Good evening,

I hope you guys enjoy.

Oxford Not Brogues

Chapter Ten

Seras walked into Malphas' room holding Vlad's hand. The little vampire's knees were all bandaged up and there was a bandaid on his chin. Despite his injuries, the child looked very happy that his mother tended to his wounds and kissed his boo-boos. Alucard and Sebastian, on the other hand, were displeased that Seras folded and gave him the attention he sought by purposely hurting himself. What kind of parenting technique was that? Though, they refrained from saying any of this out loud, nor did they plan on ever bringing up their displeasure in the matter in front of her. Seras has done just fine raising their children on her own these last seven years. The men could only hope that Seras would involve them in parenting their children, otherwise, how were they supposed to be able to maintain a healthy relationship with Seras and their children?

"Malphas, Vlad, why don't you both go back outside, but be careful this time. Vlad, don't injure yourself on purpose again or you'll be grounded." Seras lectured her son. The little vampire latched onto her arm and gently pulled.

"Aren't you going to come out and play with us, Mum?" Vlad asked while he gave her a small, hopeful smile. "We would really like it if you did."

"Your fathers and I still need to talk." The Draculina reminded him. "Perhaps after our conversation, we'll come out and play with you." The smile vanished from Vlad's face. "Unless it's serious, don't interrupt us again."

"Got it!" Malphas exclaimed as he gave her a thumbs up. The little demon then ran over to his brother to grab him by the sleeve of his shirt. "Let's go, Vlad! And this time don't catch the ball with your hands! That's not allowed!" Vlad gripped her hand even tighter as he ignored his hyper brother.

"Go," Seras gently demanded when the little vampire refused to budge from his spot. Aggravation simmered in the boy's eyes before he released her hand.

"Fine," Vlad grumbled and he followed his brother out of the room.

"What's wrong with Vlad?" Sebastian asked, having noticed the child's negative behavior.

"I'm not entirely sure." Seras admitted with a shrug. Sighing, the mother glanced over her shoulder to watch her sons. The little demon happily ran down the stairs while her other son practically stomped his way down them. "I know that you both don't know your sons very well, but this is very unusual behavior for Vlad. He's never acted this way before."

"I think it's obvious." Alucard responded, earning his bride's attention once more. "He's jealous. All of your attention is on us instead of him." Uncertain by that little theory, Seras' brows furrowed together and she frowned.

"That would explain that glare he threw at us earlier." The demon muttered as he thought about it.

"No," She disagreed with him. "Vlad loves you both. Why would he…"

"I don't doubt that he loves us." Alucard corrected her. "But Vlad and Malphas both have been relying solely on you for the past seven years. You gave them all the love, attention, and comfort they needed. But now, with us entering the picture, their time with you will be diminished. They will have to learn how to share."

"Malphas doesn't seem to mind." Sebastian noted with a smirk. "He seems to like the extra attention. But Vlad, on the other hand, doesn't seem to know how to handle us being here physically. And because he's uncomfortable with this new setting, he's seeking more attention from you."

"There's a possibility he fears that things will change around here. Maybe he's concerned that you won't have enough time for him and his brother." Alucard considered.

"I guess…that would explain why he acted out and got himself hurt." Seras muttered. She didn't like at all what Alucard and Sebastian were implying, but she couldn't deny that what they said made complete sense.

"Instead of playing outside with them, you were with us talking in private." Sebastian agreed with a nod. "He probably felt like he was being ignored or neglected." Their bride once more glanced over her shoulder with a look of concern on her face.

"Don't let this bother you, Seras." Alucard attempted to soothe her. "You are not ignoring nor are you neglecting your children. They both need to learn that you are not just their mother but your own person. You will need time for yourself and time with your mates. Your job isn't to serve or dote on your sons every waking moment."

"But I like spending time with my sons." Seras responded as she looked back at her mates.

"Yes, there's nothing wrong with that. But are you telling us that you spend every minute you're awake with them?" Sebastian asked, causing the Draculina to frown.

"Well…" The small blonde muttered as she carefully thought about it. She already knew the answer, however, but hesitated giving it. But, unfortunately, she was an open book to her mates, and always will be.

