Alucard stood in the office, as silent as a specter as he listened to Maxwell speak. The man described what he had told Integra, except with the addition of a few stutters and hesitant pauses where he pulled at his hair anxiously. Finally he burst out with all of his anger and fear, his despair and hate rushing out with his voice.
"He's going to die because of you, you demon! If you care about him at all, monster, you will make it so that the two of you never see each other again! Make it so that Anderson hates you again! Or at least so he can lie to others about it! Damn you! He will DIE! DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU STUPID BEAST? HE WILL DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Alucard did not say anything. He did not blink until Maxwell was finished and Integra was watching him, a cloud of smoke playing with her gold hair as she sat back in a cushioned desk chair, her arms crossed with one hand holding the cigar in place. Maxwell was panting with effort on the speaker, so he did not hear the boots walk out the door as Alucard left the office.
Integra knew that the red figure would appear in the priest's bedroom soon, so she pulled a laptop and some cords from a drawer in her desk, keeping the cigar secured in her mouth, and she set up the technology that would allow her to stream the audio and footage to Maxwell's computer. His renewed bout of ranting had faded as in the background as she worked, and when she was done she chewed on the cigar, frowning at the speaker on her phone.
"Maxwell."
The man choked on his words, and then snarled a curse. "What Sow? And what of your dog! He isn't saying anything! Vampire Alucard! Do you not care that….!"
Integra exhaled a breath of smoke. "He's gone Maxwell. Look at your computer screen…I'm sending you the feed. He should be there any moment now."
Maxwell gaped at his phone and then grumbled crossly as he followed her advice (in his mind it was not an order) and he soon had a clear look at the bedroom where Alexander Anderson was asleep in bed. The white haired man narrowed his eyes and frowned, realizing for the first time how well Integra was able to spy on the poor priest. He had almost no privacy at all… Enrico Maxwell's thoughts stopped as he saw the red figure slip through a wall and enter the room.
The bat flew about the ceiling, squeaking happily, and Alucard lifted his hand so that it would go to him. Once in his possession, the bat was set on a picture frame on the wall, and there is remained.
Alucard stood before the end of the bed, gazing at the sleeping paladin with stolid features, his hands hanging by his sides. He slipped them into his pockets and continued to watch the rise and fall of the man's chest, his eyes fixed on his form.
Integra and Maxwell watched in silence, waiting for him to do something. Minutes went by, and finally Alucard stepped to the side and walked the length of the bed to reach Anderson's head. Alucard bent over the sleeping body and gently rested his hands on the priest's shoulders, easing down to press on them. "Judas Priest."
Anderson stirred but did not wake up completely. Alucard would normally have smiled at this show of stubbornness, but he could not remember how to form the expression at the moment and his features remained dead, his eyes dimmed. He shook the shoulders softly. "Anderson…wake up."
The green eyes blinked tiredly and Anderson turned over to look up at the vampire, lidded eyes full of confusion and warm affection. He cracked a crooked smile and lifted his arm to pull the demon so that he was sitting down on the mattress. Alucard did not resist, and he was soon sitting by Anderson's side as the priest continued to lie and wait for an explanation, if there was one. Slowly, the dim eyes registered in Anderson's mind and his face tightened with unease. Alucard still did not speak, so he broke the silence instead. "Alucard…what is it?"
The red eyes had decided to glue themselves to Anderson's pillow, and they refused to move or change when a hand touched the demon's arm and Anderson sat up. The hand moved to the black hair, petting it in a slow rhythm that made Integra sick to her stomach while it amazed Maxwell, stupefying him so that he could create no opinion at all on the matter. Then Alucard chose to speak, astounding Maxwell further when the vampire repeated, word for word, most of what he had said, minus the extra insults meant for the vampire and Integra. "Anderson…if it's true, as I believe it is, then there is no choice…but to stop this. Go back to the Vatican. You can tell them that I took control of your mind, that I had enslaved you for this time…and that you have now broken free from me. Tell them I was forcing you, that you were not conscious of what you were doing. It was all me…"
Anderson's face had become cold and he was glaring at the darkened wall, a burning flare in his eyes revealing his boiling temper. Meanwhile, some hope had come to visit Maxwell while Integra would not allow any of this to affect her. She would wait for the conclusion until she indulged in anything like hope…not after the Kepra failure.
