Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Van Helsing, save for a few bits of merch, so I do declare I am borrowing these lovely characters. Don't sue me, I don't have enough money to afford a lawyer, I'm a poor college student.

Author's Note: I deeply and humbly apologize to my readers, if any are still left. Life got very complicated, very quickly. I'm glad to announce that I'm accepted and about to attend my first choice college and am ready to join the ranks of adult within the next month. I'm going to finish out this story and take another break.

Chapter 3-

Kate paced back and forth impatiently in Carl's lab; there were simply too many unanswered questions.

"What do you mean they never recovered a body? I specifically said to find his body and give Kevin a proper burial! I said it. You were there Carl, don't you remember telling the others that if they found a body to report to me right away and we could then-" Her rant was cut off by one of her underlings, Wildman.

"Look, you've read the report, no? You saw we searched the world over for his body and couldn't find it! What were we supposed to do? Keep searching until we found him and he killed us? We followed procedure, Kate." He stated, indicating his report, which now lay splayed open on the table before them.

"Sometimes procedure isn't enough! What have I always told you? Sometimes you have to think outside the box to do your job." Kate gestured wildly. "All I'm saying is you could have followed those vampires and did a little recon. Then when you found him…well you can fill in the rest, Wildman." She had calmed down a bit, but had yet to stop pacing. Wildman just stared at his superior and shook his head.

"I think you're overreacting. It shouldn't have come as that much of a surprise, Kate. He was attacked by vampires and there was no body, this end would have been common sense to me." He began to replace the papers in his report. "Besides, you know what's become of him, why do you just give his soul a little rest, instead of sending one of use to do it?" Kate spun around, her emotions flaring again.

"Are you kidding me?! I can't go put a stake through Kevin's heart! The emotional connection we had…when he was still alive…was too great! I'd be putty in his hands. I couldn't do it, he's a very strong willed guy, that in a vampire…that's like trying to move a mule." Kate now resembled a lion in a cage. She moved about the room and threw her hands wildly about, nearly taking out Carl in the process. "That's why one of you has to do it. There's that whole loved one thing. I couldn't kill him in life and certainly not now, not even with what he's become. He's still…Kevin, somewhere. But he's tortured. Just…you need to do it." Kate finished with her back turned to Wildman, she still hadn't noticed Carl, who was now questioning whether he intruded on something privet.

"Alright…I'll put together a team…" Wildman's tone softened. Kate and Wildman had butted heads several times before on matters of protocol, but he was not blind to facts. "But just so you know, it's going to have to wait until I get this recon in South Africa done." He pushed the remainder of the papers into the file, straightened up and quickly moved out of the room.

Carl had taken up a position near the back of the room, he was looking in yet another folder, actually immersed would be a better word, it seemed he was doing everything in his power to avoid hearing a word of what went on in the room. Kate groaned and ran her hand down her face with a tired sigh. She turned to the mini fridge in the break room and took out a water, downing it in one gulp. It had been a long night. Aislyn was back at Velkan's apartment under strict orders not to leave or open the door for anyone except members of The Order. She put her water bottle under the sink and turned it on, glancing back over her shoulder she smiled to herself and cleared her throat loudly. Carl glanced up and blinked, he hesitated, wondering if that was a signal to leave; he nervously fingered the edges of the folder.

"Uh…so what do you have for me, Carl?" Kate said, deciding that if she didn't break the silence now Carl would get too nervous and leave. Even after knowing her for so long he still didn't like to intrude on her more emotional moments.

He jumped at being addressed in such a casual tone, but laid the folder out on the table. "Well, I analyzed the soil samples you took from the grounds and there is evidence of definite time rifts. But it's not a naturally occurring phenomenon, no, this was opened demonically." He presented Kate, who had joined him at the table, with a complicated series of graphs that showed a normal time line, one that opens naturally- similar to a wormhole and one that was opened using demonic influence, which he then proceeded to explain. "Whatever Kevin was looking for it's likely that it was hidden somewhere in the past."

"Frankenstein."

