I do not own the rights to Hellsing

Part Two:

Betrayal

A week later Integra felt the full force of making the most grievous error of not immediately firing Mrs. Norris after the entire incident a mere seven days prior. This time it was Walter who had come to the "rescue." He was doing his daily "chores" when he noticed that a door to an unoccupied guestroom was slightly ajar. Thinking it quite strange, he moved to close the door. As he did, he peaked in to see the room brightly lit with sunshine, and the young Miss Hellsing lying motionless on the ground with Mrs. Norris nowhere to be found.

The incident had landed Prudence in a laboratory downstairs where she laid in critical condition. Even after the horrendous morning, Walter still could find no hide or hair of Mrs. Norris. He did not relate this much to Integra, for she already had too much on her mind considering the tragic condition of her daughter, who after the day's events had been horribly disfigured by the sun. She no longer looked like the usually happy and healthy Hellsing child. Prudence's appendages, and especially her face, had been burnt and scarred beyond the point of recognition.

Prudence, before the incident in the guest room, seemed to show progress in the battle against her illness. This progress unexpectedly began to wane. Integra could not rightly comprehend what was happening to her child, nor could anyone else. Even the doctor had drawn a blank. He could only stand behind his former diagnosis that the child be placed nowhere within proximity of the sun.

The small medical staff employed to treat Prudence had managed to stabilize her condition. They, however, were unsure for how long it would last, or if the poor child would even make it through the treacherous illness that had befallen her. Once Integra had entered the lab, she heard her child raving in madness about something. When she asked about the cries the doctors replied that it was delirium. They also noted that when the girl spoke in proper English she was saying something about the "red men." All Integra could do was watch the scene unfold in mortification. After sitting silent into the wee hours of the darkened morning, Integra was overcome by her own guilt. She could no longer sit and stare; she needed to leave the suffocating atmosphere of failure, and she decided to excuse herself.

In deep thought about her poor decision as a mother -- as a guardian -- Integra unconsciously traced her way back to an area well known to her in both youth and age, her office. Perhaps a subconscious part of her thought that if she threw herself into work she could clear her mind from the situation downstairs. She was unsure of the cause, but before she knew it she had crossed the threshold into her adequately adorned office. Little did she know that she was falling right into an enemy's trap.

Integra flipped on the light to the room. Just as she glanced upwards to survey the area, she stirred in shock to find a familiar face awaiting her. She stood hesitant for a moment, observing the "trespasser" with a cold stare. She knew he was there not to bring her comfort, and personally at that moment his presence was most unwelcome.

"Sir Hellsing," he called from his reclining position in the leather chair stationed in front of her large mahogany desk. "How is your daughter?" his voice dripping with insincerity as his venomous breath poisoned the air between them.

"Why ask a question to which you already know the answer?" Integra replied with agitation as she moved to her desk.

"Answering a question with a question?" he mused sadistically.

"Your point? Why did you cross over into my office? I thought we weren't on 'speaking' terms," she stated dryly. When she was given no reply, she glanced over at the chair in front of her desk. She was met only with the emptiness of the air…

Integra furrowed her brows, confused. She, then, gently rubbed her eyes with her right hand. She knew he was toying with her. Or, perhaps she was more tired than she had originally thought. But, something was definitely not right, and she began to wonder if there was more credit that needed to be given to her servant.

She sat down behind her desk, and quickly lit a cigar as she glanced over the paperwork. Her thoughts drifted to and fro. They were always met with a foreboding force that played off of her very own reasoning.

She blamed herself for her unwise error of not getting rid of Mrs. Norris. She had meant to fire the nanny, it just seemed that every time she made time to do so, some little menial task interrupted her.

Did it interrupt you, or were you only looking for a reason to distract yourself from the chore? Perhaps you simply forgot because you didn't make time enough to care.

Integra shook her head after feeling the gross thought leave her thoughts Her heart skipped a beat upon letting that enter her mind. For now, she found herself torn by her motives. Had she unconsciously wanted to harm her child? No. That was the instantaneous answer to her question. Then, why had her mind related that line of reasoning to her? Integra swallowed hard, and just assumed it was dumb logic, and continued on with filing through her paperwork.

Still again, she found herself unable to focus. Her mind reverting to thinking back (as it often times did) on how her father would have handled that situation. She quickly assessed that he would have fired Mrs. Norris in a timely and fashionable manner. He would have done it without further ado.

Or would he have? You mother is lying six feet under, and he put her into the grave before he went. Perhaps, if she would have lived, you would know your proper place as a woman. Blame it on your family.