"Judas Priest…we're going to stop this. Go back to your orphans…I will stay here. We cannot do this anymore. I will not let this cause your death or ruin your life, Priest."
"Alucard…"
Suspense thickened at the man's awaited response, and Maxwell's hands melded to his armrests, his knuckles losing their blood as he tightened his grip so that his hands throbbed uncomfortably.
Anderson closed his eyes and turned his head to Alucard, then opened them. "Shut up…you're insulting me." Two arms shot out and claimed the vampire, forcing him down onto the mattress beside the priest, and Anderson held him, his face buried in the soft dark hair. "Shut up, Alucard. I'm disappointed…that you think that I'm a coward…or that I'm stupid enough not to have foreseen this…" His embrace tightened, the wide red orbs brightening and then disappearing entirely as Alucard shut his eyes, biting the side of his mouth when he felt the priest's warmth seep into his cold body, and the living, human lips kiss his hair.
Maxwell was aghast while Integra just scowled and drew sharply on her cigar, swallowing the poisonous smoke.
Alucard chose not to do anything about the priest's kisses or the arms that were holding him down. "I am not going to let you die, Priest. And I'm not going to let you lose your children. You'll be miserable to the ends of your days without them."
"Alucard…be quiet. Give them more time…give Maxwell more time. Maybe nothing will happen."
"Except you'll be targeted, Anderson." Alucard growled back. "And, unless we want England and the Vatican to begin a war and fight over you, which I doubt England will concede to doing…they can't let you go. They can't afford to abandon you in the land of the enemy, Priest. You are a weapon, just as I am a weapon. I would sooner be killed than handed over to the Vatican to be used for their purposes. You need to return and deny that you ever had a part in any of this…" Alucard's words were cut off when Anderson hissed something and grabbed the beast, rolling over to the other side of the bed so that the vampire was pinned down and caught up in the blankets. Anderson planted a hand on each side of the vampire's head as he hovered over him, one of his legs pinning down the vampire's boots, keeping him still.
"I told you to stop it, Alucard! Stop it!" He snarled, green glowering down at the unresponsive face with lightless red eyes. His expression softened into a sad frown and he bit his lip before moving his arms so that they encircled the beast's neck and he pressed his lips to a cold cheek. His mouth moved back to the vampire's hair and he sighed, lowering himself onto the demon. It was quiet for a few moments.
"This is a bit…uncomfortable. You're crushing me, Anderson." Came a smothered voice that surprised Anderson as well as those watching from their computer monitors, and the paladin moved himself to the side of the vampire and held him in a more universally comfortable position.
"Sorry." Anderson shut his eyes firmly and held the creature close.
Alucard watched the man's face for a while and then kissed the large scar on Anderson's cheek and closed his eyes.
The dumbfounded Maxwell flinched when the window on his computer went dead and he heard Integra sigh on the phone after cutting off the feed by slamming her laptop close. "If only it could be that easy." She muttered hatefully and bit into her cigar, ruining it.
Maxwell, for once, had nothing to say. He kept his thoughts to himself as he mulled over the vampire's words.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
A day passed away peacefully and another was born and aged into the night when Alucard revisited the paladin. Alexander Anderson was lying on the blankets that were draped over his bed, a lamp shining light onto the book in his hands, glinting off of his glasses so that it created a light fairy on the wall near the ceiling. Alucard knew it was there, but he did not look at it as he gazed at the relaxed priest that licked a finger and turned to the next page, passing the beast a smile as he did so. "Two more pages and I'll finish this chapter. Would you join me here until then?" He chuckled at the unresponsive face, and then returned to reading his book. Alucard circled to the side of the room, his eyes bright and sparking, where the wall was parallel to how Anderson was lying down. The vampire waited, watching to see the exact moment when the book would begin to close. Then…he saw it, the closing of the two covers as the priest finished his chapter, and a black boot moved forward, as fast as the paladin's satisfied sigh.
