A/N: This was a fun chapter to write. I envision Wynter as being cool, a woman of few words, that sort of thing. I hope I get that point across in this chapter. Or at least something along those lines.

Seven

Like Integra predicted, Alucard showed up again a few days later and by this point, four new cases had appeared dealing with the irate fledglings. Integra had summoned Alucard and Wynter to her office. Wynter had been given a Hellsing uniform similar to Seras's uniform, but she adamantly refused to wear it. She said that she had no real place in Hellsing, so there wasn't any point. She stood before Integra wearing her usual outfit of black pants, black shirt with the slits cut into them to allow freedom for her black wings and black cloak draped over them. The only color on her was her red eyes. Her bangs hung low over them and Integra was both amazed and slightly disturbed by how similar she was to Alucard.

"First of all, from what I understand, your power is quite impressive, Wynter," Integra pointed out. "You seem to be more alike with Alucard than you originally let on,"

"It's just a coincidence," Alucard said, "I noticed that on her first day."

"I see. Well then, Wynter, do you understand the situation?"

"Yes, I do. There's a vampire creating fledglings constantly and at seemingly random intervals with physically and mentally similar people, then completely abandoning them moments after awakening to fend for themselves, resulting in an outbreak of ghouls across the country,"

Integra nodded in approval, "I'm impressed; you're quite well informed," she said. "And do you know why we sent Alucard to find you?"

"Because I'm likely the third most powerful vampire in England," Wynter said, "As well as the third oldest surviving vampire in England,"

Here, Integra raised an eyebrow.

"Third in both instances?"

"Whoever is causing this disruption is the second in both instances," Alucard said, filling in the blanks. "I'm well over five hundred years of age, whereas Wynter is only a hundred and fifty-two. Our little convict is somewhere between those two numbers,"

"Furthermore, I don't intend to let him stay at second," Wynter snarled. "I want nothing more than to return to my lonely lifestyle,"

Alucard smirked, peering down at her from beneath his hat. "You're beginning to sound like Helena," he muttered. Wynter scowled at him and turned away sharply.

"In the meantime," Integra interrupted, "These fledglings are getting out of control. While you were recuperating, we received word that a total of twenty vanished women, all the ages of nineteen, have reappeared as reanimated corpses. Obviously, our vampire has settled on an age from which to choose. Of these fledglings, only four are left. Alucard was able to track down and kill the other sixteen. The four remaining ones are the strongest of the lot and have hidden themselves amongst the populace of London's heart. Wynter, we want you to finish off these remaining fledglings, do you understand?"

"Yes, but why me? Clearly, Alucard is strong enough to take them down by himself. Why do you want me to handle such a petty job?"

Integra smirked. "Quite frankly, Wynter, I'd like to see you in action," she said, "I've seen what Alucard can do. But you are his first fledgling and I'd like to know whether or not you'll be of any use to us. Alucard tells me that of all his fledglings, you inherited the most power from him. So I'd like you to prove yourself to Hellsing by eliminating these vampires in a rather difficult situation; they won't leave London for fear of their own safety. I want you to destroy them without endangering human life,"

Wynter made a noise of disgust. "Jeez, you humans are all the same," she snapped, "You don't beat around the bush, do you, Integra," she growled.

"I'd watch it if I were you, Wynter," Alucard said slyly, "My master's temper is something to be feared even by me,"

"Watch it, both of you," Integra grumbled irritably, "Alucard, you're to accompany her, this time as backup."

"Understood, master," Alucard said. Wynter, however, didn't look too sure.

//ooo//

Wynter was allowed outside during the day due to her ability to withstand sunlight. But that day, she didn't feel like going out. Instead, she found herself sitting up on the roof until dusk fell. Now, because the sunlight's harsh rays were less dangerous to normal vampires, Seras Victoria could come out of relative hiding.

Looking back, Seras guessed that everything changed that very night.

"Hey!"

