A/N1: Soundtrack for the last half of this chapter is 'We Are Not Alone' by The Rescues.

Chapter 9

It was nearly an hour later that Alucard finished his inspection of the engine room and had everyone gather around once again. He was frowning as he looked at them all. "I'm afraid I do not have good news."

Trevor glared at him. "That is not how that sentence should have started. You do realize that in less than eight hours, there is a high chance that this place will be overrun by either vampires or the night horde. Or both. If we don't move it, they will want revenge and already know where it last was."

Alucard sneered. "I am quite well aware. If you could spend more than two minutes without hearing the sound of your own voice, I would have been able to finish."

Trevor looked like he was about to say something else, but Sypha put a hand on his arm. Instead, he mumbled a few choice curse words under his breath as Alucard continued. "There are several gears that look to have stress fractures. They are not broken yet, but it will not take much to do so. From the looks of the room, it seems as if the whole place was heated to extreme temperatures and then doused very quickly."

Sypha frowned at him. "Does that mean we cannot move the castle?"

Alucard shook his head. "Not exactly. We should be able to move it, but I would not count on it lasting more than that. I can repair the gears, but it would take a long time. More than we have here. We need to decide what would be the best place because once it's there, I doubt it will be going anywhere for years at best."

Once again, Trevor was the first to speak. "Take it back to the Belmont Estate."

Alucard looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but Sypha spoke up. "No, that's a great idea. If the castle is not able to move again once we get it wherever we are going, then both places will no longer have the protection they once had. It would be best if they were together, so they could be protected easier."

Alucard looked back and forth between the two of them before he sighed. "And just who is supposed to protect them both?"

Trevor gave him a pointed look. "What did you have planned?"

Eva could tell that Adrian did not like where this conversation was going, but he still sighed and answered anyway. "I had planned on going back to Gresit to my coffin." That was an answer she had not expected. Somehow, she had expected him to help the rest of them with whatever came next.

She must have made some sort of noise, as he turned to look at her before he shook his head and continued before Trevor could say anything. "That is no longer an option. At least not right away. I suppose you think I should help you protect both the castle and the estate?"

Trevor shrugged. "Until we figure out what we're doing, at least."

Adrian gave Eva one more glance from the corner of his eye before he answered. "We can discuss the details later. For now, I will agree that the estate is as good a location as any." He then turned to Sypha. "If I take you to the room that has the mechanism used to move the castle, can you lift the spell? I can use it to transport us once the castle has been freed."

Sypha nodded. "Show me the way."

As they all moved to follow, Adrian stopped Eva. "There is no need for you to follow us all the way up the tower. Why don't you and Belmont rest upstairs while we move? We can take a look at your arm as soon as we are settled."

Trevor looked like he was going to object, but Sypha glared at him. "That might be best. You need the rest, and you shouldn't be alone until we know the castle is safe."

Trevor snapped his mouth shut and frowned. Eva didn't look much happier about it but nodded. They followed Adrian only as far as a room on one of the upper floors that had a comfy looking settee and a few chairs. "Wait here, and we will be back shortly."

She gave him a nod before she settled into a chair and tried not to groan at the relief. It was many awkward minutes after they were gone before Trevor finally spoke to her. "Do you think we'll feel it when the castle moves?"

Eva had been absorbed in thoughts of what would come next, and almost didn't hear him. It took her a second to process his question, but once she did, she gave him a curious frown. "That is a good question. Given the amount of force required to move something with the mass of this structure, I would think that we would hear the engines for miles and feel the vibrations in our bones. However, given the fact that magic is also involved, it could stabilize the structure and possibly help the efficiency of the process to keep us from noticing much, if any of it."

Trevor blinked at her answer several times before he spoke. "You know, sometimes, you sound a lot like him."

It was Eva's turn to look confused. "Like Adrian?"

Trevor huffed a laugh and grinned at her. "Yeah. By the way, why do you call him that instead of Alucard?"

Her frown deepened. "Because that is his name. And he told me I could."

