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.
Author's Note: For those who want ro know about Alucard's weapons, check out my profile page. I've linked to a site that had a full listing of them. I still have to decide which relics and weapons I want Xander to have, but that will give you the list i have to choose from.
Also, the translations for Romanian will be underlined this chapter.
It was a truly unique combination of sensory stimuli that woke Xander Harris and Seras Victoria at one thirty in the afternoon on the day of Sir Integra's return to the Hellsing estates. For the first time, both woke to the pleasant sensation of being in a lover's arms, as Seras had never before known a man's touch, and Xander had been expelled by the emotionally unstable Slayer Faith after the loss of his virginity. In fact the scents of their coupling was another soothing facet of their joint awakening.
Unfortunately, the sights and sounds that met them, one wholly unfamiliar to anyone, another all too common, were not nearly as pleasant a way to start the day.
A red faced Integra, who sported a blush so deep her troops would never believe someone of her cool temperament (even in the face of yelling at the top of her lungs as she scolded her annoying vampire weapon) was capable of reaching such a shade of vermilion stood at the side of Seras' open coffin-bed, in total shock. Of course her troops often thought she had ice water in her veins, so a blush should make her turn blue, in their opinion. That was the uncommon sight.
The sound that ultimately woke them to it, however, was one that was heard more than once in the manor. "ALUCARD!!!"
Xander and Seras could only look at each other in silent bewilderment as a still scarlet Integra stormed out of the room in search of the vampire in question. They both flinched at the sound of each of the following six gunshots down the hall as they hastily dressed before their cousin and boss, respectively, returned.
Twenty minutes later the youths, who were still in Seras' room for fear of further upsetting Integra by leaving without permission, were finally summoned to meet her in the tearoom. As the pair made their way as quietly as possible to the meeting Xander's mind wandered from elation at memories of last night, to fear of Integra's opinion, to gratitude that Walter had thought to leave a change of fresh clothes for him in Vicky's room, to fear of Integra, to pleasant memories again, and so on and so forth.
Seras just fluctuated between fearing Sir Integra would order her away from Xander, and a fit of pique at her Master for setting them up, as she was certain he had done.
When they reached the closed door of the tearoom, Xander took a deep calming breath, as Seras gently squeezed his right hand, which she had not released for a second since they left her room, to comfort him. He smiled at the vampiress for a second before he finally knocked tentatively.
"Enter." Integra's coldly formal tones commanded from inside the room.
"Once more into the breach." Xander muttered nervously under his breath as he opened the door.
As this took place, Adrian Farenheights Tepes was searching for leads on the mideon now known as Rip van Winkle. He was currently in a sleepy little village inn a few dozen kilometers north of Stratford-upon-Avon, sitting at a small table in the tiny bar/pub area listening carefully to the conversations of the locals around him as he sipped a pint of lager and ate a helping of blood pudding. His most recent leads had someone that was close to Lilith's description sighted here often, and he had to check it out.
He was totally unprepared when a children's clock appeared on the bar next to him happily ticking away, though.
"Bună! Drăcuşor frate. Hello. Little devil brother" Rip van Winkle spat in Romanian, as she sat down across from Adrian. She was dressed in her typical androgynous black suit, one designed to hide the few feminine curves she possessed, but had forgone the silver swastika medallion she wore as part of the Millennium Group.
"Bună soră. Hello sister." he responded in kind, before switching to English. "I surprised you didn't speak in German."
"Sometimes it's good to return to your roots, betrayer." the vampiress hissed at him, her voice laced with contempt.
"I'm surprised you came to meet me." Adrian said in even tones as he sipped his lager. "And I betrayed no one. I'm as much human as I am vampire. You always forget that." he added.
"I forget nothing. I do not forget how he dotes on you. Or how he accepts your defiance with open arms and forgiveness as he scorns me and locks me away. How he licks your boots as easily as he fires bullets into Me." she sneered evilly.
Adrian knew he had to keep his tone even and his actions mild to prevent Lilith from exploding. She was wound tighter than normal, and if he slipped, the people in the bar would die in the ensuing battle. "If he had truly abandoned you, he'd have killed you then." the dhampir responded mildly.
"I know." Rip agreed, her mad blood red eyes scanning the room continuously like a hawk.
"If you were to temper yourself, he would accept you with open arms." Adrian offered in a carefully even voice.
"Your council on father's moods and actions are nothing to Me." the vampiress spat as she glared at her younger brother.
Adrian let a fair amount of time elapse so that her ire would settle before he said anything else. "Are you responsible for it?" he finally asked.
Lilith ignored him as she watched the various people in the room.
"I know you hate me, sister, but you were always honest with me. Are you the one who resurrected the Blood Countess and set her after father's fledgling?" the forgotten prince asked.
"Or my great grand nephew? That is what you really care for, halfling. You never cared for any of father's minions, except perhaps Rosa." Rip van Winkle added with pure contempt. "Do not assume I lack knowledge of what happens simply because I found a cause after my freedom was regained."
