'Fore we start:

First of all, I'm terribly sorry about the lateness and shortness of this chapter. Let's just say blockimpatienceinsipiring muse gone = crappy chappie… I'll try to do better next time, promise!

Just realized that Alucard's flashbacks didn't quite explain how he got away from Poenari after defeating the siege force. So I add my own spice to a Romanian folk story…

Dracula = Son of Dragon... Everybody must know this by now, but just in case...

Also, a friendly reviewer has corrected me concerning chappie 2… it's Her Majesty's theatre, not Queen's theatre… darn.

Ok, on with it!!:

Vlad stood silent as the priest said his final blessings. His wife's body would be buried in Poenari's chapel. "Though she deserved the finest cathedrals in Italy." He thought to himself. He left the chapel with a blank look, but with his fists closed. He'd make the Turks pay. But now, he needed to think of what to do. He heard from his spies that the previous exhibitions of strength had scared off Sultan Mehmed, and that it was his brother Radu that lead the Turkish army. Some leaders in Germany called them atrocities… Impalling every prisoner they had in the dungeons, plus a few of his detractors still lingering as well as the Turkish soldiers imprisoned during his customary raids across the Danube was something one didn't see every day, true… But claiming he slaughtered his own people? They had gone mad!

It didn't matter. The fact now was that he needed to leave Poenari at once. It was winter… snow covered the paths, and the Turks would easily track him to wherever he fleed. Staying was suicide, though. Not knowing what to do, and without the head for it, he went back to his keep. The guards and servants avoided his eyes as he passed by them. He arrived at his throne room, and sat down, staring blankly at the ceiling. Vlad closed his eyes for a moment, but could only think of her… DAMMIT!!! He had to occupy his head with something else! Like getting out and not being caught by his foes.

Though… He had no idea how. Punching the throne's armrests to vent his anger, he called for the village elders. One of the rare things his father told him was to always look for advice from the old… And it was a good advice, since they managed to survive long enough to be old. Laughing silently at the wise thought, he waited patiently for their arrival. And they didn't make him wait for long. There were three, a carpenter, a cook and a blacksmith. Vlad rose from his seat, as they bowed before him. "Save those bows for someone that deserves them. If I was worthy of them, I wouldn't have asked for your aid. The Turks have pinned us down. If I attempt to escape in this snowy weather, their light cavalry will pick up with me. How do you suggest I go about leaving and crossing the border to Transylvania?" The elders looked at each other for a moment, and closed their eyes, as if the weight of their thinking was causing them strain.

Finally, the blacksmith elder opened his eyes, and spoke rather enthusiastically. "M'Lord, let us reverse the shoes of horses to make them think someone has entered when in fact we have gone away!" Vlad's face lightened. It was a good idea indeed… By dusk, the horses were ready. All of the surviving loyal nobles and knights, which were just a handful after the last battle, would be accompanying him, as well as the elders. Save for Grga, who decided to stay behind. "Our Queen was clear: she would rather die than see you dead. Now it's my time to do the same for you. My life ends here, and I don't regret my choice." Those were the last words he spoke to him.

Their ride was an unneventful one, and soon they arrived at their destination. Vlad remembered the elders deserved a reward. He searched in his pocket, and picked up a few gold coins. Which they refused. "Please, my lord, give us not gold or silver, for they can be spent. Give us land because the land is fertile and will keep us alive for all timeSo he asked for a rabbit skin and wrote on it, "I give you, the elders of Aref, fourteen mountains and nine sheepfolds which you will have forever."

And they still have them… To this very day… Alucard would've smiled if he could. He didn't show, but he adored when Romanians called him their greatest national hero. And he nearly spent a whole week laughing when they considered Bram Stocker's crappy little novel about him just a means to discredit him! And they were right. Half of what he wrote were lies, greatly helped by Van Helsing… Creepy little half-dannish crazy bastard…

Seras had placed the head, heart and body of her Master inside a coffin. It stood in the centre of a circle of candles in the floor. Taking a brief pause to breathe, she cut her wrists with a dagger and poured her blood on a golden plate. According to the book in her lap, the blood of a virgin was the only thing strong enough to regenerate a nearly fallen No Life King. She opened it, and skimmed through the pages depicting goat headed people dissemboweling scared men, organs in vials and little impish creatures. She arrived at the part that got her attention not so long ago: "How To Revive A Dismembered Corpse"

