The turn of the century could be counted down to on one hand on this particular day. It had been approximately seven years since the disappearance of Ciel Phantomhive, and his fiancee had just become twenty-one years of age. It seemed like ages since she wore any colour other than black as a result.

Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford sat in the upper-class passenger car of a train heading en route to London. She was heading home from the estate of a friend who had recently gotten married and moved away. While she was happy for her friend, she was also sad for herself. At this point, she was certain that she would become a spinster, and if that were to happen, she hadn't the faintest idea as to what she would do. Lamenting this, she stared out the window and watched the scenery pass and let out the occasional sigh.

She hadn't thought of marrying any man who was not Ciel Phantomhive, since the young Earl's assumed death years ago. Granted, she did have suitors who hoped for her hand, given her status and appearance. With golden locks of hair, emerald eyes, fair skin, and a face that was easy on the eyes, she was naturally popular. However, despite the amount of men who had hoped to become her future husband, she had refused to even humour a single one. Still, while she had standards, she was also a tad lonely.

"Cheer up, Lady Elizabeth." spoke Paula, her maid. The older woman had been by her side since she was a child, and was sent to accompany her on her journey, as she had refused any other escort. "It's not the end of the world. You'll still see her from time to time, I'm sure of it!"

"That's debatable, but the odds are not in my favour." the Midford replied, never breaking her gaze from the world beyond the train car. "Married women seldom leave the house, and she's far enough away that it's a big trip to go visit. She may never be seen again."

"My lady..." Paula began in an attempt to come up with something to say.

While Elizabeth was no longer wearing mourning colours, she still wore mostly blue and it reflected her attitude, somewhat. She had become more serious and cynical over the years, but that was to be expected. When Ciel vanished, he took her purpose and part of her very identity with her. Now she had nothing. Although she was getting better, getting past this was going to be a major feat.

The car was quiet aside from the occasional chatter from the other riders. They gossiped on about whatever it is that interests the wealthy, and while ordinarily, she would have loved to eavesdrop, but this time she refrained. She was simply in no mood. The only time her interest was piqued was when they mentioned a certain peculiar fellow on the train.

"Who is that man?" one of them asked. "Why is he in the first class car? Look at him! He's filthy!"

It was true. Toward the back of the car was a man in a long, black, coat that was torn and slathered with mud. He obviously had no regard for the rules of society, as he was still wearing his hat while inside. It was pulled down over his face and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully while slouching in his seat. Elizabeth had noticed him when she got on the train, but decided not to judge. She found it awful, how those people were talking badly about that man, but said nothing. What could she say? There would be consequences for speaking up as well, and Elizabeth was not certain that she wanted to mess with it.

Time passed, and the train ride was normal. Everything was going according to plan so far. The train was heading to London at just the right speed and there were no obstacles in sight to stop them. It was night, but they were expected to arrive by morning. That is what the conductor told them approximately an hour ago when complained to by some crotchety nobleman in the car before leaving again. This heightened the surprise when the train began to slow down.

Looking outside the window, Elizabeth could see the scenery passing by slower and slower. The car was close enough to the front of the train that she could even make out the sight of light from the sparks emitted by the brakes being hit with haste.

"Paula, hold on!" she instructed, snapping her maid to attention before gripping her seat and tensing her muscles. The abrupt stop caused some passengers to lurch forward and even fall out of their seats. Luggage was displaced and hit people as it bounced around. Poor Paula was one of those who fell in the floor, but her mistress held out a hand to her and helped her back to her feet as soon as the train was at a complete stop.

"What happened?" questioned the maid while rubbing her eye. "That was a most terrible awakening..."

"The train has stopped." Elizabeth answered, looking around carefully. She scanned the room to see that most of the passengers were just as confused as she was, all but the man in the muddy coat who sat in the back. He had lifted his hat briefly to look around, but soon reclined in his seat once more.

