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 28
Valerius Manor stood against the night its many windows lit with warm candlelight.
Sarah stared up at it over come with emotion, "I never thought I'd be coming back here," she whispered to Jory who walked beside her.
He grinned and put his arm around her shoulders "Everyone's going to go crazy when they see you!" he said gleefully. Sarah forced herself to smile and stopped on the path.
"You guys go ahead, just don't tell them about me yet I want it to be a surprise." She said ducking from under his arm.
Marston and Tony carried on walking and Jory ran to catch up with them. Sarah watched them enter the large oak doors and disappear inside.
Anna shared a glance with Van Helsing as they came upon her on the path, as they drew level the girl looked at them sorrowfully.
"I don't know if I should go in there," she whispered. "I don't belong with them any more."
Anna placed a comforting hand on the girls trembling shoulder "Where would you go?" she asked not unkindly.
Sarah shook her head "I don't know" she said truthfully. "But do I have the right to make them believe I've come back for good? Will they understand that I'm on borrowed time and sooner or later one of you will have to kill me?" She asked desperately.
Van Helsing stepped up beside her "You don't know that for certain, there may be a cure and all you have to do is keep fighting until we find one. It would be worse for them if they knew you were facing this alone if there is a way to save you we'll all find it together."
Sarah smiled at him gratefully.
"You're only saying that because I know more about Dracula than you do" she teased him.
The Princess smiled and Van Helsing grinned pushing the rim of his hat up. "That too."
Together the three of them approached the large oak doors, Anna pushed them open and turned to invite Sarah in when the girl stopped her.
"Hold on a sec I want to feel this." Grinning she held her hands palm out and felt an invisible membrane encasing the house, she watched as the air shimmered in front of it and grinned, "That is so cool" she said laughing.
Anna grinned, "Done?" she asked patiently Sarah smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Come on in" the Princess said.
Sarah immediately felt the barrier disappear and laughed feeling the warmth of the manor rush to greet her as she stepped through the doors.
Slipping Van Helsing's coat gratefully from her shoulders she giggled and spun on the spot happily.
Van Helsing and the Princess watched her as she revealed in her freedom. "I'd forgotten what it felt like to be warm!" she exclaimed spinning to meet their smiles.
Looking at the people before her she noticed the extent of Anna's injuries and concern clouded her happiness.
Anna was favouring her right leg and was bleeding freely from several deep claw marks on her shoulder, a small cut marked her forehead and her hair was matted in places by dried blood.
Anna saw her concern and shrugged "I would have been much worse if you hadn't killed Verona." She said dismissively turning to lead the way into one of the main sitting rooms.
Bob yelped in pain as Amie cleaned a deep gash in his arm. He was lying on one of the many large sofas has fractured leg elevated on one of the arms. Chris winced in sympathy as he remembered Carls none to gentle treatment of his own wounds a few minutes earlier.
Amie sighed with relief as Marston, Jory and Tony entered the temporary medical room. A few minor cuts and bruises seemed to be the extent of the damage.
"I thought you were all going to die!" she yelled beginning to cry,embracing each one in turn.
Tony yelped sharply as she put pressure on his torso, Carl walked into the room laden with bandages and antiseptic.
"Ah good you're back and in one piece too! I'm impressed" he exclaimed a little too cheerfully. "Van Helsing and Anna?" he enquired.
"Their right behind us" Marston answered cheerfully collapsing exhausted into an armchair. "How's the leg?" he asked Bob who glared at him.
"What happened to you Hongy?" Chris asked curiously.
"Verona" Tony said simply,wincing as he settled on the arm of one of the settees.
"You look terrible," said Jory looking at him in the light for the first time.
Tony tried to shrug in reply stopping abruptly as a wave of pain swept through his chest making him gasp.
Carl looked at him in concern "What happened?" he asked walking over to him.
"Verona thought it would be hilarious to try and crush me, bloody vampire."
Carl helped him to remove his shirt and the room went silent as they saw his bare chest. His upper torso was one deep purple and blue bruise, around which his skin was a painful red colour.
Carl immediately checked him for broken ribs of which there were thankfully none. He left the room quickly muttering something about a painkiller. He returned and handed around small sticks to the injured boys.
Bob stared at his. "What's this?" he asked his voice hoarse with pain.
"Willow branches." Answered the Friar.
