A/N: It's Sunday, what a drag. School starts tomorrow, more annoying blabbering and troublemakers. Well, at least the weekend was nice. I hope everyone else had a good weekend. I would just like to thank VintageLyre for posting and asking and for being so curious about Nathalia and Dracula's little chat. And I would like to thank Celtic Aurora for keeping my hopes up! Well, on with the show!

Chapter 5: Brother Dearest, What Have You Become?

Nathalia replayed her conversation with Gabriel over and over again. Gabriel... why is it that I know him by that name alone?, she thought. As she walked down the hall that leaded to Anna's room, she stopped. She touched the hand where Gabriel's hand made contact with. She rubbed her hand gently, the warmth of his hand still there. No, she let her hand go and shook the thought away.

She pushed the door to Anna's room gently to check on her. Nathalia then realized Anna was no longer inside. Oh no, she thought. Surely she went in search of Ga-, her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a gunshot. She ran quickly outside, the gunshot having come from the armory room. Just as she was about to pass the bar, Gabriel emerged, gun in hand.

"It's Anna." she told him. "I know." he replied. Nathalia was the first one to barge into the armory room, Gabriel right behind her. What she saw next made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Velkan?"

He was up against the wall, crawling up on his back as he grunted in pain. She suspected the worst as he stared outside the window as the full moon appeared. "Anna..." he grunted. He made an loud growl from within his throat as he began to tear his skin and his mouth formed into a muzzle as brown fur appeared underneath his torn skin as he growled at both Anna and Nathalia

"Anna! Nathalia!" Gabriel called out. The wolf stared at Gabriel and thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea to encounter the hunter just yet. It left through shattered glass as it had leaped through the window. Anna and Nathalia were dumbfounded. What they had just seen was forevermore scarred into their hearts.

Nathalia could not believe what she had just seen. The only man that she had come close to family was gone, forever trapped inside the monster he had become. He had helped and given her shelter and love when no one else had been to kind or... or...

Gabriel stopped before both of them. Nathalia tore her gaze away from the shattered window and looked at him, then at Anna whom he shook gently. "Anna, are you all right?" he asked her.

"Anna?" Nathalia shook her gently as well. Anna kept staring at the shattered window as Gabriel ran outside the balcony, pointing his revolver.

Behind her, Nathalia heard feet shuffling and someone sniffing. "Why does it smell like wet dog in here?" the friar, Carl, asked.

Gabriel ran to Nathalia. "Take care of Anna." he told her. "But-" Nathalia wanted to tell him not to go, to not harm Velkan, but he ran past them.

"Werewolf." he informed Carl. "Oh, right." Carl said as he took out something from his robes. "You'll be needing silver bullets." he said as he tossed Gabriel a box. He caught the box expertly and said, "Well done." as he ran off.

Anna, realizing what was going to happen, turned around, tears still wetting her face. Something inside Nathalia screamed. He's going to kill Velkan!

ooo

He loaded the gun with silver bullet. When he had all of them intact, he continued to walk through the village's empty town. Fog and snow seemed to thicken and lessen in his way. Van Helsing found himself a few feet from the town's cemetery. He heard noise behind him and he turned around swiftly, his gun pointed toward whatever was behind. Nothing was in sight.

"Who's hunting whom?" he whispered. As he backed away, his back was against a stone wall, not realizing the coffin beside him.

"Nice night."

He jumped when the voice suddenly spoke. He looked inside the coffin, the undertaker inside the coffin, gun pointed at him. He showed no fear.

"This is a bit tight for me." the undertaker said. He stepped out, hands out as though a frame was in his hands and Van Helsing was in front of the coffin for the man to see. "But for you... it's a perfect fit."

Then, the man's face frowned in annoyance. "What a coincidence." he said, turning away and grabbing his shovel that had been embedded into the snow covered ground. "I see the wolf-man hasn't killed you yet."

"Don't worry. He's getting to it." the hunter responded, following th man. "You don't seem too bothered by him."

