A/N: Welcome back to another installment. I hope you enjoy it.
Bernadotte made a beeline down the halls and to Seras' chamber as he forced himself to think of the most hideous things imaginable to help wash away the image of Maria and the vampire. He thought he had known perversion, but tonight he learned that he knew absolutely nothing.
He knocked on her door loudly. While he knew that the draculina would never in a million years be up to something as devious as her master and friend were, he had been thoroughly spooked by the ordeal and wasn't about to take any chances.
The oaken door opened to reveal a tousle-haired, half-awake Seras in her pajamas of t-shirt and shorts. He had woken her despite the fact that it was nearing ten p.m.
"Captain," she greeted him drowsily. "What is it?"
"You're not going to believe what I just saw Maria and the vampire doing," he blurted, his horror and fascination apparent.
"Sharks?" she asked boredly, opening the door wide for him.
"Non, non." He shook his head as he followed her into her room. It was nearly identical to Maria's, only there was a simple pine coffin against the opposite wall. Seras took a seat at the table and gestured to the chair beside it. He lounged back in the chair and lit a cigarette. "It was more like...every man ever's wet dream."
Her eyebrow rose in curiosity despite herself. "What do you mean?"
With his every word her cheeks grew incrementally redder until he thought she might explode from the indecency. Pip saw her discomfort but continued speaking, partly because he had heard it was cathartic to speak of trauma and partly because she was so damn cute when she was flustered.
"I just—they're so—there's no limits to their depravity!" Seras huffed once he had finished his tale. "Honestly, sometimes I don't know which of them is worse."
"My money's on Maria," he confided. "It's always the innocent-looking ones who turn out to be the wildest."
"Yes, but have you seen my master?"
Pip couldn't help but laugh and Seras found herself smiling as well before she yawned.
"Why are you so tired? I thought you vampires couldn't sleep at night."
"That's usually the case, but I'm still exhausted from the flight and attending that conference," she explained. "Alucard and Maria are as lively as they are because they drink to their heart's content."
He wondered why she still refused to drink after all this time. It had to be excruciating to starve yourself like that and there were no benefits to it. He wanted to ask her, yet didn't feel that it was his place.
Instead, he rose to his feet and tucked the chair into the table. "I'll let you get your rest, then," he said. "I think I'll do the same myself."
"You're leaving?" It was slight, but there was a bit of disappointment in her question.
He gave her a wry smile. "Well, if I had known we were having a sleepover I'd have brought my pillow."
That adorable blush was dusting her cheeks again as she chewed on her lip before muttering, "I have an extra pillow."
Bernadotte couldn't believe his ears and also couldn't resist the opportunity to rile her. "Sorry. I didn't quite catch that, what with my inferior human hearing."
She looked up from her toes to him with an expression that managed to be both angry and abashed at the same time. "I have an extra pillow," she repeated.
Grinning, he took off his hat and placed it on the table. "Well, I may just take you up on your offer."
Seras looked anywhere other than him as he shamelessly stripped down to his boxers, leaving his clothes in a haphazard pile on the chair. So fixated on the grooves in the old flagstones was she that she didn't realize he had already crawled into her bed and was under the blankets.
"Do you guys sleep standing up or something?" he teased.
She gave a start and hesitantly got under the blankets, making sure to give him a wide berth. Bernadotte couldn't help but chuckle at her indecisiveness. She had been the one to invite him into her bed, yet here she was as timid as a mouse. He found it both endearing and slightly irritating. He wanted nothing more than to touch her. Her skin was chill to the touch, but while it would undoubtedly unnerve others, he enjoyed it. He was one of those unfortunate few hot-blooded individuals who couldn't sleep without a blanket over him. This meant that he was often doomed to toss and turn fitfully without a blanket or to slowly bake under them. Seras provided the perfect solution to his problems with her cool touch.
The vampiress in question was lying on the outside edge of the bed with her back to him. Bernadotte reached out for her with a calloused hand, and when his fingers fell upon her arm she didn't shy away. He tugged gently and she willingly scooted back so that her back was to her chest, though she was still reserved enough to keep her bottom from brushing against his crotch. Considering what he had just witnessed, that was probably for the best.
"You're so warm," she sighed as he put his arm around her waist.
"Does it bother you?" Perhaps he felt even hotter to the touch to her because of her lower body temperature. He hadn't considered that it could be causing her discomfort until now.