"Seras," Sebastian sighed. "Do you ever have some time alone to recharge?" They were unsure if she was trying to escape this conversation or not, but Seras turned and walked out of the room. Naturally, the males followed after their short mate.

"Sometimes in the morning." Their bride answered with a shrug. Unable to even look at them, she kept her eyes glued to the floor as she walked all the way to her room.

"We're not discouraging you from spending time with your sons, Seras. But you should take some time for yourself every so often. I'm sure there are times you want to read or watch a film, but are unable to because your sons want to do something else or demand your attention. There is nothing wrong with telling them 'no'. It won't damage your relationship with them." The demon proceeded to assure her. He closed the door behind them to give them a bit more privacy. They certainly didn't want their children walking in on what they were about to do.

"You did well earlier by telling them not to interrupt unless it's important." Alucard reminded her. "You need to maintain a firm hand like that." Turning to face them, the Draculina met their gazes. She stared at them for a moment or two before giving them a soft smile. Much to their pleasure, she looked a little more at ease.

"I'll try." Seras responded with a small nod. "Thankfully, I won't be doing this alone anymore. I got you both to back me up."

"Really?" The demon asked, looking a little surprised to hear this. "Are you allowing us to father them?" The smile fell from Seras' face then. She looked a little perturbed by what he said.

"Oh, no." Their mate whispered before she cupped her face and dropped her gaze. "Did I misunderstand? Are you guys not staying?" Before they could say anything, she quickly looked back up at them. "I understand if you guys chose not to stay. What I did was awful!"

"Seras," Sebastian snickered while he shook his head at her. "Of course we're staying."

"You are?!" Seras responded as relief flashed in her eyes. "Really?!"

"Really," Alucard confirmed while chuckling.

"Then…why did you think I would be against you parenting our children?" Their mate questioned. "You guys are their fathers." She reminded them with a shrug.

"We were unsure if you would feel comfortable allowing us to reprimand them if they did something wrong. After all, you're used to doing this solo." Sebastian explained.

"Please, don't worry about that." Seras replied while she shook her head and hands at them. "Don't be afraid to parent our children with me or to reprimand or punish them if they are misbehaving. I just don't agree with hitting a child or belittling them in any way."

"Very well." Sebastian agreed. "We can abide by that."

"Alucard?" Their little mate muttered awkwardly as she glanced up at her former master.

"I may have violent tendencies, Police Girl, but I can assure you that I don't think it's appropriate to abuse a child in any way." Alucard promised her. "Though, if one of them were to curse me out, I don't know if I would be able to stop myself from at least smacking him on the mouth." He admitted with a subtle grin on his lips.

"Well, depending on what is said and how hard you hit, I might be alright with that one." Seras responded with a shrug. "But I don't think Vlad and Malphas would ever do that. They may be hellions, but they are respectful." Respectful? Alucard snickered while remembering the way his son glared at him earlier. "So, do you guys still want answers?" She asked as she casually brushed her hair to the side to expose her neck to them. They couldn't ignore that twinkle of arousal in her stunning eyes. She hungered to feel their fangs in her throat, didn't she? Alucard and Sebastian smirked in unison.

Vlad and Malphas sat under the tall oak tree with Pandora. The little demon, bored out of his skull, rolled the ball around in front of him while he waited impatiently for his brother to join him in a fun game. Sighing, Malphy glanced over at his twin to see the little vampire was angrily tearing off the bandages his mother so carefully taped onto his knees. The boy's wounds were fully healed, showing that the bandages were completely useless in the first place.

"What are you doing?" Malphas asked with furrowed brows. "Mum just did that." Throwing a glare at his intrusive twin, Vlad tore the bandaid off of his healed chin. "I don't get you, Vlad." The little demon muttered while shaking his head. He lowered his gaze to stare at the ball he proceeded to roll back and forth. "You hurt yourself because you wanted attention, Mum gives you the attention, and then you throw another fit and undo all of her work?"

"Screw them!" Vlad exclaimed while baring his fangs. Tears welled up in the boy's eyes before he hugged his legs to his chest. Instead of crying, however, he chose to pout. He glowered at the ground while he stewed in his anger. After hearing what his brother said, Malphas gasped.

"You're not allowed to say things like that!" The little demon reminded his brother in a whisper.

