A young man, looking to be in his early twenties, swaggered down a street somewhere off the west coast of Florida. He had just left a party, raging with drunken teens, and had succeeded in scoring with one of the many girls he considered to be whores. It hadn't really taken that much effort really. She had already been drunk and looking to score herself, really, he didn't have to drug her to get with her. But where was the fun in that? Whether or not her lifeless body was laying in the ditch over the backyard fence of the house was of little consequence to him at the end of the day. It wasn't his first anyways.

He yawned and turned around a corner into an alley, reaching for the zipper of his pants, and was about to relive himself when something caught his eye.

A man stood further down the alley, his figure just out of reach of the streetlights, and watched him with a grin.

The boy smirked, "Sorry man, didn't realize this one was already taken."

"It's quite alright," the man responded, revealing a shark like grin. "Don't mind me."

The boy scowled and zipped up his pants, "Hey man, don't go getting any ideas, I don't swing that way."

"That's a pity," the shadow responded.

The last thing that boy ever saw was the teeth and glowing red eyes of a demon and for the first time in his short life he understood what his victims had felt like and even as his life was drained away he pissed himself in fright.

He feasted on all the trash he could find, embracing their madness like a long lost friend, and only momentarily regretted the loss of his recent sanity. He felt their bloodlust, their terror, and destruction flow through his veins and flexed his fingers experimentally. He scoured every alleyway and abandoned building, every death row of every prison within a hundred mile radius, and gorged himself beyond content. He searched out every low level demon, every myth and legend, and drained them too. He regained the use of his shadows, his familiars, and cackled all the while.

He flitted across the world, appearing from shadows, and attacked any he saw fit. And while he reveled in his new abilities and wondered what kind of enemy he would be facing next. But in the back of his mind the darkness hungered for another monster in particular, one he had not laid eyes on in nearly six hundred years.

He did not return until late in the day, reeking of blood and gore, and buzzing on a high he had not felt since the attack on London.

Integra had spent the day wrestling with her conscience. It was true that Alucard had returned and with his appearance she had calmed down significantly, enough for Andrews to notice, but they were still stuck in a bind. The Vatican would have to be contacted. It was, in all technicality, their territory that was in danger of attack. While memories of the passed tortured her she could not help but hold onto a vain hope that Pope Francis would be able to begin anew like he so said. There seemed to be a lot of that around these day, she thought, and opened her laptop, debating.

Alucard reappeared shortly after she had shut her laptop for what felt like the hundredth time. He wore his usual grin and strode into the room demanding both their attention without speaking a word.

"How soon can you have Seras on her feet again?" Integra asked, cutting right to the chase, already knowing what he been out doing just by the way his eyes gleamed behind his glasses.

"A few hours," he answered. "I need some time to digest." He reclaimed the high backed chair he had sat in before and once again took up a regal pose.

Andrews was beginning to wonder if he did it on purpose when the meaning of his words finally dawned on him and he stared at the vampire in amazement. He had gone hunting? Hadn't he given him a pack of blood already, it was normally enough to sate Miss Victoria's hunger well enough. What kind of an appetite did the beast have? What poor soul did his drain?

"Should I get media coverage?" Integra asked, businesslike, and once again opened her laptop.

"No," Alucard answered simply. "The majority were already on death row and those that weren't would have been soon." He removed the glasses from his eyes and set them on the table next to them, blinking in the remaining day light, and then removed his hat to join the glasses.

"Most?" Andrews spoke up from beside Integra.

Alucard turned his glowing eyes onto the butler thoughtfully and cocked his head, "Of the hundreds that I claimed today." He drummed his fingers, wishing he had a glass of wine just to busy his hands while he rode out the blood buzz that ran through every nerve. "I hope you did a thorough background check on this one," he commented moments later.

Integra crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, "and I suppose I should have done one for Walter?"

"Apparently," Alucard drawled.

"You knew him far longer than I had, you were my background check," Integra shot back irritably.

"Trusting me to be a good judge of character?" Alucard said with a quirked brow.

Integra sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Naturally he had a decent point, why on Earth would she trust him to be a good judge of character? He was pleased with anything dark and gruesome.

