Alucard looked down at her, watching her breath gently in and out. After a moment, he stirred himself, and silently left the room.
She would need sleep in order to endure the coming day.
Integra woke up to bright sunlight beaming down upon her face. Covering her eyes with one hand, she blinked several times before reaching over to her nightstand and putting on her glasses.
Then she remembered the night before. Leaping to her feet, she almost tripped in her hurry to get to the wardrobe and change so that she could check that everything was in order like Alucard had said it would be. He'd lied to her more than once, what was stopping him from lying again?
Integra was just finished fiddling with her hastily applied necktie, when she heard a gentle knock on the door to her room. Startled, she hesitated a moment before calling out, "Enter."
Walter appeared, carrying a tray of tea and breakfast. "Good morning ma'am, I hope you slept well?"
Dumbfounded, Integra stared as he set the tray down and stood patiently waiting for her response.
Was no one but her privy to the knowledge that Alucard had revealed only a few short hours ago?
"I trust you are aware of what transpired last evening, Walter?"
It took a slight blush rising to the man's cheeks for her to realize her mistake.
"Ah, no, no! Not that!" Integra covered her face briefly and sighed. "I meant…afterwards."
Walter bowed slightly, his composure having been quickly recovered.
"Then, no, Sir Integra, I do not believe I am."
Integra frowned as she sat and began to eat. Seeing that Walter intended to leave, she stopped him.
"You did not experience anything out of the ordinary during the night?"
She saw that he had paused, halfway out the door. "Well, perhaps it would be of interest to you that I seem unable to remember at what point I went to bed."
Integra turned to look at him, not understanding.
"What I mean to say is that, I remember making the trip towards my quarters, and then I remember waking up in bed to my alarm hours later."
He raised a questioning eyebrow. "I had assumed it was a matter of, eh…old age. However, am I correct in assuming from your facial expression that it might have been otherwise?"
Integra stood and discarded her white cloth napkin into the empty seat. "I want a survey taken of everyone in the Hellsing household. Find out if your experience was unique or not. Report back immediately, once you know."
She watched Walter leave before allowing a scowl to cross her face. There was no doubt in her mind that Alucard had been responsible for Walter's missing hours. It was the perfect explanation to why no one had responded to her cries.
Integra went over to her nightstand with the intention of retrieving her small gun, then realized it was missing from its usual place. She remembered having taken it out to the grounds with her, but did not remember what had happened to it after that point. Perhaps it was still out there?
Slightly frustrated, Integra decided there were more important things that needed her attention, and stepped out of her bedroom without another look back.
A few minutes later, Integra was sitting behind her desk, attempting to keep her mind on her work. She had yet to give an answer to the members of the round table, and still felt ashamed of herself for having behaved so unprofessionally in the meeting.
Why hadn't she told Walter? She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that of all the staff here at Hellsing, he was the one she could trust with the darkest of secrets. This was a dark secret. She wasn't sure if Alucard would keep it that way, but…
No. It was absolutely imperative that his freedom remain in the dark. No one would trust that she had everything under control. She knew they doubted it even with the supposed seals in place.
Heaving a sigh, Integra turned back to flipping papers back and forth, signing, and reading. When a blotch of ink seemed to be forming in the middle of one of her pages, she stopped reading and grimaced. It burst open suddenly revealing a large red eye.
"Alucard, I sincerely hope for your sake that you did not actually harm this very important treaty that I've been working on for the past hour and a half."
The eye blinked at her, and she gave him a warning glance, before shifting the offending page to one side. "Unless you truly wish England to be overrun with gnomes, I would remove yourself immediately."
As expected, the eye disappeared, leaving a perfectly smooth piece of paper behind.
The rest of Alucard materialized slightly behind Integra's chair, and he leaned over her shoulder to read what she was working on.
"Gnomes, Master? How can you be worrying about that when there's a vampire on the loose?"
Integra laid her letter opener down and began rifling through a drawer full of files. With the barest of smiles, she said, "if your are referring to yourself, Alucard, then I'm sure I needn't remind you what a loose term 'loose' can be."
She tried to suppress the fact that she was pleased with the chuckle she received in response.
