Van Helsing

John cursed. "It was going well until you let him get away. I had her."

 

"He was strong," Lestat murmured, stepping out of the shadows. "As your twisted shoulder shows," he added, pointing to John's dislocated blade.

 

"Hannah," Edward tried as he walked, looking down at her face. She looked as though she slept. Anger surged through him once more, though, when he saw the fresh marks on her shoulder. "Wake up," he whispered, his arms aching, but she did not move. He could see the carriages and the stables now, but he could not quicken his pace.

 

John looked at his shoulder and made a face. He grimaced as he snapped it back into place. "Yes he was strong, but you don't have a mark on you."

Beatrice looked up from the reigns she was playing with. "Edward?!" Her worry replaced her unease when she saw Hannah. She jumped down from the carriage and ran over to Edward and Hannah. "Did she faint?" She asked stupidly.

 

Lestat smirked. "I heal much much faster than you, John," he replied politely. "What are you planning to do about your girl?"

 

Edward struggled down the last steps of the hill and saw Beatrice. Her outline blurred and the world tumbled for a moment, but he shook his head, mentally slapping himself.

"John," he breathlessly explained. He shook off Van Helsing's hands as the man tried to take Hannah and relieve him of his burden. "He made her faint... said she'll be around soon... don't trust him, though, or the other one even more..."

 

"Chances are they'll be on guard now, so I'll go to her at their second stop." John said. "While she's 'hunting' so that she's alone. Why do you care?"

"You lied." Beatrice said, sounding even more stupid. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped." She paused. "They could have helped more than I can, but it would still be better than just the two of you going alone." She looked at Hannah and saw the blood, but no scrape, cut, or hole that the blood came from. "I think we should go now...."

 

"She didn't want to tell you," Edward slurred, limping unsteadily over to the carriage. "I'm fine, but John isn't going to let her be... and I can't kill him..." Almost collapsing, he reached under Hannah to open the carriage door, carefully placing her inside. He shook his head and turned to face them all, careful not to lean too heavily on the carriage, his wounds on his back not healing quickly at all. His head was spinning too much, an unnecessary amount of pain exploding in his temples. He put his head between his kneesl clutching either side of it, his eyes shut tightly.

 

"The Edward boy," Lestat began. "I'm intrigued by him... and he's attached to your girl, so what you do to her is relevant to what happens to him. And it's working..." he added, almost to himself, his grin spreading across his sharp teeth once more.

 

"Then do your experiment on him. I don't really see a reason for you anymore. You obviously can't hold back the mongrel." John said.

Beatrice wished there was something she could do to help Edward, but it looked like he was hurting inside and she didn't know what to do about that. "Your back, Edward... does it hurt?"

 

Lestat sighed. "I lied when I said I need you as well," he began slowly. "But if you think you're better off without my knowledge, let's see how far you get by the methods you used tonight." He took a step toward John, his eyes black. "No matter how many times you try, Edward will come back beat you almost to the point of death every time you try to touch your girl. And you can't kill him; he's too strong for you. He wasn't even as angry as he could be tonight and he did enough before you could even retaliate!" Lestat laughed, remembering the images in his head, letting John know he saw everything. "You do need me, John," he hissed happily. "I'll give you your girl back just the way you've always wanted her, and you know you don't know how to do that on your own."

He turned, looking down through the trees to the stables. He could see the carriages from the forest. "You know his spirit, his strength, his power," Lestat muttered. "He'll never stop. But," he announced, turning to John, his voice dangerously high, carefree, and deathly threatening at the same time. "I'll go. Maybe in the next century and a half I'll see you again."

He stepped into the shadows and vanished, covering his smell from anything and everything around him.

Edward's not the only one who has plenty left to learn, he reminded John mentally before he fully disappeared.

 

Edward shook his head. "Not... my... back..." he slurred. "My... head... I'm fine," he finally choked out, standing up straight. "We've got to go. Now."

 

John repressed a shiver. "That one's in over his head." He muttered. "Thinking he's high and mighty. I'd like to see him against Dracula."

Beatrice quickly climbed back to her spot atop the carriage, her cheeks crimson. "I agree. We need to get moving."

OOC: i guess that's all we can do until li'l angelyn comes back.... =(

 

Edward nodded, climbing into Van Helsing's carriage. He quickly moved any small bags in it over to one side and sat crosslegged on the other side, moving Hannah so her head rested in his lap. He picked a cloak up off the carriage floor and draped it over her even though it wasn't too cold now night had completely fallen.

"I'll be right here when you wake up," he whispered, not caring if she heard him or not. "I promise."

 

Lestat laughed at John's thoughts, and then cleared his head, wondering where he would spend the night, sitting up, not sleeping, thinking to himsellf. His own home he'd bought was on the other side of the city and maybe not safe. Too many suspiscious rumors going about to trust the same place all the time...

Ah, he thought. I'm sure the bed in Miss Susan's house is empty...

He laughed even louder, brushing his perfect hair from his face, his eyes back to their normal, hauntingly handsome shade of bright blue.

 

Jinx jumped up onto the carrige ridding seat and waited for Van Helsing. all the Hells, Gods, and Devils must hate her... she thought angrily. Everything is going wrong with people trying to kill her, and she's just a poor newborn... barely a real vampire yet... still able to bleed and go out of control... sh*t

 

Van Helsing sighed, looking at Jinx to see if she was worried or angry the most. It was hard to tell.

"Ready, everyone?" he called down, making sure all were in the carriages. "Don't worry," he added to Jinx. "She'll talk to you later when she's up and explain everything. She trusts you."

 

Jinx shook her head, "Sure, I know she'll tell us eventually, but that's not what I'm worried about." she said, keeping her voice low so Hannah and Edward could rest without hearing them.

 

Edward couldn't help but let out a moan of relief as he felt his back wounds finally begin to heal.

Why take so long? he thought. And why does my head hurt so much?

Then it hit him: "Lestat," he cursed aloud. "What the hell did that b.astard do to me?"

He lowered his voice, looking down at Hannah, his heart panging painfully. He brushed her hair off her face, tracing around her eyes, her nose, her lips, her hairline with the tips of his fingers.

"I'll figure it, dear," he whispered to her, not responding to Van Helsing's voice. "I made a promise."

 

This is going to be fun, Edward, Lestat suddenly murmured in his head, lying back on Susan's bed with a sigh, no intent of sleeping. Just a little garuntee I put on you in case you'd give up or turn on me...