Disclaimer: Me no own Hellsing. Me own voodoo doll of Alucard.

A/N: I have nothing to say but enjoy, and here's chapter three. Oh yeah, and if this chapter seems to be a little different then the other two, it's because I was going through a mood swing and listening to a different type of music then I usually do when I write. OK that's it, now you can enjoy (hopefully).

Chapter 3

Tap tap tap. I moan and roll over. Time to get up. I sit up and pull myself out of bed. That's probably Mrs. Kutcher at the door, I think I overslept.

I go to open the door, still in my nightgown. I smile at the reaction this would get at home. My parents would just be horrified.

I pull open the door, and sure enough there's Mrs. Kutcher standing breathlessly at the door.

"Time ta get up, there's work ta be done. I'll see you in the kitchen in a few minutes." Then she was gone. I sigh, shut the door, and start to get ready for the day.

I make my way down to the kitchen for breakfast. I wonder if I'll see him today? It's been a couple weeks since I bumped into, literally bumped into, Mr. Nosferat outside the kitchen. Since then I've gotten over the lump in my throat and we've had a couple conversations. It turns out that Mrs. Kutcher's information on him was accurate, and his first name is as strange as his last. What was it? It started with an A… Al or something? Oh, I'm terrible with names. Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I don't intend to call him by his first name anyways. It's rude.

As I turn the corner to the stairs I bump into someone, and as I look up, I realize it's him.

"This is starting to be an official greeting," he says with a smirk. I can feel myself blushing. This must be the fourth time I've walked into him. I'm beginning to think he purposely walks in front of me when he sees a dazed look on my face.

"Sorry, I'll vatch vhere I'm going next time."

"That's what you said last time." Too true. I say it every time. I think the best way to expel myself from this conversation is to say that I have to go help with breakfast. But, wait a second…

"Vhy aren't you at breakfast?" He's going in the wrong direction.

"Mrs. Kutcher sent me to see if you were up yet." Once again I can feel my cheeks burning. I didn't think I was that late.

"Oh, am I that late?"

"No, I just didn't see you and wondered where you were."

"VAT!"

"Never mind," and he turns and promptly goes back down the stairs. I glare after him. Lately, he's taken to teasing me, and I now find it more then a little annoying. Men!

I follow him down the stairs, at a reasonable distance, to avoid talking to him again. Earlier, when I said we have conversations, that's what I meant. It usually starts with me bumping into him, then he teases me, then I get mad and start yelling at him. But, since my English vocabulary of insults is limited, I usually end up yelling at him in German, and then he walks away laughing. Today, thankfully, we skipped the last phase.

I see him turn to go into the dining room. I slow my pace. Normally I can take his teasing, but its way to early in the morning for this. Maybe, if I go slowly enough, all the food will be set so I won't have to go into the dining room. No… That's not fair to Mrs. Kutcher. I do work here after all. I quicken my pace and enter the kitchen.

"Jest in time. Here, take this into the dining room." I barely stick my foot in the door and already I've got food being shoved at me. I'm used to it. I take the large plate of pancakes Mrs. Kutcher gave me and walk to the door leading into the dining room.

I avoid looking in the direction of where Mr. Nosferat usually sits. Every time we make eye contact in the dining room an awkward situation usually occurs. Last week I looked at him, he made a face, I started giggling, and as a result I almost broke the dish I was carrying. Luckily I made it into the kitchen before anyone really noticed what had happened, but it was a close call and I don't want to repeat it.

Anyways, I pull myself out of thoughts and put the plate on the table. I then turn and head back to the kitchen. I try not to look around the table at the guests because I've always been taught that it's rude to stare. As of late I've looked even less, for fear of catching his eye. I know who's here anyways. There's Mr. Nosferat, a family from Europe somewhere who got off the train last week with their two daughters, Yumie and Yumiko, a few townsfolk who probably didn't feel like cooking or who can't cook, and a few more people who got off the train only yesterday and are probably hoping to catch a wagon train in the spring.

I enter the kitchen and sit at the small table. Mr. & Mrs. Kutcher are sitting down already and eating. Once again I am slightly appalled by their lack of manners, but know better then to say anything. I sit down with them and take a pancake onto my plate.

They are both talking to each other nonstop. I wonder how one can hear the other because they both appear to be talking at the same time.

I silently eat, listening vaguely to snatches of their conversation. None of it really matters to me, as they are talking about livestock and things like that. I sigh and look out the window in the back of the kitchen. It's a clear, cold winter day.

"Don't ya think so Ria?" I jerk back to reality. Once again I've been caught not listening to a topic that obviously concerns me.

"Sorry, vasn't listening."

Mr. Kutcher laughs yet again. "I asked if yeh'd talked to Nosferat yet teday."

"Ja, this morning in the hallvay." He looks at me with a knowing smile. I quickly lower my head to try to hide the fact that I'm blushing, but I think he knows. So, mercifully he changes the subject.

After we finish eating, I put on an apron and warm up some water for the dishes while Mrs. Kutcher cleans off the table in the dining room.

When the dishes are done, I'm given some free time, and decide to finish writing a letter home.

I head for the door and go out into the hallway. As I walk towards the stairs I feel someone grab my arm, so I turn around.

There he is, but instead of his normal smirk, his fact is somewhat serious. I wonder at this, and it makes me slightly nervous.

"J-ja…?" I ask uncertainly. What does he want?

"I just wanted to apologize for this morning." I feel my jaw drop. There have been times when he's teased me worse then this morning, so why is he apologizing now?

"No problem…" This is very unusual behavior for him.

"Also, I wanted to tell you the real reason I wanted to talk to you earlier." I gawp. "I would have said it then, but you were starting to look angry, and I didn't want to risk another fight in the hallway." Here some of his smirk returns.

"They veren't arguments, they vere heated conversations." I just couldn't resist saying this. After all, it kind of bugs him.

"Ha ha. Anyways, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go on a sleigh ride this weekend?" My jaw drops again. What is he trying to say? Is he… is he trying to court me! Painful memories start to rise up. I'm not ready for this yet. Will I ever be ready to open my heart again? But, I should say something to him.

"I…. I'll think about it." He lets go of my arm, and without looking at him again I scurry off to my room. I collapse onto the bed just as my tears start to flow.

"Oh Hans, VHY!" I scream into the pillow. Will I ever move on? The answer comes quickly, No. I loved Hans too much to forget him. On that thought I lapse into tears, and painful memories of the past.

A/N: Did you like it? As I said before, I was going through a major mood swing when I wrote parts of this chapter, so if Ria seems a little angrier then usual when she's fighting with 'You know who' wink wink it's because I was mad at the time. Depending on the response I get, she may calm down a bit in the next chapter. Oh yeah, and sorry it's so short! The next chapter will be longer (I promise)!