Curious, the Midford looked outside her window, but could see nothing but blackness. She did hear a faint sound coming from the darkness, but could not isolate it from the bickering of those to her back. Something was definitely wrong, though. She could feel it. There was talk from the others of the likeliness of a malfunction in the train's machinery, which was entirely plausible. There was also talk of highwaymen and murderers as well. One man insisted that it was an assassination plot targeted at him in particular, but others brushed him off by calling him arrogant. Elizabeth, meanwhile, wasn't sure what it meant. She did know, however, that she would find out very soon, and turned her head to look at the door that lead to the front of the train.

She waited, drowning out the noise around her as she honed in on that door. Brows furrowed together slightly in concentration. Something was wrong. It was very, very wrong. If something was wrong with the machinery, someone would have come through and informed them of a delay. The minutes crawled by like years as she waited, but there was nothing. There was no news. If only those around her would be quiet, then she could hear what was happening on the other side. She would have heard the screams that persisted for several minutes before being rendered silent, and the distant groans that drew ever closer.

"Lady Elizabeth?" called Paula, trying to snap the blonde to attention. A look of concern crossed the maids features as she witness the growing fear that persisted on her mistress' visage. Elizabeth knew something was coming. What she didn't know was what. Instinctively, Elizabeth held out an arm between Paula and the door to stifle any attempt to draw closer.

It was wise. Soon, the banging came. What sounded like fists struck the door, drawing the attention of the passengers. It was slow, but soon it started up again. At first, Elizabeth suspected that it was a single person striking the door, but the overlap indicated that it was multiple persons. Each one hit and then slowly drew back before hitting again. Everyone had stopped talking at this point. Now they could hear the moaning and groaning of many people on the other side.

"What is that?" demanded one of the passengers, causing the others to whisper. The banging grew louder, and louder, and louder, and louder; making the aristocrats' hearts sink and tremble. Elizabeth, was no exception. She stood with the others, gripped with fear as the door began to give way.

Trough the gaps, fingers slipped through and tried to reach inside of the train car. Some were pale, while others were grey, green with mold, red with mangle, or riddled with rot. The sound entered the car first, becoming louder than before. It was shortly followed by the stench of a cadaver; or rather, it was several. As the door gave way more, glowing eyes could be seen peeking through the gap between the door and the gaps between the fingers and hands. After that, it was not long before the door gave away completely.

Suddenly, the car was filled with the deafening sound of people screaming all at once. Elizabeth's eyes widened as she bore witness to the sight of what could only be described as walking corpses making their way through the door. They were slow, but there were many. Immediately, they started grasping for anyone they could reach. While some scurried away and joined the others as they huddled toward the back of the train, some were not so lucky and were pulled in by the mob.

More screaming ensued as those unfortunate souls were torn to shreds and devoured before everyone's very eyes. Tears stained cheeks and makeup ran, but no one could fathom what to do in this situation. Even Elizabeth was completely frozen from the shock of it all. Then, a single shot rang out, and blood sprayed from behind one of the creature's heads before it finally fell to the floor.

"I thought I was done with work…" sighed the man in the muddied coat. In his hand was a pistol with smoke pouring from the barrel. "Ah…. I'm completely knackered…"

Elizabeth's attention fell to the man as he stepped between the humans on the train and the monsters. Finally, he decided to take off his hat and show his face. He was a young man in his early twenties and held himself with a certain conviction that could only be described as playfully heroic. His strawberry blonde hair was slicked back at some point, but his hat had disheveled it, and his vibrant blue eyes seemed tired. Seeing as though he was sleeping for most of the ride and seemed as though he had been through something terrible recently, that was understandable. Aiming his gun, he took a deep breath and began to fire, taking out as many of the creatures as he could as they filed in.

"It would be in your best interest to reinforce the door." he called out to the people behind them. "They can still get in through there."

