~O~

Sinclair sat at Alucard's bedside in silence. His second-in-command still lay unconscious after being attacked by Alice, and according to Loran, he would more than likely remain like for a while. The Vampire Lord's eyes shifted to the bag of blood that hung over the bed, and watched as crimson droplets fell down the tube that led into Alucard's arm. It was Sinclair's blood that filled that bag, along with several others that had been filled and set aside for Alucard. Since the second-in-command was only half Vampire, he lacked the healing abilities that others normally possessed.

So, to try and help the healing process along, Sinclair had insisted on giving up some of his own blood. As a Purebred, Sinclair's blood was much more potent, allowing him to be able to heal much quicker than those who were not of Noble birth. By giving some to Alucard, he hoped it would be enough to help heal the nearly fatal wounds Alice had inflicted. "How long are you going to be in here?" a voice asked from behind. Sinclair turned around in his chair and saw the Count standing in the doorway. "I was just about to leave," he said while rising. Gillfrey's gaze shifted over to Alucard. He sighed.

"She definitely did a number on him, didn't she?" Sinclair nodded as he approached the Count. "Yes, she did. Loran said he was confident that if we hadn't gotten him help when he did, then he probably would have bled out back in that hallway," Sinclair said flatly. Alice, in the midst of her Bloodlust, had attacked Alucard's neck, severing several arteries and his windpipe, causing him to not only bleed out and be unable to breathe, but also nearly suffocate on his own blood. Now, he was stable, but only thanks to the numerous bandages, stitches, and tubes that Loran had placed on him.

Gillfrey crossed his arms over his chest and said, "I'm sure you know there is a lot of talking going on around now as to what to do about her. She did kill one of you underlings and nearly did the same to your second-in-command. Not to mention she also attacked Shun. A lot of them want her gone." Sinclair ran his hand through his hair and sighed heavily. "I'm aware….Something has to be done about her, but I want to go through my options thoroughly first. I don't want to immediately jump to the options of exiling her, or even executing her without going over other alternatives."

Gillfrey simply nodded, but Sinclair could tell something was on the Count's mind. "Do you have any input you'd like to add?" he asked. The Count seemed to appear somewhat uncomfortable as he said, "I was just thinking about what measures the Society would have taken to handle her…..and I would be lying if I said that I didn't think they were called for." Sinclair remained silent. If the Society was still around and if they got their hands on Alice, she would have been immediately killed, no trial or anything. It was the standard operation for how they dealt with Hunters and potentially dangerous Vampires; those who posed a threat had no right to live amongst others. "I don't want death to be her only fate," Sinclair said flatly.

Gillfrey nodded. "I understand that, and I also understand that this is your decision to make….I simply stated my thoughts on the matter," he replied. The two then left Alucard's room. Sinclair was about to head back to his office, but Gillfrey placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "You don't think I'm still some puppet of the Society because of what I said in there, do you?" he asked. The Vampire Lord stared in surprise.

He then lifted the Count's hand from his shoulder and told him, "No, I don't. Gillfrey, I've known you for nearly my entire life, and am more than well aware of how you think. And in the past months since the fall of the Society, I have seen a major shift in those thoughts you once held. They no longer fully align with what the Society stood for because you've been exposed to a world that was kept from you. And just because you think that executing Alice is the best option for preserving the safety of others, doesn't mean you are still the Society's puppet."

Gillfrey leaned against the wall and looked up at the cavernous ceiling above them. "It's…It's just that I no longer want to be associated with the Society and what it stood for. I've realized that all it did was fuel hate and worsen divides, when we should have been working together all of this time. Maybe if we had done things differently, then everything that has happened could have been prevented. I mean, a year ago I would have never believed that a Half-Breed could be of any value, and yet Alucard has done more to save my life than most of those in the Society would have."

