000000000000 Chapter 3 Clean Up Job
Little Deatrice frighteningly hugged the captain's leg while they waited just outside Sir Integra's double doors waiting for Annabel to inform the boss of her recent "discovery."
"Eets alright mon petit, Annabel is just letting zee big boss know you are 'ere so zhere's no problems later." He said trying to ease the girl's fears and to get her to loosen up on his leg before he lost total circulation to it.
She did loosen slightly and looked up at him. "What is mon petit?"
"It means little one since you don't even come up to my hip." He smiled back at her.
"I heard you say Dame…De… Rouse to Annabel. What does that mean?"
"It means lady of red." Despite being scared the child had a very curious nature about her.
"Oh, her hair is so red, like blood. She's nice. Is the big boss nice?"
Pip scratched his chin. "Um, she's stern but fair."
Deatrice scrunched up her face unsure about that statement. "You sound different than most people. Why?"
"Eets because I came from a country called France zhat has a different way of speaking."
"Oh… why do you have one eye covered?"
He started to think this kid was too curious. "I lost eet in a great battle."
"At sea?" The girl continued to inquire slowly driving him insane. Just how long does it take to tell Sir Integra there's pint sized vamp under her roof?
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"The chicken farm did not lead to anything nefarious as you predicted, Sir Integra. Although I found ah, Mr. Lucky a bit hard to understand at times. Not sure what a 'brown Richard' means and I don't think 'feather plucker' that he yelled out later was a literal meaning." Integra however, did know what they meant being British and all did not enlighten the redhead. "I did um… encounter a uh, a kid." Integra's raised eyebrows silently told her to continue. "I discovered that her parents were killed by an unknown group some months ago and has been on the streets since."
"An orphan?" Integra had a feeling this was not going to be good. Annabel nodded in the affirmative. "And, where is she now?"
Annabel pointed behind her. "Ah, just outside the door with Pip."
"I see. Well I'll call child services tomorrow to place her in a fitting home. She can reside in a guest quarters in the mean time." She said in a nonchalant manner.
"Sir, that might be a problem. She is not one of your average children."
And here comes the poke in the arse. "Oh?"
Annabel rung her wrists and fidgeted; both very bad signs to the Hellsing heir. "Lemmee ask you. Do you know any non threatening occult members that wouldn't mind a sweet little girl?"
Integra visibly paled. 'What in god's name did she find!'
Annabel thought it would be a good time to tap on the door to let the two outside to come in.
The moment they were in sight a tiny biped with dirty shoulder length hair attached itself to the fire angel's right leg and peaked two green eyes out from behind at Sir Integra who stood now. Annabel patted the girl's head in soothing fashion.
"Sir Integra I'd like you to meet Deatrice. She's a vampire. If there's no one out there to take her in, I'd like to adopt her." She finally said it and waited for the platinum blond's head to explode.
Pip gagged on his own tongue. 'What did she say? Adopt? Oh mon dieu!'
"A third one?" Integra slapped her face and shook it. "My father must be rolling in his grave. Of course I don't know any benign vampires other than Seras and Alucard! Annabel, for what bloody insane reason do you have to take in one of the undead?"
Deatrice tightened the hold on her leg and hid her face into Annabel's jean's fabric. "She's an innocent Integra and has no relatives to care for her."
Annabel could almost see the steam coming out of Integra's ears. "You dare undermined me by bringing in a vampire with the intent to keep her! You're as bad as Alucard! I won't have…"
Annabel cut her tirade short with her own burst of emotion. "I'm sterile! I can't have children. I…" The fuming blond instantly calmed with a dawn of understanding painted her face. "It wouldn't feel right to adopt a human child as I would outlive him or her as would Alucard. I found Deatrice here and it sort of felt like fate that I should take her in as one of my own." She knelt down and picked up Deatrice into her arms. The young girl easily snuggled against her chest. "She isn't like the ones we hunt. I can feel the good in her." Integra's face softened as she stared transfixed on the tiny draculina, thinking hard at her next words. "I want to take her in, at least for a while should someone of her kin come for her." Annabel then spoke to Deatrice. "Does that sound alright Deatrice? Can I keep you for awhile? I'll do my best to care for you." It took her a few seconds but Deatrice nodded in reply.
