Authoress: You guys are so lucky I love this story and really want to get to the sequels!

Alucard: They are lucky? How about me? I GET DRAGGED AROUND EVERYWHERE IN THIS THING?

Rachel: (sniff) Y-you don't l-like me? (runs off crying)

Alucard: Wait, no! That's not what I meant, Rachel!

Authoress: Look what you did not Ally. You made a little girl cry.

Zoe: For shame.

Alucard: Wait, but I-! I didn't mean-! Well… I-

Disclaimer: I don't own the jerk that makes kids cry nor his other friends, Hellsing in general.

I'm Not Asking for Help

Chapter 10: Can We Get Back to Reality Now?

Dracula. Dracula. Dracula. Come on, it had to be in here somewhere! Stalin, Sticklin, Stockholm, oh where was that stupid thing? The library was big enough to hold any sort of literature. Oh! There it was! Stoker!

Eager hands snatched up the book that should not have even been in publication in the time frame they had landed themselves in. Well, it depended. If they were in the Dracula story, it wasn't supposed to be here, but if they had just stepped back in time. Well, jumped back in time, or was sailed back in time? Argh! She was confusing herself! Taking the book with her, Rachel headed out of the large ship's library and to the deck again.

"This is why I hate dresses!" the young girl said as she stumbled towards the railing that 'the Count' stood at. The deck was nearly deserted now, people finding it a bit cold to remain outside. Besides, there was music, older and cultured, filtering out from the ballroom below; music that called to all the young ladies and their gentlemen. Soon, most of the ship passengers were down below dancing happily with each other.

Clinging to the railing, the 15-year-old steadied herself upon the silver-buckled heels that adorned her feet and stared out at the sea. The water was no longer making her very sick. Were they going slower? Looking up at the smoke stacks; she counted and looked at the smoke. There was technology for you. A bit behind the times, she thought as she looked to the book in her hands. Well, at least the library had not jumped back like they had.

"I think the dress looks nice on you," the finely dressed vampire mentioned from beside the dark-red clad girl. She threw a glare in his direction before opening the book and beginning to read intently.

"You shouldn't enjoy this too much. If we get stuck here, then the England we are going to may not be the England you remember," the youngster told him, but it didn't have the desired affect. The vampire's grin grew and he seemed to almost chuckle maniacally. It wasn't funny to Rachel. It was fascinating, but not funny.

The only reason 'his lordship' was finding this amusing was because he could feel his old power, all of it, returning to his veins. He was even remembering how to use it properly. If he chose, he could try and form into a cloud of bats, fog, or bugs and book it out of here. Then again, he could feel a strange barrier around just the ship. He had a feeling leaving here may be a bit harder than the original plan. Pushing from the railing, the vampire headed to the ballroom.

There was something… sinister, calling to him from that ballroom. Like he couldn't control himself, he made his way towards the music.

"Where are you going? Alucard, we should stay hidden still! We don't know where we are!" the girl called after him. The vampire stopped and looked back at the girl.

"Rachel, really, you should try and keep my name in mind. Here, I'm known as Count Dracula. Try to keep up formalities. I'm going to join the festivities. It is a ball after all," he said in an almost cocky manner. Then, he waved and headed towards the large music hall, where laughing and music was filtering out merrily.

"Fine then, you jerk! I'll go and try and find out what the hell this is all about!" she yelled after him and stomped back to the cabin they had come from. Huffing slightly, she threw herself onto the bed. Turning on the hurricane lantern that sat on the night-stand next to her bed, she began to read from the book.

Within minutes, the poor girl was sucked into the story and reading intently by dim light. As she made her way through the story, she began to sit up more and more, almost reading out loud to herself.

"It is the eve of St. George's Day. Do you not know that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway? Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?" She was in such evident distress that I tried to comfort her, but without effect. Finally, she went down on her knees and implored me not to go; at least to wait a day or two before starting.

Farther into the story, Rachel could not contain her voice and began to read aloud the story of Jonathan Harker and his terrible trip to the castle of one Vlad Dracula.

It has always been at night-time that I have been molested or threatened, or in some way in danger or in fear. I have not yet seen the Count in the daylight. Can it be that he sleeps when others wake, that he may be awake whilst they sleep? If I could only get into his room! But there is no possible way. The door is always locked, no way for me.

Flying through the pages, Rachel looked for some kind of sign that she knew why they were in this mess. Then she came to a few familiar passages. Things that came into alignment began to spook her. It was then that she noticed that the music has stopped and she could no longer hear the laughing and the singing from before. How strange. Shaking her head, she looked back to the pages.

One of the greatest and suddenest storms on record has just been experienced here, with results both strange and unique. The weather had been somewhat sultry, but not to any degree uncommon in the month of August.

A storm. It couldn't be. The same storm? No, that was just a coincidence that they hit a storm last night. Those kinds of things happened all the time. Especially on the sea, storms weren't that uncommon.

Before long the searchlight discovered some distance away a schooner with all sails set, apparently the same vessel which had been noticed earlier in the evening. The wind had by this time backed to the east, and there was a shudder amongst the watchers on the cliff as they realized the terrible danger in which she now was.

