The Changing Winds

One

"How's the new girl doing back there, Seras?"

"You mean besides the quote unquote 'rainbow bread' and the rice cracker croissants?" Seras grumbled irritably, sighing heavily. She took a drink of her tea and removed her white cloth scarf tying her hair back, stuffing it in her apron pocket, "Marjorie, it's probably not a good thing that I, a vampire, am a better baker than a human."

Both of them looked up at the wispy trail of black smoke beginning to filter out into the bakery's main room, followed by the rancid stench of burnt bread. Now it was Marjorie's turn to sigh, "Well, she had excellent references and she mentioned her grandmother once ran a bakery, so it seemed to make sense."

The sound of sharp coughing met their ears and a tall, lanky brunette popped her head out through the kitchen doorway, "Everything's okay, guys. Just a little bit of dough frying in the bottom of the oven."

She disappeared again and this time, both girls sighed.

"I'll see if she's any good on register." Marjorie said.

"Good. I'd better get back there and start cleaning up." Seras replied, her shoulders sagging as she re-tied her kerchief about her head. Marjorie watched as she trudged back into the kitchen and a few seconds later, the new girl was promptly shoved out, the kitchen door slamming behind her. The young trainee blinked a few times in surprise and then turned to look back at the door curiously, "Um…what was that about?"

Marjorie hummed and smiled sheepishly, "Uh, never mind, Grace. Why don't I teach you how to use the register?"

Grace bit her lip, glancing back at the kitchen door one more time where Seras could be heard grumbling to herself and noisily moving heavy objects around. She shrugged, "Okay, sure."

Marjorie spent the next hour or so teaching Grace how to use the cash register and telling which types of bread belonged in the different wicker baskets hanging on the shelves behind the counter. Much to her relief, Grace seemed to fare better behind the counter rather than behind the scenes as a baker. It truly was ironic; like Seras said, the vampire seemed a better cook than the human who could taste things. When the aforementioned vampire brought a tray of fresh butter rolls out for the baskets, Grace chuckled sheepishly and apologized for leaving such a chaotic mess in the kitchen.

"Nah, it's fine," Seras said with a grin, "You should have seen what I was like when I first started baking."

"Yeah," Marjorie agreed, "She was five times worse."

"Hey!"

"So do you work here all day then?" Grace asked her. Seras shook her head, "No, I'm usually on the night shift. Our normal daytime baker is on maternity leave right now. She'll be back in about two weeks."

She set the empty basket on the counter and began arranging the rolls in the shelves so they looked pleasing, "This is your first day here, right?"

"Yeah, but you already knew that."

"It's just a conversation starter. You okay working with a couple of vampires?" Seras asked with a lopsided grin. Grace shrugged, "Well…yeah, sure. I mean, it's kinda hard to avoid you guys; you're everywhere around here. Heck, my older brother has a crush on a vampire living next door to us."

Marjorie pressed a hand to her forehead, "Oh boy…I wish him luck." She mumbled.

"What?"

Seras rolled her eyes and clapped Grace on the back, "It's nothing; just a big headache waiting for him, is all."

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Seras chuckled, tossing her a butter roll, "Here, take five and have a snack. I'm going to try to teach you how to bake—the right way."

She led Grace back into the kitchen, turning toward Marjorie before they disappeared, "You got it covered out here?"

"Yes. Wynter is going to stop by a little later with some reports that she and Integra worked on last night. I'd better wait for them."

"Cool."