Integra opened her mouth and her eyes widened at this monstrosity of a thought. How could she have even fathomed such an idea? It was not possible. She adored her father. She bore no disrespect or ill contempt towards his unfortunate demise or her mother's. It was simply impossible to think such thoughts. She loved them both.

Can you love? When were you ever capable of that function? Remember your dearly departed husband? Did you cry a single tear upon hearing of his death? Did you feel the slightest bit affected or moved to emotional distress? Can you even remember his name? What makes you think that you are capable of love? Are you more upset that if your daughter dies that you will have no successor to your organization, or do you really have a fondness for her? You might have felt adulation for your father, because you knew that he was so highly respected. Was he so highly regarded? Or did he only seem highly respected after you were knighted? You being a woman and all

Stop it, Integra, she countered, not quite sure where this deluge of illness was coming from. It made no sense. Why would she have such malicious thoughts in regards to the people she loved, or thought she loved. She swallowed again and shook her head, finally deciding to retire to bed. Maybe her thoughts were stemming from lack of sleep?

What was causing these unwanted ideas? She had never heard of such preposterous reasoning in her life!

Am I cracking? Have I finally snapped? No, she answered as a heavy realization fell upon her. Alucard. After his "untimely" appearance I was overwhelmed with these ill musings. I'll be damned!

Enraged and feeling violated, she quickly stacked the papers neatly on her desk in order of importance before leaving the office. She was to first check on her daughter, and afterwards she would travel to the "dungeon" to have a talk with her "unruly" pet. Again, she found herself deep in thought, but this time her mind worked with a renewed clarity as she finally began to understand the predicament she was in, and finally the cause. The pieces to the puzzle were beginning to come together.

The red men? Integra asked herself as she began down the stairs. Then, it all finally hit her as she stopped dead in her tracks. It felt as if she had run head-on into a wall of ice -- the realization overcame her. It wasn't the "red men" she was raving about. It was a red man! Integra's eyes widened as she mentally went over, blow by blow, her daughter's condition. Prudence – over the course of a week has lost her vitality for no known reason. She began to grow deathly pale and resilient to the sun. Her breathing, too, became forced. When in the sun she suffers from burns. Integra paused at her evaluation of her daughter's condition. How could I have been so blind? she asked herself frantically as she quickly made the last step of the staircase.

As soon as the leather soles of her shoes hit the floor, she instantly reached into her jacket to ensure she had a gun fitted into her shoulder holster. Silently, she vowed that if her daughter had been so much as touched by her "pet" that he was going to pay, and pay dearly.

She began downstairs to the lab where her daughter laid. As she walked through the corridors, she went through the scenarios that could have happened. How could he do such a thing? She knew he was a monster, but was he not restricted from harming her daughter by the same binds that held him to her? No. She thought to herself. She knew nothing of him being bound to the future some-day heirs of the Hellsing blood line. He was currently only tied to her.

But how? Was the question that kept popping into her mind. Instantly, she was met with another logical answer. Mrs. Norris, he had manipulated the nanny into doing his bidding. Too prideful to do it himself. It was plausible. Then, if Mrs. Norris was truly his "puppet" this would mean that he had given Integra more then ample time to find the resolution to her daughter's illness. First, it had been the pale complexion and ragged breathing. Then, it was the sun-sickness. Integra had been blinded by the continuing signs for a week. He ruthlessly had allowed her time enough to assess the problem. But, he knew she was blindfolded. This was the beauty of it all. This is why he had given her enough time to have comprehended and to have cured the ailment. He knew she would not figure it out in time and once the gravity of it all had finally hit her, she would not only be overcome with grief for her daughter, but more importantly an overwhelming sense of regret and guilt due to her ignorance. The type of regret and guilt that would drive a person to a painful insanity. And, the road to insanity was where she was heading as Integra felt the burden of blame grow even heavier upon her thoughts.

How had she gotten so complacent? The Integra of old would have surely noticed, wouldn't have she? How did she not immediately notice the signs? They were so recognizable in hindsight. Was she just too busy to care? Was that the problem? Maybe Alucard's mental subterfuge earlier that night was founded more in truth than she would like to have believed. Integra was still partially in disbelief that her long time "pet" could be so malicious. But she knew he was a monster, had she not? Yet, the more important question was, 'how could I have let this happen?' This was perhaps the most gut wrenching of the questions she had asked herself. Even more gut wrenching was what she was going to have to do with her daughter if her blood was tainted. The answer would be obvious to a more detached, rational Integra. She instinctively, through all of her years of training, quickly assessed the problem, but she felt a sense of self loathing as she silently answered her own question.

