A/N: Wow I'm blown away by all the reviews I got for chapter three. I guess I quilted you all good! Hehe, it was a really nice bday present (19 as of 9/11) to log on to find an inbox full of reviews! So I've decided to get right on writing chapter 4. So here ya go! Well actually I had this written VERY quickly, but I was hunting for a beta. I didn't want to post it before I got one this time.
Disclaimer: Again, no.
Warnings: None really...yet. But it has come to my attention that maybe I should be marking spoilers. Oh well.
Thanks: Very special thank you's to my beta readers Nepenthe and Neko Youkai. And another big thanks to Princess Destiny (Alyndrya) for being such a source of inspiration and support.
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It was late afternoon, but the sun was mostly obscured by the swirling gray fog that was a part of everyday life in England. Seras forced herself not to look down towards the ground; it would just make her dizzy. No matter how many times she flew in a helicopter it always made her uneasy.
They had received a tip that an old abandoned castle on the English country was a power base for a group of vamps. Hellsing's still relatively small attack teams were quickly dispatched. So this is where Seras found herself; crammed in a fast flying whirly bird next to part of her squad.
Seras hummed absently as she tried to ignore the soldier sitting next to her with his thigh pressed intimately against hers. That wasn't bad, but she was having a little trouble ignoring the covert glances he kept giving her chest. Anything she could have said would have been swept up by the sound of the chopper, so she settled on pining him with an icy glare and a fangy grin. He quickly straightened up with a flush and found somewhere else to stare. God that was fun.
They started their descent a few minutes later. Seras couldn't help peering out the window in fascination. Her stomach dropped a bit as she saw the great stone castle materialize out of the mist, like some ghostly apparition. She cleared her throat as her fingers unconsciously dug into the metal of her halconnen. And she was afraid she would be bored today.
They set down, two other helicopters landing in tandem a dozen feet away. The slowing propellers of the beastly choppers made the grass ripple wildly as they filled out.
"Attack team alpha, secure the perimeter, then cover the exits," Started the commander in a deep, sure voice. "Team bravo, you're the front. Head in and hold your position. In the name of her Majesty the Queen, amen."
"Amen." Most of the soldiers echoed. Seras was still surprised that many of the new recruits were not even Christians, but desperate times...
Then they were off. Seras, being the leader of her squad lead the way. She hoisted her weapon onto her shoulder, its familiar weight both comforting and reassuring. The sound of heavy boots on stone floors echoed in the high ceiling room, desecrating the eerie silence. They fanned out, covering the various side doors and hallways. Seras slowly walked up the main steps. Something...wasn't quite right. The place seemed totally deserted, but something was nagging at her.
Attack orders weren't being given. That was the first clue things weren't going as planned. The second she would suppose, was the order to pull out several seconds later. Apparently Hellsing's authority had been superceded; they were no longer in charge of this operation.
The rest of the troops broke off and ran out. But the young vampire stayed where she was at the foot of the steps. What was this feeling...? Almost like a tickling at the back of her skull that seemed to set her warning sirens blaring. There was something here.
'Your senses are getting sharp, Police girl' the all too familiar voice whispered teasingly in her head. Seras just stared at him, attempting to look bored as he materialized next to her. She didn't like giving him the satisfaction of startling her every time.
"The battle we are about to enter will be like nothing we've seen before," he wasn't looking at her as he spoke. "Prepare yourself." Her eyes followed his, focusing on the splash of sunlight from the cross shaped window over the steps. She shook her head as she could have sworn she saw something that wasn't there.
"You sound like you're having fun." She murmured.
"Oh I am." Alucard assured her happily, before breaking out in his much used maniacal laugh. Seras couldn't help but shiver as it echoed off the ancient stone walls around her. She let out a shaking sigh as she felt his presence ebb away. It was always the same when he was around. He flabbergasted and fascinated her at every turn. She would never understand him.
Finally she tore herself away, she had to run to catch up with the quickly boarding troops. She caught sight of Sir Integra as she got into her private helicopter. She hardly made note that she looked rather pissed; but then, she usually did.
