Here's yet another chapter. I hope my readers are enjoying this story! Oooh something I forgot about...
Disclaimer:I do NOT own any of Hellsing's characters. I do own Skey and if you try plagerizing my character, I will hunt you down, gut you, rope you to a tree and pretend you're a pinata. have a nice day!
Read and review please!
Order 20: Challenges
7:00 A.M. Thursday. Papal Audience Hall
Maxwell, other Cardinals and Arch-Bishops all were in the audience hall. Anderson and Skey stood in the far back in the shadows watching as Sir Integra made her entrance through the doors. Maxwell sat at the head of a long table with two other Cardinals on either side. Sir Integra never said why exactly she was coming to visit the Vatican. Maxwell only received her call and her stating she was coming to Vatican city to have a meeting with him and the other ones with power in the Vatican. Integra stood with her chin held high as she locked eyes with Maxwell. There were many who came to hear what the Protestant woman had to say regarding . Lights were not very brought in this room, but not too dim. A podium stood before Integra who propped up a folder on it. Her gloved hands grasped both sides as her grim mouth and harsh eyes kept staring at Maxwell.
" I have come here to bring to your attention the severeness of this situation, Maxwell! The vampire surge has died down in England and around the Northern countries. In fact, the reports of vampiric sightings over Europe has dropped. It would appear they're on the move. (Holds up the folder) I have here some trackings of vampires. Fifty in total. And all of them migrating to one, specific place. I am sure just like this measly group of vampires, many others are flocking to the same place. Maxwell, aren't you even aware of it? They're all migrating to Rome! Have you been experiencing a rather peaking increase in vampire sightings? If so, it would prove my findings even more right."
Throughout a crowd, murmers rose up. Maxwell's hard green eyes glared over them all.
"Silence! Father Terrence, get me that folder."
One of the Iscariot agents standing at the end of the table approached the woman and took the folder from her hand. He turned and walked to the table, handing Maxwell the folder full of papers with information of these migrating vampires. Maxwell flipped it open and took out the papers, reviewing over them. Anderson was leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. His hung down as he heard what was being discussed. Not that it put him at any level of comfort. Knowing that vampires were swarming to Rome was one of the craziest tales he'd ever heard, but maybe it could be believable. Malakai was here in Rome. They had to be flocking here because of him. Malakai had to have sent out a call for them all to head for Rome. To aid in his conquest. Would that vampire ever realize how futile his goal is? He cast his gaze down to Skey. Her...she was the target of them all, wasn't she? What wasn't she telling him now?
" They A' seem fine noo. Let's go for ae walk."
St. Peter's Basilica. 7:10 A.M.
Both left the room quietly, slipping out while both Maxwell and Integra discussed what was going on. It surprised Skey they were discussing this situation like grown-ups instead of yelling and ranting at one another. She followed Anderson as he strolled down the hallway. He led them to the large St. Peter's Basilica where both just found a bench and sat down. Skey didn't think too much now. The Vatican felt empty. Most of them had to have gone to that meeting.
" Ye know wha' Ah think is gaun on?...Ah think...Malakai is calling A' his freens til Rome. They want tae get rid O' us then Hellsing. Once we're oot O' their way, then nothing can stop them, aye? And wi' it, Malakai is gaun tae try taking ye wi' him. Thas the reason he came here afore Hellsing or e'en the military forces. Once he has ye, then he'll rampage and destroy anything in his path."
What he said was making sense to her. So what would that mean then if the horse was coming here? Well it was a bit too obvious. They wished to wage war and destroy the whole Vatican. Anything that posed as a threat to Malakai's oncoming dynasty would be killed and burned out of the way. That was one of his goals but his very first goal that he would remain persistent on is capturing her. Skey would never allow her heart to be infiltrated with such filthy and gothic love. Her whole life had been one, big dramatic and hellish play. Here, she was happy. Malakai was very charming, deathly seducing and one hell of a looker. Yet...Skey knew if she was to comply with him, she wouldn't be happy. Skey had to admit, it wasn't the fact he wished to turn her into a vampire. That didn't scare her one bit. Being Malakai's lover didn't scare her either. What scared her was the idea of losing Yumie, of losing Anderson. Skey even admitted it'd be a boring life without a grumpy Maxwell there to tease and snap at. Light was starting to filter through the windows high above. The morning had seemed to arrive with its bright, enlightening disc of radiance.
" Heh, it is more than probable, Father Anderson that you're right...I'm scared. I don't want to die and...I don't want you all to die. They're vampires and there's a lot of them, right? Do you think we'll be able to take them all on? I'm the cause of all of this, Father Anderson...I shouldn't be here. It's why they're coming here."
Anderson gazed down as she hung her head. The light was captured in a single, glistening tear that fell down her cheek. He was dumbfounded and didn't know what to do about this situation. He never had kids nor anyone he really cared about. Instead of taking initiative, he just sat there silently. He may not be one for comforting, but he always had words at his disposal.
" Dinna sae tha'. E'en aif ye were in some ether country, they would hae come here a' the same. We pose as ae threat til their existence. Thon alone is ae reason for them tae come after us."
