This was written to give a little look into William's personality and to come up with a basic background for the brothers and a possible way they could have met Arthur. It's certainly not the best background I've ever written which you might see later when I post some of my other stories. I wrote this when I was having a hard time sleeping from the stress of work that's just starting to hit me with these days living with this Pandemic. I've only slept a total of two hours in the last two days so I'm hoping it's not too bad.

- means change in scene or time skip

'text' means thoughts

"text" means speech

Chapter Three: Two Brothers

A young boy, around the age of 12, was walking down the street with an open book in his hand. He had short black hair and blue eyes. His hair was longer at the sides and had a choppy look in the back. He had bangs that were side swept to the left and occasionally fell out of place and into his eyes. He was wearing a black shirt with blue jeans and black shoes.

The boy turned into a driveway where he then closed the book and looked up. Suddenly the boy stopped. As he stared at the door to his home, he sensed something was wrong. He slowly approached the door and as he got closer, he saw that it was damaged almost as if someone had to force it open. As he reached for the door knob every fiber of his being was screaming danger.

The boy slowly opened the door and peaked in. The room was dark except the strip of light shining in from the door. He cautiously opened the door more and as more light shined into the house he noticed the furniture was disturbed. A vase was broken on the floor along with several pictures. The couch had been pushed and the coffee table had been flipped. As he looked towards the kitchen area, he saw something on the floor.

The boy took a few cautious steps into the house. As he got closer, he began to recognize the object but then he stopped. Not far from the object, his father's pistol, was a hand. The boy suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine. He moved forward and peaked around the island despite his better judgement.

There he saw his father dead on the floor in a puddle of blood. His father's face was pale, his blue eyes dull and lifeless. Just then the boy heard a noise from upstairs followed by his mother's scream. He quickly grabbed a knife and cautiously but quickly began his trek upstairs. The boy didn't know what he was going to do but his mother was in danger and so was his baby brother.

Whoever killed his father was still here. As the boy reached the top of the stairs the screams of his mother stopped, he looked around but saw nothing, so he continued. He slowly approached his brother's room and as he did, he heard quiet, crazed laughter. Inside the room stood a man with a crazed smile on his face. The man stood over the body of his mother's lifeless body with a blood-soaked knife in his hand and a crazed smile.

The boy watched as the man turned to the two-year-old in the crib. The boy suddenly felt fear grasp his heart. Without realizing what he was doing, the boy rushed forward and stabbed the man in the back. He heard the man scream out in pain and the man's knife fall to the ground. The boy then ran to his brother's crib while the man writhed in pain as he attempted to remove the knife from in between his shoulder blades.

While the man was distracted the boy grabbed his brother and made a run for the door. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care. His only thought was keeping his brother safe and getting as far away as possible.

Just then a 15-year-old William shot up from his makeshift bed with a start. The teen breathed rapidly as sweat ran down his face. He quickly looked around half expecting some kind of danger but found nothing out of the ordinary. The boy curled up into a ball and rested his face in his hands. 'just a dream... it's over now...' he told himself. He knew it was more than a dream, it was a memory. That was the day he and his brother became orphans living on the streets of London.

William tried to regulate his breathing by trying to take deep steady breaths. After a few minutes he finally managed to calm himself down. The teen then looked over at his baby brother, now five years old, sleeping soundly on the old torn pillow cushions of an old couch with several torn sheets covering him. William sat in silence watching his little brother sleep. William was covered in dirt, cuts, and brushes. His hair was a mess, he had dark circles around his eyes, and looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in days.

His younger brother was certainly healthier. Walter was skinny but better fed than his older brother. His hair was messy, and he was covered in dirt but there were no signs of injuries or lack of sleep.

The last three years had been rough for them, but mostly William. William had been doing his best to look after his brother and keep him well. Most food and water he brought back went straight to his brother. Walter would argue sometimes but William would just smile and reassure his little brother that he was fine with just the minimum amount of food and water. Even the difference in their makeshift beds were obvious.

While Walter slept on the old cushions of a couch, William slept on several folded sheets. However, most nights were spent with Walter complaining about being cold and asking William to keep him warm. William knew his brother was lying most of the time, but it made him happy knowing that Walter cared, so he never said anything and just held his brother close as he slept.

