"Do you think it will have any effect?" Ceres murmured nervously, looking at the pill with distaste.
"That's why I want to have a vampire test it out, Miss Victoria." Walter held the blue pill in his palm.
"But it's a drug…" Ceres began.
"This isn't to get high or anything, Ceres, it's to see how susceptible vampires are to drugs. This pill will only make you feel a little intoxicated, as if you had a couple drinks in your system." Integra said a little roughly, annoyed at how long Ceres had dragged this out. She had entered the office thirty minutes ago.
"Well…if she doesn't want to…should we really force her?" Pip began and Ceres looked at him hopefully.
Integra sighed, referring to her last resort. "Alucard, come here."
Alucard materialized by the wall and raised his eyebrows in amusement at the gathering.
"Tell her to take the pill. We're doing an experiment but she's not cooperating." Integra looked guiltily at Ceres as she automatically swallowed the pill, not wanting to be reprimanded by her master.
"How soon should this pill take to start working, Walter?" she drew a few strands of blond hair out of her eyes and looked at the butler.
"A few minutes."
"What does it do?" Walter turned his attention to Alucard, pleased to find him interested.
"That's part of the experiment, but I'd guess in about twenty or so minu…." He stopped and everyone stared at Ceres as she giggled with a wide, dopey grin on her face.
She startled Pip by hugging him. "I looooveeee youuu." She kissed him on the cheek. There was silence and Ceres let the mercenary go and hugged Walter. "I love Walter tooooo. Sooooo muuuuchhhh, you don't even knooow how much!" She went on her tippy toes and kissed the old man on the cheek. Then she stumbled over to Alucard. "Masterrrr…" she was cut off when Alucard's hand covered her face and held her away. "I wuv you." Came a muffled voice and Alucard smirked as she tired to hug him. He turned into mist so that she fell through him, landing on her face. Ceres caught Integra's eye and before she could realize what was happening, Ceres was kneeling on her desk and she kissed her. "I loovvvee you tooooo."
The humans blushed and Alucard laughed as Ceres began to make her second rounds. Integra glared at Walter who looked at her apologetically. "I guess it affects vampires more severely than it does humans."
For the next week, Ceres couldn't look anyone in the eye and Alucard took every chance he could to remind Integra of the experience. Integra was no push over…she would get even with Alucard. She gathered the group into her office again.
"Walter." She ordered and he revealed another pill, twice as large as the one before it.
"Again?" Pip said in surprise and Ceres whimpered.
"Oh, but all experiments need to be tested more than once." Integra smiled darkly.
"Hm? So my Master likes women?" Alucard mused aloud, making Integra twitch. Then her smile spread and Walter chuckled at her expression and what was to come.
"It needs to be tested on more than one subject…on more than one vampire, Alucard."
Alucard stopped smiling. "Is that really a good idea?"
"I can make you stop if it gets out of hand." She motioned for Walter to hand the pill to Alucard. "Swallow it."
Alucard hesitated but took the pill. "You can't blame me for whatever happens." He warned with a final look at his master, and he ate the pill.
"Alright let's see how…" Integra started but Alucard twitched and watched him. A dazed expression was on his face, as if he was day dreaming. Walter waved his hand in front of the vampire's face until his eyes refocused and he looked at Walter. A hand suddenly grabbed Walter's vest, Integra stood up, alarmed by the vicious action.
But she paused as she noticed that Alucard wasn't doing anything.
"Your buttons are so shiny, Walter. How do you make them so shiny?" There was quiet and Walter's eyes were wide as he watched Alucard play with the buttons. Suddenly Alucard looked up. "When you were younger you looked like a boy."
Integra collapsed, laughing uncontrollably. Ceres couldn't help but smile and Pip laughed. Walter didn't know how to respond.
"Uh…I was a boy, why wouldn't I look like one?"
"Because I looked like a girl." He shrunk until he stood eye level with the buttons. The child had soft, jet-black hair that curled in whips and trailed down to his shoulders. He was quite thin and small hands continued to play with the buttons. The only thing that still resembled Alucard were the large, red eyes.
"He does look like a girl!" Pip cried out and doubled over with laughter.
"It's not funny!" the little Alucard glared at him with a trembling frown. He changed into a fourteen year-old version of himself. He was lean and somewhat tall with the same fair hair that went just below his shoulders now. His skin was pale and flawless, almost luminescent under his black hair.
