Chapter 14-

James's P.O.V-

I walked through the woods, a bow and quiver of arrows was strapped to my back, a pistol filled with silver bullets, dagger, sword and another pistol was around my waist. A bag filled with matches, extra bullets and another quiver of arrows hung from my shoulder. I clutched the leather reins of a chestnut colored mere in my gloved hands. Bundles were strapped to the horse's side; bundles filled with only the essentials. We both walked through the snow; the night's fog from the river had just risen above the large cliff that I was approaching; it had only started to snow a few minuets ago. I had found out from one of the searchers who came in for the night, out of fear, that it would be very unlikely that anyone, even Van Helsing, could survive a fall from that height.

I cringed again at the thought of them just giving up so easily. A sharp and cold wind blew around my face forcing my to stop and pull up the furs of my heavy winter gear before starting again. I grasp the reins and gently pulled the horse along, while patting her on the nose. They could just accept the fact that they were dead when no proof had been provided; well, I couldn't, damn it, that's my cousin and my hero out there! I had slipped away from the others and written a note, then stocked up in the armory, got sets of winter gear and lastly got food and matches. I had gotten a horse and set out over an hour ago; I couldn't just sit around while my cousin was out here, I had to do something.

Don't worry Kate; I'm not giving up on you so easily.

Normal P.O.V Valerious Manor-

Carl finished with the last stitch on Anna's palm, a tin of bloody items sat next to him on a small table, he set his equipment down and dropped into a chair he cast a worried look at Anna and sighed. Libby looked at the princess; tears stained her face and bandages wrapped her hands, blood leaked through the wraps and shown through just a little on the bandages.

"Anna…do you want to talk?"

Libby got no reply and she squeezed her eyes shut. It had been a long day and she was tired and at her breaking point. She had just lost her best friend and her other friends had been tossed around literally like rag dolls. Libby was tired, sick and sad; upon hearing the news she was stunned and numb but she held her tears in, she didn't want to cry in front of the others again, not after the last time her best friend forever got taken away. The last time she went off on a hunt and nearly lost Jimmy and Helsing too, she cried then, but now, now she had a new face; a solid face devoid of any emotion, like ice, she would not let the tears that even now, as she sat, forced their way up and sloshed in her ducts, loose. Libby would not cry in front of them again, she thought it weak, she needed to cry in privet, but not now, no, a friend needed her, Anna needed an ear to hear her, Libby could not lock herself in her room just yet, no, she had to be there and help Anna first.

"It helps to talk about stuff…believe me…I know." She absent-mindedly fingered her bracelet and bowed her head.

Anna looked at the girl in front of her, then to the friar then to her hands and she sighed.

"You don't know…" She choked back on a sob caught in her throat. "What its like to loose someone who you love…."

Libby looked into the princess's sad eyes and nearly let the tears inside of her loose; but no, she couldn't, she wouldn't, not yet.

"I may not know what you are going through personally, but I know what it is like to loose a loved one…" Libby swallowed and blinked her eyes hard; she couldn't start crying, no, it wouldn't happen she wouldn't let herself.

The friar looked at the two and then looked back away; what could he say, should he even bother with an input? His lip twitched and he wrung his hands, what good was he other than demon bate and a doctor? Carl looked at his feet and shifted in his chair before glancing at Libby.

Her face looked solid as if it had been frozen into an expressionless state, yet her eyes held so much emotion that it moved the friar nearly to tears. So much sadness, anger, hate, blame, pain, all the negative emotions held captive in her eyes that it was heart wrenching to look into those orbs.

Libby attempted to speak but stopped and chocked on something, her words after that came out garbled until she swallowed back her emotion, emotion that very nearly surged forth, emotion that she would not permit to leave her body; emotion that Carl felt.

He looked alarmed at Libby and for a few seconds he, himself, felt like breaking down into a shivering ball of tears. He had lost his first, and for a awhile, only friend; Van Helsing had always been there to stand up for him when the others at the order made him the butt of many jokes, he had confided in Carl first when Van Helsing needed an ear Carl was there to lend one. He had just lost his best friend of five years, the person who one day came along and plucked him from the safe seclusion of the abbey and tossed him into a world of monsters and mayhem, the one man who taught him how to fight. To Carl Van Helsing was like an older brother.