Marjorie listened as they vanished into the back and then sighed heavily, sagging in her barstool slightly. She played with one of her braids absently, gazing out the freshly cleaned windows of the bakery at the busy street beyond. In the seven years since the arrival of Wynter and her family at Kristiansand, the town had continually grown more populated, both with supportive humans and vampires seeking shelter. It was truly amazing how many humans supported their kind after the horrors of nearly eight decades ago. A scant few humans remained alive who remembered it, and survivors of any direct conflict were extremely rare. But it was considered a major historical event and the existence of vampires was now common knowledge, so much so that textbooks now existed in schools educating students about the events that came to be known absurdly simply as WWV. Quite a while back, someone on social media programs had started calling the wars, originally dubbed WWIII, as WWV, with the 'V' standing for vampires, obviously. Tragically, the name had stuck and now, while its official name was still registered as the third world war, most people knew it by its weirder title. People in England called it 'The Battle of London', and several monuments had been erected to honor almost a million victims who fell during that horrific time. Nowadays, the only ones who were likely around back then were the vampiric residents of the tiny coastal town of Kristiansand, including a few veterans of that same war. Marjorie cringed as a heavy tin clattered to the floor in the kitchen and one of those war veterans started grumbling angrily.

She reached over to the side where a porcelain cup of blackberry tea, a local delicacy, sat steaming innocently. She took a sip and set it aside, lowering her head to a stack of forms she'd received that morning from the border guards. They were applications from vampires waiting at the boundary lines between Kristiansand and the rest of Norway. They were applying to be allowed into the city-state of vampire refugees and it was Marjorie's job to approve or disapprove them before they were given clearance. Most of the time, the applicants appeared trustworthy, although all applicants were given escorts and mandatory surveillance for one week following their entry, and this was explained to them before they arrived. If they showed any sign of causing trouble or unrest amongst the town, or threatening the humans, they were placed on probation. Repeated offenses resulted in banishment from the settlement. Marjorie knew this was only a temporary procedure; they'd probably be able to siphon it out of the acceptance program once the system became more commonplace.

"So…two human males traveling with three vampires, two females, one male," she read to herself, "That's five people at once. A bit unusual. I suppose I could board them at the hotel until we've fixed up a few more houses east of here."

She noted the contact information and set about to the tedious task of going over their application information. Information had to be verified through databases she put together in the bakery's computer and Wynter came and encrypted the data a few times a year. A calling the guards who submitted the applications for those seeking entry, she cleared them for admittance and scheduled a few senior members to accompany them to and from the hotel for the first few days.

She hung up and sighed, finishing off her tea. Outside, the streets were calm and placid around this time of day. It was going on two in the afternoon, around the time when they stopped baking and started prepping for the next day. She could tell when she heard Seras turn the ovens off that she was getting ready for this. The younger vampire worked there part time, constantly on-call from the Riot Force formed to break up fights and prevent tension within the town. There had been times when she'd had to bolt out of the bakery in a flash in order to join her teammates elsewhere in town, sometimes not returning for up to two or three hours. The group was doing an amazing job of breaking up arguments non-violently and Marjorie had to admit she was impressed. Thankfully, crime was pretty slow in Kristiansand. The most trouble they had were the occasional disagreements between the two species living there or an outsider attempting to sneak in for varying reasons. Only once had she felt the need to call in Wynter and Alucard. Exactly one year after their arrival, agents from Scotland Yard had arrived with orders from the Round Table Council to hand over the former Hellsing inhabitants, Wynter, Seras, and Alucard. They'd brought a professional vampire hunter with them to subdue the three vampires. While everyone had been relieved that they still didn't know about Integra, who was forced to keep herself hidden for another decade or so, Marjorie still refused to hand them over and informed them to take up the matter with Norway's government. The agents were willing to cooperate, but the hunter they'd brought with them wasn't so agreeable. The hunter, barely twenty years of age at least, had broken away from his guides and pulled a weapon on the crowd, ordering them to hand over the vampires they were looking for. It was then that Wynter had taken the initiative and summoned Alucard who arrived soon after and challenged the kid to try and kill him, which the kid attempted. It wasn't until Alucard proved that he was certainly no easy target that the horrified amateur hunter had backed down, leaving Wynter to confront the group as Kristiansand's ambassador. They agreed to take up the matter with Norway's government. Marjorie heard later that the King had flat-out refused to honor the order, asking them to return to England empty-handed. Disaster averted and Wynter and Marjorie both returned to their busy lives running the settlement.

