Disclaimer: I don't own them!
The idea got in my head and wouldn't go away so here it is.
Thirty years. Thirty long lonely years she had waited. But for what? She wasn't the young woman she had been when he had served her so willingly. She was nothing more than an old woman now. A damaged old woman at that! And he was still just as handsome has he been the day he disappeared…bloody vampire! He sat in the floor at her feet with his head tilted back waiting for that drop of blood to hit his tongue. She was vaguely aware of Seras still standing by the door watching them. She'd never forget the look of pure joy on the young vampire's face when she realized her master had returned. Integra's excitement had been tainted with the realization it was just too late.
His eyes close with a pleased sigh as that first drop of blood hits his tongue, then before she can react he's kneeling before her with his hand locked around her wrist. She starts to shout at him, but her words are cut off with a gasp as he takes her bleeding finger into his mouth, his cool tongue brushing gently over the wound on her finger. It sends a bolt of pleasure straight to her core which causes her to blush. Seras' stifled giggle doesn't help her flaming cheeks any. She turns her head to glare at the draculina, gaining a large grin from the younger woman before she ducks out of the room.
It suddenly felt like someone had their fist around her heart squeezing. She hadn't been blind; she knew Alucard had desired her in her youth. She passed it off as duty to her family and country when she would reject his offers to be turned. Truth of it was she just hadn't been brave enough to step into that world. Then one day he comes back from his mission with the little blonde cradled in his arms, sleeping peacefully. She had thought then he had taken the girl for a mate and it left her with the same tightness in her chest she was feeling now.
Even with Seras there his affection toward her didn't change, much to her relief. She had spent many an hour deep in thought while she sorted through the never ending paperwork about what she was going to do. During Millennium's attack she had made up her mind. She would accept his offer as soon as their enemy was beaten, but he was taken from her. Now she was old and Seras remained the same. It pained her to say it, but the draculina would make a good mate for him. She was a strong woman who was obviously a soft spot for him even in the early days. Still, she couldn't help but smile slightly a she looks down at him.
He releases her finger, the wound healed with that strange way the vampires had. He stays kneeling at her feet with his head bowed. She reaches out, placing her fingertips under his chin to lift up his head, "Welcome home, my dear Count."
His smile is warm as he looks up at her and she wishes even more that he had returned sooner.
"Back forevermore, My Countess."
"I'm tired, leave me. Your coffin is still in your room in the sublevel."
For a moment it appeared he was going to speak, but instead he merely nods before leaving the room. With a sigh she walks over to look out the window, not really seeing anything past her own aging reflection. Inside she was still the same fierce woman she had been, perhaps a little wiser, though. What did he see when he looked at her?
The next morning found her in the training room suiting up for her daily duel with the young Penwood. Which for her meant only the faceguard. He wasn't much of a challenge, but still the only one who would step onto the mat with her. Everyone else would just mutter excuses. Foolish men not wanting their pride shattered. Penwood was a bit of a crybaby, as Seras calls him, but at least he was brave enough to duel her.
Footsteps draws her attention away from her thoughts. It wasn't the shuffling steps of Penwood, but turning around reveals her sparring partner in his usual attire. Well-padded from head to toe. Drawing her rapier she faces the young man in the middle of the mat. There wasn't any whimpering nonsense and he even lunged at her first. Very unusual behavior for Penwood. The strike of his rapier against her own made her arm ache with the force of it. To say she was impressed was putting it mildly, but she wasn't going to tell him that, not yet.
It was a dance as the combats dodged and parried. For the first time in ages she felt truly alive! Then she saw Penwood standing off to the side looking helplessly at her. It was just enough of a distraction for whoever she had been sparring with to break through her defense. She lets out a hiss as the sharp blade slices through her shirt and the skin beneath. It was a shallow wound, just enough to sting and piss her off.
