Chapter 1: A New World

Trigger Warning: This first part of the chapter contains self-harming!

It's always the same nightmare.

The long haired man standing on a cart with a rope around his neck. As he says his last words she watches from a distance, her heart aching.

She wants to scream, to make the execution stop.

The words try to come out, but for some reason she doesn't let them. The man looks her way and in his piercing blue eyes she sees a mix of emotions.

Anger. Hate. Pain. Disappointment... Love?

And when the cart moves, when he steps off the edge and hangs, Eleanor jerks awake, heart racing, the word "Don't" on her lips and tears streaming down her face.

The feelings of guilt, self-hatred and regret she's had her whole life are always stronger after the nightmares. It's 4 in the morning and she can't breathe. When the blonde gets out of bed and runs into her bathroom, seeing herself in the mirror, she wants to die.

She hates herself.

"To fear death is a choice" She whispers, repeating the mysterious man's words.

Holding back more tears, she undresses, takes the sharp blade she hides in one of her drawers and steps into the shower. Sinking to the ground she deals with the self-hatred and despair the only way she can, cutting through the skin of her thighs.

As the blood flows out of the cuts, she finally lets herself cry, sobbing and shaking. And the same questions run through her mind.

What does she feel so guilty about? What makes her hate herself so fucking much? And why does she dream about a man she's never seen before?

Eleanor cries until she's too exhausted, cleans up her new cuts, waiting until the bleeding stops before going back to bed, feeling empty. As she falls into a restless sleep, she feels the pain. In her thighs from the cuts. In her head from all the crying.

But mostly, in her heart.

Across the city, the man from her nightmares wakes up in his hideout, pushing down the pang in his chest.

He has no reason to be sad. He and his accomplices have just successfully robbed a bank. With all the money they got, he should be ecstatic. But he was dreaming about her again. That face that's been haunting his dreams for years, that woman he's never met, but looks so familiar.

He lights a cigarette, thinking about the face that by now he knows as well as his own. The blonde hair. The blue-green eyes, shining with determination and strength. He just knows she's fucking stubborn and without realizing, he lets out a small chuckle, feeling a weird sense of affection spreading through his chest.

"This is ridiculous", he thinks, pushing the feeling down. Still, he can't shake the feeling he needs to find her. That she needs him.

He's worried about a person he only sees in his dreams.

"Fucking absurd", he mumbles, shaking his head.

Hearing the slight rustling of sheets and an unintelligible muttering, he looks back, able to see his two accomplices since the curtain that acts as a wall between their room and the main space of the hideout is open.

Jack, probably still drunk from their earlier celebrations, tries to move in his sleep, causing Anne to wake up briefly and hit his chest, telling him to "Stop fucking moving."

Charles smirks. He's never been in love, despite all the women he's been with. But he admires what these two have.

Even though they're far from a normal couple, they're loyal.

Thinking about loyalty brings a wave of the resentment he also feels about the blonde haired woman in his dreams. The affection from earlier is mostly gone, being replaced by anger. Sighing, he decides to stop trying to understand these feelings. He's not sober anyway, and he should be sleeping.

Going back to his bed, he tries not to think about her, the affection, the anger, and about how fucking worried he feels.

"Why do birds have to be so loud?" Is Eleanor's first thought when she wakes up in the morning, hearing the birds sing in her balcony, making her headache worse. For a moment, she wonders if she's hungover, but then she stretches her legs and feels the sharp pain in her thighs, reminding her of what happened a few hours ago.

Sighing, she gets up and changes, knowing her father is probably waiting for her so they can have breakfast. She uses makeup to hide the obvious signs of how much she cried before getting out of her room, walking through corridors and going down the grand staircase, ignoring the pain from the cuts.

Sure enough, her father is waiting for her at one end of the ridiculously long table, wearing the usual business suit, his face hidden behind a newspaper.

From where Eleanor stands, she can read the leading article. A bank was robbed. It was that trio again. It's unbelievable, how no one can catch them, no one even knows what their faces look like, she thinks as she sits down.

Her father lowers the newspaper, finally looking at his daughter sitting at the other end of the table.

"You don't look too well." He says, distant as always.

"I couldn't sleep" She lies.

He shakes his head.

"Remember there's an important party this weekend, I do not want you looking half dead to all my guests, so make sure you get some sleep. Have you bought a new dress yet?" He asks, as servants begin to bring their breakfast to the table.

Rolling her eyes, she takes a sip of water and lifts her chin as she smiles, knowing her answer will annoy him. "Not yet. But i am going shopping tomorrow with Max to take care of that."

He looks at her with a bored expression, sighing heavily.

"Why must you do this? There are so many young ladies who would be better company for you. It is horrible for your reputation, being seen walking around with that low life of a woman."