She glanced up at the door, frowning, "Speak of the devil…," she mumbled, "Where is she anyway? She's running late."

She glanced off to the side as Seras came back out of the kitchen, folding her apron up and removing her kerchief, "Well, time to go on duty. Prep is all finished, Marjorie."

"Thanks, Seras. I wish I could offer you guys some bread or something to take back with you." She answered sadly.

"Yeah, me too. I'm utterly in love with those blackberry brambles on our property and the garden Wynter's got up in the forest. But that's about it, I'm afraid."

"Where's Grace?"

"She's cleaning up back there. We're having our monthly meeting this afternoon at the precinct so I have to leave early. Do you have anything else you need?"

Marjorie shook her head, "No, we're all set here. Just waiting for Wynter to show up with those reports."

"She spends a lot of time outdoors," Seras pointed out, "Between her garden and here, exploring the mountains and what-not, we usually only see her in the mornings."

Marjorie flipped the applicant book shut and pushed it aside, "Well, with Louis currently visiting the capital, it's pretty quiet around here." She said, shrugging, "I keep telling myself every day that the boredom is a good thing."

"That's one way to put it I suppose. Well, I'll see you later!"

She rushed out the door, nearly crashing into Wynter as she finally showed up. The two sisters paused to greet one another before Seras dashed off. The elder vampire came inside, removing her grass sunhat and placing it on the coatrack. She approached the counter, carrying a binder in one hand. Her very long, black hair was done up in a loose braid and she was wearing one of her newer outfits; a blue sundress with magenta and yellow trim. Marjorie noted with amusement that she was still wearing the dirt-smeared smock she used while gardening.

"Sorry I'm late, Marjorie," Wynter said, "I was working in my garden and lost track of the time."

"If you can lose track of the time, then it truly must be peaceful here." Marjorie joked, "How are you doing?"

"Wonderful. I've expanded my land plots further up the mountain and added a fence to keep animals away. How do you feel about adding fresh barley rolls to your menu?" she asked with a smirk.

"You're joking; you've got barley growing up there?" Marjorie exclaimed with a laugh.

"I won't be able to get much of it going. I don't have enough space. Plus with all the fertilizer I need to keep the soil from leaching, most of my budget gets eaten up pretty fast. Selling at the farmer's markets definitely helps and the house still needs some TLC."

"What about all that open space in front of the house?"

"Moles."

"Oh," Marjorie said, biting her lip, "Yeah, I guess that does pose a problem. So aside from your trips to your garden, what else holds your interest on the mountain? You spend so much time on it, but it's a complete wilderness up there."

Wynter shrugged, "Oh, this and that. I love my walks. And then when I get to the top, gliding back down is really fun." She said with a smile.

Marjorie's face showed heavy skepticism, but she rolled her eyes and sighed, "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Now, as for those reports?"

Wynter handed the binder over, "Integra and I managed to get most of these done last night. Conditions are getting more favorable for expanding our city limits. The Chancellor to the King seems to agree with us on that front."

"My advisors have analyzed all of our data for the past four years, including the growth rate and economic stability of the town," Marjorie said, leafing through the papers, "We're nearing the amount of optimism we need to begin thinking about expanding."

"That's good, but we still have a small problem."

"What?"

"Whenever you get a chance, please give Alucard something to do. He's starting to get a little restless. I think he's like a sheepdog; he needs to be kept busy in order to be kept happy. I spar with him a few times a week and Integra goes with him to different places, but it's not enough. And Seras isn't experienced enough yet to spar with him and they both know it, so asking her to help is out."

"I'm a little hesitant to put him on active duty," Marjorie said worriedly, "You can understand my reasoning. However, it's possible we may need his services again as a defense strategist. He may even be called upon to fight. Could you ask him if he'd be interested for me?"

"Glad to, thanks. Now then, any other business?"

"In a hurry or something?"

Wynter glanced behind her, as if deep in thought. She hummed, "No, not really. I remembered that I was due to come see you while I was fixing a hole in the fence around my garden. I left it in a hurry to come back down here."