She rips the faceguard off before lunging at the imposter. The dance resumes with a new fire. By sheer luck more than skill she manages to get her fingers on the faceguard of her opponent and tears it off. She stands in stunned silence as ruby red eyes stare back at her from behind a viel of raven black hair, then growls as the vampire chuckles, his form wavering before returning to the one she remembered so well. Only void of the red coat and hat.
"You bastard!"
A grin spreads across his lips, "I thought you were supposed to be an old woman? You certainly don't fight like one! But then I suppose you are a little slower."
She knew it was useless before she even did it but that didn't stop her from swinging her fist toward his smug face. In a flash she was jerked off her feet and none too gentle slammed onto the mat.
He could only stare down at her while she caught her breath. True her face was starting to wrinkle and her hair was streaked gray, but she was still just as beautiful to him as she was the last day he had seen her as a young woman. Her silvery hair was fanned out on the mat and that single fierce blue eye glared up at him. It made his body ached to claim hers. To have her writhing beneath him, screaming his name as he brings her to her peak. He untucks her shirt and pushes it up past the cut he had scored on her stomach. Barely hearing her protests he leans down and runs the tip of his tongue over the bleeding cut.
She gasps, her fingers curling into the fabric of his waistcoat. The feel of his tongue against her heated skin made her entire body tingle and she unconsciously arches closer to him. The sound of Penwood's surprised whine jerks her back to reality. She scrambles away from the vampire with a string of curses that would make any sailor proud.
Alucard just sits and watches with a satisfied grin as the fiery woman quickly retreats. She may have run from him, but she made it very obvious she craved him just the same. He had time to coax her into becoming his mate. Her display today was proof enough she was nowhere near death's door yet.
"I..I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
Alucard chuckles and turns his attention to the stammering young Knight, "She wouldn't have let it continue anyway…at least not yet."
Integra angerly paces in her room, cigar clamped tightly between her teeth. How dare he touch her like that! And in front of Penwood! At least she could trust Penwood to keep his mouth shut about what he had seen.
"Um, Integra…are you alright?"
Integra startles slightly at the voice, "I'm fine! Haven't you ever heard of knocking!?"
Seras cringes slightly. Only two men could rile her commander that badly. Enrico Maxwell was dead so that only left her master. He had barely been back a day and he was already causing trouble!
"Sorry, sir. It's rather important and you weren't in your office."
She almost sighed in relief as her commander relaxed.
"What's going on, Captain?"
"Several ghouls were spotted in the sewers by a work crew an hour ago. Thought this would be a good time to try the new radar."
Integra nods slightly, "Very well, gather your men and I'll have the equipment waiting on you."
Sera's grins and hurries back down the hall. Ghouls for once had perfect timing. Now Integra would practically be left alone with Alucard!
Integra makes her way to the garden since all the paperwork for the day was done. That was one advantage to the budget cut along with being able to rub their success in the noses of the Knights. Seras had proven to be an invaluable asset to the organization. The power of a vampire turned directly by Dracula and a tactical mindset made her a very effective agent. She also didn't have to worry about how many people the draculina would butcher because they got in her way. So far the worst incident she had had to clean up was a smashed car, two broken ribs, and a shattered femur. It made the new generation of Knights cringe, but after years of cleaning up the carnage Alucard tended to leave in his wake that had been a walk in the park.
She used to think the garden was a waste of time, but Walter still kept it in perfect condition. After his death and the loss of her eye she made it a point to venture out at least once a week. It was a far cry from the picture perfect garden it had once been. There was more weeds than flowers, but for some reason she liked those silly little wild flowers more than the rare and expensive ones that once flurished there. The stonework had crumbled quite a bit over the past ten years and bits of pottery dotted the stone pathways. Most of those had met their end due to a rather violent outburst from her.