Alice looked over Kevin as he slept, the room was dimly lit by a fire; it threw shadows over every surface and they danced and almost taunted them. Alice's eyes were full of tears, she still had no clue were Van Helsing and Kate had gotten too, but she had a faint clue, a clue that she hoped with all her heart was wrong. She looked at Kevin's bandaged shoulder and she sighed; she felt like she had cried her tears dry and could cry no more, Alice was wracked with thoughts of what she could have done differently, she could have dove into the battle, could have risked her life for the others, but no, she chose to help Carl and Libby, not to fight, to help those who needed medical aid, she knew others would come, she would be surprised if they didn't. Alice was shocked when she saw Anna and Jimmy's condition; the blood that ran down Anna's hands and over the carpet was an image that would be forever planted in her mind. No hand could spill that blood she thought, but that only proves Anna's humanity; for in Alice's eyes the gypsy princess was a force to be reckoned with and nothing could pierce her skin or break her will. Something had broken Anna's will, nay not broken it, shattered it into a thousand tiny pieces and scattered them with the winds.

A letter, held down with a bottle of ink, sat on a lonely table, partly shaded by the shadows of the slowly smoldering embers. Soft, shaken foots steps padded just outside of the door, paused and the door slowly opened. Rachel walked in, Marcum following behind, shutting the door, a blanket over his arm and a cup of coco in his hand. Rachel sat in front of smoldering embers that were the remains of a once great warming fire, as Marcum draped the blanket around her and handed the coco to her.

"No thanks…."

He moved to set the coco on the small table and blinked down at the bottle of ink holding the paper down. He picked the items up curiously and set the cup of coco down, moving in front of the fire next to his shaken, but curious friend.

"Put it back, Marc, it might be personal."

"No, no, it was in plain view."

"So? Maybe someone was up here writing it when…those freaks found me."

"It's Jim's handwriting."

"You opened it?!"

Marcum began to read aloud.

To however the heck finds this, I have gone out to find Kate, probably by the time anyone finds this I'll already have left. Don't put yourselves in danger by looking for me; I'll come back when I find her, I have to, she's my cousin, my best friend; I am not going to except that she is gone just because of the fall, she's stronger than that. If Kate could survive a demon living in her body and survive multiple fights with Dracula…than she can survive a fall. Go, don't look for me, go back to school and make up some excuse for me, go and comfort Anna, go and help clean up that room, just don't go and look for me. I'll come back…once I find her…I promise.

James.

Rachel and Marcum sat, the fire smoldering in front of them, numbed. Something had happened to Kate, they knew had to tell the others, but most of all they needed to know just where they are, whom they are dealing with and…if anything will ever be normal again.

James's P.O.V-

My jaw still ached, badly at that. I was now riding on the back of my horse, for the snow had started to seep in through my boots. I patted my steed and felt that she was cold, I would have to stop and make camp for the night.

If only it wasn't so cold, I could keep going.

I turned my head towards the river.

Kate…please be alive…please…just don't be dead.

Suddenly something caught my eye, something floating in the river. I squinted through the little amount of moonlight.

"Oh god…is that a hat?!"

At that moment a light, much stronger than the moon, came up from behind me, casting my shadow along the snow. Startled I froze and my hand, now shaking, went to my gun.

"Jimmy, don't be afraid."

That voice….the voice that I had known ever since I was five….it was Kate.

"Kate your alive!" I spun around only to be hit in the eyes with a blast of light from a pure white entity standing next to her. I noticed that a black light, mingling in with the white, as if they were trying to blend together, flowed around my cousin. "Kate?"

"James, go to the bend in the river, about four miles down, there you will find our bodies." Dear, god no, no, no, it was Van Helsing, no, bodies, dead, my cousin, my hero.

"Bodies?! No! Y-you can't be!"

"Jimmy, we'll always be with you, no matter what." I rushed to my cousin, only to find my self in the snow; I had passed right through her. She shook her head. "Jimmy, just go to the bend and pick up our bodies before something gets to them, give us a burial, please."

"N-no, you can't be dead!! This is a dream! A bad dream, just like when I was little! I'll wake up and it will all be ok! You can't be dead!"

"James, we have to go, now."

"No! Don't!!!"

"Good buy Jimmy, remember, I'll always look out for you."

"NOO!!! KAAAAAAAATE!!!!"

But my words were futile, they faded away into the night, leaving me with a cold empty feeling in my gut. I fell to the ground, not caring about the cold, I just wanted it to be a dream, a terrible dream. No matter how many times I pinched myself, I wouldn't wake up; then, slowly the truth hit me. I had seen my cousin's death in my dreams when I was a child and there was not a damn thing I could do to change it.

Bodies, Van Helsing, Kate, dead, death, dying, dreams, knowing, cold, so cold, oh so cold.

A/N: Don't kill me!!! Ducks and runs for life screaming If you do that you'll never get to see the other chapters!!! O.o;