A/N: And so we begin to draw to a close. There's going to be this chapter, one more, and then an Epilogue. After that, this lovely adventure will be over. –sniff-
In regards to that, I have a proposition. It's at the end of the chapter, so check it out when you're done, would'ja? I've had a lot of fun doing this… okay, I'll be sappy at the very end. This chapter almost made me cry… 'cuz I'm writing the next one at the same time… -sniff-
HEY EVERYBODY! Remember the shameless foreshadowing in the 'Humorous Interlude?' Well, It's finally time!
Alucard: -Grins evilly at no one in particular-
Eva: -Shivers- Will you quit that?
Stoned in norco: Why, thank you!
NamelessHeritic: And the award for best rhyme goes to…
Death's Integrity: Of course.
No-Life Hooligan: Aww!
Alucard's Familiar: Me too. Thank you. Not quite.
And to everybody who said 'UPDATE': I love you all, so here it is.
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
One month later
Things had changed. Then again, they'd stayed exactly the same.
Alucard traced the lines of his master's furrowed brow with his eyes, admiring this vision of human near-perfection. He loved watching her, true enough. He couldn't get enough of her arrogance, rival to his own, or the proud bearing of her body. She continued to amaze him further by reverting to her old life without so much as a hitch. I shall never hope to understand her so long as she is human. Mortalstruly are beyond me. He supposed she wasn't the only one who'd managed to put the crisis mostly behind them. He narrowed his eyes a tad, shifting in the chair, and waiting for her attention. She was taking her damn time. Meanwhile, he let his thoughts wander.
He was well fed now, and not with that crap Integra had gotten him during his confinement. No, this was good blood. Very rejuvenating. The Hellsing garrison was full again, and put to good use. Some punk had started an underground cult, and vampiric followers were on the rise. This suited him just fine, however. As long as there was garbage, there were trashmen.
Alucard stretched, cracking his back and extending his arms. His Master looked up from her desk, and he tapped his foot impatiently. She said nothing, just went back to her work. He rose from the chair and began to pace, stopping by Lionel's portrait. Oh yes, things were different, and also much the same. Walter was a much happier man, with his normal duties to return to now. His own relationship with his Master had changed as well; their companiable silences were shorter, and conversations longer. She needed the company, and him? Well, being close to Integra was an adventure he was looking forward to. Oh, yes, everything was wonderful.
There was only one thing that could be considered 'missing'.
In the beginning, he'd blamed his inability to sense Seras on malnutrition. A month or so had passed since then, and now he was annoyed. She isn't dead, that's certain, because I would have felt it. No… she's shielding from me. That in turn meant she was drinking. The thought sent a small feeling of pride and relief through him. She's finally catching on. There were precious few beings that carried his immortal blood, and she'd been putting it to shame. Hopefully that'd changed too. Now there was only the problem of bringing his erstwhile mockery-of-a-fledgling back to her home. Then everything could settle down… not that he missed her, or anything of that sort. He was above that.
It wasn't that he didn't like change, but when one came to be his age… routines are… comforting.
Integra finally set down the pen and spoke. "What, Alucard?" He continued to stare at Lionel's frozen face, but carefully considered how he was going to ask this. They'd said nothing to each other of Seras, other than when she informed him that his fledgling was 'dead.'
"Master… how did Seras… die?"
"I shot her. Why?"
"Master." Apparently she was willing to forget about the vampiress. "What happened? Where is she really?" he turned to face Integra, who regarded him with cool eyes.
"It would be better to forget about her, Alucard. How the bloody hell would I explain her reappearance?"
"So she isn't dead."
"Of course not, you idiot. I'm surprised your link didn't tell you."
"It did, I just wanted to hear you say it."
She sighed. "Difficult to the last, my pet." She pulled out her customary evening cigar, and lit it with closed eyes. The No-Life King watched in amusement, wondering how she managed not to burn herself. "I don't know where the Hell she is, and I…" Integra stared off into the distance, "…forbid you to retrieve her. Understood?"
"Of course, my Master."