"Oh, I'am no threat to him." the man said as he began to finish his grave. "I'm just the one who cleans up after him. If you get my meaning."

Hearing a loud rustle of movement, the hunter turned his back to the undertaker. "A little late to be digging graves, isn't it?" he asked.

"Never too late to be digging graves." the undertaker said. A smile crept his face. "You never know when you need a fresh one."

Detecting the menacing tone the undertaker had taken, Van Helsing turned around just in time to block the coming down shovel and point his revolver at the man's face. The undertaker showed fear as he came face to face with a gun to his face. "Oh, sorry." he muttered. "It's just my nature." he forced a smile, but was then replaced with surprise as he gasped.

Van Helsing turned around swiftly and moved out of the werewolf's's way, making it crash course into the undertaker who died from the sudden impact before he even landed into his newly dugged grave, his shovel embedded into the ground and his hat landing on top of it beside him.

The wolf-man was recuperating from his crash as it shook its head. Van Helsing had his gun pointed at the beast, but someone moved his hand, just as he pulled the trigger. "No!"

The bullet missed the beast by inches and realizing the threat, he jumped up on one of the house's roof and vanished beyond. Beside him was Anna as he pushed her aside to follow the beast. "No!" she called out. Seeing no point in chasing the already gone werewolf, the hunter was furious. He seized Anna by her throat, choking her and pushing her against a wall. "Why?" he hissed angrily.

"You're... choking me..." Anna gasped, her voice straining.

"Give me reason not to." he said through clenched teeth.

"Enough!"

Behind him, Nathalia pulled him -tried- to pull him away, but he wouldn't budge.

"I can't... if people knew..." Anna replied to the hunter's statement. Nathalia used all her preternatural strength to remove his grip on Anna, but he had already given up willingly. She had already rushed to aid Anna who was touching her neck, soothing her already sore throat.

"He's not your brother anymore, Anna!" the hunter bellowed at the direction the werewolf had gone and vanished. Nathalia and Anna looked at him in surprise.

"You knew?" Nathalia asked. Van Helsing sighed. "Yes." he replied. "Before or after Anna stopped you from shooting him?" she asked. He looked at both of them, both Nathalia's and Anna's showing hurt. "Before." he replied.

Anna lunged at him, pushing him. "And still you tried to kill him!" she said. "He's a werewolf. He's gonna kill people." he yelled, trying to prove a point. "He can't help it. It's not hi fault." Anna argued.

"I know, but he'll do it anyway!"

"Do you understand forgiveness?" the question came from Nathalia who had stared at him with much disbelief. "Yes. I ask for it often." he responded. Nathalia sighed not knowing if what she was going to say next was true or false. "They say Dracula has a cure."

"If there's a chance I can help my brother, I'm going after it." Anna said, starting to run past Van Helsing, but he grabbed her arm before he could pass right by him. "No. I need to find Dracula."

"And I need to find my brother." Anna snapped, not caring about what Van Helsing wanted. Her voice sounded shaky and was breaking as she spoke. "He gave his life for me. He's the only family I have left." she said as she tears began to sting her eyes.

"I despise Dracula more than you can ever imagine. He has taken everything from me. Leaving me alone in this world." She turned away from him, her back to him. Nathalia only stood far from them, her eyes still glued to the vacant spot Velkan had stood on the roof.

Van Helsing reached for her shoulder, but stopped himself and sighed in frustration and did the same thing. "To have memories of those you love and lost is... harder than to have no memories at all." he said softly. He turned to face her and gave in. "All right. We'll look for your brother." he said. She turned to face him, surprise all over her face.

Nathalia was just as surprised, but relieved as well. Velkan, my friend, you will soon be released from the beast you have become.

A/N: That's the end. Perhaps not one of my best chapters, but then again, you the reader will get to decide. Just press the magic little button and you're on your way to criticize. Adieu!

With much love,

Luna