Title: The Thorns
A/N: This is just kind of a preclude for the rest of the story so I can
set up my own alternate take on what should have happened. The ending was
much too cheese for me, but I'm angsty soul and therefore letting Anna live
with Van Helsing happily ever after won't cut it either. So this is going
to be somewhere in the middle. It's mainly inspired by a spoiler I read
for Van Helsing on Comic X-Fan's message boards that read something like
this:
Van Helsing turns into wolfman and kills Dracula. Anna heals him back to
normal but dies doing so.
Also, it infuriated me that there was so much whispers of a 'secret' or a
family secret and the secret ended up being that only a werewolf could kill
Dracula. So I thought up another secret...
That probably wont make any sense now, but things will clear up if you
stick around, I promise!
Everything was going to hell.
It had started out pretty well, actually. Carl had figured out the way to kill Dracula, Van Helsing had figured out the way to get to Dracula's castle and with the wretch's help, Anna and Carl had gotten their hands on the antidote. Of course they should have realized that it wasn't going to be that easy.
Carl's heart had been up in his stomach when he tossed Anna the antidote and after she caught it, he was incredibly relieved. Nothing could go wrong now, he told himself. Van Helsing will take care of Dracula and Anna will save Van Helsing. Maybe he would even have a wedding to attend in a few years time and he would go back to Rome and stay there and never, ever go near Romania again. He had been resting against a rock, gazing down at the blown away road and trying to gather enough courage to shimmy across and view the happy reunion scene with his own eyes when the wretch caught up with him.
"You!" the wretch cried, clasping his chest as it tried to catch his breath. "You have to go after her!"
"After who?" Carl blinked up at the wretch. Just because the monster wasn't currently trying to kill him didn't mean that he wasn't scared to death of the abomination.
"After Anna!" he roared thunderously. The wretch shook his head and Carl watched uneasily as the visible brain in the wretch's head moved slightly. "What I thought was the antidote..... it isn't. One of the last things that harpy of his crowed to me was that whatever that liquid is, it's going to destroy Van Helsing! Dracula must keep the actual antidote on his person. Of course, someone as meticulous and controlling as he wouldn't just leave the vial unattended like-"
"Are you telling me," Carl squeaked, his stomach knotting up again, "that the vial that Anna has right now will not save Van Helsing but kill him?"
"Death would be the happy alternative in this predicament," the wretch mused. "With Dracula's sense of humor, it may transform him into a vampire, or-"
Carl fought down the urge to re-experience last night's meal and stared dead at the wretch. "We don't have time to speculate over what might happen, we have to stop them!" He looked over the ruined road. "You lead the way."
The wretch shook his head again. "I do not know if you have noticed, but I am not the most graceful creature. You will have to attempt crossing this road alone. I will look for an alternate path. But you are right, we must hurry!" And with that, the wretch was off again, hobbling quickly back down the path where he came from.
Carl watched him leave and then, pulling a simple rosary from his pocket, did the sign of the cross and began to attempt the perilous walk, muttering his rosary all the time.
Meanwhile, Anna was clutching the vial of supposed antidote as if the fate of the entire world depended on it. Right now, she felt it did. She was alone, the last of her family. Van Helsing was similarly alone, without even memories of his family. When she looked at him, her heart felt like it was being wrenched out of her body. She had to be able to save him, to keep his humanity in tact, to protect him from the fate she could not spare her brother. Her blood ran cold at the thought of seeing someone else she cared for being transformed into a horrible wolf-creature. Watching her brother shred away his skin, his humanity, nearly destroyed her. She doubted that she could survive seeing it happen to Van Helsing.
She limped onward, hearing the roar of battle ahead of her. She hoped that Van Helsing would be able to destroy Dracula but she was prepared to handle it if he was defeated. At least then he would die a hero, a man, and not a beast.
She looked down at her leg, annoyed. It had crumpled up underneath her while she was struggling with Aleera and angle of her ankle was disturbingly wrong. She knew she was a lot more damaged than she wanted to admit, but she wasn't going to let a broken foot, some cuts and a bad tear down her back stop her. She hadn't been strong or brave enough to save her brother, but she had to be strong and brave enough to help Van Helsing and save her family from an eternity in purgatory.