"And it's supposed to do what exactly?" asked Marston giving his a cautious sniff.
"Chew it, it'll help with the pain," the Friar promised nodding with approval as Tony placed his almost instantly into his mouth. Bob copied him grimacing at the bitter taste.
"It contains a natural Alkali, which when combined with a certain level of acidity creates a chemical reaction." The Friar explained. Amie looked confused.
"It mixes with stomach acid to make aspirin." Tony elaborated helpfully.
He winced again clutching his bruised ribs as Carl bandaged them to give him some support.
"She could have killed you!" Amie said regarding his injuries in shock, the vampire's
inhuman strength revealed to her for the first time.
Tony grinned cockily at her "Nope bones of steel!" he boasted loudly.
"Oh please." Said a familiar voice loudly "He just won't admit he needed me to save his ass."
The group spun and faced the girl standing in the doorway Van Helsing and Anna stood proudly behind her.
"Sarah?" Amie gasped in disbelief.
Bob stared at her in shock while Chris leapt up from his seat.
"Hey guys miss me?" Sarah asked eyes shinning.
Amie gave a cry of joy and ran to her friend enfolding her in a bear hug.
"Your alive!" she yelled tears of joy cascading down her cheeks.
Sarah laughed her own tears shining on her face. She fought to keep her balance as Chris's added weight slammed into her from the other side.
Carl walked past the reunion and met Anna and Van Helsing at the door. "Dracula?" he enquired quickly. Van Helsing frowned.
"Apparently invulnerable to stakes." He answered.
Anna stared at him for a moment "You staked him?" she asked in disbelief her eyes flashing.
Van Helsing made to respond but was interrupted by Carl who was fearfully tapping him on the shoulder. "What?"
"Van Helsing shall I assume that, Sarah is …dead?" he asked nervously watching the girl go over to Bob and giving him a hug.
"She's not evil Carl…not yet," he said seriously.
Anna looked steadily at the Friar "She's the same girl we met four days ago and we shouldn't treat her any differently, she won't hurt you Carl she's in control." Carl still looked incredibly nervous.
Amie watched Sarah closely.
"You're a vampire?" she asked again disbelief on her face.
Sarah wrung her hands nervously "yeah but I'm still me." She said quickly.
"Have you killed anyone?" Bob asked.
Her friends sighed with relief as she shook her head. Tony jumped down from his seat carefully pulling his peasant shirt back on.
"Show us." He said. Sarah blinked and backed up.
"What?" she asked fearfully.
"What you are now, show us."
Sarah looked at him pleading with him not to make her do it. She glanced around at her friends; they were all watching her expectantly. Tony placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she flinched as if he had struck her.
"It's ok," he whispered softly.
Sarah closed her eyes for a second and then opened them to reveal glowing purple irises, Amie sat quickly down next to Bob clutching his hand as she saw Sarah's teeth grow and become impossibly sharp.
From the doorway Anna, Van Helsing and Carl watched silently. Carl gave a small cry when he saw her fangs lengthen and found Van Helsing's hand over his mouth.
Tony didn't let go of her as her change continued, he felt the muscles shift beneath his fingers and stood mutely as her clothes shifted to become wings. Her skin was a dead grey now and stretched taut over her body. Marston shifted uneasily in his chair, Jory staring open mouthed behind him. Chris remained still watching her.
Sarah stood before them now completely transformed into her vampiric form, her clothes had become her wings and her body could only barely be distinguished as female.
Anna and Van Helsing waited, Carl whining behind Van Helsing's hand. Sarah's eyes darted from face to face before settling at the floor beneath her feet tears of shame beginning to slide down her cheeks. Tony's hand was warm on her cold skin and she looked up at him grateful for his support. The silence was deafening.
Jory let out a deep breath and walked towards the vampire.
Sarah nervously turned to meet him dread settling in her stomach.
He looked her up and down for a moment and then his face split into a wide grin.
"You do know that you're naked right?" he asked laughter in his voice.
She sagged with relief and sobbingly laughed "not in the literal sense." She answered shakily.
Marston stood up next and grinned reaching a hand up to touch her wing "You actually get to fly? What's that like?"
Anna released a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding and sagged against an equally relieved Van Helsing.
He removed hi hand from the friar's mouth. Carl watched the group begin to gather around their friend, laughter echoing around them.
"What just happened?" he asked confused.