Before the people could panic, Elizabeth grabbed her seat before yelling: "Use the furniture to barricade the door!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" shouted one of the passengers, turning their back to her and reaching for the door. "I'm getting out of here!" They didn't get the chance, however, as a bullet whizzed by their face, just grazing their cheek.

"Open that door and everyone dies." warned the mysterious man. His tone was suddenly very grave, and his expression was not that of a person who was just complaining about having their nap interrupted. "That includes you. You try to open that door, and I'll kill you myself."

Silence fell as the noblemen and women were in a state of shock and horror. It didn't matter, however, as the man simply kept shooting. They were only brought back to reality as Elizabeth and Paula attempted to shove one of the heavy seats past them to block the door.

"Everyone move something! Don't let anymore in!" ordered the Midford. Her voice shook the room and rallied it's inhabitants into action. They began moving the seats, tables, and anything else they could get their hands on. Elizabeth's eyes, however, fell on a particular wall decoration.

"Paula! Keep everyone attending to the barricade!" she instructed before making her way across the room. Before her maid could answer her, she was already elsewhere.

Like a flash, Elizabeth's hand bolted up to grab a sword from a wooden display that attached it to the wall. It was a needless decoration, but would indeed prove useful, as the man who was keeping back the monstrosities had to reload. Time was of the essence. She reached the handle of the sword and pulled it down, taking the display holder with it.

She couldn't help but stare at it for a moment before attempting to shake the weapon free. It was of no use, however. The sword was stuck fast. Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she heard groaning growing closer immediately to her side. Looking up, she could see hands outstretched to grab her. Without thought or even the slightest bit of hesitation, she swung her arm.

Now, the Midford was no novice with the sword. Her speed, her power, and her skills were all that of a champion fighter. She could only be described as a "genius", which is what most who knew of her talent and skill referred to her as. Even with the large, clumsy hunk of wood attached to the blade, she still managed to striker her foe. Not only that, the force of her swing was enough to shatter the display into tiny pieces, thus freeing the sword!

The blow knocked the enemy to the side, allowing her to strike it right in the forehead with the blade. Witnessing this, the onlookers could only stand and stare in awe, including the man who was previously considered their only offense. Whistling a hollow note, the man stood with raised eyebrows as he watched the woman. Immediately, she wanted to leap into action, but the man had other plans.

"Oi! You, there!" he called out, capturing Elizabeth's attention. She had no time to be offended by the way he addressed her, as there were more pressing matters at hand. "The case by my seat!" he said, pointing at a case that appeared to have held a large string instrument. When the woman rushed over to it and opened it to see what was inside, he added: "Pick one and use it!"

Inside the case were weapons. There was a rifle, an axe, and even a mace, but the one that caught the blonde's attention was the cutlass with the odd inscription and guard. Without a moment to spare, she picked it up as the bullets continued to fly, and she herself flew.

When the man missed creatures that then proceeded to get too close, Elizabeth dispatched them in the blink of an eye. She even got some that were further off, trusting that the man would miss her with his bullets. He did.

The pair, having just met and did not even know one another's name, moved with precision as though they had rehearsed beforehand. When the man seemed to get tired, Elizabeth took over primary offense, and when Elizabeth tired, the man did the same for her. No one really knew how much time had passed. It seemed like hours at some points, but seemed like mere moments at others. The bodies piled up fast, and soon, it appeared as though the exhausted pair had dispatched an entire army.

Sweat mixed with blood as it dripped from Elizabeth's forehead as she hunched over to catch her breath. She leaned on the sword and panted as it began to feel like she could swing it no more. Everything had died down, now. The car was silent other than the sounds of exhaustion and fear could be heard. The passengers continued to be silent, aside from the sobbing and the occasional hiccup, while their defenders took the moment of peace to rest, even if it was only for a moment.

"You're good..." huffed the man as he tried his best to put air into his lungs.

"Thank you..." the woman managed to reply. It was a struggle, as her situation was similar. "You are… as well..."

"You wouldn't…. happen to have a… a name, would you?" questioned the other, looking her way.

