When Seras woke up she was welcomed with the sharp and unpleasant scent of disinfect, the kind that is used solely in hospitals. Her torso was wrapped in bandages and she had several dressings, one on her right cheek and another on her left shoulder. The white and blue sheets of the cast iron bead were scratchy against her skin and the sound of machines bleeping created an irritating repetition. To say that Seras was shocked when the man in red who had saved her literally melted through the wall was like saying Hitler was a bit mean. She jumped about a foot in the air and gave out a scream. Alucard laughed, delighted at her reaction.

"Hello police girl." He said with a smirk that was not quite a smile but seemed like the 'Alucard equivalent' of a smile.

"You…you just walked through the wall!" she spluttered, her eyes wide in shock.

"Yes."

"You're not human."

"No"

"What are you then?" She seemed to have gained a small degree of composure

"A vampire." Alucard answered shortly, grinning as he watched her eyes widen.

"Y…you're just like the things that killed them?" it was more of a rhetorical question but Alucard took offense.

"I am nothing like those pathetic vermin!" he spat "I am something different entirely!"

Seras was silent; she looked down, averting her gaze. After everything that had happened she felt numb. She didn't really know how to feel, and that scared her the most. She wanted to cry for her mum and dad but she couldn't she wanted to hate the- man- in- red because he had said he was a vampire, but hadn't he saved her life? As she thought back to the incident she felt disgusted, she had killed someone, alright he was a murderer and a vampire but she had still killed him, and in such a gruesome way, how could she not feel any guilt? She was now a murderer!

"You're an idiot." The-man-in-red commented dryly "you're upset because you killed a vampire that was going to kill you? That killed your mother and father and consumed their blood? Those vermin would have tore your throat our and drank every drop of your blood, and not even because they were thirsty…they killed your family because they enjoyed it, so why the hell are you upset about not feeling guilt, Police Girl? You did the world a favour by destroying it."

There was silence. The-man-in-red's words made sense to her, but she didn't want to admit it, she couldn't. Instead she said "my name is Seras Victoria, not 'Police Girl'"

"And my name is 'Alucard', Police Girl."

________________________________________________________________________________

Sir Integra Hellsing was by no means a coward. At twelve she had become the leader of the Hellsing organisation on the event of her father's death, only to have then been hunted down by her uncle as he tried to kill her and take her place. She had dealt with the council of twelve, who had doubted her not only because of her age and inexperience but because she was a girl. Everything that Integra did, weather it was thinking up strategies for attack and ways to improve the organisation or if she participated in the round table conferences, everything that the young night did she did with honour, pride and dignity, which made the fact that she was nervous about meeting a nine year old little girl all the more ludicrous. The girl had been out cold for several days, the Doctor Jacobs, who had previous experience with paediatrics, had informed her that the girl was now awake.
Integra sighed and rubbed her eyes she addressed Doctor Jacobs (over the intercom) once more "Very well, is she stable enough to be brought up?"

There was a pregnant pause "sir Integra… Alucard just came and took the child he said it was under your orders…"

For a few long moments there was utter silence before the infuriated voice of Integra Hellsing screamed "ALUCARD!!!" The occupants of the manor paid no heed, it had been a common occurrence lately, Integra had just turned seventeen and her confidence had blossomed, she came into her own with the organisation and with that came an increase to Alucard's teasing. Whereas before she had been a little nervous (although she had never let it show) around the vampire, but after nearly five years she had become impatient and frustrated with his ways, she now preferred to simply shout at him which, to her annoyance, only seemed to amuse him so much that he continued to annoy her just to laugh at her reaction.

A familiar baritone laugh came from the door "You called, Master?" he had a smirk plastered on his face and was holding the little girl in his arms. Strangely she didn't seem to mind and did not appear to be scared or even a little disturbed about being held by the vampire.

Integra cast her cold, assessing eyes over the little girl. "Why exactly did you deem it necessary to remove the child from the infirmary?!" she spat, her voice so loud it could most probably have been heard from the other side of the manor.

Alucard smirked "did you not express interest in meeting the Police Girl? I was simply following your orders master." Integra clenched her fists in anger; she glared at Alucard as if hoping he would spontaneously combust.
"Well I certainly don't need her hurt more than she is! What were you thinking? Allowing her out of the infirmary without Doctor Jacobs' permission?!"

"Simple master, the police girl won't let go of me." The little girl's vice like grip on his red jacket made creases and crinkles; she gripped the material like a lifeline. One small arm was around his neck clinging on like a limpet. The contrast between the two of them was comical. Alucard cast an impressively imposing image, his height dwarfed most men, and his demonically red eyes were eerie, they seemed to glow from beneath his unruly mane of dark hair. Seras on the other hand was small for her age with large bright-blue eyes and blonde hair; she wore a pair of over-large hospital pyjamas and a dressing gown. If the situation hadn't been so serious Integra would have laughed.

"Yes, she seems to have taken quite a shine to you." Integra's voice alone betrayed how she felt about this. Under normal circumstances Alucard could influence people to do drastic things, he inspired fear, horror and cowardice, and he often liked to manipulate people for his own enjoyment. For Alucard, life seemed only about amusement, like he had lived for so long such trivial matters that other fought and died for were nothing more than a bit of fun. A child under the influence of Alucard could be moulded into whomever or whatever Alucard chose them to be.

Alucard bent down and placed the Seras on her feet, however, she wouldn't let go of him, and she clung to his neck with her iron grip. Alucard looked her in the eye and said firmly. "Let go,Now." To the young knight's complete surprise the little girl did as she was told, she let go of him (albeit reluctantly at first) and stood facing the woman in front of her.

"You have put me in quite a compromising position, police girl." Integra spoke swiftly and to the point, looking directly into the blue eyes of the child. "you have seen too much, and whilst under normal circumstances you would just be left alone, no one would believe your story, but due to your age and the fact that you killed one vampire and survived the attack of another means that you do not fall under the guidelines or protocols of my organisation. Therefore it is my decision that you will remain here for the next four months, when there will be a conference to decide your fate."
What Integra did not mention however was that the Hellsing organisation was always on the lookout for potential assets- people who could be better that the average soldier. They had found Walter during the war, and he had only been in his mid-teens. Could it be that, with training, this girl would prove to be an asset? And there was Alucard's strange interest in her, as though she knew something about the child that he would not tell anyone, delighting in his private joke. Yes…for now Integra would watch the child.