"And what's with the thermos?" Marjorie asked, gesturing to the blue thermos bottle Wynter had tied to her wrist. She held it up, smiling, "Chilled blackberry tea, of course."

The elder vampire giggled, "You and Seras are sure fond of those things. We now live in a world where vampires eat blackberries."

"Beats blood. I wish we could give that up entirely."

"Lets' enjoy one miracle at a time. Now, go on back to your garden. I've got work to do and a new employee to show the ropes to."

They both jumped as the kitchen door opened and Grace poked her head out, "Someone call me?" she said, grinning.

"In earnest, dear," Marjorie said, "Come on in. Have you met Wynter yet?"

Grace looked over at the newcomer and frowned, tilting her head slightly as she studied her, "I think I've seen you around but I don't think I've met you personally."

Wynter extended her hand, "I'm Alucard's eldest daughter, Seras's sister." She explained.

Grace chuckled, shaking her hand, "Seras and Alucard, I've met." She confirmed, "If you don't mind me saying so, Alucard is a bit scary."

"You should try living with him." Wynter said wryly, "But he's relatively nice once you get to know him. Morbid, but nice."

"So…you're not scared of him?" Grace asked in awe.

"He's my sire; why should I be?" Wynter said, laughing, "After knowing him for two-hundred and thirty-two years, I have to say I may have grown rather fond of him."

"Now she's venturing into sarcasm territory." Marjorie said, grinning.

"One more quip out of you and I'll cut off rights to our blackberry brambles." Wynter grumbled, "Well, I'm off. I've got work to do on the mountain."

"Getting dark out," Grace said, "Be careful."

Both vampires turned and looked at her in amazement. Wynter started laughing exuberantly and Marjorie sighed, shaking her head with a weary smile. Grace looked back and forth between both of them, heavily confused and wondering what she'd said to amuse them so greatly. Wynter finally calmed down and waved, "Thanks, I needed that! Have a good evening, Marjorie." She said as she grabbed her hat and took off.

Grace turned to Marjorie, "Seriously, what'd I say?"

"You just told a vampire—Wynter no less—to be careful now that it's getting dark."

Grace immediately went red as she realized her mistake, "Oh…right." She mumbled, smiling sheepishly. Marjorie giggled, "Go on and make sure everything's ready to go for our morning staff tomorrow. After that, you can head on home."

"Okay." She replied, hurrying back into the kitchen. Marjorie sighed and gathered up the binders and books, setting them on the floor. She opened a wooden hatch in the floor beneath her stool and gently slid each binder into it, shutting and locking it again with a key she wore about her neck. She pushed the stool back on top of the hatch and straightened up, moving toward the door as Grave remerged from the back, removing her apron.

"Ready," she said breathlessly, "It's all set."

"Good."

They went outside and Marjorie locked the door behind them. She glanced at Grace mischievously, "Now it's getting dark, so be careful dear." She said playfully.

Grace reddened again and whirled, "That's just mean!" she snapped, stamping off down the street. Marjorie watched her go and then headed off the opposite direction toward the house she, Samantha and Simon shared. It was close to the port, making the three of them some of the very small handful of vampires to live within city limits. But it was necessary given their status among the residents. Marjorie, though well-known as a vampire, needed to stay within relative safety of crowds due to her small stature and weak power. What she lacked in strength, she made up for in intellect. Now that her time as a leader was fully instated, she was growing more every day. But even so, every day revealed to her how much she still didn't know about leading a large group of supporters. Next to Alucard, she was one of the oldest vampires in the country at just under four hundred years. Louis came in third and Wynter finished at fourth. Even so, she still often felt as if she knew nothing about her job or what she was expected to be doing for an entire settlement. More people depended on her for guidance than ever before. If she became unable to handle the pressure and responsibilities, the settlement would crumble.

