Double Date part 1
AN: Okay, we are now pleased to bring you the first chapter of 'Double Date, a Metropolis kid and Ladykirie joint project. Hope you enjoy. :)
Three days after falling asleep together on the couch, the French mercenary finally made good on his promise and took his girlfriend to the City of Lights.
It took the pair over two hours to reach Paris; but as the day continued on, Integra decided that it had been well worth the drive. They toured the Arc de Triomphe, a monument commissioned by Napoleon himself and dedicated to the memory of all those who fought and died for France. Beneath the arc, rested France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a dedication to all the soldiers who gave their lives in defense of their countries and were too horribly disfigured to even be identified by their loved ones.
There was a similar monument in England. Within Westminster Abbey, rested England's Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. But though both service men were laid to rest on the same day (thereby making both tombs the 'first' memorial for the unknown dead of World War I), France had gone a step further and lit an 'eternal flame' within their tomb, the first eternal flame to have been lit in Europe in over a thousand years.
Integra and Pip broke away from the rest of their tour group and spent a few extra minutes lingering in the memorial. They held hands as they stared at the flame, watching it dance before their eyes. Pip thought of his Father, who's body had never been recovered from its final resting place in South America. Integra's thoughts were for her own soldiers, many of whom she knew would meet such horrible fates, at the hands of the undead they battled with, that they themselves would likely become 'unknown soldiers'. It was a solemn and quiet moment between the two, the kind of moment that two people shared without having to say a word to each other.
After their tour of the Arc de Triomphe, Integra and Pip spent a few hours investigating the Musee du Louvre. They wandered through the various curatorial departments, surrounded by everything from Egyptian mummies to Greek sculptures to the more recent, paintings, prints and drawings.
They did not bother joining a tour group this time. Instead Integra and Pip reveled in the freedom of being able to explore the museum at their own pace. They passed by many paintings, produced by the 'Old Masters', without stopping to give the masterpieces a second glance.
If they'd had more time, the two would've joined a group again and listened to all the important cultural and symbolic aspects involved with the masterpieces. However, the Louvre was vast and held thousands upon thousands of priceless works of art.
It would've been impossible to investigate it all in a single day. And the two love birds didn't even have that; there were still other places Pip wanted to show his girlfriend. And so the two continued on through the museum, only stopping to admire a work of art when it struck a deep and personal cord in one... or both of them.
After a few hours in the Louvre, Integra and Pip went to the Eiffel Tower. They took two lifts and walked up the last fifteen steps to reach the observation Platform. There they stopped and spent a few minutes admiring the view.
It was magnificent. There the ancient city laid, stretched out before them like one of the masterpieces that hung in the Louvre. Pip pulled Integra close and whispered something French into her ear. The young knight didn't know what the merc had said, but the tone was soft and sweet. And she smiled at him.
Then they descended the staircase and took the tower's second lift down to the first level. There they stopped at a restaurant, Altitude 95, and ordered a couple of meals. Pip suggested that they have the meals boxed up and take them down to the grassy Champ de Mars, and Integra thought it was an excellent idea.
And it was then, while lazily picnicking in the beautiful park, that Integra's nice, peaceful date suddenly took a very stressful turn. I told you that the city would cloud your mind and wear down your defenses, Master. A deep, velvety voice cooed in Integra's mind; and she jerked upward, suddenly becoming very alert, and looked around.
You don't have the slightest idea what that little pervert whispered into your ear, do you, Master? The voice continued as the young knight caught sight of 'Alison' emerging from behind a line of trees.
Alucard! The mini-Hellsing's eyes narrowed. What are you doing here? How did you even get here?! We have the car!
We biked, the vampire replied simply.
Biked? You biked one hundred and twenty three kilometers! Integra was nearly flabbergasted by the claim.
Now, Master, it's really not that impressive. A bunch of humans did it back in 1869 and again a hundred years later... Of course, we made much better time than they did.
We? Integra thought. The vampire had already used the word once, but the young knight hadn't caught it. She'd been too shocked by the fact that her 'pet' had peddled a bicycle all the way from Rouen to Paris... and just to interrupt her date with Pip!