"I don't care!" The little vampire snarled angrily and he subconsciously dug his fingers hard into his legs. "I wish that they would just go away!"

"What are you talking about, Vlad?" Malphy asked. Tears were starting to develop in the young demon's eyes while he blinked at his resentful brother. "You don't mean…our dads, do you?" When Vlad refused to answer, he continued. "They just got here. We've been…waiting so long for them to come home. Why do…Why do you want them to go away?" Tears trailed down Malphy's cheeks. "I don't want them to go away." His emotions got the better of him. Before he even really knew it, he was crying uncontrollably. Stunned to hear his brother sobbing, Vlad lifted his head to look at him. All that anger disappeared when seeing the tears that ran down his twin's face.

"Malphy," The little vampire whispered, looking wounded for putting his brother through this.

"Why do you want that, Vlad?" His twin asked through heavy sobs. "Why?" The little demon then shook his head. "I don't w-want th-them to go a-away! I don't wa-want them t-to l-l-leave us a-again!" Instinctively, Vlad lunged forward to wrap his arms around his brother.

"I'm sorry," The little vampire whispered as he fought back his own tears. There was a lump in his throat that he just couldn't swallow down. He hugged his brother even tighter, doing his best to calm him. "I'm sorry, Malphy." Malphas automatically wrapped his arms around Vlad and hugged him back as he cried on his shoulder.

"I don't want them to leave, Vlad. I don't." The young demon cried. "And what about Mum? Do you hate her too? Do you want her to leave?"

"No!" Vlad exclaimed. "I don't hate her. I don't want her to leave."

"Mum wants our dads here too." Malphas reminded him. "She missed them too. Don't you remember? She told us that. She was so heartbroken." The young vampire couldn't help but wonder if their mum would leave with Alucard and Sebastian if Vlad said anything to them. Would she leave him and Malphas behind to be with their fathers? Would she be too heartbroken to part from her mates again? The thought definitely stung the child. Vlad didn't want his mum to leave. He didn't want any of his parents to leave him ever again. "They can't leave again, Vlad. It would hurt Mum and it would hurt me too." Clutching his brother in a tight hug, the demon pleaded to him. "Please don't tell them to leave, Vlad. We don't want them to leave. Please don't make them."

"It would hurt me too." Vlad whispered. In hope to get his brother to stop crying, the little vampire pulled out of their hug to meet his gaze. Forcing a smile onto his face, despite him wanting to cry with his brother, Vlad proposed an idea. "Come on, Malphy. Let's go play some more football. And I promise I won't use my hands this time." His twin used the sleeve of his cardigan to wipe his tears away.

"You promise?" Malphy asked.

"I absolutely promise." The little vampire swore.

"And you won't purposely hurt yourself or break another one of Mum's flower pots?" The little demon added.

"I swear!" Vlad announced as he placed a hand on his heart. The smile on his face became genuine as it grew. "Winner gets to plan what we do for the rest of the night." The boy added, fully intending to let his twin win in order to help cheer him up. This took an immediate effect. The little demon's eyes practically sparkled as a large smile swept across his face.

"Promise, Vlad? Winner gets to plan anything?" Malphas asked while he held out his pinky to his twin.

"Anything!" Vlad agreed as he latched his pinky with his brother's to seal the deal.

"I am so going to kick your butt!" The little demon laughed before he jumped to his feet.

Alucard sat criss-crossed on top of Seras' bed with his little mate sitting on top of his lap. He had his arms wrapped around her as she consumed a second blood bag. They needed to be sure she was replenished before they took any more blood from her. The elder vampire purred while he distractingly brushed his lips over the back of her neck and playfully kissed her throat. It sent pleasant shivers up and down his bride's spine, but she mostly ignored him as she fed.

"Better?" Sebastian asked when she finished the second bag. Seras nodded her head while licking over her lips.

"Better," She whispered and set the empty bag down on the bed beside them.