The thought of her brother suffering in purgatory after everything he had been though enraged her so much that she forgot about her wounded foot and marched angrily forward. She brought the hurt foot down hard and heard a sickening snapping sound.
Anna fell forward, her leg compltely useless underneath her and she half- suppressed a scream as she plummeted forward. The rocks ahead of her didn't look particularly inviting, but they looked a hell of a lot better than what was next to them, the bottom of spiral staircase that lay what looked like miles below her. She threw herself to the left, her hands ahead of her to brace her fall and she sighed in relief as she landed safely on the rocks, suffering only a few scratches on her palms. Looking down over the stairs, she laughed.
"Thank God," she muttered to herself, shaking her head. She brought her left hand to her face to brush away some hairs when she noticed that there was a strange liquid covering it...
"Oh no." Her voice was tight, her throat strangled. "The antidote."
When she had moved her arms out to break her fall, she had crushed the glass syringe containing the antidote. She watched mutely as the mysterious hot red liquid filtered through her fingers, pooling uselessly on the stone path before flowing down the side of the stairs.
Behind her, Anna heard a howl of victory. "Van Helsing..." she whispered. He had done it; he had defeated Dracula. All around her she could hear echoes of cries as his horrible little children burst apart. And it was almost too late for Van Helsing.
Instantly, Anna sprung to her feet and began to run, dragging her destroyed foot behind her. Her mind was on fire with one thought: She had to save him.
Maybe I can appeal to him, she thought as she hurried forward to where she saw a great black beast hunched over the smoldering remains of Dracula. He is strong; he will still have some of his humanity. I can plead with him. Until I can think of anything better, that will have to do...
"Van Helsing!" she bellowed, her voice carrying more courage than she thought she had. "Turn!"
Slowly, the wolf raised its gigantic head and stood on its hind legs. Anna wanted to close her eyes or run away when the thing turned to face her and she saw none of Van Helsing in its face. Still, she would not give up.
"Van Helsing!" she cried again, "You are Van Helsing, from Rome, sent her to destroy Dracula and to protect me," her feminine pride bristled at that, but she knew it would touch something very base inside of him, "Anna Valerious, last of my line. Van Helsing, you have destroyed Dracula but now you must fulfill your second duty and-"
Anna didn't have time to finish her sentence before the great black beast fell upon her.
Everything was going to hell.
It had started out pretty well, actually. Carl had figured out the way to kill Dracula, Van Helsing had figured out the way to get to Dracula's castle and with the wretch's help, Anna and Carl had gotten their hands on the antidote. Of course they should have realized that it wasn't going to be that easy.
Carl's heart had been up in his stomach when he tossed Anna the antidote and after she caught it, he was incredibly relieved. Nothing could go wrong now, he told himself. Van Helsing will take care of Dracula and Anna will save Van Helsing. Maybe he would even have a wedding to attend in a few years time and he would go back to Rome and stay there and never, ever go near Romania again. He had been resting against a rock, gazing down at the blown away road and trying to gather enough courage to shimmy across and view the happy reunion scene with his own eyes when the wretch caught up with him.
"You!" the wretch cried, clasping his chest as it tried to catch his breath. "You have to go after her!"
"After who?" Carl blinked up at the wretch. Just because the monster wasn't currently trying to kill him didn't mean that he wasn't scared to death of the abomination.
"After Anna!" he roared thunderously. The wretch shook his head and Carl watched uneasily as the visible brain in the wretch's head moved slightly. "What I thought was the antidote..... it isn't. One of the last things that harpy of his crowed to me was that whatever that liquid is, it's going to destroy Van Helsing! Dracula must keep the actual antidote on his person. Of course, someone as meticulous and controlling as he wouldn't just leave the vial unattended like-"
"Are you telling me," Carl squeaked, his stomach knotting up again, "that the vial that Anna has right now will not save Van Helsing but kill him?"
