Twenty-Nine

It was totally silent. Nothing moved along the darkened moors except for the wind rushing through the tall grass, already accumulating morning dew. The sun wasn't risen yet. Only the faintest of purple could be seen along the eastern horizon.

Wynter pushed her long hair from her face as she eyed her opponent. He stood about twenty meters away, stock still. Neither of them spoke. Getting out of Hellsing without being spotted had been easy. But they both knew it wouldn't be too long before their absence was noticed and Alucard revealed what he knew. Anderson was aware that the manic vampire had figured it out through Wynter's mind. This was the moment he'd been waiting for for a long time. He wanted no one to interfere.

So why did he feel so uneasy now? Although it horrified him somewhat to admit that somewhere along the line, he'd fallen in love with his enemy, he knew he wasn't going to hold back. One of them would die tonight.

The biologically modified human hunter, bearing a vendetta against vampires for 'ending' his life.

The 18th century aristocrat-turned vampire, harboring a complete lack of any human memories and no reason for existing except to exist.

"Vying for tradition, Alexander," Wynter said, addressing him by his first name for once, "I suppose we should say some final words to each other. If I should somehow strike a true vital point, you could bleed out before I'd get the chance. Or you could strike my heart precisely and I'd crumble to ash before you'd get the chance,"

"Ye have ae good point," he said, "In tha' case, Wynter, Ah figure Ah'll gae first, then. Ah suppose Ah ought tae say that it has been quite an interesting adventure with ye. Ah'll give ye this much; Ah hope tae meet ye again in Hell one day,"

Wynter smiled slightly, "Same here. You're probably more interesting than Tobias was. You've certainly more layers to your personality and ironically, you're a very kindhearted person. Now, before we start, I'd like to reinforce something. No matter what, do not hold back. I want you to fight with every ounce of your strength. One of us will fall, never again to stand. I want you to promise you won't hold back,"

"Nae need. Ah was aboot tae ask the same o' ye," he said with a dry smirk.

"Good," she said, turning to make her way into position. She paused, "Oh, by the way, I figure since one of us, probably me, will invariably perish tonight, I should probably tell you,"

He frowned curiously, "What?"

Wynter shrugged, "I really think you're one of the most interesting people I've ever met," she said simply, turning back around and walking about forty feet away and then turning back to face him as she spread her wings.

/ooo/

"Where are they!?" Integra exclaimed.

"Judging from Wynter's aura, what little I can still detect, I'd say about five miles north of here, outside the city," Alucard said.

"Walter, get me map, please," Integra said as calmly as she could muster. Walter was able to find one downstairs in his workshop. While they waited, Alucard watched Integra as she fidgeted by the window, her cigar clamped firmly between her teeth.

"You're so easy to read," he said mirthfully.

"Well, I'm certainly glad to see that you're back to normal," Integra growled, "You were frightfully serious for a while there,"

"Worry for my dearly beloved sister, is all. But now that she's passed on to whatever awaits this life, I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders,"

Integra frowned, "Bianca passed on?" she asked.

"Of course. What do you think Father Anderson did?"

Integra still seemed confused. Alucard sighed, "Integra, really. Didn't you recognize what he said to her and what she said in return? It was the Catholic prayer of penance. Don't forget; Bianca was Catholic after all. She'd been unable to forgive herself for what happened and unable to face God again. Anderson simply forgave her himself, though she'd done him no wrong. He gave her the ability to see her sin as forgiven by God. Once she grasps that God has forgiven her, she will eventually gain the ability to forgive herself. She isn't out of the woods yet, but she's on her way. We likely won't be seeing her again,"

"You speak as if you don't care. But I have no patience for your quirks and issues, Alucard. Right now, we have to find those two. A battle erupting could be catastrophic for the neighboring area,"

She whirled as Walter arrived with a map of the London area and the surrounding countryside. Integra unrolled it on her desk, following the county lines with her fingers and mumbling to herself as her eyes flew across the paper.

