A/N: Warning - Spoilers for Manga and OVA.
"Millennium? Never heard of them," said Katherine, leaning back in her desk chair and slipping her pencil behind her ear. Walter stood just behind her, scanning the various weapon designs she had sketched which lay scattered across her desk. The size and calculated weight of each scribbled in her small handwriting showed she was still in the habit of designing weapons with Alucard as the intended user in mind.
"I'm not surprised. They were before your time. Alucard and I fought with them nearly 50 years ago."
"But they're back now, is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, our forces will be deployed soon. Sir Integra is attempting to stop them before they can reach England."
"If you're here to try and convince me to return to the field, the answer is no."
"That was not my intention. I merely wanted to warn you. Millennium is very well organized. They have a large force that can be split up and sent to different destinations. With Alucard leaving the country soon, you will need to be careful."
"I don't need Alucard to always take care of me, Walter, despite what you may believe. I survived the first twenty-four years of my life just fine without him," she contradicted, her voice firm and unyielding. Walter sighed softly, having expected such a reply from the headstrong woman.
"Nevertheless, it would be wise to be on guard," replied the elderly butler, smiling tenderly down at her. She could not help but return the smile. Rising from her chair, she gave him a quick hug; "Thank you for your concern Walter, but I will be just fine," she assured.
Her expression suddenly changed to a thoughtful one, her brow knitting together, and she approached Walter with the question that had been burning in her mind since her last encounter with Alucard.
"Walter, can a human develop abilities similar to those of a vampire?" Startled by her question, Walter cocked his head to the side.
"I've never heard of such a concept. What makes you ask?"
"Alucard said something to me that made me wonder. . ." she replied, her voice trailing off. Something in Walter's surprised expression changed.
"There is a myth – a very old one – that suggests a powerful vampire may be able to bestow a human close to them with powers of protection, particularly if the vampire feels the human is under threat. It's never been proven though, and the few instances in history where we believe this phenomenon to have occurred have been poorly documented. You can imagine how people in the Middle Ages must have reacted to having one of their own suddenly develop unusual abilities. Needless to say, the humans were likely either run out of town or tried as a witch. Kit, you don't think that you – "
"Wouldn't changing the human be easier?" she interrupted before he could complete his question.
"Well yes, I suppose it would be, but if the human in question does not wish to become a vampire, then this would be the next best thing," Walter explained slowly, sensing they were approaching a sensitive subject. Katherine, however, scoffed at his remark.
"Why would a vampire care about what a human wants?"
Walter paused for a moment, searching her face.
"Regardless of what you may think, vampires are able to care about, and yes even love, a human. Alucard cares about you more than you realize."
Katherine stubbornly avoided his gaze, but he saw the flicker of suppressed emotion pass briefly across her face.
"Your fears are unfounded, Kit," Walter said with sudden boldness. Katherine looked up in surprise, her eyes widening.
"What are you – "
"You and I both know you have never feared Alucard, nor will you ever.
"He nearly killed me," she retorted, but Walter shook his head.
"I have seen you enter the battlefield without batting so much as an eyelid. Every moment you were with Alucard you stared death in the face, yet you did not back down. Why would that suddenly change in one instant? No, you cannot expect me to believe your reasons for giving up on Alucard are based on fear of death."
Anger flashed in Katherine's eyes, and the stubborn set of her jaw showed she was not going to discuss the matter. Walter, however, refused to give in just yet; not until he had gotten through to her. He was aware of what lay ahead of them. A great battle was rapidly approaching, and Alucard would not be at his best until things between him and Katherine had been resolved.
"Eternity is a long time – you have thought about this, haven't you."
All the warmth and friendliness of earlier faded away from Katherine's demeanor, and she folded her arms across her chest, glaring hostilely at Walter's intrusion into her private thoughts and concerns.
"Seeing as you are such an expert on my feelings, why don't you tell me what exactly it is that I fear?" she demanded.
"You are afraid of ending up like your mother – alone for the rest of your days."
His words stunned her, and her mask of anger faltered. Walter pressed on.
"We could all see what was happening. Even Sir Integra could tell you were falling in love with Alucard, and that frightened you, didn't it? When Alucard came so close to taking your human life and turning you, you started to think about what that would mean. Part of you would probably not mind spending the rest of eternity with Alucard, but the other part was worried that time would diminish his affection for you."
"I was afraid he would grow bored of me, or I of him. The uncertainty made me doubt my feelings; the only solution was to let him go before he let me go," she admitted softly, no longer fighting against the truth of Walter's words. She lowered her gaze for a moment before asking, "How did you know all this, Walter?"
"I have been around for long enough to understand the fleetingness of love. I know your history; I know you haven't yet been involved in any serious relationships before, so it stands to reason that you would be uncertain. But what you do not yet understand about Alucard is that time means nothing to him anymore. He is not bound to the fleeting nature of humans. If you died today, he would continue to love you for the rest of his existence."
Katherine mused over his words before turning her back on him and shaking her head firmly. "That means nothing coming from you, Walter. If he truly loves me as you say he does, then I need to hear him say so himself."
"Perhaps he is waiting for you," Walter suggested. Katherine ran her fingers through her hair, messing it up even more.
"I don't know Walter. Maybe it's better if things remain as they are now. I need time."
Time is running out, he wanted to say, but figured his words would fall on deaf ears now. It was better if he left her for now, and see what happened.
"Goodbye Kit," he greeted, before leaving her to her thoughts.
It was two more days before Katherine was once more visited by another Hellsing member; two days spent agonizing over Walter's words. No matter how long she pondered over her predicament, she still found herself confused and uncertain. She hated how she second guessed her feelings for Alucard. She loved him, yes, but would it be enough?
