Chapter Two

From the look he'd seen on Integra's face, Alucard had a pretty good Idea of what was bothering her. In a way he felt that it was flattering to him that she was jealous and missed his attention, but at the same time, he was irritated at her for thinking that he would ever put her second in his mind. They had known each other for ten years, and in that time they had come to be friends—however much Integra denied it openly. Did she really think...?

Alucard shook out of his thoughts and pushed the door open with a creak. He froze at the offending sound, bracing himself for a snappy reaction from the occupant inside.

Instead, there was nothing. With a mixture of curiosity and worry in his mind, he slipped inside and gravitated towards the newly built up fire in the fireplace. Integra was asleep, of all things, in an armchair nearby.

If Alucard still breathed, he probably would have caught his breath at the traces of tears on her face. Tears? Fleeing from him at the target room? "What next, Miss Hellsing?" he murmured softly with a raised eyebrow.

In response Integra shifted in her sleep and curled up more tightly in the chair. Alucard watched this movement with an almost tender look on his face. How like a child she seemed when she was sleep, as opposed to the stern and formal woman she was by day. Right now, she seemed almost...helpless?

He reached out and trailed a finger down her cheek, effectively brushing away the tearstains on her face, but also waking her up. She opened her eyes and they slowly focused on him. "What are you doing here?" she asked sharply, turning so that she was sitting upright in the chair.

The startled look on Alucard's face shifted to assume an emotionless mask.

"Why, Noaple Bunå," Alucard greeted her in Romanian, allowing a small grin to form on his face.

This failed to ease her penetrating glare, and she repeated her question in an even colder tone. "What are you doing here, Alucard?" she hissed.

Alucard closed his eyes and opened them again. Nope. The little girl he ad seen in slumber was gone, meaning he now had to think and quickly. The fact that she had been on her way to target practice meant that she probably had her personal gun with her, meaning that if he did not answer quickly, he would soon be filled with bullets.

Which meant that in order to avoid becoming a living sieve, he had to startle her in some way. Which he could usually do with words.

"Are you jealous, Miss Hellsing?" he asked her bluntly, still calculating his next move.

He eyes widened in shock, but Alucard gave her no chance to reply. "Did you think that you were replaced—by Seras?" he continued, a small part of him gleaning satisfaction from the way she was reacting. He placed his hands on either side of the armchair she was in, looming over her. "Really, Integra, I'm flattered that I was missed," he said mock-solemnly, matching her furious gaze with his own cool one. "But don't think I've waited ten years just to "replace" you with some one else" he added reprovingly, moving closer to her.

"Waited—?" Integra finally began to ask confusedly, before he kissed her forcefully on the mouth.

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hmm. Chapter two redone. Just some minor edits, until my brain comes back.

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!!!!