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 36

Sarah found her mouth beginning to water as the sound of their heartbeats echoed around her. Closing her eyes she tried to block the sound out, but found that the intoxicating aroma of fresh blood drifted towards her from the combatants.

A roar sounded in her ears and a dark shadow seemed to encase her mind for a moment.

"No" she pleaded as the vampire began to take hold.

"Sarah?" Marston's voice came to her thick with concern. "Are you ok?"

Sarah's eyes snapped open and she looked at the boy to her left, instinctively she grabbed him by the throat intending to sink her fangs into the tender flesh there.

He gave a startled cry of fear, which jarred her, making her hesitate in her assault.

Sarah blinked as she felt the shadow receding and the horrible thought of what she was about to do sank in. Distraught she let Marston go staring at him in object horror.

Slowly she glanced down at her hands to see them grey and sporting large talons, a sob of fear escaped her throat as she stared into Marston's pale face.

"I'm sorry…I didn't…I…" the room was utterly silent as her friends stared in shock at her.

Tears cascaded down her face as she saw the fear in their eyes and the sad glance that passed swiftly between the monster hunters.

With a cry of deep misery she fled, rushing from the training room and heading through the corridors of the manor.

When she reached her room she shut the door tightly, violently pulling the curtains across the window to block out the sunless daylight and threw herself into the darkest corner of the room.

Sobbing pitifully she buried her head in her knees, rocking backwards and forwards as she trembled with terror at what she had nearly done.

"Help me…help me…help me." She pleaded to the empty room.

Sobbing in the darkness, it was a few seconds before she felt the presence leaning over her, thinking it to be one of her friends she forced herself into a tighter ball, afraid to look up and see the disgust and fear in their eyes.

"Shhh, do not hide from me." A soothing voice whispered from the shadows.

Sarah felt someone enfold her in a loving embrace, their arms around her pressing her head gently to their breast.

She tensed, afraid to let herself relax so close to them, unwilling to place any more of her friends in danger.

As they began to rock with her she began to relax allowing herself to cry against them and return their embrace, desperate not to feel so alone and so lost.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it…I was fighting so hard…" she stammered trying to explain herself, to make them understand.

For what seemed like hours she lay in the embrace, gratefully sobbing out her terror. The voice was familiar although distorted beyond recognition though her cries, curious she began to wonder which of her friends would hold her so lovingly.

The voice was male; she knew that much at least…but none of the lads would hold her like this…none of them.

Unease began to settle around her now and she stiffened, aware that the continuous sound of a human heartbeat was absent from the room. The arms that held her were cold.

Dracula smiled down at his distraught bride, tenderly rocking her within his embrace. When she stiffened in his arms he almost laughed aloud in amusement, bending his mouth close to her ear he whispered.

"What is it my darling?"

With a startled cry she threw herself out of his arms, pressing herself tightly against the wall, her blue eyes wild with fear and anger.

"No!" she yelled shaking her head in denial. "You're not here! You're not real!"

Dracula stood and regarded her with amusement. "Is it logical then, to assume I am just a figment of your imagination?" he taunted, "Tsk tsk my dear, insanity on top of vampirism. That may be very bad news for your little human friends now won't it."

Sarah flinched as he leant closer to her lifting his hand to caress her cheek.

"You know you're still warm?" he whispered.

Sarah found herself unwillingly drawn into his eyes, becoming helplessly lost in them. He smiled at her, stroking her chin tenderly before reaching back and violently ripping the bobble from her hair.

Sarah cried out as she felt her scalp burn. He watched seemingly transfixed as her golden locks cascaded across her shoulders.

"I prefer it down." He said sweetly stepping back.

Sarah stared at him angrily "You get the hell away from me." She spat through gritted teeth.

Dracula laughed cruelly. Bowing elegantly he met her gaze.

"As you wish. Ado my love until next we meet."

Sarah opened her eyes hearing a distant banging. She found herself lying in the corner of the empty room; Dracula was nowhere in sight.

With relief she climbed to her feet using the wall as a support. Carefully she made her way to the window peering out to see the new moon appear from behind a cloud. Quickly her hand shot to the back of her head where she found her hair still tightly bound back in a ponytail.

"A dream." She realised.