"The moors," she whispered. Her eyes narrowed, "Walter, prepare yourself and instruct Seras and Ms. Pevensy to gear up. Alucard, you too. Only the five of us are going. This is a delicate matter we're dealing with. Right here," she said, indicating a certain spot on the map, "This is the most logical place to hold a battle of this variety. It's flanked on both sides by thick forest and the closest sign of human life is bound to be more than a mile away. Even so, if this rages out of control, even these secluded residents will feel the heat,"

"Neither one will back down you realize," Alucard said, "It's just what I'd expect,"

"What do you mean?" Integra asked suspiciously.

"Neither one will back down because neither one wants to admit the truth," he said with a shrug, "It's as simple as that. So now I suppose I'd best get ready. I'll see the both of you outside then," he said, vanishing from sight.

Integra sighed, "I've got a really bad feeling about this,"

It was a twenty minute drive to the moors in the northern countryside of London. Alucard expressed distaste at riding in the car and chose to travel as fog about a quarter mile above them while they sped down the deserted road. Integra sat shotgun, arms folded, glaring through the windshield. Walter focused on his driving, while both girls in the backseat watched anxiously. Neither one had received an explanation for this unorthodox deployment, especially since Integra had tagged along.

"Faster, Walter," Integra said quietly.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, increasing from sixty to seventy.

"I hope we make it in time," Integra said calmly, turning to look out the side window.

Seras leaned forward, "Um, Sir Integra? What exactly is going on?"

"It's a fight, Seras. Winner takes all," was Integra's blunt answer.

Seras and Sasha both blanched and glanced at each other worriedly.

/ooo/

Wynter burst into the air with a powerful flap of her wings, sending sharp gusts of wind plowing against him, driving him back. She landed delicately, watching as he regained his footing, pulling his arm back to launch half a dozen sharpened weapons at her. Wynter threw herself out of the way. Immediately, her eyes widened as one of them suddenly altered its course in midair, streaked downward and sliced through her shoulder, jamming the blade into her bone. She winced sharply and grasp the blade in an attempt to dislodge it. The silver and blessings attached to it seared and scorched her skin as she yanked it free, hurling it down.

"Interesting," she grunted, "So you can alter their trajectory even after they've left your hand,"

Anderson knelt several meters away, "It's ae new technique Ah'm in the middle o' developing," he explained, "Ah figured noo's the perfect time tae test it oot,"

Wynter clasped her hand over the wound as the blood poured freely, "I have to say, it's impressive. Keep working on it and maybe you'll take down Alucard at some point,"

Wynter took to the air again, soaring about thirty feet above him and wheeling about erratically to prevent him from locking on a solid target. Anderson's eyes narrowed as Wynter suddenly dove straight down, striking the very spot he'd been standing seconds previously with precision force. Her wings crumpled against her from the momentum and throw-off of the missed hit and she was barely able to leap out of the way as he sliced viciously in a downward arc that would have cut her in two. He lashed out with lightning speed and Wynter stumbled back, using the force from her own blunder to leap backward into the air, beating her wings to stay aloft, watching him carefully.

"What's on wi' ye, Wynter?" he growled, "Ye have'nae throon one worthwhile strike since we started. Ah've seen ye at yer true power and this sure as hell is'nae what Ah was expecting,"

Wynter frowned. He was right; she was doing what she'd promised not to do. She was holding back. She scowled instead, "W-Well, what about you? I've seen you in action too, and you're hardly at a hundred percent right now, so you're hardly one to talk!"

She snapped her wings open, unleashing a tremendous fury of wind in a ferocious gale that completely encircled them. She dropped to the ground, folding her wings in as she bolted toward him, right arm shifting into razor pointed shadow matter aimed for his heart. Anderson reacted in time to intercept her attack, snagging her morphed arm and forcing her to the ground. He then used the same momentum to whip his arm around, flinging her to the side and straight through her own twister of wind, breaking its course and causing it to rope out spontaneously. Wynter landed hard on the grassy earth, momentarily stunned. Even for a vampire, that had been harsh. She raised her head, her eyes blazing as he came at her with bayonets prepped to cut her to ribbons. Wynter unfolded her wings, yanked them back and then beat them forward, jarring his progress with the sharp gust of air and giving her enough time to get to her feet and jump a good enough distance away.

Anderson gritted his teeth in anger, "A' ye're doin' is using yer wings tae slow meh doon!" he roared furiously.

