As usual, thanks to those who reviewed:

nlightnd
Lord Makura
Gale Forst
Mistress Mizu

Order 13: Hostage

Alucard looked over at her, wondering briefly what the disturbance was. His eyes laid on Damien and he smiled faintly. It wasn't the first time a teenager had hopped the Hellsing gates. He made no effort to stop Katherine, instead deciding the boy needed a good scare.

Katherine smiled wickedly down at Damien whose eyes widened.

She's not playing around, he thought, terrified. He rolled backwards onto his feet and clenched his fists. Katherine and Alucard both looked surprised at this defiance. Alucard tensed. This kid had just signed his own death warrant.

"I don't want to fight you, Kat," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

She laughed a madwoman's cackle. "I wouldn't want to fight me either," she said, her voice demented. She lashed out and, fingers curled to take off his head. Damien froze for a brief moment then ducked under her. He willed his body to move forward in an attack but he couldn't. He couldn't fight her.

Katherine did not have such an issue. She moved forward with attack after attack. Damien, with his mortal constitution, could not have hoped to keep up. Every dodge was a split second closer to getting caught then the last. Small cuts opened up on his arms and face as she reached out, aiming to crush his throat. When he stood, hunched and panting, Katherine knew the last strike would get him. A hunter's blood lust overcame her before she was lifted off the ground.

Alucard had his forearm wrapped around her neck, picking her up as easily as if she were still a small child. She kicked out but to no avail; he would not release her.

"That's enough now, Katherine. Calm down."

She bit into his arm, growled faintly, then stopped struggling. The red in her eyes slowly began to fade back to white. She took several deep breaths and looked around, as though waking from a trance. "What?" she said softly. Then he eyes fell to Damien. He looked shaken and upset and immediately she knew, the realization trickling like ice water down her spine. "Dame?" she said, painfully. She twisted and looked up at Alucard. "Let me down."

He released her and she knelt down in front of him. "Damien." She spoke softly. "Are you hurt?"

"You tried to kill me!"

She flinched as though slapped. "Damien." She reached her hand out to him.

He pulled away from her. "You're some kind of monster. You really are a vampire, like everyone says."

She shook her head, anger slowly rising. "See what your bloody questions gets you?"

He stared up at her. "Fuck," he whispered.

"What your mouth," she muttered distractedly. She reached out and snatched his hand, pulling him to his feet. He pulled out of her grasp. "Look. Look at me!" she commanded as he avoided her gaze. She snatched his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. And she spoke in a hypnotic voice:

"You have nothing to worry about. This is all just a dream. Do you understand?"

His eyes glazed over. "A dream?" He shook his head. "No! I'm wide awake."

She pressed him harder with her eyes. "You're sleeping, Damien. You're having a dream and you're going to wake up soon in your own bed. There was no fight, no argument and everything is fine between us. You're my best friend, Damien. Always have been, always will be. Right?"

He nodded dumbly, falling into her spell.

"Good. Now keep sleeping and you'll wake up soon. Go on. Sleep."

His eyes fluttered shut, his legs gave out and Katherine caught him. She sighed softly. "I'll take him home," she said to Alucard. The No Life King shrugged. "You should try to keep your friends out of danger," he said, practically blaming her. She glared at him and vanished.

She disappeared to reappear in Damien's place on the other side of town. She materialized in his upstairs bedroom. She quickly scanned the house; his mother was sleeping in the bedroom down the hall as was his little brother and his father was not in the house. She sighed silently, setting him down on the bed, and dropped to her knees beside him. She watched him breathe in and out, peacefully for a moment then turned over, leaning her back against the bed frame.

"I never asked for this, you know," she spoke softly, to herself. "Most teenagers would give their right hands to be vampires but it's not all it's cracked up to be. I'd like to walk in the sun sometime, just for the sake of it. But if I wasn't this bloody thing I am, where would I be?" She chuckled bitterly. "A normal high school girl. That's what I'd like for a change."