"Good," The demon breathed before he slinked closer towards her. Naturally, Seras leaned back against Alucard and parted her legs so Sebastian could settle between them. Relying on his knees to support him, the demon latched onto her thighs as he leaned in the rest of the way. "If you need blood at all during the process, don't be afraid to take some from me." He whispered as he moved his head even closer towards hers. Alucard tangled his fingers in her hair and gently pulled her head back in a sharp angle. A soft cry escaped the girl, but she didn't fight them. With her throat exposed to them, the males planted their fangs deep to unbury all of their unanswered questions; to see every little memory that influenced Seras to run from them.

1999

Alucard, Seras, and Sebastian were sent by the Hellsing Organization to investigate a house where people have mysteriously been disappearing into. Upon entering the house, the Police Girl was horrified to see a blood bath. In every room was at least a body or more. Blood soaked into the carpeting and got between the floorboards. Flies were buzzing around hectically and the stench was terrible. Seras, only being turned barely three nights ago, was unable to believe that she would ever get used to such things. Is this what the Hellsing Organization dealt with on a regular basis? She was astonished to find that her master and Sebastian weren't in the least bit concerned or bothered by the sight before them. They acted so nonchalant and cool, as if there wasn't a total massacre in front of them. Seras' stomach churned, but she fought back the need to vomit. Instead, she clenched her rifle and focused on breathing through her mouth so she wouldn't have to smell that horrid stench of death and decay. Minutes after entering the house, a male vampire attempted to ambush them all on his own. With a killer look in his eyes, he charged at Sebastian. The demon, completely unfazed by this blind attack, simply grabbed the man by his throat. The male vampire struggled in his hold. He gripped Sebastian's wrists tightly as his legs flailed.

"G-get b-back." The man choked on his words. "Tru-dy, n-n-no. R-r-run." But whoever he was trying to ward away didn't listen. Not even a second later, a woman attacked Alucard from behind. While baring her teeth and snarling like an animal, the woman thrusted her hand through Alucard's back and out his stomach. The No Life King barely reacted to this however. Not showing any signs of pain, or even caring for that matter, he simply glanced down at the hand that stuck out of his stomach. Without hesitance, he grabbed the woman by her hand and with ease he snapped her wrist. The woman hollered in pain. She attempted to pull her hand from his body, but Alucard refused. He kept a firm grip on her broken bones, squeezing it tighter and tighter just to hear her scream in pain. Tears ran down her pale face as she fought harder to escape. He snapped her arm the other way, causing the bones to break in multiple places. Another horrific scream left the woman who was in pain.

"T-Tr-Trudy!" The woman's mate cried out. Tears were in the male's eyes as he struggled to break free from the demon's chokehold. He bared his fangs and screamed, looking so feral. Seras could only stare at the couple in anguish. What Alucard and Sebastian were doing seemed quite cruel. Why not just put the couple out of their misery? Why torment them and make them suffer?

"St-stop," Seras begged her mentors. The grins vanished from Alucard and Sebastian's faces before they glanced down at the fledgling. They could see the tears in her eyes and knew that she was greatly disturbed by all of this.

"They must die, Draculina. It would be against Sir Integra's orders if we were to spare them." Alucard reminded her. His fledgling closed her eyes tightly as she gripped her rifle so hard that her hand started to shake.

"Fine!" She exclaimed. "But you don't need to play with them! Please, just kill them!" Alucard scoffed before he glanced back down at the hand that stuck out of his stomach.

"Must you take the fun out of everything?" The elder vampire questioned his student. "We get very little enjoyment out of life. The least you can do is let us have some fun as we blow off some steam." A grin then graced her master's lips. "Maybe if you participated you would actually understand."

"I would love to see that." Sebastian agreed in a deep, sensual purr as he eyed the girl from the corner of his eye. Such a spine tingling smirk was on his lips while he stared at her. "Break a few bones, rip into their flesh, I think you'll find it quite enjoyable, Miss. Victoria. Maybe even therapeutic." Seras shuddered at what the monsters wanted her to do. Finally, the woman managed to squirm her arm free. An insane look flickered in her master's eyes before he spun sharply to attack the female. Grabbing her by the shoulder, Alucard thrust his hand through her stomach. The woman stiffened in shock. Her body trembled and all she managed to get out were soft whines of pain.

