Surprise! An early update! Yes the demands were great enough, and I got all of the reviews from my regular readers, that I decided to go ahead and update! :D And THIS chapter is going to be THE BEST one yet! (In my opinion at least) Not to mention it's the longest too...see? Another present for you guys! I'm spoiling you too much.

But yes, Even I was really excited about this chapter so I really hope all of you enjoy it!

The sorceress slowly lifted her arms and an eerie red fog rose out of the black cauldron.

"Redimio is somes en obscurum." She spoke softly.

Her eyes focused on the crimson wisps of smoke and she started to struggle to keep control. A bead of sweat slid down the side of her face but she didn't break her concentration. The fog stretched out like sinister arms, which then slowly encircled the vampire until he was completely cloaked in the red smoke. She could no longer see his silhouette and knew it was time for the next step. Her fingers bent into claw-like forms and she levitated Alucard into the air, still surrounded by the crimson colored smoke.

"Atrer animus solvo!" She shouted as she stretched out her hands.

Suddenly, the fog appeared to become more solid and took a tall man's form. The smoke turned as black as the night sky and grew larger until the form was an ethereal floating sphere.

Amelia let out a groan of pain from the amount of concentration and focus required. She was using all of her power just to perform the ritual and she was nearly out of energy. But she was determined to go through with it so she would be able to put her own plan into action.

The black orb abruptly burst open and a swarm of bats flew out, circling around where the vampire stood. A deep, menacing cackle was heard and the bats scattered as they flew out of the room. Alucard was now taller, older, and stronger, much stronger. He levitated on his own and smirked with satisfaction as he watched the exhausted sorceress collapse onto her knees, almost ready to pass out. The candles fell with many thuds on the ground for there was nothing to hold them up in the air any longer. The newly awakened vampire landed with a soft tap on the ground and walked toward her.

"You are powerful Amelia." He spoke, his voice now deeper than it used to be. "You are definitely one of the strongest Armonias I've seen in centuries."

Weakly, she lifted her head to meet his gaze. She would have blushed at the sight of his handsome face if it weren't for the fact that she knew he was still twisted with nothing but evil in his black heart. He waved his hand in a gesture for her to get up. Unwillingly, she obeyed, staggering to her feet for the glowing rose bracelet still on her wrist kept his control over her.

"I must admit, the façade of I being attracted to you wasn't entirely a lie." He gently grasped her chin. His crimson eyes glowed and she could feel his power of his hypnosis trying to take its hold. "Honestly, I probably would've made you one of my brides if it weren't for one little detail."

Her eyes widened in shock and confusion. 'One of his brides!' she shouted mentally. But then, a thought dawned on her.

"Just who are you, really?" she asked as sternly as she could in her weary state.

"Ah, so you are a bright girl after all." He smirked, flashing his long sharp fangs. "Though the fact you haven't figured out just who I am yet is rather disappointing."

He let go of her as he took a step back and punched the air toward the wall, a blaze of fire shot out of his fist. On the wall, written in flames, was his name. ALUCARD DORAM LIO. He then waved his hand once and the letters rearranged themselves to spell…

I AM LORD DRACULA

"Wha-What!" she hastily backed away from him in absolute disbelief, stricken with pure terror.

He let out another deep sinister laugh and turned toward her.

"Alucard? Dracula? It's quite obvious you know." He again chuckled darkly. "Oh yes, I would have loved to make you my bride had it not been for the little fact that you must die!"

Amelia couldn't even speak from the shock. She shook her head as tears began to flow down her cheeks. The vampire coolly began to walk toward her and she took a step back for each of his advances.

"No…no…no…" she breathed in mortal fear, which increased ten fold when she backed into the wall behind her, Dracula directly in front of her. She was trapped.

"Why! Why must I die!" though still in absolute terror, she demanded an answer.

"In order for the transformation to stay stable, I must drain the soul of the spell caster." He stated simply.

"I still don't understand. Why was your soul sealed away in the first place?" she asked, trying to prolong her impending demise.

"Well, considering you don't have much time left to live," he pondered, "I might as well tell you the story. And quite an interesting one it is."

It was in the early hours of the morning one winter, the beginning day of Christmas Eve. A young girl in a black and white stripped, long-sleeved dress walked across the snow covered cemetery and knelt down in front of a newly carved headstone. She held her hands in prayer as a single tear slid down her cheek, rosy from the cold.

"Mother…" she muttered quietly, deep in mourn.

A tall man appeared out of the shadows from underneath a weeping willow tree, near the daughter of the dearly departed. Her head turned to face him and for a brief moment, her face lit up with happiness but soon fell back into grief, the pain of a loved one's death still in her heart.

"It's you." The girl breathed. "You startled me."

"My apologies mademoiselle." he smiled but then spoke with concern, "What are you doing here so late at night?"

