CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

At 4:12 in the morning, Bethany found herself outside Mori's door. Beth sighed and raised her hand to knock, but stopped when Mori's calm voice cut through the silent and still air.

"Come in, Bethany."

Beth opened the door and smiled softly at Mori. The half vampire was lying on her bed with her hands behind her head. Her icy orbs were fixed on the ceiling. At Beth's entrance, those orbs shifted to focus on her.

"Hi." The young Van Helsing said softly after the door had clicked shut behind her. Mori didn't reply. She just returned her gaze to the ceiling.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. You haven't come out of your room for two days." Beth continued at Mori's silence. Mori sighed and sat up. Her booted feet were on the floor with her elbows resting on her knees and she had her hands clasped together.

"And it looks like you haven't slept in two days, Bethany." Mori replied. "I think the question should be are you alright?"

For a moment, Beth considered the question. What Mori had said about her not sleeping was true. The girl hadn't slept at all. Come to think of it, she couldn't recall the last time she ate more than two bites of anything either. Beth was brought out of her thoughts when she saw Mori move. She patted the chair next to the bed and signaled Beth to sit. Beth did so and crossed her legs.

"I'm not really sure." Beth replied finally.

"I heard you fighting with Van Helsing earlier." Mori mentioned, hoping to get more out of her friend.

Beth's sad green eyes found the floor. The girl was pulled back into the recollection that had burned itself into her memory…

Beth was sitting alone in the library. She had an open book in her hands, but her mind had been wandering, so she was staring out the window. She had found it hard to focus. Most likely, it was because of her lack of sleep. Bethany had tried to focus on the printed words, but they didn't hold her as they once had. The teen had finally given up and stared out the window.

Van Helsing then entered the room. Beth looked at him when she heard his boots on the wood floor. The two of them were still not on good terms after he had made Mori leave.

"Mori came back." Van Helsing said to break the uneasy silence between them.

"Yeah." Was Bethany's short reply.

"I'm surprised she had the nerve to show up again." He sighed.

"I asked her to."

"What?"

"I asked her to come back." Beth replied calmly. She knew that Van Helsing wouldn't be happy about this little detail, but she was telling the truth.

"Why?"

"She's my friend!" Beth said glaring at him, her green eyes flashing. "I wasn't going to abandon her!"

"You should have." Van Helsing answered.

"Would you abandon Carl, or even Anna?" Beth asked fighting not to raised her voice as she stood from her chair. Rage flared up inside the girl. She faced Van Helsing with raw determination in her eyes. He would understand Mori even if it killed her. This fight already felt like it was.

"You know I would never do such a thing." Gabriel replied.

There was a moment where the two stared at each other in silence, eyes locked. The seasoned monster hunter saw Beth's eyes were glazed over with unshed tears if fury. Could this fight possibly be hurting her as much as it was hurting him?

"Then don't expect me to do it either." Beth growled at him before she pushed past the monster hunter, stalking out of the library…

Beth pushed the memory aside as she returned herself to the present.

"Yeah." Beth replied softly. "We were."

Mori could tell that this fight was hurting her greatly; emotionally and physically. With Mori's hearing, she could hear the teen moving around at all hours of the night. Mori was awake because one; she didn't need to sleep all that often and two; when she did sleep it was in very short increments. Bethany was different. She had to sleep. Her current lack of it right now was worrying the young vampire. Mori knew what had been keeping her up. If the time came, who would Beth choose: her newly found father or her long time best friend?

"Go get some sleep, Bethany." Mori told her finally. "You deserve it"

"You." Beth said quietly.

"What?" Mori asked, not quite sure what the young girl said.

"If I had to choose, I'd pick you." Beth clarified.

For the first time in her life that she could remember, Mori was speechless. Did she really mean that? Would Beth really go against her father; the only family she had. Would she really give up the one thing that she had been searching for all her life...for her?

While Mori sat still thinking to herself, Beth moved toward the door. The young huntress knew that the simple sentence she had just said would greatly affect her friend. Mostly because she meant it.

"Good night Mori." Beth said and slipped out of the room.