"Trudy!" The male hollered before he ferociously started clawing at the demon's hand to try and get him to release his hold. "Trudy!" Alucard didn't stop there. In one swift motion, he clawed upwards. Organs started peeking out. Desperate to keep them contained, the woman used her shaking hands to try and push her organs back in where they belonged. The grin on her master's face widened before he willingly pulled his hand free and took a step back. The woman was in a complete and utter daze, but she still had some life left in her. Needing to escape, needing to continue to survive, the woman hobbled past Alucard. The elder vampire watched her, looking highly amused as she stumbled and slowly made her way out of the room.

"Police Girl," Alucard spoke, using a demanding tone. Automatically, the fledgling glanced up at her master to show that she was listening.

"Yes?" She answered.

"I'm feeling generous tonight." Her master snickered. He peeked at his fledgling over his shoulder. "Instead of leaving you to deal with the ghouls, how would you like to kill your first vampire?" Before she could respond, he proceeded. "She's injured, so she shouldn't be too difficult for you." Seras opened her mouth to give her honest opinion about the matter, but her master, already knowing her answer, refused to hear it. "Go, Police Girl. You wanted to end their suffering. I'm giving you the chance. Put her out of her misery. Kill her. If you don't, you'll be leaving her to us and we'll make sure to prolong her death." The little vampire gulped when her master gave her that ultimatum. She supposed the humane way would be to kill the woman herself.

"Yes, Sir." Seras whispered with a nod.

"Go," Alucard ordered once more as he turned to stare at the struggling male in the demon's hold. "We'll take care of her mate in the meantime." Reluctantly, the Police Girl left her mentors to deal with the other vampire. As soon as Seras left the foyer, she heard the sound of bones breaking before the man shrilled on the top of his lungs. Ignoring what the elder monsters were doing, the Draculina followed the fresh trail of blood. She cautiously stepped through the dining room. Holding her rifle up, she prepared for an attack that never came. Somewhere, she could hear the female vampire whimpering, groaning, and sobbing in pain. Slowly, Seras entered the kitchen. Taking a quick scan of the room, she found it empty. The trail of blood was getting larger, indicating that the woman was losing a great amount and would probably pass out or die soon.

"Shhhh," She heard the woman hush. Seras' eyes flickered to a partially open door near the pantry. "Shhhh, it…it's o-okay, b-baby. It's o-o-okay." And then Seras heard it. A soft sob that sounded from a child. Horror seeped into the fledgling's eyes and heart. A child? Here? No, she had to be mistaken! There couldn't be vampiric children…could there be? Hastily, the Draculina pulled open the door to the basement and peered down to find the stairs clear. Keeping her rifle up in case she was attacked, Seras started descending the stairs. With every creak, she heard the woman hush whoever she was speaking to and another sob from whatever creature was making that sound. The sound of crying tore at Seras' heartstrings, but she refused to believe that it was actually a child making that sound. There was no way! Reaching the bottom step, the fledgling turned to find two vampires by the boiler. The female vampire was balled up on the ground. Her hands were clutching her stomach, trying hard to keep all of her organs contained. There was a cloudy look over her eyes, showing that she was slipping away.

"It's o-kay," She proceeded to whisper to the child present. Beside the dying vampire was a young girl no older than eight. Her mother's blood was on her hands, the same hands she used to rub at her eyes as she cried uncontrollably. Her mouth was also stained with the substance, making Seras believe that she had recently fed. "Shhhh," The mother tried calming her daughter even as she lay dying. "Ba-baby girl, be q-q-quiet."

"Mama, I'm scared." The little girl sobbed. Seras couldn't move. Frozen to her spot, she stared at the mother and daughter with wide eyes full of fear and distress. Her knees shook and her gun became unbelievably heavy. She wanted to drop it, she wanted to throw it down and walk out of there. But she couldn't move. All she was capable of doing was lowering her weapon. Horrid images kept replaying over and over again in Seras' head. Her breathing accelerated as her chest started to heave up and down heavily. She was unaware, but hot tears started pouring down her face to drip off her chin. All she could envision was that small, tight, dark closet and the sounds of her parents being murdered just beyond those doors. And here Seras was, ten years later, putting another child through the same trauma she went through. Did she really plan to murder this child's mother in front of her? To force her to hear the sounds of her parents suffering and dying as cruel strangers invade their home?

