Disclaimer: I don't own "LXG" or "Van Helsing"

Steel watched Sarah get into the carriage outside the Vatican. He was standing at the very top in the hidden balcony. Sarah loved that balcony. Before she had to go on missions early in the morning, Steel would always find her watching the sun rise. He saw her gaze at him, before stepping into the carriage. Her sad face shone in the moon, and Steel could see that she was mouthing "I'm sorry", before disapearing into the cab. Steel watched it go by, and out of the gates of the Vatican as fast as it could.

"I love you Sarah Van Helsing," Steel whispered.

"She's never gonna forgive me for this," Van Helsing stepped onto the balcony with Steel.

"Why are you letting her go?"

"This is good for her. She'll learn how to work with other people,"

"She already knows how to work with other people. Why aren't you letting her rest? She needs her strength. Besides, I don't think she'd like to be leaving Anna alone with carrying a child,"

Van Helsing nodded.

"When you, Sarah, Micheal, and Maria took an oath to protect the innocent from the dark forces," he started. "You also promised to go where you were needed. To do what you were asked to do. In her mind, Sarah wants to stop...but in her heart, she wants to protect others...She's never been the same since that last incident with Dracula. It changed her immensly,"

"It changed all of us," Steel commented. "I wanted to protect her more than ever, Micheal always came up with plans for future reference, and Maria started getting interested in swords and guns, when at her age she should be playing with dolls, and looking at party dresses,"

"I heard that," Maria scolded as she walked in.

"What are you doing up here?" asked Van Helsing.

"Meh. Micheal's got it in his head that he worked out the kinks on his three-barrel gun. I just got out of there before any explosions started again...So, you think she'll be all right?"

Steel smirked.

"She's Sarah," he said. "Of course she'll be all right,"

"Yeah...Next time she's assigned a mission, can I go with her?"

"NO!" Steel and Van Helsing protested

Maria groaned.

"Criminy," she said. "Stop thinking I'm ten years old!"

Rain pounded hard on the carriage Sarah was riding. It had been a two days travel to get to London. 3 carriage rides, and 1 train ride. This was her last one. She had wrapped herself in her black trench coat, and wrapped her scarf around her neck, covering the vampire bite scars she had recieved when she was thirteen. She still had nightmares about getting bitten again. The most recent one was last week. But other than that, she was excited. Her mother was going to have a baby. A brother or sister for her to look out for and play with. Growing up she had always envied Micheal and Maria. Dispite the fueds that happened between them, Maria and Micheal were thick as thieves. Sarah was happy when they sort of adopted her into the family after her mother died, and came back to life soon after that. The carriage came to a sudden halt, and putting her hat on, one similar to Van Helsing's, she found Mr. Reed opening the carriage door.

"Welcome to London, Miss Van Helsing," he said over the rain.

Sarah was led inside the museum she had arrived. As she followed Reed downstairs, she couldn't help but look at the art hanging from the walls. The sculptures which were the only items in a room or two. A cieling painting that she could spend hours and hours on end lying on her back and just staring at its beauty. But she wasn't here for pleasure. She was here on a mission. Reed stopped in front of a French Double Door, and opened it, revealing a large meeting room, lit with the new electrical system. Three men were in clear view. An old man sitting at the table, one with a long beard dressed in blue Indian robes, and another with a thin mustache.

"Sir," Reed announced. "May I present Miss Sarah Anne Van Helsing,"

The man with the thin mustache nodded to the girl as Reed left the room.

"Welcome Miss Van Helsing," he said. "My name is M,"

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Just M?" she asked.

"Just M," M smiled. "Gentlemen, this is Miss Sarah Anne Van Helsing. Miss Van Helsing, I believe you may have heard of Alan Quartermain and Captain Nemo,"

The man in the Indian suit, whom Sarah believed to be Captain Nemo, gave a bow to the girl as she took off her hat. Alan Quatermain, the oldest man, nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I know of Van Helsing. Rumor has it that your father is a murderer,"

Sarah's face was blank to that comment.

