Disclaimer: I own neither Hellsing nor Doctor Who.

Author's Note: This crossover technically takes place within my larger Hellsing universe during Human, Conditional. Thus, it is technically a three-way-cross, but you also do not need to know anything about my story to follow along.

Setting: Sometime during Ten's runaway from reality bit and during the War for Independence in Human, Conditional (Firefly).

Inevitability

He scanned the bar casually, torn between wanting to be friendly and wanting to be alone. Bars weren't really his sort of things, especially not bars in backwater planets with towns barely large enough for the name. Still, there was a quaint charm to the idea and he was determined to go where he wasn't supposed to so…perhaps finding someone to talk to would be a nice way to pass the time.

Spotting only one other person at the bar, walked up with an infectious grin, ordered some form of a drink, and sat down not quite beside her.

The woman was young, probably not even in her twenties, with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and what seemed to be the weight of the world upon her shoulders. Dressed like most of the others he had seen on the planet so far, he assumed she was local and decided to make a friend.

"Hello!"

She glanced him over, something about his outfit catching her eye, before her lips curved into an not entirely unfriendly smirk. Then, she looked away without saying anything.

He hesitated for a moment, not entirely sure he was in the mood to bother with frosty personalities, but something in her bearing told him that she wasn't dismissing him completely.

"I'm new to these parts. Got any advice for a friendly tourist?"

She looked him over again, blue eyes narrowing for a moment before she sighed heavily.

"You know, running away from the inevitable will never get you anywhere?"

"I beg your pardon, but what?" he replied, voice low, startled but trying to pretend that he didn't understand exactly what she meant.

Finally, she turned her body more to face him.

"I didn't think you were real, you know," she smiled. "Even when UNIT told me, I thought you were just a figment of our collective imaginations. Of course, spending the next four and a half centuries seeing no sign of you kind of made me think I was right."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" he finally asked, beyond flabbergasted and a touch angry.

"I'm one of the dirty secrets they never told you about, trying to protect you from what humanity could be."

He looked her over once more, his eyes keying in a bit more finely on signs of someone like himself who had seen far more of the universe than her appearance would indicate. Finally, curiosity overwhelming him, he took out his screwdriver and ran it up and down her figure. She barely seemed to notice, ignoring him like a child up to strange shenanigans.

"Human…ish. Physically 19 years old. No sign of temporal radiation. But…you speak like you've been around for quite some time."

"Indeed. I was born not far from Cheddar, England in the 1980s. Spent a lot of time in London. Saw a lot of your bullshit on the telly," she smirked.

"You are nearly five centuries year old?" he pressed, purely curious at this point. "How's that work then?"

"Well, it's a long story involving a secret government agency, being a cop, getting shot, and my husband making a choice for me."

"Sounds…adventurous," he agreed. Finally his mind ticked back to what she had said earlier and he looked away from her. "What did you mean, about running away from the inevitable?"

He saw her shrug out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not entirely sure. Sometimes, I just know things. Like when a crazy space alien that has lived for what…900 years, judging by the face?...is running away from his problems."

"Yeah, well," he sighed. "I think I've earned a few vacation days."

"Undoubtedly."

"That sounded…judgemental," he sighed, his voice wincing slightly on the word.

"If the case files I read are accurate, then I would say you do. But, I would also argue that when someone like you runs away from their problems, they still happen anyway and there is an even bigger chance of people getting hurt while you don't face them."

He cocked his head to the side slightly in acknowledgement. "Probably true. Doesn't mean I'm not tired."

"I'm sure you are. Saving people is always tiring. Even more so when you do it selflessly."

"Is that what you do, then?" he queried, almost harshly. "Do you save people?"

She laughed, the tone dark and sad. "I try. Right now, I am sure many would argue that I am just getting them killed. Any time I get involved in things, it always seems like people die."

"Yep," he said, popping the final sound. "I am familiar with the issue."

"Doesn't stop me though," she said, turning to him with a smile. "Shouldn't stop you."

He gave her a lopsided smile in return. "I guess not."

"However," she said, standing up after a chime sounded from the device attached to her hip, "to answer your initial question: my advice is to watch where abouts you wear that coat of yours. Time traveler like you might have forgotten what it means right now."

As she spoke, she donned a brown duster, similar to his own in fact, that had been folded on the seat next to her.

A moment passed before recognition flashed in his eyes. "Oh, is it that time then?"

"Yep," she responded, popping the final sound with a twinkle in her eye. "You might want to find somewhere else to run from your problems."

Then, with a nod, she moved past him.

"Wait!"

Turning, she gave him an inquisitive look.

"How many have you lost? How many people?"

"Too many. And, unlike you who doesn't live in a straight line, I got to know so many of them from the moment they were born until the moment they died." She smiled sadly. "That's why I know about inevitability. It is going to happen no matter how hard you try. The best we can hope for is to have some grace when it comes." She laughed softly. "Some Serenity."

He nodded. "Well, good luck to you, General. Maybe I'll come by and visit again some time."

"I'd enjoy the company."

And with that, she was out the door and he was left to sit and think on his own once more.

Twenty years and a thousand years later…

"Fancy seeing you again."

The blonde in the pencil skirt and button up shirt looked up from where she sat, reading, at a desk perched between two towering bookshelves in the all but silent library.

He watched as her eyes betrayed the innerworkings of her mind as she tried to access whoever he might be in her data banks. While she did, he flourished his coat and sat across from her. Books were nice. He should add them to the console room for when he was thinking. Even if the TARDIS had a library, they couldn't be close enough.

Finally, recognition sparked and she smiled.

"Should I be warning the population of some strange threat? You don't typically show up in peaceful times."

He grinned at her. "Oh, no. I've just let my friend wander off to find some books that she likes. The great thing about time travel is that you never have to worry about late fees even if you keep them for centuries."

"That feels dishonest," the woman laughed.

Sobering, he reached a hand out to lightly touch the back of her hand. "I'm sorry about your war. I couldn't tell you before."

She nodded curtly, the hurt still obviously raw even though it had been more than a decade since the end of hostilities. "We did our best. Eventually things will come around I'm sure. And no, I'm not asking for information."

He nodded. "So, what do you think of the new me?"

"Strange how looking older can make you seem younger some times," she laughed quietly. "But you look nice. Like a professor ready to lecture naughty children. The accent is nice, too."

"It seems to come with some random anger issues, but I'm learning to cope."

She looked him over carefully, a certain sadness growing in her eyes. "And how long has it been for you? How many more have you lost?"

"Too many and too long. But there was a bit where I lived like you did, all in a row. Kept an entire planet safe for centuries."

She smiled. "I'm certain they couldn't have been happier than to have you there with them."

He nodded slightly before deciding that that bit of conversation should be done. Looking around, he smiled at her again. "I am not entirely sure how long she will be wandering around. Do you mind if I keep you company for a bit?"

"Of course not. I am always honored to sit and read with a hero."

His smile softened. "Me too."

Author's Note (two!):

This was a plot bunny that has been rolling around in my head for some years. I thought it would be funny to see Ten wandering around in the Independents cloak, but a straight Firefly crossover seemed a bit much and I just loved the idea of this very world weary Seras taking him to task like a child.

I decided not to properly identify them for...reasons I don't fully remember now. I think you can still kind of tell who they are. At least, I hope you can.

Feedback would be lovely. It has been a VERY long time since I wrote anything for DW and I wasn't sure if I should post this. It has been sitting on my hard drive for months now.

Til Next Time.