"Night Bethany." Mori replied before the door clicked shut.

Two more days went by and Mori finally came out of her room, but that only resulted in a shouting fight with Anna and Van Helsing on one side and Beth and Mori on the other. From then on Beth had been going to great lengths to avoid her father. Mori had been avoiding everyone except Beth and Jen. She had also been observing Bethany. She still wasn't sleeping much and was barely eating. She was beginning to thin out, her face becoming longer and her eyes falling further back into their sockets. Dark circles were under her eyes, which no longer held the lively glow they once did. Only embers remained of the once great fire that used to flare inside those emerald orbs. By just glancing at her, anyone could tell that something was amiss.

Beth's concentration was failing her. She was just too tired. She had tried countless times to sleep, but her worried and restless mind kept her awake. Training for her had become non-existent. All that remained of it was sitting to the side as she watched Mori constantly kick Jen's butt for one reason or another. The days grew longer for her and seemed never ending, mostly because the dark nights all blended into the next day. After a week and a half, Bethany was falling apart.

Mori finally had enough and decided to take action.

"Bethany," she said one day. "you look miserable. What's the matter? And don't you dare tell me that everything is fine, because everything obviously is certainly not."

I don't want to lose this. Beth thought to herself. I don't want to lose my friends or my family. Instead of voicing her thoughts, Beth chose not to worry Mori. The girl opened her mouth to reply, but Mori quickly cut her off.

"Don't say you are alright. Or I may have to do something drastic."

Beth didn't even hesitate.

"I'm fine Mori. I just can't sleep, that's all."

Without a word, Mori silently got up and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked.

"To do something drastic."

The half vampire moved down the hall to the library…where Van Helsing was.

"Gabriel, we need to talk." Was the first thing Mori said when she saw him. He stood up, clearly outraged that she would approach him. Mori didn't care. She just had to get her point across.

"We have to call a truce." Mori continued before he could say anything.

"Why would I make a truce with the daughter of my archenemy!"

"I don't care if you like me, but this isn't about me. It's about Bethany." Mori said. "This fight…"

"How is it about Bethany?" Van Helsing cut her off angrily.

"It's killing her!" Mori raised her voice. Silence followed as Mori fumed at the man's obstinacy. "Now be a father and stop being a stubborn child long enough to save your daughter."

Mori then turned on her heel and marched out of room, leaving a bewildered Van Helsing behind.

- - -

"Anna?" Van Helsing asked her later that day. It was just him and Anna in the kitchen. She looked up at him, brushing her dark curls from her eyes.

"Have you seen Beth lately?"

"Yes." Anna replied, her face concerned. "She doesn't look that well. I don't think she's been sleeping. Haven't you noticed?"

"I haven't seen her since our last fight." Van Helsing replied. Anna just nodded to show her understanding.

"When I fought with my father, we didn't speak for weeks on end." She said. Van Helsing's face fell into despair. Anna then attempted to make up for it. "It's usually just a phase."

"I doubt that it's 'just a phase'." Van Helsing replied solemnly.

"You had a right and a reason to react in the way you did." Anna tried to comfort him.

"I haven't been a father for very long, Anna, and I've already got her hating me." Van Helsing said sighing in defeat. "If she didn't know Mori, she would do exactly what I did."

A thought then stuck him. Beth does know Mori, and so does Van Helsing. Well, he knew her well enough. Bethany thought that he would take into consideration what he knew about Mori and not her father.

Van Helsing thought about what he knew about Mori and realized…he didn't feel any different. He still wanted her gone.

"At least you don't have to worry about them now." Anna broke into his line of thought.

"Why?"

"They're out on patrol."

- - -

Beth and Mori walked side by side. The night air was refreshing to Beth, who hadn't been outside in a while. Their walk was silent. Whether Mori didn't want to bring up something or just didn't want to talk, Beth didn't know. She didn't end the silence either. In actuality, it wasn't all that silent. The rustling of leaves and the crunching under their boots were enough. Suddenly, Mori's head snapped to the side, as if she had heard something.

"What?" Beth asked quietly. Mori waited a moment before she replied.

