Ilona waited anxiously in the candle lit hall of the Hellsing Manor; it had been hours since she had heard anything...from anyone. Pacing, her eyes fell on the doors, wishing desperately she could leave and find out just what happened. That was when the double doors flung open, blowing out all the candles; relieve washed over her as she made out her love standing there. She was overcome with joy as he began to make his way to her.

'He...he...did it, he won!' Ilona sighed to herself. The man stopped before her, she smelt his blood and only now as her eyes adjusted could she see him properly. Suddenly fear welled in her throat, forbidding her speech.

"Ilona...I...lost..." The horse voice whispered as he fell to his knees, as she fell with him.

"Vlad! No you didn't, you're here with me, and it's alright...isn't it?" She pleaded with him as his head fell to her shoulder. Tears spilled over and consumed her shaken form.

"God damn it! Why didn't you let me come? You're too proud! Why didn't you let me help you? I can fight!" Ilona sobbed hysterically as she held him tightly; he didn't respond.

"Oh? So the little Halfling wanted to fight me? How cute, how quaint... how utterly ridiculous; Ifyou want to kill me so bad, here I am Ilona!" Ilona snapped her head up to the figure now standing at the doorway; fear stung her every limb as she gazed at the form.

'Ah, I see now...this is how I die...' Ilona's thoughts echoed inside of her mind.

Before

"Now this is what I call relaxing...hrmmmm!" Ilona cheerily raised her arms above her head into a yawn. She had sneaked away from all the commotion that was her wedding planning; rather cunningly as well. No one would think it strange that she just needed a quick toilet break. However when people came looking for her, no one would ever think to look for a vampire in the sun light...well only half true as she sat in the shade of a pillar on the roof. Her eyelids felt quite heavy and the drifted close.

'Looks like Vlad was right... the sunlight will make me sleepy. Well, the sun can't take all the credit. Integra has been an absolute pain in the arse; waking me up at six o'clock every morning and forcing me to plan this wedding. Vlad didn't even propose! Integra just insisted after she saw me and him...' A blush crossed her cheeks then, remembering just how far things might have gone if it wasn't for Sir's interruption. She sighed to herself.

Ilona sat in the shade of the warm summer's day; it hadn't been this hot in England for a long time. She manage to swipe a pair of shorts and had a baggy top on; she remembered back to the days where there were no vampires, no Hellsing...no Alucard. Simpler days but she wouldn't trade what she had now for anything in the world: two best friends, one a kind vampire and the other a human but a complete control freak.

Of course there was Alucard who's side she never wanted to leave, but since Integra cleverly made Ilona sleep in the same room as her, the only place Alucard daren't not enter, and made her sleep at night and awake during the day meant that Alucard was asleep when Ilona was running around out of Integra's sight. A clever plan to be sure, but not really being very fair to the lovers.

Ilona chuckled to herself, thinking that ever since she came back Integra's been such a motherly figure to her. Then again, Integra has always been like that, beyond her years. Ilona regularly quarrelled over the stupid things with Integra but she never meant it. Where would she be if it wasn't for Sir Integra Hellsing? Simple answer: Dead. Or worse, a slave to the insane vampire Lokie. Integra could order around Ilona for the rest of her life and it would still never repay the gratitude Ilona felt towards Sir. If it wasn't for Integra, she would have never met Alucard; the vampire who Ilona fell truly, madly, deeply in love with. As she reflected on how much her life had changed in that short period of time thirty-one years ago she dozed off.

A little later

"Ilona! You idiot!" Ilona shook awake a when she saw Alucard kneeling before her looking angry and concerned. She couldn't help but smile, she hadn't seen him in ages as she out stretched her arms to embrace him she felt a surge of pain. She looked down and saw her arms had been burnt and rather badly too, with red blisters and sores appearing all over.

"What an idiot. You're a Halfling; you can't handle the sun yet, especially if you have exposed skin! The only reason you're arms aren't piles of ash right now is because I was the one who turned you! You're not a human anymore!" Alucard scolded her. Tears stung her eyes a little as his harsh words hit home and her skin was sore as hell. Small trickles of tears ran from the corners of her eyes.

"So-sorry V-Vlad I kn-know y-you w-warned m-me." Ilona huffed fighting back sobs. His eyes softened and he sighed as he pulled her up.

"That's not fair, you know I hate it when you cry, stop it, you're making me feel guilty for you being an idiot." As he placed his red coat over her head, shading her completely from the sun "Come now," he said wiping away her tears and kissing her softly, "I'm not angry, you just have to stop being so reckless that's all, let's go to the hospital wing and we can put bandages on your arms." He smiled softly. Ilona smile back, as she moved close to him and they began to walk to the stairs.

A thought

'Sometimes, when I talk causally to soldiers they ask me how I fell in love with the fearsome, gruesome vampire Alucard. Thing is, I can't really explain it because he rarely ever shows it even though he always does it. He has been the guardian angel of England and referred to as Hellsing's pet vampire. Vlad has been my guardian angel and referred to as the monster. But if everyone could just have seen how gentle and caring he was there then they wouldn't have to ask why I love him. They'd just know... just like I do.'