Chapter XVII: Helena
.
"What is this place, anyway?" Andrea asked as she wandered through the lab. "It looks like something that came out from a horror movie." True to her words, there are parts of the lab that she was reluctant to enter for she was afraid she might find something vile.
"Before World War II this used to be one of the storage facilities of the museum," Sol said as he lovingly caressed Celes's hair. "During the war, they turned it into a bomb shelter. Then after the Korean War, they had it upgraded into a nuclear fallout shelter. No one knows about this, not even the city engineer."
"How did you come across it?" she asked. Sol was silent as if he hasn't heard the question. Andrea knew a hint when she saw one. He did not like talking about his past. Instead, she ventured to another topic.
"How well do you know Lady Helena?" she asked but his answer shocked her.
"Intimately," he said. Andreas's eyes widened from his answer.
"We've known each other for so long that we know how the other one thinks or feels. I knew the moment that Incognito had almost killed her. It was a damned shame that Alucard killed him. I myself would have tortured him, broken him and left him suffering for millennia to come." Andrea looked at his eyes and saw an anger that no human could possibly possess. And that fact frightened her.
"Who is her sire?" she asked. Sol's eyes turned deadly as he glared at her but after a moment, sighed and his regular features returned.
"Was, is the perfect term," he said icily. "He was killed not one hour after she was turned. Helena has friends that cares deeply of her."
"That I do not doubt," she tried to smile. That statement didn't answer her question and her curiosity has not quelled. But before she asked more, Sol looked at her with a saddened smile.
"A young boy the age of Helena saved her from the vampire. I doubt that saved was the correct term for she still had evil tendencies for she still did not understand what was going on with her. He stayed with her for years, accepting what she is and tolerating her hunger.
"But one day, she had avertedly bit his neck and drained his blood. She came to her senses moments before his life was extinguished and tried to save him. Helena did but the boy, now a lad, distrusted her. It hurt him that she thought to little of him and thought of him only as food. She tried to reason to him that she could not help it and that his blood was the most sweet and delicious and somehow fulfilling blood she had ever tasted. But then the distrust had settled in his brain and he was wary of her.
"Then one day, another male vampire wished to call on Helena. He was a cunning sort. Used his so-called 'charm' to get his way. The lad saw through this and he protected Helena by killing him. It was so brutal that the lad suffered heavy injury but succeeded in eliminating the threat. The problem was, Helena saw it differently.
"She thought that the lad was only jealous and she went ballistic. In his weakened state he didn't put out much of a fight. Not that he wanted to fight her. He just took her wrath calmly and with a smile."
"What happened?" Andrea asked enthralled with the story.
"She accidentally killed him," Sol cringed as he looked at Andrea with sad eyes. "She realized her mistake much later when one of her friends told her the parasitic ways of the vampire she fancied. Shocked her to the bone. Until this day, she always seeks for his forgiveness. But there is nothing to forgive." Sol reached out and operated a console. Helena's chamber suddenly drained and the lid was opened. Gently, Sol, with his eyes closed, helped the vampire out of the chamber. In his hand was a small towel and he used it to wipe the remaining plasma from her face.
"Do you have to baby me?" Helena said evenly as she let Sol clean her face. "I AM older than you."
"Only for two months," Sol smiled but didn't open his eyes. Helena sighed in exasperation and placed her still bloodied hands on either side of his head and pulled him into a passionate kiss.
Immediately, Sol opened his eyes to meet the yellow pupils of Helena. Her eyes glint with mischief as she deepened the kiss. Sol was surprised and shocked and didn't know what to do.
Suddenly, Helena ended the kiss and released Sol who merely slumped into the ground.
"Tasty," Helena's lips curled into a smile and looked at Andrea who looked at her in confusion.
"You know you look seductive covered with blood," she smiled. Helena looked at Sol who was now glaring at her.
"Would you stop doing that?" he asked in a near growl. Helena only smiled and licked her lips. She could taste the healing solution on her lips as her tongue ran across it.
"Would you stop babying me?" she asked defiantly. Looking around the room, three pairs of eyes were looking at him. Three? Sol looked at Celes and found her looking curiously at him.
Sighing, Sol turned and walked away.
"What was that all about?" Celes asked as she stretched catlike but kept an eye on Sol.