The flight back was blissfully uneventful. The soldier from before wisely chose to sit on the other side of the heli. In fact he was still giving her little glances...But they seemed more fearful than anything now. Seras smiled charmingly at him. Making him squirm and look out the window. She chuckled silently, humans were so easy.
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Seras trudged back to her room. She carefully propped her trusty halconnen against the wall before plopping down on her bed fully clothed. She let out a deep sigh as she closed the lid. All this being up in the day was starting to get annoying. Didn't they realize vampires slept now? She turned over on her side, her slightly sweaty clothing clinging damply to her skin. She grumbled and hit the switch for the lid.
"I need a bath." She said to no one in particular as she trudged back out of her room. Half way down the hallway something slashed through her mind like a spear of light. The vision of a pale body lying across a pool of light. Seras took a deep breath and shook her head. It was gone so quickly she wasn't sure if it had really happened.
A flash of movement quickly distracted her. A lovely young girl was climbing the adjacent steps, full skirts swaying delicately as she walked.
"That's Laura, Miss Integra's little sister." Said a voice to her left. Seras jumped with a small shriek.
"Walter! You scared me half to death! W-well you know what I mean. I may be undead but I still don't like being startled!" Seras rambled on for a moment. She was still more than a little on edge from these weird feelings, and if her heart could beat she was sure it would be doing a rapid staccato. "They don't even look alike," She began her rambling again after a short breath. "Well I suppose those things can happen. You never know... With high profile families and such, for all I know she could be..." She was interrupted by
Walter's startled gasp. She looked on round eyed as he clutched his chest and bent forward slightly.
"I'm not as young as I used to be," He said with an apologetic smile. "If you'll excuse me, I think I need to go." He bowed slightly, and then hurried up the steps.
Seras looked around a bit nervously. Something wasn't right. She closed her eyes and tried to focus her mind. Another flash of light speared through her brain. "Sir Integra!" She gasped, finally realizing the feeling was another undead beside her or her Master. She took the steps two at a time as she wondered how it could have been masked so well.
She was almost to the door before she noticed Walter barring her way. "Please don't disturb Miss Integra." His voice sounded sharper than usual.
"I-I have to!" Seras tried to tell him as she started forward again.
"I can't allow you to interrupt Sir Integra!" His eyes flashed with green fire as his fingers deftly flicked a single steel filament wire across the room. Seras wasn't sure what had happened, until she felt the telltale trickling of blood on her cheek. She instinctively backed up.
"Stop it," She said pleadingly. "Walter? Please wake up!" This wasn't him! The thought kept echoing in her mind as she pulled out her pistol. She tried to aim it at him, but her hands were shaking so badly she doubted she could hit him even by accident.
With a cruel grin he advanced on her, his wires flying from his fingers like an extension of his body and easily trapping her gun. With a slight pull he sent it skidding across the stone floor. He was toying with her she knew, she had seen him fight; and if he wanted it she would already be dead. Gently, almost like a lover's caress the steel threads wrapped around her neck. Everything seemed to slow down in those few seconds. She was going to die, and her Master wasn't here to save her this time.
The thought of her Master brought her out of her shock. Even If she couldn't bring herself to fight him she wasn't so worthless as to just lie down and die. Her fingers slipped around the wires as they tightened. She used every bit of her strength fighting their strangle hold back as her eyes began to water with the pressure. Despite her best efforts she was losing. The filaments dug into her gloved fingers, cutting them deeply as her blood ran down them like a melting icicle. 'Master' was the thought that echoed in her head as her vision tinged black.
But then, with the sound of a gunshot Walter seemed to be instantly released. The wires loosened and he fell back. After a moment he sat up and shook his head; the bloody silver strands still crisscrossing the floor in front of him.
"What was I doing?" He asked in a very confused voice.
Seras quickly pushed herself to her feet, dashing past the dazed butler towards Integra's office. That was where the sound of the shot had come from her brain dimly registered. Her bloody fingers gripped the door handle, and she suppressed the hiss of pain as she flung it open. Just in time to see...
Sir Integra was standing in the middle of the room, body smeared with blood. Alucard was a few feet away; standing in front of the dusty remains of the vampire she had heard him kill a moment before. But Seras was too late. Before she could say a word Sir Integra lifted the thin letter opener she clutched in her hands.
