Seras sat up, blinking the fog away from her vision. She muffled a yawn with the back of her hand, fingers wiggling so as to better get a feeling back into them. She would've done better to sleep with her hands out of her head's way. Glancing towards the clock, she gave a soft sigh as the digits blinked back at her. Not yet dusk. She stretched out and stood, stepping onto the soft carpet. Allowing herself to reach out, she was pleaded to encounter the familiar swell of her master's power. He was probably sleeping still. Sir Integra had once more grown used to his presence and as such, it was often enough that she called upon him with some matter or another. Negotiating her way lazily across the expanse between herself and the desk, Seras noted a few files had been placed near the small lamp she used for reading. Basements made for cosy enough living quarters, what with the darkness and unrelenting silence, but as for studying files, she would have preferred an office like Sir Integra's, with a great chair and a fireplace. Not that it affected her one way or another, Seras considered with a grimace, rubbing at one eye, while her other hand pulled back the simple wooden affair she sat upon. Shaking the thought loose from her head, she turned on the lamp and opened the first folder.

A small smile graced her lips as she noted Farnsworth's neat hand employed in summarising the information therein. It looked like the female operatives sent in to scout had managed to find some worthwhile additions to the little they already knew. Seras looked to the list of names, noting that Alice McKinnon, Margaret Ludlow and Eliza Preston had made up the body of the team. There appeared to be no set schedule for the vampires, although their arrival was always anticipated, with women brought specifically to serve in the capacity of feeding sources. Alice had donated blood, as she'd been selected, by which way it became apparent that these troublemakers, at least, were more intelligent than the average filth thinking to take on the mantle of vampire. A further list provided names of other donors, most of whom were female escorts. "Money is money," Seras said softly. Some of them were even likely to find selling their blood the more dignified option all things considered.

They couldn't be looking to build an army of ghouls then, that much seemed to be indicated by the preliminary findings. Nibbling on her lower lip, Seras reached for her own notebook, jotting down a tiny detail which caught her attention. Of the names donors, one was a confirmed death. Remarkably enough, she'd been killed in an explosion caused by a gas leak. Could it be that someone had wanted to hide something Josephine Cooper's body might have proclaimed? Unlikely; gas leaks were rarer and rarer but they still happened. She would have to ask Sir Integra to get her the police file on the case. For the time being, however, she found purpose in taking in the conclusions laid out before her, poor though they might be.

The second folder was her own report, it's compliance with the set standards signed and dated. She stared at it for a moment, somewhat curious as to how detailed her master had been in his report. She'd not compared notes with him, but since Sir Integra had no complaints, she expected there were no substantial differences to be found. The memory of that kiss settled on her most uncomfortably. Seras brought a couple of fingers up to her lips, pressing down ever so gently. It had been incredible, loathe as she was to admit it; a skilful twist on a far more innocent gesture. There had been nothing of the tripe often contained in trashy romance novels. It hadn't felt like fantasy. It had felt all too real. To think he had used it to lure her into stillness just so he could dig around in her head. That was so very like Alucard that she hadn't even thought to be angry with him afterwards. She wouldn't have been angry whatever the case. Pathetic as she knew it to be, she couldn't help but feel fulfilled by the kiss. If it was the only spark of interest she'd ever manage to ignite in him, then she meant to cherish it. Forever.

But maudlin thoughts were best kept away from her master's vicinity. Since she had time enough before she was meant to set off on another night of too-loud music, disgusting, alcohol-fuelled writhing so often mistaken for dancing and flirtations about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the head, Seras meant to spend that portion of her freedom on something the exact opposite of the torture awaiting her.

She changed out of her nightdress, folding it neatly and placing it into the coffin, before coaxing the shadows into materialising some plain clothing on her body. Moving away from desk as soon as she decided the third file could wait a bit longer, Seras picked up her comb and dragged it absently through her tresses, wincing as she caught a couple of knots. But in the end she braved the pain, reminding herself that she'd endured far worse. Not that it helped with the annoyance factor, albeit she counted herself lucky no one was there to see her reactions. Freed from the unkind though of her comb at long last, she phased her way to the steps of the building, appearing next to a rather jumpy Private Perkins. He cried out in surprise as soon as he beheld her, jumping back a few paces.

"Mum, you scared the pi–err, the living daylights out of me," he said by manner of greeting, holding his hand up in proper salute as he spoke. He coughed uncomfortably as she held his stare. Seras toyed with the idea of teasing him a bit, but decided she didn't like how similar it made her to a certain other Midian.

