Book Dragon:

"I'm grateful to Syren, blazingfirewolf, pruningshears, and Lord Makura for reviewing last chapter. THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND REVIEWS. I'm sorry to say that this is the last chapter, but I'm also pleased to say, out the entire story, this is my most favorite.

"I find this weird because usually I'm a fan of beginnings. To tell the truth, I had no idea it would end so quickly, but, well, this was how it wanted to end. Sometimes the author is held captive by a tale… Here it is, the last. If I sequel comes to me, I'll write it, as for now…I wish you well in all fondness and how you enjoy it."

Chapter 10

The jig was up. There was no where left to run. No more 'can't catch me coppers!' as they intoned in the very old movies. You can't run, you can't even hide. You've swum against the current long enough and now became too tired to even tread water. Just let it take you and drown to the icy black sea. Now it was time to face the demon in the face and see who came out victorious. Who was left standing.

But the moon was so pretty tonight.

Lorian held the pistol loosely against her side, staring up at it for a moment. Then she changed the clips without looking, still admiring its bone white surface. Lovely. Marvelous. It made her want to draw it. Maybe she would. The road was long and stretching. She passed the gravestones, her walk calm, cool, and collected.

She felt eerily peaceful. Not scared or frightened even though her Grandmother would probably be frowning at her. Or screaming at her. That did not matter anymore. She wasn't going to do it. It was simple. No one could make her if she really did not want to. She was a human being for God's sake. Was there not a thing called freedom? The air came in and out of her lungs. It made her feel good. She felt alive.

The girl was dully aware something major had happened back there.

Something had changed within.

A thought occurred to her and she raised her hand and brushed the side of her neck. No fang marks. He hadn't pierced her. She was still human. It made her frown and look at her fingers, confused. Not a vampire? How could she feel this way if she was still the old Lorian? Little scared timid Lorian? Yet, she didn't feel normal. Didn't feel like herself at all.

What had happened?

The thirteen-year-old thought about it as she walked calmly down the way. It was just a curious little jaunt her mind had taken on. It mattered a little bit more than the cars that where coming down the road. She could see the headlights from up here as she stopped and looked at the view a moment, down the twilight slope.

A passing zephyr played with the tips of her trench coat. Combed back her wrong colored hair. Never blonde. Passed her open and almost all seeing eyes. Never blue. Her lungs took in another cool breath and she felt the Killer begin to rise up and take her seat again. The throne. Ready to rule like a queen. To call the shots.

"If you must." Lori told that part of herself with a sigh.

Why fight it anymore? It had gotten so strong that it had raided her conscious, the one that said what was right and what was wrong. Things were so confusing now. Why continue to worry about it? Did it really matter that much? Why fight her nature, what possible sense did it make to fight her own nature?

"Are you ready to be the Master?" a familiar voice asked.

Lorian turned her eyes to the left and found her teacher, leaning with his back against one of the taller monuments, his collar up and hiding the bottom of his face while his sunglasses and hat hid the rest of it. A stone angel stood above him, bare foot, with her arms raised to the sky and reaching the twilight evening. Maybe wanting to open her marble wings and take off and enter the blackness above?

The young Hellsing did not flinch back or look away from him. There was no fear to be felt. He was and would always be her teacher, even if he was a monster. It wasn't a crime. She herself was growing into a beast more and more each day, after all. That was never in the nature of a normal child, but had she ever been truly normal?

He stopped leaning against the memorial and faced her, his hands in his pockets. His sunglasses were winking in the moon light. Lori did not back away as he approached and stood in front of her, looking down. He seemed a little different now. He wasn't grinning. Seemed to be asking a serious question with just his face (even though it looked like he was also teasing).

She didn't get it.

"You have blood on your face." He told her, instead.

"I know." Lori replied.

Then, in a bizarre moment, she stuck her tongue out and licked the blood splatter that had been drying on her lips. It was tangy and tasted awful. She turned away and spat, once, ridding herself of the taste. Curiosity has its punishments, she supposed. When she turned back she spoke softly and without shame.

"I had to see, at least once." She told him.

"You aren't supposed to eat war paint." He replied.