"And all you're doing is blocking my attacks and deflecting them!" Wynter countered just as furiously, "For Pete's sake, the most you've done so far is pierce my shoulder! Hardly a mortal wound if you ask me!"

By this point, neither of them had noticed the car pulling up alongside the hill down by the road and four people getting out just in time to hear the argument. Seras and Sasha just stared, "Um," Sasha said, "Are they...arguing?"

"I thought this was a fight to the death," Seras said in bewilderment.

"Nae one asked ye!" Anderson snapped at Wynter, "Ye're a'most no' worth mah time!"

"And you're almost not worth mine! Finally, something we agree on, Mad Priest!"

"Ah told ye tae stop calling meh that!"

Seras glanced at Integra who stood with an odd look on her face, almost like she didn't believe what she was seeing.

"You know," Seras said, "This is actually kind of comical in a serious sort of way,"

"This is taking on a rather weird turn," Sasha remarked.

"The way I see it," Walter said, coming around to join them, "They're both holding back from fighting the other. But all that's doing is enraging the other one,"

"How can you tell that? We just got here," Seras said.

"Honestly, Police-Girl, you're so naïve, it's nauseating,"

Seras and Sasha both jumped as Alucard's fog formation suddenly materialized before them. He adjusted his glasses as his usual form took shape rather quickly, "If this were a normal situation, Wynter would likely be a pile of ash right about now. Or perhaps Anderson would be nothing more than bloody ribbons. In any event, that clearly isn't the case, as you can plainly see," he said, gesturing at them as Wynter suddenly released a flurry of raven familiars to swarm the paladin.

"So what's the issue here?" Sasha snapped, "Wynter's never held back from anything before, not even me! What the hell is she thinking?"

Alucard chuckled dryly, folding his arms, "I have to say, sometimes love appears in the strangest of forms," he said as he focused on the battle, ignoring the shocked stares around him, "What an interesting development this is,"

Wynter folded her wings partially, still trying to close the wound in her shoulder. She winced. Those damn bayonets had been strengthened in power since the last time she'd been impaled by them. It was worse than Giuseppe's sword had been. In fact, if her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, the pain seemed to be increasing.

"Damn," she hissed, "Those things have been improved as well,"

The burning pain was so intense that Wynter found she was having difficulty concentrating on anything else. So hazy was her mind that she noticed at the very last second as he lunged at her, his weapons piercing the ground where she'd knelt not milliseconds before. Wynter toppled to her side several feet away, expression contorted in pain. As she raised herself up painfully, there was a sudden rush of air and another bayonet lodged itself just above her ribcage. Wynter's eyes widened and she choked out a cry of surprise just as he bore down on her, grabbing her by the throat and forcing her back down, jabbing his knee against her abdomen and pinning her movements. At this point, the blessed metal had begun to sear away her flesh rendering her momentarily incapable of resisting. He flipped his weapon in his hand from throwing position to a firmer downward grip for slashing, bringing the sharp edge to rest against her chest directly above her heart. She opened her eyes weakly, the flaming ruby dying to a dull glaze as she registered what was about to happen. He brought his arm up to deal the final blow and run the sacred weapon through her heart.

He froze. His hand shook slightly. Grimacing, he released his hold on her and leaped back, brandishing both weapons as she sat up, staring at him curiously.

"Tha' is'nae right," he said, "Ah want more o' ae challenge than that,"

Wynter shakily got to her feet, grasping the blade of the weapon still wedged in her body. She gave it a single tug, wrenched it free, covered in blood, and hurled it aside without so much as a flinch. However, her eyes shone with pain from the blessed objects.

"That's fine," she said dryly, "You caught me off guard anyway. I was just thinking how unfair that was to put me at such a disadvantage. You know, it really isn't nice to force oneself upon a defenseless woman," she said with a smirk.

"Since when were ye ever defenseless?" he chuckled.