Integra jerked at her desk, choking on the smoke of her cigar as she saw a flurry of movement dash across the monitor showing the priest's bedroom, and she saw a book fly in the opposite direction of the movement that crashed into the floor. Alucard had the paladin on the ground.
Still without air in his lungs, Anderson gasped, feeling the vampire hold him on the hard wooden floor, one of his bare feet managing to land on a rug, as fangs grazed over his hair. Alucard was quite content to settle on top of him after pouncing on the priest with such force that they had both flown off the bed, and he played with his prey, purring.
"You almost gave me a heart attack, Alucard." Anderson gasped, blinking up at the smug face.
Alucard hummed and lowered his fangs to the frame of the man's glasses and chewed on them playfully. "I caught you off guard, Judas Priest. As a vampire, I could have eaten you… But that makes you my prey tonight, Priest. What will I do with you?"
Integra actually thought she was going to vomit on her desk, but she swallowed the bile, hardening her will, and glared at the screen as her hand roamed over her desk, finding her phone.
Anderson chuckled, wrapping his arms around the demon's waist and pulling him closer, encouraging the fanged lips to descend to his own. The curious bat made its appearance when it flew to the vampire and attached itself to his shoulder. Anderson didn't bother it as he slipped his hands down the vampire's sides, flattening the trench coat against the chilled body.
"STOP THAT ALUCARD!"
The two broke away and sat on the floor, heads whipping around to find the voice. Alucard's face was becoming a frown while Anderson's was reddening by the second.
"Step away from the priest! Now! And you, Father Anderson! I saw your hands! Keep those to yourself!"
"Hello Master…. Was that considered too unholy, then?" Alucard spoke to the camera as he assumed that there was a speaker somewhere on or around it, and if not, then he would at least be looking at the woman. Integra scowled at him on the screen and stabbed at the button on her phone again. The fangs smirked when he found that he had been correct.
"Yes Vampire, tackling Catholic priests is unholy. And I don't want any more insights into your personal kinks, Servant. No more predator prey games, or else I'll neuter you…permanently."
Alucard sighed regretfully while Anderson ducked his head to hide from the camera, equally disappointed. They really liked that game…they always had, even before they were together. Cutting and shooting and stabbing…fighting was an amusing pastime. Clearing his throat as if nothing had happened, Anderson got up, keeping his head ducked as he went to the door. "The movie, then? Alucard?" He opened the door and gestured for the vampire to lead the way. Alucard didn't say anything as he left the room, petting the bat on his shoulder quietly.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
A week went by without hearing from Maxwell, but Integra didn't mind. She enjoyed the peace and indulged in neglecting the phone for hours on end, in the hopes of missing the man's call. But she never missed one. Because Maxwell never called.
It was a lazy afternoon at the estate. Alucard had managed to silence his target earlier in the day and he had already gone to the priest's 'house', or living quarters, whatever they wanted to call it. The two were sleeping cozily on the bed, affected by the warm, drowsy weather. It was too peaceful and uneventfully calm that Integra was ignoring them. Then there was a flash of movement once more. The woman snarled, irate and dangerous eyes glowering at the monitor as she figured that the two were back to playing their games, but she froze and the expression of rage dropped from her face instantly, leaving only open shock.
Alucard, because of the warm weather and the priest's comments, had removed his coat before joining the priest in an afternoon nap, so there should not have been that much red on the bed. The woman's heart thudded once between her ears before dying out as wide eyes took in the sight. The bed was ruined, coated in blood. Anderson was on the floor, stunned, while Alucard was bleeding heavily from where bullets had torn into his back and a sword had impaled him through to his chest so that he was having difficulty sitting up while the blade was buried into the mattress. Anderson had some minor wounds, but the bullets could be heard falling to the floor as they were pushed out of his skin. Someone was holding onto him pleading for him to go. It was an Iscariot that Hellsing did not recognize, a man that blended with the others who all wore similar uniforms. How had they gotten in? Well, that didn't matter. It was a well known fact that Alucard was a heavy sleeper during the day. Anyone who read Dracula would know that.