Andrews snapped his mouth shut and struggled not to turn away from the vampire lest he seemed rude and simply remained at Integra's side. It was not his place to question his employer or her other employees and he had already broken many other rules and guidelines since they had arrived within the old city and he did not plan on breaking anymore.

There was an awkward tense couple of hours while Alucard 'digested' his meal and settled the souls within him. It was more difficult then he remembered. In the past any new victim that joined the ever growing army within him would be pummeled by the rotting souls and, if not immediately, still gave up hope relatively quickly and allowed the darkness to overtake them. The beasts within him at that moment were all roiling and fighting amongst each other in a panic. He would not admit to the amount of energy and force needed to retain them but it was far greater than he was used to.

Integra paced and Andrews resorted to sorting and cleaning his weapons while they waited impatiently. It was when the moon had risen and the first clustering of stars appeared in the sky that Alucard stood from his chair abruptly.

"Leave us," he said, breaking the nervous atmosphere that had slowly been drowning them.

Integra looked over from her perch on the balcony where she was smoking the last cigar of the most recent pack. Andrews paused in his work and turned to watch the two from his seat at the table where his weapons were carefully displayed.

"What was that?" she asked irritably, annoyed by his demanding tone. She ignored the cool breeze that blew her hair about and into her face.

"Leave, having you here while I reclaim what is mine will only be an annoyance," he explained darkly and moved towards the closed bedroom door where a dying Seras still rested.

"Sir Integra, you have not eaten today, perhaps you should take this opportunity to do so," Andrews offer as he stood. He set the rag he had been using for his weapons down on the table.

Integra leveled a glare in his direction but nonetheless flicked the butt of her demolished cigar into the street below and came back into the room, shutting the glass door behind her. "As you wish," she muttered.

The two left quickly after that but Integra, ever the one to have the last word, turned back at the door and shot the vampire an intense look before saying, "If you screw this up I will hang you from a flag pole in the sun by your britches for all the world to see." The door slammed shut behind her, leaving the vampire to stare at the door from the corner of his eye with a smirk.

The room Seras was in was darker than the rest of their suit. The curtains were still drawn, blocking out the soft moonlight, and pitched the occupants in shadow. Alucard stood over her from the bedside, watching her shifting expressions interestingly, before lifting a hand and placing a finger at the center of her forehead.

Through his mind's eye he encountered the darkness from before, it was cold and immense, it towered far above his head and loomed like a storm cloud. Behind it he knew were the horrors that Seras had been suffering in his absence. From just her facial expressions he had been able to gauge what kind of tortures were going on deep within her mind.

He stepped forward, lifting his gloved hand to the black wall, and pushed against the surface. It gave under his strength and rippled, like black water, and his pushed forward through the coldness. It morphed around his figure as he moved through it and sooner than he expected he stepped out into moonlight.

Had it been anyone else they would have been disoriented by the sudden change. He had been in her mind, in a dark bedroom, and was suddenly standing in the grass outside of a familiar church. There were no crickets to serenade the night, however, instead the air was filled with terrified cries of his fledgling. The scent of blood was heavy and forced him into a slow walk after the sounds. Had there been any real danger of Seras losing her life he would have simply used the shadows to locate her, but he knew exactly where she would be, and there was a sick morbid curiosity within him begging to see what took place. To relive the night he had turned her and see the look of defiance in her eyes as she shot that piece of trash freak in the face.

He arrived on the scene just as he had thirty years ago, the only exception was that there were far more ghouls than he remembered and a handful of unfamiliar faces that he could only assume were from her past. The church was on fire. And the moon was bright red and leering down over the two figures in the center of the crowd.

He watched and waited, observed the horror on his fledglings face when the vampire gripped her chest and threatened rape. He watched as the ghouls riled and cried out in very human voices for her death. And he waited for the moment when her savior would appear in red to put an end to the horror.

But as time worn on and the threats turned into action he realized and understood. This was not a simple memory brought up in her fevered sleep. This was a night terror. Her worst fears come to life. And once that fact dawned on him anger welled up within his chest, burning hot and righteous, determined to protect what was his.

He growled and stepped forward, pushing through the throngs of the undead that ignored him as he past, and stepped into the circle they had created.

"Police Girl," he intoned darkly. His red eyes glowered at the scene in front of him. She lay on the ground with the freak on top of her, pulling at her clothes and cackling like a madman.

She did not answer him.

