'The Claim'
"It will summon them here," she continued, almost successful in ignoring the look he was giving her. "They have to be here to complete the ceremony, for lack of a better word. The replacement seal has to break the old one to work. It is risky because if it doesn't work, you have a chance at being trapped with them again, but considering the seal on the house works, I am sure this will, too."
Silence stretched out after she stopped talking. For a long moment, she kept her eyes focused on the papers on the table in front of her as they sat at the long formal table. Another moment passed as she felt him stare before she finally looked up at him.
His face was blank, a mask that she had not seen since that first night when he had saved her. She frowned but refused to break the gaze now that she had met it. Was he unhappy at this chance to be free? Did he not feel that it was worth the risk? The silence stretched as they sat, staring at each other. Finally, unable to bear the tension any longer, she cleared her throat.
"Do you want to try or not?"
"Who would stand as my tether?"
She started at the question, his voice sharp and almost unfamiliar. "Excuse me?"
"You said the seal requires a tether, a person whose bond with me will help erode the binding seals and forge the new ones. Who would this tether be?"
"I-I imagine it would be whoever you chose," she replied, voice cracking slightly. "Walter, I suppose? You have known him for a l-long time after all."
"I think not," he replied curtly.
"Wha-?" she began before being cut off. She had almost forgotten how quickly he could move. Within a blink of an eye, he was out from his seat and leaning over her, hands gripping her chair, blocking her escape.
"Are you running from me, Seras Victoria? Do you wish to see me leave as an inept lover sent away from view? This is your home after all, as you so bluntly stated on that first night. You must want to evict your current tenant so you can live here again."
Seras stared in shock at the man before her. Of all the reactions he might have had to her information, she had never imagined anger to be one of them. For the first time since that first meeting, she felt uneasy as he looked down at her. His eyes glowed in his ire, his voice sharp and dangerous.
"N-no, Alucard, I never—"
"You are mine, Seras. You have been since that night that trash laid hands on you and you bravely followed me inside. You seem to not have understood this so let me explain it now. You. Are. Mine."
His words ended in an angry hiss and she could barely react to his claim on her before she was torn from the chair and pressed against the wall. A slow seduction was gone on this night as he pressed his body into her, making sure she could feel his desire. Comprehension of this barely dawned before he had captured her lips in a searing kiss.
The shock that gripped her body began to fall away and, without realizing it, her hands crept up to thread through his hair as she pressed into his kiss. Nothing her dreams could have conjured could compare to the sensations that were coursing through her then. She felt alive and on fire and desperate. This – this – was desire, she understood that now. The final thought that floated through her mind before she gave in completely was a joy that she had not been a fool for wanting him after all.
A soft moan escaped her lips as he pulled away from the kiss at last. He chuckled throatily and, when she finally opened her eyes, she saw him staring down at her, triumph clear in his eyes.
"As much as I would like to continue, it would go against some of my plans for your future, my lady. I need to retain your…innocence for a while yet." As he spoke, he pulled away from her, gently detaching her hands from around his neck. "But I am pleased to see you understand something at least."
For a moment, she stood in a daze before comprehension dawned and she blushed. Still, unashamed, she followed him happily back to the table, basking in the moment, even if it had started in anger and misunderstanding. When she looked over at him, she saw that same satisfied smirk on his face and woke to her senses enough to roll her eyes and return to the matter at hand.
"Does this mean you do not wish to go through with it?"
He considered her for a moment. "While it is true that I would prefer to remain here for the foreseeable future, I am sure eventually we would like to move on to other places."
"We?" she asked softly, blushing again.
"We," he confirmed with a smirk.
"Oh." For a moment, she found herself lost in thought as to how all that would work. Could a human and a demon…. Then, shaking her head, she decided that was borrowing problems from the future. "Then you want to go through with it?"
"Indeed."
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The following day, Seras moved into the Hall. If the villagers found it strange that she was deciding to move during the dead of winter into a home that was considered cursed, they said nothing. In fact, the entire population heaved a quiet sigh of relief at her leaving. Even those who had not looked at her unkindly, those she had failed to notice in the sea of disapproval, thought that it was only proper that the lady of the land live in her proper house, not amongst the commoners. Or at least, that is what they said to justify their own growing peace of mind.
The move was quick and only took a single trip with an ox and cart. Most of the furniture was left behind for the next tenant. Between the two of them, there was little to move and the entire ordeal was done by noon. Over the next couple of hours, Walter and Seras began the process of cleaning the rooms. Alucard had done some to keep the house in check, but he only maintained the rooms he used regularly, which were few. The work was tiring, but the image of Alucard on his hands and knees cleaning the floor or wielding a feather duster on delicate trinkets was enough to keep Seras amused through most of the process.