Integra sighed, walked over, and touched Deatrice briefly on the back. "First thing clean her up. I'll not have a dirty urchin wandering my halls, Second, she is your complete responsibility. Let her know the rules and keep her out of trouble. Third, I'll let the men know she's here but it will be your responsibility to inform Alucard of the new addition to your family."
"Oh thank you Integra!" She would have hugged the life out of her boss if her arms weren't already hugging the small vampire. She turned around and practically bounced out of the room.
00000000000 Jan 4 2009
Annabel left a well bathed Deatrice sleeping soundly on her bed while making a list of things she needed to get for the little girl. Deatrice was snuggling a misshapen teddy bear Annabel had made some time ago when she was bored. One leg was bigger than the other, it's eyes were too close together and uneven, and its left ear was sewn inside out. It did sport a pair of felt fangs sticking out of its marker drawn mouth. She thought having the stuffed animal with Deatrice would help her feel less alone when Annabel planned to leave her room for her normal duties should the little girl wake up sometime in the daylight hours.
From talking with the child over the last few hours she discovered that she about five and that both her and her parents fed on livestock for the most part in a rural part of Great Britain. Occasionally her father would return from the city with packets of blood with him as a special treat. Her parents taught Deatrice right from wrong, that killing was bad, except in self defense, and how to survive with what resources were available. She was quite smart Annabel admitted and very curious, asking her a million questions about any little thing. One of the questions being what Annabel was as Deatrice described her as smelling like a new born calf that was scrubbed clean and then covered in honey. Annabel had chuckled at that never having her scent described like that. She told her she was a great fiery bird called a phoenix, and because she saw no harm in it showed to the tiny draculina, with the promise not to tell anyone, her flaming blue wings. The girl's jaw dropped in awe. She grinned wide at that point. "Yep. That's Auntie Phoenix for you." She had said then returned to the bed Deatrice was on flame-less. Apparently, Deatrice liked the name Annabel had casually called herself and started using it immediately.
The one thing lacking in Deatrice's education was how to read and write. Well she was going to rectify that soon which was part of what the list was for, as well as some nice clothes, a few toys, and parenting book for herself.
Annabel just about touched her doorknob when someone knocked softly on her door. She opened it. "Good morning Walter. You have great timing." She greeted as she closed the door behind her.
"Morning Annabel. I'm here to relay an order from Sir Integra that you are to carry out at your earliest convenience and supersedes all other duties besides the care of Miss Deatrice until it is completed to her satisfaction." Walter announced in an official manner.
Annabel paused in her steps and looked at the old retainer with the slightest dread on her face.
"As punishment for purposely bringing in an occult being, she orders you to clean and reorganize the library…"
"Oh, that doesn't sound so bad." She interrupted and changed her heading for the second story library.
Walter continued. "…the one in the basement."
She stopped again. "We have a second library, Walter?"
A small mischievous grin worked its way into his aged face. "Oh yes. It hasn't been touched in ten years since Alucard threw a tantrum while trying to instruct young Integra."
The blood drained from the woman's face. "Oh, god…" She could barely imagine what kind of state it could be in. "And um, why is it still a mess after all these years?" She asked in wary tone and started to follow the retainer.
"Sir Integra hid the key refusing to learn another facet of female sensibilities and etiquette from the vampire. She decided to recover the key last night." He supplied.
Annabel nodded silently and braced herself for the scene she was about to endure.
It was worse than she feared. For starters the basement library was double the size of the one upstairs and not one inch was spared Alucard's decade old bout of frustration. Only three of the twenty book shelves she could see were still upright and one of those had a multitude of bullet holes decorating the wood. Three long tables lay in a rubble of splinters while the only one left intact lay upside down atop several toppled shelves toward the far side of the room. She saw one wooden chair propped haphazardly in the chandelier like lights still hanging and still working in the middle of the room. Another chair with a missing leg was seen embedded through two half toppled shelves. Books, scrolls, parchments, and loose yellowed paper were scattered everywhere. Not a speck of the stone floor was showing except for a small space in the center where Alucard had obviously stood creating this havoc. Even several of the books held varying degrees of destruction. Some were torn in half while others bore canine teeth and claw marks. A few had bullet holes. And to add to things, a thick layer of dust covered everything.