"Elizabeth… Lady Elizabeth… Midford..." she answered, swallowing. "Daughter of… Marquis Alexis-Deon Midford…. And… Francis Midford..."

"Well… Lady Midford..." the man began, "I don't mean to… To alarm you… But… You've got some blood on you..."

"It's not mine..." Elizabeth stated, although she did make an attempt to wipe her cheek with her already sullied sleeve.

"Good..." her compatriot replied. "That's good to hear… It would be a shame if you were injured… Then you couldn't hold your sword..."

"It's yours." reminded the woman, glancing over at the tired man. "Is this why… your coat was dirty?"

"Yes… It was clean when I arrived at my first stop."

"I see..." nodded Elizabeth, able to see that. "You still haven't… haven't told me your name."

"It's Isaac..." the man panted. "Isaac Hellsing…"

"I take it this is a mundane thing for you, Mister Hellsing?"

"For the most part." Isaac sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment and stretched. His muscles complained as he did, prompting him to grunt in discomfort. Clearing his throat, he continued. "They should be mostly gone by dawn. The problem is their master, though... I don't think I have the energy to take him out. He shouldn't come out in the day time, however…"

"What are those things?"

"Ghouls." the man answered, opening his eyes again. "They're what happens when a vampire drinks the blood from a human being."

"Vampires?" questioned the woman. "Well… from what I've seen, that's not too wild..."

Dawn eventually came, and another train had come across the wreckage. The ghouls were completely gone, and many of the passengers of the train were dead. A few cars managed to keep themselves safe by working together at the start and sealing themselves inside. Those who were left were offered a ride to London after authorities and interviewed those who were able. While she and her maid survived and were given transportation back to the city, however, Elizabeth was not entirely pleased.

Her dress was absolutely ruined, and she had no choice but to wear mens' clothes. Isaac had graciously offered her some of the clothes from his luggage so that she would not have to endure the entire ride home covered in the blood of the undead. She did appreciate his kindness, however, and sat with him and conversed the entire way.

They talked about themselves and listened the same amount. Isaac was immensely interested in Elizabeth's skills with the sword, asking her how she honed the ability and encouraging her continued practice. He even cracked a few self-depreciating jokes about his ineptness with the weapon. He was odd, but he was humble. He also told the woman about his family and in turn, she discussed her own. It was due to her status, however, that he entrusted her with a secret.

Isaac told her about his family's work. They were freshly appointed by the queen after their skills were recognized. They were known as Her Royal England Legions of Legitimate Supernatural and Immortal Night Guard. The man claimed to have come up with the acronym himself for his family's name. For a man who guarded such a secret, he certainly was trusting of the woman. When this was pointed out, however, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Even so, I haven't told you anything that would be dangerous." he said. "If you went around telling people about a family of monster hunters, who would believe you? You would be accused of hysteria and locked away!"

It was true, however, and Elizabeth knew it. The story was too unbelievable. No one in their right mind would believe that. It was something that could only exist in the wildest of novels. Even still, she wasn't sure if she wanted it to end.

She was smiling genuinely as she spoke with the man. Her mood had improved and her maid could see it. Paula was impressed at how quickly the Midford had gotten along with the man, but Isaac was no ordinary man. He spoke with her as he would a dignified comrade, and she was. She had helped him vanquish a slew of ghouls, after all. He took deep interest in her sword, but spoke of many other things as well. He spoke of his quests and of things he knew and had seen. Not all of them were particularly exciting either. Some of it was ordinary, like something odd he found in a shop in Wales. The man was not so self-centered as to occupy the entire conversation, however. He took genuine interest in what she had to discuss as well. Elizabeth spoke of her sword and the many practise duels she had been in. She spoke of mundane things as well, expressing interest in embroidery and showing the man a handkerchief she had stitched her initials onto. To her surprise, the man held on to every word, and asked questions as well.