The comment wasn't strange, not to her. A similar thought had just skipped through her mind like a flat rock across a pond. As for the 'war paint', it was going to bared it with pride when she met Grandma down there. His comment made her smile, glad to find that even if she was strange, she wasn't the only one.

But still…

"Were you watching me in there?" She asked him, calmly, unmoving.

The wind blew pleasantly and ruffled their clothes as they stood staring at each other for a moment. The more and more she looked at his two red eyes, the more and more she was reminded of the strange dreams. The red eyes before her looked so very similar to the strange winking ones in her subconscious. The flickering ones, the world of them, that had been beaming for a moment back there.

But her teacher wasn't one to beam, surely?

He said nothing. Just reached up and suddenly ruffled the hair on the top of her head in a bizarrely affectionate motion. He did not smile. Nor did he tell her she did an excellent job. That was not his way. Neither was this little 'I'm pleased with you' touch. Had he done it because she had wanted him to?

It was such a fatherly gesture.

Lori said nothing. Just smiled, a bit embarrassed at the thought of her mind being read so easily without her knowing about it. It was really all the answer she needed. Lori enjoyed the brief moment, her eyes closing to relish it, his fingers brushing on the top of her scalp and ending with a gentle stroke of her cheek, and missed it when he removed his cold touch. Mourned the lost of it. Found it nice, even though it was that of a corpse.

It was just nice to be touched after being alone for so many years.

When he stopped, she opened her eyes and followed his slow decent down the hill. The moon went ignored for a while. They stared at the downhill path meandering descent before their feet and followed it, the night air stroking their forms. There was no movement in the grave yard other than them. They were two shadows in the night.

A while later, she spoke, hesitantly.

"Alucard?"

"Yes?"

"Will you meet my Grandmother with me?"

"If that is your bidding…"

Lorian sighed.

"Yes, it is my bidding." She muttered unhappily.

She was defeated yet again by his relentlessness. Some things were never going to change. The urge to lift her gun and shoot him when he made a mocking bow made her face flush with anger. He had a teasing smile spread on his face.

"As you wish, my Master." He said.

"Yeah, okay, just don't rub it in." She murmured.

They continued to walk down the hill together.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Lorian was having second thoughts.

The cars were parked and she could hear car doors slamming down there, but still she couldn't pick out which one her grandmother was in. Some part of her wanted to start yammering. What are you thinking? Grandma would probably whip out her gun and start shooting at Alucard before they even got ten feet near her. Would she listen if Lori tried to explain that he was a 'good' vampire? That she was his 'Master'? God, she could imagine the enraged look on Grandma's face at such implied stupidity.

They got to the gate and Lori decided it would be better to watch her get out of the car instead of trying to figure out which was hers of all the black ones. The Killer within made her check the clipping again, just to reassure herself it was loaded, and waited for the inevitable yelling match that was going to ensue.

Lori was considering giving into the urge of telling him to get out of here when one of the doors opened. Lori waited, grim-faced for her grandmother's form to lean out and the gunfire to start.

Instead, she found herself staring at Seras Victoria, with her wide red eyes bright in the twilight in a tan uniform like all the other Hellsing units. She got out of the car, scrambled out of it, and ran towards them with the biggest smile Lorian had ever seen. The draculina's laughter was also pleasant as she cried out.

"Master!" She shouted.

Lorian stared at her. Was she talking to her? Fought back the insane urge to turn around and see if any one was behind them. Oh God, she couldn't possibly have two insane vampires calling her master now, could she? What was this world coming to anyway?

But as she closed the distance, ten feet maybe, Lori saw her eyes were glued to the dead man standing next to her. Alucard. Lori tore her gaze away and looked up at her teacher, startled. They knew each other? He was smirking. It seemed like it, as Seras opened her arms wide and hugged him, still laughing. Lorian stared at them, fighting the urge to step back. Instead she gawked and noted that he did not hug her in return.

"Master! I thought I'd never see you again!" She cried jubilantly.

"Stop it, Police girl. I'm not your master anymore. You drank my blood of your own free will." He replied, but he was still smiling a bit. Just a little.

Seras uncurled her arms and looked at him, sadly. It showed deep in her eyes. What Alucard said was the truth, but what Lori also saw was that Seras hadn't wanted to sever that relationship between them. Had something forced them? Lori was opening her mouth to say something, or maybe ask something when another booming voice cut her off.

