The Ending That Should Have Been (NSFW)

Part Two

Mina knew a moment’s anxiety when she woke, alone, in a strange bed. She did not immediately recognize her surroundings. Then an inmate howled and one of the guards replied by banging on the bars of his cell. It all came back to her: the men leaving her at the sanatorium where they believed she would be safe while they raided Carfax Abbey next door. But she hadn’t been safe, had she? Despite the best efforts of Jonathan and the others, she had been found and she had been taken – right under their very noses!

Her cheeks flamed as she remembered the time they had spent together, the things they had done. She was another man’s wife and yet Mina had given herself willingly – eagerly! – to the man known as Dracula. She cringed inwardly at the word, hating the shiver of fear that it inspired. Let the men call Vlad what they would; whatever else he might be called, to Mina he would always be her Prince.

Her Prince!

It was only then that Mina realized she was alone in the doctor’s cluttered little apartment. Scrambled into a sitting position, her gaze wildly swept the room, searching for Vlad. He was nowhere to be found. Alone. She was utterly alone, naked and vulnerable in an unfamiliar place. The room started to spin as panic swelled in her chest. Mina gasped for air, her fingers tangling in the sheets, trying to breathe… Trying to keep a grip on reality…

Had he ever really been there? Or had her desire for him been so great that she had dreamed him up? Mina started to doubt herself, began to wonder if she could trust her own mind, her own memories…

But wait… there was a tell tale stickiness between her legs that proved she had not spent the night alone. Mina wasn’t losing her mind; Vlad had been with her. But where had he gone? Why had he gone? An awful feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she realized what Vlad’s absence meant. He’d left her. Her Prince had given her the most remarkable night of her life – and then he’d left her.

Was this her punishment for choosing Jonathan? Had Vlad come to her, given her her hope, made her believe that he loved her, promised her forever – just to make her suffer the same feeling of loss that he suffered when she sent him that awful letter? Or – oh, God! – had he used her to get back at the men who, even now, were probably watching the embers of Carfax Abbey burn to nothing? Was she to be his revenge for Lucy?

All those things he said… The way he made her feel… Was none of it true?

Hush, now, my love.

Mina jumped, startled by the voice that seemed to come from nowhere.

“Vlad?”

She looked around the room again, thinking that she had somehow missed him the first time, even leaning over to peer under the bed. But her second search was as fruitless as the first. Mina was alone in the apartment and yet…

You are not alone, he said. I am with you.

This time, Mina realized that he spoke only in her mind. Her hand came up to cover her mouth in a gesture of surprise. How was that even possible?

We are one. Vlad told her simply – as if that should answer any questions. Now and always.

Her heart swelled. It hadn’t been merely a ruse after all; he did care!

“I thought…” she couldn’t form the words. If he had abandoned her… She didn’t know how – if – she could go on.

Never, he said to her. Never think that I would treat you in such a way.

She sagged against the headboard, relief making her weak. He hadn’t left her! It was nearly too good to be true. Her mind still swam and her pulse fluttered wildly. How could she have doubted him? Her Prince would never leave her. Except, well… he was not actually there with her.

More curious than concerned now, Mina sat up straight, gazing around the room as she spoke. “Where are you?”

I cannot rest without my native soil. Your men destroyed several boxes of it last night.

Mina bristled at his words. She did not like the way he said, ‘Your men.’ They were Lucy’s men, surely, not hers! Even Jonathan did not feel like her man. He hadn’t been hers since the shriveled skeleton of the man he used to be rushed into her arms in Budapest. No, she thought, it was long before that. He had not been “her man” since the first time she laid eyes on Vlad.

Oh, dear God in Heaven! What was she going to do about Jonathan? She couldn’t go back to him, not now. Now that she’d had a taste of real passion, the thought of Jonathan’s awkward fumbling was repulsive. Her stomach churned at the thought. She would be ill if he actually touched her, she was certain of it.

Feelings of pride and love washed over Mina. It took a moment to realize that the emotions she felt were not her own. She could not only hear Vlad’s words but shared his feelings as well. It was a kind of intimacy she could never have dreamed of – one that was a great comfort to her and held, she imagined, very exciting possibilities. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt masculine approval rumble through her. It seemed Vlad also looked forward to exploring those possibilities.

I- he began as the door to Dr. Seward’s apartment flew open. In a moment the room was filled with male bodies. The men had returned, weapons drawn, their eyes searching the room for something they clearly did not find. Mina could feel Vlad’s anger at their interruption as if it were her own. Remembering her state of undress, she quickly pulled the bed clothes up to her chin.

The smell of smoke and earth reached her, clinging to their clothes and reminding Mina of the their deadly work. Her ire rose as she realized that the destruction they wrought at Carfax Abbey that night had driven her love away. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded as anger and embarrassment brought a flush to her cheeks.

Arthur, Jack, and Quincy did the gentlemanly thing and averted their eyes. Jonathan coughed and shuffled his feet, suddenly very interested in a diagram of the human mind that adorned the wall nearby. Only Van Helsing stared boldly back at her, his hungry eyes brazenly raking her body.

Vlad’s thoughts were murderous.

Mina’s were not much kinder.

It was Jonathan who spoke first. His voice was, as it always was these days, timid – apologetic, even. Had it always been so? She couldn’t remember; the memory of the nervous clerk Mina once fancied herself in love paled in comparison to the dark passion of her immortal prince.

“The monster has eluded us again,” he said. “Dr. Van Helsing worried that he might have made an attack upon your person, to thwart us.”

Mina knew with absolute certainty that the rage that filled her when she heard Jonathan utter the word “monster” was not Vlad’s, but her own. How dare he say such a thing about Vlad! She wanted to set them straight – to tell them that they were the monsters for hunting the man she loved as if he was some sort of rabid beast – but Vlad’s voice urged her to stay silent.