"My beloved mother." She answered, "I miss her greatly…and I just had to see her." She clasped her hands together again as if to silently say a prayer in respect.

"Come here my dearest." He said, to which she complied. She threw her arms around him in a needed embrace, his arms wrapped around her small figure.

"You need not be afraid, my dear." He calmly spoke, comforting her in her distraught state. "It will be alright, I promise you."

"Thank you…" she hugged him tighter as she rested her head on his shoulder, "my love."

"Of course," he moved his hands to grasp her arms, "for you will see her soon."

She gasped and let out a shriek of pain as he sunk his teeth into her neck, draining her life. She fell limp in his arms and just as it seemed she was about to die, weakly she managed to mumble something.

"Animus…signum…lux lucis…"

The man suddenly felt a burning sensation all over his body and immediately knew what had just happened. She had put a curse on him. He released his hold on her and threw her down to the ground where she collapsed on top of her mother's grave. He let out a yelp of pain as his body began to glow a bright white. The light soon enveloped his body and then began to dim, taking the form of a younger boy. The magic completely died away and the man now had the appearance of a teenager. He looked at his hands with fear-stricken eyes. Most of his powers had been drained and he could tell that he was in the body of a lesser vampire. He cursed under his breath and took off into the distance, leaving the girl behind to suffer until death finally claimed her.

"It was you…" Amelia spoke in shock. "You killed Elizabeth!"

"Yes it was I, and how suiting the Armonia after her shall die at my hands as well." He snickered, actually amused by the irony. "Of course, I did plan it from the beginning." When he received a puzzled expression from the captive sorceress, he decided to explain.

"You see, the moment I met you Amelia, I knew you were related to that very same girl who cursed me. You look so much like her it's uncanny really." He smirked as he grasped her chin, "But I knew being her blood relative, disguised as a sorceress, and being gifted with a beautiful voice obviously meant that you were the next Armonia. The very kind I needed to release my true form so that I may return to my former glory."

'So she was the Armonia before me.' Amelia would have been happy that she finally found out if it weren't for her current situation.

"Though, I still never would have guessed that I would get to take the lives of two related Armonias in my lifetime. And even more to my own pleasure, I get to see the infamous Jack Skellington crumble twice at the loss of someone close to his heart." He laughed, "It couldn't have turned out more perfect!"

"What! You knew him when he was alive? Wait…What are you implying!" she had the feeling he had suspected more than just friendship between her and the skeleton man.

"Oh of course I knew him! He was the heir to his father's massive fortune and everyone knew the Skellington name. Also, he was incredibly smitten with the lovely Elizabeth Brave. But this time, it's the other way around isn't it?" he sneered as he let go of her and crossed his arms, "Don't play dumb. I've known how you really feel toward that pathetic excuse of a king for some time now, and that I was merely a tool to banish such unnecessary thoughts on your part."

She would have denied such an accusation, but her pulse began to race and her face became flushed. She knew deep in her heart that it was true, no matter how much she didn't want it to be. Instead, she looked down at her feet and tried to prevent the tears that threaten to fall cascade down her cheeks.

"Oh? No come back? What's the matter Amelia? Not brave enough? No? No more fight left in you?" he taunted, "Well I had certainly hoped there would be. You're much more fun when you're angry." He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in closer to where she could feel his hot breath on her face.

She clenched her hand from anger and with the other, brought it up and slapped him hard across his face. Dracula released his hold on her as he stumbled backward from the force then glared angrily at her.

"You foul little wretch!" he shouted furiously and balled his hands into fists.

She tried to run but he commanded her to stop and the bracelet sent the familiar shock through her which forced her to do as she was told. He tightly gripped her shoulder with one hand and roughly shoved her back up against the wall. She clenched her teeth from the pain that shot up her spine, but she refused to show weakness anymore.

"You made me let my guard down. Ohh, you are a sneaky one." He grabbed her chin again and forced her to meet his heated gaze. "I'm through playing games! Tell your precious world goodbye for you will be with Elizabeth very soon."

Amelia glared back and she knew it was finally time to put her own plan into action.

"I-is it really you?" Jack asked, still in disbelief that he was staring into the face of his deceased dearly beloved.

"Jack, you must listen to me!" Elizabeth said with fear-stricken eyes. "Amelia is in danger!"

"What!" he leaned back a little in shock.

"Alucard, he is not who he says he is! If you don't find her soon, she will suffer the same fate I did!" she cried.

"Not who he…the same fate!" so many questions buzzed in his head but he knew to focus on what mattered the most.

"Where is she now!" he demanded with a firm voice.

The ghost closed her eyes and her image was replaced with a house toward the edge of town, then the inside. There was Amelia being pinned against the wall by an older looking Alucard, obviously trapping her against her will.

