Disclaimer: The characters and concepts in this story pertaining to the movie Van Helsing are the property of Stephen Sommers. This is an amateur writing effort. There was no money made off the writing and or posting processes of this story.

Epilogue: The Importance of Small Victories

"It was at that moment, just after the great Van Helsing had killed the mighty Queen of the Faeries that Mina Harker found her way into the caves and discovered what he had done."
The children gasped at precisely the right moment as Fallon told the story, acting it out as he told the events that had happened when Gabriel Van Helsing, Mina Harker, and Carl (who's last name was unknown and most just assumed he didn't have one) had killed the mighty Queen of Fey, Morgan. He stood up, pretending he was the infamous monster hunter and tilted the fedora up on his head.

"Now, as you remember, Mina Harker needed the dreaded Queen's blood to cure the vampire curse within her. And now that the Queen was dead, she could do nothing but stare in horror at the corpse on the ground."

"What did she do?" One asked. Fallon's son Francis (who had heard the story so many times he could have told it himself) rolled his eyes at the request to tell them what happened next. Fallon looked at his son and smiled.

"The monster hunter graciously apologized. Or the vampire decided that she could simply endure."

"You don't know?"

"Well no one knows exactly what happened at that moment, but everyone knows what happened after that, don't they?" The children shook their heads and laughed amongst themselves. "You don't know what happened after the three left the caves?" Fallon pretended to be surprised and gaped at the thought. "I can't believe it! What have your parents been teaching you?" Another round of laughter from the children followed that. Fallon put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes.

"It just so happens that when they left the cave they were surrounded by some of the most fearsome gypsies in England, lead of course, by their handsome, intelligent, and most ruthless gypsy leader in Ireland, Fallon." He stood up tall and put his hands on his hips. The children laughed again.

"Yeah, right." 'Aingeal' said from the side of him, gently rocking the bundle in her arms. "If I remember it correctly they ran into twelve gypsies and their bumbling leader Fallon Carroll."
"You're wrong." Fallon said with a grin. "And your memory must be going. I think this last child of yours took all your brains."
"Well you best hope it took something from me. There's not much good it could get from you." She replied. "Now go and tell the story right before I have to intervene." Fallon rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I suppose. We'll tell the story with no imagination and no character at all." Fallon still had the grin on his face though. 'Aingeal' sat down nearby, still rocking the child in her arms. He waited until she was comfortable and then he continued. "Now, when they exited the cave they did run into twelve gypsies and their leader, Fallon Carroll, who was not as unfortunate as his dear, sweet wife made him out to be." The children giggled. He paused a moment and then continued. "But, to keep to the actual story, they did run into a fearsome beast on the way back to camp!"

One child screamed while the others gasped. Francis rolled his eyes at his father.

"You're lying again, Dad." Francis said. "Do you want me to tell the rest of the story?"
"Of course not." Fallon said to his son. "You'll tell it like it is, and no one likes it when the story is told as it truly went. Where is the enjoyment in that?"

"But..."

"No buts Francis." Fallon said. "Now, this beast..."

"Fallon..." 'Aingeal' said.

"Would you two stop interrupting?" The children laughed at his outburst. "Now, this beast..."

"Was about six feet tall, bald, and had a terrible tendency to tell lies?" The children took a moment to realize she was talking about Fallon. Once they did they were laughing again. Fallon nodded.

"Actually I was about to say that this beast was the gypsy leader's wife." 'Aingeal's' eyes widened at the comment. Fallon just laughed. "I'm joking, love. The beast was just a minor threat and was taken down rather quickly." He laughed a little again but the children missed it. "They returned back to the camp and spent a night there before returning home."

"I thought you said that they fell in love?" A girl asked.

"Did I?" Fallon said, cocking a brow. He remembered back to the beginning of the story and then smiled. "Ah, yes, I did say that didn't I." He shrugged. "So, they had returned to the camp and the mighty Van Helsing is separated from the beautiful Mina Harker as she is dragged away by the ferocious 'Aingeal'." His wife smiled. "When she returned she could not find the hunter anywhere until she looked into the caravans at the edge of the camp and discovered him hidden away inside one of them." Fallon smiled and looked down at the children. "It is here, that it is said, the great and lonely Gabriel Van Helsing and the beautiful yet lonely Mina Harker kissed."

The girls sighed in satisfaction while the boys looked disgusted. Fallon smiled.