Obviously, she was dealing with quite the gentleman, despite his brashness. The man even saw her off at the station when her family came to retrieve her. They were worried sick because she did not come home, and immediately wanted to shield her from view due to her attire. She did not immediately go with them, however, and asked to have directions to the Hellsing estate so that she could return the garments. Gladly, the man wrote them down for her with a smile, but perplexed her when he refused to take back his sword.

"I have no use for it." he said, placing a hand on top of the weapon's sheath and pushing it back toward her. "My skills in the sword are amateur, at best. Besides, it may one day be of use to you, Lady Elizabeth, and if that day were to come, you would certainly need it!"

"Are you certain?" Elizabeth questioned. "It is an exquisitely made sword..."

"Take it as a token of my gratitude." Isaac replied with a bright smile. "You helped me out, back there. I would have probably died without your assistance, and for that, I owe you a lot more than a sword."

Pausing, Elizabeth took a moment to think about this. In truth, she wasn't sure if she wanted this to be "goodbye" just yet. There was adventure to be had. She didn't want to go home and return to her life as a woman with nothing to do but embroider and await being married off to some nobleman.

"Very well..." she said. "I accept. However, I will be returning your clothes to you. They really don't suit me."

"I beg to differ!" the man said, placing a hand on his hip. "You were beautiful in that dress, and you are beautiful now. Your clothes do not affect your true face or character. Even still, from the sounds of things, you are a fighter at heart; not a decoration." With a bow, Isaac lowered his head before tilting it to peek up at the woman.

"I look forward to your visit, milady." he added, smiling with both his mouth and his eyes. Their gaze met directly, prompting the Midford to pause momentarily, but once it passed, she smiled back.

"If you ever wish to improve your swordsmanship, feel free to stop by the Midford estate." she said, and Isaac stood up straight.

"I would love to." the man said. "I will write you in advance."

The pair did not yet know it, but this was the first of many adventures they would share together. Whether it be dealing with a supernatural threat, or winning over the approval of the woman's parents, the pair would be busy. They would be happy, too. They would fall in love and build a legacy together that would last several lifetimes.


A/N: This chapter was originally intended to depict more, but It got very late last night... I could have uploaded it then, but I didn't want to do character shet. That's why it's late. I'm sorry.

This only shows their first meeting, so there's actually a lot more to this story! For now, y'all are just going to have to imagine it, probably, since I want to get back to present day...

This was just kind of a "hey, here's something that happened" sort of thing, I guess? Hmmm...

I actually don't like the ending to this chapter. The original sequence of events was more interesting, but that would have turned into it's own minific.

Maybe I'll do more with them someday. I certainly hope so! This is insufficient.

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!


CHARACTER SHET

Question: "Sebastian do you think YOU will ever find what Ciel and Alois have? Ciel and Alois up for a game of match maker?" by Tazmania

Sebastian: "No. I can't say I'm interested, either."

Alois: "I don't think that's a good idea. I think doing that would just annoy him. Irritating the guy who puts up with all of your shit is never a good idea..."

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Question: "What's Cameron been up to?" by Guest

Cameron: "Oh, just ordinary stuff. Trying to get a degree in biology. I'm worried that rugby is starting to get in the way, though, so I'm going to have to do something about that soon... The weirdest thing I did recently was clean green slime off of my ceiling. That's just one of those things about having a boyfriend who's a sorcerer. My hands glowed for a while and my tongue was spotty, but it wore off pretty quick."

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Question "To Elizabeth: Have you ever tried looking for Isaac in the afterlife?" by marleyrockstar

Elizabeth: "No. It just doesn't seem worth the time. It could be hundreds of years until he even resurfaces, after all! If I searched for him and found him, he would probably wonder why I wasn't spending the time for myself or bettering humanity. Besides, when he does come back, he's probably going to search for H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. Staying here will only increase my chances of finding him again. That said, I do miss him. I wonder if he would still love me, though. I'm sure I've changed since we last met, so I wonder..."