"You should always be ready for trouble, Private." The words were deliberately soft on her lips. She didn't want to alarm him, after all. "I will walk the grounds for a bit." A jerky nod met her claim. No sooner than she'd stepped one foot forth, though, the man suddenly spoke.

"But the sun!" Turning her head so she would better face him, Seras gave Perkins a patient look. "It's still up, mum." He nodded towards the diffuse orange glow of the dipping star. The light bled onto the third step and down the winding path, setting pebbles on fire.

"It won't melt me." A strong sun was most uncomfortable to deal with, but even during high noon, Seras had survived brushes with her natural nemesis. Besides, the evening shine with its blushing hues was a herald of the darkness to come. She'd found it was safe enough to bask in it so long as she didn't forget herself and step out too soon. And even then, her skin would merely redden and smart, but heal soon enough with a pack of blood to help it along. Seras stepped gingerly down, lips curling in a pleased smile when the weak light tickled along her toes. Before long she was standing fully into the light, hands rising to push her hair back, as though she meant to take in the shower of glow. Movement behind her indicated that Perkins had moved too. "How about a walk, Private?"

A door opened. "I believe he is not supposed to move from his post. But I will walk with you, ma'am, if you will permit." Grinning at the firm note she detected in Farnsworth's voice, for it was he who'd spoken, Seras nodded her head, waiting until the man stood next to her.

"I'd be more than happy to walk with you, Sergeant." They started down the path together. "But weren't you going home just now?" Hellsing had ensured that most soliders were provided with living quarters nearby, so as to cut down on transport costs and such. Sergeant Farnsworth, however, lived a little ways away from the estate, she knew. Still, he made the drive each and every day as was needed, while refusing to relocate closer to headquarters.

"Not really." A wealth of meaning rained down upon her. Seras felt the air shift around the, thick with unspoken words. She kept her pace though, unwilling to acknowledge anything that would challenge the long established camaraderie between them. "An empty house isn't exactly the most wonderful thing to return to."

"I'm so sorry, Thomas. Hester was a wonderful woman." And dead well before her time; those words she did not say. Cancer was a cruel thing, Seras considered, scrambling for something that would lead the conversation away from the death of his spouse. "Isn't your daughter home, though? I thought you said she decided to transfer to the local college."

"Marie's moved in with her boyfriend. She said I'm hardly ever home and she can't take the silence." Seras winced. So he truly was alone.

For a space, they walked with only the rustling of wind through the leaves between them. Seras hesitated broaching such a sensitive subject with the man, yet if she didn't, she'd regret it. An eternity of regrets did not make for comfortable living. With her master at least there was always time. With people like Thomas, however, she could either act or wallow in regrets after. "Thomas," she said, deliberately using his Christian name, "have you considered seeing someone again? It's been two years. She wouldn't want you to be alone, you know." Hester had had a wonderfully big heart. And she'd loved Thomas, as Seras well could see whenever Sir Integra threw some party or another for the soldiers and the man brought his wife along. She would never begrudge Thomas his comforts.

"You already know how I feel about that." The curt answer cut her own musings short. Sergeant Farnsworth was looking at her with intent. A curl of something unpleasant in her stomach warned her away. "My feelings haven't changed on the subject."

"You flatter me." And he scared her at the same time. How could he possibly wish to be with someone like her, a monster for all intents and purposes. Even knowing she drank human blood, even knowing she would outlive him and could never give him the normal comforts of a relationship, he still wanted her. Seras was part awed and part repelled. "But my response has to be the same as well. There is nothing I can really offer."

She studied him as he was standing there. A full head of hair had gone silver the previous decade, to the amusement of their colleagues, but as for balding, there's wasn't even a hint of it. Cut short, his hair was straight, but she knew from previous stiles he'd worn that it curled gently when the length permitted. A pair of serious green eyes stared at her from within a fine face. He was, perhaps, closer to the standard of masculine beauty than any other man she'd known. Not to mention that when he did deign to smile, she swore she could hear hearts thumping twice as loudly in the chests of female Hellsing employees. He was tall, but not as tall as her master, his body muscled from the rigorous training underwent. Throughout his career, he'd been hardworking, tough but fair and impeccable as a friend. In essence, he was what one might consider a good catch.