An unsteady voice emerged from the shaken paladin on the floor as he gazed at the nun that had Alucard skewered to the bed. "…Yu…Yumie! Stop! Stop that! Let him go!"
Red eyes swiveled back as Alucard turned his head to see the girl whose face was hidden by her bangs. She lifted her head and glared down at the healing vampire that was not resisting her. "We're taking you back Father! You do not belong to this monster!" She cried and tore the sword down and through the vampire's side, sending rushing torrents of blood to seep into the bed. Alucard did not move away from the bed when the Iscariots steadied to fire their guns, red eyes sweeping from Yumie to Heinkel, pushing himself up so that he was sitting on his knees, his back to them as his face was turned so he could watch them and the priest on the floor. The little bat crawled out of the sheets, trembling and tripping over the cloth as it waddled to the vampire. The demon saw it and batted it away before the guns fired.
"Stop!" Anderson found his voice with a roar, and he broke away from the Iscariot that was gripping his clothes, and he moved into the line of fire, killing off the attack as the others stopped shooting. The bat was keening on the ground for a moment, before it retreated to hide under the bed. Anderson was holding the bloody monster as he glared at the other Iscariots. He did not consider using his bayonets against them, only thinking of protecting the vampire from another attack. "Stop! What are you doing! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!"
"Father! Get away from him!" "Demon, let him go!" "Release him, monster!" "Free him!" "Father Anderson!" "Father!" "Let him go, vampire!"
Alucard was leaning against The Judas Priest, dull eyes gazing at his chin, his neck, what was in front of them. Then he closed his eyes and nestled closer, taking in the priest's scent while outraged voice rang out around him. He could not hear them. He could not hear anything except Anderson's beating heart. He took in the scent, the heat, the memory…and then pulled away and grabbed the priest and tore him from the bed.
"DEMON! LET HIM GO!" "GIVE HIM BACK TO US!"
The voices demanded as they saw the monster drag the priest from the bed, as if to escape with him.
"HE IS OURS DEMON! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO HIM!"
Alucard silenced the voices by shoving the priest towards them and the door. "Go Judas Priest. Get in their cars and go."
Anderson stared at him with a lost expression. He reached out and moved towards the vampire, unable to speak. Other arms pulled him, trying to stop him, but he resisted them and was able to touch the vampire's shoulder. Alucard's arms shot out and he twisted the paladin's garments in his fists and then threw him through the already broken window, his face, devoid of emotion. Now he was alone with most of the Iscariots in the room. They gazed at one another, one keeping his gloves by his sides as he faced them while the rest left their weapons directed at him.
"Go. Take him back to the Vatican." The low voice filled the room. No one moved. The sound of Anderson resisting the Iscariot that were trying to restrain him outside, poured through the window.
"DAMN IT ALUCARD! I AM NOT LEAVING! LET GO! I AM NOT LEAVING!" There were grunts and yells from the struggle outside the window.
Alucard said nothing, but moved towards the collection of Iscariots before him. They started and threatened to shoot, then didn't as the monster passed by them and went through the open door. They followed him, weapons raised, as the vampire moved through the house, leading them out the front door, and he rounded the side of the house to see Anderson coming in his direction, having shaken off the other Iscariots. The man stopped, green eyes staring at the stoic pale face. Alucard remained where he was, watching.
"Get in the car Anderson. Go, or I will have to rip off your limbs and tie you to a seat myself."
