Genma: Christmas Eve Day, and I wish all my readers the best.
Incognito: You know what's best about the holidays? All the delicious food…
Genma: Right…
*Incognito gives Genma evil, hungry look*
Genma: Still don't own Hellsing. Now on with the show…
Order II – Guests and Grief
Seras and Pip stood out in the main foyer of the manor with a shared look of impatience between their faces. It had been easily ten minutes since Alucard went off to find the lady of the house, and the party was to start in about an hour. Considering their distance from Buckingham Palace, and the traffic that existed at this hour, they started to build up doubt as to whether they would arrive in time.
Within a second, however, that entire notion was shattered by the surprising sound of a door opening, and shoes clacking on the marble floors. Turning their attention behind them, both Hellsing employees gazed upwards and their frustration melted into awe; for Alucard and Integra walked hand-in-hand, dressed in their finest attire, down the marble stairs in a picturesque manner not unlike a prince and princess in a fairytale.
As the couple approached the bottom of the staircase, Alucard stopped and let Integra step down first, not releasing her hand even as he did so. Smiling as he followed, he reached into his pocket and produced a red, fur-lined Christmas hat, and placed it in Seras' head gingerly. The response of the Police Girl; was to reach upwards, pawing at the ball on the end with her bare hands and making purring noises. "Congratulations, frog," Alucard joked, noting the situation and watching Integra hold back her laughter, "your date tonight is a cat."
Watching Pip's confused glare and Seras' annoyed look, Alucard simply turned and strode towards the front doorway, his master still holding his hand as he went. As he reached the end he opened up the doorway to the manor, and looked outside to see a group of Christmas carollers standing there, waiting for him.
"I don't mean to be rude," Alucard told them, but we're in a bit of a hurry and don't have time for your singing, delightful as it may or may not be." Not wanting this to last any longer, he simply reached into his sleeve and produced a stack of pounds and handed it to the leader of the carollers, who took the money with a confused expression. Immediately following that, the group turned and started walking away.
"Where did you get all of that money?" Integra questioned, looking at her servant squarely in the eyes. Smiling and closing his eyes, he then turned to her and explained,
"I owned the deed to Carfax Abbey, remember? When your father ran the administration I sold the property for a small fortune of my own; and for the most part, that fortune's remained untouched for thirty years." Turning aside, he faced out to the end of the driveway and snapped his fingers, the seals on his glove lighting up as he did so.
With the carollers now gone from the walkway of the manor, a swirling black cloud of flames appeared before then, twisting and writhing as it did so. Eventually, these brought themselves together in the form of two black, red-eyed horses pulling a wooden carriage. Stunned at the gesture, he snapped his fingers again and watched the door of the carriage swing open, at which point the four of them started towards the vehicle.
"You know, I could have gotten the door myself," Integra told Alucard. When they reached the carriage, he further moved to hoist her up into the wooden vehicle, immediately afterwards allowing Pip and Seras aboard before him.
"I come from a time when chivalry was not dead," Alucard then answered while he stepped aboard, taking his seat beside Integra so Seras and Pip could sit facing them, beside each other. Once he had stepped inside the door of the carriage closed on its own and the horses made a loud neighing sound. From inside, the four could feel the horses take off down the driveway, moving at full galloping speed.
"It can be said what they will," Integra then said, taking in her surroundings as Seras and Pip did the same. "The vampire Alucard may have done many things; and may have given people fear for their lives and mortal souls. Despite all of that, it cannot be said that he can\t show a girl a good time." At this statement, Alucard merely smiled smugly.
In a half-hours time, the horse-drawn carriage from the Hellsing manor (which bore the family crest on its side, enamelled in red) pulled up at the gates of Buckingham Palace in the area where Valet Parking was normally to be done. Understandably, the Queen's royal valets were more than a little confused at the sight, as it was rare for a foreign monarch to drive such a traditional vehicle, let alone a domestic aristocrat; but despite their bewilderment, they held their tongues.
Once the horses had stopped, they looked around and let out a few guttural noises while the door to the carriage swung open, out which red mist poured much like dry ice fog at a Cirque du Soleil show. From this the well-dressed Alucard stepped out and jumped to the ground suavely, turning and offering his hand to Integra so she could step down as well. A moment later, Seras also stepped to the front and he likewise helped her down, before moving aside and allowing Pip to step down on his own (he doubted the macho French mercenary wanted to be helped down by somebody to foppishly dressed).