"Death would be the happy alternative in this predicament," the wretch mused. "With Dracula's sense of humor, it may transform him into a vampire, or-"
Carl fought down the urge to re-experience last night's meal and stared dead at the wretch. "We don't have time to speculate over what might happen, we have to stop them!" He looked over the ruined road. "You lead the way."
The wretch shook his head again. "I do not know if you have noticed, but I am not the most graceful creature. You will have to attempt crossing this road alone. I will look for an alternate path. But you are right, we must hurry!" And with that, the wretch was off again, hobbling quickly back down the path where he came from.
Carl watched him leave and then, pulling a simple rosary from his pocket, did the sign of the cross and began to attempt the perilous walk, muttering his rosary all the time.
Meanwhile, Anna was clutching the vial of supposed antidote as if the fate of the entire world depended on it. Right now, she felt it did. She was alone, the last of her family. Van Helsing was similarly alone, without even memories of his family. When she looked at him, her heart felt like it was being wrenched out of her body. She had to be able to save him, to keep his humanity in tact, to protect him from the fate she could not spare her brother. Her blood ran cold at the thought of seeing someone else she cared for being transformed into a horrible wolf-creature. Watching her brother shred away his skin, his humanity, nearly destroyed her. She doubted that she could survive seeing it happen to Van Helsing.
She limped onward, hearing the roar of battle ahead of her. She hoped that Van Helsing would be able to destroy Dracula but she was prepared to handle it if he was defeated. At least then he would die a hero, a man, and not a beast.
She looked down at her leg, annoyed. It had crumpled up underneath her while she was struggling with Aleera and angle of her ankle was disturbingly wrong. She knew she was a lot more damaged than she wanted to admit, but she wasn't going to let a broken foot, some cuts and a bad tear down her back stop her. She hadn't been strong or brave enough to save her brother, but she had to be strong and brave enough to help Van Helsing and save her family from an eternity in purgatory.
The thought of her brother suffering in purgatory after everything he had been though enraged her so much that she forgot about her wounded foot and marched angrily forward. She brought the hurt foot down hard and heard a sickening snapping sound.
Anna fell forward, her leg compltely useless underneath her and she half- suppressed a scream as she plummeted forward. The rocks ahead of her didn't look particularly inviting, but they looked a hell of a lot better than what was next to them, the bottom of spiral staircase that lay what looked like miles below her. She threw herself to the left, her hands ahead of her to brace her fall and she sighed in relief as she landed safely on the rocks, suffering only a few scratches on her palms. Looking down over the stairs, she laughed.
"Thank God," she muttered to herself, shaking her head. She brought her left hand to her face to brush away some hairs when she noticed that there was a strange liquid covering it...
"Oh no." Her voice was tight, her throat strangled. "The antidote."
When she had moved her arms out to break her fall, she had crushed the glass syringe containing the antidote. She watched mutely as the mysterious hot red liquid filtered through her fingers, pooling uselessly on the stone path before flowing down the side of the stairs.
Behind her, Anna heard a howl of victory. "Van Helsing..." she whispered. He had done it; he had defeated Dracula. All around her she could hear echoes of cries as his horrible little children burst apart. And it was almost too late for Van Helsing.
Instantly, Anna sprung to her feet and began to run, dragging her destroyed foot behind her. Her mind was on fire with one thought: She had to save him.
Maybe I can appeal to him, she thought as she hurried forward to where she saw a great black beast hunched over the smoldering remains of Dracula. He is strong; he will still have some of his humanity. I can plead with him. Until I can think of anything better, that will have to do...
"Van Helsing!" she bellowed, her voice carrying more courage than she thought she had. "Turn!"
Slowly, the wolf raised its gigantic head and stood on its hind legs. Anna wanted to close her eyes or run away when the thing turned to face her and she saw none of Van Helsing in its face. Still, she would not give up.
"Van Helsing!" she cried again, "You are Van Helsing, from Rome, sent her to destroy Dracula and to protect me," her feminine pride bristled at that, but she knew it would touch something very base inside of him, "Anna Valerious, last of my line. Van Helsing, you have destroyed Dracula but now you must fulfill your second duty and-"
Anna didn't have time to finish her sentence before the great black beast fell upon her.