"Seras!" he snapped, growing irritated with her ignorance of his presence. He was only answered with a cry of frustration and fear on her part.

"Seras Victoria."

This time it was quiet, and spoken directly into her ear.

Blue eyes turned to take in the crouched figure next to her, unfocused and confused, until they sharpened with recognition. But it was not relief that he saw in those tear filled eyes but terror that quickly morphed into anger.

"Wake up," he ordered.

He retreated from her mind then, coming back to himself smoothly, and turned his gaze onto Seras who had yet to awaken. He leaned over her, waiting for a sign of waking, and was caught off guard when her eyes snapped open and she threw a wide punch at his jaw. The hit sent him tumbling into the wall next to her bed and caused a painting to fall from its hanging next to his head. The glass shattered as it hit the ground and marked the beginning of tense moment of silence. A wide grin spread across his face and he chuckled, rubbing at his jaw, and eyed the weakened figure on the bed. The punch had taken all she had left and she was now sprawled across the covers panting in distress.

"It's good to see you too, Police Girl," he drawled.

Seras lifted her eyes to him and paused. Recognition flitted across her face before she dropped her head onto the bed and let out a weak sigh. "What's going on? Walter keeps coming in here and he won't let me sleep?" she asked weakly, throwing an arm over her face to block out the nonexistent light.

"You're sick," he stated dryly, the smirk falling from his face as he returned to the bedside.

"It's just a hangover," she mumbled and turned over onto her side, pulling a pillow into her arms a burying her face into it. "Eddie bought me a drink because I made my first arrest . . ." she trailed off. She seemed to be ignorant of the horrors she had been experiencing throughout the day and night while she weakened.

"You're dying," he added. His eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Wha?" she lifted her face enough to stare at him in confusion.

"Enough of this," he interrupted her question and lifted his wrist to his mouth. His fangs pierced his cold flesh and brought the freshly taken blood to the surface. "Drink my blood and you can rest," he ordered, holding the limb out to her mouth.

"Ugh," she grunted and pushed his arm away. "What is wrong with all of you, quite trying to shove that stuff down my throat, I just need some water and asprin and I can get back to work."

Alucard growled and grabbed at her wrists with one hand, holding them firm against the mattress and pressed the bleeding wound against her lips. She screamed in anger behind closed lips and attempted to turn her head away but his wrist followed her every move.

"Drink or I will force it down your throat," he snarled in anger.

His figure towered over hers, threateningly, and sent thrills of terror running through her. All she could see of him was his shadowed form and his glowing red eyes glowering at her from the darkness. She smelled blood. And it was all she could do not to cry but the tears welled up despite her best efforts. She shook her head in a feeble attempt to refuse and was rewarded with a frustrated growl as he pulled away and stared down at her irritably. She sobbed and buried her face within the pillow again to muffle her cries.

He hissed in disbelief and turned away from her. Curse her and her tears. He peered at her over his shoulder while his mind raced with unknown thoughts but he soon turned back to her. Slowly, bordering on gently, he sat down on the side of the bed and sighed. She was not right in the head, that much was obvious, and it was easy to discern that she thought herself still human. In her messed up mind she had created a world where she was both a policewoman and a member of Hellsing and there was a distinct lack of monsters. While she was asleep she was assaulted by nightmares from her past but while she was awake she was in a dream created to sooth her soul. An interesting defense mechanism but not something he was truly interested in. No, he wanted to see her as the true vampire he had no doubt she had become in his absence.

"Seras."

His now calm voice broke through her cries and drew her muddled attention to him. He watched her from over his shoulder, feeling her wary gaze on him, and fell silent. He waited a moment before lifting his wrist to his lips and pulling the coppery liquid into his own mouth. Satisfied with the amount he had drawn from his own flesh he turned to her and placed a hand behind her head, pulling her closer to him despite her protests, and bent down, placing his mouth on hers.

She gasped, parting her lips out of disbelief and shock, which allowed him push the blood into her mouth. As soon as the liquid had spilled across her tongue she froze and swallowed out of reflex. It slithered down her throat and into her stomach where it spread its warmth and sent small sparks of energy buzzing within her. The action awoken the need for more within her and she lunged forward, pushing Alucard back, and latched onto his neck with no remorse.

