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.
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"How was your Advanced Calculus class, love?" Seras asked as Xander met her after their one class they had apart. Xander had Calculus and Seras had British Literature, a little joke on Alucard's part to counteract their inverse troubles with their shared Latin class.
"It defied the laws of physics, Vicky. It managed to suck and blow simultaneously." Xander groused good naturedly as they made their way toward the commissary for a quick meal. Xander at least still required human food for some of his nutritive needs and so it made a good excuse for them to blend in better on campus.
"Hmmm. Sounds like us the other night." Seras mused aloud with a small smirk, as she traced her neck lightly with her right hand where Xander had focused quite a bit of attention the night in question.
Xander faltered a step at her comment, and had to right himself before he replied, "Seras Victoria! You are becoming entirely corrupted by me. I don't know whether to be proud or scared." with a devil may care grin.
"I'll let you know later, Kitten." she assured him with a peck on the cheek.
"Looking forward to it." Xander assured her.
"So, you ready to meet Oz and Willow?" Xander asked with a forced smile.
"Does it matter?" Seras asked with a wry grin.
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"I still can't believe Xander found a girlfriend and didn't mention it to me. I mean, I've been his best friend since forever, and he always dates demons or Cordelias and needs help where women are concerned, and I'm babbling aren't I?" Willow asked as she and Oz sat down at the Rocket Cafe commissary.
"Just a bit." Oz replied with his typical deadpan and a small smile.
"But, I mean it's Xander. And fluke issues aside his taste in women has always lacked something and I just think...oh there he is now andOHmyGODDESSthey'rehuge!" Willow babbled, and then blushed severely, as she caught sight of Seras who was demurely holding Xander's hand as they made their way in and searched out the other Scoobies.
Oz lifted his brow in curiosity at his girlfriend's faux pas as he caught sight of Xander's mystery new love interest that Buffy and Willow had discussed ad-nauseum last night over the phone and he had received a recap about this morning. He summed up his assessments fully once Xander and Seras were in earshot as he profoundly declared, "Hey."
"Oz, Willow, good to see you here matriculating and stuff." Xander greeted with his typical easy grin as Willow shot up and grafted herself to him with a speed that would impress Alucard.
Seras looked on owlishly, not that you could tell with her mirrored shades in place as they were as Willow seemingly attempted to crush Xander's ribcage. "Er um, hi. You must be Willow. I'm Seras Victoria." she said by way of introduction.
"I'm Oz. She's been without him for three months." Oz explained as Willow continued to try to hug the life out of Xander while babbling what sounded like nine hundred words a minute.
"Oh, I understand perfectly. I've been on the other side of it for the same time." Seras replied with a charming grin.
"Okay okay. It's alright Willow. I'm back. I take it Buffy mentioned Vicky to you?" Xander asked as he finally got free and tried to get the redheaded Wicca to relax. "Speaking of which, this is she." her added with a gesture toward his vampiric paramour who waved shyly at the redhead.
"Um, hi." Willow responded a bit uncertainly. "I'm Willow. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Seras replied with a shy grin, careful to keep her fangs from peeking out. Xander thought the look was adorable, but neither wanted to deal with the fallout of the situation if they were discovered before the gang got used to her. "You'll, uh, have to excuse the shades. I don't know if Buffy mentioned it, but I'm albino, and well...my eyes are ridiculously sun sensitive." she added sheepishly as Xander moved beside her and put his arm around her waist. That left the Police Girl feeling far more at ease.
"Oh, yeah. Buffy mentioned you had red eyes, but that you weren't...you know." Willow replied, as she tried to find a polite way to say Seras was not a horrible demon that Buffy's senses picked up without admitting that that was their first reaction and that Buffy had avidly checked for it.
"Showing up on the Buffinator's Slaydar?" Xander suggested with a grin as the couple sat down. Once seated, Xander took out a packet of Twinkies, reflexively handing Willow the second snack cake as he devoured the first.
