grow lighter momentarily, and Johnathan's guest was ready to leave, looking towards something that only he could see.

"My time is up. Don't forget what we just talked about!" he called out without turning back, leaving Johnathan alone, fading back into consciousness and the real world beginning to sink in again.

"Welcome back, Mr. Marlow. We were worried you would leave us prematurely. How do you feel?" Van Helsing was awfully confident about something that he had no guarantee of. Something that Johnathan could use to his advantage.

"I feel lighter in the head, Mr. Helsing. And I believe I have a pending business with your other 'guest', don't I?"

"Ah, yes. The blind man sees! A miracle comes true. Myers, untie the man, he's not an animal, for heaven's sake! Show some respect!" the order is finally given, and the Johnathan is free once again..

"Come with me, please. It's high time these abominations learn a thing or two, preferably from someone they whose life they have wrecked."

Fair point…No! It isn't, you dimwit! Focus, dammit! Johnathan scolded himself, rubbing his wrists where they had been bound to the chair, and then followed his former captor, hoping that his idea worked, or he would be in a certain spot of trouble, and he had no one else to watch his back.

Voices.

Two strangers and one that she recognized.

Why is he with them? Does he hate me that much? It wasn't my fault! HE left ME!

She was too weak to process her thoughts, and her mind worked in short intervals. Mavis could only resignate to the fact that she was about to die. Her eyes closed, and her mind wandered out of consciousness because of the pain. The next thing she knew, someone was carrying her slender body in its arms, begging for her to remain awake just a little longer. She just couldn't, and she decided to let go.

Not like she wouldn't come back from the darkness.

Almost a month with absolutely no updates. I'm so ashamed. So sorry, guys, but college is so frigging exhausting. I scrounched up enough spare time to write this, and I hope it's not too disappointing. If you like it, or if you have any criticism to help the story get better, please leave a Review with your thoughts. The next update will hopefully come sooner.