She turned at the sound of some of the new recruits over on one of the training grounds behind the main building. They'd set up a makeshift volleyball court. Seras wasn't sure where these guys were from, but she knew that volleyball was popular there.

"What?" she called.

"Hey, you're that creepy vampire chick, right? How about playing a last game with us?"

The boy who spoke, Seras was pretty sure was sweet on her. He was nice, but he took her current condition a little too easily for Seras's liking.

"No, it's okay," she said, holding her hands up defensively. His face crinkled in amusement, brushing a strand of red hair from his face as he started to laugh. "Hey, get this guys, she's scared she'll lose!" he crowed. Seras scowled. "I am not scared I'll lose, I just don't feel like playing!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, right. But then again, you are a girl, after all," the guy said. Seras then remembered his name was Wally Copperfield. She was about to reply when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned.

"Wynter?" she said in confusion as the elder vampire appeared beside her, eying the boys in an almost predatory manner.

"Seras," she said quietly, "Do you consider two against five unfair?"

"H-Huh?" Seras exclaimed. Wally and his friends eyed each other in amazement and Wally smirked, pulling his arm back and launching the ball at Seras. Wynter lashed out, struck it with lightning speed into the air, whirled and then punched it back at them, smacking Wally directly in the stomach and knocking him flat.

Seras just gaped at Wynter as she straightened up with a sigh. "Well, Seras?" she asked, completely monotone.

"B-But Wynter, I—" Seras stammered.

"Hey, it's not like it'll be a long game anyway," Wally sneered as he struggled to his feet, coughing, "It's almost curfew. Lets' say, first to seven points is the winner? How about it? I'll even let you serve first,"

He hurled the ball at Wynter. She caught the fast moving projectile without taking her eyes off Wally and his friends as they moved into position on the makeshift court. Wynter stepped back to the right corner of their side of the net while Seras just watched helplessly.

"Wynter," she complained. The elder vampire eyed her slyly, the corners of her mouth twitching, "Relax, Seras, everything will be fine. Just trust me. Do you know how to play?"

"Um, a little bit."

"Good. A little bit's all we need," Wynter said with a smile. "Lets' give these morons a demonstration of how fast we are, hm?"

Seras smiled in spite of herself and copied Wynter's slightly hunched stance, feet spread apart about shoulders width. Wynter backed up slightly, shifting the ball to her left hand. Her eyes flashed red and to Seras, everything seemed to move in slow motion as she tossed the ball into the air above her head, bringing her right hand back.

Whack!!

Wally and his buddies blinked in amazement as the ball zoomed past their heads, bouncing just within the boundary lines on their side of the court and rolled to a stop thirty feet away.

"Wha-what the hell?" Wally exclaimed. One of the guys behind him grew nervous; "I uh, think we're in trouble, guys," he muttered.

"What a bullet! That girl's dynamite!" another guy exclaimed in amazement. Seras blinked and turned to look at Wynter, standing with her hand resting on her hip, watching them blankly. "I believe that's a point for us," she said. "Our serve—again."

"F-Fine," Wally snapped, "But this time, Seras serves!"

"What!?" Seras exclaimed in shock. But she didn't have time to argue it as Wynter moved her into her previous position and took Seras's spot on the court. She caught the ball Wally threw at her and tossed it lightly to Seras, who looked about ready to throw up. Wynter smiled, "Do an underhand serve," she said, going through the motions and pantomiming an underhand serve. "Do that, just like I did. Throw your weight into the ball."

Seras assumed the position, eying the ball in her left hand and feeling the perspiration beading on her brow. "Wynter, maybe you should—"

"You can do it, Seras. Go ahead and give it a try," Wynter muttered encouragingly. Seras swallowed and then nodded to her. She pulled her arm back and swung it downward to hit the ball, launching it upward toward the other side of the court.

