Van Helsing

"I'll be listening." John let go of Hannah. "Five minutes."

Hannah slowly went over to Edward. "I don't know what to say to you." The tears that escaped her eyes both angry and helpless. "I don't know what to think about you."

 

Lestat followed John, half of him satified with himself, the other regretting what he'd done.

 

Edward sighed. "You can think whatever the hell you want, Hannah," he snapped. "You seem happy enough with John, and Lestat for God's sake!"

 

"That wasn't me!" Hannah argued. "Lestat can do more than just mind speech. Edward," She started to reach for him but then took her hand back. "I... Did you hear what I thought...?"

 

"Which instance?" Edward asked coldly, ignoring her comments about Lestat. "You think quite a bit."

 

"Must you listen to them?" Lestat asked John. "Whatever it is can't be that important for you to hear."

 

"Fine." John muttered, leaving the two to talk without his eavesdropping.

"I love you, Edward." Hannah said quietly. "They told me... that you didn't want me.... It hurt... so much. I just... I just want to know if you really don't want to see me again. I'll leave you alone if you don't...."

 

Edward shied away from her heartfelt words, unable to put the image of Lestat holding her out of his mind. "Right now," he began, "I don't care what you think. I want to tell you what that memory..." he faded off. "The words that went with it," he tried to finish. "Charlotte told me something that can make Van Helsing's job easy and quick... something no one else knows."

 

"So you did it for information?" Hannah tried to stop the new wave of emotion that came at Edward's first words.

 

"Yes," Edward confirmed. "I was playing along, Hannah, because the information can kill Dracula... which I thought would somehow help you. Don't you understand now why I asked you who created John?"

 

Hannah nodded, still staring at the ground. "It slipped my mind..." She confessed. "I can't think straight around them...."

 

"I figured you were stronger than that," Edward muttered. "I guess I was wrong."

 

Lestat listened, frowning. I figured he'd be happy and kind to her, try to win her back... what on earth is his problem?

 

"I'm no better than Beatrice." Hannah snapped. "It doesn't matter anyway. In six months, you won't have to bother with me. I was just hoping... and I can see it won't happen... that I would be able to be happy for a while."

 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Edward retorted. "Is that all I've been for the last few weeks? Something for six months. If so, you're right, Hannah. I don't want to see you again."

 

Lestat flinched, though he tried to hide the look on his face. Stupid boy, he thought. Even after what he's done, she is still there and he... Lestat sighed to himself, blowing a lock of curly blonde hair out of his face.

 

"I don't even know what it is." Beatrice responded.

Hannah bit her lip. "I though I'd told you already... After a year, I won't have a choice at all. I'll... belong to John. I thought, foolishly, that if I found happiness with someone... maybe I'd be able to...." She drifted off, falling back against a tree. "I'm sorry, Edward.... I'm a rotten person. I'm not even a person! I don't care anymore... I don't want to keep living like this...." She slid along the tree onto the ground.

 

"Ah, well it's a small bear." Jinx told her, "But that's besides the point before you get good at hunting. The main point is, does it smell like you'd eat it?" she asked.

 

Edward felt unwanted pity rise up in his heart, and he knelt next to her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I really am. We're being stupid, you know. I don't even care about Dracula anymore! Now my goal is to find a way to get rid of John, alright? And, as far as Dracula is concerned, I'm the perfect person to kill him."

 

Beatrice shrugged, still partially scared by the whole situation. "I guess so...."

Hannah pulled her knees to her chest. "I'm so sorry...."