"Alucard! What are you doing awake!"

Seras straightened a little under that voice, shifted, and stood next to Alucard. When she moved, Lori saw not only her grandmother stalking down the way, but also her father and Gab at her heels and barely keeping up. Lori only spared them a glance, noting their gawking looks before looking back to Grandma.

Her cane was missing. She was moving on both legs swiftly, but the limp was still there, slightly in view. Her eyes were on the red clad vampire. Lori felt her jaw threatening to unhinge for the second time in her life in utter shock.

"I was woken up." He replied.

His smile widened at the sight of her and his glasses bowed down, as he looked over them. Suddenly, her teacher was far more mischievous than normal, and his fangs seemed to have all the more presence in his mouth. It was a bit disturbing.

"And you've gotten older." He added.

"If I want to be reminded of my age, Alucard, I'll ask. Who woke you up?" Grandma demanded.

It made Lorian's head whirl around. What in the name of God was happening! Had the whole world gone completely and utterly insane! Was she still in the right dimension? She was dazed by all the confusion that was swimming around in her head and nearly missed the little nod her teacher made towards her.

"The little hell cat over there." He replied, smugly.

Lorian suddenly found herself subject to five different pairs of eyes. Two blood red. Two shocked and almost aghast sapphire, even in the dark. One ice cold blue. She looked at all of them, flickering over each thoughtfully (aware her face was covered in blood splatter) and felt the same nervous twinge come up from beneath. It was there, but it didn't rule her. What ruled her was the Killer sitting in the throne, the one still holding the gun to her side and watching with surprise.

There was a brief silence.

She opened her mouth.

"Lorian! How many times did I tell you not-" her father began, his face going that plum color. His eyes glared and he was taking a step forward to what? Grab her and drag her away? It didn't matter; he was stopped dead in his tracks.

"Be silent." Alucard said, boredly, not even bothering to look at him. Her father's mouth shut like a trap and he stared at the vampire, blue eyes as wide as they'd go. Plum to snow white. Alucard ignored him. He waved a hand to Lorian.

"Continue." He said. Lori glanced at her teacher, then to her father, then finally back to her grandmother.

"It was an accident." She said, morosely, "Gab put me in the forbidden room for trying to peek." Lori told the woman they called Sir Hellsing in a tired sigh.

It wasn't exactly true, but it was close enough. She gave her brother a look, trying to cover for him as well as herself (she'd gone down there enough times…) as much as she could. He stared back, just as blankly, but nodded. Something shifted in his blue eyes. It seemed friendly enough.

So Lorian braced herself as she turned back to Sir Hellsing, ready to get the storm of the century to rain down on her head. Her grandmother spoke coldly and softly.

"How many times did you go down there?" She asked.

Lorian stood there and considered it. How many indeed?

"Thirteen times." Alucard answered for her. He seemed smug.

Sir Hellsing rounded on him, coldly seething. She was intimidating. Even the Killer within the little Hellsing wanted to take a step away from the woman when she was like this. Her father actually did. Gab stared. It felt like the very air was going to turn to ice.

"That many!" She asked, outraged.

"She was a curious child. Persistent. I was bored." He said.

"You were suppose to be asleep, Alucard!" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I was, for a while, but the New Queen ordered that the Judas Priest and I were also supposed to be destroyed after said vampire was eliminated, but I was hidden in a surrogate household. We're both still here, aren't we?" He countered off-handedly.

Sir Hellsing sighed, annoyed. Lori watched her take her glasses off and rub the bridge of her nose before replacing them. It made the girl want to blink in utter surprise. Was that a sign of weakening?

"That's not the issue, Alucard. You disobeyed a direct order from your Master." She told him.

"I believe you discarded that title when you put me back to sleep." He replied, "After I woke up for the first time, I did not have to return to dream if I did not wish it."

"The first time?"

"Your son woke me. The cowardly bastard. He ran from the room when I tried to speak to him and never came back, but I'm sure you already knew about his character." He spoke airily, like he was talking about the weather. Lori did not dare to look at her father. She shifted her eyes to her teacher and tried to ignore his presence.