She chuckles softly at the memory. It hadn't quite been a year after Millennium's defeat. There was no slowing down, no time to mourn. She shouldn't have cared that Walter was gone after he had betrayed her, but she did…and still does at times. Then there was Alucard. Most were relieved that the vampire was gone. All of them really besides the three women who had a place in their hearts for the monster. He was a friend to the queen, a father to Seras, and the only man she had ever loved. The weight of it all finally sent her over the edge and her boot connected with the nearest clay flowerpot in a savage kick that shattered it and sent the shards raining into the path. A few more shared the same fate before Seras had showed up. The draculina just stared at her for a moment before walking over to crush a pot under her foot. It had been so childish, but by the time there wasn't a single intact flowerpot left both women were feeling better. Thinking back on it that was the evening they had truly become friends.
Lost in the memory her feet had carried her to her favorite part of the garden. This was where she used to hide as a child. She always felt safe surrounded by the massive oaks and roses. The winding stone paths made a maze between the trees and rose bushes. Only one of the paths lead back to a tiny courtyard. The whole setup was a gift from Walter for her eighth birthday. 'Even tiny vampire hunters needed a place of their own to hide away once in a while' he had told her. Until she had released Alucard it had been their secret.
Whenever it felt like her world was falling apart after her father's death she would run out here and every time Alucard would be standing there waiting. If she needed to scream he would stand there silently letting her vent her rage till she was hoarse and her hands ached from beating against that solid wall that was her servant. Sometimes she just needed to cry and she'd find that demonic looking dog sitting there tail wagging. She'd cling to the strange mutt, her face pressed into its soft fur as the tears and sobs came unhindered.
As she got older she no longer needed to scream at him. That was usually taken out on her instructors at the end of a saber or at the gun range. She had no tears left for the past. Instead she'd find that large frame draped in one of the lounge chairs with his nose stuck in a book, a bottle of scotch and her favorite cigar sitting on the table beside him. If Walter had ever found out the vampire was the one nicking the scotch from the cabinet to give to a teenage girl all hell would have broken loose! It was during those days the adoration of a child shifted to love.
Now here she was again, her heart troubled, but her vampire wasn't waiting on her….and he hadn't for the past thirty years. She had gotten used to it, had sealed that part of her heart away but the scar remained as a dull reminder of what she had lost. Then he shows up and rips those old wounds open again! That was what was bothering her the most at the moment, how was she going to heal again when her leaves? There wasn't anything to keep him here; he was no longer bound to her. Would Seras leave with him? Well, she was so old it wouldn't matter for long anyway.
With a weary sigh she sinks down into her favorite lounge chair, the sun warmed metal soothing her tired body. Even after sending Alucard out last night sleep had remained beyond her reach. It doesn't take long before exhaustion takes over and sleep claims her.
She was used to waking up because of the sun glaring in her eye, but this time it was something tickling her cheek. She peeks her eye open to see a white gloved hand shielding her face from the light and the tickling was caused by a lock of raven black hair being teased by the wind. When had he moved her without her even waking up?! She reaches up with every intention to slap his hand away, but instead she traces her fingertips over the palm of his gloved hand. What did it matter anymore if she kept him at a distance or not?
"How long have you been out here like this?"
His hand gently closes around hers and she can't help but smile slightly.
"A couple hours. You looked peaceful, but I didn't think that would last once the sun started shining through the trees."
She chuckles softly and pulls her hand away from his only to pull his glove off, then lightly brushes her fingertips over the back of his hand. The scars from Van Hellsing's dark magic were gone, "So what are your plans now, Count?"
"I noticed you never bound Seras to you. Why not? Not worthy enough to serve the Hellsing name?"
To anyone else his comment would have seemed bitter, but Integra knew better, "Seras is the best agent I have. She's proven to be just as effective as her sire….but with less clean up needed! That's what you wanted to hear, right? That your childe was a capable vampire? Seras is loyal of her own free will and I prefer it that way."
"And I'm not?" He asks as his fingers lace together with hers.
Integra reaches down to pluck at the bloodstained cut in her shirt, "A bastard is what you are!"
"You're just sore I managed to cut you!" He laughs.
With a growl she pulls away from him and turns to point a finger in his face, "You're a cheat!"