"Using puns now, are we?" He snatched up the letter opener from her desk and held the glinting tip to her neck.
"Yes, I've always heard that humor is an excellent way of helping one…forget…" he traced the edge along the pink scar that ran delicately towards her collar bone.
Shrugging Alucard away from herself, Integra continued to silently read and sign documents until he laid the letter opener back down on her desk. After another moment of silence, broken only by the scratching of pen to page, the vampire began to chuckle.
"Mmm?" Integra enquired.
"It would seem that I have some business to attend to as well, my master." Integra turned slightly, only to see Alucard's red coat fading into the wall beside her father's portrait.
She was only a little curious as to what he might have meant, however, before Integra even had the chance to think on it, a gust of wind blew open the door to her office, swirled around her twice, and left the same way it had come. She could hear it blowing down the hall, disturbing the paintings that hung along the way.
Confused, Integra picked up her phone and called for Walter. Or tried to. Touching a pale hand to her throat, she attempted to force a cough, and found that no sound came out. She could hear him on the other line, asking if she was there. Dropping the phone, ignoring the way it swung against her desk with loud knocks, Integra stood and continued her attempts to make a sound.
Walter appeared very soon after she had stood, and stopped when he saw her. He watched, alarmed, as she groped around on her throat while appearing to silently gasp like a fish on sand.
"Sir Integra!"
Alucard lounged silently in his favorite chair beneath the belly of the Hellsing Manor. A wide grin stretched unnaturally across his face as he waited for the wind to come to him.
Impatient after only a moment, he began to speak before it had reached him. He knew it would have no trouble hearing.
"I thought I had gotten rid of you for good." His words dripped with cold amusement. Alucard laughed more to himself than anything, and tugged at a sleeve of his coat in an almost bored manner.
"I must say that I'm rather impressed that you chose to return for revenge, however I feel I must warn you of your impending failure…" The vampire paused and cocked an ear as if listening for a response. When there was none, his grin grew wider and he continued.
"If you couldn't triumph over a little girl, what makes you think you'll be able to beat the woman she's grown into? Surely you don't believe that selling your soul to the devil will be enough, hmm? It wasn't worth much in the first place…"
At that moment, wind could be heard whistling its way through the dank halls, ruffling the vampire's hat and fluttering his night black hair.
"Mmm, that feels nice," purred Alucard. "Is that really all you've got… Richard Hellsing?"
The wind whipped itself into a devilish funnel cloud in front of Alucard's chair, then slowly dissipated…leaving behind a thin man with limp brown hair and an unkempt moustache.
"You should not be so surprised to find me back, Vampire," he hissed.
Alucard leaned back in his chair, and brushed a mote of lint from its armrest.
"Not surprised…I've been aware of your plans to return for years. You should know that I'm always aware of what's happening in hell." He laughed, then leaned forward into the light, his fangs shining. "How was it? Did they treat you well? Did they raise a toast to the traitorous man brought down by a little girl's first shot?"
Richard Hellsing sneered at the vampire before him, but remained silent.
Alucard's grin widened. "We shall see. Let the game begin, then."
Seemingly unable to contain his rage any longer, Sir Integra's uncle took a step forward, his fists clenched. "This is no game, you hideous fool!"
A spray of spittle landed an inch or so from Alucard's shoe, eliciting a low growl from the vampire.
"You remain in this world because I am bored." He leaned back into the shadows once more. "Do not flatter yourself."
Richard Hellsing's laughter rang out through the darkness, blending with its own echoes.
"You bluff, vampire."
With that, the winds came again, and carried the man out of sight.
Integra sat at her desk, a very concerned Walter standing over her, as she attempted to hold a pen and write him a message.
Where were the words! She wanted to scream and stab someone with the pen, but none of that would change the fact that it seemed she'd forgotten how to write.
The scribbles on the page looked like a child's scrawling, and she finally did throw the pen away from herself in frustration. Patiently, Walter retrieved it.
"We will figure out what is happening to you, Sir Integra. On my honor, I swear it."
She watched helplessly as he left, then stared down at the page again. To her shock, she realized that the lines were beginning to make sense to her.