The older boy sighed and looked outside of their pathetic excuse for shelter. William had made the shelter himself using scraps of metal, boxes, and any form of fabric he could find. It was small and the only form of privacy were several torn bed sheets but to the two young boys, it was home. William wished there was more that he could do. He wished he didn't have to steal or fight other orphans for supplies. Even more so, he hated leaving his brother for the few hours he went out to find food.

He was always afraid something would happen, that he would come back and find his little brother dead. He shivered in fear as the thought crossed his mind. He had been teaching Walter how to defend himself, and he was quite talented, but that didn't stop William from fearing the worst. The death of his parents had installed this fear and he knew it would never go away. William sighed and buried his face once again in his hands.

"William...?" He heard his brother's quiet voice call in worry. William took a deep breath before picking up his head and sending his brother a comforting smile.

"What is it Walter?" William asked as he looked at his precious little brother.

"Are you alright?" Walter asked even though he knew what his brother was going to say.

"Of course, I'm fine." William said with a small laugh. The laugh was forced and they both knew it. "What about you? What are you up so early?" The teen questioned. Walter looked away and shrugged in response. Unknown to William, Walter has begun to sense his brother's unrest. Most of the time Walter would just watch in silence but this time was different. He couldn't stand seeing his brother so sad and afraid.

William seemed to sense his brother's worry. For the first time in three years the teen dropped his guard. He looked at his brother with sad but loving eyes before standing up and walking over to his little brother. Walter looked up upon hearing his brother get up. William picked up his brother before sitting down on Walter's bed.

He then placed Walter in his lap. Walter glanced up at his brother for a moment before cuddling against him. The teen couldn't help but smile as he held his brother in his arms. He gently stroked his brother's head and watched as Walter slowly succumbed to sleep.

"Stay please..." Walter pleaded quietly before drifting off back to sleep.

"I would never leave you Walter... nothing could ever make me leave you." William whispered as he rested his head on top of Walter's. "Just like how I'll always protect you." He added before he maneuvered himself and Walter into a comfortable sleeping position.

- (several months later)

Walter watched with wide eyes as he saw something stumbling towards him. It looked human but something seemed off. He was currently alone; his brother having left to find them food. The young boy didn't know what to do. Sure, William taught him basic self-defense, but he had never actually had to use the knowledge before.

Just then the person ran at him. Walter gasped and quickly ducked under their arms and ran as fast as he could to the end of the alleyway. He didn't look back as he ran. He ran past several alleyways and just as he decided to peek behind him, he ran into someone. Walter fell on his butt and quickly looked up in fear but relaxed upon seeing who he ran into.

"William!" Walter called out in happiness. He quickly stood up.

"Walter? What's going on?" William questioned before something caught his eye. Someone, no, something was running towards them. "Run!" William yelled as he grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him along. The teen didn't know what that thing was, but it didn't feel human. Walter stumbled as he struggled to keep up. The two ran through several alleyways hoping to lose their pursuer in the process but unfortunately William took a wrong turn leading them to a dead end.

William came to a halt as he saw the dead end and panicked. He immediately turned around to see their pursuer standing at the edge of the alleyway. William gritted his teeth in frustration. He pushed Walter behind him and the two took a few steps back. The teen racked his brain for a solution, some way out. William continued to stare their pursuer down as he slowly reached into his pocket.

"Walter when I say go, I want you to run as fast as you can to the right. I'll head to the left." William whispered. Walter looked up at his brother in surprise but nodded. William slowly moved to the left. The stranger watched him as he did so.

"Now!" William yelled as he pulled out a knife and ran. Walter didn't falter as he immediately took off. Their pursuer went to attack Walter, but William immediately cut into its left side. This allowed Walter to get passed before he heard his brother hiss in pain. Walter stopped and looked back to see his brother clutching his arm as blood poured from his wound. The boy's eyes widened in shock and fear. Luckily for the two boys their pursuer seemed preoccupied with the blood on its claws allowing William to get past the odd creature.