"No! Amelia!" Jack shouted in fear, but then it quickly turned into anger for his assumption about the vampire was worse than he originally thought.

Suddenly, he heard a loud high-pitched scream ring through the air. He looked in the direction that it came from, but no one else in the crowd seemed to notice. It was as if nothing happened.

"Go Jack! Hurry!" Elizabeth shouted as her image reappeared in the water.

He took off sprinting to where his dear friend was being held captive.

Being a classically trained singer, Amelia knew that she could control the pitch of an ear-splitting scream that would be just enough to impair a vampire. Since Dracula's full powers were restored, so were his heightened senses like hearing, which were much more acute than that of the average human.

Sure enough, he had to back away from her and cover his ears to block the sound. He let out a strained, loud grown of pain and she knew her plan was working. Her shriek was sure to leave him defenseless, if only for a moment but maybe just enough so she could escape.

The sorceress ran out of the room and toward the front door.

'Yes! I can get out of here!' she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but then she abruptly came to a halt.

Dracula had appeared in front of her, blocking her exit.

"No sound shall ever come out of your mouth again!" he declared angrily with burning eyes as he gripped her wrists to keep her from running again.

Amelia felt the familiar electric shock course throughout her body again and she winced in pain as she was forced to follow his order. He then slammed her against the wall, intending to hurt her and keep her there.

"Now hold still." He demanded, thus she had no choice but to obey once again.

He leaned down to her neck, hissed in her ear as he barred his fangs. She tightly shut her eyes and braced for the pain death to take her life away. But she did not fear him for she was too angry at what he did to Elizabeth, and now about to do the same to her. However, time seemed to suddenly come to a stand still for the captive sorceress.

They say that when you're about to die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. But for Amelia, it was only a certain part of her life.

She saw herself as a nine year-old when she first discovered Halloween Town. The same night she met Jack and overtime became her best friend. When she first began to learn sorcery from him, and the time he had given her the teddy bear to help her sleep when she had a horrible nightmare. She remembered when he sang to her, and how his lulling voice calmed her. Then next was when she saved Halloween Town from being ruled by the notorious Oogie Boogie.

More vividly, she remembered when she returned that summer and was put in charge of the Halloween celebration. Then came the dream of her dancing with Jack in the mirror room, as well as when Jack saved her from falling off the bookshelf, landing in his arms. Again she recalled his smooth, musical voice during the "accidental" duet with him when she found the piano. The night of her birthday came to mind, when he gave her the music box and the necklace that now hung around her neck, which she loved dearly. Finally, her most recent memory, her dance with Jack and how it felt to just be near him, to be with him. How she had felt so safe, at peace, and purely happy, and how there was something in his eyes that made her heart leap. As she watched these scenes of her life fly by, she finally came to understand something that had been true for a long time now.

'Jack…I'm sorry that I realized this too late…and that I'll never get to tell you this…I love you.' She mentally confessed as a single tear slid down her cheek.

"What the?" she heard the vampire speak, thus snapping her back to reality.

Amelia opened her eyes and gasped when she saw that her pendant was glowing brightly. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard and Dracula turned to be met with a fist that sent him flying across the room. He landed with a loud thud against the wall and flopped haphazardly onto the floor.

"Jack!" the sorceress spoke in surprise, but her eyes widened even more when she found that she could talk again.

"Amelia, are you hurt?" her skeleton savior asked with concern in his voice and his eyes.

"Y-yeah, thanks to you." Her cheeks were splashed with a light pink as she let out a deep breath of relief that she didn't even know she was holding.

He caught her off-guard when he threw his arms around her in a tight hug. This caused her to blush a few shades darker for she was being hugged by the man whom she had just mentally confessed to herself that she held feelings for.

"I was so afraid I was going to lose you." He spoke softly, his voice trembled slightly but only for a brief second.

"Well isn't that touching? It makes me sick!" a voice spat.

The two royals moved away from each other and, though she did not notice, Amelia's pendant stopped glowing. They both watched in surprise as Dracula stood up slowly and popped his jaw.

"I did not come this far just to fall again!" He glared murderously at the Pumpkin King and took off at a blinding speed toward him.

Ok before you all kill me in your reviews again, I could have made the cliff-hanger a lot worse! I could have cut off right as Jack was about to appear or something like that because yes I am evil ;-) But I decided to be nice to you guys this time lol!

And before anyone asks, yes the whole "re-arrange Alucard's name to reveal his identity" I got it from Harry Potter...I don't like admiting that because I feel like a theif but I thought it worked out really well.

So? What happens now that Jack has arrived to help our distressed sorceress? Will they be able to defeat the extremely powerful vampire that is DRACULA! *soap opera dramatic* Will Amelia ever tell Jack how she really feels! Stay tuned!