Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Hellsing Ideas or characters!

Love In The Dark

Ch. 9

"I refuse to go along with this!" Alucard yelled as she dragged him into the store.

"Alucard! You should be grateful I'm spending my money on you when it's my birthday!" Cassandra snapped back at him.

Alucard sighed, "fine, but only because it's your birthday."

Cassandra gave a triumphant smile and dragged him the rest of the way into the store. There were at least a hundred people in the store. It was strange, because when Alucard walked through the door everyone stopped and looked at him. He glared, but followed Cassandra deeper into the store.

Cassandra was a typical teenage girl, when it came to shopping. She looked Alucard up and down and then started pulling t-shirts and jeans of the racks. Once she had enough she told Alucard to try them on, but he was hesitant.

"Oh come on--" Cassandra stopped in mid-sentence. She looked over at the emergency exit, and her eyes narrowed. There was a cashier women being led by the hand out the door. The leader was obviously a vampire, but the cashier was oblivious to it. She smiled a flirtatious smile, and followed him out the door.

Cassandra set the clothes down on a waiting chair outside the dressing rooms, and ran toward the door. Alucard followed quickly behind her.

They arrived at the door just in time to hear the woman scream from outside. Cassandra glared as she kicked open the door. Alucard looked out to see the woman struggling against the grasp of the now hideous creature in front of her. Cassandra pulled out her gun and shot at the vampire. He was quick and evaded her bullet while changing his attention to her. He lunged after her, and tried to cut at her throat but Cassandra shot again. Again he evaded her bullet, and faded into the darkness.

Cassandra's eyes shifted. He wasn't gone, because Alucard could still feel him. Cassandra flipped just in time to avoid an invisible attack she landed in the splits with her gun pointed directly above her. She smiled when the dark sky above her glue a dim red, and the vampire jumped out of its darkness. Without realizing he had done so, he ran right into Cassandra's blessed silver bullet, turning to dust as he fell. The dust showered Cassandra, but she did not move until all of the vampire's body had disinigrated.

She stood, with her back to Alucard. Alucard's eyes widened behind his sunglasses. 'She's good… and she could sense his attack while I could not.' Cassandra turned around and began to walk toward him with a satisfied smile. 'Dear God…' his thoughts cried.

Cassandra stood in front of him now, and shook some of the dust out of her hair. "Dear God, what?" She smiled, but didn't wait for an answer. She walked inside the store once again, and Alucard followed.

Cassandra picked up the pile of clothes she had dropped, and took them over to the purchasing stand. She didn't even bother to have Alucard try them on, and so she just paid for them. Alucard and her walked silently to the car, and placed the clothes in the trunk. The ride home wasn't that much different either.

It was when they got home that things got interesting.

"Integra!" Cassandra said looming over Integra's desk.

"What?" she replied with a bit of a chuckle.

"Tell him! The only way to go undetected is to blend in right?" Cassandra pointed a stern finger at Alucard while looking at Integra.

Integra sighed and looked at Alucard, "she has a point."

"I don't care! I refuse to wear any of those clothes!" He snapped back at the two women.

Cassandra straightened herself, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She turned around and walked over to Alucard. She grabbed his sunglasses, dropped them to the floor, and crushed them under her foot. Alucard's mouth dropped slightly in utter disbelief. While he was staring at his shattered glasses, Cassandra took his hat and tossed it in to the fire. Alucard only realized this when he saw the flames hungrily devour the cloth.

He jerked his head around and glared at Cassandra, "why you…." He forced out of clenched teeth.

"Look here! I refuse to partners with a vampire who dresses like he lives in the land of the dinosaurs!"

"And I refuse to be partners with a melodramatic teenager!"

Cassandra gasped. "Oh no, you did not just say that!" She took a step closer to him.

Alucard bent down slightly so he could get all up in her face. "And what if I did?"

Cassandra glared and was about to say something, but was silenced by Integra's fit of laughter. Alucard and Cassandra stared at Integra with curious glances, then back at each other.

"Alucard," Integra said as soon as she was able to control herself. "Just humor her for now will you?" It wasn't much of a question, but Integra phrased it like it was.

Alucard growled lowly, and disappeared taking the sack of clothing. Cassandra had a sudden mood swing and looked at her feet, with her back to her aunt. "Thanks, I think I'll go to bed now."

Integra smiled, "Goodnight…" Cassandra exited the room and made her way down the familiar hallway. She entered her room, and plopped down on her bed. She looked around, and saw her diary on her nightstand. She picked it up, and a piece of paper fell out it. Cassandra picked it up, reading it a smile found its way onto her face once again.

I believe you left this in my room.

- Alucard