"What?"

"Frankenstein…that's who Kevin brought out of the portal."

"But…why"
"He said something about using him again…we need to find them."

Kate jumped up from her crouched position next to the table, quickly rushing out of the room, leaving Carl confused and rather bewildered.

3 weeks later-

The lights of the Las Vegas skyline shown in the distance like a glittering beacon of civilization. But James was far from the city, in the middle of the Nevada desert, responding to a page he had received from his boss. However James was of the opinion that the desert held more fascinating things than the city ever could, things far more peaceful, even if his present surroundings were anything but. He climbed out of the SUV, picked up his metal brief case and headed toward the light-flooded area.

"This couldn't wait."

"What have we got?"

He replied curtly, tonight was his night off and he had been enjoying a leisurely dinner in his often missed home.

"Two bodies, both female; there are no signs of struggle or even obvious injury but they seem to have lost a great deal of blood…"

"Right, well I'll need everyone to clear the body and I'll let you know when I'm finished processing the scene."

James replied pulling on his rubber gloves and setting out to examine the bodies. Another CSI hovered over him with a camera snapping pictures as they went. The minutes turned into hours and at midnight he was finished processing the entire scene. He had made his way back to the bodies once more and knelt by them, confounded.

He knew something wasn't right about the scene when he saw the bodies; they held all the signs of significant blood loss, however the blood was nowhere to be found and the only injuries on both of the bodies were identical puncture marks on the victims necks. Presently all he could do was kneel by the bodies and study them, he couldn't do a thing until the corner arrived. He stood and looked around at the scene, trying to imprint as much of it into his mind as he could. He glanced back at the bodies. The girls looked to be in their early twenties, they would have been very pretty and their dress tagged them for a night on the town. Tourists maybe? James pulled out a small notebook and flipped it open.

Victims appear to have no visible injuries other than two identical puncture marks in their necks above the jugular. Obviously they bled to death, however there was no blood present on the scene. Scene appears to be a dumpsite.

As he continued to scribble a tall, skinny and balding man strode up to him. The man cleared his throat; James looked up casually.

"Can I help you?" He said shutting the notebook, tucking it into his pocket.

"You are Dr. James Argery?" The man was dressed in a black suit and happened to tower over the other.

James craned his neck, he never grew much, and in fact his growth stopped at 5'9", leaving literally in the shadow of his cousin, Kate. "Yes…who are you?"

"I am Detective Ralph Brown of the Las Vegas Special Victims Unit. I am here to assist you."

"Uh-huh…assist me? Right." He had never heard of a Detective Brown. "So you think these two women where sexually assaulted before they died?" James took a step or two away from Detective Brown.

"We suspect they were violated, however we won't know until the corner arrives." He stated definitely; James cocked his head.

"He's late." James said glancing at his watch, which now read one o'clock. "Unless our killer is very good at covering things up it doesn't look like a rape happened."

"I said we suspected that they were violated. I didn't say anything about rape."

James raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been with the SVU, Detective Brown?" Something didn't sit well with him about this man.

At that moment another SUV pulled up and the corner stepped out and hurried over. The man was dressed in blue windbreaker with a blue hat pulled low over his eyes and a case in his hands.

"Sorry I'm late, I got caught in traffic, accident on the main through-way, a real pain in the arse." He hurriedly explained and moved toward the bodies; however James blocked his path.

"Hold up! Who are you?"

The man stopped and looked to Detective Brown indignantly.

"I'm the corner. Now if you'll please." The man waved his hands indicating that he would like James to step away from the bodies.

"Where's David?"

The man made an annoyed noise. "This case is now under the SVU, didn't Ralph explain?" The man again moved for the bodies and once more James placed himself between them.

"Oh no. I'm not letting either of you near these bodies until I see some ID's and I get a proper explanation. None of the evidence has been processed yet, there is no reason to change who is in charge of this case."

The man straightened up to his full height, he was shorter than James, and fixed him with a solid stare, annoyance flickered throughout his whole face. "Didn't Detective Brown explain anything?" He stared pointedly at the detective, who seemed to shrink under the corner's stare.