"Good evening gentlemen," the vampire then spoke, looking the men in the eyes with his sexy, seductive gaze. "I trust that my horses will be well-tended to while we are here, and that they will be shown the same respect as any other vehicle." With a slow and deliberate nod, the first of the two valets stepped up onto the driver's platform of the carriage, picking up the slack reigns and causing the horses to trot the vehicle to the parking area.
"Shall we proceed?" Integra questioned, turning back to the other couple as she did so. The Draculina and her escort simply looked back with cheery smiles on their faces, and so the group of four started up the slow driveway to the palace halls, where the party was to take place. Along the way, both Pip and Seras looked in all directions to admire the sheer majesty and elegance of the palace; while Integra and Alucard, who had both been to this palace before, seemed contented to simply walk holding each other's hands and gazing into each other's eyes.
When they reached the door to the building, they discovered a gold-enamelled guest book awaiting all who entered, sitting on a table just inside the doors. Grabbing the pen, Integra signed her own name before putting down the pen; and Alucard simply waved his hand at it, causing the object to self-animate and scribe his signature under hers into the book. Allowing the object to fall limp, he and Integra stepped inside while entertaining the confused looks of their company, of which Seras' and Pip's were the least.
Inside the hall, it seemed that everybody who was of any importance in England was present; the Round Table members, the British royal family, and even some members of the British parliament; though unsurprisingly, the Prime Minister was nowhere to be seen. Even the Irish, Scottish and Welsh ambassadors were present, lending a slightly more exotic air to the palace than exclusively English partygoers ever could.
"You'll have to forgive me, Integra," Alucard told his master, looking at her and whispering into her ear, "but I last saw the Round Table members during your father's administration, and several of the members have changed. I do not recognize many of these men."
"Oh… I see," Integra responded in slight surprise, having never stopped to think whether or not Alucard actually knew any of the Round Table members well enough to socialize with them without offending somebody. "Well, uh, let's see…" Scanning the crowd, she eventually caught sight of a shorter and stockier man, with black hair and moustache and a wrinkled face. "Ah, there's one. Do you remember Sir Penwood?"
"No, I'm afraid he was after my time," Alucard answered. "The only members I think is left from when Arthur was in change was… Islands, I believe his name is…? And as I recall, he had a very large problem with my being used my Hellsing."
"Well, Sir Penwood has never shown any outward hatred for you; in fact, I don't think he's really shown any sort of disrespect to my staff at all. Perhaps you could speak to him." Thinking about the idea, Alucard thus started slowly and calmly off towards the tuxedo-clad Sir Penwood, Integra following slowly behind; and as Alucard drew closer, a young brown-haired woman he was talking to turned and looked at Alucard, which drew in the Knight's attention as well.
"Yes, Integra," Sir Penwood asked of the Hellsing heiress, not recognizing her guest. "Is there something you wish to say to me? Perhaps we could start with introductions."
"Very well," Integra responded, motioning to her servant. "Sir Penwood, this is Alucard." The look of utter shock mixed with a twinge of fear that spread over Penwood's face as Alucard extended a hand to greet him was one worth well over a mere thousand words; and as he weakly and timidly met the vampire's grasp, he lightly shook his hand before drawing back away.
"Aren't you going to introduce me, darling?" the woman with Sir Penwood then asked, sounding slightly put off as not having been introduced. The woman had a soft, sing-song voice with an Irish drawl and a melodic tone; something that Alucard instantly found interesting. Clad in a long fuchsia satin dress and matching gloves, she looked absolutely stunning. "She must be interested in his money," Alucard mused, doing his best to stifle a smirk.
"Huh… oh yes," Penwood responded, regaining his composure long enough to indicate the woman standing beside him. "Sir Hellsing, Alucard, this is my escort for the evening, Lucy." Extending out a hand, the woman was completely surprised and somewhat charmed as Alucard grabbed her hand, bringing it closer to him and delivering a light kiss to its upper face.
