(A/N: I don't own Van Helsing)

Chapter Nine

Bell couldn't believe it. There were her parents safe and sound.

"Mom! Dad!" she shouted running over to the cage they were in.

"Bell, what are you doing here?" Van Helsing asked.

"I came to get you! Are you alright? No bites or anything, right?" Bell asked looking worried.

"No, we're fine." Anna said.

"Where are the keys?" Bell asked looking around the room.

"Over by the door." her father said pointing.

Bell ran over and grabbed them. She rushed back over as she heard Dracula's voice from the other side of the door. Van Helsing seemed to hear it too because both of their heads jerked up at the same moment.

"Which one?" Bell hissed through her teeth looking at all four keys.

"Try them all." Anna said.

Bell tried the first one, it didn't work. She pulled it out as Dracula's voice came closer. She tired the second. It didn't work either. Bell pulled it out and jammed in the third. She turned it as the door to the room flew open. Bell pulled the door to the cell open as Dracula pulled her back by the waist. She screamed slightly and began to kick and scream.

"Let her go Dracula." Van Helsing said as he and Anna darted out of the cage.

"How do I put this? No." he said smiling evilly. Van Helsing heard a scream and turned to see Andrea had Anna by the neck.

"Which will you choose Gabriel? You wife, or your child?" Dracula smirked. Van Helsing was trapped. He couldn't save them both. He would have to choose.

Dracula and Andrea's fangs grew. Bell got one hand free and tossed her dad something. He caught it. It was Bell's favorite pistol (the one with the small silver stakes for bullets). Van Helsing fired at Andrea and then at Dracula, hitting the bride in the neck and the Count in the eye.

The vampire's shrunk back in pain. Bell and Anna ran to Van Helsing.

"Let's go." he said pushing Bell in front of them. Anna followed her daughter and Van Helsing went last.

The three flew down the stairs while Bell desperately tried to figure out all the hidden clues. She was the only one who could kill Dracula. Why? What had the brides called her? Angel, they called her angel. Why? Was she an angel? If she was, there was still a piece of the puzzle missing.

They burst through the door to the laboratory. They ran across it to the other door. Andrea landed in front of them. They stopped and Van Helsing pulled Bell close against him.

"Well, well, well,"

They turned to see Dracula at the other door.

"It seems that Gabriel Van Helsing, the Left Hand of God, has finally been trapped." Dracula said.

"You're the what?" Bell asked turning to her father. Van Helsing remained silent. It didn't matter, Bell had heard it the first time.

This amused Dracula.

"I am surprised you didn't tell her Gabriel." Dracula said smirking. "I also take it you didn't tell her about your nightmares, your exceptionally long life, about your ring, how you killed me?"

"Twice." Van Helsing added.

Dracula's smile faded and one appeared on Bell. Now all the pieces fit together. She was part angel. That's why she could kill Dracula. It was a combination of the angel blood and human blood. The one thing that separated her blood and her dad's was her blood didn't have werewolf venom in it, not much anyway.

Bell still didn't know about the nightmares, but would ask about it later. If there is a later. part of her said. For now, they had to get past Andrea. Bell looked over the laboratory and saw something useful. Bell slid a tojo blade out of her right sleeve and grabbed onto a chord. She cut it and she rose high up in the air to the catwalk.

Andrea flew up to the catwalk where Bell was. Van Helsing took this opportunity to get Anna out of the room. Bell turned to Andrea, who now took her human form. The bride smiled at her. Bell turned around to see Dracula on her other side. Bell looked at her present situation. In three words, it wasn't good.

Dracula noticed this and smiled.

"Now my dear, it seems you hit a snag in your plan." he said.

"Could always be worse." Bell replied with her mind racing as she tried to find a way out of this mess. Dracula ignored her.

"Now, if you come without a fuss, I promise your parents will not be harmed." he said holding a hand out to her.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Bell mumbled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Van Helsing looking up at her. She could tell he wanted to help her, but he couldn't. Then Bell had an idea.

"Besides," Bell said looking at Dracula. "I was taught never to take the path of least resistance." With that Bell jumped over the catwalk and fell to the ground below. Van Helsing rushed forward and caught his daughter. He set her down and they ran out of the laboratory.

Anna was waiting for them.

"What was that for?" she asked Van Helsing. He just grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him.

Their breath came to them faster now, especially Bell. She had been running longer than her parents had. She whipped the sweat away from her eyes as she ran down the stairs. They got to the bottom and saw the bridge.

"Oh great." Bell said looking up at the freezing rain. "Clear the doorway." Bell said. Van Helsing and Anna looked confused but did so. Bell backed up a few paces, then sprinted forward. She slid across the ice at a high speed. She stopped about one fourth the way across and turned back to look at Anna and Van Helsing.

"C'mon!" she shouted to them. Van Helsing and Anna followed what Bell had done. When they finally slowed and stopped next to her, Van Helsing spoke to his daughter.

"How do we get the rest of the way?" he asked.

"I was getting to that." Bell mumbled. "Hope you know how to ice-skate." she said turning. Dracula was in the doorway looking at them.

Bell sped off across the bridge with her parents behind her. Lightning struck and thunder sounded off in the distance. Andrea swooped down from behind them. Van Helsing saw it.

"Anna, get down!" he shouted and pushed Anna away from the bat-like creature. Van Helsing was thrown back along with Bell. Anna got up and made to move for them but lightning struck the bridge. Anna was thrown back. When the light cleared, there was a huge hole between them.

"Mom!" Bell shouted. Van Helsing grunted as he jumped over the hole. He landed on the other side, but almost fell backwards. Anna grabbed him and pulled him toward her.

"That werewolf venom comes in handy." Bell mumbled. Van Helsing grabbed Anna around the waist and jumped back over. Van Helsing landed but the stones crumbled beneath him. He and Anna fell through. Bell grabbed her father's hand. Anna clung to Van Helsing's neck as he grabbed onto Bell with both hands. Bell hung on with both of her hands and used all her strength to try and pull them up.

Bell slowly slid to the edge of the hole. She couldn't get friction under her feet from the ice. She gritted her teeth and pulled harder. She still slid closer and closer to the edge. She was close now, only inches away from her death.

A pair of hands grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. She looked to see it was Carl. The two pulled and soon Anna and Van Helsing were back on the bridge.

"Thanks." Bell said turning to Carl. "You know you didn't have to came back, but I'm very glad you did."

The four made their way across the bridge sliding the whole way. As they ran down the stairs, they could hear Dracula screaming in rage behind them.

(A/N: Me again!! Well, only one more chapter left. I might do an epilog, I'm thinking about it but I'm not sure. (Eili, if you kill me, you'll never know the end of the story.) No flames please. Thank you!)