Kate climbed off the bus in the village near Dracula's hotel. She tossed her backpack over her shoulder and started through town. Her senses sharp.
It was eerily quiet versus the last time she had been here, too quiet for this early in the evening. She glanced around and just knew that something was wrong.
She took off, running as fast as she could towards the hotel. The other Van Helsings were fast, but being the youngest and direct descendant she could outrun them easily.
The trees flew past her as she ran, through the cemetery. She dashed past the tombstones and towards the hotel. She knew there was another way in other than the front door, she had heard Mavis tell her about it before. She just had to find it.
She paused on the edge closest to the hotel. The sun was setting, but she knew that wouldn't stop her family. They would continue until they reached Dracula. Their hatred was that strong.
She stopped fully and took a few deep breaths, looking up at the castle that housed the hotel. She then turned her head and looked up at what appeared to be a cave in the mouth of a face. She didn't know why, but she knew that the mouth would lead her to inside the hotel. She looked around before taking off inside, praying that she was right.
There was a tunnel that wound around multiple times, went upstairs and then downstairs. After what seemed like hours, she finally reached a door.
She opened it and found herself looking at a ladder attached to the inside of the hotel building wall. She blinked in confusion before climbing the ladder to a latch. She popped it open and suddenly she was on the roof.
"Great," she said to herself sarcastically as she stepped out onto the roof. She climbed up the rooftop and looked out over the horizon. She gasped at the gorgeous view.
She could actually see the village from here and beyond. It was incredible. The sky seemed to go on forever as well, with millions of stars. She wished that she had more time to enjoy it, but she had to find a way inside.
She started moving around, hoping to find another entrance since she knew the way that she had come only would take her back out, but she had to be careful not to fall as well.
Then she felt it, the feeling of fear and the feeling of elation. That could only mean one thing.
"Kate?"
She turned and Dracula was standing only a few feet from her. His blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight and her heart skipped beat at the sight of him.
It had only been a few months, but she had missed him, more than she had thought. How could she think that she could just get over him. She would never be able to do that.
"Dracula..."
He moved closer to her, moving so smoothly across the rooftop that she was sure that he was floating. He stopped a few inches from her, close enough that his cape caressed her fingertips, sending tingles up her spine.
"You're back," he said softly. "I didn't think you would return when you left again."
"I didn't plan on it, but..." she licked her lips and his eyes flickered there, causing an intense desire to flood her veins.
His eyes flipped back up to hers and were glowing a soft blue. Her heart thumped in her chest so hard she was sure he could hear it. Was he trying to seduce her?
"But?"
Her mind was blank. She couldn't remember the reason she had returned to the hotel. All she could think about was how much she wanted this man to kiss her, take her and possess her.
"But...I..." Why had she returned?
He moved closer to her, his body was almost touching hers. Her skin flushed and heat was flooding her veins. She had never felt like this before, so charged. He had never stood this close to her before. It was driving her insane.
"Kate," he said her name low, soft, in that accent.
She wanted him to touch her, right now. It was almost painful.
He was moving in closer to her, slowly. Her brain wasn't keeping up with the events, it had shut down. All she wanted was him.
"Kill the monsters!"
Both blinked, the moment broken, and turned to look down at the entrance to the hotel. A large group of humans, armed with weapons were walking up the entryway to the hotel. Her eyes widened in shock before she turned to Dracula, her mind now clear.
"It's the Van Helsings," she said firmly. "They found you."
He turned from the Van Helsings below to the Van Helsing before him. His eyes narrowed before he reached out and grabbed her arm. His eyes now glowing red.
His grip was tight on her, almost painful. "Dracula?"
"You told them, you brought them here."
She shook her head, hurt that he would believe this of her. "No! I came to warn you, to stop them."
Before her eyes, he transformed into a bat and grabbed the back of her shirt, carrying her into the air. He took her to a small balcony, dropping her.
She landed on the balcony hard, falling to the ground. He transformed next to her and walked into the room, ignoring her as he went. She stood slowly, pain flaring up her leg from her hard fall.
"Stay here," he said, his voice cold, like it had been the first day he discovered who she was. "I will deal with you once I am finished with your family."
She looked up into a large room and watched Dracula move across the room and out the door. She jumped up and ran to the door, barely reaching it before it closed.
"Dracula! Please listen!"
He glared at her and she pulled back, her heart breaking at the sight of the anger on his face. He didn't trust her and he wouldn't listen now.
"Stay...Here..." he said firmly before slamming the door in her face and locking it.
Kate moved to the door. "Dracula, please believe me! I didn't say anything!"
She felt the feeling of fear leave her and she knew he was gone. Tears filled her eyes as the memory of that image of Dracula being killed washed over her. She had to get out of this room. She turned to explore in hopes of finding something to help her get out.
She froze at the sight of the room she had ignored in her rush to stop Dracula.
There was a coffin in the middle of the room, leaving the room otherwise bare. However, there was a large portrait on the wall of Dracula and Martha, obviously in love.
