If she were human, the cold air would sting her body. Then again, if she were human, she wouldn't be out in the middle of the night travelling as mist. Seras concentrates hard, keeping the heavy blanket over her mind, just as it was before, when he couldn't feel her. 'Drinking your blood for a couple of nights does not give you the strength to practice vampiric powers Police Girl.' The mist frowns. 'I am not weak. I will not be his plaything.' The wisps of nothing that are Seras bristle with anger. She won't follow him blindly anymore. She is strong enough whether he believes it or not.
Seras' perception turns back to the Hellsing manor and she feels a strange pull in her chest. Part of her wants to stay, wants to be safe in her room where her Master left her. 'Master.' A breeze pushes her form forward and she turns back to the forest, her decision made.
"What do you mean you've lost contact." The vampire Consecro scowls at his comrade. "Just that. The temporary bond has been broken. Her Master discovered it I believe." Csont's eyes betray nothing as Consecro turns to pace. "What are we going to do? We have been waiting hundreds of years for one like her…" The shadow that is Csont replies. "There is nothing we can do but wait. I have asked her…" The vampire turns to glare into the darkness. "You won't get near her again. Not if her Master knows." He growls with frustration and turns, throwing a savage punch at an unsuspecting wall of the chamber. "Dammit, I'll go mad if I have to wait much longer. I think…" Csont cuts him off. "Yes. I agree, our Mistress is beginning to suspect."
A quiver runs through the mist that is Seras' form as she gazes at the building. If it looked forbidding before, it is downright sinister now. 'For once…' Her thoughts linger on the memory of his eyes. Three hundred years… To wait so long, to be so close. 'For once I will do what I think is right.' If her Master could hear her thoughts, she knows he would be laughing.
"Hush Consecro." The vampire turns to glare at his companion as he hisses, "What?" "We have company." Both figures shrink back into the shadows of the room, almost disappearing. They catch only the faintest impression of a being's approach. "Did you hear that?" Consecro's question is answered with a curt nod and he crouches, ready to strike at the intruder. Suddenly, a crystal voice rings timidly out. "Csont? Are you there?" "Wait!"
With a gasp Seras finds herself under attack, the solid body of a brunet vampire flying at her from the shadows. "What the bloody hell!" In a swift movement, she sidesteps him and finds herself facing off against a man who looks vaguely familiar. "Seras!" Easily distracted, as always, she turns to his voice. "Csont! I found you." The obvious pride on his face sparks a warm feeling in the fledgling's newly solidified stomach. "You did." He steps close and allows his eyes to rake over her, as if examining her for injury. She blushes under his ivy gaze. "I'm fine, but I thought I'd get lost…" An unpractised clearing of throat draws their attention back to the miffed brunet. Csont smiles at the obvious contempt on his face. "Seras, this is Consecro. My comrade in arms and one of the few vampires in this place." Csont's easy tone conveys his disregard for the strength of his colleague, but Seras finds herself unable to relax in his presence. There is something unsettling about the nosferatu, besides the murderous look that lurks beneath the surface. He bows stiffly to her and she finds herself at a loss for words. "Ah, hi." Staring at his face, she suddenly understands his familiarity. He was present at the mutilation of the ghoul/Hellsing soldier. The memory unsettles her and she finds herself avoiding the other vampire's gaze.
Csont's chuckle brings her out of it. "You are a timid one my dear." She blushes at the endearment but his face has already turned serious. "But if you are here then…?" Seras' hand rises habitually to her neck, fingertips brushing the place where is mark once was. "I…" The need to help him still burns inside her, but her Master's warnings will not allow her to offer assistance so easily. She straightens her back and fixes him with a level gaze. "I want to know why you marked me." Seras' eyes hold his intently and, although she hears the snicker Consecro emits, she does not turn instead, choosing to ignore the sound that reminds her far too much of the Hellsing soldiers. Csont's eyes darken at her question and she cannot shake the feeling that he has just mentally slapped his companion when the vampire's snicker is abruptly ended. "Seras…" His demeanour tenses and she is acutely aware of his every move. "I may be young, and inexperienced. But I will not be taken advantage of." Her expression is fierce and this time it is Csont that laughs. In a single gesture he sweeps forward and lifts her hand to his lips shattering her anger. "You are completely right to be upset young one. I should not have done such a thing." A strange look crosses his face. "Unfortunately, necessity breeds strange bedfellows. When I came across you, I could not allow you to walk away. You are…" His eyes flick up to rest on her ruby orbs. "unique. There is…" Without breaking eye contact, he brushes his lips across the back of her hand, inhaling her scent. "great strength in you Seras. Strength matched only by your spirit." A grin flicks across his facade as the midian before him suppresses a tremor. Her heart beats hard in her chest. "Do you still want my help?"
The smell of blood wakes the slumbering ancient. "Sleeping in your chair again Alucard? You are distracted." With a chuckle, he raises his face to meet the butler's eyes. "You presume to know me too well Angel of Death." A dangerous smirk splits the vampire's face. "It's a good thing you brought me a meal, otherwise I might not be feeling so lenient. You of all mortals should be aware of the consequences of waking a sleeping vampire." The aging retainer backs down with a smirk and a bow. "My apologies Alucard."
Contentment floods the immortal as he pierces the satchel of crimson. Perhaps smugness is a better way of describing it. Standing, he suckles the plastic, too satisfied to hate the cold, congealed muck Hellsing calls blood. Walking across the room, Alucard pauses and sniffs the air. With a growl, he reaches out his senses. "Dammit." A portal opens before him and he steps through it, heading to his Master's office. He refuses to wonder how she has masked her absence without the other's help. A grin curls his lips as he slips from the darkness to find a sleeping Integra, leaning awkwardly against her desk. "Perhaps she was not such a mistake after all."
The slab is hard and shivers run through Seras' body. They are not shivers of cold though. Her hands are tied tightly down by her sides and her ankles are similarly restrained. She instinctively tests the bonds. "You have my apologies Seras." Her eyes are drawn to Csont's face. "It must look real." She swallows hard and nods, not trusting herself to speak. The room is stifling with the aura of pain. It is the same room in which she witnessed the grotesque demise of the ghoul. Csont's hand on her shoulder quietens her. "It is necessary Seras." There is regret in his eyes and she reminds herself that she is helping them. We cannot gain our freedom unless our sire grants it willingly or is destroyed. Suddenly, she feels as if she should be comforting him. "I…" 'Police Girl. Where are you?' Her Master's baritone sends a jolt through her body, even though his tone is not angry rather, bemused. "Are you alright little one?" She forces herself to meet his eyes. There is no turning back now. "Yes. Just, get it over with quickly, please." Shutting her eyes, she concentrates on fighting her Master's mental intrusion. Anything to avoid looking at the wicked syringe gleaming in Consecro's grasp.
cringe I'm sorry it's been so long between updates. I am afraid that the last few chapters were on a bit of a writing binge. That's how it is in the middle of the story though. We're near the end now however… one, maybe two more chapters to go. I like the idea of ending it on the thirteenth chapter, it kind of suits Hellsing in a way. I have missed seeing emails in my inbox though, so I shall try never to be so neglectful to a story again.
Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Hellsing or it's associated trademarks.