Author's Note: I'm back! and I'm guessing you're all thinking what happened to me. I just came back from Mexico for my vacations and I'am now back at home after two weeks. I had forgotten al about this story until I found my book and realized I left all my readers without an ending, so I've been working! Sorry it took so long. And one more thing, I deleted my story Of Angels and Demons because of some errors in my plot, but have no fear I'll soon post the new and improved version.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 18: No Mercy, No More

"You- you killed him?" she whispered, her mind confused after what she had heard from him. He only nodded solemnly., tears wanting to erupt but never shedding. He fought them back and seeing him in such a state only served to break her heart. She embraced him and he hugged her back.

"I'm so sorry, Nathalia." he said softly. He was afraid and sad and all she could do to console him was to gently rake his unkempt hair with her slender fingers. "He was evil, Gabriel." she said. "I'm actually... glad he's dead." she said, her voice breaking. He stilled and pulled himself from her, his arms wrapped around her waist.

Her tears fell gradually, but she didn't dare look at him. "And then..." she tried to say, choking back tears. "Then, I still think... that he would've been a good father if... if only.."

He pulled her close and let her sobs be heard. Deep down, she was suffering fro her father's demise. No matter how much she hated him. "You must leave." he said suddenly. She had to. Danger was still approaching. Her body stiffened and she looked up at him, confusion and hurt in her eyes. "What?" she asked.

"They'll be looking for me and you too." he said. "I don't want to put you or our son in any danger." he explained.

she shook her head, more tears flowing. "No. I won't leave you!" she said, hugging him tighter. "Not now, not ever." she whispered. He pushed her gently and cupped her chin, pulling her lips to his. A gentle and passionate kiss. One that, to her, meant farewell. He pulled away from her and looked into her emerald eyes. "Please."

oo

She touched her stomach, her face saddened at the thought that she would have brought new life to the world. Proof of their eternal love. It was all a lie, a dream that had been ripped apart from her and covered in blood.

Looking up into the heavens, she closed her eyes.

And she let out and unholy scream, thick with sadness and anger.

oo

Van Helsing felt frigid winds and the gentle touch of snow as he opened his eyes. He could not help but feel relieved adn hopeful. Soon, Nathalia, he thought. Then, the wind carried with it a hollow scream all around him.

Behind him, he heard small crackles and turned to see what was behind him. Anna's hand reached out nad he grabbed it gently, pulling her slowly. She held a torch and opened her eyes. Her eyes widened. "Castle Dracula." she said as they both stared at the icy castle that stood ominously before them.

They checked behind them in case Carl decided to come as well. Thye decided he would not tag along and so they walked forward.

Moments later, the 'door' made more crackling noises and Carl's shivering body emerged, his eyes shut and hands searching. When he finally opened his eyes, he was staring at an impaled skeleton hanging and staring at him almost tauntingly. He imagined them shrieking and laughing at him and he ran for the 'door'. Unfortunately, the 'door' had sealed adn there was no way out, making him crash hard against it and tumbling him to the ground. He got up and cuaght up to the others.

When he did catch up to them, he asked, "Do we have a plan?" They didn't respond, but only stared at the looming fortress. "It doesn't have to be Wellington's at Waterloo, but some sort of plan would be nice." he said.

"We're going to go in there and stop Dracula." Van Helsing said.

"And kill anyting that gets in our way." Anna finished.

They reached the entrance, only to find it closed and locked shut. "Well," Carl began, "you let me know how that goes." he finished, turning his back to them to leave. Van helsing dropped his torch and grabbed Carl's cloak collar and wrapped an arm around Anna's waist and jumped higher than any human. He was fueled by the werewolf's venom that granted him strength and with the full moon only a few minutes away, it was at its peak and ready to burst.

They finally landed after three jumps and the hunter quickly felt pain in his leg joints, not accustomed to such a tremendous jump and weight.

"Well, as grateful as I'am to be out of the cold, that doesn't seem like a good thing." Carl said.