"That's very true. In fact, you win that one. Now then, let us continue. It's almost dawn and when the sun rises, my power will fade slightly and we'll have to postpone this until evening,"

Their battle had drawn very near to the trees by this point. This fact was not lost on Wynter, who immediately saw her disadvantage. The trees would diminish her maneuverability and put her at a greater risk of impalement to a solid object, trapping her in place. If she wasn't quick on her feet, she was done for. The problem was, she was torn between wanting it to end with her death or with his. In the deepest part of her soul she kept buried during fights, she didn't want to kill him, or even try to hurt him. She didn't even want to be fighting him right then, and wished she could just surrender. But that would mean her death and she wasn't ready to die yet. Her wounds were refusing to heal while she was active, so she knew she wouldn't last too much longer if she didn't find an opening soon. This fight hadn't been going on for very long, but that wasn't necessary. He was a very skilled fighter.

"Ye aren't giving up on meh noo, are ye?" he called.

"Heaven forbid," Wynter said. She closed her eyes, took a breath as her body began to take on a dark glow. Suddenly, it erupted forth from her in a wave of darkness that swirled erratically in midair before coming to rest on the ground, taking on the shape and appearance of a large, black wolf. It stood up, red eyes glaring at Anderson as it took its place between him and Wynter. Anderson eyed it suspiciously, "What's that?" he asked.

"I'd like you to meet the first familiar I ever obtained," Wynter said, "He's rather special to me, so I don't allow him that much freedom like I do my ravens. This is Fenrir,"

Anderson smirked wryly, "Ah. The Viking wolf god, son o' the great trickster, Loki," he said.

"I'm impressed that you're knowledgeable of the Norse mythology,"

"Believe or no', Ah have an open mind," Anderson grumbled, "Mythology is just tha'; myths. Hooever, Ah'd be genuinely amazed if this creature could hold ae candle tae Fenrir himself,"

Wynter's eyes narrowed, "You're mocking me, aren't you? Fenrir, lets' show him what we're capable of!"

Fenrir's body exploded in a wave of shadow matter that completely encircled Anderson, subsequently driving him away from the tree cover where he'd about cornered Wynter. Anderson slashed viciously at the shadows surrounding him, preventing them from getting too close. In the meantime, Wynter ducked and wove her way through, drawing nearer to him, eyes blazing. When she got within range of him, Anderson whirled at her presence and hurled eight knives in her direction, causing her to dive out of the way, just as he hoped she would. One weapon gripped firmly in hand, he lunged forward and thrust it violently into her chest just as she was about to strike with the swirling shadow matter. Wynter cried out in pain and fell to the ground, the familiar essence of Fenrir reforming back into his original wolf shape. While Wynter was down, Fenrir snarled and charged at Anderson who skillfully caught his blade between the jaws of the shadowy creature, holding him at bay while the wolf struggled and flailed viciously to yank the weapon away. Anderson drew forth another blade and, holding Fenrir back with his left arm, brought his right arm up and stabbed the bayonet into the wolf's belly. Fenrir let out a sharp whine and fell back, panting and limping out of the way of the paladin's range. Wynter managed to dislodge the bayonet from her body, grateful it had missed her heart. She stood up just in time to see Anderson lash downward at Fenrir, the bayonet piercing the thick fir and slicing through the neck while the wolf howled in agony and dissipated into thin air, vanishing back into Wynter's body. Wynter was so stunned that her familiar had been beaten that she wasn't able to react in time as Anderson hurled a dozen of the hand spears in her direction, four of them burying themselves in her arms and driving her back. Smoke from her scorching skin rose into the air and she gritted her teeth in pain, looking up just in time as he lunged toward her, grabbing her neck and shoving her back with enough force that she slammed against a tree trunk ten feet away. Her plan to force him away from the trees had failed and now, she was in dire trouble. Eight more bayonets were launched at her simultaneously, all of them finding their mark; her arms and legs, rendering them immobile, through her neck, pinning her to the tree, through her stomach and shoulder blades, paralyzing her in place. Wynter coughed up a fair amount of blood and weakly raised her head as he approached, watching her blankly.

Across the moor, still unnoticed by the two combatants, Sasha gasped and attempted to run to help her friend, but Seras held her back, "No," she said, "We can't go over there,"

"No," Sasha insisted, "Let me go! I have to help! Wynter will be killed!"

Wynter eyed him darkly, "W-Well," she choked, "I guess my mind was elsewhere. I messed up and now I'm going to pay for it,"

"Aye, that ye are," he said, manifesting six bayonets in his hands, holding them at his sides, "If Ah pierce yer heart, ye'll die, correct?"

