Chapter #14: Fanfics for a blonde knight

The walk to Integra's office was being an awkward one, of that Inés was sure. There was silence but it was, somehow, uncomfortable, the only noise being the tip taps of their shoes...well, HER shoes because Alucard made cero noise. Speaking about the devil, she was making her best to ignore the abnormally tall Midian, stealing some glances from the corner of her eye from time to time and on the other hand, he was making his best to gain her attention. It was subtle but it was definitely there, the looks, the way he stood closer than necessary, even the way he walked today was suspicious. She shook her head. She was imagining things for sure, just post-traumatic stress, maybe.

Ines couldn't help, however, the feeling of walking towards a noose or maybe a guillotine as the long, dark hallway reached its end at the base of the stairs. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and clenched her now sweaty hands. She was marching in front of him now "when had that happened?" So she could not see him and that made her nervous for some reason. There were no windows, no doors, just a square shaped light above her signaling the door to the upper levels.

The top other shoe was about to touch the first stone step when she decided to turn around "never turn around in a scary movie" her mind provided in that moment. The sight that met her eyes was...unusually normal. What was she expecting, really? Alucard was still Alucard. No shadow things, no hellhound, no evil grin. She had lived through a lot in a short time and it was starting to take a toll. Inés paused in the middle of her relived sight/laugh and did a double take. No evil grin, just a normal smile.

"Scary". The Spanish girl had decided right there and then that THAT smile was definitely scarier.

Her eye twitched as she made a face. A strained smile curved her lips in response to his. She turned around slowly after what felt like an eternity and began to climb the stairs.

"Ok" she exhaled as her legs made their way up. "That was by far the weirdest thing of the day". She couldn't feel him anymore behind her so she assumed the vampire had just left. A blinding light, that wouldn't have been so blinding had the hallway been better illuminated, made her blink a couple of times and cover her eyes. There, before her, stood the god damn vampire, still smiling gentlemanly and holding the door for her. She knew how to deal with the crazy count, the one she had info about because of her unhealthy obsession with Dracula but this...this man was not something she was ready for. Inés side stepped him careful of not to touch him and kept going, vampire on tow.

She felt watched. Integra was watching her, Alucard was watching her, even that bust over the window was watching her... And she felt...dumb.

"So, let me get this straight" Integra said indulgently albeit with a bit of irritation, taking a long drag of her cigar. "You came from another world" She breathed deeply. "And somehow, you were transported here by…a witch" Her speech was slow and her words soft, as if the knight was talking to a child. "And you said the only way to go back is lifting the curse on your chest?" She finished pointing at her covered tattoo. She had been given another uniform, this time with pants for what she was oh so grateful. The blonde's tone was clear, she didn't believe her and to be fair, it was understandable.

"Yes" Inés answered quietly. "Sir" She didn't have to turn around to know the red clad vampire was laughing his ass of at her expense. The jerk probably was having the time of his life. Other worlds, witches, comics in which they are just fable? She would laugh to. But that didn't make it any less embarrassing. Her face was practically a tomato right now.

"Miss Conde, I understand you are under a lot of stress, but I run a serious institution and I don't have time for this nonsense" Integra stood up, placing her gloved hands on the table. The girl looked up in disbelief at the older woman. "You can go back to your room, rest and then we can talk again. With clear minds and no..." she looked at the still laughing vampire. "...Interruptions"

"B-but. Sir I-" she was stopped however before she could argue. She was being dismissed without a solution and without an explanation. "The hell?" The teen thought. They deal with vampires, werewolves and regenerators but a chat about magic and they mark you as mad or delusional. Inés was trying to control her anger and pent up frustration but it was all for none when Integra had the audacity to open the door and waving a hand for her to go. "No"

"No?" The Hellsing heir asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice while circling her like a lion would his prey. Was she trying to intimidate her?

"No" Ines crossed her arms and got up from the chair. "No. I'm not leaving until you, at least, have the decency of pretending to listen to me" Both master and servant looked surprised at this new turn of events. "I've been attacked by vampires, ghouls and fucking Nazis, kidnapped twice and forced to drink HIS blood" This was said pointing an accusatory thumb in the direction of the now more serious vampire. "And now you intend to just pat me on the back like a petulant child and left me in the dark? I deserve an explanation and I demand an apology. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful you saved my life, but I'd like to be treated like a person not a fucking thing". She has panting and breathing hard when she finished her rant, her heart was beating faster that she thought it could and her face no longer sported an embarrassed blush but a frown and a scowl. She was sure her accent had spilled at more than one point and she really shouldn't have talked like that to the leader and master of a military organization and Alucard but she was pissed and at least she had maintained a bit of dignity during her speech. No shouting, just really angry words.