She looked back at him with a faint smile. "We could go to the movies, you and I, and have fun together. But instead my Friday nights are spent murdering vampires who, if left to their devices, would massacre London. I can't stop until all of those freaks are eliminated." She closed her eyes, halfway. "I understand now why Father gets depressed sometimes; it's a heavy burden to bear. He's lived much, much longer than I have, he's lost more people than I will ever know. Yet," she added thoughtfully. "You too will die, Damien. And I will remain, unchanged, roaming this earth. It's a sobering thought."

She rose to her feet, stretched her limbs. "Sleep well, Damien," she said softly and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

-

Katherine relayed her dilemma to Seras when she returned home. Her mother was sympathetic and suggested she try and tell Damien about her problems.

Katherine found that hard to do. The way he'd looked at her...he was terrified. No. In some cases, the truth was not necessary. But she thanked her mother nonetheless then collapsed into bed, twisting and turning throughout the night.

She awoke the next morning and began to dutifully prepare for school, a conciliatory gesture. She looked on with envy at Seras' closed coffin bed and snatched up her backpack. She had dressed in a pair of baggy black and red pants and a crimson belly shirt with a black bat on the front. She hadn't received the habitual wake up call from Damien so she had to leave a little earlier for the walk.

"Son a bitch," she said under her breath at the sight of the outside. It was unfortunately very bright out. Clearly, the universe was conspiring against her. Next thing, holy water would start to rain down and it would snow garlic pellets, surely. She sighed dejectedly and walked on.

Her friends were gathered outside near the school steps, conversing amiably. Katherine sauntered over, stifling a yawn. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

"Hey Kat," a girl called to her then laughed. "Damn, you look like you've got a hangover."

Katherine rolled her eyes at her immature friend. "Sam, weren't you suspended?"

Samantha Caine, an energetic red-headed freshman, grinned brightly. "Yeah, I was. I'm not allowed in the school but as you can see I'm not in, am I?"

"The miracle of loopholes," Damien said dryly.

Katherine inspected him closely. He looked fine, as though his best friend hadn't tried to kill him. Pain pricked her heart at the thought of it. "Got a mirror," she asked him after a moment.

He gave her a slightly disgusted look. "Yeah, in my purse under my tampons and makeup. Get real, Kat."

She smiled at his brazen statement. "I wouldn't put it past you, pretty boy." His expression changed and he smiled. "Hater," he said, flipping his dark brown hair over one eye.

"Don't be such a jerk, Dame," Sam admonished, digging in her pocket to pass Katherine her mirror.

"What's with the gang-up?" Damien said, spreading his arms. "You two should be fighting each other for me not together against me."

"Oh, shut up," Katherine said, pushing him backwards a bit.

It was the same as usual with them joking and laughing. Nothing had changed and Katherine thought she might be able to put last night's ugly business out of her head.

-

Yeah right.

-

Damien was arriving home after dropping Katherine off near her house. He parked his Harley in the garage and went upstairs, grabbing a soda from the kitchen on his way. The house seemed eerily empty. His little brother Daren should have been home by now. He walked down the hall to his sibling's room. A note on the door said he was sleeping over at his friend Josh's house.

"Little punk's supposed to call if he wants to do that," Damien muttered.

He trudged to the stairs and slid down the banister, heading for the phone. But as he stretched out his hand, the phone rang. He snatched it up. "Daren? You know damn well you're supposed to call before you-"

"Dame," his brother said tearfully. The tone of his voice caused Damien to stop.

"Dare?" he said urgently. "What's the matter, Dare? Where are you?"

Sounds came over the receiver as though the phone had been snatched away and someone else came on the line, an older male.

"Damien."

"Who the fuck is this?" Damien growled into the phone.

"Language, dear boy," the voice said smoothly. "You wouldn't want your little brother to get hurt now."

Damien clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "Who are you?"

