Disclaimer: I don't own Hellsing or any characters from it; they all belong to Kouta Hirano. Also, I don't make any money from writing this, it's purely for fun (and a need to fulfill my obsession).
"Did you know, Police Girl? Cemeteries are sometimes called 'God's acre'," Alucard commented offhandedly. They had just completed a search-and-destroy mission to exterminate a group of FREAKS who had been hiding in an abandoned chapel. Seras was resting against the wall, while Alucard stood and gazed at the neat rows of tombstones that peppered the area behind the chapel. A gibbous moon made everything silvery, but also created vague shadows on the grass.
Seras pondered this tidbit of information. "'God's acre'… It sounds poetic." Alucard chuckled lightly.
"The meaning behind it isn't. Moravians use the term 'God's acre' because they believe that the dead are seeds sown in a field by God, and that they will rise when Jesus Christ comes again." Seras suddenly had an image of an army of ghouls rising from the earth, lead by a stereotypical Jesus-like figure. She didn't know whether to be horrified or to laugh.
"I guess we don't belong in a Moravian cemetery then, Master," Seras mused. "We're dead, but we've already 'risen', sort of." Alucard laughed, which made Seras smile. It made her happy that she could make him amused.
"Regardless, you might find one day that a cemetery is a paradise." She quirked her eyebrow at him in disbelief. "It's a quiet resting place; no one will dare disturb you. You can be free to rest as long as you like, whenever you like." He sounded slightly wistful, remembering memories of a time when he was free to do as he pleased, including sleep.
"But that's how vampires die in the movies," Seras protested. "They sleep peacefully during the daytime, unaware that the vampire hunter knows where the coffin is. Then the vampire hunter will stake them through the heart, and poof! The end."
"I like to think that our deaths involve more than 'poof,' Police Girl," Alucard said disapprovingly. She looked down sheepishly. "You know what I meant, Master," she muttered.
"I've known a few nightwalkers who met their end while sleeping in a cemetery." He frowned at the memories that surfaced. "Their main problem was that they didn't bother to use familiars, servants, or even curses to guard them as they slept. Fools; they all thought they were too powerful to need such petty security, but in the end, they deserved their deaths for their carelessness."
They lapsed into silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Seras broke the quiet first. "Master?"
"Yes, Police Girl?"
"I would guard you as you slept, until you woke up. Even if you weren't my Master at the time, I would still guard you."
"…Thank you. That's good to know." Seras thought she saw a flicker of a genuine smile on his lips, but it was fleeting.
"Master?"
"What, Police Girl?"
"Would you guard me as I slept?" There was a thoughtful silence before Alucard replied.
"I would tear any intruder apart limb from limb." Although it was an acceptable answer, Seras pressed a little further.
"Even if I wasn't your fledgling, would you watch over me?" Another thoughtful silence ensued, slightly longer than the last.
"I suppose so," he finally answered. Some people would have been offended at the lack of a definite answer, but Seras knew that was the most she would get from her Master. That was fine with her; even an "I suppose so" was better than a flat-out "no".
"Thank you, Master," she said quietly, a small smile lighting her face. Alucard looked down at her for a moment over his sunglasses, then returned his gaze to the grounds. "Your welcome, Seras."
She scooted closer to where Alucard stood, then rested her head against his leg. Her master smiled in amusement, her head only came up as high as his thigh. It was just the right height for him to pet her fluffy halo of hair.
They continued quietly enjoying the rare contact until the Hellsing van came to pick them up. As they were climbing into the back, Seras took one last fleeting glance at the moonlit landscape, the chapel and the tombstones. She murmured under her breath, "Rest in peace, God's acre…"
A/N: Inspired by my A-Word-A-Day subscription; "God's Acre" was an entry two months ago, and this story idea has been ruminating ever since. The information about Moravians came from Wikipedia. Anyway, comments and criticism are always welcome, so please review.