Disclaimer:
The characters from Hellsing do not belong to me, and I'm making nothing off of this scribble except a deep creative satisfaction. Opinions and feedback of all kind will be welcomed.
Chapter One:
Sir Integra looked over the report that had landed on her desk that morning and sighed. She had hoped that muscle bound Vatican fool had left the country, but her prayers weren't being answered today.
Anderson was still slinking around Ireland, looking for vampires, causing trouble.
She leaned back into her chair, took her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Is there any way we can get rid of him before Alucard finds out that he's still here?" she asked to the seemingly empty room.
"Unfortunately not." came the clipped reply.
Walter stepped out of the shadows, holding a tea tray. He deposited it on Integra's desk and stepped back, looking down at the woman who kept the kingdom safe.
"He already knows and if he wasn't still waiting for a replacement Joshua, he'd be all over you, trying to get you to let him out of the castle."
"What happened to his gun?" she asked, as she sipped from her teacup. "I didn't think anything could break that thing."
"It seems that in the skirmish, one of Anderson's blades caught the slide mechanism and grooved it quite badly. The movement is no longer smooth, and so he requested a replacement."
Integra smirked as she drank her tea. Only Walter would refer to that messy clash as a skirmish. He sounded so offended too. As the warm liquid soothed her headache, she considered the fact that this was the second weapon that Alucard had requisitioned in the last eighteen months.
"Perhaps our enemies are getting stronger Walter" she sighed. "They seem harder to kill."
"Or perhaps our resident killer is getting bored and so takes more and more risks." he replied tartly.
"You see right through me don't you?" drawled Alucard as he materialised through the study wall.
Walter looked down his nose at him and then retrieved the tray with an offended sniff.
"I'll go see what's keeping the amoury delivery." he said as he left the room.
"I don't suppose I could persuade you to leave Anderson alone?" asked Integra as she opened a draw and took out her cigars.
Alucard watched silently as she selected one, clipped the end and then and materialised a lighter from nowhere. Integra raised an eyebrow, leaned in and allowed the flame to wash over her cigar. Once lit, she leaned back and blew a cloud of fragrant smoke towards the ceiling.
"You haven't answered my question Alucard."
"Now why would I want to leave Anderson alone? When he can be such fun."
"Your fun is drawing unwanted attention to this organisation." she snapped. "We cannot take the risk that the public finds out about us."
"The public is too self absorbed to care." he retorted. "Wrapped up in their own little worlds, they don't believe that creatures like me even exist."
"Never the less," she insisted. "We need to take a little more care. We cannot afford to let innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire."
Alucard opened his mouth, about to make some flippant remark when Walter stepped back into the room.
"Your weapon will be delivered tomorrow Alucard, along with some new ammunition."
"Till tomorrow then." he intoned and sank through the floor before Integra could say anything else.
Both humans watched him leave and then Walter turned his head and said:
"I've bought Anderson 24 hours, I don't suppose you could persuade the Vatican to call him home?"
"I can try Walter." she sighed. "I can try."
Alucard blurred into existence on his chair, deep underneath the Hellsing castle. His lips twisted in a smirk as he replayed the conversation. As always, Walter was never far off the mark. He was bored, in a way that even his beloved master couldn't comprehend. It was so easy, killing the freaks that they sent him after. That was the reason that he had requested a weapon in the first place.
Had he wanted to, he could decimate his enemy by sheer force alone. But there was no fun in that, no risk. At least with a gun, he could make the killing last a little longer, make eternity just a little more interesting.
He had blamed his decision to offer Victoria undead life on boredom, but deep down he knew that wasn't the truth. He hadn't had a fledgling for years, centuries even. So what prompted him to make one little police girl into a vampire?
Perhaps it was a very human need to have someone around that depended on him, looked up to him, instead of looking down on him. But it wouldn't last – it never did.
She may have refused his blood in Ireland but eventually she would take it. She would separate herself from him and become a full vampire in her own right.
Oh, loyalty to the Hellsing organisation may keep her there, but the bond between fledgling and master would end. It was inevitable, and then he would be alone again, just kept for his ability to kill. His promises to Integra ensured his unswerving loyalty, but it was always going to be one sided.
"Alucard." he laughed in the darkness. "You sentimental old fool."