Closer To Heaven

Chapter 1: The American Woman

He had been aimlessly roaming the streets of London, thoughts spinning and swirling inside his head. He was dressed in his usual attire, hat, and mask on as well to conceal his identity. It was dark. Late. Close to midnight. The streets were almost empty save for the occasional couple walking by or a carriage being pulled somewhere off in the distance.

It had been another long, sleeveless night, his mind too plagued with nightmares and a deep seated guilt to have any form of decent sleep. After Anna's death... Gabriel pushed everyone away. He no longer worked for the Vatican. That didn't stop him from hunting, though. And he never even attempted to leave the monsters alive for Vatican to research... as he didn't work for them anymore.

He just... killed. Truly took on the title of murderer. And honestly? He no longer had a problem with it. Not after what he had done to Anna. After the tragedy... he, for the first time, truly felt like he deserved the name. A murderer. That's all he was.

He was lost in these self-deprecating thoughts when out of the corner of his eye, something... no, someone caught his attention. He stopped in his tracks, turning his head to look over at the woman...

She was in an all red dress, her waist coming in at the middle, a butler clearly hidden under the dress. It swayed with her hips as she walked. She had leather gloves on. Her hair was pulled up... into... what he believed was called 'The Gibson Girl' hairstyle. He had only seen it one other time... and he knew it was a distinctly American hairstyle.

But not only was it the fact that she was a foreigner that caught his attention... it was also the fact that she was walking... down the dark, midnight streets of England... without a chaperone.

Now, Gabriel was never one to care about such things. He knew women could handle themselves and that some norms may be a bit out there... but there was something in his gut that was telling him that this particular situation was odd. He wasn't sure what about it was, but there was something.

He watched as she switched the parasol into her other hand, the black item held high over her head as she readjusted the hat upon her head. A small hat covered in lace trim with what looked like a white rose sitting in the middle. Gabriel watched as she dipped into a dark alleyway, disappearing from sight.

And before Gabriel knew what he was doing, he was following her...

He quickly crossed the cobblestone street and dashed into the alleyway... only to be met with dark emptiness. He paused, his gaze narrowing as he scanned the narrow space between two old buildings.

That was when he heard the click of the hammer on a revolver being pulled back.

"Only men with not a single good intention follow women around when they are in such vulnerable positions." A soft yet firm voice spoke. It had a twang to it... an accent he had never heard. "I've done been near enough cowboys to know a bad man when I see one."

Gabriel slowly turned around his hands up.

It was the same woman he had seen walk into the alleyway. And the foreign accent only confirmed that she was from America... and the West, apparently as well. He had heard of cowboys. Of the Wild West. It was something most Europeans, especially the British, would sniveling and scoff at. Cowboys were known to be reckless, bloodthirsty fools.

At least, that was what he had heard.

"That mask ain't helpin' your case either." She quickly added.

Gabriel sighed and shook his head.

"I am not here to hurt you." He replied.

"Then why are ya followin' me?" She scoffed, disbelieving.

She had a confident, firm grip on her revolver as if she had used it a million times before.

"Curiosity, I guess. I was wondering what a woman, clearly new to England, was doing wandering the streets alone." Gabriel admitted, no shame coloring his voice. Just honesty.

"Curiosity?" She repeated back to him incredulously.

"Curiosity." He confirmed.

She frowned, her expression tight and disbelieving. She stepped forward, her gloved hand outstretched as she pulled the mask down from his face and then pushed his hat up. She studied Gabriel for a moment before a small huff of realization escaped her lips.

"Van Helsing." She whispered.

Gabriel looked surprised. How had she known him. But before he could ask, she went on to add, "I am a new member of the Vatican. Sailed in from America. They said I may run into you."

A new member of the Vatican? That made this woman a hunter. That made sense. With the way she carried herself. The way she seemed to have very little fear. The way she seemed so confident with the weapon in her hand that she was now lowering.

"Maybe it is a good thing I ran into you." She murmured, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she pulled a pocket watch from her dress, clicking it open and checking the time.

"How so?" Gabriel asked.

"It seems that you may have never fully finished your job a year ago." She replied bluntly.

Gabriel furrowed his brows, his jaw clenched.

"Excuse me?" He pardoned.

"Just yesterday, I came across a vampire. You know what that means."

Gabriel paused, eyes going wide with confusion... that shouldn't be possible... it wasn't possible. He had killed Dracula. He had risked it all to kill the vampire and had succeeded... meaning that his offspring and every single one of his creations would die with him... so how had this woman run into a vampire? It shouldn't be possible.

"But, I-" He started, only to be cut off.

"I know what I saw, Mr. Helsing. And I know you are the only man who can help me. So. Will you?" She prompted.

Gabriel paused for a moment longer. This was all happening so quickly. He was so lost. They're was so much that needed to be discussed... but if Dracula was somehow back... they needed to get rid of him.

The woman smiled as she saw the gears turning in his head. She pulled the black leather gloves off of her hand and then held it out.

"Adeline. Adeline Thompson. Do we have a deal, Mr. Helsing?" She mused.

Gabriel paused, his expression unreadable. Then, he finally took her hand in his and shook it.

"We have a deal, Ms. Thompson." He replied.

This was going to be one hell of a ride.

To be continued...