"Lucy, you say?" Alucard inquired while Integra likewise shook the woman's hand, taking in the girl's unique appearance and voice. "You remind me of another Lucy I knew, a very long time ago; so young, full of life and keen-spirited, and one who needed to be at any party that took place." While Lucy herself seemed flattered at the remark, Penwood's face gained a look of jealousy and Integra's one of surprised worry.
"Right. Well then," Penwood started, wrapping his hand around Lucy's arm and starting off, "I think it's best I introduce you to the other guests before we get too attached to one conversation. I'll see you later, Integra." With that and a slightly protesting look from Lucy, the two of them started off as Integra looked straight at Alucard, an icy look on her face.
"I cannot believe you just brought up Lucy Westenra in the middle of a Christmas party," Integra said incredulously, whispering through gritted teeth. "That woman was only charmed by the mention because she clearly has no idea who you are; if she knew who the other Lucy was, that would have absolutely terrified her. And I know it's been a long time since you went to a proper social event, and not one of father's whore-riddled black light parties; but men, especially British political aristocrats, do not appreciate other men hitting on their dates!"
"Who was flirting, exactly?" Alucard responded, seeming both confused and slightly offended at the mention of that. "All I was doing was trying to be complimentary and charming, exactly is expected of somebody at one of these events. If you want flirting, how's her giving me that doe-eyed look in front of her…"
"Eh, 'oo do you tink you are talking to, mon frère?" Pip's yelling French voice echoed through the hall, cutting off Alucard mid-sentence and drawing in the attention of both Alucard and Integra. In the middle of a huge group of people, Pip and one of the Round Table members, another of those Alucard did not recognize, were locked in a shouting match with each other's hands grabbing their collars; and Seras stood off to the side, completely bewildered.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Integra questioned, stepping into the middle of the circle of people. Instantly the mercenary and the aristocrat released each other and fell backwards to the floor onto their arses, looking at Integra with the apologetic look of a child who's been caught with their hand in a cookie jar.
"It wasn't Pip's fault, Sir Integra!" Seras insisted, speaking directly to the female knight and getting her attention. "That British oaf of a knight tried to hit on me right in the middle of the room, and he was simply defending my honour!"
"Is this true, Sir Seward?" Integra asked of the man, who proceeded to huffily stand up and dust off his pants, giving Integra a death glare.
"I resent any accusation of the sort," he said brazenly, looking Integra in the eye as he did so. "All I wished to do was introduce myself to the darling lady; and that loud arrogant French warthog wouldn't have any of it. He got into it with me right there; no attempts at resolving the situation or anything."
"Is it really too much of you to ask to bring some civil and proper guests, Integra?" an older, much sterner voice issued, drawing closer and getting Integra to look at another section of the crowd. The grey-haired, tall and thin form of Sir Islands the stepped out to the crowd, right up to Integra and looked her in the eye, an angry and disappointed glare on his face. "Or at least, that the swine you choose to keep as your company be quiet and sedate enough to not threaten my people over something so jovial?"
"Such harsh and impolite words from a high society aristocrat, don't you think?" Alucard suddenly asked, stepping out from the crowd ands up beside Integra. Taller than Sir Islands, he looked down on the confrontational knight and he in turn looked up at Alucard, his glare even angrier. "If you wish to speak so distastefully of the company my master keeps, then by all means tell it to my face; for we both know you hate me more than all of Hellsing combined."
"I see Integra still hasn't had the common sense you strap you to a cross and finish you off," Sir Islands spat, his hostility towards Alucard seeping from his very pores. Turning to Integra, he then said bluntly, "At least your father had the brains to keep him locked up in the manor; you let that night walker roam freely, and now you bring it into a room filled with dignitaries and let him cause a scene?"
"Right now the only one causing a scene is you, Sir Islands," Integra retaliated, taking offence to the commence about both her hand her servant apparent. "Making such slanderous comments about my people over an incident which is partly the blame of another Round Table member is not only distasteful but harassing, and I do not appreciate your immodesty."
"And that's where I come in," Alucard piped up, pushing past his master and looking Islands square in the eyes. "You see, I don't take such damming comments to my master, or my fledgling, or even her company, very lightly; you should still remember that from 35 years ago, when running your mouth similarly to this got you a taste of my power. Keep pushing my buttons, or Integra's, or any of us for that matter, and I will do something we both regret; so I think we can agree it's best we simply stay away from each other."