But then Alucard grinned wickedly.

"Though, by happy chance I was…justified. It was considerable fun chasing him about the house when the little hell cat disappeared, wouldn't you agree?" He asked, glancing briefly at her dad, who turned even whiter, if it was possible.

Lori stood a bit more rigid as his words passed over her. She could suddenly see him. Her father, the powerful scolding man she'd known all her life, quite clearly, running through the halls screaming and looking scared out of his mind. His eyes rolling with terror in their sockets as he tried to escape. It was so vivid that she looked at Alucard, irritated, at showing her something like that.

Even if it did make her feel good for all the instances he had sighed and made some hinting comment as to being a failure.

It was still wrong.

Sir Hellsing just let out a soft groan of annoyance and looked at him. She ignored her son, ignored Gab, and ignored everyone but Alucard standing in front of her. He was the hardest to handle out of all of them. Lori understood completely.

"So how long have you been awake?"

"About twenty years. I believe you told me I couldn't leave that room without permission or a new master. Which ever came first, your orders were."

Did he sound angry? Lori considered what he had just said. Being locked in a room with nothing to do for twenty years? Slowly starving and maybe slowly being driven into insanity? Yes, she could understand being angry.

"Yes, I remember." Sir Hellsing replied.

Her voice was notably softer. Sad? Lori wondered if she was making more of this than she should. Had her grandmother not been his Master before? Dad would've been if he had stuck around. Maybe even Gab if he did too.

But who kept coming? Felt the lingering need to come?

Like she was being called?

"You were stubborn with your fear." Alucard said, sparing her a moment. He had caught her thoughts. Or read them. Lori looked at him and couldn't keep a sheepish smile off her face. He sounded more annoyed than angry, which was a good sign.

"Not as stubborn as…" my father, she meant to finish, but instead closed her mouth.

He was standing right there, obviously, and that couldn't be uttered in front of him, even if he was considerably less menacing since she last saw him. The man before her seemed to be a shell of the man she had known before. It was in the way his blue eyes kept away from her and continually slide towards the vampire, not in strength but fear. The way he shifted and stood a bit in front of Gab, shielding him with his body, as if Alucard would suddenly fly at him.

Away from her.

It made her sad.

"No, you're just more curious." Alucard retorted. Lori looked at him. What could she say to that? It was the truth wasn't it? She'd never intended opening that door. It was happy chance that made Gab open it and lock her in.

Wasn't it?

"You made Gab throw me in." She told him, suddenly.

The frown came to her face first. There was no rage. It wasn't about him cheating again. Nor with anger at spending half the night wandering around in the dark, scared out of her mind; then utterly terrified when he finally did something about it. No. She frowned at the fact it had been Gabriel or her, and he picked her.

"Why?" She asked him.

He did not reply. He just gave her an irritated look. Lori continued to stare at him, wanting an answer. It didn't come from him. It never would. Instead, her grandmother spoke from next to her.

"Richard. Gabriel. Go back to the car."

Lori watched her brother nod to their grandmother and simply go without a word nor a backwards glance. Such was his nature, when it came to orders, even if he was busting with curiosity. Lori kept frowning after him. How could one such as him go so willingly and placidly?

Her father was a bit more difficult.

"If this has to do with my daughter, then I-" He started, again, but was cut off.

"If you persist, I will rip your tongue out, regardless of your relationship to my master." Alucard said, softly, almost amused.

Yet Lorian could see he was not amused. She could see his hair starting to rise up a bit. It could've been mistaken as a thing done by the evening wind, but the girl could see the shape of a dog in that lock of ebony hair and his eyes flashed in a way that was a bit too predatory for her taste. The way Seras shifted next to him was even worse. Lori took a step towards them, opening her mouth to protest, but her grandmother took care of it.

"She'll be fine, Richard. Go back to the car." Sir Hellsing said, not looking at him.

Lori watched her father hesitate. Almost willed him to fight against them, to prove her wrong of her suspicions. To show that he did love her enough to risk himself for her, as he would for Gab. But, as he backed away and turned, looking at the vampire with an uneasy look, never glancing at her, it seemed Gabriel would always be his favorite.

And she'd always be lacking.

