I have no idea what anyone will think about this chapter. So please review and tell me your thoughts!

I think there may be anywhere from two to four chaoters left to write of this series to get where I'm headed.

And thank you everyone for reading chapter one!

The laugh that escaped from the man's chest upon hearing my response was a far cry from either the rumbling chuckle or the hearty laugh that I had heard earlier. It was a blood curdling, psychotic laughter, a demented version of the sound of a child who has discovered a new toy.

"We'll have to see about that."

He removed the arm that had snaked around my waist, allowing me to collapse to the ground.

"Without even the strength to stand up, you refuse to die? Laughable."

I stifled a scream as he bent over me, scrambling to escape somehow without the use of my legs. I managed only to crawl mere feet before he grabbed me once more, this time by the throat. I hissed, the only sound my crushed trachea could produce, still glaring defiantly through my fear and pain. He laughed once more, the same dreaded sound as before, and he released me to the ground. As I gasped habitually for breath, I attempted to concentrate on determining the nature of the intent I could feel radiating from his mind; though not malicious, it was most definitely not benevolent.

His command of "Come." was redundant as he gathered my exhausted form to his chest in one smooth motion. His grip was neither gentle nor comforting, but neither was it harsh; it simply was. I lacked the strength to protest, and he began to make his way towards the place that I had been trying so desperately to escape from not so long ago. I must have run farther than I had thought, that or my concept of time had been severely distorted, considering how ridiculously long the return trip seemed to drag on despite our near breakneck speed.

"Little one." I glanced up, perturbed by what sounded like a pet name. "There is only a very slight chance that my master will allow you to survive." The tone of his voice as he said this was unconcerned, causing me to frown. What was it that he intended by telling me this? Would he allow me to escape? As if he had caught my train of thought, which he most likely had, he smirked and continued.

"The only alternative, however, is for me to kill you, right here, right now."

He stopped, pausing in his gait as if he would not have been able to fully hear my answer otherwise. Although, I thought briefly, it was more likely that he had simply paused so that he could end my life more easily if I were to take the second choice offered.

We will die either way.

But one offers hope.

Is hope worth it?

It will be crushed.

Hope is not promise.

But it is hope.

It is possibility.

We choose hope.

We choose life.

We will live.

I bared my fangs at him in response, growling at the thought of dying for a second time. It seemed to be enough of an answer for him, and he swiftly returned to his previous pace, his eyes bright with amusement.

When we arrived at the small restaurant, I was surprised that the police were nowhere to be found. Instead, a sleek black Cadillac and several military grade vans created a perimeter around the crime scene, soldiers and what seemed to be researchers acting with clinical precision as bodies destined only for the mortuary were carted into several waiting ambulances. The man carried me towards the man who seemed to be in charge, ordering the soldiers and researchers alike in their activities. As we moved closer, I could see that the man was actually a woman in a black pantsuit with rather long platinum blond hair, a cigar hanging loosely secured at the corner of her mouth. She turned her piercing blue eyes towards us, the expression shifting from indifference, to surprise, to anger within seconds.

"Alucard! What took you so long?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as her eyes darted down to meet mine. As cold as ice, she breathed with barely concealed fury "Would that happen to be the suspect?"

The man I now knew was named Alucard allowed me to flop unceremoniously to the ground at his feet, several soldiers rushing forward to restrain me. There was, of course, no need for restraint; I could tell that not even an ounce of the strength my comrades had given me remained in my body, spent in my flight from the very place I was now forced to be. Alucard stepped over my body to stand with only a foot between him and the woman whom I assumed he had been referring to as his 'master.'

"But Integra, I considered that you could possibly desire to know what transpired? Your frustration at your inability to discover the exact sequence of events is almost palpable." He grinned, showing off his fangs. "I am humbly offering to… interrogate the suspect in my own, very effective way."

The woman… Integra? grimaced at what was an obviously unpleasant memory. "Very well then. Do what you wish, but do not do it here. I do not wish to see." She turned, striding to discuss this new potential source of information with a forensics team standing a few feet away.

After realizing that there was no need to restrain me, the few soldiers that had stepped forward to do so stood awkwardly as Alucard collected me into his arms. I realized now what his method of carrying me was reminiscent of: it was as though he was holding an inanimate object rather than a person. Not even bothering with the pretense of walking, he gathered shadow around us and disappeared, dragging me along with him as we presumably teleported to a secluded area not far from.

Without warning, he bit into my neck, sharp teeth piercing weary flesh. Through the haze of blood loss, it vaguely reminded me of devouring the man who had taken my life, although Alucard was not purposefully causing me pain. I could tell, even as he stole away the very substance that gave me life, that he seriously intended for me to live. At least through this. Just before he reached the point at which I would die from his draining, he removed his fangs and gently licked the puncture wounds as though distracted. At least I thought that he did; he pulled away before I could really be certain.