"That does not answer my question." Adrian pressed.
"You know the answer. You just have to believe it." the vampire responded in icy tones. "You should be more concerned with your own life, though. I will kill you, /dear/ brother."
"No, you won't, sister. But I will stop you, whatever you plan." Adrian replied with regret in his voice.
"We shall see, frate." Rip van Winkle replied with a mad smirk as she picked up her clock, then faded from sight.
Adrian looked around him to see if anyone in the room had noticed her departure. It appeared no one there noticed. Still he stayed for an hour, just to be certain the confrontation had truly ended in tense conversation, and not an army of encroaching FREAKS.
"First, I must offer my apologies for my interruption. I had asked Alucard where to find my cousin, and he suggested I ask you, Officer Victoria." Integra began as she eyed the pair from their seats in front of her. Xander and Seras were watching her every move as if they were mice, and she was a hungry death adder. "And I must say that I have no problem with the two of you having...a relationship. You are both consenting adults, and what you do in your free time is your own concern. So long as it does not interfere in your work or studies." the commander of the Royal Protestant Knights added stiffly.
"i...I u-understand, Sir Integra, Sir." Seras replied with a nuclear level blush as she stared at her feet.
"Yeah. Sorry, cousin Integra. We us, didn't mean to freak you out or anything..." Xander added, but trailed off at the unending raised eyebrow from the platinum blonde. "...and I'll just shut up and stare at me feel now." he finished mildly.
Integra took the high road in the whole affair and ignored the ridiculously embarrassed and cowed youths before her as she said, "Walter has informed me that there is a training exercise in the urban assault field in twenty minutes that you are both scheduled to attend. After that, I would appreciate a chance to get to know you better personally at afternoon tea, Xander. You, however Officer Victoria, have a Latin lesson with Alucard to help you catch up to Xander's level in the language."
Seras stood automatically and saluted at the commands. "Yes sir, Sir Integra, sir." she replied sharply at attention.
Xander, with phantom soldier memories and reflexes showing themselves once again, mimicked the salute, but remained silent, unsure how to address his cousin.
Integra nodded at the pair in approval as she responded, "Dismissed."
Xander and Seras needed no further encouragement as they exited as quickly as they could without running for their very lives.
Once they were gone, Integra made her way to her office, and had time to see her cousin and the young vampiress run to the cityscape mock-up from her large bay windows as she lit up a cigarillo. The door opened up behind her a beat later. "You could have warned me." she accused in a monotone, recognizing the sound of the steps easily.
"My apologies, Sir Integra. I felt that if Lord Alucard were foolhardy to attempt something like that, it was better to get it out of his system rather than give him time and opportunity to think of a more...appropriate welcome home gift for you." Walter replied as he poured her a cup of tea.
"I take it you have no problems with Seras and Alexander being together, then?" she asked, never turning away from the window.
"Not really, Sir. They make one another happy, and they make a good team working together. If anything, this will make them fight harder to watch out for one another." Walter counseled.
Integra mulled over her retainer's words in silence for several minutes before she asked, "How well is he truly progressing?"
"Quite well. His martial skills due to both his possession, and the rather quiet training he's done on his own away from the Slayer Summers, put him at a level where he is more prepared than anticipated for full theater action. Lord Alucard anticipates another month or so before he begins his higher level training." Walter reported.
"And his studies?" she asked sardonically.
"He shows high intelligence when given practical applications to force him to apply himself. Subjects he can reasonably connect to improving his hunting skills, such as languages to translate texts and prophecies, or physics to help determine attack vector variables and sniping stratagems are much easier for him to apply himself to. Things like royal history, or poetry, or advanced math nearly put the lad to sleep." the Angel of Death answered.
"I see." was Integra's minimalist response.
"Are there any other matters of major import to discuss?" she asked after a time.
"Just that Lord Alucard is in extremely high spirits due to making contact with prince Adrian last evening. They hunted down and exterminated three FREAK chip vampires and their subsequent ghouls in a nightclub in London. The attack appeared to be a random event that would normally have been handled long before it advanced as far as it did if we were at full strength." Walter recounted.
"Understood. Do you have the lists for potential recruits prepared, yet?" she asked evenly as she turned to face her longtime friend and caretaker.
"I do. But, if I may make a suggestion, Sit Integra? Invite Alexander to go over them with you. He has a keen strategic mind and a vested interest in helping us to rebuild our forces. He may come up with solutions, or see problems in out thinking that we have missed." Walter responded.
"I'll bring it up with him during tea this afternoon." Integra replied with a small nod of approval, before she sat down at her desk and booted up her computer.
"Thank you, Sir Integra. And welcome home." Walter replied with a small bow as the head of the Hellsing family familiarized herself with the backlog of troop field report summaries and expenditures for the period of her incarceration.
END PART 14