"From ancient times, dismembering was a way of making sure your enemies did not return from the dead, as well as discourage its remaining supporters from assuming command. As such, it was a punishment only applied to the strongest enemies. The pieces were often scattered across the land, kept where they could be seen, but still hard to claim. Retrieving a man's parts was a very rare occurrence, and as such the ritual of ressurection remained comparatively obscure to the practitioners of the Occult. But that didn't prevent it from being fashioned, of course. It is essential that the body parts be placed adjacent to each other, preferably as similarly as they were before the dismemberment."

After reading this last phrase, Seras rose up and went to the coffin to try and place the heart and head where they belonged. She shredded some of the paper covering Alucard's chest, and placed his heart inside the hole made by Laiota's dirty talons. Remembering how close his deformed face came to hers, she let go off the heart… Only noticing that it was upside down when the pages began crawling to the hole, trying to cover it again. Seras sank her hand, trying to turn the organ around, ignoring the cold and greazy fluids in the cavity. The paper seemed to have a mind of its own, because it stopped for a moment and started crawling up her arm.

Seras froze for a moment, and pulled her arm away, but the paper strings tugged back, wrapping her forearm and escalating up. Grabbing the coffin's lid for support, she pulled rougher, to no avail. When the paper was about to reach her shoulder, she let out a growl, and her pupils shrank into a pair of thin lines. She pulled again, this time much stronger, at the same time whacking it with her free hand, and managed to free the arm. Seras went back to normal as soon as she heard the relieving sound of shredded paper… And so lost balance as she was thrown back by the momento, and fell flat on her back. Rising back, she cursed Letice's sorcery, only to remember she might have to do the stunt again to connect the head to the rest of the body…

Seras already had a taste of just how tricky the paper could be, and so didn't have as many complications as the first time, using her ritual dagger to slice through the paper. With that done, she sat back on her knees, and looked for the actual instructions. "Once that is done, place the corpse around a circle of candles, and recite the following words, holding this book in your hands: Vishtriine rodasskei eru na gorento lobassdana. The ritual will suceed if, and only if the blood of a virgin is nearby, preferably plenty of it to make sure the subject doesn't die again from exhaustion." Not much to worry, Alucard was already dead…

Seras bit her bottom lip in anxiety. Now was the "moment of truth"… The sound of a book being closed echoed in the room. She spoke the words… "Veeshtreeny roadaskey euro nae gore-into loubassdena!" Nothing… Beginning to panick, she searched for something concerning the chant, wondering if it wasn't all a practical joke. And she came across a most interesting phrase: "The enchantment's creator often imagined the english trying to revive their fallen heroes and failing, because of their atrocious incapability of adapting to different accents." Seras grinded her teeth. "Very funny…"

In the films (movies, depending on whether you speak Brit English or Am English), chants are always pronounced like… the Lord Of The Rings elven characters' names. So, it was all a matter of twisting the tongue. Thruth be told, Seras was now more pissed than nervous, what really helped her to cast the spell. She breathed in, and said in a strong, secure tone… "Vishtriine rodasskei eru na gorento lobassdana!" The words echoed throughout the room, in an inhumane voiced that repeated Seras' words the same instant they were pronounced. The candles' fire seemed to jolt up, and winds appeared from nowhere connected the flames in a whirlwind. The virgin blood began to pour out of its plate, and towards the coffin. For a moment, it soaked the accursed leaves, that seemed to prevent it from bathing Alucard.. but only for a moment, as the red stains began to fade. Seras could almost see a small twitching in the bandages… The whirlwind of fire fell against Alucard, and exploded in light when it came in contact with him. A few of the leaves were half-burned… And a light moan was heard.

Alucard suddenly woke up from his revelry. He could feel it… His earthly frame had been regenerated… Undeath dominated it once again. He was stiff, like if his muscles wouldn't obey, though he could feel the strain. He growled silently, irritated by the setback. He couldn't open his eyes either. Or rather, he opened them, but it was pitch black. And a strange texture was felt… Alucard remembered. The leaves! Telling to himself Letice deserved the deepest, meanest, most revolting circle of Hell, he twitched and jerked angrily inside his prison, that gave in to the constant forcing, and released his arms. He clutched his hands, the hard as iron muscles expanding and ripping apart the remaining paper. Alucard took his hands to his face, and ripped out his "mask" with a deafening roar.