"You see when they met they should have hated each other. His mandate ordered him to destroy her. But even the hearts of fools and monsters can be stolen, and most of the time they are stolen by one in much the same position as they're in." The voices quieted as he finished the story. "Naturally, one can only assume that the church did not approve of such a relationship, if indeed the young heroine traveled back to Italy with Gabriel Van Helsing."

"What if she didn't?" One of the girls asked. Fallon smiled.

"I choose not to think of what might have happened if she didn't." He said. "The thoughts of an ill fated love affair are too horrible for my mind." 'Aingeal' smiled, looking at her husband. He smiled at her and looked to their son in her arms, the son that they had chosen to name Gabriel.

The story Fallon would tell months and even years later was definitely not the full truth. Tiny pieces of it were completely falsified (especially the part about how Carl survived his tumble from the tower, since no one had really listened to his physics theory). He never once knew the true ending of the story, and wasn't sure he wanted to.

In truth, Gabriel and Mina did meet inside a caravan, although their kiss was not exactly as Fallon had accounted it. She had found her way when she saw his darkened silhouette in the window, and slipped inside without him seeing her.

"I thought you would have been outside with the others." She said, looking out towards the celebration that was taking place at the camp. The funeral rites had already been performed, and if Fallon's beliefs were correct, Morgan would face judgment in Avalon from her brother Arthur and the council there. Now, the gypsies were truly dancing and singing, rejoicing that their lands were safe from evil.

"I'm not a people person." He said. "I always have bad experiences in large groups."

Mina smiled softly, stepping closer. He looked over to her and found that she had changed from head to foot. She was no longer in black, but rather, a long white dress and matching corset about her waist. Her hair hung around her shoulders, cleaned at last, and Gabriel's scarf hung around her neck. He tried not to stare but it was harder than he expected. Mina looked...well, she looked...beautiful.

"What is it?" She asked, self-conscious. He shook his head.

"Nothing." He replied. "Nothing, I've just never seen you in anything but black. At least not that I can remember..." Mina smiled again nodding, moving closer to him. The light from the fires outside the window licked against his skin and danced over his tanned features. His dark eyes softened in her presence.

"I used to wear colours." She said. "Did you?"

"I don't remember." He replied.

"Have you ever tried?" She asked him. "Even just dark colours?"

"Well there was this one costume..." He began, recalling Dracula's masquerade ball. The thoughts of the crimson garb made him remember Anna in her red ball gown. Just thinking of Anna made him close his eyes again, taking a deep breath. "Other than that, I haven't even worn colours. It's harder to wash blood out of colours."

Mina nodded. "I know what you mean."

Gabriel glanced over at her. She smiled at him again, hanging her head low behind a layer of her wavy brown hair.

"You should wear some kind of colour every now and then." She said. "It makes the darkness a little brighter."

He turned around to face her, looking at her fully for perhaps the first time they had met. He noticed everything this time. He noticed the unnaturally pale skin and the veins beneath her flesh. He found her intense eyes softened and her usually tightened mouth loose, watching him just as he was watching her.

"I can't promise you forever, Mina." He said, answering her without her even having to ask. She shook her head and grew nearer.

"I don't need forever." She said. "I just need you."

He took her by the arms while she just stepped forward again, embracing the kiss that was long overdue. When retelling it, Fallon would explain how they had wanted it all along. He would go into grave detail about how she had separated from him only once to catch her breath and whisper something probably meaningless to him. Mina had ran her hand on his cheek as they kissed and it didn't move even when he pulled back for a moment.

"Even if I wear black?" He asked, jokingly.

"I don't care what colour you wear." She said, kissing him again.

They kissed again. Gabriel pulled her closer and pressed his back against the wall. He pulled back once more.

"What do you think about me in green?" He asked.

"The ladies in London say its very vogue." She replied, kissing him again, not wanting to be interrupted once more. But Gabriel, knowing she was growing impatient, pulled back just once more.

"You would wash blood stains out of green clothing for me?"

"I said I wanted to be with you." She said. "But that doesn't mean I'm doing laundry."

He laughed again, kissing her once more, taking her up in his arms and over to the bed in the caravan. She relaxed against the bed spread, still holding his head close to her. Gabriel's hand reached over to her corset lacings but she stopped and shook her head.

