A/N: Hey there true believers, it's been a while but here's another update. It seemed appropriate given the time of year so here it is. I hope you all enjoyed what I've produced. So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and as always be sure to let me know what you think.
10 Years Later
"Come on, come on, come on," Seras chirped happily as she pulled Alexander Anderson through the streets of Piccadilly Circus.
The entire area was filled with street vendors and strewn with lights for the holiday season. There was a layer of snow covering everything and Anderson could see the vapor of his breath as he chuckled at her eagerness.
"Calm down lass," he told her she pulled him through the crowd of people and over to what was not the first vendor that evening.
"Here, this one, try this one," she said, practically bouncing.
Anderson looked at the man smiling at them behind the stall where he was selling a variety of mincemeat pies.
"So, what'll it be for you two?" he asked them cheerily.
Seras looked up at him hopefully and he let out a small sigh that almost turned into a groan. "We'll have one each," he said happily enough.
"Right away sir," the vendor said eagerly as Anderson handed over the money and he set to work parceling the vast variety of sweets into a large paper bag. He could particularly hear Sears chitter with excitement.
The pair walked off to the nearest bench and sat down, Anderson letting out a small grunt.
"You set?" Seras asked in a tone of utter and pure anticipation.
"Aye lass, let's get it over with," he said in an exasperated tone, but he couldn't suppress his amused grin regardless.
Seras practically squealed with excitement as she pulled a blood pack from her pocket and popped a straw into it before wrapping her lips around it and looking at him expectantly. Anderson let out a small sigh and pulled one of the many mincemeat pies from the sack and bit into it. It had the tang and bite of blueberries with the sweetness of the syrup and powdered sugar spread upon it and the delightful flakiness of a well-prepared pie crust. It was quite good and he enjoyed the flavor well enough even as his stomach felt as though it would burst and Seras seemed filled with pure ecstasy. What was occurring was something that had started some ten years ago when had come back to Hellsing Manor particularly late from an assignment.
It was a miserable endeavor, nothing particularly difficult but it was unpleasant. A pair of fledgling vampires had been terrorizing a small village and had taken to exploiting a chaotic maze of the poorly planned sewer system. They were easy enough to slay, but he had spent a great deal of time trying to catch them. He'd grant them this, they were rather cunning in their plan to use the sewers but that was it. But it had caused him to arrive back at the mansion very late, and it was well after midnight when he arrived back. He was exhausted and starving and he decided to have a hearty but simple meal before heading off to bed. He'd prepared himself a simple beef stew with potatoes and sat down to eat when Seras happened upon him.
"Hey there Alex, just getting back?" she asked in an amused tone as she sat down next to him at the dining room table in Hellsing Manor.
"Aye, a miserable and wretched mission with no joy of the hunt or the fight," he answered a little bitterly as he made the sign of the cross before clasping his hands saying grace over his meal.
"Well...mind if I join you?" she asked a bit awkwardly, gesturing to her blood packet.
"No, not at all, take a seat," he said gesturing to the seat next to him and Seras unceremoniously plopped down next to him unceremoniously.
As he finished his prayer Anderson noticed Seras had already begun to suck on the straw connected to the blood packet but he didn't pay it that much mind. He broke the loaf of bread he had in half before picking up his spoon and scooping up a mouthful of simple beef stew he'd prepared. It wasn't amazing, it wasn't even good, but it was serviceable. He did notice with mild interest that Seras seemed to shiver when he ate. He paused for a moment, wondering what had transpired before taking half of his bread and dipping it in his stew and taking a bite, and Seras seemed to shiver again.
"Is something wrong?" he asked as she seemed to calm down.
"No...no, nothing's wrong...but could you take another bite?" she asked with some trepidation. He gave her a strange look but compiled all the same. He dipped his bread in his stew once more before taking a bite as she sucked on her blood packet and she seemed to shiver once again.
"What's the matter?" he asked, genuinely curious and just a bit concerned.
"Nothing's the matter, but, I swear I can taste what you eat when I drink at the same time," she said as she took another long draw from the blood pouch but she did react in the same way. She had none of the relish and joy she had shown before. "Nothing…" she mumbled dejectedly.