She said quickly, "No, no! On the contrary, it's great. I always feel cold."
Perhaps it was the diehard romantic in him, but Pip couldn't help but think that this was some sort of providence. She felt wonderful against his bare chest, even if there were a pesky cotton t-shirt in the way. He decided that he wouldn't mind falling asleep like this every night.
"I hate the cold so much that before Maria and Master started their weird ritual I used to sleep with her," Seras reminisced.
A flashback of what he had just seen appeared before his eyes and he was eternally grateful that she had decided to keep a space between their lower halves. He groaned, "For your sake and for mine, please don't mention anything about two women sharing a bed."
He felt her stiffen in his hold and for a moment he feared that he had scared her away, but then he heard her laughter, soft and carefree.
"Goodnight, Pip," she whispered, putting her small hand over his larger one on her stomach.
Resting his forehead against the back of her neck he replied, "Bonne nuit, ma cherie." He dared to place a chaste kiss on her neck and she gave a content sigh.
It was only a few minutes later that Seras totally relaxed in his arms, sound asleep. How she ceased breathing when she drifted off was a bit unnerving at first, but he found that he didn't mind. He could still tell that she was alive because of the way her fingers twitched slightly against his. He wondered if vampires could dream.
He also thought about the swell of her voluptuous breasts and how achingly close they were to his itching fingers. Now that she was asleep, perhaps he could just brush against them as if by accident, just-
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard two voices echo in unison in his mind, threatening and ominous.
No.
Merde, let a man have some privacy! I was just thinking about it! he exclaimed, a frown on his lips. Last time it had only been Maria, but now the vampire was joining in on spying on him too? This was all a bit too Big Brother for his liking.
Pleasant dreams then, Maria said sweetly. What sort of advice did you need earlier?
The mercenary smiled. You can forget about that. It was a success anyways.
Seras awoke feeling warm, safe, and well-rested. Just like in Sao Paolo, she found herself hopelessly tangled with the captain, only this time she didn't try to extricate herself. She was content to simply be squeezed against him, absorbing his warmth. The man was truly a human furnace. It was a wonder he didn't shy away from her cool touch.
She really couldn't believe that she had summoned up the audacity to invite him into her bed last night but she had no doubt that it had been the right decision. It was only the second time in her life that she had felt so at peace, the first time being back in Brazil.
There was only one thing that was troubling her. At some point in the night their positions had changed so that they were facing each other, and the captain's face was currently buried in her breasts. His tawny hair tickled her chin and she blushed as she felt his warm, moist breath through the thin cotton t-shirt.
Seras told herself not to panic. He was sound asleep and likely didn't realize where he had wound up. Besides, while his face was certainly in forbidden territory, his hands were safely on her lower back. One of his legs was between hers so that his thigh was against her crotch, which was a little too close for comfort. However, he didn't appear to be sporting a hard on so maybe it was just an accident that they had wound up like this. When other people were around he was as perverted as they came, but when it was just the two of them he had been nothing but gentlemanly. For the most part.
A quick glance at the clock showed that it was seven p.m. The two of them were expected to lead the men in training starting at 7:30.
"Captain," she called softly. When he didn't move, she tried, "Pip?"
This time he stirred a little by nuzzling deeper into her breasts and pulling her even tighter against him.
"Pip," she hissed, shaking him gently. "Wake up."
"What?" he muttered, not moving.
"We need to get up and get ready. And you need to get your head away from where it is."
At her words, he seemed to realize precisely where he was. He pulled away from her slowly and looked up to her with a worried expression, gauging her reaction. When he saw that she was only blushing embarrassedly he gave her a contrite smile.
"You and I are both the clingy type," he stated, "so I hope you don't take it the wrong way if we continue waking up like this."
Seras' cerulean eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to sleep with her again? He wanted to wake up beside her? Tangled up with her? She felt something warm and heady in her chest.
"Of course," she agreed, trying not to belie her glee. "But if you even think about using it as an excuse to fondle me, you'll regret it."
"I know," he groaned, looking put out for a moment before his easy smile returned. "Before we get out of this bed, there's something I've got to tell you though."
Seras became concerned at his serious tone. "What is it?"
The mercenary pulled himself up so he was at eye level with her before he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste, warm kiss. Startled, the draculina gasped and he took her open mouth as an invitation—which, to his credit, Seras supposed it was—and their tongues danced a leisurely rhythm that had her wishing desperately that they didn't have to report for duty that night.
