Disclaimer: I don't own Van Helsing nor anything associated with it, it is the property of Universal and the brain child of Steven Summers

Chapter 25

Tony swung the sword and was shocked when it was met mid swing by a metal bar.

He froze and the figure did the same, it was an eerie déjà vu.

Slowly he looked up moving the sword so that he could see the face of the figure before him. Familiar blue eyes stared back at him.

"Sarah?" he stammered.

"Tony?"

For a moment they could only stare at each other, then they both gave a joyful cry and they fell into a clumsy embrace.

"God woman you scared me to death!" he cried.

She laughed tearfully pulling back to look at him. Her gaze fell on his sword. She raised an eyebrow

"Anna gave you a sword? What, does she have a death wish?"

He smirked looking her up and down taking in the small white top that barely covered her breasts, exposed midriff and flowing skirt.

"I assume you're aware that you're not really wearing much?" he asked pleasantly.

A small cry behind her saved Sarah from replying, quickly she knelt behind the log pile and found the child fully awake now. Recognising her he jumped into her arms and began to howl with fear. She cradled him against her chest desperately trying to calm him down.

Marston gasped in fear as his back met the cold stone of one of the small village houses.

Somehow he had been separated from the others. He was pretty sure he had seen Chris go down and Jory had gone to help him, leaving Marston to square off against the dark haired vampire called Verona.

He was still a little fuzzy on how he had gotten himself stuck in the dead end of the alleyway. "Shit" fumbling with his sword he failed to see the white creature drop silently behind him.

Verona grinned as she found her prey, the smell of his fear was intoxicating. She would relish this kill. She stepped toward him grinning as he froze hearing the almost in audible hiss of her clothes against her skin.

Before he realised what was happening Marston found himself pinned against the damp brick wall Verona smiling sweetly before him.

"Are you lost?"

He blinked in confusion staring at the unnatural beauty of her face.

"Not so much lost as cornered like a rat." He answered with false bravado.

Verona grinned looking deceptively innocent; the expression distracted the teenager from the small thud to his left.

"Sister!" Verona greeted extending an arm to embrace Aleera.

Marston gasped as the vampires exchanged a passionate kiss in greeting, red hair mixing with Black in the seductive embrace.

All thoughts of danger fled the boys mind, the options of: run or fight replaced by more intriguing possibilities.

Aleera and Verona grinned at him moving as one being to push him up against the wall crushing their bodies against him.

"Hello ladies." He said grinning goofily as they began to giggle, leaning up to nuzzle his chest.

Completely at their mercy he didn't even notice as Verona gently removed the sword from his hand leaving him defenceless.

Aleera brought his face close to hers capturing his lips in a passionate kiss as Verona's mouth found the sensitive skin at his neck.

He felt her kiss the soft skin over his jugular shivering at the chill of her skin, he frowned suddenly aware of the danger he was in and tried to struggle against Aleera's kiss his eyes shooting open as he felt something sharp scratch the skin on his throat.

At the same time he realised he couldn't breathe the vampiress was covering his nose and mouth in an effort to suffocate him!

'Oh fuck I'm going to die' he thought panicking.

A flash of silver shot through the dark alley and embedded itself in Aleera's neck.

Snarling with pain and fury she savagely tore herself away from him pulling Verona with her.

Marston slumped to the floor sucking in gulps of fresh air, one hand nervously searching his throat for marks.

Princess Anna suddenly appeared next to him. Breathlessly she dragged him to his feet roughly turning his head from side to side to check his neck. Finding no serious wounds she slapped the upside of his head.

"Ow hey!!" He yelled angrily glaring at her.

She met his gaze her deep brown eyes flashing with anger.

"Fool! You let them get so close and allowed them to take your weapon? Do you wish for death so easily?"

Marston blinked "They were kissing! Two girls! It was awesome!"

Anna groaned at his stupidity "Perhaps I should have let them tear you apart." She said handing him his discarded sword and leading the way towards the end of the ally where the sounds of the continuing battle floated towards them.

"Hey, there was girl on girl action, I was part of it! Do you think I give one that they wanted to rip me to shreds in the process?"

Anna glared at him before turning on her heel and running at Aleera who had Chris pinned to the ground.

In one swift movement she had taken hold of her silver-throwing, star, which was embedded in the vampiress's throat, and pulling savagely ripped it out only to drive it into the screeching demons face.

"My face!" Aleera screeched transforming and throwing herself at the princess, who promptly turned and ran.

Bob, having been flung unceremoniously to the floor stood and followed the retreating princess.

Marston was about to do likewise when Jory ploughed into him swearing as they hit the ground hard.

Chris placed himself between them and the grinning vampiress his sword raised for attack.

It was then that a high-pitched wailing of a small child sounded across the square.

Verona heard the child's cries and grinned at the three boys in front of her "I'm afraid I have other business to attend to." She said sweetly taking to the air.

Tony felt the breeze at his back before he knew what it meant. Sarah glanced up at him in time to see Verona closing in, claws out. Automatically she grabbed his ankle pulling it out from under him. He gave a startled gasp as he fell back, eyes widening as he watched Verona's claws miss his shoulders by less than a centimetre.

Verona screeched in frustration as her momentum carried her over the house.

Tony leapt to his feet sword out. "Sarah, stay here whatever happens don't come out until someone comes for you." He began to walk past her.

Shocked she stumbled to her feet the boy still in her arms.