As she approached the house, she noticed the lights were on and the front door open. She saw Samantha outside on the front steps talking to a couple of younger vampires. She appeared to be giving them directions. The three of them noticed Marjorie approaching and the two youngsters thanked Samantha and ran off, greeting Marjorie as they went. She waved at them passing and sighed, making her way up the steps, "Evening, Samantha."

"Hey, how are you Marjorie?"

"Doing well. Where's Simon?"

"Delivering the evening mail. Third shift will be starting up soon. Those girls work at the port at night as cleaners."

"Our newcomer to the bakery is doing well. She's getting the hang of cleaning, but baking is going to be another matter." Marjorie admitted, sitting down at the table in the warmly lit front room.

Samantha moved past her, "She'll get the hang of it before too long, I'm sure. Did Wynter stop by?"

"Yeah, she did. She came down in a hurry; she was still wearing her farming clothes and everything." The elder vampire said, giggling, "She sure spends a lot of time out there. But she's good to her word about coming down regularly to help us when we need it."

"She's always been reliable," Samantha agreed, "Seras is proving a valuable asset to us as well. She's broken up three small fights over at the wharf in under a week."

Marjorie nodded, "She did used to be a police officer once upon a time. I'm not surprised; she's well suited for the job. Wynter also told me she's been in contact with an old friend in Italy."

Samantha glanced back at her in surprise, "Italy? Who in the world remembers us out there?"

Marjorie raised an eyebrow, "You mean besides the entire Iscariot Organization? They're still there, you know. In fact, believe it or not, they know where we are, but they're in support of keeping us here. If they wanted to kill us, they would've sent professional hunters here already."

"That's true enough," Samantha agreed warily, "But they're still hunters, aren't they?"

"Wynter said that they seem to be hunting only direct threats to humans, including other humans. They're still as zealous as they always were, it seems, for what it gets them, anyway. They never fully recovered their strength either following the war and Father Anderson's death. They lost a lot of people."

"Don't sound so dejected about it." Samantha grumbled in disgust, "They killed just as many of us over the years."

"No one deserves to have their life stolen from them," Marjorie said sternly, "However, idealistic as that is, it's sadly not realistic. Sometimes, it just can't be helped. And Wynter was oddly fond of them, Father Anderson in particular. I try to respect her wishes."

Samantha pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation, "Honestly, that girl is a piece of work…I mean, organizing an alliance with that man!? He was crazy! She's crazy!"

Marjorie laughed out loud, "Are you forgetting whose daughter she is? I'd expect nothing less of her. Just don't tell her what you just said to me; she's liable to throw you in the bay."

"I'll try to remember that."

"In any event, we have five newcomers waiting at the eastern border. I'll send some scouts to go and pick them up tomorrow. I'll be boarding them in the hotel until we have a house ready."

"We've been getting a lot of refugees in lately," Samantha said ponderously, turning toward the window to gaze out at the bay, "Too many to be comfortable with."

"You're too suspicious, Samantha. Newcomers wanting to join our ranks is a good thing." Marjorie assured her.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not; but you remember the last time there were too many vampires appearing out of nowhere." She mumbled with a knowing glance out of the corner of her eye. Marjorie's optimism deflated and she sighed, gazing down at the table with her arms folded, "You're right; no one could have seen that coming. And we barely escaped in time. But the Major is dead, his research destroyed. Those pathetic chipped copies won't be coming back."

Samantha was honestly surprised at the sheer bitterness in Marjorie's voice as she said this. Turning around, she saw Marjorie sitting stiffly, her neck bowed and her head hanging low, boring holes into the table with her eyes behind her glasses. She could practically hear her teeth grinding.

"Well," she finally said with a hefty sigh, "We can't think of it like that. We're in the positive state we are because of the Major…albeit in a warped, bloody fashion. Our lives are uneventful and peaceful, but only because we want it this way. We're doing well…for the first time in over a century, vampires like us actually have hope for a change. It…it's good."

