Pink Dreams

English summers are heavy, wet affairs that drag on for weeks with very little relief. Heavy, thick clouds, dark and dense would sit on the horizon, but provided no cooling rain. The shriveled remains of stalks and husks of flowers were the only reminders of the iris garden at this stage of the year. The inhabitants of Hellsing Manor were not fairing much better; the smothering heat was enough to make most of the household feel constantly sticky and damp. Walter felt it necessary to change his shirt and vest twice daily, while Sir Hellsing insisted on the air conditioning be at full blast at all time in her office. The solders bitched and griped about the conditions, the warmth of July flaring up their tempers, and several passed out during training due to heat stroke. Andrew was used to tropical climates, but the constant current of creeping humidity left him feeling quite grimy. His mum and brother were spending more and more time at the London Museums, not so much for the art appreciation, but for the near frigid temps in the Ancient Arts department. Meena Hellsing merely laughed and tossed back her dark hair, proclaiming that it felt like being in Bombay all over again. Even in the oppressive weather, she looked crisp and clean in light, cotton sun dresses.

The humans were not the only ones effected by the gripping heat-wave; the resident fledgling was miserable and was reduced to spending some of the more intense hours of the daytime in her casket with ice packs pressed against her cheeks and chest. Even her master insisted on rest in the darkest and most secluded compartments of the basement to gain some cooling effects. That, and the ice baths.

The thought of her master in the same suffering situation as herself brought a small level of comfort to Seras- while she certainly did not wish for her master to have any discomfort, it gave her solace that even the great Cheshire King himself , found the summer months intolerable.

"So maybe I'm not so weak after all.,"she reasoned while bringing a bucket down to the basement. Her master had requested a few gallons of ice cubes for cooling blood and it was the least she could do for him.

"Girl," his voice chided, "upstairs, come upstairs, into Sir Hellsing's room-I'm in here today...." The request caught the girl off guard, but she spun on her heels and made her way back up the stairs. While she had no problem dropping off her bucket anywhere, a tiny voice of reason sparked up in the back of her head.

"Master + Bedroom= very awkward things....." it eqivilated. Seras sighed; if her Master made a request, there was very little to do accept and comply. Also, perhaps this might be a nice, private moment to make her concerns about certain, 'issues' known. Slowly, she silenced her inner monologue and parted the heavy, wooden doors of Sir Hellsing's bedchamber, making sure not to drip too much of the container's condensation on the rug.

While she had made trips into this room before, the vampire instantly noticed some changes in the decor; the curtains had been switched from their heavy, thick draperies to much lighter drapings. The colour had remained the same rich burgundy tone, but the thinner material made the room look less dramatic and allowed more light to seep through, brightening up the whole place. Several new plants, including a larger, much more robust-looking aloe stalk in a deep, brown pot, placed carefully on the sill. The girl scanned the room for her master, eyes catching on the lovely, satin sheets in a rich chocolate brown hue. They were elegant bedclothes, sleek and down-right sensuous. Seras gulped and attempted to not think of what may have just recently gone on there just a few hours ago.A light essence of musk and tobacco permeated the place. Chilled droplets cascaded down her knuckles bringing her back into focus.

"Master, are you in here?", she called. A splashing of water was her reply coming from the bathroom on the left. She quietly approached the noise, shielding her eyes as she positioned herself in the doorway.

"Oh stop that!" Alucard chastised. "I'm half covered- open your eyes you silly girl." Fingers pried away slowly to reveal that yes, while her sire was in the spacious bath-tub, he was indeed 'decent', his upper torso hanging out lazily, while below the waist appeared to be wrapped up in at least a three-quarter towel.

"Um, you wanted ice?", she inquired, thrusting the bucket towards him. "Do you want me to chill your blood pack, Master?" The elder vampire shook his head, and pointed directly to the tub. Obediently, the little vamp poured the clear cubes in, noticing that indeed another bucketful was half-melted in the water- miniature icebergs bobbing up and down . Alucard stretched back sensuously and released a sigh like a contented cat. His dark locks brushed his shoulders and snaked around the base of his neck, churning with an energy of their own. Seras sat herself down on the cool lid of the closed toilet and took a remaining cube out from the bottom of the container.

"Would you like me to rub your face?" she asked, holding up the ice. Her master nodded and Seras crept close, kneeling next to the claw-footed tub. The cube slid slowly over his chiseled jaw and up over his sinuses. The creature, closed his eyes, sighed and settled himself comfortably into the frigid water.

"Thank you." he replied, a small look of pleasure crossing his features. As the girl continued the pampering, she thought that perhaps it was a good time to ask a few questions while her master was in a good mood.