She gives him a sharp look. "Do not talk about her like that. She's the only real friend I have. And we both know that."

Deciding to drop the topic, he shakes his head in disapproval one last time before saying without even looking at his daughter. "Make sure you get the best dress you can find, and some new jewelry as well. I want you to look impressive this weekend."

Frowning and looking at him suspiciously, she lifts her chin again in defiance.

"And why is that?"

"There will be a special guest. I want you to meet him. I trust I can expect you to be on your best behavior, yes?"

She rolls her eyes. Of course.

"Is this one younger than you, at least?"

"Watch your tongue. You will like him."

"Yeah. Of course I will" She says, tone full of sarcasm.

They are silent for the rest of the breakfast.

Finally her father gets up, sighing as he makes his way to the door of the breakfast room.

"I have a meeting in New York tonight. My flight leaves in two hours and I probably will not be back for another two days. You go on and spend as much money as you need shopping tomorrow. And try not to be seen arm in arm or holding hands with that woman in public. I do not need another scandal involving the two of you." Richard says as he walks out of the breakfast room, leaving Eleanor alone. She smirks to herself.

"I bet another scandal would make a fine impression for this new idiot you want me to meet." She gets up, taking out her cellphone to text Max as she starts the walk back to her room.

"He just left, again? Let me guess, you had no idea he was leaving." Max says from Eleanor's bed as she watches her friend close the door to her balcony.

"As always. At least he told me this time. That's new." Eleanor rolls her eyes, causing Max to smirk. She smiles back as she goes over to the bed and sits down, wincing slightly at the pain from the cuts.

Max's smirk drops instantly, a worried frown replacing it.

"You did it again, didn't you? How bad was it?" She asks, already reaching for the hem of Eleanor's bathrobe.

"I'm fine." The blonde says, moving away.

"Eleanor. Let me see it." Her friend says with a serious tone.

Sighing, she lets the other woman expose her thighs.

"It hurts my heart to see you do this to yourself, my darling. I've seen deeper ones but still, it hurts me every time. Was it that nightmare again?"

"Yes. It's driving me insane, Max." she says, feeling fresh tears starting to form in her eyes, but refusing to cry again.

"And the night terrors?"

"They only get worse too. I can't even sleep some nights. And now my father wants me to meet some new idiot at that stupid party this weekend, and I just want to scream a big fuck you to all these people, but at the same time I want to do what's best for the Trading Company. I don't know what to do anymore." She says, her voice breaking.

"Oh, my angel. It's okay." Max says, pulling her into a hug. "When things get rough. You can always come to Max. You know that, right?" She says softly, her reassuring accent offering the blonde some comfort, as it always does.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." Eleanor says, ignoring the strong sense of déjà vu that phrase her friend said brought her.

"You'll never have to know." Max says, pulling back and winking at her.

Laughing briefly, Eleanor brings her walls up again, pretending she didn't nearly have a breakdown in front of her friend. "So. You wanna go spend sometime down at the pool?"

Max smiles, knowing her too well. "Of course my dear. Of course."

Jack groans as Anne brings her fist down into the table with a loud bang.

"Serves you right." She says and rolls her eyes at her hungover partner.

"Darling, my head is pounding enough already. You don't need to make it worse. Charles, tell her."

"She's right." He says simply, staring out the window and taking a drag of his cigarette.

Jack rolls his eyes, annoyed at how Anne could drink as much as she wanted and not get a hangover.

"Well whatever. I'm going to lay down and sleep this off. You two have fun moping..." He gestures towards Anne, who was slouching on the couch with a bored expression, and then at Charles "...And daydreaming about a woman you've never met."

Charles growls, Jack putting his hands up before hurrying off to the bedroom he shares with Anne.

Of course his friend knew what was bothering him.

Ever since he drunkenly revealed about his strange dreams, Jack always knew whenever he had them.

He shook his head, finishing his cigarette and turning around to find Anne regarding him with a strange look, as if thinking he was crazy because of the dreams. "What you looking at?"

"Fuck off" She says in her usual sweet nature and gets up to go check on their guns, leaving an amused Charles behind.

Guthrie mansion

11:00 PM

"What time do you want to go shopping tomorrow?" Max asked as she and Eleanor laid in bed watching movies.

"Ugh. I'd rather not go at all."

The horror movie illuminated the room just enough for her to notice the smirk on Max's face.

"Will your father notice if you just wear one of the dresses you already have? You own so many!"

"Trust me, he will. And he'll give me hell for it."

"You poor thing. But don't worry. As usual, I'll come by around midnight to rescue you so we can go out and drink."

After the movie ends, both women get up and start getting ready for bed.

"Do you think you'll have them tonight? The nightmares?" Max asks as they get in bed.