His eyes darken and she blushes slightly when she realizes the position she just put herself in. The hand that grabs her hip keeps her from moving when she tries, "Alucard…"
"In all these years have you ever lain with a man, Integra?"
She wants to tell him some fanciful lie about her many conquests, but the hand not holding her hip had slipped under her shirt and was tracing a maddening path up her toned stomach. It was making it impossible to think, "N-no….never. Stop this!"
"Why? I know you want me, I've always known."
"I'm…"
"What? Old?" He responds as he pulls his hand out from under her shirt and reaches up to hold the back of her neck, "You're beautiful is what you are. I could have gone anywhere, lay waste to the world, but no, I came back to you." He gently pulls her down a he leans up slightly, lightly brushing his lips against hers.
Integra gasps then any thought of running flees her mind as his lips seal over hers. Soft yet strong at the same time. She had always imagined her first kiss being out in her grove; Alucard, her dark knight, sweeping her off her feet into a passionate kiss. Long after that fantasy had faded here she was in the middle of her first kiss. It wasn't the passionate kiss she had imagined. His lips on hers were as gentle as the hands that buried them self in her hair, silently urging her to return the kiss.
She did, though hesitantly and a bit awkwardly. His hands and lips gently guided until their kiss built into that fiery all consuming passion. He flooded her senses, blocking out the world around them. The only thing she was aware of was the sensations he was creating. She was left a little breathless when he finally pulls back.
Alucard could tell by the look in her eye she was getting ready to run. He let her pull away but then was forced to catch her when she nearly falls in her haste to get away from him. He keeps his hands on her hips as she drops her forehead against his chest.
"I can't…I need time, Alucard…"
He leans down slightly to press a kiss to the top of her head, "Whatever you want, Integra."
It took all his control to not run after her as he watches her walk off. There was still time. He just had to be patient for a little longer and he was making progress already.
Day after day his plans were thwarted by some freak or ghoul demanding Integra's attention. Even the Knights were keeping her locked away in that damned conference room. He wasn't invited, but Seras was always by her side. He couldn't say it didn't make him a little jealous. It ate at him even worse that the little draculina refused to tell what was being discussed. When he had tried to force the information out of her the vicious thing had damn near bit his hand off! On the bright side Seras had released herself, but what the devil was going on that the draculina was willing to do that just to keep her silence?
For now he spent his nights after a hunt in Integra's bed. Laying there through the night with her in his arms just watching her sleep was oddly rather satisfying. He was obviously getting soft in his old age. The old clock in the library chimed out, signaling midnight had arrived. Then the call came.
Alucard appeared in the conference room just as Sir Islands was answering the phone.
"Sir, there's been an...accident. Sir Integra Hellsing is dead." The voice crackled over the speaker phone.
The few Knights that were there sat in stunned silence. The stolen blood that kept his undead heart beating froze in his veins. This couldn't be happening. Seras should have been there with her! His body dematerializes into a horde of bats then bursts out one of the massive windows, sending a rain of glass shards to the ground below. He saw the pillar of smoke long before he reached the site. It was one of the many old buildings one could find in the country side. Only now it was nothing more than a roaring inferno.
"What the hell happened?" Alucard asked one of the Hellsing soldiers. The sight of bats swarming around him before materializing into the form of the ancient vampire didn't seem to rattle him in the least. Either he was a senior member or Seras had developed more than he had realized.
"It was a nest full of freaks and ghouls. I've not seen anything this bad since London burned!"
"What of Integra and the captain?"
The soldier shrugs helplessly, "They were right behind us, but….the place caved in. We heard a scream then nothing."
Alucard clenches his fists as he stares at the raging fire. His love and fledgling both lost to him. Was this his punishment for the lives he had taken?
It came to him so faintly he nearly missed it, barely a whisper in his mind.
Turn around.
Alucard frowns but does as the whisper tells him. Standing amongst the trees where no mortal eyes could see he saw the spikey blonde hair and ruby eyes of his fledgling. Relief hit him so hard it threatened to buckle his knees. He was a monster, he'd never deny that, but he wasn't heartless. Seras was one of two women that had wormed their way into his heart.
