A/N: Well this chappy was an odd one to write. It's pretty easy to see this was written over a period of days in which I was in many different moods. It contains elements of both humor and angst, which is always an odd combination. Hope you guys like it all right!
Special thanks: Nepenthe for being my beta, and Alyndrya for being cool enough to have an A/S group. Also thank you to all my reviewers!
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Seras slowly stirred the bowl of bright red fluid while gazing into its rippling surface. It was terribly boring staring at these same four walls. She wondered briefly if she could somehow redecorate the room to make it feel like less of a damp vampiric 'lair'. Even if that was technically what it was.
She lifted the spoon, absently licking off the cool viscous blood and letting it trickle down her throat. The young vampire was not particularly hungry, but she was in no mood for a lecture from Walter or her Master. Besides, the blood warmed her insides pleasantly and soothed her, like a big bowl of soup.
"Boring..." she mumbled between sips. No missions to do today, she was starting to miss search and destroy time with the troops. As much as she complained about hating it, a certain part of her thrilled in the hunt and relished the kill.
Seras almost considered bothering her Master like he bothered her when he was bored, but her heart was still rather raw from overhearing his offer to Sir Integra. And despite her resolve to stay by his side, she really didn't think she could face him just now. Maybe she would bother Walter or Commander Pickman. They seemed to be the only people who treated her like a person these days.
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Seras grumbled as she stalked down the hall. Various "stupid Master's" and other more colorful phrases coming from her mouth. Why did it seem everywhere she turned, there he was?
She had caught him teasing Integra again, and God did it make her blood boil. Seras hadn't been particularly keen on going to see the older woman, but her search of the manor for Walter had turned up empty-handed. Finally she had resolved upon asking the Hellsing heir if she knew where her butler was. He always seemed to be just a thought away from Integra when she needed him.
Standing outside the thick wooden door to Integra's office, she had prepared to knock. She quickly changed her mind when she heard Integra's shrill screech.
"Alucard! I swear to God if you even look at me again today, I'll lock you in the dungeons for a week!" The woman's clear, commanding voice made Seras wince.
"Why, what ever do you mean, Master? I simply said you have a lovely neck," she heard Alucard say in as innocent a voice as he could muster.
"And stop peeking in on me when I'm changing my bandages!" she yelled at him with enough force to make Seras back up a step. But still, she was openly pleased with how Integra seemed to staunchly dislike her Master's little 'compliment'. But Seras supposed if she was still human, she might not appreciate that particular observation either.
"Do you need some help with them?" he asked in a silky voice.
"OUT!!" Seras heard her shriek, even as she was halfway back down the hallway.
So here she found herself, stomping down the halls of Hellsing manor and cursing indelicately. "Stupid Master..." she said for at least the fifth time. Part of her wished she had taken Pickman up on his silent offer last night, just so she could rub it in her Master's face. Even if she would be with him forever, did that mean she had to be alone while she was waiting?
Cracking her knuckles, she resisted the urge to smash her fist into the hard stone wall. Just once, she wished she could make his body burn with jealously like hers did right now.
"Miss Victoria?" The soft inquiry made her snap around, her eyes still burning with dangerous fire.
"Walter!" Seras squeaked, embarrassed to be caught in such a flustered state.
"I was just looking for you," she told him, her eyes instantly softening.
"Ah, ahem... Did you need something?" he asked in an unsure tone, clearly worried her previous wrath had somehow been directed at him.
"Oh, I'm just bored," Seras told him, giving him a quick up and down. "I was wondering if maybe you have some free time to talk. Or maybe I could help you with something."
Walter cleared his throat and straightened his tie. Was it just him, or was Seras looking at him slightly...suggestively?
"P-perhaps you can help me do some weapons maintenance," he managed to say rather evenly.
"Oh yes," Seras said giving him a slow smile. "I'm very good at cleaning guns."
Walter immediately went into a small coughing fit, trying to keep himself from getting a nosebleed right then and there. And Seras' gentle touch on his shoulder and asking if he was all right was certainly not helping either.
"Y-Yes miss Victoria, I'm sure you are," the aged butler said, straightening his tie again as a distraction.
Seras secretly preened at being able to have such an effect on any man. One way or another, she was going to make her Master burn inside.
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This was actually rather enjoyable Seras thought; reassembling another standard Fammas with the ease that comes from much practice. This kind of thing made her remember her days in D-11 fondly.