Pip pulled away, his olive eye twinkling mischievously as though he knew exactly what she was thinking. "Good evening," he greeted, and then untangled himself from her.
A soft sigh of mixed longing and satisfaction escaped her lips as she watched him cross the room in his boxers. He was truly a joy to look at, with his toned body and scars that spoke of his strength.
His ass was pretty nice, too.
Seras had to resist the urge to slap her hands over her mouth in mortification. What on earth had possessed her to think such a thing? She could only blame Maria's horrible influence.
Now the man in question had donned his cargo pants and the white tank top he wore under the jacket and he was in the process of undoing his messy braid. Without even consciously deciding to, Seras took his hands from his long locks and guided him back to the bed.
"Ma cherie, I don't think we have time for another round of Twister," he warned her.
She gave him a venomous look before sitting down on the bed behind him and braiding his hair with her nimble fingers.
"You're not funny," she sniffed.
"I'm hilarious."
"I'll braid your hair into a noose."
He chuckled at her empty threat and allowed her to continue her work in silence. She was done in a matter of minutes and wrapped the braid around his neck as she had seen him do before. If she wrapped it a little tightly, she pretended not to notice.
"Thank you," he said, coughing a bit as he loosened it slightly. He flashed her a grin as he put his hat back on. "I'll see you soon."
Seras waved him goodbye and once the door was shut let out a squeal of delight. She had taken a risk by indulging her wants and asking him to stay, and it had been completely worth it. Her mind kept replaying his words over again and her heart leapt to know that he wanted to sleep with her again.
Caught up in imagining waking up beside him again, Seras completely forgot the time until Maria's voice flitted into her head.
What's the holdup? You're always early to training.
"Crap!" The vampiress threw on her uniform and grabbed in weapon in record speed. Coming!
Maria laughed. So...are you going to give me the details or what?
What do you mean? It was probably useless, but Seras attempted to feign innocence.
Oh, please. Bernadotte won't stop whistling and you're late, both of which are highly unusual.
Seras bounded up the stairs two at a time and outside toward the wide field they would be using for training that night. She said quickly, We just fell asleep together. And kissed a little this morning.
Ooh! And was he chivalrous?
...Yeah.
Maria picked up on Seras' hesitation immediately. She could practically see the brunette's wicked smile in her mind. That was a pregnant pause if I ever heard one.
Can we please talk about this after training? Seras pleaded.
Her friend's silver laughter sounded in her mind and the vampire breathed a sigh of relief. She was saved, for now.
Until now, Maria's tasks had varied night to night but she still had a reasonable amount of downtime for studying or relaxing. Ever since the night of the Round Table conference and the war declaration a month and a half ago, however, she had been busy from sundown to sunup each night. Her lessons with Mr. Willows had been canceled indefinitely, and in lieu of them she was training with the Wild Geese or being deployed on missions. Millennium had been dispatching their manufactured vampires all around the UK for some time now, but now they were appearing in droves. Nearly every other night they were given orders to lay a freak to rest, and sometimes there were even two incidents in one evening. Alucard was thrilled by this, as it abated his boredom, but Maria couldn't adopt his same enthusiasm. She loved killing these imposter vampires as much as he did, but in the back of her mind she knew that this was the prelude to a much greater conflagration and she couldn't help but fear what was to come.
She was target shooting at the range when Walter tapped her on the shoulder from behind.
"Walter, what can I do for you?" she asked with a smile.
"A mission for you," he said cordially. "You are to take twelve men with you to Manchester to slay a vampire."
She holstered her pistol and took the written orders from his outstretched hand. "Understood. Thank you."
"Good luck," he wished and then turned to leave.
Maria phased here and there across the grounds to round up the soldiers assigned to her and ordered them to ready a vehicle. Lastly she phased to her chambers to grab her greatsword before meeting them at the large Jeep.
"We're heading to a village near Manchester where this is a male vampire that needs to be put down," she explained as her familiar sat primly on her shoulder and surveyed the men with its piercing crimson eyes. "According to the latest intel gathered an hour ago, he has few ghouls at his command and should be fairly easy to take down. The situation could change between now and our arrival, however. We will stay in groups of no less than three men at all times and you will defer to me before deviating from protocol. Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," they chorused.