Everything was silent. Anderson stared, saying nothing. Alucard did not move, and wind brushed passed them, moving the Holy attire of the Iscariots and the red ribbon around the vampire's neck. Anderson face was dead, defeated as he saw there was no hope for this. He looked at the dim red eyes. "You knew that they would come…you knew that they were here…Alucard. I know you did…. You knew…"
Alucard did not respond while Iscariots moved passed him to go to the priest. Anderson let them guide him to one of the black cars and he was pushed down, gently, into a seat. Once the door was closed, he turned his gaze to the tinted back window and watched Alucard stand by the corner of the house, the wind whipping his hair as it grew stronger, abusing the nearby trees. The other Iscariots did their best to avoid looking at the vampire, though Yumie and Heinkel glanced at him a few times. They got in the car that contained Father Anderson, and they watched the man and then the vampire he was looking at through the back window as they drove away. When they had entered a main road and the house was left far behind, Anderson stared at his lap, his slack hands dangling from his legs as he sat, his back bent.
Alucard stood in the wind, the clouds drifting overhead, collecting and melting together to darken the sky. It was colder now. Dreary and cold.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
Alucard wandered back into the house. Like a haunt, a phantom, he drifted over the floorboards. In the hallway that led to the bedroom, he was met with the frightened little bat that was crawling towards him, having sensed his return. The nosferatu stopped and gazed down at the form. Silently, he bent and lifted it from the floor, holding it in his cupped hands, and he went though the doorway into the bloody and wasted room. Bullet holes marred the walls, littering it with black pits, scars that would never fade, dusted with residue from the gun shots. The crimson eyes saw these and then went to the bed the black boots stepped towards. Closing his eyes, standing before the bed, Alucard let himself collapse, falling onto the soft and torn embrace.
It was cold. His lips quivered. He had hoped that, with the paladin's lingering scent, there might have been some warmth left for him…but there was none. There was a chilled embrace that offered him a scant comfort, one that made him feel even more alone than he had been before. White gloves left the bat and ran over the sheet covering the mattress. When they arrived by the vampire's face, they clutched the cloth and Alucard pressed further into the mattress, his outline shivering for a moment. The freed bat moved to his hair and nestled against his icy cheek. It remained there, as the shivering dissipated into a shudder. The room was silent, dead. Full of bullet holes, blood stains, broken glass, and gun powder; only in the mattress could the priest's scent be found. He remained there as blue eyes gazed at the monitor, watching.
Integra was waiting for Maxwell to answer his phone. His voice arrived, no sneer or disdain within it, only a question.
"Did they get Anderson out?"
Integra watched the red figure flatten itself into the mattress, hands straining the sheets beneath it. She lit her own cigar and swallowed the toxic smoke. "Yes."
Maxwell started, amazed and thrilled by the response. He laughed weakly, and then let the humor strengthen. Integra listened without comment. She watched the red figure reveal its face, peering about the ruin that surrounded it. Alucard got up and appeared in a separate monitor, the one for the kitchen. The woman watched, exhaling smoke.
"Finally!" Maxwell cackled, slamming his desk with a palm as he grinned triumphantly. His chair swiveled a bit, causing him to laugh again. "It can all be explained easily. Your monster cast a spell or used a psychic power to control Anderson. It's perfect!" He snickered and then sighed contently. His eyes gleamed at the phone. "I bet your beast threw a fit. But he was powerless against us! Wasn't he?" The man leered at the speaker when no answer came. He laughed, a howling sound that made him appear to be mad. But it was pure, undiluted glee that warped his features and demonized his voice. "How is he?" The man shrieked with a cackle, eyes shining now, his mouth a toothy smile. "How is the beast now? Eh? HOW IS THAT DEMON? IS HE A BLOODY MESS? WRITHING IN AGONY ON THE DAMNED FLOOR?" The laughter returned, but lowered when Integra responded.
"Would you like to see what he's doing? It's quite amusing, I must admit. You'll enjoy it, Maxwell…turn on your computer. I'm sending you the feed." Integra moved the cigar in her mouth, a finger tapping at her keyboard. Maxwell readied his computer, eager to see as well. The window came up, but nothing appeared. A series of windows popped up on the screen as well before they consented to show their pictures.