He tensed, not having expected her to react so strongly in her emaciated state, and grunted against the uncomfortable feeling of someone else's fangs on his jugular. It had been nearly a century and a half since his last fledgling had drunken his blood and he had grown unused to the feeling of such actions. He supported himself against the mattress with his other hand, feeling lightheaded at the rate she was draining him, and sighed in resignation. He would have to replenish after this and the thought irritated him.

Several minutes later he felt her pause, withdrawing her fangs from his flesh, and tremble at the realization of what she had just done. He pulled away and rubbed at his neck before dropping his gaze to the blonde vampire who was now staring up at him with very clear and horrified eyes.

"Master?" she questioned fearfully.

He smirked, "Not anymore, Seras."

"What? No-." she lifted her hands to her head, her eyes growing empty and vacant while she searched her mind. There was no reassuring presence within her head. Even when he was gone she had felt him, known he was alive and fighting, even heard his voice at times, but now there was nothing but the silence of her own thoughts. She felt utterly empty and vacant and her full belly was no form of compensation for the kind of hollowness that plagued her now. It was like finding yourself in a horribly unfamiliar location with no way of contacting anyone, without food or money, forced to start over from scratch in a foreign culture. She wanted to say that it was like being taught how to ride a bike by a parent, their steady hand on the bars while you wobbled about before they let go, but she was not riding down a pleasant neighborhood street, no, she was careening through darkness and madness while wolves snapped at her heels and bayed for blood.

Once again the smirk fell from his face while he watched her. And the tears spilled from her eyes once again while she grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to reassure herself of his presence.

When had he returned? Her mind raced. She had been out searching for Radu and saw Baskerville . . .Of course! He must have returned while she was away, but why hadn't Baskerville just led her to him? Why had he forced her to drink his blood? She had been sick? Her head pounded and she groaned through her tears.

Alucard pulled her forward, guiding her head to his shoulder, and smoothed his hand through her hair. He was silent as the grave while her mind spun. Eventually, though, he did speak: "It had to be done," he explained in a soft tone, "You were dying."

She wiped at her tears and nodded her head in understanding but could not control the intense sadness that was washing over her in waves. She had finally gotten her master back and lost him in the same night. She was just glad he pitied her enough to allow her the close contact. She could not imagine the heartbreak she would have felt had he simply told her to toughen up and left the room like she had half expected him to.

"Rest now, Seras, you need to recover your strength," he muttered and leaned back, assured that she would not topple over, and stood.

"Wait!" she cried, reaching a hand out for him even as he moved away.

He stopped and looked back at her, annoyed with her clingy behavior, but reminding himself that the majority of his fledglings had done the same. He himself had never been a true fledgling to begin with and had never experienced the loss that Seras was. He had felt triumphant to rid himself of the nauseating presence of the demon roosting in his head. But then, he had been more of a guardian figure to Seras, a teacher and friend, not some dark voice whispering foul deeds in her ear.

He sighed, an oddity in itself, and returned to his seat at her side. He said no more to her while she laid back in the bed and pulled the covers over her shoulders but could not hide the scowl on his face when she reached out and wrapped a hand around his.

She fell asleep with a peaceful expression and he was forced to stay be her side, unwilling to cause her more grief.

...

Radu stormed through the streets of St. Augustine, the aged envelope crumpled within his angered grip, and made quite the intimidating image. The night was still relatively young and people still filled the streets but as the enraged vampire passed they quickly moved out of his path sensing that, if they did not, their lives would be in danger. Not true really, Radu would never blatantly murder somebody for such a trivial reason, but he paid them no mind at the time. His dress shoes clacked against the cobblestone as he forged a path through the crowds to the Santa Monica Hotel.

He had gone through a major growth of character within a twenty four hour time span and he was still reeling from it. Gone was the timid creature eager to please those higher than him, gone was the blind fool happy to follow whatever grand new cause was born, and gone was the coward.

He grit his teeth at just the memory of the person he had been not a day before. He hadn't changed for centuries and he felt like an ass for not doing so. But a dear friend's life was in danger, he had been led astray, and he would stand for it no longer.

He pushed the glass doors of the front entrance open and strolled into the main lobby determinedly. He would tell Sir Hellsing all that had transpired and would figure what to do from there. He would take Seras and flee with her if that was what had to be done. He would not let Flagler have his way even if it meant his death.