Wynter smirked dryly, "Well," she gasped, "Seeing that I escaped before my heart could be modified like the rest of my body, I suppose that's true. Are you going to kill me now?"

He raised the weapons up, his eyes narrowing. They were both momentarily distracted by a sudden frantic screaming that rushed across the air around them. Wynter chuckled sadly, "I didn't want for her to see my death," she muttered, "Make it fast. If you drag it on, it'll hurt her more than it will me,"

He'd been planning to end it quickly for her. This was a lot harder on him than she probably suspected. In just a few seconds, he was going to lose her forever.

There was a rush of wind and the clash of steel against steel. The blades left his hands, lodging themselves deep within their target pinned to the tree. For a few seconds, it seemed like time had stopped as Wynter's body sagged slightly. She raised her eyes slowly to look questioningly at him as he approached, one final weapon in his hand. This, he raised up and, when he was directly before her, thrust it down with every ounce of strength he had, driving it deep, directly into her heart. Wynter didn't make a sound. Her body slumped, her head drooping. Her skin seared and burned from the silver, but she didn't move. Neither did he, still clutching the hilt of the blade as he glared down at her.

"No," Sasha whispered, temporarily falling limp in Seras' grasp as she held her back, "No, Wynter...No! Wynter! Wynter, no! No, don't die! NO!" she shrieked suddenly, flailing so hard that even Seras was having a difficult time with her. Integra and Walter were both frozen in concern, never looking away. Alucard's expression was blank.

"She's dead, then," Integra said quietly, "After all this, she's gone, just like that,"

"Wynter," Seras muttered as Sasha slumped to the ground, screaming Wynter's name in agony.

"Wait a second," Walter said, frowning, "I'm afraid something isn't right up there,"

"What do you mean?" Integra asked curiously.

"My lady, what happens to a vampire when their weak spots are struck?" Walter asked as if he were quizzing her on a simple matter.

"They turn to dust of course," Integra said. Then, her eyes widened and she snapped back to the scene before them in amazement, "Wait, it can't be!"

"She should have turned to dust the minute her heart was pierced," Walter stated grimly, "And yet she's still there. Could it be that her heart wasn't her vulnerable place after all?"

"No," Integra said, "I think...it's something else entirely,"

Wynter groaned and opened her eyes weakly, confused and surprised that she was still alive. Slowly raising her head, she peered up at him quizzically, "Anderson, what—?"

"Hoo odd," he snapped, twisting the bayonet still impaled in her chest, causing her to wince. He brought his face within inches of hers, glaring straight into her eyes, "Ah doon't usually miss. This is mah last weapon," he hissed at her.

He pulled away, straightened up and stalked away from her. Wynter was left still pinned to the tree, capable of limited movement. Wincing, she reached up shakily, grasped the blade of one of the weapons and wrenched it free, enabling movement of her left arm once again. She dropped it to the ground and sighed, "What a let down," she muttered.

"Wynter!"

Wynter looked up just as Sasha plowed into her, sobbing hysterically, "I thought you were dead again! I thought I'd lost you all over again! You stupid idiot, don't scare me like that! If you're going to fight a maniacal demon hunter, then please don't get yourself killed!"

"Sasha, that seriously hurts, please let go," Wynter growled through clenched teeth.

"No! No! No! No!" Sasha yelled, hugging her tighter.

"Sasha, you moron, that hurts! Let go!"

"Nooooo!"

Seras snickered and then glanced around, but to her surprise, Anderson had already vanished.

"That's odd," she said, "Where could he gave gotten to so quickly?"

Unbeknownst to anyone other than Alucard, however, Anderson hadn't vanished. He'd just gone beyond the nearest rise and sat down out of sight. He could still hear everything being said, heard Sasha freaking out about Wynter and Wynter hissing in pain as Sasha forcefully removed the weapons, disregarding Wynter's opinions on the matter. He listened as Wynter berated Sasha for acting so childish and then yelling as Sasha apparently tackled her. He sighed heavily, shaking his head, "Noo what?" he muttered quietly, "The first vampire Ah failed tae kill happens tae be the oon'y being alive Ah truly care faur. God, as yer servant Ah would dae anything tae carry oot yer Heavenly will on this earth. Hooever, forgive meh faur saying it, but ye've go' ae warped sense o' humor,"

He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number, leaning back against the steep incline and staring up at the sky. When the other line was answered, he smiled faintly, "It's been ae awhile," he said.

