So here we go again. We're back to Seras with this one. It takes place roughly around the same time as the last oneshot, roughly within a few weeks. Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed the story so far. As always it is very much appreciated. Hope you enjoy the chapter. It's a bit on the cheesy side this time around, but I kind of like that sort of thing.

The sun was just beginning to set over the Hellsing mansion, which meant a groggy Seras Victoria had just emerged from her coffin in the basement. She stretched luxuriously and sat upright, glancing around her chambers. A small desk sat against the far wall and a dresser with a few picture frames atop it was to her right. Her collection of weapons, including her Harkonnen, rested against the wall next to her. Other than that and a mirror hanging by the doorway, the room was bare. She didn't find herself in need of many possessions these days.

With another quick stretch Seras climbed out of the coffin and stood. There were no windows or lights in her chambers but she moved unhindered as she made her way across the room to the mirror. She stood in front of it for a moment as she took in her reflection, grateful as always that she still had one. That was another bit of vampire lore that had proved to be utter nonsense.

Seras had reverted to her more natural form while sleeping and so that was the sight that greeted her as she gazed into the mirror. Shadows trailed from her shoulder, almost invisible in the already dark room. Her eyes glowed back at her, an eerie shade of red. She knew that this appearance was considered frightening by most, and that she would likely be seen as a threat should she choose to wear it among the other Hellsing troops. To that end, she had chosen to adopt her former, more human appearance when out among the living.

There was also a concern with letting the other soldiers see exactly what she was capable of. Seras knew that she was quite possibly unstoppable. Alucard was gone and even the other vampire hunting organizations, like Iscariot, still lay in ruins from the war. Seras had no intentions of hurting anyone, but there was really no way to convince others of that. It was really best for everyone if the Hellsing soldiers thought they could take her down if necessary.

Even during all of the missions she had been on with the human soldiers so far, Seras had managed to keep her true power a secret. On the rare occasion she needed to release the full extent of her abilities to take down a foe she was usually able to do so away from prying eyes, either by rushing on ahead or hiding herself in the shadows.

So, as she did each evening when she woke, Seras concentrated on shifting her form. Slowly the shadows receded, molding themselves until they took the shape of a human arm. It fell naturally into place on Seras's left shoulder and she flexed her fingers, feeling the barely concealed power beneath them. With a blink her eyes had returned to their former baby blue. She stared back at her reflection.

In truth, Seras hoped that some day hiding her true vampiric form would no longer be a necessity. After all, it was the form Pip had given his life to help her attain.

Seras smiled sadly at the thought of Captain Bernadotte. Sure, she felt his presence with her even now, a constant comfort she could seek out within herself whenever she had need of it, but it wasn't the same. When she thought back on her early days at Hellsing, Seras couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of longing for times past.

The Wild Geese had never been afraid of her. The men had treated her almost like a little sister. They had teased her, joked with her, and even made the occasional pass at her just to see who could make the vampire blush first. And of course there had been the Captain himself. She hadn't been overly fond of him at first, but in time their relationship had developed into one unlike any Seras had experienced before. He had been the first man to view her as a woman, in her life or in death. To this day, she couldn't keep herself form wishing that their story could have ended differently.

It wasn't only Pip and the Geese that Seras missed either. She'd had her Master back then as well, another vampire who'd understood her and whom she could turn to with her questions and uncertainties. There had been Walter as well, the kindly butler who had been almost a sort of grandfatherly figure to her until he had shown the true colors of his treachery.

Seras had lost so many connections since then. Sure, she still had Sir Integra. Her boss had been surprisingly comforting ever since they had worked to rebuild the organization together. Seras supposed Integra was in much that same boat as she was. After all, the head of Hellsing had suffered equal or great losses to Seras' during the war. Integra would often check in to make sure Seras was comfortable and had everything she needed, and some evenings when vampire activity was slow Integra would even call Seras to her office simply to chat. Yes, Integra's company had been absolutely vital over the past two years, but her companionship alone simply wasn't enough.

Seras knew it was different with the troops now than it had been with the Wild Geese. Back when she'd worked with the Geese the existence of vampires had still been under wraps. They'd barely believed Seras was a vampire in the first place, and they'd had no idea what she was truly capable of. They'd had no reason to fear her. These days, with vampire presence common knowledge and the destruction of London still fresh in everyone's minds, fear and hatred towards vampires was at an all time high.

True, none of the troops treated Seras unkindly, at least not to her face. In training she commanded an amount of respect she would never have thought possible from a group of highly trained soldiers. Yet she could see what was lurking just behind their eyes. She picked it up in their thoughts without meaning to. They didn't trust her. Some of them even feared her.

She was constantly held at an arm's length. The only interactions she had with her fellow Hellsing members were the training sessions she ran and the occasional mission she was sent on with them. These were always conducted in a wholly professional manner, with Seras as the central authority rather than an equal, and when they were through she would watch as the others went off, talking and laughing and enjoying their humanity. It was in those moments that Seras realized how profoundly lonely she really was.