"There will be none of that tonight Mr. Van Helsing."
Gabriel shook his head.

"Call me Gabriel." He said and kissed her again.

Gabriel looked out over the packed platform next to the outgoing train. She had promised she would be there, ready to leave with her bag of things, but she wasn't there yet and the conductor was calling, ready to leave. Carl was already inside their compartment, looking out the window at Gabriel and called to him.

"I don't know how the Cardinal will react to this, Van Helsing." He said. Gabriel gave a small whimsical smile. He knew exactly how the Cardinal would react. Jinette would give him a speech on how relationships were forbidden in the Order. He would give him a speech about sinning. He would give him a speech about courting a widowed woman. Gabriel just hoped the Cardinal never discovered Mina's other secret, namely her blood lust.

"If you think about this Van Helsing there really isn't a way that the Cardinal can take this well." He said, putting the small bags into the overhead carrying case. "I mean you are bringing a woman back and not just any woman if you know what I mean."

"You wouldn't tell him, would you?" Gabriel asked him, knowing that the question was silly. Of course Carl wouldn't tell.

"Really, Van Helsing, you ought to have more faith in me." He said. "I wouldn't say a word. As long as you keep my sins out of your conversation we have a deal."

Gabriel laughed again, thinking about how interesting that conversation would be. He could spill out the things he knew about Carl, like the barmaid he had taken to bed back in Transylvania and the gypsy woman he had flirted with back at Fallon's camp.

He turned back to the station, still not seeing her anywhere. He was looking for the black dress and cloak, completely covering the sensitive skin of the vampire from the bright sun that shone down from the sky. Instead, he caught sight of her in a white and black pinstripe dress, standing at the edge of the station with a parasol in one hand. Her hair was pulled into a bun, off the scarf that hung around her neck. She carried a suitcase in her other hand.

"Mina..." He said, looking down at her skin. It was exposed to the sun completely, the parasol barely protecting it.

"I may not have been able to drink her blood," Mina said, "But that shouldn't suggest that she didn't have something else I wanted."

She handed him the suitcase and pulled up the long sleeve of the coat over her bare wrist, holding it out to Gabriel. Under a flap of pale flesh was a piece of metal, one that looked remarkably like the piece of Excalibur from one of Morgan's swords.

"So I'll still be hungry every now and then." She said. "But I don't have to run from the sun anymore."

Gabriel smiled at her, looking from the wrist to the train. Mina narrowed her eyes.

"What is it?"
"Nothing." He said. "But I think I have a new understanding about small victories now."

They boarded the train and took one last look at the glorious city of London. Mina laid her head on Gabriel's shoulder and looked out the window, out at the sunrise and the places beyond that.

This is my life,

It's not what it was before,

All these feelings I've shared.

And these are my dreams,

That I've never lived before.

Somebody shake me, 'cuz I must be sleeping.

Now that we're here, so far away,

All the struggle we thought was in vain.

All the mistakes, one life contained,

They all finally start to go away.

Now that we're here, so far away,

And I feel like I can face the day.

I can't forgive and I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today.

Credits:

Directed by: Stephen Sommers

Written by: Melanie Bopolopolopolous

Starring:

Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing

David Wenham as Carl

Peta Wilson as Mina Harker

Julianna Margulies as Morgan le Fey

Antonio Banderas as 'The Superior/The man'

Keira Knightley as 'The woman'

Alun Armstrong as Cardinal Jinette

Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious

Orlando Bloom as a random and miscellaneous sentry.

Additional Stuff:

(Black screen. Choral voices heard with a bell tolling in the background)

Van Helsing VO: The dreams are getting worse...

(Lightning strikes. Two winged silhouette appear in a cloudy sky. They fight, attacking each other with their bare hands. Their faces around unseen)
Van Helsing VO: There is a battle.

(One of the faces is clearer. It is Van Helsing)

Van Helsing VO: Then there's pain...

(The other winged creature rips at the Van Helsing's wings. He tears them off)

Van Helsing VO: And then I fall...

(Aerial view: Van Helsing tumbles down to the ground. The second of impact, the screen flashes to black)

(Universal logo comes to the screen.)

(Three figures walks into the Vatican, Van Helsing is in the middle, Carl on the left and Mina on the right.)

(Cut to: Mina and Gabriel sitting together on a bed)

Van Helsing: I'm ready to give up my old life.