She dropped the serious demeanor to grin sweetly at everyone. "Let's go kill some freaks, then!"
The men all piled into the back of the covered Jeep except for her second in command for the mission, a lanky raven-haired American named Hayden. He was in his thirties and had been with the Wild Geese for nearly a decade. He and a handful of the other men had at first balked when Sir Integra had announced to them all a month ago that Maria would be promoted from private to Lieutenant, the rank directly below both Seras and Bernadotte, who were Captains. Bernadotte had vouched for her but there were still some men who didn't believe that this peculiar girl could lead them.
She had changed their opinion not long afterward when she had taken them on a mission and anticipated an ambush from a second, unreported vampire working in tandem with their original target. Thanks to her heightened senses and speed, she had managed to save all of the men from what could have easily turned into a massacre. It had been a turning point and she had won their respect as their leader.
Hayden and Maria chatted as she sped toward their mission. Walter had taken the time to teach her how to drive properly and she relished the freedom that came with it. Not that she had the time or permission to go for joyrides or anything though. Her familiar bounded alongside the vehicle, delighted at the chance for some bloodshed.
Alucard's baritones drifted into her mind just as she neared the suburb, sounding musing. I'll be interested to see how you handle this mission.
What do you mean? It's routine, according to the intel.
You'll soon see, was his enigmatic response.
Maria frowned as a sense of foreboding crept upon her at his words. He was nearly always watching her through their mental connection when she had a mission, even when he was on one of his own, but it was rare for him to make such a comment. She was used to him complimenting her ruthlessness or laughing at the pitifulness of the vampires she killed, but he never offered her advice or warnings. She would be a useless queen if she couldn't think and fight by herself.
She slowed to a stop in a church parking lot. The consecrated ground made her feet burn and her head throb, but it was the safest base for the men. Her familiar waited for her in the street.
Maria fanned out her shadows, using them as feelers to sense the vampire and its ghouls' presences. It was five blocks away to the north in a multi-story building, surrounded by a sizeable force of ghouls. They seemed somehow weaker than the usual freaks, and Maria wondered if Millennium was resorting to the dregs to do their dirty work.
The soldiers all got out of the jeep and gave their equipment a final onceover. Maria ran down their objectives and the location of the vampire, and then led the way. The dozen men followed her in loose rows of three, guns at the ready. Though they were heading through a very suburban area full of nice brick homes there was no sign of life. The streetlights had been doused and all residents had been given an emergency curfew by the local police.
The closer they got the more distinct the enemy's presence became. "There's approximately fifty ghouls," she said to the men. "That's six to a person if I just focus on the vampire."
"Is it a very strong vampire?" Hayden asked beside her.
"It doesn't seem that way," she said guardedly. "Feels like he's our average fare. The ghouls seem odd though. Weaker than usual." When she felt a few of the men behind her perk up at the news she turned back and leveled them with her sharp emerald eyes. "Don't go in there thinking it's going to be a walk in the park. That's the stupidest thing you could do."
Chastised, the men nodded.
Hayden stopped in his tracks and looked up at the four-story brick building they stood before. "Maria, are you sure this is the right place?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"It's...it's an orphanage."
Maria had been so focused on heading toward the target that she hadn't been concerned about exactly where the target was. A glance up revealed the words "Brimfield Home for Children" in bronze letters above the double doors and her heart plummeted. So that was why the ghouls had seemed so small and weak in her mind.
She took her hand away from the haft of the greatsword on her back in favor of the Derringer. She couldn't bring herself to use something so messy tonight.
Her voice as heavy as her heart, she said to the men, "The vampire has turned the children into ghouls. It goes without saying, but aim only for the head or heart to make it as quick as possible."
All of the soldiers recoiled at her words as the gravity of the situation set in. They would be marching in there to slaughter children.
Maria turned to the small black kitten mewling impatiently as it rubbed against her leg. "Sorry, but you're going to have to restrain yourself tonight," she told it. "We don't prolong the suffering of children." The cat looked baleful. "You'll be backup if any of the men are about to be overwhelmed."
Begrudging but loyal, it gave her a nod.
