Seras woke up a little bit before dusk. Something was wrong, missing. Pip was gone. Where in the hell did he go? She wondered, starting to get worried. Seras lied in her coffin for a few minutes thinking about last night. It had been wonderful and yet…something seemed a little off. She had wondered before what shagging Pip would be like and last night was not it. Seras had enjoyed herself – it was not that at all. Pip just didn't seem like himself. Well, he is a vampire, she told herself. Perhaps becoming a vampire just changed him more then it did me. Yes, that must be it. Still an uneasy filling remained with her so she decided to get up and look for him. Maybe if they talked, she would feel better.

Seras didn't see him anywhere so she stopped by Sir Integral's office. Integral was on the phone when Seras walked in.

"Yes, Seras?" She asked impatiently.

"I was just wondering if you've seen Pip. He kind of disappeared from my room." Seras answered, hoping that she was not bothering Integral too much.

"Pip? Umm, let me think. Ahh yes, I guess I did. He offered to take Walter some blood down. I think he wanted some for himself. That was awhile ago – maybe you should check on him." Integral put down the phone – she just hated being put on hold.

"Is there anything I can help with Sir Integral?" Seras looked at the Hellsing leader hopefully.

"Perhaps, I just need to figure it out. I'm trying to get interviews scheduled. We need to get Hellsing up and running. I'm trying to find new staff and the bloody employment agency keeps putting me on hold!"

"Would you like me to call? I had a desk job when I first started on the police force. When do you want them scheduled for?" Seras smiled cheerfully at Integral – trying to put her at ease.

"I will see them as soon as they can get here." Integral seemed to consider letting Seras take over this duty as she inhaled slowly on her cigarillo. Oh to hell with it, she thought. "Fine Seras, you can do that for me. Just write down the names and times. Maybe I can get a hold of someone from the Royal Family. Thank you, Seras. It is not you I'm yelling at."

"You don't have to explain. Things are too crazy around here. Well, goodbye Sir, I'm going to look for Pip, okay?"

"Yes, very well. Bring me the list of the interviews as soon as you are done. Oh I almost forgot – here are the names of a few employment agencies in England." Integral handed Seras a small piece of paper.

Seras hurried out and stuck the paper in her pocket and headed down to the dungeon. As she walked down the stairs, Seras heard whispers. The voices ceased when she approached Walter's cell. Why would Pip lower his voice around me? We don't have any secrets. She opened the door slowly – not sure what to expect. Pip was sitting on a bench in Walter's cell. His arm is around Walter's shoulder? The two seemed to be in a middle of a very private conversation. Why in the bloody hell do I feel like I'm interrupting something? Seras asked herself, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable but did not know why.

Pip got up and smiled nonchalantly at Seras. "Just the girl we were talking about."

Seras still felt something was amiss about the whole thing even if Pip did seem totally normal. "Talking? About me? It had better not be anything bad." Seras eyed Walter warily. After what had happened when he was first placed in his cell, she didn't entirely trust him. "Hello, Walter," she greeted him, her voice slightly chilled.

"Hello Miss Victoria," Walter replied. "I can understand your hesitation. I do hope you forgive my earlier transgression, Miss Victoria. I still wasn't' quite myself."

"Walter? Are you really back to normal?" Seras said as she walked just al little bit closer to him.

The former butler grinned. "Yes, Miss Victoria. Well, I suppose I'm as normal as one can be when they are a vampire." Walter briefly ran his eyes up and down Pip - an action that did not go unnoticed by Seras.

Did he just leer at Pip? Seras asked herself. She looked at Pip for his reaction and he was grinning at Walter. Seras was stunned. Pip was flirting with him? She wondered if Pip's vampirism had changed more then his appetite. He certainly had seemed straight enough when they were together…

"Seras, when do you think the boss will release Walter? It is not right to keep him locked up since he has returned to us." Pip rubbed a small wound on his neck.

"I'll talk to her when I see her later. I have some paperwork to do for her." She looked at Walter. "I'm sure she'll release you just as soon as we can confirm the locks have been removed from your mind."

"Very well. Do you think in the meantime, Miss Victoria, you or Pip could fetch me some books, perhaps Sherlock Holmes or John D MacDonald and maybe a movie or two. I have a small tellie in my room. It isn't bad here but sitting all day is incredibly boring." Walter smiled at Seras. It was as if nothing had changed.

As he spoke, Seras couldn't help but notice a fresh bite mark on his neck. That is odd, she thought. Seras didn't think her Master would have done it so that really left only one other person…Pip. Seras decided that she really needed to talk to Alucard about this. She was kind of clueless when it came to the behavior of other vampires.

"C'mon, Pip. I'm sure there is work to be done on this mansion." Seras couldn't believe that she didn't trust Pip, the French mercenary who had lusted after her body since their first meeting, to be alone with Walter. "Walter, we'll get you what you asked for and bring it down. I'm glad you are back." She smiled at him.

Walter smiled back at her but then his eyes shifted to Pip. "Good bye, Pip. I hope to see you later?"

Pip grinned. "Yeah Walter, maybe I'll bring your tellie and books." Pip ran his hand swiftly down Walter's leg just before he got up.

