Title: Family Matters
Author: DhampyrX2
Genre: X-over
Series: Impure Souls
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe
Summary: Xander has hidden family. Xander discovers them. Xander's life gets turned upside down in a way that will hopefully help everyone evolve a bit.
Timeframe: After Graduation, but before the College crap starts.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Don't sue me, I'm poor.
"Are you certain you understand everything you must do, Seras?" Alucard asked his fledgling two weeks later.
It was all the young vampiress could do not to roll her eyes at her Master as she responded, "Yes, Master. I must track down Alexander; explain who I am, who he is if his mum hasn't informed him, and what has happened to Sir Integra. From there I guard and pester him until he agrees to extend his journey of discovery to include a trip back here for us to instruct and aid him in his demon hunting."
"Well done Miss Victoria." Walter complimented from the wheelchair he would be confined to for the next couple of weeks as he regained his strength. The Aged man once known as the 'Angel of Death', a title still given to him by Alucard in a show of deep, if mocking, respect cleared his throat before adding, "And do try to approach the lad during the day. The fact that true vampires such as yourself and Lord Alucard can survive in daylight, even if you are uncomfortable in it, should put his mind more at ease."
"An excellent suggestion, oh Angel of Death." Alucard commented with a wide grin.
"Yes, Walter." Seras said with a small wince. Sunlight might not kill her, but even with her strongest shades, it stung her eyes like crazy to be out in the day. And America was far brighter than England with its comparative lack of fog and long term overcast clouds in many places.
"Now now, Police Girl. It won't be so bad. You should not have to cringe at the thought of daylight like those low-bred fools, or these counterfeit vampires we destroy. You are true nosferatu, and the childe of the No Life King Himself. Try to show some decorum." Alucard chided playfully.
"Yes, Master." Seras responded tiredly.
"And do not forget to feed properly. Walter has arranged suppliers in most large cities, starting with San Francisco, where you will arrive, to feed you. I expect to see you back in proper form, not malnourished and weak." the elder vampire commended.
"I'll remember to eat, Master." Seras replied in the tired and almost bored tone reminiscent of a child being given instructions by her father before being shipped off to summer camp.
A honk that signified the arrival of a black cab to take Seras to Heathrow International Airport interrupted the males in the room before they could begin going over everything for what felt like the hundredth time to Seras.
"I do believe your ride is here, Miss Victoria." Walter said with a reassuring grin. As he motioned for one of the few remaining Hellsing guards to take her suitcases to the car. "Remember where to go to get a proper coffin to rest in if you can't find a place that has suitably dark places for you to rest, child." the older human butler fussed.
"I'll remember, Walter." Seras assured him as she gave him a child like peck on the cheek. "And take care of yourself. This house would fall apart without you here to keep us in line."
"Quite right, Miss Victoria." Walter agreed.
Things grew awkward for Seras as she turned to her Master to say her good-byes. Alucard was never the type to touchy-feely emotions or heartfelt sentiment. Although his concern for his great-great grandson had clouded her image of him as a wholly dark and bloodthirsty monster. It was like the rare times her sire had shown real concern for her, including the time when she was turned, and the time the regenerator Paladin Anderson had stabbed her through the throat, had been multiplied and intensified a hundred fold. She was seeing her first real glimpse of her Master's caring side.
Quietly, in her heart of hearts, she had to admit she'd like to see more of it.
"Take care of yourself and the boy, Seras." Alucard said, his voice sounding odd to her ears. It was neither sarcastic, nor malicious, nor cold. Instead it sounded almost...fatherly. She had to admit she liked that tone.
"I will Master." she promised, as she lifted the case for her Halcannon to take with her. Walter had made sure she had proper permits to carry all she would need to make her way to America to retrieve Sir Integra's younger cousin with relative ease. She headed down the hall toward the waiting cab after a nod from her Master, what approximated as a huge hug from the ancient vampire outside of combat.
She was halfway down the hall before she paused as Alucard called out, "One more thing, Police Girl!"
"Yes Master?" she asked curiously.