"The vampire is on the fourth floor currently," Maria told the men, clearing her throat and trying to rein in the remorse and fury she felt. "We will clear each floor and progress toward the vampire in unison."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Gritting her teeth and attempting to steel herself for the undoubted horror that was waiting behind those doors, Maria took a deep breath and then ran up the concrete steps to break one of the tall doors down with a shadow-enhanced kick. It rocketed off its hinges and fell in splinters to the ground, and she charged in. The foyer led straight to a large dining hall, and to her left and right were staircases that would take them to the second floor. There were five children on the stairs, none of them older than ten. Their faces were ghastly, hair hanging limply around their sallow, sunken flesh. They stared at Maria and the Hellsing soldiers with dead, milky eyes, and as the scent of a meal met their noses their mouths opened to reveal rows of jagged teeth.
In her ten years of service, she had seen her share of the macabre. She had witnessed the darkest, foulest pits of humanity and monstrosity a hundred times over.
But this—this—was the worst.
She squeezed the trigger and with each blast there followed a thud as a small body fell still. Her face set in a grimace, she motioned for the soldiers to follow her up the stairs. Her familiar padded along beside her looking bored.
The second floor consisted of a long hallway that had four large dormitory-style bedrooms opening off it. The usual protocol would be to have squads of three or four men secure each room at the same time, but she could see that most of the men were badly shaken and dreading what they would find on the other side of the door. She also knew that some of them had children of their own.
She motioned for them to hold their position in the hallway and phased into the first room to find three more ghouls. One of the boys couldn't have been older than six. They hissed like wild animals at the sight and smell of her, but Maria put a bullet in their heads before they could reach her.
Her fingers shook as she watched their frail little bodies turn to dust. What had it been like to be turned? Maria couldn't imagine how frightening it must have been for them.
She phased into the next room and took out an additional six ghouls. Each shriek and thump was another storm that raged inside her until by the time she had cleared the fourth room her entire body was shaking with the fury. There was a tempest of vehement anger consuming her.
Unforgivable. The deepest pit of Hell still wouldn't be punishment enough for this monster.
"Find the vampire," she ordered her familiar in a low hiss. "Play with him all you want, but do not kill him."
The cat flashed her a gleeful look and shifted into his monstrous shadowy form before darting through the wall.
The second floor cleared and secured, Maria used the door to return to the hallway where the soldiers were obediently waiting. They all stared at her with expressions of horror when she came into their view, and she realized that in her ire her face had changed. Taking a deep breath, she felt her fangs shrink into regular human teeth and her eyes soften from their icy, almost serpentine glare.
"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I've never wanted to kill a vampire more in my entire life."
Hayden put a large hand on her shoulder and gave her a hard but commiserating frown. "We're with you," he said simply.
She gave him a soft smile of thanks and then reloaded her Derringer. "On to the third floor, then. Same as this floor."
A bit of hesitation was in Hayden's brown eyes as he said, "You don't have to do it all by yourself."
"I know," she admitted. "But I don't want this to rest on your shoulders."
He gave her a nod that was both understanding and grateful and then took a step back, allowing her to lead them up the stairs and closer to the vampire. She phased through all of the rooms and eliminated each ghoul as quickly as possible. Each bullet fired was another crushing weight on her soul and another stone of hate filling her to burst.
Maria heaved a sigh of relief when the last ghoul, a girl of seven in green pajamas, fell into rest. Now it was only the vampire left, and she could hear its pained screams in the room at the far end of the hallway.
"I intend to take my time with this bastard," Maria warned her men. "In the meantime, check the entire building again for ghouls and any sort of information we can gather on this vampire and his affiliations."
"Get him good," one of the soldiers said.
When Maria grinned, it was the shark-toothed, mad smile of the No Life King. Barely able to contain her excitement, she stowed her Derringer away and dashed to room at the end of the hall as she slipped on a pair of black leather gloves. She entered the room to see her massive, shadowy cat on top of the vampire, hissing mere centimeters from his terrified face. Her familiar must have been hungry, though, because there was only a bloody hole where the vampire's nose should have been.
"Good work," she thanked the beast. It looked to her with his many red eyes, pleased. "Now it's my turn."
Her familiar dug its claws into the vampire's chest one final time before stepping off him to allow Maria access. The vampire instantly made to get up and flee, but the brunette just grinned maniacally as she rammed a wooden stake through its right hand and into the floor, pinning him. She did the same to his left hand and both his feet in a matter of seconds and he howled in agony.
She crouched down on her haunches beside his face and peered into his teary, panicked pink eyes. "Do you know how many ghouls you made?" Maria asked calmly.