Sinclair looked at the Count and noticed the pained-look in his eyes when he said, "I just don't want to go back to that way of that way of thinking….of that way of life." Sinclair stood beside the Count and this time he placed a gentle hand on Gillfrey's shoulder. "You don't have to go back to that, and I honestly doubt you ever will, given the things you've seen and experienced since the Society's fall. But something that can be done is mend the things that the Society has broken," said the Vampire Lord, "Everything has fallen to shambles with the fall of Society, and it needs to be fixed to help make things peaceful again. You've seen the errors of the Society's ways and know how to address them, and just as I told you all of those years ago, I will tell you again. Nobody is as fit to be a leader than you, Gillfrey."

The Count let out a humorless laugh before shrugging Sinclair's hand from his shoulder. "You honestly think anyone will want me back as their leader?" he asked bitterly, "I ran like a coward when Zoran attacked the Society's stronghold. I let the Society fall. Nobody in their right minds would make me leader again." He then looked at the Vampire Lord and said, "You, on the other hand, were much more fit than me to lead. Everyone knew it, which is why you were originally chosen. They only placed that honor on me when you went rogue and abandoned the Society." Sinclair wasn't entirely sure if the bitterness in Gillfrey's voice was from his betrayal all those years ago, or if it was from the feeling that he had failed at the most important job that could be given to somebody.

Either way, Sinclair couldn't help but feel that maybe the Count still had a bit of resentment left towards him. Sinclair decided to try and not dwell on it too much; given enough time, Gillfrey would hopefully forgive him completely one day. The Count pushed himself off the wall and said with a sigh, "But that's all in the past now, and there's nothing that can be done about it." He started down the hallway, and without turning around, told Sinclair, "I'll be in my room if you need me." The Vampire Lord nodded, even though he knew Gillfrey would not see. Sinclair then stood there in the hallway for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before finally starting back towards his office.

~O~

Shun winced as Loran placed more antiseptic onto the wound on his back. "Sorry," Loran said quietly, "the wounds are pretty deep, so it can't be helped if there's pain." Shun didn't say anything in return. Instead, the only sounds he made were hisses as Loran continued to tend to the gash in his shoulder. After several more minutes, Loran stepped back and said, "There, I'm done. They should heal completely in a day or so. Just be sure to change the bandages every so often, as well as after showering." Shun nodded. Behind him, he heard Loran packing up the first-aid kit he brought with him.

"Thanks," he said. The gray-haired Vampire shrugged and said, "No problem. I'm sorry you had to wait so long for me to treat them, but I kind of had my hands full." Shun knew exactly what Loran was referring to. Alucard. From what Shun had both seen during that attack and heard afterwards around the enclave, Alucard had come incredibly close to dying, and it was only thanks to Loran that he was still alive right now. Without thinking, Shun reached up to his shoulder and touched the bandages that were taped to his skin, ignoring the stinging sensation the pressure caused.

Alice had attacked him and Alucard due to her Bloodlust. Shun had gotten in the way by trying to stop the second-in-command from shooting her, and he couldn't help but feel as if Alucard's current condition was his fault. Loran finished packing up the last of his supplies. "Well," he started, "if you need any help changing those bandages, just come find me." He started to leave out of the room, but Shun stopped him. "Loran, wait a minute," he called out. The gray-haired Vampire stopped and turned to face Shun, a look of confusion spread across his face. "What is it?" he asked. Shun stood from the chair he had been sitting in and said, "How have you been holding up? I know you went through a lot while you were held captive by Levi, but just haven't heard you talk much about it." Loran shifted, obviously somewhat uncomfortable by the question. But much to Shun's surprise, he answered.

"Things are getting a bit better, especially now that I've been back here for a while. But I know I'm far from healed, and there's a good chance I won't ever be entirely like I was before," he explained. Shun nodded. He was glad to know that Loran was gradually recovering from the trauma he experienced while being held captive by Levi, and honestly, it gave him a little bit of hope that the same could go for Alice. However, he also was well aware that what Loran experienced was a fraction of what Alice had gone through, even though he didn't have all of the details. I'm not sure I even want to know all of the details anyway. The thought of it was enough to make Shun's stomach uneasy. Loran gave the raven-haired teen a sad smile and told him, "Thanks for asking, though. It means a lot to me."

