Alucard pushed the wheel chair silently down the corridor of the Hellsing house; Integra sitting straight on it. For a while back then the idea had seemed thoroughly evil to her eyes; having someone moving her, regulating her speed, steering her direction. Sir Integra Wingate Hellsing was a born leader, completely capable of mastering herself, and others as well. It doesn't necessarily mean she didn't know how to relate to others with a higher authority, such as the Queen, for instance. Hellsing was a loyal servant to the Queen of England, had always been and would remain so too.
Her thought went to the man, no, the vampire, maneuvering the vehicle. He called her 'my master' and she often caught a placid excitement hovering over the first word of that phrase. She did not mind, though. It was true, she presumed. He belonged to her just as much as she belonged to him. "My..." he said, and whatever title that followed, she was his, full stop. Whether he or she was glad about it was not so important; it was just the way things are.
"Where do you want to go, my master?" Alucard knew where she would like to go. He didn't even need to read her thoughts to find that out. He just liked conversing with her. It was fun, especially when she had to say things she wished she didn't. But on the whole she had the pride and courage to speak in accordance to what was inside her, and Alucard respected her for that. It was not a trait characteristic to humans, no matter how much people would like to believe the contrary.
"To the balcony." She could not speak loudly for her neck ached, but this way of traveling turned out not so bad after all. She was still holding the control, and that over two stronger arms, a sharper insight, and goodness knows what superiority the immortal being had over the mortal one. Not to mention that her feet were somewhat wobbly because of the drugs, the stitches in her stomach and neck kept calling for attention, and her head felt dizzy from time to time.
They went out of the door, the wheels hardly making any noise on the smooth floor. Integra felt it was somehow odd to have Alucard like this. Usually he couldn't see her for more than half a minute without teasing her. But this time he remained pretty quiet. This was certainly not caused by his exercise of pushing a wheelchair.
She looked ahead and took in the stairs in front of them. This was definitely not a route for a wheelchair. For a while she wondered if Alucard would just proceed up the stairs, but then he stopped. He took one step and stood on Integra's side, smiling at her as he bowed and took the wheelchair, Integra and all in his arms. He did so easily, as if he was picking up a small child.
Automatically Integra clutched at the wheelchair. She was now so close to Alucard. This reminded her of the dream she'd just had during the operation. There had been one time in the past when he slammed his hand to the wall behind her, trapping her, a frightened 12-year-old back then, inside the border he determined. But now, she was not afraid; that she was sure of. It must be the sudden change of height that moved her hands. And the change of the blood pressure explained the rapid beating of her heart. Her vision blurred. She closed her eyes.
The wheelchair was tilted slightly towards the side close to Alucard. She could feel his warmth as her head lightly touched his chest; she did not recoil. He might possess such a potency to overthrow her; she knew he did, but her belief against such a possibility was just as strong, if not stronger. She didn't need any evidence to know that. She had something even better than any proof could ever warrant for whatever future, uncertain as all time that is yet to be, is. She had faith in him.
Alucard reached the top of the stairs and hesitated for just a couple of seconds before putting her down gently. It was just the border of suspension that was still allowed to him, to be that familiar with her. He knew to honor her, and more often than not, that meant he could not have his way with her. He let go, but his third eye held her firmly in his embrace until the time to be able to do more comes.
When Integra opened her eyes, Alucard was standing at her side, looking at the beautiful starry night sky.
"You rarely get to do something that personal for me, don't you, Alucard?" Integra said very lowly. He killed vampires, ghouls, freaks. He murdered humans as well. He traveled here and there to accomplish his mission. All done in the name of the Hellsing organization. There had been attempts of murder on her. Alucard took care of that. For she was the head and master of the Hellsing house, was she not? The long list went on and on, consisting of all kinds of objectives Alucard accepted, him being part of the Hellsing family.
The undead grinned the patient smile he'd learned over the long years and which he reserved for her. "I don't? Integra, my master, you should learn to take things personally." He did not use her surname.
She smiled.
Their eyes met for a while. He was the first to look away, being able to see without looking. But her smile lingered much longer than that.