The plush red carpeting softened his already light footsteps and the lack of hard flooring underneath his shoes calmed him for some reason, as if he had thrived off of the satisfying tempo his shoes beat out on the marble flooring off the lobby and the cobblestone before that. He slowed his pace and climbed up the rest of the staircase in a more composed manner. He stood at the top and straightened his three piece suit before striding over to their room and pausing at the door, he could hear them talking from within.

"She looks much better than before," Integra's voice filtered through the door.

"Yes, she does not seem so malnourished," Andrews agreed.

"Well done, Servant, perhaps you aren't as useless as I was beginning to think," Integra commented dryly.

Seras was getting better? His mind raced with excitement. Thank the heavens she was improving, he had begun to fear for her un-life, a fact he found distantly amusing. He glanced down at the crumpled envelope, reminded of its existence when it crinkled in his hold, and his anger returned with a strong sense of righteous courage.

Now was not the time to dawdle, he admonished, and pushed the door open. He stepped into the room, accidentally throwing the door against the wall in his hurry, and glanced about in search of Sir Hellsing. It had been a while since had had actually used a door and not the shadows to travel but he did not dwell on his slip up for long.

"Sir Hellsing!" he called to the woman who was seated at the desk as per usual. Andrews was standing in front of the couch, which was turned away from the door, and staring down at who he assumed to be Seras. She must have been curled up on the couch if the wisp of blonde hair sticking up over the top was anything to go by. A man sat at the other end of the couch, the only details he could get from the back of his head was his black hair. For a second he felt rather guilty for barging into the room without first checking to see who was in it. He might have ruined a meeting or even an attempt at gaining new information but he brushed it aside and reassured himself that what he had to tell them was far more important than what anyone else would have for them.

Integra stared wide eyed, surprised by his entrance, and nearly dropped her cigar. "Yes?" she prompted in a hesitant tone.

"There's been a development," he explained, shutting the door behind himself and moving over to the desk. In his haste he nearly knocked over the end table to the couch but he ignored that slip up as well. He lifted the envelope for the woman to see before he set it down atop the desk and smoothed it out while he spoke. "I was summoned back to the College earlier this morning, my apologies for leaving without a word, but I was to have a meeting with Flagler. Now I had been caught snooping, need I remind you, so I was certain it was going to be the end of me. If not my death, then I would at least get a round of torture the likes of which I have never known, either way I was going to pay for it. So there I was, standing before this supposed new King," here he broke off and scowled before continuing, "and he simply asks if I understood his message. To which I replied with firm assurance that I did and I would not make the mistake again. Then gives me this!" He lifted the envelope which he had been struggling to unwrinkle while he spoke, he pulled the contents out and handed the paper to Integra who scanned the message as he continued. "He asked me to deliver this to Seras Victoria and invite her to the ball of all things," he rubbed at his face in frustration and straightened from his previous position hunched over the desk. "I don't even know how he knows about her. I certainly was careful about her presence here. Has she spoken with other vampires in the city?" He trailed off in deep contemplation, lifting a hand to his chin and took a step back.

Integra finished reading through the letter and glanced up after the vampire's ramblings had ended. She opened her mouth to respond but paused upon realizing the situation they were in.

Radu ignored her and threw up his hands in frustration, "I just don't get it. Surely he would know Seras was still a part of Hellsing? He must be playing more of those damned political games," he groused and moved to pull off his coat. He threw it over to the chair resting in the corner and turned his eyes to the couch to see Seras for himself.

Really, the only way to explain what occurred next was to compare it to a picture or maybe even a movie put on pause, because everyone in that room froze. Andrews himself, who had been standing by the couch stood still the entire time Radu had rambled and Integra had stopped as soon as her eyes had lifted from the letter and met the utterly speechless figure of her servant. He sat there on the couch, one leg thrown over the other, hands clasped above his lap, but where the usual grin would have been was nothing but a blank slate of shocked disbelief. She had never seen him wear such an expression in her life.

The brothers made eye contact for the first time in nearly six hundred years and it seemed as if they were trying to convey all that they had missed within that gaze because they did not break that eye contact for several minutes. Radu stood frozen, arms now limply hanging at his side.