"I prefer to think of him as misunderstood, Mr. Quartermain," she said. "But I assure you, he is not a murderer. Now, M, I believe you said this was an urgent matter,"

"Yes," he said. "Nations are striking at nations. Every attack marked by the use of highly advanced weaponry. They've discovered these attacks are all the work of one man who calls himself the Fantom,"

Sarah was given a folder by M, and once she opened it, her eyes fell upon a barbaric looking man. A ilver mask dawned upon his face, but you could still see the scars on his face through the small space of the mask.

"Very operatic," Quatermain commented. "And what's in it for him?"

"Profit," M simply said. "Those machines are his creations. The work of scientists he holds imprisoned. His attacks have every nation clamoring for the very weapons that assailed them,"

"Then it's a race for arms," Sarah got it.

"And million's will perish," Nemo added.

"There's one last chance to avert war," M said as he sat down. "The leaders of Europe are to meet secretly in Venice,"

"And you believe that this Fantom will attack that conference?" asked Quatermain.

"If he can find it. We need a team to get to Venice and stope him. This team will consist of seven members. You have four days,"

Quatermain looked dumbfounded.

"Four days to get to Venice?" he asked. "It's impossible,"

Sarah merely smiled.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you on that Mr. Quartermain," she said. "...You see, when I was thirteen years of age, a terror fell on my village, and it took less than three days to get to Rome from Transylvania...But then again, I have to agree with you on one thing. It is impossible to get to Venice in four days from London, and sadly...heh...we don't have Transylvannian horses,"

"Let me worry about that," Nemo reassured.

"...Well now. Extraordinary Gentlemen indeed,"

"One of them is late," M remarked. "...Harker. The chemist,"

"Oh chemist eh?" everyone heard a voice. "Do we get to blow something up then?"

Sarah looked around to see who else was in the room. Who was that? The voice didn't belong to anyone. Quartermain took off his glasses.

"My eyesight must be worse than I thought," he exclaimed.

Suddenly, Sarah saw a floating folder filled with papers.

"No," the voice said again. "Your eyesight's fine,"

The folders slammed down on the desk in front of Quartermain, and he jumped out of his seat.

"No games M," he warned.

M smiled as he got up, getting ready to explain the full details.

"Some time ago," he started. "A talented albeit misguided man of science discovered the means to become invisible,"

"Yes," Quartermain said. "I recall the tale but didn't he die?"

"Well he did," the voice said. "But his process didn't. You see, I stole it. And here I am for all to see,"

Sarah shook her head.

"Is this some parlor game?" she asked.

"Belive it," the voice said.

Suddenly, Sarah felt a smack on her shoulder. Whipping herself around, her hands brushed across something that wasn't in view, and the lamp behind her started to shake.

"Easy now, princess," the voice said. "I'm feeling a bit of a draft in my nether regions. And I must say...it's quite refreshing,"

Suddenly, a jacket that Sarah had just now noticed, rose up into the air from a chair, and it looked like someone was putting it on.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the voice said. "Rodney Skinner. Gentlemen thief,"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at this.

"Now," Skinner took out a silver case of white cream, and began wiping it on his invisible face. "I thought invisibility would be a boone to my work. Well, you can imagine, it was my undoing. Once you're invisible, it's bloody hard to turn back,"

"We finally caught him," said M.

"And they'll provide an antidote...Well, that's if I'm a good boy,"

"And are you a good boy?" asked Quartermain.

"...Well, I guess you'll find out. Won't you?"

Suddenly the door opened to reveal a woman. She was dressed in all black, apart from the red scarf she had around her neck. Sarah was glad that she wasn't going to be the only girl on this mission.

"Am I late?" the woman asked walking in.

"A woman's perogative Mrs. Harker," M said.

