Disclaimer: All of Hellsing and its characters are copyright to Kouta Hirano. Any original characters belong to the author of this fanfiction.
HELLSING
EREBUS
Here standeth the Bird of Hermes,
Eating my own wings to make me tame...
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
New Plan
Saturday After-Midnight, December 27, 2031, Somewhere in Ontario...
The wind was still rushing outside, snow flying everywhere as the sign outside flickered on and off. Inside a diner, the lights were blindingly bright, the smell of sweetened coffee was nauseating, and there was bad country music playing. While the outside was being blanketed in two metres of snow, two vampires and a young woman sat in a booth away from the windows. Alex sat, leaned up against Alucard, half-asleep with his arm around her shoulders, the Count resting his chin on his palm with his elbow on the table. Van sat across from them, face buried in his arms leaning on the table.
"Coffee?" They all looked up to see a kindly elder woman with a thin and frail looking stature. In her hand was a coffee pot. "You must all be freezing, stuck out in that storm. Would you like me to pour you folks a cup?"
Van sat up straight, giving her a tired smile. "No, thank you, we don't drink...coffee." He paused, making an odd face. Never did he imagine he would ever use such a typical vampire line. Clearing his throat, he continued, "However, do you have anything hot to eat?"
"Oh sure! I can ask Phil to cook up some soup for you all."
"We're fine. It's her we're worried about," he explained, indicating to the half-chilled girl. "Perhaps some hot cocoa for her as well. Please and thank you."
"Of course."
Van relaxed as the waitress walked away behind the counter, disappearing into the kitchen. Looking over at Alex, who seemed just as dazed as he was, he frowned sympathetically. "We'll find a hotel for the night and leave first thing in the afternoon. I'm thinking we should change our route entirely and get to London by boat."
"Boat? I thought you guys didn't like boats."
His frown deepened, this time for a different reason, clasping his fingers in front of his face in deep thought. "While you were sleeping, I listened to the radio for a bit and the meteorologists are saying the storm isn't likely to let up for a couple of days, so all flights have been cancelled all across Southern Ontario, and even in a small portion of the States." He paused as the waitress, Dana on the name tag, came back with a tall mug, placing it in front of Alex.
Alex stared appreciatively at it, the hot beverage topped with plenty of whipped cream, before smiling at Dana. "Thank you."
"No problem. Soup will be ready in about ten minutes," she said warmly before moving to walk away.
Van spoke up before she could get away. "Excuse me?"
She turned to him. "Hm?"
"Do you know if there's a hotel or something of that nature around here?"
"No hotels, but there's a simple inn a couple kilometres down the road if you turn left from the parking lot. ETIA Inn. The office is open twenty-four hours."
"I appreciate it." Dana leaving once more, the young Dracul turned to the odd couple. Staring at them, he wondered why Alucard still had yet to express his obvious interest in Alex. The man struck Van as the most blunt being on the planet. "We'll head there after you're done eating, Alex." She nodded, sipping the hot cocoa without lifting it, and he nearly laughed when her nose dipped into the whipped cream. "You got a little something on your face," he jested.
Alucard opened his eyes behind his shades, looking at Alex from the corner of his vision. The girl lifted her head, blinking, the tip of her nose covered in the light substance, making him grin. Before Alex could ask what Van was talking about, the Count, pulled her closer, turning her face towards his. Alex felt her body go warm suddenly with the close contact. What was wrong with her? It wasn't the first time they had been this close, and Alucard made a habit of getting in her face quite often. Van suddenly felt uncomfortable, a comical look on his face as he watched Alucard lick the cream off the tip of her nose. He could even feel his own cheeks grow hot as Alex's face turned red from the intimate gesture.
"If you're quite done playing around, Alucard," Van scolded, looking flustered, "you and I need to discuss our options on getting back to London."
"Yes, mother," the older vampire responded dismissively, making the younger one frown at the juvenile reply. "We could take a ship," he suggested seriously.
"Are you mad?" the Dracul whispered harshly. "We'll be trapped on the ocean for days!"
"Precisely." Van blinked, utterly confused by this man's logic. Alucard smiled as he calmly explained, supporting his left cheek with his knuckles, "The only way Gabriel's followers will be able to follow us, is by flying onto the deck of a ship. They'll be just as trapped as we are, and so, they won't want to take the risk, especially attacking a vessel Alexandra is on. They want her alive and well, so attacking us on one would put her at risk."
