The ambulance drove smoothly along the country roads towards the Hellsing manor. They had left ahead of the troops, to give Integra time to hide herself, to get somewhere out of sight where she could begin the torturous process of adjusting to her new life.

"Seras…"

"What, Integra?" The two of them sat alone in the back of the ambulance. Integra had drunk three more bags of medical blood before her hunger was quenched. Seras had helped herself to two as well. She hadn't realised quite how much she'd given Integra, or how much the incident had affected her. She felt more comfortable now, at least in body, her dark desires sated. But her mind…

"Do…I have to sleep in a coffin now?" She asked, slowly.

"It would probably be a good idea." Said Seras, nodding.

"Why…do you, sorry, we, have to sleep in coffins?"

"We don't have to, but they're totally dark and pretty much soundproof. I doubt you've had a chance to appreciate the acuity of your senses yet, but they're superhuman, Integra. You can see in the dark with just the tiniest hint of moonlight or starlight, and hear a pin drop from across a crowded room. The dark and silence inside a coffin is amazingly comforting."

She turned from the window, smiling at the newly born vampire. "And, it's actually surprisingly comfortable, if you bring a pillow in with you."

Integra smiled. "I tell you what." Seras said "I'll get Walter to knock you up a coffin-bed, like mine."

"I suppose I'll have to sleep in the cellar?"

"You haven't seen the sunlight with your new eyes yet Integra. As you know, vampires dislike the sunlight intensely. It's far too bright for our eyes to cope with, it drains our ability to use vampiric magic, and we sunburn like that" She snapped her fingers "We're fine in the evening, when the sun has gone down, or when it's overcast, but we still need sunglasses, and its not exactly pleasant, however much your human side wants it to be."

Integra nodded slowly. Her face was the picture of misery, and with a little sob, she began to cry, tears of blood rolling down her cheeks. Seras bent down brushed her forehead.

"Oh, don't cry…please don't cry…"

"I've failed Seras…I've failed. In my extremity I turned away from the sure straight path and took…and took…"

"The lure of immortality." Said Seras. "But what else could you have done? Sign Hellsing over to your infant son and husband? Even I would have qualms at serving them. Alucard would barely take one look at them before he'd be on his way back to Romania. You need to be here for Hellsing, or we'll be over-run, by the undead, section XIII or both."

"But…but Seras…I'm a monster."

"You're not a monster. We don't have to be monsters."

"I just drank four pints of blood Seras, blood! And it was the best thing I've ever tasted. And now my mouth tastes of iron filings. It's horrible…I can't stand it, can't stand the whole thing, living at night, drinking blood, sleeping in a coffin…how will I manage? And it's endless Seras, endless…"

"You think I don't know?" asked Seras, taking out her handkerchief to wipe the blood from Integra's eyes, "You think I haven't had these thoughts? But it's better for both of us now, Integra. We two can take our cursed unlife together, one night at a time. We'll never end up as monsters."

"Alucard…"

"Alucard was a monster even before he was a vampire. He killed thousands, he drunk blood even as a human, and then, one day, he accidentally drunk the blood of a vampire. All times done for him is to add insanity to the mix. You and I have both seen him, Integra. But we, we were, whilst not saints, not despicable monsters during our human lives. We have to maintain that through eternity."

"Yes…master."

"Please don't call me that Integra…it's too confusing."

"But…"

"I know, Integra." Seras cradled her head. She had ceased crying now, was merely sniffling pathetically. An iron woman crushed. "I know." She had felt it too once, for him. And how had he repaid her? Hah! She could at least do better for Integra than he had done for her.

Seras walked slowly up the steps of the mansion, Integra lying in her arms as before, in the classic pose, her eyes closed as she rested from her ordeal. She had the two guards open the door with little but a glare, and stepped through…to find Walter and Alucard standing there. On the first floor landing, up the stairs, Julian Hellsing stood, holding tightly to the shoulders of his son.

Alucard walked towards her, his face indecipherable with his eyes concealed behind those damned goggles. He reached out, his gloved hand roughly prying apart Integra's mouth. Seras slapped his hand away, holding her fledgling protectively closer. But Alucard had seen enough, seen the long, hard fangs. His mouth tightened, his fists clenched. He turned, walking away. He was actually shaking. His lips drew apart into a fanged snarl.

Then, with a roar, he smashed one of the globe ornaments off the lower banister post, sending it flying across the room, where it smashed into a thousand pieces against the wall.

"WHY!?" He screamed turning around. "For years I try, for years I offer, for years I cajole and manipulate, and then! THEN! She succumbs to your wiles in a single night!"