Renewed knocking on her door made her jump and she turned to face it.

"Sarah?" enquired Amie's voice from the other side. "Sarah, are you ok? Please let us in," she pleaded.

Hesitantly Sarah crossed to the door fearful of what might await her on the other side.

Deciding anything was better than being alone right now, she drew back the latch and pulled the door open to see her friends gathered outside.

"Hey" she said lamely in greeting her throat raw from crying.

"Ok if we come in?" asked Jory carefully.

Sarah nodded turning away to sit in the centre of her bed, knees drawn up to her chin.

One by one they filed into the room. Sarah blinked as Chris entered with a candle in his hands and proceeded to light the candelabra in the centre of the room hoisting it up so that it cast a flickering orange glow over the assemblage.

Sarah marvelled at how dark the room had been before and how she hadn't noticed. Yet another perk to being a vampire, light is just not an issue.

An awkward silence descended over them. "So … what happened back there?" asked Tony carefully. Sarah shrugged.

"I … the vampire me … got over excited…I couldn't hold it back." She said regretfully looking up at Marston.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked sadly.

Marston grinned shaking his head "Nah, you're gentler than Aleera." He answered grinning.

Sarah smiled slightly meeting his gaze sincerely with her own "I really am sorry. It could have been anyone, you just happened to be there."

Bob grinned "And here he was feeling special." He said sarcastically.

Sarah actually giggled; the tension began to slowly disappear as the group began to relax.

"You do know you owe me a fiver right?" Tony stated with amusement.

Sarah blinked "Since when?"

"Er since Van Helsing kicked Anna's ass." He pointed out grinning.

Sarah glared at him "But I agreed with you! I said that he would win but I said Anna was going to pin him first! So if anything you owe me a fiver."

Tony scowled opening his mouth to argue when Jory cut in.

"Er just out of curiosity Sarah. Where are your other clothes? You just sort of turned up in your bridal gown or whatever that was."

"More like sacrificial robes." muttered Bob, yelping when Amie elbowed him in the ribs.

Sarah shrugged "Don't know just woke up in that skimpy little concubine outfit."

Tony sniggered earning himself a punch on the arm from Sarah "ow hey!"

Amie looked horrified "Dracula stole your clothes?" she asked in disgust

Sarah shuddered "Argh don't make me think about."

"So Dracula stole your shoes?" Marston asked grinning.

Sarah frowned she hadn't really thought about it. "Hey he stole my shoes!" she exclaimed angrily. "I really liked those shoes." She muttered pouting.

Tony looked at her funny "You know the pouting thing doesn't really work with fangs." He pointed out.

Sarah grinned allowing her fangs to elongate. "Yeah, but they look cool." She exclaimed.

Jory laughed, "So you've always wanted fangs?" he asked in amusement.

Sarah felt her teeth return to normal and shock her head "Nope. Just because I like reading about vampires, doesn't mean I'm going to dye my hair black, file down my teeth and call myself Chanterelle."

"Not that you need to now." Pointed out Marston helpfully "Also Chanterelle is a mushroom."

Sarah blinked "I knew that." She said sheepishly.

"Why would an immortal vampire want a pair of ladies calf boots?" Amie wondered out loud.

Jory grinned "Fetish?" he suggested.

Everyone laughed, Sarah crawled to the edge of the bed and took Amie's hand patting it playfully "Let it go sweetie." She said grinning.

"We've moved on Hunskull." Bob added grinning.

They fell into silence lounging in various parts of the room Chris wandered towards the window and gazed out at the village below.

"Can you believe that there partying in the pub less than a day after the vamps attacked?" he asked seeing the building lit up with many lamps and the smoke pouring out of the chimney.

Jory shrugged "That's where I'd be…"

Marston's eyes lit up "Yeah anyone fancy a pub crawl?"

"I wouldn't recommend that." said a deep voice.

They all turned as Van Helsing stepped into the room.

Sarah glanced around as everyone shifted nervously raising her eyebrows in confusion towards Amie who shrugged.

"Technically we're not supposed to be in here." She supplied grinning sheepishly.

Van Helsing nodded "I turn my back for a few minutes and you all just disappeared."

