Vladislaus bounded to his feet at the sound of the voice and Vladimir whirled.
Gabriella stood in the door.
The two brothers stared at her, speechless.
"Hello, Vladislaus. I hear you've been busy." Gabriella felt as though she was dying as her hand wrapped around one of her pistols and slowly she slid it from her thigh holster.
Gabriel carefully edged his way around the gutter toward the window. He glanced down and instantly realized what a mistake that had been. One slip and he would be dead.
Vladislaus studied Gabriella. He had kept a close watch on her. He had just seen her last year in Paris as she had pursued a manic woman through the streets. He knew what she was capable of. "Why are you here, sister dear?"
"I'm afraid you already know, Vladislaus." She cocked the gun and drew it smoothly. "I should have done this all those years ago," she whispered.
"You can't pull the trigger," said Vladislaus calmly.
Vladimir moved.
Without taking her eyes from Vladislaus' face, Gabriella's arm swung around and Vladimir found himself staring down the barrel. In that moment, she would have sworn on the Bible itself that she felt her heart began to break. With her other hand, she whipped out another gun, cocked it and pointed it right at Vladislaus' heart.
"You're bluffing now, Gabriella darling," said Vladislaus.
"We used to play poker, you and I, Vladislaus. I don't bluff."
Vladislaus moved like lightening and Gabriella found herself looking down a gun barrel.
Gabriella didn't move. "You've only got one shot, Vladislaus and it'll take more than that to stop me."
"Don't make me kill you, darling," said Vladislaus.
Vladimir didn't move but his face was pale. "Vladislaus."
"Not now, Vladimir."
"Vladislaus, I can't let you go on doing what you're doing." Gabriella's blue eyes where alit with fire as she held his gaze. "It's murder."
Vladislaus shook his head sadly. "Then I am sorry, my dear."
"No, Vladislaus!" Vladimir took a step forward.
Suddenly, the window behind them shattered as Gabriel came through it. Vladimir dove for Vladislaus' hand. Gabriel slammed into Vladislaus from behind. Vladislaus lunged forward and the gun fired. Gabriella fired both her guns. Vladislaus' bullet grazed Gabriella's arm.
Gabriella gasped.
Gabriel and Vladislaus fell to the ground. Vladimir fell to the ground, Gabriella's bullet lodged in his heart.
Gabriella screamed as she saw her brother on the ground.
Vladislaus threw Gabriel off of him and ran from the room. Gabriel bounded to his feet and raced after Vladislaus.
The room fell quiet.
Cold wind blew through the shattered window.
Vladimir lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. Blood gushed from the wound. Slowly, he raised his hand and pressed it over the wound. Blood oozed between his fingers. He closed his eyes in pain.
Gabriella stared in speechless horror at her brother. Her hands began shaking. "Vladimir!" She fell to her knees beside him.
His blue eyes focused on her. He touched her cheek. "I am so sorry, my dear."
Gabriella pressed her hand over the wound. "May God send me to hell for what I have done."
"No!" Vladimir brushed her curls back from her face. "No. You have done what you had to. I have been killed as a monster should be." His hand rested on her cheek and his eyes bore into hers.
Gabriella shook her head, her black curls falling in her face as tears ran freely. "No," she whispered. "Not like this, Vladimir. It wasn't meant to be like this, I swear."
His heart gave one last beat and then was still. Vladimir's hand fell away from her face and he stared at her with sightless blue eyes.
"Vladimir!"
Gabriel stopped and turned. There was something about the deep pain he heard in that scream that had chilled his blood. "Gabriella." He ran back the way he had come. He burst into the room and stopped stock still at the sight that greeted him.
Gabriella was bathed in her brother's blood as she lay beside him, her face pressed in his shoulder as she wept. One hand was still pressed over the gapping wound in his chest.
Gabriel crossed himself. "Gabriella."
"Leave me."
"Gabriella," he said more firmly.
"Leave me." She stared at Vladimir. "What have I done?" she whispered. "Dear God, what have I done?"
"Vladislaus is still…"
"I want no more of this, Gabriel," she said. "No more."
"We are bound by God to finish what we set out to do."
"Then I will take eternity in hell. I want no more of this."
Suddenly, they both turned.
Vladislaus was standing in the door. There was an unreadable expression on his face as he stared at Vladimir.
Gabriella reached for her gun.
Vladislaus' own gun was in his hand and he aimed at Gabriel. "I wouldn't move if I was you, Gabriella." His voice was quiet but firm.
She stopped and Gabriel froze.
"One of you is not going to leave this room alive."
Slowly Gabriella placed both hands on the floor and prepared to spring forward.
Gabriel's hand wrapped around his gun.
"Vladislaus, it should be me that dies," said Gabriella. "I shot him." Every muscle in her sleek body was wound tight. "I killed him."
Vladislaus cocked the gun. "May you burn in hell like Cain!"
Gabriella screamed and sprang forward. Vladislaus fired. Gabriel drew his own gun and fired. Gabriella crashed into Vladislaus just as Gabriel's bullet hit Vladislaus high in his heart. Gabriella landed on top of Vladislaus and lay still. She didn't move. She felt something warm and wet spreading over her chest and felt a stab of fear.
Gabriel's gun fell to the ground from his cold hand. "Dear God! Jesus Christ!"
Gabriella rolled away and sat up. Blood was spreading across her chest.
Gabriel was staring at her. "Oh no!" he groaned. "No!"
The blood wasn't hers. Gabriella touched her chest. She looked at Vladislaus.
He was looking at her. "The cruelest thing in the world you could have ever done…would have been to let me live."
"Forgive me," whispered Gabriella. "Please forgive me."
"I'll go to my grave loving you, sister. I do forgive you."
"It wasn't meant to be this way," said Gabriella. "It wasn't!"
"I know." Then Vladislaus, Count Dragulia, died.
Two bedraggled forms where carried into the great Cathedral within the Vatican City of Rome. It was well past midnight when a simple monk knocked on the door of Cardinal Balien's room.
"Cardinal?"
"Yes?"
"There's something you need to see."
Moments later, Cardinal Balien stared in shock at the soaked forms of Gabriel and Gabriella Van Helsing. Each of them had a long identical scar running from their cheek to their right temple. "Are they alive?"
"Barely."