"What is it doing?" William questioned as the creature slowly let its tongue roll out of its mouth and lick the blood from its fingers. Just then the two heard footsteps behind them. When they turned, they saw a tall, long limbed, broad shouldered man. He wore a charcoal suit, leather riding boots, and an intricately knotted red cravat, covered by a full-length, and red frock overcoat with a cape. He also wore a red fedora with a wide, floppy brim and a pair of circular, heavily tinted, wire-framed orange sunglasses with goggle sidings. He had short black hair, but his eye color couldn't be determined because of his glasses.

The man slowly walked past the two. "Absolute filth..." the stranger spoke as he slowly stepped towards the creature. "You're not a ghoul, you're not even a proper vampire..." the stranger added with a snarl. "You're just a mindless price of flesh that thirsts for blood!" He yelled before thrusting his hand into the creature's chest. The two brothers watched as their former pursuer became nothing but dust. The stranger scoffed at the remains of the creature he just killed before turning his head to look at William and Walter.

William moved to stand in front of Walter but was surprised when Walter refused to hide. Walter glared at the stranger in front of them. "What was that thing and who the hell are you?!" Walter asked, his usually meek personality suddenly seemed to vanish. William, while surprised by the change in his younger brother, and bleeding profusely, was still ready to step in at any time.

"My, my your pretty feisty for a little termite." The stranger said with a dark laugh. "Shouldn't children like you be in bed?" The stranger asked in a teasing way. Just then multiple footsteps were heard coming down the alleyway. The two boys looked toward the sound and watched as several armed men ran past. Two of the men stopped in front of them and another man stood in between them. He wasn't armed like the others nor was he wearing any gear. The man wore a nice-looking suit and had an air about him that screamed rich.

"Target silenced master." The stranger said with a slight bow as he addressed the aristocrat. The aristocrat then looked towards William and Walter. His eyes then landed on Williams bloody arm. "The target sliced open his arm before I had a chance to get here." The stranger said suddenly as he flexed his fingers for emphasis.

"Captain, get me a first aid kit." The aristocrat ordered before walking up to William.

"Yes sir." The captain replied before he left.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" The man asked as he extended his hand out. William studied the man for a moment skeptically.

"William..." he heard his brother call his name. William glanced at his little brother who looked at him with worry. The teen sighed and held his arm out for the Aristocrat to look at. He watched as the man took out a handkerchief and began dabbing some of the blood away. William winced in pain but said nothing. The man studied the wound. The wound was obviously not made by teeth, which was a relief, but the cuts were deep and would certainly scar.

"Here you are sir Hellsing." The captain said as he came back with the first aid kit. The aristocrat took it and started cleaning and bandaging the wound. "What are you boys doing out here so late at night without supervision... do your parents know you're out here?" Sir Hellsing questioned.

"We don't have parents." Walter replied simply. Just then the man paused. He glanced at Walter before looking at William. The teen had his face turned and his eyes caste down.

"I see..." the man said quietly before continuing to bandage William's arm. "You two have been surviving out here by yourselves then? For how long?" He questioned.

"Three years..." William replied quietly.

"Three years... a fifteen-year-old and a five-year-old?" Sir Hellsing questioned more to himself than to the boys. "That's quite impressive all things considered." He added as he finished tying the knot in the bandage. "There, all done."

William looked at the bandage then back up at the aristocrat. "Thank you..." the teen said in a polite tone. Sir Hellsing studied the two boys.

"How would you boys like to stay with me?" Sir Hellsing asked. "You'd be given a nice place to stay and plenty of food." He added.

"The catch...?" William questioned. There was no way this aristocrat was just going to take them in without some alternative motive.

"No catch other than learning to defend yourselves out of precaution." Sir Hellsing told the teen. "If you find you want to do more than just live in my home you will be paid for any work that you do. Either way you two will be properly cared for." He added.

William was still hesitant. He didn't know what to think of this man, of these guys dressed like soldiers. And yet, he felt this man actually wanted to give them a place to call home. William looked at his little brother who seemed to be waiting for William to decide. "Could we think about your offer..." William asked as he looked back at the man.