They couldn't really laugh, because he was right. His voice, his appearance, they made them forget that he was a man for a second. Alucard's eyes became distant again and he looked up at Walter who stared at him with an awed expression.
"I love you." He kissed Walter, hugging his neck.
"Master!" Ceres flushed several different shade of red.
Integra was blushing but also laughed with triumph, while both Pip and Walter were beat red.
"Al..alu..card." Walter stuttered and pushed him away. Alucard returned to his normal form, but without his usual intimidating smile or amused expression, they could see how he still resembled a girl.
"It sucks looking like a girl during the old war times, especially when I was young." Alucard sighed sadly.
"What? Were you bullied?" Integra chuckled and Ceres looked at him with pity. The men were too shocked to make any expression.
Alucard shook his head, catching Pip's attention and he paled. Walter noticed with curiosity.
"I…" he began but Pip interrupted.
"Let's go." He said loudly to Ceres. "I just realized how mad Alucard's going to get when he becomes sober…" he smiled weakly at Ceres, pulling her to the door.
Mistaking his expression Ceres also became anxious. "You're right." She ran out the door and Pip stopped for a moment looking at the vampire.
"I would continue on a different subject before you regret it." He stared into Alucard's eyes, but the vampire didn't seem to understand what he was saying.
"What is it?" Integra was disturbed by the seriousness that had replaced the fun.
"N..nothing." Pip left quickly.
Alucard was sitting on the floor and now he got up and looked out the window with an awed expression. "The moon's so big."
After a while the atmosphere became light once again, though they were now outside on the balcony. "Want to see something fun?" Alucard asked Integra with a wide grin.
"Sure." She smiled warmly, enjoying the innocent version of Alucard. Alucard turned into a sparrow and flew off the balcony. He turned into several different birds before landing again.
"Turn into something cute." Integra ordered, suppressing another laugh when he turned into a black puppy.
"Hm…" Walter distracted Integra as he mused to himself.
"Walter?"
He looked up. "The effect didn't last as long with Ceres."
"This pill is bigger." Integra furrowed her eyebrows, finding the answer obvious.
"What is it's not only that. What if Alucard's more sensitive to the drug?"
"It could be, but we can't know for sure, because of the different dose he took." Integra watched Alucard split himself into a little boy and a dog. The boy played with the dog, giggling.
"He seems happy."
"Yeah, but…it's not real, and he's normally pretty amused anyway." Walter responded.
"You're just a little uncomfortable with Alucard acting like this…." She gasped as Alucard hopped of the balcony, landing after a twenty foot fall.
"I'm going to go exploring." He disappeared inside the door.
Integra and Walter looked at one another and then raced back inside and down to the first floor. A few hired mercenaries were interrogating Alucard.
"How'd a little girl get in?"
"I'm a boy." Alucard glared at them, but they laughed.
"Really?"
"Yes."
The men smiled at one another. "How'd you get in then?"
"The door."
They were disturbed. "But we're guarding the door and the front entrance."
"I live here."
"How come we've never seen you?" one man crossed his arms, intending to intimidate the little boy.
"You have." Integra startled them. "Alucard's testing the sensitivity vampires have to ingested drugs."
They were stupefied and looked at the adorable little boy with wide eyes.
"So he's totally wasted or something?"
"You could put it that way." Walter smiled slightly.
"Hey…vampire…er…Alucard." One of the men took something from his pocket with an odd smile. Alucard scampered up to him.
"What?"
The man popped a hard candy into his mouth. Alucard started and put his hands to his cheeks. "It's sweet." He looked up at the man who chuckled.
"He's just like a little kid." The others laughed with him.
"I've never had something like this before." Alucard smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the candy.
Pip and Ceres saw them and walked over, staying in the shadows until Ceres' curiosity got the better of her.
"What are you doing Master?"
Alucard appeared next to her, surprising all of them. "Candy."
"C..candy?" she bent down. "Did you say candy?"
Alucard put the candy in her mouth, startling the group and making a few laugh at the shade of red Ceres' face turned. And then her lips twitched into an uneasy smile. "It is candy…it's really too sweet though."
"Then give it back." Alucard demanded, but Pip picked him up and moved him away from Ceres, giving her the chance to spit out the candy. "Put me down!" Alucard struggled, making Pip stop and he smiled mischievously.
"No."
Alucard gasped. "Why not?"
Pip looked at the other's who watched him with interest. "Let's take him into London."
"To see the pretty lights?" The vampire's eyes widened.
Pip smiled at Integra. "Can we take him? Me and the guys?"