Seras was fearstruck at her Master's angry ressurection. She shivered when his face emerged from the shattered leaves, and his lion roared echoed through the room, likely being heard in every corner of the mansion. Alucard kept ripping out the remaining leaves, showing he was wearing his dark red leather uniform. His eyes held their usual psycho shine, mingled with a bit of irritation. The "beast-in-a-cage" syndrom… As he removed the last strips of paper from himself, Alucard finally allowed himself to relax. His face was innexpressive as he examined the room. Someone had arranged it for spellcasting. His eyes, that busily looked at every corner, rested upon the petite girl in a nightgown. His lips began to twist into a smirk, then a grin, and almost a smile. "Did you just cast a restoration spell, Policewoman?" He got out from his coffin, walking towards Seras.

Her fear was being slowly replaced by happiness. There was something in her Master's eyes. Pride…? "Master…" It was all she could say, she was at a loss for words. Oh well, action speaks louder than jabbering… She rose up, and ran towards him, nearly throwing him to the ground and smashing his torso in her bear hug. Alucard was caught of guard, but didn't seem to mind. His fledgling had done good, she deserved some form of compensation. He passed his gloved hand through her hair, caressing her scalp. For Seras, that moment seemed to last for an eternity, even if it was less than a minute, until Alucard spoke into her mind. "Enjoying yourself, Seras? I know I am." Blushing, the girl let go of him, looking down to the ground and stepping back. "I'm sorry, Master. It's just that…" That what? What was going on her head? "That you missed me?" Alucard finished her sentence. She looked back up, a bit surprised, a bit embarrassed. "Yes…"

Alucard chuckled. "No need to be shy about it. I like to think only special people miss me. The others can't stand my presence. They are stupid, worthless creatures, that consider themselves superior to bloodsuckers." His sardonic tone returned. "Humans. There was once a time when you clinged to humanity… Ridiculous. Tell me…" He brought his face closer to hers. "… Do you think you could've accomplished half of your recent achievements being a low level vampire like that?" She nodded. He was right, as usual. "But I've left that past behind, Master!" She added happilly. "Look at this new trick!" Seras dissappeared from his sight, and reappeared behind him. Only then she noticed Alucard's hair was longer than usual, falling nearly at his waist. Not that she was surprised… Instead, she decided to pull a prank on him, or rather, pull his hair. But as her hand came closer, the hair split into two parts, and behind it, Alucard dissapeared. She looked up, startled. He had vanished.

Alucard was most impressed. Her fledgling was proving to be quite a vampire. She had learned the art of teleportation early… Very interesting. He was half-hanging from the ceiling, appreciating her surprised face as she looked for him. "Well done. I'm beginning to think turning you was a good decision, Policewoman." Seras was even more surprised when she spotted him. "But I believe we've got work to do. Meet me in… 'your' office." There was a rather obvious ironic tone in his voice. He sunk into the shadows, going to… wherever he went when he did that. Sighing, she walked out of the room, and into the office, stopping by her room to slip into her uniform. The usually mocking mercs seemed more silent than usual. Yep, Alucard's roar was heard. Though he might've caused some mischief while heading upstairs, because one of them was curling against a corner whispering something about a black shade with many eyes…

Alucard wasn't there… Typical. Seras sat down by her desk and turned on the computer. Sighing, she played around with a pen while the OS loaded. "Any new messages from our Round Table supposed friends?" Alucard materialized from a wall. She hated it when he did that. He was now wearing his usual attire, save for the hat and sunglasses. "Uh, was just going to check that out, Master!" She opened her mail… And there was indeed a message from the Round Table. Subject: "Since you didn't reply to Father Maxwell." Lifting an eyebrow, she opened it:

"Commander Seras Victoria,

Since you haven't replied to Father Maxwell's order to surrender him possession of the Hellsing Organization, it is with great regret that we inform you the 13th Division of the Pope's Special Task Force will arrive at your location 24 hours after this message's submission. Their orders are to relieve you of command, and seal you and the vampire Alucard in the Mansion's dungeons. This is not the time to trust our sworn enemies, as I'm sure you understand. If you resist, they will attack and kill you. So, for your own good, don't do anything stupid.