Pleased that she had at least disguised herself appropriately, Seras turned and left her chambers, making her way up the heavy set of stone steps that led down into the basement. Her quarters were in the same wing of the mansion where most of the troops were housed. It was perhaps a bit unorthodox for Sir Integra to have all of her troops living in what was essentially a private residence, but then Seras supposed Hellsing had never exactly been traditional, and the mansion did serve as the organization's base of operations. In any case it certainly paid to have everyone close at hand for emergencies. Those who signed on with Hellsing were not the type to have outside interests. Hellsing was their home, their job and their life's purpose. Seras could attest to that.

Continuing on her way, she ascended the last of the steps and came out on the main floor. The sun had fully set now and this floor of the mansion was deserted. It was the soldiers' night off from training, so they were all likely up in their quarters on the second floor. Seras found herself actually wishing for a mission to come up. That would be far preferable to another night spent wandering the mansion on her own. Perhaps she would pop in on Sir Integra later if the night proved uneventful.

For the moment though Seras headed towards the kitchen. She had her own fridge that was well stocked with a supply of medical blood. She knew the sight of it tended to put the other recruits off, so Seras usually tried to take her meals when there was no one else about. She had given up on denying herself blood long ago. She still refused to drink it from the source, but she allowed herself the blood packets. A malnourished vampire was no use to anyone, after all.

Seras had just reached her destination and removed a fresh packet of blood from the fridge when a new sound reached her ears, barely perceptible even in the otherwise silent halls of the mansion. She paused and listened, her superior hearing picking up the disturbance with ease.

For a moment Seras wondered if she should just leave it alone. This was none of her business and it was likely unwise for her to get involved. Still, starved as she was for some sort of social interaction she simply couldn't help herself. It couldn't hurt for her just to take a look after all. If it was nothing she would leave the situation alone.

That decided, Seras melted into the shadows. There were few things simpler for a vampire then remaining discrete in the darkness. She made her way down the hall, following the noise to its point of origin.

She stopped at the entrance to a small study at the end of the hall. Seras was quite certain she'd never even noticed the room before. There were so many redundant studies and parlors in the mansion she doubted even Sir Integra had explored them all.

She peered around the threshold, still hidden in shadow. Inside was a single woman, roughly in her mid to late 20s by Seras' guess. She had curled herself into a small ball in one of the armchairs in the corner and was sobbing quietly.

For the second time Seras debated turning back and leaving this situation alone. Yet she found she was still unable to stop herself. She made herself visible as she stepped over the threshold, allowing her footsteps to be heard in order to alert the woman to her presence.

The other woman's head shot up at once. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. It was likely she hadn't expected anyone to find her here in this remote corner of a dark hallway. A moment later, when she realized exactly who it was standing in the doorway, her panic increased. Seras could hear the woman's heart beating as though it were about to burst through her chest.

"O-Officer Victoria," she stammered, almost falling over herself in an attempt to stand at attention.

Now that the woman's face was in plain view Seras recognized her as one of the members of the newest batch of recruits. Seras had made a point to learn all of the recruits' names before their training had bergun, and so she knew this woman's name was Alison Wright.

"O-oh, no need for that," Seras said, waving her arms in front of her to dismiss the gesture. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I just have very good hearing and well…" she trailed off but the other woman seemed to catch Seras' meaning as she hastily began to wipe the tears from her eyes. Seras knew she was intruding, but at the same time she wondered what had caused this woman to seek refuge in a dark study on her night off.

Seras noticed the woman was staring nervously at something. Following her gaze, Seras realized it was on the packet of medical blood she still had clutched in her right hand. Feeling awkward, she quickly hid the offending object behind her back and said, "So uh…everything all right?"

The woman, Alison, didn't seem to know how to respond. Seras could tell she was afraid. Though Seras was not yet quite proficient at reading minds, a skill her Master had not deigned to teach her before he'd gone and disappeared, she often picked up bits of emotion or stray thoughts, and right now the fear coming off of the woman across from her was almost palpable. This woman didn't trust Seras and she didn't want to be alone in a dark room with a vampire.

To her credit though, Alison hid it well. Seras could see her eyes darting towards the doorway, but Alison kept her voice calm and steady as she replied, "Yes I'm fine. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

Seras was not giving up that easily. "So, do you normally find yourself alone in dark studies at the back of the mansion then?" she asked. She'd meant it to be a friendly jest but clearly it came off as slightly predatory because she could hear the woman's heart rate skyrocket once more. A thought that was not her own drifted through Seras' mind.

No one will be able to hear me scream from here.

Seras flinched internally. Even when she was trying her damnedest to seem nonthreatening, they all still viewed her in the same light as the vampires that Hellsing hunted. Unable to control herself any longer, Seras said, "Oh come on. I'm not going to hurt you! Why do you think I'm walking around with medical blood in a baggy?" To emphasize her point she brought the packet of blood out from behind her back and tossed it onto a nearby armchair.