"Please," Seras was thrown back into reality from that simple word. Gasping, the Draculina focused her gaze on the dying mother. The woman was staring directly at her. The only emotion present in her eyes was fear. That one look and Seras knew this woman was pleading with her. "Please," The woman's voice broke a little and tears slipped down her pale face. "Please, help my daughter. S-save her. Please." The woman begged her. "T-take her far fr-from here. Get her a-away from those m-monsters." Shocked from the entire situation, Seras took a step backwards. "Please," The woman proceeded to beg. "Please, s-save her." Taking another step back, the Draculina bumped into someone. The fledgling froze up when realizing just who it was behind her. Fear swelled in the mother's eyes when spotting the monsters behind the cowardice fledgling. "No," She sobbed. "No, no, no." A hand landed on top of Seras' head, causing her to close her eyes and cower.

"M-Master," The fledgling whispered.

"You failed, Police Girl." Alucard spoke, sounding ever so disappointed in her. "I gave you one job, and you failed."

"I-I'm sorry," Seras responded in a broken voice. Shaking her head, she cried silently. "I can't do this!" It was silent for a moment. Even though no words were being exchanged, she could feel how deeply disappointed her mentors were in her.

"Then stay out of our way." The elder vampire finally replied before he pushed her aside.

"No, Master!" The Draculina cried out. Dropping her rifle, she latched on to her master's arm. Alucard instantly glanced down at the hysterical girl to see such fear glistening in her tear filled eyes. She looked as if she had been sentenced to death; as if she was their target. What has gotten into her? "Please, Master, please! I can't handle this!" She begged him. Frustrated with this nonsense, Alucard tried pulling his arm free, but his Childe refused to let him go.

"You won't be handling it. All you have to do is stay out of the way." Alucard reminded her in a deep, threatening growl. Once more, he yanked his arm and managed to get it free. "Your behavior is unacceptable, Police Girl. It's downright pathetic. You have shamed me tonight." With that said, he turned back towards the mother and daughter. The child, purely afraid of the monster before her, was bawling. She tried her best to hide her face behind her tiny hands, but wasn't able to fully look away. She peered at him over her fingers as he drew closer and closer.

"Master," Seras sobbed before she fell onto her hands and knees. Her body shook as tears streamed down her face to gather on the floor. "Stop," She whispered, but wasn't even aware that she was speaking. Her stomach was burning, reminding her repeatedly of that night when she was shot after her parents. "Stop!" She raised her voice.

"Seras?" Seras heard Sebastian's voice, but it sounded so far away. As if he was rooms away from her instead of kneeling right there. Was that his hand she felt on her back? She wasn't sure. Where was she even? Her mind was torn. Was she back in that horrid closet? Was she lying on the floor bleeding out from a gunshot wound as she watched that vile man rape her mother's corpse? Or was she still there in that tiny basement with that scared mother and daughter who were seconds away from death? Where was she? How old was she? What was real?

"I can't, I can't, I can't." Seras repeated over and over again. She felt like she was going mad! She couldn't control her shaking, her tears, or her fear. So much fear. It was far too overwhelming. Has she ever been this scared in her life? "God, please, no." Upon hearing two gunshots from the Casull, the little vampire's stomach lurched and the bit of blood she did have earlier that night expelled from her mouth. The girl choked and coughed for several long seconds, but even when her coughing fit stopped, she still struggled to breathe. "Stop, stop, stop." Seras proceeded to beg. "I can't. Stop!"

"Seras?" Sebastian called for her again. "Can you hear me?"

"What is wrong with her?" Alucard snarled while he glared down at his troublesome fledgling.

"I think she's having an episode." The demon considered as he continued to rub over her back, as if this would soothe her.

"An episode?" The No Life King repeated softly. A look of understanding appeared in his eyes then as all that anger disappeared. "Like PTSD?"

"Yes, I believe so." Sebastian whispered.

"What…" Alucard trailed off while he stared down at his shaking Draculina as she proceeded to mutter incoherently under her breath. She was petrified with fear. Those blue eyes of hers were so large in her head and she hadn't blinked in a while. With one hand she was holding her left side. Did her stomach hurt? Had she somehow injured herself on this mission? Alucard considered the different possibilities, but he didn't put too much thought into it. "What do we do?"