Annabel let out a long pitiful, pained, whimper.
"Please try to save as much of the literature as you can, Annabel. They are irreplaceable. As for furniture you may replace the tables and such with those that are in the storage room on the first floor. I'll leave you to it." He further instructed and before he left the shocked woman he added. "Oh, and I'll check on Miss Deatrice from time to time while you're busy."
For several minutes Annabel dumbly stared at what was mildly called a mess than snapped out of her stupor. 'Well,' she thought. This is just another challenge. I can do this!' She started in clearing a path toward the center of the room. She put loose sheets of paper and parchments in a pile, and the least damaged books in another pile. She borrowed a few rolling carts from the upstairs library and piled the more damaged but still salvageable tomes on one. She grabbed a ladder to retrieve the chair from the ceiling and placed it outside in the hallway with the two remaining still intact chairs. With the table, she took at least two hours clearing a space to set it upright again, and used that to pile more of the undamaged books. The bits of rubble that remained of the tables, chairs and an unfortunate couch she burned away, careful not to char any of the old parchment that lay near them.
Despite it being winter and in the basement, sweat glisten off her from all over from an entire day of cleaning up the library. As a whole it did not look like she put much of a dent in it, but the image of the cataclysm when she first saw it still blazed clearly in her mind, telling her she had made progress.
Around dusk she took a break to check on Deatrice. When she spotted her she was fiddling with Walter's monocle while he fixed her collar on one of the few old outfits left from Integra's childhood. It was white with a pick ruffled skirt.
As soon as Walter finished, Deatrice let go of the one eye spectacle and glomped Annabel's legs.
"Auntie Phoenix! You smell dusty." She blurted grinning up at the redhead.
Annabel tussled her hair. "That I am sweetie. Sir Integra's asked me to clean up a big old dusty library."
"Can I help?" She asked with those wide bright green eyes.
"Hm, I don't see why not. But first me needs sustenance. Lets go to the kitchen." She held out a hand for Deatrice to take.
Once in the kitchen Annabel grabbed out a blood pack for her ward and some leftover ratatouille for herself.
"I get this everyday?" She asked happily.
"Yup, standard rations." Answered Annabel, watching as Deatrice dug into her meal. 'If only Seras was that eager.' She thought while forking into her food.
Pip entered the kitchen looking for a pick-me-up. "A nice evening, Dame de Rouse. Oh, and hello mon petit."
"Bonjour, mon capitaine." Deatrice sounded out each French syllable since she only learned them yesterday. "I don't know if it's a nice evening. I haven't been outside yet." Pip smiled at her; both for the attempted French and for her literal statements.
Annabel emitted a light chuckle. "Good evening Captain. I haven't cooked anything today. So you will have to fend for yourself."
He opened up the refrigerator door. "Zats alright. I 'eard zat Sir Integra gave you a big project to do." He voiced in a tone that spoke of some mild merriment.
"Auntie Phoenix is cleaning a library. I am going to help her!"
Pip looked back at the tiny draculina as he pulled out a slice of pie. "Is zat so?" He chuckled and nudged out of the way just before Annabel could kick him in the shin from behind the island counter.
"You know Pip, Integra never said I had to it alone." She glared harshly at the Frenchman. "You could join us." She stated to him with a hint of a threat.
Pip decided to refrain from anymore comments and just ate the pie quietly by the stove.
It was about then that her cell phone ran. She got it out of her pocket and looked at the number display. "I'll be just a minute." She said and walked into the pantry. She flipped the phone open and answered. "Hey, my sexy blood sucker, how are things?"
"Very much the same Annabel, except there's no you to sink my teeth into." A deep seductive voice responded. She sighed for she loved the sound of his voice on the phone.
"Are you checking up on me?"
"Why else would I phone a spaz." Even when he insulted her over the air waves he still sounded sexy to her.
In a bland tone, she stated "I love you too, Alucard."