He watched her as she stood and looked out the window into the night, hands in her pockets, and blue cigar smoke wreathing her head. "However, it would be a terrible crisis if she simply walked through the gate, wouldn't it?" her tone was pensive, and her posture casual. His face split into a grin, and he gave in to the sudden desire to laugh. She did not turn to look at him. "You have the evening to yourself, vampire. Make the most of it."
He took long strides towards her, and soon he was looking down at her from very close behind. "And to think I thought you didn't care." She only stared back at the lone reflection in the glass. He smirked, and pulled his sunglasses out of his coat. Slipping them on his face, he purred, "I promise to enjoy myself, Integra."
Her eyes lit up with anger like a burner, but when she opened her mouth, he was already gone.
She'd been here.
Her smell was all over the building. He closed his eyes, and tried to remember exactly where it was he'd felt her last. Yes, definitely here. He looked up at the neon sign, and blinked. The Staircase. Either he was getting old, or entertainment was getting stranger. Later. He brushed past a man in the doorway, and crossed the threshold of the building.
He took in the aroma of pounding hearts, dripping sweat, and the scent of so much moving flesh in such a small space. The end result was mouth-watering. He reluctantly dragged his attention from it, and tried to focus on the smell of her. It was faint, and old. Very old.
He weaved through the crowd expertly, and no one noticed his passing. They were all to intent on the music and each other to notice him, and he was far too busy attempting to find his fledgling to allow himself to notice them. The red-clad figure stopped at a door, and inhaled. Yes, she'd been through here. A woman ran up, heels clicking on the floor. She yelled at him over the pounding music. "HEY, GET AWAY FROM THERE! THAT'S EMPLOYEES ONLY!" He only turned and grinned at her, and she blinked, taking a few steps back. When she looked again, he was gone. Weirdo.
Alucard smiled self-satisfactorily as he re-materialized. Her smell was far more recent in this hallway… even maybe yesterday. He walked with sure steps to where it led. In no time at all he was in front of the door, and a different woman was babbling about how he wasn't supposed to be there. He turned, and pulled out his gun. "Run."
She screamed and obliged, taking off as fast as her heels would let her. Chuckling, he stuck the gun back into his coat. There was movement inside the office. He grinned maniacally, and broke the door open with a foot. Might as well enjoy myself… It's been so long. He looked around the room, and smirked. A quaking man had plastered himself against the far wall, and was watching him with wide eyes. He was of no importance.
But the woman on the couch was a different story.
She had a cigarette dangling from long fingers, and wavy black hair tumbled over her shoulders. She wore a red silk blouse, the collar and first few buttons undone. Black dress pants and stiletto bots seemed to complete her look. She wasn't a vampire. She could pass, though…
The woman looked over to the man. "We'll talk later, Harold. Why don't you come back Saturday?" Her tone was pleasant, reassuring.
"But… Eva…"
"You heard her. OUT." Alucard grinned. The woman smelled enough like Seras to be her. He didn't want witnesses. The man dashed out of the room, and out of the door. The lock was broken off, and he almost tripped over it. The woman, who he guessed was Eva, closed her eyes, and flicked her cigarette into the ashtray. She spoke first.
"So, you must be Seras' Master. What can I do for you?"
"Where is she?"
"Ah. I figured that you'd ask me that."
He waited for an answer. He wasn't leaving until he knew. And… there were plenty of ways he could find out. He watched as she closed her eyes, and sighed. "Well, I'm afraid I don't really wish to disclose that at this point." She opened them and focused on him.
"Don't you, then?" the No-life King replied, amused. 'What makes you think you have a choice?" He took a few steps forward, and she stood up. "Now, tell me where she is." Eva just closed her eyes and smiled wearily. He growled, and asked again. Still no response. "I am her Master, she is my child. Where is she?"
Eva laughed. "Did you really think that I would go through all of that trouble to hide her from you, then just tell you where I hid her?"
Alucard smiled. "Oh, but you will." He leaned over, and snarled in her face. "Last chance to do this nicely, human. Where is she?" Eva just smiled. The vampire shrugged, and grabbed both of her shoulders. He slammed her into a wall, and laughed at her screech. He hadn't been gentle. Her head smacked against the wall, and she looked a tad distant.