He sighed, now getting the picture. "Yes, but that does raise a question. Why did they attack us with Alex still in the vehicle? If they really cared about her well-being, then that was extremely risky. She could have been killed."
"It's because they knew Alucard was with me," Alex muttered, picking up the mug and staring at it. "They wouldn't have made the strike otherwise."
"Hm, that's true," Van said. "Alex, do you know of any city with ships heading for London?"
The girl paused when she was about to take another sip, stilling for a moment before putting it down gently. Alucard watched as her fingers tightened over the mug, her voice quiet, "We can go to Halifax in Nova Scotia. It's one of three maritime provinces, but I think Nova Scotia would be the easiest to get to by car. With this weather, might take over a day to get there."
Van nodded. "Alright. I'll do a bit of research on it when we get settled into a motel room."
The soup arrived and Alucard kept his eyes on the girl, narrowed upon her with puzzlement. Ever since Van asked her about a possibly city to depart from, she hadn't spoken, downing two bowls of soup before deciding she had enough. Perhaps he was just imagining her sudden discomfort, and she was just too tired. To be frank, he was also exhausted, having barely recovered from the effects of those swords. When Van tried to pay, Dana just smiled and rejected the money, saying it was on the house on account of the bad weather and the lingering goodness of the Christmas spirit.
They left the diner, the wind still harshly blowing at them as they walked to to van they managed to find out of many vehicles that had been abandoned. Van's things had been barely spared by the explosion of their last vehicle, but the cases themselves were torched beyond repair, and so he muttered about getting titanium ones with longing. Even though the trip was only a couple of kilometres, it took a whole half hour just to drive through the snow covered roads. A couple of times, the vehicle got stuck, and by the time they reached the blasted motel, Van was in a horrid mood. Patiently, Alucard had helped the young vampire get the vehicle moving again, too tired himself to care about the minor annoyances.
Alucard was standing outside the vehicle, leaning against it as Van sighed upon his return from the office with their room key, pointing to the upper level rooms. "Room twenty-eight."
Wordlessly, the Count opened the side door, Alex lying passed out on the seat. Smiling to himself, he climbed in partially, rolling the girl over as gently as possible before picking her up. Van draped his coat over Alex's form gently to prevent her from being startled awake by the gusts, shutting the van closed as Alucard swiftly brought her to the upper level, the young vampire catching up to unlock the door. Inside was simple. There were two double-sized beds, a kitchenette, a full-sized bathroom, bits of random furniture here and there, and an old TV.
"Homey," Van commented dryly. "A bit drab compared to the one in Toronto."
Alucard grinned, peering over his shoulder at him. "Cheap hotels can be extremely charming."
A silver eye twitched as the young vampire murmured, "Is that so?" Sighing, he said, "In any case, we should leave as soon as possible. Christ, I'm exhausted."
With a flash of his eyes, the covers on the bed folded over before Alucard gently placed Alex on the bed. Sitting on the side of the bed with her legs on his lap, Alucard slowly untied her boots, slipping them off, then her socks. The Dracul blinked as he watched this, that same discomfort rising in his chest as he watched Alucard practically strip the girl before his eyes. Alucard turned his gaze to Van, eyes full of authority and warning. Getting the idea, Van looked away, going into the small kitchen, taking a sudden interest in the lower cupboards, hiding behind a counter.
Satisfied, Alucard continued, raising a hand as his coat, as well as other extensions like the hat, shifted from and around her form to end up in his hand without the need to undo the clasps. Slowly, her removed her sweater, her pants, then fitting long-sleeved shirt. It was a meticulous process, and in any other situation, he would have treated it like a game to see how far he could go without waking her up. However, he was doing this for her benefit and not his own selfish desires.
Removing his shades, he took several moments to admire the body before him, clad only in a simple matching set of black cotton underwear and bra. They were plain, but the black truly suited her, and he could see the way her body had toned from the training she had received so far. As any typical man would do, his eyes lingered on her breasts. They were a cup or two smaller than the Police Girl's, but they were certainly bigger than his master's—yes, he has most definitely looked once or twice. The upper lingerie looked as if it would have been uncomfortable to sleep in, with the under-wire and all, but he resisted that particular temptation.