She stepped forward and looked up at Martha. She was beautiful. It was no wonder Dracula had fallen in love with her. She was standing under the portrait when she noticed the small table, upon which sat a single candelabra and a ring.
Martha's ring!
Kate rushed over to the table and picked up the ring. This was the item she needed to stop the Van Helsings and save Dracula.
She tossed her back pack to the floor and wasted no time placing the ring on her left ring finger. She felt a momentary wave of sadness that this wasn't a ring Dracula was giving her, but she pushed that aside. There were bigger issues here.
She then turned back to the portrait and took a deep breath.
"Martha," she said, her hand rubbing the unfamiliar piece of metal upon her hand, "I don't know if you can hear me, but please lend me your strength. Help me save your husband and your family. Help me to end the Van Helsings once and for all."
For a moment she felt nothing. She almost wanted to cry that nothing was going to help her, that Dracula was going to die. Then she felt an overwhelming wave of power flow into her. It was almost too much and yet she knew that it was Martha's power.
Her hair flowed with the power, removing the strands from the hair tie she had used to put it up. It flowed about her face, almost like fire. Her green eyes glowed bright as Dracula's would do from time to time.
She turned and walked to the door, reaching it faster than she thought possible. She reached out and grabbed the handle before pulling it, as if opening a regular door.
It flew off the hinges and across the room. Kate's eyes widened before she smiled, the power was there and it was working. Then she turned and walked out the door and down the hallway, leaving the room behind her.
She maneuvered the hotel as if she had built it, moving faster than she ever had before. The combined strength and speed of the Van Helsing/Vampire mix was almost overwhelming and intoxicating.
However, Kate's mission was clear and she couldn't become distracted. She needed to stop the Van Helsings from killing Dracula.
She turned and found herself looking out into the lobby. The Van Helsing family, lead by Aunt Caroline, stood on one side. Dracula stood on the other, his family behind him. The memory of the vision returned and when Aunt Caroline lifted the crossbow, Kate didn't hesitate.
She moved at lightning speed, turning the crossbow on her aunt and fired, directing the three stakes into her aunt's chest rather than across the room at Dracula.
Caroline raised her eyes in shock at Kate, as if surprised to see her. Kate felt a second of sadness for killing the woman who raised her, but a second was all she would spare for the woman who tortured her.
"Kate...how could...you?" Caroline fell to the ground, breathing no longer.
The remaining Van Helsings moved back, their focus now on her rather than the family of vampires on the other side of the room.
Kate snapped the crossbow in her hands like a twig and turned. The room gasped, monster and hunter alike.
Dracula's eyes were wide as he looked at her, as if unsure just what he was seeing. She looked like Kate, but then again she looked like something else. Her hair was flowing about her, like she was floating in water and her eyes were glowing.
"What the hell are you?" Kate narrowed her eyes at her cousin who had spoken, his words were venomous.
"The Van Helsings will not shed another drop of monster blood!" Kate said, only she spoke in 2 voices. One was clearly Kate's voice, but the other was one Dracula hadn't heard in over 120 years. Martha's voice. "I will not allow it."
Another stake flew towards her, but she grabbed it out of the air before flinging it back towards the one who fired it. The stake landed between the older man's eyes, killing him instantly.
She ran an eye over the entire Van Helsing gang before she moved.
She was faster than any monster Dracula had ever seen, including himself. The only way he could keep an eye on her was to follow her hair, flowing about the room through the Van Helsing group like fire.
One by one, the Van Helsings fell, blood staining the rugs as she went. When she stopped, she was back in the center of the lobby as the last Van Helsing body fell, each one now dead. Dracula looked about the room before slowly approaching the woman with her back to him, unsure what would happen now.
However, before he moved more than a couple of feet towards her, she turned, her glowing green eyes focused on him. It was intense and Dracula found that he could not look away. Her hands were covered in blood, as was her clothing. Still she was beautiful.
Then he watched as her hair started to settle and her glowing eyes started to fade. She seemed to split into 2 people.
His eyes widened as a second image formed next to her, floating out of Kate as if it was her spirit, only this was someone he recognized.
"Martha?"
The floating image materialized but was still see-through, like a ghost, a ghost of his late wife. Once the image of Martha materialized Kate feel to her knees, her hands lying in her lap palms up.
Kate looked at her bloodstained hands and felt tears fill her eyes. She didn't regret killing her family to save Dracula's, not one bit. However, it took a lot out of a person to kill people she had once considered her family, more than she had thought that it would.
Dracula's focus was on Martha, he barely registered the crying woman on the ground next to her.
"Hello Drac," Martha said softly.
Dracula looked at Martha with such sadness. "I miss you," he said stepping closer. "How are you here?"
Martha directed her attention to the woman next to her, causing Dracula to look down at her. Kate had tears running down her face, dripping onto her bloodstained hands.
"Kate Van Helsing," Martha said, drawing the young woman to look up at her. "She was the only one who was able to harness my power to defeat them."
Kate glanced at Dracula, who she just realized was standing before her. He was looking down at her now, confusion filling his features.