Radu was the first to show any kind of reaction. He stepped to the side, turning to face his brother full on and let out a nervous and very forced chuckle. He tugged at one of the longer locks of hair that framed his face, "Brother, I-," he tried to explain. Tried to convey how much he had suffered over the centuries, how much he had missed his presence, how often he had simply thought of ending it all just so he could see his loved ones again and maybe one day even his brother. But he couldn't. The words jammed in his throat and he choked.

Alucard stared. Nothing had actually registered within his mind as he was still in denial over the creature in front of him and what his continued existence meant. What he must have suffered. The child he had grown up with was an image of innocence and positivity, even as hostages he had played the part of a happy young thing, bent on brightening the world. The person that stood before him was haunted and dead. His grip on his clasped hands tightened and strained against the white fabric of his gloves and his blank expression quickly morphed into one of rage. Eyes glowed and teeth grit together in an animalistic snarl that had Andrews backing away and Integra standing from her seat behind the desk in worry.

"Who?" he managed to force between his clenched teeth. They snapped shut after he had finished the word with enough force to bite through a limb, the resulting sound caused Radu to flinch.

"It's me," he answered, confused and hurt by the tone. "Your broth-."

He was cut off by Alucard, who shook his head and ground out: "No, who did this?"

Radu looked at him in distress and confusion before it dawned on him and he dropped his eyes to the floor. The intricate patterned carpet suddenly had his full attention.

"What street walking gutter whore dared to touch you with her putrid rotting fangs?" Alucard snarled. He pushed himself up from the couch, hands shaking in barely controlled rage, and loomed over the smaller vampire like an enraged demon.

"Alucard-," Integra warned him but the vampire shot her such an intense look of hatred that her mouth slammed shut and she pursed her lips in frustration. But she understood, this was something he wanted to handle on his own, in this situation it was she who was the outsider for a change.

Andrews had stepped up to Integra's side protectively but he saw now that there was no need for such a thing as Alucard's attention was focused fully on his younger brother.

Radu clenched his fists at his sides and huffed, struggling to control his emotions, and lifted his gaze to the ceiling in an attempt to blink back the bloody tears threatening to spill. His brother's rage was one thing he could never stand, he always managed to make him feel like a failure with every word he threw at him in those moments, and now was no different. "I-," he fumbled to force out an explanation and paused, spitting out a rather inappropriate curse instead, and lifted his hands to his face in frustrated humiliation.

Alucard growled and turned his eyes to the window, refusing to see his brother in such a state, he had always been the more innocent and emotional of the two. He blamed himself for that, he had spoiled him with his attentions while the rest of the family ignored them, it was his own doing. He clenched his fists and turned back to Radu who was wiping at his eyes and struggling to regain his composure. To hell with this. He stepped forward and pulled his brother into his arms, fiercely, and placed a hand on the back of his head.

Everything that he had known up until that point was shattered like so much glass, it crunched under his boots, and he ground them into the floor viciously. So much anger and hatred boiled within him at the realization that he had never truly lost everything. He recalled the moment his son had passed on, how he had been driven mad and slaughtered thousands in his wake, how he had looked at the world so differently. It was just a flat grey plain of useless existence. There was no such thing as justice, righteousness, or truth. The man he was had shattered and suddenly, the people around him turned into nothing but amusing blood bags, and the monsters in the world were a cure for boredom, and he did not care. But little Radu had still walked the Earth, still lived in a way, and he had heard the tales of the beast his brother had become.

He felt hollow and broken in a way he had not known since the day Abraham Van Hellsing had defeated him, staked his heart, and brought him back to England for years of torture and experiments. Since his dominion had fallen and burned at the hands of his enemies and all that he had worked to create was turned to ash in front of him. He had watched his people fall, watched as his castle crumbled, and the sky turned grey and suffocating.

He felt human.

Emotions that he did not recognize battled for dominance within his mind and he could do nothing to fight it but tighten his hold and the trembling figure that was his little brother.

Yes, he wept. He wept for the years he spent in unnecessary darkness. He wept for the years his brother must have suffered without him. And he wept for their lives past. He would never see that innocent toothy smile again, the one he was rewarded with the day he took his brother swimming, but he at least now had someone who shared the same memories as him.

"Do you think we'll ever see the ocean? I always wanted to see it."