"You haven't set anything on fire, have you?"
"Um, just a few tables, chairs, dust bunnies, that sort of thing. Integra has me cleaning things since things are slow here."
Mild excitement and mirth laced into his next words. "You pissed off my master. Pray tell me."
Annabel chewed her lip for a few seconds debating if she should tell him then and there. She decided to, in a vague way. "I adopted the cutest little animal! And she's got the prettiest eyes and was left abandoned on the street. I couldn't say no."
"You took in a pathetic creature." He stated no longer sounding amused nor interested. No doubt he thinks it's a dog or cat.
"Can I talk to Seras?"
"Police Girl is still asleep. She was busy with ghouls the last evening and it tired her out." Annabel felt a sliver of worry for the girl. "There were far more at the location than I had anticipated and there was a strange being there that I had not encountered before, but very similar to a vampire."
"Are you two alright then?" She asked truly concerned.
"Of course. That being is dust now."
"You shot it before you figured out what it was?"
"I did not shoot it Spaz. It turned to ash by itself."
"Oh… sorry then. Well tell Seras that Pip misses her and that I said hi!"
"I will not encourage Police Girl with that human and neither should you."
She groaned. "You're such a buzz kill, Alucard." Someone tapped on the pantry door. "Well, have to get back to the grind, later Red!" She hung up, pocketed the phone, and stepped back into the kitchen where a little girl stood before her eager for the day. "Okay lets go attack some dust bunnies!"
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Deatrice gawked at the doorway. "That's a big mess."
"That it is." Annabel already started riffling through a section and uncovered an old electric lamp along with an antique ash tray still in one piece. "Lets see. Why don't you start picking up the loose pages of paper from around the door and put them in nice neat piles near the ones there." The kneeling redhead instructed. "And careful not to step on anything. Who knows what's buried under this stuff."
"Can do Auntie!" The tiny vampire acknowledged brightly and briskly tiptoed over to the left side of the room. Annabel watched her at the corner of her eye for the next several minutes to see how she did. The girl moved quickly but efficiently picking up inked passages and parchment. Occasionally she would stare at the words or an illustration for a few moments then move on. Unsurprisingly Deatrice covered more ground than Annabel did as she was superior in movement and balance.
Nearing dawn Annabel managed a decent cross shaped walkway through the library that touched all four walls and used the second rolling cart to collect the miscellaneous items the two females found scattered around: three lamps, two smoking pipes, one pair of spectacles, four ash trays, one hair ribbon, an old globe without it's stand, one half used white candle, one small picture frame without the glass in it, and several ten year old bullet casings.
"Wow, its like an archeological dig or a scavenger hunt. You never know what ya gonna dig up." Mused the older woman to Deatrice before their cart of 'treasure.'
"Who shot up the books? Did they not like them?" Deatrice fingered one of the bullet casings.
"Alucard, I think, and um well I wasn't here when it happened." She let out a big yawn. Deatrice mimicked her, showing off her tiny sharp fangs. At that they left the dusty mess for comfort of a bed.
00000000000000 Feb 5 2009 Early morning
Sir Integra scanned through her latest report from North Britain. It was similar to another half dozen reports that she'd come across over the last two weeks. Reports of her operatives sighting vampire activity in an area, and when they went in to confirm or dismiss the existence of the blood sucking scum, they found nothing but black ash in various piles and minor evidence of shots fired. Two reports stated seeing a nondescript individual leaving the scenes and seemingly disappearing into nothing.
The regal blond drummed her fingers on the stained oak finish. 'Someone else must be taking these vampires out, and doing a bloody good job of it. I might have commended them but they act far too secretive for my taste. They could have alternative notions for doing this and they do this in my country. I would know who does this. Could it be the Iscariots or one of the American exterminating groups?' She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. Tonight Integra's head vampire had reported something odd as well. The encounter of a strange being at the second freak infested location in Spain. Alucard recalled it seemed to act as if its cover was blown and then killed itself, and not like the artificial abominations seem to do with a burst of corrosive flames. Rather, It seemed to turn to ash but left none on the ground for the wind to scatter. She had nothing to go on as to what it could have been and filed that encounter away for a later date.