Lori could begin to feel her eyes starting to mist. Three things occurred. A hand rested on her head for a moment, an ice cold touch, but it was brief. When she turned to her teacher, it was gone, and the draculina was giving her a sympathetic look, trying to show support. Alucard gave her no look. Then her grandmother interrupted the on coming tears.

"You're made of different things than your brother, Lorian." She said.

Her hands were nimble as they took out a silver cigar case and stuck one in her mouth. She removed a match from her pocket, scratched it aflame with her thumb, and let the flame stroke the end of it for a moment before taking a drag.

The girl shook her head, and knuckled the premature tears from her eyes. Mourning the fact that her father didn't want her would have to be done later. Right now, things had to be settled between the head of the house and her.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Lori retorted and yet, also confessed, getting exasperated, "You were supposed to pick him. I cheated. You saw me do it. Aren't you supposed to follow the rules?" Lori asked, wanting to slam her foot on the ground.

For a moment, her grandmother didn't say anything. She just continued to smoke her cigar, looking at peace, or as peaceful as she could ever manage. When her hands moved to her pocket and pulled out her own pistol, Lorian's hand already matched her draw. They both drew and pointed their guns at their targets.

Each other.

No hesitation. The Killer within was leaned forward, ready to pull the trigger of the gun, but waiting for the say so.

"Was that cheating?" Her grandmother asked coldly, but a smirk was on her face.

"T-that's different and you know it-" Lori started, but Sir Hellsing cut her off.

"No, it's not. Gabriel is use to set rules, but he can't function outside of them. He's a good boy, a bright boy, but he doesn't have the sense of direction or the resourcefulness you sometimes need in battle. A battle never has any set rules, Lorian. It's kill or be killed. When the fight is for your life, anything goes. You proved to me you understood that."

When she lowered her weapon, Lorian followed suit. Yet her expression was still uneasy. Lori still wanted to open her mouth and tell her that, no, it was a mistake. To hell with what you say! Sure, maybe, but that still didn't make her right for the job. Lorain didn't need to say these things because her grandmother just saw it, plain as day, on her face.

"Do you want to know what's wrong with you, Lorian? It's your confidence. You're scared. You're scared to try because you think you're going to fail, and when you fail, you give up. That's your problem. Not your mind. Not your physical strength. It's your soul. Your determination. If we work on that, you'll be fine."

Sir Hellsing didn't offer a smile or a hug or anything else a grandmother or a mother would give. That just wasn't her style. It wasn't in her nature. She spoke bluntly and openly. Lorian just looked at her, gun still in her hand and blood drops dry and hard on her face. Looked passed her and found something surprising.

Her confidence had changed.

She had changed.

There was a flash of herself, at the very beginning of this whole mess, trying not to cry because she was locked in a dark place, alone. Would she cry now? No. The dark was her friend now. Would she have been able to point a gun and fire it at a Ghoul if Alucard hadn't fought her first? Wasn't that less frightening than dealing with him?

Hadn't he been helping her, and changing her all along?

"It's late, Lorian." Was all her grandmother said. Impatient. Ready to be off and go home, but she spoke calmly as she started to turn away.

"I have to talk to the Vatican tomorrow about the Queen's orders. Maybe there's a way around this absurdity. I'll need a night's rest before fighting with those idiots. God, this is a mess."

"She'll come home after her nightly lesson." Alucard retorted. Sir Hellsing stopped and turned around. Glared at him.

"If I recall correctly, you don't make decisions."

"I do when it comes to my pupils." He retorted. And grinned when he got another smoldering glare, before she finally sighed.

"Fine, Alucard, just bring the Police girl with you. She's been reinstated. That way I at least won't have stay up and worry about my granddaughter getting her head blown off half the night." She retorted and walked away. Lori blinked; aware that was about as close as she'd ever get to saying, out load, that she worried for her.

Alucard simply turned his face back to Lorain.

His gaze was as it always was. Lori stared at it, not very surprised to feel like she was dreaming. Those scarlet eyes were one in the same, of course. Why it had taken her so long to realize was beyond her. It seemed obvious now. So what were the dreams really if they weren't dreams at all? Could they be thoug-?

"And your orders are, my Master?" He asked, shaking her own thoughts.