"Somebody better start explaining or I'm getting an officer."

"Alright, alright." The man said, setting down his briefcase. "I'm Dr. Marvin Rowland of the Las Vegas Special Victims Unit and this is my assistant, Detective Ralph Brown."

"Yeah I have that part; there are no signs of a rape." James protested.

"Allow me to finish, Dr. Argery. The Las Vegas SVU has nothing to do with the unit that deals with all sexual assault cases. We are a different branch of the LVPD…we are part of the Knights of the Holy Order. We investigate demonic crimes; surly you must remember that every major city has a division."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. The Holy Order?! Did Kate send you?" James had not even heard of Las Vegas having a division, Kate didn't mention one at all.

"Yes and no. Our department had been investigating increased Vampiric activity in Las Vegas when we got the call from Kate to find you and deliver a letter. It was too sensitive to be sent to your office and apparently you're a bit of a workaholic." Dr. Rowland finished as Detective Brown fished an envelope addressed to James in Kate's half cursive handwriting.

"…So where does that leave me?"

"I don't know, read the letter. But we need to process this scene."

"I've already done it…just get the body out of here so I can go home."

Detective Brown pulled on a pair of latex gloves and bend down next to Dr. Rowland.

"It's nice to know we'll have an easy job of it tonight, Marvin, this place looks like a hasty hiding spot." Detective Brown said, turning one girl over onto her face.

James walked a little ways away from the bodies and glanced back, then to the letter. He narrowed his eyes and ripped it open.

Dear James,

The Order needs you. Kevin has been transformed into a vampire, Frankenstein has been brought forward through time again and things are starting to come apart at the seams. Demonic activity has increased ten fold throughout the nation; surely you've had more crimes that look demonic in nature. I can't tell you much more than this. It's been cleared with your superiors that you are now assigned to your DCSI unit and you are to work these mysterious cases with two others. Give me a call when you get this.

Love Kate

He stared at the letter and grimaced, taking out his cell phone and dialing in Kate's number. He listened to it ring a few times.

"Hello?"

"Kate…what the hell is going on?"

"James! I'm so glad you got the note." Kate's tone brightened significantly and James suspected heavy news.

"Kevin is a vampire?"

"Yeah…well…about three weeks ago I ran into him trying to bring something through a temporal portal, it turned out to be Frankenstein. I don't think he saw me, but, I can't be sure. If he did he's made no attempts to come after me…though his mind could be so clouded by what happened to him he couldn't remember me at all. Long story short Frankenstein is still missing and we think he's in hiding. But Vampiric and general demonic activity has shot up. It's like they are rallying for something."

"Uh-huh, and where exactly do I fit in?"

"I'm getting to that. With all this increases activity we've been able to grab a few leads but they all turn up missing or dead the moment we contact them. We can't figure out how they died…so we need to fly you in."

"Fly me in? Kate, I can't I have two other cases that I need to finish!"

"I straightened it all out with your boss, they've got someone else on your cases."

"I can't just leave."

"Actually you're booked on the next flight out. I just finished booking it now."

James growled into the phone, he hated it when she did that. Now he would have to take the flight out because if he didn't he would feel bad. "Fine. How long?"

"Until we find Anna and Gabriel."

"Now you know I can't stay away that long!"

"Relax. We have our sources that point to Transylvania, you shouldn't be gone more than a month."

"A month! Kate I'm the head of the department over here. I can't be gone for that long."

"James. Come on. I haven't asked you to help since you left. I'm asking you now…please."

"Damn it Kate…Fine, fine…what about Detective Brown and Dr Rowland?"

"They're coming with you. Do your homework on the Order's DCSI, they're very good, they won't be a bother."

"As soon as we're done with this scene we're on the next plane…right?"

"Of course."

"…I'll see you later…"

"Thank you. See you soon."

James hung up the phone and looked to his two impromptu partners and grimaced at the prospect of leaving all his work for something he'd given up on years ago.