"Here comes the Count…" Maria said. "How Dare you! Enter my Palace without my permission!" Amy said pretending to be the Count.

"Uhm…" Shadow was not buying it at all. "I should punish you severely!" Amy comes closer to Shadow while saying this. Shadow then jumps on her. "HEY!" "Finally I found you… Amy" Shadow said as he removes the mask.

"Very well Van Helsing you found me… but if you think I'll go back to my uncle…" "Amy HELP!" "Maria!?" "Wh-where…" "It's from the Count's room! There's no time come with me!" "Hey!" "Vanilla, don't let the others get out of here!" "Wait Wait Wait!" "No Shadow!" "Rouge!" suddenly the dragon moves in front of the others stopping them. "Yikes!" Knuckles yelled as he grabs Rouge.

"You must promise me one thing, Van Helsing you'll never do harm to the Count. Promise me!" Amy asked Shadow "What?" "Promise!... Please…" Amy grabs Shadow's jacket "I… I can't… Sorry" Shadow looks away from Amy. "Amy Hurry!" "I'm coming Maria!" Amy turns and starts running again. Then she reaches the Count's room. "Amy you have to bring Sonic out of here!" Maria said. "A-Another Bride?" Amy couldn't believe her eyes. "This way miss!" Tails called Amy over while still working on Sonic. "I'm coming Sonic!" Amy said. "OUT OF MY WAY!" the other ghost bride said hitting Maria. Shadow comes in to see Amy covering Sonic while the other ghost bride held an ax who was coming closer to them. "Grrrrr…" Maria starts to get angry and her heart beat gets stronger and faster. "You may now kiss the bride!" the other ghost bride said lifting the ax over her head to strike them. "STOP BLOODY!" then Maria gets up in front of the other ghost bride * TWOOM* the sound was so strong it knocked Shadow down. "Wha… Van Helsing?!" Tails said confused.

"My poor ears… Girl, are you crazy or what?!" Shadow said holding his ears then uncovered them. "You can't defeat me, Maria I've already chased you away from the Ark Mansion before… and I can do it again!" the ghost bride said. "No Maria, don't listen to her! You're not alone now, I trust in you, because we are FRIENDS!" Amy shouts. "F-friends!" *TWOOM* "Aaarh!" Shadow said in pain holding his ears. Maria grabs the ax. "GO TO HELL!" ending the ghost bride by beheading. "Maria…" Sonic asked.

*sniff, sniff* "I did it… I *sniff* did it… *sniff* finally I've defeat Constance…" Maria said happily. "Please, don't cry Maria… me and Sonic owe you our lives." Amy said. "Thanks Amy" "What are you doing here!" "I've come to offer you a challenge, Count a little fight between me the greatest vampire hunter of all the Netherlands… and you the greatest and powerful of Transylvania! What do you say? Do you accept the challenge?" Shadow said as he cleared his ears out.

"Wait a minute Van Helsing the Count can't fight in this conditions, not now!" Tails said. "Don't worry doc I've not said now. We'll meet tomorrow at midnight in the forest… we'll see who is the best!" Shadow said.

"Van Helsing, one question, how did you recognize me, despite the Baula?" Amy asked. "My dear, you're a good actress, but the baula can't mask your female voice… oh, about your uncle, he paid me to find you, not to bring you back to him… have a good rest…" Shadow said as he left the room.

"Amy…" "Well… I… oh I'm sorry… I just want…" "Don't worry Amy it's okay…" then Sonic catches Amy with a surprise kiss which she accepted.

Outside the castle…

"Knuckles where's the Duke? I had seen him with you." "That idiot fled the castle when the dragon moved, Tails…" "The dragon in the throne room?" "Yeah!"

"What are you thinking Shady?" Rouge said as she hugs him from behind. "I was thinking about that ghost bride… Amy called her 'Maria', and her face… looks familiar." Shadow said.

"Knuckles, I need you to do a favor… ask your grandfather if he can give me All the information he has about… The Ark Mansion." "Sure Shads, but why?" "That ghost… saved my life and Amy's life… I want to help this poor soul…to find some peace."

Maria is smiling at the Count and Amy sleeping together. Then she closes the curtains around the bed.

Shadow is sleeping with a gun under his pillow.

"Shads… Shadow…" Rouge tries to wake him up. "Mmh… five more minutes mum…" Shadow said in his sleep. "Sorry my sleeping beauty, you have to wake." Rouge told him as she lifted up his arm then kissed him. They kept kissing as Shadow sat up on the bed. "Knuckles brought you everything you asked for." "Veeery well" Shadow said as he stretched. "I'm going to go shopping." Rouge said then kissed his check. "Oh My… Rouge… Now I remember!" Shadow said looking at a picture of a missing girl on the first paper he picks up. Rouge comes running back. "Then you knew her, that's why she looks familiar to you… what happened Shadie?" Rouge asked. "Once… we were friends, almost like brother and sister… initially, like many kids I survived by stealing, living on the street… but Maria took me under her wing she taught me to read and write, and she was rich, she gave me the money to go to school… I protected her from bullies, and anyone who bothered her… I don't know why she loved me so much… oh, I never thought she would die… how could I forget her?" Shadow told Rouge how he knew Maria. "Listen to me Shadow Van Helsing it's not true! Actually you never forgot her! Toning you ask the Count if you could talk with her…" Rouge told Shadow. "You're right Rouge I'll do that!"

Now it is midnight in the forest and Shadow is walking when Sonic rides up behind him on his horse. "Nice clothes, have you changed your tailor." Sonic said. "You better not be joking with me, Count. This time I'll not have mercy. But first, I have to ask you… if I can see the ghost bride Maria…" Shadow said. "Oh well… okay… Maria, come here please." Sonic said. Soon Shadow hears a heart beat and then Maria appears in front of him. 'Glom' Shadow swallows hard.