"Are you two an item?" Andrea asked as Sol passed her.
"SHE would like to think so," Sol sighed. "Before she was turned, Helena was the sweetest most affectionate little girl. Though she looks cold, she became a wise woman though she does not look like it."
"And how did you know that she was sweet?" Celes asked dubiously. "You know awfully a lot about her."
"Careful Nat. Your girlfriend's jealous," Helena said as she walked sensuously towards the bathroom.
"She wouldn't be if you weren't egging her on," he called back much to Celes's surprise. For one, he didn't disclaim the part of being his girlfriend and he didn't argue that she was jealous, because she was.
"I should apologize for her behavior," Celes jumped as she heard him. She turned around and found him by her side on the bed. How did he get there so fast? And so quietly?
"R... Really? Why?" she asked as she shook. She couldn't help herself. Whenever he's near, she only wanted to make him hers in everyway possible.
"Strangely, the regenerative solution seems to render her intoxicated," Sol smirked. "And she acts like a drunken prom date whenever she finishes a bath."
"Have you ever been in a prom?" Andrea asked. Strangely, Sol looked sullen.
"I was too young to be admitted to Almack's so I missed out a few," he said with regret.
"Almack's?" Celes asked.
"Almack's assembly rooms."
"But it has been more than a hundred years since there was an Almack's," Andrea said. "It used to be one of the most prestigious places in the early 18th century. Anyone who's anyone gets to attend." Celes looked at Sol suspiciously.
"How old are you exactly?" she asked but he didn't answer. He just looked deep into her eyes and smiled.
"Old enough," he said softly as he leaned forward. Celes held her breath as his face neared hers. The nearness was a discomfort that Celes welcomed but feared. She didn't want to hurt him again but he was a too strong of a temptation to resist.
"You should stop before I would do something to hurt you," she whispered. But Sol had a reassuring smile that relieved her of doubt.
"Short of killing me and breaking my heart, nothing you would do will hurt me," and with his statement, she felt her heart flutter.
"I can't promise you I won't," she said as she gazed into his eyes.
"Then don't," his voice was husky and deep. "Just give it a chance."
"Sol, I'm a vampire. You're human. It won't work even if I desire it," she said softly. Sol merely looked at her as if she was crazy.
"Are you saying that because I'm... human... it would not work out?" Sol had a look of amused defiance that she did not understand. "What if I'm not human?"
"I refuse to turn you into the undead," her voice trembled but she could see humor in his eyes.
"To be undead you have to be alive once," he said as his fingers trailed the contours of her body. Celes swallowed audibly as his hand rested lightly on her breast. "And I wasn't truly alive until I met you."
"That... um... sounded like a line," she said as she relished the intimate contact. She really wanted it but she didn't want to hurt him.
Suddenly, Sol's eyes were darker than the night. The intimacy was gone, in exchange was a soulless being that Celes never witnessed before.
Sol blinked and his playful smile returned.
"We'll discuss this later," he kissed her on her lips and stood. "I need to run an errand. Could you keep an eye on Helena?"
"She's not going anywhere," Andrea, a bit disappointed that the scene didn't play out, sighed.
"I should rephrase that," Sol said as he smiled. "She'll keep an eye on you. I'll be back before long." They didn't have a chance to question him further for he was already out of the door.
"He can't leave me hanging like that!" Celes shouted when she had calmed down.
"As I remember YOU were the one who didn't want to become intimate," Andrea smirked as she sat beside her.
"I'm just afraid," she told her sullenly.
"Aren't we all," Andrea sighed and patted her sister's hand.
***
Sir Integral Hellsing had enough. She refused to remain a prisoner for a moment longer. She took out from under her shirt an opal pendant that Sol had given her. She reluctantly took with her the pendant but when she saw Sol's eyes, she knew that an argument would be a mistake.
Grudgingly, she admitted silently that he was right. She was trapped because she didn't heed his advice. Grasping the pendant, she realized that she had underestimated him.
"When you find yourself in a situation you could not get out of, call for darkness," she repeated what he had told her. Sighing, she swallowed her pride and called for darkness.
Instantly, the room became as dark as the deepest night. She felt uncomfortable when a single flame illuminated and a shadow appeared behind it. She felt a presence she felt before.
"Good evening, Lady Hellsing," the shadow said. "And welcome to my domain."