When he did nothing but whimper and snivel she reached her fingers into his exposed nasal cavity and spread them apart, threatening to split his face open, and he screamed afresh.
She removed her fingers and unhurriedly wiped the blood and mucous off on his sweater. "Answer my question."
"F-f-forty-seven?" he whimpered.
"Fifty-one, you swine," she corrected in a hiss. "Normally I'd just put a bullet in your head and be done, but I think that's too good for you." The blessed knife in her gloved hand caught in the moonlight coming in through the window, and the glint of the blade was nearly as keen as the glint of her fangs as she gave him a snarling grin. "When you flay a human they usually die by the time you reach the waist. I wonder how long a vampire can manage?"
The vampire struggled against the stakes futilely, screaming and begging for his life, but Maria's grin only widened as she brought the knife to his temple and began slicing. He shrieked and wailed in a truly disgraceful way as the holy blade burned with the heat of a hundred suns. The No-Life Queen chuckled as she continued cleaving his flesh from muscle. It was like peeling a peach, juicy and satisfying.
With each strip of skin she removed, her heart grew lighter. This base creature had tortured and ruined those sweet children. He had robbed them of their chance of a full and happy life, and Maria would see that he received pain and terror tenfold. She could do nothing to undo the suffering he had brought upon the innocent kids, but she could return it in kind.
Maria worked in silence minus a few soft giggles when he gave a particularly agonized cry, and while she would have preferred to prolong his suffering for at least several hours, she couldn't make her men wait that long. Though it was her first time doing anything of this nature, it came so naturally to her that it was a little uncanny. Within thirty minutes she had divested the vampire of every last bit of skin. His pound of flesh was in a bloody pile on the floor, leaving him screaming as his exposed nerves seared from the cool air and the lingering sting of the blessed blade.
Her familiar sat beside her the entire time, watching with amusement. Maria turned to it and said with a smile, "Time for a reward for your good work. Eat the heart and head last."
The massive shadowy beast rubbed its head gratefully against Maria's before turning to the vampire with a hungry, gleeful look in its multitude of eyes.
Feeling brand new, Maria wiped the blade clean and returned it to the sheath on her thigh as her familiar devoured the vampire bite by bite. She knew for a fact that it was capable of swallowing him in one great gulp if it desired, and was pleased that her familiar wanted this pathetic creature to suffer as much as she did.
When the beast finished its meal and finally the vampire's cries ceased, it turned back into its black kitten form and leapt onto Maria's shoulder. She stroked its back and scratched its neck as it purred.
"Let's get back home," she smiled.
The cat nodded. Maria glanced around the room a final time and then headed down the long hallway to the stairs. She was just about to descend them when she felt a presence so faint she thought perhaps she had imagined it. A human energy so flickering and weak it had been drowned out by the ghouls' and vampire's presence.
Maria doubled back, focusing her energy to her third eye. She followed the energy into a room she had already cleared. This room had had two adult ghouls in it, women whom Maria assumed had been the headmistresses of the orphanage. There was a mahogany wardrobe against the wall, and the curly-haired girl opened it slowly.
A gasp escaped her lips as she parted the hanging coats and dresses to see a girl cowering in the fetal position. No more than four years old with a wan face, harrowed brown eyes, and tangled copper curls she looked up at Maria tremulously.
Maria held out her hands and whispered, "It's okay. We've come to save you. The bad man is gone."
The girl looked distrustful, but Maria's warm smile was genuine as she beckoned to the girl. The child let out a wail and threw herself into Maria's arms, wrapping herself around her middle with surprising tenacity. Maria put her arms around the girl instantly and held her closely as she bawled. Face buried in the brunette's long girls at the nape of her neck, her entire body trembled like a leaf. Intel had said that the vampire had been sighted in the town two days ago. Was that how long this child had been cowering? Had she heard everything that had happened? Had she been trapped in here with those two adult ghouls Maria had killed?
Would this poor child ever be alright?
Maria's heart broke as she cradled the girl. She cursed herself for not sensing the girl earlier. She cursed herself for letting the vampire die so quickly. Thirty minutes should have been thirty years, and even then it wouldn't have been enough to make up for what this girl and all the others had been put through.
"Shh, shh," she soothed. "You're safe now. No one can hurt you now. My friends and I are going to take you to a new home."
The little thing was inconsolable. She was crying so hard she didn't seem to have heard Maria. The black kitten was still perched on Maria's other shoulder, regarding the distraught child with curiosity. It was perhaps the first time the creature had ever seen such a small human, or such a show of raw emotion.