"Of course we will. When we're old enough we'll ride out to the coast and camp out on the ocean side for a week. We won't tell anyone where we're going that way no one will come looking for us!"

"Father would worry."

"Psh, no he wouldn't. We'd be so big and strong that no one would think to bother us."

"You think so?"

"Of course!"

"Hey, I saw that! You just cheated!"

"No I didn't! Marcellus was watching the whole time!"

"Liar!"

Tears spilled down his cheeks but the thought of Integra and Andrews watching did not cross his mind, all he cared about was the arms that returned his embrace and the wetness he felt spreading across his shirt collar.

"I told you I would get a hug out of you."

The voice was thick with emotion but the utter ridiculousness of the words caught him off guard forcing him to pull away to look at the satisfied smirk plastered across his brother's face. He had wiped away the tears from his face but he still seemed so emotionally exhausted. Still, the words registered and he grinned, mirth, for once not born of carnage and bloodlust, bubbled up within him and he laughed.

"So you did," he responded.

The sound of a throat clearing drew both of their attention to the woman sitting behind the desk. She had once again steepled her fingers, but even that could not hide the smile she wore, and was watching them intently.

"I am glad that you two have found each other," she began sincerely, but she took on a darker tone as she continued, "But we have serious matters to see to I am afraid, and further reconcile will have to wait."

"My master," Alucard said with a more wolfish grin, "your professionalism is admirable as always." He bowed to her and remained standing as Radu claimed a seat in the chair next to him. The younger of the two seemed to be in a daze and his gaze seldom wavered from his brother despite the importance of the following discussion.

Integra drew from her cigar and lifted the letter of invitation, reading through it once more, and said: "If this vampire wants to play games then let us have a little fun of our own."

"Are you suggesting we play along?" Alucard drawled.

"Of course," Integra answered with a smirk of her own. "Seras is well on her way to recovery now. While I attend the ball at the Lightner Museum she will attend the one being held by Flagler himself. She will be escorted by Radu and act as our own spy."

"But it's a trap, obviously," Radu spoke up, turning his eyes to Integra quizzically. These kinds of tactics had never been his forte, he had always drifted more towards honesty and sincerity, even as a vampire.

"True," Integra agreed with a nod. "But you will not be going without aid. Alucard will follow in disguise."

"Will I be making an appearance?" said vampire asked bemusedly.

"If it is deemed necessary," Integra answered. She glanced back down at the crumpled paper in her hand absently while her mind raced.

Alucard chuckled and sat down on the couch once more, propping his head up with a hand and resting his elbow on the arm of the couch, he gazed at his master with rapt attention. Thoughts of his brother's return were set aside for later discussion while the promise of excitement was in front of him.

"Depending on the results of tomorrow night I believe this problem will be solved and we can return home with no trouble. If you are able to successfully destroy this character than the little court he has been building will disband and scatter like the cowards they are and we can deal with them later." She lifted the invitation in her hand and held her lit cigar up to it, watching as the paper caught fire and crumbled to ash in her hand.

Andrews smirked from beside her, enjoying the slight show of dramatics, and stepped back as Integra pushed herself out of the chair. She ground out her cigar in the ash tray and sighed.

"Tomorrow then," she stated and turned for her bedroom.

"Retiring already?" Alucard called from his seat, "My, you have grown old."

Integra turned back wearing a smirk, "You should be jealous, my servant, it is a luxury you'll never know." She turned away, brushing her hair behind her shoulders, and shut the door behind her.

Alucard laughed and turned his gaze onto the butler, "You as well, I presume."

Andrews bowed with a smile, "If I can be of no more service."

"Of course," Alucard responded in kind.

Andrews nodded once and turned away to retire to his own room and prepare for the coming day.

When the two humans had gone about their nightly routine and settled themselves within their perspective beds the two brothers remained where they sat. There was a long lapse of time in which they were silent, reveling in each other's presence yet not looking at each other, reminiscing on their own memories and the days to come. It was foolish to have such a thing as hope for the future with their species but the two were feeling more human than they had in centuries and dared not deny each other the possibilities.

"You have yet to reveal to me the identity of the whore," Alucard observed an hour later. He had yet to make eye contact with the younger and was instead gazing out of the window while Seras slept at his side. At some point the orange lens glasses had found their way back onto the bridge of his nose and his hat shadowed his face, creating a mysterious image for Radu to ponder.