Trevor looked shocked for just a moment, but he didn't get to ask what he obviously wanted to. Alucard walked in with Sypha close behind, and Eva jumped up. "We're there already!?"

Sypha grinned at her. "Yes! It was amazing to see from the tower." At Eva's slightly crestfallen look, the Speaker swallowed her excitement and rushed forward. "But enough about that. Now that we have taken care of the worst of it, we must look at your arm."

Eva grimaced at the thought of what the injury was going to look like after so many hours. "It is likely going to need stitches, but I'm not sure if you have the supplies for that here." She then looked at Adrian. "Do you?"

He frowned back at her. "I do not know if they would still be here or not."

Eva felt her heart twist as she remembered that he had said his mother had been a doctor. Also, despite how they had entered this place, it had once been his home. She gave him a sympathetic look. "I understand. I'll take whatever help you can give me."

He nodded once and gestured for them all to follow. "Come with me. We will need to get that bandage off first. Sypha can take care of that and asses the damage while I look for supplies."

No one disagreed as they followed him down the hall and into a room that looked somewhat like a modern kitchen. He then left the two women and Trevor after he pointed to a bucket in the corner that held water and explained how to start the fire. Eva was fascinated to see such modernish items in that day and age but wasn't given long to think about it. Sypha put the water on to boil and was working the bandage off almost immediately.

By the time she had gotten the dried dressing off Eva's arm, Alucard had returned. He was frowning. "The lab that my mother once used was mostly destroyed. There was little that was salvageable."

Sypha gave him a concerned look, but he only shook his head before they both turned to Eva. She glanced down at her arm and noticed that it had started bleeding sluggishly again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She did not want to say what she was about to, but there was little choice. "Sypha, do you think you can cauterize the wound?"

Sypha nodded with a frown. "I have done so before, though it will not be pleasant."

Eva gave her a dry look. "I didn't expect puppies and rainbows."

Sypha smiled at her attitude but brought the water over. "Let me clean it first, then we will start."

Eva just nodded and looked over at Trevor and Adrian. Both men were frowning, though the latter was the one to speak. "I am sure it will be over quickly."

She just nodded and gritted her teeth at the feel of the hot water and rough cloth. After a few minutes, Sypha spoke up softly. I am going to start now. I will be as quick as I can."

Eva glanced back and nodded but looked away almost as quickly. She didn't want to watch it. Instead, she held Alucard's gaze. "I apologize in advance if I pass out."

The corner of his lip twitched up. "Are you always this humorous when you should be focused on other things?"

Eva started to say something, but Sypha's finger had just touched down, and it took everything Eva had not to scream immediately. She was shocked when Adrian took her free hand and held her gaze. "Focus on me."

She already felt tears pooling in her eyes. There was little she could do to stop them from spilling over and streaming down her cheeks. She also didn't answer him verbally. She knew if she even tried, it would not be words that emerged. Instead, she held his gaze and squeezed his hand. Her jaw ached from how hard she was clenching her teeth.

When the pain became so much that she felt a scream bubbling up despite her will to not let it out, Sypha finally stepped back. When she did, Eva nearly fell over with relief. Her arm still hurt worse than anything she had ever felt, but it was not the same. She swallowed her whimpers and looked over at the other woman while trying to keep the sob from her voice. "Thank you."

Sypha shook her head. "I will need to wrap it once more with a clean bandage, but once that is done, it would be best if you rested."

Eva barely had the presence of mind to agree. She sat back and tried to focus on Adrian again. It was only as she looked back over that she realized she still had a death grip on his hand. She released it quickly. "I apologize. I guess it really is true that modern life has made us soft."

Trevor was looking over Alucard's shoulder and snorted at her quip. "Soft? I'm pretty sure you broke his fingers."

Before Eva could begin to worry, Adrian shot the other man a glare and shook his head. "Not at all, and you have nothing to apologize for."

By that point, Sypha had finished the new bandage, and Adrian led Eva back to the room with the settee. Until they had a chance to clear the castle, that room would be the best place for her to rest while the others decided what their next steps should be. Eva felt even more like an interloper as they walked away, but she tried not to think about it as she settled in and the others left to discuss their plans.


