A/N: Ah… Chapter 9! This one's much longer. Okay, Reviewer round up… Safrawr, please do! Reviews R' Good, and thanks for the compliment. It means a lot to me. NamelessHeretic and RenegadePineapple, here's your update… It took me all night. : ) oblivionknight7, that's for me to know and you to find out. (Insert evil laugh here) Vampyr'sDaughter, I'm… I'm terribly flattered. Thank you so much. ZelousReformer… I love Integra too, but… cowers you scare me… and, last but not least, Thess. Thank you. I'll do my best to keep it as interesting as you claim to find it.

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

Seras stayed curled up on the couch and watched Eva on the phone. She stood by the window, holding the receiver up to her ear, and grasping the base in the other. The dark-haired woman's eyes were lidded, and her general expression was of boredom. Occasionally she voiced a soft assent, but mostly she listened. Seras did her best not to listen to what the person on the line was saying, but her 'natural' hearing made it very difficult. They were rambling on about gas prices, politics and irresponsibility. Particularly, the irresponsibility of club owners. Certain club owners. Eva looked ready to fall asleep, and Seras had to stifle a giggle.

Eventually, the flood of words ceased, and Eva got a chance to speak. Her words flowed like silk, smooth and persuading. "You remember Jocelyn, of course? Yes, well, I have a favor to ask…. No. Not particularly. No more dangerous than- … Hn? What? No, I'm far more careful than that. You should know me better by now, Sherry." She smiled, and lowered herself gracefully onto the couch, the base of the phone balanced expertly in her lap. Seras watched with wide eyes. Sherry? Who's that? And who's Jocelyn? The conversation continued, and the vampiress half-listened to Eva's side of the conversation, and then watched the floor when she heard what they were discussing. "NO, she's not a whore. None of my employees are- … Well, then, everybody is quite obviously mistaken, Send him around sometime, and we'll set the record straight." Eva's tone was pleasant, but her expression was not. "Nor is she a temptress. The children will be quite safe… she is NOT a freeloader either… Of course she will. Seras. A night owl…"

Eva switched ears, and sighed as the person on the other line began to ramble again. This time, however, she cut the other one off. "I'll send her over in a week or so. NO, Sherry, you WILL be ready in that amount of time. How long? Until she's ready to leave… Yes, I know. I will pay. Good... Until then." Seras watched as she removed the receiver from her ear, and dropped it onto the base, hanging up on the person on the other line, who was still frantically protesting.

The room got quiet, and Seras waited for Eva to explain.

However, the other woman seemed to be enjoying the sudden quiet, and did not speak. Seras hugged herself tighter, suddenly uncomfortable. I wonder what she just did. What did she mean about 'paying?' Earlier she mentioned danger, too… and children. This is so bloody confusing. The human next to her picked the entire phone up with a hand, and dropped it onto a side table without a glance down. It broke the silence with a clang of plastic on wood, and jolted them both from their thoughts.

Seras was the second one to break the quiet. "So… who was that?"

The doctors sprinted up the stairs, running to the makeshift-operation room. They'd done this once before, but now there was simply no time to set up the sterilized tent, or call in more assistance. As a more callus person might say, they were 'winging it.' They dashed past a man in black, who glared at their passing. Fools. She was beyond any help now. He was sure of it. He continued after them at a leisurely pace, his mind enforced white noise.

They swarmed around her, ripping her clothes from her, shouting for blood, oxygen, scalpels, and anything else that might save her. Two young maids stood in the doorway, praying for all they were worth. As he neared the noise and activity, Alucard mused that now he knew how Death must feel. Each of his steps echoed off the walls, seeming to drown out the curses and shouts from inside the room. The two maids looked up at him from the floor, startled out of their prayers. He grinned, and his comment floated back to them as he entered the room.