"Master...," Seras quietly began. "I've been noticing just how happy you and Sir Hellsing have been lately, and I'm quite, quite glad for the both of you....." The vampire yawned, baring an arsenal of jagged teeth.

"Um, hummm...." he rumbled, relishing the small strokes of relieving cool spreading over his forehead.

"It's just that ever since you two have returned to being.... um 'intimate', there's been some rather, unusual reactions." A single red eye opened, peering straight into hers.

"Really- do go on..." Seras gulped and continued.

"Well, I was hoping that the night with Walter, and our little misunderstanding, would be the last of it, but um, what I'm trying to say is...." The other eyelid parted and Alucard huffed, gently grabbing his ward by the chin, directing her face into his.

"Heat gets me really, really irritable, Police Girl- spit it out already!" he whispered in a soft, yet deadly tone.

"I'm beginning to feel like I'm thirteen all over again. Whatever you or Miss Hellsing is feeling, I pick up on and it directly effects me. I mean, it's not every emotion, but mainly the more personal ones. It's like being a randy teenager-it's very embarrassing!" Her sire released her, sat back and sighed.

"Well, can't you block it out? "

"I've tried- I've thought of pure things, nice things- rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens-"

"And little blonde German girls tied up with string- these are a few of my favourite things..." the vampire half-sang. Seras blushed the shade of a strawberry. Alucard turned to his servant. . "Come now, you have a strong will, I'm sure that you can block out these images or emotions."

"It's mainly noise, conversation, and sounds." she replied, swishing her head away. Her master nodded. "Some of it greatly disturbs me...."

"I see, and what do you hear with your sharp, little ears, kitten?" he inquired, a hint of mischief in his tone.

"Actually, it's the pet names that really get to me. I just can't ever see you or Miss Integra ever admitting to, 'pumpkin' or 'dearheart'...." Seras began to ring her damp hands in nervousness, the remains of the ice trickling down her wrists. He could not help it- the vampire did not want to appear too callous, but he began to laugh, peel after peel rolling forth.

"So, the moans and screams you can deal with, but not 'sweetheart'- you, Seras Victoria are a very, strange vampire indeed." The girl fidgeted and felt like hiding under the rug. Alucard leaned his chin onto his hands and spoke sincerely.

"If you would like, I can teach you certain skills to focus and concentrate so that such things will not enter your personal filter.....a strong strigoli must learn to block out all things that would stand in the way of their greatness." Seras managed a small smile.

"Really master-thank you!"

"Can you work on my neck, please?" Her master asked. The girl nodded, re-approached, and began to rub tiny circles across the back of her sire's neck.

"Don't thank me just yet, you're going to need to focus and train yourself, unless you want to start ravishing the entire staff. "

"I don't understand. " she quipped. Alucard flashed her a sly grin.

"The master and I have agreed to start trying for a family at the end of the month, and that, my dear girl will be rather, consuming work...."

Elsewhere-

Integra washed her hands and contemplated leaving her formal gloves off for the rest of the day. The heat was horrible and was making her want to retire to her office, shut the door, crank up the AC and have a gallon of iced tea. Lying here on the nice, chilled tiles of the downstairs toilette wouldn't be a bad idea either. However, there were meetings the remainder of the day. Quickly, she glanced at her watch, sighed and dug into her shirt's breast pocket, producing a tiny, blue pill. For a moment, she stared , contemplating just how long she had swallowed these little things. For the past decade, they provided comfort from her monthly ills, and for the past four months, they had provided her protection that she had once thought she would never need. This was the last section of her cycle.

Her mind raced back to the other night when she had wrapped herself around her spouse after a particularly long and lusty session. They had gotten to talking, a semi-serious discussion about family- if they could have one, and when would be the best time to start one up . "No time like the present.:" she had joked, but Alucard took it quite seriously. He longed for a child, his first in over five-hundred years. Their union was strong, funds plentiful, and there was a loving support system of family and servants that would aid in the raising of a new heir to the head of Hellsing. All of this hit Integra like a ton of concrete. She began to back-peddle, but then saw the look in her mate's eyes.

"Do you not want to have children with me?" he asked, his eyes pained slightly.

"No, not at all- it's just that I've never thought of becoming a mum- what kind of mother would I be? I'm not much of a conventional woman...."

"So? You wouldn't be a conventional mother-nothing wrong with that. I think that you will be wonderful- strong, loving and very loyal." Tenderly, he kissed her nose.

"Fine, we can consider it- let's give it a week or two to think it over, and discuss. Then if you still find it a desirable option, we can negotiate..."

"You sound like you've having an arms trade agreement, my dear." He kissed her more passionately and his wife rolled him over, pinning him down.

"True, but it certainly will be a lot more fun to conclude..."

She placed the pill on her tongue and swallowed. Her future lay lodged in her heart and under her belt.