Marriage Saves Anna

1. The Night Before Finding Frankenstein

Gabriel and Anna got up from their rough landing. "You alright?" Gabriel Van Helsing asked.

"I'm FINE." Anna replied harshly. "I'm not dead am I?"

They walked ahead for about two hours when Anna started to feel tired. "You're tired." Gabriel said. "We'll camp for the night. We can head back in the morning."

"But we don't have anything." She stated confused.

Gabriel pulled out a large folded up duvet and two portable pillows from his coat. "We do actually. I'm always prepared." He said laying the pillows down and spreading the duvet out in the clearing they were standing in. "Get comfortable. I'll go find some wood and start us a fire to warm up."

"Be careful. There could be warewolves still lurking around. It's Dracula's way." Anna replied sitting down and covering herself with the duvet.

Gabriel nodded and went to find wood.

Five minutes later he came back to find Anna asleep and shivering from the cold. He quickly arranged the wood and started the fire. He waited for it to create a good blaze then crawled under the duvet himself and setting his head on the other pillow. He looked over at the still shivering Anna and brought her to lay against him to share his body heat. She relaxed, instantly feeling warmer. "Good nite, Anna." He whispered and kissed her temple.

Anna smiled subconsciously and murmured. "I love you." However, Gabriel didn't catch it. Just the smile that seemed to stay plastered on her face and he smiled himself falling asleep.

A few hours later as it was beginning to dawn, Anna stirred from her sleep. She felt a small weight around her waist and opened her eyes to find Gabriel's arm around her. *What the...?* She thought. She carefully turned around in case he wasn't awake yet and found him still sleeping. She turned her head to find the fire had died down quite a bit then turned to face the sleeping monster hunter again. Anna smiled then cuddled into him falling asleep again with her head on his chest.

It was around 8:00 when Gabriel awoke with the morning sun shining brightly. He opened his eyes at the feel of some weight on his chest to find Anna still asleep with her head there. She was smiling and it made him smile himself. Deciding not to wake her, he carefully started to move her to the other side when she suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and spoke softly. "Where're you going?"

Gabriel froze thinking he woke her. "To find some fruit." He replied.

"Where will you find fruit in the desert?" She asked furrowing her eyebrows.

When she said the desert, he realized she was speaking from her sleep and just went with it. "Over by a cactus. Fruit trees randomly grow near them because of their water content. I'll bring us some water to drink from it too."

Satisfied with his answer, she let him go. "I love you. Be careful. I don't want you getting hurt by a prickling cactus."

Gabriel set her down slowly and carressed her cheek ignoring the love part. "I will." He said and headed off into the forest to look for fruit and water.

An hour later, Anna awoke to find Gabriel gone and frowned. "He abandoned me! What a jerk!" She yelled into the emptiness.

Gabriel walked out of the forest with some mangoes and bananas and a canteen full of fresh water. "I'd take that back if I were you. I went to find us breakfast and some drinkable water." He said handing her the canteen and a mango.

"Sorry." She apologized. "Thank you." She said accepting the mango and water.

"You're welcome." He replied biting into his own mango.

The two ate in silence until Anna felt awkward from it and spoke up. "I'm sorry about last night. I must have rolled into you for warmth subconsciously not realizing it."

Gabriel looked up at her in surprise. "What are you apologizing for? It should be me apologizing for that. I came back with the wood and you were shivering in your sleep. I started the fire and waited until it had a good blaze. Then I layed down and noticed you weren't warming up, so I pulled you to me hoping my body heat would help and you relaxed instantly. It worked and then you smiled. I fell asleep after that." He explained. Leaving out the part of him kissing her temple.

"Oh." She replied and looked down blushing making her hair hide it so he couldn't see her flattery/embarrassment.

"However..." He started. She looked up at him to continue. "...I woke up with your head on my chest. How'd that happen?"

Anna froze, her eyes going wide like a deer in a headlight. He raised an eyebrow seeing that expression. Feeling she couldn't lie now, she sighed. "I woke up at dawn and I noticed you had your arm around me. I turned around carefully in case you weren't awake yet and found you still asleep. I looked over to see the fire had died down quite a bit and seeing as it must have been to keep me warm, I thought I had subconsciously rolled into you. But just to keep warm and seeing I was still tired, I curled into you more and fell back asleep with my head on your chest." She explained. Slightly lying about the why.

"I see. I decided I should find us some fruit for breakfast and some water and gently started to move you to your pillow on the other side when you suddenly grabbed my waist and spoke."

"I spoke?"

"Yes. You asked me where I was going and I thought I had woken you up by accident. So I told you I was going to find some fruit."

"Anything else?" She asked curiously.

He nodded. "You replied, 'Where will you find fruit in the desert?'"

"I did?"

"Yes. But when you said desert, I realized you were speaking in your sleep. Yet, you wouldn't let me go. So I decided to go with it and told you I could find some by a cactus. That fruit trees randomly grow by them because of the cactus water content. Then I added that I'd get some fresh water from the cactus." He said. "You seemed to have been satisfied with that because you finally let me go. So I layed you down and you spoke again."

"What'd I say this time?"

Gabriel cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Um... I'm not sure you'd want to know."

"Yes I do. Did I say something embarrassing or something?"

"You told me you loved me and to be careful getting the water because you didn't want me to get hurt by the prickly cactus."

Anna blushed embarrassed at that and suddenly remembering her saying that in her dream. "I'm sorry."

Gabriel chuckled seeing her blush. "It's alright. I ignored it for the time being and just answered with 'I will.'"

She quickly finished her banana and helped him to pack up. They continued their trek towards the manor.