Integra regarded her with a cold expression and the vampire had an unreadable look in his eyes. For a moment she thought she'd fucked up and they were going to kill her or something but then the lady spoke.

"I apologize" her voiced matched her face." I apologize for treating you like…a thing...You are right. You have the right to know what will happen to you now" She walked to her desk and opened a drawer, taking out a Hellsing emblem. "Since you know too much about us you will remain under strict vigilance until we can trust you enough with this information" she gave the piece of cloth to her. "Since you drank Alucard's blood, you will remain here for your own protection. We don't want another Nazi problem". She closed the drawer and lit another cigar. "Don't worry, the effects will wear out in time if you don't consume more of it" at this Integra sent a piercing glare at the Midian who only lifted a black eyebrow in question. She put a hand at Ines' back and quietly led her out of her office. The girl absentmindedly rubbed the black spot on her chest while she processed everything. By the time she focused again, she was in the hallway, vampire on tow and door closing in her face, a Hellsing shield in her hand.

"By the way, miss. Keep up that attitude, you will need it here. Welcome to Hellsing" And with that she was left alone.

"One less" she whispered after a couple of minutes. Alucard looked at her in a confused way although the same gleam as before was still in his eyes. Sighing Inés decided to explore her temporal home, her new shadow following after her only a few steps behind.

Alucard observed the girl with a new found interest. What a character she hid under that tiny frame! He had initially been furious that the little human had dared raise her voice and speak like that to his master, but that emotion had been quickly replaced by a curiosity and a bit of respect. At least she was standing up to herself although it was against Integra. The anger had vanish completely though after she had agreed with the teenager. He was surprised to say the least. His eyes narrowed and his mouth in a thin line, Alucard knew she was hiding something from them but it was not his place to ask. Integra would tell him when the time comes. That, however, had left the vampire to dive even further in that new feeling towards Inés. He watched her, she was probably nervous about it, he didn't care. The vampire had to admit that she wasn't hard to look at and she was a curious creature with a sharp tongue. He wasn't sure if that was enough to turn her or not yet. Alucard shook himself at that thought, change her? Where had that come from? He wasn't going to turn her into a vampire, the little thing was just something to entreating himself out of boredom and his master would have his head if he brought another fledgling. No, he would not turn her, but he would continue to pester her for a bit longer, after all, he had a war to win.

The room was eerie quiet, with just her breathing and the now retreating steps. She waited for a couple of minutes more before deciding to move from the door. Integra approached her desk and let herself fall into her leather chair with a contemplative face and a chuckle. She pushed a couple of buttons on the phone and rolled her tension filled shoulders. A voice came from the speaker a minute after.

"Sir" Walter's voice was polite as always. "You'd be pleased to know that we have been able to salvage the memory card if not the entire device, although I suspect it will not work again as it is quite shattered".

"Thank you, Walter". She hesitated. "And the files?" The young knight leaned closer to the phone as if to hear better.

"Photos, drawings, texts, among others. Not everything was recovered, it is a…fairly new technology I must say, but it was enough, Sir". A long pause followed this statement, Integra looked away in thought and a bit of worry her mouth opening and closing trying to form a response. "Sir?"

"Yes, yes. Thank you again, Walter. Notice me if you find anything else and make sure everything is destroyed, we don't need any more problems" She ran her hand over her mouth and sighed.

"Of course, Sir" The call ended with a resounding beep and the room felt silent again. She flipped through a brown folder which only contained an out of focus photograph, obviously taken in a hurry and a name: Inés Conde.

"Other world indeed" Integra let out a dry laugh as she threw the file across the wooden table. "What am I supposed to do with you now?"

Väl Apple here! Sorry for the long wait. I know there isn't much romance in this one, but I needed to get this out of the way. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

I just took notice of a mistake in the chapter order...There is no chapter 7 I believe. All of the chapters are complete and there is none missing, but I will keep posting as if there was a 7th chapter because I can't change the title without deleting the whole text. Sorry.