Ok, It's flash back time! XD
Enjoy chapter 8.
Quincy Morris staggered back, gasping, hand pressed to his injury to dull the pain, watching through clouding eyes as Hellsing brought the stake down towards Dracula. His eyes widened in shock, and then concern for Hellsing, when Dracula's hand reached up and grasped the stake firmly, preventing it from driving into his heart. "Wait," he heard the monster say to Hellsing. "Your friend will die here and now, unless you allow me to change him."
"Change him?" Hellsing asked in disbelief. "I would never allow one of my friends to be subjected to such an…abominable act."
The monster grinned. "Ask him yourself," he suggested sinisterly. "And see how your noble friend replies at the brink of his own death."
Hellsing narrowed his eyes and, without looking away from Dracula, addressed Morris. "Morris…do you wish for this….vampire….to save your life by giving you immortality?"
"Yes," Quincy Morris gasped, and there was a heavy silence. "Do not think that I am giving up what is surely my soul freely, Hellsing," Morris whispered, "But when given the choice of death or continuing to protect you and the others, I am willing to do anything in your service, for the memory of Miss Lucy, and to save us all."
Dracula muttered something in satisfied tones that was probably the equivalent of "told you so". His nose twitched and he looked back at Hellsing. "Make your decision quickly, Doctor: kill us both, or spare me and save him, but whichever you choose do so with haste, for even now he is breathing his last."
Hellsing hesitated briefly, before, under the watchful eyes of the others, he stood back from Dracula and let him go to Quincy Morris. "Wait," he said suddenly, and Dracula paused.
"Time is precious, Doctor," Dracula chided, but his eyes were wary.
In reply, Hellsing stepped towards Dracula and neatly slipped a worked metal band over his hand before Dracula could stop him.
"Now, do whatever it is you will do for Quincy," Hellsing said with a hint of smugness.
"What is it that you have done to me!" Dracula hissed with barely concealed rage, but he dropped to his knees in front of Quincy anyway, almost as if he had been silently commanded to, and started draining Morris of his human blood.
"Look away, Mina," Hellsing heard Jonathan whisper in weary tones. Footsteps crunched in the snow behind him and Hellsing turned his head to meet Dr. Seward's eyes. "Did I make the right decision, my friend?" he asked heavily, running his fingers through his hair.
"That depends," Dr. Seward said cautiously, eyeing Dracula with mingled fascination and disgust. "What is it exactly that you put on his wrist?"
"A rudimentary control spell," Hellsing replied, ignoring Seward's raised eyebrow. "I found it in one of my books before we left England and had the bracelet created on a whim. I think I can find ways to improve it though, once we get back to England."
Dr Seward started and looked at Hellsing in shock. "You don't seriously mean to keep that…thing…do you?" he asked.
Hellsing smiled wanly. "If I don't, who will? I cannot kill him now, he has saved Quincy Morris's life." He gestured to the now paler, shakier Quincy Morris who sat up and looked around him with blood red eyes.
"Or damned it," Dr. Seward muttered.
"I am not so sure, my friend," Hellsing replied thoughtfully. "Religion is a shaky thing at best, and while our Dracula is by no means pure, he was human once and I have a feeling we can play on the human characteristics he still has and use him—and our friend Quincy— for the good of the world."
"We?" Dr. Seward inquired.
"By all means, Dr. Seward. I doubt I could achieve this goal without your help and input," Hellsing answered distantly. "Ah, Mr. Morris," he said, directing his attention to the newly created vampire at his feet. "If you would be so kind as to lend me your arm," he asked politely, taking a metal band identical to Dracula's from his pocket and slipping it on to Morris's outstretched arm.
"You brought more than one?" Dr. Seward asked in surprise.
"It is best to come prepared," Hellsing said with a shrug. "Had Mrs. Mina succumbed to the tainted blood despite our best efforts we would have had more than one vampire to deal with, would we not? And it would break my heart to kill such an intelligent woman, who is such a powerful asset for our time."
"Were you planning this all along, then?" Dr. Seward asked Hellsing, who was walking towards Dracula.
"Yes and no, Dr. Seward, yes and no," Hellsing said mysteriously, effectively ending the conversations. He turned to face all of them. "Well, my good people, it has been a tremendously arduous adventure, but if we wish to return to England, we must make haste."
Alucard blinked. "Do you really mean that, Miss Hellsing?" he asked quietly, mulling over her words. "You would love a monster?"
"Not, 'would love' but 'do love'," Integra corrected, leaning her head against his chest. "I cannot help that you are a monster or that I love you, nor do I know when I started loving you instead of fearing you," she added thoughtfully, painfully aware of the ironic fact that he had no heartbeat.