When night fell, the cleaning stopped as Alucard joined them from his slumber. His comments on the cleaning were dry until he caught the twinkle in Seras' eye and surmised her imagination. From there he took her hand and drew her into one of the rooms they had not started on. With a wave of his hand, the candles lit themselves and with a snap of his fingers, the room was suddenly clean. Humor turned to bitterness in the young woman as he turned around and walked away, laughter echoing down the hall.
"Show off."
Walter chuckled, but agreed.
In the short days there after, they formulated their plans for the upcoming ceremony.
"Hellsing is just outside of London. It will take them time to get here." Walter pointed at the organization's estate on the Western outskirts of the capital. "Even with the fastest horses, it will probably take a full day of travel."
"So, we will have to break the blinding spell the night before. I am sure they will travel overnight if they need to," Seras murmured. "He is quite the prize."
The aging retainer tried to ignore the wink his young charge gave Alucard, muttering something about puppy love and being too old and other crotchety phrases that served to make the other two just laugh.
"In the meantime, we should probably complete the new seal outside. It needs to be ready when they get here," the young woman continued after she quieted down.
"What if they come early?" Alucard asked, "Am I to fend them off until we can begin?"
Seras shook her head. "No, it says the Day of Longest Night, not just the Longest Night. I am sure that means that it is the astronomical position that matters rather than just the night itself. It would still be ideal to begin after sundown though."
The three considered the papers before them before Walter looked up at them with a warm smile, his protective nature put aside for the moment. "Then, let us get to work."
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Like a scream in the night, it woke her from the dead of sleep. For eleven years, Integra had been looking for her lost "pet" ever since the night he had disappeared after a mission. She had torn through the country, looking in every place she could imagine trying to find him. However, even as she sought to find him, she knew it was a lost cause. The connection that linked them mentally felt blurry and uncertain, like trying to listen to someone speaking through water. She knew that he was still walked the Earth as the connection had not broken, but equally, she knew she would not find him.
Suddenly, though, it had returned.
Pulling on a robe, she threw open her bedroom doors and shouted down to the guards at the main hall. "Wake up! We are leaving. Be prepared within the half-hour."
"My lady! Where are we going?"
"To capture a lost animal."
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Seras looked at the mark she had just finished obscuring, nervousness creeping in on her. She stepped away only to bump into a familiar body. For a moment, she leaned against his chest, silently seeking comfort and assurance for the events they could no longer avoid.
"They will be coming soon."
"Yes, in mere moments if I were to gauge Integra correctly. She was always fiercely possessive of her belongings."
"You sound almost like you admire her," Seras said quietly, feeling suddenly unsure.
"I do. Even as a child she was spirited and strong-willed. She saved her own life when others sought to kill her." Alucard spoke with admiration clear in his voice causing Seras to pull away, fighting inadequacy. While she knew the demon man claimed her, he had never spoken of her like that.
"Then…then why did you run from her?" she asked softly. "Surely, if you admired her, she was not horrible to you."
"Admiration, Seras," he whispered into her ear, startling her slightly, "does not equate to loyalty. I was but a pet to a still young girl."
"Oh," she whispered. For a moment, she stood in her thoughts, before a different question struck her. Turning around, she looked up at the too-close man who was looking knowingly down at her.
"More questions, my jealous lady?'
Blushing, she shook her head. "No, well, yes actually. But a different question."
"What?"
"Alucard, for this to work, I need to know what you are truly and what you are capable of. If I am to tether you down, I need to know the force I must fight against."
The man before her grew still, thoughtful, as he peered down at her. Yet, his expression was not blank as it so often was, but curious. Long seconds passed as he searched her face as if it answered some question he had. Finally, he laughed softly.
"All these weeks and all this effort and you never knew? You would do all of this still ignorant?"
The comment made Seras pause, realizing that she must appear foolish. She had been curious, but not felt comfortable asking. None of what Walter had told her nor what her mother's journals had read indicated what sort of creature he was. They spoke of his power, his ferocity, his danger, and even his lust, but not his nature. Still, as she continued to meet his gaze, she did not feel the fool she had been acting.
"You accepted me, Alucard. It was only fair to accept you."
Her words made him pause, his face once more unreadable, before a grin broke across his face. Within an instant, she found herself in his arms once more, his lips pressed hungrily against hers. Their passion rose quickly as it always did, but he pulled away again after only a few minutes had passed. Setting her back on her feet, he turned to lead her from the attic.