Willow took the yellow treat automatically, but looked over at Seras as she said "Um, Xander..."
Seras smiled reassuringly as she replied, "It's all right. I'm more of a cupcake woman myself. I guess I just have a taste for chocolate." Vicky assured her as she took out a package of said Hostess treats and began her own snacking.
From there the two couples stumbled awkwardly through some small talk, well Xander, Seras, and Willow did anyway. Oz just sat there with a serene look on his face. Eventually, the uncomfortable lulls in conversation became less frequent as they waited for Buffy to join them.
"...so Teg finds out the Mayor had put a blacklist letter in my file because some asshole somewhere had a grudge against the Belmonts and I was an easy target. That was the final straw to changing my name to Hellsing. Richard may have been scum, but at least his name was clean enough I could get an education." Xander concluded as he recounted the non-mideon version of what had brought him to where he was.
"Wow. Giles will flip when he hears you're related to a real British knight. Especially a Hellsing. But aren't lady knights called dames?" Willow enthused and queried.
Xander shrugged as he replied, "The Hellsing head was always male, so she kept using the male title to keep the stuffed shirts happier on paper. As for Giles, I wouldn't be surprised if he already knows. I'm sure the Council keeps some kind of eye on us, and he /has/ to have a few friends that would keep him informed even after he was fired."
"With you being male, will you end up the new head when you graduate?" Oz asked after a pause to consider what he had learned.
Xander shook his head in the negative as he replied, "No. Teg's been too good at the job for too long to be shoved aside. I'd refuse even if they offered it. Besides, I'm American. They'd never risk trying to pull a King Ralf with me unless something happened to her first, and I think she'll have and heir long before that becomes an issue."
"She's got someone then?" Willow asked, fascinated at this new aspect of her best friend's life. She was a little hurt he had not shared the information about his heritage with her sooner, but she could understand his desire to want to tell her face to face.
Xander smirked an evil smirk as he replied. "Oh, she has someone alright. She just won't admit to it. You never mention it to her either if you enjoy walking upright."
"I'd clam up if I were you. They both have ways of finding things out, and it's going to be your arse in a sling if that gets back to Sir Integra before you see her again. Probably doubly so if they do get together in the interim." Seras warned earnestly as she sipped on a cup of cola.
Willow looked on curiously as Xander smirked and explained, "Let's just say it's a 'love but never admit it/annoy the hell out of each other' relationship right now. Think early me and Cordy to the nth degree, minus the release of a utility closet.
"I think Sir Integra would take umbrage to that comparison." Seras put in with a smile.
"So would Cordy. She'd have an attack at the thought of wearing all those suits Teg wears for official business." Xander countered, which earned a laugh and a nod of agreement from Seras.
Willow was about to ask what they meant when the conversation was cut short by the introduction of a bit of theater in the form of Buffy meeting a young man named Parker in the food line.
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Alucard laughed uproariously at the turn the conversation had taken with Xander and Seras. He was watching through a scrying spell in a mirror, as his seals made it nigh unto impossible to view them telepathically without them picking it up with the amount of energy he would need at this distance. A part of him considered sending a copy of it to play in his Master's mirror to see her reaction. She always turned such a delightful shade of red when upset.
After a moment to think about who would bear the brunt of her pique over something so minor, he reconsidered. Instead, he subtly sent the image into her subconscious while she slept. The resulting dreams from that experience, however, left the vampire with a great deal to consider. He never thought that implied familial approval would ease her fears so much...
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In a non-descript room a shaded figure was looking over several surveillance photos of Xander, Vicky, Alucard, and Adrian in action over the last few months in England.
The figure finally settled on one that showed Xander destroying a FREAK with his whip and picked it up to look at it more closely.
"You're improving quite a bit, boy." the figure, which sounded male, commented. "I think I'll enjoy seeing just how much of a Belmont you truly are." he added, before tossing the picture back on the table.