Seras stared at the two vampires, dumbstruck by what she saw. If that wasn't enough, as Pip walked towards her, she could've sworn that Walter, the man who had always been such a perfect gentleman, was staring at Pip's arse. I think I liked him better as human.

As they walked back to her room, Seras couldn't help but notice that Pip kept rubbing his neck – like it hurt him. "Pip, are you okay? What is wrong with your neck?"

Pip removed his hand from his neck. "Oh nothing, must have been the way I slept. Or maybe I twisted it when I was…." Pip started to describe in detail what he had done to Seras the night before.

Seras started to blush. "Okay! I got it. Geez I don't want Sir Integral or my Master to hear." She couldn't help but notice that Pip had two fresh bite marks on his neck. She hadn't bit him in that spot. Why in the bloody hell were Pip and Walter drinking each other's blood?
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Integral Hellsing sat in her office, waiting for Seras Victoria to bring back the list of employment agencies to call. She prayed that at least a few people could start right away. Integral did have Dracula's minions at her disposal but she didn't want to use them again if there was any way to avoid it. They, Iscariot, and Millenium had caused enough damage to London and didn't need any more. She wondered when Dracula was going to get rid of them. The noise they made was rather distracting when she was trying to work. Well, at least I have Anderson to patrol the city streets.

She was surprised by a knock on the door. "Yes, come in."
Seras came in by herself. Integral thought that was rather odd. Why is the Captain not with her?

"Hi, Sir Integral." Seras greeted her boss cheerfully. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important. It is just…Pip and I - we saw Walter today."

That piqued the Hellsing's interest. "I wish you would have let me know you were going to see him." Integral said, her voice slightly irritated. "Since you went you can tell me how it went. "

"Well Sir, it went okay, I guess. It was a little strange. I'm sorry for not asking you first. Walter is your employee and all. I didn't' mean to go see him – I was looking for Pip. He took him some donated blood, remember?" Seras kept her eyes focused on the floor as she waited for Integral to respond.

"It is all right, Seras – I just like to be kept informed of things. I thought it was odd that he wanted to bring Walter his meal. I'll have to talk to him later." Integral commented. She smiled at Seras to put her at ease.

"That's not the only thing that is weird." Seras said thinking of the bite marks on both men's necks.

"Oh, was there something else strange about them?"

"Well," Seras started, "I think they umm—errr-umm"

"What, Seras?" Integral raised her voice. "Tell me, what did they do?"

"I'm sorry, Sir. I think they drank each other's blood." Seras said still not believing the words as they came out of her mouth.

"They what? I thought you said Pip was bringing donated blood to Walter." Integral crushed her cigar in the ash tray.

"He did. I don't know for sure but there is only one other person and I really don't think my Master would have made those bite marks and I sure didn't."

"Bite marks…how interesting. Both of them had bite marks, Seras?" She asked.

"Umm, yes. It was more then just that too. Walter was staring at Pip in the weirdest way. And…" Seras continued to stammer.

"And what?" Integral asked.

Seras blushed a little. "And I swear, Sir, I'm not the jealous type at all but it seemed like Pip was flirting with Walter!"

Integral, who was sipping her tea, started to choke on it. Pip flirting with Walter – who was still being held in the cell?

"Sir, are you okay?" Seras asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine." Integral replied. "I don't know what to say about that. I'll have to discuss it with Dracula. How did Walter seem?" She asked.

"That's the other thing besides the weird behavior with Pip – he seemed almost normal. They said that his mind was free now. Walter wanted to know when he could get out." Seras hated to bring it up after what she just told Integral.

"I'm in no hurry to release him, Seras. We have to make sure the locks on his mind are really gone. I will go down to see him with Dracula." Integral answered.

Seras grinned – she wasn't the only one who was worried. "And Walter wanted to know if I could bring him some books and some things from his room."

"Wait until my visit with him." There was something Integral didn't like about Walter's behavior. She was tired of thinking about it and there were other things to do. "How far did you get with the employment agencies?"

"I have some good news about that. Two of them said they could have excellent people here by tomorrow afternoon, if you call them first thing in the morning. I typed the details, Sir." Seras handed her a computer print-out.

Integral smiled at Seras. "Finally some good news. It is about time."

They both felt his presence at the same time and both wondered how long he had been eavesdropping. "Hello, Count." Integral greeted him. "You're back from the mission already?"

"Yes, Countess." He bowed in front of Integral. "It sounds like becoming a vampire has given Pip a few new appetites."

Seras wish she could have smacked her Master. "You don't have to rub it in, Master!"

Alucard smirked at his fledgling. "It is no reflection on you, Seras Victoria. How could it be? It is not your fault if the Captain has bad taste."

Seras smiled – that was as close to a compliment she could hope for. She sensed her Master wanted to be alone with Sir Integral and she had learned that it was best to give him what he wanted. "Well - Sir, Master, I'll be going now, unless there was something else you wanted me to do.

Dracula answered her. "No, Seras. You should get back to your Captain and keep a close eye on him. We are still not sure Walter has returned. He might still be under the control of Millenium. Remember to follow your instincts." The Nosferatu walked up to Seras and tousled her hair.

"Yes, Master." Seras hurried out of the room. Her Master still made her incredibly nervous.