Easy, my love, he told her. They cannot know, not yet. I am not strong enough to protect you.

“Mina?”

She blinked, surprised to find all five men staring at her. Concern was written plainly across all faces but one: Van Helsing’s, of course. His beady little eyes were narrowed in suspicion and his lips were pressed together. The professor had made Mina uneasy from the very start. His wild, unorthodox ways were never predictable and always inappropriate. The others seemed to respect him, though, looking to him for guidance, but Mina had only ever felt mistrust for the odd little man.

“Sorry,” she said, trying to gather her wits. “It’s just the thought of that… that… thing. How… dreadful.”

The lie made her feel very dreadful indeed – and did not sound in the least bit convincing – but Vlad radiated his approval.

Yes, he said. They must believe. You must not give them any reason to suspect us until I am strong enough to face them.

Of all the men, only Van Helsing did not seem to believe. He did not seem to believe at all. The searching look he gave Mina made her want to squirm.

“Are you certain that you have been alone here?” he asked her. “All night?”

Mina evaded the question as best she could.

“I think that I would notice a strange man creeping into my bed in the middle of the night!” she said, indignation making her voice rise. Clutching the bed clothes closer around herself, she forced herself to return Van Helsing’s unblinking stare.

“Perhaps we should search her for bite marks, like the ones Miss Lucy had,” Van Helsing suggested to the others as if Mina was not even present, stroking the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. The professor’s tone was cool and analytical yet his eyes revealed how much he would like to be the one to perform such a search.

That one I will kill slowly, Vlad growled. Mina had to admit that the idea had merit. The strange little proffessor made her very uneasy indeed. His death would be no great loss.

“Now wait a goddamn minute!” Quincey said. To Mina’s great relief, the Texan’s interruption put an effective end to Van Helsing’s suggestion.

“Indeed.” Lord Holmwood, ever the gentleman, agreed. He tugged at his cravat, apparently uncomfortable by the current breach of decorum that he found himself embroiled in.

“I will not be searched like some criminal!” Mina said firmly before any one else could add their opinion to the debate. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I would like to dress – before anyone else takes it upon themselves to come to my aid!”

She was shaking with both anger and fear. What would the men do if they found the swollen bite marks currently hidden by her long hair, she wondered. Would they drive a stake through her heart and cut off her head as they did poor Lucy? The thought sent a shiver of dread through her.

I would never allow that to happen, Vlad assured her. I will rip every one of them apart with my bare hands before I allow any one to touch you. His voice alone was enough to reassure her. She drew strength from her prince’s metal presence. Straightening her back, Mina looked each of the men directly in the eye, daring them to refuse. No one did.

“Yes, well…” Dr. Seward said, shifting uncomfortably under her determined gaze. “We should see to… ah…”

Then they were spilling out of the room in a rush, leaving Mina in peace. Van Helsing was, not surprisingly, the last one out. He stared at Mina for a long moment by the door before he turned and let it swing shut behind him. The curtained door gave Mina the impression that was she was alone but she could still hear the low rumble of voices from the other side. Afraid that the men had not believed her and were listening, just outside the door, for her to give something away, Mina kept her voice low.

“What shall we do?” she whispered. What could be done? She was trapped! The men who thought they were protecting her would be the cause of her ruin. It was only a matter of time before they saw through her flimsy lies.

Patience, Vlad said, his calm voice soothing her nerves. Trust in me. I will free us from the oppression of Van Helsing and his minions.

Mina had an idea of how he would free them but she did not want to dwell on it long. It sent a chill straight to her bones. With the exception of Dr. Van Helsing – whose beady eyed stare truly frightened Mina – Arthur, Jack, Quincey and Jonathan were good men. She did not want them to die, just to leave her and Vlad alone so that they could be happy together. Hadn’t they waited long enough? Didn’t they deserve a chance to be happy?

They are good, loyal men, Vlad agreed, picking up on her thoughts, which is why they will not rest until they have destroyed me. They see it as their duty to your Lucy, to avenge her death, he explained. No, my love… This can end only with their deaths – or mine.

Mina would not be able to stand it if Vlad was taken from her now. She thought she understood finally why he had become what he was, what had driven him to embrace the darkness. If the men who claimed to be her protectors took away the only thing that mattered to her, would that not be enough to drive her into the same darkness, never to return?

Never, Vlad said. She felt the rush of protectiveness that he felt for her. I will never allow you to face the darkness that once claimed me. I will free us both, he vowed.

Mina knew that, by freeing them both, Vlad meant that he would kill them all: Van Helsing, Arthur, Jack, Quincey, Jonathan – all dead. The thought gave her a pang of regret. But, if it came down to being without Vlad or their deaths, she would always, always choose Vlad. She would kill every single person in London herself if they stood between her and Vlad!

The ferocity of her own thoughts frightened Mina. She had, since her youth, fought feelings of impatience and frustration on many occasions but she had never before considered herself a violent person. Now, however, she could picture herself clearly, standing over the dead body of Van Helsing, her hands stained red with his blood, his still beating heart in her hands.

Mina felt a quick twinge of fear from Vlad but it was quickly suppressed.

“My prince?” she said, instantly full of worry.

It is naught. He was quick to reassure her – perhaps too quick. Mina wanted to press the issue but he evaded her.

Leave the men to me, he told her. I will do what needs to be done.

“And then we will be together?”

She could feel him smiling down at her. Like a flower under the brilliant rays of the sun, Mina bloomed under Vlad’s affection.

And then we will be together, he promised. Forever.

“Forever.”

Mina rose, still smiling, from the bed that she had too briefly shared with her love and hurried to dress before anyone – Van Helsing in particular! – could come ask what was taking so long.

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