"Don't be afraid to flash some leg and chest to get the boy to listen to you. After all, he's only eighteen, and shares blood with both the Belmonts and my wayward son. He'll be easily swayed by your...charms." Alucard suggested with a lecherous grin.
"Master!" Seras cried, scandalized, as her cheeks lit with a faint blush.
Alucard's only reply was the echoing laughter throughout the Hellsing manor, as Seras headed out at a quicker pace, more than a little embarrassed at her Master's teasing.
Once the Police Girl was in her cab, and well on her way, the elder vampire, and older looking human shared a look.
"Do you think she'll be able to recover him, Alucard?" Walter asked calmly.
"Easily. Although I think it will be more her innocence, and their shared heritage through my blood that will sway him, than simply her body." Alucard responded.
"Yes, our reports do seem to suggest he has quite the weakness for pretty girls that need his help, or are overcoming strife in their own lives. Her struggles with her nature will attract him very easily." Walter agreed.
Alucard let the unspoken question hang in the air for several moments, before he replied, "I didn't offer her immortality to lure Alex to us through her, old friend."
"I never said you did." the aged retainer of the Hellsing family replied evenly.
"She has such potential. The mere fact she denies her darker impulses so strongly...she reminds me a great deal of Mina. Or at least of a Mina that that simpering idiot Harker wasn't around to taint with his Victorian ideas of subservience. Once she breaks out of her shell a little more, she will be glorious. I wasn't about to let that light in her die out if I could avoid it." Alucard elaborated.
The older looking man snorted as he replied, "You seem to have a habit of raising children that fundamentally oppose you, old boy."
The vampire laughed heartily as he responded, "Where would the fun be in my life if my children agreed with everything I did and said?"
"Where indeed? And what if Sir Integra? Where would she fit in your family if she ever accepted?" Walter inquired.
"My Master is a special case, Angel of Death. Everything she is, does, or will be is her choice alone. But I look forward to those choices." Alucard replied in a tone that offered no room for further discussion.
Walter knew enough about both Alucard and Integra to leave it at that. What the pair eventually got up to was indeed between them. The old man doubted even they knew the depths of their relationships with each other. Still watching them try to qualify those bonds did make for good entertainment in his declining years.
Xander Harris cursed his luck for what had to be the hundredth time over the last two weeks. Here he was, stuck in Oxnard thanks to the rust bucket his Uncle Rory gave him, trying to earn close enough to ends meet to repair said rust bucket, while staying in a dingy hotel and working as a dishwasher at the Fabulous Ladies Night club.
Too bad I can't call cousin Rigby and his parents to have them wire me the money to get out of this pit. Of course that would mean that my stuck up proper /Belmont/ relatives acknowledged I exist beyond the loaning of a tuxedo Rigby outgrew when he got too fat eating pâté and caviar. Xander groused in his head.
He was sitting at a typical greasy spoon type of diner, the place he would prefer even if he had a share of his mother's families riches, just for the simple fact it was good food in good portions at a fair price. That fact alone ostracized him further from his richer relations. Heaven forbid a Belmont pay a decent price for something when they could get ripped off to prove how wealthy they are. Xander wondered if his relatives would be so high and mighty if they still could acknowledge the fact their money came from grave robbing and tomb raiding during fight against vampires and demons.
At least that what his mother would ramble to him drunkenly as a boy. She told him allot of things in those alcohol induced stupors he had always ignored as insanity brought on by Jack Daniel's Old no.7 until he had met Buffy. Now, he knew better about what went on at night, and he had to wonder just how much of the Belmont legacy Jessica Harris had imparted was true.
His thoughts were interrupted by the tinny little bell at the door of the diner ringing, alerting everyone to another arrival at the eating establishment. Xander turned to check over the person, a paranoid little habit his soldier possession had ingrained into him long ago that never faded, and was dumbstruck.
She was a strawberry blonde beauty in her early twenties, standing just over five foot seven, wearing a pink and white horizontally striped top and matching tight pink pants. Her hair was kept in check by a matching woven skull cap of the type that Willow preferred, and her skin was a creamy white of such perfection he had only seen it in half remembered dreams. The closest comparison was Drusilla's skin tone, but the fact it was about ten in the morning, and the young lady was standing in the sun disabused him of the thought that she was a vamp.