Yours truly,

Robert Islands, Chairman of the Round Table"

Seras' chin fell. "They're… giving up on us?" Alucard simply snickered. "Do I have to answer that? They're useless inbreeds that survive by associating themselves with the strong, and preying on the weak. It's amazing that they didn't allow the Vatican to attack us sooner." He tilted his head upwards, laughing loudly. "Splendid! Truly splendid! At last, I can kill those fucking priests at my leisure, or rather, in 'self defence'!" He walked to the gaping hole behind the desk, closing his eyes and keeping his usual grin. "It's been a long while since I last did this…" He rose both his arms, and regained his deranged expression. His body tensed… And the clouds in the dark sky began to grow in size. More were being brought from the horizon by powerful gusts of wind, that dragged with them all sorts of things: dead leaves, trash bags, general litter (OK, all sorts of trashy things…). Alucard brought one hand down abruptly, and a thunder clashed against a tree a few miles away, sending sparks and severing branches.

Seras simply looked dumbfounded at him. She had never known her Master had such abilities. Then again, she had never bothered to ask, he had never bothered to tell, and his permanent removal of the seals had been a recent development. "Master… What, I mean… Why are you doing that!?" Alucard simply continued his melody, laughing maniacly. The storm calmed down a bit, and bats took to the sky, flying around the Mansion as if led by someone. Alucard turned to face Seras. "These are the abilities sealed by Van Helsing a century ago, Seras. All vampires control the winds and the creatures of the night. Even you can do it. As long as you keep drinking blood." He slowly faded away. "This was a declaration of war, Policewoman. Against whoever threaten us… The Hellsing Organization."

It was almost dawn. Shaking away the intimidation caused by Alucard's display, Seras went to the men's quarters. No matter how much she loathed their arrogance and macho attitude, she still had to warn them tomorrow would be a tough night. When she arrived, they were doing the usual: singing smug songs, drinking and farting… "Attention!" All she got was silence and moans. "Tomorrow the Iscariots will attempt an assault on our base. You are to barricade every possible entrance and defend it with your lives. I'll be at the cave upstairs giving heavy gunfire support. Alucard"…I hope… A few mercs looked inbetween scared and dissapointed… " will aid you holding back the Iscariots. May God and the Queen's blessing be with you. Amen." It was a bit strange to plea for the Queen's blessing right now, when they were abandoned by the Round Table. And stranger still for a vampire to ask for God's blessing… But hey, the ones receiving them weren't the least bit religious… "Pfff… Why should we obey that friggin' whore!?" A particularly drunk merc said.

The man was leaning against a wall, with an empty beer can on his hand, and a lot more around him. He walked up to her, tripping in just every object along the way, including other teammates drunk to the point they couldn't stay awake and felt asleep on the floor… He was blonde, slim, and with a less than trustworthy face. He was wearing a white t-shirt saying "My parents went to Germany and all I got was this lousy beer stain!"… That had seemed to be created not so long ago… "We ain't payed enough fer this shit… Why should we fight agains' those guys…?" He started tripping on his own feet… Seras dismissed with great effort her sudden desire to rip his liver off… "You've agreed on the payment I've offered you! And in turn, you follow my orders! That's how it works!" Her voice was neither so loud as to be shouting, nor so quiet as to let them perceive weakness. Still, it didn't seem to convince them. "An' who's gonna enforce that law…? Eh…? You, bloodsucking whore? Think I'm afraid o'ye?"

The guy advanced on her, clumsily trying to punch Seras' face. She didn't bother dodging, just grabbed his fist in middair. "Stop this at once!" Her patience was running out. The man tried to kick her belly, but she dodged, and twisted his wrist. Shooting away from the pain, he was brought to his knees. "Stupid… cheating whore…" Somehow, Seras was sure Integra had never been through this… "And you're right. Unlike you, she commanded respect." Great… Alucard decided to watch the fight. "What are you doing, Policewoman? Just when I think you're finally turning into a worthy vampire, you let your pitiful human feelings take over… Kill him. Make an example! You're their superior!" His voice was excited. It was obvious he wanted to see her drink blood straight from the source, and he didn't bother hiding it. Seras couldn't do that to her own men… Bad for morale. But then again, it was low enough as it was.

