A/N: I do not own Hellsing, nor do any refrences to terms or concepts copywrited by White Wolf Publishing constitute as achallege to said material... Card-carrying member here, Justin... chill.
Once again, the characterization isbased more off of the Anime as I have not (yet) had the chance to read the Manga. I would say the timeframe is sometime after the anime events, but not too much after. More will be uploaded, I promise! Please R&R, constructive criticism very welcome.
Integral gave her reflection one more appraising look in the mirror, determined to ignore the fact that the deep blue satin dress shot through with silver clung to her every curve. She glared critically at her hair, which Walter had insisted she pull up and back so that it flowed over her shoulders and down her back in silken ribbons of snowy white-blonde, leaving only her rimless round glasses to obscure her coldly beautiful face. The delicate silver and sapphire earrings danced as she moved, tickling her bare shoulders….the damned dress had spaghetti straps, not to mention an immodest neckline. She sighed once, gazing longingly at her Walther PPK lying at the foot of her bed, but it was just too bulky for the form-fitting floor length evening gown. She contented herself with the smaller, more elegant, and mostly useless .22 that was tucked snugly into her garter belt. Even so, she arrogantly flicked an imaginary speck of fluff from one of her blue-gloved fingers, the deep satin material ending just above her elbows.
Turning with military precision she moved towards the foot of her bed to retrieve the silver fur and satin wrap that accompanied the dress. She stopped, however, and glared into the shadows made by her bed-curtains as a delicious shiver ran down her spine.
"Get out," she said with a sigh, her tone carefully bored in order to disguise her racing pulse. She halted her advance as the shadow coalesced into the usual tall, red-clad figure that grinned appreciatively and leaned indolently against a bedpost. She had banished the vampire from her bedchamber more times than she cared to count… this was just a game to them, a pantomime of cruel looks and harsh taunts that each had become comfortable with over the years.
"Don't you have anything better to do than to spy on me." It was a demand, not a question, and she said it more out of habit than spite. The thought of a centuries-old undead demon of the night who was more tenebrous shadow-creature than actual human-form lusting after her body like a prepubescent schoolboy was absurd.
Crimson eyes glinted behind round, orange-tinted sunglasses. Yes, he enjoyed their game of cat-and-mouse and he tipped his hat to her now in mock respect for continuing their little game. "You are the vision of beauty, my master," his deep, sinister voice intoned, the edge of his lips curling in the slightest of smirks. Integral detoured from the foot of her bed - and his presence - and instead moved to her night table to retrieve her clutch purse…silly little thing really, no room for more than her invitation to the gala and extra bullets for her gun. "Except when you open your mouth, of course."
"And you resemble a deranged Cardinal in that getup, my Servant," she shot back coldly, bringing her instinctual reactions to his presence under control once more. She slipped the invite into the silly purse, her fingers lingering over the fine gold lettering for a few moments - there had been a month and a half in that Tower where she had doubted she would ever see her Queens face again. This was the first invitation she had received since being released with a full Royal pardon.
He chuckled. "Still angry at the Vatican, master?"
His voice startled her, but she replied by shrugging elegantly and putting down the purse, instead opting to slip her delicate, silk-clad feet into a pair of silver and blue high heels. "No, I am still angry at you. Allowing Anderson to get away..." she tsk'ed mockingly. Then, sharply, "Speaking of away, I thought I told you to go there."
She moved to pick up the wrap, the only missing piece to her outfit, holding her breath as she neared the undead creature leering before her. She bent to pick it up, ignoring the hot feeling of his glowing eyes sliding over every inch of flesh the dress revealed. Her gloved fingers barely brushed the fur of the wrap when it disappeared. She frowned slightly as she straightened and glared at him.
It was his turn to shrug. "So you did." He held the wrap in quiet invitation, unmoving, his eyes holding a silent query. When she said nothing he moved to stand behind her and wrapped the fur and satin snuggly around her shoulders. She gritted her teeth as his gloved fingers teasingly grazed bare flesh.
"Are you quite finished?" Her voice, though soft, held the promise of steel. And silver bullets.
"Are you quite sure you wish me to stay behind, my master?" he purred, giving the impression of his shadowy form moving closer, the billows of his coat pressing against her. "If the Lordling hired to escort you attempts to besmirch your honor I may be too far away to reach you in time…" His voice was a low, almost primal whisper, his tone taunting and persuading and urgent, the tones he knew annoyed her - and aroused her - most.
Her breath caught. She had convinced herself that she was no more interested in this cold undead thing than she was a toad, however her body was a traitorous thing. She pulled on her vast reserves of strength to still her racing heart and hide her body's reaction in their time-honored manner - she smirked and glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Hmm… yes." she drawled. "You seem to have had a problem with that recently. Old age catching up to you?" Her tone was mocking and indolent, knowing it would enrage him.
He indeed stiffened; piqued that she would choose to remind him of what had almost been two failures on his part to keep her safe… Laura and the evening with Incognito. Of course... had she swallowed her pride with the Laura situation and called for him sooner she would not have had to go through all of that. It was her arrogance as well as her assumptive nature in regards to him that had almost gotten her killed, just as much as his being distracted.
