Dracula And Anna: Finding The truth

Ch 13: Remembering

Tossing and turning in her sleep, Anna was having another nightmare. Instead of talking to anyone about them, she had simply pushed it aside and went back to sleep, but the dreams were getting worse.

They were escalating.

Sitting up in her bed, covered in sweat, she decided to find Van Helsing. Leaving her bedroom, she wandered through the castle until she found the door she was looking for. Van Helsing had told her that this was where he slept.

Knocking on the door, she hoped she wasn't disturbing him. The door opened to reveal Van Helsing, wearing his usual torn shorts that had once been pants, a dark shirt to cover his chest, and of course, his hat that always came back.

It had been a little over a week since she had awoken with amnesia, and she had decided to talk to Van Helsing about her nightmares.

'Can I talk to you?' Anna asked, unsure whether he was annoyed by the intrusion.

'Sure, what's the matter?' he seemed quite calm and undisturbed.

'I've been having these nightmares every night since I woke up in Dracula's bed with amnesia.' Van Helsing suddenly looked troubled.

'You shouldn't talk to me about them, I just make them worse, no matter how hard I try to help. I think it has something to do with the fact that I have nightmares too...' his voice trailed off, but Anna wasn't going to budge that quickly.

'If not you, then who?' Anna felt a tingle of fear finding its way up her spine, as she began to realise what his answer was going to be, but she didn't expect the words he used or his tone.

'Your husband that you love so deeply.' He sounded bitter and unhappy. His words and his tone brought forth an old memory that she had forgotten...

She was out the front of the castle, having an argument with Van Helsing. Not having other memories of such incidents or much memory before that, she didn't know how long ago it was, but it was obviously some kind of turning point in her life.

'You love him, don't you?' his words were harsh, but he was serious.

'You're absurd, I hate him!' she yelled back, furious.

'Oh, really?' he raised an eyebrow as if he wasn't convinced.

'Yes, really!' she shot back, determined and annoyed.

'Then why were you kissing Dracula so passionately?' Anna was mortified.

'You saw that?'

'Yes I saw that!' he yelled at her, you could see his pain, 'every fricking vampire saw that!'

In the memory, Anna's vision blurred, as if she was crying, or close to. As Anna stormed off in anger, she returned to the present...

'Anna, are you alright?' Van Helsing had been asking her this for some time, something about the way she was standing was not normal, and there was an odd look in her eyes.

'Yes, yes,' she said, snapping out of it, 'I'm fine.' She had begun to walk away, but her curiosity got the better of her.

'Van Helsing,' she said, turning back to him, 'the argument we had, when was it?' Surely he wouldn't know what she was talking about. It could've been any argument.

'We've only ever had one argument. That was when you left me. For him.'

'When was it?' she asked again.

'We'd just returned back. Dracula and Rose had gone inside, leaving us alone.'

Anna frowned, confused, 'what about Lily?'

'This was long before Lily,' he turned and looked her straight in the eyes, 'you had been Dracula's bride for ten years, Rose, only three.'

'Where had we returned from?'

'All Hallows Eve.' He turned away. Anna was sure he didn't want to talk anymore, and Anna decided to figure out the rest without him.

'Well, see you around, I'd better get back to bed,' she said nervously, before heading back to the living room. Walking inside, instead of going back to bed, she headed for the seat by the fire, thinking there was no one in it since the night hadn't quite arrived.

Coming up the left side of the chair, she stopped when she saw none other than the Count, his eyes closed, he looked like he was asleep, but Anna knew better. Sighing, she crouched down, placing her hand on his. Dracula's head moved as if he'd just been woken up, his eyes opened, and he turned to look at Anna.

'Anna, what are you...' Anna placed her head gently against his arm.

'Can I ask you something?' Although he was surprised and tired, he gave a slight nod in approval.

'At the All Hallows Eve ball, who kissed who first?' He didn't answer; he just stared at her. Sighing Anna continued, 'the All Hallows Eve ball, ten years after you made me your bride. We kissed, now, what exactly happened?' Although he stared at Anna for a while, this time he answered.

'We were dancing, you always loved to dance, especially with me,' his eyes seemed glazed, as if he was back in that time, reliving the moments, 'when you started to act a little strangely.'

'Strangely?'

'Yes, almost as if you'd fallen under my spell, but you weren't. You had a look of love in your eyes, I didn't think it was for me, but after a while, you whispered in my ear.' Having been back in that moment, he had been staring at the fire. He turned to look at Anna, who was very silent. She was just staring at him, hanging on his every word.

He closed his eyes, 'kiss me, you said,' he opened his eyes, Anna still staring at him. 'I was surprised and didn't really know what to say. It was the special dance where I alone, with one of my brides, dance, though I always picked you, while everyone else watches. It was a rare occasion, at the start of the ball, just one dance, one song, then everyone else would join in, but we shocked them all.'

He moved, making himself more comfortable, again he found himself looking into the fire, and turned back to Anna. Her expression was something familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it.

'We moved closer to each other, I don't really know who kissed who, we sort of kissed each other, but it was like no kiss I'd ever had. So passionate, so much love.' By this time, Dracula looked like he might cry, but he didn't. There was just so much emotion in his eyes.

'How do you know about this, I thought you had amnesia?' His sudden question caused her to jump in shock, but she calmed quickly.

'I do, but a little while ago, I had a flashback, or whatever you want to call it, and found myself having an argument with Van Helsing, just outside the castle. He had shouted things at me, and that kiss you just mentioned, he said I'd been passionate about it.'

Their eyes met, Anna almost crying, Dracula with a warm look in his eyes.

'You were,' he came closer, his nose gently touching hers, 'we both were.'