"Explain? What?" Seras inquired apprehensively.

"Sit," he pulled a chair out for her with a booted foot.

Seras obeyed without hesitation. She carefully bit her lip, looking down at the floor intently.

"What do you want me to explain, Master?"

Certain quotes from certain choice entries flashed through her mind. Ah. That explained a lot. In that moment, Seras knew he'd read a lot more than the one entry he'd used to taunt her into coming into his room.

Seras sighed quietly, closing her eyes briefly before coming to the conclusion that it would be best to just tell him what he wanted to know. He'd know if she was lying or holding anything back. So, opening her eyes and looking up at him determinedly (or maybe not so much determined as brave), she began to speak.

"I don't really know what to say, except that I don't like being alone. The truth is . . . I can't stand it. I don't want to spend the rest of my life all by myself. And quite frankly . . . you're all I've got. Sir Integral won't allow anyone else . . . it's not safe for me. . . I've always known that. And there were times when I sat alone in the dark and thought maybe you weren't a monster . . . not entirely, and maybe you could at least like me in return, but . . . being lonely . . . made it seem . . . like maybe you liked me already. I mean . . . you weren't always . . . insane. And sometimes you were kind to me. I just don't want to be alone," Seras confessed.

Alucard sat quietly through this, absorbing everything and knew she was telling the truth, telling him everything. He almost pitied her. So weak, human. She was so upset, so uncomfortable, and her eyes stared into his intently, waiting with fearful anticipation. He stared right back, her small presence in the back of his mind radiating her emotions and thoughts like an intercom shouting out to him. Alucard began to wonder if she really could be the the vampire he'd hoped for since the night he'd turned her. How far was she willing to go so that she wouldn't be alone? His blood was singing at the memory of th night he'd offered her his blood, and she'd refused. Perhaps it would be different next time around. And truthfully, he wanted a mate, not a Police Girl.

"Seras Victoria . . . "

"Yes?"

Alucard leaned toward her, his face mere inches from hers.

"Did you ever consider the possibility that maybe you were never alone from the beginning, Police Girl?"

Seras noted the alarming decrease in distance between them with growing curiosity and anticipation. What was going on?

What are you doing? She thought.

You were mine from the moment I laid eyes on you, Seras Victoria . . . I wonder if you ever even considered that there are multiple meanings to those words?

She leaned away from him, her body tensing as she prepared to . . . wait, what? What was he getting at? If this was another trick, she resolved that she'd blow his head off with her Halcannon. At least fifty times.

"Okay, what is this about?"

She was pulled against him in an instant, her body crushed against his and she became starkly aware of how very male he was.

"Ah, Victoria . . . You hear so much but understand so little . . . "

He kissed her deeply, possessively, her eyes widening with every second and then closing. A trick? Who the hell cared. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. As time passed she was reminded of the fact that vampires really did not need to breathe. Thus she was unaware of how much time had gone by before he broke the kiss. He stared into her eyes intently.

Are you ready to be mine, Seras Victoria? Forever?

She was almost shocked. But after that kiss, she'd believe almost anything. Needing no further thought, she kissed him. He took that as a yes. The kiss did not last as long as the first, and when they pulled away, Seras was . . . she couldn't explain what she was. Alucard brushed some of the hair away from her eyes with one hand as the other remained wrapped tightly around her waist. A small smile touched his lips. She smiled up at him.

"I love you . . ." Seras murmured as she rested her head on his chest.

He didn't answer. Seras didn't mind . . . he didn't really need to anyway. Alucard picked her up and laid her down on his bed, and as he laid down beside her, the lid to the coffin began to close. She'd sleep in his bed tonight. She was young, and very much a romantic...he'd give her time to adjust to this situation. It would be worth the wait in the end.

When Seras woke up the next night, she found her Master beside her, watching her. She smiled and sat up slowly so as not to hit her head on the lid of the coffin. His coffin. She decided to practice phasing and drifted up through the lid, sitting on top. She was not surprised to find that Walter had left two bags on the table instead of one. Walter knew everything. She yawned and phased into her room. Dressing hurriedly, she raced up the stairs and knocked on the door to Sir Integral's office.

"Come in."

Seras stepped inside and stood before the Hellsing's desk. Sir Integra waited a moment before speaking to her. Walter stood behind Integra patiently. Just before the Hellsing spoke, Alucard drifted up through the floor to stand beside Seras.

"Officer Seras, you are to infiltrate this warehouse," Sir Integral handed her the file, "as you can see, it is infested with an estimated eighty or so ghouls. And these photos were taken last night. So we can assume there are more. The head vampire is located in this room, with four prisoners...we also assume that at least one of these is dead and shall become a ghoul shortly."

Seras looked through the file. Photos of the dead and undead as well as those of the prisoners filled the majority of the space. She paid most attention to the photos of the head vampire. Holding out the file to her master, he shook his head. He had been looking over her shoulder. She placed the file on the desk.

"You are expected to eliminate all of the undead inhabiting this building. And if necessary, the prisoners as well. Your best bet would be to kill the head vampire first. Hopefully it is not one of those artificial freaks. Otherwise you shall have to fight your way through a great number of enemy ghouls. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Seras saluted.

"Then go."

Striding out the door, Seras sorted all of this out in her mind. Eighty or more ghouls? And only one head vampire. Seras had a hard time believing it. Even after all she'd seen, something wasn't right about those numbers.

Oh well. Just another night, Seras thought.

But despite that thought, she knew well that something was very different.