His hands, which had been soft and teasing now slowly gripped her shoulders almost painfully. "Perhaps I will not come at all, if you have no need of me, Sir Integra…" His voice was dangerous, stiff, full of restrained fury.
But it was no use. She chuckled once and moved away from the chill of his body. "You will always come when I call, Alucard," she threw over her shoulder with smug confidence. "That is one thing that you and I DO have in common… we don't know how to fail."
She flipped the light switch as she shut the door behind her, leaving her highly amused monster to fade into his shadows.
"Has he arrived yet, Walter?" Integra almost demanded as she sauntered down the stairs. She felt a swell of affection towards her old friend as she saw the quiet admiration in his aged eyes when he gazed up at her, but then he blinked and allowed his usual cool manner to return.
"No, Sir Integra, he has not. But please allow me to say that you are quite stunning this evening."
She allowed a polite smile to grace her lightly painted lips. "Thank you, Walter. You would think that young Billings would have learned proper etiquette by now." She shook her head… he was ten minutes late. It was usually the lady that kept the gentleman waiting.
Walters's eyes darkened as he thought on the disrespect of the young these days.
"Well, I am not going to just stand here," she continued. "Tell me when he arrives; I have paperwork to see to."
There was a whisper of HIS mocking laughter, and her eyes flashed. Alucard... her thought held a tone of warning, a silent command to GO AWAY.
Walter bowed formally as the sharp click-clack of her high heels echoed smartly across the cold tiles of the hallway. She swept into her office pulling off her satin elbow gloves, not pausing in her stride towards her desk.
"Get out of my chair, Alucard. Now." She demanded seemingly to thin air before she had even reached the middle of the room. Her commanding tones were met with a sardonic chuckle as her chair seems to turn of it's own violation to face her. "My my, you are being a pest this evening."
His indolent grinning face sobered mockingly, and with movement seeming between the ticks of time he was no longer sitting but standing beside her, looking menacing as ever. Without sparing him a glance she slipped gracefully into her chair, throwing the seat a cautious glance before risking her dress on whatever - souvenir - he may have decided to leave behind. He tsk'ed at that thought, seeming to float on air as he moved from the center of the room where she left him to circle behind her.
"Certainly my master's escort has not forgotten her? You did pay him sufficiently to accompany you, correct?" He chuckled as she ignored him, flipping through her files. He continued to slowly circle her, each pass bringing him closer and closer. "Surely the lordling knows better than to anger Sir Integra Wingates Hells…"
"I thought I told you to go bother someone else," she snapped. "I do not need to add an arrogant, overbearing vampire's jealousy to my list of headaches this evening. GO AWAY. I have no intention of needing your protection tonight. I am quite capable of fending off roving hands on my own."
It was her turn to smirk as his eyes as well as his mood perceptibly darkened. He then chuckled, his usual carefree persona slipping back into place.
"Yes. You would leave his hands attached, however. How is he supposed to learn his lesson if you are so lenient?"
She sighed slowly, signing a request form, and filing it in the outgoing tray. Her first instinct was to pull out her gun and just shoot him… that usually made him go away for a few hours at least. But he would only laugh at her mockingly as he faded. Besides she wanted to save her bullets… just in case.
"So, who is this boy that was hired to escort you?
She did not change her tone, nor stop her actions. She did grin privately however at his dogged pursuit of the subject. "He is the eldest son of the Lord of Stafforshire." Alucard's brow rose. "His father is the Queens favored cousin."
"Nothing but the best for Sir Hellsing, hmm?" he mocked, but there was a dangerous edge to his teasing.
The intercom on her desk chose that moment to come to life. "Sir Integra, young Lord Billings has arrived. Shall I send him in?"
"No, Walter, thank you. I will be there shortly." She clicked off the intercom. Alucard marveled at the slight swell of anticipation radiating from his masters body.
...You may appear the Ice Queen, but you thoughts will always betray you...
She rose from her chair, smoothed the form-fitting evening gown and slipped on her gloves, but she stiffened when the tenebrous shadow that was Alucard coalesced behind her, his lips close to her ear, the brim of his ridiculous hat covering them both.
"If he touches you, I will be more than happy to rip his throat out, my Master." His voice was dark and deadly, and his body was so cold that it stole the heat from hers. She shivered, though whether from that or the contrastingly warm breath that was blowing in her ear as he spoke she could not say. "Say the word, and I will take your little gun," he placed his white-gloved hand on the outside of her thigh where he knew her .22 was nestled in her garter belt, "and I will send him screaming into hell."
Her voice was barely a whisper as she replied with her usual contempt and anger evident a thousand fold. "If you touch him, I will fill you full of those very same silver bullets, my Servant." He chuckled in her ear, and dared place a soft kiss on her shoulder where it met the throat before vanishing. She shivered again, sighed in annoyance, and went out to greet Nathaniel.
To be continued...