The Van Helsings were outnumbered in the fight. Eric and Jonathan abandoned the crossbow and stakes, drawing their handheld garlic juice guns to ward off the greater number of vampires. But they were backed into a corner. After a momentary standoff a young male boldly moved in closer and Jonno squirted him in the face with the gun. The vampire shrieked as the garlic juice sizzled and burned his skin.

"Will!" Ingrid cried. Before Jonathan had time to react she flew forward and snatched the gun away from him. She hissed menacingly as Jonno fumbled for the stake inside his coat.

Eric turned his gun on Ingrid, but something pushed him off balance. His weapon slipped from his fingers as he fell to the floor. The Count loomed over him and hissed. Eric raised his arms to shield himself from the Count's fangs and instead felt the vampire bite into his wrist. He slurped greedily at Eric's blood. Disgusted at having a filthy vampire feed from him and frantic to save himself, Eric hit the Count repeatedly with his free hand. His efforts proved useless as the Count held fast.

Another vampire he didn't recognize took hold of his other arm, forcing it straight. He tried to pull his arm away but the vampire's strength outmatched his own by far. The vampire pushed his sleeve up and bit into the inside of his elbow. Eric couldn't move. He heard Jonno call, "Dad! Help!"

He looked around desperately for his son, and saw Ingrid and Will kneeling over him. They were feeding from Jonno as well.

Eric was beginning to feel the effects of his blood loss when an unearthly scream echoed throughout the hall. His attackers suddenly released him, their heads turned in the direction of the sound. They flitted away and left him on the floor. Ignoring the way his head swam as he got up, Eric crawled over to Jonno, who also bled from a bite on his wrist and another at the base of his neck.

"Dad…" Jonno started to speak, but Eric hushed him and glanced back over his shoulder. The vampires had gathered on the other side of the hall, no longer interested in the slayers.

Taking a clean handkerchief from his pocket, Eric hastily placed the cloth over the bite on his son's neck and pressed Jonno's hand against it to slow the bleeding. He then helped Jonno to his feet and they fled from the castle without looking back.

The Grand High Vampire's scream echoed in Vlad's ears as he burst into a cloud of shimmering dust. The dust settled neatly into a pile on the floor, topped by the Grand High Vampire's crown.

Not good, Vlad thought in hindsight, dropping the stake to the ground and backing away.

Vlad looked up and found himself confronted by Nicolai, the Count, Ingrid, and Will. He wondered briefly why the Count was wiping blood from his mouth and why Will looked like he was healing from a severe burn. He had vaguely registered another fight taking place in the great hall, but had not paid attention to what was happening. Protecting Robin had been his only concern. Now Robin was safe, at least for the time being, and the Grand High Vampire was no more.

Nicolai kicked the stake away and knelt as he gingerly picked up the crown from what remained of the Grand High Vampire. He straightened up and looked at Vlad. "You slayed the Grand High Vampire."

Ingrid smiled victoriously. "You've really done it now, Vlad."

"I'm sorry?" But he knew apologizing would not help him now. Nothing would. I am so dead.

"Sorry?" Nicolai repeated through clenched teeth. "Not half as sorry as I'm going to be when the Council hears about this. You'd better be next."

Whatever 'next' was, it sounded ominous. "Next what?" he asked, afraid to find out.

"It means you're the next one to go in the dustbin," Ingrid hissed with glee. "I'll finally get to be the Dracula heir."

"No," Nicolai said, not releasing Vlad from his scrutinizing gaze.

Ingrid's face twisted into a scowl. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"You said it yourself, he slayed the Grand High Vampire. You can't let him get away with that," Will argued.

"It is not my decision to make." Nicolai frowned at Vlad, clearly dissatisfied with the whole situation. "You'll have to come back to Transylvania with me."

Vlad did not like that idea in the least. "Why?"

"It will take time for the Council to determine if you are the Chosen One. If you are, then you will have to be trained to become Grand High Vampire. You will become acquainted the Council and its responsibilities, and there are many traditions and protocols to be learned. But if you are not the Chosen One..." he trailed off, leaving the consequences to the imagination.

"And when will I be able to come back to Stokely?"

"You won't."

He had to leave forever? Vlad looked back to where his family and Robin were standing. His whole life was in Stokely. Leaving everything behind was unimaginable. "Then I won't go."

"You don't have a choice. I will bring to you Transylvania by force if I have to." Vlad could tell by Nicolai's tone that he meant it. "Now go collect your things. We must leave tonight."

Robin waited with Vlad and Nicolai on the platform at the Stokely train station. Nicolai objected to 'the breather' accompanying them to the station, but when Vlad insisted he didn't press the matter. Robin wished he could say goodbye to Vlad privately, without the guard watching their every move, but Nicolai had not taken his eyes off Vlad since he slayed the Grand High Vampire. Vlad must have felt the same way, because he looked over at Nicolai and asked, "Could you give us a minute?"

Nicolai shook his head in refusal, causing Vlad to frown and look away sullenly.

They stood quietly for a moment before Robin found the courage to ask the question that had been bothering him since he watched Vlad plunge a stake into the Grand High Vampire's heart. "Hey Vlad? Does all this Chosen One business really mean you're going to be the Grand High Vampire?"

Vlad nodded. "I think so. If I'm not they're going to slay me." He must have noticed the worry in Robin's face, because he decided to change the subject. "I'll write to you when I get there."

"You'll write?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to Transylvania or the seventeenth century?"

"For vampires it's about the same thing," Vlad shrugged. "The traditionalists haven't exactly embraced modern technology." After a brief moment he added, "In the meantime, tell Chloe goodbye for me."

"I will, though I'm fairly certain she's still angry with you."

"She's right to be angry." His eyes flickered to Robin's neck. "I'm so sorry for everything I put you through."

Robin shrugged, casually deflecting the apology. "It's fine, really."

Seemingly from out of nowhere, a black train screeched to a halt at the station. The lettering on the outside read 'Transylvania Express'.

This was it. Vlad was actually leaving Stokely, perhaps forever. But Robin had one request before Vlad got on the train. "Promise me one thing, will you?" he asked.

"What?"

"Be good. Don't bite people."

Vlad smiled, and for a moment he looked exactly like his old self again. "I promise."

They said one last goodbye before Nicolai ushered Vlad onto the train and the door shut behind them. Robin wondered if he would ever see his friend again. Then, just as quickly as it arrived, the train departed from the station. Only when the sound completely faded into the distance did Robin turn and walk away.

A/N: This is "the end". I want to say thanks to all the readers for their patience with this story and my unpredictable updates, and thanks to everyone who took the time to review. I hope you all enjoyed the story. If you liked this one, I will be uploading a sequel starting in a week or two. It is called 'Homecoming', and is set twenty years after the end of 'Changes'. Between now and then I will also be uploading a oneshot story, 'In an Instant'.