Maria took the stairs slowly, still holding the girl who clung to her as though her life depended on it. At the first floor Hayden and the other eleven men were sitting around waiting for her, and they all jumped up when they heard the girl's sobs.
"One survivor," Maria said. "Her presence was so faint I missed it. We'll have to take her to the authorities."
Hayden nodded and they left the cursed orphanage together with Maria leading them. The girl's sobs eventually died down to sniffles, but she never lifted her head or slackened her hold. She took passenger and Hayden took driver's seat and they headed to the local police station, which was abreast of the situation.
The police chief and his deputy were waiting for Maria and the child at the threshold of the station.
"She's the only survivor," Maria explained. "The vampire and its ghouls have all been dealt with."
The two men had the typical stunned look that all people had when they came into contact with Hellsing. "Thank you for your services," the chief said after he had arranged his thoughts. "We'll take care of the girl."
The deputy reached out for her, but when Maria tried to hand her to him the girl let out a squeal and gripped Maria even more fiercely than before.
"Sweetie, these are good men," she assuaged. "They're going to take care of you and find you a new home."
The child shook her head vehemently. "No. I wanna stay with you."
Maria's heart shattered even further at her words. "I'm sorry, but you can't. It's my job to fight bad men and you'd be in danger."
"I don't care. You'll keep me safe."
She turned to the police. "What will you do with her?"
"We'll arrange for her to be transferred to a different orphanage, but in the meantime she'll be placed with a local foster family."
"And when will the foster family come?"
"We'll call them immediately and have them come first thing in the morning."
Maria took a moment to consider her options and then tilted her head down to whisper in the girl's ear, "You can't stay with me, but in a few hours there's going to be a nice family that will come to take care of you." The girl began shaking her head again, but Maria continued, "How about I stay with you until they come? I'll make sure that they're good people, and I'll only let you go with them if I'm certain that they'll take good care of you."
The girl was silent as she thought over Maria's words.
"Well? What do you think?" she prodded.
"O...okay. But if they're bad I'm not going with them."
"Of course," she smiled. She looked to the two police officers. "Let me explain the situation to my men. You wouldn't mind if I imposed until morning, would you?"
"Certainly, be our guest," the chief said quickly. "We'll ready a hot meal for you and the girl."
Maria thanked him and then returned to Hayden, who was waiting for her in the Jeep. She told him to take the men back to headquarters and get some rest, and that she would return in the morning.
"Understood," he said with a smile. He handed her a rucksack full of civilian clothes that they kept at the ready in case a mission dragged on to morning, as her short-sleeved, short-skirted uniform showed a dangerous amount of skin. "You'd make a good mother, y'know that?"
She was left to puzzle over his words as he saluted and drove off. The toddler still had her arms and legs tightly around Maria's neck and torso, and as the police officers escorted her into the station and to their break room where a modest assortment of hot sandwiches, soup, and drinks were waiting on a table, Maria thought about Hayden's compliment.
There had been no other children in the Hellsing manor. Constantly surrounded by adults and a five-century old vampire had made her woefully inexperienced with little ones. Tonight was the first time in her life she had ever held one. Since she had always known that she would become Alucard's queen, the thought of having children of her own had never even crossed her mind.
But now, as she coaxed the girl on her lap to take a bite of a ham and cheese sandwich, she reconsidered it. Seeing the girl slowly but surely come out of her shell as she relaxed around Maria filled her with a sense of relief she hadn't known she lacked until now. Walking the line of monster and human was no easy feat, and as the amount of Alucard's blood she consumed increased the more she worried that she was losing her humanity.
This little girl was like a pleasant fire in the winter, warming Maria's heart and returning the sensations she had feared she was losing.
The child contented herself by playing with Maria's long curls, saying little. Maria told the girl to get some sleep, but the toddler wanted to stay with Maria as long as possible and refused. This was inconvenient for the teen, who still had the greatsword strapped to her back and was forced to sit sideways on the chair to accommodate it, not to mention all of her other bulky weapons and equipment. The girl cried whenever Maria tried to set her down, though, so she was stuck battle-ready.
Her familiar gave a demanding mewl and Maria sighed, taking the ham out of her sandwich and giving it to the cat as she muttered, "Like you didn't just have a feast."