"You're rather skilled at that," Walter said with a smile, noting how quickly and proficiently she operated.
"Thank you. Gun maintenance is very important for maximum efficiency," Seras said, quoting her instructor from police training. Nice repetitive work was just the thing to keep her mind off certain things.
"Miss Victoria, would you like to see something I've been working on?" he asked with the hushed tones that a master painter might use when offering to show off a piece of unfinished work.
"I'd love to!" Seras said happily, following him across the room. Walter always made the most amazing things, she thought.
Hellsing's retainer pulled out a shiny leather-bound case and set it on the nearby table.
He opened it with a tiny creak of its hinges and turned it to display its contents. Seras gasped as she stared at the sleek, custom modified silver plated desert eagle.
"May I?" the young vampire asked in a hushed voice. Walter nodded with a slight grin. Seras picked up the pistol and tested its weight and balance. In her human days, a fully loaded Deagle might have been a little much for her, and usually she would have stuck with a more delicate Sig, or even a Glock. But now as she extended her arm out to see how it felt, it was like a finely crafted extension of her body.
"Wonderful," she said simply, before setting it back in its cloth-lined case. As much as she loved her standard PPK, she wouldn't mind owning such a pistol.
"I designed it with a woman's hands in mind," he told her, explaining why it fit so comfortably in her small hand. "I thought it would make a lovely gift for Sir Integra," Walter said absently as he closed the case and put it away.
Seras felt her eye twitch at the mention of the older woman. Even if it wasn't Integra's fault, she couldn't help but feel irked at her for dominating her Master's attentions.
The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she fought to keep her expression plain. 'Well, speak of the devil,' she thought to herself. Her Master was...somewhere around here she instantly knew. Drinking her blood every night was sharpening her instincts.
"Walter, I'm sure she'll love it. You're an amazing craftsman, so skilled with your hands," she told him with an innocent smile. The young vampire hoped her Master was eavesdropping this time; or better yet, watching.
"Well, thank you, Miss Victoria. Years of practice have perfected my technique of...um, weapons...making," he fumbled for something suitable to say, her early teasing obviously fresh on his mind.
The back of her skull prickled slightly as she sensed her Master's careful scrutiny. She wasn't quite as clueless as he seemed to think. Seras smiled broadly, placing her hand on Walter's forearm.
"Walter, I don't know if I properly thanked you for the other day," Seras said sweetly, taking full advantage of the situation.
"Oh, think nothing of it, it was my pleasure. I'm always here when you need it-err that is to say when you need help...that is," the older man told her, trying to give her a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Nonsense, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there to help me." Seras batted her eyelashes, and then leaned forward. She placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, just at the corner of his mouth. The tips of her messy hair brushed his face, obscuring their faces from view and making it appear to the entire world that they were kissing...or at least making it appear that way to one nosy vampire.
Seras smiled as she pulled back, returning his friendly pat. She was more than pleased to note her Master's presence retreating. With an inward grin, she hoped he was steaming inside.
Seras looked down both ends of the corridor before leaving her room. For almost two days now she had managed to avoid both her Master and a slightly confused Walter. The young vampire couldn't help but giggle every time she thought about the butler. He really was quite cute when he was flustered.
Her eyes darted this way and that as she made her way towards Sir Integra's study. Being stuck inside for the past few days was driving her stir crazy; she just prayed the Hellsing heir had something for her to do. Something outside, preferably involving shooting things of some sort.
For some reason, it was no real surprise to her when she heard Sir Integra's raised voice from outside the door.
"He did WHAT?!"
Seras winced. This seemed to be becoming a regular occurrence.
"It's nothing to get so worried about, Sir Integra. He just tripped me in the hallway...and stole my monocle..." the older man trailed off.
"That vampire is a menace!" Seras heard Integra snap before she headed back the way she came. Her eyes were nearly bugging out of her head as she tried to suppress her laughter. Poor Walter though, she hadn't really meant to use him to make Master jealous like that... Wait, did that mean he was jealous? Seras snickered as she bounced down the stairs two at a time.
She stopped abruptly, swearing she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. But just as quick as she could turn, it was gone.
A strange icy feeling in the pit of her stomach lingered.
'Feeling all right, Police Girl?' he whispered into her mind before melting through the wall. Seras screeched and nearly tumbled down the steps. But instead of falling in an almost worse twist of fate, she found herself in the arms of her Master.