"Stay here." Mori ordered her without even glancing at her and then vanished into the brush. She didn't want Beth to get hurt. She was in no condition whatsoever to fight. Mori knew if she did…Beth wouldn't last long.

Beth sighed and sat down on the leaf covered ground. She hadn't felt her shoulders drop in at least a week. She could feel the stress and constant lack of sleep taking it's toll. The teen was exhausted in mind and body. Beth fell back on the ground with a sigh, her arms spread wide. She stared up at the star-filled sky above her. As she stared into the heavens, Beth found her thoughts wandering. She was slowly beginning to wonder if everyone was going to come out of this alright. One thing was certain however, her life would never be the same. Jen's life was already altered for all eternity, literally. Beth had found her father in this time. She found out who she was. Then, she lost him due to each of their own stubbornness. She discovered her best friend was Dracula's dunpeal daughter and that she was half angel. What a mess. With all these thoughts crammed in her head, Beth let her eyes close to block out the world.

"Oh, tired dear?" a voice cooed. Beth sat up instantly and turned around in the direction the voice had come from. Behind her was Dracula and Aleera. The teen scrambled up and glared evilly at them, her hatred for them temporarily making her forget her current weakened state.

"What do you want?" Beth demanded.

"We were hoping to find my daughter." Dracula replied. He vanished and then reappeared in a flash behind the young huntress. The girl whirled around. The vampire was smirking down at her.

"Have you seen her?" he asked. Beth remained silent. Aleera Grabbed her arm and pulled. Beth fought against her, but was flung to the ground. She landed with a thud and a moan of pain escaped her lips. Beth rolled on her back and shot white light high into the air. Aleera pulled her up, but Beth shot light into her stomach. She was flung back quite a ways.

Beth felt her body and stamina crumbling as she kept fighting. She was in no condition to survive this battle and Dracula knew it. The teen was suddenly flung into a tree. It shattered when she hit it. The girl screamed in pain as it shot all over her body before she fell on the ground like a rag doll. The young huntress tried to push herself up, but found she didn't have the strength. She held the back of her head and then looked at her fingers. They were stained with freshly-shed blood. The world began to spin around her. Things were no longer distinct, only blobs of movement. Delusions were taking over the edges of her vision and she realized in horror that she was slowly slipping in to blackness.

- - -

Mori saw the light and began running back. When she saw the signal, she cursed herself. She had left Beth alone. She was the reason Beth was in poor shape. She had let Bethany come with her tonight and she was the one who was stupid enough not to make sure that she was armed! If Bethany was hurt, it was all her fault.

Mori burst into the clearing where she had left her friend. The image that awaited her was frightening. Beth lay motionless on the ground with her father and the crazy red head standing above the fallen huntress. An unfamiliar rage flared up inside her. They attacked a weaker party on purpose! Oh, Mori growled in her mind. I will kill him even it it's the last thing I DO!

"Leave her alone!" Mori's smooth, low and dangerous tone resounded around them.

"What can you do about it?" Aleera said. "This is all your fault anyway, dearie."

Mori's deadly gaze fell on the bride and her eyes slowly shifted from their icy blue to a ominous blood red. Inside her jaw, her canines lengthened as they turned into fangs. She was ready to show her father what he had just unleashed. It was time he got what he deserved.

"This is between you and I. Leave her out of it." Mori hissed as she slowly moved toward Bethany. Mori could hear her heartbeat, which was almost a relief. She was alive…at the moment. She was barely alive now and if her father or Aleera got to her, Bethany would cease to exist. She had to get Beth some medical attention as soon a possible. First, she had to make sure they didn't die now.

"She's been involved since she was four." Aleera reminded the young half vampire.

"Just leave her be." Mori demanded. She was now by Beth's side. Time to act. "Of course, you could always go back to the pile of shit you came from."

Aleera flew at the girl in rage, only to be blocked by a dome of black light that had appeared around the two. That was all Mori's doing.

"Mori?" Beth asked quietly. Mori felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was still awake, which meant she was stronger than Mori thought she was. The half vampire bent down next to the young Van Helsing just to be able to hear her.