With one final lingering look, he stood up, setting her legs on the bed before drawing the blankets over her. With a wave of his hand, the comforter from the other bed flew over, the vampire catching it and tossing it over her. Van finally braved looking over the counter top, his head popping up like a gofer, accusatory eyes peering over at Alucard. Ignoring him, the Count tucked the girl in. Van took notice of Alucard's uncharacteristic fatigue, standing up.
"You alright? You're usually chipper this time of night."
"It's one of those nights," Alucard said vaguely, his tone exasperated. "Don't worry your head about it."
Van frowned, but didn't pry further. It was best not to provoke an already annoyed vampire. Both of them had lacked sustenance, so perhaps Alucard's tired demeanour was a result of hunger. No doubt he had feasted upon a few of their attackers, but a vampire's blood did not give the necessary nutrients. Unfortunately, their blood supply had been one of the few things destroyed, that and Alex's entire supply of clothes. Despite being tired, he felt a trip was necessary, and that he would have to make a quick trip to the nearest town and break into a clinic, as well as a clothing parlour.
The young vampire headed for the door, grabbing his duster that Alucard had unceremoniously tossed onto the floor. "I'll be back before dawn. Need to make a supply run. Did you want anything while I'm out?"
Alucard sat on the bed again, watching Alex sleep. "I presume you'll be getting something for her to wear." Van grunted his affirmation. "Then no, nothing."
When Van left, Alucard returned his gaze to the girl, listening to her slow, even breathes, and the sound of her heart beating calmly in slumber. Turning away, he stood, removing his cravat, gloves, and then his tailored jacket, tossing the items onto a pitiful looking chair. The vampire walked around the bed, sitting on the edge before removing his boots, his feet now bare. For a moment, he peered at her over his shoulder, eventually climbing over to curl up against her while lying atop the blankets. He rested his right cheek against his propped up palm, his other hand brushing back her hair with his fingers. After awhile, he removed his palm, lying his head down, burying his nose in the back of her hair, inhaling her scent, arm draped over her possessively as he fell into sleep within seconds.
Saturday Morning, December 27, 2031, ETIA Inn...
The sound of the motel door opening and closing caused Alex to stir, and she lifted her head to find Van standing there with a clothes store bag. Blearily, she stared at him, and he stared back, her sleep-plagued mind unable to register flustered look on his face. Not really caring, she just wanted to go back to sleep for days. There was a strange weight on her, causing her to reopen one eye, and look down at the source, finding an arm with a white sleeve covering it. Curiously, her sleepy eyes dumbly followed the length of the limb to a broad shoulder that was behind her. Next, while craning her neck to look, she found an ear poking out of a mass of black hair. Slowly, it became clear that Van looked uncomfortable, and that Alucard had slept next to her.
"Van?" she asked.
"Y-yes?" he almost squeaked.
The girl inhaled with unpleasant anticipation. "I didn't get drunk last night, did I?"
"I...don't believe so." This conversation was already proving to be uncomfortable. Wanting to change the subject, he cleared his throat. "I got you some clothes while I was out. I peeked at your sizes, and um..." It wasn't working, he had veered into another uncomfortable topic.
"My sizes?" It took a moment for her to realize that she was half naked under the sheets, and she squeaked, covering herself up to the bridge of her nose. "Holy crap! Who undressed me?!"
"I swear, it wasn't me!" This situation was getting out of hand, and they were both growing more embarrassed by the second! "And I didn't see anything!" He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, reaching out for the door handle. "I-I'll go get you some f-food!" And with a quickness that amazed Alex, he rushed out the door.
The girl sighed before she sat up, clutching the blanket to herself as she stared down at the vampire in her bed. Feeling irresistibly compelled to have a closer observation, she shift slightly, leaning over the vampire. Inhaling anxiously, she reached out, having always wondered what his hair felt like. As her fingers touched the silky strands, she instantly recoiled, swallowing hard. What the hell was she doing?! Annoyed with herself, she pried herself away from Alucard's heavy arm, slipping out of the bed to quickly retreat into the bathroom.
After a bone-soaking, heat-absorbing bath, she cleansed herself with a shower. When she came out, she looked at the towels that came with the motel room and she almost cringed. They were really...small. So small, that she didn't think they could cover her entirely. It was either top or bottom modesty. That will not do at all, she thought, and being the clever and resourceful girl she could be, she used both towels and came out of the bathroom, sighing with content at the cool air. Looking up, she saw Van standing a few feet away in the kitchen, looking nervous like earlier.