Anderson had never heard such a thing before. It didn't really make all that much sense to him, but to be fair he had never studied the daily habits of vampires or for want of a better term their "life-style". Perhaps this was some form of evolution that helped to protect their sanity over the countless years of unlife. A way to help them enjoy some form of what they had. He'd have to ask Integra as she and her family had spent more time understanding vampires rather than just finding the best way to slay them. So he'd indulge her, for now, what could the harm be?
He had, in fact, asked Integra about this behavior the next day and she had chuckled before saying "I thought you had studied vampires for the past century?" in a tone that bordered between mocking and teasing. Regardless of her intent, he had found it irksome, she knew full well Iscariot did not study the "lifestyle and habits" of vampires, merely their predatory behavior and how to kill them.
"Not in that manner, Sir," he responded, managing to keep the irritation out of his voice. She just chuckled more.
"To be honest I'm entirely sure why this happens. Alucard was already centuries old when I met him, and he was already...odd, in his way. But family records and Alucard's personal accounts have observed odd and bizarre behavior that cropped up in vampires who lived longer than two decades," she said evenly.
"Why two decades?" he asked.
"I have a theory, nothing more. I believe it takes approximately that amount of time for their "ageless" bodies to set in, in terms of the reality of their situation. They develop these odd quirks as a result of their mind calibrating to truly accepting immortality. There doesn't appear to be rhyme or reason to this, it just happens," she finished dully.
"That's maddeningly unhelpful," Anderson deadpanned back.
"Well, it's the best I can come up with the data present. Don't worry I'm sure she'll grow out of it," Integra responded disinterestedly before unceremoniously returning to her work. Anderson felt a little irked but decided to take her advice and think 'How long could it last?'
As Anderson bit into the fifth pie, an altogether delightful apple confection, he found himself regretting that thought. This wasn't the first time he felt himself feeling sick from overconsumption of food, but that didn't make it any better. But he couldn't find it in himself to be mad, upset, or even mildly irritated in any way as Seras swayed back and forth humming happily to herself.
Letting out a sigh Anderson finished off his last pie, and he let out a groan. Seras looked over at him with a little concern and a little abashed.
"Um, you okay?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm fine, just fine. I've just eaten enough to feed a small city," he said rubbing his stomach.
"Hehe...sorry, maybe I got a little carried away," she said a little ashamed, but the enjoyment she had gotten far outstripped the guilt of the mild discomfort Anderson was experiencing and it showed on her face, and she just grinned and so did he.
"Fried dough, mince pies, two kinds of fish and chips, jellied eels, cornish pasties, pork pies, and chips, cheese, and gravy, did I miss anything else?" he said in a teasing tone, having laid out everything he had eaten. Seras, without missing a beat answered.
"Pizza and Currywurst," she said unabashedly smacking her lips at the memory.
"How could, I forget," he said with another groan, but it was mixed with a small chuckle and she laughed too, there was a comfortable silence for a moment before she spoke.
"Thanks again for doing this Alex, I know it's a little crazy, and I know it doesn't make any sense but.." Seras found herself cut off.
"Oh hush, it's but once a year. You never ask for anything, and it's a small thing I can do for you, you do so much for me," he said without thinking.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" she asked through snorts of laughter.
"You helped me find purpose again Lass, did you forget that? You help pull me from my despair," he told her honestly and her pale cheeks seemed to flush.
"I asked you to go with me to get a Christmas tree a decade ago, that's not anything," she said looking away, feeling the tiniest bit embarrassed.
"It was a connection with someone else, it was everything," he told her calmly and sincerely, Seras abruptly stood up at this point.
"You've eaten too much, you're food drunk, let's go walk some of the calories off," she declared in a flustered tone before pulling Anderson to his feet, and he just chuckled. He didn't know what "food drunk" was, but it was amusing. So he allowed her to pull him around the winter fair as they took in the sight and lights. After a bit of walking, Anderson had begun to feel less logy and he began to have a bit more pep in step and could keep up the young vampiress who was dragging him around the square looking at the lights and displays.
"Oh look at that, it's so cute!" Seras squealed looking at a display of reindeer and penguins playing in the snow. "Don't you think so?"
"I suppose so, but I'd rather see more images of our lord's birth, that is what the whole of the season is supposed to be about," Anderson said simply as he glanced around, and Seras seemed to sigh slightly, but smiled all the same.