Maxwell's eyes flickered with the light from the windows, wide with a soul jarring shock. He gazed, lips parted, at the red and orange flames that engulfed the rooms, the popping sparks. His eyes ran through all of the screens, finding the same colors. Fire. The vampire had set everything on fire… Maxwell's eyes found the last window, the bedroom where Alucard was lying on the mattress that was about to be caught by the fire. The bat was screaming, shrieking and flying, choking on the smoke, But Alucard did nothing. The creature was forced to abandon him and fly through the broken window in order to survive. Alucard remained where he was, hands buried in the sheets, pressing himself into the mattress. The man shivered with a short gasp as the mattress ignited…burning well, serving as fuel for the hungry flames. They engulfed the demon as well, and it breathed a deep breath, but did not try to leave the burning touch.
Maxwell was pale, unable to speak for some time as he watched the undead body literally cook. He had to look away when the sight became too gruesome, and he shuddered. "He's trying to kill himself?" His voice shook, but he did not care. He saw no weakness in how this was affecting him. It was the most disturbing sight he had ever come across in his life, and Maxwell closed his eyes, wishing that it would fade from his memory. His eyes shot open with the amused chortle he heard from his speaker.
"Good riddance."
Maxwell stared at the phone, hunched over his desk. He sat up. It was silent except for the sound of the fire from his computer. "You're a cold woman, Integra Hellsing."
Integra smiled and inhaled from her cigar. "He won't die. My Servant wouldn't die from something like this, and he knows it."
Maxwell shut off his computer and squeezed the armrests of his chair. "I wouldn't be able to stand idle if Anderson was doing something like this."
Integra said nothing. There was only a black shadow within the fire now. Nothing else. She heard Maxwell hang up on her, but she thought nothing of it.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
Alucard returned to the estate the next day, accompanied by the loyal brown bat that hung on his ribbon, refusing to leave its master for even a moment, no matter how big the moth that flitted by might be, it would not leave Alucard. The vampire avoided its own master and retreated to its coffin for the day…and the night…and the next day…
He emerged when he was ordered to exterminate a vampire. Seras went with her master but didn't dare try to speak to him as he blew into the ghouls and forgot to leave any for her to shoot. He did all of this without ever showing any kind of emotion. He took no pleasure from killing the vampire. He did not taunt or play with it. He sent it into Hell with a single shot through the skull and then left the building, dripping with blood. When he stood in Integra's office in this state, she glowered at him and demanded that he clean himself up. He did so, automatically. The woman drew on her cigar and let the smoke leave her mouth as she spoke.
"You look pitiful, Alucard." As the vampire did not respond, she growled, biting her cigar. "Pitiful fool…you embarrass me, Servant. A weak disgrace…is that what you are now? Because you do not have another man's chest to sleep on?" Her own words disgusted her, making her snarl. Alucard's blank features infuriated her. In a fit of rage, she took up her tea and threw it at the figure, shattering the porcelain and splashing the beverage all over the creature's attire. Alucard did not seem to notice. Blue flared as the woman stood. "DISGUSTING! VILE! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, ALUCARD!" She threw her hand at the door wildly, screaming. The vampire turned and faded into the wall.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
"SPEAK! DAMN YOU!" Integra was screaming again, but this time she was gripping her servant's trench coat, attempting to shake him. He looked down at her with lifeless, empty eyes. Her face had reddened and she was panting with rage. "SPEAK! WHY DO YOU NOT SPEAK, ALUCARD? I AM ORDERING YOU TO SPEAK!" She shook without knowing it, searching the face for something familiar…something that wasn't shattered. The woman found only one thing, and it stabbed into her like a hot spike. She tore away from the vampire, seething. "You disgusting thing!" She shrieked, a sound that had never left her lips before, but it left them a second time as she threw a stack of papers at the unresponsive features. "Disgusting! He..! HE WAS A BLOODY MAN!"
Alucard still did not speak or show any signs of life. He was ordered to leave and weeks went by, occupied by his silence and Integra's ranting. Walter could not calm her. Seras even tried but was nearly murdered by the woman. Integra looked at the bullet holes in her office wall. Seras had narrowly escaped each shot before finally leaving when she had been ordered to do so for the fifteenth time. Nothing would comfort the woman, and nothing would make Alucard speak.