As soon as they left the room, Sypha turned to Alucard. She didn't get to say what she was thinking before he spoke. "I know you had planned on returning to your people once we were done here. I believe there should be supplies kept here that should take you at least most of the way. Since you had the foresight to bring in the cart before we transported, you should have few issues. I can provide as much assistance as possible."

Sypha took in a breath and held it for a moment before she let it out and turned to look at Trevor and then back again before she spoke. "Thank you. I appreciate your offer. Would it be alright if I took some time to think about it?"

Alucard gave her a sad smile and nodded. "Of course."

She then pointed back down the hall. "You should probably stay close to Eva while she sleeps. At least until we know the castle is safe."

Alucard frowned but nodded anyway. "I will not be far." He watched as Sypha and Trevor walked into the early morning light before he turned back.

It was not as though he did not have a good idea of what they would be discussing. Not that he wanted to be alone in the castle. Not really. However, he would have to face it, and soon, but he could not do so with them still there. Instead, he went back into the room they had just left and found Eva slumped over the arm of the small couch.

There were still tear trails on her face as he looked down at her. Not that he blamed her. He would not have been surprised if she had done what she claimed and fainted during the cauterization. It would have been reasonable. Still, he could not leave her like that. He gently adjusted her so that she was lying in a more comfortable position before he went to go inventory the supplies he could afford to send with Sypha and Trevor and possibly Eva. Anything to keep his mind otherwise occupied for the time being.


Eva hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep. She had been exhausted, but it was more than just tired. Between learning about her heritage, dealing with her injury, and, well, everything else, she conked out as soon as she was stationary and alone. It wasn't until Sypha shook her shoulder and called her name that she woke with a start.

She sat up so fast that she almost bumped heads with the other woman. Sypha chuckled and brushed off Eva's apology, but the sound fell flat. A fact that did not escape Eva's notice. She was on her feet and giving the other woman a worried look. "Has something happened?"

Sypha's smile widened a little as she shook her head. "No. I didn't mean to worry you. It's just that I wanted to talk to you for a moment. Do you feel up to it?"

Eva sat back down with a frown. "What is going on? You say I shouldn't worry, but your tone says otherwise."

When Sypha joined her on the couch, she gave her a half-smile. "No matter what choices are made, I am glad that I met you. It gives me hope for the future. To know that women will be given a chance to grow and learn, and not just as Speakers."

Eva smiled back, but it dimmed quickly. "You're leaving. And if you're going, then Trevor is too, isn't he?"

Sypha's laughter was short-lived but genuine. "You are as bad as Alucard." Eva frowned slightly, but the Speaker ignored it and nodded. "Yes, Trevor and I have decided to leave this afternoon. There is a village that we can reach by nightfall. I wanted to see if you would like to go with us, though it will be dangerous. We will be looking for my caravan, but we will also be fighting the remaining night horde on the way."

Eva stood and paced for a few moments. She had barely been there for a few days and already felt connected to these people. However, she already knew what her answer was going to be. She wasn't given a chance to say it aloud before Trevor walked in, holding a familiar black bag with a frowning Adrian in tow. The latter was scolding him for being nosey. All Eva could see, was what he currently held and was squishing in between his fingers.

She groaned at the sight as he held it up. "What is this? I've never seen anything like it before."

"Dear god, I'm going to have to boil that before I can use it again."

That statement seemed to catch everyone's attention. Sypha had gone over to see what Trevor held while Eva put her hand over her face for a moment before she held it out. "Give me that!"

Trevor held it back. "I will when you tell me what it is."

She nearly growled at him and was more than thankful when Adrian plucked it, and her bag, from the other man's hands. Although, she really wished he had kept his questions to himself. "I understand that he overstepped his bounds, but I must admit that material is unlike anything I have ever seen."

Eva felt her ears blushing. She could tell they were not going to drop it. Although, as she glared at Trevor, she realized it might serve him right. She glanced over at Adrian. "The material is called plastic. It is a compound that will not be invented for many centuries. I really don't know a lot about it other than it's common in my day and age. As for what that is-"

She paused and gave Trevor an evil smile. "It is a cup that is meant to cover a woman's cervix during that time of the month."