"It's time you faced a few more real monsters, and not just FREAKs and revs. Wouldn't you agree Warrant Officer Schrödinger?" he asked of a man that was dressed in a uniform reminiscent of a Hitler youth.
"Indeed, mein herr. I think it will be fun to see vhat a real verevolf und disciple of das Millennium can do against zhe Dark Prince's heir." the Millennium group werewolf replied.
"Then go and test him, my friend. But remember the deal. And the reward." the figure replied.
"Ja. Kill the Hellsing whelp und I get a chance to destroy the traitor Rip van Winkle. Ser ghut. Working outside zhe unit is vorth that price. Destroying the fledgling will be a bonus, ja?" Schrödinger replied with a shark's grin.
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The face of Rupert Giles was ashen as he listened to the reports he was receiving over the phone. "I. I see. And what was Quentin's take on it? Really? No action yet? That can't be good. Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it. Yes. I will. Good bye."
The former librarian sat down heavily on his chair after he hung up the phone. That was the third call that confirmed what his few remaining contacts in the Council had been slipping to him.
How could I have bloody missed it? I had a bloody Belmont and Hellsing heir under my nose and I was blind to it. Rupert you thrice damned fool! If Travers decides to manipulate Xander it will be your entire fault for not having measures to stop him in place. Or worse yet, if he tries to kill him it could start a damned war that could wipe us all out! Why didn't you check them out further? All you needed was his mother's maiden name. Even a credit card asks for that! Damn you, and damn Quentin, and damn yourself again Ripper! the middle aged Brit admonished in his head as he tried furiously to develop a strategy for damage control to protect all his charges. He just prayed he could come up with something effective before it was too late.
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"So, what was that with Mister handsome guy there? You thinking of getting back in the saddle?" Willow asked with a sparkling smile.
"Saddle? There something about your relationship with Oz you want to share, Willow?" Xander asked with a grin as Willow went bright red and was nearly paralyzed with a combination of mortification and anger.
"Alexander LaVelle Harris!" she began.
"Hellsing." Seras and Xander corrected automatically, which managed to head off Willow's tirade before it really had a chance to begin.
"That's so cute. You're already speaking together like that." she gushed, distracted by how synchronized they were.
Seras meanwhile looked over at where Parker had headed with an inscrutable look before she said, "He seems nice, Buffy. Just be careful...something about him seems too nice." her voice pensive.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked her voice a bit defensive.
"I'm not cutting him down or anything. It's...just a feeling. (Or the fact the prat stinks of lust and has the lingering scent of several women on him, she added mentally.) He seems like a good sort, but sometimes men can be a bit wolfish. His expressions remind me of an old high school boyfriend, actually. Smooth and caring right up until he tried to get me in the sack. When I refused to put out the ponce told everyone I did anyway to protect his reputation, then started on the next bird. Went through them like tissue all of senior year, then dumped them for the next girl. He was all about the thrill of the chase." she warned.
This got Xander's protective instincts up; he could smell the seediness of Parker as well anyway, as he commented, "Sounds good to keep an eye on, then. He tries anything, you want me to layeth the smaketh down upon his arse?"
Buffy rolled her eyes, touched Xander and his new honey were worried for her, but put off by it at the same time as she replied, "She's perfect for you, Xand. She gets all huffy and overprotective too. Slayer remember? I can handle myself. And If Parker's a jerk, I can take care of and ass smacking on my own." As the other four stared at Buffy wide eyed, the Slayer thought about what she had just said for a moment. Finally she reddened and looked down at the table as she amended "You guys know what I mean!"
"Sure we do, Buff. You want to borrow Willow's saddle?" Xander asked with an exaggerated wiggle of his brow, which earned him triple smacks from the ladies, before Buffy and Seras broke out into laughter as Willow remembered that she was supposed to be mad at Xander and started to lecture him on joke propriety again.
END PART 26