Samantha stared at her friend sadly, recalling how Marjorie often battled with herself over her instincts and natural fear of humans after all she'd been through. Even though she had been the one to calm Marjorie down upon their first chaotic meeting, she still didn't quite believe it sometimes; the amount of raw power the girl could possess when she felt the urge to protect herself. She still had a lot to learn, even though she was the second oldest vampire in Norway.

"I think I'll take up watch tonight," Samantha recommended, "You can go ahead and get some rest."

"What?" Marjorie exclaimed in surprise. Samantha approached and placed her hand atop Marjorie's head, a lop-sided smile on her face, "Seriously, please get some sleep. You're burning the candle at both ends trying to keep pace with Wynter and I'm starting to worry about you."

Marjorie's eyes widened, "Wha…keep pace?"

"Bed. Now. I'll keep watch."

Marjorie knew better than to argue with Samantha who had proven before she was the stronger willed. She gave up this time and agreed, heading toward the stairs to her own room. She heard Samantha pull a chair over to the window to unlock the sash at the top in order to get to the fire escape. As she reached the top stair, she wondered about that statement. Trying to keep pace with Wynter was what she'd said. So what in God's name did that mean?

However, Samantha was right; she truly was exhausted. As she sat at the mirror on her bedside table and brushed out her long dark hair, she allowed her mind to wander at the oddity of this town, and the seclusion and safety it provided its residents. So much so, that it allowed a nocturnal creature such as she to sleep at night and feel peaceful. A changing lifestyle was a luxury for a vampire and she relished the ability to do so as a daywalker. Every day, she gave thanks for the circumstances that allowed this lifestyle to exist and every night she closed her eyes, she willed herself never to take it for granted. Even so….

"I'll ask her about that remark tomorrow." Marjorie whispered, burying herself under her soft blanket and closing her eyes with a sigh. Might as well enjoy the rest now while she could get it.

/ooo/

"Go on, get out of here! Scram!"

Wynter chased a small flock of deer away from the chicken wire currently guarding her plot of cabbage she was preparing for the farmer's market the following month. They'd been pestering her for her crops for weeks once they'd broken through the soil. She'd already lost half her potatoes to the boar that roamed the mountainside. She'd be damned if she lost anything else. The mountain was full of things for the animals to eat; there was no way she was going to spoil them by letting them eat her crops.

"Never give up, eh?"

"Of course they don't. They'll be back within the hour." Wynter grumbled.

"No, Ah meant you."

"What was that?" she snarled, whirling to face him as he stood on the other side of her miniature field, hands in his pockets and smirking over at her. He chuckled and looked away, "Oops, backfire." He said chidingly.

"Come over here and say that to my face." She snapped at him.

"Even if Ah fell for that, we both knoo Ah'd win."

"Wouldn't stop me from at least getting a shot in. Besides, you may be stronger, but I'm faster."

"Care t' wager on that?"

"Are you that bored?"

"Not at all. Hooever, if you're up t' the challenge…?"

Wynter grinned and laughed, "Maybe I would be, but not right now. I've got to get this fence up before the deer come back. I didn't have nearly enough for the market last year."

He approached quietly and knelt down, eying her work so far, "It's no' bad."

"Not to be rude, but how would you know?" she asked, genuinely curious. He took the pliers from her and started working to twist the spare wire back into place, "Back at the orphanage, there was a small garden oot back. In the beginning, Ah was the oon'y one with even a scant amount o' knowledge aboot this kind o' thing, so it was often up t' me t' fix these things."

Wynter watched, fascinated as he was able to work quickly, but very efficiently even in the low light. He proved immediately that he knew what he was doing. She took the rest of the wire and started cutting it into strips. For the next few minutes, they worked silently. He could see the sharp glow of her eyes in the darkness in his peripheral vision. He'd noticed a while ago that it had finally stopped making him uneasy. One of the few fears of vampires he'd held onto had finally ebbed away. He wasn't sure if he should be disturbed or grateful.