There was a sniffle and when he turned his sight back to her, she was looking up to him with a cute face and a happy smile. Indeed she was just like a kid. For her, the order of how you grow up had flipped. She was born nearly a grown up and now she was living her childhood. Anderson wondered if she ever smiled like that before in her life. Tears still streamed down her cheeks into the creases of her smile. He hated how Skey tried to take everything onto her shoulders and carry it. Blaming herself for these vampires was one inconsistent thought. The only person worthy of blaming this whole problem on was Malakai himself. He wanted to ask her what else she was hiding from him about Malakai, but this moment wasn't for such inquiring minds. She was happy now and he didn't want to ruin it for her. He took his thumb and wiped the tears from her face gently, letting them soak into his glove.
" You know, you got to stop protecting me all the time. Even though I am happy you do it."
Skey sat close and hugged him tightly. Anderson sat still but his eyes showed much surprise and confusion. This was the third time she dared to put her hands on him. Though unusual for him, he let her have his way until she was bored of it. He let his head tilt back and look to the gorgeous carvings and writings on the walls and ceiling. The light was becoming brighter with every second. Even so, the corners were still shrouded in shadows. Skey nuzzled into Anderson and felt safer being next to him. She was so fearful of the future approaching them at such rapid speed. Every time she faced Malakai, he only proved her to be so weak hearted. But she would learn. Skey wasn't giving up at all. Her life was hard, and there were so many times she remembered contemplating suicide. But here she was alive and well. No goddamned vampire was ever, EVER gonig to take that away from her. Over the whole year, she had redeemed herself. Falling back into a hellhole wasn't an option she was willing to take. skey grabbed the purple lining of Anderson's coat and tugged on it ever so gently.
" Stop being cold..."
"Hmph...Ah'm nae being cold. Jus ae wee bit...absent-minded."
Anderson let his arm wrap around her and hold her close. Her eyes closed as she started drifting off into a nap. Skey could hear his heart pounding through his chest and clothes. It was between rapid and steady, maybe he was experiencing some anxiety of some sort, worrying or just thinking too hard. Skey had finally learned to trust people again and to start believing in herself with Anderson's encouraging words. From being the frightened child on the street, she had matured into a confident and determined adult. she had given life and people a second chance just like god had given her a second chance. But Skey felt someone else needed some talking to.
" Anderson, why do you have problems with trusting people? You act nice to me, but you're always skeptical about everyone around you. And you hide your emotions as well. I was like that you know. I remember once sitting in the streets and wondering why I was fated to have such a bad life. I couldn't think of anything I did wrong myself. I didn't trust anyone. Heh, I hardly trusted myself. I thought hiding my emotions would make things better. It only made things worse. Far worse...everything got bottled up inside and I felt like I was gonig to explode! It kept manifesting in itself and spreading and spreading...Don't you feel like that sometimes? If so, maybe you should start opening up to someone. Or at least keep a journal of some sort."
Anderson chuckled at Skey's attempt to counsel him. What she said was true about him but he wasn't willing at all to tell her about it. The way he saw it was he was the oldest and knew how to deal with his past. As much as he cared about Skey and even trusted her more than most in the Vatican, he didn't want her playing counselor or psychiatrist with him. All in all,
he knew she was just trying to help, but he refused to ever be counseled or figured out. There were just some things he wished not to talk about.
" Ah appreciate the words, but Ah'm nae yin for counseling. Ah hae forgiven ma past for wha' it's done til me. Ye on the ether hand, ye cannae find ae way tae forgive yer past. Ye keep it there in front O' ye cause ye want tae battle it and see aif ye can beat it. Nae gaun tae work. A' ye can dae is forgive yerself, pray til the Laird for forgiveness, foget the past and go on wi' yer life. Dae ye really find thon so hard tae dae?"
Anderson petted her as she continued to hang onto him. He didn't mind as much as he did the first time. In fact, he'd grown used to Skey's random, otherwise moody, ways of showing her feelings. She sat there clasping him in silence. Anderson didn't expect her to answer his question right away. What he wanted her to do is just simply meditate upon what he said to her. He knew if she saw the meaning behind it, she would feel better and try taking the bricks that were pressing her heart. All was calm, then a rolling laughter came to shatter the peace. The serenity both Anderson and Skey shared was disrupted. Still, the two stayed the way they were. The man showed himself to their eyes. He wore a large, red hat that hid his eyes from view. The trench coat he wore was that of blood red. Under it, he wore formal wear aside from the knee high boots he wore. The white gloves on his hand had a symbol on the top of a pentegram crested with many words. His voice was the very element of sarcasm.
" Well, well, well. What do we have here? (grins and shows his fangs) I thought priests were committed to celibacy, 'Father' Anderson."
Skey let him go as Anderson stood up. The look in both of their eyes was the elements of crazed rivalry. There were hardly words to describe the sensation both of these giants felt once they saw one another. The only word that both of them could think of at the moment was 'kill'.
" (laughs) Weel, aif it isnae the nosferatu Alucard! Ye prepared tae finish wha' we started ae year ago? (produces two bayonets)"
" (laughs loudly) But of course! (produces two freakishly large guns) Time for you to finally die and rest in hell, Judas priest!"