Well, this was awkward. First Van finds her half-naked in bed with Alucard curled up behind her, and now he was being subjected to her being fresh out of the bathroom. The poor guy looked as if he might blow a gasket. "Uh..."
He choked, "H-hello." Both turned red in the face. "Feel better?" he asked, clearing his throat louder than necessary. She nodded, keeping her mouth shut. And they both looked everywhere but at each other.
"You two look as if a brother walked in on his sister while she was naked," came Alucard's amused tone of voice. They both looked over to see him sitting on the edge of the bed with a Cheshire grin. "What's the matter Van? Doesn't she have a lovely body?"
"Oh, don't even!" Van cried out defensively before pointing an accusatory finger at the Count. "You're the one who spent a great deal of time ogling her last night while undressing her!"
Alucard just grinned. "And you let it happen."
The young vampire's jaw dropped, horrified by the truth of it. "Oh, will you two just SHUT UP!" They turned their heads towards the girl who had a hand on her head as if she felt a headache coming on. "We're all adults here. Now, what are we doing? When are we going?"
Van adopted his serious expression, though there was still a trace of his embarrassment as he glared at Alucard, the Count grinning back mockingly. "As soon as you're done eating and dressed."
Saturday Afternoon, December 27, 2031, En Route to Nova Scotia...
They had been driving for hours, and the winter storm was just as relentless as last night. Van stared at the road, the hollows of his eyes deep with deprivation. Even though he often stayed up, this was probably the longest he had been awake. Sleep also never came to him easily during the night, and as it was, he wouldn't be allowed to sleep until they were on a boat. That could have been a couple of days from now. Replenishing his health with blood helped little, as his stamina was still pretty low. Even his senses felt extremely dull.
"Van," Alex called out. When he ignored her, or rather didn't hear her, she frowned, undoing her seat belt and leaning forward. "Van, pull over."
"Huh?" he said dumbly. "What? Why?"
"Because you're exhausted. I can see it. When was the last time you slept?"
"The night we came to your parents' house, I think." He could see her look of disapproval. "I don't feel as bad as I appear."
"Liar," said Alucard, who sat in shotgun. He didn't seem particularly interested in Van's well-being, but his tone seemed to say otherwise. Van couldn't help feeling like a scolded child, his shoulders hunching defensively. "Pull over. I'll drive."
Both Van and Alex turned their astonished looks at Alucard, asking in unison, "You can drive?!"
"There are many skills I've picked up in my long life," he explained, amused by their shock. "Besides, you never asked."
Van frowned. "I feel safer if I stayed at the wheel myself."
"Why? I can't drive," Alex said, Van staring at her in disbelief with a look of, But your father is a mechanic! "What?! I always preferred walking! Do you know how much it costs just to own a car? I could barely make ends meet before I was targeted by Gabriel!" She huffed, sitting back again. "Besides, just because Alucard looks crazy when fighting, does not mean he'll drive like a maniac. Right?"
There was a silence, and slowly, both Alex and Van turned their heads towards the Count. He grinned mischievously at them, looking slightly psychotic, causing them both to shiver and grow uncomfortably nervous. After a few moments, Van grew sorely tempted by the idea of sleep and he sighed, stopping the vehicle, dropping his head on the steering wheel in defeat. Alex patted his shoulder sympathetically before all three rotated places, Alucard as the driver, and Alex in shotgun while Van lied on the backseat, coat over his head to catch up on his sleep. Silence took them again, and the girl watched the vampire from the corner of her eye, fascinated with the fact he could drive at all. It looked strange, as he struck her as the carriage type. Well, that probably had something to do with the fact he was Dracula.
Curious, she asked while keeping her voice down for Van's sake, "What other skills have you picked up?"
"I can play multiple instruments and speak many languages."
"What instruments?"
"Piano, harpsichord, organ, violin, and the cello."
She tried to picture the Count playing such things. "Okay, what languages then?"
He smiled, feeling relaxed. "English—obviously—Romanian, Hungarian, Turkish, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, German—"
"Christ, that's a mouthful!" she exclaimed, staring at him in awe.
The vampire chuckled at the use of her pun. "And many more," he finished, but as an afterthought, "Well, there is one other...tongue I know."
The use of his own play on words went right over her head. "Huh?"
"Never mind." You'll find out soon enough. Alucard turned his head towards her. "What about you, my dear?"
