A Once Lost Love Now Found

2. The Family Tree

It's now dark and Anna has shown the men around the manor. Velken told her his name and she wondered why it was the same as her brother's. Curious, he went to the tower and looked around. He figured he could help Carl, so he started looking at the books when he found one to his interest, he tried pulling it out. However, a large rolled up parchment fell out from behind it. "Woah!" He said catching it. The top of it unrolled and it made him curious. He put the book down and sat the parchment on the floor unrolling the rest of the way. "It's a family tree." He breathed.

For a good five minutes, he studied the family tree. But when he got to the bottom, his heart stopped. "Anna Valerious, fiance' and betrothed to Gabriel Van Helsing. Son, Velken Connor Van Helsing. Born October 14, 1882. Impossible."

"What's impossible." Came the accented voice of Anna Valerious from behind him.

Velken jumped startled and turned to face her. "My goodness! You startled me."

"Sorry. So what's impossible?"

"Um... Do you remember anything from before the last seven years?" He asked cautiously.

"Just my childhood. I remember nothing from the time I was thirteen or fourteen. Why'd you wanna know?"

"I um... I found your family tree by accident. It fell out from behind the book I was gonna read through to help Carl. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have looked at it." He said going to put it away.

"No. It's ok. Could I see it?" She asked.

"Yes, but I don't want you to freak out when you get to the bottom."

"Why would I freak out? It's not like I'm married to some murderer or something." She responded taking it from him as he handed it over.

Anna looked at it, mostly skimming until she reached her own name at the bottom when her own heart stopped. She read it three times over and a memory came unbidden to her. After a minute, it stopped and she shook her head. "No." She breathed. "It can't be."

"It can't be what?" Velken asked.

Anna turned to him and really looked at him. After two minutes, she started to cry happy tears. "My baby!" She said and hugged him for dear life.

Velken teared up and hugged her back tightly. "Mama. Mama, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, My Little Worrier. It's alright. You're home now." She replied and cuddled him close. "I'm sorry I forgot. You AND your father."

"No. WE'RE sorry, Mama. We should have recognized you."

"No. How COULD you remember? You were only a month old. And it seems your father must have had an accident. I was the one who sent your father to Rome with you. I was only trying to protect you and he agreed. He told me to stay behind and he'd take you himself. Whatever the accident was, must have happened on the way there. And whatever the accident, caused him to lose his memory. The memory that I saw, it involved me having been attacked by a warewolf and knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything from the year before or the few months after that. So I am sorry."

"I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, Velken." She said then kissed his forehead. "Come on. I have to give him a piece of my mind." She continued and stood up dragging him with her.

"What did he do?"

"He GASSED me."

"Gassed you?" He asked confused.

"Yes. Knocked me out and put me in my room."

"Were you trying to go after Dracula?"

"Yes, to end this family curse once and for all."

"He was keeping you from being rash. No wonder he gassed you."

Anna turned and glared at him. "EXCUSE me, Young Man?!? Did you just talk back to me?"

"Sorry. I was just trying to tell you how he felt about you going out on your own late at night. WITHOUT being prepared."

"If I didn't know you were my son, I would so slap you right now." She replied glaring again.

"Then I guess it's good I am." Velken said smartly.

"Grr." She responded.

"Sorry." He said timidly.