'Still the ardent Catholic and man of God," she thought, but it wasn't a judgmental thought, it was almost fond. His dedication to his faith was truly amazing. She had once asked him why he was so dedicated even after they had kicked him out and had simply said "Man's will is not God's" and she supposed he had a point. She couldn't understand it, but it clearly made sense to him, and if he was happy with it so was she. But she was pulled from this reverie when she heard a tune being played by the street band near an enormous pine tree that was yet to be lit.
"Do you hear that?" she asked, her tone laced with excitement.
"What's that?" he asked in curiosity, and Seras waited for a moment to find her moment to match the tune of the orchestra.
"And so he sang a song, the rare old mountain dew, I turned my face away And dreamed about you," she sang and took a moment to pick up, he missed a few lines but picked it up without issue.
"So happy Christmas, I love you baby, I can see a better time, When all our dreams come true," he responded merrily looking down at her.
"They've got cars big as bars, They've got rivers of gold. But the wind goes right through you, It's no place for the old" she said "old" with a bit of a playful grin and poked him in the chest before continuing. "When you first took my hand, On a cold Christmas Eve, You promised me, Broadway was waiting for me, You were handsome," and without missing a beat he picked up the next lines in his thick Scottish brogue.
"You were pretty, Queen of New York City, When the band finished playing They howled out for more," he sang happily as he swiftly moved towards her, wrapping one arm around her waist and taking her hand his as he leads her through an energetic waltz to the tune of the band, and amount the crowd others. He jovially laughed and so did she as she sang the next lyrics in a near off-tune mirthful voice, as they spun around the square. before their voices joined.
"Sinatra was swinging, All the drunks they were singing, We kissed on a corner, Then danced through the night" they sang loudly, almost drunkenly as they spun through the crowd, which join them in the next line.
"The boys of the NYPD choir, Were singing Galway Bay, And the bells were ringing out, For Christmas day" the crowd Seras, Alex cried out merrily with the tune of the band, and the duo immediately broke apart merrily filling the roles of the song. Seras stepped back, put a hand on her hip, and pointed accusingly at Anderson, but her grin never left her face.
"You're a bum, you're a punk," she sang, almost unable to stop her own snicker as Anderson sang back.
"You're an old slut on junk, lying there almost dead on that drip in our bed," his own grin was now very evident. Not the hunter grin he wore when he killed vampires, but a genuine mirthful grin, and Seras revealed in her next line.
"You scumbag, you maggot, You cheap lousy faggot, Happy Christmas your arse, I pray God it's our last," Seras practically laughed as they came back together, her hand in his, his arm around her waist, her hand in his chest as the crowd around them sang along with their impromptu sing-along.
"The boys of the NYPD choir, Still singing Galway Bay, And the bells are ringing out, For Christmas day" all of the voices merry and jovial. But the mood seemed to change between Seras and Anderson as they whispered the last lines of the long.
"I could have been some," he whispered.
"Well so could anyone, you took my dreams from me, when I first found you," she said back in a hushed voice.
"I kept them with me babe, I put them with my own, Can't make it all alone, I built my dream around you," he murmured back, leaning in closer than he intended.
"The boys of the NYPD choir, Still singing Galway Bay, And the bells are ringing out, For Christmas day," the crowd shouted out again as the band finished and people began to clap and cheer for the band. Some of them were drunk, others joined in the dancing, paying no attention to the pair who had started this. The two seemed frozen for a moment, their faces inches apart, before they rapidly broke apart. Both of them looked abashed, not that anyone noticed, band. they were too busy shouting requests at the band.
Back at the manor, Seras was in her PJs getting ready for the annual tradition she and Anderson had developed. Hot Cocoa and " A Muppets Christmas Carol" but she certainly felt awkward now. That little event at Piccadilly Circus, she had felt a little off-kilter. Anderson had been able to maintain composure almost immediately after the awkward interaction, but Seras was still on an off foot.
"Okay, here we are, are ya ready?" Anderson said walking in with two mugs of cocoa.
"Umm, yeah, right!" Seras said excitedly, but clearly a bit awkwardly. She thought he had noticed, but he chose to change the subject.
"I never thought I'd enjoy this version of the tale, felt puppets aside, it is one of the best adaptations I've seen, one of the truest at the very least," he said taking a seat next to her as he handed her her mug.