"For once I agree with you, Nosferatu," Sir Islands finally said in a growling voice after a good few seconds of thought. Extending an uneasy hand, he got Alucard to make a gentleman's handshake and then walked off, Sir Seward following suit so as not on incur the vampire's wrath.
"I'm starting to get a feel for why you don't enjoy these parties," Alucard muttered to Integra over his shoulder, who simply flashed him a facial expression that screamed 'I told you so'. His attention then turned to the French mercenary and his fledgling, the former of whom looked back embarrassed while the latter looked at him with a shameful face. Stepping forward to them Alucard immediately stated, "It seems you have some trouble being polite and sociable without causing a stir."
"Please, monsieur Alucard," Pip asked desperately, cupping his hands together as Alucard's told eyes stared at him with murderous intent. "Please don't 'old this against the mignonette and I. We were just trying to 'ave a good time is all; we never intended to get into a fight with Sir Seward…"
"I don't care what your intent was," the vampire growled under his breath, the sound of which made Seras jump backwards and hold a terrified look on his face. "We are guests of Her majesty the Queen; and while I know that there's no Monarch in France anymore, and so you're not taught any respect for royalty, your conduct is a poor reflection on Sir Integra and, by extension, the Hellsing Organization. If I catch you two disrupting things again, I'll have to deal with you personally."
"That's quite enough, Alucard," Integra told her servant, causing the vampire to cringe in disappointment as he turned back to face his master. "Causing a scene isn't exactly a good reflection on our Organization, but neither is you causing further panic by openly threatening your fellow subordinates."
After looking at Seras and Pip for what seemed like an entire minute, his eyes locked on theirs in a disappointed and annoyed fashion, the Nosferatu finally let out a sigh and turned back to Integra, saying in a defeated tone, "Very well. I'll leave the two of them alone to do as they will, provided they stay out of trouble."
"I promise you'll get no more trouble out of us Master," Seras diligently answered for both her and Pip, knowing a delay in response could only make things worse. Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Integra let out a slightly-pleased hum and started off in another direction, Alucard following suit and keeping a mere metre behind her.
"Whoa, zat was close," Pip noted, looking around as the group of people surrounding them started to disperse, walking off in all directions. Turning to face Seras, the girl immediately turned away from him, her arms crossed and her expression one of annoyance. "What? What did I do?" the mercenary then asked, shrugging his shoulders to show utter bewilderment.
"You men and your stubborn pride," Seras responded, stepping aside and making her way up to a refreshment table right beside where they were. "You're no different from my master, and neither is that awful Sir Seward; brutish, ignorant, and completely unable to see when you're wrong. Master Integra and I simply wanted to have a good time tonight, and you helped drag us all down by getting into a ridiculous fight like that."
"But, I…" Pip started as Seras grabbed a cup of eggnog out of a large punch bowl, taking a large sip of it while Pip tried to speak. Seras' response to taking the drink was to make the same face a child makes when biting into a lemon; as though they've swallowed an entire mouthful of bitterness. Suddenly growing amused again, Pip said to her, "What? You don't like the eggnog with rum in it?"
"There's rum in this?" the blond questioned obliviously, the light-headedness of the drink catching up to her a few seconds later. Looking at the half-empty glass in her hand, she chugged the entire thing before cringing again; but less so this time, and she actually enjoyed the taste much more. "I've never had it like this."
"Vraiment? It's a staple at 'oliday parties; or at least, the ones I've been to," Pip noted, grabbing his own glass of the drink and taking a rather large swig as he did so. "Hm… the rum is a bit off, yeah. Cheap stuff for a bunch of rich old yuppies, but I suppose it will do for a Christmas punch." Seras, however, caught none of the words that came from the Frenchman's mouth; for she was too busy grabbing a second glass of the dink, downing it a second later. "Whoa… you shouldn't drink it that quickly, Mignonette? 'Ave you ever 'ad spiked drinks before?"
"I did graduate from High School you know," Seras responded to Pip sassily, not noticing how vague her answer was to his question when she said it. When he continued to look at her strangely, she responded, "You know, the old spiked punch at the prom gag that every 18-year-old boy tries at least once in his life? I can't believe you didn't guess that."
