"Alucard? Are you here?"

Maria had gone through each room in her house looking for the only other person to live there with her. Alucard had gone out hours before, telling her that he'd be back before long and that she didn't have to hold dinner for him. While she accepted that fact she had thought he would've been back soon after, not well after midnight like it was now. It was well past midnight and there was no sign of him yet.

"Did something happen I wonder...?" Maria thought as she went to her bedroom and started to change her clothes. The only light she had were a few candles in each corner of the room and one on the bedside table. She shook her head at the mere thought, "No, he's the son of Dracula...surely there's nothing I should be worried about when it comes to him." She changed into a light blue night gown and undid the tie that held her hair up. Her light blonde hair draped over her shoulders, most of the skin of her bosom was bare thanks to the night gown she wore and it was held up by only very small straps that were very loose on her shoulders. A small yawn escaped her mouth as she set her day time clothes on her dresser. She was all set to sleep and her body was calling for her warm and fluffy bed, but instead she took the candle with her and left the room.

Instead she went to Alucard's room, and Maria saw that it was still clean like it usually was. Alucard, being raised like a prince, had been taught at an early age to clean up after himself and was pretty good about it. Maria went and took a seat on the edge of his bed, all the sheets were folded and were without a single wrinkle. This was where she made her decision. She was going to wait for him until he came back. "And when he gets back I'm going to give him an earful of what's on my mind."

And what was on her mind were many things. She was wondering why he had gone off suddenly at dusk, she was worried about if he was alright or not, but most of all she was hoping he didn't run away like he had tried to do years ago after he had defeated his father. She had convinced him with all her heart not to go away and by some miracle he had decided to stay, and she had worked tirelessly to prove to him that she was there if and whenever he had needed her. Obstacles were many during those days as even Maria had begun to wonder if she had made the right move, but yet Alucard remained by her side despite the fact that as a dhampir he could -and would-feast on blood should the need arise, including her own. She accepted the risk, just so she could be with him.

She heard the ticking of the clock in the corner of the room ticking and took note of the time. The clock would soon chime once, it was one in the morning. "For every hour he makes me wait he's going to lose meals," she half-threatened while fighting off a yawn, knowing as a dhampir he didn't necessarily have to eat, but she didn't know how else to punish him.

Somewhere down the road, after listening to the clock ticking along the river of time, Maria had tried but could not avoid the sandman, and ended up falling asleep on Alucard's bed. She had fallen under just as the clock went past three, and at three-o-one the tall window at the end of the bed opened from the outside on its own.

A small cloud of fog crept into the room, moving unlike nature usually mandated, and in magic considered to be dark a form stepped forth from the cloud, and the first thing the beautiful man saw was the maiden lying on his bed.

'Maria...?' Alucard thought upon seeing her laid out on his bed. He silently approached the vampire hunter, and as she laid there he hovered over her to see if she was indeed out. The slow rhythm of her chest rising and falling combined with her soft breathing gave him the answer he needed. She was fast asleep. 'She must have been waiting for me. I told her she didn't have to but...'

Seeing her laying on her back, her golden hair spread out like she was in water combined with her natural beauty made her even more appealing to Alucard than usual, who had always fancied the young woman ever since the day she had chased him down after he had banished his father years before. After some time had passed and he had been in her company long enough he had come to the conclusion that she had felt the same way with him, though he was too frightened to admit his feelings to her.

Reaching down with his gloved hand, Alucard caressed Maria's cheek with his finger tips, and while he silently thanked her for waiting for him, he thought it would be best to get her out of his bed and into her own.

His plan was to carry her out, but when he got his arms into position under her legs and behind her head, Maria suddenly stirred herself awake.

"A-Alucard?"

The prince couldn't tell if she was fully awake or not, so he answered normally, "It's alright, Maria."

She moved her body off the bed and got to her feet very slowly, she was still very sleepy, "When'd you get back...?"

"Just now actually, I'm sorry I made you wait," he said.

"You'd better be because I have a bone to pick with you-" she tripped over her own foot and fell forward, but luckily Alucard was there to catch her.

"You okay?"

She nodded, her eyes only half open, and instead of gathering her energy and standing up straight she leaned against Alucard, who was as still as a statue as she laid her head against his chest. She took a deep breath, one that showed how relaxed she now was, and closed her eyes once again.

"Maria?"

"Don't..."

Alucard didn't say anything as he assisted the female hunter back to her feet and she held onto his elegant gold and black coat. To help hold her up Alucard had brought his hands to her back and with his supernatural strength holding her up she wasn't going to fall again. The top of her head was just below his chin.

"Don't go away...Alucard...please...don't leave me," her words in a whisper that were meant only for him, her grip on his coat tightened.

Feeling warmth in his heart that so few ever gave him, Alucard felt evermore grateful to have someone as caring as Maria in his lonely existence.

Alucard's emotions got ahead of him as a pair of wide bat-like wings formed on his back, and they came around and wrapped himself and Maria in a protective embrace. It was a sight to behold, a sign of a vampire's protection of a loved one.

"I'll never leave you, Maria," the prince whispered as he lay his cheek upon her head and held her as close as he could to his body. "I swear it."