Seras took it and could tell he was as equally off-balance as she was, he was just better at hiding it.
"Well, I told you it was good," she said in a very transparent effort to keep things normal as she took a sip of her drink. However the moment the cocoa touched her tongue she felt her whole body erupted in a burst of unadulterated pleasure and decadence and she let out a long and unsavory moan, that she tried to keep silent behind her lips. Yet despite this, Anderson still took notice.
"Is everything alright lass?" he asked.
"Yep...all good...perfect," she said between pants and quivering, she felt like she was about to burst, something was definitely different, and in her opinion, in a very good way.
"You're sure?" he asked, evidently unconvinced.
"Yea, totally, but...um, what kind of blood did you use for my drink?" Seras asked, trying desperately not to grab and pull at her clothes, which she suddenly felt confining.
"Nothing special," he said, and he seemed to be telling the truth.
"You're...um...you're quite sure," she said between pants.
"I believe so, my...the blood wasn't anything-" he began but she cut him off, not missing his slipup.
"Your blood! It's...it's...hmm...decedent…" she with an indecent moan. "It tastes like virgin blood, but purer and rarer, what's your type?" she said as she took another small sip, trying desperately to savor every drop, her cheeks flushing.
"They called it Rh-null, it has no antigens, that's what made me a prime candidate for the nanite; but I doubt those are still there, does it make that much of a difference?" he asked curiously. Again, here he showed his lack of Vampire "life-style", he had never thought to ask about how different blood-types tasted.
"It makes all the difference, I've never tasted anything quite like this," she mewled as she took another sip. "Heavens above, that's amazing," she finished smacking her lips.
"I'm startin' ta think I shouldn't have used my own blood just because I didn't have a pack ready at hand…" he said as he looked her over with concern.
"No, no, no, no, I'm fine, just a little...er...um, surprised is all, yeah, virgin blood is just so rare and-" this time he cut her off.
"I hate ta disappoint ye, but that's not virgin blood, I've, ahem, well…" Anderson said, a little abashed. "Before I took my vows obviously," he finished sternly, making sure he made it clear he'd never strayed from his path.
"Well, I don't what to tell you that's virgin blood," she said as she dipped her finger in her drink before sucking the liquid off in a deliberately indecent manner.
"Knock that off lass, it's not proper," he said sternly.
"Right!" she squeaked, her entire face turning beet-red, coming back to her sense a bit. "But that's still the purest blood I've ever tasted, even more-so than Sir Integra's, yours was untouched, aged, and...divine?" she finished a little confused, she didn't know why she chose that last word. Anderson seemed confused for a moment before a realization struck him and he gave a warm and understanding smile.
"The nail, I was reborn," he said more to himself than to her, and she couldn't seem to help what he asked next.
"So, even though you're not a priest anymore you haven't, ahem, you know, in over twenty years?" Seras asked, making a rather crude hand gesture, a grin plastered on her face.
"Absolutely not! I've not sinned against the church in over eighty years! My being defrocked has no bearing on that!" he shouted, although she was pleased to see a brilliant flush running from his neck up to his cheeks, and she giggled.
"I'm only teasing you, sit down, and watch the movie," Seras said, patting the seat next to her. Her awkwardness and embarrassment from their trip to the fair
"Right, right, of course, no reason to ruin the tradition," he said, seeming to calm down and sat down next to her.
Without missing a beat she scooted over, wrapped her arms around one of his and leaned her head on his shoulder, and allowed herself to take pleasure in his body tensing up. She suppressed a small giggle as he coughed and sputtered at her rather forward actions.
"You know, the Ghost of Christmas Present is my favorite, he reminds me of Hagrid from Harry Pooter, hehe," she mumbled with a small giggle as she took another sip of her drink. Playing dumb of Anderson's discomfort in her mildly blood tipsy state.
"Oh...does he?" he said at a complete loss of what to say.
Eventually, he relaxed, and so did she. Her playful mood eased to normalcy as she leaned on him, and he allowed her to, and even; unless Seras was very much mistaken, allowed his head to rest against hers. But, she was on a blood-high, so surely he hadn't done that. But it tickled her to think he had.
Quick little note for those interested. The song used is "A Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues, but my personal favorite version is sung by Gianni and Sarah