"There is impure blood in my veins." She said with a tone of unmistakable loathing before plunging the knife into her neck. She dropped to her knees, before falling forward onto the plush rug.
Seras' field medicine training kicked in. She dashed over to her, sliding to her knees she gingerly turned her over on her side so she could look at the wound. It wasn't deep, but it may have pierced a vital artery.
"Master! Go get help!" She yelled as she carefully tried to staunch the flow of blood. The look he pinned her with sent her skittering back a bit as he walked over, and calmly picked up his Master. With hardly a glance at Seras he disappeared with her. No doubt taking her to the infirmary faster than anyone else could.
Seras tried to shake off the feeling of jealousy at seeing him carry her like he had her before. This was no time for such petty thoughts. She got up and started running back for the door.
"Miss Police girl?" Walter asked, still more than a little befuddled.
She didn't stop running as she called to him. "Sir Integra has been injured!" Was all she said as her feet ate up the ground in front of her. She couldn't stop the tears that leaked from her eyes. She needed to do something...Anything to help! She had to show her Master she wasn't worthless, even it she hadn't been able to protect Hellsing's heir.
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Seras stopped for a moment to catch her breath as they finished setting up the impromptu operating room. A specialized surgeon was on his way at that very moment, as they weren't sure if it was wise to move Integra in her precarious state. She was in critical condition, and had lost a lot of blood.
The young vampire tried to busy herself with something, anything to keep her mind off of what was happening. She was quite relieved when the surgeon finally arrived (it had only taken a few minutes by helicopter) and they prepared to operate. She was a bit surprised they let her and Master stay and watch; but she didn't imagine anyone wanted to tell Alucard to shoo.
Her eyes were blurred from exhaustion and unshed tears. She refused to give into her urge to start bawling while her Master stood only a few feet from her. Even in her state she could feel the tenseness radiating off of his body. For the first time since she had met him, he seemed genuinely upset. She snuck a glance at him, nothing in his stony expression gave it away; it was simply that she could feel it.
She wanted to reach out to him so badly. Her body screamed at her to just touch him, let him know that she was there for him. Her hand reached out slightly before she stopped herself. No...Master was in his own world now. She might as well not exist. Finally she couldn't hold it in any longer. She turned around and ran out of the room as fast as she could. She just prayed he didn't see the tears starting to slide down her face. But she doubted he had even noticed her leave.
She didn't even realized where she was running to. She just had to get away. So this is how she found herself in Hellsing's private garden. Thankfully it was deserted at this time of night. Seras gratefully sunk down on a soft patch of moonlit grass and let the hot tears fall.
In that stark white operating room, suddenly she was a little girl again watching her father being carted away to the ICU. Seras was there again, in that tiny waiting room, waiting for the news that he was going to be ok. But it had never come. That day she lost her Father and her world, and once again she found no comfort in her tears.
"Miss Victoria?" The soft inquiring voice broke through her veil of misery.
She glanced up, recognizing the gentlemanly form silhouetted by the moonlight immediately. "Walter?" The word came out as little more than a croak; her throat was sore from crying and nearly being strangled by the man in front of her.
"May I?" He asked as he walked over to her, indicating the spot of grass next to her. She mutely nodded before he sat down. Now," He began looking up at the sky "What are you doing outside in the middle of the garden crying your eyes out?"
Seras' lower lip quivered slightly as she fought not to start up again. "I-I've never been much good at times like this." She answered lamely. She couldn't even begin to explain the tumult her mind was in right now.
"Do you mean Miss Integra?" He asked, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "You needn't worry about her. I've known her for a very long time. Let me tell you, I've never met a woman with a more indomitable will. She won't let a little scratch deter her for long." He assured her in a tone he hoped was surer than he felt.
Seras unconsciously leaned into the warmth of his body; the simple gesture having calmed her considerably. But how could she tell him everything that was really bothering her? How could she say that the fact her Master had saved Integra, and not her was tearing at her heart? She tried to tell herself that by killing the vampire that had been controlling Walter he had indeed, if inadvertently saved her. Wasn't that enough? But why shouldn't it hurt that he hadn't even spared her a glance when she had almost died seconds before?!