I was uncertain exactly drinking my blood constituted interrogating me until I remembered my comrades. Blood was the currency of the soul, carrying all the memories, knowledge, even skills, of its owner in life. Alucard seemed to be contemplating something as he sorted through the memories he had acquired, his expression more serious than it had been for the whole duration of our acquaintance. He would occasionally raise a single eyebrow or twitch the corner of his mouth, ever so slight changes in his expression the only hint that anything was happening at all.

Several minutes passed before he appeared to feel satisfied that he was familiar with every detail of what had come to pass that afternoon, the smirk which I assumed to be his norm returning to contort the features of his face. Without any warning, he began to unbutton his shirt and shift his collar to reveal his neck.

"Drink."

There was no reasonable explanation for his actions, causing me to suspect them to be a trap of some sort. I struggled as much as the confines of Alucard's arms and my weakened constitution would allow, drawing an amused chuckle from the chest I was held against.

"Settle down, little one. I can't exactly make an argument for your usefulness alive if you're half-dead."

I begrudgingly ceased my fidgeting and allowed him to pull my face to his neck and allowed myself to inhale deeply the scent of his blood. Though it did not flow as strongly as a human's, nor was it nearly as warm, a vampire's blood held an intoxicatingly exotic characteristic. As blood lust took over, it crossed my mind that I must have been mad to resist the initial temptation. But only briefly.

I sank my teeth deep into the flesh of his neck, relishing the rich flavor and slight warmth of the blood that flowed freely into my mouth. Along with the blood, memories flooded my mind, almost but not quite over whelming my own with their sheer concentration. This man, this creature, had lived for longer than I could even imagine. Out of curiosity, I drank until I felt that I had gained every one of his memories, even those that he could not consciously remember. Only then did I pull away, newly filled with the strength that coursed through his veins.

He set me down now that I was strong enough to stand on my own, watching me curiously as I sorted through the memories I had gained. From life, his childhood as the third prince of Wallachia, his imprisonment by the Ottomans, his wives, the three separate instances of his rule, his war against the Ottomans, his second imprisonment, and his execution. The moment he drank human blood and relinquished his barely intact humanity. From un-life, his extensive travels, his time spent in Romania, his capture by Van Helsing and the surrounding events, Van Helsing's various methods of torture and experimentation, his involvement in the World Wars, his sealing in the Hellsing family dungeons and his subsequent release, the turning of his most recent fledgeling, and the events of the Millennium incident. It fascinated me to have gained the knowledge of nearly six hundred years of life in the span of mere minutes.

Alucard seemed interested as well, his sneer replaced by a frown.

"How much did you gain?"

I knew, somehow, that he meant the memories.

"All of them? I think, anyway."

His frown deepened.

"Even I need to drain someone completely to gain the knowledge of a fifty year life span."

I could hear the unspoken question in his words, masked by pride. I had no answer for him, only guesses that I chose not to voice, and so decided on simply shrugging my shoulders in a half hearted way.

As I followed him from our hiding place, which I discovered to be an empty stairwell, I was surprised to find it easier to pass through walls than it had been during my flight, a changed I consigned to Alucard's potent blood. We stepped into the sun, once more surrounded by the gyrating activities of what I now knew to be Hellsing staff. Integra, the only unmoving figure amidst the commotion, turned toward us, scowling as our eyes met.

"I was wondering why I hadn't heard any screams. Alucard, I could have sworn you were going to terminate her."

I was flooded by Alucard's memories of the woman before me as a frightened twelve year old girl, targeted by her own relatives. I briefly wondered how she had changed so much, though surging memories soon answered my question.

"Ah, but Master, she could be quite useful to both you and I. She has her… uses." His wording and intonation irritated both Integra and myself, and he continued, quite pleased with himself. "She is better at… interrogation than I myself am, quite a feat for a newborn vampire."

"Wonder child or not, a vampire is still a vampire." Her ice blue eyes turned briefly towards my own red ones before returning to glare at Alucard. "You'll have to do much better than that."

"She can shoot." He grinned.

Integra raised her eyebrows, "How does a civilian know how to shoot in a place like England?"

"Uhm…" They both turned towards me, Alucard amused and Integra furious. "I'm actually from America, and I'm quite a good shot with several weapons. I can also fight?"

Integra visibly squirmed in response. Knowing what the Hellsing organization did and that it was quite in need of soldiers after the Millenium incident seemed to be working to my advantage. Finally she snapped, throwing her arms up in frustration.

"She's your responsibility, Alucard!" She shouted at us as she walked away to deal with some other pressing matter. As I turned to see a psychotic grin distorting Alucard's otherwise handsome face, I wondered what I had just signed myself to. Even armed with his memories, Alucard was an unknown variable. A variable that most likely intended to use me for entertainment in ways that I couldn't even imagine.

But we are alive.

Yes, we are alive.

Alive.

I'm sort of sad that i didn't stick in more voices... they're my favorite part. But I don't feel like finding places to stick them in.

I ask again, please review!