.
"What is this place, anyway?" Andrea asked as she wandered through the lab. "It looks like something that came out from a horror movie." True to her words, there are parts of the lab that she was reluctant to enter for she was afraid she might find something vile.
"Before World War II this used to be one of the storage facilities of the museum," Sol said as he lovingly caressed Celes's hair. "During the war, they turned it into a bomb shelter. Then after the Korean War, they had it upgraded into a nuclear fallout shelter. No one knows about this, not even the city engineer."
"How did you come across it?" she asked. Sol was silent as if he hasn't heard the question. Andrea knew a hint when she saw one. He did not like talking about his past. Instead, she ventured to another topic.
"How well do you know Lady Helena?" she asked but his answer shocked her.
"Intimately," he said. Andreas's eyes widened from his answer.
"We've known each other for so long that we know how the other one thinks or feels. I knew the moment that Incognito had almost killed her. It was a damned shame that Alucard killed him. I myself would have tortured him, broken him and left him suffering for millennia to come." Andrea looked at his eyes and saw an anger that no human could possibly possess. And that fact frightened her.
"Who is her sire?" she asked. Sol's eyes turned deadly as he glared at her but after a moment, sighed and his regular features returned.
"Was, is the perfect term," he said icily. "He was killed not one hour after she was turned. Helena has friends that cares deeply of her."
"That I do not doubt," she tried to smile. That statement didn't answer her question and her curiosity has not quelled. But before she asked more, Sol looked at her with a saddened smile.
"A young boy the age of Helena saved her from the vampire. I doubt that saved was the correct term for she still had evil tendencies for she still did not understand what was going on with her. He stayed with her for years, accepting what she is and tolerating her hunger.
"But one day, she had avertedly bit his neck and drained his blood. She came to her senses moments before his life was extinguished and tried to save him. Helena did but the boy, now a lad, distrusted her. It hurt him that she thought to little of him and thought of him only as food. She tried to reason to him that she could not help it and that his blood was the most sweet and delicious and somehow fulfilling blood she had ever tasted. But then the distrust had settled in his brain and he was wary of her.
"Then one day, another male vampire wished to call on Helena. He was a cunning sort. Used his so-called 'charm' to get his way. The lad saw through this and he protected Helena by killing him. It was so brutal that the lad suffered heavy injury but succeeded in eliminating the threat. The problem was, Helena saw it differently.
"She thought that the lad was only jealous and she went ballistic. In his weakened state he didn't put out much of a fight. Not that he wanted to fight her. He just took her wrath calmly and with a smile."
"What happened?" Andrea asked enthralled with the story.
"She accidentally killed him," Sol cringed as he looked at Andrea with sad eyes. "She realized her mistake much later when one of her friends told her the parasitic ways of the vampire she fancied. Shocked her to the bone. Until this day, she always seeks for his forgiveness. But there is nothing to forgive." Sol reached out and operated a console. Helena's chamber suddenly drained and the lid was opened. Gently, Sol, with his eyes closed, helped the vampire out of the chamber. In his hand was a small towel and he used it to wipe the remaining plasma from her face.
"Do you have to baby me?" Helena said evenly as she let Sol clean her face. "I AM older than you."
"Only for two months," Sol smiled but didn't open his eyes. Helena sighed in exasperation and placed her still bloodied hands on either side of his head and pulled him into a passionate kiss.
Immediately, Sol opened his eyes to meet the yellow pupils of Helena. Her eyes glint with mischief as she deepened the kiss. Sol was surprised and shocked and didn't know what to do.
Suddenly, Helena ended the kiss and released Sol who merely slumped into the ground.
"Tasty," Helena's lips curled into a smile and looked at Andrea who looked at her in confusion.
"You know you look seductive covered with blood," she smiled. Helena looked at Sol who was now glaring at her.
"Would you stop doing that?" he asked in a near growl. Helena only smiled and licked her lips. She could taste the healing solution on her lips as her tongue ran across it.
"Would you stop babying me?" she asked defiantly. Looking around the room, three pairs of eyes were looking at him. Three? Sol looked at Celes and found her looking curiously at him.
Sighing, Sol turned and walked away.
"What was that all about?" Celes asked as she stretched catlike but kept an eye on Sol.
"Are you two an item?" Andrea asked as Sol passed her.