/ooo/

Wynter was in bad shape. Even though Anderson's bayonets hadn't found their mark in her heart (no one was sure whether he was losing his touch or she was just damn lucky) she was still immobilized for a long period of time. Once they'd returned to the Hellsing manor, Wynter was taken inside. Sasha insisted on bringing her to her own room rather than bring her downstairs. Walter protested, saying that she'd probably be more comfortable in her coffin where she could heal, but Wynter interrupted him, saying it was fine if that's what Sasha wanted. So now, Sasha sat beside her bed, watching as Wynter attempted to heal herself. The Draculina lay on her back beneath the covers, face contorted in frustration and pain. Finally, she sighed and turned onto her side in defeat.

"Still nothing, huh?" Sasha probed.

"No, nothing," Wynter answered, "Anderson must have had them fortified sometime between now and the time he was driven away from Rome. I can't do anything right now. I'm going to be out of commission for days,"

Sasha shrugged, "Maybe it's for the best. He could have killed you," she said.

"Yeah. I'm surprised he didn't. We made certain on both accounts that whoever lost would forfeit their life. And he claimed he was out of weapons. That doesn't sound like him,"

Sasha scowled, clenching her fists, "How would you know? He's your arch rival," she grumbled.

"He's also the man I fell in love with," Wynter said simply, facing away from her. Sasha froze up, choking on her own breath until finally, she leaped to her feet, knocking her chair over backward, "Y-Y-Y-You what!? Wynter, I knew you could be rash sometimes, but this is just plain stupid! He's out for your life! What were you thinking? Were you just plain dumb!?"

"Please be quiet; you're giving me a headache,"

Sasha sighed heavily, reached back to right her chair and sat back down, folding her arms and crossing her legs, "Okay, so tell me; how long has this been going on?" she grumbled.

"For about a month, maybe two. Heck, maybe it's been there for as long as we've known each other. In the very least, it's mutual,"

"And how the hell do you get that? Wynter, he almost killed you!"

Wynter glanced back over her shoulder, "And that right there is the key point," she said. Sasha frowned, "Huh? What is?"

Wynter smiled, "He almost killed me," she said, turning back over, "He didn't just 'miss' Sasha, and he certainly didn't run out of weapons. He could have just removed one of the weapons already fixating me to the tree and tried again at close range. But instead, he left it at a stalemate and walked off. Besides..." she mumbled, trailing off. Sasha peered at her curiously, "Besides what?" she asked. Wynter's expression grew wistful, "Well...the truth was, I was holding back the entire fight. I couldn't bring myself to go all out completely because unlike Alucard, I have no restrictions placed on my power. At full power, I could easily have gravely injured him. Arakawa's research, though incomplete, was still so intense. Just think of what I'd be like if I freed myself from Alucard's bondage," she whispered fearfully, "I don't even want to think of the kind of monster they were trying to turn me into,"

Sasha sighed sadly as she gazed at her friend, "Hey, listen Wynter," she said, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you,"

Wynter turned over, "Yes?"

"Is it true that...when I die...well, what you said...that we'll never meet again?"

"When did I say that?" Wynter asked.

"Before we went to Italy. You said that one day, I would die and we would never, ever meet again. Those words have kinda scared me. Is that true?"

Wynter frowned concernedly, "Yes Sasha, it is. One day, you will die and most likely go on to Heaven. But when I die, it's a straight shot to Hell for me,"

"But why? You haven't done anything wrong!" Sasha exclaimed. Wynter's eyes grew hard, "Sasha, you haven't seen me at my worst. I haven't permitted you to see me at my worst. When I dispatched those men who ambushed us in Rome, I was only at one- fifth of my power and even that small amount terrified you,"

Sasha's expression became grim as she recalled watching Wynter break that man's neck as if she were snapping a pencil, "Yeah, it did." she answered.