"Don't be stupid Tony she'll kill you!" she said blocking his path. Tony's heart began to race. She could hear it like a constant drum beat and just as loud.

"There's no time to argue, I won't lose you again and someone's got to protect him," he said pointing to the child.

Sarah looked down at the boy; raising her head she looked tearfully at Tony.

"Don't be mad." She said hearing Verona approach behind her.

Tony barely had time to register her words before he found himself swordless, with a very surprised little boy in his arms.

Frantically he looked up at Verona's approaching form, he was helpless.

With a triumphant roar she dove at him.

Barely a meter away from her victims another creature with a mane of gold slammed into her, throwing them both to the ground.

Tony watched as the creatures screaming at each other began a bloody battle, claws and teeth found their marks and flesh was torn. The only way to distinguish one from the other was the colour of their hair. To Tony's amazement he saw the blond vampire strike a blow with his stolen sword.

For one eccentric moment he wondered how the creature had gotten it off Sarah, it was only after she screamed that he recognised her voice.

Sarah was the blond vampire.

Tony felt himself sink to the floor, the truth knocking all the air out of his body. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, he had found her and she had been alive.

Against all odds she had survived and now he knew why.

The child in his arms started crying again.

Jory yelled in frustration as Verona took to the sky, apparently running away from the fight. Beside him Marston and Chris breathlessly watched her go before running to assist Bob and Anna who were engaged in their own battle with Aleera. The battle had separated them all from Van Helsing leaving the hunter to deal with Dracula alone.

Jory was torn between pursuing the bride and aiding his friends. Bob's high-pitched scream made the decision for him.

He turned and saw his friend clutching his leg, which was at a strange angle. Anna was stood in front of him in a defensive stance mercilessly attacking the pretty bride with her sword. Marston and Chris were slumped exhausted against the wall various injuries bleeding freely.

Jory rushed to Anna's aid as the bride managed to rip the sword from her grasp, she pinned the Princess against the wall with a crushing hand on her throat. The bride was chattering incessantly apparently sure of her impending victory.

"I am very, very, very excited about this Anna dear." She was saying tightening her grip causing the princess to choke.

Jory swung his sword severing Aleera's arm above the elbow.

The bride screamed and backed away. Anna fell coughing to the floor; he helped her to her feet and returned her sword.

"Thank you," she gasped clutching his arm.

He barely registered her thanks still in shook over his own actions, he watched the bride stumble towards her severed arm and pick it up placing it back on to the bloody stump.

As he watched bone and muscle began to grow reattaching the limb and finally renewing the skin around it.

Jory turned and vomited leaning against the wall for support as Anna, joined by a renewed Marston advanced to begin the fight anew.

Against the wall Chris stumbled to his feet watching with horror, as the bride's body shifted and she became a demon.

"God help us," he muttered as she swooped and dug her claws into the princess's shoulders picking her up and throwing her on to the roof of one of the houses.

Together Marston, Jory and Chris attacked as Anna hung from roofs edge, in a move an Olympic Gymnast would have been proud of, she planted her feet on the wall and executed a perfect twisting back flip to land on the bat creatures back and pin her to the ground, momentarily allowing all three boys to pin her there with their swords piercing straight through her body and into the earth beneath it.

Bob yelled joyfully even as he grew pale with the pain in his leg.

The beast thrashed beneath the swords, roars of anger and pain bellowing from within her. If at any point in the battle the boys had doubted that so beautiful a woman could truly be so evil, they found their doubts violently erased.

Anna was bleeding from the flesh wounds on her shoulders; the pain was a welcome distraction from the fear of the battle. The boys looked at her for direction now unsure what to do. Aleera was weakened and temporarily vulnerable.

Carl appeared and fearfully scurried over.

"Holy water?" She asked.

"Holy water! Yes of course!" he muttered searching within his robes, he exclaimed triumphantly as he found a glass bottle within the brown folds.

Aleera renewed her struggles transforming into her human form. Carl gave a rather girly squeal as she grabbed one of the swords and ripped it out of her own body.

Anna was already moving, holy water in her hand.

Aleera never gave her the chance to use it.

Before anyone could react she had removed the rest of the swords and sent the princess flying into the wall of one of the houses.

Carl was next, mercifully he was already unconscious when he hit the wall, Jory was hurled next to him conscious but bleeding freely from a fresh cut above his eye.

In less than a minute the fight was over and Aleera still bleeding from her many stab wounds stood triumphantly over the fallen princess.

Anna gasped as she felt Aleera's weight pin her to the floor, she was helpless and the vampiress knew it.

Silently she apologised to her father, she hadn't been strong enough to defeat Aleera even with help, and she would never have succeeded against Dracula.

Aleera savoured the moment allowing the Princess to see her fangs elongate and her eyes shine yellow in anticipation. She lowered her head to the girl's neck and whispered gleefully into her ear.

"Be happy in the knowledge that I shall weep over your body."

Anna balled her hand into a fist and willed herself to strike fighting against the vampire's inhuman strength, it was a futile attempt at defiance and she knew it but she would not disgrace her family by accepting her fate.

Aleera's fangs grazed her throat and Anna gasped as she felt them pierce the skin there, Aleera was taking her time penetrating the skin millimetre by painful millimetre. Suddenly she felt a searing pain, her fangs left identical scratches in the princess's skin as she ripped them free.

The bride threw her head back and screamed.