Alright, so there was a boat in the storm. Big deal. What did that mean? Rachel read on. Oh, the boat ran onto ground. That was never a good sign. Reading more, Rachel realized that the news article having been pasted in Mina Harker's diary then described what was on the ship. No one alive.

It is a good way round from the West Cliff by the Drawbridge to Tate Hill Pier, but your correspondent is a fairly good runner, and came well ahead of the crowd. When I arrived, however, I found already assembled on the pier a crowd, whom the coastguard and police refused to allow to come on board. By the courtesy of the chief boatman, I was, as your correspondent, permitted to climb on deck, and was one of a small group who saw the dead seaman whilst actually lashed to the wheel.

No, this couldn't be. All the people on the ship? Dead?! Rachel began to shake slightly. There was no sound anymore on the ship, none. She couldn't even hear the din of the engines anymore. She risked a glance at the text once more.

A good deal of interest was abroad concerning the dog which landed when the ship struck, and more than a few of the members of the S. P.C.A., which is very strong in Whitby, have tried to befriend the animal. To the general disappointment, however, it was not to be found. It seems to have disappeared entirely from the town. It may be that it was frightened and made its way on to the moors, where it is still hiding in terror.

D-dog? No, it COULDN'T be. The only survivor was a dog that ran off as soon as the door opened. Rachel seemed to shutter lightly. Grabbing the book, she ran out of the room and towards the ballroom. This couldn't be right. Maybe they were just caught in some weird parallel universe and if they ran into another storm everything would be just fine. That had to be it. Or something along those lines had to be it! Oh, where was Alucard?

Silver-buckled heels were suddenly flung over board as the teen got fed up with running around in them. She had searched the length of the hallway and the galley. The dark-haired teen even checked the deck before she made her way to the ballroom. He had to be there. There was no other place he could be on the ship.

As she neared the ballroom doors, she heard small sounds, like one set of boots hitting the wood floors. That had to be him!

"Vlad, we've go to-" Rachel burst into the ballroom, but stopped when she saw what had become of the guests. Before she could stop it, a scream ripped from her throat and she backed away from it all.

Blood, that was the only way to describe it. There was a lot of blood and a lot of bodies. She resisted the urge to gag and closed her eyes. Alucard did this, she knew it. The young girl gasped out as she heard laughter and looked up as shadow began to form into a being, a man in black and red. It was Dracula. The girl in the dress took a step back, but the door closed and she suddenly felt very afraid.

"Good of you to join us, Rachel. I wanted you to see my true power," he said as he formed into his full self and took a step towards her. He looked sinister and evil, nothing like her friend.

"You killed them all. This is just like the book. Back then, you killed all those people on the boat," the girl stuttered out, throwing the book on the floor. The vampire inspected it before picking it up and laughably looking through it. Smirking to himself, he threw it behind him and took another step towards her. She took another step back, finding her back against the door. The teen seemed to crumble slightly and curl up at the food of the door.

"That was a weaker me, my girl. A being that could be contained by petty spells from a would-be alchemist and a lucky bastard of a fiancé," he sneered.

The vampire grinned and she could nearly count all the sharp teeth that gleamed back at her. Finally, he had all that power back. All the power he wished for. The creature that had been a weakling named Alucard just a day ago now was a strong Count once again. That thought alone made the vampire feel even better.

Dracula had been struck down by a meaningless and weakl human of a professor. He was glad to be back in this body. Looking around at the carnage that adorned the room now, bodies and blood met his eyes. All of this and now his power, it was all his again. Nothing could stop him. All of the world was his again.

His musings halted sharply however, when he heard something.

It was faint and soft, but it was there. Looking to the human, he blinked. There was a soft whimper, then a sniff. Rachel was hunched down, her knees pulled to her chest, her head buried in her arms. There was a small plipping sound as tears hit the ground. Rachel was crying. She was scared out of her mind. The adolescent form of the teen shook slightly as she tried to pretend that this would all go away. Things seemed to slam against the vampire and reality seemed to rush back to him.

"Oh, god, Rachel," he said as he fell to his knees before her and gathered her into his arms. What had he done? All the people, all the blood. Sure, he loved a good blood-bath, when it was bug-like vampires and their ghouls, not innocent civilians that had no qualm with him. And Rachel. Oh god, Rachel. He had scared her and broken his promise.

Before her eyes, the vampire's appearance seemed to melt into the red and black like before and his hat formed upon his head. The young girl looked up at him and wiped away some of her tears. The vampire from before was back.

"Alucard?" she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck. The vampire hugged her back. There was warmth again and the whole atmosphere seemed to melt away into only darkness.

"You're drooling," he muttered.

"WHAT?!" Rachel jumped up suddenly and….. promptly fell to the floor with a large thud. Rubbing her head, she looked up and blinked slightly. They were back in their cabin and she was on the floor. Looking up at the vampire who was curiously looking at her over the edge of the bed, Rachel blinked and groaned.