As if in response to Integra's question, 'Alison' stepped aside; and the young knight saw Steve emerging from the same line of trees that Alison had a moment before. The poor geek was white faced and held an expression as if he'd just seen the devil himself, and Integra lost control of her temper. You... you bloody fool!!! You biked over a hundred and twenty miles... in what?... six hours?... with Steve riding along?! What's wrong with you! Don't you think he's going to get suspicious and start asking questions?! The young knight exploded over their mental connection.
Alison smiled mischievously, and her eyes sparkled happily. Her master was finally playing with her again, and the vampire really couldn't be more pleased. Four hours, actually. They could've reached Paris faster. However, Steve had kept shouting for Alison to slow down, and she became worried that the geek might actually faint and fall of the back off the bike if she pushed things too far. And don't worry about Steve. The creature continued coyly. He knows better than to ask questions he doesn't want the answers to. She finished as she began to make her way towards her master.
Integra wondered what her 'pet' could possibly mean by that; but before she could think the question over to the vampire, Pip's eyes finally caught sight of the other pair of 'love birds'. "Al-Alison? Steven? What are you two doing here?" He asked obviously as surprised, by their appearance, as Integra had been.
"Oh, I thought it would be fun to pay a little visit to some of Paris's landmarks, and then I remembered that my roommate and you were having this little date. So I asked Steve if he thought it would be fun to double with you two."
"But... but how did you two get here?" Pip asked, his mind not yet processing the fact that his girlfriend's 'roommate' was inviting herself and Steven into his and Integra's private date.
"Oh, we..." Alison began but was quickly cut off.
"They must've taken a train." Integra quickly cut in, fearing that her pet might actually tell the truth for once simply because it would cause more problems for the young knight.
"Oh," Pip replied and seemed satisfied by the answer.
Alison sat down on the grass beside Integra as Steve neared the small group. "So," the vampire asked, "where are we off to next?"
Excuse me, Integra thought as she turned away from her boyfriend and towards her 'pet', I don't remember giving you permission to join us. The young knight's eyes narrowed.
Alison just smiled. Well, if you would rather Stevie and I go off on our own, we can do that too. You just seemed bothered the last time we did that, Master. But if you really want to be alone with your French frog, I'm sure that, in a city the size of Paris, Steve and I can find something fun to do. Alison replied and couldn't resist parting her lips, turning the smile into a toothy grin.
And the little cogs in Integra's head began to spin like tires on the freeway. What did her pet mean by 'fun'? Normally, 'fun' for the vampire meant blasting someone's head off, caving in their skull or drinking their blood. Integra was fairly confident that Steve was safe. She had given her pet a list of rules after all. But as for the rest of Paris... well that was another story. There were some rules that should protect the city as well, but Alucard had proven quite adept at finding loopholes. And Integra wondered just how much damage her pet could cause without technically violating the rules.
But what worried Integra even more was the other possible meaning of 'fun'. She wasn't worried about the idea of 'Alison' getting... 'intimate' with 'her' geeky boyfriend... no, not exactly. Once again, Integra knew that Steve would be safe... well, reasonably safe; and the rest of Paris would be kept out of harm's way.
But the young knight was... bothered by the thought, and that concerned her even more than the idea of her 'pet' finding a loophole and having his 'normal' kind of 'fun'. She shouldn't care! As long as the innocents were safe and her servant obeyed her orders, she shouldn't care what perverted 'fun' he indulged in; but she did.
She would deny it, of course, deny it with her dying breath, if need be. And she did her best to shield such traitorous thoughts from any 'surface scans' her servant might have been preforming. But though she would deny it, though she did her best to hide it, it was still the truth.
"Pip suggested we visit Cignancourt next." Integra replied out-loud, answering her roommates last spoken words and avoiding actually admitting to the vampire that she didn't want him and Steve going off on their own.
The Flea Market of Cignancourt was brimming with life, like a piece of bread on an ant hill. Vendors called out, attempting to sell their wares to an eager public. Antique mirrors shone silver in the sun while rich, Persian rugs flapped in the almost-summer breeze. On folding tables, costume jewelry sparkled and glowed behind rows and rows of glass vases, blue, green and amber hues catching the eye. Everywhere one turned, a trinket, treasure, or piece of trash was present. For Integra, all this clutter was a bit overwhelming. She felt as if she was in some sort of ancient bazaar in a foreign land.
