Chapter One- The Heart of the Deal

Disclaimer: I own nothing with rescpects to Van Helsing save for the OCs Tamina and a few others

Gabriel fell onto darkness and was laid in a chamber. Moments later he awoke chained to a bed by his throat. Dracula flew in. Dracula smirked at seeing Gabriel in pain.

"Let me go." He screamed. Dracula scooted onto the bed and whispered into his ear,

"Never fear, Gabriel I'll let you go when the time is right."

Van Helsing screamed in torment as the silver chain burned his neck. Dracula grabbed his throat cutting off Van Helsing's air supply.

"Scream all you want Gabriel no one will save you. Not this time!" He let go of his throat. Dracula heard the beautiful racing of his heart. He wanted to drink Gabriel's holy blood but couldn't for his angelical blood was tainted with werewolf venom.

Dracula opened his shirt and cut his chest with his nail and blood dripped upon Van's lips.

"DRINK GABRIEL! For I know you have lusted after my blood as I have yours."

Van Helsing gasped breathing without breathing drawing in the blood of his enemy.

He drank deeply until Dracula slapped him,

"That's enough Gabriel."

Van Helsing gathered many things from drinking Dracula's blood some memories of death and destruction of his family and the thing he dreaded most in seeing. Anna's death played from Dracula's view.

"NO!" he screamed the silver was now making his neck not only burn but bleed as well.

Dracula raised an eyebrow and cooed into Van Helsing's ear again, "I could make it all stop your pain, your memory of Anna, and your life." Van Helsing looked up the thing he wanted most was coming to him…

"What is your desire?" Dracula purred, brushing a single hair from Gabriel's face. "Tell me your wish... and I shall grant it."

"My death…"

It was an unexpected answer, especially coming from Gabriel. The Vatican would never have allowed the Knight of the Holy Order to die from suicide and Gabriel knew he was not cowardly enough to kill himself, but then again, death at battle was for a good cause. And here it was, a man who had hunted evil for so long, wished not for gold, woman, or freedom… but death. Freedom from all the pain and anguish his life had caused him. Dracula couldn't have that he had something better in mind.

"Interesting…" The Count grinned at Gabriel's stupid request, "And what do you think you will profit from this endeavor? Anna will not approve, Gabriel…That her precious hunter had killed himself in the end." Dracula spoke the last line in mockery. Gabriel winced.

"I have nothing to live for… The world will be better off without my services. I cause nothing but death and despair wherever I go…" Gabriel murmured and glared at Dracula.

"So do I, but I have never contemplated death by my own hand you did it for me." Dracula laughed at the hunter!

Gabriel snarled at the Count's mocking voice, "How dare you laugh at me! Even if I do die! Even if I end in hell, I will climb those hellish mountains to see Anna again." He stood away from the bed.

Dracula wrinkled his nose in disgust. "What has gotten into you, Gabriel? Where is the man I once knew inside of you? Replaced by this cowardly flesh of a man."

"I am not a coward and I am not of your past…!" Gabriel growled angrily. The Count snarled and threw Van Helsing roughly onto the bed. A pained gasp escaped the hunter's lips, his eyes widened slightly. In a flash, Dracula was beside him, putting an iron grip on Gabriel's chest trying to search for his heart. His other hand caressing Gabriel's rough cheek, causing Gabriel to cringe.

"Your suffering. You poor, defeated soul. I can see it in your eyes. You don't have to lose your life Gabriel…Would you like to remember? Your suffering is drenched in every part of your soul, and you wish to be freed of it. And in order to do so, you wish to lose your life over it? Well, that will not work … Why? Because this was exactly what I had done when I had lost all hope… Although in my case, I was killed before I could kill myself. So… Gabriel… do you wish to know whom you were? …Who you are?"

Gabriel opened his mouth to answer back, but shut it tight. Yes, he did wish to know about his past, but the fact that Dracula might be involved in it was disturbing. He thought of his life at the Order, his loss of Anna. What about Carl? What would his best friend say about this? But even now, Carl could not make this choice for him. This had to be of his own doing.

Perhaps out of habit... or out of sheer faith. He closed his eyes and gave a small prayer to God for protection. He had no weapons and no skills he knew he could use against Dracula. Whatever protecting God was wiling to give him, he would need it. Finally, he crossed himself and his lips quivered his answer. "Very well."

Dracula sniggered triumphantly, "You are willing to go through with this? Even with consequence?"

"YES!" Gabriel yelled, and this made Dracula smile with satisfaction. In a puff of black smoke, a scroll appeared in the Count's hand. He held it with caution in his grip, before smiling and letting go of Gabriel. He opened his hand and made the scroll open itself, floating right in front before Gabriel's eyes. He eyed it with suspicion. It glowed with an eerie yellow light, almost beckoning the hunter towards it. Gabriel reached out to see it, but Dracula stopped him slightly.

"You will need to sign your signature with your blood…" Dracula explained and opened his hand. There was another puff of smoke and within his hand, there grew a strange black rose. The thorns on its stem glittered dangerously. Gabriel looked at it with hesitation, and then at the scroll. The Count held the rose towards Gabriel, but Gabriel turned away and looked back at the scroll. He started to read it, but Dracula grabbed his chin and lifted it in eyesight.

"Release me from your grip…" Gabriel growled trying to pull away, but to no avail. Dracula smiled.

"On the contrary, dearest Gabriel, I will not. You are mine… And you reading this scroll will be a disadvantage to me..." He tried to pull the hunter closer so that he might taste Gabriel's delicate lips again, but Gabriel resisted.

The Hunters face contorted in anger, "But that is unjust!"

Dracula grimaced, "Life is not fair, Gabriel. You should know that by now. I make the rules, and you must follow them. All you need to know is that you will be freed of the curse you hold for so long, the immortal memories that haunt your every step."

Gabriel frowned, "I will not agree to this! Not until I know what I'm getting myself into…"

The Count growled, but released Gabriel's chin from his grasp, "Stubborn as always, but fair enough. You want to know the conditions? Fine. You will be granted safety in this castle walls, as well with the return of your memories. You will be given food and shelter. Treated like the man you are… In exchange, you will stay here for awhile, treated any way I like…"

Gabriel didn't like the sound of how Dracula emphasized the word 'awhile' with a hiss of… pleasure. But at this point, he was deceived. Finally, he sighed and gave a nod. He delicately took the rose from Dracula's hand and dug his finger into the thorn. With a hiss of pain, a bead of blood blossomed on his skin, glowing brightly. Dracula's mouth watered with anticipation, but he knew he couldn't drink… not yet…

The rose in Gabriel's hand vanished, and replaced itself with the dark feather of an eagle, the tip as sharp as the rose's thorn. He dipped the tip of the quill on the surface of the bead of blood, and lifted the quill to the enchanted parchment. As he placed the quill to the paper, he could see Anna's face haunting his mind. Fighting back the tears that her memory caused, he started to write the curves of his signature. Slowly with each letter, Gabriel's hand flowed freely until his name was written. When he finished, the signature glowed brightly in red. The scroll rolled itself up and floated back to the Count's hand. Dracula's eyes glowed with a malevolent grin.

"Now … you are officially mine!" He grabbed Gabriel's heart -Van Helsing cried out in pain- and smothered his hand in the Hunter's blood and dripped it into a bowl where other things lay. Van Helsing soon unnaturally was put into a deep sleep where all his memories came back to him. Or so he thought.