The hunter growled a beastly sound, his eyes taking a bright yellow hue. The beast was restless and anxious. Anna and Carl were beside him in an instant. He stood straight as both looked at him, both worriedand cautiously. "We'd better get moving." he said.

The castle was bigger, compared to Castle Frankenstein. But here, there were more of Dracula's offspring that at the other castle. The large entrance had been a perfect nesting place to hang millions and millions of cocoons. Large circular cauldron's with burning coal helped illuminate the dark and murky place.

Carl looked around and he couldn't believe what he was looking at. "So are all those-"

"Yes"

And inside them are-"

"Yes"

They heard annoyed complaints coming near. Igor had wires strapped over his shoulders, bickering, "Igor do this, Igor do that..." Then he spotted them, his paled more that it already was. "How did you find- It's impossible!" he said as he dropped the wires and ran to warn anyone else.

Van Helsing acted quicker that usual and took out his tojo blade to impale Igor by his shirt to the stone wall. The hunter quickly ran to the man grabbed him by his collar. "Pease- please don't kill me." Igor pleaded.

"Why not?" the hunter questioned.

Igor's face went blank. "Well, I, um-"

A frustrated yell erupted nearby and they all recognized it as Frankenstein's voice. The yell had sounded close, too close. Beside the hunter were bars and he peeked inside to see poor Frankenstein frozen in a cube. Then another sound echoed throughout the whole castle. A loud shriek that had seemed to respond to the yell.

Igor smiled wickedly. "My master has awakened."

Frankenstein's icy prison began to rise from the help of attached chains. Van helsing grabed hold of the bars and began to stretch them as far apart form each other as possible. His attempt was in vain. Though he had the strength of a beast, he was not yet in peak conditon. He roared in frustration and in defeat, exhausted from his strength.

"There is a cure." Frankenstein said hoarsely.

Van helsing looked at him, confused. "What?"

"Dracula," Frankenstein continued. "He has a cure to remove the curse of the werewolf." he said. "Go! Find the cure. Save yourself!"

Van helsing turned away, confused. A cure? He felt someone tug at him, beckoning him to come.

"Come on," Anna said. "You heard him. Let's find it." If there was still hope for him, Anna was willing to risk her life for it. But he didn't even seem to care. She looked at him, frustrated.

"Why does Dracula have a cure?" the hunter asked. She scoffed. To her, it didn't realy matter. There was still hope. "I don't care." she responded. "I do." he said, looking back at Igor. He pulled the tojo blade and slammed Igor against another part of the wall, hoping to scare the answer out of him. "Why does he need one?" he asked. Igor kept his mouth shut.

Just when the hunter was about to beat him until he got his answer, Carl had finally understood the moving painting. "Because the only thing that can kill him is a werewolf." he said. Both Anna and Van Helsing looked at him. "The painting- that's what it meant." Carl explained to support his answer.

Anna shook her head. "But Dracula has been using werewolves to do his biding for centuries!" she argued.

"Yes, but if one ever had the will to turn on him, he'd need a cure to remove the curse and turn him human before it bit him." Carl explained.

Van Helsing stared at Igor. "You're going to take these two and lead them to the antidote." he said.

"No I'm not."

The hunter was losing his patience and slammed him once more. "Yes I'am." Igor said.

Carl leaned into the hunter's shoulder to inform him of the plan. "Here's the plan. When the bell begins to toll midnight, you'll be able to kill Dracula." he said. "We just need to fin the cure and get it to you before the final stroke."

Anna overheard the plan and smacked him. "Are you insane?" she said. "What kind of plan is that?"

Van Helsing was too preoccupied with the clippers that Igor had dropped. He clipped them a few time, threatningly. He looked at Igor. "If they even suspect you of misleading them," he said. He clipped it in his face and handed them to Anna, "clip off one of his fingers."

She took them and looked at Igor. "I'll clip off something."