You have to kill her. It was logically the only way to handle the situation. Letting her daughter live on in such a state would be unacceptable in the moral aspect of letting a perpetual impure child run Hellsing. And, the fact that she would be Alucard's pawn would be the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. The servant-master relationship would be utterly reversed and he would finally be in control, again.

Integra grimaced at the thought. 'This simply must be a nightmare,' was the phrase she kept repeating over and over in her head. This would be his final revenge on Hellsing. His long awaited moment to usurp the authority which had chained him like a dog in years past. There was a reason why her forefathers kept him under lock and key, and now she understood her father's meaning when he said to use him only in the most dire of times. This is why they did not tell their children of their "secret weapon" until the incumbent Hellsing was nearing death. How could she have been so ignorant? To have ignored her father's own commands. Remembering his words now did her no good. She had already failed.

Upon thinking the latter of these thoughts, Integra ran into Walter, who stood gravely before her. His face pale for he was just on his way to find her.

"It is Prudence, " he began softly. "She is only being supported by the machines in there, they don't believe she'll- "

"No more," she replied softly.

"I have asked for the staff to grant you privacy if you so wish to –"

Integra nodded, signaling that he needed to speak no more, before she moved pasted his position and walked into her child's resting area.

Integra bit down on her lip as her eyes fell upon her child in solemn despair. She waited a few hesitant moments. She slowly concentration on breathing in and out before finally inhaling a sharp breath and moving closer to her daughter. Integra's sorrowful eyes observed the grotesque burns that veiled her child's once angelic face and body. The once handsome Miss Hellsing had the deformed appearance of a monster.

Integra exhaled heavily before gently placing a soft finger against Prudence's lips. She gently, slowly, began to pry the girl's mouth open with her fingers -- exposing what she had feared to be true. The gums had begun to withdrawal from the canines, causing the teeth to take on the appearance of fangs.

Integra clenched her jaw before damning the monster that had done this. She was yet to seek her revenge on him, but now she had to deal with her child. If it be so that Prudence's soul was lost, she would – no, she could be the only one to find it redemption. It was the only way. But, part of her was still in disbelief that this was happening. Either way her child was lost.

Integra gently pried the girl's right eye open to find that its once grey colored iris had turned into a pinkish shade of violet. It was not just some genetic anomaly that had caused this problem. It was her own ignorance. She had offered her child to a monster like a lamb for slaughter. But, even despite the mounting proof that Miss Hellsing had been forsaken, Integra still had one more test to perform.

With great apprehension, Integra drew her gun as she treaded slowly toward the control panel that was connected to the life support system. Gently, she flipped the switch. As she did so, she was immediately faced with the painful sounds of the machines crashing -- verifying her own child's death.

Integra bit the inside of her mouth as she began to feel her heart hammer against her chest in distress at her loss. She turned slowly with great hesitance. She knew her dread came from the fact that despite the proof, she wanted to believe against all logic that her child was alright, but she knew this was only a want founded, not by reason, but by hysteria. Upon opening her eyes to view her daughter she aimed her gun and waited for movements, for any sign of motion, as she stood in deep despair. Her always steady hands pressed against the gun were now shaking slightly. Her large blue eyes were glued to the girl. Sweat streamed down her brow. Her heart pulsed loudly in her throat.

Within moments of the machines crashing, she watched her daughter's once monstrous external appearance transform into the angelic beauty it had formerly possessed. This was the final conformation that caused any fleeting hope, once possessed by the mother, to vanish.

But why had she not pulled the trigger? What was she waiting for? Had she lost her nerve? She had already killed her child once, what was stopping her from doing the same again? A woman who laughed during the most treacherous of situations, now, stood paralyzed when faced with an un-dead child? But, she was not frozen in dead fear, but rather, she was stopped by sorrow and regret. Integra had dealt with the deaths of loved ones many times before, but she had never been the one to inflict these deaths. But, how could she stand so boldly and shoot her own child with no feeling? When she had to execute her men who had fallen into darkness, had she not hindered? Had she not looked upon them with despair? She had been affected by the deaths of her men. She was not a monster, and this situation was no different. Yet, while she had overcome her sorrow and reservations in regards to her men, she was still struggling with the action that would cause her to be the one responsible for the "death" of her own daughter.

The gun in Integra's hands now wavered back and forth significantly as she watched her daughter begin to awake into her un-dead world. For a brief fleeting moment, Integra contemplated, questioned, the relevance of everything she had done and what her fathers had done before her. But, she told herself that this was what a Hellsing had to endure as she fixed her aim on her target and moved to fire.

Only with the small voice of a child calling for her mother and the piercing cry of a gun firing did the scene end. Ended in pure blackness for one of the Hellsings.

-Fin-

Author's Notes:

As always, I thank anyone who reads this.