The woman across from her seemed to have no clue how to react to this outburst. Alison didn't know that Seras had accidentally read her mind so the vampire's sudden irritation probably made her seem a bit unhinged.

Seras didn't wait for a response before she continued speaking. She couldn't stop herself. She had a lot of pent up feelings and a captive audience. The woman across the room continued to stare at her, aghast.

"I mean, what have I ever done to any of you?" Seras asked, "I've only ever tried to help and you just look at me like I'm some kind of monster." She paused for a moment before adding, "Well I suppose I am a monster, but I'd never hurt anyone!"

Alison still seemed completely at a loss for how to respond to Seras. She now seemed more nervous that Seras would continue to rant at her than she was that the vampire would attack.

"I- I-," Alison stuttered for a moment. She seemed to be trying to think up an appropriate response. Finally she said, "I've just received word that my cousin died."

Seras deflated instantly. She already regretted her outburst. She'd come in here to see if she could help and she'd managed to frighten Alison half to death and then yell at her. She was doing a bang up job so far.

"Oh! I'm so sorry to hear that," Seras said awkwardly. She hoped if perhaps she pretended her little tirade hadn't happened they could just move past it. "Are you okay?"

Alison looked at Seras for a moment as though trying to decide if she really wanted to have this conversation. After a few seconds she seemed to concede, "It wasn't even vampires or anything like that, you know. He was killed in an automobile accident," she said. Her voice was beginning to waver, "I just keep thinking, what use is it for me to be working at Hellsing, trying to fight monsters and vampires, if I can't keep the people I care about from dying. It all just feels so useless."

"Hellsing is not useless," Seras said, almost startling herself with how adamant she sounded. She could tell Alison was a bit surprised too. Seras backtracked slightly, "Um, what I man is you'll never be able to save everyone. I'm very sorry to hear about what happened to your cousin, but Hellsing has kept so many people from being killed. Just because we can't stop all the bad things in the world from happening doesn't mean that what this organization does isn't extremely important."

Seras realized how passionately she felt the words even as she was speaking them. She had always believed in Hellsing and its mission, she had just never spoken the feelings aloud before.

Alison was looking at Seras with a strange look on her face. After a moment she said, "Why do you work for Hellsing, Miss Victoria?"

Seras was momentarily caught off guard. She'd never been asked such a question before. She'd been Hellsing's pet vampire for two years now. It came as naturally to her as not breathing.

"The same reasons as you I expect," she responded, "I want to protect people."

Alison was still looking Seras in mild confusion. She seemed to be deciding whether to push this line of questioning further. After a beat she said, "No I just meant…well you're a vampire aren't you? Why do you want to help humans? All of the other vampires just kill and destroy and suck blood. I don't understand why you're here."

Alison seemed very nervous about the fact that she'd just said such things, but Seras appreciated her honesty. She'd already known that this was what a lot of the recruits thought of her. She supposed it was suspicious. Seras herself had never met another vampire who valued human life the way she did. Even her Master, who had worked with Hellsing years before she had, had not cared the least bit for individual human lives. She had no real answer to give.

"I can't really say," Seras replied, "My parents were killed when I was very young. I was a police officer before I…died. My whole life I just wanted to protect people. I suppose that didn't really change when I became what I am now."

There was a brief period of silence. Alison still seemed a bit confused but all traces of fear seemed to have left her. "Oh, I'm sorry about you parents," she said.

Seras shook her head. "That was a long time ago," she said, "but thank you."

Alison still seemed to have questions. Her cheeks were still damp with tears but she seemed to have forgotten her distress in the face of the unexpected conversation she was having.

"So…how long have you been…?" she trailed off but Seras caught her meaning.

"Oh um, just a bit over two years now," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. She often played up the fact that she was a vampire at training to try to make the troops more comfortable with it, but now that Alison was asking these sorts of questions Seras felt a bit like she was on display.

Alison seemed surprised by that answer, "Really? So…you're actually younger than me?"

"I suppose so," Seras replied, "I'm just about 22."

This was clearly a surprise. "22?" Alison said, her disbelief evident, "For some reason everyone seems to think you're a lot older than that. I would never have guessed that you're five years younger than I am."

"Oh, well I suppose it is hard to tell with vampires," Seras responded, still slightly uncomfortable.

Silence hung in the air between them for a moment, each apparently at a loss for what to say.

"Well, I supposed it is a bit sad to be sitting alone in a dark room on my night off," Alison said finally. "I haven't had supper and I suppose you um…" she paused for a moment, eyeing the bag of blood that was still sitting on an arm chair across the room, "you haven't eaten yet either. I don't suppose you'd like to join me?"

Seras could tell Alison was still a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation. Nonethless she saw the other woman's words, as well as the implication that she didn't mind if Seras drank blood in front of her, for what they were – a gesture of good faith.

Seras smiled. "I'd love to."