"Before we met, I was a time bomb, Sasha. When Tobias was killed years ago, I butchered the people who carried out his murder. I didn't kill them quickly, either; I tortured them. When he helped me escape from the facility, he had to talk me out of killing everyone inside, whether they were a threat to me or not and then, he placed himself up as an offering to appease me if it meant sparing their lives. I was impressed by this and agreed to his terms. But when he died, I was left alone again. It was the ruins of his house I was visiting that served as our meeting place,"

"I remember," Sasha said quietly, "You were asleep against the iron fence outside, in broad daylight; something I didn't expect,"

"I'd actually intended on killing you as well that day," Wynter said. Sasha didn't react. She was used to Wynter speaking her mind, "Yeah?"

"But when I saw you standing up against those people who wanted to kill you along with me, I was impressed by your spirit. You were so scared you were about to pass out and you still stood your ground. I was truly impressed. That's why I saved you,"

"I see," Sasha mumbled. They fell silent as Wynter once again attempted to heal her wounds.

"Wynter," Sasha said, "Now that everything's peaceful once again, what are you going to do?"

Wynter glanced at her curiously and then gazed up at the ceiling, "I don't know. I'm not so sure I want to go back to Bristol, now. I know the cabal needs me for protection, but now that Leroy's gone, his gang shouldn't be a problem. Our main concern is the fact that Anderson and his people know so much about us, now,"

"It's not fair," Sasha snapped, "All the vampires in Bristol are trying to do is live normal lives amidst the humans. Most of them hate being vampires and didn't want to become vampires in the first place. They shouldn't have to die just because of what they are. And you told Integra about them," she muttered hopelessly.

"Sasha, Iscariot hunts vampires because of what they are. Hellsing hunts them because of what they do. There's a major difference. Hellsing doesn't actively seek out vampires to kill. But all the same, I should probably return to Bristol. I spoke with Marjorie the other day, you know,"

"Really?"

Wynter nodded, a sad glaze coming over her eyes, "She wants to move the base of operation to another region outside of London. She wants to head north with every vampire we keep under cover. There's getting to be too many of us,"

"But that news should make you happy. You'll have an easier time caring for the vampires there," Sasha pointed out. Wynter looked out the window, "Sasha, that was a cold thing to say," she grumbled.

"Huh?"

"Just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean that I don't form bonds with the people around me. If I lose track of time, I'll forget the humans I care for without even noticing, not until it's too late and they're long dead,"

Sasha looked away guiltily, "I'm...I'm sorry. I forgot," she said quietly.

Wynter worked herself up painfully, wincing slightly as she tore the skin slowly covering her injuries, "Sasha, it's okay. You're only human. You've only got a hundred years to live. You need to make the best of that time and maybe that means leaving me,"

"No!" Sasha exclaimed, "No, I couldn't leave. Wynter, you're all I have, anymore," she mumbled sadly.

"You are rather protective of me, aren't you?"

"Yeah. It's 'cause I can't do a thing to help you, being so weak and all,"

"And that's fine, because it's my job to protect you, Sasha," Wynter said. Sasha shook her head, "I hate being human. We're so weak," she growled, "A vampire killed my mother and my father committed suicide out of grief. And then I had to watch helplessly as Anderson just about killed you. All I could do was scream your name and hope for a miracle,"

"You're an idiot if you wish to become one of us," Wynter said irritably.

"I don't, anymore. I just wish I weren't so weak," Sasha mumbled.

"So you're physically weak, big deal. Want to know a secret? You're actually stronger than me, Seras, and even Alucard,"

"Huh?" Sasha said in bewilderment.

"A vampire is a creature who couldn't go on as a human and gave up living. In mine and Seras' cases, we were on the verge of death and chose to keep struggling through life as vampires. No one knows how Alucard became a vampire, but the point is, all three of us gave up. But you haven't. The fact that you continue to fight to help me and the fact that you're still scared to die are proof enough that you're stronger than we are. You can keep living,"

Sasha considered this. It didn't sound all that great, but she knew that Wynter meant what she said. Wynter smiled, "And now that you've been told that, I think it's about time you accepted that fact,"

Sasha looked away, "I don't want to drag you down, Wynter," she said.

"You aren't. I have all the time in the world," Wynter answered.

Sasha chuckled.