"I said you were drooling," the red-clad vampire said with a raised eyebrow. Rachel wiped her chin off and stood, shaking herself off a bit. Looking around, she saw her bag. Checking herself, she wore her jeans and a t-shirt again and her sneakers (Praise the Lord). Alucard was back in red and his yellow glasses sat on his face again. There was even an electric lamp on the bed-side table.

A dream, it had all been one stupid dream. Oh, that was so stupid, she had no idea what to say, so instead, she sat back down on the ground and lay back. There was light filtering in through the window and the day was dawning on them. There were no clouds in the sky. There were no more storms in the forecast for this ship.

"Hey, would you like to read something?" Alucard asked holding up a book. Rachel looked up at it. On the red cover, in black swirly words, was the name 'Dracula.'

"ARGH! NO!" she shouted and grabbed the pillow and putting it over her face. Alucard looked at her weird.

"Was it something I said?"

Authoress: A happy and funny ending to an otherwise sad and dark chapter. I shall soon get you to England, I swear! But look at it this way. You got two chapters in 48 hours! That's a record for me!!

Disclaimer 2: I DON'T OWN 'DRACULA' by BRAM STOKER!! All of the words in Italics are taken straight from that text. None of that is my writing. If you ever want to read the whole story, I suggest you find the book. It's a good read, but again, I OWN NOTHING FROM THAT!!

Authoress: Oh, and I would have elaborated on the state of the gore, but I don't think you guys would appreciate the story taking that kind of turn. Soooo… I kept it simple and a bit clean.

Zoe: Why don't you give them the other gift you had?

Authoress: Oh alright…. HAPPY EASTER YOU GUYS!!

Easter Special Side Episode- Rachel and Anderson Enjoy an Easter Sunday Morning

How did she end up in that scene? Oh yeah, because Alucard was off fighting some big bad vampire and couldn't leave the little human alone. Of course, the only one there at the moment happened to be Alexander Anderson. He had come to interrupt and in retribution, God decided to make him baby-sitter. Protestant or no, he couldn't attack an unarmed, under-aged human girl for no reason! So there they were: Priest and pre-teen, sitting on the steps of a church outside of Dublin, waiting for the red-dressed vampire to come out of the house that was a block away.

The dark-haired youth had her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin rested upon her knees. Sighing softly, she counted the seconds that went by in the silence. It was not like they had a lot to talk about. Suddenly, her watch went off and she looked to it. It was one of the reminders she had programmed into it.

It was Easter Sunder. That's what the message said as it scrolled across the illuminated screen. It was midnight, so that meant Saturday had just ended. The priest looked to the girl and blinked. Leaning over, he caught a glimpse of her watch and nodded to himself. So it was.

There was another silence that followed and he tried to think of something to say. The topic of Easter was a good place to start, so he took a breath and opened his mouth to start up a conversation that he hoped would go somewhere.

The teen let out a slight coughing fit as she breathed in the wrong air, most likely the smell of blood that was coming down the street, before he could even get a word out. He stumbled slightly, having had an idea he was going to use just be shot down by a completely random coughing fit caused by the heathen devils she had spent too much time around. Huffing slightly, the paladin muttered off something in Latin and seemed to deflate on the step he sat upon.

Putting his hands in his pockets, the priest got ready for another long silence before his fingers touched something in his pocket. Blinking, he pulled out a nicely decorated plastic Easter egg. Oh yes, the orphanage was having an Easter Egg hunt the next day and he had grabbed one of the easter-eggs on his way out for a random snack. Looking up, he noticed the teen was looking at the egg intently.

Silently, the priest offered the egg to her and she smiled brightly and took it. Popping it open, she smiled as she saw many brightly colored jelly-beans, assorted colors and sizes, all packed neatly in the half of the egg that she held gingerly in her smaller hand. The spirited young girl took one, green in color, and popped it into her mouth and chewed on the apple-flavored candy happily. Then, looking to the priest, she held out the small half of the egg in offering.

The blonde haired priest couldn't help but smile. Taking one, he chewed on it and swallowed. Tasted funny, but it was alright. Smiling in thanks, Anderson took another and ate it contently.

The two sat in perfect silence, munching on jelly-beans and watching the Easter morning pass them by rather tranquilly. Soon, the candies were spent and the egg was returned to its original shape.

Looking at it, she looked to him, as if to give it back. He shook his head, letting her keep it. Smiling happily, the teen slipped it into her pocket and sat there, the smile never leaving her lips.

It was only half an hour later did Alucard show up with a sigh and looked to Rachel, who was smiling. Then to the priest, who was simply leaning back against one of the steps, watching the vampire approach. Alucard rose an eyebrow in silent questioning.

The priest opened his mouth to say something, but the vampire held up his hand and silenced him. That was the second time some stepped on his good lines. Grabbing the teen's hand, Alucard made his way out of the small town, heading for their ride. Looking back, Rachel waved.

"Happy Easter!!" she called joyfully.

There was soft warmth that pooled in Anderson's heart. 'What a good lass,' he thought as he stood and started on his trek back to the train that would take him back to the Vatican. He had an Easter Egg Hunt to join.