Fatigue from lack of sleep finally caught up to her, and Katherine decided to have an early night for once. She had not been asleep for long, when she was awakened by an insistent knocking on her front door. Groggily, she rose from her bed and padded up to the front door, undoing the locks and flinging it open. Ceres Victoria stood on the other side, smiling apologetically at Katherine's disheveled appearance.
"Sorry to wake you."
"That's alright. Come in," Katherine said, stepping aside to allow the young vampire entrance. Ceres entered and looked around with mild interest before Katherine broke the silence.
"What can I do for you?"
"Oh, I'm here to fetch you."
"Fetch me? Where are we going?"
"France, so I suggest you go pack."
Katherine was suddenly wide awake.
"France? What on earth are we going to do there?"
"Master has ordered me to get you out of the country before the battle starts."
"What? No, I'm not leaving."
Ceres frowned. "Master said you might be stubborn about it, and he's ordered me to tell you that if you refuse to come quietly, I'll have to carry you out of here myself."
Katherine opened her mouth, preparing to argue, but she knew it would be futile. She could not fight off the young vampire, especially not if she was working under orders from Alucard. Muttering to herself, Katherine brushed past Ceres, entering her room and starting to rummage through her drawers. Ceres watched from the doorway while Katherine packed a bag and changed her clothes. She was done in a few minutes, and Ceres was quick to grab the bag and head for the door, Katherine trailing behind. A cab was already waiting when they reached the street, and Ceres ushered her inside before ordering the driver to take them to the station.
"Why is Alucard doing this, Ceres?"
"Like I said, he doesn't want you here when the battle with Millennium starts. He's afraid that if they find out about you, they will use you against him. It's safer to get you out of the country before anything happens."
Katherine leaned back in her seat, pondering over how she could avoid this situation.
"Where is Alucard?" she asked after a moment, but Ceres would not answer her, keeping her red eyes fixed on the road. Katherine contemplated phoning Sir Integra, but figured the woman would only agree with Alucard that it was not safe for her. She had, after all, asked to be removed from the battlefield, and that is exactly what they were doing.
"Will Alucard not be here?"
"Master and I are leaving for Brazil tomorrow."
"How am I getting to France?"
"We will take a train to Brighton, and from there a ferry will take you across to France."
Perfect, Katherine thought, leaning her cheek against the cold glass of the cab window. She was still tired, and the movement of the vehicle was rocking her to sleep, but before she could drift off, they reached the station. Ceres moved quickly, grabbing both Katherine's bag and one of her hands, leading her to their platform where the train had just come to a stop. They waited for passengers to disembark before climbing on themselves and finding a seat close to the exit. Katherine settled down across from Ceres, who assured her she could sleep if she wanted to. Katherine insisted she was not tired, but no sooner had they left the station than she was dozing with her head leaning against the window.
Ceres woke her when they reached their destination, and the two disembarked. Katherine insisted they stop a moment so she could buy a cup of coffee, but it was apparent that Ceres was in a hurry and so she abandoned all hope of receiving her fix of caffeine. The two took yet another cab to the harbor, where Katherine spotted the waiting ferry. As soon as she exited the cab, she noticed the tall, dark figure standing nearby. Her fatigue instantly melted away, replaced by a rush of conflicting emotions – joy, dread, elation, anger.
"Master!" Ceres called out joyously, rushing over to where he stood; Katherine followed more slowly.
"Why are you doing this, Alucard," she asked as soon as she reached him.
"Ceres must have explained my reasons to you."
"I think you are going too far," she argued.
"Everything has been arranged for you. There is no harm in just going along with it. It will not be for long."
Katherine pursed her lips, preparing to argue further, but Alucard stepped closer to her, leaning forward so he could look into her eyes.
"Please, it would make me feel most comforted knowing you are away from harm," he whispered, his hand trailing up the side of her arm and stopping on her shoulder. Her stomach erupted in butterflies at his touch, and she was strongly reminded of the time when she would have done anything for this man.
And no matter how hard she fought against it, she would still do anything for this man.
Katherine nodded mutely, and the two vampires led her to the waiting ferry. While Ceres saw that her luggage was stored away, Alucard stood beside the boat, watching as Katherine walked up the ramp. As soon as she was on board, Katherine moved to stand beside the railing where she could still see Alucard. He stared at her without saying a word, his eyes taking in every aspect of her face, as though he were imprinting the memory of her appearance into his mind. Katherine got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that they were parting for good, and a wave of dread washed over her at the thought of not seeing Alucard again.
"Alucard, I've been thinking a lot lately, and I've come realize that I . . . that you. . .there's something I want to say to you," she started, stumbling over her words as she struggled to organize her thoughts. Before she was able to do so, the boat engines sprang to life, humming beneath her feet.
"Go now, and be safe," Alucard said, his voice strangely hollow, his eyes shadowed. Katherine quickly reached out her hand to him, calling out his name in the process. He moved forward and grabbed hold of her hand, and she quickly wrapped both her hands around his.
"Promise me we'll see each other again."
Alucard said nothing, and the boat began to move away. His grip loosened as if to release her hand, but she held on, stretching out over the railing as far as she could.
"Promise me!"
"If that is what you wish, then I promise."
Unable to hold onto his hand any longer, she released her grip and leaned back from the side, watching as his form shrank from sight.
"Don't forget. I will hold you to that promise," she called across the dark waters of the English Channel. She was able to see the small smile that appeared on his face, and felt comforted by it. When she was no longer able to see him or Ceres, Katherine turned and left the deck.