"Well," Radu said, a heavy sigh worked its way up from his lungs and he leaned back in his chair. "I fell in love." Alucard sneered causing Radu to chuckle, "I know it seems idiotic. But I fell in love with a beautiful woman named Elaine. I was set on courting her but her father was against it. . ." he trailed off in memory a sad smile gracing his lips before he continued. "She went missing one day and I set out to search for her. There was an abandoned castle nearby where I had chosen to settle and it was there that I found her body, drained of blood, rotted, and thrown into the dried mote."

Alucard remained silent while Radu revealed his past. He was as still as a statue.

"The monster that had killed her was a vampire by the name of Elizabeth Bathory."

And like that the calm image Alucard had portrayed shattered and a sneer pulled his lips back, exposing his fangs, and he clenched the arm of the couch in rage.

"I went to get revenge and the rest is history," Radu finished simply. He stared at his hands absently, examining the pale flesh in thought, and flexed his fingers while he waited for his brother to respond.

"Does she still torture this world with her presence?" he asked darkly. It had been thirty years since he had last been aware of the happenings of the Earth and one would hope someone had been able to finally destroy her in his absence.

Radu was quiet, wary, before he answered. "Unfortunately." He rubbed at his neck thoughtlessly and struggled to contain the shiver that threatened to overtake him.

"You've yet to free yourself," he observed.

Radu dropped his gaze to the floor, knowing that it was not a question but a fact. Silence fell between them once more and Alucard had yet to look at him. Mortification swelled within him at the thought of his brother's disappointment in him. He should have been able to free himself from her long ago, he was of the same blood as the No-Life King, it should have been child's play to him. He sat forward and rubbed at his face in frustration and embarrassment.

Alucard remained in a state of quiet contemplation, he gazed down at his gloved hands, analyzing the symbol that bound him to the Hellsing line despite it already having been engraved in his brain.

"Master?"

His eyes turned to take in the figure next to him, her eyes had opened a fraction and she was looking at him in concerned confusion. She was slowly regaining her strength but it would be a couple more hours before she would be back to normal, for now she was still a bit dazed. He grinned down at her from the corner of his eye.

"Police Girl," he greeted.

"When did you get back?" she asked through a yawn.

"This morning," he answered simply.

"Oh," she mumbled then added, "Welcome back."

He nodded once, grin still present, and turned to look at his brother, exposing his neck and the still healing puncture wounds left by her. Her eyes lingered on the marks, recalling what had happened, and dropped her eyes to his hands in sadness before catching sight of the man sitting in the chair across from her.

"Radu!" she exclaimed quietly. "I went looking for you, you never showed up . . ." she trailed off thoughtfully.

Radu grinned, "You went looking for me? You shouldn't have." He leaned forward in his seat, excited that she was conscious and regaining her health. He couldn't help the cheeky comment that slipped out in his happiness.

She laughed, "I'm glad you're okay. We feared the worst." She shifted, struggling to sit up while still cocooned within the blanket Alucard had wrapped her in before bringing her out into the sitting room. Odd, as she had fallen asleep in her room, but she assumed he had wanted her to be present for their planning.

Alucard's eyes flitted between the two and his grin slid into a smile before he lifted a hand and pulled her to his side.

"Master, we found Radu," she stated rather redundantly, but she was so pleased to see them together. Their similarities were remarkable now that they were compared side by side but while Alucard was tall, broad shouldered, and intimidating Radu was smaller and had an air of playfulness.

"I was rather lost," Radu agreed with a chuckle.

Seras returned to sleep shortly after and Radu and Alucard returned to their thoughts. At some point the younger had stood with a sigh.

"Leaving?" Alucard said, his eyes following his brother's movements.

"I must return to the college lest they suspect something," Radu admitted. He pulled his coat back on and secured the buttons while he spoke. "I will return tomorrow. We have a job to do after all," he assured with a laugh.

Alucard grinned and waved his hand in the air, sweeping the subject aside like dust in the air, "It will be taken care of easily, don't worry."

"Yes, well, until then," Radu bade his farewell and bowed out, stepping through the shadows as was his norm. Though he was returning to an evil place the thought of his brother kept him in high spirits.