"Nice, Seras!" Wynter said as one of the guys on Wally's side dove to save it, enabling Wally to set it up for another teammate who jumped up, preparing to spike it. Wynter dashed forward, intercepting it and tapping it back over the net before any of them could retrieve it.

"Two points," Wynter declared, turning to Seras. She smiled. "Nice, Seras," she commented. "Ready to serve up another scorcher?"

"If you don't mind, could you do it this time?" Seras asked, laughing nervously. Wynter smiled and shook her head, moving to take her place. "Okay, we'll take turns," she said. She took the ball and tossed it up again.

Seras was soon able to see that Wynter could control the amount of power she forced into her serves. She could set up a farce that suggested a cannonball forced serve, but turned out to be a gentle dink once the opposite team's guard was down, or she could set up for a gentle tap and at the last second, launch the ball into the air with the force of a gunshot. When it came to digs and dives, Wynter was unstoppable. She'd throw herself down for the ball and catch it just before it hit the ground, allowing Seras to get it back up high enough for Wynter to get to her feet and spike it over in the blink of an eye. She played so gracefully that Seras almost considered it a type of fighting style for her. When she wasn't being called on to strike, Seras just watched her 'older sister' fight, slowly bringing Wally and his team into submission.

Bam!!

The ball struck the ground with precision force, halting the final score at 2/7, Wally's only two points made because Seras hadn't been able to return the ball in time. Wynter grinned and brushed her hair from her face. "Game, set and match, boys. That was more fun than I expected," she said as she wandered off the court to the bewildered stares of Wally and the other guys. Seras hurried after her, matching her stride.

"Wynter, that was amazing! Where did you learn to play like that?"

"I spent some time playing in local tournaments in another town, working off stress a few years ago. It's good because I can relieve tension without killing anything this way," Wynter replied.

"That was cool," Seras said, smiling. "I guess we showed them not to challenge you to volleyball, huh?"

"I suppose so," Wynter mumbled, smiling. Seras chuckled. "Hey, I know. Why don't we go hang out in my room?"

Wynter stared at her in confusion and slight apprehensiveness. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Why not? We're sisters after all," Seras countered lightly. She grabbed Wynter's arm and dragged her away toward the main building.

All the time the game had been going on, though, everyone had been unaware of an extra pair of eyes watching from the rooftops. Alucard followed them with his eyes as they disappeared around the corner. Then he turned, dissipating into mist as he went and vanishing to sight.

//ooo//

Despite being a vampire, Seras found that she could still have things like tea and such. She asked Walter if she could make some and after having gotten permission, brewed some ginger tea for herself and for Wynter. She took it back to her room and found Wynter looking at a photograph on the table. Seras approached, smiling sadly as Wynter looked up.

"Who are they?" she asked.

Seras picked up the photo and sighed. "They were my teammates from D-11," she said quietly, "They were all killed the night I met master. He got there in time to only save me. It was too late for them,"

"I see," Wynter said, "I'm sorry,"

"No, it's fine. I don't mind my new life too much, though it was extremely difficult to get used to. You and master make it seem so easy to be vampires."

"It takes time. Don't forget; the two of us are considerably older than you are," Wynter said, "My first few days were clumsy and chaotic. Because I couldn't remember anything, I was terrified of being left alone. I'm afraid I caused Alucard quite a bit of trouble with my anxiety. But he was patient with me and taught me everything I know. It's funny; there was a time when he was absolutely everything to me. All I ever wanted in life was to make Alucard proud of me. Despite my fear, I strove to be the best vampire, even better than Alucard himself, impossible as that is,"

She accepted the tea Seras handed to her and sipped it lightly. "But a dream is only beautiful because it remains a dream," she said quietly, "And my time with him will always be a precious memory,"

"Wynter, Alucard mentioned that you were taken away from him. Would you tell me what he meant by that?"