Richard Hellsing, it read. Richard? Oh no. Surely not. Her uncle? It had to be a trick of some kind. Another play by the enemy to make her believe she was losing her mind.
Feeling a panic coming on, she dialed Walter again.
As soon as he had returned, she realized her mistake almost immediately. Walter could not see what she was seeing.
Frustrated, she tried to trace her finger along the lines and repeatedly mouth the two now infinitely important words to him.
Walter's expression was one of great worry and sympathy, and Integra struggled not to rise up and smack him for not understanding. Feeling something slide out of her open and silently yelling mouth, she looked down at her jacket in horror.
She had spit on herself.
That was the final straw. Standing abruptly, she shoved Walter to one side as she stormed out of her office with the intention of heading towards the dungeons. There was no longer a doubt in her mind that this had something to do with the "business" Alucard had spoken of earlier.
She would be able to communicate with him, or at the very least, he would hear her mental screams of anger. More than anything else, Integra felt a very strong desire to have someone to direct her anger towards and have it not fall on deaf ears.
Remembering the spot on her jacket, Integra groaned within herself before changing course and striding to her room to change. Once she had reached the doorway and thrown open the door, she did not hesitate to pull open her wardrobe and take out a clean jacket.
Warily satisfied that at least this was all right, she changed and looked at herself in the mirror. Chills swept through her as she caught sight of a man with limp brown hair standing behind her. Whirling around, she tried to curse the fact that she still did not remember where she'd put her gun.
There was no one there, and considering her experience with the mirrors in Hellsing manor, she was really not that surprised.
She was about to leave her room, when the door slammed shut. Instantly enraged, Integra made as if to twist the doorknob off, but was stopped by another hand on hers. Looking up, she saw Alucard, standing in her way of the door.
"Move!" she shouted at him mentally.
"No," he responded with a grin.
"Alucard, what the hell is going on!"
She jerked her hand out from beneath his and took a step back, folding her arms.
The vampire sighed, seeing that she would not be moved until he had revealed something. "Richard Hellsing. He wants revenge and has decided that you and I are his target." He glanced up, as though thinking. "Mostly you, however."
"Oh, please, Alucard." Integra shot back. "Any fool could guess that. Now, tell me something I don't know."
She waited, glaring at the vampire garbed in red. Annoyed that his attentions seemed elsewhere, her arm swept up as though she were about to give a stiff salute. Now pointing to her mouth, she waited.
Alucard glanced briefly at Integra's face before getting back to his previous distraction. "Forgive me master, but I must confess I'm rather enjoying myself..."
Confused, Integra followed his intense gaze slightly downward. Face reddening, she realized she had failed to securely button her jacket, and that Alucard had been admiring the view it gave as her chest rose and fell with each impatient breath.
"We must stop your uncle as soon as possible, Integra."
Surprised by the tone of his voice, she looked up.
The vampire's eyes held a familiarly hungry look. "I will not be satisfied until you are able to…vocalize."
His grin widened eagerly when Integra responded with a thin smile. "I don't care what your reasons for helping me are, as long as they are enough to ensure your complete cooperation." Throwing open the door, she strode determinedly into the hall and commanded Alucard to follow. "You will be my voice, now. Call everyone together. A meeting. In the main hall. Immediately."
Integra looked behind herself as she walked and saw that she was now alone. Chuckling silently, she listened as the Hellsing Manor was filled with the low booming voice of her servant vampire.
"All members of Hellsing are to make way to the main hall immediately. Sir Integra Hellsing has a message for all of you."
Grinning, Integra buttoned her jacket absentmindedly and continued to make her way downstairs to the main hall. Doors quickly began to open around her. Faces round with confusion stared as she walked. Soon, Integra was in the lead of a massive following of people. Cooks, maids, soldiers, accountants, everyone of Hellsing began to walk silently behind her.
Swarming the halls, they went, unwilling to break the silence that had been begun by the first few to follow. At one point, a familiar figure appeared beside her. Without slowing, Integra nodded at Walter. He nodded back, wordless as everyone behind them was wordless. The pounding of their feet became a tremendous thing, causing the floors to vibrate and it was almost as if the entire building was giving off a low hum.