(Cut to: The three walk down the steps in the headquarters)

(Cut back to: Mina and Gabriel sitting on the bed again)

Mina: But...

(Cut to: The three find the headquarters destroyed)

Van Helsing VO: I get the feeling someone doesn't want me to.

(Camera closes in on Van Helsing's shocked face. In the back ground a woman is heard laughing)

(Cut to: Van Helsing turns and fires a rapid succession of arrows from the crossbow at a figure that flies across the ceiling. He aims at her when she stops and her head lifts to reveal bright, blood red eyes and long, straight black hair. She hisses at him)

Gabriel: Well this is just perfect.

Woman: You remember me then?

Gabriel: Sometimes I wish I wouldn't remember these things.

(The woman swoops down at Van Helsing. They fight again. The fight ends when she bites him on the throat)

Woman: The name is Elizabeth Bathory, Gabriel.

(She changes back into a human.)

Elizabeth: Never forget it again.

(Gabriel grips his throat. It seems that something is moving under his flesh, making the veins around the area turn purple and blue.)

Elizabeth: In twenty-four hours you're mine.

Gabriel: I doubt that very much.
(She transforms into her vampire form, looking much like Dracula's brides. She laughs before flying off into the night)

(Gabriel looks after her and picks up his crossbow before walking out of the headquarters)

Narrator: He is a man looking for his past.

(Gabriel rides into the snow covered forest of Transylvania once again)

Narrator: But his past...

(Gabriel stands alone in a darkened city square. Behind him is a man in blue robes)

Narrator: Never stopped looking for him.

(Gabriel whips around with his crossbow at the ready. The man in the square smiles at him. It is the man from his dream)

Man: Hello, Gabriel.

Gabriel: Hello, Michael.

(Music: Going Under by Evanescence.)

Music: I'm going under!

(Gabriel screams and rips at the chains that are holding him to the ground)

Tagline: A hunter...

Music: Drowning you!

(Mina Harker loads an arrow into her bow, looking around the snow covered forest)

Tagline: A vampire...

Music: I'm falling forever!

(Carl ducks down as a male vampire flies down after him)

Tagline: A friar...

Music: I've got to break through!

(Cut to: Gabriel throws his fists against a layer of ice that holds him under the water)

(Rapid Succession Scenes: Mina and Gabriel kiss passionately. Gabriel fires his crossbow. Michael and Gabriel run at each other. Elizabeth hisses at the camera and transforms. Michael and Gabriel reach each other and tackle each other.)

(Cut to: Title Screen)

Title: Van Helsing 3: The Fallen

Author's Notes: Well, there it is, complete with CREDITS! I apologize to all the Orlando Bloom fans out there. I do not like him very much at all. And sorry, I get excited over the smallest of things and the credits were ridiculously small.

Anyways...

About the sequel:

Mina and Carl will be coming back. It will focus more on Gabriel's past though. Michael (Antonio Banderas! I love that man) will make another appearance as well. But who to play Elizabeth Bathory? I suppose I will have to think about that while I write the next story!

Reviews:

I have to say that this is one of the highest reviewed stories I have ever written. I loved everyone's opinion, valued the time everyone took to leave any length of review, whether you appreciated my work or you didn't. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Kanaloas Wrath: Here is my update. I'm sorry that it's the last chapter, but such is life.

SirTiddywinkle: Perfect? (Smiles giddily) Thank you!

It was nowhere near as creative as Vampire Trampoline Solicitors. I swear I couldn't look at my trampoline in the same way again after reading that. I went out there with my friends and started laughing. I don't know, it sounded like something Carl would do. He would so use science to get him out of a tough situation.

Morgan could make a fortune on the porn industry. Maybe she'll come back in Van Helsing 4: Bordellos of Avalon.

And there's the ending, with several kisses because Gabriel couldn't shut up. God I love Hugh Jackman (pouts).

Saerry Snape: Don't glare at it too hard! It's not a cliffhanger anymore, since there's now a conclusion.

I wish I could listen to the VH soundtrack. It was great.

J: Hmmm...well, minor technicalities. Stephen Sommers deserves it for...something. It's unfortunate there's only one Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. So many people, so little time...

Love the flamethrower idea! Looks like Carl's got some inventing to do before they come back for the sequel (gets an evil grin when thinking about mass amount of inventions left to invent). Hmmm...Holy Hand Grenades of Carl? Sounds catchy.