"I think first we should get her outside. Seeing the bodies may only further upset her." The demon figured while he gestured at the dead mother and daughter. Without even thinking, Alucard automatically reached down to grab Seras by her arm. "Alucard, don't!" Sebastian was about to lecture him, but it was too late. Being grabbed like that only further upset the girl. She threw herself backwards, managing to yank her arm free from his grip, and landed on her ass. Her eyes flickered to stare up at Alucard, but it appeared to him that she didn't even recognize him. Either that, or she finally saw the monster that he truly was. All there was was fear in her eyes when she stared up at him. It truly bothered him how afraid his Draculina looked when gazing up at him like that. Immediately afterwards, she pounced on her feet and bolted up the stairs. The demon sighed before he threw the elder vampire a dark look that was full of aggravation. "You shouldn't have grabbed at her like that."

"How was I supposed to know she was going to react like that?" Alucard growled.

"Considering she's in a very sensitive state right now, I would think you would know to be gentle with her." Sebastian responded. "Be gentle and calm, Alucard. There's a good chance she's not going to recognize us while she's going through this episode. Everything we do may scare her. So speak to her gently." They heard a scream from upstairs then. The demon sighed again and lowered his head. "I think she found the other bodies." Grabbing her rifle, Sebastian hastily got up from the floor and ran up the stairs with Alucard close behind.

"Seras?" The demon called out for her when he reached the top of the stairs. He moved from the kitchen into the dining room. He listened carefully, but couldn't hear her. Was she hiding somewhere in the house? "Seras?" He entered the foyer and found the front door wide open. "Alucard, outside." Sebastian informed him. Hurriedly, they went out the door and found Seras sitting in the grass. The small blonde was hyperventilating and crying hard while her heart pounded hard in her chest. Now using both hands, she was cupping her left side as she stayed hunched over.

"Please, stop. Stop, stop, stop." Seras whispered through harsh, heavy sobs. "Why did you take them from me?"

"Seras," Sebastian whispered as he knelt down beside her. He was hesitant to touch her, mostly because he was afraid she would bolt again. "Seras, listen to my voice. Remember who I am and say my name back to me." The girl didn't immediately answer though. She just shook her head and cried harder. "Listen carefully to my voice, Seras." He spoke clearly, hoping she would remember. "Who am I, Seras?"

"Se-Sebastian?" Seras answered, though she sounded greatly uncertain. The demon nodded his head in confirmation.

"That's right." He assured her. "I want you to take deep breaths, Seras. Focus on your breathing and try to control it."

"Why did they do it?" The fledgling asked.

"Seras, focus on your breathing." Sebastian instructed her. "Breathe in and breathe out." Hesitantly Seras obeyed. She took a deep breath in and slowly released it. Her breath kept getting hitched in throat, but she fought through and did her best to control her breathing, though the tears continued to pour down her face. Her hands also proceeded to tremble. "Do you know where you are?" The girl flinched and her eyes snapped shut.

"Oh, god." Seras gagged as she hunched over. "I'm going to be sick." Though, nothing came up. She could only sit there and dry heave.

"Seras, open your eyes." Sebastian spoke in a soothing voice. "Wherever you think you are, you're not." The fledgling shook her head frantically, almost as if she was disagreeing with him.

"I'm tr-trapped! I can't get out!" Seras shouted. All over again, her breathing started to accelerate.

"You're not trapped, Seras. You're here with us. You're safe and in open space." The demon attempted to calm her. The girl again shook her head.

"I'm scared, Sebastian. I'm so scared." The little vampire sobbed. Remarkably, she sounded so much like a child in that moment; a child desperate to be saved from whatever nightmare she was in. "Please, help me. I'm scared."

"There's nothing to be scared of, Draculina." Alucard finally spoke. It was temporary, but her shaking stopped for a brief moment. Seeing this, the demon perked up a little.

"Do you recognize his voice, Seras?" Sebastian asked. He signaled for Alucard to speak again.

"Seras," The elder vampire whispered her name as he knelt down beside her. "Say my name. Who am I?"