"Master!" she squeaked, quickly attempting to right herself. His fingers dug into her arms for just a moment as if he didn't want to let her go, before she stood back up. Seras looked away, letting her hair cover her reddened face. Why did close contact with him affect her like this?
"I said, are you feeling well? Have you been neglecting to drink your blood again?" Alucard asked with a slight undercurrent of warning. Seras shook her head quickly. After what had happened with Sir Integra almost dying, she knew she had to be strong.
"N-No Master, I've just been feeling...odd," she mumbled, careful not to look him in the eyes. Her nerves were still a little frayed when it came to him.
"Odd?" he asked simply, letting his glasses slide down so he could look over them. Seras scratched the back of her neck while she looked at the ground. She really didn't want her Master to think she was crazy.
"I've just been feeling funny, sensing things." The young vampire really hoped her Master would just leave her alone at that. She still wasn't quite sure if she wanted to kick him or kiss him after the past few days.
"Ah, your vampiric instincts are getting sharper," he mused, slowly moving towards her. Seras gulped, fighting the urge to retreat from him. Whenever he looked at her like that, she always felt like some great predatory cat was stalking her.
"And I...I've been seeing things," she felt compelled to say, as if he had coaxed the words right out of her mouth.
"What things?" Alucard asked in a slightly stern voice. Seras hoped he wasn't going to tell her to get more sleep and drink her blood.
"Just...things on the edge of my eyes, strange visions. B-bad things, like warnings, and bad dreams too," she managed to get out; if she wasn't crazy, she really didn't want to be told she was foreseeing tragedy.
"Dreams, you say? It is possible some of your latent vampiric abilities are beginning to manifest themselves," he said with something that sounded like a hint of pride. "Tell me about them."
Seras let out a shaky breath; that was the last thing she wanted to do. "L-like...someone taunting me...a man." She just hoped to God he wouldn't want to know about her OTHER dreams.
"A man..." he mused, almost spitting out the last word. "Anyone you know?" Seras quickly shook her head. "Always the same man?" This time, she nodded.
"D-does it mean something...?" she asked, half-afraid and half-hopeful.
"It's possible someone is playing with your mind," he said after a moment, the older vampire's voice almost sounded concerned.
Seras felt his gloved hand cup her chin and gently raise it until she was looking him in the eyes. She forced herself to not look away as he peered into her crimson orbs intently. Then she felt it, the slight tingling at the back of her skull. For just a moment she panicked, thinking he was going to read some horribly embarrassing thought and she snapped her mind shut. Almost unbidden, she couldn't help but summon the image of a bear-trap clamping down on the creeping tendrils of her Master's mind.
He smirked. "Good, you seem to have a strong mind," Alucard nearly purred, his praise seeming to wash over her. Seras couldn't help but shiver as she tried to break away from his piercing gaze.
"M-Master..."
"I think it's time I taught you a few things," he murmured in a heavy voice. Her eyes shot up to his face, but his carefully emotionless smirking face didn't tell her anything. Had she merely imagined the feeling she just got from him?
"Master?" Her voice sounded strangely breathy to her ears. He just smiled a bit more broadly.
"With practice I think you could develop your mind quite nicely." His voice felt warm velvet being dragged over her body. Seras both loathed and reveled in the way he could make her feel with just the simplest things.
"I-I'll try Master," she managed to get out, but her high overly eager squeak made her almost wince. Why did she always have to come off sounding so weak and helpless?
"Yes, Police Girl, see that you do." He laughed as he melted back into the blackness of the corridor; leaving his fledgling once again with nothing but her thoughts.
Seras squinted after him, suddenly feeling very stupid for getting so fluttery around him. He acted like she couldn't do it! Well, she wasn't exactly sure what it was she couldn't do yet, but she would find out and show him! 'Someday I'll make him proud,' she thought with an indignant sniff.
Rubbing her hands together she started back for her room to change into her civvies. Seras didn't really care if Integra did have something for her to do; she was going to visit Helena. No doubt if there was anyone who could teach her about these strange visions without teasing her, it was the strange elder vampire.
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'Not crazy, that's always good to know,' Seras thought absently. The heels of her black combat boots clicked ominously in the still night air as she made the some familiar journey to Helena's flat.
It was early summer, and a light wind was stirring the trees. The air was refreshing and the moon was full; a beautiful night as Master would say. Seras had to admit nights like this were the only good thing about London's weather. But then again, it was only the nights she could truly enjoy now.