"Only a fool would not lay claim to you if he could, Seras, and I was never a fool." He glanced back at her, laughing softly at her blush. "Still, you are right, for this to work, you must know and it is time enough for you to hear it all."
She smiled at him. "Yes, sir."
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She rode a white horse that seemed to glow in the moonlight as it grew ever nearer. Seras stared at the woman as she approached, her ashen hair looking silver in the light. Others rode behind her, but no other caught her attention as thoroughly. Just by looking at the woman, Seras understood why Alucard admired her. There was a strength of will in Integra's face as she pulled to a stop before the house, an intelligence that few women would dare show to the world at large. For a moment, Seras wondered, if she had met the woman under different circumstances, might they have been friends?
The thought left her head almost immediately as the Lady Hellsing dismounted and approached. Seras stood in the center of the seal they had marked on the flagstones of the courtyard, alone to face the wrath of the Hellsing.
"Where is he?"
The question was sharp, but not aggressive. Integra took a moment to survey the woman standing before her, but Seras could not feel that she had been found wanting. Instead, she had been surveyed as a potential enemy, but one she would not attack until information had been obtained.
"Alucard is here. You have only to summon him," Seras replied calmly, happy that her voice did not shake in her nervousness.
"You would give him over so easily? He has not put you in thrall?" Integra looked even more suspicious at Seras' openness.
"I never said anything about easy, but no, I am not enthralled."
"Hmph," Integra sniffed, refusing to break eye contact with the other woman even as she raised her voice. "Alucard, come here!"
As planned, the vampire appeared behind where Seras stood, well within the seal beneath their feet. "Master," he drawled, bowing sarcastically.
"Hiding behind a woman, vampire? How unlike you."
"Not hiding," he smirked. He did not move nor acknowledge when Seras reached behind her to take his hand. Her grip was strong, almost bone-breakingly so.
"How sweet. You found a woman to hold hands with. I may cry," Integra commented dryly as she took a cigarillo out and lit it. "I am not going to cave because of some half-hearted notion of love. We both know you are incapable. Do not think to sway me."
"You cannot have him," Seras stated, trying to ignore her own doubts. For a moment, the vampire squeezed her hand back, but she refused to look away from the woman in front of her.
"I think, miss, you will very much find that I can." She blew smoke away from them, looking at the pair for a moment before turning to walk away. "Alucard, come."
"No."
Shocked, Integra came to an abrupt halt and turned back. "You dare refuse?"
"Indeed, master. Why else would I summon you here?"
Narrowed eyes looked at him, calculating what was going on. At last, she glanced down and saw the seal on the ground. Cursing quietly, her mind raced at the implications. After inheriting the Hellsing organization, she had looked through the journals of Lady Victoria, an occultist that had worked with Hellsing for years. Amongst the writings on the seal in general, the woman had made several comments about what it would take to break it.
"Woman, what is your name? Who was your mother?"
"I am Seras, Lady Victoria. You know who my mother was."
"So she found a way, did she?" Integra asked quietly, already sure of the answer.
"Yes."
"And you want to claim this monster? To free him out into the world? Do you not realize what he is?"
The younger woman smiled. "He has never hurt me."
"You have no idea. Just look at him! Look at what he is now!"
Seras did not look away from Integra even as she felt Alucard's hand change shape within her own. It had always been part of the plan. To free him, Hellsing must compel him to the extent of their bindings. To do otherwise would be to leave the seal incomplete. Still, the sensation was disturbing. At first, her hand felt cold, as if dipped within a dark miasma that clung to her skin. Then it became light as he shifted into mist.
"Look at what he is, girl!"
Again, Seras refused to break her eye contact. The hand she held shifted again, turning into the paw of a canine and again, scratching at her flesh as wings beat against her. Finally, it began to write and climb up her arm until she felt a sensation like she would be consumed by darkness. She felt death press upon her flesh and struggled to breathe.
"Still? Still, you would cling to him even as he threatens your life?" Integra interrogated, the fury in her voice tinged with respect.
"Still," Seras gasped. "He claimed me and I claim him."
Silence ticked by as Seras felt the cold seep into her bones and the life begin to leave her. Then, all at once, she was released. Gasping, she caught her breath, barely registering that she was once again holding a man's hand, one that clutched back at her tightly.
"Let it go, Miss Integra."
The calm, quiet voice shook the Hellsing like nothing else that night had.
"Walter?!"
"Yes, Miss Integra."
"You were here? This entire time?" the woman's voice shook in outrage and something deeper, a childlike sadness and vulnerability.