Wynter bowed her head slightly, her nail chipping a crack in the porcelain cup. "I'd rather not speak of it right now, if it's all the same to you, Seras. I'll tell you one of these days because you deserve to know after being so kind to me. But after meeting him again after so long, it's a little difficult right now. All I can say right now is that I was separated from him long before I was ready and before I'd drunk blood of my own will. Because of this, I doubt that I'll ever be able to free myself from him and expect to survive."

Seras stared at her in disbelief, cradling her cup in her hands. "You know, Wynter, Alucard is often mean to me, being a little harsh and refusing to call me by my name most of the time. I have to admit, for the most part, he terrifies me. But at the same time, he's...how do I put it?"

"Don't bother trying. I've tried to describe it too. Humans may portray it as love or as parental adoration. It's not one, it's not the other, but it's a strange mixture of both at the same time, while simultaneously neither. What we're trying to describe is the bond formed between master and fledgling servant and it's nearly impossible," Wynter said, grinning lopsidedly.

"That's right," Seras said, "As scary as he is, I can't imagine life without him,"

"That's good. I'm jealous, Seras," Wynter mumbled.

"Why?"

"Because the way it is now, there's no way Alucard would allow what happened to me to happen to you. As indifferent as he may pretend to be toward you, you can count on his protection if he deems that you truly need it."

"Wynter?"

Wynter sighed and finished her tea. "I know I just told you something different, but you deserve to know," she said bitterly. She paused, as though deciding where to begin.

"Wynter, what happened?" Seras pried gently. Wynter sighed again and looked away, a pained expression taking hold of her face, "An advanced scientific faction took us by surprise," she mumbled, "We were just outside France. I'd been a vampire for a little over a month by this time, but I already showed sufficient skill. I still relied on Alucard, though. I childishly told him that I was never going to leave and he allowed me to believe that. He told me that a time would come when I'd choose to leave of my own accord. One day, Alucard seemed a little distracted. He couldn't place what he was sensing. Right then, something huge shot out of the trees around us. Alucard didn't react quickly enough, having been taken off guard. Whatever that thing was, it cut his head off, incapacitating him. He'd already warned me in advance what happened should his head ever be cut off, so I knew he wasn't dead. But something was coming toward us. My last sight was him lying on the ground before something covered my eyes. My hands were bound and I was gagged because I'd started screaming for him to help me. I was dragged away from him and I never saw him again,"

She stopped talking and Seras felt her hands shaking. "Wynter," she stammered, "That...that's just...." she trailed off, too horrified for words. "But then, why couldn't he find you?"

"For some reason, our telepathic bond was severed and I was taken to an island off the coast of Japan. I assume he couldn't track my whereabouts because of this,"

"So, then what happened there?" Seras asked.

"I was put through experiments worse than torture. Special drugs were tested on me, often with horrific results. One time, I actually clawed out my own throat because of one and nothing was done to help me. They didn't even try to calm me down so I could regenerate faster. I was restrained with silver and whenever I disobeyed their orders and I was punished by being chained to the roof to sit in the sun for hours unending. Of course, the sun can't actually kill me, but prolonged exposure will cause me great suffering."

She reached back and pulled her hair away from the base of her neck, turning so Seras could see it. "This was my brand," she explained. It was similar in shape to the Chinese Yin and Yang, but with lines with barbed ends and two dots in the dead center.

"What does it mean?" Seras asked.

"I don't know. But anything brought to that place underwent branding and experimentation. The entire time I was there, I heard them saying how they wanted to dissect me alive, to take scans of my brain and other terms I'd never heard before. Remember, this was back in the late 1800's, so this type of scientific progress was unheard of. Who knows what they'd be like today if they'd been allowed to continue," Wynter mumbled, slightly hesitant in her answer.

"I see," Seras mumbled, "I'm sorry, Wynter,"

"For what?"

"For making you recall all of this. I shouldn't have said anything,"

Seras just stared at the table, not looking at Wynter. Wynter cocked her head in confusion and concern. "Seras," she muttered, "Are you all right?"