As the young fair-haired vampire approached Helena's old brownstone a sense of foreboding trickled down her spine. She shook her head, trying to cleanse the image of flames that popped into her head.
Quickly, she ran the rest of the way and knocked on the great wooden door; only silence and the terrible feeling greeted her. Without another thought, she kicked the door in and pulled out her pistol in tandem.
"Miss Helena!?" she called into the peculiarly silent house; no old scratchy opera could be heard this night.
The sight before her was one that would haunt her the rest of her days. A tall man-like monster slowly turned to look at her; his skin was a sickly shade of purple, and his head was elongated and misshapen.
"Another snack for me?" the creature said in a slow methodical voice that sounded only vaguely human.
"What did you do to Miss Helena?!" the young vampire cried, and watched as a single white slipper fell from the monster's grasp.
"She has become part of my flesh, as will you." Seras squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and with a pained cry emptied her magazine into his chest.
With some sick parody of a smile, he extended his arm, the muscles twisting and popping nauseatingly as his flesh stretched. Like something out of a nightmare, a giant machine gun was produced from his own flesh.
Seras quaked as he raised the gun at her. At this moment, she entertained no illusions that she could survive something like this like her Master.
"Is your only regret that you shared your blood with Alucard?" he asked in that same dead voice.
Before she had even contemplated her answer, a strange sound cut through the silence. They immediately both turned and watched as the arm of the antique phonograph moved of its own volition and the needle set down on the old record. The soft strains of opera music floated through the air.
And then hovering in the air like some angelic being was Helena. Seras gasped as she realized she was not the only one who saw this 'vision'. The beast turned and fired his great gun at the girl with a cry of bewilderment. The bullets ripped into the majestic furniture like tissue paper, spraying bits of books and wood everywhere. At this the apparition merely seemed to blow away like so much sand in the wind.
"What the...?" With the strange sound of rending flesh, a single tiny hand began to push its way out of the demon's abdomen. Seras gasped as the imprint of the childlike vampire's face soon followed. With a growl he produced a knife, and viciously cut off the vampire's face, letting it fall to the ground with a muted thump.
"A vampire who won't drink human blood would not make much of a snack anyway," he said flatly, before vanishing into the night.
"H-Helena!" Seras cried, rushing over to the discarded head and falling to her knees. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she looked at another one of the few friends she had in this world die.
"Don't cry. Don't cry, Seras Victoria," the girl vampire's voice echoed softly through the once again still night. One brilliant yellow eye opened and peered at her, its fire weak and hazy.
"Miss Helena..." Seras slowly reached out to brush away that creature's piece of putrid flesh off the other girl's face.
"Don't touch me!" she cried, her eye slipping half closed again. "Seras, listen to me, don't cry for me. Vampires never truly die. We become a part of the stars..." Seras tried desperately to stifle her sobs as she listened to this amazing vampire child face death so calmly.
"Seras... Be a good servant to your Master. Have the things in your unlife I could not. You are still so...full of fire... Know love." Her voice grew soft and her eyes dimmed.
Without really knowing what she was doing, Seras leaned over her and concentrated fiercely on Helena's face. The telltale prickling in her mind signaled the opening of a mental link. Like the floodgates, thousands of images poured into Seras' mind. For a brief moment, she had a taste of the endless loneliness and pain this one girl had known in her long life; in that moment, Seras was happy she would finally have peace.
"Seras...listen to me. Your comrades are about to walk into a trap." As the young vampire hesitated by her side, she cried out, "Go Seras! My body will be gone soon." With the last of her strength, Helena willed a nearby toppled candle to flash with renewed life; the hundreds of old dry tomes quickly caught fire.
With a nod, Seras climbed back to her feet and sprinted from the old house. With a final glance back at the now-blazing building, she couldn't help but think that this house that Helena had spent so many years in would make a fine funeral pyre.
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Phew, all in all I think that was the hardest chapter to write. This should be the next to last chapter, and I'm trying to get all of my ideas squeezed in. The next chapter should be a big one too! Now here is the question... I'm still pretty shy about writing "lemons" and whatnot. Do you guys think the last chapter should contain one? Review and vote for yes or no to the lemon. If enough people want me to write one, I'll do my best and post that part on only. Thanks everyone for reading thus far, this has certainly been a writing experiment for me.