But somehow, Seras had not once considered him for a potential lover either. At first she'd thought it was because of Pip and his unfortunate fate. She had refused him when he'd confessed to her, a year or so after he had come to work for Sir Integra. Where Seras had expected awkwardness after, Thomas had been calm, kind and unexpectedly professional. Unrelentingly so, some might say. She had been thankful then and even more so when he came back one day with a ring on his finger and a satisfied air about his person. She had assumed whatever feelings he'd had for her were gone. Whatever could have prompted their return?

"Is it because he returned?" Seras blinked uncertainly at the question, her mind taking far too long to understand what exactly was being asked. How could she possibly explain that the master-childe bond was well beyond human comprehension, that while she was compelled by it to follow Alucard to the end of the world if need be, his claim was not of a nature to interfere with the making of any romance, but that she had somehow landed herself in the position of holding onto an unrequited love. Or rather an unacknowledged love; after all, her master had not outright rejected her. She hadn't given him the tiniest chance on that score. Hadn't Alucard told her to be careful with humans? She shook her head and bit back a heavy sigh. "I'll not bring this up again then, ma'am. But I wanted to know."

"I have to say, you're taking this very well." On the chin, as it were. Still, Seras hadn't expected a different sort of response from him. The rosy glitter of the setting sun set fire to their surroundings with dying flares. "As for the other, I can only answer that there is nothing to say." She would certainly not explain herself to the man. He didn't have any right to question her in that fashion. "Go home, Sergeant and rest. Hellsing will be waiting for your return." She dismissed him with an easy salute, watching as he followed her instructions.

Her choice was the correct one. Perhaps she ought to discuss the matter with Sir Integra. The woman was as canny as they came, but more than that, she would know whether a temporary separation was best between the teams. She could take along another group for mundane missions. If nothing else it might show the new recruits how they were expected to work alongside her or her master if it came to that. She moved off the path towards a more remote corner of the gardens, idly walking by bushes of varying shapes and sizes. She might have to head back soon; see if her master wanted to have their evening meal together before she headed out.

Perking up at the thought, she stretched out her senses for a perfunctory sweep of the grounds, expecting to find nothing out of order before she made her way back inside and relegated the earlier episode with Thomas to the void of memories cast aside for their utter uselessness. She almost didn't catch the disturbance.

It was faint. Seras concentrated harder on the pulse she felt coming from somewhere at the periphery of the grounds. Pip stirred within her, a soft warning shooting child down her spine. It wasn't the same feeling as the one heralding her master's approach. Not the least. While Alucard caused fine shivers within her, the anomaly she could feel close by carried none of the warmth quick to follow in the case of the other vampire. Instead, her stomach churned unpleasantly. She had to go see what it was. And so she would. Seras allowed the shades to gather around her and sweep her away, towards the danger. Once done, she found herself standing next to one of the fences surrounding the property. Near the front gate of all places. A grimace bloomed upon her face as she knelt and concentrated on the negative aura. It took a moment too long to realise whatever it was has been buried shallowly, as far as the small rise of dirt indicated on the outside of the fence. Disintegrating and reappearing on the outer side of the fence, Seras knelt, working with care to uncover what it was the loam hid.

A startled sound caught in her throat. She almost didn't dare pick it up. In fact she couldn't pick it up if she wanted to. It might disturb the rune carved in the otherwise healthy-looking organ. Two sets of footsteps from somewhere to the left indicated that guards had taken notice of her activities.

"Mum?" Private Spencer, by voice, had his hand on her arm before she could blink. To her credit, she didn't jump. Seras wondered just what sort of picture she'd painted for the man, sitting there in the dirt, her fingers dusty with earth and blood. "Are you well?"

"Dandy, Private, just dandy." She answered. "Don't let anyone pick this up yet. Watch the CC TV and see if you can find who did this." She nodded to the severed heart in the ground. Seras had the sinking feeling that they wouldn't find anything on the security footage. The guards had a clear view of the spot. If they hadn't seen who did it, there had probably been nothing to see to begin with. "Tell them to be very careful around this thing if they do approach. I will alert Sir Integra in the meantime."

"Aye, aye, mum," Spencer saluted, offering her a hand up. She took it and lifted herself off the ground. With nary a word more she directed her attention to reaching Sir Integra. Stopping just outside the wood door, she knocked carefully, relieved to hear the woman's voice calling her in.

Sir Integra was sitting at her desk, a neat stack of files at her side. She directed a severe glance towards Seras, as though questioning her presence. "A bit early to be up, but good evening nevertheless."