0000000000000 Feb 6 2009
By the third clean up day both guardian and ward picked up the majority of writings off the floor and set them into nice stacked rows in the hallway outside. More miscellaneous items were found including a decorative dagger stabbed on the cover of what used to be a volume of 'Victorian Etiquette for Young Ladies'. Nearly all of the pages were ripped out and Annabel could not contain the snicker.
Annabel had to enlist Walter's help to decipher the books in foreign languages so she could put them in the proper shelves when it came to that. He inserted a note in each one with the English translation of the title, Author, and subject matter for her. As for books missing pages and pages missing a book, he advised her to put those in an empty storage room nearby for sorting and fixing later.
On that third day it was safe enough to start up-righting the undamaged book shelves. She found that many of them had brass plagues identifying the subject matter that should go in that location. It eased her mind knowing she wouldn't have to mentally keep track of what went where.
Annabel stretched her limbs and cracked her knuckles ready to get her first empty oak bookshelf vertical. They were fairly sizable but didn't look too hard to move. With her fingers tucked in a good place and her knees bent she lifted the mass upwards, and upwards some more and, then gasped as it dropped back down from the one foot height she had it at. "Oh, fuu-fudge nuggets." She nearly swore in front of Deatrice and looked hard at the stubborn furniture. "God, that's heavy. I wish Seras was here. She'd pick that up no problem."
"Seras is a vamp?" Deatrice asked.
"Yeah…"
"I'm a vamp." She offered.
Annabel looked at her. "Hm, you are that. Lets see what you can do Deatrice."
The girl puffed up with grim determination and positioned herself where Annabel was a few moments ago. Slowly but surely the tiny vampire lifted the shelf off its back and into its natural up right position.
"Yeah!" Annabel squealed. Deatrice returned a big toothy smile. "Okay, wanna do the same thing for the rest of them for me?" She nodded vigorously.
In no time at all the sixteen still usable bookshelves were up and the correct place in the library. That included the one riddled with bullet holes on its back side because it did not undermined the integrity of the piece and the majority could be hidden by filling it up with literature. The next thing to do was gather whatever was trapped under the shelves and sort that out too. Then was time for dusting and sweeping and wiping things off. Annabel let Deatrice off to follow Walter as she wanted to explore the Hellsing estate while Annabel stayed to make every nook and cranny shine with sparkly cleanness. During the readjustment of the large shelves a small door was discovered at the far wall. It was at this time that she opened it up to take a peak inside. It contained wall to wall fragile looking scrolls, weathered old tomes and a small variety of artifacts she couldn't begin to identify. 'This must be the really rare and fragile works here. So glad its intact.' With that thought she closed the door back up and resumed her attack of the dust bunnies.
After putting little Deatrice to bed Walter found Annabel conked out just inside the door with her legs splayed awkwardly like they couldn't support herself anymore. A dusting clothe was still clutched in her hand. He inspected the room before him. Other than being bare of books, the library looked in tiptop shape and obscenely spotless. She would do a queen proud Walter thought. 'Now it's just the stressing task of filling it up again.'
"Hmmm, Walter?" Annabel yawned as she picked herself up. "What's the time?"
"About twenty after seven in the morning, Miss Phoenix. You have fine maid skills."
She huffed softly when she realized what time he told her. "Oh, Dea-"
"She is already safe and tucked in for the day." Assured the retainer. "A most inquisitive young lady."
She smiled. "Did she talk your ear off Walter?"
A chuckle escaped. "A bit, but I did not mind. A thirst for knowledge is most commendable in one so young."
Annabel nodded and headed for her quarters.
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Pip sat on the edge of his cot staring at the floor. He had a leg crossed over his knee with an elbow over that. A hand cradled his head as he fondly recalled his first date with Seras Victoria for a countless time. 'I still cannot believe she kissed me, and what a fond surprise it was. Zhose soft petals brushing shyly on my veteran mouth. Oh, what I could show you with my lips alone, Mignonette.' He smiled roguishly to himself. 'Mon dieu, I miss her blue eyes, her bouncy clean hair… mmm… and zee other zhings zhat bounce with her too.'