"I guess so." She said slowly, trying to find a reason why she should say no. "If you can control him."
"Yeah." He looked at Alucard. "You won't do anything bad right?"
"No, I won't." he was let down to the ground.
Walter, Ceres, Integra, and a few mercenaries watched the small group leave.
"What have we unleashed on the poor unsuspecting masses?" Integra mused.
"A cute, mini version of a monster." Walter laughed and Ceres bit her lip.
"Poor Master."
"How so, Miss Victoria?" the butler glanced at her.
"What are they going to do with him?"
"It's karma." Integra said with finality. "Karma."
*****
Pip and his men crowded around Alucard in the shadow of an ally with a view of the bustling streets of London. "Okay Alucard, we're going to do something fun."
"Okay!" The boy clenched his hands and had a serious expression, making a few struggle not to laugh, including Pip.
"Turn into a girl and see if you can get someone to buy you a drink at the bar over there." Pip pointed into the lit area and Alucard nodded. "A hot girl, or it won't work." He bit his lip to keep a straight face.
"How so?"
"What do you mean?" one of the men spoke up. "You're a guy, make it up yourself."
Alucard turned into his female form, only enhancing her features to those of a seventeen year-old.
"Okay, but your pretty flat." Pip pointed out and Alucard looked at him confused. "Chest. You need boobs." He said blankly.
"But they're annoying."
They gaped.
"It's harder to move around."
They calmed some. "You took the form of a girl before?"
"Fifty years ago." He developed a chest comparable to Ceres'. "Is this good?"
They laughed. "Yeah, go on."
He entered the bar and they followed thirty seconds later, but froze as they saw the vampire surrounded. They smothered their laughter and sat down by the forming group.
"What's your name?" one of the men sitting next to the vampire passed him a shot of tequila.
"Alucard."
The mercenaries froze in horror, but the men only seemed more interested. "That's quite a name." he smiled and pushed the shot closer to Alucard.
"I only drink red wine." Alucard smiled seductively, without really meaning to. The men, including the mercenaries blushed. The first one to recover ordered the drink from the bartender who smiled and gave a glass to Alucard with a wink.
Pip snorted and covered his mouth, as did a few of his men, but no one noticed.
Alucard took a sip and closed his eyes. "1982?" he opened an eye and saw the impressed look on the bartender's face.
"You're right."
Alucard smiled happily and took another sip. The man who had offered the tequila leaned in closer, smiling, until his face hovered over Alucard's shoulder. "You know…I own a vineyard."
"You do?" Alucard looked at him with interest.
An arm slipped around Alucard's waist and the vampire moved suddenly, but was stopped when Pip broke into the ring.
"Alucard, we have to go!" he said loudly, over the various conversations and the music playing in the bar.
Alucard didn't say anything and they left the men severely disappointed.
Back in the shadows Pip shook Alucard, startling his men. "ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?"
"No." Alucard's face was blank. He lifted up the Jackal he had been about to take out in the bar, making the other men gasp with disbelief. "I don't like men touching me."
Pip cringed, cursing his own stupidity. "I'm sorry, but let's go back."
****
Alucard returned to his normal shape after Walter nearly fainted when he opened the door. Integra had also come to the door and she was in shock.
"WHAT IN HELL'S NAME WERE YOU DOING?"
"We went to a bar but it was boring and I almost blew some perverted bastard's head off." Alucard smiled brightly, making Integra grow pale and Walter twitch. "Perverts are bad." He said a little darkly.
"Um..but…you can't just shoot them because of that." Integra managed as Alucard passed her.
"I'm going to sleep." Pip announced and he and the others tried to sneak away but Walter caught Pip's shoulder in an iron grasp.
"But you have a punishment to endure for this." Walter's eyes gleamed and the hired killers cowered. "You get to clean the toilets, showers, floors, and anything else I can think of until noon tomorrow. Of course you'll be starting right away." Walter pushed the groaning men along, leaving Integra with Alucard.
Integra sighed and looked down at Alucard who had turned into a little boy again and was reflecting light off one of his buttons so that it made a circular shape on the wall.
"I'm sorry I let them manipulate you like that." She murmured.
"I got to see the lights, so it was okay."
Integra smiled, watching his determined expression. "You like shiny things?"
"Yeah." He didn't look up.
"Why don't you like the sun?"
"It's not shiny. It's the sun, so it's different."
"Hm? But isn't it pretty sometimes?"
Alucard paused and then began to move the reflection around again. "Yeah."
