Christine Marquez: I think Werewolf venom only makes the victim change through a bite or that's my assumption. Chris's scratch is just a flesh wound so probably won't be mentioned again, just another battle scar to add to the collection . Amie didn't throw the dagger because she'd been pushed to the floor out of the way with Marston and Tony, I tried to make it clear it was Anna when Sarah turns and sees her in the doorway. Re-reading it, it is abit confusing, sorry. I did kinda struggle on that last chapter. Thanx for the comments!! Keep reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is all just my twisted imagination.

Chapter 44

Sarah flinched and carefully made her way around the small ray of sunlight that had managed to escape the thick curtains over the large kitchen window. Amie, walking beside her, winced in sympathy.

"Bright side you'll be fine when we get home, since when is it ever sunny in England?"

Sarah smiled "Good point, so my social life won't suffer when we get home."

Jory took his place at the table and grinned "Sarah had a social life? Since when?"

Van Helsing and Anna were already seated and had broken off their conversation when the teens entered. Sarah glanced over at them both noting the dark circles under their eyes; it seemed that neither had slept the night before.

"So did you kick werewolf ass?" Chris asked helping himself to porridge.

Anna and Van Helsing shared a glance. "He managed to get back to Dracula." The Hunter said heavily.

An awkward silence followed this announcement.

"Do we know how to kill him yet?" asked Amie quietly, knowing the answer before it came.

Anna shook her head angrily, hatred clouding her eyes at the counts name.

Van Helsing hurriedly changed the subject. "Were you all alright last night? No one was seriously hurt?"

"Nope after you left we boarded up that window and went into Marston's room for a sleep-over-with-weapons-thing." Bob announced hopping into his seat and pulling the steaming bowl of porridge towards him.

"Sarah played guard dog." added Marston choking on his porridge when the vampire in question punched him on the arm.

"Has Carl come out of the tower yet?" asked Amie.

Van Helsing smirked leaning back against the wall.

When he and the princess had made it back, there had been no sign of the friar or the barmaid. But two sets of wet foots prints had led up the stairs in the direction of the tower, as a skilled tracker Van Helsing had chosen not to remark on the interesting story those footprints had told him.

"I don't think you'll be seeing him for a while, he's on a break through." He answered simply.

As if on cue, the sound of hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor and everyone turned to see the friar hurrying towards them, his robes were on backwards and his hair stood up messily at the back.

"Morning, Morning" he greeted them cheerfully helping himself to porridge.

"Hey Faramir how goes the research?" asked Tony making Carl jump as though he hadn't expected anyone to actually talk to him.

Avoiding eye contact and hurriedly scurrying back to the door with his breakfast in hand he answered. "Fascinating, making progress, very busy!"

Anna and Van Helsing glanced at each other. "Is it me or is he acting stranger than usual?" the princess asked worriedly.

"Did the barmaid leave ok this morning?" Van Helsing asked with a large grin. Carl froze mid step his ears turning pink.

Jory burst out laughing in astonishment, Anna nearly fell off her chair.

"The one you saved last night?" she asked in amazement steadying herself.

Carl coloured further "She was very grateful." He muttered.

Marston grinned "I bet."

Amie looked confused. "But you're a monk…you can't do that." She said.

Van Helsing laughed. "He's just a Friar." He corrected. "And apparently they can curse and do things a monk wouldn't dream of."

"Good man" Chris said proudly.

Carl took the opportunity to scurry off back to his books leaving the group grinning after him.

Marston frowned. "Even the Friar gets to go out on the pull." He muttered enviously.

Amie rolled her eyes, her arms round her boyfriend as she hovered behind his chair. "So battling werewolves and saving damsels in distress, is your idea of fun?" she asked.

"Yes" the guys all answered in unison. Sarah and Anna laughed.

"They get more like you everyday." The princess said playfully shoving the hunter as he made his way to the sink.

"What can I say, I'm their role model." He said smirking.

Anna groaned "God help us all."

Amie sighed looking longingly at the covered window.

"Can we do something different today?" she asked. "We haven't left the mansion for over a week."

"For good reason." Van Helsing pointed out.

"Like what?" asked Tony.

"Crazy villagers who'd stone your arse." Sarah answered neatly.

"They didn't stone you when you went to the village." Chris pointed out.

Sarah grinned "They didn't have to, Aleera and Verona did it for them."

"That was during the day." said Tony thoughtfully.

Sarah nodded.

"I don't get that. How can they be out during the day? If Sarah gets caught by the sun she gets burned why don't they?" he asked.

"They do." answered Anna. "Direct sunlight is fatal to them, but they can survive under cloud cover."

Van Helsing saw Tony look more confused and began to explain. "Carl did some research before we came out here, the way he put it was that "The sun and the moon are the eyes of God. If his vision is not obscured by clouds or mist and he sees a vampire by daylight, his wrath is brought down upon that creature."

Jory unconsciously began to sketch a graphic comic strip on a scrap of paper that had been discarded on the table. He finished with three frames at the centre of which was a vampire who looked suspiciously like Sarah.

In the first frame, she was happily walking along an open road, the second showed the clouds beginning to part, the vampire's expression becoming a comical 'O' shape as the first ray of sunlight fell onto her.

The last frame showed the sun shinning down with a big smile, on to a large pile of ash and bone fragments, to which a helpful arrow announced "Wrath of God."

He passed it to Sarah who grinned with amusement. "No one ever taught you tact did they Joe?"

Chris took the picture "Couldn't you kill Dracula like this?" he asked looking at the Princess.

Anna sighed. "We tried it many times, but we failed. The creature is weakened by sunlight, but it only seems to cause him pain nothing more. Each time it was attempted many people paid with their lives." she said regretfully.

"Something tells me the undertaker was thrilled." Van Helsing muttered venomously.

"So what about the moon?" asked Bob changing the subject. "That doesn't kill them."

Anna shook her head "The moon forces deception and veils aside, revealing the evil within."

Her eyes became clouded as her brother flashed into her mind, screaming in torment. She had watched as he tore at his own skin, ripping it away to reveal brown fur, his handsome face contorting and shaping the snout of a werewolf.

Blinking back sudden tears she turned and began piling plates into the sink for washing.

Van Helsing continued to explain. "It's more likely to show werewolf's than anything else. The moon shows the wolf within the man."

Amie saw Jory lower his pen to the paper in front of him and begin to sketch, clearing her throat to get his attention she shook her head and mouthed "Anna's brother."

Wide eyed he looked to where the Princess stood tensely with her back to them. Feeling guilty he quickly screwed up the page and put the pen away.

Van Helsing glanced at Sarah and noticed her absently rubbing her stomach, a trace of something fluttered in his mind and he was suddenly concerned.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly.

She hurriedly moved her hand from the spot and gripped her chair.

"After last night?" she shrugged "Little bit shaken up, being mauled by a werewolf wasn't exactly high on my list of things to do."

Jory winced in sympathy "bet that hurt."

Sarah smirked. "Only my pride."

Anna stirred turning back to the group. "You shouldn't have been put in that position, none of us should. We were careless, unarmed next time it will be different."

Bob went pale; Amie clutched him tighter "Next time? There's gonna be a next time?"

Van Helsing stood and made his way over to the princess. "I think we need to get out of the manor for a while. Maybe take them to the village?"

Sarah felt her throat tighten as her friends voiced their enthusiasm for the idea.

She couldn't go with them.