"Good evening, Sir." It was starting to look more and more like night outside, the gathering darkness chasing the slowly dying light away. "I made a discovery near the gate, along one of the fences. Someone had dropped off a gift, it would seem. A heart; the blood smelled human. It has a rune carved in it. Requesting permission to consult with my Master on the matter."

"Is it dangerous, do you think?" It had to be. At least it had to mean a dangerous individual was lurking around. Seras pursed her lips in silent anticipation. "Too dangerous to be brought in for study?"

"I am uncertain, Sir. There seems to be some kind of dark aura emanated by the thing. It is why I wished to hear Master's opinion." Alucard would know just how much caution was needed. Or he'd know about how many bullets it took to dispose of the threat. Either way, they'd be as safe as they ever were.

"Very well. Permission granted. I want a full report on this, however." Signalling her understanding with a nod, Seras scurried out of the woman's office via trembling shadows and stood not a moment later before her master's door. She knocked, even though she knew it was a bit early yet. But the door, unsurprisingly, opened for her. A sweltering emptiness broke out ahead of her, a bottomless pit allowing for no light, no sound, no hope; worse yet than the tightest of coffins, it should have sent Seras running for her life. Instead, she found herself drawn in. Inexorably, unrelenting, she sought him out, her shadows bleeding into the lightless space, hoping to feel her way to him.

Seras had thought about it over the years; why was it that she needed him the way she did? If she were human, if her feelings were nowhere near as sharp as they were and she not half as in tune with them, she might have been able to push her want onto the mere implacable obsession characterising the beginning phase of any so called love. God knew she'd read enough about that in books and such to see the easy parallels. Why, when the world around her claimed greater and greater distance between women and men, seeming to relish in each and every acts of pettiness, magnifying all instances of displeasure one sex caused for the other, someone like her master should have held no particular charm. At least not to Seras whose upbringing placed her squarely in a modern, secular setting, entirely removing her from antiquated ideals. If she held on to any of those standards then she had to conclude it was her reaching a hereto hidden truth. But need and want him she did; nothing would change that. Any search for a reason would only help her as far as choosing a path would. A slight, but unshakable, suspicion that vampires understood their bonds in far more different ways than humans, not only in terms of length but also in quality tied her to the hope that she had a lot left to learn and thus could expect to find an answering desire in her master. He had said, had he not, that the time had come for him not to walk alone.

Whether she had it in her to accept an eternity at his side, as in her mind she could not see herself ever leaving him, as mere childe, Seras remained unclear on. Selfishly, she had little wish to remain unacknowledged. Of course, it was well understood that a man could not be made to feel anything he did not; least of all her master. On the other hand, if he were to take umbrage with how she situated herself on the matter, what choice would she have but to leave? Not on account of pride; as far as that went, the draculina was willing to sacrifice some of it and mortify herself in his eyes, if it meant they could come together in the way she wanted. At the same time, she lacked the courage to make any such confession to his face.

"Master?" He contemplated not responding to her. Alucard blended in with the blackness, watching Seras as she poked her head into the chamber. Fine strands of white-gold shone even without the aid of light, her doe-eyed gaze still brilliantly red with the power of blood. Bravely, perhaps foolishly so, she stepped inside, shutting the door in her wake. When the shadows did not part for her with their usual graceful movements but crowded in upon his silent command, she made a weak attempt at defending herself, but gave up as soon as her wrists were caught and brought together, lashed by a thick rope of blackness. "Now's not a good time for games. There's–" she was cut short by a brutal jerking motion which had her head snapping back. He'd not allowed the shadows to thread themselves through her silken tresses, but had grabbed hold with his own hand, fingers tightening around their prize.

He held fast, bringing his mouth just against her ear. "You prefer playing with humans?" Her lips parted wordlessly. The shades eased their hold some. Seras shivered against him, almost seeming to melt into his grasp, confusion radiating off of her. He twisted his fingers knowing the painful pinch her scalp would endure. Silken strands slipped through his fingers. "Whenever I would have you keep silent you pester me with questions, when I would have words out of you, you keep silent. Seems to me, pet, you think to slip your leash one small act of defiance at a time." He freed her wrists, using his arm to pin her against him.

"I haven't defied you," she contradicted, her own hands reached down for his entrapping limb. One small set of fingers wrapped around his wrist, the other just downward of that point. The obstinate draculina went as far as to display her utter ignorance once more, aggravating his mood further. "I truly didn't do a thing, master. We really don't have time for this; someone's left us a human heart. It feels all wrong though, this heart." She blabbed something about its dark aura. Alucard let her be for a time, allowing the flow of words to wrap around him. Settled by her presence he waited out her speech. Sometimes it was interesting to hear just what she could come up with.