"I had promised to take care of Miss Seras. Her parents wish if they had died. You did not need me, Miss Integra.
Hair whipping around her face, Lady Hellsing looked back at the girl in front of her. For a moment, she merely stared before a wry smile grew on her features and she lit another cigarillo to replace the one she had destroyed in shock a moment before.
"It seems, Lady Seras, that I am doomed to lose everyone to you. You must be truly extraordinary indeed."
Seras shook her head quickly. In that moment, she realized that the woman in front of her was not "the enemy", but another young woman who had been forced to grow up too soon.
"No, I am not particularly special, my lady," Seras smiled. "Nor am I taking everyone from you."
"Oh?"
Seras glanced over to Walter who nodded at her with a small smile. Then, she looked back at the older woman, steel growing in her own voice. "I do claim Alucard. He is mine and you cannot have him. Nor will anyone in your family ever control him again."
"Clearly. How is that not theft?"
"I am taking Alucard," Seras affirmed again, her voice warming. "But I am returning Walter. He has asked to return to your employ. After so many years of being my strength, I am unable to deny him if you will have him."
Integra started slightly, looking over at the man who had helped raise her when she was young. A genuine smile crept on her lips and she nodded, signaling to the older gentleman who silently moved to walk past her and join her other men.
Finally, Integra looked back at the vampire standing tall behind Seras still. "Alucard. I may no longer be your master, but I am still sworn to protect this land. Do not make me send my troops after you."
"You may try."
Laughing bitterly, Integra turned without saying another word and mounted her horse once more. "Go," she ordered, leading the charge. Walter mounted the horse brought to accommodate the vampire and paused to nod at the two of them as they stood in the moonlight. He exchanged no further words before riding off to follow his new chosen mistress into the dark. Seras watched, tears in her eyes, but knowing it was for the best. And they had already said their goodbyes.
As the last echoes of horse hooves faded away, Seras finally turned to look back at the vampire she had laid claim to. He was staring down at her in that quiet way he did, looking deep into her eyes. However, even as he stared wordlessly, she could see the weight that had been lifted from him. She had said she claimed him, but in truth, he was free. She had let Walter go under the guise of accepting Alucard as her companion in his stead, but knew that she could not and would not enforce a bond with the ancient vampire that he did not want.
Finally, Alucard tore his eyes away and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. It was nearly full and beautiful in the still and cloudless night. Seras looked up at it too before allowing her eyes to trace his finer features, desperate to be certain of him, but still unable to speak.
"It is a beautiful moon, Seras. And a beautiful night."
She nodded her agreement. "Yes, it is."
"It is a perfect night to claim you properly," he murmured, looking down at her again. His voice was husky with desire and a hunger that she had only seen in his eyes once before. "You are mine, Seras. I will not let you go. But…I will not force this choice upon you."
"Choice?" she asked, her own voice deepened by a matching sense of desire. "You know I choose you."
"That is not your choice, my lady. I already told you that I claimed you regardless of whether you wanted it." His lips curved in humor, belying the severity of his words even as his eyes confirmed their seriousness. "No, your choice is whether you join me in the Longest Night."
"You mean…to be with you…forever?"
"Yes."
Seras looked up at him, dazed by the realization of what he asked. Then, suddenly, laughter bubbled up from within her, casting his face in confusion as he looked down at her.
"Choice? I already claimed you, Alucard. You cannot escape me either."
Understanding dawned in the vampire's eyes and his laughter echoed through the night air as he lowered his mouth to her neck and welcomed his bride to the night.
Author's Note:
As I said, it kinda got away from me. I am still not sure about this story actually. I got my point across and a few key scenes. But I feel like some of the characterization is a bit off. They are being put in fairly different situations, so it is hard to judge what they would do. Still, I see Seras an investigator, that police aspect guiding her search through old documents and problem solving. And I see Alucard being able to formulate a relationship that combines his relationship with her and Integra in the manga. It is still the growing interest he might have had in Integra at a similar age but it is not tinged with the sick and strange relationship that had to form because of their master/servant relationship.
I also picture him being VERY possessive once he has decided that he is interested in someone.
This is also the first time I have put Integra and Seras on opposite sides of a conflict. I think that kind of weakened the story. I may go back and rewrite their conflict. I liked putting Walter in there at the end, but it kind of lessons the impact in some ways. However, I didn't think that father-type Walter would want to be around while Alucard violates Seras. Seems a bit icky.
All that being said, I am relying more heavily on input from reviews. Please let me know what you think. I would like to edit it to make it better if possible.
Til Next Time.