Shun smiled back and said, "No worries." With that being said, Loran went ahead and left the room. Shun walked over to his dresser and retrieved himself a new shirt; the one he had been wearing prior was now tattered and stained with his blood. Carefully, he slid the shirt on over his head, making sure not to cause his injured shoulder any pain as he lifted his arms. Once he had finished getting changed, he stepped out of his room and into the hallway, then began to walk down the corridors towards the room where the blood was kept. He didn't necessarily need any at the moment, but he knew consuming more would help speed up the healing process for the wound on his back. After several minutes of walking, he finally reached the room.

Once inside, he prepared himself a glass and removed a bag of blood from the coolers, cutting it open with a pair of scissors and carefully pouring the contents into the cup. Shun then sat at the one of the tables in the room and took a sip. Drinking blood had once made him uncomfortable, if not disgusted. Now, he was used to it, and it was no different than drinking water; he needed it to survive, after all. Shun swirled the contents of the glass, watching as crimson waves lapped against the sides of the container, and let out an exhausted sigh.

When Alice had originally agreed to return to the enclave, Shun had been very hopeful that things would start to return to a state of normalcy. Of course, he had realized rather quickly that that was not going to be the case, and even so, he still had tried to stay optimistic. But now, after Alice had attacked several of the Clan members, he found himself overwhelmed by doubts. It had seemed like things had only gotten worse, even after over a week since Levi's defeat. While Loran was starting to accept his trauma and overcome it, Alice appeared to be miles away from making the same kind of progress, and Shun felt himself slowly losing any hope that she would. After the attack, Sinclair had ordered Alice to be locked up in one of the storage rooms, like some kind of dangerous animal, or a criminal.

Shun knew that was the only option, though. She was dangerous while in Bloodlust, so it was the best way to prevent anyone else from being hurt. But that didn't change the fact that he hated knowing she was locked away until they decided on what to do about her next. If anything, that was what made Shun uneasy. Just what would they do about Alice now? Sinclair and many others had been hesitant to allow her and the Hunters into the enclave, so he wondered if they would be told to leave. Shun shook his head, not wanting to think of losing Alice again, especially not after getting her back so soon. The raven-haired teen finished off the last of the blood in his glass, then stood up and walked over to the sink, where he rinsed the glass clean before putting it away.

He then began to leave, stepping out into the hallway, and turning to head towards his own room. However, Shun opted to take the longer way to his room, as it bypassed the room where Alice was locked away. Up ahead, he saw two fellow Clan members standing guard outside. They noticed the raven-haired teen and acknowledged him. "How is she?" Shun asked, "Has Sinclair said anything about letting her out yet?"

The guard on the right shook his head and replied, "No word as of now, but she's been pretty quiet in there, so I'd assume she's finally calmed down." Shun nodded and thanked them before continuing on his way. He knew there was no way they'd let him inside the room; not without approval from Sinclair, at least. So, he didn't even bother trying to ask them, despite how badly he wanted to go in there and see her. Shun stopped in the middle of the hallway and slammed his fist into the wall beside him.

The rocky surface of the wall bit into the flesh of his hand, but the pain didn't bother him nearly as much as the emotional pain he felt inside. With everything that had happened, Shun was surprised he was still managing to hold himself together so well. Then again, he also knew that breaking down wouldn't solve anything, either. Shun sighed and continued on his way towards his room, the pain still radiating in both his hand and heart, and like everything else that weighed on him, he tried his best to ignore it and carry on.

Long time no post, I know. I've been super busy with my job and my internship this summer. Plus, my internet has been down for a while and I just got it back up today. I'm still trying to finish out this story, even if it takes another year, but I will try my best to label it as completed. I still know how I want everything to end, it's just finding the time to get there is all. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Leave a review on the way out. ~Copperpelt~