Olivia received the report from Colonel Jacobs. Anderson had performed well and left less mess than Alucard would have. He'd also been quieter than Alucard. It was a pleasure not to have to try to cover up the damage her vampire left for a change.

They were going to have to find out what the pattern was with these recent vampire attacks. There was no easy to see pattern about the vampires themselves. About the only unifying factor in the perpetrators was that they had all been dressed in red. Red? Isn't that just like a vampire?

They weren't able to determine what sort of pattern there might be to the thefts because the trail was covered with fire in the instances where Hellsing had not arrived in time to silence the vampires. On two occasions, Alucard had retrieved objects from the vampires, but they didn't seem to have any pattern, even with this third object – the amulet – added in. There had to be more to this than they were seeing.

She looked at photos of the three items that had been retrieved: Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi; a headless black statue about a hand's height in size, and the amulet. They were from different eras, different countries, different subject matter and even different quality.

The amulet seemed rather cheap to have enough value for the vampires to steal. They had not identified its provenance, but the experts she had looking at it dated it as around four hundred years old, possibly from Greece or Turkey.

The painting was a subject that would appeal to vampires in some ways. The amount of blood was "appetizing" according to Alucard. The artist was an Italian woman who was perhaps better known for the scandal surrounding her rape by a teacher than for her exquisitely rendered paintings. It dated from approximately 1640.

The statue appeared to be Egyptian in origin. Olivia had an Egyptologist looking into it. He had tentatively identified it as Bastet or maybe Sekhmet. The age was indeterminate as well, but he was giving her an educated guess of more than two thousand years old.

She was very frustrated by the ambiguities and lack of concrete answers she was getting even from her highly-paid experts. People were dying because of her ignorance and it weighed on her heavily.

She began to tap at her computer, entering the latest information and directing questions to resources around the world. When you don't have answers, work until you make the answers. Sir Integra had written that and it applied perfectly well at the moment.

ooo

Alex was examining his new scar in the mirror. He was surprised. He hadn't scarred since he became a regenerator. Since becoming a vampire, if anything, his regeneration seemed enhanced. Why then, did he have this burn scar? Things always happened too quickly during battle to give them the sort of analysis they needed after.

He almost wished that Alucard would show up so he could ask him about this strange turn of events.

"'Hitherto you have not asked any thing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive; that your joy may be full,'" spoke the shadows as they coalesced into the hated form of his enemy.

"Must ye blaspheme? Is it so much to ask that ye merely refrain from such willful heresies?"

"Would you rather I moved on to different sins?" Alucard moved to stand directly behind Alex. He ran his hands down the other man's sides before he could jerk back. He spun around and pushed Alucard back.

"What is your problem, Judas Priest? Didn't you want me to come examine this interesting new scar of yours?"

"Ye can examine without touching, and I know I did not want ye to come and lay yer filthy hands on me."

"Even as your Master, some things are still easier with physical contact. There are times when you're going to have to trust me and this would be one of them." Alucard stepped uncomfortably close again.

"I didn't want to know that badly." Alex stepped away from Alucard.

"I did not ask if you wanted to know. This is piece of the puzzle and whether you want me to touch you or not is irrelevant to the need to know what caused your wound and scar. For that, I will need to touch it. You either permit me to do it, or I make you."

Alex remembered Alucard's demonstration of his power over him on his first day. He knew that the vampire would drop him like a rag doll at his will. He drew himself up and forced himself to stand still as Alucard smirked and stepped up to him again. Close your eyes and think of England.

Alex scowled at the mental intrusion. "We're definitely not going that far. Ye can't tell me that ye need that to get information about my scar." He flinched at the feel of the vampire's cold touch on his bare skin. It felt like dry slugs moving across his flesh.

"Dry slugs? That's one of the less complimentary comparisons I've gotten." Alucard bent his face closer to Alex's side. His breath as he spoke was cold and Alex discovered for the first time that vampires could get goosebumps.

"Well, if ye'd stay out of my head, ye wouldn't have to hear it. Can ye hurry this up?"

"Hot date, Judas Priest?" Now Alucard seemed almost to be smelling around the scar.

"No. I just really need a shower now," he stepped away again and pulled his shirt down.

"A cold shower? I didn't know you cared."

"Stop with the cheap teasing, Master, ye know that's a sin that has never tempted me. Ye have many less childish ways to torment me."

"Never? How disappointing. Well, we have all the time in the world." Alucard's mocking laugh faded along with his form.

Damn! That hellish monster didn't even tell me if he found anything.

ooo

"Good evening, Miss Hellsing."

Olivia didn't turn. From the direction of his voice, he was probably doing that annoying upside-down bat imitation.

"I don't remember summoning you, Alucard." Family history had warned about showing anything other than mastery to the vampire. The attitude had served her well over the past eight years.

"I have come to file an addendum to the report of tonight's activities."

"Right. Get to it. I have too much to do to waste time playing dominance games with you tonight. Do you have something useful or are you just bored?"

"Oh I'm not bored, Master. It's impossible to be bored with my new friend in the house."

"Anderson? I received good reports of his performance tonight. He even caused less collateral damage than you would have."

"Are we going to discuss my fledgling's abilities or shall I give you the information?" Alucard was nettled by the comparison with Anderson.

"Give me the information, Alucard. What do you have to contribute to the report when you weren't even part of the mission tonight?"

"Anderson was damaged by one of the vampires. The wound healed properly, but scarred in a manner that it should not have. I have examined it and found traces of a magic I do not recognize."

"Traces? Have they left some spell on him?" She was alarmed at the possibility of a vampire enchanted by an enemy in her stronghold.

"No, the traces are more the residual energy from the magic. The woman who attacked him with the swords either used a magic of her own, or the swords were enchanted in some manner. I assume that someone retrieved the weapons?"

"Yes, they're down in the evidence room. You have my permission to examine them. Report back when you have finished." She felt him withdraw.

Alfonse tapped on her door and entered. "Sir Olivia, we've had a communication from the Vatican. Apparently they have heard some rumor that we might know about their missing paladin."

A/N Go take a look at Judith Slaying Holofernes. It's out on the net, just a quick google away.