"Well, I mean," Pip responded, actually taken aback by the comment from straight-laced Seras, "sure, I figured somebody 'ad punched the spike – I mean, spiked the punch – at some point; but I didn't figure you for somebody who'd drink it." When Seras gave a sarcastically obvious nod, the man gleefully smiled like s child on Christmas day and said, "I knew there was a reason I liked you; and not just your rack."
"What was that?" Seras questioned, breaking from downing her third glass of the punch to stare at Pip hatefully for the comment. The mercenary then simply shied back away and waved his hands innocently to show he hadn't meant what he said; and so Seras drank the rest of her glass, then reached for more.
About two hours into the evening, Sir Integra found herself sitting in one of the chairs against the walls of the ballroom, watching everybody who was dancing with an envious expression while she sat with her head in her hand, with her elbow in her lap. She remembered her senior prom, when she had been the wall flower that no boy in the room would dance with; and that wasn't even that long ago.
"Do you really intend to just sit here and be miserable while everybody else has a good time" Alucard questioned to the depths of Integra's mind, appearing beside her suddenly with his arms crossed and an amused sneer on his face. After about an hour and half of socializing, Alucard had gone off for a few minutes to do something – whatever it was he hadn't told Integra what – and now he was back, watching his master sit aside.
"Perhaps I'd have been less miserable if you had stayed with me this whole time, instead of ditching me earlier," she responded, picking up a champagne glass and taking a large gulp of what had been a full glass. "This is why I don't like going to public events; I simply never know anybody outside of who I bring, and they usually abandon me."
"I'm sorry, but I had a personal errand I had to attend to," the vampire apologized, looking at his master sympathetically. "I'm almost surprised you didn't take the chance to get something to eat, or go out on the balcony with one of your cigars, or even find somebody to drink with. Or am I simply too used to how things used to be with your father?"
"I wasn't hungry enough to try and eat anything," Integra explained, her own disappointment reflecting even in her thoughts. "Besides, there's no pockets on this dress or any handbags in my collection to go with it, and I didn't feel like using my… you know," she paused, indicating her chest, "…as storage, especially for such an upscale party. As for the drinks, I was tempted; but I do not wish to get drunk in such a public venue, and I don't want to have to use the loo at any point either."
"Bad personal experience?" Alucard questioned, getting a somewhat embarrassed-looking nod as a reply. "Then I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long." Stepping in front of Integra, Alucard then knelt down and extended his hand, saying slowly and in a calm and romantic voice, "May I offer you this dance?"
Surprised at the request, Integra stood up and took the tall vampire's hand, causing him to rise up and put his other hand on her hip. She then placed her free hand on his shoulder and the slowly moved away from the wall, the rhythm of their dancing slowly taking then to the centre of the room where everybody else was dancing.
"I must say, you're quite a good dancer for a creature of the night…" Integra mused, her half-intrigued half-entertained face looking at a now-smiling Alucard. Responding to the comment, the vampire released his grip on her hip and twirled her to the outstretched length of their arms combined, before pulling her back in and re-establishing his grip.
"I'm not so old as to predate dancing, My Master," Alucard responded, sounding jokingly offended at the assumption. "After all, I was more than a crusader and an Impaler, you know; I was a Voivode, and as such I was involved in higher social function. Dancing was not un common at ceremonies, even back in the Middle Ages."
"I'm trying to imagine you dancing with some young woman in a period dress inside a huge old castle," Integra told him after hearing him say this, while the motion of their dancing continued and they slowly continued onwards. Eventually Alucard's rhythm led them past the dancing people and towards a balcony, which overlooked the snow-filled gardens and was lit up by the beautiful evening moon.
Releasing Integra, Alucard stepped to the edge of the railing and looked up at the room, entranced as Integra stepped up beside him and grabbed his hand. Turning back to her, Alucard then outstretched his arm and in a flash of black smoke, a long, shining object appeared dangling on the end of his hand. "For you," he said, bringing his arm closer to her so she could see what he had brought.
