Author's note and disclaimer: This fic takes place shortly after the first few episodes of the anime, like a week after the second episode. I also decided that there is a fairly long period of time (a week to a month) between episodes/volumes unless it's really obvious that there isn't. I stuck the anime plotline into the manga plotline after the Valentine brothers attack Hellsing. Then the rest continues as usual, like in the manga. I know Alexandra is a Mary Sue simply for being written, but I tried to add flaws/personality. Suggestion/flames are welcome and appreciated. Disclaimer: I don't own Hellsing, but Alexandra is mine.

Integra Hellsing sorted through her mail in a disinterested way, mechanically opening letter from nobles, the army, the hospital where she got the blood that fed Alucard and Seras, and one from the Vatican marked with a red 'not bomb' stamp. Everything was boringly normal, and there hadn't been a freak attack for nearly a week. She covered a yawn with a gloved hand and picked up the last, solitary letter from the bin. She grabbed the letter opener and tore the top open. She glanced at the beginning, and her eyes focused, reading carefully.

Dear Sir Hellsing

It took us some time to track you down. This letter pertains to your cousin, Alexandra Hellsing. Her mother passed away nearly a year ago, and we have been searching for her relatives, and you appear to be the only one. Since you are Alexandra's last remaining relative, you are her legal guardian. She has been living in an orphanage in California, where her mother, Marie Hellsing has lived since the death of her husband, Richard Hellsing. Please contact us at the provided number, or send a letter in reply. We wish to arrange for her transportation as soon as possible.

Sincerely, Katherine James.

Integra leaned back against her chair, wondering what to do. She had always known that she had a cousin, but it had never seemed important. She shuffled her other papers into the out box, and thought. She knew that it was her duty to take the girl in, but she also knew that hiding the Hellsing organization's nature from someone who lived there would be trying. Another thought popped into her head. She could be the heir to Hellsing, and I would never have to get married to some blundering nobleman. Even though she regretted having to take anyone who had the blood of her traitorous uncle, the decision was made. She called for Walter.

He came in the door a few minutes later. "Yes, Sir Integra?"

Integra leaned forward in her seat. "We there will be a new addition to our household in a few week's time." Walter expressed surprise at this remark, and Integra gave him the letter.

"Ah. I shall see that the preparations are made for her stay. I assume that it is permanent?"

Integra nodded. "Yes."

Walter bowed shortly and walked from the room to attend to his duties. She stood up after he left, and proceeded to her room. She watched the sun rise, as she got ready for bed. "It's odd how I kept he same sleep schedule as the creatures I destroy." She smirked at the thought, and went to sleep.

A week later…

A brown-haired girl got out of a white Rolls Royce that had just pulled up outside the Hellsing mansion. She wasn't tall, barely five feet, and she had to look up a good deal to see her future guardian standing at the top of the steps. She waved, and then stopped awkwardly when she realized that this Sir Integra was being formal. She walked timidly up the steps and shook hands with the blonde woman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Integra." Alexandra said quietly. She stuttered slightly, and looked down.

"As it is for me." The knight's eye's remained distant, and Alexandra felt a bit uncomfortable. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. And filled the awkward silence with a question that had been bubbling in her mind since she had first heard of this enigmatic woman after her mother died. She settled on the simplest and most mundane one.

"So, what are the, um, rules?" She stuttered worse than normal when she got nervous, and this time was no exception.

Integra raised an eyebrow subtly at the younger girl's unsure speech, and answered. "Simply don't go in the basement, and don't go outside except in the back gardens. Excuse me, but Walter must explain the finer details, as I have much work to do. Good day." Her tone was firm leaving no room for argument, or any further questions. She nodded her head curtly and walked back inside. Alexandra responded with a halfhearted "Good day" a few seconds later. Walter bestowed her with a kind smile, and Alexandra smiled back meekly.

"Come inside, Miss Alexandra. Now as for the rules, there are none save the ones Sir Integra mentioned and simple common courtesy and sense. Come this way, I'll show you your rooms." He walked briskly across the hall, and Alexandra scurried to catch up.

They walked through the cavernous mansion, and Walter pointed out rooms she should know about. "Here is the dining room, meals are served here. Oh, and be ready for dinner by seven o' clock today. I'll come and get you because you definitely won't have figured out your way around yet." Alexandra gave a nervous smile that went unnoticed by Walter, whose back was turned. He continued his speech. "Up down that hall and to the left is the way out to the back gardens. They're quite beautiful at this time of year." He walked up a staircase to the second floor. He beckoned her over to a door close to the stairs. "Here are your rooms. Pardon me, but I must attend to Sir Integra." He had already deposited her luggage, and he then bowed a little, and walked away.