I read some of Lady Erised's 'In the Name of God' and was in shock. I felt so inadequate. She is good!

HyperCaz: Morgan was evil enough (at least in this story) to cheer for her when she died. She's not exactly the nicest of people, but then again, are there any truly and completely nice people in this world anymore?
That would be awesome to see a HyperCaz land. I would go.

And as for Dogma, see it. But I wouldn't recommend it if you are a very religious person and have great faith in Catholicism or Christianity. It deals with a lot of topics that could and were considered sacrilege when it was released. I did laugh at the platypus line though.

You won't have to wait very long for a sequel. I'll get started on it as soon as I can.

Scholar: I couldn't bear not giving Carl a shot! He deserved it after being hung off her tower, chased by her faeries, falling from her tower, getting shot at...the poor guy. It's a little humourous though, since Gabriel seems to assume all the injuries he should from going through all that.

I will go into more detail about Michael in the next story. Sorry I can't say anything else about it in this story! I have said as much as I will! Don't throw anything at me!

Fanfiction Fanatic: I liked the end of Morgan as well. You won't have to wait any longer for the next installment!

Grissom: It must be very hard to kill Carl. I mean he survived through Hyde and Dracula and don't get me started on how many fires he must have started in the Vatican. He is going to outlive everyone in the franchise (except maybe Gabriel, who just gets injured and then recovered. Carl just causes other people's injuries. I love it!)

And the Carl-loving mob? I would be living in fear from the Carl-lovers mafia for the rest of my life!

I loved the hurricane episode of the X-Files! My personal favourite episodes were Arcadia, Detour, The Ghosts who Stole Christmas, the hurricane episode, and this one from the earlier seasons where a kid was haunted by the ghost of his twin brother who was like the devil (I can't remember it very well, but it freaked me out). I got into that problem with pacing myself and am running into right now with some of my original fiction and school. Stupid chemistry class! It's ridiculously hard!

I'll search the title and give it a read when I can. I have to get off the computer pretty soon (silly school).

Mary-Sues are described as uber-perfect girls inserted into the original story. There's not an exact science as to who is and who isn't a Mary-Sue. Some are perfected versions of the authoress (most of the time they appear in Lord of the Rings and are paired up with Legolas), and others are inserted girls who basically outshine the original characters. They make the main guys look like wimps next to them. If you're worried about it at all (you shouldn't be. Unless your character is so irritatingly perfect that it's impossible for anyone else to have a role in the story, you shouldn't be worried). But if you are, check out the Universal Mary-Sue litmus test which should give you a pretty accurate idea of whether or not she is.

By the way, I would love to beta, if you would let me!

I hope this update was soon enough. It was as soon as I could make it. STUPID SCHOOL!

Vampire Princess, Morwinda: I am glad that you're back and enjoying the story! I can't believe it's been months since I first started writing this story! I started it the day after Van Helsing came out, and now it's been three or four months! It's unbelievable!

I'm glad that you enjoyed it and that you're looking forward to a sequel.

Unfortunately, the movie company means to torture those who can no longer download movies by making the release date so far from now, and like two weeks after my birthday! I'm actually going to have spend money on it, and I'm broke (cries).

I'm not very far in the game. I just made it through Frankenstein's castle before I had to take it back to the store (weeps). Congratulations on making it to Aleera! She was my favourite bride, but I agree with Anna, she did talk too much.

Trinity Van Helsing: The book of Van Helsing is great. I really enjoyed Anna's flashback and the depth they added to her character and Frankenstein's. I could never have killed Carl! He would be the only character I would ever bring back from the dead.

xImmortalx: Mina was created by one of the servants of Dracula, not one who was made by Dracula, but one that worked for him. If the servant were Dracula's spawn, Mina would be bye, bye!

The spiders were not Morgan's. They were just enchanted creatures who decided to make their home in the ground. Charming huh? They were actually the creation of Nickolaus Pacione, one of my reviewers who writs awesome original fiction on Fictionpress. I loved them.

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed. Whether you reviewed once or was with me every step of the way I appreciate every little bit of feedback I received and loved reading everyone's comments. Although it got a little tedious at times or the updates were very sporadic, we had a few laughs and some tears and some more laughs and some screams...maybe. I hope you will all look into the sequel which will be up as soon as I can get it up!

Sincerely, Beguile (Mel)