"You won't need to pray anymore…"

He leaned over her, leering at her pale face. The doctors began to scream at him, yelling that he had to get out of their way; he was endangering their last chance to save her. He snarled at them over his shoulder, and then returned to looking at his Master. She was opening her eyes, and they were blurry, pain-filled. She focused them on him, and he spoke to her softly, under the noise of the frantic humans behind him. "Close your eyes, Master. It is time for you to finally sleep." His tone mocked her, but the words belied his carefully hidden concern. Not that it mattered. She wouldn't live to think on it.

She narrowed her eyes, and he grasped at the thought she'd thrown at him so forcefully. I will not be beaten by you, vampire. There is no rest for a Hellsing. You should know that, Alucard. Integra then closed her eyes, her lips parting slightly, and groaned. Alucard's eyes widened in shock, and he stepped back. The doctors pushed him farther as they filled the space he left, shouting numbers and demanding instruments. He leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes. So she intends to fight. He smiled, remembering his thoughts back in the office, how he felt she should die in battle. She is truly my Master. It was my choice in life to do the same.

He quietly left the room, leaving Integra to duel with Death.

The maids watched him go with wide eyes, and seeing that he left alone, renewed their heart-filled prayers. This time, however, their prayers were prayers of thanks.

"An orphanage?"

Eva nodded, obviously suppressing a laugh at her reaction.

Seras groaned, and put her head in her hands. I thought I'd escaped them forever. She asked, muffled through her fingers, "How is that going to work?"

Eva grinned, and then explained. "Sherry runs an orphanage near here, and through some interesting events, she owes me a large favor. I've just arranged for you to go stay with her. I will pay for your room and board, and you will help her with mundane things like dishes and laundry and such." Eva waved her hands expressively, and left a trail of blue cigarette smoke. She'd lit one while Seras had been gawking at her answer of 'an orphanage,' and it was now twirled in her red-tipped fingers. "You'll stay there until you're over the shock of the end of your world, and you're ready to stand on your own feet. You're going next week."

Seras watched her open-mouthed, until, quite seriously, Eva reached over and flicked her on the chin. Startled, she snapped her mouth shut, and stuttered out a question. "And n-n-n-no one bothered to ask ME what I thought?"

Eva took a drag before replying, studying the swirls of smoke in the still air. "You needed somewhere to go, so I made arrangements. You already gave me your consent." Her eyes flicked over to Seras when the girl let out a low growl.

Seras lept to her feet, and let loose on Eva, snarling. "THAT'S IT! I'M BLOODY SICK OF PEOPLE WALKING ALL OVER ME! I WILL NOT BE GOING TO THAT DAMNED ORPHANAGE, AND THAT'S EFFING FINAL!" The vampiress balled her hands into fists, and bared her teeth at the startled Eva. The human had frozen, eyes wide, hands loose. However, Seras could feel how tense she was, how alert.

The silence hung in the room, and neither moved.

Then Eva snapped out of it, and leaned over to an ashtray, tapping her cigarette on it. She smiled, and her eyes lidded themselves again. She looked back at the flushed, angry predator in front of her, and laughed. "Sit down, Seras. You know you're going to the orphanage, because you have nowhere else, and I just called in a favor to arrange it. You need the peace and quiet, and you also need a break from responsibility to recover. Besides, from what I know about you, you're a sweetheart, and I'd bet you love kids. It's what's best and you damn well know it. Now stop being stupid and calm down." She smiled again, and sighed.

Seras unclenched her hands, her shoulders sagged. Eva was right, as usual. She felt a tear run down her face, and she bit back a small sob. I bet I just made a huge fool of myself. She quietly sat back down, curling up and hiding her face. I didn't think I could cry anymore tonight. She choked out an apology, "I-I-I'm sorry…"

The next thing that happened was totally unexpected, and made her jump.

Alucard sat and watched the moon. He'd hopped up to the top of the steeply slanted mansion's roof, and perched himself on the highest peak. The silver disk held his attention. He had expected it to be different than usual, wanting it to recognize the significance of the night. It wasn't. It was the same one he'd seen in hundreds of thousands of night skies. No different. What a disappointment.

He watched it anyway, and waited to hear who was the victor in the struggle below.