Disclaimer: I own nothing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, nor Hellsing.

Chapter Twenty-one: Oh no…you lost!

A gust of wind, and then… POP!

"Holy crap!" Captain Pip yelled out as he fell back on his ass! "What the hell…." His mouth dropped open in shock at the sight of the grinning red head looming over him.

"Opps! So sorry Captain, I didn't mean to scare ya'." Willow said down at the man with gleaming eyes. She looked up and glanced around the room, realizing she had materialized herself in the soldier's locker room. She bit her bottom lip…hard, trying her best to hold back the laughter at the look on the Captain Pip's face. She would bet her computer he had never seen anything like a woman teleporting into thin air before. Willow thanked the goddess above that at least the good captain was still dressed, and was completely alone.

"You haven't seen Alucard around, have you Captain?" she asked, her narrowed gaze searching the shadows in the far corner.

"Uh…no?" Pip replied hesitantly as he slowly got back up to his feet. "Were ya' looking for him?"

She graced him with a beaming smile at his reply. She rolled on the balls of her feet as she stared back at him. "Nope…I was hoping to keep him off my tail. I only have to hide for another ten minutes…" a look of uneasiness crossed her face. "Damn, he's picked up my signature already…crafty old bugger!"

Pip couldn't help it, he burst out laughing at her words…just the thought of someone calling the Hellsing vampire a crafty old bugger tickled his funny bone something fierce. He was really coming to like this girl, weird magic witch or no. He gave her his best coy smile. "How do ya' know?" he could not help but ask her.

Willow gave a careless wave of her hand as she explained. "Think of it like you would a Security Sensor…Someone hits one, and the alarm goes off. Anyone who touches my magic sets off my sensors…understand?" Pip just gave her a slow nod, his face full of mirth. Oh, things were just going to get interesting around here…

The red head tensed up for a second, her body straight as a pin, before letting out a girlish giggle. "He's getting close…gotta book it! See ya' later Captain!" She called over her shoulder before she summoned her wind tunnel, and disappeared from sight.

Pip was sure his face resembled a fish at this point. These people at Hellsing were going to be the death of him yet…

"Captain…" or maybe he would die sooner then he realized, Pip thought as he spun on his heel to confront Alucard as he stepped out of the shadows. His heart could not take much more of this!

"Ya' just missed her Alucard." He remarked, and watched as the vampire growled with frustration at the news. Whoa…someone is sure losing his cool. He grinned widely…oh yeah this was great… teasing material. "Ya' playing hide and seek, old powerful one?"

Alucard snarled at the man, upper lips curled. If Pip's chasing after his childe did not amuse the vampire so much… "Training…"

A snort escaped the captain. So…that's what they were calling it these days…"Hers…or yours?"

A narrowing of Alucard's ruby eyes made Pip take a cautious step back; as much fun as it was to tease the old vampire, Pip liked to keep his life as it was. He let out a deep sigh of relief as Alucard turned sharply on his heel and entered the shadows once more. "Oh man, I'm getting to old for this shit…"

&

"Ohhh…where to hide, where should I hide?" Willow mumbled under her breath as she checked the watch on her wrist… five minutes, and counting…

This morning when Willow had woken up, she had been full of nervous energy. Nothing like having some unknown playing with your head by invading your dreams… In times like these, Willow liked to workout to release the tension built up inside, but since she could not be outside with the slayers on the Training Grounds, Alucard had suggested this little battle of wills; to play 'hide and seek' within the confinements of the Hellsing Manor. It sounded like fun, and Willow had jumped at the chance. When Alucard boasted that he would capture her in no time at all, Willow decided to teach the vampire a lesson. She added a bet, and he countered with one of his own. The game was soon on… and now Alucard only had four more minutes to find her…

Her brow puckered when she felt Alucard's aura tug on her senses once again. Goddess, he was good, maybe too good! She had to find a place he would never suspect…a wide smile spread over her face…oh yeah Willow thought, he would never look there! In seconds, she was gone, her clear laughter echoing in the halls.

&

"Sir Integra, here is everything I could find on my initial search into Wolfram and Hart." Walter informed the leader of the Hellsing Order. He reached out and placed the file he held on top of her desk. "Mr. Rupert Giles of the Slayer Council has kindly emailed all the information the Council has gathered over the last few years. It is quiet extensive. It is mostly the work of Miss. Willow. She is in charge of the Council Research Department."

Integra began to flip through the pages in the file, her blue eyes fixed on sheets of paper. This indeed was a lot of information, and thorough. Willow was quiet the taskmaster. "Prey tell, what is Mr. Giles view on the situation?" she asked quietly, looking up at her retainer from the corner of her eye.

One of Walter's brows rose as he recalled the explosive reaction the Leader of the Slayer Council had to the news that someone at Wolfram and hart was after Willow. "Mr. Giles was…concerned about the matter." He tactfully replied. "He informed me he would be contacting the Vatican very soon concerning the matter of Father Anderson, and the Retrieval Order sent by Mr. Maxwell. I suspect Mr. Maxwell will not deal will with the aftermath of last night's events."

Integra's lips twisted into a cruel smile, and her eyes glowed with cool satisfaction. "I have heard Mr. Giles is not the man to cross, especially when someone threatens one of his charges…"

"The matter is…" Walter began, but voices heard coming down the hallway outside Integra's office interrupted what he was about to say. Integra and Walter turned to face the door, watching as it opened after a brisk knock at the wood.

"…oh come on! You can't tell me you wouldn't love to do that!" Willow was saying, her hands waving about as she spoke up at the vampire holding the door open for her.

Alucard leaned back against the open door, crossing his arms over his chest as he regarded the red head with a teasing gleam in his eye. "You hid in my coffin…" he remarked with a growing smirk. He was proud of her cunning, but he was not about to tell her that. He had standards, afterall.