Walter stretched his wires experimentally, letting them glint and twist in the light from a large bay window. "You have only to nod your head, Sir Integra," he whispered. "That will be my command."
At last, the massive group reached the back entrance of the main hall, only to find that many had already arrived.
Alucard appeared beside Integra, hands clasped in front of himself, face uncharacteristically serious. Whispers rippled through the crowd, and a great shifting was heard as everyone turned to see their leader make her way through the middle of them and to the front of the hall.
As soon as everything had returned to stillness and silence, Integra looked over them all and dipped her head to Alucard.
"I will be speaking for Sir Hellsing until a way to release the spell on her voice has been found."
Again, a low buzzing of whispers surged through the crowd. This sort of meeting was a first for even the most aged of Hellsing staff. And among these, none had ever heard of a time when evil was so strong as to take a Hellsing's voice. It was their power, after all.
The vampire's presence also proved to be very unsettling to the crowd. Many had heard rumors of Alucard, but few had actually seen his flesh and blood before. They craned their necks to see him, wishing they could later tell their friends and family, then waited for him to continue.
"An old enemy has come back to haunt me." Alucard paused, waiting for the rest. "It is revenge he seeks. He knows me. He knows Hellsing. Revenge is personal, and he will not hesitate to strike in the weakest places."
Alucard grinned. "THAT WOULD MEAN ALL OF YOU." Integra whipped her head towards him, and shot the vampire a nasty look as the crowd shifted uneasily. She had not told him to say it like that.
"The voice of Hellsing can not be cut off through mere witchcraft. Continue your work as usual, and remain vigilant at all times. Report anything unusual to either myself, Walter, or Alucard. We are unsure of what this particular enemy is capable of, at this time. Again. Remain vigilant, and continue to work as usual. That is all."
A fairly loud hum of noise rose as everyone began to discuss and wonder about the things they had heard. It continued momentarily, until a young man raised his hand and shouted, "Does this have to do with the missing time we all seem to have experienced last night!"
Integra froze, knowing that Alucard could take this moment if he wanted, to reveal his freedom.
Alucard turned to face Integra as he spoke. "It should be clear to all that a very great and terrible evil has been loosed."
A collective shudder ran through the crowd. Talk of insufficient salaries would surely dominate the household conversations for many hours afterward.
Integra frowned at the way Alucard was looking down at her so cockily. She was grateful that he had chosen to keep things a secret, but it still did not mean that she thought he was being altruistic.
The vampire began chuckling at her thoughts, then disappeared. Mouthing a string of curse words at his disappearing form, Integra looked down at the slowly dissipating crowd.
Walter appeared beside her again.
"Is there anything you need, Sir Integra?" he asked, monocle reflecting the great white lights that hung from the hall's high ceiling.
Integra responded by pulling a cigar from an inner waist coat pocket, and placing it between her teeth.
Walter bowed slightly and, with the faintest trace of a knowing smile, pulled the lighter from his pocket and lit the tip.
Caught up in the tastes and sensations of her fresh cigar, it took her a moment to register confusion at why the lighter might have suddenly dropped to the marble floors with a loud clack. She watched it spinning brightly for a moment, top still open, then looked up at Walter, feeling oddly slow.
He seemed to be having trouble with something, and she tried to grab him as he swayed where he stood. A gasp of pain caused his eyepiece to fall and swing free.
Integra tried to yell for help, but no one could hear.
It wasn't until she found herself unable to steady him any longer, and when Walter fell to the ground clutching his chest with one hand, and Integra's shoulder with the other, that the buzz of activity from what crowd that was left began to cease.
"Somebody call an ambulance!" a voice cried at last. Several people ran out of the hall to get a phone, and the rest continued to stare unbelieving at the sight of Hellsing's most famous butler, lying prostrate on the ground.
Sir Hellsing was kneeling beside him, clutching his white shirt, and silently shaking.
A/N: Hi, again. I'm really really sorry that this took me so long to get up. I wanted it to be really good, and I was having trouble figuring out where to take things. I hope you enjoyed this, I always love getting comments! Thanks a lot for being so patient. You guys should thank whoever sent me the email for giving me a much needed kick in the butt, lol. Hopefully the next installment won't take so long… sigh