"Please tell me this is Harker's wife," Quartmain groaned. "With a sick note,"

"Sick would be a mild misunderstatement," Mrs. Harker said to Quartermain. "My husband's been dead for years,"

"Gentlemen, and Miss Van Helsing, this is Wilhemina Harker," M introduced Mrs. Harker. "Mina's prior accquantince with a...reluctant league member may prove useful,"

"I'm waiting to be impressed!" exclaimed Quartermain.

"The fate of the world is at stake. There are still two more members to recruit. The clock hands turn, gentlemen,"

"Kicking us out already?" asked Skinner going out of the room. "A moment ago it was sherry and giggles,"

Quartermain and Nemo left the room following Skinner. Sarah got her stuff as Mina Harker waited by the door for her.

"Your name," Mina said as Sarah put on her jacket. "Van Helsing isn't it?"

"Yes," Sarah said.

"...What's your father's first name?"

Sarah stopped what she was doing, and thought a bit. Why would Mina ask about her father? But she figured she could answer.

"Gabriel," she said. "I'm Sarah Van Helsing,"

Mina smiled as they walked out, and shook hands.

"Mina Harker," she returned.

Steel sat in his room, lying on his back on his bed. A few days ago Sarah left again, and everyone was missing her. Van Helsing was busy getting Anna ready to go home in a few days, and there wasn't much to do, except wait for his next assignment. Silently, he looked around the room as if to see if there was someone looking. After he did so, he dug into his pocket and took out a black velvety box. Opening it carefully, there in the middle was a simple silver ring with a light blue diamond on it's center. He admired it for so long...that he did not notice the door had opened, and Micheal walked in.

"What are you doing?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Nothing," Steel said trying to stuff the box back in his pocket.

But much to Steel's dismay, the box dropped on the ground, and before he could pick it up, Micheal had already gotten to it.

"Whoo!" Micheal exclaimed as he opened it. "Nice ring,"

"Give it back Micheal," Steel growled.

"One ring to rule them all..."

"Shut up Micheal!"

"How much was this puppy? 5? Maybe 600 pounds?"

"It's for Sarah!"

Micheal's eyes went wide, and closed the door behind him.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm giving it to Sarah when she gets back," Steel grabbed it out of Micheal's hands. "That way no objections can get in the way,"

"Hold on here...Are you telling me, that you're gonna propose?"

"Yes,"

"To Sarah?"

"Yes! Who else!"

A knock sounded on the door, and the boys jumped.

"Hey Steel!" came Maria's voice. "Let me in! I've got those books that you ordered a week ago!"

"No! Don't--"

"Come on in sis!" Micheal cried happily.

Maria opened the door with a confused look on her face. Micheal smiled at her. Now, to Maria when Micheal smiles, it's usually not a good thing to her.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Nothing," Micheal said. "Maria...do you like weddings?"

"Micheal, I will hit you so hard if you tell her!" Steel said through gritted teeth.

"Tell me what?" asked Maria. "What's going on here?"

"Micheal..."

"Steel's gonna ask Sarah to marry him,"

Maria didn't make a face. She just shrugged.

"So?" she said putting the books down. "I know,"

Steel and Micheal went wide eyed and looked at each other.

"How long?" Steel asked.

"Please," Maria rolled her eyes. "From the moment you guys met, I knew you were going to be inseperable,"

"You're not gonna tell her parents, are you?"

"...Well, since I know you want to keep it a surprise...Nope. I won't tell. Just as long as you invite that cute guy to the wedding,"

Micheal's eyes bulged.

"What cute guy?" he asked following her out of Steel's room.

"You know," Maria said. "That cute guy from London,"

"William?"

"Yeah. He's really cute,"

"You've already established that,"

"Hey. Just because you don't have a girlfriend yet, doesn't mean you have to barge into my social life,"

(A/N: OK. That's all I got. I have to go to a History Club meeting now, so see ya later!

Sarah: Oh...So you have an excuse for leaving it at that part?

Me: ...Yes...

Sarah: You are coming back aren't you?

Me: From the meeting, yes. To here, it's still gonna take me a little bit to get another chapter going

Sarah:...I hate you right now.

Me: Tell me something I don't know.)