Alucard gazed past her to the window and spoke. "I think I fell in love with you when you first set foot into the room where I was imprisoned," he murmured. "Or perhaps it wasn't love, because I am not sure I was capable of such complex human emotion back then. It was more like admiration, for your fury, and for your fierce determination to do anything to achieve your ends. I was drawn to you because you represented everything I had lost when I died and everything I craved as a human. You are powerful, but you are also uncorrupted and pure."
Integra's lips twitched. "I was always envious of you because you showed no emotion, until I started thinking maybe it wasn't that you never showed any emotion, but that you didn't have any feelings to show. I tried to appear as calm and controlled as you, and I never realized that you would be the one to—"
"Sir Integra," she heard Walter say behind her. Integra whirled around and away from Alucard and faced Walter with a questioning look.
"Yes?" she asked, feeling more than slightly awkward now that Walter had seen her with Alucard in an intimate position for the second time.
"I've finished preparing your room," he said, bowing.
"My…room?" Integra asked blankly.
"Ah…if you recall, Sir Integra, we started renovating your bedroom earlier today, and so I have prepared one of the spare rooms in the west wing as your temporary quarters," Walter explained.
"Oh yes, thank you, Walter," Integra said hurriedly, mentally slapping herself for forgetting.
"The west wing, you say?" Alucard repeated with uncharacteristic interest.
"That is correct, Alucard," Walter replied.
"What room is it?" Alucard asked sharply, watching Walter carefully.
"I do not know if it is any sort of special room, but it is the room that is the third door on the left from the stairs, which, if I recall correctly, contains the original Hellsing's personal book collection," Walter answered, before bowing and hastily exiting the library.
"You don't say," Alucard breathed, before turning back to Integra. "Well, Sir Hellsing, I believe it is your bedtime," he purred, "And—"
"Wait a minute," Integra interrupted, "What was that all about?" She asked suspiciously, fixing him with a stern glare.
"Nothing, Integra, only that that room is supposedly the one way to get to the fabled secret research room where your ancestor performed the more hushed-up scientific experiments of his career," Alucard answered neutrally, "As in, where I was detained for a period of time, along with—" he stopped abruptly and looked away. "Ah, I only ask because that room remains a long-standing article of interest to me."
"You mean, you want to see if there's some way to get around the Hellsing seals and return to your full strength," Integra interpreted shrewdly.
Alucard smirked. "I didn't say that, though, did I," he murmured, avoiding eye contact. "However, if you are not yet tired, but in the mood for mystery, I suggest we take a look at that room."
Integra sighed. "Seeing as I'll be making my way up there soon anyway, I don't see why not," she said with a shrug.
"Excellent," Alucard murmured, taking Integra's hand and transferring them to the room in question.
The room they appeared in had a musty smell, which probably came from the shelves around the room that were filled with multitudes of books. In the center was a rich velvet canopy bed that dominated the room space, and there was also a fireplace across from the bed, which Walter had cleaned and set up for Integra's use.
"Splendid," Alucard murmured, eyeing the room with approval. "That bed is big enough for two," he added in a satisfied tone.
"Don't think it will occupied by two," Integra snapped, still slightly dizzy from being teleported.
"Why not?" Alucard said, impulsively pinning her against a bookcase and bumping her nose with his. Such a tender gesture was the last thing Integra had expected from Alucard, and she felt her insides melt as he continued nuzzling her cheek.
"Mmm, Alucard…" Integra murmured, leaning more fully into the bookcase.
There was a click, and the bookcase swiveled around in a full turn, before stopping in the same place again as Integra fell forward against Alucard and lay still.
"What," she gasped, "was that?"
"Mmm," Alucard grunted, clearly as stunned as she was. "Do you have any idea what you did to trigger that?" he asked. "I have a strong feeling that that was the way to your dear ancestor's laboratory."
"I felt something push in when I leaned against the bookcase," Integra answered, "but I'm not sure which book it was."
They turned to face the bookcase and inspected the shelf that was level with Integra's back carefully. "Strange, usually one pulls a book out to open a secret passage way, not push one in," Alucard commented, "But then, Abraham always did think differently from other people."
"I'm sure," Integra began dryly, "That no one else of his time ever considered enslaving a vampire."
"That is certainly true," Alucard agreed, fingers trailing over A History of the Anglican Church. "Might it have been this size?" he asked, pulling it out slightly.
"Maybe," Integra replied dubiously, wondering why the original Hellsing would have chosen a book like that to be the key to a top secret laboratory.