Integra's face upon seeing the object was pure shock. Hanging by Alucard's fingers on the end of his hand, a platinum crucifix dangled, blowing in the slight breeze on a platinum chain studded with huge 2-karat diamonds. Smiling, Alucard then moved his hand over her head and twisted his hand so the crucifix fell off, landing around her neck and reflecting in the evening moonlight. "Alucard… it's beautiful…" Integra told her servant, her voice shortened by her breath having been taken away.
"Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing…" Alucard said aloud, again getting down on one knee as he spoke. "From the very moment you awakened me in that basement, 10 years ago, I knew that you were different from the other masters. The first treated me as nothing more than a science project; and to your father, I was little more than a weapon of war, or an entertaining party favour. But to you… to you I'm more than that; you treat me like a human, like a person. And that's why I love you…"
Integra was completely stunned by this confession from her vampiric servant; so much so that her face remained frozen into the expression long after he stood up from his knee, and looked her in the eye looking for some return of the emotion. "Alucard, I…" was all she could manage to get out of her mouth before something in the back of her head took over; and she then pulled her servant in closely, locking his lips to her own and sharing with him a warm, passionate kiss that lasted for close to a minute.
By the time she finally released her grip from his, Integra was absolutely stunned and befuddled by what had just happened. For the first time on ten years, her servant had told her how he truly felt about her; and her response had been to snog him, right in the middle of a huge party with royalty and parliamentary dignitaries at it. Needless to say, she was more than a little bit torn by the ordeal. She had never known true love, and so couldn't tell if this was what she felt; or, for that matter, whether her servant was simply having her on again.
"Would I really lie to you about something this important to both of us…?" the vampire telepathically questioned, putting his hand around her waist and drawing her in closer. Once again, their lips locked in an impassioned and primal manner, their joined embrace allowing both to feel the other's heartbeat, their pulse.
For an entire two minutes, the two lovers remained trapped in their embrace, losing track of the entire world except for themselves. Alucard could feel the warm, smooth flow of Integra's blood through her veins; and Integra could feel the pulsating, rhythmic motions of the shadow tendrils that made up the vampire's form. As his heat melded more and more with hers, she could almost feel herself being taken into his form, becoming one with him…
Yet, despite the overwhelming desires of the two lovebirds, the embrace could not last. The sounds of glass breaking and people screaming broke the two from their entranced state, drawing their attention back to the party inside. At least one of the lights had gone out, and many people were hiding in corners or scurrying to the doors.
"Forgive me, but I need to deal with this," Alucard told Integra, wiping the saliva from his lip as he stepped inside, the blond woman following closely behind him. In the centre of the room, a man stood waving a gun around in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. The sloppy motion with which he did this, coupled with the ruffled appearance of the man's grey tuxedo and his incoherent rambling, led Alucard immediately to assume that the man was intoxicated; and as such, was a huge threat to all those present.
"Put down the gun right now!" the vampire instructed, walking slowly and purposefully towards the man. Instead of doing as he asked, however, the man turned his gun on Alucard, shakily fingering the trigger. "Please, put down the gun and nobody has to get hurt…" Focussing on the man, Alucard attempted to use his hypnotic power to disarm the man; but that simply made things worse.
With a feral-sounding scream of pain, the man, instead of becoming possessed as Alucard had planned, opened fire on the red-clad being, emptying all 12 rounds of the gun into Alucard's flesh in a peppering of rounds. His body became riddled with injuries and exploded into clouds of blood, eventually tearing at the joints and falling into a heap at the floor.
"Alucard!" Integra screamed in fear, running up to the dismembered corpse of her loving servant. The look of total bewilderment on the vampire's frozen face spoke volumes; but before Integra could react, the man came up behind her and hit her on the head with the champagne bottle, knocking her head to the floor and shattering both her glasses and the bottle.
As she lay bleeding, and before her consciousness faded out, she managed to moan out, "A…lu…card…"
Genma: Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of my work.
Luke: Actually, I found it rather tasteful…
*Looks down at Jan*
Luke: Unlike my brother…
Genma: Yeah, sorry 'bout that…
Luke: Don't worry. It's a better Christmas present than he ever got me.
Genma: You know what'd be a good Christmas Gift? A dog…
*Luke glares at Genma*
Genma: Or… not. Finale tomorrow…