Integra hadn't expected this. "Then why don't you like it?"
"I like the moon better." He said quietly.
"Why? Because you're a vampire?" she knelt beside him, observing the side of his face.
He shook his head, making the reflecting light do the same. "It's just nicer, calmer. It's not a big ball of fire."
A question suddenly came to Integra. "Alucard, are you happy as a servant?" He turned to look at her.
"Yeah."
Integra was quiet, not knowing what she had been expecting. "Did you do this…" she indicated the reflected light traveling across the wall. "…as a child?"
"No. I didn't have anything shiny to use."
"A coin?"
"Money wasn't easily found on the ground like it is today and it wasn't as abundant. People usually traded raw goods or crafts."
"Weren't you a king?"
"Not as a child. An adult is a king, a child can be a puppet in the place of a king or a prince or nonexistent altogether."
"Which were you?" Integra spoke quietly, realizing how this was a once in a lifetime chance to learn more intimate details about Alucard.
"Nonexistent, but I became a ruler later. I even led one of the many crusades."
"Yes…I know that." She knew some broad details, but nothing more. "What about being nonexistent? How does that happen?"
"I was the younger son, I only became king because he died and my father didn't leave behind any other successors."
"How did you not exist, though?"
"I just did. No one knew about me until the older son died."
"Why not call him brother?"
"Because he wasn't my brother. He was my uncle's son." Alucard was still playing with the light, not taking notice of what he was saying.
"Then why was he the next in line if you were the son of the king?" Integra asked, confused.
"He was older than me by five years and I wasn't fit to be the king's son. I wasn't like a son because I resembled a girl."
"Oh." Integra grew quiet. "So where you physically weaker than…your cousin."
"Yes, because of the age difference, but he was stupid."
Integra coughed at Alucard's frankness. "And you weren't?"
"I don't know."
"How can you not know?"
"I wasn't tutored, I didn't even live in the castle."
"You were never schooled?" Integra was surprised. Alucard seemed like he was well educated to her.
"I taught myself to read and write and I read the texts in the library."
"But you weren't living in the castle…so how?"
"They weren't my books, and it wasn't my library. It was my master's."
"Master?" Integra started.
"I was sold as a slave, so I don't really mind being a servant now. It's a lot better now."
"How so?"
"As a slave, I was a thing, a belonging. As a servant, I'm not. I can be something resembling a person."
Integra couldn't understand how his face could be so straight. The drugs were working wonders. "Why did such a rich man buy you?"
"I was expensive, high quality."
"As the king's son?"
"No. I was pretty."
Integra tensed, paralyzed by the foreboding interpretations. "Pretty? They liked attractive….slaves working for them?"
"Of course. I didn't have any other uses, I was a child."
"Uses? Alucard…you…don't tell me that you were….a sex slave?" she said anxiously, not able to look at Alucard at first.
"Fine. Then I won't tell you."
"So you were?"
"Yeah."
Her head fell forward and she was quiet for a while. She touched his head. "Alucard…"
"What?"
"You're okay with this?"
"It happened, there's nothing to do about it, so yes I am."
She bit her lip, exasperated. "Do you even know what you're saying?"
"What am I saying?"
"That you were raped throughout your childhood!" she looked at him.
"So what? It happened plenty of other times, when I was in the war when I was young. And after too."
"After?"
"Abraham Van Hellsing."
Integra choked and stared at Alucard. "WHAT?"
"Abraham…"
"I heard." She whispered.
"Good."
"Not good!" she grabbed him and shook him in frustration. "He raped you." She gasped, remembering to breathe.
"I don't care. Master, I really don't care."
"I CARE!"
"Why?"
"Because…" she let go of him and sat beside him, slouched.
"Master? Why are you crying?"
Integra didn't answer. She only looked up when she noticed Alucard's face in front of hers. "Alucard?"
"Don't cry." He was standing, but he was barely taller than her and he patted her on the head.
Integra got up and sat in one of the various reading chairs scattered about the mansion. "Alucard."
He walked over and looked into her sad eyes. She put him on him on her lap and held him close.
Alucard didn't say anything, but felt comfortable and he closed his eyes.
Walter was speechless when he found them asleep later. He decided to leave the master and servant alone, only adding a blanket over them.
It was late in the morning when Integra woke up. She picked Alucard up and set him where she had been sleeping, draping the blanket over him afterwards.
When it was dusk, Integra went to Alucard and watched him sleep for a few minutes before he woke up.