Willow narrowed her gaze on him, and planted her hands on her hips. "The rules were I could hide anywhere in the Hellsing Manor…you didn't find me in time…so you lost!"

His smile grew at her show of spirit, and his eyes flashed with amusement. "Let me understand little tree… as forfeit for losing the game, you wish me to pose at the front doors of the Slayer Council on All Hollow's Eve; just for the sole purpose of scaring the baby Slayers? How…appealing…" his voice thickened at the idea.

"Yeah, but…" she replied, then shook a finger at him. "You have to be in your beast form." When his lips turned up mockingly, she went on with a roll of her eyes. "Okay, okay…you know I think the beast is cute…"

Integra and Walter watched the scene with growing wide eyes. Both of them were thinking the same thing: Willow had been in Alucard's coffin, and she thought the vampire's beast was cute!?

"…but the girls have never seen a Hellhound with six pairs of eyes before. They will just freak out! Come one Alucard, please?" The red head used her pout, and then batted her eyes outrageously at the vampire, determined to get him to agree.

Alucard sighed, realizing he could not deny Willow anything when she looked at him like that. She could easily wrap him around her finger, and pathetic as he was, Alucard found he was enjoying her devious ways. He pushed away from the door, a deep, melodious laugh rumbling from his chest. "Alright witch…but only if Sir Integra gives her permission…" he turned his face, and a frown replacing his smile as he caught the bug-eyed faces staring back at him.

"Master, are you alright?" he questioned.

"Hum…no…yes." Integra shook her head at the two before her. She cocked her head, her eyes taking in the sight of a fully relaxed Alucard. In all the years she had known him, never had she seen the vampire so calm, with his face almost glowing…with inner happiness? Her gaze sharpened on the red head. "What have the two of you been up too?"

Willow bounced on her feet as she made her way into the room, a giggle escaping her mouth, with Alucard stepping into position right behind her; his ruby eyes hooded as he smiled fondly at the back of Willow's head. "We were playing 'Hide and Seek'…and before you go 'all protective big cousin.' on me Sir Integra, I promise we didn't leave the Manor."

"Really…" the blond drew out with a brow raised high. A game for children would not have been a suggestion she would have approved had they asked her, but their game had pleasing results. Willow looked better than she had the night before; rested and smiling. Perhaps Alucard's orthodox handling of the situation was just what the red haired girl had needed.

"You won Miss. Willow?" Walter asked as he held back his grin, but his blue eyes were backlit with his inner laughter.

"Of course!" Willow exclaimed with a wide smile. The vampire at her back just shook his head. He would have his hands full with this mortal…little did he know…"Now Alucard owes me …"

A snort of mirth escaped Integra. "We heard…and we'll talk about that later…" Her face resumed a serious expression. Her gaze fixed on the red head. "Seras has been assigned to watch the Wolfram and Hart main office in downtown London. She will be there nightly, and Captain Pip has position a twenty-four hour watch on the building as well."

Willow gave an approving nod. "Standard procedure…Giles would have set up his own people by now. Most of the Scooby's will be at the meeting tonight…"

"Scooby's? What are those?" questioned Alucard, after letting out a bark of laughter.

Willow turned on him with a playful glare. "It's what we decided to call ourselves; those who helped the Slayer guard the Hellmouth. It's based on a cartoon about a talking dog, and his friends…"

"As fascinating as this is…" Integra cut in, forcing a stern look on her face. Scooby's? Her newfound cousin was proving to be highly entertaining. "Who are the Scooby's?"

"Giles, Buffy, Xander, Angel, and myself…we're the originals…with Dawn, Faith, perhaps Wood…and Spike…Andrew might be there with the baby slayers, but…"

"All these you mention, they will be at the Council tonight?" the blond asked with a touch of alarm. She had been hoping to speak to Mr. Giles, and perhaps the elder Miss. Summers, but to be in a room will with the rest of the Council members, along with two master vampires…?

Willow tilted her head to the side as she regarded her cousin with a serious-minded look in her eyes. Her words were sober as she replied, "The Scooby's…We are a well oiled machine Sir Integra. We have faced, and stopped more apocalypses than I want to think about." She spent the next half an hour giving them a brief history of her life on the Hellmouth, leaving the more personal information for a better time, especially the part about her trip into the dark magics. She sensed Alucard tension growing as she spoke. She wondered what he was thinking. "We have learned, at bitter cost to us all, that we are stronger together…and my friends had earned the right to be at this meeting."

"Willow…my god…" Integra breathed, her eyes saddened as she looked back at the red head. She had no idea the fight against evil in the world was so unrelenting…sure, Integra had her duty as the Leader of the Hellsing Order; to protect Queen and Country…but… To be a young woman, immersed in a world where fighting hell from literally breaking loose on the world on a daily scale…Willow and her friends had fought demons, warlocks, master vampires, and a Hell-goddess to save the world…and together they had defeated the First of all Evil. It was a wonder that Willow still had the burning need to keep on fighting the darkness; to protect those unaware of the dangers…the red head's very will, and determination was motivating.

"You are family to me Willow." Integra declared, firm in her resolve. "Our family…" she said as she glanced around the room at Walter and Alucard, whom gave nods in agreement. "We would like to meet your friends…allow us this honor."

"Thank you." Willow replied with a small smile of wonder, her chest tight with emotion… but then she had visions of what could go wrong at the meeting…just the thought of Faith meeting Alucard; or even Andrew with his endless questions, or Buffy taking one look and…oh and Giles! Oh Goddess… "Hum…Sir Integra…" she began hesitantly, biting her bottom lip in a nervous gesture. "I should probably warn ya'…"

Hope you like,

Magik.