She looked at him, and the fear leaking from her was fantastic. "You… you… uh."
"Come now, no need to be shy."
She lifted a hand up, in a pleading gesture. He smiled, enjoying this to the fullest. How DARE she defy him? Her hand darted to her own throat, and something silver glinted in the light. She thrust it into his chest, and …
Nothing happened.
Alucard looked down at her frail hand in faint amusement, and let go with a hand to pry her fingers open. Holding her to the wall securely with the other hand, he twirled the cross absently. She stared at him in shock. "So it's just a legend."
"No." he clenched it in his hand, and the pathetic thing disintegrated in his grasp. "It's real enough. I just have a handy immunity to puny things like that." She paled, and he favored her with a shark-toothed grin. "So, you tell me, and I leave you alone, or I find out, and kill you. Your choice, woman."
Oh, she was terrified. Fine wine was nothing compared to this. Of course, the best fear came from his Master, but this was different. This woman was unused to fear, not its master like Integra was. Fear in any form was excellent, who was he fooling?
He listened to the chaos of her heart and pulse while he waited.
The world swam in and out of focus, including the monster in front of her. Eva blinked, and assigned directions to her surroundings. However, once she'd figured out up from down, they shifted again and she had to start all over. It was starting to wear on her nerves. The vampire Seras had called her 'Master' moved his lips, and the sound reached her a few seconds later.
Eva closed her eyes to concentrate.
She had two options. Option one: tell him where Seras is, and possibly walk away alive. Option two: Tell him to got to Hell and die painfully. Option one was looking very good at the moment. Then again, option one was a death sentence for Seras. Eva smiled a little, trying to rack her brain for the reason she was actually considering this a choice. Seras. Oh, right.
They'd met on a foggy London night, in a bar she couldn't recall the name of. Eva had been there because she was, quite frankly, bored. Business was slow, her lover was packing his bags, (she couldn't blame him) and life was dull. Dull was not a word Eva wore with style. So, she'd gone out looking for some fun. She'd found it, all right. Her predatorial senses singled out the sad, innocent girl in the corner, sipping on a tomato juice. They'd talked, and laughed, and had a 'jolly good' time. All thoughts of taking her home had vanished from Eva's mind, and she'd become almost infatuated with the girl's… innocence. Eva had handed her a card, and told her where to come if she needed anything. Then she hadn't heard a word from her until she turned up at her door almost two years later, bloody and full of confessions.
Every day she'd spent with the vampiress had increased her fascination, and wonder that an evil creature could be so… inherently good. That and the girl made her feel old. Not that this was a good thing, really, but a little wisdom never hurt anybody. So here Eva was, protecting a girl who'd never really repaid her, and actually considering dying for her. Pathetic. She'd be ashamed of herself.
She couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd stopped working for what she wanted. Sure, she had backed down many a time in her life, but only if it was part of her plan. Giving up hadn't gotten her The Staircase, or her comfortable style of living. Giving up hadn't gotten her the web of contacts. No. Giving up was pointless, because it got you killed. Then again, keeping on would assuredly be fatal. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Eva took a shuddering breath, and tried to think of the good things she'd done in her life. Well, to rephrase that, things she wasn't going to be burning in Hell for. The list was damned short. Too short. Sure, she'd helped orphans, saved some out-of-control people from derailing themselves, but in reality, her sins far outweighed her virtues. No angels would be singing a song for Eva, that was sure.
Maybe she could do this one thing. Just one. She had no intention of letting this monster loose on the orphans, Sherry, or Seras. No intention.
She moaned, then choked out, "Go… to ...Hell."
"Well then, you'll be there to greet me, won't you?"
Proposition:
I'd love to write another Hellsing fic, but I have absolutely no clue what to write about. So here's where y'all come in. Send me ideas! I'll accept plots in reviews, by email, whatever. I'll pick one I like, and do it. I won't do smut, or AxS. Okay, I MIGHT reconsider the AxS, but you better have a damned convincing argument. (If you leave a suggestion in a review, please leave an e-mail address if yours isn't in your profile. Thanks!)