Truth be told the Captain hadn't touched nor thought of another woman since after the incident with Annabel's tears. He could not believe how powerful a drug it had acted like on him. He couldn't not think of Annabel even when a woman normally more his taste like the petite draculina stood right before him. It actually repelled him at the time because it wasn't Annabel. At the time Pip felt without a doubt that he was in love with the spunky redhead. Then it wore off. He couldn't believe how insane he acted in front of Annabel and anyone else who was watching. Of course there were others that were affected like him but he paid them no mind because he believed he was the one for her. For a few weeks afterward he sulked for acting so indifferent toward the draculina. He really liked her but because of the tears effects he yelled at Seras for being a nuisance. She, of course, didn't know what was going on at the time smacked him into a wall and left with tears in her eyes. She realized what had happened the next day. He apologized when he was lucid again and she in turn was sorry for smacking him. Even though she forgave him, it still stung that he treated her like nothing. It was somewhere after those two weeks that Pip realized he deeply cared for Seras, and not in a 'comrade in arms that has your back' type way, but in a 'beautiful woman you want to comfort' type way. He started to think that Seras was a drug that unexpectedly got into his system.
He sighed letting his pet name for her pass though his love parched lips. It had felt so good to embrace her inside the London Eye. Her body was warm. Something he did not expect in one who was undead but an aspect he greatly appreciated. He longed to feel her that way again; ached even, and the lag of missions didn't help Pip one bit with keeping his mind off her nor his thoughts out of the gutter. 'Would Seras even let me do half zee things I think of doing with 'er? Probably not, but even a few would be good…' he drifted off envisioning how the little draculina would peel off her uniform one piece at a time.
"Hey Cap! There ya are!" Pip jerked back to reality at the voice of one of his men. "Some of the guys are starting up cards. Wondering if ya wanted to join in?"
Pip rubbed his face, clearing it of the lovely cobwebs that dwelt inside. "Oh, sure. Nothzing better to do."
000000000000000 December 5 2008
Somewhere hot, dry and two month's prior.
In a dark room on a monitor screen a scene played out between a black haired man cloaked in red embracing a redheaded woman in a tank top and jeans in a library. The redhead seemed to protest for a moment until the man with unnatural speed tore her jeans off in two. The woman then melted into his embrace. After a few seconds the man's black hair grew out fast suddenly startling the watcher in the room. The man looked positively prime evil with floor length hair but the redhead seemed oblivious and took some of his ebony locks in her hands and seemed to giggle at him. It was then that the sinister looking man picked her up by the legs, settling them on his shoulders and buried his face into her exposed womanhood.
"By all that's sacred, what is that "thing" doing to her? It looks like its eating her from the bottom up!" An alarmed woman pointed aghast at the video.
A figure in long robes steadied her fears. "It's all right my dear. It is not an attack. It is a carnal act shared and experienced by many of us bipeds, though the creature imitates it crudely." She continued to watch as the redhead furiously yank at the black hair.
"How could she possibly enjoy that. It looks like she's screaming."
The figure smirked. "There are more reasons for one to scream then just fear, my dear."
She shivered in disgust and wished she didn't have to study all the video they gave her to watch. It was practically sacrilege what that blood demon was allowed to do with one of the opposite sex. She obeyed however knowing that this was all part of the great plan. 'At least there isn't any sound in this footage.' Other footage contained mundane chit chat among military officers, a blond leader, an aged butler, a spiky haired strawberry blond, and the two individuals in the current disturbing video. Study your enemies and learn their behavior her mentor had said. She didn't have to like it but learned she did. One miscalculation could spell the end of all the group had spent so long and hard to accomplish. She believed full heartedly in the cause and promised to do her part seamlessly. Since the first sign of the prophecy months ago their secret group have been preparing diligently for their divinity's return. Clearing the way sort of speak and she was a key ingredient. She shook off another disgusted shiver, pressed the eject button on the VCR below the monitor, and slotted in another tape.
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BLOOD IS THE CURRENCY OF THE SOUL... AND REVIEWS ARE CURRENCY FOR MORE CHAPTERS... SO TIP THE BARD PLEASE.