"I hope not. I really want and need a full night of sleep"

"I'm here to chase them away. Don't worry." She jokes, causing Eleanor to chuckle.

Saying their goodnights both woman soon fall into a peaceful sleep.

She hears the men drinking and celebrating. The waves crashing into the beach. She's annoyed at the men.

They are too reckless. Too violent. She knows.

But who are they?

"Don't mind them." A deep voice says, making her shiver "It was a good hunt. The celebrations will last for a while tonight."

Eleanor knows that voice. The man from her nightmares.

The one who hangs.

She's laying down somewhere. Looking around, she takes in her surroundings. Is she in a tent?

All thought leaves her mind when she feels a pair of strong arms come around her from behind.

"Just ignore them." The voice says in her ear now, lips caressing the side of her neck. Closing her eyes, she lets herself enjoy the feeling. It's not like her to be this careless. But it feels good. It feels right and familiar.

As one of the man's hands caresses her left thigh, her eyes snap open in alarm. But she doesn't feel any pain. Confused, she looks at her thighs. No scars. No cuts.

"What's wrong?" He asks and only then she turns to look at him.

Yes. It's him. The mysterious man from her nightmares.

He's looking at her, a hint of worry in his eyes, as if he's trying to hide it.

"Nothing..." she answers, a strange happiness filling her suddenly as she touches his face and smiles "Absolutely nothing."

Happy tears come to her eyes as she gives in to the urge to kiss him, and he seems surprised by her actions for a second before responding, kissing her as his arms come around her waist to pull her flush against him.

A gasp escapes her when he pushes his leg between her thighs, and he uses the opportunity to start trailing kisses down her neck to her chest. She tangles her hands in his hair, feeling light headed and hot.

She wants to say something. A name... His name.

She only has to remember...

But then there's a voice that isn't his and she feels smaller, more delicate hands on her shoulders, gently shaking her.

"Wake up."

Everything around her starts to fade as the voice gets more urgent.

"Eleanor. Wake up."

And she wakes up with a start.

Max is looking at her with eyes full of worry as she lays beside her on the bed.

"What?" The blonde asks, confused, still feeling the heat between her thighs from the dream.

"I'm not sure. You were calling out someone's name. I think it was Charles." Max explains as they both sit up in bed.

"Why'd you wake me?" Eleanor groans, irritated by the disturbance of having been awakened from such a nice dream with the mysterious man.

"I thought it was another nightmare."

"Wait, you said I was calling out for someone? Charles?" Eleanor grips her forehead as a really strong sense of déjà vu overcomes her, making her dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Max asks in concern and the blonde blinks hard while the fog in her brain clears.

"I don't know anyone named Charles."

"It's what it was sounding like, yes. But I could be wrong."

"You must be. I never met anyone named Charles." She frowns, because it feels like a lie.

A betrayal to someone. Her feelings of guilt get strong again.

"Well. It's still 3 in the morning. We should go back to sleep. You sure you okay?" Max asks, laying back down.

"Yeah. It wasn't a nightmare."

Far from it.

"What was the dream about, then?"

"I... Don't really remember." She lies, still feeling hot from the dream.

"Hmm. You're no fun." Max complains, yawning as Eleanor lays back down as well and quickly falls asleep again.

But the blonde isn't so lucky.

She stays awake for a long time, thinking about the dream. This was strange.

Up to this night, she had only had the same nightmares about that man.

And now, this.

The way he touched her... It had felt so real.

She sighs, turning on her side.

As sleep overcomes her, she can't help but remember how good his touch had felt. And how she could've sworn she had already felt it before.

Notes:

This is based off a dream i had a few weeks ago.

Basically, the idea is that a few characters from the series have reincarnated and are now living in the 21th century. We'll see how their lives will intertwine once again, what will happen to them, and how long it will take until they remember who they are.

About Eleanor's breakdown and self-harming habits. I know it may be out of character for her to do this, but I'm trying to be realistic. In this life, she has grown up really sheltered, and hasn't lived in a harsh place where she was always seeing death and violence. This has an impact on her personality. But of course, I will not write her as a spoiled and weak girl. I'll try to keep her original personality as much as I can.

Anyway, I already have a few more chapters written and this story will get a lot darker, dealing with abandonment of children (When we start to get a look into the criminal trio's past on this current life), and some harsh themes like sexual abuse, but nothing too explicit. And I will put trigger warnings whenever it comes up.

Also depression and self-harm, obviously.

More characters from the series will eventually start to appear too, while some others will be vaguely mentioned. But the main focus of this fic is and will always be Vane/Eleanor ;)

Next chapter teaser:

"Will you stop?" Anne snaps at Jack, who was nervously tapping his fingers on the table in front of him.

"He shouldn't be taking so long. I have a bad feeling. What if he got caught?"