"Not your concern," he said swiftly. "You are friends with the vampire girl, yes?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Damien said quickly.

The person on the other end laughed. "Of course you do. Don't play dumb, it's unbecoming. If you want to get your brother back, you'll get me the vampire girl."

Damien sighed faintly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Now you're getting the idea. Tell the girl to meet you at the corner by the school tomorrow night. Once I have her, you'll get your brother back. Don't even think of telling her about this call."

Damien grit his teeth. "Put my brother on the phone."

Daren came on the line several seconds later. "Damien?"

"Hang tight, Dare. I'm gonna get you back soon. Cooperate and you won't get hurt."

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you," he said determined. Such was his faith in his older brother.

Daren's captor came on the line again. "Tomorrow night, midnight. And Damien-" his voice went somber. "You mess with me...and I'll blind the kid. And shoot at his knees."

The line went dead.

- The Next Night -

The phone was ringing in Hellsing Manor. Katherine snatched it up, tossing outside her magazine. "Hello?"

"It's me," Damien said, his voice tight.

Katherine sat up, a smile lighting her face. "Hey Dame. You're up late. What's up?"

"Nothing. I wanted to meet with you."

"What for?" Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've just got to see you."

She shifted, uncomfortably. "You're freaking me out, Dame. Are you okay?"

"Jeez Kat. Chill it with the third degree. If your curfew keeps you inside, forget about it."

She scowled. "Curfew nothing. I'll be there in a bit."

"Good. Katherine Victoria," he said suddenly causing her to freeze. "Be on your guard." And he hung up.

Katherine stared at the phone. Something was very wrong. It was a code between them: if one of them said the other's first and middle name the situation was critical. She laced up her knee high black combat boots, pulled on her fingerless black gloves.

"You look as though you're going to war," Seras commented, walking into her room.

Katherine pulled her hair into a high ponytail, checked the ammunition of her Batwing. She tucked the gun into her belt, eyes narrowed. "Yeah. I just might be."

-

Ten year old Daren sat in the back of a van, knees pulled up to his chest. He sighed softly, checking his digital watch. Soon now.

"Don't be so apprehensive, young one. If your brother does as I say, you'll see him soon enough."

Daren looked up at the man. He looked about twenty, was broad around the chest and shoulders. Black and white hair flowed down his shoulders, shielding half of his handsome face. A green eye glittered in the dark of the van, the other covered by an eyepatch. He glared at him sullenly and looked away. The man shrugged.

"And if he doesn't, then oh well. I guess I could always change you into a vampire as well."

Daren looked up at him, his face deadly serious. "My brother and his girlfriend are coming to kill you."

-

Katherine walked swiftly with her head down, heading for the school. Damien was in some trouble he couldn't talk about. Katherine knew she had to help. She could sense an immortal in the area. He was the threat, he was the target.

She stopped on the corner of the school and called into the darkness. "Damien?"

A gun cocked in the silence of the night and Katherine felt the muzzle press against the back of her head.

"Katarina," he spoke softly into her ear.

Katherine froze, for only man would call her that.

"Miss me much?"

She closed her eyes, a small smile crossing her face. "Yeah. Drake Valentine. I missed you much."

He pulled back the hammer of the gun...

Drake Valentine? Perhaps he has ties to Luke and Jan? -gasp- A bit of movie references:

The name Samantha Caine is the name of Geena Davis' character in the action thriller 'The Long Kiss Goodnight'. Also, Drake's threat to blind Daren and shoot out his knees is the threat Timothy used to draw Samantha out of hiding by kidnapping her daughter.

And Daren's line 'My brother and his girlfriend are coming to kill you' is from Blade:Trinity where Zoe says a similar thing to Dracula. And no, they're not actually going out yet. Daren just said that because they spend a lot of time together and it seems that way.

Okay, read and review. I know you're all just dying to know who Drake is and what he has to do with Katherine's past.