A hand of a dark complexion stabbed at her phone and then tapped on the desk as the woman waited for Maxwell to pick up. He finally did with his naturally sneering voice. "Well, hello Sow…" He jumped in his seat, instantly losing the smirk when the woman snarled at him.
"Shut up you Catholic bastard!" Integra snapped, grating her teeth together for a moment. "I want to contact your damn Priest! What is his number, Maxwell?"
The man sat in a stupor, bewildered at the lack of refined composure that had usually kept the woman as something of an ice queen in his mind. Now she was a roaring fury ready to rip out his throat with her teeth. He glared at the phone and countered the assault. "Whore! Why would…?"
"SHUT UP, MAXWELL! I WON'T STAND FOR YOUR BULL SHIT! GIVE ME HIS DAMNED NUMBER OR GET HIM ON THE FUCKING PHONE! NOW!"
Shaken, Maxwell blinked, the muscles in his neck twitching. He was confused and put off by her uncharacteristic language…and her wanton temper. His eyes went to his desk as his mind brought up the number to contact the orphanage. "What is this about, Integra Hellsing?" He scowled and added a bitterness to his tone. "And don't use such vile language. I won't be combative if you can calm yourself, woman."
"Don't call me woman, Maxwell." Returned a more reasonable voice. Integra took a breath but kept her eyes on her speaker, as if she were looking at the man's face. "Will you give me Father Anderson's number?"
The man paused, also watching the speaker, seeing the face the tone constructed. He moved his fingers and then stilled them by clasping his hands together on his desk. "Why do you need it? And you know, for such a favor, that I deserve an explanation."
Integra was quiet. "How is Father Anderson fairing? After being…separated? Is he…fine?"
Maxwell knew that the woman did not care about Anderson. There was another reason for the question, but the man answered it none the less. "He's fine. Anderson was a bit…melancholy, at first. But he is functioning accordingly and he is interacting with the other Iscariots and his orphans the same as he always has." Pale blue watched the phone, hearing silence. The man's pale face darkened a little, shadowed by the memory of the flames. No. Anderson had not…reacted in such a way…to the separation. He knew what this was about now. "How is the vampire Alucard fairing?" He asked quietly and patiently waited for a response. Integra seemed to adapt his volume, for her words were also quiet.
"He doesn't speak…anymore. He barely eats. He's…thin…a husk, Maxwell." Integra moved her eyes to her hands, knitting her fingers together over the surface of her desk, memories rising. It didn't matter that this was Maxwell…she just needed to speak. "How can Anderson be fine when this is killing Alucard? He's…broken. He always has the same expression and this listless way of moving, as if there is no point in anything he does…as if he would rather lower himself to the floor…rather lay down and die, than anything else." Integra's posture deteriorated as she stared at her hands. Maxwell stared at his own, unable to create an opinion for what was happening… These two hated one another. An exchange, such as this one, should have been impossible.
Integra sighed out a whisper that chilled the white haired man. "I can't stand to look at him… He's a walking ghost, Maxwell. It's as if my orders are what drives his muscles to function….and he won't speak…no matter how much I yell…or how many bullets I butcher him with…he won't speak." Integra rested her brow against her hands, closing her eyes while Maxwell was silent. This was no longer the Protestant Sow in his mind. He heard her sigh.
"That's why…I need to speak to Father Anderson, Maxwell. I need him to speak to Alucard."
He could have denied her, but he wasn't able to voice a refusal. Instead, he told her the paladin's number, twice, to make sure she wrote it down correctly, and then hung up.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
A child answered the phone, giggling with mischievous delight and even a hint of pride. A loud and familiar accent was heard in the background, chastising the child. All of the sounds…the voice…made Integra feel a cold hatred for the man, hindered by sadness gathered from the happiness and health she could feel, emitted as warmth coming from the speaker she gazed at.
"But Father! I wanna talk on the phone too! Pwease!"
There was a deep chuckle. "No, my child. Another time, perhaps?" He chuckled again, sending a prickling chill over the woman. The man held the phone now. "Hello? Please excuse the child. May I ask who is calling?"