The only thing about her Xander felt disappointed over was the fact her eyes were hidden in custom shaped mirror shades. The type of sunglasses people with sensitive eyes use to protect them from over exposure to natural light.
What a fox. Oh hell. What am I thinking? Like I didn't have enough trouble back home with women. I just need to calm down and relax. he chided himself mentally as the woman sat down beside him at the counter and ordered tea. The White Knight had to suppress a shiver at the sound her cockney accent made as she ordered.
Seras checked the room surreptitiously as she entered. There was a small crowd there; including the young man she had spent a week tracking down through the few contacts Hellsing had in most major cities on this continent. Fortunately, Alexander had had to leave a credit card number with the mechanic who was fixing his car, along with an address, that were entered in the garage's computer system even though Xander would pay cash when the car was finished. Seras was glad her skills as a cop had not faded in her past year as a vampire in the Hellsing group as she had tracked her quarry.
Once she had found where he was staying, it was child's play to ask the right questions to track him from his hotel to the diner she now found herself in. She was quite proud of her detective skills as she laid eyes on the man she had been sent to find behind her shades.
Seras' first thought at seeing Alexander was, Crikey! He looks so much like Master Alucard it's uncanny. If he had red eyes, his nose was slightly different, and you changed his clothes, they could be twins! But then he'd lose those luscious brown orbs you want to sink into... The young vampiress shook her head a bit to cut off that line of reasoning.
None of that, Seras. He's the Master's descendant. It just wouldn't be proper. Right? I mean it's not like you ever think of Master like that. Well you used to, but you outgrew it and see him properly as a father figure now. Besides, he's fat too into sniffing around Sir Integra's skirt to ever see you like that. And Alexander is much too handsome to be alone. So just get those naughty thoughts out of your mind, Seras Victoria! You're here on important work, not to flirt with some handsome you suitor! she chided herself mentally as she sat down beside her target and ordered some tea.
She glanced over at Alex, and had to suppress a blush at his slightly dumbstruck expression at the sight of her. If she had been focused on learning to smell human pheromone reactions over the last year, instead of playing catch up with her more combat relative abilities, that blush would have been much deeper.
"Hi, I'm Seras." she introduced pleasantly.
"Hi. Xander. Is me. I mean...that is, I'm Xander. Nice to meet you, Seras." the young man replied.
Seras let out a nervous titter of a laugh as she responded, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." as her tea arrived.
The waitress behind the counter suppressed a laugh as she gave Seras her beverage and walked down the counter muttering about young love under her breath, which made both of them blush, even though Xander attributed his ability to hear the mutterings to a combination of adrenaline and left over hyena residuals, while Seras knew hers came from her undead nature.
"So what brings you to Oxnard, Seras?" Xander asked amicably after they had both composed themselves.
"Oh, I'm here on business, mostly." she replied as she took a sip of her tea. She had to suppress a grimace once she tasted it, though. Contrary to some mythology, vampires could eat and drink anything; they just needed blood to sustain their vitality. Unfortunately, her acute sense of smell went hand in hand with an acute sense of taste, and she could appreciate just how cheap the quality of tea in the bag she was given actually was in ways no human connoisseur could hope to match.
Xander let out a small laugh at the face Seras made in spite of his best effort to hide it.
"Wot?" she asked curiously, wondering what he found amusing about her dislike of her tea.
"I'm sorry, it's just that...in school we had a British Librarian who kind of like a big time mentor for my closest friends and I, and it's just...he used to make the same kind of face whenever he was subjected to American tea, is all. I didn't mean to offend you." Xander explained.
Seras let out a girlish giggle as she responded, "It's alright. Although I can't blame your mentor for his reactions. That's the first I've had bagged tea like that. It was...unique."
"That's more polite than Giles put it. I think he mentioned something about needing a good astringent to wash the taste out of his mouth after he had it the first time." Xander replied.