Alucard pushed it in and the bookcase immediately began to swivel. He hurriedly yanked it back out again and the bookcase stopped halfway between thgie walls. "Well," Alucard said, looking pleased, "Shall we go in?"
"If you insist," Integra sighed, looking down the opening in the wall with misgivings.
"Admit it Integra, you're as curious as I am," Alucard said, taking a step forward.
"Wait," Integra called to him, "we need some sort of light," she informed him, looking around the room in vain for something like a flashlight, or even a candle.
"I don't," Alucard said smugly, taking step back and turning to face his fuming master. "I guess I'll just have to carry you," he sighed mockingly, scooping her up in one deft movement and turning around that confront the doorway again. "Shall we?" he asked Integra, who was now curled up in his arms.
"We shall," Integra muttered, not at all happy about her situation.
"Are you comfortable?" Alucard asked as they made their way down.
"Other than the fact that your mouth is a little too conveniently close to my neck, I am quite comfortable, yes," Integra answered curtly.
"Mmm," Alucard agreed, and Integra felt his lips settle on her neck. Unbelievably tantalizing, he added in her mind.
"I'm sure," Integra said wryly. Suddenly her eye caught a strange glowing light ahead of them. "Alucard," she whispered. "There's something ahead."
"Don't worry, Integra," Alucard replied, "they're just mushrooms."
"Mushrooms?" Integra asked dubiously.
"Yes, Abraham inserted firefly genes into mushrooms so that when they grew from the walls in their altered form they would give off natural light," Alucard explained.
Integra frowned. "But…that kind of technology shouldn't have been available when he was alive. DNA and gene manipulation weren't discovered until the 1950's," she argued as they continued walking.
Alucard smiled. "You know how Da Vinci thought of the idea for flying machines centuries before they finally were invented?" Integra nodded. "It was the same with Abraham. He was simply before his time."
"Oh…." Integra breathed, looking admiringly at a particularly luminous clump of mushrooms growing from the wall. "They illuminate the hallway nicely, Alucard, so you can put me down," she added, much to Alucard's disappointment.
"As you wish, master," Alucard murmured in deference, gently lowering her to the floor, his hands lingering a little longer than necessary as he helped her get to her feet.
"Thank you," Integra said a little breathlessly, leaning against a wall for support.
It promptly collapsed and Integra fell through into a small chamber, scraping her hand against the rough stone floor in the process.
Alucard was immediately by her side. "Are you hurt?" he asked in a seemingly mild tone, though his frantic actions suggested that he was more concerned than anything else.
"I…don't think so," Integra said in a disoriented voice. "I suppose that was actually a wooden door I leaned against?"
"Yes, rotted wood, I think," Alucard replied vaguely, pulling her on to his lap and running his hands over her in a thorough inspection to see if she was hurt anywhere.
"Alucard, you really don't need to do this," Integra protested as he continued his meticulous search for any injury. He growled when he lifted up her scraped hand and turned questioning eyes to her.
"Oh…I must have scraped it on the floor," Integra said, sitting up. "It's not deep or anything."
"It's bleeding," Alucard pointed out, his eyes practically glowing.
"I realize," Integra said testily.
He continued to stare at her.
"Oh," she whispered after a pause, her cold demeanor cracking. "You want to…drink some?" she asked, faltering a little.
Alucard shook out of his trance. "Would you be so cruel as to deny me your delectable blood?" he purred softly.
Integra blinked. "No, I…" she trailed off when she felt his tongue on her hand.
"How interesting," a new voice said, and Alucard visibly twitched when he recognized it. "I wasn't aware that the Hellsing pet was on such intimate terms with its master."
"Quincy…" Alucard growled warningly.
Integra peered into the gloom in the direction of where the voice was coming from. "Quincy?" She asked mildly. "As in, Quincy Morris?"
I hate to leave you hanging, but I wanted to post this before school starts again next week and then suddenly all my time to do anything other than homework goes out the window.
Anyway.
Young Frankenstein references out the wazoo, I know, plus I don't know if I like this whole Quincy thing, but if that doesn't work out I can always kill him off in some way. If he gets bad press from reviewers for this chapter then I can tell you right now next chapter he will, quite unfortunately, inadvertently step on a landmine and then exit this world. Or something.
…Because I'm REALLY not sure about this Quincy thing.
Also, I haven't read Dracula in a little while and I didn't happen to have a handy copy about, so if some of the details aren't 100 percent accurate, just let me know, and I'll fix it, or get rid of it, or whatever.