Integra answered stiffly. "You seem to be in high spirits, Father Anderson."
Anderson paused. His voice became tinged with hostility that the woman responded to with a scowl. "Who is this?"
The woman suddenly laughed, a heartless shrill laugh. "How can you be so happy? WHY?"
The paladin moved into a separate room once he heard the mad humor. He hissed threateningly into the receiver. "I am asking you a question, who are you?" His jaw tightened when the laugh returned. Now he snarled. "Who is this? If you have some threat against my children I will not hesitate to eradicate you, you heathen trash! Who are you? Witch?"
The woman laughed. "Priest, how can you speak when Alucard can't? Why? I beg him! I shoot him! I scream and yell but he cannot utter a word! WHY CAN YOU LAUGH, PRIEST? WHY CAN YOU SMILE WHILE HE CAN BARELY SWALLOW HIS MEAL?"
Anderson jolted and found himself using the wall to support himself after his shock. He blinked, his mouth a gape. "Integra Hellsing?"
"Yes, Priest!" She hissed, all of her mad humor, gone. She glowered at the phone. "Tell me...did you actually love my Servant, Anderson? Because he has shown me that he loved you. He cannot get rid of his love. AND IT'S TEARING HIM APPART!"
The paladin was quiet, eyes wide. He slowly regained his composure. "…He's the one that sent me away…"
"Oh, shut up!" She woman spat back. "He only did it to save your worthless life!"
Anderson's eyes moved restlessly about the room, unable to find something to hold them. The woman continued to yell.
"You are scum, Anderson! Scum! A liar! You don't care about him, do you? DO YOU? Alucard! Come here! I have your beloved Priest on the phone and he has yet to ask for you! He has yet to say anything, in fact! A coward! A piece of…!"
"Quiet, Hellsing!" Anderson cut in, eyes glimmering as his fingers tightened on the phone he held. His eyes saw nothing now. "How is that my doing? He got rid of me! It is his fault! I have my children! I will not leave them for only his sake! All of them for him! They came after me! They thought they were risking their lives to take me back! And what of Alucard? He does nothing! NOTHING! None of this is my concern, Integra Hellsing! He can take care of himself! My children need me!"
Integra readied to yell back at the voice, but the crimson color stole her voice. She stared at Alucard as the vampire stood before her and the phone, hearing the paladin's words. He was watching the phone, and then he closed his eyes…listening.
"Alucard…no! Alucard! Come back! Alucard!" The breathless voice came to Anderson's ear and his body went rigid. "Alucard!" The woman called after him and ordered him to stay. Then the paladin could only hear muffled voices. They grew louder as they came closer. Integra spoke again. "Anderson…I called…to allow the two of you to speak to one another…I'll permit…visitations….if you wish to, Priest. They can be secret…"
Anderson closed his eyes, mirroring Alucard who had done the same. The bat squeaked in the background, telling of the vampire's presence. "No." He answered, without question, sure of his response. "I cannot leave my children. I never had the intention of doing so before…but it still…almost became a permanent reality. I will not risk losing them…or leaving them unprotected, again."
It was quiet. Integra couldn't think as she sat in her chair and stared at her desk. She flinched violently and moved her stare to the white face of the vampire when a quiet voice came from his lips.
"Yes, Judas Priest…it is best…that this is how things are…" There was a pause as all ears picked up the vampire's words. The red eyes would not open. "Are you happy, Anderson?"
The man's eyes hardened and he moved their focus to the floor. "Yes, Alucard. I am content, and even happy."
The demon did not speak for a time. "I am pleased, Anderson. I wish that this continues for you…I am fine as well, now. …Goodbye, then, my Judas Priest."
Anderson closed his eyes, and then shut off the phone.
Integra and the vampire were left in silence…a silence that Alucard flowed from and left the woman behind after gifting her with a gaze and a bow, a worded apology for his behavior that stopped her heart. When he was gone, the woman rested her head in her arms on her desk, and allowed the silence to persist.