She suddenly realized she was crying again. But this time she was leaning into a warm body, a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders. She finally focused in on his murmured words of comfort when she heard her Master's name.
"...Don't pay any attention to Alucard... He has always ignored most everyone like that... Would be crazy not to notice a beautiful girl like you..." He stopped when she realized she was no longer crying, but was looking up at him with wide sparkling eyes. "Ahem." He quickly straightened up, reddening slightly when he realized she had actually been listening to him.
Seras let her hair fall into her face to try and hide the blush that was creeping into her cheeks. Was she really so obvious in her feelings to everyone but her Master? Or maybe he realized but just didn't care... She peeped up at Walter, and noticed he was also blushing a bit. She had never really noticed what a handsome man he was, and apparently he found her beautiful.
"Thank you Walter." The former police girl said softly as she sat up on her knees. He cleared his throat again before looking over at her. Even with her face puffy from crying and splattered with blood she was still breath taking.
Covered in blood? Yes that's right. He had almost forgotten what had happened earlier. Had he really almost... "I'm sorry for..." He started, not sure how to apologize for almost murdering someone.
"No, it wasn't you." She said softly with a shake of her head. Then suddenly he was leaning forward, his gloved fingers gently touching her face. She froze for a moment, wondering if he was going to kiss her before she realized he was just dabbing at the blood on her cheek. "I had...better try and get some rest." She said lamely as she looked up at the sky, it was nearing dawn.
"Of course. You have had a hard day. Worrying yourself into sickness will only make matters worse." He rose to his feet with a slight creek of his joints before reaching down to help her up. She gratefully accepted his hand, trying not to note how warm it felt in hers as she stood.
"Good night Walter." She mumbled, not looking at him as she brushed the grass off of her skirt.
"Good night Seras." He answered. The butler gave her a wry smile as she ran off. My if he was 20 years younger and sure Alucard wouldn't murder him just for the thought...
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Seras made her way back to her room; feeling much better after her little 'chat' with Walter. He was right; Master was always like that to everyone. Besides, she could never stay mad at him for more than a few hours, no matter how hard she tried. And really it was her fault for always being too much of a wuss to talk to him!
A familiar feeling tickled her; one that she had come to identify as meaning her Master was nearby. Excitedly she walked over to a nearby veranda to find him standing near the railing, looking out at the stars. She almost called out to him, before she noticed the form next to him. A few feet away sat a visibly pale and weakened Integra. Seras bit her lip, realizing she was intruding on a very private moment. She tried to hold back her suddenly reforming tears as she spun around and ran the rest of the way to her room. She never noticed the eyes that followed her as she made her exit.
"What did you do now Alucard?" Integra asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper. Even that little pained her right now.
Alucard had the decency to at least look surprised when he replied, "Why nothing at all Master." And just maybe that was the problem.
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The door slammed shut with a resounding 'thump'. Seras let out a snarl and threw herself on her bed. She tried to slow her breathing and calm down. Part of her realized she had no right to feel this way; it was Integra who had almost been killed after all!
She looked down at her hands, noting their messy, bloody state; perhaps that bath was in order now. For what felt like the tenth time today, she dragged herself out of bed and gathered her toiletries before heading for the door.
Thankfully the halls were all but deserted tonight. Seras didn't think she could handle being glared at by the house staff right now. Silently she padded down the hallway, her footsteps being absorbed into the thick rug lining the hallway. She stopped in front of the bathroom, looking around before slipping in with no more than a click of the door.
Seras turned on the water in the great bathtub and set about preparing for her much needed soak. She sighed heavily as she lit a few candles and placed them around and squirted a healthy amount of bubble bath in the tub. Just once she wished she could bathe without having to be covered in blood first.
As she pealed off her uniform she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She shivered, thinking it was just the cool air and finished undressing. Slowly she slipped into the porcelain tub, moaning in pleasure as the warm water enveloped her aching body. As the water settled around her neck she let out a hiss of pain, the raw abrasions on her neck stinging at the contact. She settled on leaning against the back of the tub and just soaking.