"Ma-ster," Seras whispered when recognizing his voice. "Master Alucard,"

"Don't be afraid." The No Life King helped soothe his fledgling. "There's nothing to be scared of."

"We're here," Sebastian reminded her softly. "Focus on your breathing, Seras." This time Seras didn't hesitate. Calming down some, the little vampire breathed in and out slowly. After a minute of getting her breathing under control, the Draculina straightened to sit back on her heels. Still a little shaky, she kept her head lowered and her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes, Seras." Alucard ordered gently.

"Look all around and tell us exactly what you see. You'll find that you're not where you think you are." Sebastian further instructed her. Obediently, the girl cracked open her tear filled eyes. Slowly lifting her gaze, she told them the first thing she saw.

"A…tree," Seras whispered. Quickly her gaze flickered upwards. "The moon," Her hands slipped away from her stomach to fall to the ground. To confirm what she was feeling, the girl glanced down. "Grass," She added softly. Allowing her shoulders to sag, the fledgling sighed in what sounded to be relief. "I'm outside. I'm outside." She whispered, though they had a feeling she was telling herself this.

"You're outside with us." Sebastian told her before he cautiously placed his hand on top of hers in the grass. Instantly, Seras moved her hand out from under his, but only to place it back on top of his so she could hold it tightly. "You're outside, Seras."

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Alucard reminded her. Thankfully, the fear had left her eyes, but his fledgling looked utterly exhausted.

"I'm outside with you." Seras repeated to remind herself of where and when she was. "I'm outside." The episode finally being over, Seras lifted her hands to stare at them. "What…" She had started but trailed off. "What was that?"

"You were suffering from a PTSD episode." Sebastian told her. "Was that your first?"

"It felt so…realistic." Seras mumbled, causing her stomach to churn again. The fledgling shuddered before her eyes snapped shut once more. "I hated it! I hated feeling that way!" She then buried her face in her hands.

"It's alright, Seras." The demon whispered while he gingerly placed a hand on her back.

"Thank you," The Draculina replied a moment later.

"What?" Sebastian questioned and he blinked stupidly at her.

"Thank…you for…helping me through it." Seras whispered. "I'm sorry…you both had…to see that." Without her realization, tears were starting to trail down her face again. God, she felt so…withdrawn and tired. It was almost like she was going to pass out.

"Police Girl," Alucard spoke softly. "About the situation that triggered your episode."

"Alucard," Sebastian tried to intervene. He didn't want Alucard making Seras go through another episode.

"Master?" The girl breathed before she finally removed her face from her hands. She shifted her head a little to stare up at him.

"What exactly set you off?" He asked while he ignored the dark look he was currently receiving from the demon. Seras frowned as she turned her head to look back at the ground.

"It just…" Seras started, but didn't know what exactly to say or how to explain it to them. How much should she even tell them? What did they want to hear? Did they want the whole story? Or just the basis? Sighing, the girl made up her mind and gave an answer. "It just…made me think…or…relive, I guess is more accurate. It made me relive a moment in my childhood. Let's just say, I know exactly how that little girl felt." Seras then looked back up at Alucard. "Why did we do that, Master? Why did we destroy that family? Why did you kill that child?" Alucard stared at his Childe for a long few seconds before he climbed to his feet.

"Because we are bound to the Hellsing Organization." Her master answered. "And when bound to such, asking questions and disobeying orders is not an option." It bewildered Seras when her master leaned down to scoop her up into his arms. Gasping, the girl instinctively fisted Alucard's coat to hang onto as he picked her up bridal style. "I'll speak with Sir Integra about your episode. Perhaps she'll spare you missions with children. And if she doesn't, then Michaelis and I will be there to console you to the best of our abilities." Seras didn't realize just how badly that episode affected her physically until she found herself in Alucard's arms. Her entire body was limp, making her believe that if Alucard had left her on the ground, she probably wouldn't have been able to get up on her own. She was utterly exhausted and on the brink of passing out.

"Thank you, Master." Seras whispered, though she was unsure what exactly she was thanking him for. For saving her from that horrendous episode? For carrying her? For taking on responsibilities that may befall her in the future? Or maybe for just being a caring master; someone she could someday call friend or even family?

End of Chapter Ten

I hope you guys enjoyed.

Oxford Not Brogues