Sir Hellsing smiled, "of course. Feel free to stay the night and think it over. I'll have my personal doctor meet us there to properly treat your wounds." He told the teen before turning to walk towards his car.

- (later)

William laid in his current bed as he stared up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head. He couldn't sleep. He thought long and hard about Arthur's offer. He wanted his little brother to have a good life and from what the Hellsing heir said, this was the best his little brother could get. However, William didn't want to feel like a charity case. He didn't feel it was right to get so much without giving something in return. The question was, what kind of work would he be doing?

William sighed and turned over on to his side, now staring at the door. Just then William moved to sit up. He swung his legs off the bed and stood. 'maybe a walk will help me think.' he thought. The teen walked out of the room and down the hall until he saw a room with light shining from inside. The door was left ajar. William peeked his head around to see Arthur in his study surrounded by papers, stacks of bowls and plates, as well as whisky bottles and glasses.

"Couldn't sleep?" Arthur asked suddenly.

"No sir." William answered respectfully. Arthur paused what he was working on and turned his head to look at the teen. He then looked at his watch before standing up. The man stretched and walked over to one of the couches in his office and sat down.

"Come sit. You can ask me anything you like." Arthur told the boy. William did as he was told and sat on the couch across from Arthur. "So, what's on your mind?" He questioned.

"Will you tell me what it is the Hellsing organization does?" William asked.

"The Hellsing organization is a secret organization working under the queen. We work with the extermination of supernatural creatures. More specifically those of the undead variety." Arthur informed the boy.

"And what would we be doing if we decided to work for you?" William asked skeptically.

"Well as you can see from the state of my office, I'm a busy man and I don't have time to look after this place all on my own. The main job will be as my butler serving me as necessary and keeping this place clean." Arthur said. "The side job will be protecting me and the Hellsing organization." He added. William sat in thought as he let everything sink in. "William, do you want to be stronger?" Arthur asked suddenly, snapping the teen out of his thoughts.

"I do... I want to be able to protect my brother from anything that would do him harm." William said with slight hesitance.

"Walter said the same thing when he visited me earlier..." Arthur said surprising the teen. "The events of today helped him see just how weak he is. He doesn't want to see you get hurt anymore. He wants to be stronger so that you don't have to worry or risk your life for him." Arthur told William. "There is a procedure you two could undergo. It will enhance your senses and make you stronger, more durable. If you decide to work for me, you will also have the choice of going through the procedure." He informed. "I'll let you and your brother discuss what you want to do. As I told you before, you don't have to work for me." Arthur added before standing up. "Try to get some rest now."

William stood up and slowly walked out of the room. He walked down the hallway in thought as he headed to the room his little brother was staying in. What did he do? What will his brother do? William stopped in front of his brother's door and quietly nodded. He heard a quiet come in and opened the door.

"William?" Walter questioned before sitting up.

"We need to talk..." William said with a tired sigh. Walter looked down and nodded in agreement. William walked in and closed the door. He then crossed the room and sat down on his brother's bed.

"What do you want to do?" William asked. There was no point beating around the bush.

"I don't want to be protected anymore..." Walter said. "I want to be stronger; I want to be able to fight my own battles." He added as he clutched his fists. William glanced over at his brother and couldn't help but be reminded of himself. After the death of their parents he too wished to be stronger, to protect those he cares about and to protect himself. William knew he wouldn't always be around. Walter needed to learn to take care of himself. Of course, that didn't mean William would worry any less but one day they would have to let each other go, whether they liked it or not. Everyday could be the last, and if they went through with this the chance just increases.

"Even so, I'll still worry." William told his little brother. Walter smiled sadly as he looked at his feet.

"I know... I'll worry too." Walter admitted. "But that's just it... we've always worried about one another. It's just that this makes our worry more justified." Walter added. William chuckled in response.

"Your right..." William said. "So, you want to go through with it?" He asked.

"Yes." Walter said with determination. William closed his eyes and sighed.

"Then we'll do it together." William decided.

Well that's it for this chapter. It might be a while before I update again. I'm going to look over the next few chapters and write out 10, 11, and 12. Hopefully this chapter was ok and you enjoyed it. Until next time stay safe and make good choices!