She saw Adrian stiffen and take a step back with wide eyes. Sypha gave her an interested look, but Trevor just looked confused. Eva sighed, but since she started, and he was the one that deserved the truth the most, she was going to give it to him. "In other words, it is used to catch the blood during a woman's period, so it doesn't get messy."

Trevor's face turned from confused to utterly horrified in less than a second. "I touched that!"

"Yes, you did. Perhaps you should remember that the next time you get curious about other people's stuff and keep your hands to yourself!" Eva had to bite the side of her tongue, not to laugh at the way he was rubbing his hand on the side of his trousers.

She still almost lost it when Sypha gave her a wide-eyed look. "That is the most inventive way I have ever heard of handling that. I will need to see if I can replicate this. It sounds useful."

Eva nodded. "Yes, and less painful, more sanitary, and all-around better than any other method used in the last several centuries. That includes up to my day and age. It's amazing."

Trevor grabbed Sypha's arm. "I think we have a cart to load."

Sypha grinned at Eva but allowed Trevor to take her back out to where the cart and supplies were waiting. Once they were gone, Eva replaced her things and set her bag down before she looked over at Adrain. He still looked a wee bit shocked, but she knew they had more important things to discuss. "Sypha asked if I wanted to go with them."

She almost missed the flash in his eyes before his mask fell back into place. "I expected they would. They are very social people. Once they decide they like a person, it difficult to dissuade them otherwise."

Eva shocked him when she shook her head. "I never said I was going. I had actually hoped to ask you if I could stay here. There are several reasons it makes more sense. Not the least of which is the fact that all the information I could think to gather about what happened is probably right here between these two buildings. Also, I don't think it would be smart for me to go monster hunting just yet. I have a feeling a few years of some form of training would be invaluable first."

He blinked a few times. "You would like to stay? With me?"

Eva felt more than a little nervous at his response. She realized that she was basically inviting herself into his home, but she really did feel like she would be asking for trouble if she were to go with the other two. "Yes, if you don't mind, that is."

He finally picked up on her nervousness and realized how she must be taking his hesitation. He forced his shock aside and shook his head. "Not at all. It is merely unexpected."

She wondered if he felt that way because he was too wrapped up in thoughts of this place. Otherwise, she thought he would have come to the same conclusion as she had. She wasn't about to ask him, though. Instead, she followed him out to where the other two were loading the cart.

Sypha was not shocked by her decision at all. If anything, Eva felt the Speaker was almost relieved. She watched from a short distance as the other woman said her goodbye's to Adrian while Trevor loaded the cart. She couldn't hear all that was said, but it was easy to see they would miss each other.

Once Sypha was done saying goodbye to Adrian, she shocked Eva when she came and gave her a hug as well. Her voice was pitched low when she spoke. "Take care of yourself and him."

Eva gave her an awkward smile. "I don't know about that last part, but I can certainly try. I am still practically a stranger." She looked over at the tall blonde for a moment as he watched Trevor struggle with some bags before she turned back and lowered her voice as well. "Though I do understand. I suppose maybe just having that might help some."

Sypha nodded and squeezed her good arm. Eva stopped her before she could turn away. "There is one thing I would like to ask you, please?" At the Speaker's curious look, Eva continued. "He may not act like it, but I know that the two of you are his friends. It may not be possible, but if you can, please at least come visit. I am sure it would mean a lot to him."

Sypha looked stunned for a moment. She then looked back over to where Trevor had the cart nearly full and then looked back again. Eva gave her a soft smile. "You don't have to tell Trevor I said that. I doubt he would admit it out loud, either."

Both women shared a chuckle before Sypha hugged her briefly once more and gave her a nod. "I hope we do have the chance before you go home. I would like to talk with you more when the threat of death is not hovering over the country."

