The wolf slowly began to rise as Carl entered the room. His eyes completely focused on the monster that was once his closest friend, he did not even notice the needle sticking out of his abdomen, or the still princess lying in front of him. "God forgive me…" She said under his breath, tears filling his throat, before he began his charge towards Van Helsing. Suddenly, the wolf turned around, grabbed the stake, and roared in Carl's face. A few silent moments passed before both Carl and Gabriel looked down at the needle, the cure, sticking out of Van Helsing's torso.
Van Helsing let go of Carl, now able to recognize him for his friend, and not just prey. He pulled the needle out gingerly before looking to Anna Valerious, who was lying; eyes open but empty, on the bed in front of him. Tears began to fill his eyes even before Carl mumbled, stricken, "she's dead." Van Helsing bent over and picked her up, holding her limp body close while letting out his final howl as a wolf. His howl turned into the desperate cry of a man as his fur shed, and even that cry was deduced to sobs and whimpers, coming from one of the strongest men of history. He pressed her cold cheek against his warm bloody one, and his tears mixed with her skin. She was his equal. She was the one woman that could come up to his standards and challenge him, the one woman who he felt comfortable around, accepted. The one woman he ever had any interest in, and now she was dead. She was dead because of the monster he had become to save her family.
He was so overcome by his sadness that he didn't hear the Frankenstein monster, his new friend, come into the room. When he saw the great Van Helsing crying over the Princess' dead body, he let out a sigh. The Princess had shown him kindness, thanked him for saving her, something no one had ever done. Van Helsing had called him his friend, and had tried his best to help him escape from the bondage that he was in to bring Dracula's children to life. Carl, the young fryer, who was supposed to kill him, ended up saving him. Frankenstein owed them his life, and his friendship. And he knew what he must do…
"Some of the Dwergie are still alive." He growled. Carl spun around, staring at him incredulously. "Which means?" Van Helsing asking blankly, laying Anna down on the sofa. "Which means we can power the machine." Frankenstein continued.
Van
Helsing was utterly confused, and it showed in his wolf like eyes. "I
am the key to life. If we can power the machine, I can give her
life." He motioned his head towards the dead princess. Van
Helsing's jaw dropped slightly, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Would
she… would she have wanted that?" Van Helsing asked, not to
anyone in particular.
"Yes!" Both Frankenstein and Van
Helsing turned to Carl, taken by surprise by his confident statement.
"Yes, she would have." He said again, a little more calmly.
"Once, I ran into her in the castle. We began to speak of finding
Dracula. She said that she hoped to live to see the days when he was
vanquished, before going off to her family in heaven. She wanted to
see the sea and- Uhm, to travel." He stated, as if he had read it
in a book.
It only took that piece of information to clear Van Helsing's conscience. Except for one other thing… "Friend, would you be willing to do this? I don't want to put you through any more pain." He looked to the Frankenstein monster, who smiled (or what he would call his smile). "It would be far more painful to see two friends grieve over someone who they loved, and whom I could have saved."
Van Helsing nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Well… let's go find some Dwergie."