Yet another independent yet relative chapter of Disregard, explaining the events between chapters 28 and 29 in Dishonor.

I do not own Hellsing or any of the canon characters. I do own Devries, Anika, and the characterization of Argetni, but technically, she's not mine either. I would like to be asked if anyone ever decides to use a character or two of mine.

~*~Chapter 6~*~

Origin Reflection Rhythm Nation

Seventeen year old Devries van Hellsing hugged her arms tight across her chest as she walked through the snow-covered Chicago sidewalks toward the building with the beaming pink neon sign advertising the club where her new friends had asked her join them this evening. She had come up with excuses as to why she could not meet this James that Hailey and Kirsten wanted her to meet, but after a week and a half of making new excuses as to why she could not go, Devries had finally run out of reasons as to why she could not go. Each breath she took was visible in the chilly night air, and the tall girl stepped quickly toward the entrance of the bar, pulling her black ankle-length coat tight around her as she moved through the frigid city.
The man at the door did not even bother to ask for an ID, as most everyone who glanced at Devries believed her to be in her twenties, and the olive-skinned girl sighed heartily as she entered the warm building, eyes searching for the people that invited her to this noisy, smoke-filled, yet amusing place.
"D!" Kirsten waved to her newest friend as she trotted across the club's floor, the stiletto heels of her thigh-high boots clicking in a perfect rhythm with the music being played by some unknown band. "I'm so glad you could come! James is really looking forward to meeting you!"
"Great. . ." The answer was flat, matching Devries' enthusiasm with being set up with someone she had never met. "Where is the bloke so I can tell him to fuck off so we can go somewhere that I don't have to wear this bloody stupid outfit."
The red haired college student just laughed as she linked her arm around Devries', pulling her toward the table where Hailey and a muscular dark haired young man with streaks of red and blue through his shaggy tresses sat, looking at the tall blond and Kirsten as they made their way across the building.
"Is that James? He's so. . . ."
"I know he's probably not what a English girl like you are used to, but he's sweet D. And you two have a lot in common, I think."
"Right. . ." Stepping up to the table where James and Hailey were sitting, Devries removed her ankle-length coat to reveal the black corset and plaid mini skirt that the two girls had helped her choose almost a week prior. "Bloody interesting place you've brought me to." Tugging on the skirt, Devries sat on the barstool, allowing a glint of silver to shine from her hip.
The tri-colored haired young man narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, his eyes trailing down to the shining object tucked in her skirt.
"So do you always have a gun on you? Or is it just because you were meeting someone new?"
Blushing, Devries pulled her skirt's top back over the gun, hiding it from view. "Sorry. It's just a habit from work."
Stopping to order drinks, Hailey leaned back in her chair after the waitress walked from their table, smirking as she looked over at the blond.

"So what do you do then? I thought you said you came from a wealthy family."
Shrugging, Devries looked out on the dance floor where couples were gyrating in time with the music, finally realizing that she had made a mistake in trying to be friendly with people she barely knew. "Well, I do come from a noble family. I guess you could say we are a branch of Scotland Yard or the British Military."
"Military?" Hailey wrinkled her nose as she drank from the bottle of beer that the waitress had set in front of her. "So were you supposed to be going to the Middle East or something and deserted to America?"
Devries chuckled as she sipped her wine, crossing her mostly bare legs as she smirked while setting the glass back on the table. "We deal with internal matters. I'd say more, but it's quite tedious, really. . . .Bloody hell. . . ."
Icy eyes were met by the hellacious red of the vampire Argetni's, and Devries slipped her coat back on, drawing her gun as she moved toward the club's back exit. This was not how she had planned on being captured, but she had allowed Hellsing's vampires too much time to come to her.
Yet she had not sensed Argetni's presence move from the east coast.
"Devries?" James stood from his seat, following the girl he had just met, wondering what could have possibly startled her. "Stay here for a bit. The music's not that great, but the drinks are cheap."
Shaking her head, Devries bolted out the exit, hating that she had just ran away from people that considered her a friend. It was all because of her damned family that she had run away from a life she could have led yet again.
"Damn them. . . ." Leaning against the wall with her gun still in her hand, Devries quietly sobbed as she felt the presence of Seras Victoria nearing her in the snow-covered alley. "It's just not fair. . . ."
"Miss Devries?" Seras whispered, stepping closer to the taller girl, reaching out a gloved hand to touch her young master's cheek. "Please, your father is worried. We all are. Come back home, okay?"
Normally, Devries would have flinched away from any contact given by a mortal or vampire, but as she felt the extremely cold flesh against her own trying to caress her in to some sort of safe feeling, the heiress wrapped her arms around the vampire's neck, sobbing on to her shoulder, stumbling over apologies for leading her on the chase around the world. Seras didn't deserve to be bound to the family. She was an innocent. She cared about others.
That was what separated the family from the rest of the world. Granted, they remained loyal to one another, but not unless the honor and tradition of the Hellsing name was at stake.
"Don't make me go back. Say I killed myself, please. . . ." The whispered plea broke through the sobs as the girl still clung to the vampire. "I can't go back, not now. I want to be free. You understand, right?"
"Devries Fairbrook Hellsing."
The girl froze upon hearing her mother's voice from the opposite end of the alley, still clinging desperately to Seras for any sort of comfort or support the vampire could offer.
"As the heir to the Hellsing family and the Hellsing Organization, you are to return to England as per order of the Royal Family." Moving closer in an instant, Argenti pulled her daughter from Seras, turning her so that they were eye to eye. "You will forget all of this foolishness so that you may be an effective and efficient leader of our forces."
Through tear-filled eyes, Devries stared deep in to the hellish depths of the former leader of the Organization, searching for any compassion or regret in the soul of the monster, and sighed when all she could discern was the infamous iron-like resolve of the Vampiress.
"I will return, but mark my words, mother, I will have my revenge on all that is associated with my birthright."
"Of course you will." There was no condescendence or sarcasm in the words; it was just a plain statement made by the vampiress as she gently led the girl toward the location they would meet Walter and Anika before their return to London.
Seras Victoria could not move as she watched the two almost identical women walk away from her. Devries was broken, that much was obvious just by the lethargic pace, drooping head and limbs, and soft sobs. But did Argetni have to appear so damned smug?
Devries had thought of Seras as better than the Hellsing family, or so the red haired vampire learned from the girl's thoughts as they freely drifted from her mind.
Starting in her walk behind the mother and daughter, Seras watched the girl with great interest, feeling quite crushed to see someone so beautiful and radiant be treated as a pawn in a decades old family tradition.
"I'll make certain you can still grow to be the Devries you wish to be, young master."

~*~*~*~*~

So now that you've finished this, go ahead and read Dishonor, chapter 29, and it will make SO much more sense as to the attitude shift of Devries.

Here's the link to the chapter this leads to: ?storyid=1539023&chapter=29