Despite how true, and horrible Sypha's words were, both women still shared another smile. Eva waved to both of them once they were in the cart, making sure to give Trevor an evil grin. He blanched a little before he waved at Adrian. Eva was shocked when the man next to her responded with a middle finger. She could not contain her laughter when she heard Belmont's muttered 'fuck you' as he led the horses off. Still, it was nice to see him give a real goodbye before they were out of sight.

Once the cart was down the road, Adrian turned to Eva. Neither one of them was quite sure what to say. Finally, she realized he might want a little time alone to process everything. Since it was already afternoon, she gestured back toward the castle. "I don't want to be a bother. I can make something to eat if you're hungry. I'm pretty sure I remember how to get to the kitchen."

He blinked a few times before he shook his head. "Do not worry about me. Though, please feel free to make yourself something. I only ask that you stay in that area of the castle for now. I can come to get you later and show you to a room. We can discuss plans tomorrow."

She gave him an understanding look and placed a hand on his arm before she walked off. Alucard watched as she disappeared into the large doors. He still was unsure what to think of her presence. He had fully expected to be left alone, and yet here she was. Though his thoughts could not focus on her for long. Once the silence settled in, the ghosts that seemed to haunt this place paraded out to cut swaths through his pain.

He walked into the foyer and could easily picture his father in better days, walking those very steps to greet him. As though he had just come back from a short trip, instead of invading his own home to destroy the last of his family. He walked up the steps and heard Eva down one of the hallways. Part of him wanted to turn that way, to seek comfort in her company, and pretend this place was not a tomb. But he could not. He needed to face his demons, or they would come for him, so he turned down the other hall and walked away from the sounds of her in the kitchen.

He walked to his father's study and looked at the empty fireplace for a moment before he righted the overturned chair. He then took a seat and watched as the ghost of his younger self raced past laughing. Those were happier days. He had not spent long as a child, but his childhood had been a good one. He had known the love of both his parents. He had known they loved each other. Theirs had been a rare example of a happy family.

The memory of his mother chased him through the hall before she turned and faced into the room. Into where his father would have been sitting. He knew that the man would have looked back and shared a rare soft smile before he turned back to whatever work he had been interrupted from.

No matter how hard Adrian tried, he could not hold back the first tear from falling. First, his mother and now his father. His family was gone, destroyed beyond repair, and he was the facilitator for the last of it. This place that so many found frightening, he had once called home. Now it would be the place he buried himself in, he had no doubt.

His tears came hard and fast as he continued to castigate himself. To rationalize his fears that he deserved the fate he believed was coming to him. He was so caught up in his anguish that he did not hear the soft footfalls that had come into the room. Nor had he seen the woman that knelt in front of him.

He hadn't even realized Eva was there until she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She didn't say anything, she merely held him while he cried. Adrian knew he should not, but he still found himself slipping from his seat and to his knees. She did not object as he pulled her closer. If anything, she wrapped her arms around him tighter as well.

They both sat there like that for an untold amount of time as he continued to cry. She never tried to reassure him that it would be alright, that everything was fine because it was not. She was only there to let him know that he was not alone. Those words were the only ones she spoke.

When his tears finally started to ebb, she still did not pull away, and he was not inclined to either. Instead, he shifted them both so that he was seated, and she was in his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder and whispered once again that she would be there if he needed her. His only response was to hold her closer.

It was at that point that he realized she had been crying too. Part of him wondered if she cried for him, or for her own lost family. Or perhaps for herself. In the end, it didn't really matter. If she was there for him, he was there for her. They were both broken, and yet still somehow managed to bolster each other enough to keep from breaking. At least for the moment. It was enough and more than he had expected to have.

A/N: Yay! Alucard isn't alone anymore! This is one of the things that bugged me the most about the show. He did not need to be alone after all that. Anyway, a few things, first, the next chapter, maybe two will cover the month in between the two seasons. There is a LOT of set up I need to cover there and plus some important scenes. After that, we get into season three, so if you haven't seen it yet, there will be some spoilers, though I will be changing some things and it will be primarily focused on the castle. Also, this story will go beyond that as well, so it will end up being counted as canon divergent, as I will no be waiting for season four (if they even decide on it) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! Thanks!