"SHE would like to think so," Sol sighed. "Before she was turned, Helena was the sweetest most affectionate little girl. Though she looks cold, she became a wise woman though she does not look like it."
"And how did you know that she was sweet?" Celes asked dubiously. "You know awfully a lot about her."
"Careful Nat. Your girlfriend's jealous," Helena said as she walked sensuously towards the bathroom.
"She wouldn't be if you weren't egging her on," he called back much to Celes's surprise. For one, he didn't disclaim the part of being his girlfriend and he didn't argue that she was jealous, because she was.
"I should apologize for her behavior," Celes jumped as she heard him. She turned around and found him by her side on the bed. How did he get there so fast? And so quietly?
"R... Really? Why?" she asked as she shook. She couldn't help herself. Whenever he's near, she only wanted to make him hers in everyway possible.
"Strangely, the regenerative solution seems to render her intoxicated," Sol smirked. "And she acts like a drunken prom date whenever she finishes a bath."
"Have you ever been in a prom?" Andrea asked. Strangely, Sol looked sullen.
"I was too young to be admitted to Almack's so I missed out a few," he said with regret.
"Almack's?" Celes asked.
"Almack's assembly rooms."
"But it has been more than a hundred years since there was an Almack's," Andrea said. "It used to be one of the most prestigious places in the early 18th century. Anyone who's anyone gets to attend." Celes looked at Sol suspiciously.
"How old are you exactly?" she asked but he didn't answer. He just looked deep into her eyes and smiled.
"Old enough," he said softly as he leaned forward. Celes held her breath as his face neared hers. The nearness was a discomfort that Celes welcomed but feared. She didn't want to hurt him again but he was a too strong of a temptation to resist.
"You should stop before I would do something to hurt you," she whispered. But Sol had a reassuring smile that relieved her of doubt.
"Short of killing me and breaking my heart, nothing you would do will hurt me," and with his statement, she felt her heart flutter.
"I can't promise you I won't," she said as she gazed into his eyes.
"Then don't," his voice was husky and deep. "Just give it a chance."
"Sol, I'm a vampire. You're human. It won't work even if I desire it," she said softly. Sol merely looked at her as if she was crazy.
"Are you saying that because I'm... human... it would not work out?" Sol had a look of amused defiance that she did not understand. "What if I'm not human?"
"I refuse to turn you into the undead," her voice trembled but she could see humor in his eyes.
"To be undead you have to be alive once," he said as his fingers trailed the contours of her body. Celes swallowed audibly as his hand rested lightly on her breast. "And I wasn't truly alive until I met you."
"That... um... sounded like a line," she said as she relished the intimate contact. She really wanted it but she didn't want to hurt him.
Suddenly, Sol's eyes were darker than the night. The intimacy was gone, in exchange was a soulless being that Celes never witnessed before.
Sol blinked and his playful smile returned.
"We'll discuss this later," he kissed her on her lips and stood. "I need to run an errand. Could you keep an eye on Helena?"
"She's not going anywhere," Andrea, a bit disappointed that the scene didn't play out, sighed.
"I should rephrase that," Sol said as he smiled. "She'll keep an eye on you. I'll be back before long." They didn't have a chance to question him further for he was already out of the door.
"He can't leave me hanging like that!" Celes shouted when she had calmed down.
"As I remember YOU were the one who didn't want to become intimate," Andrea smirked as she sat beside her.
"I'm just afraid," she told her sullenly.
"Aren't we all," Andrea sighed and patted her sister's hand.
***
Sir Integral Hellsing had enough. She refused to remain a prisoner for a moment longer. She took out from under her shirt an opal pendant that Sol had given her. She reluctantly took with her the pendant but when she saw Sol's eyes, she knew that an argument would be a mistake.
Grudgingly, she admitted silently that he was right. She was trapped because she didn't heed his advice. Grasping the pendant, she realized that she had underestimated him.
"When you find yourself in a situation you could not get out of, call for darkness," she repeated what he had told her. Sighing, she swallowed her pride and called for darkness.
Instantly, the room became as dark as the deepest night. She felt uncomfortable when a single flame illuminated and a shadow appeared behind it. She felt a presence she felt before.
"Good evening, Lady Hellsing," the shadow said. "And welcome to my domain."