"Kitty!" the girl exclaimed, smiling for the first time that night.
Maria shot the familiar a warning look. Put on your best cute kitten act and play nicely with her.
The cat rolled its eyes but then padded to the child's outstretched hand and gave it a sniff before rubbing against her. She giggled and stroked the cat gently.
"What's the kitty's name?" she asked Maria.
"Uh…" Alucard had told her that a denizen of hell didn't need a name. He always referred to his simply as "dog" and disdained the name "Mr. Eyes" that she had given it as a child. Maria hadn't given her familiar a name for that reason. She said the first thing that came to her mind. "Suflețel."
"What's that mean?"
"Little soul," she translated, and as she did so she sensed her familiar's pleasure in her mind. It seemed that it appreciated being given a name.
The girl seemed unable of saying the foreign word, however, and called her familiar "Souffle" the entire time they played. If the cat was rankled by it, it didn't show as she batted playfully at the girl's fingers and made a show of trying to catch her own tail.
The child's carefree laughter was a balm to Maria, who watched with a lazy smile as the two of them played in her lap. Briefly, she imagined an alternate reality where she had a daughter with her emerald eyes and his inky black hair. She would be precocious and graceful, sweet but with an undeniable streak of darkness.
She shook her head to dispel the thought almost as quickly as it had appeared. A longing intense and jagged lashed her like hail and she quickly began reciting the Periodic Table of Elements mentally to distract herself. There was no point in pining for something that would never—could never—be.
Her familiar managed to coax the girl off Maria's lap to play on the tile floor, and the brunette used the opportunity to take off her weapons and change into her civilian clothes of black tights, short burgundy skirt, and charcoal turtleneck. She stowed the guns into the canvas rucksack with her uniform and watched as her greatsword vanished. Alucard must have been kind enough to whisk it back to her chambers for her.
As much joy as the child was having chasing the kitten around, exhaustion was finally taking its toll on her. She picked up the kitten and came over to Maria, who was sprawled out on the couch watching the two. The girl wordlessly lay down on her lap with the kitten in her arms, her face resting against Maria's bosom.
The brunette ran her fingers through the child's tangled curls, gently working out the knots. There was a nappy blanket on the back of the couch and she spread it over them both before planting a soft kiss in the girl's hair.
"Good night," she whispered.
"Night," the child replied drowsily, and in a matter of moments was fast asleep.
Maria dozed off herself, and a few hours later was awoken by a police officer who brought in the foster family that would take the girl in. The child was at first as suspicious of the newcomers as she had been of Maria, but upon Maria's assurances reluctantly agreed to go with them. The husband and wife were in their thirties and seemed like decent people. Maria memorized their names and upon her return to the manor would ask Walter to do a background check on them just in case.
"Will I get to see you and Souffle again?" the girl asked.
Maria forced a smile onto her lips as she lied, "Maybe."
The child threw her arms around Maria's legs in a final hug. "Thank you," she gushed.
"No problem. You be good, okay? Take care." It was the first time in a long time that Maria's throat had burned with something other than thirst.
The girl nodded and took the hand of the foster mother, and just like that the three of them were gone. It felt as though they had taken part of her with them by mistake.
"Miss, your car has arrived," the officer informed her.
"Ah, wonderful." Maria hastily wiped her cheeks and grabbed her bag. She donned her deep-hooded black peacoat and gloves before heading out the back of the station where one of the Hellsing standard issue black cars was idling. She got into the back seat and the driver greeted her. She had seen him about the estate. Perhaps his name was Mark.
She looked out the heavily tinted windows and to the scenery, feeling tired but not because it was daytime. The trip home seemed much longer than it actually was, and she thanked the servant before taking her bag and dragging her feet down to her chambers. Wanting nothing more than to curl up beside Alucard, who was asleep on her bed already, she resisted the urge and sat down at the table to pen her mission report. It was nearing noon by the time she had finished writing and taken a quick shower.
Spent, she collapsed in the bed beside the vampire, who stirred at the sudden warmth. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his bare body, and a soft sigh of comfort escaped her lips with the familiar action. Even asleep he managed to bring her respite. Slumber came quickly to her, and in her dreams she was visited by a little girl with emerald eyes and long, mercurial black hair….
A/N: What did you think of this chapter? I always love writing Seras/Pip, though I find it more difficult to write than Alucard/Maria. Review and follow, por favor! :)