Not enough an excuse though. She just slapped the man, making sure she didn't use too much strength. What didn't prevent a small trail of blood from coming out of his mouth. "If you don't like it, then leave! But you won't last long in city filled to the brim with vampires. So, if you want to be the least reassured of your safety, stay here and obey my orders." The men were more serious this time. Some of them nodded, others just turned their face or looked to the ground. Seras smiled. "Guess I can command respect too." The guy she slapped got back on his feet, and walked silently back to where he came from. She made a mental note to look out for him, he might bear a grudge against her later on. "Alright men! We need to get this mansion ready for the siege! Barricade every possible entrance, using whatever things you can find! Our enemies will be using blades, so wooden surfaces can be used. Those of you who are snippers, go to the upper floors' windows and attempt to take as many as you can down before they make it through the gardens! Go!" The mercenaries lazily went to take care of things. "Told'ya we shouldn't have spent the night sandsaffing…" Said one. "I knew that roar had to be… HIM!!!" Said other. Seras giggled imperceptibly.

She walked back to her room, yawning every now and then. It was a tiresome night. And it was getting late as well. As soon as she opened her coffin bed's lid, she felt into that semi-conscious state just as you are about to go to sleep, and let herself fall into the blanckets. She didn't even bother closing the lid… Meanwhile, Alucard was taking sips from his glass of blood and whine (he picked up a blood pack by the freezer and assaulted the cellar), a mix that had kept his identity hidden in many a feast. "Seras is begginning to correspond to the promisse she's shown. And now that we're at war… She'll even beg to follow my hand into the path of darkness." He wasn't wearing his hat still, though he fiddled with his sunglasses with his free hand. He couldn't sleep; that's what he'd done for the past week. So, he just fiddled around with his favourite instrument, if we conveniently forget his two handguns. It got old after a while, so he put them back on the table, as well as the glass. The No Life King blended with the shadows, and "crawled" his way to Integra's office.

"There was a very nice music playing device in there… what was it called again? Ah yes! A walkman." He whispered to himself, looking through the many shelves. And eventually, after searching for an hour (nothing by vampire standarts…), he found it. Grinning, he pulled out from his jacket a rather unlikely item: Brahms' sacred coral music, all in one CD he'd asked Walter to burn… Since they were both great lovers of Classic music, he immediately agreed. For Alucard, it reminded him of the good ol' days, when vampires were real vampires, men were real men, and no one made a mess of something as simple as drinking a human dry. He kept himself from remniscing this time, that he was sick of doing… As the first rays of sun shot over the horizon, Alucard put his sunglasses back on. As well as his hat, that materialized over his head. The sun was such a bothersome thing…

His thoughts drifted on to Seras. She had restored him… At a great personnal risk to herself, that was true. Well, she wouldn't have been in such danger if she'd accepted her nature a long time ago. Still, her resourcefulness was a welcome surprise, as well as her newfound ability. He was genuinely impressed… Most vampires took decades to learn it. From the beginning, Alucard was sure she'd turn out to be a strong vampire… All that kept her behind was those annoying human standarts and protocols… Ridiculous. A race that slaughters itself, damages its surroundings with no regard whatsoever for the rest of the world's innhabitants, that preys on its weak to commit all sorts of wrongs… And on top of that, they called themselves "the perfects"!!! Alucard laughed out loud at this thought. It was most certainly a bad joke…

He was once human… Much was his sorrow. Even if he did have the privilege to live with men and women that actually honoured their race's title. Like Walter. Though he had a much more fitting name. The Angel of Death. When Alucard knew he had died from a heart attack, he nearly roared in anger. He respected the human a lot. In fact, he was the closest thing he had to a friend. He smirked. They were teammates back in World War II, though they didn't fight in the front lines. No, they hunted down artificially created Ghouls, a bit like today's FREAKs. The chip used today still beared the swastica in the centre. It could be nothing, though. The culprits could've just stolen the technology. Though, the swastica WAS a symbol of power. So, it might just as well be necessary for the damn things to work. Another proof of just how ridiculous humans were… Aryans declared themselves the superior subrace, instilled by their supposed blood enemy, and resorted to "corpses" to defeat the "under-humans".

