A/N: Gah! I have no clue what I'm doing at this point. I think the story is just writing itself. Suggestions welcome. REALLY welcome. -Nudge Nudge-

Oh yeah, I'm running out of chaper titles... suggestions?

UPDATE: Something went wrong, and bits of this were out of place or missing. I went back and fixed it...

Disclaimer: I don't own Hellsing, or any of its characters. Hellsing is (c) Kouta Hirano. This storyline, Eva and The Staircase are (c) me.

The bonds were in place. I… I did it…

He fell from her, and she struggled to stay upright. Alucard spoke, muffled by the piece of material in front of his mouth. "Why, Master?"

She coughed, and splattered blood on his front, feeling a little light-headed. She reached a gloved hand up to her neck, pushing on it, trying to stem the flow of her lifeblood. "Alucard…" She began to sway, like she was going to fall. "I'm… not going… to starve you… you idiot…" She coughed again, and fell forward onto his chest. "Dammit!" More blood. Blood everywhere… She sighed against the leather, and coughed again, sending her chest up in flames. "Wasn't going to forget… comfortable… visit… not… there forever…" She struggled to push herself up. Death was inviting now… dark, velvet nothing that would end her pain, end her suffering, and end her duty. What they all thought wouldn't matter… it wouldn't matter if Alucard got free, it wouldn't be-

Alucard.

She couldn't die now… the seals would break, and he'd be loose. Her life was flowing from her, and still, she fought on. She pushed weakly against his chest, trying to sit up, to call Walter, to… ANYTHING! She called, weakly, "Walter."

I can't die now… not after all I've gone through… all I've overcome… "Walter!"

"Alucard… please…"

It took a moment for what she said to register.

Alucard stared at her body, resting on his chest. She was still breathing. A little. Definitely alive, because the seals were still in place. He ached to lean forward and lap up the life flowing from her… but he couldn't move. That was when it hit him. What she'd said. "I'm… not going… to starve you… you idiot… Wasn't going to forget… comfortable… visit… not… there forever…" She was going to let him out again? She was going to feed him? Make him comfortable? What the hell was she talking about?

He listened in interest as her heartbeat slowed.

The last Hellsing… And she was dying in what could pass for his arms. How utterly ironic. This wasn't how he'd envisioned her death, but Alucard supposed it would do. In a few moments, he'd be free. And Sir Integra Farbrook Wingates Hellsing, proud and noble knight, would be dead. His lips curled into a smile as he thought of how heroic this would of looked… She died to imprison the monster… except the monster would be free to wreak havoc with her death.

What stopped him from laughing was the last thing she'd said.

"Alucard… please…"

Please WHAT? He looked down at her, and then at the door. She'd been calling for Walter. Is that what she wanted? Did she want him to call the butler? He looked down again. Her pale hair masked her face from him, but he noted with interest that it was bloody. Alucard closed his eyes, and opened them again. This had not been his plan for her. Not at all.

What does it matter? She's probably dead anyway… With one last look at the woman resting on his chest, he growled.

"WWAAALLTTEERRRRR!"


Seras waved at the retreating truck. Finally, he's gone.

She turned around, and looked at the building she stood in front of. It was crammed in between two other rickety buildings, and the neon signs were starting to give her a headache. A pair of scantily clad women trailed by, laughing and whispering amongst themselves. A scruffy, dark-looking man leaned against the wall, smoking what Seras assumed was a cigarette. Cars drove by as fast as they could- no decent citizen wanted to be near the waterfront for longer than they had to be.

An 'independent businesswoman' stalked by in stilettos, flaunting an overly made up face and a dangerous walk. She ran a hand across Seras' shoulders and laughed, making the vampiress blush to high heaven.

She shuddered, and looked back up at the neon sign. The Staircase. She didn't want to come here again, but she had no other choice. It wasn't that Seras didn't like her friend, she just didn't like where she chose to live. Oh, well. She walked up to the door, and the man leaning next to it seemed to have had his eyes stapled to her shirt. Seras blushed harder, and then opened the door, the music from inside The Staircase flooding the streets for a brief moment.

Sir Hellsing had made it clear that he was not supposed to enter the room. Not under ANY circumstances. No matter WHAT you hear, stay out, Walter, for both of our sakes. So, he had. He'd sat at the table in the kitchen, sipping on a cup of tea, and doing his very best not to think about what was happening in the office. He ignored the trembling of his hands, and his death grip on the table. She'll be fine. Just fine.

He was far enough away that he didn't hear Alucard's pleas to his Master, or his screams. He couldn't hear the chant. All he had was a tense silence. That, and his own thoughts. Walter looked into his cup of tea. Quietly, he sent up a prayer. Please, God, keep her safe.

Walter was about to take another sip when the summons ran through the house.

"WWAAALLTTEERRRRR!"

He shot to his feet and dropped his tea, and the cup smashed on the floor. Before he could think about it, he was dashing down the halls, skillfully dodging an astonished maid and a confused soldier. She told me to stay out! He almost slid around the corner, and skidded to a halt in front of her door. I shouldn't go in. But there was something about that call… more importantly, it had not been Integra's. Alucard's?

Walter made up his mind, and crashed into the office.

The dance floor was full, and the people wiggled and slid around each other, pulsing to the beat of the music. The only lights were the multicolored ones on the pillars surrounding the dancers, but the club was as clear as midday to Seras. It was small, VERY small, and therefore VERY crowded. A small bar occupied the corner, and the bartender worked almost frantically to fill the orders. Oh yes, The Staircase was bustling.

The main feature of the place was the winding iron stair in the middle, which the dancers packed as tight as they could, hanging over the edges, and doing all sorts of obscene things in the darkness. Watching a pair eat each other's faces on the dance floor, Seras just wanted to vanish. Ugh. Why THIS place?

She searched the crowd until she found one of the women in a server's uniform, and pushed through the people to get to her. Seras caught up to her, and yelled over the music, "I NEED TO TALK TO EVA!"

The woman gave her what could pass for a funny look. "YOU WANNA TALK TO EVA?" She stepped back with her right foot, leaning on it to widen her view of Seras. She looked up, and then down. Geez, I'm never gonna be able to stop blushing at this rate. The other woman nodded, and yelled, "WELL, THAT YOU KNOW HER NAME IS ENOUGH! FOLLOW ME!"

Seras weaved through the crowd after her, and her vampiric hearing caught the other woman say quietly, "Eva gets all the damn luck." Seras growled a little. Now it was just plain annoying.

She was lead to a door, and went inside.