"It wasn't…"

"Shut up police girl! Just shut up!" She had never seen Alucard this angry, or never this type of angry anyway. He hadn't called her 'police girl' for ten years now.

He laughed, a hideous racking sound, turning from her again, clutching his face with one hand.

"It's the irony that hurts so much, police girl. Among the many reasons I turned you, one of the chief was to make her jealous." He pointed at Integra. "I wanted to give her a reminder that there was no guarantee of the option always being open. You helped me get close police girl, damned close."

He turned again. He looked fierce, his face snarled up like a wolf's "In the prison, after Incognito, I visited her every night, and she came so close to giving in. But then she was pardoned! A few nights more was all I needed. After that it was work this, work that, then her marriage to that pathetic bastard" he pointed one white-gloved finger at Julian, who sneered at the vampire. "Then that brat" Arthur held closer to his father. Seras could feel Integra drawing closer to her as well, her hand scrunching up a handful of Seras' raincoat.
"And now," said Alucard, turning once again "She is taken from me forever. Hah…why? Maybe those rumours among the soldiers are true, eh? Maybe she really does prefer women."

Seras hissed like a cat, her eyes narrowing.

"Piss off, you chauvinistic, arrogant bastard!" screamed Seras, her anger and pride getting the better of her, as it sometimes did. "Why would she want you as a master? You were a cursed failure as mine, I was almost glad to be rid of you."

Alucard said nothing, but simply turned away once again and stalked off into the shadows of the hall, disappearing somewhere within the walls of the mansion, whence to no-one could tell.

"Don't worry Integra…he's gone."

Integra opened her eyes. "I didn't think…he would be so…"

"Hush…we can talk about it later." She said in a low whisper "There's the uncomfortable prospect of your family now. Be strong, Integra."

"I don't want to…"

"You must."

Seras walked forwards slowly, up the stairs, her eyes shadowed by her unruly hair. Step by step, feeling Integra's grip grow tighter with every step, she slowly ascended the stairs, till she stood in front of the remaining two human members of the Hellsing family.

"You demon." Said Julian, coldly. "Why did you…"
"She ordered me too. The seals forced me to obey. You'll have to ask her the reason, although I think it's pretty obvious."

"Oh, really…"

"Yes" Said Integra, opening her crimson eyes which caused her son to flinch in fear. "To prevent you from ever getting your slovenly hands on the Hellsing organisation." Julian sneered at her. "Had I died, you would be in charge. Now I can wait for as long as I want till I know our son,the right appointed heir of Hellsing, is ready to take up his post, and free of all…unfortunate influences." She looked up. "Put me down…Seras." There was just the hint, in that pause before saying Seras, that she might have been forming an m on her lips.

Seras gently lowered Integra's legs to the floor, and helped her stand upright. She stood firmly, a lot stronger now that she had drunk.

"Arthur…" she said, looking down at her son, a sad expression on her face. "You must still be prepared to lead Hellsing. I will retire in your favour when you are ready…it is unseemly for a demon to command our noble order.

"Mother…"said the little boy, reaching out for her with one hand that Julian unsuccessfully tried to hold back. She knelt and held his hand between hers, looking at him intently with her crimson eyes.

"I did this for you, Arthur, for you and Hellsing. I took this cursed unlife so that I could continue to protect you until you were of age. Don't think for a moment that I did this for myself, after everything I have said to you and taught you."

Arthur shook his head.

"But I'm afraid that I can't spend as much time with you anymore, except for lessons. I'm no longer human, Arthur…I can't have that taint corrupting you. We'll find a nanny, or something."

"But mother…I don't want."

"I'm not your mother anymore, Arthur. I'm something else." She gave him a tight lipped smile, trying her best not to show him her teeth.

"But…" the boy said, as he began to cry.

"Don't cry, Arthur. Your mother is dead, but you shouldn't cry." She looked up, her eyes becoming hard. "You, on the other hand, can do whatever you want."

"I suppose I can. It did say, 'till death do us part', Integra."

"It hasn't parted us yet…" She lifted her glasses up to rub her eyes, and turned to Walter, who had been slowly walking up the stairs behind her, "Do you have any idea as to how this is going to work out legally, Walter?"

"That's up to the authorities to decide, Sir Integra. The relevant authorities have already been informed that you are mortally wounded, and I think they might expect something like this. I don't think any of us will get much sleep tonight."

"Neither do I, Walter." Said Integra, turning to walk down the stairs. "Neither do I."

Seras followed her as she walked, slowly and deliberately, down the steps to the underground cellars, her head drooped, her hands slack.

"But first, Walter, get me a coffin."