"Will the black thing eat me?"

Mori almost smiled at the silliness of the question. She must be becoming delusional.

"No Bethany." Mori replied. "The black thing won't eat you."

"Oh…" Beth replied faintly. "good."

Mori's energy was slowly draining from her. She could feel it already. That's why she didn't use these powers often. If they drained too much of her energy…there was no going back. Mori knew the consequences all to well. She had made the mistake of getting close once, but if she had to now, so be it. Bethany's survival was more important than hers. She wouldn't make that other mistake again either. This time is different. She won't loose control…not again…not this time.

Mori shrunk the force field around Bethany, leaving herself out of it. She flung her hand out at her father. He was flung back by a black bolt of lightning. Her strength was waning fast, even with her extreme anger mixed into it, but she wouldn't stop till her friend was safe.

Bethany had already done the same for her.

- - -

Van Helsing and Anna rushed through the brush. They had seen Beth's 'signal flare' from the manor and knew something was terribly wrong, which scared and worried Van Helsing to no end.

"It came from over here!" Van Helsing said pushing through some thick bushes and entered a clearing. He then stood transfixed by the unusual sight before him, as did Anna.

Mori had fangs, blood red eyes and her hands were sparking with black lightning. Needless to say, he looked extremely pissed off.

"That's new." Anna said. Van Helsing then saw who Mori was fighting and took cover, pulling Anna against him so she would do the same. Now was not a good time to be exposed, especially with Mori in this kind mood.

Mori saw Aleera getting close to where Beth was and struck her with the dark lightning that she controlled. The bride quickly flew back to the safety of her master.

"What do you hope to accomplish by this, Morianalynn?" Dracula asked her.

"Your murder."

"No don't loose your temper, child." Dracula told her.

"It's a little late for that."

"You know what happened last time." Dracula acted like he didn't even hear her.

"This is different you pompous, small brained, waste of space!" Mori roared at him furiously.

"Is that the best insult you can come up with?"

"Bastard." Mori grumbled to herself.

With a final surge of energy, black light extended from her finger tips and gathered around her front. Mori pushed the small storm of lightning at the vampires as she grunted from the effort. It hit dead on. After a scream of pain, Dracula and Aleera flew away in defeat.

Mori stood her ground for a moment, still sparking. She didn't move at all. It was as if she had truly turned to stone. She was making sure that they were really gone. Once she deemed it safe. Mori ran over to where Bethany lay on the ground. Mori's breathing was labored and had her several strands of her dark locks sticking to her forehead, which was covered in sweat. She had to wipe it out of her now ice blue eyes. Every muscle in her body ached and throbbed in pain. She knew she wouldn't stay conscious for much longer. She wouldn't give out now. She wasn't done.

"Bethany, are you alright? You're bleeding." Mori said concernedly between gasps for air.

Beth's eyes were half open, showing that she was barely awake.

"I'll make it." Beth replied. By now, Van Helsing and Anna had come out of their hiding place. Van Helsing rushed over and knelt next to his daughter. Mori, knowing he still didn't trust her and thinking that he just got there, stood and backed away.

"Everything is alright, Beth." Van Helsing gently told her. "We'll get you back."

"Oh," Mori said nodding. Her job was done. "good ti…"

Mori's eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed on the ground in a heap.

"Mori!" Beth tried to pushed herself up to get to her friend.

"Shh." Van Helsing said and picked her up in his arms. "You are in no condition to do anything."

"Don't leave her here." Beth almost begged him. Van Helsing, instead of answering, handed the teen off her Anna.

"Take her back to the manor. I'll meet you there." Van Helsing told the gypsy princess. Anna nodded and the vanished into the forest with Bethany still shouting at him.

"If you leave Mori I'll never forgive you!"

Van Helsing sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair just before he looked down at Mori. In just a few moments, his opinion of the girl had just drastically changed. She had risked her life and went against her father to save his daughter. She be as loyal to Beth as Beth was to her. Also, based on the power he just saw, he definitely did not want Mori as an enemy.

Sighing, Van Helsing picked the half vampire up in his arms and took her back to the manor.