Alexandra sighed, and hefted her luggage inside the room. She gazed around the room with pale blue eyes, and her jaw dropped. It was gorgeous. There were two rooms: a bedroom and a bathroom. They were done in a Victorian style, much like the rest of the mansion. She had to go and look at everything. When she plopped down on the huge four-poster bed, she felt like a princess in a fairy tale. She gleefully began the job of unpacking her suitcases. She found a mysterious pair of white gloves inside. She grinned, realizing that Walter must have put them there. "Everyone else here wears gloves, so I guess he thought I should to."

All her clothes fit in the large dresser with room to spare. She glanced at a small alarm clock she had unpacked, and it told her that dinner was in approximately half an hour. "I should change out of these things." She said, eyeing her casual dress and blouse. She walked across the room to her newly filled dresser, where she selected a long sleeved blouse with cuffed sleeves, and a pair of charcoal gray pants. On an impulse she donned the immaculate white gloves. She took her time combing her straight brown hair, and a bit more straightening her skirt, which was slightly wrinkled from the journey. She looked at the clock, and it showed she had fifteen minutes before Walter came to fetch her. She reached into the depths of her bag and pulled out a dog-eared copy and worn copy of Dracula.

In Integra's office…

Integra sat at her desk, mulling over this cousin of hers. The girl is shy, and not assertive, She thought. She will need that if she is to face the Round Table. She called for Walter, and he answered in a few minutes. "Yes, Sir Integra?"

"Walter, I am unsure about this girl. She doesn't seem strong enough to deal with the Round Table, let alone vampires and freaks. And I doubt she could control Alucard. I'm not sure what to do with her."

"May I offer a suggestion, Sir Integra?" She nodded, and he continued. "Let her prove herself. You were not much younger than her when you faced your own trial by fire, and I would recommend testing her in some way before deciding. She might be stronger than one would think. And if we are wrong, she can at least help with the paperwork." He added on a humorous note. Integra smirked around her cigar.

"You're right. I'll think of something. Oh, and I have a lot of work, so I will be taking my dinner here."

"Very good, Sir Integra." He gave a quick bow and left the room. Integra puffed at her cigar, thinking of a good challenge to pit Alexandra against. She smirked, and mentally called for Alucard.

"Yes, Master?" He answered in his deep voice. He had the same slightly psychotic smile he always wore. She had the sudden thought that it was plastic.

"I need to… test this cousin of mine, and I would like you to assist in this matter."

His grin widened. "Of course, Master." He said, and phased through the wall.

Back with Alexandra…

At exactly seven Alexandra heard a sharp knocking on her door. She jumped up from the bed, leaving Dracula lying forlornly on the pillow. She opened the door to see Walter's smiling face, though he was nearly a foot taller than her. She smiled nervously, and then looked down. "H-hello Walter." She stuttered.

Walter gave her a benevolent smile. "Dinner will be in a few minutes, Unfortunately, Sir Integra has much work to do, and will not be joining you." Alexandra nodded, and Walter led the way down the deserted corridor. After a minute or two they reached the dining room, where a solitary place was set. Walter motioned for her to take a seat, and she obediently did.

The servants didn't speak to her, so she enjoyed the delicious food in silence. When she was finished, the servants took away her plate, though she had to fight the urge to clear it herself like she had always done at home. When they had left the room, she stood, and walked out before remembering she couldn't find her way back to the entrance hall, let alone her rooms. She tried to mentally retrace her steps, but failed. All the corridors seemed alike to her.

Suddenly she knew exactly where to go. That's odd, she thought, walking through the halls. I swore I was lost just a moment ago. She shrugged and made her way to her rooms where she continued reading her favorite book.

In another part of the mansion, Alucard grinned crazily. She'll be fun to play with. He thought, his grin widening beyond human proportions. He laughed quietly, and resumed drinking from his blood bag.

The next morning…

Alexandra awoke to the quiet chirping of birds outside the window. She glanced down to that she had fallen asleep in her clothes, and Dracula lay on the floor, knocked off the bed during the night. She yawned and picked it up, placing it on the bedside table before getting up. She looked in the mirror to see the left side of her face was red and had lines on it from falling asleep on the book. "Stupid weird skin… but the book was on the floor, so I shouldn't have had all these lines…" She said to herself, and stepped into the shower. While she was washing her hair she swore she heard the door open and close. She quickly rinsed her hair and then, wrapped only in a towel, stepped into her room.