"I wish I could say I can't sympathize, but..." Seras commented looking warily at her cup, before both broke out in a laugh. "So, Xander, what are you doing here. You live in Oxnard?" she asked, trying to maintain a cover until she was alone to talk to the young man.
"Nah. My car broke down on a trip to see all fifty states, and I'm keeping time here until it's fixed." Xander answered. "What about you? What kind of business brought you to the land of improperly dried sub-standard leaves of stinkweed passed off as tea?"
Seras had to think of a way to lead the conversation that would not scare him off, but not make her seem like a liar, either. Finally, she decided to be fairly truthful, without exposing herself too much in public. "Well, I'm here looking for a man by the name of Alexander Harris from Sunnydale, California. I work for some relatives of his, you see, and I need to speak with him about an inheritance of his."
Xander seemed to close off a bit to mull that over before he replied evenly, "Well, that's certainly a coincidence. Alexander Harris is my full name."
Seras tried to look appropriately surprised as she responded, "Really? You are? I don't want to sound rude or anything, but I don't suppose you have proof of that? Just for the sake of my job an' all."
Xander relaxed a bit at her childish excitement. She reminded him of a playful little kitten for some reason. "Well, I have my Driver's License right here." her supplied as he took out his wallet and showed her his ID.
Seras scrutinized the identification for a moment to put on the appearance of someone being thorough, even though she had known the second she saw him he was her man, before returning the ID to him. She looked him over seriously for several seconds before she inquired, "You mean you're middle name really is LaVelle? I was certain that was a typo." her face alight with a playful grin.
"Yeah, I wish." Xander replied amicably as he rolled his eyes at his horrendous middle name. "So what's all this about that you were tracking me down?" he asked after a pause, his face growing serious.
"I can't really discuss it here in public like this. There's some papers you have to go over, and some things I need to explain. But I have to ask, are you aware that Anthony Harris is not your biological father?" she replied tentatively.
Xander nodded solemnly as he answered, "Yeah. Yeah I am. Either he or my mom have mentioned it more than once when they've had a few too many. From what I understand, though, my real dad was no prize either. Is this about him? I know he died just over a decade ago. Something about attacking some people and getting himself shot for his trouble."
"Yes and no. I...work for your cousin Integra on your father's side. She...well...she was who he was attacking all those years ago in an attempt to wrestle control of the family legacy from her. I don't really want to say any more in public though." Seras confirmed quietly.
"Oh." Xander replied. He knew he had had an uncle, who had died, but his mother had never mentioned a cousin, or that his father had wanted to jack her family inheritance from her.
"Then this cousin...Integra you said? She wanted you to track me down? Is she afraid that I'm going to sue her over what happened or something?" he asked.
"Oh, no. Nothing like that. She just...wants to meet you. You're the only real family she has left now. There's more to it, obviously, but that would have to wait for a more private setting." Seras explained candidly.
"Fair enough. Listen, this is a lot to take in all at once. How about you give me some time to think it over, and then we can discuss it after I've had time to process everything?" Xander suggested.
"That's fair. I can give you my mobile number. Is there a way I can reach you as well?" Seras asked.
"Yeah, I'll give you my cell number, too. I'd suggest that you give me a few hours, but I king of have to get to work soon. And I'm on shift until midnight." Xander explained as they wrote each other's cell numbers out for one another.
"Actually, if you don't mind, that could work for me. This was going to be my last bit of sustenance before I hit the hay. I'm still kind of on London time." Seras replied eagerly.
Xander had to suppress a grin at her exuberance as he replied, "Anxious to get your work done and back to where you can get a decent spot of tea, ey?" with an exaggerated wiggle of his brow.
"Kind of." Seras replied sheepishly.
"Well then, I'll give you the address of my current place of employment, and you can meet me out front at midnight." Xander said.
"I'd be delighted." Seras commented with a grin.
It was a couple of hours later that Xander's mind caught up to the fact he had just invited an attractive woman he had just met to meet him at a male strip club at night. A strip club he had admitted to working at, no less. Needless to say, he was less than pleased with himself over that.
END PART 2