"The tower," Igor said, panicked, "over there, that's where it is."

And what about the other tower?" Van Helsing asked.

Igor groaned, annoyed. "Give me that." the hunter barked, reaching for the clippers.

"That's where we reassembled the laboratory." he said. "Would I lie to you?" he added quickly.

"Not if you wanted to live." the hunter hissed angrily at the man. He let him go, but kept a close watch on him as he turned to face both Anna and Carl. "Now," he said as he looked for something within his trench coat, "if I'm not cured by the 12th stroke of midnight-"

The sudden sound of a soft zing made Anna's heart thump harder and Carl pale. They stared at what the hunter had in his hand; a silver stake. Carl stared into the hunter's eyes, hoping to see some doubt or-

"I don't think I could." he said when he read in the man's eyes that there was no doubt or regret. Just frustration and sadness. But not for himself, for the lost souls woh were also locked in this hellhole; Frankenstein and Nathalia.

"You must." Van Helsing responded.

Carl sighed, but took the stake and moved past Van Helsing to grab Igor by his shirt, shoving him to move.

Anna moved up and whispered to the man, "I don't like this plan." she said.

He shook his head. "We don't have a choice." he said.

"And what about Nathalia?" she asked. "Please tell me we are going to help her too." Her voice almost took a whining tone.

He looked at her. "I... I don't know if..." he couldn't continue, unsure how to tell Anna how complicated the situation had now become. If Dracula was vanquished, so would Nathalia die with him. The thought of it angered him.

"If what? What?" Anna asked impatiently. She shook her head. "She can't die. No, she can't die! It isn't fair!" she yelled, but kept her tone down as to not tell anyone of their whereabouts. "There has to be a way. There has to be." she whispered to herself.

"Anna, the possibility of her death is yet uncertain." he explained. "I'll have to find her first and find out when I've finally vanquished Dracula and then..."

Anna sighed. "If there's a way to cure a werewolf bite, then there has to be a way ot cure a vampire bite." she said.

She was about to leave when he stopped her, grabbing her shoulders gently and pulling her to him. She looked into his eyes and was surprised to see hurt in them. It had made her feel his pain and she just wanted to hug and tell them it was going to be okay. "If you're late, run like hell." he said, interrupting her thoughts.

Anna nodded and moved to leave, but he pulled her back again and this time too close that she could literally feel his breath on her lips. "Don't be late." he whispered. She looked once more into his eyes to see hesitation replacing the previous emotions. Finally taking the hint as to what he was heasitating to do. She took his face in her hands and pulled his lips to her.

He was caught off guard, but accepted her permission and responded to her action. He kissed her back with the same desire and passion.

They finally parted for mone another for a deep breath as they stared into each other's eyes. If he didn't say anything to her, they'd stayed in that position more time than desired. "Now, go." he whispered silently to her. She nodded, but didn't move. "Go, go." he said again.

This time, she did realize the precious time they had in their hands and moved away, rushing to catch up with Carl. He watched as she caught up to the two men and turned to go looking for-

"Nathalia?" he gasped when she was face to face with him.

She was staring at him with hollow eyes and it looked as though her lips were struggling to say something. He reached out for her and shook her lightly. "What's wrong, Nathalia?" he asked.

She stared at him, her emerald eyes darker than its original hue. "Kill me." she whispered painfully. He couldn't belive what he had just heard from her. "Show no mercy." she said. "No more." she said as she shook her head.

A sword was raised to his throat, but he could clearly see her struggle. Dracula was controlling her once more. "Fight." she said firmly. She tossed a sword on the floor.

He looked up into her eyes to see she was sure yet doubtful.

"Please." she whipered, her voice softening. "I... I can't live like this anymore, Gabriel." she said, her voice breaking. "Please."

He picked up the sword and pointed it to her throat. Tears were threatening to fall, but he had to hold them or else he wouldn't be able to see her moves or his footing. "All right, Nathalia." he said. "No mercy. No more."