"Stupid idiots." Alucard whispered, grinning. He had sunk into a whirlwind of his own memories and thoughts. Music had that effect on him. He turned the walkman off, and put it back wherever it was in the first place. "What to do next…" He could pick on the mercs that were busilly working (for a change…), or practice his already perfect marksmanship, or hunt down a few beggars and be forever disgusted by the fowl taste of their skin, or taunt his Master… No, wait, that he couldn't do. Alucard didn't enjoy admiting it, but he was really fond of the little girl (in his eyes). He saw her as a mix of sister and daughter… Even if she was brainwashed commited to slaughtering vampires. Congratulations to the Hellsing family's lifestyle. Her death was… unglorious, to say the least. And it was his fault. He had been making stupid mistakes for some time now... But making Seras deal with two regenerators!? And for what? To have fun with the Judas Priest? (not that kind of fun, you pervs…)

He shook off those thoughts. At least his fledgling had survived. His heart had frozen (figuratively speaking) when he saw her impalled against a wall, but she was alright, considering the possibilities. "Why don't I double-check on her…" There was something to do after all! He reached out to her telepathically, to find she was fast asleep. These last days had taken their toll on her, and he more than understood her need for rest. Alucard sank into the shadows, and materialized in her room. He couldn't help but notice the coffin bed's open lid. "If this room was open to the outside, you'd be sunburnt, Policewoman." He shook his head in dissaproval as he spoke. Sighing, he waved his open hand, and Seras' body levitated gracefully. With his free hand, he opened her bed's sheets, and laid her down again, this time between them. Alucard looked at her before closing the lid. She looked like a little girl when she was asleep. Actually, she looked like one all the time, but moreso when her face wasn't concerned with everyday things, which were breathtaking in her case.

Alucard leaned down towards her, examining her neck. She still had the bitemarks he had imprinted on her when he turned her. Alucard smiled as he caressed her cheek. He enjoyed Seras' company. Moreso after Integra and Walter died. Even if he didn't need even half of an introvert mortal's social interaction, due to his "ancientness", it was still good to have someone to pick on. Even if he taunted only playfully. Alucard's soul, or whatever it was that replaced it, would get overjoyed whenever she frowned at his taunting, only to wait until she'd forgotten all about it, what happened a few instants later, going back to her innocent childish look. The reason why he kept calling her Policewoman, even if she had accepted it as only a nickname. It was a small, irrational pleasure of his…

Seras was cute, that he had seen from the beginning, but now he was just hypnotised by her face. He examined her large, perfectly round eyes (the shape, mind ye), her small nose and mouth, the unkept strawberry blonde hair, and especially her round, petite face that reminded him of a certain young woman of over a century ago… Then it came to him. She was the only person willing to put up with him for the present. He'd grown tired of being lonely… And therefore couldn't allow her to die. "I'll make sure you live through this, Seras." He caressed her face one last time, before closing the bed's lid.

When Seras woke up, it was about midnight. Her eyelids lazilly opened, still clinging to unconsciousness.She mentally shook her head. There was much to be done that night. She rose up… and nearly broke the lid as her forehead banged against it. "H-how did it…" She remembered not bothering to close it… Then, how was it close!? Did someone do it? No, no one would've entered her room unwanted except… "MASTER!?"

"You rang?" Alucard's mocking voice echoed inside her head. "Master… Did you enter my room last night!?" The perspective baffled her. It'd be an invasion of privacy! "Then again, what is privacy, Policewoman? We share a mental bond. It makes no difference whether or not I walk into your room or just sit in a chair; I'll always be able to take a peek. Hehehehehe… Now, get your Halconnen and meet me upstairs." Her fingers went white under her gloves, as she clenched her fists in anger. She'd get him back one day… Taunting and ordering her like that… Why did he want her to… That's right! Her anger turned into anxiety as she processed his command. The Iscariots would attack soon….

Next chapter: A fight between Iscariot and Hellsing ensues! Alucard's true powers, kept sealed for so long, are finally unleashed! Reviews are welcome!