"No," Seras murmured, "Actually, I'm not. Wynter, I feel so guilty. I feel like this is all my fault. I shouldn't be here; you should still be with Alucard because you're still his fledgling and you were taken away from him!"

"Seras, don't talk like that," Wynter scolded, "I'm a hundred and fifty-two years old, I would have broken away from him long before now had I stayed." Wynter told her.

"It doesn't matter," Seras said quietly. "I still feel guilty about it. Master—I mean, Alucard was the only thing you had after you were changed. Even before he turned you, he was all you had left."

Wynter sighed heavily and reached across the table to take her hand, smiling warmly. "Seras Victoria," she said, "Listen to me. I'm glad things are like they are right now. As of late, I've begun to recall things through my dreams and write them down once I awaken and they're still fresh. I've been able to piece together Helene over the passage of four years. Now that I can recall her, I have to say how much you resemble her. This is why I'm glad you're here because it's like I have my little sister back with me in a reincarnate form. Seras, you are an absolute joy to be around."

Seras smiled faintly, but she still seemed unconvinced. Wynter sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "You're hard to convince, you know that?" she said wryly. "Ah, no matter. We're sisters, like you said. Just chew on what I told you for a while and I'll be waiting for my triumphant victory,"

Seras looked up and Wynter just smiled, folding her hands under her chin.

//ooo//

Darkness surrounded a forgotten place, lost to the sands of time within the suburbs of a beautiful populace, trapped between the seconds. Marseilles had once been the home of the prestigious Beaumont family, but now, with their home in shambles on the outskirts of town, talk was being circulated of building a more modern structure there. However, should a human glance at the crumbling structure, he'd see only what his eyes showed him. If he were to venture inside, it was likely he'd never emerge ever again.

Seated atop the grand staircase, reassembled through dark magic along with the rest of the innards of the house, a lone figure pondered his current situation. Training his red eyes on his ghouls milling about below and the young girl seated several feet away from him, he sighed and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"It's quite a fine day, isn't it?" he said.

"Hm," the girl replied, kicking the banister she sat upon. She brushed a handful of thick red hair from her eyes and slouched irritably in boredom. "I'm so sick of this sitting around collecting ghouls and weak vampires," she growled, "When are we going to make a move?"

"When I feel the time is right, of course," the man said. He reached back and his slender fingers sliced through his thin black ponytail before coming to rest on his upraised knee. "I don't want to act too quickly and scare away my prey, correct?"

The girl snorted. "I don't see why you want to go after her. She abandoned you, after all? Besides, she's a vampire, now. She's not useful anymore, right?"

"Wrong. Vampires are constantly evolving and adapting. Those silly little human legends about us are nothing but poppycock and old wives' tales to be told to children at bedtime to pacify their very real fears," he drawled, "Very real fears that we will appear and spirit them away," he said with a dramatic wave of his thin hand. "I intend to savor this hunt. Genevieve won't escape me forever. Soon, very soon, she'll be mine. Her asking to be changed by that pest, Alucard was a minor setback, but a useful one, nonetheless. Of course, I should have been the one to change her, but she saw to it to deny me that basic pleasure. I'll be sure to ask her of it once we are reunited."

He cast a knowing glance at the girl, glaring off into space. "But if I were to set you free, you'd seek to kill her yourself, on orders from that man you've been assisting."

"I hate you," the girl snapped, "The Iscariot Organization treats me like a human. You treat me like dirt,"

"You are a human. But you've been cursed with longevity by werewolves, fated to grow slowly and die alone. The Iscariot Organization abuses your unique blessing and directs it toward their own lowly causes. Hellsing and Iscariot are quite the thorns in my side in my path to achieving what I desire most; the love of Genevieve Du Beaumont. Surely you of all people understand this, Helene Du Beaumont," Louis said with a smirk.