"One track mind, as always, police girl. If I told you there is no immediate danger, would that be enough for you?" Sinking back through the shadows he sat upon his chair, setting Seras on his knee; he reclaimed hold of her waist. The draculina shifted and twisted for the short span of a few moments, before partially facing him with a pout, her head turned slightly to the side.

"Not nearly enough to throw me off the subject, master, but it seems to me we should first settle your matter." She leaned slightly back. "How in God's name have I defied you now? Because I swear I can't see it from where I sit."

"Can you not, indeed?" Her lambent gaze fixed itself upon his face, the open expression wresting unwilling clemency from his chest. "Perhaps I should enlighten you." She remained staring at him in expectation. He pondered her in silence, moving until one arm settled at her waist and the other just a whisper lower, hand intimately placed upon her hip. Her eyes softened with awareness and perhaps not a small amount of wonder. He left the decision to her, naturally, if she wished to follow through with the suggestion, but by the way she leaned in, he rather though she might.

Soft, unguarded lips, untutored in the ways of such seduction brushed against his own. He had shamelessly peered into her thoughts before, catching something of a comparison to other kiss she'd received. His pride, always a law unto itself, had been duly gratified with the knowledge that the vast gulf between the two experiences would forever mark his performance as superior when he'd done naught but give her the most chaste of gestures. And there she was, clinging to him, returning the favour with an equally light touch.

He hated it, naturally, that she should have known the Frenchmen's adoration, in the way any men must despise such encroachments on the women they claimed for themselves. But he knew in truth that his Seras had benefitted from the whole of it. She knew, though not quite as clearly as she soon would, that no human would sate anything more than her hunger for blood. His purpose set, Alucard coaxed her gently into furthering his claim. It was all good and well to feel her lips willingly upon his own, but, and perhaps that was his aged, impatient knowledge summoned to torment him, he needed more of her, more to conquer and lay claim to. So his hand abandoned its spot on her high and climbed to her nape. He did not press, but merely hold his hand against her as he angled further. A soft sound responded to his efforts and his little draculina seemed to demand a firmer touch by the way she bore down upon him. He would happily grant her that.

How long had it been since he'd kissed a woman in such a way? It was assumed quite often that higher sentiment was impossible for those of their kind; mere sensuality and vulgar lusts seemed to be the accepted drivers of any relationship between those of them who would engage in such a manner. He supposed it an easy enough mistake to make, for any sort of love, as it was meant to be between man and woman unbound by common blood in a natural way, necessarily had something of lust and passion in it, even if only to have had it considered once and thereafter dismissed. Alucard rubbed gently at the tender skin adorning the back of her neck, pushing his mouth against her own with renewed vigour as soon as he felt the odious walls of her mind grow lax and permissive. He longed to bring their minds together again, to fuse them as their two bodies would soon be, as was intended and as he knew they would eventually come to be when she chose him.

He breached the thin, natural barrier of her mind just as her lips opened upon a tiny sound. He exploited her weakness ruthlessly. Teasingly, he parted his own lips, catching her lower one in embrace; his thoughts, yet veiled and lacking the true depths of his intentions, lapped at the sores of her conscience, threading with her own, leaving behind some of their claim just as her own swirled intimately in his own consciousness. The tidal wave of her desire rose not unexpectedly, the flames fanned by his own. If Seras was aware, her only response was to clutch at him harder. The fever in his veins pulsed with the unpleasant knowledge of half-satisfaction; his yearning demanded its due. But such calls, though easily satisfied, could not be seen to without proper understanding for what he had in mind. So Alucard drew away from the lips engaging his in so pleasant a duel, with only the slightest nip. The sharp intake of breath he was rewarded with was almost enough to assuage him for the time being.

Startled eyes gazed down at him. Lips painted by passion trembled. "Must you tease me about this, master?" Her voice was low, marred by something alien and quite irritating. Indeed, chagrined, she seemed to plead with him for something he could not give. He would not close his eyes to her feelings anymore than he might deny himself. To admit to her anything of his thought at such a point would only unbalance her further. "To me, at least, it is very precious."

He put her from him then, relishing at once her momentary discontent at their parting before it was adequately swept away with the return of her barriers. "Very well, police girl. Let us see to this heart of yours." His master had begun to grow restless; he could feel it through their bond, her insistent tugs growing more and more difficult to ignore.