"Dracula..." Kate whispered, her heart starting to pound at the sight of him. Love flowing through her for him.
Dracula was looking at her with wide eyes before turning to Martha. Kate's heart froze. Why would he look at her when his wife was right there, even in a type of ghost form? How stupid of her.
She watched as Dracula and Martha moved to his family, introducing Martha to her grown daughter, her husband and their grandson. A happy family reunited.
Kate closed her eyes before forcing herself to stand. She would wait and see if she could wash the blood off before she vanished from their lives. Now that the Van Helsings were no longer a threat, Dracula could live his immortal life without fear.
There was no reason for her to ever see him again.
'Kill Dracula.'
Kate froze, her eyes widening. That wasn't her voice, or Martha's. That was a man's voice in her head, one she had never heard before.
'Kill Dracula, now!'
Kate took a step back at the horrific angry voice, even through it was in her head. "Who...?"
'Kill Dracula you foolish girl! While his back is turned!'
She glared at the thought. What was this? She took a deep breath before responding to the inner voice with her own.
'Who are you?'
She could feel the anger within her, filling her. It wasn't her anger, it was something else. What the hell was this?
'I am the head of the Van Helsing family, Ludwig Van Helsing! You will obey me, granddaughter!'
Kate's blood ran cold. Ludwig Van Helsing was in her head, demanding she kill Dracula. She took a deep breath. 'No, I will never kill Dracula.'
She felt the rage inside her. Suddenly her body moved on it's own and her eyes widened. She turned and walked to a nearby table, picking up a stake that was sitting there. 'If you will not, I will use you to do it.'
Kate forced herself to stay at the table, her body shaking against the force to hold herself in place. Ludwig was stronger than she anticipated, his anger stronger. Her grip on the stake tightened as she moved slightly to turn back around to Dracula, but she held herself in place, using every bit of her strength. She couldn't move from this table.
'It's no use girl,' she heard in her head. 'Eventually I will overpower you and kill Dracula once and for all.'
Tears fell down her cheeks. She couldn't allow Dracula to die. She wouldn't ever let anything harm him if she could avoid it. How could she stop Ludwig Van Helsing if he was in her head, if he was controlling her?
'The only way to truly save Dracula and his family is to eliminate the entirety of the Van Helsing family.'
Amelia's words flashed through her mind and in that moment she understood. The Van Helsing family would always hunt down Dracula and other monsters because of Ludwig's hatred. Even if she fought it, eventually his hatred would overpower her and force her to do what he wanted.
Her eyes widened, more tears filling them and falling, as she realized there was only one way to stop Ludwig Van Helsing, to stop the hatred.
She had to destroy everyone in the Van Helsing bloodline. Everyone.
With the last bit of strength she had, she lifted her hand holding the stake, turned it and forced the stake into her own chest, letting out a scream at the impact.
Her scream drew the attention of everyone still standing in the lobby, including Dracula.
Kate watched as her own blood poured out of the wound, mixing with the blood she already had covering her. She turned to look at a shocked Dracula before she collapsed from the blood loss.
Dracula watched as Kate, blood pouring from her chest, fell to the lobby floor. As she did, a ghost figure remained standing, a figure he recognized.
"Ludwig Van Helsing..."
Ludwig glared at the girl, yelling but no one could hear him. He watched as the ghost turned to Dracula and started to yell at him before he tried to pick up a weapon. However, his hands just slipped through them. It was apparent to Dracula that even after death, Ludwig still hated him.
Dracula ignored the ghost before moving to Kate's side, kneeling down next to her. "Kate?"
Her eyes fluttered to him. "Drac..."
Blood was pouring out of her. "Why did you do this?"
"To protect...you..." she gasped out. "Ludwig...tried to...force me...kill you."
Dracula glanced at the obviously pissed ghost before looking back at Kate. His eyes ran over the stake in her chest. She wouldn't survive, there was no way she could. She had already lost too much blood and the wound was too deep. Pain filled him at the thought of her dying. She couldn't die.
"Drac?" He looked back into Kate's eyes. She was giving him a soft smile, a smile he knew he didn't deserve. "I love you."
His eyes widened at those words. Kate loved him? A Van Helsing loved him? He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say in response.
"Kate...I..." His mouth closed and then opened multiple times as he tried to speak.
"Shhhh," she whispered. "I know you don't feel the same, but I wanted you to know."
Her eyes were glazing over, she was fading. "Come on Kate," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "Hang on." He knew she wouldn't survive, but he couldn't stop himself from begging her to survive, to live.
"You don't have to worry anymore," she said softly. "The Van Helsing line ends with me. You're free."
She was so pale and Dracula reached out and touched her hand. She wasn't looking at him anymore, her eyes were unfocused.
"Kate...I..." Gods what did he want to say to her? Why couldn't he get the words out?
"I love you Dracula," she said in almost a whisper. "Be happy."
She took a breath, a second one that was shallower, then she stopped breathing. Her eyes were open, her once lively green eyes were dulled and vacant.
Kate was gone.