Alucard blinked, disoriented. "Master, how did the experiment go?" he smirked, sitting up. Then he frowned, noticing how big Integra was compared to himself. He changed his form. "What did I end up doing? Hm?"
"You don't remember?"
Alucard didn't say anything.
Integra looked at his face and then decided to let go and she forced herself to laugh. "You did plenty."
"Really?" Alucard's eyes sparked with amusement.
Integra smiled deviously. "Go ask Walter…ask anyone."
"Wait. Where did I go?"
"Around the mansion, into London, I told you, you did plenty."
Walter found them and smiled. "Welcome back, Alucard."
"I've been advised to ask you what happened last night." Alucard watched Walter.
"You don't remember?"
"Apparently not."
Walter chuckled darkly. "Well…"
"You get to tell what he did to you, nothing else." Integra interrupted.
Walter stopped and frowned. "I don't want to."
"Well I'd like to know."
"Walter." Integra looked at him.
"You hugged me."
Alucard was somewhat bored. "Heh. It could have been…"
"No, the whole thing Walter."
Alucard turned to Integra with interest.
"I have to go….see to the punishments." Walter left quickly.
"Punishments?"
"Pip did something, but he'll tell you later after you get Walter."
Alucard was followed by an unwilling Walter and Integra smiled in the chair. "A full description."
"Alucard…" Walter clicked his heels and straightened, grimacing. "You told me that you loved me, hugged me around the neck, and kissed me."
There was a pause.
"Come again?"
Walter growled at him. "I'm not going to repeat myself."
Alucard laughed at him and turned to Integra. "Who am I supposed to ask next?"
"My revenge was a failure." Integra faked disappointment.
"You don't look as devastated as I would have expected."
"I laughed at you enough last night, everyone did."
****
"Hello."
Pip jumped, seeing Alucard appear suddenly. "My God!" he recovered stepping away from the dark figure.
"Not even close." Alucard smirked. "I'm supposed to ask you what I did last night."
Pip laughed uneasily. "You don't want to know."
"I do."
"You don't." Pip looked at him seriously and Alucard stopped smiling.
"Did you make me do something?" Pip flinched.
"It was harmless fun." He said calmly. "We got you to agree to change into a woman and to go to a bar in London."
"I don't like where this is going." Alucard growled. "Nothing more than that happened?"
"I had to stop you from blasting some bastard's head off, but other than that…nothing happened."
Alucard's humor returned. "Then that's fine."
Pip was quiet.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Disturbed, Alucard remained, his stare boring into Pip.
"What do you know?" Alucard's quiet voice sent a shiver down Pip's spine.
"Nothing…just a few things I may have interpreted wrong."
Alucard caught his breath and Pip noticed. Alucard was expressionless, looking at the eyes that looked at him, full of pity. "How?"
"A comment about…looking like a girl during times of war…how it wasn't so great…and the automatic reflex to kill a guy at the bar."
Alucard looked away. "So...you really do know." He paused. "Integra doesn't know…no one else found out?"
"No. I've been in multiple wars…so I could figure it out."
"Forget about it. It's ancient history."
Alucard disappeared. "Yeah." Pip said to himself. "I'll try."
****
Alucard tried to enjoy the stories related to the piece of candy and Ceres, but what Pip had discovered…bothered him. He reported back to Integra, as promised.
"You heard everything?" she smiled, waiting for a smug look from her servant.
"Yes."
She blinked. "Well…?"
"I don't want to do that again."
She stiffened. Had he remembered…?
"Some…specific details about my life were…found out by an individual, and I do not like others knowing such details."
Integra's mind traced back to the night before, and her questions… "Who…?"
"Mr. Bernadette."
Integra couldn't help but gasp as she realized when he had figured it out.
Alucard started. "Wait, you…?"
He paled at the pity he recognized. "How? Did you figure it out or…?" Integra shook her head slowly.
"You told me everything."
Alucard froze at the amount of sorrow….and the guilt.
"A lot of what I said…I wasn't myself, I could have said anything, Master…"
"You told me about my grandfather."
Something flashed across Alucard's face, but it was covered by a scowl. Alucard glared at the floor. "I'm sorry, you never needed to know that…or any of it."
"Alucard."
He looked up and saw the pity and guilt again.
"Stop it. That does nothing….I forgave Hellsing almost a century ago."
Tears slipped down Integra's cheeks and Alucard closed his eyes and disappeared, unable to bear the weight of her gaze.