Sarah was amazed "Wait you're telling me that they managed to give the great Gabriel Van Helsing- A man trained by Tibetan monks and Chinese masters, who has never ever failed to capture a creature of darkness- the slip."

Jory smirked "He was talking to Anna at the time so you can't blame him for being a bit distracted." Sarah clamped her mouth shut to keep from laughing.

The hunter glared at them torn between amusement and annoyance.

"You were all told not to come up here tonight or until I had given you permission! You didn't know what you were walking into!" he said coldly.

Sarah flinched as though he'd struck her, she knew he was right but that didn't make it any less painful to hear.

Van Helsing watched her, his gaze softening with sudden guilt as she turned her head away.

"Could you leave us for a few minutes?" he asked as her friends glared at him.

Reluctantly they left the room "We'll be back later." Amie promised squeezing Sarah's hand in reassurance as she passed.

Sarah gave her a hesitant smile which quickly vanished when Van Helsing closed the door behind them.

They faced each other across the bedroom, Sarah shifted uncomfortably under his obvious scrutiny.

"You think I'm going to turn on you?" she asked bluntly.

Van Helsing raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

Sarah shrugged "Only if you piss me off."

Mentally she kicked herself great start to the conversation. Cringing she looked up at the hunter who smiled with amusement.

She relaxed slightly and sighed. "Sorry in-appropriate humour, happens sometimes when I'm nervous." She explained.

Van Helsing smirked "Carl's like that…unintentionally of course." He added when she looked surprised.

She smiled "Of course."

A scent drifted towards her as he crossed the room to sit in the armchair beside the fire, it was a metallic scent but it carried an instinctive air of danger within it causing her to lean away automatically. Silver, he was carrying silver.

"You're here to kill me." She said quietly meeting his gaze.

Van Helsing made to reply but she hurriedly cut him off.

"It's ok it's what you do." She said hurriedly. "I mean you have to right? It's like that American film about that dog where, the kid likes him but he has to shoot him because he gets rabies, that's what I've got, rabies so you've got to put me down…but I'm guessing you've never heard of that film which makes sense because it doesn't exist yet, actually it might never exist in this universe…" she trailed off as she noticed the hunter waiting patiently for her to finish.

"That would be another thing I do sometimes…babbling."

Van Helsing smiled. "I bet not having to take a breath helps when you do that."

She blushed sheepishly. "Actually when I had to breathe I usually forgot to when I got going like that…so not going to be an issue." She admitted.

The hunter sighed. Leaning forward to rest his head on his hands he looked completely sincere when he said. "I'm not going to kill you…not tonight."

Sarah blinked back tears of relief and regret, "And yet you brought silver in here?" she countered.

Looking mildly surprised he reached under his shirt and pulled the silver stake from the rim of his belt where it had been concealed.

"Just a precaution." He informed her rolling the cool metal between his fingers.

She nodded sadly "I didn't mean to turn like that…in the training room." She whispered.

Van Helsing studied her closely and she looked past him into the roaring fire watching the flames dancing freely in the hearth.

"I lost control…I won't let it happen again."

The hunter sighed fingering the sharp tip of the stake in his grasp.

"I don't pretend to know about vampires." He said quietly. "Before this assignment I had never encountered one…that I could remember anyway." He added looking at her with a wry smile which widened as the girl tearfully returned it.

She grinned "You wanted to bring a Tommy gun on this mission." She said in amusement.

The hunter chuckled and nodded amused by how useless that piece of machinery would have been against the beasts.

"You know it still amazes me that you know all this." She shrugged.

"Me and about a million other people where I come from." She grinned "They write stories about you, you know."

Van Helsing looked slightly curious but brushed it aside to regard her seriously once more.

"You lost control too easily down there, I know it must be difficult but you have to be more in control or I might be forced to keep you isolated for your safety as much as everyone else's."

Sarah nodded her understanding raising her chin defiantly. "It won't happen again, as long as I can keep it under control. The moment that changes I promise I'll come straight to you."

He smiled at her and she blushed, no matter how long she had been here she still couldn't get used to the fact that she was having a conversation with Van Helsing! Granted he was wondering whether to kill her or not but other than that this was the best night of her life!!!

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Note: if I don't update for a couple of days is because I'm having a little bit of computer trouble, will do my best to keep going though.