He finished connecting the new wire and stood up, watching as she gathered up the remaining supplies and put them in the red messenger bag she wore across her chest. She straightened up, fishing through the bag. She pulled a couple of thick books out, very old in appearance, "Here," she said, handing these to him, "Marjorie cleared me access to the new library in town. These are for you."

"Thank you, Wynter." He said, taking them. He was oddly touched that she'd remembered after all this time how much he enjoyed reading, especially older books with yellowing pages; those were honestly the best kind.

"Ah'm honestly no' sure where you manage t' find so many books as old as these." He said.

"You'd have to ask the library. I kind of just pick them at random since you'll read just about anything."

Sitting on the ground against the base of the enormous granite cliffs soaring high above them, he leafed carefully through the first of the two books while she sat beside him, writing something down in her gardening catalogue she was keeping for the market next month.

"You knoo something," he said, causing her to glance at him curiously, "In a' mah years as a vampire hunter, Ah never thought Ah'd see one preparing t' manage a vegetable stand."

"Hmmm." She grumbled irritably, "Yeah, but now you've learned that we're not all God-defying mindless monsters. Or…have you?"

He smirked at her wryly, "Yes, Ah have, for the most part." He replied, setting the book he held aside and picking up the other one.

"You say the weirdest things sometimes, Alexander. It's amazing how you still manage to surprise me somehow. After seven years, you'd think I'd have learned all your tricks."

"No' even close. O' course, Ah'm still trying t' figure you oot, so we're kind o' even."

"Well, good luck on that one. Two-hundred and thirty-two years and I've yet to see any man succeed in figuring any woman out. That especially includes my master, the dense idiot…."

"Must you keep reminding me o' hoo old you are?" he asked in exasperation.

"Not every vampire gets to be as old as I am, so I'm a bit proud of it." She said with a shrug, "So you're younger than me; big deal."

"Ignoring the paradox yet again, Ah see." He said snidely. She jabbed him, "Shut it."

She fell silent, gazing up at the nearly full moon high above them in the inky, near starless sky. It was so bright that she probably could have written in her journal without her night vision.

"I'm not needed at the bakery tomorrow; they're training a new employee."

"Human or vampire?"

"Human, and apparently, quite the klutz. Nice girl, though. Her name is Grace. So, since Marjorie and Seras will be busy with that, I'm not needed for a couple of days."

She leaned against him, snuggling closer and closing her eyes contentedly. He glanced down at her, not saying anything. He looked out toward the edge of the cliff she'd chosen as her little garden area, overlooking the sea and the cape a good two miles away. Prior to his interesting turn in 'life', he'd never actually been to Norway. It had always been out of the Vatican's jurisdiction for hunting. In fact, up until recently, he'd never heard of Norwegian vampires before. He assumed that the population of humans wasn't big enough to support that many of them, so they stuck to semi-crowded places to sustain themselves.

"I wish you didn't have to hide up here." She mumbled suddenly.

"What?"

"Don't get me wrong; I love visiting you, and it's quiet up here so no one bothers us…but I feel bad that you can't come into the town. No human would bat an eye at you, but I'm certain some of the vampires would know who you are, Marjorie especially. On top of that…I can't ask that of you. Just having you here is enough."

"Ah'm a'right up here, Wynter," he reassured her, "Ah spend mah days as a falcon and mah nights as a human. It works oot fine."

"You're on neutral ground, now. You'll never fight for, or against us and for that at least, I'm thankful."

"Your life is complicated enough; why do you continue t' visit me?" he asked, genuinely curious. She raised her head off his shoulder and looked up at him quizzically, "What, you don't want me to visit?" she asked.

"Ah did'nae say that," he muttered.

She got to her feet and moved off a short ways, gazing out over the water with her arms folded. Her silhouette turned dramatic as the wind ruffled through her hair and she shuddered her wings with a sigh. She looked back at him, her eyes flaming in the darkness of her own shadow against the moonlight, "I only have one answer. Would that suffice, or should I wrack my brain for another one that might make even less sense?"

"Ah believe Ah a'ready knoo your answer." He replied quietly.