The book was on the floor again. How the hell did that happen? And didn't I lock the door? She thought as she placed once again on her bedside table. She reached into the dresser for some underwear, a pair of loose khakis and a light neutral green polo shirt. She walked back to the bathroom to change. While she was pulling on the shirt she heard the door open and close again. This time she rushed out in her shirt and underwear to see who was there. She poked her head out into the hall and pulled it in quickly when she saw that no one was there. She had turned to go back to the bathroom when she saw the book was on the floor again. She did a double take and again picked up the book and put it on the table. She even placed the lamp on it.

"Is this place haunted or something" Alexandra asked the seemingly empty room. She swore she heard a deep voice answer "no". She shook her head to clear her thoughts, resolving to ask Walter whether this house was haunted when she saw him again. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and walked back into the bathroom to put on her pants. She was buttoning her pants when she heard the door open again. She dashed out with all the speed she could muster. She saw the door closing, and she poked her head out into the hall, and caught a glimpse of red coat turning the corner.

She finished buttoning her pants as she ran, following the red coat that always seemed just around the corner. She had gotten thoroughly lost after two minutes, and was still following the fleeting glimpses of crimson cloth. She eventually found herself in front of the door to the basement, and she swore she had just seen something red walk through the door. She reached for the handle before she recalled that she was forbidden from going in the basement. She sighed at the loss of her quarry, and slowly retraced her steps to the entrance hall where her feet began the path to the gardens. They were as hard to find as her room.

Walter was right, she thought. The gardens are beautiful at this time of year. She sat down on a carved marble bench, and enjoyed the springtime air. It was a bit chilly, and goose bumps moved up her exposed arms. She chuckled a little at her own stupidity. "Its colder here than in California." She smiled, looking at the flowers. After a while she got to cold to stay out in her short-sleeved shirt, and went back inside to find her jacket. She managed to find her way back to her room, though not without a few mishaps.

Alexandra ran into Walter just outside the room. He appeared to have just knocked on her door. "Miss Hellsing, I was just looking for you. Integra wants to see you in her office after lunch."

""Alright. I'm still not sure of my way around though." She was getting more comfortable with Walter.

"I'll come and get you after lunch. Do you wish to take it in your room?" He inquired.

"Yes, thank you." She gave a short half smile, which Walter returned.

"I'll bring it up in an hour or so." He bowed his head a little, and left. Alexandra grabbed the handle and opened the door. Her jaw dropped. The book was on the floor again, with the lamp on top of it. Exactly the way she had left it, only on the floor. After a few seconds of amazed staring, she replaced the lamp and left the book right next to her bed on the floor.

"I forgot to ask Walter if this place was haunted." She smacked herself on the forehead. "Ah! I'm so stupid!" She exclaimed and lay down on the bed and picked the book up off the floor.

She read until a quiet knock sounded on her door. She started, and jumped out of bed to answer the door. A servant she didn't know stood on the other side. "Walter says that he will come and get you in half an hour." He handed Alexandra a sandwich, and left before she could thank him. She shrugged and sat down at the desk to eat it.

Exactly half an hour later she heard the harder knock that characterized Walter's presence. She got up and answered the door. He stood there, looking slightly less together than usual, but Alexandra didn't comment. "Hello, Miss Hellsing. Please follow me." Alexandra nodded, and followed dutifully at his heels. Suddenly the question she'd been meaning to ask popped into her head.

"Um. Walter?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes?" He said without turning around.

"Is this house, um, haunted by any chance?" She said, slightly rushing the last few words.

At this Walter turned around, and a flicker of recognition passed over his expression before it returned to its normal benevolent half smile. "Not that I know of, and I've lived here since shortly after World War Two."

Alexandra's eyebrows went up, and her face morphed into a shocked expression. "That's a really long time."

He turned back ahead of him, whispering so quietly only she could hear. "Not if you enjoy it." She couldn't see the look in his eyes, the one contemplating battles long gone, and wars won. A small smirk slightly reminiscent of Alucard's trademark grin graced his face for a moment, and then it was gone.

After a few minutes they arrived outside the large wooden door to Integra's office. "Sir Integra asked to speak to you alone, so I will take my leave." Once again he bowed his head slightly, and left her standing in front of the imposing door. She swallowed, hoping to calm herself, but to no avail. She did her best to steady her nerves, and turned the door handle, admitting herself into the cavernous room.