Well, Paris is strange, the young knight reminded herself, heavy food, strange language and even stranger citizens... She cast a glance to her boyfriend, who was maneuvering himself through the dense crowds. The young man shot her a cheerful glance as he pulled her hand along gently. Strange, but at least well-meaning... She mentally countered, and smiled back at Pip.
"Keep up!" Pip chimed, "It's almost noon and things are starting to get pretty crowded around here." The pair bounced over to a table filled with picture postcards and vintage books.
Through dark sunglasses, 'Alison' pitched a nasty look at the pair of love birds. The bright, May sun made 'her' eyes strained, and the various transformations and regenerations from a few nights ago had left her edgy and slightly weakened.
The vampire grumbled curses under her breath, especially when she saw the boy's hand slip around her master's waist and pull the young knight in tightly as the pair peeked at a novel.
Steve was still completely oblivious to the inner tumult that his 'girlfriend' was feeling. He was just thrilled that he seemed to have been able to get closer to her over the past few days and nights. The teen was still regaining his normalcy after his experiences within the cathedral; but, somehow, it left him a feeling a little bit bolder, more confident. However, 'Ali' seemed to have gotten more moody and cranky over the last few days.
Perhaps she wasn't feeling well, or it was that time of the month; a few other scenarios played through his head: food poisoning, lack of sleep and homesickness. But with that edgy smirk on her face and the way her brows knitted together, it dawned on him that perhaps finding a chocolate stand would be a great way to alleviate her ills. With a smile, Steve put his hand on Alison's shoulder, but she merely bristled a bit and returned a wan grin.
"Having a good time?" He cheerfully asked.
Out of the corner of 'her' eye, Alison could see the little frog pulling up a book on "Erotic Art Through the Ages". He was grinning boldly, flipping pages, as her master blushed and playfully slapped his arm. The vampire could make out their conversation clearly, even through the din of the surrounding crowd.
"Hey, it's not dirty. That piece is at the University gallery! Of course, she's not as pretty as you are..."
Teeth clenched together, and Alison felt her blood boil. Ignoring Steve's affection, she sauntered over to the couple and prevented further fancy flattery from the filthy French frog. "So, how are you two enjoying this little outing?" She sweetly inquired.
Whenever her servant took on that tone of voice, Integra knew that the creature was getting edgy.
"Having a great time!" Pip responded. "You won't believe what this guy has, books on everything. Some of these look like they're over a hundred years old!" The teen's eyes wandered over to a stack of postcard yellowing with age. "Hey, some of these are really old. Tegra, look at the date on this one."
A dun-grey photograph of a spring garden from 1904 was in his hand. The paper was so thin that, when held up, the light grazed through it.
"These are lovely." The young knight replied and began to sort through them gently.
"Hey, Mira likes these kinds of landscapes. You don't mind if I pick out a few for her... and for Mauman, do you?" The boy asked.
Integra shrugged. "Sure, that would be very thoughtful."
Alison found a little loophole for torment within this innocent gesture. "So, picking up a few souvenirs for your other girlfriend?" She cooed in a tone that anyone, other than her master... or perhaps Walter, would've mistaken for innocent playfulness.
Integra's brow furrowed, but Pip just chuckled. "No, fraid I've given that up." He laced his arm around Integra's waist and pulled her close. "I'm only interested in Tegra these days." The merc continued. "Of course, there's no harm in picking up a few postcards for my friend and mum, right?" Pip countered, and Integra smiled.
The vampire scanned the Frenchman's thoughts for any betraying emotional vibrations, but there was no fire of passion as he thought of Mira, just the warmth of platonic friendship.
Damn, the creature thought, hoping to reveal Pip's 'true' intentions.
Serves you right, bloody troublemaker.... Integra's voice mentally chided. He's trying to do something nice, and all you try to do is bring him down to a base level. Not everyone's so sexually driven, Alucard. And to prove her point, Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing stuck out her tongue... with all the authority of an angry four-year-old.
(Well, we hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and let us know what you thought. Thanks.
Have a good day, and God bless.
Metropolis Kid and Ladykirie.)
To Alunea: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you've enjoyed this so far, that you've gotten such a kick out of Integra and Alucard's 'games'... and the punishments that often follow. :) Don't worry, there should still be at least a couple more chapters to this. I just hope you continue to enjoy them... oh, and don't forget to review and let us know what you think. Hehe. Thanks. :)
Have a good day, and God bless.
Metropolis Kid.