"Good. I visit you because I choose to. That's part of the reason I work up here, so I have more excuses to spend more time with you. Of course, the heavy population of moles in the front yard helps," she said with a cheeky grin before turning serious again, "I do what I like, and I like to be with you. Isn't that enough?"

"It is, and Ah'm sorry."

"Yeah, I am too. If I annoy you, it's not like I mean to."

"As if Ah'll believe that."

"Do you realize what a creep you can be sometimes?" she grumbled, glaring down at him.

"For the record, you're the oon'y one Ah speak to that way."

"So I'm your favorite, then." She stated. She sighed, moving back over to sit beside him again, "It's kind of boring to be the favorite since I'm the only one who interacts with you. Aaaaand…that brings me back to my depression. Lovely."

"That one was on you, Wynter." He pointed out.

"Well, you're not helping!"

She stormed to her feet again and stalked off to her garden in time to chase off another enterprising deer. Anderson noted the several black feathers lying on the ground where she'd walked and he shook his head, "You need t' calm doon, Wynter; you're molting again."

Her shoulders sagged in defeat, "I'm aware. You know me, Alexander; I always get uptight when I'm frustrated. It's been this way since day one. It's a wonder my wings aren't bald by now."

"It's ae wonder Alucard tolerated you for as long as he did."

"I'll ignore that. Why don't you come down tomorrow? As the bird, I mean. No one questions me whenever you're like that."

She hurried back over and knelt on the ground before him, grinning, "Please?"

"If Ah say yes, will you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"You knoo what."

She chuckled and bared her fangs, "I'm the favorite." She chimed.

The year before, Marjorie had presented Wynter with a quote unquote "birthday" present in the form of a thin black banded watch she now wore on her right wrist. Glancing at the tiny face, she sighed, "Damn…it'll be morning soon. I'd better head back before the others start wondering where I am."

They both knew Alucard was aware of the real reason for her forays up into the mountain every night. What they didn't care to have happen was for Integra or Seras to find out. Alucard was surprisingly passive with the knowledge and although he was annoying in his occasional teasing of her, Wynter knew he'd keep the secret.

She gathered her things up into the messenger bag and stood up. He followed suit, hands in his pockets as he regarded her silently, "Ah'll come doon tomorrow afternoon. Keep an eye oot," he told her.

"Thanks," she mumbled, "I appreciate it. I'd advise you of the same, but I'm starting to think your vision has become even sharper than mine."

He had to chuckle a bit at that, "Then Ah'll try no' t' rub it in."

"Well, at least that's one thing I can count on."

He drew closer and kissed her gently on the forehead, ruffling her hair fondly, "Please be careful on your way back doon." he muttered.

"Aw, aren't I always?"

"No." he said flatly. Her face fell and she looked up at him sardonically, "You know, you could pretend with me." She said. She didn't really mean that, though. He wasn't very outward, but it was always the subtle things he said or did that served to remind her of how much he cared for her, even something as simple as a trip back down the mountain. She sighed and folded her hands behind her back, "Okay, would you feel better if I flew instead?"

"Yes."

She snapped her wings open in response, "Very well, you win." She said.

"Ah a'ways seem t' win."

"You don't think I've noticed?" she grumbled. He stepped back, reflexively covering his face as a tremendous gust of wind tore through the clearing, scattering leaves and feathers. When he was able to look again, she was gone.

And so was he. In his place, a black spotted white falcon stretched its own wings and took off into the trees, settling on a branch and drifting into a peaceful sleep.

A/N: Okay, this is the start. Now, this is directly connected to the Simple Memory series, but this story and any that may or may not follow it, are not a part of the same theme. Same world, same characters, same themes, different idea. Wynter isn't the main character here, though she's an influential side character. I felt like I left too many things unanswered in the epilogue, which I know ended up twice as long as predicted. Please review constructively. This is likely the last series of fanfictions I'll ever dedicate time to. I've already begun deleting things I'll never finish. So enjoy future installments of this story as I work on getting it off the ground.