The girl shrugged. "I don't know if I even have what you would call skills. As you already know, I'm getting better at stripping and assembling multiple kinds of guns. I do the glass paintings once in awhile, but that's only if I'm in the mood. I guess you could say I've got no ambition."
"You just haven't found it yet. Everyone has a calling, no matter how small." Alex frowned a little, staring out the window. Alucard glanced at her from the corner of his eye, puzzled by her sudden silence. "I meant it as encouragement."
"Huh?" she said dumbly, looking at him as if startled out of a trance. "Oh, yeah, I know. I wasn't thinking about that at all."
When she turned back to the window, he simply watched her. The silence was filled with the sound of the wind outside, and the wipers moving side to side to brush aside the snow. Though Van complained a little about the weather, Alucard wasn't entirely bothered by it. At least it wasn't sunny. After an hour of silence, the Count thought back to the diner and how Alex reacted to Van's question. Alucard had sense a dramatic shift in her mood, as it had gone from a tired calm to troubled weariness. She answered in a way that sounded as if she was holding back a clipped tone, like she was upset but didn't want to show it.
Though it was her business, Alucard felt like he needed to know what bothered her so much about Halifax. "What ails you?" She blinked once, but didn't answer or look at him, staring determinedly out the window. "Alexandra," he said more firmly. "What's in Halifax?"
Brown orbs flickered with annoyance as she turned her face away from his view. "Nothing." And there was that clipped tone, only it was more obvious.
Please don't force me into reading your thoughts. "Alexandra, I'm going to find out either way, whether you tell me or not." In other words, he was subtly demanding her to save them both the trouble.
"I said, it's no one!" she snapped before gasping, slapping a hand over her mouth.
"No one?" Her reaction had solidified the fact that it wasn't something, but someone. It took him only seconds to pin down the suspect. Crimson orbs narrowed, his grip tightening on the wheel, the object threatening to crack under his hand. "Conley Andrews."
Alex looked at him in surprise. "How the hell do you know that name?!"
"Your father mentioned him." He stared at her from the corner of his vision. "He lives in Halifax."
She huffed. Typical of dad to start threatening guys not to break her heart and then go on about her past boyfriends, especially that one. "Alucard, whether or not he lives there isn't any of your damn business. The chance of me ever running into him are slim, because one, I haven't spoken to him in years, so I have no idea if he's still there. And two, Halifax is a large place."
The vampire ground his teeth, irritated by her attitude. Even if that was true, that wasn't the point. His face sobered, having forced himself to calm down. Alucard had to remember that this is a human problem, and that he could not interfere. Still, knowing there was a chance the whelp lived there made the vampire want to take the first chance to hunt him down and do unspeakably monstrous things to him. However, he would never drink his blood. He didn't want a single drop of that's bastard's essence. Trash wasn't worth drinking from.
Alex turned away, just as irritated as him. "I just want to get back to England. I could care less about what's in Halifax." Regardless of what she said, Alucard could not convince himself agree with her. He wanted blood.
A/N: Sexual innuendos, away! Raise your hand if you caught on to Alucard's little quip! Imagine how long it's been since he's gotten laid. Maybe eighty years by the time this story takes place (I too believe he and the queen shagged at one point). Now, it seems like the whole getting to London thing is going to take a few more chapters than I originally mentioned. Also, I didn't put the drama I intended to have in this chapter, but that will happen next chapter for sure, and maybe the next. As for how many chapters I plan on writing for this story...a lot, probably one-hundred, more or less. We'll see. Gives you guys a lot to look forward to, right? As for the possibility of Conley Andrews showing up...yes, he will make an appearance. As for what will happen, you'll just have to wait and read.
I don't remember if I told you how Van came to be created beyond Vincent Valentine serving as inspiration. Back in high school for English class, we were given an assignment to find a picture on the internet and make a short story out of it. The picture? Go on google images and look up Cain Mary Godchild (I only just discovered recently where the picture came from). Godchild is a manga done by the same artist for Angel Sanctuary. If you find a picture with a guy with dark hair, light eyes and wearing Victorian attire, a girl in white winter clothes, and a lamp post in the background, that's it. That picture is what started Van Drake, and the little girl obviously inspired Katherine.
Anyway, please leave a review, your thoughts, any questions, and tell Alucard whether he should hunt down the little shit or not. Thanks for reading!