(A/N: Must you torture me so? I don't own Van Helsing!)

Chapter Eight

Everything was cold. The wind blew and the snow was chilling. Bell saw a shadow fall over her. A castle appeared in front of her. It loomed above her and looked isolated and menacing in the silver moonlight.

She knew she had to go in, but she didn't want to nonetheless. She ran in the castle. It was dark with only a few torches to light the way. She took a silver cross out of the coat of her pocket. Somehow, she knew she would need.

She stopped dead and closed her eyes. Breathing, she heard breathing from above her. She looked up and saw Dracula.

"Hello my dear, come to retrieve your parents?" he asked smiling.

"What have you done with them Dracula?" she asked with her hazel eyes steady and hard.

With lightning speed, Dracula flipped down from the ceiling and landed an inch in front of her. Bell backed up slightly, about a step or two.

"Don't you worry about them, my dear." he said smiling evilly and walking towards her. Bell backed up as he continued to advance. "I once had your father in a situation like this." he said.

"Really, I suppose you don't intend to make the same mistake twice?" Bell said stalling. A plan had formed in her head and all she needed was time.

"No I don't." Dracula said. His eyes flared up with pure hatred. The time tolled midnight and the wolves howled. Dracula turned and Bell bolted toward the stairs. Amazingly, Dracula was already there. Bell skidded to a halt. She tried to turn and run but he grabbed her arms. Bell watched in horror as his canines grew into fangs.

Stakes flew in the air and one hit Dracula in the shoulder. Bell threw the dazed vampire off her and ran back to the door.

"Thank you Carl. The plan worked perfectly." Bell said taking the crossbow from him. "Now, get out of here!" she told him.

Carl didn't want to but knew it was for the best. He turned and ran away from Dracula's castle.

Bell looked up to see Dracula pull the stake out of his shoulder and look up at her silhouette framed by the open door. At that point, Bell felt like she was exactly like her father. She pulled out her grappling hook and fired it. It landed about a foot behind Dracula in the ceiling. Bell swung as she retracted herself up. She flew past Dracula and landed in a squat on the stairs. She turned to see Dracula looking right at her. She tipped her hat slightly as a tease and bolted up the steps.

She climbed the steps two at a time. She had to get to her parents, she had to or all hope was lost. A black haired bride appeared before her.

"Hello little angel." she said.

"Why do you want me so badly?" Bell asked slowly pulling out a silver stake.

"Well angel, we have to kill you before you kill my master." she said. Bell smiled like Van Helsing did when he knew he was going to turn into a werewolf to kill Dracula.

"You shouldn't have told me that." Bell said eyes glittering.

The bride leapt forward Bell moved to the side and jammed the stake in her heart. The bride screamed in pain. Bell ran around her and continued up the steps. She made it up the stairs to see a bridge of stone hanging over a seemingly bottomless pit. The snow had turned to freezing rain and the bridge was covered in a coat of ice. Bell wrapped her coat close around her. She ran forward but slipped on her third step.

"Oh great." she mumbled. Her hearing picked up a distant voice. It was Dracula's. Bell got back to the doorway on the stairs. She backed up a little, then sprinted forward with all her might. She jumped on the ice and slid about one fourth of the way across.

The rain was beginning to soak through her coat and she was freezing. Bell quickly stood. She began to hear flapping. She looked up to see the other unknown bride from the square. Bell took out a rope and made a loop in it. The bride swooped down and Bell dived to the ground. As the bride flew over, Bell put the loop around the bride's ankle. Bell held on as she was jerked across the bridge on her stomach. The bride began to veer off and Bell let go of the rope as she continued to slide across the bridge. She finally came to a stop about three-fourths the way across.

Bell stood up and looked back. Dracula was calmly walking toward her as if the ice didn't affect him.

"Oh great." she mumbled. "C'mon, think!" she scolded herself. Then it came to her. It was so simple, ice-skating. She knew how to do it, the only difference now is she didn't have ice-skates. Bell began to propel herself forward. Bell made it to the other side and looked up.

"Great, more stairs." she mumbled as she began to climb.

Her breath came quickly to her as she huffed and puffed. She climbed the stairs two at a time, and then three.

"Mom, Dad, you better up here." she mumbled to herself.

"They are, I just can't let you get to them."

Bell whirled around to see Dracula smiling at her.

"Awe, shit." she breathed with her chest heaving up and down. She looked behind him. Her eyes widened as she ducked to the ground. The unknown bride smashed into Dracula knocking him down. Bell jumped over them and ran up the stairs again. She looked up toward the sky.

"Thank you." she whispered. She ran faster and faster. She had to get to her parents. She ignored the soreness in her legs, like she had when she and Vulcan were running away from Dracula. Velkan, she thought. Anger flared up in her and she began to run faster.

She made it up the steps and entered a laboratory. Her chest heaved up and down. She knew Dracula would come soon, and she couldn't find an exit.

"Not again." Bell said as she looked for a place to hide. She heard Dracula coming toward the lab. Bell quickly ran up to the catwalk and crouched in the shadows. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and silenced it. She slowed her breathing so she couldn't hear it.

She saw Dracula walk in with his bride behind him. He seemed troubled.

"What is it master?" the bride asked.

"My dear Andrea, don't you hear it?" he asked.

"I only hear silence." Andrea replied confused.

"That is what is so odd. You should hear her heartbeat." he said walking through the lab.

Bell inwardly smiled. She had defied Dracula. Van Helsing would be so proud, now if she could only get to him. Bell looked around and saw a small hole in the wall. Her mother had told her about that. She had jumped from it to a rope. Bell slowly rose so not to attract attention. Once she started moving, she would have to move fast or Dracula would hear her. She let out a deep breath and bolted away.

Dracula immediately saw her. Andrea did to. The bride flew up as Bell jumped for the hole. The bride hit Bell but she grabbed onto the edge of the hole. Bell pulled herself up and climbed through. Once through, she looked at herself. The bride caused her a cut above her right eye and another on her left arm.

Bell heard the door at the bottom of the stairs open. She bolted up the stairs taking three at a time. She had to get to her parents (A/N: Yes I know I've said that like three thousand times!).

Bell was knocked forward. She turned around still lying on the stairs. Andrea stood over her.

"Hello angel." she hissed.

"Hello this!" Bell said and planted her feet in the vampire's chest. Bell pushed off sending the bride and its master to the bottom of the stairs.

Bell scrambled up and whipped the combination of blood and sweat away from her eyes. She once again, sprinted up the stairs. She finally, got to the top and pushed open a large wooden door. She quickly closed it behind her and leaned against it catching her air.

Bell looked up and couldn't believe what she saw.

(A/N: I know you all hate me right about now, but that's it. I have two more chapters to do and then I'm done! If you review I might finish the next chapter today. (And Eili, I know the know the feeling is mutual, I know the inner thought coincides, I know the emotion is similar, I KNOW!!!!) Anyway, as usual, no flames please. Thank you)