Seras closed her eyes, her thoughts quickly wandering as always. She was just so tired however, and the water so warm; she quickly dozed off...
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The candles dimmed and flickered, and the room grew dark for a moment. Seras mumbled and lazily opened her eyes. It seemed the water had grown slightly cold against her skin. She started to rise when that familiar tickling warned her that might not be the best idea. She sat back down into the water, her eyes flicking around the room. "Master?" She said questioningly.
"Yes Police girl?" Answered his unmistakable voice. Seras looked up and realized he was behind her, looking down. She stared at his upside-down face for a moment before shrieking and sinking deeper into the tub with a splash.
"M-Master!" She cried with a deep blush, "W-What are you doing here?" He grinned widely at her as his eyes flicked over her barely concealed body.
"You wanted to...see me? Police girl?" He asked her teasingly. Seras squirmed and tried to sink deeper, ignoring the twinge of pain at her neck as the water covered it.
"Master...I don't know what you..." She was swiftly silenced when his hand slipped around hers, carefully turning it over to inspect it.
"Neglecting ourselves are we?" He said darkly as he stared at the deep cuts on her fingers. His gloved fingers pulled her forward to get a closer look, forcing her to sit up in the bath so that her breasts were barely covered by the water. "Do you know why these aren't healing?" He asked seriously. Seras just shook her head. "Silver-steel alloy, I would have thought you'd have recognized the feeling." His eyes went to her neck, where the thin scars still remained.
Seras' breath caught in her throat as he took her hand to his mouth, his tongue snaking out and flicking over the deep notches. Her head swam as the feeling of him cleaning her wounds again sent her reeling. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warm tingling sensation of his close contact, and her wounds slowly closing.
The strawberry-blonde vampire whimpered when she felt him drop her hand, but he hastily started over on the other hand. Agonizingly slow he dragged his tongue from her wrist all the way to the tip of each finger. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined her hands could be such a pleasure point. But nothing could have prepared her for when he started on her neck.
She let out an audible gasp as he tilted her head back, and slowly began laving the deep lacerations on her neck. Her breath came in short pants as her fingers intuitively found their way to his hair, knocking his hat off in the process. Leisurely he licked his way across her delicate skin, stopping to nip at her pulse point. She whimpered when finally he came to the place where he had first bitten her. Two silvery scars still marked her, and always would. Carelessly his lips pressed there, before he bit down...
Seras gasped and sat straight up. Her eyes darted around franticly as she tried to catch her breath. Alone. She must have been dreaming again she realized. On unsteady legs she stood up in the tub, the water cascading down her body as she reached for a towel.
Her mind still reeling from the incredibly real dream, she quickly dried off. She didn't even bother getting dressed; she just wrapped the towel around her body. Opening the door she barely glanced both ways before running all the way back to her room.
The door closed with a thump, and the snick of the lock. Seras leaned against it, the cool wood smooth against her bare shoulders as she tried to make sense of things.
Certainly she had dreamt about Master before... But never in her life had she experienced such a vivid dream. Her skin still burned with the feelings it left her with. She blushed and quickly pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of panties before throwing herself into bed.
Her breathing slowed as she tried to relax. Her fingers skimming over the skin of her neck absently as she tried unsuccessfully not to relive the dream. Suddenly she realized her neck was no longer sore. With a gasp she sat up in bed and looked at her hands; only slightly reddened but unbroken skin greeted her.
"M-Master!" She gasped out loud, wondering how much of it had really been in her head.
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Phew, another chapter done. I really enjoyed writing this one, even thought it was kind of hard. I tried really hard to get it juuust right. It's really hard to give a full scope of things with the whole story being 90 from Seras' point of view.
The little Walter/Seras scene was in homage to the wonderful authoress TeaRoses, the premier writer of W/S fiction. Not that I think she'll ever read it! I'm pretty sure she likes A/I only, hehe.
Again thank you everyone for the reviews. They really got me off my butt, and got me writing! If everyone wants the next chapters just as fast make sure to encourage me with a nice review! And look out for beta'd version of the previous chapters soon .