Sera's squeaks as strong arms suddenly wrap around her, then smiles and slides her arms around his waist, "Nice to know you care. Now come on, we've got work to do." She grins at his confused look, "Integra is waiting on you."
"You mean…"
"Yes, this entire thing was a setup. We'll explain later, its cold out here and she's still very much human."
She led him to where Integra sat huddled under a tree. Her clothes were a bit scorched but otherwise she was unharmed. He shrugs out of his coat and pulls it on her when she walks over to him. Before he can say anything she reaches up to place her hand against his cheeks.
"I love you, Alucard. Now get me the hell out of this cold!"
He laughs and wraps an arm around her waist as he reaches out to take Seras hand. The draculina had a very clear image in her mind of his old room, making it obvious where she wanted him to go.
The stonewalled room wasn't much warmer, but at least there wasn't a bitter cold wind trying to cut her to the bone. With a nod from Integra the draculina disappeared from the room. Pulling Alucard's coat tighter around her she sinks down into his throne like chair with a sigh. The past few days had caught up to her and she was beyond tired. Her vampire merely stood there watching her expectantly.
"I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark about all this but it was necessary. I didn't want it to look so obvious you were a part of this. This way you were with the others when my death was reported. I'm sure plenty of the Knights will suspect you've turned me but they'll have no proof, Sir Penwood is the only one who knows the truth. You'll also be required to attend the funeral."
He chuckles and shakes his head slightly, "This is what you've been up to all this time?"
Integra nods slightly, "With Seras help of course. I didn't want those idiots to try using her the way you were. She doesn't deserve that. We still needed someone on the table we could trust to finish tying up loose ends, that's where Penwod came in. Now I'm almost free…just one last thing is needed." She looks up at him, not the least bit surprised to see him grinning, "You get your wish. Turn me, Alucard. I'm done with this mortal life."
A feral growl and a flash of fangs and blood jerks Integra awake with a gasp. Wasn't the first time she had dreamed about being attacked by a vampire, but it felt so real this time. She blinks as she stares at faded flower patterned wallpaper. What the hell happened to her room?! Wait…she knew this place! She slides off the bed and stumbles over to the window, vaguely noting the lack of stiffness in her body.
The sun was just starting set behind green fields dotted with ancient trees. The breeze coming through the window carried with it the salty smell of the ocean. Every sight, sound and smell was so strong and vibrant. This was the cottage the women had purchased during the first stages of their planning. That means that dream wasn't a dream at all. It was a memory. Alucard had turned her and had been rather savage about it! She growls slightly as she reaches up to rub her neck where his mark was, "Bastard." A deep chuckle jerks her attention from the window.
There the vampire stood with his shoulder leaned against the door frame and his arms crossed over his chest. His usual smug grin was missing. Replaced by the loving smile she knew was reserved for only two people. What was odd was his lack of suit and coat. He wore only a pair of faded jeans and a buttoned down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Blending in with the locals to answer your question."
Great, he could read her mind even easier now! He walks over and pulls the sheet off the antique mirror and motions her over to him. She hesitates for a moment then walks over to him, letting him pull her over between him and the mirror. The woman starring back at her in the glass left her stunned. It was her, but it was the Integra from thirty years ago. The only difference was instead of ice blue her eyes were as red as his. Wait…both eyes! At first she thought it was some trick he was pulling on her, but her fingers couldn't find the wrinkles on her face she had become so familiar with and indeed her damaged eye had been restored, "But…how?"
His arms slide around her waist as he leans down and brushes his lips against the small raised scars on her neck, "I'm not just a vampire, my love. I'm the first and with that comes abilities no other has…like restoring youth to those I turn." He grins at her reflection, "Seras won't be home a while longer and we have many years to catch up on!"
She tries to keep a straight face, but a smile still tugs at the corners of her lips, "As you wish, my Count."